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
The Gospel of Jesus & the Gospel about Jesus
June 09, 2020 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.52 MBThe original gospel was the one that Jesus proclaimed, which was the Kingdom of God. Today it is alternatively called Christ Consciousness, Kingdom Consciousness, Unitive Awareness, or Nondual Awareness. Then there was the gospel about Jesus created by the apostle Paul and other Christians of the early decades and centuries after Christ. In this episode I explore how the Church came to abandon Jesus’ original message and the differences between the two gospels.
Satan’s True Identity
June 07, 2020 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.47 MBIn this episode I explore the historical development, mythology and meaning of Satan from a nondual perspective. For traditional Christians the devil is real – a fallen angel. He is epitome of evil, who oversees a vast hoard of demons or evil spirits who are just waiting to possess the hapless person who is careless with his soul. When viewed from a nondual perspective the figure of Satan points to something much closer to home. He is the human ego. As Walt Kelly famously said in his Pogo c...
A River Runs Through Me
June 04, 2020 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.01 MBIn this episode I explore the symbol of the river as a description of nondual awareness as seen from a human perspective. Jesus used this metaphor to point to what he called the Kingdom of God or Eternal Life.
Love and Nonduality
June 01, 2020 17:00 - 14 minutes - 9.73 MBAbout a month ago I got an email from a listener in British Columbia, Canada. He gave me permission to quote it, so I will and then address the issue he raises. He writes in part: I have a question about the nondual conception of God. I find this view compelling, but wonder if a nondual conception of God leaves us with this sort of ineffable God about which we can say nothing. Concepts like loving and caring are dualistic concepts, and yet it seems that even Christians in the mystical / con...
Losing Your Soul
May 30, 2020 12:00 - 11 minutes - 8.17 MBIn this episode I explore one of the most famous sayings of Jesus, and one of his clearest teachings on the self and nonduality. It is found in all four gospels, which is an extremely rare occurrence. Here it is in four slightly different forms: Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will find it. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life will keep it for e...
The Nondual Teachings of Jesus: Hidden Treasure
May 28, 2020 12:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBThe Kingdom of God, also called unitive awareness or nondual awareness, is like a treasure that is discovered. That is the way that Jesus described it in two stories, known as the parable of the Treasure in the Field and the parable of the Pearl of Great Price. Some people search for the treasure. For them life is a treasure hunt. Others simply stumble across it. Some spiritual teachers downplay or disparage searching. It is often said that there is nothing that one can do to be awakened o...
Demons, Evil Spirits, and Awakening
May 25, 2020 12:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBAccording to the earliest account of Jesus’ ministry, he engaged in two major activities. One was the preaching of the Kingdom of God. The other activity that dominates Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Mark is casting out evil spirits. That also is a communication of nondual awareness, although a much more dramatic communication of it than simple teaching. It is analogous to the physical and sometimes violent techniques used by Zen masters to shock a person into waking up to Reality. In ...
The Nondual Teachings of Jesus – Homecoming
May 21, 2020 14:00 - 14 minutes - 9.94 MBOne of the most famous stories that Jesus told was the parable of the prodigal son. It is also the most misinterpreted. In this episode today I show how through this story Jesus was talking about what he called the kingdom of God, and which I call unitive awareness or Christian nonduality.
The Nondual Teachings of Jesus - Lost & Found
May 19, 2020 14:00 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MBJesus was a teacher of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. I call it the Presence of God, Unitive Awareness or Christian nonduality. The primary way he communicated this reality was in stories called parables. In this episode I am look at two of his stories commonly known as the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. They are about people who lost something, searched for it, and found it. From most pulpits these are interpreted in a simplistic manner – that they are about ...
Beyond the Idea of God
May 15, 2020 21:00 - 12 minutes - 8.98 MBThe greatest obstacle to experiencing God is the idea of God. There is a difference between God and an idea about God. That ought to be obvious, but we rarely pay attention to the difference. Consequently many Christians mistake the theological idea in their heads for God. That idea in your head is not God. It is just an idea, just a word with some feelings connected to it. In this episode I go beyond “God talk” and point the listener to a direct experience of “God beyond God.” A lot of tim...
