Dharma Lab

Jon Kabat-Zinn joins Richie and Cort for a wide-ranging conversation on mindfulness, science, and what it means to fully inhabit your life.
From the launch of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in a hospital basement in 1979 to more than 1,000 scientific papers a year on mindfulness today, this episode traces how a simple practice entered mainstream medicine and reshaped the way we understand stress, healing, and human potential.
Along the way, the conversation moves from chronic pain and anxiety to awareness as a trainable capacity, the role of community, and why paying attention may be one of the most important skills of our time.
As Jon reflects, if you are missing this moment, what makes you think you will not miss the next?
This episode explores how mindfulness can extend beyond stress reduction toward living more deliberately, with clarity, compassion, and connection.
Podcast Chapter List:
00:00 – The Gateway: Stress, Burnout & Why We Come to Practice01:08 – Introducing Jon Kabat-Zinn & the Origins of MBSR05:12 – What Is Mindfulness? Dharma, Awareness & Human Potential09:07 – Why MBSR Started in a Hospital Basement18:39 – “They Gave You the Patients No One Could Help”19:58 – How Science and Contemplative Practice Came Together21:42 – The 2003 Randomized Controlled Trial That Changed the Field25:18 – Meeting People Where They Are: Anxiety as a Doorway26:28 – “Are You Your Diagnosis?” Identity & the Shift from Doing to Being30:11 – Why More People Meditate — But Many Still Struggle33:50 – Medicine for Humanity: Mindfulness in a Time of Crisis40:52 – Awareness as a Human Superpower45:00 – Flourishing Is Contagious (And Trainable)46:46 – Awe, Connection & Learning to Pay Attention47:59 – Not Missing Your Life: Thoreau, Walden, & Living Deliberately49:15 – A Rhapsody for Mindfulness
Cort and Richie’s new book is coming out in a few weeks! Pre-order Born to Flourish and get:
* 1 full year of paid access to Dharma Lab ($100 value) with weekly essays, research updates, podcasts, and member-only online events
* Live access to an exclusive Born to Flourish Launch Event
* Richie and Cort’s personal reading list on the art of flourishing
* A daily protocol for training the mind to flourish


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dharmalabco.substack.com/subscribe

Flourishing is multi-dimensional. In today’s episode of Dharma Lab, we apply the four dimensions of flourishing (awareness, connection, insight, and purpose), to something we all experience: anxiety.
When these skills are at our fingertips, we can deploy different ones in different contexts, or bring several to bear at once. Together, they form a rich set of practices to enhance well-being in everyday life.
Our discussion explores anxiety as an evolutionary feature of the human brain rather than a personal defect; how it is rooted in the brain’s tendency to predict potential threats; and how it may reflect something fundamentally wholesome: a drive to protect and care.
Podcast Chapter List:
00:00 – Short-Circuiting Resistance: A New Way to Relate to Anxiety01:03 – Why Anxiety Is Normal (And Even Necessary)04:29 – The Brain as a Prediction Machine06:16 – Anxiety as an Evolutionary Safety System10:05 – The Four Dimensions of Flourishing12:12 – Skill #1: Awareness and Mindfulness in Moments of Anxiety16:26 – Acceptance and the Reduction of Resistance19:05 – Meta-Awareness and What Happens in the Brain20:31 – Making Friends With Anxiety22:18 – Skill #2: Connection and Appreciation24:12 – Common Humanity and the “Just Like Me” Practice26:06 – Kindness as a Regulator of Emotion29:16 – Skill #3: Insight Into Beliefs and Expectations33:32 – Recognizing Anxious Thought Patterns in Real Time36:58 – Skill #4: Purpose as a Buffer Against Stress37:30 – Research on Teachers, Purpose, and Recovery41:17 – Turning Struggle Into Fuel for Service43:15 – Purpose and Physiological Recovery45:04 – Why These Four Skills Work Together47:17 – Applying the Four Dimensions to Everyday Anxiety
Our new book is coming out next month! Pre-order Born to Flourish and get:
* Live access to an exclusive Born to Flourish Launch Event
* Richie and Cort’s personal reading list on the art of flourishing
* A daily protocol for training the mind to flourish
* 1-year paid membership to Dharma Lab with weekly essays, research updates, podcasts, and member-only online events
From the archives:


