Study and Practice for the Serious Seeker
ESOTERIC means “intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.” The services provided through the ESOTERIC program are for individuals who wish to study and practice traditional Eastern and Western paths of mysticism (Christian, Taoist, Buddhist) and experience a direct connection with reality. ESOTERIC is not for everybody and is not supposed to be for everyone. Our methods are for those that want to know and experience what few do.
ESOTERIC uses ancient and modern methods of growth that for thousands of years have proven to produce personal and collective transformation. We don’t waste time with what hasn’t worked for most humans; instead, we teach you time-tested ways of experiencing the life you seek. Let’s face it: many of the schools and centers that promote and advertise change are bogus. Whether it’s your church, your therapist, your meditation, yoga class or exercise instructor they probably aren’t clued into what produces growth on a whole bodied scale. They specialize in what they feel they do well, with little evidence that they actually can facilitate any real and lasting improvement of your life. Many of them assume that you’ll think that because they have been doing what they do for soooooo long that you should trust in what they have to offer. Don’t believe the hype.
ESOTERIC utilizes physio-psycho-spiritual technologies of consciousness transformation to facilitate direct experience with ultimate reality. Don’t waste time with frauds; you don’t have time, time has you.
It is important to note, that because this program is titled ESOTERIC that it should not be assumed that what we teach and practice are divorced from recognizing and experiencing sacredness in the phenomenal world. In fact, one could say that the goal of practicing anything esoteric is to be able to experience the world as exoteric, or possessing a sacred identity.
SERVICES
Integral Life Practice
Integral Life Practice (ILP) is a no-nonsense, practical application of the Integral model that helps you to authentically exercise all aspects or dimensions of your own “being” in the world. ILP teaches 4 core modules: body, mind, spirit, and shadow; approximately 5 auxiliary modules: ethics, yoga of relationships, karma yoga, transforming emotions, and sexual yoga, and dozens of potential electives. Grounded in hundreds of Eastern and Western transformative practices, ILP allows you to take anything you're already doing and place it within a comprehensive framework that finally makes sense of it.
Traditional Buddhist Study and Practice
Have you ever wanted to study as a Buddhist without becoming one? Want to understand and experience how the Buddha saw the world? Would you like to know what it's like to fully engage in a spiritual path? Want to deeply understand your self, others and the nature of reality? We will teach you traditional Buddhism through modern words and concepts and introduce you to a path of discipline, wisdom and meditation.
Taoist Three Treasures
The Three Treasures are Diet, Exercise and Meditation. Taoists see these three behaviors as the foundation of a spiritual path and maintaining a healthy relationship with ones body, mind and Tao. For those interested in maintaining a Taoist lifestyle, allow us to aid you by walking the path of Taoism, no matter if it’s for a week or for the rest of your life.
Three Body Workout
How many bodies do you have? If you said one, good guess but you actually have three! They work in concert with each other and serve as your connection and foundation to the physical, subtle and causal realms of existence. All three of these bodies require our attention and have a role to play in maintaining physical, psychological and spiritual health. Let's work out all three bodies together and let us help you to maintain an Integral Exercise Plan at home.
Christianity As Path
If you attend most Christian churches or institutions of learning, what you will find is that there is no sense of path or no series of steps towards experiencing the Inner, Intimate and Infinite Christ. Our Christianity As Path program cuts through the typical confusion found in conventional Christianity and gives the practitioner a clear path of understanding and experience of Christ in one’s everyday life.
I Ching Reading
The I Ching or Yijing is one of the oldest and profound books ever written. It is both a guide from and to the wisdom of the ancestors and is useful as a daily aid in decision making and awareness of the natural flow of life. Let us teach you how to use, read and interpret the profound wisdom of the I Ching.
Meditation Consulting Services
To ensure you and your organization are benefiting the individuals and families you serve, it is often necessary to receive adequate feedback and training to be certain that you are providing a service that is in alignment with common standards, historical precedents and modern insights. Meditation does not solely belong to any one tradition, religion or people. However, there are views and approaches to meditation that have existed for thousands of years that make it an accessible, impactful and truly transformative and evolutionary practice.
A meditation practice should grow as the practitioner grows but that is contingent upon the teacher understanding meditation as not just one practice, but a series of practices that bring the meditator closer and closer to their fundamental nature. It is hard to teach growth if one doesn’t know how something grows, as difficult as it is to grow a plant if one doesn’t understand the conditions it needs and the developmental stages it goes through as it reaches its fruition.
It is with that intention that I offer my meditation consultation services to you. I have practiced traditional Zen and Tibetan Buddhist meditation for almost 30 years, am a Buddhist Seminary graduate and have studied the worlds wisdom traditions for the last 20 years. I am also a licensed professional psychotherapist and have worked in community mental health for 20 years. Because I have worked closely with individuals, families and communities teaching meditation practices in traditional, clinical and community settings, I have truly had the experience of what it means to train others to experience their own minds. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me at milesinstitute@gmail.com and make an appointment for us to meet and discuss your needs.
Examples of Consulting Topics
- Developing and maintaining a personal meditation practice
- Creating meditation practices for your organization
- How to meditate like a Buddhist without being one
- Integrating Meditation in Psychotherapy
- Integrating meditation into Black communities
- Elements of a meditation practice
- Building a meditation community
- Creating and maintaining a meditation practice
- Advanced meditation practices
- Christian Meditation: View and Practice
- Integrating Meditation into your family
Meditation Experience
Justin F. Miles began practicing Zen meditation in 1991 at the age of 14 after receiving instruction from his Judo Sensei, Steve Seaquist. He practiced faithfully three to four times per week for the next four years until an injury kept him from practicing Judo. In his last year of college, Justin took a course in Amsterdam that would forever change his relationship to meditation. There he learned the importance of studying and practicing meditation as a path and sought out a Buddhist community that he felt could help him. In 2000 Justin joined the Shambhala Meditation Community in Baltimore Maryland and since has engaged in many short and long-term retreats, graduated from Buddhist seminary, coordinated, directed and facilitated retreats, taught courses on Buddhism and meditation and founded an African American Meditation group. In Baltimore City, Justin has taught meditation to individuals, families and community organizations such as Safe Streets, Progressive Life Center, The House of Ruth and the YMCA and to institutions such as Towson University, Trinity College the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Harford County Detention Center. Justin is also an ordained minister who teaches contemplative Christianity and is a 20-year member of a Lakota practice group.
