Featured post

Devotee of Justice and Consciousness Change – Joseph Tieger

When I am reminded of the bravery of those who put their lives in danger for the sake of justice, I am moved to find at least a bit more of that courage in myself and take whatever steps I can to continue that struggle for a more just and peaceful world. I recently had a conversation with my good friend, Joseph Tieger, who was among the early white participants in the civil rights struggle in the South. By activist, I don’t mean someone who attended a few civil rights marches or protests, but someone who devoted himself full-time to local and national efforts and was repeatedly threatened, beaten and imprisoned. I recorded our talk for both a podcast and YouTube and hope you can take the time to tune it in.

Joseph recently published a memoir of his activist time in the civil rights struggle from 1962 – 72, and his later attempts to find an even deeper path towards bringing about change. The book, Lately It Occurs To Me: A Memoir of the Civil Rights Movement & The Open Road (1963—1976) offers a deep and detailed look into the movement in North Carolina and beyond. It givers us a glimpse into the overt hatred and violence as well as the only somewhat more subtle actions of the political and legal establishment to stop the movement towards integration and voting rights. It’s an exciting and mind-opening read.

After his years as a civil rights activist and then attorney, Joseph watched as the movement splintered and broke apart. He went on a journey of self-discovery not unlike many of us in the 60’s ending up in California. (Full disclosure: In many respects Joseph’s journey is very parallel to my own, and when we met in the 1980’s we discovered that we were in each other’s FBI files).

It was in the Bay Area of California that I met Joseph. He was then traveling and presenting a video series with his wife Johanna called “How Then Shall We Live.” It featured Ram Dass and Stephen Levine and eventually became a PBS series offering “essential teachings for personal awakening on social action, impermanence and living life fully present.”

After that, Joseph and Johanna produced a magical ten-part series with Ram Dass and dozens of other visionary teachers and celebrities live in Oakland that involved thousands of participants in social justice and diversity training while cultivating self-awareness and an open heart. This series, “Reaching Out” also became a video series.

Interestingly, on the day I had my recorded zoom conversation with Joseph, I received an article from Tikkun Magazine that included the following passage:

“However, in a sense, the saturating effects of the sixties movements were radically incomplete. They have not reached many people, particularly many White people, in our bones. Although the movements have created, and continue to create, institutional and legal and systemic shifts, the system is quite stubborn because most people’s hearts and minds have not been deeply affected. That’s why what’s needed in the United States, and the world over, is a moral, even a spiritual, change, to rise to the level of the demands for political change. ….. It’s actually quite empowering to know that we’re responsible for what we see on the news. Instead of wringing our hands, we can rewrite the script.”
–from “My American Violence” by Robert Birdwell in Tikkun Magazine

It’s well worth asking, ‘Where did all that passionate courage of the movement in the 60’s go?’ As well as, ’Where did all that hateful resistance go?’ Obviously, there are aspects of it in the current scene all around the world. But, perhaps part of the answer is they are both within us, you and me. It’s just a matter of which part we feed.

Love and blessings,

Alan Levin

—————————————————————————————————————-

You can get Joseph’s book at Amazon here.

The podcast of our conversation is here.

The YouTube is here.

And please check out and subscribe to the series of interesting interviews with fascinating boundary-crossers at YouTube and Buzzsprout podcast.

Featured post

Spirituality, Global Change, and Psychedelics

Link to my new book: Preparation for a Sacred, Psychedelic Journey
Link to my recent talk at the Gay Buddhist Fellowship: “Psychedelics on the Spiritual Path”

“Who am I?” “What am I doing here?” These are the core questions that focus attention on the spiritual path. I would add that the following questions are also worth asking, even though one could say they are essentially included in the above: “What is all this that appears outside of me?” and “What is my relationship with all that?” The latter questions bring the focus to our relatedness and responsibility to the world in which we live.

I think that if anyone sincerely asks and meditates with these questions, they will find themselves moved to take part in shifting the direction of humanity towards creating a more just and peaceful world, one in which we live in harmony with all life on Earth. In other words, there will be a shift in consciousness such that their thoughts, feelings and motivations
to act will involve a wider and more loving embrace of themselves and everyone and everything. They will care more about creating a loving, global community.

The above thoughts come from the fact that every time I experience (or even get close to) the reality of my own true nature, and tune to the essence of all that is around me, I experience compassion and goodwill. I am moved to help bring about a better world. I don’t, and can’t, arrive at that through just thinking about these questions. It is an experience that comes through spiritual practices that take me beyond my thinking mind and that I feel in my heart and body.

For many years I have believed that it is only through the wider dissemination of experientially based spiritual teachings that we will avert human caused catastrophe and create a better world. As the Dalai Lama and others have proposed, we need a spiritual or consciousness revolution. I still believe that, and it seems to me more urgent than ever.

In this light I am heartened to see that one long suppressed, even demonized, approach to spiritual awakening is surfacing in a positive way in mainstream discourse: psychedelics. This is coming about partly through carefully-worded statements from scientific researchers at university hospitals proving the effectiveness of psychedelic therapies for people with treatment resistant depression, addictions, PTSD, and other clinical problems/disorders. But contained in these reports, somewhat hidden in plain sight, is that the most successful outcomes of these treatments come primarily when the participant has what they deem to be a “spiritual or mystical experience.”

While these relatively recent government approved research findings are being reported in mainstream media, the “underground” network of guides, who have been performing psychedelic ceremonies and rituals for groups and individuals for decades, has grown to where they can no longer be ignored. Knowledge of – and participation in – these ceremonies is  bursting into the mainstream and some forms of legalization are imminent. An aspect of this is the willingness of many participants, including very well respected thought leaders, to share their experiences past and present.

Among people I know, including numerous clients I see as a psychotherapist, many are exploring psychedelics with experienced guides with intentions for psychological healing and spiritual growth. I have witnessed very positive results, often breakthroughs that would involve years of therapy or meditation practice. Because of my own fairly extensive participation in similar ceremonial circles over the past 40-plus years, I am able to support their preparation for these experiences and their integration afterwards.

As the lid is lifted off of prohibition, it will be messy. There will likely be a great deal of misuse and abuse of these very powerful substances. People with very limited experience will set themselves up as guides for others. People will take what are potentially life-transforming sacred medicines and use them in recreational settings, and while some will have fun, others will have problems as a result. And there may be damaging consequences for some people for whom psychedelics are not appropriate. Corporations, especially the pharmaceutical industry, are already seeking to capitalize and control the “psychedelic renaissance.” The dominant culture will tend to desacralize, co-opt and make into a fad what could otherwise be a catalyst for a global shift towards a loving community seeking to protect and sustain all life.

