introduction
Hello, welcome. My name is Jamie Friedrich Ager— a partner, mother, friend, Buddhist priest, psychotherapist, and philosopher. I have long wanted to share my thinking but I have felt hesitant; the world is chock full of opinions and ideas, and much of it doesn’t seem to be of benefit, or even oriented toward beneficence. Over the last years, two things have changed. First, I have become more confident (or, in a way, less confident and more open to the inherent mystery) in some philosophical and experiential underpinnings of my worldview. Alongside this, I have noticed the available information and discourse on meditation, Buddhism, psychology, and mental health do not reflect the depth and complexity of my experiences with those intersections. There are times when this reduction of complexity appears to be causing unintended harm to people in therapy, to dharma practitioners, and to the reputation and meaning of Buddhist wisdom. So I find myself at a moment when I feel I do, now, have something potentially useful to say. We’ll see.
What I have to say, though, is transrational and nonlinear. It will take time to build out this web, strand by strand, and it will never be completed. In the Flower Garland Sutra, we find a reality in which each atom contains the entire universe while neither enlarging the atom nor shrinking the universe. My thinking follows this pattern— each smaller concept contains and implies an interwoven net of wholeness, and at the same time can only exist as the net itself. Here, we will take up one flower at a time, marveling in and inquiring into both its unique characteristics and also its place in the garland. In my therapy practice and my life, I aim to regard each person in this way as well.
My basic orientation is one of inquiry and a love of mystery. I will no doubt often slip into a false sense of knowing and speak from that place; please, challenge me when I do. The comments are open. I find great inspiration in the ancient Indian philosopher Nagarjuna (c. 150 – c. 250 CE), who took up the monumental task of questioning into and dismantling the inherent existence of every thing and every concept, without ever slipping into nihilism or simple monism. To do this, he had to turn the fierce eye of his wisdom onto the eye itself, both transcending and destroying his own logic. This lead, perhaps surprisingly, to a deep sense of ethical responsibility. This is not possible through thinking alone. Diligent nondual meditation practice changes and expands the capacity of mind, allowing a creativity, flexibility, and clarity that is not available through mere cognition, nor through simple mindfulness. I cannot hope to achieve the soaring heights of Nagarjuna’s work, but I do hope to bring this spirit forth in a way that is practical and relevant to modern life.
It seems important to explain that I am not a sanctioned Zen teacher. In the lineage I practice within, a person is sanctioned as an independent teacher after many years or decades of training and practice, which typically includes working through a curriculum of koans. I am in the thick of this training now. I have been meditating since 2009, and started working with my teacher, Lawson Sachter, in 2014. In 2023, I was ordained as a Buddhist priest, which is a vocational commitment and different from sanctioning as a teacher. My opinions here are based on my own experiences, and I expect them to shift over time.
Thank you for joining me on this adventure.
