David Nichtern – CSM Podcast – Ep. 48 – The Relative and The Absolute with Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson

Focusing on the relative and absolute, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson and David Nichtern explore mindfulness, mysticism, and more.

David and Jay spend this episode discussing:
  • Jay’s interdisciplinary background and seizing the day
  • Mindfulness and Jewish mysticism
  • Spiritual and Sensual Exploration
  • Relying on a joyful state of mind
  • The intersection of psychedelics and spirituality
  • The sweet spot between contemplative practice and engaged activism
  • Economics, politics, and the elites
  • Bliss states and relative experiences
  • Neurodiversity and the Enneagram
  • Generational shifts of awareness

“In my actual life, having those relative experiences enables me to touch into the absolute in the midst of daily life. That’s especially true with the dharmic use of psychedelics. The experience itself, especially if it’s a long experience, has its own teaching, and it’s possible to train the mind to remember.” – Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson

About Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson:

Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson works at the intersection of politics, law, and contemplative practice.  A journalist, meditation teacher, and professor, Jay is the author of ten books and over three hundred articles. Jay is also a teacher, podcast host, and editor at the Ten Percent Happier meditation startup, which makes serious contemplative practice available to a contemporary audience.  He has written several books about meditation and spirituality, including The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path  and Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment. He is also a nondenominational rabbi and frequently writes and teaches about Jewish theology and mysticism. Jay is also an affiliated assistant professor at Chicago Theological Seminary and a visiting fellow at the Center for LGBTQ & Gender Studies in Religion.

Pick up a copy of Jay Michaelson’s new fiction book, The Secret That Is Not a Secret