The Tao of Christ
264 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 84 ratingsThe Tao of Christ is a podcast which explores the mystical roots of Christianity, which Jesus called the Kingdom of God, which church historian Evelyn Underhill called the Unitive Life, which Richard Rohr calls the Universal Christ, and which I refer to as Christian nonduality, unitive awareness, or union with God. This is the Tao of Christ.
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Episodes
Nonduality and Church
November 20, 2022 16:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBI receive a lot of emails from people who used to consider themselves Christians and were active in the church but no longer. They can no longer accept the literal interpretation of Scripture and the dogmatic nature of the Christian religion. They have dared to think outside the traditional Christian box, they are either been rejected by the church or feel alienated from the church and from Christianity. Some people have had spiritual experiences – glimpses of nondual reality – and are no ...
No One Can See God and Live
November 05, 2022 11:00 - 13 minutes - 9.49 MBThere is a theme in both the Old and New Testaments that points to the heart of nondual awareness. It is expressed most clearly in the Book of Exodus. Moses asks to see God’s glory and God responds, “You cannot see My face; for no one shall see Me and live.” The Bible repeatedly says that no one can see God and live. God is described as holy, and no mortal can be in the presence of the holy God according to the Bible. In other words the ego – the separate self – cannot survive the presence...
The Universe Is Within You
October 23, 2022 11:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBThe common understanding of our place in the universe is that we are tiny human creatures on a planet in a solar system in the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of billions of galaxies in a vast universe. Anyone who has laid on their back on a summer evening watching shooting stars has experienced this sense of wonder at how small and seemingly insignificant our place is in the universe. There is something to be said for this state of wonder. It is a type of spiritual awe. But that is only hal...
A Case of Mistaken Identity
October 15, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBSometimes I wonder if there is anything more to say in these episodes. Then I get emails from listeners which remind me there is still more to say because the gospel of nonduality is so easily misunderstood. Nondual awareness is so simple it is missed. It is so close that people don’t see it. It is hiding in plain sight. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth and people do not see it.” Tony Parsons calls it the open secret. The common mistake I hear in questions...
The Way of Nondual Love
September 24, 2022 11:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBLove is still alive and well in spirituality. It is the heart of what I call Christian nonduality. Love is the way of spiritual awakening. It is the Tao of Christ, the Way of Christ. Love may seem to be a dualistic activity because it appears to be about relationships, and relationships imply two or more, hence dual. But in actuality love transcends duality. It is an expression of unity that transcends and embraces duality.
Transcending the Duality of Politics
September 13, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBIt is election time in the United States. Elections always raise the issue of how nonduality is expressed in such a dualistic exercise as politics. There is no better example of duality than American politics, especially the polarized form of politics that has emerged in recent years in our country. Nonduality can be expressed in all dualistic activities, including politics. We do not have to go off into the forest or a monastery or an ashram to live a spiritual life. The apparent tension b...
How to Speak with a Fundamentalist
September 03, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBThe topic of this episode comes from a listener. He wrote in part: “Your videos are infused with insights that aid the nondualist in speaking with dualists. However, there is not (or at least I did not see) a single video that addresses these insights together. This request may seem counterintuitive: why should a nondualist need to defend themselves? Sadly, I come from a large family of Fundamentalist Christians, and I am constantly harangued because I am not a Fundamentalist. … Unfortunate...
The Third Way of Awakening
August 26, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBThere is one question I am asked often. In various ways people ask what they can do to help them wake up. In this episode I answer that question using the Book of Ecclesiastes as a source. I explore three ways of awakening: Self-inquiry, God-inquiry, and Life-inquiry.
The Third Way of Awakening
August 26, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBThere is one question I am asked often. In various ways people ask what they can do to help them wake up. In this episode I answer that question using the Book of Ecclesiastes as a source. I explore three ways of awakening: Self-inquiry, God-inquiry, and Life-inquiry.
Smashing Idols
August 14, 2022 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBIn this episode I tell some stories about idol-smashing, beginning with the Midrash about Abraham destroying the idols of his father’s idol-making workshop. In telling these stories of idol-smashing I discern the spiritual meaning behind iconoclasm. I am talking about smashing spiritual and religious and intellectual and theological and philosophical idols. Idols of the heart. The spiritual search is an iconoclastic process. In particular I address the idols of Christianity, but I also addre...
