The Contemplative Stance: Stillness, Caring for Others, and Leadership | Sr. Mary Lou Mitchell

Music Professor Finds Samadhi: Kriya Yoga, Kirtan, and Undramatic Enlightenment | John Covach

Kirya Yoga | Kirtan | Samadhi | Meditation | Enlightenment | Kundalini | Yogananda | Autobiography of a Yogi | Siddhartha by Herman Hesse | Bhakti Neti Neti | Chakras From dancing to Beatles records as a child and playing in progressive rock bands in his youth, to a distinguished academic career teaching music history and theory, John Covach achieved immense success in the material world. But his deepest satisfaction has come from a parallel, quieter path: the practice and teaching of meditation. As a Yogacharya — authorized teacher — of Kriya Yoga, John joins The Spiritual Context Podcast to trace his fascinating evolution. In this conversation, John traces how early literary influences like Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha and Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi shaped his worldview, how he uncovered the hidden spiritual underpinnings of modern music, and what life actually looks like after reaching the highly sought-after state of Samadhi.Chapters00:00 Identity: Not this, Not that08:56 Kirtan: Krishna Das, Performance Dynamics, & Spiritual Energy16:42 The Yogas: Approaches to Enlightenment25:46 Steady Spiritual Practice, Without Expectation29:16 Skillful Means: Different Teachings in Different Stages of Life35:25 Clear the Path & Kundalini Rises By Itself37:53 Rock Music, Herman Hesse, Yogananda, and Schoenberg50:36 Reading Hesse's Siddhartha & Mapping the Spiritual Path59:56 Kriya Yoga and Stilling the Mind01:04:46 Lahiri Mahasaya and the Evolution of Kriya Techniques01:15:39 Recommendations for Those Interested in Kriya Yoga01:17:29 Parasympathetic Nervous System and the Experience of Stillness in Meditation01:24:46 Kundalini Energy and Chakras01:34:19 Enlightenment Isn't What You Think It Is01:39:02 Brain, Filtered Perception, and the Possibility of Pure Perception01:50:15 Personal Transformation: Equanimity01:54:27 Releasing the Ego & Personal Motivation01:58:48 Using Music for MeditationFor more information, check out: https://www.facebook.com/JohnCovachMusicAndMeditation @JohnCovachMusicAndMeditation  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCQgJ5OeD8nhjd5Rl20spLXQ]

Snagged by the Divine — Pravrajika Vrajaprana on Self-Realization, Devotion, & the Ramakrishna Tradition

A 15-year-old anti-war activist arrived at the Vedanta Society in Southern California to distribute protest flyers. Upon hearing that inner peace is the prerequisite for world peace, she realized that peace requires working in a domain far deeper than politics. She was snagged by the Divine. But it wasn't until ten years later, compelled by a close encounter with death, that she finally committed to the monastic path in the Ramakrishna Order. Realizing God is easy, her guru Swami Prabhavananda told her. Now, after five decades of monastic life, Pravrajika Vrajaprana shares her own experience of the ego gradually making way for the peace of Self-Realization. Intimate stories with spiritual luminaries — holy and hilarious. Devotion to her guru. Facing death. Embodying Kali. Life at the convent. And what it truly means to love God above all else. Chapters 00:00 The First Encounter with Swami Prabhavananda: Tangible Holiness 06:38 Why Politics Couldn’t Satisfy the Soul 13:49 Lightning Bolt: The Day "Atman Is Brahman"Changed Everything 17:59 The Car Accident That Led to The Convent 27:35 Meditate With the Sword of Death Over Your Head 36:50 What Is a Guru? The Eternal Relationship 51:34 Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, and The Holy Mother 58:25 Humor in Spiritual Teachings 01:00:22 Are You a Bhakta or a Jnani? 01:07:02 We Have Only Ever Loved God 01:13:14 The Ego-Crushing Machine: Spiritual Life in aConvent 01:18:34 She Whose Life is Devoted to God 01:20:04 Mother Kali: The Mama Bear 01:30:10 "Realizing God is Easier than QuittingSmoking" -- Really? 01:32:17 Dry Spells & Burning Karma 01:35:04 Humor and Compassion Work Better to Train the EgoThan Fighting It 01:41:37 A Chaplain's Lessons: Seeing God in Everyone 01:48:30 Most Attuned To the Divine 01:52:50 Supporting Others on Their Spiritual Journey

