Sam Harris is interviewed by Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho, Buddhist monks at Clear Mountain Monastery. They discuss Sam's introduction to formal meditation and his studies with notable teachers across East Asia, dualistic mindfulness as a preliminary practice, secrecy around nondual teachings in certain traditions, the extent to which Buddhism practices can be separated from Buddhist religion, misbehavior among some prominent gurus, whether Sam considers himself a Buddhist, common insights across contemplative traditions, the importance of progress in science and technology, the utility of monasticism, the pitfalls of fame, and more.

Ajahn Kovilo first encountered meditation through the Goenka tradition and entered the monastery in 2006, receiving full bhikkhu ordination from Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Amaro at Abhayagiri Monastery in 2010. He spent the next decade training in Ajahn Chah monasteries in the U.S. and Thailand, completing all levels of the Nak-Tham exams in Thai. After a year in a Pa Auk Sayadaw monastery, he entered Dharma Realm Buddhist University in 2020 to study Pāli and Mahāyāna traditions. He served as editor of Stillness Flowing and Gold Wrapped in Rags, and compiled Thus Should You Train Yourselves and The Wellbeing Cascade. He now lives in Seattle helping to found Clear Mountain Monastery with Ajahn Nisabho.

After finishing college in 2012, Ajahn Nisabho left his native Washington to go forth as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He received full ordination the following spring under Ajahn Anan, a senior disciple of renowned meditation master Ajahn Chah, and spent the following years training in forest monasteries around the world with contemporary masters such as Ajahn Anan, Ajahn Pasanno, and Ajahn Jayasaro. Over these years, he came to believe the tradition represented a faithful embodiment of the original Buddhist path able to yield great fruit even amidst the complexities of modern life. In the summer of 2021, he returned to Seattle to plant the first seeds of Clear Mountain Monastery.