Beyond Relationship with God
August 10, 2022 11:00 - 12 minutes - 8.97 MBMany Christians talk about having a relationship with God. Evangelicals in particular speak of the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They say this begins when one “receives Jesus into your heart” or “accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.” This relationship is thought to continue after death in heaven, where one will have a relationship with God and Christ forever. Evangelicals frequently distinguish themselves from other Christians – like mainline Protestants and...
Consciousness and Nondual Awareness
August 05, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBThis episode comes out of some responses I received to a recent episode entitled, “What does nondual awareness feel like?” I realized that some people confuse nondual awareness and consciousness. They mistake what Jesus called the Kingdom of God - and what others call spiritual awakening or enlightenment - for a state of consciousness. I want to address this subject in this episode. I am going to explore the difference between consciousness, cosmic consciousness, nondual awareness and Nondua...
Tower of Duality
July 16, 2022 11:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MBThis episode is on the Tower of Babel. It is the last of a series that I have been doing on interpreting the Book of Genesis from a nondual perspective.
Noah & Nonduality
July 09, 2022 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBI am returning to the Book of Genesis and interpreting it from the perspective of nonduality. Today I am going to look at the well-known story of Noah and the Flood.
What Does Nondual Awareness Feel Like?
July 02, 2022 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBWhat is nondual awareness like? What does it feel like? That is the question that I have been asked several times recently. This episode is an attempt to answer that question.
Nondual Nonviolence
June 25, 2022 11:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBIn this episode I talk about nonviolence as an expression of nonduality. I explore the origin of violence by looking at the biblical story of Cain murdering his brother Abel. I see the solution to violence – including gun violence - in nondual awareness.
Banished from Nonduality
June 18, 2022 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBIn this episode I explore the second part of the the third chapter of Genesis and interpret it from a nondual perspective. I look the banishment of Adam and Eve to the land east of Eden. They were banished from the Garden of Nonduality to live in the Wilderness of Duality. The characteristics of this banishment can be summed up in two words: separation and suffering.
The Fall into Duality
June 11, 2022 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBIn this episode I look at one of the most famous passages of scripture and interpret it from a nondual perspective. It is the story in Genesis chapter 3 that is normally referred to as the Fall. The story takes place in the Garden of Eden. The characters are Adam and Eve, the serpent, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Tree of Life.
Human Nonduality
June 04, 2022 11:00 - 12 minutes - 8.63 MBIn this episode I explore the myth in Genesis 2 about the creation of man and woman from the androgynous figure of Adam. This ancient teaching, which is found in various spiritual traditions including early Judaism, taught that the original human was non-binary. The original condition of humankind was nondual. This primal androgyne is split in half, and two separate beings are created – a man and a woman. I explore what this has to say about nonduality and gender identity.
The Human Soul
May 28, 2022 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBIn this episode I look at the second creation story in the Bible from a nondual perspective, interpreting the human soul as the World Soul.
In the Image of God
May 21, 2022 11:00 - 13 minutes - 9.36 MBIn this episode look at some famous verses in the first chapter of Genesis about the creation of human beings and talk about what it means to be made in the image of God from a nondual perspective.
Before there was God
May 14, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBThere has been something I have been meaning to talk about for a while. I am going to go through the early chapters of the Book of Genesis and show how they are expressions nonduality. This episode focuses on the first creation account in Genesis 1.
Peace That Surpasses Understanding
May 07, 2022 13:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBIn this episode I give a Christian nondual interpretation of the words of the apostle Paul in his Letter to the Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
How Do I Wake Up?
April 27, 2022 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBThe most frequent inquiry I receive from listeners is various forms of the question: “How do I wake up?” I reply to each inquiry individually, but I thought it would be good to do an episode addressing the topic
Be Still and Know that I am God
April 16, 2022 13:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBThis episode is an exploration of Psalm 46:10, interpreted as an expression of Christian nonduality. “Be still and know that I am God!”
Nonduality and the Apostle Paul
April 06, 2022 11:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBIn this episode I talk about the Apostle Paul and how he and his teachings fit into Christian Nonduality. I explore this Damascus Road experience of Christ and his later experience of nonduality. I show how and why there are both dualistic and nondualistic elements in his writings.
