Resources
This page features resources that I use extensively in my personal meditation practice, research, and client work. The sites and content are the property and responsibility of the site owners.
Thich Nhat Hanh | Plum Village
My principal Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, was a world-renowned Vietnamese Zen master and peace activist, widely recognized for his teachings on mindfulness, compassion, and engaged Buddhism. Exiled from his homeland for nearly 40 years because of his opposition to the Vietnam War, he founded the worldwide Order of Interbeing, based in Plum Village (Village des Pruniers), France, in 1966. The Plum Village website contains copious resources, including many recorded dharma talks by Thich Nhat Hanh and his senior monastics.
Closer to Truth
Since obtaining his Ph.D. in brain research from UCLA in 1968, Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn has delved deeply into the so-called “hard problem of consciousness.” In his “Closer to Truth” PBS series, podcast, and YouTube channel, he interviews scientists and philosophers across the wide spectrum of beliefs about consciousness, from hard-core materialists to those who believe, as I do, that consciousness is not an epiphenomenon, but the substrate that underlies physical reality. If you’re interested in how science can support this point of view, I highly recommend many of the conversations you’ll find here.
Books by and about Avatar Meher Baba
In 1963, I was drawn into the orbit of Avatar Meher Baba, where I discovered a deep and abiding spiritual love that overwhelmed my natural skepticism. Through the years since, I have studied his life and written works, and for nearly three decades led monthly study meetings in New York. Meher Baba’s detailed explanations of consciousness, reincarnation, karma, authentic masters, and the spiritual path are the most cogent, inspiring, and intellectually satisfying that I have ever encountered. His books — especially the classics Discourses and God Speaks — are widely available. This link takes you to Sheriar Books in Myrtle Beach, SC, the largest purveyor of the widest selection of books by and about Meher Baba in the western hemisphere.
Dr. Andrew Huberman - How to Regulate Your Nervous System
Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology at Stanford School of Medicine. He is known for significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity. His podcast, The Huberman Lab, is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally. His materials on stress management have informed the way that I understand and teach the scientific basis of certain meditation techniques. I highly recommend Dr. Huberman for his expertise and clear, no-nonsense approach.
Federico Faggin
Federico Faggin is an Italian-American physicist and engineer best known for inventing the microprocessor, work that literally changed the world. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Marconi Prize, the Enrico Fermi Prize, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, which was presented by President Obama in 2009. In 2011, he founded the Federico and Elvia Faggin Foundation, which supports the scientific study of consciousness. He is one of the most prominent scientific voices in the world arguing for idealism (panpsychism), the position that both consciousness and free will are fundamental and not byproducts or illusions created by materiality. His latest book, Irreducible, is a brilliant exposition of that hypothesis, contending that the history of science (which he summarizes in the first chapter) has brought us to a moment when the materialist position is no longer tenable. As a former hard-core materialist himself, his work on consciousness carries special significance for those of us who are interested in spirituality.
The Enneagram Institute
The Enneagram is a system of nine personality archetypes arranged around a nine-pointed diagram. It is used by HR professionals, psychologists, and consultants around the world, and stands apart from other personality typologies in that the diagram reveals subtle relationships between the types. These relationships enable students of the enneagram to recognize patterns in their behavior under stressful or ideal conditions, providing a roadmap of self-cultivation leading to higher (more integrated) states of consciousness. This link takes you to a site with high-quality descriptions of the nine types, and one of the best enneagram personality tests available today. I recommend this test to all of my private clients, and use it extensively in my coaching work. For those interested in an in-depth introduction to the system, I recommend The Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and The Others in Your Life by Helen Palmer, the master instructor from whom I learned the system in the 1980’s.
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
NVC is a system designed to deepen connections and resolve disputes. Its founder, Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., played a key role in desegregating American schools, mediated violent conflicts in dozens of countries, and was the recipient of many international accolades and humanitarian awards. The above link takes you to the Amazon page where you can purchase Dr. Rosenberg’s seminal text, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life.
NVC is a practical way to begin to approach the ideal of Right Speech as taught by the Buddha, which follows naturally from Right View and Right Intention. Although not a Buddhist himself, Dr. Rosenberg was well aware of these teachings, and his written works and seminar sessions (many of which are available on YouTube — put Marshall Rosenberg in the search bar) reflect this understanding.
The NVC system cultivates mindful awareness of the events of our lives, the feelings they elicit, and the underlying needs that those feelings point to. From there we learn skillful ways to make requests so as to fulfill our needs. At the same time, the system teaches us to listen for the feelings, needs, and requests of those we interact with.
One of my favorite NVC teachers is Marianne Van Dijk, founder of Cup of Empathy, the largest NVC channel on the internet. The Cup of Empathy YouTube channel is also an excellent source of practical NVC guidance. Marianne’s teaching is crystal clear, down-to-earth, and compassionate. I highly recommend her.
Meher Spiritual Center, Myrtle Beach, SC
The Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, SC is one of the most beautiful and inspiring retreat centers in the world. Founded by Meher Baba in 1946, it is situated on 500 acres of virgin forest abutting the Atlantic Ocean. Guests stay in clean and comfortable cabins nestled throughout the property, which accommodates a maximum of 50 people on any given night. The Center does not advertise; retreatants learn about it by word of mouth. There are two freshwater lakes, with footpaths and walking trails winding through the property. And then, of course, there’s the ocean.
The Meher Baba community does not evangelize. There is no idea of “conversion” or even membership. Ask any five “Baba lovers” what it means to follow Meher Baba, and you’re likely to get five different answers. There is no creed or hierarchy, no rites, rituals, or ceremonies. Visitors are free to spend their time as they wish, as long as they follow a few simple rules (among them, quietude, and no drugs or alcohol). They can mingle with other retreatants, remain secluded, or anything in between. There are programs and talks about Meher Baba, but there is no requirement to attend them. The only expectation is that guests, in their own way and on their own terms, use some of their time at the Center to learn more about Meher Baba’s life and work.
I highly recommend the Meher Spiritual Center as a place of rest, meditation, and the renewal of spiritual life. To find out more, click on the link above.