Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher who blends the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual approach, drawing from her eight years of training in a silent Zen monastery. She's authored two books—The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together and A Kids Book About Mindfulness. Caverly is also the Founder and Lead Contemplative of two nonprofits—Peace in Schools, creating the first U.S. semester-long credited mindfulness course in high schools, and Realizing Freedom Together, dedicated to making practices that lead to liberation for all, accessible to all. Learn more at caverlymorgan.org.
On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here!
Episode Cheatsheet
The big takeaway
Caverly Morgan, a longtime Zen practitioner and teacher, argues that our biggest source of suffering is identifying with a small, separate self. By learning to notice the awareness that’s always present behind our thoughts and emotions, she says we can stop treating ourselves as works in progress and start living from a sense of wholeness, love, and freedom.
Who am I, really? Unpacking the self, presence, and practical freedom
Key takeaways:
The illusion of self: Most of us operate from a limited, conditioned sense of “me”—but true freedom begins when we gently question who’s really behind our thoughts and actions.
Awareness is always present: Instead of getting lost in effortful self-improvement, we can relax into the simple act of being aware, discovering a natural vastness and wholeness that’s already here.
Contemplative cross-training: Tools from mindfulness, self-compassion, and non-duality aren’t mutually exclusive—they reinforce each other, giving us a broader toolkit for emotional resilience.
Love is our true nature: Beyond personal practices, recognizing ourselves as love or presence opens up more compassion, better relationships, and a sense of unity with those around us.
5 practical ways to ground presence and awareness in everyday life:
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Dan Harris to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
