Jon Bernie’s first awakening experience at the age of sixteen led him to spend many years practicing in the Zen and Theravadan Buddhist traditions, first as a monk in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and then as an early student of Jack Kornfield’s.
In the late 1980s, Jon’s spiritual trajectory was profoundly altered when he met Jean Klein – master of Advaita Vedanta and Kashmiri Yoga with whom he studied intensively for an extended period. Jon subsequently spent time with H.W.L. Poonja and Robert Adams, both direct disciples of Ramana Maharshi.
Jon’s spiritual development was also greatly aided by Brother David Steindl-Rast, who, along with Thomas Merton, was one of the first Christian monks to seriously practice in the Zen and Tibetan traditions and has since been instrumental in building interfaith networks worldwide.
After Jon met Adyashanti in 2002, his spiritual journey came to fruition, and subsequently Adya asked Jon to teach.
In addition to his work as a spiritual teacher, Jon is a certified Zero Balancing practitioner and a teacher of the Alexander Technique in private practice in San Francisco since 1981. Jon’s healing work has also been deeply influenced by extensive training in NLP, hypnosis, Self Acceptance Training, cranio-sacral therapy and the Qigong system of Dr. Yu Penxi. In addition to his private practice, Jon has given lectures and workshops for the general public at the Suzuki Method Teacher’s Conference, UCSF Medical School, JFK University and the Whole Life Expo.
Jon currently leads regular classes, retreats and intensives in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Jon's book, Ordinary Freedom
Jon's Website
Summary and transcript of this interview
Interview recorded 11/13/2011
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - The Power of Energy in Satsangs
00:05:18 - Interconnectedness and Synchronization
00:07:57 - A Psychic Awakening at 16
00:10:28 - Questioning the Existence of a Creative Force
00:13:42 - The Mind Wanders
00:16:53 - Becoming a Buddhist Monk
00:20:32 - The End of Fear and the End of Seeking
00:23:52 - Constant Discovery
00:27:27 - Second Awakening and the End of Fear
00:30:54 - Subtle Ways of Transformation
00:33:56 - Healing the Unseen and Unhealed Parts of Ourselves
00:36:50 - Relating to Spiritual Teachers on a Human Level
00:39:48 - Monastic Component in TM Movement
00:43:11 - Embracing Different Paths to Personal Growth
00:46:35 - Talking about Personal Identity
00:50:04 - The Experience of Human Feelings
00:52:47 - A Meeting with a Radiant Spiritual Teacher
00:55:50 - The Absence of Self-Consciousness
00:58:19 - "Do the Next Obvious Thing"
01:01:19 - Discovering Life and Learning as a Human Being
01:04:50 - Being a Mirror for Others' Resistance
01:07:23 - The Miracle of Satsang
01:09:49 - The Beginning of Awakening
01:12:14 - The Question of Belief
01:15:08 - The Inner Lives of Individuals
01:18:31 - Awakening to Shakti with Rick and Tony
01:20:58 - Collective Transformation and Flexible Approaches to Spiritual Practice
01:23:43 - Questioning Beliefs and Assumptions
01:26:32 - The Necessity of Gradual Growth and Breakthroughs
01:29:37 - The Path to Truth
01:32:38 - Conclusion and Farewell
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