"My Father Died" — Is It True? The Work of Byron Katie on Eating Disorders, Abandonment & Death | Grace Bell

How many of your beliefs have you really questioned? What if it is these same unquestioned beliefs that cause suffering? And what if questioning is all that's required for stressful thoughts to let go of you? Grace Bell has used The Work of Byron Katie to question the thoughts underlying her eating disorder, divorce, grief, and cancer diagnosis, and found that without the filter of these thoughts, reality is far kinder than the mind insists. A certified facilitator of The Work for over two decades, Grace walks through the four questions and the turnaround as taught by Byron Katie, weaving the method into her own healing journey to show how self-inquiry works not as philosophy but as practice — in times of crisis and in the ordinary moments of daily life. Guest Bio: Grace Bell is a certified Byron Katie facilitator, licensed counselor, and founder of Work With Grace, dedicated to helping people find mental and emotional freedom through self-inquiry. She offers the Eating Peace process, drawing from personal experience to guide people away from food obsession toward relaxed, balanced eating. She also hosts the Peace Talk podcast and leads the Year of Inquiry, an immersive ten-month self-inquiry program. Resources: * The Work of Byron Katie: https://thework.com/ * Work With Grace: https://workwithgrace.com/ * Eating Peace Process: https://eatingpeaceprocess.com/ * Work With Grace YouTube:  ⁨@QuestionWithGrace⁩  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC0qv2UaUlAgC2_XhQRtCq0g] Chapters 00:00 What does it mean to believe thoughts? 07:03 South Africa, Adolescence, and the Birth of an Eating Disorder 17:39 Eating Disorder is Really a Thinking Disorder 25:20 Questioning Our Thoughts: The Work of Byron Katie 40:21 The Work: Four Questions and Turnarounds 53:41 Two Ways of Letting Go: Using Thoughts and Using Feelings 57:49 Core Beliefs: I'm Not Safe, I Could Be Abandoned 01:12:05 Life without an Eating Disorder 01:14:58 Doing The Work on Divorce 01:22:15 "I Am Willing to Get Cancer Again" 01:28:42 "My Father Died - Is It True?": Grief Feels Like Love 01:39:27 Questioning or Holding Space? 01:45:28 Out of Suffering Arises New and Unexpected Growth 01:57:15 12-Step, A Course in Miracles, and "Negative Grandiosity" 02:06:03 "I Have What It Takes": A Practice for Finding Ground Music for this episode  ⁨@BenBigelow3⁩  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCu4YSZ3Z-DlgouWcgH9xwUQ] #byronkatie #selfinquiry #spirituality #eatingdisorderrecovery #questioningbeliefs #spiritualpodcast #grief

The Ego is About Five: A Vow to Meet Suffering with Compassion | Zen Teacher Bussho Lahn

