“I want us to recognize our tremendously strong impulse to draw a conclusion, to think we know. But it’s in the NOT knowing—the inquiry, the curiosity, the humility, the beginner’s mind—that we create a real opening.”Terry Patten

An extraordinary, heartfelt conversation with spiritual practitioner, teacher, activist, Integralist, and author Terry Patten, who was at the time facing his own mortality following a recent diagnosis of a rare and aggressive cancer. An inner radiance shines forth as Terry, with much graciousness and candor, discusses the call to “get real”—not only personally but also collectively; his deepened perception of the “amazing grace of existence;” the directionality that has guided much of his life; and action inquiry: working on becoming next-stage human beings by experimenting with being the best people we can be. A touching and transformative talk, Terry conveys the deepening understanding coming from living on the edge and transmits a “radical okayness” with everything.

Recorded September 21, 2021.

Topics & Timestamps: Part 1

• The call to “get real,” personally and collectively; waking up to the miracle of existence (04:17)
• With the diagnosis, the burden fell away (21:44)
• Mortality versus morbidity: many sufferings are worse than death (31:02)
• The directionality that guided Terry’s life and wanting to be “good” (41:11)
• Encountering his root guru, Adi Da (44:50)
• The importance of being kind (46:54)
• Let’s bend a knee to something greater than ourselves and LISTEN (53:43)
• The radical okayness of it all (55:52)
• Action inquiry and evolving into a new stage of human development (56:27)

Resources & References

• Terry Patten, A New Republic of the Heart: An Ethos for Revolutionaries*
• The nonprofit organization A New Republic of the Heart invites spiritual practitioners and change agents to learn, practice, and collaborate in becoming the next-stage human beings who can rise to our collective moment.
• Terry Patten.com
• Rumi, “The Beloved,” The Way of the Sufi*
• Stephen Jenkinson, Die Wise*
• Adi Da, American spiritual teacher
• Aldous Huxley, “Try to be a little kinder.”
• His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Compassion and the Individual
• Joanna Macy, The Great Turning or the Great Unraveling: It’s Our Choice
• Brightening Every Darkness, 4-part webinar offered in the last weeks of Terry’s life, with Terry, Diane Hamilton, Indra Adnan, and Craig Hamilton

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.
Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos

About the Deep Transformation series

We are clearly in a new era, facing world-threatening challenges and graced with barely conceivable opportunities. In this mind-boggling new world, we all face two crucial questions:

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