The New Monastics

In this episode, we have a roundtable discussion of spiritual issues with educator Carla Burns. In Part I, we talk about how to slow down and make the ’space’ to hold complexity in our society. In Part II, we discuss the film The Martian and what it has to say about humanity and humanity’s needs. And in Part III, we explore the idea of our planet’s consciousness and how it is expressed today.Charis FoundationGolden Turtle SoundSupport the show

In this episode, Netanel plays hooky, and Daniel is joined by Deepa Patel, a teacher of Inayati Sufism, partner of the Charis Foundation, and recurring guest, to share poems close to each of their hearts. In the course of reading and reflecting on the poems listed below, they explore coping with harrowing world events, honoring the preciousness of lost lives, unity consciousness as a reservoir of strength, being lifted out of impotence, the action of stillness, the 'hard work' and courage of becoming oneself, the mental prisons in which we trap ourselves, singing our unique 'song,' the power of poetry, embracing the all-possible, following the seed of our longing, the 'cookie-cutter nature' of Capitalism vs. the revolution of individuality, the silence between words, the purifying effect of our authenticity being challenged, humility and inspiration in the face of great practitioners, and how all 'rays bow before the Sun.'  List of Poems Read: ON ANOTHER PANEL ABOUT CLIMATE, THEY ASK ME TO SELL THE FUTURE AND ALL I’VE GOT IS A LOVE POEM — Ayisha SiddiqaThe Scripture of The Golden Eternity [Verses 64-66] — Jack KerouacNow I Become Myself — May Sarton Untitled — Patrizia Cavalli (Tr. Geoffrey Brock)Go to the Limits of Your Longing — Ranier Maria RilkeThe Imposter — Shaykh Ahmad Al-Alawi (Tr. Martin Lings)Charis FoundationGolden Turtle SoundSupport the show

The Venerable Dr. Pannavati Bhikkuni is the founder of Heartwood Refuge, an intentional spiritual community in North Carolina, and abbess of Embracing Simplicity Hermitage, a 21st century trans-lineage Buddhist Order. A former Christian pastor, the Venerable Pannavati is often thought to be the only fully-ordained African-American woman in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. She is also ordained in the Mahayana tradition and has Vajrayana empowerments and authorization to teach.In this episode, we explore the Venerable Pannavati’s journey from Evangelical Christianity to a trans-lineage Buddhism, discussing the methods of transformation of consciousness, simple and complex religious perspectives, the serving of different needs and capacities on the spiritual path, a ‘relational’ and ‘American Buddhism,’ trans-lineage Buddhism, syncretism and a Ri-me approach to ecumenism, sectarianism in Buddhism, the ordination of Theravadan Buddhist nuns, legacy and leaving no footprints, new inter spiritual language, and the ‘Dharma Gospel’ of Dharma Voci.Heartwood Refuge & AcademyDharma Voci's Album: InvocationCharis FoundationGolden Turtle SoundSupport the show

In this episode, we do a retrospective on a dialogue that took place in 1974 during the first summer session of the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. The dialogue was called “Psychology East and West” and explored a number of differences in understanding and approach to the notion of ego between so-called “Western psychology” and what were then thought of as “Eastern” spiritual traditions. The participants included the well-known spiritual teachers, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Ram Dass, as well as the co-founder and Vice-President of Naropa, John Baker, and the therapist, Jim Green. The dialogue was moderated by Duncan Campbell. The full dialogue can be heard on the Ram Dass — Here and Now podcast: Ep. 112, The Notion of Ego with Chogyam Trungpa RinpocheCharis FoundationGolden Turtle SoundSupport the show