David Nichtern and Michael Kammers have a free-flowing conversation around the theme of resonance, touching on loving awareness, clear seeing, compassion, and more along the way.

The Freshness of Accidental Possibilities
Through a happy little accident in their conversation, David and his student Michael end up on the subject of resonance. In a world where everything is so purposeful, accidents can be useful. They discuss aimless wandering, seeing without looking, and how loving awareness fits in with seeing things as they are.

“The difference between doing something on purpose and being open to the kind of freshness of accidental possibilities… from the point of view of meditation, I think is really an interesting topic because there’s so much precision in the Buddhist tradition.” – David Nichtern

David and Michael enter the realm of pure perception, talking about how it’s hard to simply rest in pure experience because we are so addicted to doing stuff and being busy all the time. David wonders if there are certain states of awareness that render us unable to function in everyday life. As a musician, Michael has certainly experienced those kinds of states.

“Is it possible to be in a very open state of awareness and still have the kind of wherewithal, the intention, the calibration to go fill your tires properly?” – David Nichtern

A Resonance Field (15:30)
Michael explores Prajna and Upaya, which are clear seeing and skillful means. In seeing clearly, we can act more skillfully. David brings the importance of feeling and compassion into the discussion, talking about how love and devotion are the cornerstones of Vajrayana practice. In the end, he links this all together with the concept of resonance.

“And then, what’s beyond that I would say is a resonance field of non-differentiated source and object, which is infused with clarity of perception, recognition of interdependence, and feeling tone that is just openly distributed throughout that entire Mandala.” – David Nichtern