How to Have a ‘Don’t-Know Mind’
My quest to understand consciousness took me to a cave in New Mexico and then deep into the cosmos.
TL;DR
- Joan Halifax, 83, is a Zen priest and anthropologist known for her humanitarian work.
- She led annual medical treks in Nepal for over 40 years, bringing healthcare to remote villages.
- Halifax has also worked with the dying in hospice, the homeless, and death row prisoners.
- She founded the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe in 1990, serving as its abbot for over 30 years.
- Halifax has explored the use of psychedelics, including LSD, for therapeutic and consciousness-expanding purposes.
- She recently turned 80 and has decided to step down from leading the Nepal treks.
- Halifax retreats to an off-the-grid compound in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for solitude and spiritual practice.
- The author visited Upaya Zen Center and was invited to stay at Halifax's mountain refuge.