I remember having the thought at age 26, “what am I going to do, I will never make it through the second year of graduate school”? Having just completed my first year in training as a psychiatric social worker it was obvious that I felt more like a patient, who needed intense help, than the person charged with helping others. At that moment, I became a seeker. The subsequent initiation into Transcendental Meditation forever set the direction of my life in ways I could not have imagined and it was a blessing that I did not. The road was bumpy quite a bit of the time yet there were always people there to help. Nature was always there giving both challenges and help necessary to see my way through them. Then one day not knowing how it happened or why, silence was now present all the time. Everything had changed yet nothing was different. The change was both ordinary and profound. It was not the end of the journey but a new beginning and way of experiencing it. Life is now spent in the deepening of that silence and removal of the remaining junk. One can indeed know “One’s Self” and yet have much more work to do.
Summary and transcript of this interview.
Interview recorded 3/17/2010.
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Motivations for creating the show and the different paths to enlightenment
00:03:48 - Awakening and the Impact of Spiritual Practice
00:07:41 - The Impact of TM Meditation on Personal Growth
00:12:23 - The Shift in Consciousness
00:17:19 - The Solvent of Silence
00:21:15 - The Separation of Thinking from Awareness
00:25:33 - Exploring Heart-Oriented Practices
00:29:06 - Gratitude and Appreciation
00:32:49 - The Importance of Development and Meditation in Life
00:36:20 - Meditation as a Vehicle for Growth
00:39:11 - The Value of Seeking Help
00:42:18 - Working through Thoughts and Achieving Peace
00:45:25 - Overcoming Fear and Wrong Thinking
00:47:48 - Recognizing and Accepting Personal Strength
00:50:07 - Dealing with Habits and Tendencies
00:52:32 - The Byron Katie Work and the Journey of Self-Discovery
00:55:20 - The Fulfillment of Silence
00:57:53 - Getting Along Better with People in Silence
01:00:19 - The Value of Peaceful Relationships and Cordiality
01:02:35 - Varieties of Awakened People
01:04:47 - The Similarity of Silence
01:07:33 - The Illusion of Enlightenment
01:10:25 - Overcoming Fear through Faith in God
01:13:44 - Nature's Help in Moving Forward
01:16:28 - Shifting Perspective: From Individual to Ocean
01:19:13 - Life's Supportive Events
01:21:23 - Support and Spontaneity in Doing the Work
01:24:09 - Relaxing into Vastness
01:26:29 - Letting Go of Control and Accepting Life
01:29:09 - The Gift of Fairfield
01:31:44 - Living in Fairfield: A Fascinating Place