Journals of Spiritual Discovery by spiritualteachers.org

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"

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"

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"

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?"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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"