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Deep Transformation

Deep Transformation

By: Roger Walsh and John Dupuy
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 Deep Transformation offers dialogues with cutting-edge thinkers, artists, contemplatives, and activists who combine big-picture, integrative perspectives with profound, contemplative depths. With these remarkable people, we explore the great questions of our time, such as how best to live, and how best to heal, learn, create, and contribute in our era of unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Visit our website at https://deeptransformation.io/ to learn more.Copyright 2026 Roger Walsh and John Dupuy Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Dissolving into Bliss: The Ecstasy of Ego Death

    Dissolving into Bliss: The Ecstasy of Ego Death
    Apr 16 2026
    Ep. 230 (Part 1 of 2) | The third dialogue in the Path of Love Series with A. H. Almaas opens with co-host Roger Walsh commenting that in reading Hameed’s most recent book, The Inner Beloved, he is struck by how different the Diamond Approach’s path of love is from those in other traditions. Hameed explains that, indeed, his path is different in that it addresses the sequence of events on the path of love systematically, using contemporary psychological language to describe the difficulties and barriers that arise, and further, that he includes not only obstacles that come up in the mind (concepts and beliefs), but emotional pain and woundings, abandonments and betrayals, which is something other traditions don’t often talk about. Why are our hearts not open? Because opening to such painful emotions is scary; our fear blocks us from opening to the vastness of divine love. The secret to moving forward on the path of love, Hameed says, is to love more intensely, more deeply. Love itself is the fuel that gets us through the obstacles to union with the inner beloved.Hameed speaks of the “death wish” that happens along the path, referring to our desire to dissolve completely into the beloved. “The deep heart loves the prospect of melting away and being nothing, being annihilated, completely absorbed into the beloved,” he explains. The death wish is a common reference in other paths of love, too—the Buddha calls this annihilation of self “emptiness”—and interestingly, Freud recognized it as a universal human characteristic, calling it the nirvana principle. “A deep intuition resides in every human heart,” Hameed continues, “a need for unification with what we love.” This can be small things—chocolate ice cream, our cell phone—which are legitimate objects of love, but in the end, only the inner beloved calls. Once again, Hameed gifts us with an illuminating teaching about the path of love, our desire for nonbeing, the hidden essence of love, and the integration of all we have let go of that happens after we awaken—all coming directly from his own lived experience. Recorded January 29, 2026.“It is inherent to the human being… the movement to dissolve into bliss, into the beloved.”Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing the 3rd dialogue in the Path of Love Series with A. H. Almaas, where we continue to explore Hameed’s latest book, The Inner Beloved (00:41)How Hameed’s path of love differs from other traditions (02:03)One difference is Hameed addresses the sequence of events on the path of love systematically, using psychological language to describe the difficulties & barriers that arise (05:27)On this path, obstacles are not just in the mind but include woundings that occur in relationships (08:09)After union with the beloved comes integration; here is where the nondual connection between the beloved and the world comes in (09:52)The state of desirelessness (10:36)The death wish: the yearning to be completely absorbed into the beloved (11:58)Freud called this deep, universal death wish in humans the nirvana principle (13:53)Buddha called this annihilation of self “emptiness” (18:28)The secret to moving the process along is to intensify our love (20:26)A deep intuition resides in every human heart: a need for unification with what you love (22:46)There is a kind of love where the yearning and wanting is just as ecstatic as loving itself—this is the hidden essence of love (26:45)Why are some called to the path of love yet others keep grasping for more substitute gratification? (28:50)There are 4 paths of yoga but the end is the same; the 4 suits of the tarot tell the stages of each yoga path (30:27)Coming out of the divine “coma,” the whole world is ablaze with love (33:02)The descent is not a loss of the realization, it is a further integration of what we have let go of (35:10)Resources & References – Part 1A. H. Almaas, The Inner Beloved: The Heart’s Journey to Divine UnityPrevious Deep Transformation Path of Love dialogues: Entering the Path of Heart & Emptying the Heart of All that Obscures the Inner BelovedPlato’s SymposiumFreud’s nirvana principle was introduced in Beyond the Pleasure PrincipleHis Holiness the Dalai Lama & Thubten Chodron speak about the absence of inherent existence in Searching for the SelfKen Wilber’s core text on substitute gratification is in The Atman Project: A Transpersonal View of Human DevelopmentThe 4 paths of yoga: Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Jnana (Yoga Easy)Mystical Origins of the Tarot by Paul HusonSt. John of the Cross writes about ascent in Ascent of Mount Carmel and descent in The Dark Night of the Soul---Deep Transformation’s Path of Love Series with A. H. AlmaasDeep Transformation’s Path of Love Series with A. H. Almaas begins with an overview of Hameed Ali’s Love Trilogy — Love Unveiled, Nondual Love, and The Inner Beloved — to orient us on the spiritual path of love unique to Hameed Ali and ...
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    41 mins
  • The Practice of Equanimity: Cultivating a Heart Big Enough to Hold Everything