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dharmalabco.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Dharma Lab, Cort and Richie explore one of the core ideas behind Born to Flourish: that our inner state doesn’t stay inside. It ripples outward…shaping classrooms, workplaces, families, and even measurable outcomes like student achievement.
Through personal stories and groundbreaking research from public schools, they unpack how awareness, connection, insight, and purpose don’t just transform individuals, they transform systems.
Podcast chapter list:
00:00 – Intro: Can Flourishing Be Contagious? (Neuroscience + Real-World Impact)01:23 – The Dalai Lama at NIH: Compassion in Action06:49 – Why This Moment Changed Science Leaders Forever09:52 – Is Compassion Trainable? The Science of Human Plasticity15:30 – A Workplace Story: How Kindness Transformed a Toxic Boss19:45 – The Neuroscience of Contagion: How Emotions Spread23:50 – 850 Teachers, Randomized Trial using the Healthy Minds App26:42 – The “Holy Grail” Finding: Improved Student Test Scores28:01 – Interdependence Explained: Why We’re Not Separate30:31 – How One Teacher’s Mindset Changes an Entire Classroom31:56 – “Buy One, Get Two Free”: The Ripple Effect of Wellbeing32:17 – Practical Habit #1: Intentionally “Infect” Others with Kindness34:30 – Practical Habit #2: Curate Your Mental Inputs35:53 – Why It’s Easier Than You Think (And Why the World Needs It)
Our new book is coming out next month! Pre-order Born to Flourish and get:
* Live access to an exclusive Born to Flourish Launch Event
* Richie and Cort’s personal reading list on the art of flourishing
* A daily protocol for training the mind to flourish
* 1-year paid membership to Dharma Lab with weekly essays, research updates, podcasts, and member-only online events
From the archives:



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dharmalabco.substack.com/subscribe