Psychedelics have great promise and yet are not a panacea. They can help bring about experiences that speak deeply to the questions posed at the beginning of this writing. Yet, those benefits come only when the internal intentionality and the surrounding environment (the set and setting) are supportive of psychological and spiritual growth. Lasting change tends to come when the altered-state journey is seen as one part of a lifelong path of inner work, not a single event expected to solve one’s problems.

In light of all of the above, I’ve written and self-published a short book, Preparation for a Sacred Psychedelic Journey. In it I offer a series of suggestions for steps and practices that help one to prepare for a safe and fruitful experience. I draw from what I’ve learned over the last 40-plus years of my own explorations. If you or anyone you know is interested in embarking on such a journey, or is already actively working with these substances, I hope this book will be of value. I’ve kept the price as low as possible.

You may also be interested in the podcast recording of a talk I recently gave at the Gay Buddhist Fellowship on this theme: https://gaybuddhist.org/podcast/

Please feel free to pass this invitation on and write a review on Amazon if you like the book.

I offer my blessings for a world that honors the spiritual journey and moves towards harmony amongst humans and all life,


Here’s comments from several folks who’ve read the book:

“In the tradition and lineage of James Fadiman and Ralph Metzner, transpersonal psychotherapist Alan Levin has brought forth an indispensable guidebook for using psychotropic medicines as a vehicle for awakening.”
                     –Joseph Tieger – author of Lately It Occurs To Me: A Memoir of The Civil Rights Movement & The Open Road

“The entheogenic journey can help us access elemental aspects of our being and can assist us in growth. It is with proper preparation and guidance that these profound (aspects) are examined. In this book, Alan Levin shares key concepts that are necessary to get ready for the journey. A must read for those who are seeking these essential truths and deep healing.”
                        –JH

“I highly recommend Alan Levin’s Preparation for a Sacred Psychedelic Journey book to anyone who is planning on embarking on an altered state journey. Alan’s guidance is invaluable in helping to prepare for a safe and sacred experience. The book is well-organized and covers everything from setting intentions to creating a safe and supportive environment for your journey.

“Alan’s expertise and compassionate approach make this book an essential resource for anyone seeking to explore the potential benefits of psychedelics in a responsible and mindful way. His teachings are rooted in decades of personal experience and research, and he provides practical tools and techniques to help you navigate the journey with confidence and ease.….”
                      –roseheart

“Alan Levin provides a thorough, thoughtful, and clear guide for preparing oneself for embarking on an altered state journey. Levin’s guidance for intention setting, preparatory activities, and practices for navigating consciousness were very helpful and well-articulated.”
–Julia Hume

“This is a small but powerful book? My personal work with Alan Levin has changed my life in a safe and most profound way. I highly recommend it to anyone yearning for deeper love and peace.”
                  –Celeste Simone, Voice Teacher/Performance Coach/Director
Featured post

Taoism – Being One and Being With Suffering

Interview with Ken Cohen

Ken Cohen is the author of The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing and also Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing. He is the rare individual who has entered fully into these spiritual traditions, studying and honoring the lineage, language and practices with absolute integrity. It was my honor to have another chance to interview Ken for my podcast and YouTube series having previously spoken with him for my book, Crossing the Boundary: Stories of Jewish Leaders of Other Spiritual Paths.

In our conversation we cover a lot of ground and I hope you take the time to either listen to the podcast or watch the video. We begin with discussing his identity as a Jewish man as well as his being an adopted member of the Cree people. He recalls his Jewish family history that shaped much of his life’s direction even while choosing to focus his attention on two distinctly different paths: learning the Chinese language, Taoism, Qigong and Tai Chi, and finding himself adopted and trained by Native American elders in their traditional, healing arts.

In response to a wide range of questions, he offers rich teachings from a Taoist perspective as well as his views on learning from nature. In regards to the latter, he emphasizes the importance of cultivating deep knowledge and intuitive relationships with plants for healing body and mind, much of which he learned the elders.

We explore the focus of much of my own work: how the spiritual quest, (Taoist or otherwise) relates to helping relieve suffering and to activism for peace, justice and a sustainable human relationship with the world. I find what he shared to be very powerful teachings for being with our internal process when responding to the painful state of the world. Recognizing his own troubled reactions, he describes going out into nature and praying for guidance. What he received are four guidelines. He emphasizes that this is not a substitute for active work in the world, but for preserving personal, psychological and spiritual well-being in the face of injustice. (I’ve summarized them here, but hope you listen for the full explanation of this very powerful teaching.)

1.Release the injustice you experience up to Creator. Don’t return the fire.
2. Never indulge in negative thinking. That only strengthens what feeds the abuse.
3. Don’t allow even a single shell of bitterness to form around your heart.
4. Do whatever is necessary to keep your heart fully capable of receiving and giving love.

We continue on to discuss the use of psychedelic plant medicines, the use of tea as a spiritual path and the need to focus deeply with a spiritual tradition rather than diluting or mixing them haphazardly, . Ken is quite an amazing individual and I encourage you to listen to our interview and check into his books and websites to find out more about him and his teachings.

The Way of Qigong: https://www.qigonghealing.com/
Honoring the Medicine: https://www.sacredearthcircle.com/

Our conversation can be found at

And https://www.buzzsprout.com/1827447/12089957 and

You can listen to all the Crossing the Boundary interviews here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1827447

and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpfneC8HTO0&list=PLBTcFhpF_7838Ckgn-8rf508QrjEqc9GAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpfneC8HTO0&list=PLBTcFhpF_7838Ckgn-8rf508QrjEqc9GA

With love and blessings,

Alan

Featured post

Mother Earth Speaks – Ram Dass – Subtle Activism

“I suggest, therefore, that when Mother Earth “speaks,” She is asking us to “be” more conscious about what we are doing and to use the Archetypal Energy “Harmony” as a guide for corrective actions.”
–Carroy ‘Cuf’ Ferguson

“Social engagement does not only mean taking care of hungry children in remote areas or protesting wars. It means first engaging to transform suffering right where you are, then slowly moving out from there as far as you can.”
– Sister Chan Khong, Learning True Love

“Our passage into the new era, if viable at all, is obviously extremely narrow and fraught with danger. It is as though we are undergoing a collective initiatory crisis that, like all initiations, demands that we pass a crucial test to graduate to our next level of development.”
 –David Nicol

I’m seeing a growing consensus among an – admittedly still small, but rapidly growing – number of wisdom/spiritual teachers. Put very simply, what they are saying is that spiritual growth, or awakening, is not separate from the awareness of and responsibility towards all living beings. Add to that an awareness that “living beings” includes all that is, not just human and not just what we call organic. Add also, that this responsibility involves not just outward behavior, but our attitude, thoughts, and subtle energies, which are ongoingly, inter-connected with the physical world. We are especially being drawn to recognize and appreciate in all this the life and consciousness of Mother Earth.