Waking up is not a departure from ordinary life but a deeper arrival into it. Rev. Busshō Lahn, a Zen priest and spiritual director, has spent decades practicing this arrival, responding to the infinite welcoming of reality. What he finds there, and what this conversation circles, is that turning toward suffering rather than away from it may be the most honest thing we can offer — to ourselves in meditation and one another in spiritual companionship. Somewhere between Dogen and dogs, kittens and mortality, laughter and silence, a quality of presence slowly comes into focus — the kind that doesn't try to fix what is broken or explain what cannot be explained, but simply stays. That quality has a name. It's what Busshō's name means: wide open wonder. If you've ever sensed that the spiritual life may be less about becoming and more about realizing what is already here, this conversation may feel strangely familiar and paradoxically new. Rev. Busshō Lahn is the guiding teacher of Flying Cloud Zen, a hybrid community offering both in-person and virtual practice opportunities. He is a speaker, retreat leader, spiritual director, and author, and was a Senior Staff Priest at Minnesota Zen Meditation Center for over a decade. He is the author of Singing and Dancing Are the Voice of the Law: A Commentary on Hakuin's “Song of Zazen” (2023). Flying Cloud Zen: https://www.flyingcloudzen.org/ Chapters 00:00 Zen: Rebellion, Fusion, and the Place Beyond Words 06:47 Compassion and Wisdom: How the Transcendent Shows Up in Time 15:09 Waking Up in the Dream: Nonduality, Dogen, and the Christian Encounter 23:45Origin Story: A Catholic Brother, a Borrowed Text, and a Long Dance with Zen 32:03First Books on Zen: Katagiri, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Espresso Shot 38:50Primarily a Student: On Identity, Role, and the Danger of Believing the Label 51:00Making Meaning: Viktor Frankl, Empty Moments, and the Cat Who Just Eats 01:05:53 Wide Open Wonder: Buddha Nature, Animals, and 'You Are That Thing' 01:10:38 Zazen, Suffering, and Spiritual Direction: Buddha Shows Up 01:25:13 Embracing Suffering with Compassion 01:33:15 The Mountain Remains: Li Po, Self-Witnessing, and Part Two Music for this episode  ⁨@BenBigelow3⁩  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCu4YSZ3Z-DlgouWcgH9xwUQ]

Waking Up Due to the Efforts of Others: Rev. Kenji Akahoshi on Shin Buddhism and Gratitude

From Japanese American internment camps to a successful career in dentistry. From vision quests in the wilderness to a second calling as a Shin Buddhist (Jodo Shinshu) minister. From grief and loss to a heart filled with gratitude — Rev. Kenji Akahoshi's remarkable life has taught him that joy emerges when life is received rather than grasped.Kenji Sensei's teaching is simple but radical: a shift in orientation from please to thank you. From a life driven by lack, desire, and striving, to a life awakened to what we have already received simply by being alive.Kenji Sensei shares a form of Buddhism grounded not in spiritual perfection, but in ordinary human life. We do not need to eliminate all desire, transcend the ego, or abandon our responsibilities in search of peace. Instead, we can begin exactly where we are, embracing ourselves and others as we are, while gradually waking up to the countless visible and invisible gifts that sustain our lives.This is Shin Buddhism at its most accessible — and perhaps its most profound.What We Cover• The lasting impact of Japanese American internment camps• Vision quests and awakening to one's "song"• The shift from please to thank you• The movement from "me" to "we"• Gratitude in the midst of grief, illness, and loss• Embracing the "idiot self" with honesty and compassion• Living the life we already have• Freedom from dependence on others' opinions • A spiritual path for ordinary people• Finding joy in elderhoodKirk Akahoshi's YouTube channel documenting his journey with cancer: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5EFiTiC59p5yGBF_lx3lHCiVCeQ-AB0Z Chapters 00:00 Early Experience of Internment and Its Influence on Life 05:16 Philosophy, Depth Psychology, and Transpersonal Psychology 11:46 The Vision Quest: Awakens to Truth and Sings its Beauty 18:34 Finding One's Place in the Interdependent Reality 24:39 Living Shin Buddhism: Lessons from Family and Culture 28:34 Amida Buddha: The Life Energy We All Receive 32:53 Interconnectedness: "Because of You, I am Fine" 40:21 Waking Up: Consciousness Leads to Gratitude 49:17 From Please to Thank You: A Shift in Mindset 53:08 Gratitude in the Face of Adversity 01:03:01 Start Now and Practice Daily 01:07:29 Receiving All Things with Gratitude 01:16:03 The Practice of No Practice: Acknowledging What WeReceive 01:20:21 "You are not an evil person, you are anidiot" 01:23:24 Trusting the Evolutionary Trajectory of Life 01:28:35 The Interconnectedness of Life 01:29:50 Addressing the Shadow Self 01:38:01 Exploring the Psyche and the Spiritual 01:46:22 Joy at 84 Years of Age 01:50:06 Advice for Young Adults on Community and Gratitude