Spirit Matters

Yoshin David Radin is the abbot and founder of the Ithaca Zen Center in upstate New York and he also taught regularly at the Rinzai-ji Zen Center in Los Angeles. He began Zen practice in 1976, was ordained a monk in 1983, and an Oshō in 1989. He has been published in Tricycle Magazine and some of his writings have been turned into songs or spoken poems that were released in four collections, including "Love Songs of a Zen Monk." He also edited two books by his teacher, Joshu Sasaki, and is the author of his own book, "A Temporary Affair: Talks on Awakening and Zen." It is a collection of talks he gave at a time when his health was severely compromised and could have died. We talked about his long and interesting path, his somewhat untraditional teaching, and what it was like to experience serious illness and look at the face of death. 

Find out more about Ithaca Zen Center and Yoshin David Radin https://ithacazencenter.org/teacher/

https://ithacazencenter.org/books/

Meet Philip Goldberg here Author, Speaker, Spiritual Counselor, Writing Coach

Dr. David. H. Rosmarin is a board-certified clinical psychologist, a peer-reviewed scholar, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and the director of the Spiritual and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital. A leading expert and recognized innovator in the treatment of anxiety, he founded the Center for Anxiety, which has facilities in New York and Boston. He puts that expertise to use in his new book, Thriving With Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You. In this conversation, we discussed the links between psychology and spirituality, why spiritual people are not immune from anxiety, and how to turn anxiety from a crippling problem to a strength.

Dr. David Rosmarin https://dhrosmarin.com/

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/treatment/smhp

Neale Donald Walsch is the author of the hugely popular Conversations with God series, seven of which were on the New York Times bestseller list (the first one, in 1995, remained on the list for 134 weeks. In all, his forty books on contemporary spirituality and its practical application in everyday life, have been translated into 37 languages and read by millions around the world. His latest book, and the main topic of our conversation, is Godtalk: Experiences of Humanity's Connections with a Higher Power. We talked about his personal path, the reactions to his provocative books, and how to forge a deep connection with the divine.

Imam Jamal Rahman is the co-founder of the Interfaith Sanctuary in Seattle. A popular public speaker on subjects related to Islam, Sufi spirituality, and interfaith relations, he has collaborated with a rabbi and an Christian minister as part of The Interfaith Amigos. The trio has toured the country sharing the message of spiritual inclusivity and have been profiled in national media outlets. As an author, Jamal's books include Sacred Laughter of the Sufis; Spiritual Gems of Islam; and The Fragrance of Faith. He is also coauthor of several books, including Finding Peace Through Spiritual Practice. Enjoy and learn from this delightful conversation about the heart and soul of mystical Islam. 

Jamal Rahman Interfaith Amigos

Connect with Philip Goldberg Author, Speaker, Spiritual Counselor, Writing Coach

Rizwan Virk is a successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur, a video game pioneer, a film producer, a venture capitalist, a computer scientists, and an author whose books explore the intersection of science, business, and spirituality. They include Zen Entrepreneurship and two books at the cutting edge of computer science and metaphysics, The Simulation Hypothesis and The Simulated Multiverse. His most recent book is Wisdom of a Yogi: Lessons for Modern Seekers from Autobiography of a Yogi, referring to the iconic memoir by Paramahansa Yogananda. Our conversation ranges from the profound spiritual metaphor of Simulation, drawn from video game and virtual reality technology, to pragmatic lessons about life on the spiritual path. 

www.zentrepreneur.com

Dean Sluyter is a public speaker, meditation teacher, leader of workshops and retreats, and the author of several critically acclaimed books, including: Natural Meditation, Cinema Nirvana, The Zen Commandments, and his latest, The Dharma Bum's Guide to Western Literature: Finding Nirvana in the Classics. Dean draws on his studies with a number of teachers from different traditions over many years, and employs his gift for uncovering spiritual teachings in unlikely places, like works of art we don't think of as "spiritual." We talked about "Casablanca" and "Huckleberry Finn," among many other things

Find books by Philip Goldberg and other MindBodySpirit.fm podcast hosts in the online store

Connect with Philip Goldberg here

Kimberly Braun spent ten years as a nun in a Carmelite monastic order and then moved on to pursue a multidimensional spiritual path. Now, as a public speaker, author, meditation coach, and ordained minister, she helps guide others closer to the divine presence in a number of ways through her workshops, retreats, and online gatherings. We spoke about her fascinating and compelling journey, which she described in her book, Love Calls, Insights of a Former Carmelite Nun. We also spoke about the spiritual community she facilitates online, her latest book (Miracles in the Naked Light), and her upcoming Discovering Self online summit. 

Find out more about Kimberly Braun here www.kimberlybraun.com

www.essencetribe.com

https://www.kimberlybraun.com/events/discovering-self-summit/

Meet Philip Goldberg, host of Spirit Matters

Find books from Philip Goldberg and other MindBodySpirit.fm podcast hosts in the online store

In our proliferating spiritual environment, with easy access to diverse teachings and practices, Kate Sheehan Roach and Jeff Genung are providing services to help all spiritual explorers find what works best for them. Kate was the founding editor or Contemplative Journal and managing editor at Patheos.com. She currently works at ContemplativeLife.org and Prosocial World. As does Jeff, who is managing director of Prosocial World (a non-profit whose purpose is "to consciously evolve a world that works for all") and co-founder of Contemplative Life ("a digital hub connecting people and communities with transformative practices"). Jeff is also a core team member of transformation365.org. 

Meet Philip Goldberg Author, Speaker, Spiritual Counselor, Writing Coach

As a professor of religion, Robert Forman acquired a stellar reputation for his pioneering work on spiritual experiences and the study of mysticism. Some of the eleven books he wrote or edited became classics in academia, including: The Problem of Pure Consciousness; The Innate Capacity; and Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness. He's also written non-academic books such as Enlightenment Ain't What It's Cracked Up to Be. After retiring from academic life, Robert founded the Forge Institute for Spirituality and Social Change and The Forge Guild of Spiritual Leaders and Teachers. He later became a hospital chaplain, retiring from that in 2023. We talked about what he's learned from those diverse careers and the book he's currently working on, about how "mystics on the margins" are reinventing Christianity by finding meaning and community even when they don't accept key doctrines and beliefs.   

Connect with Robert Foreman

Meet Philip Goldberg Author, Speaker, Spiritual Counselor, Writing Coach

J.D. Stillwater is a public speaker, author, and science educator who finds--and helps others find--spiritual insight and inspiration in the empirical, evidence-based discoveries of hard science. An officer of the Religious Naturalist Association and a member of the governing council of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, he shares revelations from natural reality to drive spiritual awakening in his various audiences, and in this interview he shares that sense of wonder and excitement with us. You'll see how the cold facts of science reveal the same interconnectedness and oneness that the mystics of all the world's traditions have pointed us to for millennia. 

J.D. Stillwater Science, Sustainability, Spirituality https://www.jdstillwater.earth/

Meet Philip Goldberg, host of Spirit Matters Author, Speaker, Spiritual Counselor, Writing Coach https://www.philipgoldberg.com/