I recently had the honor to speak with one wisdom elder who shares this view, Dr. Carroy ‘Cuf’ Ferguson. Cuf is the first African-American to become the president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology and a full Professor and past Dean of the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts – Boston. He is the author of many books and articles exploring human consciousness as it relates to our personal and collective experiences especially involving ecology and race relations.

Our conversation is available at my YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/-77pPk8GSeI

Or you can listen to the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1827447/10257708.

In it, Cuf explains his ideas about “archetypal energies” and how they relate to our personal life experience and the planetary shifts that are moving through all of us. His ideas come from a lifelong study, starting with his experiences of racism in the South, and his experiences of spontaneous expanded consciousness. I found his thoughts very deep, refreshing and inspiring. He is also a most delightful man. My own introduction to his work came from finding an article in which he wrote about engaging in a process of “tuning in” to the voice of the corona virus. My interest was piqued as I’d been posting articles about COVID that I found to be illuminating in my Medium blog, “Covid Inspirations,” ( See: https://medium.com/@covid.inspirations).

I’ve added an article of his below from 2010 which took a deep look at the roots of our challenges with climate and the environment; totally relevant to today. See “Mother Earth ‘Speaks’: Change Yourself, Change The World, Use The Archetypal Energy “Harmony” As A Guide.” You can download the pdf file of this article here and many of his writing are available through an internet search. http://www.crossingtheboundary.org/motherearthspeaks/

(I’m having trouble adding pdf files to this format, so please note you will need to click on the above link and them click on the link to “motherearthspeaks and then come back here. I promise to get better at this.)

———

Most everyone is familiar with the spiritual teacher, Ram Dass. Ram Dass contributed enormously to the shift in direction of millions towards Eastern spirituality and then towards integrating spiritual practice with social action and service. He was a pioneer in so many ways and his work is being carried on by his associates and students at Love Serve Remember which you can find at: https://www.ramdass.org/.

My good friend, Joseph Tieger, went through a huge trove of material from Ram Dass and distilled a beautiful collection of RD’s talks on this subject, “Ram Dass – Engaging in a World on Fire.” Please download the file and read when you have time. http://www.crossingtheboundary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ramdass.pdf

——-

As we grow and expand consciousness, individually and collectively, we are transforming our sense of ourselves and the community within which we find ourselves. We see and feel our inter-connectedness with all-that-is and are moved to do what we can to help relieve suffering and find joy and love in all our relations. May we allow the overflow of this consciousness to spread to all parts of the world, to and through the one blessed world we share, Mother Earth and all creation.

Does “Self-Help” Help the World?

“Grace happens when we act with others on behalf of our world.”
― Joanna Macy

As the personal growth industry continues to grow beyond 44 billion dollars annually, it’s worth asking whether the millions of people taking self-help programs, meditating, doing yoga, breath-work seminars, psychedelic retreats, etc. are then working to make the world a more peaceful and just place. While I used to believe the answer was a resounding “yes,” I now think a bit differently.

It seems clear that people can participate and benefit personally from such practices, and yet not necessarily gain awareness of their relatedness to other beings, or find empathy and behave ethically towards them. It’s quite possible to use personal growth and even spiritual practices to become better and more efficient at behaviors that exploit and manipulate others.

I know that for some people that’s a very radical thing to hear. We’re often told that if someone becomes less rigid, less burdened by guilt or shame, more confident, they will become kinder, more generous and act in ways that make for a better world. This is often the case. But it’s often not. This is why ancient wisdom and spiritual traditions emphasize behavior, speech, action and work as equally important as inner development. And they also emphasize the development of consciousness that does not place the personal self, a segment of humanity, or humans at the center of the universe.

Intention is the key. If one enters “personal growth” with an intention to profit for themselves, it is likely that will be the result. If the intention includes cultivating awareness and compassion towards others, (humans, animals, plants, non-organic “things,” Mother Earth), that will bring about a different result. One can focus the intention of their inner work, prayerfully, to be the embodiment of the love, goodwill and compassion that is the true nature of their Soul, or essential nature.

So here’s another pitch for my upcoming course:

The Tree of Life, drawn from Jewish mystical teachings and embraced by mystics from many lineages, offers a path towards integrating inner and outer work. Teachings and practices from the Tree of Life provide the opportunity for personal and planetary healing and gaining guidance for committing to the work in the world that brings the light of peace and harmony to all beings. Information and registration links are here.

Blessings for the benefit of all life on Earth,

New Course – Cultivating the Inner Tree of Life

12 Session Online Experience
Starts Sunday, January 19th
Meets every other week

Learn a series of meditation practices for healing, guidance
and for serving in accord with your Soul’s calling

Register here

“All theory, dear friend, is gray,
but the golden tree of life springs ever green.”
–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We are all facing the same predicament: Our attention is being called and pulled in a myriad of directions while feelings of helplessness, anger, fear and grief are rising up and swirling throughout. How do we stay centered and relate to each other and the world with courage, kindness and love? Where do we find guidance and direction?

In my over fifty years of spiritual practice, I’ve explored a range of pathways. Each has helped me to center, develop greater awareness of my essential nature and grow as a mature human being. Each has helped me to serve more effectively in whatever role I can play in the great work of making the world a more just and compassionate realm.

Several decades ago I began to explore the teachings of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. I found here more than a symbol for the human mind/body and the nature of Reality. The Tree of Life is a tool and method for experiencing and integrating directly the essential qualities that we seek in psychological and spiritual growth. I’ve been working for several years with individuals and small groups bringing these teachings forward and have found they provide answers to the questions we face in these times. I am now launching this online course that brings it all together.

Skills you will get from this course

Deepen meditation skills whether you are a beginner or seasoned meditator.

Enhance kinesthetic experience of your body and the healing energies that resolve pain and increase vitality.

Access sources within the Tree of Life for creativity, compassion, wisdom, strength and love – the divine attributes of your true nature.

Heal the conflict between the inner man and woman.

Learn to take responsibility for your state of mind – transform “negative” emotions.

Invoke your ancestors and spirit allies to assist in your life journey.

Basically, my hope and intention is that this course will deepen your multi-faceted, spiritual awareness and help you develop a disciplined daily practice that is of benefit to you and all life on Mother Earth.

