The Collapse of Certainty

    —
December 14, 2010

The Collapse of Certainty

Alan Clements December 14, 2010

Tami Simon speaks with Alan Clements, a human activist, artist and former Buddhist monk, extensively trained in Buddhist psychology and insight meditation. He is the author of The Voice of Hope, Burma, and a new book, A Future to Believe In. With Sounds True he’s published the audio learning program Natural Freedom. Alan discusses the archetype of feminine power found in the life actions of Burmese Nobel Laureate and activist Aung San Suu Kyi. We also spoke about the collapse of certainty in the face of war and genocide, and the idea of the inter-dependence of our freedom, as well as asking ourselves the question, “What is freedom?” (58 minutes)

Photo of ()\

Alan Clements is an author, activist, performing artist, former Buddhist monk, and one of the West’s foremost nonsectarian dharma teachers. He is also a leading authority on Burma’s nonviolent struggle for freedom and democracy, known as a “revolution of the spirit.” He is the author of a number of books including Instinct for Freedom and The Voice of Hope, an internationally acclaimed book of conversations with Burma’s Nobel Peace Prize® Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Clements has been interviewed by Nightline, CBS News, Time, Newsweek, and numerous other media worldwide.

He currently teaches retreats and speaks to audiences across the globe on the sanctity of freedom and the fundamental importance of trusting one’s own deepest experience. His latest book, A Future to Believe In: 107 Reflections on Transforming the Maddening Miracle of Life, is set for publication in 2011. For more information, please visit AlanClements.com.

600 Podcasts and Counting…

Subscribe to Insights at the Edge to hear all of Tami’s interviews (transcripts available too!), featuring Eckhart Tolle, Caroline Myss, Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, Adyashanti, and many more.

Meet Your Host: Tami Simon

Founded Sounds True in 1985 as a multimedia publishing house with a mission to disseminate spiritual wisdom. She hosts a popular weekly podcast called Insights at the Edge, where she has interviewed many of today's leading teachers. Tami lives with her wife, Julie M. Kramer, and their two spoodles, Rasberry and Bula, in Boulder, Colorado.

Photo © Jason Elias

Also By Author

The Collapse of Certainty

Tami Simon speaks with Alan Clements, a human activist, artist and former Buddhist monk, extensively trained in Buddhist psychology and insight meditation. He is the author of The Voice of Hope, Burma, and a new book, A Future to Believe In. With Sounds True he’s published the audio learning program Natural Freedom. Alan discusses the archetype of feminine power found in the life actions of Burmese Nobel Laureate and activist Aung San Suu Kyi. We also spoke about the collapse of certainty in the face of war and genocide, and the idea of the inter-dependence of our freedom, as well as asking ourselves the question, “What is freedom?” (58 minutes)

You Might Also Enjoy

Melissa Bernstein: Finding Meaning and Creating from L...

Through the wonderful, timeless toys she has created with her husband and their company, Melissa & Doug, Melissa Bernstein has sparked a brilliant imaginative light in the lives of thousands of children (and their parents!). Yet before the runaway success of the business, Melissa struggled with deep angst and inner darkness. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with the Entrepreneur in Residence for Sounds True’s Inner MBA® program about consciously choosing to follow your creative spirit over your inner critic—whether or not you’re a business owner. 

Aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives of every stripe will love this conversation about: breaking free from perfectionism; how it’s not a blessing or a curse—it’s a “blurse”; Viktor Frankl and existential analysis; finding the flavors in your own “pie of meaning”; Melissa’s two faucets of creativity; the battle between the head and the heart; turning the ordinary into the extraordinary; intuition versus ego; overcoming a victim mindset; accepting the full spectrum of our emotions; curiosity and connecting the “dots of experience” as an entrepreneur; the analogy of the mind as a very large kitchen; the “keep moving” philosophy (even if it’s backwards); handling marketplace rejection; two critical elements of business success: clear focus and a valuable product; the inner growth necessary for business people; extending lifelines to each other; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Jon Kabat-Zinn: Befriending Pain

Current statistics tell us that 20% of the US population has some form of chronic pain, defined as severe discomfort that has continued for six months or more. That’s more than 50 million people. Jon Kabat-Zinn has received international acclaim for his leading work in bringing the life-changing practices of meditation and mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. In this inspiring podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Jon about his empowering new book, Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief, and how we can greatly improve our lives (and our entire world) by reframing the way we relate to our thoughts, our minds, and the sensations of our bodies. 

Listen in as they discuss the epidemic of chronic pain and the power of mindfulness to ease suffering of all kinds, the myth of the “good meditator,” the body as the starting point for practice, exploring your “emotionally freighted thoughts,” our longing to be who we really are, working with the mind and learning to inhabit a space of embodied awareness, the refuge that is meditation practice, letting go of our stories, befriending the sensory field of what we call pain, the miracle of life on Earth, the Buddha’s teaching on mindfulness as the direct path to liberation, surfing the waves of your own experience, unity within diversity and the arising of compassion, focusing on what’s right instead of what’s wrong, how we are all on a growth curve on life’s journey, and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Emilia Elisabet Lahti: Sisu: Embodying Gentle Power

How do we find the strength to keep going when it feels like there’s nothing left inside of us? The Finnish philosophy of sisu shows us a new way to look at power and perseverance—not as force and domination but as the harmonious expression of human character in everyday actions. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Emilia Elisabet Lahti about her work leading the world’s first empirical research on sisu and her new book, Gentle Power: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu

Give a listen to this inspiring discussion of the embodiment of internal fortitude and wisdom known as sisu; how adversity provides an opportunity for resiliency; post-traumatic growth and positive psychology; the difference between sisu and grit; the visceral, somatic nature of sisu; taking risks instead of giving in to fear of failure; experiencing an initiation into your own strength; life—an ultramarathon we’re all running; flexibility, reason, and the choice to be gentler on yourself; finding harmony between the hard and the soft; journaling your own stories of sisu; self-forgiveness; looking to the future with an action mindset; transforming challenges into the fuel to keep you going; tapping into the intelligence of your body; sisu, leadership, and being kind versus being nice; and why developing sisu is so important for humanity at this time.

>
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap