Dena Merriam has been working in the interfaith field for 20 years and founded the Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) in 2002. Initially, the organization was designed to provide a global platform for women spiritual leaders to organize and mediate dialogues in areas of conflict and tension. This soon expanded to include an equal number of men and women spiritual teachers and to deal with a range of issues, including climate change, ecological destruction, racial inequity, etc. The premise for the gatherings organized by GPIW is that at the heart of all these issues is a spiritual crisis and the way to address them is a shift in consciousness. Dena has served on the boards of the Harvard University Center for World Religions, the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association, among others. In 2014 she was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize. Over the years as memories of past births have arisen, Dena has recorded them in order to better understand the karmic patterns. She has now shared her memories in My Journey Through Time: A Spiritual Memoir of Life, Death, and Rebirth, in the hope that others will gain insight into their own lives through this sharing.
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Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded July 14, 2018
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:04:15 - Overcoming the Fear of Death and Shaping our Destiny
00:08:04 - Identity and Spiritual Experiences
00:12:03 - Consciousness and Past Lives
00:16:02 - The Process of Remembering Past Lives
00:20:01 - Reincarnation and the Fear of Death
00:23:59 - Shaping Your Own Life and Awakening
00:28:11 - Shifting to a Higher Era
00:32:13 - Embracing Human and Spiritual Unity
00:35:49 - The Virtue of Patience and the Law of Cause and Effect
00:39:48 - Long-term Vision and Reflection in Life
00:44:02 - Creating a Vision for the Future
00:48:09 - The Shift in Consciousness
00:51:47 - The Cleansing Process and Mobilizing Spiritual Energies
00:55:40 - A Powerful Moment of Bonding
00:59:37 - Memories and Aspirations in Between Lives
01:03:40 - Living in the Celestial Realms
01:07:44 - The Yogis' Understanding of Consciousness
01:11:28 - Meditation and Brain Changes
01:15:12 - The Impact of Meditation in All Communities
01:19:41 - Reincarnation and Spiritual Connections
01:23:48 - The Power of Love and Consciousness
01:27:20 - The Power of Spiritual Laws and Love
01:30:37 - Broadening Perspective and Compassion for the Planet
01:33:40 - The Importance of Every Individual
01:36:50 - The Need for Proper Values in Society
01:40:05 - Debauchery and Inner Clarity
01:43:17 - The Concept of Self in Buddhism and Hinduism
01:46:31 - Finding My Voice as a Woman and Bridging Cultures
01:49:41 - Accessing Higher States in Dreams
01:52:44 - Where to find more content