Category: philosophical counseling
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How Self-help Gets Confused With The Nondual Teaching
One of the most common confusions made by those on a nondual spiritual path like that of Advaita Vedanta is to presume that waking up entails the change of experiences that one “has.” The idea is that the Sage doesn’t “have” certain kinds of experiences–like negative thoughts or feelings–while those who are ignorant do. This…
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How Did Staunch Protestant Reformers Unintentionally Birth Secularism?
In this talk, I discuss the historian Brad Gregory’s fine book Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts That Continue to Shape Our World. In particular, I answer the following questions: ★ How did a secular society arise accidentally from a profoundly religious movement? ★ What is secularism and why does…
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Expanding The Curriculum Of The Direct Path Teaching
When I think of the direct path teaching, especially as it’s carried into the West in the twenty-first century, I’m inclined to see four areas in need of focus: This, then, would be a very sweet and comprehensive experiential study.
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The Direct Path Deconstructs Your Conceptual Model
The version of Advaita Vedanta termed “the direct path” refers either to Ramana Maharshi’s teaching or to Sri Atmananda’s. In this case as well as in others, I’m referring to the latter. One simple way of thinking of the direct path teaching is to see that all it’s doing is deconstructing your conceptual model. Being…
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You Don’t Get Off Scot-free
You don’t get off scot-free in this life. Suppose that you have an “ancient fear” of being alone. Maybe you were a child and you felt deeply alone. Fast forward 20, 30, 50 years. Why is it so hard to sleep through the night? There may be many reasons, of course, but from this point…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 