Salvation or Awakening?
May 12, 2020 13:00 - 12 minutes - 8.53 MBDid Jesus preach salvation or spiritual awakening? Was his message about how to be forgiven by a Divine Judge for one’s sins through a human sacrifice offered to a holy God? Or did he speak of awakening to the awareness of the Kingdom of God which is present here now? What is it that we need? Redemption or Enlightenment? Or both, or some combination of them? In this episode I compare these two understandings at the core of these two approaches to the spiritual life.
The Enlightenment of Jesus Christ
May 08, 2020 19:00 - 13 minutes - 9.15 MBJesus of Nazareth was enlightened, in the same sense that the word is used in spiritual circles today. Jesus was awake to the truth of his own nature and the nature of the universe, and he lived out of that awareness. His awakening experience is told in all three canonical gospels in the story known as his baptism. It is much more than the story of Jesus going through a religious rite. It describes his spiritual awakening in symbolic language, analogous to Siddhartha Gautama’s (the Buddha’s)...
The Enlightenment of Jesus Christ
May 08, 2020 19:00 - 13 minutes - 9.15 MBJesus of Nazareth was enlightened, in the same sense that the word is used in spiritual circles today. Jesus was awake to the truth of his own nature and the nature of the universe, and he lived out of that awareness. His awakening experience is told in all three canonical gospels in the story known as his baptism. It is much more than the story of Jesus going through a religious rite. It describes his spiritual awakening in symbolic language, analogous to Siddhartha Gautama’s (the Buddha’s)...
Nonduality & the Bible
May 06, 2020 18:00 - 13 minutes - 9.65 MBOne of the most difficult things for a Christian to overcome when experiencing and communicating the reality of nondual awareness is the vocabulary. It is a stumbling block to use the biblical term. Christians are used to the religious vocabulary of the gospels and the apostle Paul and the other biblical writers. But Nonduality is usually expressed in words and concepts drawn from Eastern religious traditions – from Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and similar faiths. When Christians first get a...
Reincarnation, Resurrection & Heaven
May 03, 2020 17:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MBIn this episode I explore the topics of reincarnation, resurrection and heaven from the perspective of unitive awareness. I thought about calling this “A Nondual Guide to the Afterlife.”
The Wisdom of Fear
April 28, 2020 15:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBThere is a lot of fear in religion. There is unhealthy fear – like fear of hell and punishment. There is also healthy fear, which the proverb says, “is the beginning of wisdom.” This episode is the most personal of any I have made. I share autobiographical stories of three occasions in my life when fear gripped me. Eventually this was seen as fear of the death of the self. This revealed the reality of the no-self. This death of the self and birth of Spirit in awareness is the real meaning of...
Eternity in our Hearts – The Christian Experience of Enlightenment
April 26, 2020 18:00 - 13 minutes - 9.24 MBThe term Enlightenment, when used in a spiritual or religious context, normally refers to the awakening experience of the Buddha and other religious sages of India and the East. It is a common term in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Nondualism. But for most Christians, the word “enlightenment” feels foreign, having nothing to do with the Christian faith and Western religion. But actually both the word and the concept of enlightenment are found in Christianity and even in the Christian scriptures. I...
Resurrection as Spiritual Awakening
April 12, 2020 23:00 - 11 minutes - 7.93 MBIn my Pandemic Devotion for today I explore the resurrection of Christ. It is not intended to be a doctrine to be believed but an awareness to be realized. The resurrection appearances of Jesus to his apostles were actually awakening experiences, waking them up to Christ’s true nature and our true nature.
The Christian Cross as Zen Koan
April 09, 2020 16:00 - 13 minutes - 9.06 MBIn this Pandemic Devotion I present a different perspective on the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus intended this death in Jerusalem to be a dramatic event designed to snap his disciples out of their illusions about who they thought he was and what his Kingdom was. It was meant to reveal his true nature and our true nature. It is analogous to the function of the koan in Zen Buddhism. Perhaps it is easier on Christian ears to call it a parable rather than a koan, for the historical Jesus would n...
