Christopher Kelley, a professor at the New School, argues that if the human condition damns us to disaffection and angst, then our ability to laugh at such limitations is a uniquely human privilege. He spent years studying Buddhism under Robert Thurman at Columbia, and has nursed an interest in the works of such dark comedians as Louis C.K., Tig Notaro, and Andy Kaufman, who have mined the desolate corners of everyday reality for big laughs.

Village Voice
“Virtual reality could supercharge meditation,” says Christopher Kelley, a Buddhist scholar and one of the founders of the New York consciousness hacking group.

BreakThru Radio
episode 16
Buddhism & Comedy

The Generalist
episode 17
CONSCIOUSNESS HACKING

Houston Chronicle
"Part of life is suffering. Death is a reality. But that doesn’t mean we can’t laugh along the way." Christopher Kelley, a student and teacher of Buddhism, finds a parallel between Buddhism and dark comedy—the truth-telling sort of comedy delivered by Louis C.K., Marc Maron and Tig Notaro, among others.

Mandala Magazine
INTERVIEW PART TWO: 2007
"For a parent, the love of one's own child is the model for how we should think of everyone else."

Mandala Magazine
INTERVIEW PART ONE: 1998
"I don’t think the true essence of Buddhism became accessible to me until after I had begun to experiment with hallucinogenic drugs."