We will explore and experience together

Mindfulness practices for clearing the mind chatter and moving beyond the thinking mind.

The tree as both a cross-cultural symbol for human development, and the Tree of Life as a map of divine and human powers and attributes.

Practices for navigating in consciousness. Journeying deeply into the nature of the Sephiroth and the Tree. Discerning real or imaginary creations of the mind?

Understanding experiences of unity and duality – balancing the poles of yin and yang, male and female, giving and receiving.

Processes for healing the wounds of the heart.

Walking your visions with strength and opening to the sustaining support of Mother Earth.

Why the Tree of Life

The form and meaning of the Tree of Life were originally developed by Jewish mystics and further adapted by Christian, Sufi and Western esoteric spiritual teachers. Yet, many of the studies involving the Tree remain largely abstract and intellectual. This course will focus on experiential practices using meditations, divinations and invocations that explore the Tree in a way that opens you to the deep healing energies and spiritual guidance within. My approach draws from a range of spiritual lineages that include mindfulness meditation, the light-fire teachings of Agni Yoga, shamanism, alchemy and depth psychology.

The structure of the Tree of Life is similar to the chakra system of the East. There are centers (Sephiroth) that are sources of energy and places in consciousness that serve as emanations of attributes of your Soul and the Divine Source of all-that-is. Different than most depictions of the chakras, the Tree of Life has, in addition to the central column, axes that have centers to the right and left of the human body helping to balance the feminine and masculine, (yin and yang) aspects of your nature. The Tree also brings a focus down lower in the body to the feet with the aim of balancing transcendence with embodiment, coming to and serving the Earth.

The relationships of the different Sephiroth to each other form triangles and other patterns that express a range of states of consciousness. Each Sephira is related to elements of nature and mythological beings as well as psychological and spiritual qualities. Learning to navigate the Sephiroth and their relationships is a mind expanding and transformational process quite different from simply studying them theoretically or cognitively.

Course structure

The course will consist of twelve 90-minute, online sessions. All sessions will include experiential meditations, lecture and question and answer periods. All of the sessions will be recorded so participants will have access to them during and after the completion of the course. In addition, all participants will have access to over 10 recorded meditations that can be used for your own ongoing practice. The content and sequence of materials in the course will be flexible and proceed according to the needs of those attending.

Sessions will be online meeting every other week (except where holidays are involved).

All sessions will be recorded in case you miss a class.

Supplemental recorded meditations will be available for practice in between classes.

Sessions will be Sunday at 7 PM Eastern Time/4 PM PT and will be 90-minutes.

Fee for course including all materials is $500. Scroll down to register.

Register here

Astrologer, Author, Mother, Wife of Psychedelic Pioneer Ralph Metzner – Cathy Coleman

I’ve just recorded a delightful conversation with Cathy Coleman which you can view on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/c8hTMw8Wf_o or listen to the podcast here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1827447/episodes/16014030 .

Cathy’s very multi-faceted career and continuing activities include earning a doctorate in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). At CIIS, she worked in a variety of administrative, leadership roles for 20 years and for the past six years she has worked with the CIIS Center for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research. She has served as president of Kepler College, (a state-approved college of astrological studies in Washington state) and as Director of IONS’ (Institute of Noetic Sciences) EarthRise Retreat Center. As a very respected astrologer, she works in private practice, as a coach, and lectures nationally and internationally on Western and Eastern (Jyotish) astrology.

She is a devoted mother, grandmother and author of the just released book, Ralph Metzner, Explorer of Consciousness – The Life and Legacy of a Psychedelic Pioneer published by Inner Traditions. We talk about the book, which contains dozens of tributes and illuminating stories from people whose lives were touched and deeply influenced by Ralph as friends, colleagues, students and family. It reveals a good deal about his life, his wide ranging interests and contributions to the fields of psychology, shamanism, eco-psychology, mythology, Western and Eastern mysticism, and of course, psychedelics, a field in which he was a pioneer and innovator starting with his association with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) at Harvard.

In our conversation, we talk about Cathy’s early years growing up in a conservative, small town in Missouri, her opening to astrology, her move to California and the California Institute of Integral Studies, and her in thirty year marriage with Ralph Metzner. Cathy talks with openness about what it was like living with him, working alongside him, being with him through his dying, and now communing with him in the after-life.

Cathy co-founded the Green Earth Foundation with Ralph that was a vehicle for Ralph’s teachings and books and through which Cathy continues to pass on his rich legacy
(www.greenearthfound.org).

For more information on Cathy’s astrological work – https://www.cathycolemanastrology.com/
The book, Ralph Metzner, Explorer of Consciousness – The Life and Legacy of a Psychedelic Pioneer is available through the publisher linked here as well as Amazon and most book sellers.

Preparation for a Sacred Psychedelic Journey

I’m sure you’re aware of the explosion of interest in what’s being called “the psychedelic renaissance.” Articles in all of the forms of media are calling attention to the many research programs for treating addictions, depression, anxiety, end-of-life issues, eating disorders, etc., Ketamine clinics are proliferating all over the country, and big-money corporations are seeking to gain control of the substances themselves. With all this, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that psychedelic substances or medicines are ancient tools for spiritual awakening, for opening perception and awareness to the true nature of Reality, aligning with one’s Soul or Spiritual essence, and for finding one’s place in serving the community of life of which we are part.

With that in mind, I’m excited to share the news that I’ve revised and republished my book, Preparation for a Sacred Psychedelic Journey. In it I’ve distilled some of the essential elements necessary to engage with plant or synthetic substances for sacred experiences. Based on my own experiences witnessing and participating with elder guides, it’s my hope it will be helpful to both experienced guides and those they work with.

It’s available on Amazon as a paperback or e-book for a low price making it easily available for teachers and students, guides and journeyers, beginners or the already very experienced. I’ve talked to many people who have used it prior to their experiential journeys and all have found it extremely helpful.

If you appreciate the book, I’d love it if you’d write a review on Amazon. That seems to be the way books get more visibility.

May those seeking a deeper connection with Spirit within themselves and in all the many dimensions of Reality find the careful and wise guidance they need on their journeys.

With blessings,

Alan Levin
www.CrossingTheBoundary.org

P.S. In the near future, I’ll be interviewing for my Crossing the Boundary YouTube/podcast series two folks who’ve been very involved in this field: Cathy Coleman, who was married for 30 years with the visionary, psychedelic pioneer, Ralph Metzner, and Jim Fadiman, founder of the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology and eminent researcher of micro-dosing psychedelics. Watch for them over the next couple of months.