    The Practice of Equanimity: Cultivating a Heart Big Enough to Hold Everything
    Apr 9 2026
    Ep. 229 (Part 2 of 2) | In part 2 of our What is Real Greatness Series podcast with Margaret Cullen, author of Quiet Strength, Margaret continues to enlighten us about equanimity: its power, its wisdom, and its practice. She relates some of the history of equanimity—first considered a supreme virtue in Stoicism, then passed on to Sufism and Judaism—and explains that throughout time, equanimity (and humility) have always been an integral part of people who have made a true difference in the world. Margaret talks about how humor can break the spell of our trance (“when we lose equanimity, we get caught in a trance, believing in something that has us prisoner—humor breaks the spell”), and, in the spirit of “The Serenity Prayer” (“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference”), she encourages us to make peace with what we can realistically do and let the rest go.While Part 1 of this dialogue focuses on the power of equanimity in relation to the big picture and what is going on now politically, in Part 2 Margaret looks at practicing equanimity in personal relationships and in our individual lives. She marvels at Thoreau’s equanimous approach to his own death, and shares that she has found forgiveness to be the most important equanimity tool in relationships. “We reclaim our wisdom when we say ‘I’m sorry,’” Margaret explains. Margaret’s deep and nuanced understanding of the power and practice of equanimity is inspiring and illuminating, and bringing this virtue to our attention as a pragmatic tool we can use is also incredibly timely, leaving us with a sense of hope and empowerment. Recorded January 14, 2026.“What aids in my equanimity more than anything else is self-forgiveness.”Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Welcome teacher, what am I supposed to be learning? (00:59)How humor can break the spell that holds us prisoner (03:03)The relationship between equanimity and peace (05:17)The praise and blame algorithm has exponentially increased our reactivity (08:14)Equanimity was a supreme virtue in Stoicism; the Stoics passed it on to the Sufis, who passed it on to Judaism (11:11)Thoreau’s equanimous approach to death (12:24)Nature’s effect on one’s equanimity (13:29)Equanimity is an integral part of true change makers, also humility (14:27)What practice would Margaret most recommend to cultivate equanimity? (17:19)Making peace with what you can do and letting the rest go (21:03)Practicing equanimity in relationships (22:13)Using self-forgiveness as an equanimity tool (23:44)In relationships, softening where we’re most triggered helps more than imposing ideals of how we should be (26:25)One key flavor of equanimity is non-defensiveness (28:51)Resources & References – Part 2Margaret Cullen, Quiet Strength: Find Peace, Feel Alive, and Love Boundlessly Through the Power of EquanimitySwami Beyondanda on the Deep Transformation podcast: Laugh Yourself Sane, Enlighten Up & Awaken to Cosmic Comic ConsciousnessMaimonides introduced the concept of equanimity to JudaismStoicism, a philosophical movement & practical guide to living originating in ancient GreeceWhen asked about facing death, Thoreau said, “One world at a time.” Henrietta Christian Wright, American Men of LettersSri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of YogaSufi teacher Habīb Boerger, “Rather than making the ego your boss, make it your personal assistant”The Serenity Prayer (Reinhold Niebuhr’s original version)Richard Davidson & Daniel Goleman, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and BodyPaul & Eve Ekman’s Cultivating Emotional Balance training“We could not help contrasting the equanimity of Nature with the bustle and impatience of man. His words and actions presume always a crisis near at hand, but she is forever silent and unpretending.” – Henry David Thoreau---Margaret Cullen, a Licensed Psychotherapist (MFT), has been at the cutting edge of translating contemplative trainings into universal and accessible formats in mainstream settings ranging from elite military to maximum security prisons. She was one of the first certified Teachers of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR); is the founder of Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance; and is co-developer of Compassion Cultivation Training at the Stanford School of Medicine (with Thupten Jinpa). Margaret also co-developed Mindfulness Based Attention Training for military spouses with neuroscientist Amishi Jha at the University of Miami, and is the founder of Compassion Corps, offering free compassion and mindfulness programs to under-resourced communities around the world. Margaret is a Fellow of the Mind & Life Institute.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell
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    37 mins
  • The Power & Wisdom of Equanimity: Getting Beyond Reactivity to Inner Calm & Clarity

