Episode

#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
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1:38:51
Published: Mon Oct 29 2018
Description

Sam Harris (@SamHarrisOrg) received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D in neuroscience from UCLA. Sam is the host of the Waking Up podcast, and he is the author of multiple books including The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, Waking Up, and Islam and the Future of Tolerance (with Maajid Nawaz).This experimental episode came about because a few months back Sam asked me to be a beta tester for his Waking Up meditation app that he was creating at the time. It was recently released, and I highly recommend it. I anticipated it would be good because Sam's work is always good, and he's one of those rare humans who seems to think and speak in finished prose, and he has a voice that can very easily lull you into a semi-psychedelic state while you are completely sober. You'll hear what I mean soon.Sam has a unique combination of experiences and areas of expertise, and his approach is that of a logical progression of layering on different types of training for learning the skill of meditation. In this episode, Sam will discuss his experiences with MDMA, his spiritual exploration, contact with so-called gurus, duality versus non-duality, and lots more. If you want to dive right into a beginner level guided meditation, skip to [52:32].Make sure to check out the bonus episode that is released at the same time as this one if you enjoy what you find here and want to jump straight to the guided meditations. The bonus episode also features additional content from Sam not found in the longer episode. Enjoy! This episode is brought to you by LegalZoom. I've used this service for many of my businesses, as have quite a few of the icons on this podcast including Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg of WordPress fame.LegalZoom is a reliable resource that more than a million people have already trusted for everything from setting up wills, proper trademark searches, forming LLCs, setting up non-profits, or finding simple cease-and-desist letter templates.LegalZoom is not a law firm, but it does have a network of independent attorneys available in most states who can give you advice on the best way to get started, provide contract reviews, and otherwise help you run your business with complete transparency and up-front pricing. Check out LegalZoom.com and enter promo code TIM at checkout today for special savings and see how the fine folks there can make life easier for you and your business.This podcast is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is, inevitably, Athletic Greens. It is my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body and did not get paid to do so. As a listener of The Tim Ferriss Show, you will receive a one-off supply of 20 free Athletic Greens Travel Packs, valued at $99.95. To order yours, visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please fill out the form at tim.blog/sponsor.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
LegalZoom offers assistance with a range of legal challenges, including managing tax laws, reviewing contracts, creating NDAs, and handling lease agreements, among others.
00:00 - 02:00 (02:00)
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Legal Services
Summary

LegalZoom offers assistance with a range of legal challenges, including managing tax laws, reviewing contracts, creating NDAs, and handling lease agreements, among others. Use promo code TIM at checkout to receive special savings.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast features lessons on learning the skill of meditation in a logical progression, ranging from white to yellow belts, and topics such as death and the mystery of being are explored along the way.
02:00 - 06:49 (04:48)
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Meditation
Summary

This podcast features lessons on learning the skill of meditation in a logical progression, ranging from white to yellow belts, and topics such as death and the mystery of being are explored along the way. Meditation training begins at minute 47 in the podcast or can be found in the companion episode.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast, the author of Waking Up discusses how he came to the topic of meditation and the role psychedelics played, along with a warning about guided meditations included.
06:49 - 14:22 (07:33)
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Meditation
Summary

In this podcast, the author of Waking Up discusses how he came to the topic of meditation and the role psychedelics played, along with a warning about guided meditations included.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Sam Harris, author of "Waking Up," discusses his own experiences with meditation and how it can lead to a greater understanding of consciousness and life-changing experiences.
14:22 - 26:19 (11:56)
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Consciousness
Summary

Sam Harris, author of "Waking Up," discusses his own experiences with meditation and how it can lead to a greater understanding of consciousness and life-changing experiences.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The goal of mindfulness practice is often seen as attaining an experience called "cessation" that uproots the illusion of the self while some believe that consciousness is always tied to the five senses and that the idea of pure consciousness is a spiritual fantasy.
26:19 - 34:34 (08:15)
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Mindfulness
Summary

The goal of mindfulness practice is often seen as attaining an experience called "cessation" that uproots the illusion of the self while some believe that consciousness is always tied to the five senses and that the idea of pure consciousness is a spiritual fantasy. The truth can be realized anywhere along the path of climbing the metaphorical mountain towards self-transcendence.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A group of experienced practitioners travel to India and Nepal to receive teachings from both Advaita and Dzogchen masters, exploring the intertwined and distinct philosophies of non-dualism in Sanskrit.
34:34 - 41:17 (06:43)
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Eastern Philosophy
Summary

A group of experienced practitioners travel to India and Nepal to receive teachings from both Advaita and Dzogchen masters, exploring the intertwined and distinct philosophies of non-dualism in Sanskrit.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The author discusses the teachings of Dzogchen, a form of meditation that seeks to impart the experience of self-transcendence directly to the student, and how this helped him discover his blind spot of the mind.
41:17 - 48:54 (07:36)
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Meditation
Summary

The author discusses the teachings of Dzogchen, a form of meditation that seeks to impart the experience of self-transcendence directly to the student, and how this helped him discover his blind spot of the mind. He explains how Chulgu Rugen was able to teach with precision, pointing out the nature of the mind and getting the meditator to recognize that consciousness is intrinsically free of self.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The primary obstacle to paying attention is thinking.
48:54 - 1:04:17 (15:23)
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Meditation
Summary

The primary obstacle to paying attention is thinking. It's important to notice these mental events not by avoiding thinking, but by recognizing them as appearances in consciousness the moment they arise.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Sam Harris reflects on the preciousness of life and the importance of being aware of death to fully appreciate every moment we have.
1:04:17 - 1:12:45 (08:27)
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Life Reflections
Summary

Sam Harris reflects on the preciousness of life and the importance of being aware of death to fully appreciate every moment we have. He emphasizes how we often miss the chances to express our love to those closest to us and encourages listeners to seize the day and enjoy life for its fleeting nature.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The philosopher Bertrand Russell describes our most basic knowledge of the world as "knowledge by acquaintance," such as knowing the color of an object in front of us, and no further knowledge of it is even theoretically possible.
1:12:45 - 1:19:59 (07:14)
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Philosophy
Summary

The philosopher Bertrand Russell describes our most basic knowledge of the world as "knowledge by acquaintance," such as knowing the color of an object in front of us, and no further knowledge of it is even theoretically possible. Suspending our conceptual associations with a given object can lead to an experience of pure mystery.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The feeling that consciousness has a center and a meditator in the middle of each moment of meditation is common, but can be challenged through meditation practice.
1:20:09 - 1:33:57 (13:47)
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Meditation
Summary

The feeling that consciousness has a center and a meditator in the middle of each moment of meditation is common, but can be challenged through meditation practice.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This transcript mentions a legal service that provides assistance with tax laws, contract reviews, and other legal challenges faced in running a business.
1:33:57 - 1:38:40 (04:43)
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Legal Services
Summary

This transcript mentions a legal service that provides assistance with tax laws, contract reviews, and other legal challenges faced in running a business. Additionally, it briefly mentions the Waking Up Course, which is a chance to learn about the speaker's most important teachings.

Episode
#342: Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show