David Loy on Zen, EcoDharma, AI and Story

Singularity.FM

Without a doubt, the social revolution in the West and individual insight/enlightenment in the East are among humanity’s greatest accomplishments. But we can have them separate no longer for we desperately need both because individual people make society but, in turn, society makes individuals. We need to unite the quest for personal enlightenment and the revolutionary zeal toward progress and systemic change to survive and thrive in the 21st century. This is what Prof. David Loy has spent his life trying to accomplish – i.e. to bridge the gap between the East and the West, Buddhism and modernity, personal enlightenment, and systemic change. And that is why I decided to interview him on SingularityFM. During our 2-hour conversation with David Loy, we cover a variety of interesting topics such as climate change and the most dangerous moment of our civilization; his journey from analytic philosophy to Buddhism; responding appropriately and the need for some kind of contemplative practice to guide us; Buddhism, the 3 poisons and bringing down wisdom from the top of the mountain; his 3 tips for EcoSattva; despair and having no expectations, Jundo’s suggestion for brain-implants and the gamification of Enlightenment; existential risks, AI, democracy and colonizing Mars; the delusion of separation and minimizing suffering; why the world is made of stories. My favorite quote/question that I will take away from this conversation with David Loy is: How do I respond appropriately? [Isn’t that question pointing at the very essence of wisdom that every challenge demands of us?!] As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/singularityfm