Integrating Nondual Awareness Into Everyday Life
March 26, 2022 11:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBI got an email a while ago from a listener who asked about integrating unitive awareness into everyday life. Let me read you part of what he wrote: “The act of remembering to let go and live out of one's True Self seems to be part of integrating unitive awareness into everyday life. But could you speak about your process of integration? Is it more or less a process of remembering - to be more aware of when one experiences separation/suffering, and creating positive feedback loops for return...
Reading Other Scriptures
March 17, 2022 11:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBIn this episode I talk about the value of reading the scriptures of faiths other than our own. I also explore the concepts of the inspiration and authority of scripture from a nondual perspective.
A Christian Reads the Gita
March 05, 2022 12:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MBRecently I have been reading a chapter from the Indian spiritual classic the Bhagavad Gita as part of my daily devotions. As a Christian with a nondual approach, it is natural to me to read from scriptures of other religions that also connect with nonduality. In this episode I share insights about Christian nonduality from reading the Bhagavad Gita. I deal with three overarching themes that make up the framework of the Gita. Each of them can be described in terms of a picture in the mind’s...
The self as Humpty Dumpty
February 26, 2022 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBThe children’s nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty is a good metaphor for how the illusion of the self is shattered and one wakes up to nondual awareness. One might call it the parable of Humpty Dumpty. “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.” That in a nutshell – or more accurately an eggshell - is the story of spiritual awakening. It is the story of the end of the self.
Nondual Resurrection
February 19, 2022 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBIn the previous episode I interpreted the Cross as an expression of nonduality. I argued that the meaning of the Cross is the death of the physical and psychological self, not the theories of sacrifice and substitutionary atonement that came to dominate later Christianity. In this episode I talk about the other half of the story, which is the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection also points to nondual reality. I uncover the three layers of the biblical Easter tradition – visions of the ...
The Nondual Cross
February 12, 2022 12:00 - 14 minutes - 9.82 MBIn this episode I interpret the Cross and the crucifixion of Jesus as an expression of nonduality. Next time I will deal with the empty tomb and resurrection appearances as expressions of nondual reality.
Spiritual Bypassing
February 02, 2022 12:00 - 14 minutes - 9.69 MBThis episode is in response to an email I received a few weeks ago from a listener in Western Australia asking if I would address the topic of spiritual bypassing. I responded that I had never heard the term. So this listener replied with a definition from Wikipedia: Spiritual bypassing is a "tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks." The email went on to explain “It occurs...
Do We Have Free Will?
January 22, 2022 12:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBIn this episode I explore the topic of free will. I look at the traditional Christian theistic perspective, the scientific evidence, and then view free will as an expression of nonduality. I look at what it means to ask if the human self has free will versus saying that nonduality is perfect freedom.
Is Anyone Home?
January 12, 2022 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.4 MBIn this episode I explore what we are if we are not the physical body or the individual self. I use Jesus’ parable of the empty house and the Zen koan of the burglar entering an empty house as aids to explore the Reality behind human nature.
Can We Be Free from All Suffering?
December 29, 2021 12:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBThis episode is a response to questions I receive every once in a while about pain and suffering and how they are addressed in Christian nonduality.
Santa as Spiritual Teacher
December 18, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.43 MBIn this episode I explore how the figure of Santa Claus can teach us about the illusory nature of the self and point us to nondual reality. It was inspired by an article by Paul Jordaans, entitled “The Santa-Clausness of Life.” Here are the links to his site and two articles: http://www.parkinsjordaans.nl/downloads/16_The_Santa-Clausness_of_Life.pdf http://www.parkinsjordaans.nl/ https://cysticfibrosisnewstoday.com/forums/forums/topic/sunday-morning-37/
Realizing No-Self
December 07, 2021 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.7 MBThe title for this episode may at first sound like a self-help guide ... or in a nondual context a no-self help guide. I assure you that is not what this is. This is not a step-by-step guide to experiencing no-self. It is a description of two times in life that I saw that I was not a self, culminating in a third time which was an abiding realization of this reality.
Jesus as Nondual Teacher
November 20, 2021 12:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBThe topic of this episode comes from a Zoom talk that I did recently. The leader of a nondual group in a nearby town here in New Hampshire asked me to do a 90 minute satsang with his folks and others from the nondual community. When I got the Zoom link it had the title “Jesus as Nondual Teacher.” So that got me thinking about this topic. I thought I would give some thoughts on the subject in this 15 minute episode. I have mentioned most of these points before, but they are here in one place.
