157. Kurt Johnson

Kurt JohnsonDr. Kurt Johnson has worked in science and spirituality for over 40 years.  This dual career in science and spirituality is detailed at WIKIPEDIA.  In spirituality, Kurt is co-author of the recently published book The Coming Interspiritual Age, with David Robert Ord, the Editorial Director of Namaste Publishing (publishers of such spiritual teachers as Eckhart Tolle and Michael Brown). As a New Release, the book has been in Amazon’s Top Ten in Spirituality.

Kurt was originally a Christian monk and founded, with Br. Wayne Teasdale and others, the InterSpiritual Dialogue Association for discussion of contemplative experience across traditions. Ordained in three spiritual traditions, he works also with The Contemplative Alliance and Integral Communities.

In science, Kurt is the co-author of the best-selling Nabokov’s Blues: The Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius, with Steve Coates of The New York Times, which was a Top Ten Book in science in 2000. Kurt’s PhD is in evolution, ecology, systematics and comparative biology.  Associated with the American Museum of Natural History (30 yrs.). He published 200+ articles on evolution and ecology, including the 2011 Harvard DNA sequence study vindicating Vladimir Nabokov’s views of evolution. He is currently completing another book on Nabokov’s science and art for Yale University Press.  However, Kurt’s primary interest is the simplicity of nondual spiritual practice.

Kurt now hosts The CONVERGENCE SERIES on VoiceAmerica, a series joining the millennial message of the Wisdom Traditions and the many passion areas of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, spirituality and science.  Ken Wilber frames the Series and guests well known to BATGAP include Deepak Chopra, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Karenna Gore, Michael Dowd, Duane Elgin, Gregg Braden, Fr. Thomas Keating, Steve Farrell, Karuna, Patricia Albere, David Nicol, Loch Kelly and Grammy Nominees Pato Banton and Ras I Ray.  The website provides information on every episode including additional materials from the co-hosts and guests.

Other organizations with which Kurt is involved:

Interview recorded 1/12/2013

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to “The Coming Interspiritual Age”
  • 00:05:03 – The Shift towards Non-Duality and Holism
  • 00:09:00 – The Evolution of Human Capacities
  • 00:13:09 – The Shaking Out Period
  • 00:17:01 – Experimenting with Structural Change and New Ways of Doing Things
  • 00:21:14 – The Unfolding of Patterns and Idealism
  • 00:26:08 – Embedding Awakeness in Everything
  • 00:30:34 – Overlapping Movements: Activism and Spirituality
  • 00:34:14 – Creating a Welcoming Space for Conversation
  • 00:37:29 – Divine Guidance and Conscious Choices
  • 00:41:37 – Taking Radical Risks for Change
  • 00:44:38 – The Embodiment Movement and the Non-dual World
  • 00:47:43 – The Simultaneous Embodied and Transcendent Experience
  • 00:51:14 – The Significance of Different Perspectives
  • 00:54:47 – The Urgency to Avoid Extinction
  • 00:58:18 – The Inter-Spiritual Movement and Universal Spirituality
  • 01:01:47 – Inter-spirituality and the Universal Understanding
  • 01:05:44 – Connecting the Dots and Implications of the Heart Sutra
  • 01:08:50 – The Oneness of the Spiritual World
  • 01:12:44 – Exploring the Subtler Realms of Reality
  • 01:16:21 – Non-Dual Fundamentalists and the Mellowing Process
  • 01:20:25 – A Cataclysmic Shift in Perception
  • 01:23:26 – Connections and Dream Interpretations
  • 01:27:02 – The Feeling of Completion and Moving On
  • 01:29:53 – Stability in Monastic Life
  • 01:32:55 – Curiosity without Investment
  • 01:36:10 – The Universality of the Human Experience
  • 01:39:50 – Welcoming the Holistic Gestalt
  • 01:43:49 – Shifting from Religion to Spirituality
  • 01:48:22 – Visitations from Perfected Beings and the Spiritual Side
  • 01:52:06 – Closing Remarks and Future Updates