Mind Meld 72 | Exploring Inner Space with Dada Gunamuktananda

Dada Gunamuktananda is a world-traveling yogic monk and meditation teacher of the Ananda Marga tradition. See Dada’s TED talk on the subject of consciousness here.

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Inner space is quiet and patient. It doesn’t pull us in or demand our attention. To really explore it, you’ve almost got to temporarily subvert your nature. You’ve got to reject the invitation of the non-stop, neon, sweet, salty, sensory attention orgy that is the world “out there.”

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It’s not easy, but if you do manage to escape the omni-directional attention-gasm, you’ll find there’s a deep dimension to explore. A fortress of solitude with its own language and its own treasures.

Of course it’s not as simple as making a singular heroic exodus from the matrix. Exploring this dimension is a continuous exercise that never stops challenging you. You’ve got to commit to strike a balance between inner and outer space.

This, along with my own challenges developing an inward facing practice is why I’m so blown away by people like Dada. He doesn’t just take a daily dip in the inner-waters, he lives there, serving as a friendly guide to all who seek passage.

Musings in this mind meld include –

• Finding your path
• How Dada was able to walk away from his life to become a monk
• Inner space versus outer space 
• Why our high-minded rationalism is getting us into trouble
• The power and lost art of thought experiments
• Why I haven’t found a path
• The yogic perspective on suffering
• The importance of developing an inward facing practice
• There’s no wrong way to meditate, but there are better ways
• Why mantra-based meditation?
• Meditation neuroplacticity and growing new brain cells
• How fasting aids longevity 
• Patron-only extra on enlightenment and the yogic path