Discussing his new book, The Intimate Way of Zen, Nondual spiritualist James Ishmael Ford joins Raghu for an exploration of our relationship to all things.

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This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and James explore:

• James’ upbringing and how his maternal grandmother was the spiritual orientation for his family
• Having an intimate relationship with all things
• The goal of discovering what this life truly is
• Spiritual friendship which is deep, profound, and life-changing
• Unconditional love and considering our judgment of others
• Trying to see others as trees, as Ram Dass taught
• Combining Bhakti Yoga with the wisdom of Buddhism
• Flirting with nihilism, cynicism, and new-ageism
• Exploring the work of Carl Jung and James Hillman
• The resurgence of psychedelics in today’s culture
• The many paths and doorways into enlightenment

Check out the books referenced in this episode: Zen at the End of Religion, If You're Lucky Your Heart Will Break, and of course, The Intimate Way of Zen.

About James Ishmael Ford, Zen Buddhist Priest & Ordained Minister:

James has walked the​ spiritual path for more than fifty years. He's danced with Sufis, studied with Christian mystics, lived in Buddhist monasteries, and eventually was ordained a Zen priest. Later, he was also ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister. James' path has taken him to a life "between" several traditions, bringing him into a nondual spirituality. Trying to unpack what that actually means in his life, and with a tip of the hat to Erasmus, James claims a physiology of faith; a Buddhist brain, a Christian heart, and a rationalist stomach. You can learn more about James on his website and keep up with his most recent project, the Unanswered Question Newsletter, HERE.

“For me, the goal is to find 'what is'. I originally framed it as 'Is there a God?’ I realized I had the question wrong, and at some point it was 'what is God?'. Today, I would say, 'what is this?'” – James Ishmael Ford

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Exploring psychedelics as sacramental medicine, Mindrolling comrades David Silver and Raghu Markus discuss William Richards' book, Sacred Knowledge.

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This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and David ponder through:

• The relationship between psychedelics and religious experiences
• The tale of Ram Dass, Neem Karoli Baba, and LSD
• Responsible use of psychedelics for reliability and potency
• David’s experience with peyote shamans in South Dakota
• Finding out the ground of our own beings
• Viewing everything as God and everything as equally remarkable
• How spiritual awakenings are often initially nurtured through a psychedelic substance
• Considering set, setting, and our intentions before ingesting any entheogen
• Complete unity as Raghu’s first memory of a psychedelic experience

Check out the book referenced throughout this episode: Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences

About David Silver:

David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries.

“When you take these substances, you must have the right atmosphere, the right people with you, the right reason for doing it. These things have to be thought very carefully about.” – David Silver

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Author and meditation teacher Kimberly Brown explains how we can transform our relationships through Buddhist practices and principles.

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This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Kimberly discuss:

• How Kimberly was led to the dharma after experiencing panic attacks
• Kimberly’s journey leaving therapy practice and delving deeper into mindfulness
• How relationships can become stale and predictable when we solidify our partner
• Opening up to who our partner is in the moment rather than our idea of them
• The difference between love and a yearning to possess or cling
• Love as a deep intimacy with all things
• Accepting rupture and miscommunication as a normal part of relationships
• Being able to repair after a conflict arises within a relationship
• Approaching all things with grace and openness
• Loving-kindness and looking at the intention behind all of our actions
• Not skipping over the relational to get to the ultimate

Grab your copy of Kimberly’s book, Happy Relationships, to learn more.

"To solidify and harden another person and another person's reactions and voice, there's no more freshness and the relationship can get very stale and predictable. That's oftentimes when resentment comes up. Part of not knowing is being able to open to what's really there, who the person really is right in this moment." – Kimberly Brown

About Kimberly Brown:

Kimberly Brown is a popular Buddhist meditation teacher and Certified Mindfulness Instructor and since 2011 she has led thousands of classes, retreats, and workshops with individuals and groups merging self-compassion, emotional resilience, mindfulness, and Buddhism. As a leading voice in the contemporary meditation community, she teaches public classes regularly at the Rubin Museum, Mindful Astoria, Shantideva Meditation Center, and All Souls Church. She works in private practice both one-on-one and with companies and non-profit groups. She is a faculty member and Senior Instructor in The Interdependence Project’s esteemed Mindfulness Teacher Training program. She is an accredited teacher and member of the Mindful Directory and the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. She balances her two decades of traditional Buddhist training and study with Western therapeutic modalities. Her background includes psychoanalytic training at Washington Square Institute, a master’s degree from City College of New York, and undergraduate study at Hunter College. She has extensive formal meditation retreat experience at Insight Meditation Society, Palypung Thubten Choling, and the Garrison Institute, and has received in-depth teachings from meditation masters Ponlop Rinpoche, Lama Norlha Rinpoche, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Sharon Salzberg, and Venerable Pannavati.

Keep up with Kimberly on her website.

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