Jon Bernie’s first awakening experience at the age of sixteen led him to spend many years practicing in the Zen and Theravadan Buddhist traditions, first as a monk in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and then as an early student of Jack Kornfield’s.
In the late 1980s, Jon’s spiritual trajectory was profoundly altered when he met Jean Klein – master of Advaita Vedanta and Kashmiri Yoga with whom he studied intensively for an extended period. Jon subsequently spent time with H.W.L. Poonja and Robert Adams, both direct disciples of Ramana Maharshi.
Jon’s spiritual development was also greatly aided by Brother David Steindl-Rast, who, along with Thomas Merton, was one of the first Christian monks to seriously practice in the Zen and Tibetan traditions and has since been instrumental in building interfaith networks worldwide.
After Jon met Adyashanti in 2002, his spiritual journey came to fruition, and subsequently Adya asked Jon to teach.
In addition to his work as a spiritual teacher, Jon is a certified Zero Balancing practitioner and a teacher of the Alexander Technique in private practice in San Francisco since 1981. Jon’s healing work has also been deeply influenced by extensive training in NLP, hypnosis, Self Acceptance Training, cranio-sacral therapy and the Qigong system of Dr. Yu Penxi. In addition to his private practice, Jon has given lectures and workshops for the general public at the Suzuki Method Teacher’s Conference, UCSF Medical School, JFK University and the Whole Life Expo.
Jon currently leads regular classes, retreats and intensives in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Jon’s book, Ordinary Freedom
Summary and transcript of this interview
Interview recorded 11/13/2011
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – The Power of Energy in Satsangs
- 00:05:18 – Interconnectedness and Synchronization
- 00:07:57 – A Psychic Awakening at 16
- 00:10:28 – Questioning the Existence of a Creative Force
- 00:13:42 – The Mind Wanders
- 00:16:53 – Becoming a Buddhist Monk
- 00:20:32 – The End of Fear and the End of Seeking
- 00:23:52 – Constant Discovery
- 00:27:27 – Second Awakening and the End of Fear
- 00:30:54 – Subtle Ways of Transformation
- 00:33:56 – Healing the Unseen and Unhealed Parts of Ourselves
- 00:36:50 – Relating to Spiritual Teachers on a Human Level
- 00:39:48 – Monastic Component in TM Movement
- 00:43:11 – Embracing Different Paths to Personal Growth
- 00:46:35 – Talking about Personal Identity
- 00:50:04 – The Experience of Human Feelings
- 00:52:47 – A Meeting with a Radiant Spiritual Teacher
- 00:55:50 – The Absence of Self-Consciousness
- 00:58:19 – “Do the Next Obvious Thing”
- 01:01:19 – Discovering Life and Learning as a Human Being
- 01:04:50 – Being a Mirror for Others’ Resistance
- 01:07:23 – The Miracle of Satsang
- 01:09:49 – The Beginning of Awakening
- 01:12:14 – The Question of Belief
- 01:15:08 – The Inner Lives of Individuals
- 01:18:31 – Awakening to Shakti with Rick and Tony
- 01:20:58 – Collective Transformation and Flexible Approaches to Spiritual Practice
- 01:23:43 – Questioning Beliefs and Assumptions
- 01:26:32 – The Necessity of Gradual Growth and Breakthroughs
- 01:29:37 – The Path to Truth
- 01:32:38 – Conclusion and Farewell
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