Nondual - Deconstructing Yourself

How to Do Nondual Vipashyana June 4, 2021 - https://youtu.be/1TkVzzgT868 Nondual Guided Meditation by Michael Taft Lots of you have been highly trained in vipassana meditation. Vipassana is a word in Pali (a dead language used only in ancient… Read More »

Spacious Timeless Stillness Outside Thought and Ego May 6, 2021 - https://youtu.be/cwaMof75Zd8 Nondual Guided Meditation by Michael Taft The average person spends almost their entire waking adult life trapped inside the constructs of thoughts and the personality. We believe that we… Read More »

Vast Spacious Awareness Centered in the Belly March 17, 2021 - https://youtu.be/A5pgHqntWKc Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft The title is a bit of a misnomer. In the final analysis, awareness is not centered anywhere in particular. It is either "centered"… Read More »

Emptiness of Mental Imagery March 2, 2021 - https://youtu.be/LxgKY3Jo5Gk Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft Mental imagery is a major component of thinking for a human being. However, How much of this mental imagery is available to conscious… Read More »

Exploring Emptiness in the Breath February 26, 2021 - https://youtu.be/EENZpHirXvQ Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft One of the core practices of the nondual traditions of Buddhism (also known as "essence" or "direct path" traditions) is vipashyana. This is… Read More »

Being Present with Awareness of Breathing February 15, 2021 - https://youtu.be/kNbMr-wlN9k Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft Once we establish the view of vast spacious awareness, we can notice that awareness is already aware. There's nothing you need to do… Read More »

Nondual Vipashyana on the Vanishing of Perceptions January 8, 2021 - https://youtu.be/De5EeUr7l98 Nondual Guided Meditation by Michael Taft 1:00 - Shamatha31:05 - Vipashyana on perception of various content: sounds, emotions, thoughts. Particularly noticing their vanishing.1:01:00 - Dharma talk and Q&A Contribute… Read More »

Just Look (Nondual Investigation) December 30, 2020 - https://youtu.be/4MuRiJTQ0ig One-hour guided nondual meditation by Michael Taft Meditation sequence:1:30 - Posture guidance3:57 - Rousing bodhicitta5:17 - Shamatha with an object (breath) and guided relaxation21:14 - Dissolving on the outbreath40:47… Read More »

Resting Awareness in the Heart December 26, 2020 - https://youtu.be/L90x-uhcSw8 One-hour nondual guided meditation with Michael Taft. Most people think of themselves as having awareness, which is located in a brain, which is inside a body, which is inside… Read More »

Nondual Inquiry Practice December 11, 2020 - https://youtu.be/PHFY-hbogbE Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft The conscious thinking mind is excellent and solving certain types of problems, or understanding things in certain contexts. How can I fix my… Read More »

Meditating with Vimalakirti December 3, 2020 - In this eight-part series, dharma teachers Michael Owens and Michael Taft present the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra (The Advice of Vimalakirti) for the San Francisco Dharma Collective. In each of the… Read More »

Meditating on the Six Realms of Existence November 17, 2020 - https://youtu.be/dtCYQVuHGyo Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft According to Buddhist cosmology, the world of existence is divided into six types of beings. As one who is trapped in Samsara (i.e.… Read More »

Nondual Vipashyana on Experience Arising November 9, 2020 - https://youtu.be/rn5rkO-EFmU Guided Meditation with Michael Taft One hour guided meditation, followed by a dharma talk and Q&A. In all the meditations from Michael (labeled "nondual") there is a structure behind… Read More »

Pointing Out Instructions November 3, 2020 - https://youtu.be/-AcO9bTtFEo Guided nondual meditation with Michael Taft In this one-of-a-kind guided nondual meditation, Michael Taft gives pointing out instructions. As the name suggests, the teacher is "pointing out" the nondual… Read More »

Three Centers of Awareness October 24, 2020 - https://youtu.be/s2d7TRc_Rok Guided meditation by Michael Taft After the one-hour guided meditation, there is a dharma talk and Q&A. About this meditation. Many people feel that they have a "center of… Read More »

Nondual Investigation of Mind October 15, 2020 - https://youtu.be/KoIxjfOdrQA Guided Meditation by Michael Taft This one-hour nondual guided meditation is followed by commentary and a Q&A session. Meditation begins at 00:01. - Rousing Bodhicitta- Shamatha with an object-… Read More »

Healing the Exile in Nondual Awareness September 22, 2020 - https://youtu.be/4cN5M_8r3Gc Guided Meditation with Michael Taft There are currently several systems of therapy that teach us to work with various parts of our multiple selves, in order to heal and… Read More »

