Journals of Spiritual Discovery by spiritualteachers.org
Religion & Spirituality Podcas
Interviews with profound, yet down-to-earth spiritual teachers. Hear their life stories and nuggets of wisdom that you can apply to your spiritual search. If the great mysteries of life intrigue you, then you will enjoy this show. Some of the questions we explore: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the self? Is there a soul? What is enlightenment? What is death? What is the difference between meditation for relaxation and meditation for self inquiry?
Location:
United States
Description:
Interviews with profound, yet down-to-earth spiritual teachers. Hear their life stories and nuggets of wisdom that you can apply to your spiritual search. If the great mysteries of life intrigue you, then you will enjoy this show. Some of the questions we explore: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the self? Is there a soul? What is enlightenment? What is death? What is the difference between meditation for relaxation and meditation for self inquiry?
Language:
English
Episodes
Reflections on the Spiritual Path – new book
3/31/2024
Message in a Bottle: Reflections on the Spiritual Path is a new book from the TAT Foundation Press. Rather than another book by a spiritual teacher, this book takes the approach of asking spiritual seekers, those still on the path to “finding,” to share their stories and wisdom. Interestingly, each contributor to this volume also … Continue reading "Reflections on the Spiritual Path – new book"
Duration:00:50:59
August Turak interview: the Quest for Enlightenment
11/4/2023
August “Augie” Turak was the first student of Richard Rose and played an key role in introducing me to the spiritual search through his founding of the Self Knowledge Symposium. Thus, I was happy for the opportunity to interview him in support of his new book, Not Less Than Everything: One Man’s Quest for Spiritual … Continue reading "August Turak interview: the Quest for Enlightenment"
Duration:01:54:37
Shawn Pethel Interview: What am I?
9/20/2023
What happens when you take the rigor of a physicist and combine that with the earnest desire of a seeker of enlightenment? In his mid-twenties, Shawn Pethel picked up a book by Ken Wilber and was introduced to Eastern philosophy and the idea of enlightenment. As a scientist, he recognized that these Eastern meditators were … Continue reading "Shawn Pethel Interview: What am I?"
Duration:01:26:30
Ramana Maharshi – Instructions for Self Enquiry
7/10/2023
My reading this episode is two extracts from the works of Ramana Maharshi. The first is an excerpt from a longer work entitled “Who Am I,” and the second is titled “Self Enquiry.” The “Self Enquiry” piece was written around 1901, and both writings appear in Author Osborne’s The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi. … Continue reading "Ramana Maharshi – Instructions for Self Enquiry"
Duration:00:18:53
A Reading from Eddie Traversa’s Truth Realization
5/1/2023
My reading this episode is an excerpt from Eddie Traversa’s book, Truth Realization. Eddie was an extraordinarily sincere spiritual teacher and friend who passed away in 2022. His website no longer exists, but at least as of the time of this writing, his book is still available, and you can listen to my podcast interview … Continue reading "A Reading from Eddie Traversa’s Truth Realization"
Duration:00:11:31
Mike Gegenheimer: the Magic of Rapport
10/22/2022
Mike Gegenheimer is president of the TAT Foundation, coauthor with me of Passages: An Introduction and Commentary on Richard Rose’s Albigen System, and helps facilitate a self-inquiry group based in Columbus, Ohio. In this episode, we delve into his years with Richard Rose and the early days of the TAT Foundation, his experiences with the … Continue reading "Mike Gegenheimer: the Magic of Rapport"
Duration:01:25:49
Shawn Nevins Interview – Honesty, Focus, Intuition, and the Natural Koan
7/7/2022
This episode is from an interview titled “Satsang with Shawn Nevins” conducted by Reverend Saina Fernandez from the Awakening Together group. It took a few minutes to find our groove, but thanks to the Reverend’s great questions, this interview hit several key topics and moments of inspiration including discussions on honesty, focus, intuition, and the … Continue reading "Shawn Nevins Interview – Honesty, Focus, Intuition, and the Natural Koan"
Duration:01:30:50
Induction and Subtraction – the plunge into enlightenment
4/10/2022
My reading this episode is an excerpt from my book, Subtraction: The Simple Math of Enlightenment, where I describe the moments that led up to my enlightenment experience. It occurred as I was reading a transcript of Franklin Merrell-Wolff’s Induction talk, so this reading is a mix of my words and quotes from Merrell-Wolff’s talk. … Continue reading "Induction and Subtraction – the plunge into enlightenment"
Duration:00:13:39
Ramana Maharshi – Exploring Who am I?
2/13/2022
This episode’s reading features two dialogues from the book Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi. Covering the period 1935 to 1939, the book is an excellent resource for the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and was a constant companion while I lived in a cabin on Richard Rose’s farm. Ramana Maharshi’s teaching are best not read cover … Continue reading "Ramana Maharshi – Exploring Who am I?"
