Wisdom Dharma Chat | Professor John Dunne – November 2025
NOVEMBER 25, 2025
In this episode of Wisdom Dharma Chats, host Daniel Aitken is joined by Professor John Dunne. They begin their discussion with the historical significance of the Nalanda tradition. They then explore meditation practices, the transition from conceptual thinking to direct experience, and the philosophical implications of non-duality. It also explores the relationship between consciousness and perception, the importance of education in understanding these concepts, and so much more.
Show Notes Links:
The Wisdom of the Nalanda Tradition – Wisdom Academy course. Available starting December 19, 2025.
Nāgārjuna’s Precious Garland – Winner of the 2025 Khyentse Foundation Prize for Outstanding Translation
Dharma Surya University – help bring about a groundbreaking Dharma Surya University in the heart of Europe – https://www.dharmasurya.eu/
Neural effects and phenomenology of nondual meditation and 5-MeO-DMT in an expert meditation practitioner – Winner 2025 Neuroscience of Pure Awareness prize by the Culture of Consciousness Foundation by Thomas Metzinger. Authors: Christopher Timmermann, Tommaso Barba, James Sanders, Stéphane Offort, John Dunne, David Erritzoe, Antoine Lutz. Available in preprint – https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/whqdp_v2
Meet Our Guest
Professor John Dunne
John D. Dunne serves on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he holds the Distinguished Chair in Contemplative Humanities at the Center for Healthy Minds. He is also chair of the Department of Asian Languages & Cultures. His work focuses on Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice, especially in dialogue with Cognitive Science and Psychology. His more than fifty publications appear in venues ranging across both the Humanities and the Sciences, including Foundations of Dharmakīrti’s Philosophy (2004) and Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics: The Mind (2020). John Dunne speaks in both academic and public contexts, and he occasionally teaches for Buddhist communities. His broader engagements include being a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, where he was previously a member of the board of directors, and serving as an academic advisor to the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu, Nepal.