    The Power & Wisdom of Equanimity: Getting Beyond Reactivity to Inner Calm & Clarity
    Apr 2 2026
    Ep. 228 (Part 1 of 2) | In part 1 of our second What is Real Greatness Series podcast, Margaret Cullen, author of the newly published book Quiet Strength: Find Peace, Feel Alive, and Love Boundlessly Through the Power of Equanimity, explains there is far more power in the virtue of equanimity than we may have thought. Because equanimity is associated with non-reactivity, people often confuse it with a neutral sort of feeling, a dampener of emotions, when actually, equanimity allows us to expand our capacity to feel; it widens our tolerance and empowers us to be comfortable with change. “Equanimity is big enough to include our broken, despairing hearts,” Margaret says. “We can hold a vision of equanimity that is completely inclusive of the human experience.” Practicing equanimity allows us to deepen our love—for the world and for others—without becoming attached.Margaret shares practical ways we can access equanimity—ways we can achieve conceptual clarity or a “wedge of spaciousness” when a moment has been hijacked by out-of-control emotions; how we can learn to turn directly and fully to what is arising in the moment; and how we can unhook from reactivity by not taking things too personally. “How can we respond heroically to the times we live in?” co-host John Dupuy asks. Margaret shares what she has learned teaching military units and special forces to cultivate equanimity—equanimity can save lives—and describes a compassion cultivation training program that has been established for police officers in California. Takeaways from this discussion may have important, powerful, timely effects on your life—and all of our lives; as John put it, “Never before have we had such a need for the medicine Margaret brings us.” Recorded January 14, 2026.“How do we care about this world that is in so much trouble without feeling overwhelmed? The answer is equanimity.“Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing podcast #2 in our What is Real Greatness Series with Margaret Cullen, psychotherapist, meditation & compassion cultivation trainer, author of Quiet Strength: Find Peace, Feel Alive, and Love Boundlessly Through the Power of Equanimity (00:48)What is equanimity and how did Margaret begin to experience it? (03:07)Coming to understand we don’t have control over the happiness of our loved ones (07:27)Finding a way to deepen our love without attachment (11:21) How can we respond heroically to the times we live in? (13:21)Equanimity is wisdom; wisdom is equanimity (17:16)Equanimity is big enough to include our broken, despairing hearts—we can hold a vision of equanimity that is completely inclusive of the human experience (18:11)Ways to access equanimity: perspective taking (22:12)Remembering the reality of impermanence (26:18)Unhooking from reactivity: Am I taking things too personally? (26:31)Cultivating equanimity in the military can make a huge difference—it can save lives (30:55)Compassion cultivation training program for police officers (32:51)The reframing technique & the power of turning directly to what is arising in the moment (37:31)Emotions are packed with important information for us; we gradually learn we can turn towards an emotion and survive it (38:28)Studies show that when subjected to provocative stimuli, practiced meditators actually feel more than other people (40:03)Resources & References – Part 1Margaret Cullen, Quiet Strength: Find Peace, Feel Alive, and Love Boundlessly Through the Power of EquanimityMargaret Cullen founded Compassion Corps, offering free compassion & mindfulness training to under-resourced communities around the world; co-developed Compassion Cultivation Training at Stanford University, and is a founding faculty of the Compassion InstituteChögyam Trungpa, preeminent teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, founded Naropa UniversitySharon Salzburg, co-founder of the Barre Insight Meditation SocietyDr. Dan Siegel’s window of tolerance is described in ​​The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We AreJoseph Goldstein, co-founder of the Barre Insight Meditation Society, on Deep Transformation: Living on the Spiritual EdgeAmishi Jha & Elizabeth Stanley, pioneers of bringing mindfulness into the militaryCourageous Heart, compassion cultivation training program for police officers in CaliforniaChief Ryan Johansen & former officer Chris Orrey on Deep Transformation: Enlightened Ways to Make Policing Work For EveryonePaul & Eve Ekman’s Cultivating Emotional Balance trainingRichard Davidson & Daniel Goleman, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and BodyJames Baraz on the Deep Transformation podcast: Awakening Joy---Margaret Cullen, a Licensed Psychotherapist (MFT), has been at the cutting edge of translating contemplative trainings into universal and accessible formats in mainstream settings ranging from elite military to maximum security prisons. She was one of the first ...
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    44 mins
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