About Me

I am professor emeritus of philosophy and world religions at the Maine College of Art & Design, with primary expertise in Hinduism and Buddhism. In 1998, I began refocusing my work on Hindu and Buddhist groups flourishing in America, with a focus on what was attracting westerners to Asian religions. This eventually led me to the writings of Aldous Huxley and Huston Smith, both of whom studied Advaita Vedanta and postulated theories of a possible thread—specifically, the mystical experience of unity with all reality—running across the world’s mystical traditions. Since there was no biography of Aldous Huxley describing the evolution of his philosophical views, I published one in 2002, titled Aldous Huxley, A Biography.

While visiting California to promote that book, I was asked by Huston Smith, the renowned scholar of world religions, to write his own biography, because, as Huston explained, “I would like the same treatment you gave my friend Aldous.” This new biography, Huston Smith: Wisdom Keeper (2014), helped consolidate my explorations of various theories of the perennial philosophy, comparative mysticism, consciousness studies, transpersonal psychology, and noetic experiences—including those triggered by psychedelic substances.  

Subsequently, I published a range of academic articles on these subjects and edited a book of essays titled Aldous Huxley and Self-Realization (2020). My most recent book, The Perennial Philosophy Reloaded (2024), includes the view that the perennial philosophy is best described as a family of theories related to the nature and import of what I term the unitive mystical experience (the sense of a deeply felt connection with nature and all reality), rather than as a homogenous position with little or no variation.   

My views align at different points with those of Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, Abraham Maslow, Walter Stace, Frances Vaughan, Anthony Suttich, Stanislav Grof, Ram Dass, and today Jeffery Kripal, Paul Marshall, Edward Kelly, Rupert Spira, and Richard Rohr. In addition to attending professional conferences, I sometimes offer programs at wellness centers such as the Kripal Center for Yoga & Health, and have participated in by-invitation-only retreats at the Esalen Institute’s Center for Theory and Research. In the latter regard, I was featured in a documentary to celebrate Esalen’s 50th anniversary, titled “Supernature: Esalen and the Human Potential.”

On a personal note, I encourage interfaith chaplaincy and serve on the board of the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. Together with my wife Stephani, an artist and goldsmith, I support  the work of Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Lobzang Tsetan, and—with other supporters—helped him found the Siddhartha School for underprivileged children, in Stok, Ladakh. Regarding the latter, I am on the advisory board of the Siddhartha School and served as editor for Khensur Rinpoche’s introduction to Buddhism, Peaceful Mind, Compassionate Heart. My wife and I live primarily in Blue Hill, Maine, spending six months each year in an off-the-grid cabin on a lake. We are avid campers, hikers, and kayakers who find deep solace in nature. My daughters from a previous marriage, Sophie and Emma, live close to us in other parts of Maine.