The Direct Path: A Conversation with Sam Harris
In this conversation, Sam and Stephan discuss the direct approach to self-realization, a path of awakening that draws from nondual wisdom traditions of Zen, Dzogchen-Mahamudra, and Advaita Vedanta, and bypasses elaborate belief systems or self-improvement techniques.
They also discuss Stephan’s experience learning and teaching Zen meditation, becoming a monk, Stephan’s experience of awakening and integration thereafter, sudden vs. gradual awakening, common misunderstandings about the direct path, and the connection between meditation and ethics as it relates to student-teacher relationships.
Interview with Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump
on Spiritual Integrity
In this interview, Stephan and Rick explore some of the following topics:
What does spiritual integrity really mean?
The role and deeper meaning of ethical precepts
Understanding the power dynamics of the teacher-student relationship
How teachers abuse their sacred responsibility and act out of integrity
Why narcissists are drawn to becoming spiritual teachers
How students are taken in by misguided teachers
The crucial role of discernment on the path: “The true guru is inside you”
Sex in the forbidden zone: Wanderers, predators, and boundary confusion
Acknowledging and integrating the shadow
How to know when it’s time to leave a teacher
The future of the spiritual teacher-student relationship in the We