I recently completed the requirements of the International Metaphysical Ministry Seminary, receiving a Bachelor’s in Metaphysics and ordination in the International Metaphysical Ministry. This is a significant step toward completing two Ph.D.-level studies with the University of Sedona, a religious institution of higher education. I will eventually write dissertations in Mystical Research and Metaphysical Sciences.
Sometimes, I wonder how I got here, and I’d like to share a small portion of that journey with you.
In 2016 I began practicing Zen seriously and met my teacher, Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi. Jun Po taught that Waking Up is not enough; it’s the easy part. “There are a lot of awake @$$holes running around,” he would say. He was sometimes referring to himself. What he meant was that ego deconstruction as an end was inadequate. There had to be a process of conscious ego-reconstruction. Japanese Zen’s ego deconstruction and reconstruction method has significant pros and cons, especially for Westerners entangled in everyday life. Further, our particular lineage has an assumption that an Awakened person spontaneously behaves skillfully and compassionately. Even cursory research on the scandals of spiritual teachers shows that sentiment is a load of crap.
Closing that gap is what drove me to practice. Meeting Jun Po is where I learned how to go about it.
He was driven to explore how modern psychology addressed the shortcomings of traditional training. His experiences in spiritual communities and the behavior of his various teachers were significant drivers. However, what lit the fire was owning and facing his shortcomings.
Hollow Bones even goes so far as to alter one of the standard vows of all Zen practitioners from “Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to extinguish them all.” to
However deep and elusive my shadow states are, I vow to experience and enlighten them all.
Hollow Bones Sutra Book
The principle is very similar, but the resulting shift in how it directs our practice is significant.
Jun Po became involved in all sorts of therapeutic and coaching processes. I believe the first was the Hoffman Process. Still, he also spent time practicing and understanding the ideas of neurolinguistic programming, voice dialogue, parts work, integral theory, and, I’m sure, many other things. His mission was to update the spiritual training he received as a yogi and Zen monk for a Western context, valuing profound awakening experiences, emotional awareness, and ego transformation equally. In many ways, he simply updated the presentation of classical training that was always present in the traditions; in other ways, he pioneered integrally informed Zen practice and an East meets West Synthesis.
The primary result of his work is known as the Mondo Zen Koan Practice. In brief, it is a collection of 13 meditations. The first ten approximately summarize the process of Zen Awakening and the final three express how the Awakening process is applied to emotional awareness and ego transformation.
All of the above is to demonstrate that my root spiritual teacher instilled in me a recognition of the necessity of healthy relative (ego) structures to support and express deep, mystical wisdom in several interconnected phases:
a) enact psycho-spiritual health.
b) deeply awaken to ultimate reality and see through our illusory self-nature.
c) consciously deconstruct our sense of self.
d) intentionally reconstruct helpful identities.
As I advanced in my training, I realized that Zen practice is more suitable for some than others. The ritual components, philosophical perspectives, meditation training, embodiment practices, and so forth come from a very different worldview. For Zen to be most effective, practitioners must undertake multiple demanding counter-cultural practices. Further, its strengths are in phases B and C above; utilizing it exclusively to treat phases A and D is unnecessary when other systems can do it more effectively for most people.
Thus, I started exploring what might allow me to serve the people in my community better and continue Jun Po’s synthesis. First, by deepening my study of East Asian Wisdom, then branching into studies of integral theory, coaching methods, developmental psychology, neuroscience, consciousness studies, internal family systems, and the like. Scientific perspectives and therapeutic modalities can support our mental health (phase A). However, I believe they operate too superficially to be truly powerful for ego reconstruction. This led me to explore other spiritual and metaphysical traditions to see how different systems addressed these issues.
Eventually, I discovered multiple Western mystical/metaphysical traditions that specialize in transmuting and perfecting the person, in contrast to sublimating and denying it. Despite this shift in emphasis, East Asian Wisdom and Western mystery traditions rely on a deep relationship with the sublime and regard it similarly. Most of the underlying principles are so similar they are interchangeable. However, the shift in emphasis and the proximity of the worldview makes it more practical and accessible for most people I meet. After some time, Zen becomes more relevant. Pulling from elements of “both sides” as needed has proven highly effective for me and those I’ve been working with.
Undertaking metaphysical training with the International Metaphysical Ministry is one of several avenues that I am taking to deepen and broaden my understanding in this area. I’m excited to share my research with you as it progresses, and look forward to being of service!