Ordinary Mind Zen School Hunters and Gathers. Our Pre Taoist and Buddhist Past
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Mar 6, 2026 A lively dive into how hunter-gatherer childhoods shaped human psychology and modern suffering. Talks about integrating developmental psychology and neuroscience with Buddhist practice. Explores attachment styles, the evolved nest, and how agricultural life changed wellbeing. Suggests blending emotional understanding with traditional contemplative methods.
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Karma Reframed Through Developmental Science
- Traditional Buddhist karma maps well to modern psychology and neuroscience as cause and effect.
- Geoff Dawson links early childhood development research to the 'karmic' side, showing how prenatal and childhood experiences shape adult suffering.
Attachment Shapes How Strongly We Suffer
- Insecure attachment is widespread and underlies much of the grasping and aversion Buddhists identify as suffering.
- Dawson cites research showing roughly 40% of people have insecure attachment, framing practice as growing emotional security.
Use Zen Practice To Heal Childhood Wounds
- Practice Zen to dissolve core beliefs and grow emotional security rather than only seeking intellectual insight.
- Dawson advises integrating sitting, precepts, and psychological compassion to loosen core beliefs like 'I'm not good enough.'
