Gary Crowley was born in 1965 and was raised in Massachusetts as a practical-minded New Englander. He graduated from Stanford University in 1987 with degrees in Economics and Political Science.
At a young age, he was attracted to Eastern philosophy and spiritual writings that seemed to offer a glimpse of something greater than the life he had known growing up. However, by 2001, Gary finally gave up on all forms of spiritual seeking after decades on the path. He surrendered under the weight of the many well-intended spiritual teachings he'd accumulated over the years. All the study had not caused the shift in awareness that he'd so earnestly sought and had been so often promised.
The problem, he then realized, was that he had been simply piling up concepts without addressing the very foundation - his sense of "self" - that was doing the seeking. He discovered that it is only by dismantling our assumptions about "who we are," rather than merely describing a state of being such as oneness or wholeness, that we can bring about a natural opening to a new way of experiencing life.
Gary's site: http://garycrowley.com/
Gary's books:
Pass the Jelly: Tales of Ordinary Enlightenment
From Here to Here: Turning Toward Enlightenment
Interview recorded 8/11/2010.
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Past the Jelly, Tales of Ordinary Enlightenment
00:03:00 - The Surprising Repetition of the Same Stuff
00:05:44 - Compassion for Ourselves and Others
00:08:32 - The Process of Change
00:11:18 - Insights from the Book
00:13:12 - Exploring Eastern Philosophy and Spiritual Writings
00:16:02 - A Shift in Perspective and Understanding
00:18:36 - The True Nature of Self
00:21:39 - The Experiencing of Living
00:24:51 - Observing the Soup of Life
00:28:06 - The Illusion of Perception
00:30:54 - Quantum Possibilities and Everyday Miracles
00:34:06 - Athletes in the Zone
00:36:59 - The everythingness of experiencing
00:40:00 - The Mystery of the Human Condition
00:42:49 - Perspectives on Politics
00:46:01 - The Illusion of Conscious Will
00:48:48 - Embracing the Actuality of the Human Condition
00:51:48 - Freedom from Illusion
00:55:03 - Helping People in Need
00:57:54 - The Tapping Technique for Change and Healing
01:00:23 - The Diagnosis of a Bone Spur
01:02:24 - Relieving Neck Pain with Body Work
01:05:21 - The Distraction of Physical Pain
01:07:47 - A Shift in Perspective
01:10:03 - The ebb and flow of experiencing everythingness
01:13:04 - The Impact of Stress on Brain Development
01:16:08 - Trading Spiritual Jokes
01:19:06 - The Mantra Meditation Challenge
01:20:26 - Discussing distribution of the interview
01:22:18 - The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment