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Issue 20 Cover
Issue 20  /  Fall–Winter 2001
Celebrating 10 Years of Radical Spiritual Inquiry
Can Buddhism survive America? Is sex more important than God? This special anniversary issue features a fresh look at the provocative themes and inspiring individuals that helped make our first decade in print a resounding success.


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table of contents

 

Reader's Forum

From the Editors
A Matter of Integrity

Introduction to this issue by Andrew Cohen
How WIE Was Born



section introduction by andrew cohen


Ken Wilber
A Spirituality That Transforms

In an original essay for WIE, America's foremost integral theorist points beyond conventional religious pursuit to the revolutionary possibility of authentic spiritual transformation.

 
Georg Feuerstein
To Light a Candle in a Dark Age

An acclaimed scholar of Eastern religious traditions laments the commercialization of esoteric spiritual teachings in the West.

Interview by Hal Blacker

 



section introduction by andrew cohen

Rupert Sheldrake
Maybe Angels

A visionary biologist explores the consciousness of the universe and dissects the materialist creed.

Interview by Hal Blacker

 
Amit Goswami
Scientific Proof of the Existence of God

A physicist declares that a mystical experience enabled him to solve not only the riddles of quantum mechanics but the mystery of creation itself.

Interview by Craig Hamilton

 



section introduction by andrew cohen


Father Thomas Keating
The Heart of the Matter

A venerated trappist monk and leader of the Christian contemplative prayer movement conveys the purity of heart that is the goal of celibacy.

Interview by Andrew Cohen

 
Miranda Shaw
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Tantra... but Were Afraid to Ask

A pioneering scholar and author shares her in-depth research and her understanding of the Tibetan Buddhist practice of sexual yoga.

Interview by Craig Hamilton

 



section introduction by andrew cohen


Stephen Batchelor
Absolutely Not!

A penetrating dharma debate about the nature of enlightenment between the renowned author of Buddhism Without Beliefs and What Is Enlightenment? founder Andrew Cohen.

 
Ramesh Balsekar
Close Encounters of the Advaita Kind

Were the charitable acts of Mother Teresa no more aligned with the will of God than the violent rampages of a psychopath? WIE questions one of today's most influential exponents of Advaita Vedanta about his nihilistic interpretation of this ancient Indian spiritual teaching.

interview by Chris Parish

 



section introduction by andrew cohen


Jack LaLanne
Isn't Life Just Great!

The founding father of the modern fitness movement, 86 years young and not slowing down a bit, shares his life-affirming philosophy of self-mastery.

interview by Andrew Cohen

 
Vernon Kitabu Turner
A Mind Like Water

A poet, spiritual teacher, and black-belt master of the Bushido way explores the paradox that the realization of no-self is the basis of genuine self-mastery.

interview by Simeon Alev

 



section introduction by andrew cohen


Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo
What Is the Relationship Between Emptiness and Beautiful Nails?

The first Western woman to be recognized as a reincarnated Tibetan tulku discusses gender, enlightenment, and being a female teacher in a male-dominated tradition.

interview by Andrew Cohen

 
Jose Cabezon
Gay/Straight, Man/Woman, Self/Other: What Would the Buddha Have Had to Say About Gay Liberation?

A Buddhist scholar and gay rights activist speaks candidly about why overidentification with gender or sexual orientation inhibits our spiritual potential.

interview by Amy Edelstein

 



section introduction by andrew cohen


Ajja
Who Is Ajja? A Meeting with the Absolute

A little-known Indian farmer whose extraordinary spiritual experiences transformed him into an enlightened sage speaks of the bliss of Self-illumination.

interview by Andrew Cohen

 
Mr. Lee Lozowick
Rock 'n' Roll, Crazy Wisdom, and Slavery to the Divine

A self-described "subtle crazy-wisdom teacher" and rock band leader describes the essence of the spiritual path as "an unflagging, irrevocable commitment to serving God."

interview by Hal Blacker

 
Vimala Thakar
"Set Them on Fire!" A Portrait of a Modern Sage

A revered spiritual teacher and social activist conveys her passion for spiritual inquiry and the "living perfume of peace" that is the result of true spiritual friendship.

interview by Chris Parish