Interview with Philip V. Starkman

In this interview, Philip V. Starkman discusses the combination of meditation and psychotherapy, what it takes to see real progress in your practice along with advice for getting started with meditation. Of particular interest is Philip's advice for selecting the right teacher for you.

Philip has had a long and diverse meditation background, with significant experience in various meditative traditions coupled with a longstanding psychotherapy practice. This comes together in Philip's meditation group, Spring Rain Sangha. Along with colleague Jim Bedard, Philip has been contributing to the Toronto meditation community by leading weekly sittings and guiding meditation retreats for a number of years.

Background: "People come to the spiritual path for a variety of reasons. Philip felt compelled from his teen years to search out the answers to the big questions: 'Why are we born, live for such a brief few moments of time, then sicken and die?' The search for answers led him to teachers and teachings in many different countries.

The “way” that finally opened to him in his mid twenties brought a focus and discipline that formed a foundation for future practices. This start was in the Hindu meditation traditions which eventually led him to seek out authentic teachers in India. There he spent every day for four years in study, meditation and yogic practice with teachers from most of the major traditions. During that time he was introduced to Buddhist Vajrayana by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey whom the Dalai Lama had appointed in the 1970's to teach Westerners. Later, there was a retreat with Goenkaji and teachings in Bodh Gaya with the Dalai Lama. But the actual real dive into Buddha Dharma did not take place until 1982 while in retreat in Burma at the Mahasi Sayadaw Centre. The renown Vipassana teacher U Pandita was the head teacher under Mahasi Sayadaw, who was very near the end of his life at that time. The profundity of the Abhidharma teachings hooked him. His training as a psychotherapist immediately found resonance in this expanded understanding of the psyche. Inspite of an intention to stay on for an indefinite period, the Burmese government had decided it wanted all foreigners out of the country, as it was wont to do from time to time. A brief stay in a forest monastery in Thailand was followed by another big practice dive. This time into the midst of Japanese Zen under Tangen Roshi in Obama Japan. The discipline and challenge of sustained daily practice was vital to nourishing all aspects of practice. The years in Japan were followed by more Vipassana, as well as Vajrayana practice in North America and India." (source: www.springrainsangha.com)