About this episode

John Vervaeke and Ethan Hsieh discuss how Zen and Neoplatonism can address the meaning crisis through a transformative perception of reality.

Can the meaning crisis be addressed by transforming how we perceive reality rather than what we believe about it? In this episode, John Vervaeke and Ethan Hsieh introduce the course Between East and West, which explores Zen Neoplatonism as a dialogical framework integrating Eastern and Western traditions. The course is designed not as a system of belief but as a training in perception, participation, and understanding. Zen offers a path of intimacy, presence, and immanence, while Neoplatonism provides intelligibility, transcendence, and coherence. Together, they form a stereoscopic vision that allows for a renewed encounter with meaning and the sacred. The discussion reframes mysticism, philosophy, religion, and spirituality, while confronting the meaning crisis and the limitations of modern categories. It proposes a shift beyond theism and atheism toward a participatory understanding of reality grounded in insight and practice. Ethan Hsieh is a writer, educator, and dialogue facilitator working across philosophy, cognitive science, and contemplative practice, helping to bridge theory and lived experience. Guest Links Ethan Hsieh: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/ethan-hsieh-828a63240…

People in this episode

Host: John Vervaeke

Guest: Ethan Hsieh

Topics covered

• meaning crisis
• Zen
• Neoplatonism
• philosophy
• spirituality
• dialogical framework

Keywords

• meaning crisis
• Zen
• Neoplatonism
• philosophy
• spirituality
• dialogue
• perception

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Upfire Digital LLC, The Lectern, Between East and West

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