The Paradox of Practice:
Moving Spiritual Wisdom into our Hearts and Bodies

A Panel Discussion with Timothy Conway, Ph.D., Robert Schmidt, Ph.D, and Stuart Goodnick
Original date: Saturday, March 22, 2008


Download MP3 Audio File Here (17.9 MB)

Disposing with separation between the divine and material worlds, non-dual spiritual teachings have electrified the western spiritual scene in recent years. Non-dual understanding of the illusory nature of the phenomenal world provides a powerful antidote to the toxic effects of dualistic thinking as reflected in our ordinary lives. Yet common misunderstandings of nonduality proclaim that efforts in support of spiritual practice are themselves illusory and must be dispensed with since "everything is Consciousness." Advocates of this position ignore the fact that the greatest non-dual sages were also ardent devotees to practice and to their gurus. In this rare panel event, teachers of the Advaita Vedanta and Fourth Way-based Tayu Meditation traditions come together to discuss the fundamental paradox of spiritual practice: how efforts in the phenomenal realm can be a necessary step in the process of embodying the non-phenomenal divine.

Timothy Conway, Ph.D., spiritual teacher, author and educator, has studied, practiced, and taught the non-dual essence of our sacred tradi-tions for 35 years. He is author of Women of Power and Grace: Nine Astonishing, Inspiring Luminaries of Our Time and several forthcoming titles. Rob Schmidt, Ph.D. and Stuart Goodnick jointly direct the work of Tayu Meditation Center, owner of Many Rivers.


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