Here are some of the endorsements I’ve received so far from people in the field:

“Impressive that here is exactly what you need to know if you are going to take a serious journey, and nothing else. It is clear, supportive, sensible, practical and sufficient.”
–Jim Fadiman, author, The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide
founder Institute for Transpersonal Psychology

“Preparation for a Sacred Psychedelic Journey condenses a rich body of knowledge into clear and simple instruction for any potential explorer of consciousness. Alan Levin’s years of practice as a psychotherapist and healer are made available in an offering that grounds psychedelic experience into a practical yet profound framework for personal transformation.”
–Valeria McCarroll, PhD, LMFT
Faculty, California Institute of Integral Studies in the Integral and Transpersonal Department


“For those seeking a deeper engagement of their essential nature through the expanded awareness offered by psychedelic molecules, Alan Levin has captured in his small book, the essential elements to pay attention to.”
–Michael Ziegler,
Founder “Mastering The art of Psychedelic Care: The Guiding Presence”

“Alan has prepared a sacred text of simple and powerful practical guidance to prepare for and explore within expanded consciousness. Alan’s thoughtful, heartful voice comes through every page, especially in his reverence for his teacher Ralph Metzner. Walk with him, into the journey.”
–Rabbi Zac Kamenetz, Founder, Shefa, Jewish Psychedelic Support

“Alan’s book covers all the bases that need to be addressed and honored to create responsible, respectful right-relationship with the spirits of sacred psychedelic plants. Following the steps presented in this book helps open the doorway to receiving meaningful wisdom guidance and transformational healing for one’s life. It is about taking a sacred substance into a sacred container (you) to engage in a sacred dialogue cultivating the universe and letting the universe cultivate you.”
–Dr. Tom Pinkson,
author The Psychedelic Shaman: The Wisdom Warrior’s Path to Transformation
Shamanic Mentor, Ceremonial Leader, Spiritual Medicine Teacher

“Alan Levin’s concise guidelines for a sacred psychedelic journey give great aid for the rapidly increasing number of therapists training as psychedelic guides. Alan’s half-century association with my late husband Ralph Metzner as his teacher, mentor, friend, and colleague, coupled with Alan’s own training, experience, and knowledge enabled this offering of guidelines for preparation, practice, and integration of deep intentional transformative growth work. This small volume incorporates the poetic wisdom of numerous teachers along with practical suggestions for how to do the work and navigate your evolving consciousness.”
—Dr. Cathy Coleman, author, Ralph Metzner, Explorer of Consciousness:  the Life and Legacy of a Psychedelic Pioneer

“Preparation for a Sacred Psychedelic Journey is an essential guide for anyone embarking on a journey of psychological and spiritual transformation through the use of entheogenic and empathogenic medicines. Levin’s extensive experience as a psychotherapist and spiritual practitioner shines through in his comprehensive approach to preparation, set and setting, intention-setting, and integration. This book is a practical resource for both novices and experienced voyagers, offering clear advice, actionable insights, and a compassionate understanding of the transformative potential of these sacred substances.

Levin delves deeply into the spiritual dimensions of psychedelic journeys, providing guidance on connecting with the divine, exploring one’s higher self, and communing with spiritual teachers and ancestors. Through detailed guidance on meditation, nature immersion, and creative expression, he skillfully equips readers to navigate their inner landscapes with wisdom and grace, facilitating spiritual awakening and growth. He also helps readers identify their connection to the natural world by enhancing the journeyer’s sense of belonging and inter-connectedness, grounding their experiences in the larger web of life.

Preparation for a Sacred Psychedelic Journey is a must-read for those seeking to deepen their journey, expand their consciousness, and cultivate a lasting change in their mind, heart, and way of living.”
–Tina Trujillo, Ph.D.
Faculty Director, Berkeley Psychedelic Facilitation Program
University of California, Berkeley

“Alan Levin’s knowledge of the psychedelic realms is both deep and wide. The depth comes from decades of time on the mat, doing his own inner work. The breadth comes from 40+ years of studying and teaching spiritual practices. This book is a trusted guide for those entering into their own psychedelic explorations. It is both a practical and spiritual guidebook providing deep insights and prompts to help expand your psychedelic experience. Alan is a trusted resource in the psychedelic field. I highly recommend this book as a place to start your inner journey.”
–Carla Detchon, Integration Coach
Host of “Psychedelic Divas Podcast“

Musician, Writer, Activist – John Malkin

My recent conversation with John Malkin opened my eyes to a genre of music which I’d previously kept at a great distance – Punk Rock music. John, a very accomplished and recognized pianist himself, has a wide range of interests: writing, photography, non-violent communication, activism, music of several genres, and interviewing and writing about people involved with music, social justice and spirituality. Regarding music, he’s given a good deal of focus to punk rock, especially the punk music that has radical and revolutionary social and political content.



John’s most recent book, Punk Revolution! – An Oral History of Punk Rock, Politics and Activism, came out of over 250 interviews with punk musicians. In it, he explores in-depth, the very powerful and provocative messages and influence of the punk music scene. Coming from an older, hippie, rock and roll generation, I had pretty much bought into the disparaging view of punk as simply violent ranting (John acknowledges it has that element). But I now see it in a different light, that it took on the early anti-authoritarian role of rock-and-roll which had become pretty commercial as punk came on the scene. And embedded in the intense beat and thrashing guitars are messages related to political and social issues. I learned just how much punk is international in scope and includes Buddhist, indigenous, Hindu, vegan, even Orthodox Jewish versions. In John’s forthcoming book, Punk Spirit, he plans to focus on the spiritual aspects of punk.

Malkin has been working through radio for over 25 years. Starting with a tiny “pirate radio” station in Santa Cruz, he now has a regular program, “Transformation Highway,” on KZSC 88.1 radio through UC Santa Cruz. John’s interviewed musicians of all genres, political activists, spiritual teachers as well as community and labor organizers. The list includes, Thich Nhat Hanh, spiritual guru Amma, Noam Chomsky, John Trudell, Amy Goodman, Yolanda King (MLK’s daughter).

Malkin considers himself a student of Thich Nhat Hanh and Gandhi, and is committed to non-violence with an anarchist bent towards authoritarian powers. Our conversation includes a good look into the political questions of our time, the upcoming election, and Israel’s war on Gaza as it relates to Jewish identity.

