Craig Pearson is Executive Vice-President of Maharishi International University (MIU) in Fairfield, Iowa, and a leader in Consciousness-Based education. He has spoken around the United States on this unique approach to education as well as on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s programs to create world peace.

He has held a number of positions at MIU, including Dean of Faculty, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dean of Students, Director of Freshman Composition, and Director of MIU Press.

Dr. Pearson holds a Ph.D. in Maharishi Vedic Science from MIU. He is the author of two books, The Supreme Awakening: Experiences of Enlightenment Throughout Time – And How You Can Cultivate Them, available through MIU Press (free chapter available for download) or Amazon. and The Complete Book of Yogic Flying.

He is also the co-author, with Brad Moses, of Peace on Earth, a collection of songs about enlightenment and world peace (available on iTunes). For video versions of these songs, see their YouTube channel. He lives on the MIU campus with his wife Melissa and son Soren.

Transcript of this interview

Interview conducted January 31, 2015.

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
• 00:04:23 – Panning for Gold in Unlikely Sources
• 00:07:42 – Seven States of Consciousness and Higher Spiritual Development
• 00:12:01 – Description of the Indescribable
• 00:16:47 – Profound Transformation and Universal Experience
• 00:22:38 – Wordsworth’s Experience at Tintern Abbey
• 00:26:42 – Rest and Deep Rest
• 00:30:20 – The Universal Experience
• 00:33:59 – The Transformative Effects of Meditation
• 00:38:01 – The Link Between Coherence and Intelligence
• 00:42:50 – The Benefits of Brain Integration
• 00:50:14 – Transforming Consciousness for Harmony with the Planet
• 01:01:36 – Settling the Waves of the Mind
• 01:13:01 – Cultivation of Mind and Brain
• 01:26:05 – The Condition in Which I Function
• 01:38:45 – A Veil Lifted: A Vision of Glory and Universal Love
• 01:49:10 – Universal Love and Amma’s Hugs
• 01:53:40 – Experiencing the Underlying Silence
• 01:57:21 – The Experience of Oneness
• 02:01:14 – Glimpsing the Higher States of Consciousness
• 02:04:45 – The Importance of Looking Within
• 02:09:01 – Researching Cosmic Consciousness through Brain Measures
• 02:12:39 – Understanding the Neurophysiology of Transcending
• 02:15:48 – Different Techniques and Brain Functioning
• 02:18:37 – Universality of Meditation Techniques
• 02:22:01 – Broadening the Possibilities
• 02:26:14 – The Special Atmosphere of Iowa City
• 02:29:26 – The Realities of Personal Growth
• 02:32:48 – Finding the Self Within
• 02:36:41 – Cultivating Transcendence
• 02:40:19 – Craig’s Page on BatGap

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I was born on June 14,1946 in Elizabeth, NJ and now live in Northwest Jersey. As a child I was aware of a vast stillness each night when I would close my eyes and lay down for sleep. The world seemed to dissolve in a blissful silence each night until waking in the morning. This experience was forgotten until found again while learning Transcendental Meditation. That profound first encounter with meditation set my feet on a path which culminated years later in the realization that our true nature is vast empty stillness that at the same time is full with life.

In a very practical sense, this shift in perception has greatly changed reactions to daily life. Every aspect of life is underscored by a spontaneous peaceful acceptance that is beyond intellectual understanding. The world is experienced as arising and dissolving in unconditional knowing. There is no sense of a separate individual struggling or accomplishing anything. Life goes on without anxiety, worry and obsessively mulling over a past that is gone and future that hasn’t happened. Seeing life this way allows a freedom to totally embrace experiences as they unfold. Even as the mind continues to judge situations as good or bad there is a deeper knowing that it’s all ok.

