Category Archives: Events

The Association of Professional Spiritual Teachers

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APST Panel

Through the cycle of descending ages, most spiritual traditions came to overemphasize the masculine – both in approach and in domination by men. This has led to drier, more austere forms of spirituality and issues with repression. Those traditions cultured well-prepared teachers though. Teaching did not begin until they were trained and deemed ready by their mentors. Rising consciousness is bringing a gradual restoration of the feminine. This means healing emotions, relationships, and raising women into leadership roles. It also leads to a much richer unfolding when both our masculine and feminine aspects are supported. Today we see many independent … Continue Reading… →

The Faces of Reality talk @ SAND18

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SAND18

During the Science and Nonduality conference of October 2018, I spoke on the way we experience reality from the object-side of the dynamics of consciousness. This was a follow-up to the stages of enlightenment talk I gave last year. This year I had a much smaller time slot, just enough to do an overview. (That’s Rick Archer talking under the titles, mentioning our second BATGAP interview.) The talk focused on the koshas or sheathes but instead of starting with the physical body, I took a top down approach that began with consciousness and its origins. After summarizing the 7 koshas, … Continue Reading… →

Some SAND18 Stories

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flower

The Science and Nonduality 2018 conference in San Jose, CA was once again a fascinating and unique experience. I had time to catch up with many friends, meet others I’ve only known on-line, and make new ones. I was less recognized this year, probably because I shaved the beard. Gender was a major theme during the event. I caught up with Francis Bennett, a spiritual teacher who is transitioning from male to female. I also saw Zhen Dao, a remarkable gender-fluid person forging a unique gender identity. Both were on the Divine Feminine panel discussion and touched on modern issues, … Continue Reading… →

SAND and BATGAP Interview 2

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SAND and BATGAP Interview 2

In the spring, I mentioned I’ll be speaking at SAND18 later this month. They’ve only given me a 20 minute slot this year, so I need to narrow the scope of the talk, The Faces of Reality. The current plan is to talk about the koshas or layers of creation, referring briefly to the stages model I talked about last year. I’ve referred to development of the subject aspect of consciousness. This year I’m talking about development of the object aspect, the world. Rick Archer and I will do a second Buddha at the Gas Pump conversation after I fly … Continue Reading… →

The Paradox of Unity and Spiritual Autonomy

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Adya @ SAND17

Adyashanti gave an excellent talk @ SAND17 called The Paradox of Unity and Spiritual Autonomy. I heard this live. A friend sent me the link as it’s now on-line. In the first part, he goes over the early stages of enlightenment (head, heart, gut) and the importance of the awakening heart. He then uses this as the platform to talk about how our old drivers fall away with awakening. How it’s important to go deeper and open the heart so higher drivers can come on-line. Then he talks about some of the paradoxes of Unity – how we can be … Continue Reading… →

SAND 2018

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SAND18

I’ll be speaking at the Science and Nonduality (SAND) conference again this fall. There was strong support to return. I’m moving more in the direction of the second book I’m working on about the nature of reality. But the constraints of time mean I’ll focus on stages again, the evolution of the observer or subject side of the equation. There is also the observed or object side and the layers of its construction. The kosha model is one way to look at that, from a more subjective view. A more object-oriented perspective outlines the stages of creation like that touched … Continue Reading… →

Sharing

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Sharing

And now for something completely different… Some people getting the book have wanted a photo with the author as well. They’ve then shared that on social media. Here are a few they’ve also shared with me.   At the book launch in Courtenay. (thanks, Joe) The lineup to get their book signed goes off to the right while I sign Pedro’s book.               With Aaron from Portland. Aaron used to be one of my silent readers that I first met at a retreat.             With Anna from Edmonton. Anna … Continue Reading… →

SAND17 Panel Discussion – Sudden or Gradual

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Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump invited me to join his panel during the Science and Nonduality (SAND) conference in October of 2017 (event C31). The topic was Sudden or Gradual: Two Paths to Realization. “There is a perennial debate in spiritual traditions regarding whether realization is direct (sudden) or progressive (gradual). But is this a false distinction? Realization is often sudden, no matter how many years of practice may have led up to it, and even after realization, most people find that refinement, clarification, and the working out of personal shortcomings continue indefinitely. Who wouldn’t prefer direct … Continue Reading… →

The Reality of Nonduality talk at SAND2017

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SAND speakers poster

On Friday, October 20, 2017, I again spoke at the Science and Nonduality conference in San Jose, CA. The talk explains that Nonduality is not a concept or an experience but is lived directly. It is a way of being. This is explained through the nature of consciousness and the 7 stages of enlightenment model from the Ramayana. Once again, professional recording was unavailable, so Rick Archer graciously brought his camera gear, introduced me, and recorded the talk. A headset mic was also not available but sound levels are decent. The talk is about 20 minutes plus about 30 minutes … Continue Reading… →

Some SAND17 Stories

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This months Science and Nonduality conference in San Jose, CA was a different experience from 2015. Two years ago, we started with a large panel and spent much of the conference together. This year, 6 of those panelists were back along with some new faces. But while 2015 was dominated by peer connections, this year was more about media connections. I’m curious to see what plays out. The conference also highlighted how much things had shifted here and how differently people were responding to what is said. I was recognized by more people too. I arrived a little early on … Continue Reading… →

The Wisdom of Heartbreak

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A friend of mine sent me this video by Michael Rodriguez. I’ve spoken similarly about the 2 kinds of love and the opening of the heart but I enjoyed his wording. I agree that the heart must be broken open. The refined stages won’t get far without that. For most, our heart is deeply defended and encrusted and our emotions not smooth flowing. I would not say this opening must be through pain and heartbreak but that’s not unusual. The dance here is a willingness to be open without too much expectation of what should happen. This allows what is … Continue Reading… →