Episode 1: Welcome and Introduction Artwork

All Things Contemplative

There is a contemplative dimension of life (CDL) to which we can awaken via nature, science, art, religion or otherwise. A religious person might say such awakening is a grace and of god’s will. Other’s that it is simply a human potentiality, common to all. This podcast explores how people and traditions understand the CDL and related practices; and how such practices can enrich life experience. HOST: Ron Barnett received a doctorate in psychology and worked for many years in medical research with the U.S. National Institutes of Health. He is a lifelong student and teacher of contemplative practices and the flourishing of human well-being. Ron served as a Board Trustee of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. and Coordinator of its Chapter for metropolitan Washington DC. He now teaches with The Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography. CONTACT: rbarnett@hey.com. BLOG: https://contemplativepodcast.posthaven.com/

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All Things Contemplative

Episode 1: Welcome and Introduction

September 27, 2020 • Episode 1

0:00 | 4:15

Ron Barnett your host extends a welcome to listeners of this new podcast and describes how it aims to explore the contemplative dimension of life and living with invited guests.

The All Things Contemplative Blog

Speaker 1:

Hello, my name is Ron Barnett, and I would like to welcome you to the All Things Contemplative podcast. In this episode, I'll tell you a little bit about myself, who I am, and tell you a little bit about the podcast, its purpose, and some of the upcoming episodes that you may have an interest in. A former teacher of mine, Thomas Keating, had a great deal to say about the contemplative dimension of life. Thomas was a author, a priest, and a monk, and he spoke of a contemplative dimension of life and how we can awaken to it via our experiences of nature, a science, art, or religion. A religious person might say such awakening is a grace and of God's will, others, that it is simply a human potentiality that is common to all. In this podcast, we'll be exploring through conversations with a diverse range of individuals and traditions, how they understand this dimension and related practices to foster it, and how such practices can enrich life experience.

So to begin a word about myself, I received a doctorate in psychology a number of decades ago, and I've worked for many years in medical research with the US National Institutes of Health. I've been a lifelong student and a teacher of various contemplative practices, including various approaches to meditation and the flourishing of human wellbeing. I've served as a board trustee of Contemplative Outreach, LTD, and I was a coordinator of its chapter for metropolitan Washington DC that included Maryland and Northern Virginia. Currently, I reside in Maryland and I teach with the Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography. So, as I mentioned, one of the purposes of this podcast is to look at different ways that individuals and traditions understand this dimension and how there may be commonalities between various definitions and approaches, but also how there might be unique aspects to how they understand the contemplative dimension of life.

One can find a variety of context within which the contemplative dimension of life manifest through photography, through seeing the visual world, through organizations that are set up to promote contemplation through retreats where we basically withdraw from our ordinary busyness and life entanglements and retreat to a time where we are exploring more in depth this dimension. Healthcare is another area that the contemplative dimension seems to be manifesting as well as in nature and in wilderness settings. So we'll be having episodes on all of these areas, and we'll be having some very interesting and stimulating guests as well. So if this seems like your cup of tea and you would like to learn more and know more, I hope you'll join us. I'm Ron Barnett, your host, and I hope to see you down the road.