Don’t Worry, You’re Going to Die
April 06, 2020 14:00 - 13 minutes - 9.02 MBThe Surgeon General has said, “This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans' lives.” President Trump said, “We’re going to go through a very rough two weeks.” This coronavirus pandemic has got Americans thinking and talking about death like never before. Coincidentally – or providentially – this is also Holy Week, the hardest and saddest week of the gospel narrative – the week that recalls the events leading up to the death of Jesus. In my Devotion for a Pandemic ...
Slouching Towards Armageddon
April 02, 2020 17:00 - 10 minutes - 7.58 MBIn this episode of Devotions for a Pandemic, I look at the fear that is gripping our country in anticipation of a surge of cases in the coming weeks. I compare this to the apocalyptic spirit that was present in the first century during the time of Jesus. Today we are in a better place to comprehend the feelings of the earliest disciples of Jesus as they hid behind closed doors in fear for their lives. I end the devotion with a reading of W. B. Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming,” which is the ...
Shelter from the Storm
March 30, 2020 15:00 - 13 minutes - 9.43 MBIn this episode of Devotions for a Pandemic, I explore one of the most popular passages of scripture being used by preachers at this time: Psalm 91. It includes verses like: Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousa...
The Biblical Way to Stop a Pandemic
March 29, 2020 18:00 - 10 minutes - 7.56 MBIn this episode of my series “Devotions for a Pandemic” I look at a biblical story from the Old Testament found in Numbers 16. In this story God causes a plague to sweep through the Hebrew people. Moses and Aaron come up with a plan to stop the pandemic. I believe it has some things to say to us in the midst of our coronavirus pandemic.
Spiritual Distancing
March 28, 2020 18:00 - 12 minutes - 8.53 MBIn this fourth episode of my Devotions for a Pandemic series, I look at the phenomenon of Social Distancing and its paralells with the spiritual discipline called Detachment, which I call Spiritual Distancing.
Meeting God in the Pandemic
March 27, 2020 17:00 - 11 minutes - 8.23 MBIn this third episode of Devotions for a Pandemic, I expore the questions "Who or What is God?" and "How can we we aware of God?" What is that mysterious dimension of reality that people call the Divine? And - to put it in the context of this COVID-19 pandemic - how can we get in touch with that spiritual dimension of reality that people call God?
Where is God in This Pandemic?
March 25, 2020 17:00 - 10 minutes - 7.25 MBThis video is part of the "Devotions for a Pandemic" series. In this episode I explore the opinion, proclaimed by some preachers, that natural disasters like this coronavirus pandemic are the judgment of God on this world and our nation.
Devotion for a Pandemic
March 24, 2020 15:00 - 12 minutes - 8.52 MBThe current coronavirus pandemic is a time when we are separated from the spiritual communities that enrich our lives. This is the first of some devotions to help fill that gap. This particular devotion is on the story of Elijah hearing the still small voice of God in a cave on Mount Horeb, found in First Kings 19.
Rethinking Salvation
November 06, 2019 18:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MBThis episode explores the common misunderstanding in Christianity that individuals are saved. No person is saved. People can’t be saved. In fact the person – that is the persona, the ego, or the self – has to die in order for salvation to be realized. Salvation is recognizing that our true nature is not our individual selves but that which lays behind all personas – behind the masks we wear and the roles we play.
The Nondual Kingdom of Jesus
September 20, 2019 12:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MBA while ago a clergy friend read my book on Christian Nonduality, and then asked me, “Do you really preach this stuff?’ I replied, “Yes, I do. But I do so very carefully.” By that I mean that I preach it from scripture and in a way that people in traditional Christian churches can hear the message. Today on this podcast I am presenting one of those sermons. This one was preached earlier this month –September 1, 2019 - at the Moultonboro United Methodist Church in Moultonboro NH. The scriptu...
Prayer and Nonduality
September 14, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBThe Tao of Christ is a podcast which explores the mystical, intuitive, and contemplative side of Christianity. In particular it explores what has been historically called the unitive life and union with God. I call it Christian nonduality, nondualism, and unitive awareness. Recently a listener from Vancouver asked if I would address the topic of prayer from the perspective of unitive awareness and Christian nonduality. In this episode I look at how traditional Christian prayer is not incon...
