In my second conversation with Amaranatho, we talk about how to bring mindfulness more meaningfully into our lives and, specifically, our relationships. Westerners already tend towards individualism, and gravitating towards intensive meditation practice can sometimes reinforce the preference of Westerners for individualism, while failing to allow us to develop the valuable skills of mindfulness within social contexts.

This builds on a similar theme of what contemporary practitioners of insight meditation (from Theravada Buddhism) must contend with when they import a monastic model into modern life. Amaranatho also discusses the ways in which he thinks psychotherapy can complement meditation, and how both can help us to become more fulfilled, self actualized human beings.

Amaranatho’s bio:

Amaranatho was a Buddhist monk for 15 years who has spent long periods alone, dealing with uncertainty and contemplating the deeper questions in life. He has a degree in AI, been a world explorer and is a supervisor and mentor to mindfulness teachers, facilitators and spiritual leaders. He works one to one with contemplatives and meditators that are stuck in their practice you can find more at www.amaranatho.com

As a mindfulness based executive coach he helps leaders, teams and organizations to stay calm and connected in complex situations so they can awaken to their true potential, by using the PlayfulMonk approach he developed more at www.playfulmonk.net

This week I speak with Amaranatho, who was a Buddhist monk for 15 years under the guidance of a very well respected teacher in the Thervada Buddhist tradition, Ajahn Sumedho. Ajahn Sumedho was one of the original Western disciples under Ajahn Chah, one of the great masters of the Thai Forest tradition of the 20th century. At many points in our conversation you can hear through Amaranatho’s voice the simplicity and clarity of Ajahn Chah’s repeated instructions to “rest in the one who knows,” to recognize awareness itself as the ground of all experience.

As Amaranatho was a Buddhist monk for 15 years and has now been “in the world” as a mindfulness based executive coach, he is in a unique position to offer insight into this question in which I’m increasingly interested: how to interpret the profound wisdom teachings of Theravada Buddhism (a monastic tradition) to those of us living life as a “householders,” in the modern world? Which of these practices can serve us well? And what should be modified or discarded?

That’s a big question and Amaranatho and I only scratched the surface of it, but I think you’ll enjoy the depth of wisdom he had to share.

Amaranatho’s bio:

Amaranatho was a Buddhist monk for 15 years who has spent long periods alone, dealing with uncertainty and contemplating the deeper questions in life. He has a degree in AI, been a world explorer and is a supervisor and mentor to mindfulness teachers, facilitators and spiritual leaders. He works one to one with contemplatives and meditators that are stuck in their practice you can find more at www.amaranatho.com

As a mindfulness based executive coach he helps leaders, teams and organisations to stay calm and connected in complex situations so they can awaken to their true potential, by using the PlayfulMonk approach he developed more at www.playfulmonk.net