Radical Freedom in Any State | Living with Adi Da, Choosing Happiness & Letting Go of Perfectionism | Ari Nielsen

Ari Nielsen is a practitioner with an eclectic background spanning Reichian breathwork, cybernetics, unschooling, Dzogchen, and improv. He spent over a decade living in the heart of the community surrounding Adi Da, the prime representative of California New Age spirituality in the 1970s. He also edited the collected works of Bruce Di Marsico, an existential therapist whose philosophy can be summed up as "be happy, and do what you want." Ari currently writes a Substack elucidating a radically liberating orientation to life he calls "Searchless Responsiveness."In this episode, Ari shares his journey into spirituality, his years living inside Adi Da's community, and an honest look at the risks and rewards of the guru model.Later, we explore the Option Method for happiness, the relationship between Dzogchen and Searchless Responsiveness, and Ari's challenge to conventional perennialism and non-dualism.We also speak about agenda without compulsion, unhappiness as motivation, self and identity, and how Ari's meditation practice has evolved — including what greatness, wholeness, and desire look like through the lens of searchless responsiveness.We close by exploring how to let go of perfectionism, why it's worth regularly changing your meditation practice, unconventional approaches to parenting, and a simple practice anyone can use to taste searchless responsiveness for themselves.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗Subscribe to Ari’s substackThe Option Method (The collected works of Bruce Di Marsico)Robert FrippGeorge GurdjieffAdi Da a.k.a Da Free JohnKen WilberAro gTerEvolving GroundWilhelm ReichKeith DowmanSean Esbjorn-HargensRob BurbeaTaking Children Seriously🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️0:00 - Intro2:03 - Ari's journey into spirituality9:00 - Living in Adi Da's community and other pivotal teachers and teachings20:10 - The guru model — risks and rewards27:51 - Bruce Di Marsico and the Option Method for happiness35:43 - Dzogchen and Searchless Responsiveness38:48 - Challenging perennialism and non-dualism45:00 - Agenda without compulsion49:04 - Unhappiness as motivation and the ideal state53:18 - Self and identity1:02:45 - The evolution of Ari's meditation practice1:04:18 - Khorde Rushen retreat with Keith Dowman1:12:46 - Greatness, wholeness and desire through the lens of searchless responsiveness1:19:58 - Letting go of perfectionism1:21:41 - The importance of changing up your meditation practice1:25:27 - Unconventional approaches to parenting1:39:29 - A simple practice to taste searchless responsiveness*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast *Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional