Spiritual paths

=The Spiritual Paths Foundation & Institute=

Mission

Spiritual Paths convenes distinguished teachers to convey the transformative principles and theories of the world’s spiritual traditions, and to train students the practices of meditation and contemplation. This work is called “InterSpiritual” because of the unique process of group meditations and the continuing dialog around contemplative intentions, methods, and experiences. Working together, students and faculty co-create an inner foundation for active engagement in the world based on shared contemplative experience and compassionate intent. The thematic programs and educational materials help participants develop a sustainable contemplative practice, benefit from the wisdom of various traditions, and create a community of people from many spiritual perspectives to solve the challenges of our time.

Purpose

The exceptional value of the Spiritual Paths Institute comes from an integrated training in a primary practice along with systematic exposure to practices from other traditions. This uniquely inclusive education and training helps students to develop a mature, comprehensive, and sustainable meditative practice, giving rise to compassion, wisdom, equanimity, meaning, and purpose. Each of the educational and public service projects are based on these principles. The goal of all the programs is to develop universal InterSpiritual Wisdom to guide personal lives, relationships, professions, and service in the world.

=Overview

The Spiritual Paths Institute curriculum on InterSpiritual Wisdom is a course of study with respected teachers of contemplative wisdom and applied spirituality that combines intellect, heart, and spiritual practice. It was developed by an InterSpiritual team of exceptional teachers, each authenticated within their respective traditions. The program is based on an intellectual inquiry and contemplative experience of the teachings of the world’s sacred traditions combined with personally mentored spiritual practice.

The program entails four semesters, each beginning with a six-day intensive retreat followed by distance learning in a tutorial and small group format. The four semester themes are: Founding Principles, Transformation, Engaged Spirituality, and Global Vision-Personal Commitment.

Students will gain an understanding of the world’s spiritual traditions, develop their own spiritual paths, and learn to apply InterSpiritual Wisdom to their personal, professional, and community lives. Students range in age from 24 – 84. They learn to apply this wisdom to their professions including education, business, medicine, health care, environment, social work, psychology, consciousness studies, science, law, government, ministry, chaplaincy, media, and the arts.

Teachers and Advisors

The founding faculty of the program on InterSpiritual Wisdom is: Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, Ph.D., Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Ph.D., Shaikha Camille Helminski, Shaikh Kabir Helminski, Swami Atmarupananda, and Edward W. Bastian, Ph.D. who is the founder and president. Over forty other teachers have contributed to over 35 programs and retreats. These include: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., Judith Simmer-Brown, Ph.D., Roshi Joan Halifax, Sister Jose, Very Reverend Alan Jones, Ph.D., Ani Tenzin Kacho, Rabbi Miles Krassen, Ph.D., Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D., Natanel Miles-Yepez, Ven. Tenzin Priyadarshi, Sharon Salzberg, Tara Brach, Tekaronianeken Jake Swamp, Don Four Arrows Jacobs Professor, Rabbi Arthur Gross Shaefer, Pastor Susanne Dunn, Rabbi Alyson Solomon, Dr. Ira Byock, Dr. Michael Kearney.

Senior Spiritual Advisors

The senior spiritual advisors are: Father Thomas Keating Benedictine Monk and founder of Centering Prayer. Rabbi Zalman Schachter, Ph.D. Founder of Jewish Renewal, author and teacher. Geshe Lhundup Sopa Professor Emeritus of Buddhist Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Spiritual Styles and Questions

Spiritual Paths provides an education in the basic principles and theories of spiritual practice along with training in the processes and techniques of meditation. Based on the works of founder Ed Bastian, the program encourages each student to discover and honor her or his own spiritual styles and questions as they engage in the process of inquiry, insight, and integration. Following are Bastian’s list of twelve families of spiritual styles or possible spiritual paths that our students might wish to explore: Path of The Arts, Path of the Body, Path of Contemplation & Meditation, Path of Devotion and Faith, Path of Healing, Path of Intellect and Science, Path of Love and Compassion, Path of the Mystic, Path of Nature, Path of Prayer, Path of Relationships and Service, Path of Wisdom.

Origin of the term InterSpiritual

The use of the term InterSpiritual was inspired by BrotherWayne Teasdale in his book “The Mystic Heart”where he said: “Humanity stands at a crossroads between horror and hope. In choosing hope, we must seed a new consciousness, a radically fresh approach to life drawing its inspiration from perennial spiritual and moral insights, intuition and experience. We call this new awareness Interspiritual, implying not the homogenization of religion, but the recovering of the shared mystic heart beating in the center of the world’s deepest spiritual traditions.”

Contact Information

Telephone - 805 695-0104 website – www.spiritualpaths.net