INTRODUCTION TO RADIANT MIND

With Joel Agee and Michael Shandler, Ed.D.

May 16 - 18, New York City

"I wholeheartedly recommend the Introduction to Radiant Mind workshop to you. Joel Agee and Michael Shandler will lead you directly into the experience of Radiant Mind and offer you opportunities to explore several key principles and practices of the 9 month Radiant Mind Course."

– Peter Fenner, Founder, Radiant Mind

The nine-month Radiant Mind course is fast gaining a reputation as one of the most innovative training programs for integrating the liberating wisdom of Asia’s nondual wisdom traditions at a deep level in all aspects of our life. The Radiant Mind course was developed by Dr. Peter Fenner, a leader in the adaptation of Asian wisdom for Westerners.

Radiant Mind is one of the most unique, powerful, and systematic spiritual learning experiences available. It is especially appropriate for Westerners because it is refreshingly free of dogmatism and rituals, yet provides step-by-step coaching support and experiential insight into the transcultural wisdom of Mahayana Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta.

In order to give people an opportunity to experience the core principles and practices of the nine-month course, we have designed a 3 day introduction to Radiant Mind.

The INTRODUCTION TO RADIANT MIND workshop explores the experience of intrinsic freedom, where we are neither resisting nor attempting to enhance our experience. This is a state in which we are aware, relaxed and able to fully embrace all experiences, emotions and thoughts without distortion or the need to escape them. In this natural meditation, we find ourselves in profound peace and clarity without having to do anything at all. This state has been given many names, such as “unconditioned mind,” “emptiness,” “Buddha-mind,” “no-mind” and “big mind.” It could as well be called “the unknowable,” because it is beyond the reach of thought. Yet, paradoxically, we can know it as our essential nature – fearless, compassionate, indestructible, and timeless.

Participants in the workshop will be invited to rest in simple, effortless presence without suppressing thoughts or aiming at any result. We will move organically between periods of discussion and practice and periods of silent contemplation.

The workshop offers opportunities to directly experience several key principles and practices of the larger course:

• Bridging the conditioned and unconditioned mind.
• Just sitting: the art of natural meditation.
• Non-dual contemplation: favoring neither speech nor silence.
• Pure listening and pure speaking: communication without bias.
• Understanding core fixations and primary biases: How we distort experience and perpetuate suffering.
• Broadening the river of life, or expanding the preference bandwidth.
• Deconstructive dialogue and meditative inquiry.

The Radiant Mind course has been endorsed by Ken Wilber – founder of the Integral Institute; Robert Thurman – founder of Tibet House, NYC; John Welwood – Buddhist Psychologist; Isaac Shapiro – International Advaita Teacher; Allan Combs – author of The Radiance of Being; Lama Palden Drolma – founder of the Sukhasiddhi Foundation; and Chuck Hillig, author of The Enlightenment Trilogy.

Fees: $300 USD

To enroll: please call Michael Shandler (413) 549-1670 or
email: michael@spaciousmindcoaching.com

Comments by Past Participants
* "... Just being in a space so skillfully held with love, respect and clarity, doing nothing in particular, was one of the most powerful experiences of my life so far... stories and preconceived notions just fell away. There was simply a deep sense of resting in each other's presence, resting in Presence..."

- Annique Boomsma

* "... a true taste of Radiant Mind..... opening up the direct experience of pure awareness, a real sense of timelessness, a felt sense of vast spaciousness, deep healing and truly natural contemplation."

- Susan Wilson

* ".... By day two there was such openness and trust that we flowed with ease into natural contemplation. Participants had a high quality experience of love, acceptance, joy, bliss, pure awareness, Radiant Mind. Nothing was missing."

- Susan Morton

Workshop Leaders

Joel Agee and Michael Shandler

Joel Agee is an author and translator who has been exploring nondual philosophy and practice for many years. Among his living teachers have been J. Krishnamurti, the Ven. Chao Khun Sobhana Dhamasuddhi, Vimala Thakar, U.G. Krishnamurti, and Douglas Harding. For the past four years he has been assisting Peter Fenner as a coach to students in the nine-month Radiant Mind course.

Michael Shandler, Ed.D. is an organization and leadership development consultant and life coach. He has been exploring and teaching various psycho-spiritual modalities since the 1960’s. His approach has been influenced by several teachers including Baba Hari Dass, Ramana Maharshi, Adyashanti, and Eckhart Tolle. He is a facilitator and coach in the 2008 nine-month Radiant Mind course in New York City.

For further details about Michael Shandler see his website