Robert A. Jonas

Robert A. Jonas, Ed.D. (Harvard University), M.T.S. (Weston Jesuit School of Theology), is the author of "My Dear Far-Nearness: The Holy Trinity as Spiritual Practice," "The Essential Henri Nouwen," "Henri Nouwen," and "Rebecca: A Father’s Journey from Grief to Gratitude."

Jonas is founder and director of The Empty Bell, a contemplative sanctuary in Northampton, Massachusetts, an extraordinary resource for contemplative Christians and for Buddhist-Christian dialogue. Trained as a psychotherapist, Jonas is now a retreat leader who speaks around the country on contemplative topics and is a guest lecturer at Northwind Seminary. Jonas is also a video artist, musician, and environmental steward. A Christian in the Carmelite tradition, he has received spiritual formation with Buddhist teachers.

Jonas is a past Board member of the Henri Nouwen Society and a member of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies and the Eckhart Society. He served as Chair of the Board of the Kestrel Land Trust in Amherst, Massachusetts, and is an environmental activist in western Massachusetts.

As a student of Sui-Zen, the Japanese bamboo flute, he has performed in many secular and spiritual contexts and has played shakuhachi at three Buddhist-Christian retreats with the Dalai Lama, including under the Bodhi Tree in India. His CDs include “Blowing Bamboo,” “New Life from Ruins,” and “Many Paths, One Joy.”