Malkin’s interviews and writings have been published internationally in Adbusters, Punk Planet, Razorcake, Spirituality & Health, Z Magazine, Ode, In These Times, Sojourners, The Sun, Film International, Shambhala Sun, Tricycle, Friends Journal, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, The Monterey Herald and other publications. As a pianist / percussionist he has collaborated with a variety of ensembles, dancers and choreographers for 30 years including Tandy Beal, Mel Wong, Connie Kreemer, Frey Faust, Nita Little, Joe Goode, Miranda Janeschild and Rita Rivera. He’s played solo piano concerts internationally and has performed with West African Kora master Foday Musa Suso, German vocalist Christian Kesten, cellist Elaine Kreston and blues guitarist Paul Sprawl. Malkin has traveled internationally and has lived in West Berlin and Australia. He is now writing his first novel about hitchhiking across the Sahara Desert.

A very interesting man! Please watch or listen to my conversation with him and check out the information at the links below for more about John and for some his recommendations of punk music.

Please feel free to share this and other blog posts from me and subscribe to my podcast and or YouTube series, Crossing the Boundary.

May we all be the peace that brings justice to the world,

Alan
www.CrossingTheBoundary.org

Here are some links to John’s work and also some links to punk music that he recommends.

Review of Punk Revolution!

John’s book of great musicians talking about peace and justice –Sounds of Freedom https://books.google.com/books/about/Sounds_of_Freedom.html?id=0QEXoy5ufDwC

“The Art of the Individual” – Interview with John Lyddon of the Sex Pistols

“Music Without Restraint” – Interview with Henry Rollins of Black Flag

Music, Prayer and Action: Klee Benally leads mutual aid projects to help Navajo Nation during pandemic

Film produced by John Malkin – “Peacemakers at The Nevada Test Site” was produced in 1990 during nonviolent direct actions to stop U.S. government nuclear weapons testing in Nevada, USA.

A few of John’s Punk Rock Music suggestions:

The Clash:
“Lose This Skin” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw6e1AB60fw

Empathy:
“Shelter” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUXfBRCWiYchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUXfBRCWiYc

Gang of Four:
“What We All Want” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmW6iLKmB3c

Psychedelic Diva – Carla Detchon

“There is a coming home. A home base. Psychedelics help you reconnect with home.” 
— Ann Shulgin
“After centuries of patriarchal dominance, humanity has lost its innate balance. By invoking the divine feminine energies we restore equilibrium. That’s why we chose the word Divas — the Latin for goddesses or the feminine divine — to honor the highest aspect of the feminine.”
–from Psychedelic Divas website

“I want to unfold. Let no place in me hold itself closed, for where I am closed, I am false.“

–Rainer Maria Rilke

It’s been noted that the discovery of LSD in 1943 by the Swiss chemist, Albert Hoffman, occurred while scientists at the Manhattan Project were developing the first atom bomb, detonated in 1945. The most powerful agent of consciousness change and the most destructive weapon mankind had ever created came to us very close in time. Is it a coincidence, or synchronicity. A similar synchronicity seems apparent in the present moment, where a wide range of intersecting destructive trends, possibly crippling or fatal to humanity and other life on Earth – the mega, meta, or polycrisis – is happening at the same time as what has been called the psychedelic renaissance.

Can psychedelics help humanity develop a more eco-conscious mindset and find the motivation and wisdom to create a just and sustainable world? It seems clear that psychedelics alone do not accomplish that. But combined with appropriate intention, proper preparation, and mindful integration, there are signs that they do support and accelerate the transformation of people’s perception, thinking and activity towards more cooperation and empathy and greater appreciation and respect for nature.

One of the oldest and key features of the old paradigm is male domination, patriarchy. It’s fair to ask whether this way of being itself is a primary cause of our crises, subjugating the nurturing, holding and being qualities of the feminine and women, to the assertive, active, goal-oriented male energies, and men.

As we try to emerge from millennia of patriarchy, we can draw from the many wisdom and spiritual traditions of the world which contain teachings that can help free of us from the mindsets of male dominance. We can learn that giving attention to the Divine Feminine, the Goddess and Goddesses of old, and to Nature and Mother Earth is essential for both men and women. We can face the deeply ingrained destructive bias that places male attributes and energy, and men, above and more important than the feminine and women.

There are many ways to unlearn the conditioned patterns of male dominance and expand our consciousness to embrace the fuller realizations of the feminine. One way is the carefully guided, ceremonial use of plant medicines, entheogens, psychedelics. On such journeys, it’s possible to heal the wounded aspects of one’s inner woman (what Carl Jung called the anima) and open to the divine feminine available to both men and women. Carla Detchon has been exploring this for nearly forty years and recently launched “Psychedelic Divas”, a podcast devoted to this subject. I interviewed Carla for my Crossing the Boundary podcast. I hope you can take the time to listen to our conversation.

Carla and I were in ceremonial spaces together many times with the masterful guide, Ralph Metzner. Metzner’s approach to psychedelic ceremonies included what he called “divinations,” purposeful inner journeys for opening to divine guidance and healing. He would take us through mythic realms and lead us through spiritual practices, some of which aimed to heal wounded parts of ourselves and explore our relationship to the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of male and female consciousness.

Through her work as an integrative coach and through her podcast series, Carla supports people in the preparation and integration of psychedelic journeys. She is passing along the legacy of Metzner’s wisdom teachings. Her emphasis, as the podcast name makes clear, is on the feminine. While ultimately, we all need to balance the male/female within, the long suppression of the feminine in humanity calls for us to highlight that aspect of our nature. We need an affirmative action focus of our attention on HER for our personal benefit, and for the much needed transformation of the collective human consciousness.

As it says on the Psychedelic Divas website:

“We are calling on people of all genders to lean into their natural divine feminine traits—intuition, receptivity, creativity, compassion, healing, communal connection, softness, nurturing, and flow—in order to help bring balance back to our individual selves as well as the world.“

I invite you to listen or watch my conversation with Carla and check out her podcast series: https://psychedelicdivas.com/podcast/

At a very practical level, Carla offers a free guide on her website and podcast site called:
“PSYCHEDELIC SAFETY TIPS INCLUDING WHAT TO DO WHEN THINGS GO WRONG”

You can learn more about Carla at Psychedelic Divas
Or learn about her integration coaching practice

And be sure to check out more Crossing the Boundary conversations at:
Youtube: tinyurl.com/msmmh6sn
Podcast: https://crossingboundarieswithalanlevin.buzzsprout.com

Palestinian Peace Activator – Eva Dalak

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Eva Dalak. You can view the video of our conversation here: https://youtu.be/jmHc-b3oC18?si=jddkFtv0uATJwYUn or just listen to the recording on my podcast here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1827447/15086746.

Eva was born in Israel in a Muslim family and as a child, learned to think of herself as an Arab-Israeli. She moved to France to study and received a double Masters degree in International Relations and International Administration from the Sorbonne. Her skills, and the fact that she speaks five languages fluently, led her to Brussels to work with an NGO and also as a consultant to the European Union. Living there for 10 years, she took on Belgian nationality. Her work included extensive conflict resolution projects in Africa and later New York.

