Life, the ultimate guru

What can life teach us, if we pay careful attention to it?

In this session, Bernardo offer a deeply personal answer, drawn from the literal ups and downs of a childhood in Brazil, the early loss of his father, his success in business, academia and science followed by the unravelling of his health, marriage and previous identity.

Inspired by this week's launch of The Daimon and the Soul of the West, Bernardo illustrates how a childhood fascination with computers evolved into a live-saving exploration of consciousness, with idealism opening the door to a life rich with meaning, surrender and purpose.

We discussed:

• How to align with natural forces in our lives
• What it means to be a Westerner
• Egoic addiction vs Daimonic obsession
• How time makes everything sacred
• Falling in love

A really common question in these meetings has been how idealism can translate into a lived reality. This session felt special to me due to Bernardo's courage, vulnerability and honesty to use his own life to provide a vivid example.

Next week we are joined by Patrick Harpur to continue this exact exploration, so I hope to see you there!

Your questions on asking questions

At the end of yesterday's meeting, I gave a quick recap on how to ask questions, which you can see here:

I hope to see you next week!

Amir

Recording

Time stamps courtesy of Rita Conde
00:00:10 - Book launch announcement
00:03:40 - Meaning of the cover image
00:05:22 - Why is the book autobiographical?
00:09:10 - What is a typical and common life?
00:011:23 - Childhood journey inside a mountain
00:014:37 - The perennial lack in Western minds
00:15:27 - An Indian talking with Jung
00:17:20 - The urge to climb the magic mountain
00:19:14 - Odyssey references in the chapter titles
00:20:15 - What does Bernardo mean by “the West”?
00:23:00 - Childhood nostalgia
00:25:40 - Time makes everything sacred
00:26:00 - Bernardo's father’s passing
00:28:23 - First explorations on a computer
00:31:00 - What is it like to be a bat?
00:33:32 - How computers relate to consciousness
00:36:39 - Moving to Europe
00:39:35 - The first and second halves of life
00:44:40 - Life is the greatest teacher
00:45:40 - Rebirth as a philosopher
00:49:00 - Philosophy as a necessity for continuing to live
00:51:00 - Becoming an idealist
00:55:00 - True philosophy is lived philosophy
00:57:00 - The unconscious philosophical narrative
00:58:00 - CERN as the cathedral of materialism
00:54:00 - Bernardo the philosopher
01:00:55 - A Daimonic life
01:02:35 - Extreme existential suffering
01:04:39 - Fulfilling nature’s will
01:06:01 - Inner voice and Jung’s influence
01:10:00 - The boy is really desperate now
01:13:10 - The revelation of the Daimon
01:16:56 - Doing therapy
01:20:55 - Surrendering to the Daimon is the ultimate freedom
01:23:00 - The nature-given capacity to bear suffering
01:29:36 - Could suicide be Daimonic?
01:33:12 - Nietzsche saw beyond what any human can see
01:34:02 - What is faith?
01:35:00 - The need to understand everything is preposterous
01:39:00 - We are the heroes of nature
01:42:00 - The movements of the impersonal forces within
01:45:00 - Paying attention to life
01:47:00 - Reaching a compromise with the Daimon
01:48:00 - The Daimon doesn’t explain itself
01:49:44 - Synchronicities and creative leaps
01:52:10 - Do philosophical insights require special mental states?
02:01:56 - Bernardo's early UAP experience
02:07:00 - On falling in love
02:16:00 - Final remarks