12-04-15 The Essence of Meditation and Spiritual Freedom – A Conversation with Ex–Carmelite Nun Kimberly Braun
I discovered Kimberly Braun while browsing through TED Talks. Although she was talking about a very practical approach to spirituality, it turns out that that she had spent 10 ½ years in a Carmelite monastery. I contacted her, and I am happy to share this most interesting, inspiring and stimulating conversation with you.
From the age of five, Kimberly had experienced herself on the receiving end of the many moments that she has come to call “unitive experiences,” where time it seemed to stop and the veils pulled back revealing the deeper essence of the moment. These experiences continued, and they led to her to ask deeper questions, and eventually to become a nun. Although she loved the utter simplicity of life there, she soon found herself called to become a general contractor (with no prior training) and to construct a multi-million dollar stone monastery.
Together we explore the changes she went through, and how they have finally led her to become a spiritual guide and meditation teacher. Then we discuss the similarities and the contrasts between her approaches and the ones that I teach, how meditation can bring us into a presence –and a oneness that ceases to identify, compare, or name “what we are,” and how it can help us transform our lives and the world.
