At 28 I moved to New York City, a fulfillment of a childhood dream. Oddly enough, even though I had received what I wanted on many accounts, I felt like I was having a premature midlife crisis. Interest in philosophy and psychology arose in response which brought me to The School of Practical Philosophy where I discovered Advaita Vedanta and was initiated into Transcendental Meditation (TM) three years later. Frustrated over my lack of success in my meditation, I left the school and embarked on fixing myself through psychotherapy. On a local radio station I came across Gangaji and Eli Jaxon-Bear. They were sharing the Truth they had discovered through their master, H.W.L. Poonja, a.k.a. Papaji, who happens to be Mooji’s guru as well.
Then 9/11 happened. I was deeply hurt inside. The towers that I saw burning and crumbling outside initiated the same inside me. In the days and months that followed, old, hidden pain and fear from the past emerged, but, surprisingly, I felt more alive than ever. Somehow, something inside knew intuitively what was happening is good, that I needed to face this. As a new year’s proclamation I told friends boldly that this year (2002) I’m going to fall in love with myself. I didn’t even know what that meant. Soon after, I met Gangaji and Eli Jaxon-Bear, not personally, but at their satsangs, and other teachers of the same lineage. After many years with Stuart Schwartz, a disciple of Robert Adams, a strong desire arose in me to be with Papaji. I finally met him in and through Mooji. It was love at first sight. When I first met Mooji I didn't know why he says that awakening is not an event. A few months after my first meeting with my master, Mooji, the truthfulness of his statements announced itself to and in me as intuitive insight when the essence of who I am was also revealed through the power of Mooji's pointing and presence.
Subsequently, the continuous close association with Mooji in the heart and in person as well as my own contemplation of the Truth by way of self-inquiry brought about the recognition of my true identity beyond the realm of the knowable, beyond even the “I Am,” through which we taste this existence and intuit this unfathomable, unmanifest substratum that is untouchable by worldly phenomena. What is undoubtedly known here is that abidance in this placeless place is synonymous with Freedom, and we are that Freedom itself. The recognition of this as our true Self is appreciated as humanity's greatest potential.
Interview recorded 8/14/2011
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Zenji
00:03:16 - Personal History and Themes
00:05:57 - Spontaneous Contemplation on the Nature of Self
00:09:15 - Pursuing a career in typesetting and publishing
00:12:43 - Introduction to Meditation at the School of Practical Philosophy
00:14:56 - Discovering Advaita through Psychotherapy
00:18:22 - Understanding our own Minds
00:21:55 - Facing Old Trauma and Finding Love
00:24:27 - The Meaning and Desire for Love
00:26:45 - Stepping Stones on the Path of Self-Realization
00:29:26 - Meeting Papaji and Mooji's Energetic Presence
00:32:45 - Resonating with the Teacher
00:35:08 - The Conviction of Existence
00:38:02 - The Perception of Self and Consciousness
00:41:13 - The Nature of the Experiencer
00:44:27 - Self-Inquiry and the Nature of the Self
00:47:49 - The Swift and Clear Discovery of Awakening
00:50:26 - The Significance of Awareness
00:53:19 - The Difference between Understanding and Realization
00:55:51 - The Persistence of Awareness
00:58:54 - Recognition of Awakening
01:01:56 - The Illusion of the World and the Self
01:04:47 - The Power of Awareness and the True Nature of the World
01:08:01 - Evolving Spiritual Maturity
01:10:56 - The Continued Exploration and Maturing of Self-Discovery
01:13:39 - The Voice of the Mind
01:16:17 - Checking in and Reaffirming the Source
01:19:27 - Discovering the Self beyond experiences
01:22:00 - The Continuation of Pure Existence
01:25:00 - The Nature of Identity
01:27:27 - Conclusion and Next Steps