Ep. 8 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - The Buddha and "Mindfulness"

In this episode of "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis," Dr. John Vervaeke delves into the concepts of meaning and wisdom, drawing from Aristotle and the Axial Age in India, particularly focusing on Siddhartha Gautama's journey. He explores the mythological representation of existential modes, contrasting the "having mode" with the "being mode," and discusses modal confusion and its cultural implications. Vervaeke analyzes Siddhartha's disillusionment with the palace and his encounter with suffering, leading to his renunciation and pursuit of asceticism. He introduces the concept of the "middle path" and the importance of "sati" (mindfulness) as remembering a lost mode of being, criticizing the modern interpretation of mindfulness as merely paying attention to the present moment. Vervaeke advocates for a deeper understanding of mindfulness, linking it to awakening and addressing the meaning crisis, and proposes reformulating mindfulness by understanding its structural functional organization and cognitive processes.