Duration:00:18:55
Foyan – The Basis of Awareness
1/5/2022
This episode’s reading is a selection called “The Basis of Awareness” from Instant Zen, a translation by Thomas Cleary of the writings of zen master Foyan. Foyan was a 12th century Chinese Zen master and is one of the few Zen masters that Cleary felt equal to the great ones of the Golden Age of … Continue reading "Foyan – The Basis of Awareness"
Duration:00:08:23
To Think of Time – Walt Whitman
11/1/2021
This episode’s reading is a selection called “To Think of Time” from Walt Whitman’s 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass. Describing the writing as “soaring” may seem cliched, but if you listen and allow the words to work their magic you may feel the expansion and uplifting that Whitman strives to transmit as the covering … Continue reading "To Think of Time – Walt Whitman"
Duration:00:20:33
Spiritual Poetry: Seeker and Finder
10/6/2021
This episode’s reading is a short excerpt of spiritual poetry from the TAT Foundation publication Beyond Mind, Beyond Death. It’s the first volume published by the TAT Press, and I consider it a “desert island” book–one you return to again and again for insight and inspiration. The reading opens with “Just Look” by J.C. Its … Continue reading "Spiritual Poetry: Seeker and Finder"
Duration:00:09:00
The Realization of Nisargadatta Marahaj
8/25/2021
This episode’s reading is an an excerpt from the book I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, which I found at searchwithin.org. The excerpt was titled “The Realization of Nisargadatta.” Though not labelled as such in the book, in this excerpt Nisargadatta clearly and, as always, succinctly describes his spiritual realization. See my review of … Continue reading "The Realization of Nisargadatta Marahaj"
Duration:00:12:07
The Penny That Blots Out The Sun – Alfred Pulyan
7/29/2021
This episode’s reading is an essay by Alfred Pulyan titled “The Penny That Blots Out The Sun.” Pulyan was a little-known Zen teacher based in Connecticut and active in the 1950s through his death in 1966. Like so many authentic teachers, he labored in relative obscurity, yet his words and deeds continue to affect many. … Continue reading "The Penny That Blots Out The Sun – Alfred Pulyan"
Duration:00:24:25
The World is After the Fact – William Samuel
6/21/2021
This episode’s reading is an essay by William Samuel titled “The World is After the Fact” from his book The Child Within Us Lives! In it, William Samuel reaches out to the audience laying bare the depth of his understanding and felt experience of Reality. I’ve only scratched the surface of William Samuel’s teachings, so … Continue reading "The World is After the Fact – William Samuel"
Duration:00:19:35
Bernadette Roberts on How it Works – diving into the Unmanifested
5/16/2021
This episode’s reading is an essay by Bernadette Roberts titled “How it Works.” In just a few paragraphs, Bernadette dives deep into the paradox of the unmanifested, manifesting, and manifested. It’s from her book The Experience of No-Self. Though Bernadette considered herself a Christian writer and seemed perpetually irritated with anyone trying to take her … Continue reading "Bernadette Roberts on How it Works – diving into the Unmanifested"
Duration:00:07:18
“Transmission” by Bart Marshall: The Induction Series #1
5/5/2021
What is Zen transmission? Today’s reading is from Bart Marshall’s essay called “Transmission” published in the book Beyond Mind, Beyond Death. Bart has appeared on this podcast and was featured in my film Closer Than Close, so I’m sure many of you are familiar with his work. It’s a brilliant essay, striking a bell that’s … Continue reading "“Transmission” by Bart Marshall: The Induction Series #1"
Duration:00:08:15
The Lecture of Questions – Revisited
12/12/2020
The first time I saw Richard Rose, I heard him give his Lecture of Questions. It began with “What do you know for sure? Does a man own a house or does a house own him?” and continued, question after question, challenging my assumptions, beliefs, and hopes about every aspect of life. I was both … Continue reading "The Lecture of Questions – Revisited"
Duration:00:21:07
Pat The Barber Crowley: the power of intuitive intelligence
11/21/2020
The one thing I didn’t ask Pat “The Barber” Crowley in our interview was how he got his nickname. I’ll blame that on the Irish gift for storytelling, in full evidence with Pat Crowley, which mesmerized and transported me to the wild seashores of Ireland and into the heart of Pat’s hunger for Truth. Pat … Continue reading "Pat The Barber Crowley: the power of intuitive intelligence"
Duration:01:42:28
Art Ticknor: the essence of confrontation
10/13/2020
My last interview with Art Ticknor was nearly 15 years ago, so I thought it time to catch up and see what’s new. Nothing much, in the sense that Art is still as uncompromising and ever a truth-seeking gadfly. In addition to audio, there is video available for this interview. Check it out below. Art … Continue reading "Art Ticknor: the essence of confrontation"
Duration:01:26:32