Michael McAlister

Michael Glenn McAlister is an American spiritual teacher, speaker, and author. His work is connected to the integral movement, with a special emphasis on meditation. While McAlister doesn’t identify himself as a Buddhist teacher, his training is Zen-inspired, coming largely from the teachings of Madhyamika Buddhism.

Background

Michael McAlister was born on October 28th, 1964 in Pasadena, California and grew up in Lafayette, California. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1987 with a degree in History. A year after his graduation, he attended a lecture at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, which led him into spiritual practice. [ [http://www.awakeinthislife.com/2008/04/chapter-2-grasping/ Chapter 2 - Grasping » Awake in This Life ] ]

After ten years of Zen practice McAlister left the US and studied with Buddhist masters in Thailand and Nepal. [http://www.awakeinthislife.com/2008/02/a-note-to-the-reader/ A Note to the Reader » Awake in This Life ] ] After his return he lived at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center to further his Zen studies with his main teacher Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi in order to begin the process of ordination into the priesthood of the Soto Zen lineage.

Teachings

McAlister’s approach to teaching is rooted in Zen but he also integrates aspects Advaita Vedanta Hinduism, Sufiism, Christianity, Judaism, and other traditions into his work. His main focus is to allow what he refers to as "the ever-present nature of stillness" to consciously infuse all that moves. His approach suggests that the nondual nature of all things, once seen, can work to free us from the separation that we normally feel in our everyday lives. By his own claim, McAlister continually points out that the teaching he offers has “nothing to do with religion, and everything to do with fully meeting your life.” [ [http://www.awakeinthislife.com/2008/04/losing-our-religion/ Losing Our Religion » Awake in This Life ] ]

Application

McAlister’s approach to supporting realization corresponds loosely with his Vipassana and Zen training. He places particular emphasis on sitting still and being quiet. His book, "Awake in This Life: A guide for those climbing the Mountain of Spirit" fleshes out his teaching in detail. In the book he points to what he sees as an emerging shift in the way people are finding relevance in their spiritual lives:

...wisdom traditions are simply different paths up the same Mountain. Let us talk about that Mountain, and the view that it offers, rather than argue about the various paths used to climb it.

Infinite Smile Sangha

“Sangha” is a Sanskrit word meaning assembly, community or group. As individuals started to coalesce around McAlister’s approach to the teachings of Awakening, participants decided to name themselves after the Dharma name that Michael’s teacher gave him. The Japanese name, Myo E - Butsu Sho roughly translates into “Infinite Wisdom, Buddha Smile” [ [http://www.amazon.com/Ego-Infinite/dp/B000M5AVQG/ref=pd_bxgy_d_img_b Amazon.com: From the Ego to the Infinite: Movies & TV ] ] .

Influences

McAlister holds Reb Anderson Roshi as his main teacher but also considers the influence of other teachers such as Zoketsu Norman Fischer, Adyashanti, Gangaji, Ken Wilber, Eckhart Tolle, Ramana Maharshi, Thomas Merton and Nisargadatta Maharaj to be major influences on both his thinking and his teaching.

Works

* "Awake in This Life: A guide for those climbing the Mountain of Spirit" [http://www.amazon.com/Awake-This-Life-Climbing-Mountain/dp/1419693026/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215194877&sr=8-1 ISBN 1-41969-302-6]
* "Slowing Down" [http://www.amazon.com/Slowing-Down/dp/B000NOKM88/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b ASIN: B000NOKM88]
* "From the Ego to the Infinite" [http://www.amazon.com/Ego-Infinite/dp/B000M5AVQG/ref=pd_bxgy_d_img_b ASIN: B000M5AVQG]

Bibliography

References

External links

* [http://www.InfiniteSmile.org Infinite Smile Podcasts]
* [http://www.AwakeinThisLife.com Awake in This Life Blog]