Buddhism, Emptiness & Idealism #1

Topics discussed in this session included:

• The difference between vicious and benign infinite regress
• How reality manifests the liars paradox, but we should still expect consistency
• Why you can measure objects but not thoughts
• Why introspection is superior to science for a meaningful life
• Bernardo's thoughts on Bosa Nova & MMA
• What about a chair exists when no one is in a room?

As I'm sure you know, Idealism and Non-Duality claim that awareness is fundamental - but some Buddhists say that even awareness is empty of inherent existence. Dependent on causes and conditions just like everything else. They claim that advanced meditation and rigorous logic can show this to be inevitably true. Here is an example of a conversation I've had on this topic, with Buddhist teacher Yahel Avigur.

This debate has raged for centuries, and has profound implications to how we understand these ancient philosophies and spiritual practices. In December 2023, Bernardo debated Buddhist scholar Jay Garfield on this topic, which you can watch here.

I then followed up with Jay to try better understand Buddhist objections to Idealism. You can watch that interview here.

This session with Bernardo on the 15th of April followed up on these conversations, with Bernardo elaborating on how Analytic Idealism defends against the critiques that Jay raised, and those that have historically emerged from Buddhism against mind-only philosophies.

I recommend watching this, (and the follow-up conversation with Jay if you have time) before watching the recording of this session.

See you soon!

Amir

Timestamps

0:00:00 Buddhism and idealism: what is at stake?
0:10:19 Is consciousness also empty of independent existence?
0:15:01 Can there be relations without anything relating?
0:20:32 Why can we measure objects—but not thoughts directly?
0:30:37 Consciousness as the potential for experience
0:35:30 Can a statement be both true and false?
0:40:29 Paraconsistent logic is not permission for nonsense
0:45:37 Rovelli and the rules of the argument
0:50:02 Can a brain scan measure a thought?
0:55:16 Describing the experience—or its appearance?
1:05:46 What connects different experiences?
1:10:27 Experiences as waves of subjectivity
1:15:21 Does an experience require an experiencer?
1:25:29 Science and meditation: different tools in the box
1:30:39 What does the scientific method assume?
1:35:02 Bossa nova: sadness becoming beauty
1:40:15 The intelligence of a martial artist
1:50:16 Physics and the regularities of our dashboard
1:55:19 What remains of a chair when nobody looks?
2:00:49 Why the world does not vanish with the observer
2:05:30 How meaning connects to meaning
2:10:21 Can we think beyond causes in time?