Reminder: Join Richie & Cort tonight at 8pm ET for our monthly AMA HERE
In today’s episode of Dharma Lab, Cort and Richie explore a radical and hopeful idea from their upcoming book Born to Flourish: that we all come into the world with an innate capacity for kindness, compassion, and human flourishing. Through personal stories, recent science, and ancient Buddhist wisdom, they reveal how reconnecting with our true nature can transform not only ourselves but also our divided world.
“It’s probably more important today than at any other time in my life to really affirm this statement: that we are born to flourish. And this isn’t vacuous hope—it’s hope grounded in practice and in science.” - Dr. Richard Davidson
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EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
* Cort shares a heartwarming memory of teaching his three-year-old son about “Buddha nature” and the pure joy it sparked in him
* Richie presents stunning research showing that 100% of six-month-old babies naturally prefer kindness over meanness - scientific proof we’re wired for goodness
* How Buddhist psychology teaches that suffering often stems from forgetting our fundamental wholeness and getting trapped in limiting (and changing) identities
* Practical tips for daily life: seeing the Buddha nature in others during interactions, practicing “just like me” reflections, and shifting from a “fixing” mindset to appreciating what’s already whole
* How viewing harmful behavior as arising from confusion rather than fundamental evil can transform rage into compassion, even toward difficult public figures
* A powerful reminder that flourishing isn’t just a belief system—it’s a practice of actually seeing ourselves, others, and the world differently
Our new book is coming out next month! Pre-order Born to Flourish and get:
* Live access to an exclusive Born to Flourish Launch Event
* Richie and Cort’s personal reading list on the art of flourishing
* A daily protocol for training the mind to flourish
* 1-year paid membership to Dharma Lab with weekly essays, research updates, podcasts, and member-only online events
From the archives:
Podcast Chapter List
00:00 – Are We Really Born to Flourish?Why this claim matters more now than ever—and why it’s grounded in science, not blind optimism.
01:23 – Welcome to Dharma Lab + Introducing Born to FlourishCortland Dahl and Richard Davidson outline the science, meditation, and practical focus of the episode.
02:14 – A Father–Son Meditation StoryHow meditating with a three-year-old reveals something essential about human nature.
03:37 – What Is “Buddha Nature”?The idea that our true nature is fundamentally whole, good, and already present.
05:16 – Why “Born to Flourish” Sounds Radical TodayAddressing skepticism in a world shaped by violence, polarization, and fear.
06:26 – The Science of Kindness in InfantsHow six-month-old babies consistently choose kindness over harm.
10:05 – What 100% Results Tell Us About Human NatureWhy these findings are almost unheard of in psychology research.
11:00 – Buddhist Psychology and the Problem of IdentityHow misunderstanding who we are fuels stress, burnout, and suffering.
12:24 – The “Blind Spot”: What We Miss About OurselvesWhy changing thoughts, roles, and emotions aren’t our deepest identity.
13:33 – Awareness as the Constant Background of ExperienceWhy awareness, compassion, and wisdom may be innate rather than cultivated.
14:38 – Why the Brain Fixates on the NegativeHow rarity, contrast, and media bias distort our perception of reality.
16:07 – Tragedy, Memory, and What We RememberHow emotionally charged events dominate our personal narratives.
17:29 – Daniel Kahneman’s Peak-End RuleWhy we remember peaks and endings—and how this shapes well-being.
19:47 – Fixing Ourselves vs. Rediscovering WholenessThe difference between self-improvement and recognizing what’s already here.
22:24 – The Fruitional Approach to MeditationWhy flourishing isn’t in the future—and why practice can feel easier than expected.
25:11 – Everyday Practices That Reveal Our True NatureUsing meetings, meals, and daily life as opportunities for practice.
27:43 – “Just Like Me”: A Practice for CompassionHow remembering our shared humanity changes relationships.
33:36 – Seeing Harm Through the Lens of Confusion, Not EvilWhy this perspective naturally gives rise to compassion without excusing harm.
36:10 – Why the World Needs This Perspective ShiftReconnecting with common humanity in divided times—and what’s coming next.


