In this first guest episode of Unjourneying, I sit down with meditation teacher Wystan Bryant-Scott for a wide-ranging conversation on jhanas, nonduality, renunciation, tantra, and psychedelics. Wystan announces his upcoming jhana retreat at Nameless Mountain, and why he still finds deep concentration valuable even after awakening. We dig into the difference between sutta and Visuddhimagga jhanas, the real meaning of renunciation in modern life, and how to work with sexual energy without fixation. We also explore nondual awareness during ordinary pleasure and the role of psychedelics, especially 5-MeO-DMT, as powerful supports on the contemplative path.

Wystan Bryant-Scott

🌐 Website: https://www.wystantbs.com

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wystantbs108

🧘 Upcoming Retreat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4YokHVz09Y

Karmamudra: The Yoga of Bliss by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang

📖 https://skypresspublications.com/product/karmamudra

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

🌐 Website: https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 Patreon: https://www.unjourneying.com/patreon

0:00 Introduction to Unjourneying & Guest Bio

2:55 Welcome & Why Wystan as First Guest

3:30 Recent Activities: Nameless Mountain & Backpacking with Gabe Broussard (Vivid Void)

6:36 Upcoming Jhana Retreat at Nameless Mountain

7:53 Sutta Jhana vs. Visuddhimagga Jhana

11:03 The Role of Jhana on the Path to Awakening

16:18 Cessation of Perception & Feeling

19:39 Is Jhana Still Useful After Awakening?

24:27 Identifying as a Religious Buddhist

28:58 Renunciation, Commitment & Modern Practice

37:00 Sexual Energy, Tantra & Sensual Practice

43:50 Karma Mudra & Traditional Sexual Yogas

46:48 Nonduality, Orgasm & Everyday Bliss

54:29 Psychedelics on the Contemplative Path

59:55 Recommending Psychedelics as a Teacher

1:03:32 Integrating Psychedelics with Traditional Practice

1:06:17 Closing Advice & Where to Find Wystan

1:08:43 Outro & How to Connect

If Capital-E Enlightenment is defined as a supreme state of perfect and imperturbable bliss in this lifetime, was that the actual focus of the Buddha's spiritual path? Inspired by Kenneth Folk's interpretation of early Buddhism's ultimate goal as escaping the wheel of rebirth, I unpack 11 myths of Enlightenment (including claims from contemporary teachers) and discuss their implications for the awakening process. I encourage seekers to embrace the full spectrum of their authentic emotional experience in the here and now.

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

Related Resources:

Deconstructing Yourself: "Masters of Oblivion with Kenneth Folk"

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zrs7fq18ZBCuaCmv0RDiX?si=a8SaWpYmRKyxDDD9fdGmhQ

Mu: Roger "Thisdell on Centerlessness, Cessations, Defabrication, Valence, and Insight"

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0laAlYPz2T9Ia44w4YiblS?si=VhGKBb9zRZWRsUnN3UHyQw

Harvard's Project Implicit (Implicit Association Tests)

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

0:00 Intro – Why I'm Questioning Buddha's Enlightenment

1:03 My Early Romanticized View of the Buddha

3:02 The Received Western Story of the Buddha

4:57 Kenneth Folk & "Masters of Oblivion" Podcast

5:45 Nirvana = Cessation / Oblivion, Not Cosmic Bliss

9:56 Why This Changes Everything for Western Seekers

12:35 "The Buddha Is Not Your Friend" – A Darker Picture

14:28 How "Enlightenment" Got Mistranslated in the West

16:57 The "Sellvation" Dynamic in Spirituality

20:14 Nobody Has Ever Been Enlightened (Capital E)

25:00 Awakening vs. Enlightenment – My Distinction

26:23 Myth 1: You're Happy All the Time / No Negative Emotions

31:22 Myth 2: No Fear of Death

34:36 Myth 3: No Self Whatsoever

41:45 Myth 4: Seeing Reality As It Actually Is

45:11 Myth 5: No Preferences or Distinctions

49:45 Myth 6: No Thoughts

52:01 Myth 7: Complete Centerlessness

54:03 Myth 8: No Sense of Agency or Doership

57:36 Myth 9: Infinite Personal Freedom

1:03:36 Myth 10: Eternalism – "You Were Never Born and Will Never Die"

1:08:06 Myth 11: "As It Is, Not As You Want It to Be" – Goenka & Daoism

1:11:09 Car Breakdown Example – Realistic Responses to Life

1:15:31 Roger Thisdell: We Are Always Suffering (Baseline Level)

1:18:14 Reframing Awakening – Stop Making It About Ending Suffering

1:23:28 Conclusion: Enlightenment Is a Myth – Be Human Instead

1:26:55 Final Thoughts

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

For educational purposes only.

Sharing from my experience, I outline a possible spiritual awakening trajectory through five different stages:

1. Somatic Mindfulness (Vipassana)

2. Nonduality

3. Metamindfulness

4. Unjourneying

5. ???

Mira Funk, LCSW | Unjourneying

➡️ https://www.unjourneying.com

🌟 https://www.patreon.com/unjourneying

0:00 Intro & Disclaimer: This Is Just My Map

1:54 Stage 1: Somatic Mindfulness (Vipassana / Body Scan)

5:15 Stage 2: Non-Duality

8:56 The Non-Dual "Hot Tub" Phase & Attachment

11:10 Lyme Flare & the Crashing Halt

12:37 Realizing Attachment to Non-Duality

15:55 Stage 3: Metamindfulness (Noting Frames & Ways of Looking)

19:21 Stage 4: Unjourneying

20:05 Salvia Divinorum – Safety Notes & Protocol

21:15 Deep Deconstruction of Doership & Free Will

22:32 Dropping the Hero’s Journey (Marionette Insight)

25:05 Why “Unjourneying” – Neem Karoli Baba Story & Post-Psychedelic Presence

27:10 Post-Soteriological: Letting Go of Liberation as a Goal

30:26 Post-Ontological: Releasing Attachment to Any Ground of Reality

36:32 The Dance of What Is (No Goal, No Ultimate Truth)

37:53 Stage 5: Open Future – There Are More Stages Ahead

39:02 Closing Thoughts

Unjourneying is also available on YouTube.

For educational purposes only.