Earth Spirituality
September 08, 2019 12:00 - 7 minutes - 5.33 MBThis episode explores our spiritual connection to the earth as described in the creation stories of Genesis. I look at the creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2 and how they speak of the spiritual dimension of our existence. We are the earth conscious of itself. We are the universe conscious of itself. This is what it means to be formed of the earth and made in the image of God.
Christian Theology and Nonduality
September 02, 2019 12:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBThe Tao of Christ is a podcast which explores the mystical, intuitive, and contemplative side of Christianity. In particular it explores what has been historically called the unitive life and union with God. I call it Christian nonduality, nondualism, and unitive awareness. As a Christian, one issue that is continually raised in conversation is the relationship between Christian doctrine and mysticism. How does nonduality relate to Christian theology? Does traditional Christian doctrine cont...
Christian Theology and Nonduality
September 02, 2019 12:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBThe Tao of Christ is a podcast which explores the mystical, intuitive, and contemplative side of Christianity. In particular it explores what has been historically called the unitive life and union with God. I call it Christian nonduality, nondualism, and unitive awareness. As a Christian, one issue that is continually raised in conversation is the relationship between Christian doctrine and mysticism. How does nonduality relate to Christian theology? Does traditional Christian doctrine cont...
The Blasphemous Spirituality of Jesus
August 27, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBIn this episode we look at another passage in the Christian scriptures that speaks of unitive awareness. One of the most powerful and controversial passages in the Bible is found in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John. It is John 10:34-38: Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came — and Scripture cannot be broken — do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blasphem...
The Blasphemous Spirituality of Jesus
August 27, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBIn this episode we look at another passage in the Christian scriptures that speaks of unitive awareness. One of the most powerful and controversial passages in the Bible is found in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John. It is John 10:34-38: Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came — and Scripture cannot be broken — do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blasphem...
Unitive Awareness
August 21, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.4 MBThis podcast explores the mystical, intuitive, and contemplative side of Christianity. In particular it explores unitive awareness, also called Christian nonduality or nondualism, the unitive life and union with God. In this episode I lead the listener into an experience of unitive awareness.
Born Again, Unborn Always
August 15, 2019 12:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBIn this episode I explore what Jesus meant by the phrase "born again." It is not what Evangelical Christianity assumes it means. The phrase has nothing to do with religion, believing doctrines, or a conversion experience. I examine the famous scripture passage in the third chapter of the Gospel of John where Jesus has a discussion with the Jewish religious teacher, Nicodemus, about what it means to be born again, born anew, born from above or born of the Spirit. I show that Jesus was talking...
Apocalyptic Spirituality
August 09, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBIn this episode I continue my teaching on Christian nonduality. This time I am looking at the apocalyptic passages of scripture, in particular the “Little Apocalypse” of Jesus, also known as the Olivet Discourse, found in the gospels. What Jesus was describing in this dramatic eschatological passage is not a cataclysmic end of history or the physical dissolution of the cosmos. Jesus is describing a spiritual awakening to the true nature of the universe. Jesus was not an apocalyptic prophet s...
Apocalyptic Spirituality
August 09, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBIn this episode I continue my teaching on Christian nonduality. This time I am looking at the apocalyptic passages of scripture, in particular the “Little Apocalypse” of Jesus, also known as the Olivet Discourse, found in the gospels. What Jesus was describing in this dramatic eschatological passage is not a cataclysmic end of history or the physical dissolution of the cosmos. Jesus is describing a spiritual awakening to the true nature of the universe. Jesus was not an apocalyptic prophet s...
Not I But Christ
August 04, 2019 12:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBIn this episode I explore how Christian non-dualism is rooted in the teachings of the Christian scriptures, and in particular how it is taught in the most important verse in the New Testament – Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” The “I” the old self, the false self, the illusory self, the ego or persona, is dead...
What is Christian Nonduality?