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Reminder: Our Next Live Ask Me Anything (#6) with Richie and Cort will be on Feb 9th at 8pm ET. Please send questions in advance! (in comments, chat, or reply to this email)
Why Listen to This Session?
In our latest wide-ranging AMA, Richie and Cort explore:
* Your brain can change at any age — but plasticity isn’t always good:to answer a popular question inspired by Huberman: yes, neuroplasticity lasts from birth to death (even near the very end of life). But here’s the twist: plasticity is neutral. Without the right conditions, it can reinforce anxiety, anger, or stress. The AMA explains how to pair plasticity with wholesome habits so change actually supports well-being
* How meditation can literally rewrite emotional memories: a detailed walkthrough of memory reconsolidation, the neuroscience of why retrieved memories become editable, and a practical technique you can use at bedtime
* Discover what happens in the brain during non-dual awareness: cutting-edge research on why advanced meditators show dramatic drops in prediction networks, and the crucial difference between practices that focus on experience versus practices that orient to awareness itself
* Flourishing is contagious: A firsthand account of meeting a 90-year-old Tibetan master who radiates unconditional love after surviving 20 years in Chinese prison camps
Detailed Chapter Guide
00:00 - Opening Meditation & New Year Intentions
Brief guided meditation to open hearts and set collective aspiration for easing suffering and supporting flourishing worldwide.
02:00 - New Year Reflections: Small Steps, Daily Affordances
Richie discusses why New Year’s resolutions fail and introduces the concept of “affordances”: everyday contexts that can trigger practice moments. The importance of small steps repeated consistently rather than unrealistic grand plans.
06:00 - Contagious Flourishing: Meeting Garchen Rinpoche
Cort shares a powerful experience meeting 90-year-old Garchen Rinpoche in Arizona, a living example of boundless love cultivated through decades of practice, even surviving 20 years in Chinese prison camps. A visceral reminder that flourishing spreads through presence alone.
14:00 - Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan
Q: Does brain plasticity continue after age 25? Richie explains that plasticity persists from birth to death, with sensitive periods (birth, ages 4-7, adolescence) showing heightened susceptibility. The critical point: plasticity is neutral and requires wholesome focus to support flourishing.
20:00 - Buddhist Psychology Meets Neuroscience
Cort connects neuroplasticity to the Buddhist concept of “bardo,” transitional periods when habitual patterns are disrupted. Why adversity often catalyzes the deepest growth, and the dual path of accumulating wisdom and creating supportive conditions.
25:00 - Memory Reconsolidation: Editing Emotional Memories
Q: Can we heal trauma from infancy if we don’t remember how it formed? Richie explains how retrieved memories become temporarily fluid and re-encodable, the scientific basis for therapeutic change.
29:00 - Practical Memory Reconsolidation: The Bedtime Argument
Detailed walkthrough of how to work with a difficult memory using reconsolidation principles: bringing positive associations to the same person during retrieval creates lasting change in how that memory is stored.
34:00 - Different Practices, Different Reconsolidation Effects
How loving-kindness changes associations versus how awareness practices create space for memories to dissolve. Mingyur Rinpoche’s “cow dung” teaching as a metaphor for memory malleability.
37:00 - Education: Declarative vs. Procedural Learning
Q: How does modern education impact neuroplasticity in children? The Western bias toward declarative (conceptual) learning versus procedural (skill-based) learning. Richie’s call for more practice-based education.
40:00 - The Surprising Value of Memorization
Cort’s counterintuitive defense of traditional monastic memorization practices: how deep encoding creates attentional laser-focus and transforms understanding in ways that passive learning cannot.
44:00 - Giving, Receiving, and the Reward System
Q: Is giving more rewarding than receiving at all ages? Richie confirms the data supports this across the lifespan, though strength may vary by developmental stage.
45:00 - The Science of Non-Dual Awareness
Q: What happens in the brain during non-dual experiences? Cort explains non-dual consciousness as the “open sky” versus the “weather patterns” of sensory experience, orienting to awareness itself rather than its contents.
50:00 - The Brain as Prediction Machine
Richie’s hypothesis: non-dual awareness may involve releasing prediction entirely. Evidence shows dramatic decreases in prefrontal activation in long-term practitioners during tasks that normally activate prediction networks.
54:00 - Subject-Oriented vs. Object-Oriented Practice
Q: What’s the difference between focusing on breath versus connecting with awareness itself? Cort unpacks this crucial distinction from their published research paper.
56:00 - Two Paths of Insight
Object-oriented practices reveal the conditioned, changing nature of experience. Subject-oriented practices reveal the unconditioned, spacious nature of awareness, leading to emptiness and non-dual realization. Different practices, radically different destinations.
59:00 - Brain Connectivity Patterns in Different Practice Types
Richie explains how object-oriented practices strengthen connections between awareness regions and sensory regions, while subject-oriented practices strengthen awareness networks and salience networks differently.
1:01:00 - Closing Reflections & New Year Wishes
Final thoughts, gratitude for the community’s questions, and wishes for health, peace, and flourishing in the year ahead.
For the technical deep-dive referenced in this session, see Davidson & Dahl’s paper: “Reconstructing and Deconstructing the Self: Cognitive Mechanisms in Meditation Practice” in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
Our new book is coming out next month! Pre-order Born to Flourish and get:
* Live access to an exclusive Born to Flourish Launch Event
* Richie and Cort’s personal reading list on the art of flourishing
* A daily protocol for training the mind to flourish
* 1-year paid membership to Dharma Lab with weekly essays, research updates, podcasts, and member-only online events
From the archives: