Across Lineages of Nondual Spirituality
In Episode 591 of Mindrolling, Raghu Markus has a deep dialogue with James Ishmael Ford, Zen Buddhist priest and ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, about his recent offering, The Intimate Way of Zen. They walk this landscape of nondual spirituality, exploring our relationship with ourselves, each other, and the fabric of reality itself.
Across Traditions: A Spiritual Journey
Ford’s spiritual journey comprises over five decades and includes several traditions: “I’ve danced with Sufis, studied with Christian mystics, lived in Buddhist monasteries, and eventually was ordained both as a Zen priest and Unitarian Universalist minister,” Ford says. This unique background enables him to work as the bridge between Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, exploring these crossroads in their intersections with insight.
The conversation starts with Ford contemplating his early spiritual influences, especially the mother’s grandmother, who served as a spiritual anchor for the family. “She had this quiet, unshakeable faith that permeated everything,” he recalls. “Not the dogmatic kind, but a lived spirituality that showed me from childhood that there were deeper ways of being in the world.”
Essence of Intimacy in Zen Practice
Undoubtedly, Ford’s conception of intimacy occupies the mostly central position in the conversation within which intimacy in Zen may be defined. “Intimate way isn’t some state achieved,” says Ford. “It is the awareness of our ultimate bonding with all things-what Zen tradition calls ‘not one, not two.’ Intimacy is not what we create; intimacy is what we unearth.”
A deep exploration follows on how that perception shifts our nexus with life itself. “When we are really meeting this moment with an open heart, our entire life becomes the way,” Ford would tell us. “Traffic sounds, dish washing, or talking with a friend, all of that is a vehicle for awakening.”
Spiritual Friendship and Unconditional Love
An especially touching segment examines spiritual friendship’s (kalyāṇa-mittatā in Pali) strengths. “These are relationships that aren’t about mutual gratification,” Ford clarifies. “They’re about mutual awakening. They’re rare and precious – connections where you’re both committed to seeing through the illusions that keep us separate.”
This naturally leads to a discussion of unconditional love and non-judgment. Here, Ford recalls the teaching of Ram Dass on the imperative to view others as trees: “When you look at a tree, you don’t judge it for being too tall or not leafy enough. You receive it as it is. Can we meet people with that same quality of attention?”
Integrating Bhakti and Buddhist Wisdom
The dialogue now takes a fascinating twist when Bhakti Yoga’s devotional heart is compared with Buddhist wisdom. According to Ford, at first glance, they seem to contradict one another. But from the deepest place, both point to the same truth: the fall away of the separate self.
“And I’ve come to see it as having a Buddhist brain, a Christian heart, and a rationalist stomach,” Ford grins. “Each has a role to play in this unfolding understanding.”
Navigating Spiritual Pitfalls
True to form, Ford speaks about flirts with various spiritual pitfalls during his journey: “I’ve danced with nihilism-that nothing matters. I’ve wrestled with cynicism around spiritual claims. I’ve gotten lost in New Age fantasies. Each was a valuable teacher showing me where I was clinging to views rather than opening to direct experience.”
He comments particularly insightfully on current psychedelic resurgence: “These substances can be powerful tools for glimpsing beyond our ordinary constructs. But a glimpse is not abiding realization. The real work starts when the chemicals wear off-how do we embody that openness in our everyday life?”
The Many Paths to Awakening
Breed-specific in these reflections is Ford’s valorization of spirituality’s manifold paths. “There are infinitely many doorways to awakening,” he meditates. “Zen practice works direct seeing. Bhakti opens the way through the heart. Jungian psychology goes symbolic,” Ford ruminates on whatever door might admit entry. “What does it matter which door you go through, as long as you have the courage to go all the way through.”
Recommended Readings
Ford mentions three books during the conversation:
- Zen at the End of Religion – a study emerging among the common religious boundaries into Zen
- If You’re Lucky Your Heart Will Break – the transformative power of suffering
- The Intimate Way of Zen – his newest work discussed in this episode
The Fundamental Question
Maybe the tightest moment is Ford’s acknowledgement of the development of his spiritual search: “I began inquiring into the existence of a God; I soon realized that this was actually not the right question. What it was, then, was ‘What is God?’ and now it’s simply ‘What is this?’ That naked question, held in open awareness, contains everything.”
This episode shows the listeners not only philosophically but also practically how to life in its present moment with much more presence, compassion, and clarity. Closing, Raghu muses, “What comes through is that spirituality isn’t about achieving some special state but about fully meeting this ordinary moment-and discovering it was never ordinary to begin with.”
Listeners interested in Ford’s works might check out his website or subscribe to the Unanswered Question Newsletter for ongoing reflections at the interface of Zen, mysticism, and contemporary life.