Oneness with Everything September 11, 2020 - https://youtu.be/-pmecJ0YALE Guided Nondual Meditation with Michael Taft In this hour-long guided meditation, Michael Taft takes you through several layers of practice. 1. Engaging with Confidence and Compassion2. Relaxing and Focusing3.… Read More »

Nondual Inquiry into Awareness September 4, 2020 - https://youtu.be/pNPourAMKbg Guided Meditation and Teaching by Michael Taft In this guided nondual meditation, we allow awareness to observe itself very clearly. The clarity is heightened by the use of inquiry… Read More »

What Do I Really Want? August 30, 2020 - https://youtu.be/eqLQWm798ms Guided Nondual Meditation with Michael Taft Oftentimes, in Buddhist practice, desire is considered to be something bad or wrong, or minimally something to get rid of. And it is… Read More »

Resting in the Natural Mind August 18, 2020 - https://youtu.be/S9u74tI0Owc Guided Nondual Meditation with Michael Taft 3:00 Begin Guided meditation, doing Shamatha with an object (relaxation). 18:00 Move into "Relaxing the Core of the Mind." Letting go of any… Read More »

Awareness Inside Thought August 4, 2020 - https://youtu.be/bOlF039KBho Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft Oftentimes, meditation seems to make an enemy of thought. As if thought is a bad thing, or at least something we need to… Read More »

Deconstructing the Body into the Traditional Elements July 28, 2020 - https://youtu.be/3ZhSv8Cqe4w Guided Meditation by Michael Taft First 15 min - Shamatha with an object.Then Dissolving with the OutbreathThen Shamatha without an objectThen the body is deconstructed into earth, air, fire,… Read More »

Using Emptiness to Cut Through July 13, 2020 - https://youtu.be/PKIGqa4ZJuo Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft One hour meditation: 2:58 - Meditation begins (shamatha with an object)17:45 - Dissolving with the Out Breath32:11 - Dropping the Ball (i.e. shamatha… Read More »

Empty Awareness—Aware Emptiness (Nondual) July 3, 2020 - https://youtu.be/oiXuIkIQCRw Nondual Guided Meditation by Michael Taft Meditation begins at 4:20 and lasts for one hour. We start with with raising bodhicitta. 9:22 - Then focused relaxation (shamatha with an… Read More »

Silence, Stillness (Nondual) June 29, 2020 - https://youtu.be/BJHOgVyaqR8 Guided Meditation by Michael Taft Lasts for one hour. Followed by dharma talk and Q&A. Behind the apparent confusion and hubbub of sensory experience—including thoughts, feelings, body sensations, sight,… Read More »

Boundaryless, Timeless Stillness June 24, 2020 - https://youtu.be/c24JyHj7Jdo Nondual Guided Meditation with Michael Taft Continuing with digging deeper into nondual meditation techniques over the past year or so, in this guided meditation, Michael Taft expands contact with… Read More »

Effortlessness in Meditation, with Jud Brewer June 7, 2020 - Neuroscientist and mindfulness expert Jud Brewer speaks with host Michael Taft about his research into the four steps of Rigpa (with teacher and psychologist Dan Brown), effortlessness in meditation and… Read More »

Universal Compassion — Guided (Nondual) Meditation June 5, 2020 - https://youtu.be/nQCp712V6X8 A guided meditation on universal compassion by Michael Taft. Starts almost at the beginning, and runs for one hour. We begin by rousing bodhicitta (the heart and mind of… Read More »

Entering the Dharma Door of Nonduality, Part 8B—The Vision of Abhirati May 30, 2020 - https://youtu.be/Bg3qZvN_j3Y This is the final episode of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael Owens taught on a(t least one) chapter of the VNS.… Read More »

Awakening and the Path of Liberation—FULL TRANSCRIPT May 28, 2020 - A complete transcript of the interview with Dan Brown on the Deconstructing Yourself podcast Here is the original audio interview Michael: Welcome to Deconstructing Yourself, the podcast for metamodern mutants… Read More »

Entering the Dharma Door of Nonduality, Part 7B—The Indestructible May 23, 2020 - https://youtu.be/3gqZpGlIfzY This is week seven of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael Owens will teach on a(t least one) chapter of the VNS.… Read More »

Awakening and the Path of Liberation, with Dan Brown May 20, 2020 - Psychologist, author, translator, and meditation teacher, Dan Brown talks with host Michael Taft about the three levels of practice from a taste of awakening to "full buddhahood," the details of… Read More »

