Steve Hagen on What We Know But Don't Believe
The One You Feed
Eric Zimmer
4.6 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 11 February 2022
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Steve Hagen was ordained a Zen priest in 1979 and in 1989 he received Dharma Transmission (formal endorsement to teach) from Jikai Dainin Katagiri Roshi. He is the author of several books on Buddhism, science, and philosophy. These include Buddhism Plain and Simple, his most popular book. In his most recent book, The Grand Delusion, he applies breakthrough Eastern insights to seemingly indelible problems in Western science and philosophy. In 1997, he founded Dharma Field Meditation and Learning Center in Minneapolis, where he continues to serve as senior teacher.
In this episode, Eric and Steve Hagen discuss his book, The Grand Delusion: What We Know But Don’t Believe
But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!
Steve Hagen and I Discuss What We Know but Don’t Believe…
- His book, The Grand Delusion: What We Know But Don’t Believe
- Defining grand delusion: our belief in non-emptiness or substantiality
- The dichotomy of understanding that if there is something, there must not be nothing
- How there are two truths that coexist
- Understanding that it’s in the mind where reality occurs
- Realizing that we can’t actually hold anything is the beginning of awakening
- Why understanding this concept is important in our day to day life
- Peace and present mind comes by seeing that the questions are misunderstanding the experience of life
- How we can’t resolve or answer the question of what’s the meaning of life
- We don’t need to answer the questions to bring freedom
- Trying to find a logical answer to meaning of life isn’t possible
- How we are acting and seeing things in terms of wholeness
- Perception is what we process through our senses
- Conception is the meaning we give to what we perceive
- Our suffering is tied up in the way we conceptualize the world
- The freedom of knowing that what we are grasping for isn’t possible
- Conceptualizing things isn’t bad, but it can also bring suffering
- Sudden and gradual awakening
- His work and practice with koans
- Great doubt comes with the question of why is there something rather than nothing
Steve Hagen Links:
When you purchase products and/or services from the sponsors of this episode, you help support The One You Feed. Your support is greatly appreciated, thank you!
If you enjoyed this conversation with Steve Hagen you might also enjoy these other episodes:
Steve Hagen on Perception and Conception (2018)
Original Buddhist Psychology with Beth Jacobs
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Do you ever feel like life is just one problem after another? |
| 0:03.9 | You finally feel like maybe there's a break and then BAM another problem. |
| 0:08.4 | This is how it is for many of us, but there is a better way to respond. |
| 0:13.1 | A way of responding that brings greater ease into your life and returns some of the energy |
| 0:17.9 | that the problems drain from you. We are hosting a free live masterclass on Sunday, |
| 0:22.9 | February 27th called Learn the Spiritual Habit to Unlock Energy and Ease in your Life. |
| 0:29.0 | Even if each day seems to bring a fresh pile of problems. |
| 0:32.9 | In it, I will teach you how to tap into the resources that are already within you |
| 0:37.3 | so that life feels less like a never-ending fight and more like an ever-evolving dance. |
| 0:43.2 | You will learn the number one source of unhappiness that drains your energy |
| 0:47.2 | and keeps you feeling stuck and a simple mindset shift. You can make right away |
| 0:53.0 | so that life doesn't feel like such a constant struggle. This will be a live event and you'll have |
| 0:58.0 | a chance to interact with me and with each other. I've really grown to love these community events |
| 1:03.8 | where we get to meet each other and deepen our connections. I hope that you can become part of that. |
| 1:09.1 | Go to 1ufeet.net-slashlive to learn more and register for this free event. |
| 1:14.3 | Again, that's 1ufeet.net-slashlive and I really would love the chance to meet you and see you there. |
| 1:21.3 | What you'll find in time when you really truly can let go of the various things that we otherwise |
| 1:26.6 | are constantly reaching for and grasping, you'll find that kind of freedom. |
| 1:38.8 | Welcome to the 1ufeet. Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance of the thoughts |
| 1:44.4 | we have, quotes like garbage in, garbage out, or you are what you think, ring true, and yet for many |
| 1:52.0 | of us our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us. We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, |
| 1:58.8 | or fear. We see what we don't have instead of what we do. We think things that hold us back and dampen |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Eric Zimmer, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Eric Zimmer and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.