July 30, 2019 12:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBIn this episode I define and explore the meaning of nonduality or non-dualism as perceived from a Christian perspective. Referencing Christian contemplatives like Richard Rohr and Evelyn Underhill, I make the case that non-duality is the core of the Christian faith, going back to the very beginnings of Christianity. It is not theology. It is not philosophy. It is an experiential and intuitive awareness of union with God, Christ, and all there is. I then explore how it is related to Christian...
The New Pilgrims Progress – Part 11 – The Celestial City
July 25, 2019 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.42 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” In this conclusion to the story Pilgrim and Truthful travel through Beulah Land and arrive at the River of Life, which has the Tree of Life growing on either side of the river. The pilgrims decide to spend the night on the riverbank before crossing the river in the morning. During the night Pilgrim has a dream/vision/revelation. When they awake they begin the crossing the river to ...
The New Pilgrims Progress – Part 10 – The Land of Caution
July 20, 2019 12:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” After descending the Mystic Mountains, Pilgrim and Truthful continue on the Way. They meet the Rich Young Ruler from the Bible, who has found a way to keep his riches and follow the Lord. They stop at the home of Family Woman, who with her husband and seven children is an advocate of Family Values. After being serenaded by their children with a rendition of “So Long, Farewell” from ...
The New Pilgrims Progress – Part 9 – The Mystic Mountains
July 15, 2019 12:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” After escaping from the Dark Knight’s dungeon, Pilgrim and Truthful continue following the Way to the Celestial City. They come to the foothills of the Mystic Mountains where they meet some shepherds who offer them hospitality. The shepherds take them on a tour of the various parts of the Mystic Mountains. They show them the Hill of Pride, Mount Fear, the Doors of Perception, Moun...
The New Pilgrims Progress – Part 8 – The Four Horsemen
July 10, 2019 12:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” After leaving the City of Megachurch, Pilgrim and Truthful spend the night in the barn of an elderly couple, who show them Christian hospitality. In the morning they continue on their way and immediately meet the Four Horsemen of the New Atheism (also known as the Brights) coming toward them in a whirlwind. They warn the pilgrims of the folly of their journey and advise them to turn...
The New Pilgrims Progress – Part 7 - Truthful
July 05, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” In this seventh part Pilgrim leaves the Prosperity Gospel Ministries and soon meets up with a fellow pilgrim named Truthful. Together they continue through the city of Megachurch. They visit Glassminster Cathedral, where they meet the Reverend Doctor Self-Esteem, the Christian Entertainment Center led by Pastor Showtime, the Market Driven Church pastored by a man in a Hawaiian shi...
The New Pilgrims Progress – Part 6 - Megachurch
June 30, 2019 12:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” It is an allegorical pilgrimage through the landscape of 21st century American spirituality. In this sixth part Pilgrim and Religious meet up with Billy Graham, who is also traveling the Way. Reverend Graham warns them of the dangers of the town they are approaching, and predicts that one of them would die for their faith. After departing from Billy Graham, Pilgrim and Religious ent...
The New Pilgrims Progress – Part 5 - Religious
June 26, 2019 12:00 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” It is an allegorical pilgrimage through the landscape of 21st century American spirituality. In this fifth chapter Pilgrim joins up with another traveler named Religious, whom he recognizes as his neighbor from the Shadowlands. Together they walk the Way toward the Celestial City. As they walk, they share their journeys with each other. Religious tells of his encounter with Sensual ...
The New Pilgrim's Progress - Part 4 - In the Valley
June 21, 2019 12:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” It is an allegorical pilgrimage through the landscape of 21st century American spirituality. In this fourth chapter Seeker descends the Hill of Difficulty. At the bottom of the hill he meets and does battle with the monster, Apollyon. From there he continues on to the Valley of the Shadow of Death where he walks Occam’s Razor, learns the truth about hell, and has to deal with his own...
The New Pilgrim's Progress - Part 3 - Calvary
June 16, 2019 12:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBThe New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” It is an allegorical pilgrimage through the landscape of 21st century American spirituality. In this third chapter Seeker comes to the Cross, where he meets three Shining Ones and takes a new name – Pilgrim. He meets two Sleepers, two Trespassers, as well as two fellow pilgrims who have been on the Way for two thousand years: Sacrament and Tradition. He climbs the Hill of Difficulty...