121. Sundance Burke

Sundance BurkeSundance Burke, Spiritual Teacher and Author, was born in Seattle, Washington under the given name, Donald Russell Burke III. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and the Gonzaga School of Law. Sundance is a former lawyer and businessman. He is the father of two children and the grandfather of three.

Sundance Burke is the author of Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being, published in 2008. He offers public talks, meditation gatherings, video recordings, private meetings, intensive workshops and retreats for those who long to awaken from the fearful dream of human separation and suffering.

While traveling for law business in 1982, Sundance was graced with the profound spiritual experience of being the loving witness to the mind’s dream of personal existence. This awareness of impersonal being completely shattered his former understanding of self-identity and the nature of his world. In the years that followed, he found himself undertaking an intense inward journey into the heart of this realization.

In 1988, he met his future wife and teaching partner, Katie Davis, who had similarly experienced the miracle of Self-liberation. Recognizing their meeting as sacred, Sundance and Katie committed their lives to deepening in loving presence. An inseparable spirit, they adventured the awakening in private until 1999 and then began to share the Truth of Being from their home. Soon, they were accepting invitations to travel throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

In 2004, Sundance and Katie moved to Maui to marry and write the realization of Beloved Being. Sitting side by side, their books took form and expression. Currently, they are again residing in the Seattle area and they continue to point to our True Presence, as conscious freedom and causeless joy. Katie Davis is the author of Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment. Interviews with Sundance and Katie about awakening are included in the recently published book, Conversations on Non-Duality; Twenty-six Awakenings.

Sundance says, “Your being is not a personal or temporary existence. You are the very consciousness manifesting this life. Thus, you naturally love and embrace every perceived experience without fear. Unborn…you are timelessly awake for all the comings and goings within your conscious presence. Just by the mere turning of your attention to its source and foundation, you can awaken unto the truth of who you really are.”

The AWAKE SPIRIT TEACHINGS of Sundance and Katie have helped many people throughout the world to find inner peace, wise love and greater fulfillment in their lives. At the core of this teaching is a spiritual awakening that transcends the ego-based state of consciousness into the harmony and unity of pure awareness, a field of infinite possibility and the sacred heart of all Being.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 5/5/2012.

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Sundance Burke’s Spiritual Journey
  • 00:05:06 – The Paradox of Outer Life and Inner Unhappiness
  • 00:10:44 – A Mysterious Encounter with Satoshi
  • 00:14:31 – Siddhis and their potential effects
  • 00:18:18 – Losing Everything, Starting Over with Stand-Up Comedy
  • 00:22:50 – Miracles and Enlightenment
  • 00:26:05 – Exploring Spiritual Texts
  • 00:29:25 – Awakening to Self-Realization
  • 00:33:22 – Understanding the Power of Attention
  • 00:36:59 – Establishing Presence
  • 00:40:20 – Breakthrough and Burning Desire
  • 00:44:08 – A Shift in Self-Reflection
  • 00:47:46 – The End of Longing
  • 00:51:26 – Being Honest and Present
  • 00:54:47 – The Fire of Presence
  • 00:58:23 – The Path of Devotion
  • 01:01:31 – The Two Paths to Freedom: Self-Inquiry and Presence
  • 01:04:44 – Self-Inquiry and Presence
  • 01:08:10 – The False Self and Identification
  • 01:11:09 – The Ego as a Tool
  • 01:14:40 – Dissolving the Ego and Finding True Self
  • 01:18:01 – The Nature of Consciousness
  • 01:21:59 – The Power of Silence and Stillness
  • 01:25:59 – Different Strokes for Different Folks
  • 01:29:10 – The Power of Witnessing and Harmonizing
  • 01:33:14 – Collective Awakening and Changing Paradigms
  • 01:38:09 – Turning to love, the future of service
  • 01:42:15 – Overcoming the Ego Inside and Outside
  • 01:46:42 – The Power of Love and Inspiration
  • 01:50:09 – The Name “Sundance”
  • 01:52:49 – How to Stay Updated with “Buddha at the Gas Pump”