Are you allergic to the ancients? What images do the words ‘wisdom’ and ‘participation’ evoke for you? What’s at stake in our models of truth?

This month’s episode of Samsara Audio sees your host Matthew in a reflective conversation with Jonatan Anabalon, a Norwegian middle school teacher with a Master's in Anthropology from the University of Bergen. Matthew and Jonatan met through Samsara Study Group's ongoing Kyoto School reading group, which lead to this conversation about the tensions in various models and analogies for how we approach truth.

This dialogue delves into modern versus ancient philosophical outlooks, the concerns with conceptualizing truth as "beyond," the process of seeking and participating in truth, and much more. Matthew and Jonatan devote time to an exploration of the metaphorical imagery of the ox-herding pictures in Zen Buddhism as a framework for understanding personal and educational growth, trying to read this sequence from both Hegelian and Platonic angles.

This discussion seeks to work through some tensions in Matthew and Jonatan’s perspectives, and taps into some of the reasons why we might be allergic to the ancients and their conception of truth as a higher wisdom to be pursued. However, Jonatan also challenges Matthew and the listener to grapple afresh with the call of truth, goodness, and beauty in light of modern developments in critical philosophy.

Time stamps

00:00 Welcome

00:51 Purpose of the conversation

02:29 Diving into the Ox Herding Pictures

33:43 The Power of Myths and Symbolism in Understanding Reality

42:08 Energy as the intersection of Spirit and Technology

42:56 The Mystery of Brain Entrainment and Energy Transfer

43:54 The Unique Contribution of the Subject in Networked Realities

48:52 Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in a Complex World

51:05 Seeking Agency and Goodness Amidst Global Systems

52:55 Participating in the Good, True, and Beautiful

55:06 The Challenge of Truth in a Postmodern World

01:01:17 Comparing Buddhism and Christianity on Suffering and Emptiness

01:09:24 The Historical Development of Religious Toleration

01:20:06 Embracing a Participatory Conceptualization of Truth

01:24:22 Encouragement and Future Collaborations

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This month’s episode of Samsara Audio features a conversation with Cleo Kearns (PhD, Columbia) who writes about continental philosophy, science, and the book of Genesis at her Substack. Cleo has taught and published for decades about the psychology of religion, the anthropology of ritual, and the reading of the Abrahamic Scriptures. Cleo is a sister in Christ and an esteemed colleague, so I’m particularly delighted to share this conversation with you.

Right out of the gate we get to hear Cleo’s critiques of Rene Girard, before we transition to explore the virgin Mary’s sacrifice and her role in overseeing Christ’s passage from the imaginary to the symbolic. Cleo deftly guides us through a theory of sacrifice, as well as through the differences between the priest and the shaman, including her belief that the prophet is a sub-type of the shaman. Finally, she briefly provokes us with a suggestion about Deleuze’s value for theological work.

I highly recommend Cleo’s book The Virgin Mary, Monotheism, and Sacrifice.

Samsara Audio is the audio vision of Samsara Diagnostics, a newsletter about religion, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. Subscribe for free, or sign up for a paid subscription to support my ongoing work.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Intro

01:53 Critiquing Girard: Delving into Mimetic Theory and Sacrifice

06:58 Marian Sacrifice vs. Abrahamic Sacrifice: A Theological Exploration

15:38 Mary's Role and Theology: A Deep Dive into Marian Dogmas

23:46 Vatican II and Its Impact on Catholic Doctrine

31:18 Ecumenical Dialogues and Personal Journeys of Faith

38:52 Exploring Liturgical Energy and Sacrifice

39:06 The Role of Sacraments and Liturgy Across Traditions

40:43 Diving Into Theology: Eucharist and Church Divides

42:37 Anthropological Perspectives on Sacrifice

45:04 The Symbolic and the Real: Navigating Tradition

52:07 Mary's Role and the Question of Sacrifice

57:07 Shamanism and Ritual: A Personal Journey

59:27 Shamanism vs. Priesthood: Understanding Different Roles

01:07:06 The Challenge of Sharing Esoteric Insights

01:11:42 Deleuze's Contribution to Theological Thought

01:17:33 Final Thoughts and Future Conversations

This week Samsara Audio welcomes Mark Gerard Murphy, author of The Direction of Desire: John of the Cross, Jacques Lacan, and the Contemporary Understanding of Spiritual Direction. Mark teaches mysticism, psychoanalysis, and continental philosophy at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, and is also actively involved in spiritual direction within the Roman Catholic Church.

Together we explored the integration of Lacanian psychoanalysis into the Christian tradition of spiritual direction, particularly exploring Mark’s critique of “experientialism” which pushes back against the heavy emphasis that contemporary spirituality places on experiences and affects, arguing instead for a renewed focus on the power of speech, both in listening and speaking.

We also discuss what the figure of Teresa of Avila can contribute to our understanding of disruptive speech and community, and why Mark contends that we must place negativity within the context of Teresa’s cosmic optimism. Finally, don’t miss Mark’s beautiful argument for the value of prayer precisely in its uselessness!

This conversation touched on a number of questions that run deeply through my own work, so I’m excited to share it with you. I love that Mark is wrestling with the vital question of how to bring the insights from psychoanalysis into pastoral theology to be mobilized within the ecclesial context for the formation of Christian disciples. This dialogue is only just the beginning!

Samsara Audio hosts conversations about religion, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. Follow us at Substack or listen on your favorite podcasting app. I also write regularly at Samsara Diagnostics (subscribe for free), and offer a free online community Samsara Study Groups. Currently we’re reading Kitaro Nishida’s An Inquiry into the Good. Don’t be shy about joining us!