As always, thanks so much for the killer content! I remember when I started, I really got into craving - craving a particular experience. Today, as you say, it's about the discipline and the practice, not about attaining some 'mind-blowing experience, etc. Appreciate you!

That was such a pleasure. Thank you both for this honest, open, thoughtful conversation. The humour and ordinariness that you brought to this insightful exploration of your journeys is much appreciated.

What I love most about this conversation is your interaction with your brother.

You guys are so great together! I love to see the love and admiration between you two.

What an absolute pleasure to eavesdrop on this warm, funny and insightful conversation between two brothers doing their work. Thank you Dan, you just keep getting better and better! ❤

This is on the Mt. Rushmore of best TPH episodes. Profoundly relatable and enjoyable conversation. Thanks as ever to those who made it possible.

I love hearing and watching you both! This was awesome. I’ve listened twice and watched the video as well! Do more together, please! You guys are great and I love your relationship!

I’ve had a Vipassana practice for roughly the same amount of time as Dan. I consider Joseph Goldstein my teacher though I only know him through his online KZfaq and podcast dharma talks and I think I’ve listened to almost all of them. I don’t consider my Practice as leading to Nirvana but as a tool which has taught me how to be a better person and gain insight into the true nature of reality in a personal sense the same way I study quantum mechanics to gain insight into the nature of material reality. I tell people that meditation is like basketball practice, you learn and hone your skills, but it’s not an end in itself. From my point of view in meditation we learn the practice of being mindful, I.e. watching what is going on in one’s mind, being aware of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that pass through your mind and which if you identify with them you run the danger of being unskillful which I define as hurting others or hurting myself or both. Anger as an example, arises not because we say to ourselves "oh I think I want to be angry for awhile" but arises the way thoughts do through some habit pattern of the mind of which we are unaware. And the problem with anger is that it either hurts someone else, hurts one’s self or both. So the practice of meditation is to develop the skills to be mindful of the minds patterns so throughout the day as much as possible when unskilful feelings like anger or greed or lust or jealousy, et cetera arise in the real world, the lived experience world, the daily world of our experience we recognise them as what they are, not something that we have to act on but something which has arisen. Focus on one’s breath and these feelings quickly dissipate as mysteriously as they arose. And as the Buddha taught we must first learn to recognise these unskilful thoughts, emotions, feelings and then we must learn how to stop them when they do arise and finally we must learn how to keep them from arising in the first place. For me that is hugely worthwhile and the motivation for me to keep my practice going. It has made me a better person. And it works. Thanks for a great KZfaq video.

you brothers communicate so well in this second careful listen i've been able to pick up useful details . thank you 🙏🏽

What I tefylky enjoy is the laughter as every time I laugh o recall everything’s said !!

Just found your channel this week . This talk sounds so much what I am going through. It is very supportive to find your brother describing his experiences. Sounds like group therapy back a few years ago when others described their experiences and I found support just by hearing their stories. Thank you

I thorougly enjoyed that. Impressed by how far he has come in a year especially with a busy job and all those kids. Inspiring me to get back to the cushion.

I listened to this as a podcast. This was so informative but so fun too. Hopefully you’ll do this again.

Fascinating conversation, thank you! I'd like to voice a thought: Like many folks nowadays, I'm a total atheist who is building a serious interest in mindfulness meditation, as well generally in Buddhism-related topics and philosophy. However as a rational person and an atheist, I still find no reason at all to believe in a kind of "shared awareness with other sentient beings", that Matt seems to lean towards believing. Mindfulness can be a fascinating tool to learn about our own mind, improve our mental wellbeing, our ethical behavior - and I find we can also layer over it interesting philosophical ideas. However - none of this means we need to start believing in metaphysical things which we really have no serious evidence for. Such as - a "shared awareness". I understand the temptation to believe in that stuff - this is part of what has been fueling different religions for all of history. But I don't find it justifiable. Meditation - along with its various philosophical interpretations and related ideas - is fascinating enough. We don't need to actually believe in, well, actual "woo". And to clarify - I'm not saying there isn't a "shared awareness". I'm saying there is no serious evidence for it. Just as there's no serious evidence for the gods of the different religions.

Such a wonderful conversation with huge sparks of humor and laughter thank you both ❤❤

Great interview, so relatable. Thanks to you and Matt.

An immediate favorite! I love your chemistry and humor and the really beautiful conversation. It helped me frame my own learnings in a new way. Thank you, Dan & Matt!

Also really happy for you two to be on the path together and undoubtedly growing even closer.

Heartening!

Love this!! Thank you!!

Thank you!!!!!!!! 🌻

For Matt and I think you Dan may also be also interested... from what I heard Matt sharing about, this is audio and I think there is a book, but the audio is in the author's voice... and he is a Jungian Analyst. You may have already got in touch with his work./ But just in case, here is the title. I love this as I was working through stuff and it gave me a very helpful perspective. I think Jung and Buddhism do harmonize: so here it is and the author is James Hollis: Through the Dark Wood: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life Audible Audiobook - Original recording James Hollis PhD (Author, Narrator), Sounds True (Publisher)

on Matt's notes about intrinsic curiosity I wonder what Robert Sapolsky would say about two brothers who come and go into meditaiton at different times and decisions about the life you want to live BEYOND THE SOFT VIOLENCE of SELF IMPROVEMENT that Vinny Ferraro talked about... enjoy the ordinary miracle you and your sibling can talk about the river of life together.

I loved this so much. Thank you. ❤

I wasn't able to search successfully for the essay being discussed.

It is pretty hard to "not think". The practice is not engaging with the thoughts and just letting them float by like water in a river.

For me mindful training is one thing meditation another facet

I love this. I want to read Matt's essay. Where can I find it?

Did anyone else notice that the two brothers share the same sense of style? Their grey sweaters are nearly the same.

Is there a link to where I could read Matt’s essay?

Life is the dancer. You are the dance! Eckhart Tolle 😏

Guitar strings tuned too tightly actually break! : )

Is this your brother, Dan?? You two do NOT have the same voice!