Eventually, she came to the U.S. and began looking more deeply into the psychological and spiritual roots of conflict and realized she needed to do the work within herself before she could help others. She now likes to use the term “peace activator” to describe what she does, rather than peace activist, noting that it is the peace within that needs to be activated and brought out into the world.

Her self exploration and truth seeking led her to embrace her identity as a Palestinian. Especially now, she devotes herself to working with both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. In her work with them as individuals and in groups, people find the common humanity they share with the people they had come to see as “others.” She sees this as getting to the roots of the conflict and a necessary part of finding solutions that will bring about justice and peace.


I found the work she does through PeaceActivation of great interest. As well, her life journey, crossing boundaries of different national or ethnic identities, seems to give her a clear vision of the role identity plays in all of us. I have found that when we recognize and accept our personal and collective identifications, we can more genuinely transcend the separative aspects of those identities and experience ourselves as fundamentally spiritual beings living in a human family. Eva Dalak seems to me to be someone who has done the work and is helping others find the way.

Eva and her partner live in Costa Rica and have a healing retreat center where they have “PeaceActivation” workshops and trainings.

Please see the links below to find out more about her work and ways to take part:

 Eva’s article on Medium – “Are You Ready..”  

Peace Activation – To register for the weekly calls https://peaceactivation.org/weekly-zo……

For individual coaching with Eva – http://www.evadalak.me 

Please feel free to share this and other blog posts from me and subscribe to my YouTube and or podcast series, Crossing the Boundary.

The Healer and the Warrior Face the Middle East and the Meta-Crisis

Facing the reality of our time, the mega-crisis or meta-crisis, many of us find ourselves asking, “What is my role in all this? What can I do or what am I called to do?” I’d like to reflect here at two aspects of myself that get my attention and move me in different ways. I think of these as distinct identities, two parts of myself that have their own sensibility and ways of being and acting. They come from different sources of my own development and ancestral inheritances. They sometimes collaborate and sometimes appear to conflict.

I’m especially drawn to examine how these two parts of myself, and I suspect many others, relate to the crises we are currently dealing with, the overlapping and intersecting issues of: climate change, militarism, poverty, mass migrations, authoritarian governments, patriarchy and racism, economic insecurity for the many and super-abundant wealth and power for a select few and paralyzing political polarization. Given the horrific events unfolding in Gaza right now, I want to pay specific attention there.

Where there is conflict, the healer in me will focus on the repairing of relationships, building bridges of understanding and empathy, and helping people move towards more cooperation and community. Where there is violence or war, the healer seeks to have the two sides dialogue and learn to empathize with each other. In the case of our ecological crises, the healer works towards repairing damaged areas of the Earth and restoring species in danger of extinction. In group conflicts and wars, the healer aims for diplomacy, seeing the other sides point of view and compromise to avoid violence. The healer may also work with people to awaken to a healthy relationship with non-human life, to care for and be respectful with the animal and plant realm, the rivers and oceans. In his book The Six Pathways of Destiny, Ralph Metzner says, “the core value of the healer, whether at the level of the individual, the family, community or society is wholeness and harmony.”

An alternate approach is that of the warrior. In the world, the warrior gets engaged in the struggle to protect and defend oppressed and abused human beings, animals, ecosystems and the whole of Mother Earth. The warrior will fight to change systems of injustice, challenge prejudice and combat authoritarianism. While the word warrior is often associated with violence, there is increasing awareness that it is an archetypal aspect of all humans. Warriors can function non-violently and with compassion even for those they oppose in the struggle. My Agni Yoga teacher, Russell Schofield, taught that the immune system of our body is a manifestation of the warrior energy and consciousness in that it defends and protects our physical organism at the cellular level.

In the present moment, many of us have turned our attention to the war raging in the Middle East, especially between Israel and the Palestinians. Several decades ago, I was involved in dialogue groups that included Israeli and American Jews, and Palestinian and other Muslim Arabs. Our time together helped all of us feel friendlier and understand each other with greater empathy. But it did nothing to change the ongoing drastic imbalance of power and the military Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza which we all agreed needed to be ended. Today, there are continued efforts at dialogue and interpersonal healing both in the U.S. and Israel/Palestine. (See Roots https://b8ofhope.org/roots/ for example). There are even communities of Jews and Palestinians living and working together in the hope of spreading the message that people do not need to fear or hate each other and can genuinely get along. (See Oasis of Peace: https://www.oasisofpeace.org/, for example).

I strongly support the healers working as individuals and groups committed to this work even through extremely challenging times. However, it seems to me that there is a need for the warrior spirit as well. As I write this and as you are reading this, I am quite certain more than one Palestinian has been killed by Israeli forces (currently approximately 100/day). The devastation in Gaza is almost beyond comprehension and the violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and the seizure of yet more land continues unabated. At times like this, it feels important to make a choice to defend and support those being overwhelmed by violent aggression. It’s for this reason that I support non-violent resistance to Israel’s armed invasion of Gaza and the decades-long Occupation. For me, this includes the support of the ceasefire movement and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement: https://bdsmovement.net/.

It is important to say that the healer and warrior can work simultaneously and collaboratively. They can be embodied in one person. In many ways, both Ghandi and King were both healers and warriors. Another contemporary example is Dr. Gabor Maté, best known for his work with healing trauma, especially in treating addictions. He is a Holocaust survivor and was raised as a strong believer in Zionism. Yet he speaks out strongly against the Israeli Occupation and the role of Zionism. Here is an interview in which he speaks movingly of “Trauma and the Israel-Palestine Conflict.” https://scienceandnonduality.com/videos/a-call-for-healing/

When we look more deeply at the causes of abuse, domination and violence, we see that perpetrators are often themselves conditioned by experiences of abuse and trauma. They are themselves in need of healing. Compassionate dialogue with them can sometimes lead to changes in their orientation and behavior. At the same time, the warrior is needed to stand against the violence and injustice and challenge the belief systems that support destructive and abusive behaviors. The two kinds of activity working together bring hope that peace with justice can be achieved on Earth.

However horrible the events are in Israel/Palestine, there are dozens of other places and significant issues in the world that need attention. The healer and the warrior are necessary, but not the only paths or identities for people who want to help. Various authors have pointed to the role of the artist, scientist or organizer for addressing problem areas. I hope these reflections are helpful to you in finding your path to creatively and actively being part of making our world more healthy and just.

May peace with justice prevail.

