277. Craig Pearson

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