Matthew Gindin: Remember Michael Stone and OCCUPY Everything

In this episode of Waking Up Bipolar, Chris Cole speaks with Matthew Gindin—freelance journalist, former Buddhist monk, educator, meditation teacher, and friend of the late Michael Stone. Michael Stone was a dharma teacher with an international sangha, a social and environmental activist, hatha yoga instructor, husband, father, author, and the embodiment of a life driven by heart-centered action. In addition to the miracle that is the life of Michael Stone, he occupied a bipolar body.

I came across today’s guest, Matthew Gindin, when reading his article for the prominent Buddhist publication, Tricycle Magazine, titled, “Putting to Rest the Myth of the Heroic Self." Read the entire article here: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/putting-rest-myth-heroic-self/

In addition to the moving words from Matthew, I was struck with a lightning-like evocation by the message from Michael’s life partner, Carina Stone, in an official statement from the family. She wrote, “As versed as Michael was with the silence around mental health issues in our culture, he feared the stigma of his diagnosis. He was on the cusp of revealing publicly how shaped he was by his disorder and how he was doing.” Read the full statement here: https://www.lionsroar.com/official-statement-on-passing-of-michael-stone-released/

If you feel moved to do so, a gofundme page has been created for Michael Stone’s family. Please consider a donation here: https://www.gofundme.com/carina-stone-family-fund

As you’ll hear in our discussion, Matthew’s life has been touched in deeply poignant ways by this intersection of mental illness and spiritual unfolding. In this interview, I did not hear one word uttered from Matthew’s lips that did not pour from the oceanic depth of heart-centered dharma.

Matthew Gindin, formerly a Buddhist monk, is a journalist, educator and freelance writer located in Vancouver, BC. He is the Pacific Correspondent for the Canadian Jewish News, writes regularly for the Forward and the Wisdom Daily and has been published in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Religion Dispatches, Situate Magazine, and elsewhere. He also writes on Medium from time to time. Follow Matthew Gindin on Twitter @MatthewZGindin

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Chris Cole hosts the Waking Up Bipolar podcast, focused on the intersection of bipolar disorder and spiritual awakening. He is the author of The Body of Chris: A Memoir of Obsession, Addiction, and Madness, inspired by his own journey of spiritual unfolding and mental health challenges. Chris Cole offers life coaching for any number of mental health conditions, specializing in bipolar disorder and spiritual emergence. Chris’s experience with addiction, disordered eating, body dysmorphia, psychosis, and spiritual emergency allows him to relate to a wide range of clients. He utilizes a holistic approach to mental health which views wellness in physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual domains. Learn more about Chris and his work at colecoaching.com.

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