Awakening with Jay Nelson Forrest

Thomas Aquinas' idea of God being necessary is false. The Cosmos alone has no cause, needs no cause. The Cosmos alone exists, from within rather than from without, by its essence rather than a cause. This only the Cosmos as a whole is necessary, everything else is contingent might-not-have been. And only the cosmos is eternal, everything else within it has a beginning. Reference Kreeft, Peter (2014) Practical Theology: Spiritual Direction from saint Thomas Aquinas. San Francisco: Ignatius...

In this episode we talk to Jay Michaelson about Bodhidaoism and Point 6 of the Naksha, which reads: "The Cosmos is Divine, being all there is or was or ever will be. We call the Cosmos the Divine because it is our mother, our sustainer, and the source of awe, reverence, and wonder. The word Divine is simply the metaphor we use to speak of the mystery of existence and the deeper significance of our interdependence with the Cosmos. For us, Nature is sacred." Jay Michaelson is a Rabbi,...

In this episode we talk to Jay Michaelson about his new book Enlightenment by Trial and Error: Ten Years on the Slippery Slopes of Jewish Spirituality, Postmodern Buddhism, and other Heresies. Jay Michaelson is a Rabbi, meditation teacher, and author who writes on law, religion, Judaism, and LGBT issues. Michaelson is legal affairs and religion columnist at The Daily Beast. Links Enlightenment by Trial and Error Jay Michaelson's Website

"The Cosmos is Divine, being all there is or was or ever will be. We call the Cosmos the Divine because it is our mother, our sustainer, and the source of awe, reverence, and wonder. The word Divine is simply the metaphor we use to speak of the mystery of existence and the deeper significance of our interdependence with the Cosmos. For us, Nature is sacred" (Naksha 6).

In this interview I discuss Bodhidaoism and the meaning crisis with John Vervaeke. John Vervaek is a professor at University of Toronto, he holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a B.Sc. in Cognitive Science. His areas of specialty are Cognitive Science, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Positive Psychology. He is best know for his YouTube series on the meaning crisis. Links John Vervaeke's Website John Vervaeke's YouTube Channel

Bodhidaoism is the way of awakening. It is a personal religion for the solitary practitioner that is based on scientific naturalism. Scientific naturalism is the view that, based on the evidence, the natural world is all there is, and science is the best means of knowing this world. A creator God, the supernatural, and a personal afterlife are all beliefs rejected by scientific naturalism, and hence, are not a part of Bodhidaoism. (Naksha, Point 1). Naksha http://bodhidaoism.com/Naksha/

Internationally recognized as the father of the Life Planning movement, the Harvard-educated George Kinder revolutionized financial advice for over 30 years by training over 3,000 professionals in 30 countries in the field of financial Life Planning. In his new book, A Golden Civilization and The Map of Mindfulness, Kinder draws on 50 years as a mindfulness practitioner, over 30 years as a mindfulness teacher, and his experience training financial advisors globally to challenge the basic...

The Summa Sophia said that a "vegetarian diet is required" for Bodhidaoists. But as of October 1, 2019, this is no longer the case. I would rather inspire people with my life than drive them by decree. I want people to become vegetarians because they believe it is right, not because I say so. Without this inner motivation nothing of lasting value will be accomplished. All this and more is in the new book: Secular Spirituality. Reference Naksha. http://bodhidaoism.com/Naksha/

Attachment is clinging to or grasping unto something or someone. Nonattachment is not clinging to or grasping unto something or someone. It is not detachment, which separates and closes off a person from reality. It is about staying connected to reality but not clinging to it. We can be connected to someone without being attached to them.

The sociology of religion focuses on the social aspects of religion. Emile Durkheim is a good example of this. There are two basic structures for religion, a disciple centered religion and a community centered religion. Christianity, as well as Daoism, began as a teacher disciple centered religion and evolved into a community centered religion. Stoicism stayed a disciple centered religion until it died out.

Phenomenology is the study of phenomena. Not a very insightful definition. My own definition is that phenomenology is the study of subjective experience. Edmund Husserl is considered the father of phenomenology. This is true in the West, but the study of subjective experience has a long history in India and china. Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre are probable the best know phenomenologists.

This is an introduction to Stoicism. Stoicism was started by Zeno of Citium in about 300 BCE, in the city of Athens. Zeno was originally a student of the Cynic Crates, who was a student of Diogenes, who was a student of Antisthenes, who was a student of Socrates. Stoicism has a direct line of decent from Socrates.

This is an introduction to Daoism (Taoism). Daoism is a philosophy and religion of China that arose in the 5th century BCE. The Daode Jing and Zhuangzi are two of the best known works of classical Daoism. The Dao is the way of nature, its rhythm and flow. Daoism emphasizes a return to nature, naturalness, and the simple life.

This is an introduction to Buddhism, the Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Noble Path. The Four Noble Truths are the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of the origin of suffering being thirst, the noble truth of the ending of suffering, and the noble truth of the way leading to the end of suffering, which is the Eightfold Noble Path (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration)....

Religion is a belief and value system with a way of life and spiritual practices for awakening, transformation, and flourishing, aiming to find meaning and significance in relation to the sacred. Religion two flavors: Theistic and Nontheistic, and two spheres: Communal and Personal.

Can spirituality be defined naturalistically? I believe that it can and must be so defined. In Christianity, spirituality is about cultivating an awareness of one's connection with God. In Buddhism, and other naturalistic religions, spirituality is about cultivating a deeper and wider awareness of one's connection with reality.

If you care about the truth, skepticism is the tool to discover it. "A skeptic," writes Paul Kurtz, "is one who is willing to question any claim to truth, asking for clarity in definition, consistency in logic, and adequacy of evidence." Skepticism is great as a tool, but destructive as a worldview. Nobody can live skepticism.

This the the last episode of the podcast, I am moving to a new domain - JayForrest.org - Please write that down. I will be ending this podcast and launching a new one. Please not that all links and old podcast episodes will eventually go away. In order to follow me, you will need to visit - JayForrest.org - on September 1st.

McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality, is a new book by Ronald E. Purser, who is a Professor of Management at San Francisco State University. What the book doesn’t tell you, is that Mr. Purser (2019) is an “ordained Zen Dharma Teacher in the Korean Zen Taego order of Buddhism.” The book is basically a neo-maxist criticism of the mindfulness movement in general, and Jon Kabat-Zinn in particular. As I point out in this episode, the mindfulness movement has its...

It was only after I created Bodhidaoism that I thought, “Wow, I created a religion.” Then I thought, “Wow what arrogance. I mean, who do I think I am to be the founder of a religion.” The next thought was, “Wow, what ignorance.” I know better than anyone how unqualified I am. But no one else is doing this. No one else is setting out to create a personal religion based on scientific naturalism. I had no choice, there were no other options. And furthermore, it is inevitable. Everyone creates...