Talk
Can a look at the neural correlates of mind states that are intimately familiar to meditators broaden the context for our practice of shamatha? In the first half of our Ghatika Monthly session, Doug Veenhof discussed how the functions and activity of the left and right hemispheres of the brain relate to the experiences of the conceptual mind and global awareness, and how the perceptual dominance of either hemisphere can lead to dramatically different experiences of the self and the world.
Relying primarily on the research and theories of Oxford psychiatrist, philosopher, and neuroscientist Iain McGilchrist, Doug outlined how these two basic features of mind have traded periods of dominance throughout history and how their fertile interplay has created the grandeur of art, science, and religion. However, worrisome evidence points to the conclusion that since the Industrial Revolution, the conceptual mind, being better adapted to navigate the world it has created, has come to dominate global awareness. This winner-take-all imbalance has contributed to what is being described as the meta-crisis, where the highest value is mechanical utility, and conscious existence is reduced to collections of meaningless parts. It is a crisis that is accelerating almost daily with the ascendance of AI and the virtual world.
This context begs another question: could shamatha meditation practice, with its training in still awareness observing the activity of the conceptual mind and its ultimate resting in non-conceptual pure awareness provide a valuable contribution to rebalancing the brain?
In the second half of this talk Robin Gayle, PhD, drew on recent research in contemplative science to explore how meditative practices can serve as tools for generating valuable scientific insight into the nature of reality. By integrating first-person phenomenological experience with both subjective and objective scientific perspectives, an intersubjective understanding emerges—one that is richer and more comprehensive than either perspective alone.
The talk concluded with a 24-minute shamatha meditation featuring the practices Taking the Mind as the Path and Awareness of Awareness. Through this guided experience, participants had the opportunity to explore firsthand how the faculties of mental perception shape our experience of reality. The meditation also invited participants to investigate how resting in non-conceptual awareness may foster meaningful insight and deepen our capacity for healing, connection, and compassionate engagement with the world.
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About Doug Veenhof
Doug Veenhof is an accomplished teacher and scholar of Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to being an integral leader in our CCR community, Doug is an award-winning journalist, a former professional mountain guide, professional builder, and teacher of meditation. He has traveled widely for decades, teaching and leading retreats on contemplative technology and insight (shamatha and vipasyana). He is the author of White Lama: The Life of Tantric Yogi Theos Bernard, Tibet’s Lost Emissary to the New World. Drawing on more than thirty years of dedicated study and practice in the Gelugpa and Dzogchen traditions of Buddhism, he now offers guidance to meditators as a resident teacher at Miyo Samten Ling, while maintaining his own schedule of solitary meditation retreat and guiding construction work at the CCR. To learn more about Doug visit his website.
About Lopön Robin Gayle
Lopön Robin Gayle, PhD, MDiv, MFT has been practicing Buddhism since 1986. She has been teaching Dharma for 35 years and has been a senior teacher (Lopön) at Tara Mandala Retreat Center and International Buddhist Community for many years. She moved to Crestone to join the CCR science team and is now White Jewel Mountain’s resident Buddhist teacher. She has studied under many renowned Buddhist masters including the H. H. Dalai Lama, Ven. Yangthang Tulku Rinpoche, Ven. Gyaltrul Rinpoche, Dr. B. Alan Wallace, and Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche, among others.
What is Ghatika Monthly?
Ghatika Monthly is an in-person and virtual gathering held on the 2nd Saturday of every month, in which CCR expert teachers offer accessible guidance in foundational yet transformative contemplative practices. Ghatika is the Sanskrit term for one 24-minute meditation session, which is a recommended length for beginning meditators. While most of the CCR’s expert teachers come from a Buddhist background, these sessions are designed to be secular, informative, and welcoming to beginning and advanced practitioners alike. At Ghatika Monthly, we hope to offer a taste of the contemplative technology that our full-time contemplatives cultivate for 8–12 hours per day at Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage in Crestone. Sign up for our Ghatika Monthly email list to never miss a session!
