Writings by Alan F. Zundel

Home Books Essays on Religion and Spirituality Political Writings

Author, counselor, citizen activist, and director of the HeartAwake Center, Alan brings a unique perspective to his examination of political and spiritual topics. Raised a Roman Catholic Christian, Alan became an atheist in his teens but by his early twenties had begun a spiritual search and taken up meditation. (This early period of spiritual searching is fictionalized in his novel, Heart Awakening.) This search eventually led him back to Christianity through the contemplative tradition of Christian mysticism, although he maintained a continuing interest in other spiritual traditions, particularly Zen Buddhism. After working with poor inner city residents at a church in Detroit, Michigan, Alan's concern with economic justice induced him to complete an M.A. in political philosophy and a PhD in public policy studies (he has also done academic work in Religious Studies), and he taught in a graduate program on Ethics and Policy Studies for ten years, becoming a tenured professor in 2000. As he approached age fifty he experienced a spiritual crisis, due in part to a feeling that his spiritual life had been stuck against some invisible obstacle for many years. An encounter with the American Zen teacher Adyashanti helped him break through this obstacle, and Alan subsequently left his academic career to pursue other projects. Since then he has published two books and written a number of essays, began giving guidance and talks on spiritual awakening, and has continued to be engaged in political work. Alan currently lives in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife and daughter. He also has a son who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Email: alan "at" heartawake.com (replace "at" with the @ symbol)