In this informative and wide reaching conversation of concentration meditation, Leigh Brasington (meditation teacher) and Willoughby Britton (Brown University teacher/researcher) cover the advantages and the many potential pitfalls a new -or old- meditator might find. (my thanks to The Secular Buddhist for sharing it):
Brasington was mentioned in (and kindly commented on) one of my posts last fall: Neuroscience and Buddhist Meditation (highly recommended, you can skim the post, but the comments are really great), discussing some recent thought in the area. And Britton and I have crossed paths a couple times but not quite met. One of her Brown students was also one of my students when I taught in Bodh Gaya in 2010 for Antioch Education Abroad, and I have seen her talk at a couple conferences and I was very impressed.
Bonus, here is an additional short interview with Brasington and Stephanie Nash (and more ‘suggested’ videos will pop up at the end):
* I love this video for the joke Leigh cracks discussing the 3rd jhāna as, “a state of satisfaction so complete that if Mick Jagger had been practicing the 3rd jhāna, he wouldn’t have been able to sing that song.”