The Vimalakirti Experience, Part 6B – Entering the Dharma Door of Nonduality May 16, 2020 - Want to enter the dharma door of nonduality? Watch this video. https://youtu.be/UuVIEpCGIRQ This is week four of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael… Read More »

The Vimalakirti Experience, Part 5B – The Family of the Tathagatas May 16, 2020 - https://youtu.be/RXMzDZf94Qk This is week four of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael Owens will teach on a(t least one) chapter of the VNS.… Read More »

The Vimalakirti Experience, Part 4B – The Goddess May 3, 2020 - https://youtu.be/5jBd-AAKSbU This is week four of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael Owens will teach on a(t least one) chapter of the VNS.… Read More »

Vimalakirti 3B/8 – The Inconceivable Liberation May 3, 2020 - https://youtu.be/bSkpI6ads1Y This is week three of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael Owens will teach on a(t least one) chapter of the VNS.… Read More »

Entering the Dharma Door of Non-Duality: The Vimalakirti Experience – Michael Taft – Part 2/8 April 18, 2020 - https://youtu.be/hxLEIppnnfo This is week two of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael Owens will teach on a(t least one) chapter of the VNS.… Read More »

Just Let Go — Surrender Everything in Meditation April 12, 2020 - Sometimes the best meditation practice is simply to surrender. This post is about how to let go. For many years, I took my meditation practice very seriously. I dedicated a… Read More »

Entering the Dharma Door of Non-Duality: The Vimalakirti Experience, Part 1 April 10, 2020 - https://youtu.be/euivlPqS9iM Guided meditation by Michael Taft, inspired by Chapter One of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra. This is week one of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft.… Read More »

Deconstructing Sensory Experience & Nondual Practice, with Michael Taft, Part 4 March 23, 2020 - https://youtu.be/63MCO0SamEg In this final class (4/4), Michael describes the role of emptiness plays in the model (hint: it is the central concept), and talks about how to work your way… Read More »

Contacting Vedana March 14, 2020 - https://youtu.be/7xN0U-ukucY Hourlong nondual guided meditation by Michael W. Taft at the San Francisco Dharma Collective. 0- 15 min - shamatha (relaxed focus) 15-30 min - resting in awareness 30 -… Read More »

Emptiness of Phenomena; Emptiness of Self March 9, 2020 - https://youtu.be/VbY_lMi6JYQ One hour guided nondual meditation by Michael Taft. When we make a sensory experience into an object, we simultaneously make ourselves into an object, too. Conversely, when we notice… Read More »

There but not There February 28, 2020 - https://youtu.be/-vVEp4Lk0rw Hour long nondual guided meditation by Michael Taft at San Francisco Dharma Collective. 0 - 15 min - shamatha 15 - 30 min - contacting the Natural Mind ("dropping… Read More »

Experience without Separation February 25, 2020 - https://youtu.be/Wi1XqTlCQXY Hour long guided nondual meditation by Michael Taft. - First 15 minutes: shamatha (focused relaxation) meditation. - Next effortlessly contacting the natural mind (i.e. "dropping the ball"). - Awareness… Read More »

Who Is Aware? February 9, 2020 - Hour long guided nondual meditation by Michael Taft at the San Francisco Dharma Collective. First fifteen minutes are shamatha (relaxed focus). Then "dropping the ball." Then inquiry into awareness. Want… Read More »

The Nondual Heart, with John Prendergast February 7, 2020 - Nondual teacher and psychotherapist John Prendergast speaks with host Michael Taft about the heart area as an opening to infinite space, contacting the “dark matrix” of the ground, the body… Read More »

Where Does Experience Take Place? February 1, 2020 - 60 minute nondual guided meditation by Michael Taft at the San Francisco Dharma Collective. First part: samatha (relaxed focus)Second part: contacting natural mindThird part: investigating where experience takes placeFollowed by… Read More »

Pure Embodied Awareness January 29, 2020 - Guided nondual meditation by Michael Taft at the San Francisco Dharma Collective. Meditation lasts 1 hour, followed by dharma talk and questions. When we allow awareness to simply and directly… Read More »

Nonduality and Awake Awareness, with Loch Kelly January 26, 2020 - Nondual teacher and psychotherapist Loch Kelly speaks with host Michael Taft about what nondualism is, schools of effort vs. non-effort (and those in between), the five foundations of effortless mindfulness,… Read More »