Robert A. Jonas, is an author, musician, environmental activist, and retreat leader, and the founder and director of the Empty Bell, a contemplative sanctuary in Northampton, MA, with an emphasis on Buddhist-Christian dialogue and the arts. A Christian in the Carmelite tradition, he has also received spiritual formation with Buddhist teachers. He is a student of Suizen, the Japanese shakuhachi bamboo flute (his shakuhachi album “Blowing Bamboo” is available on iTunes), a member of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies and the Eckhart Society, and past board member of the Kestrel Land Trust and the Henri Nouwen Society. He is a Visiting Lecturer at the Northwind Seminary, and author of several books and articles including The Essential Henri Nouwen and Rebecca: A Father’s Journey from Grief to Gratitude. His new book, My Dear Far-Nearness: The Holy Trinity as Spiritual Practice, is an exploration of the Holy Trinity as three dimensions of spiritual awareness rather than dogma or doctrine. In this, his second visit to Spirit Matters, we focused on his new book and his provocative interpretation and application of the Trinitarian concept. Learn more about Robert Jonas here: http://emptybell.org/.