A Spiritual Copernican Revolution
November 13, 2021 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBThere is a spiritual revolution underway similar to the Copernican Revolution in astronomy. Just as Copernicus and Galileo moved science beyond the geocentric view to the heliocentric view, so now there is a movement moving spirituality from an egocentric to a noncentric awareness of reality.
A Spiritual Copernican Revolution
November 13, 2021 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBThere is a spiritual revolution underway similar to the Copernican Revolution in astronomy. Just as Copernicus and Galileo moved science beyond the geocentric view to the heliocentric view, so now there is a movement moving spirituality from an egocentric to a noncentric awareness of reality.
Spiritual Amnesia
November 03, 2021 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBI just finished watching a Netflix show in which the main character wakes up to discover that she cannot remember the last few months of her life. She has amnesia. Amnesia is a very rare condition in real life, but it is a common theme in films. Some of the best movies on the subject are The Bourne Identity, Total Recall, and Paycheck. Two of those are based on stories by one of my favorite authors Philip K Dick. Other films on the topic are The Majestic, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Eternal...
What is Eternal Life?
October 23, 2021 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBWhat is the Eternal and how does one come to experience it? Eternal life is a matter of what you identify with.
Dream Within a Dream
October 13, 2021 11:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBIn this episode I explore the idea that our cosmos is a dream that we can wake up from. I look at this concept from both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions.
I am Not Going to Die
October 05, 2021 11:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBIn this episode I answer a question that a listener asked me a few weeks ago. I had a Zoom conservation with a young man who is a Christian who has had a spiritual awakening, and he asked me what my first thought was when it happened. No one had ever asked me that question. I have never asked myself that question. I thought about it for a minute and answered him briefly. The question has been returning to my mind every once in a while ever since, so I thought I would give a more complete a...
Experiencing Nothingness
August 28, 2021 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBIn 1970 when I was twenty years old and in college, I read a newly published book entitled “The Experience of Nothingness.” The author, philosopher Michael Novak, was visiting our campus, and I wanted to know what he had to say so I could engage him in conversation. I still remember his visit vividly fifty years later. I sat on the floor before him in a room on the top floor of the Student Union and asked him questions. His ideas resonated with me. At that point in my life I considered mys...
Was Jesus Mentally Ill?
August 14, 2021 10:00 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MBI am presently in the process of writing a book, which I am calling “The Gospel According to Jesus.” It is the gospel story told from the perspective of Jesus, as a teacher of nonduality. In involves me very slowly studying the Gospel of Mark, both in English translation and the Greek text. Then comparing the passages to parallel accounts in the other gospels and the Gospel of Thomas. This process enables me to see things that I might not ordinarily see, and ponder things that I would not no...
The Nondual Gospel of the Jesus
August 07, 2021 10:00 - 14 minutes - 9.79 MBWhat if we had a gospel written by Jesus himself? Unfortunately there is no evidence that Jesus wrote anything. If we can’t have a gospel written by Jesus, wouldn’t it be wonderful to at least have a gospel written from the perspective of Jesus? Lots of celebrities today use “ghost writers” to tell their autobiographies. Would it be great to have a ghost writer or should I say “Spirit writer,” write an autobiography of Jesus? A gospel from the perspective of Jesus! That is the project th...
The Nondual Gospel of the Jesus
August 07, 2021 10:00 - 14 minutes - 9.79 MBWhat if we had a gospel written by Jesus himself? Unfortunately there is no evidence that Jesus wrote anything. If we can’t have a gospel written by Jesus, wouldn’t it be wonderful to at least have a gospel written from the perspective of Jesus? Lots of celebrities today use “ghost writers” to tell their autobiographies. Would it be great to have a ghost writer or should I say “Spirit writer,” write an autobiography of Jesus? A gospel from the perspective of Jesus! That is the project th...
Nonduality and Money
July 31, 2021 10:00 - 13 minutes - 9.16 MBMoney messes up everything, especially religion. That includes the type of spirituality that goes under the name of nonduality these days. As soon as a spiritual teacher starts to accept money from people for their teaching it has the potential to distort the message, the relationship, and the spirituality itself. I am not saying it is inevitable or that this always happens. But it can. Take it from one who made a living as a professional religious leader. In this episode I explore the ways ...