Robert A. Jonas, Ed.D. (Harvard University), M.T.S. (Weston Jesuit School of Theology), is the director of The Empty Bell, a contemplative sanctuary in Northampton, MA. He is a retired psychotherapist, a theologian, retreat leader, musician, and spiritual mentor. The Empty Bell website is an internet resource for contemplative Christians. A Christian in the Carmelite tradition, he has also received spiritual formation with Buddhist teachers.
Dr. Jonas is a member of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies and the Eckhart Society, a past Board member of the Henri Nouwen Society, a Trustee of Trustees of Reservations, and the Board Chair of the Kestrel Land Trust in the Connecticut River Valley of Western Massachusetts. His books include Rebecca: A Father’s Journey from Grief to Gratitude (1996), Henri Nouwen (1998), and The Essential Henri Nouwen (2009).
Robert is also a student of Sui-Zen, the Japanese bamboo flute (shakuhachi). He has shared his music in many secular and spiritual contexts and has played at three Buddhist-Christian retreats with the Dalai Lama, most memorably under the Bodhi Tree in India. His CD’s, Blowing Bamboo, New Life from Ruins and Many Paths, One Joy are available at: www.contemplative-life.org, and on iTunes. His playing is featured in the new DVD, “Jesus & Buddha: Practicing Across Traditions” (Old Dog Productions). Visit The Empty Bell’s Facebook page for more information.