Interview recorded 9/15/2010

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction with Joel Rumbolo
• 00:03:19 – Childhood Blissful Experience
• 00:06:49 – From Marijuana to Yoga
• 00:09:34 – First Initiation Ceremony
• 00:11:59 – Car Accident in Edison
• 00:14:40 – Witnessing and the Shift in Perception
• 00:17:36 – Witnessing and the Ego
• 00:20:36 – Meeting Nila and Discovering Deep Silence
• 00:22:55 – Letting Go and Realizing Stillness
• 00:26:18 – Experiencing the Shift into Silence
• 00:29:48 – The Peace of Non-Identification
• 00:32:45 – The Wonder of Life and the Experience of Sleep
• 00:35:53 – Experiencing Sleep and Awareness
• 00:38:43 – The Experience of a Unified State
• 00:41:41 – The Perception of Vastness in Unity
• 00:44:02 – The Power of Visualization
• 00:47:26 – Having an Open Mind
• 00:52:07 – Being Contained and Defined
• 00:55:53 – The Perception of Silence and Subtle Realities
• 01:01:53 – The Flow of Life and Coincidental Experiences
• 01:07:16 – The Illusion of the Individual I
• 01:12:26 – The Possibility of Taking Questions from the Audience
• 01:15:59 – The Insanity of the Human Race
• 01:19:44 – The Wastefulness of Wars and the Path to World Peace
• 01:23:02 – Awakening to Different Paths
• 01:25:46 – The Power of Guided Meditation
• 01:27:58 – Retirement and Hobbies
• 01:30:19 – Neo-Advaita and the Misconception of Stillness
• 01:33:40 – The Misleading Nature of Enlightenment Experiences
• 01:38:21 – The End of Your World and Adyashanti
• 01:41:23 – Background Music

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Igal Moria was infected with the spiritual bug in his teens has no plans of recovering. He joined Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at 19 (in 1973) and was involved with the TM movement for 25 years, working with Maharishi on developing courses and course materials on Maharishi Vedic Science and world religions. He was a member of Andrew Cohen’s core body of students.

Transcript of this intervew

Interview recorded 4/21/2010

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction: Buddha at the Gas Pump
• 00:05:16 – Leaving the Ashram and Seeking Independence
• 00:09:42 – A Traumatic Event and Its Aftermath
• 00:12:44 – The End of an Era
• 00:16:03 – Introduction to Andrew Cohen and Enlightenment
• 00:20:17 – A Rekindling of the Spirit
• 00:24:14 – The Allure of Spiritual Leadership
• 00:27:46 – The Recognition of a Bigger Reality
• 00:31:53 – Overcoming Inertia and Embracing Change
• 00:35:36 – Liberation from Anxiety and Gratitude for Maharishi
• 00:41:03 – The Meeting of Papaji and Ramana Maharshi
• 00:45:04 – The Power of Trust and Shifting Consciousness
• 00:48:13 – The Classical Idea of Enlightenment
• 00:51:21 – The Origins and Development of Monotheism
• 00:54:55 – Enlightenment through engagement with others
• 00:58:49 – The Power of Coming Together Beyond Ego
• 01:02:04 – Coming together beyond ego
• 01:05:19 – The Five Tenets of Enlightenment
• 01:08:08 – Facing What You’re Made Of
• 01:11:23 – The Bigger Picture
• 01:13:56 – The Eye of the Universe
• 01:16:25 – The Evolution of Consciousness and the Motivation for the Spiritual Life
• 01:19:04 – Seriös Arbeit und Entwicklung
• 01:22:09 – The Value of Meditation for Freedom
• 01:25:31 – Cultivating Freedom from Mind and Emotions
• 01:29:06 – Contrasting meditation techniques
• 01:32:54 – The Three Instructions for Meditation
• 01:36:54 – Cultivating a Position of Freedom
• 01:42:32 – Various Perspectives on Spiritual Teachings
• 01:48:31 – The New Enlightenment: Embracing Inner and Outer Existence
• 01:55:00 – The Radical Becoming of Enlightenment

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