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.
Interview recorded 3/17/2010.
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
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
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