A Dialogue between Dr. Daniel Ingram and David Germano on Elemental Meditations

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Buddhism in South Asia and Tibet involved extensive theorization of the material world in terms of five elements—earth, water, fire, wind, and space. These five elements were also the subject of important contemplative practices, though their form and importance fluctuated across time and tradition. Particularly of note is early concentrative practices on colored disks understood to represent the elements and referred to as kasina meditations in the Pali language. Subsequently in Tibet these emerged in quite different forms within its Great Perfection traditions (Dzokchen) as a variety of meditations focused on deep sensory-based contemplative experience of the same five elements, whether in terms of sound, vision, smells, tastes, and textures. Dr. Ingram has led interesting modern efforts at exploring the possibilities of deep concentration on fire, while Professor Germano has been a leading scholar on such early Tibetan elemental meditations. The dialogue will thus explore such practices and associated experiences in historical and contemporary forms.

Dr. Daniel M. Ingram, MD MSPH, is a retired emergency medicine physician who works to improve the global relationship of science, clinical practice, mental health, and the public to the phenomena that might be referred to as spiritual, meditative, energetic, mystical, psychedelic, magical, and related phenomena. To those ends, he is currently the founder, philanthropic supporter, and volunteer CEO and Board Chair of the Emergence Benefactors (https://ebenefactors.org) registered charity, and chief organizer and co-founder of the global Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (https://theeprc.org/). He is currently involved in neurophenomenological research of advanced meditative states with colleagues at Harvard and has been a participant in numerous fMRI and EEG studies of advanced meditators, including at Harvard, Yale, U Mass, and Vanderbilt. He has published scientific articles in Pediatrics, Child Abuse and Neglect, and the Journal of Medical Toxicology. He is the author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, co-author of The Fire Kasina, and co-founder of the Dharma Overground. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Esquire, Vice, Wired, BBC Radio 4, Evolving Dharma, American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity, Dan Harris’ 10% Happier Podcast, Slate Star Codex Blog, Buddha at the Gas Pump, Meaning of Life TV, Deconstructing Yourself, Spiritual Explained website, Guru Viking, Buddhist Geeks, Cosmic Tortoise, Startup Geometry, Imperfect Buddha Podcast, and many others.

David Germano is the Executive Director of the Contemplative Sciences Center. He has taught and researched Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia since 1992. In this context, he works extensively with each of the eleven schools at UVA to explore learning, research, and engagement initiatives regarding contemplation in their own disciplinary and professional areas. He is currently focused on the exploration of contemplative ideas, values, and practices involving humanistic and scientific methodologies, as well as new applications in diverse fields; he also holds a faculty appointment in the School of Nursing. He is one of the co-leaders of the Student Flourishing Initiative, a three-way partnership with UVA, the University of Wisconsin, and Penn State University, as well as the lead organizer of an international research community of scholars and translators specializing in the Great Perfection (Dzokchen) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.