Adam and Nick are two PhDs in Asian comparative studies: Adam from the philosophy side, Nick from the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist and leadership coaching side. Together, they trace a path from the ancient Vedas and Upanishads to the Buddha, Dzogchen, and modern life.

They talk about the way between as the living relationship between two people; teacher and student, East and West, self and world...and how Indo-Tibetan ideas of co-emergent awareness and Confucian ideas of “heaven within” meet in daily life.

From there they move into the four stages and four aims of life: being a student, seeking love and pleasure, becoming a householder, and finally turning toward wisdom and enlightenment. Adam connects this to suburban parents in the “thick of it,” and Nick brings in his work with leaders who keep trying to solve new problems with old tools.

Along the way they explore:

• Why samsara is like a dream elephant that was never in the room to begin with
• How Dzogchen and Mahamudra see the world as the playful display of awareness itself
• The shift from big Vedic rituals to the interior wisdom of the Upanishads
• Hidden “village” and family lineages in martial arts, healing, and meditation
• The four stages of life and the four aims of life—and why the householder stage feels so intense
• Letting go of old identities (like the boat you leave on the far shore) so the next stage can unfold
• Why your own “circle” or mandala of experience really does matter for the whole universe

They close by inviting you to notice: Where are you in your own stage of life? What are you being asked to let go of; and what wants to grow now?

If this conversation resonates, please follow, rate, and share The Way Between Podcast, and leave a comment about which stage of life you’re in right now. Your feedback will help shape future episodes.

• indian philosophy
• vedas
• upanishads
• buddhism
• indo tibetan buddhism
• dzogchen
• mahamudra
• samsara
• four stages of life
• four aims of life
• confucianism
• taoism
• lao tzu
• carl jung
• heinrich zimmer
• leadership and spirituality
• householder stage
• the way between podcast