Go In Peace, Sat Santokh

When I wrote Crossing the Boundary – Stories of Jewish Leaders of Other Spiritual Paths, I was introduced to fourteen different very wise and very kind teachers who volunteered to take part. One was Sat Santokh Singh Khalsa. Raised in the Bronx in a Jewish family who gave him the name Bertram Kanegson, Sat Santokh became an activist, the manager of the Grateful Dead, a leader of the Sikh community and Northern California Regional Director of Kundalini Yoga. He died on 2/21/2024.

He was a lifelong activist for peace and justice and sought to help people root out the sources of violence and causes of war in themselves.

I am grateful to have had a couple of hours with such a kind, generous, wise and thoughtful being at his home in California. Here are a few quotes of my interview with him from 2014 found on this blog site: http://www.crossingtheboundary.org/people-of-the-book/sat-santokh-singh-khalsa-sikh-leader/ You can learn more about him and his work at https://www.satsantokh.com/.

Copies of my book containing the full interview with Sat Santokh and thirteen other spiritual teachers of diverse spiritual paths (plus my story) can be obtained at my website below.

Blessings to all teachers and transmitters of wisdom, goodness and compassion. It’s impossible to imagine the world without them.

(From Crossing the Boundary – Stories of Jewish Leaders of Other Spiritual Paths).

Do you think that the world would be better off moving towards where people no longer hold to a particular collective identity?

Every religion has a beautiful and noble spiritual side. But most people are entangled with their pain and fear. For me, the different fundamentalists around the planet are all the same. There is no real difference between Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Islamic and Christian fundamentalists. They are all full of fear and anger, and they don’t understand at all what religion is really about.

I don’t think people need to give up being Jewish, or Hindu or Christian or any religion. But if they understood and really followed their practices, the world would be a better place.

What Am I? – Jeff Kitzes, AKA Zen Master Bon Soeng

What am I? How many of us take time to ask that question in a serious vein and take time, lots of time, to investigate what we experience when we ask that question of ourselves?

Zen practitioners will sit quietly for hours and days and weeks doing just that. According to Zen Master Bon Soeng, they do that to be ALIVE in the fullest sense of what that means, vibrantly awake to the present moment. “What am I?” is not the only question, but it is at the core of many questions that have no rational answer that foster deep shifts in consciousness through meditation.

Born into a Jewish family, Jeff Kitzes, found himself alienated from the culture in which he grew up and was drawn to meditation at an early age. On a journey in search of Don Juan (the hero of the fiction/non-fiction books of Carlos Castaneda), he found himself at a zen monastery in Mendocino, California and then at a retreat with Korean Zen Master, Seung Sahn of the Kwan Um school of Zen. He says that when he first saw Seung Sahn, he saw someone alive in a way he had never experienced; he became his student for life.

After years of practice, Jeff was initiated as a Zen Master and given the name Bon Soeng. He has been the leader and primary teacher of Empty Gate Zen Center. Empty Gate has a home in Berkeley, CA, a center in Boise, ID and offers teachings online. See https://www.emptygatezen.com/. Many of Bon Soeng’s dharma talks (Buddhist teachings) are posted on YouTube and can be found through Empty Gate website.

In my conversation with Bon Soeng, he reveals a very open attitude as to the activities of his students. Aware that many spiritual teachers have abused their power, he is very much committed to individuals having free choice over their own lives,. This includes the use of psychedelics and cannabis which he feels is an individual choice and, in fact, may be of benefit to their lives and Zen practice.

Bon Soeng says that his lineage is committed to the Bodhisattva path, committing ones life to the benefit of all sentient beings. His students find their own way of understanding that and taking actions as they find themselves directed from within through their practice.

I just posted my YouTube and Podcast conversation with Bon Soeng. Please check either out here to hear the inspiring journey to the Zen path of awakening.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/gj1VSpMT39w?si=WQ-_WFFFHkQo_WLa

Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1827447/14407863

You can watch many of his wide ranging Dharma Talks at https://www.emptygatezen.com

Addendum:

After our zoom conversation, it occurred to me that I hadn’t asked a very important question. Essentially it is “how does meditating, Zen or otherwise, develop a person who behaves ethically?” Do we just assume that “being more alive or awake” would lead people to behave with each other and the Earth in a healthy or “good” way?

I ran the question by Bon Soeng and this was his response. Being that we are friends, this will lead to many more conversations.

“Interesting questions.

Ethics have obviously changed over the Millenia. Zen arose in China between 500-700 AD. Indian meditation was practiced well before the Buddha ever appeared and Taoist meditation predates Buddhism in China. The ethics of those places in those times were very different than ours. One of Trump’s main nuclear arms advisors was a Buddhist chaplain. During WWII the Japanese Zen establishment sided with the government in their war effort. Many monks in Burma rose up to exile the Rohingya from their territory. And, many monks in Burma rose up to join the democracy movement. 

So, I can’t really say that meditation and practice will lead to a particular standard of ethics. Rather, I think culture drives the particular standard of ethics for a society. In modern America it is mostly white left wing types who seem to be drawn to Buddhism and Zen. I suspect the “left-wing” values are more important in the creation of modern American Buddhist convert sanghas than the ethics espoused by Buddha more than 2500 years ago. We have found voice in Buddhism to values we hold dearly. Care for others, compassion, lovingkindness, equanimity, service, and non-materialism are parts of Buddhist teachings. They resonate for us, so we like it. Just like any pick and choose practitioner of religion, most of us ignore the parts of the teachings that we don’t relate to or agree with, like the confucian views of hierarchy and fidelity to family and country (which my teacher espoused).

My Zen tradition is based on the Bodhisattva way. That way is service to all beings. Zen Master Seung Sahn said: “For me, suffering appears. For all beings, no suffering.” To focus on the welfare of others is the practice of uprooting self-centeredness. Self-centeredness is the great mistake. When “I” becomes the most important thing, we all suffer. To live the Bodhisattva way is to practice. It is the playing field of our life. If we truly take up this vow, we dedicate our lives to the healing and growth of the whole in each and every moment of our life. A life lived from this vow can become a life which benefits all sentient and non-sentient things. This is meditation in action in our daily life.

One more point. When we practice a meditation which focuses on What am I? we learn about ourselves and become more aware of our actions and the conditions that lead to those actions. This awareness can grow into wisdom, which allows us to act in less unconscious and hurtful ways. We act out of our psychological blindness less and in that way bring healing to the world. So, our practice directly impacts the wellbeing of others. Whether that extends to systemic issues is less clear to me.

I hope these thoughts help. I am very interested in the questions that have arisen for you and look forward to the challenging conversation we could have in looking in to those questions.”