(RNS) For 50 years, hundreds of thousands of seekers have come to the Esalen Institute, the incubator of East-meets-West spirituality, looking for news ways to bring together body and soul. Now, the spiritual mecca is facing a bitter dispute over its future, and like the countless pilgrims who have come here, Esalen now faces its own midlife crisis. By Don Lattin.

The Anglican fight over gay clergy is usually framed as a left and right conflict, part of the larger saga of political division. But this narrative obscures a more significant tension in Western societies: the increasing gap between spirituality and religion, and the failure of traditional religious institutions to learn from the divide. By Diana Butler Bass.

NEW YORK (RNS) The 2012 Templeton Prize, which recognizes "spiritual progress" in the world, was awarded to the Dalai Lama for his long-standing support of the engagement of religion and science. By Chris Herlinger.