About this episode
David grew up on the SW coast of Canada. In the mid-'70s, he discovered the subject of consciousness, then Transcendental Meditation (TM). This was quite a revelation. He quickly became an avid seeker, attending many talks and courses. Nine months after starting TM, he arrived in NE France for a 6-month retreat where he would train to become a teacher of TM. After 3 months with lots of purification and clearing, he had sporadic witnessing experiences where awareness shifted briefly into an observer mode. Then in the second 3 months, the lights came on. With a blinding flash of white light (which he much later learned was makara), the witness became permanent, throughout waking, dreams and sleep. At first, he was over-attentive, keeping the mind awake to observe sleeping and manipulate dreams. But quickly that settled into a simple continuity of awareness underlying all experience. Soon after that, the first re-cognition happened, a form of experience where everything about the object is known. This enlivens that principle in consciousness, making it easier for still others to have the same. In this case, it was hiranya gharba or the golden egg - the seed and origin of the universe. It took months to unpack the experience. Perception continued to unfold from there. At the end of the course, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi confirmed the experiences and said there would be much more. David's life grew into career, marriage, and family. Inner development continued but took a back seat for a number of years to the usual demands of a householder’s life. This helped ground and integrate what was unfolding and culture the platform further. Then in 2005, life made several unexpected changes. The spiritual side of life again moved to the forefront. He reconnected with some old friends. A few it turned out had become Self-Realized. After some feedback and darshan with Lorne Hoff, Self at last woke up to Itself here as well. Probably because of the long witnessing, this was quickly followed by a series of profound shifts in Being. And that in turn by transcending Being into Brahman. The unfolding continues. Website Book: Our Natural Potential: Beyond Personal Development, The Stages of Enlightenment (Rick Archer wrote the Foreword.) Transcript of this interview Other BatGap shows with David: Panel at Sofia U. Part 1 | Part 2 Panel Discussion: “Sudden or Gradual: Two Paths to Realization?” David's 2nd BatGap interview. About a month after the interview, David gave a talk at the Science and Nonduality conference on the stages he describes in this interview. Interview recorded 9/25/2015. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:05:21 - Anxious Kid and the Witness 00:09:16 - Lucid Dreaming and Continuity of Awareness 00:13:44 - The Pre-awakening Stage and Energetic Mechanics 00:17:41 - Unpacking the Hiranya garbha experience 00:21:35 - Personalization of Divine Manifestations 00:25:03 - The Nature of Angels and Subtle Beings 00:28:45 - The Mind of God and Other Creations 00:33:18 - Unfolding of Past Lives and Life Context 00:36:24 - The Cycle Comes Around Again 00:41:42 - Blasting Bliss and Laughing Out Loud 00:46:13 - Expanded Consciousness and God Consciousness 00:50:25 - Amplifying the Silence, Devotion to God 00:55:32 - Shift in Consciousness and Dissolution of Self 01:01:05 - The Choice of Perception 01:06:15 - Consciousness Knowing Itself Fully 01:10:31 - Brahman and the Wholeness of Creation 01:14:44 - Unfolding of Non-Duality with Unity 01:19:37 - The Unfolding Process of Consciousness 01:23:22 - The Purpose of Creation and Self-Discovery 01:28:39 - Relationships and Life Chapters 01:34:59 - The Universe within the Body 01:41:20 - Understanding Brahman and the Variations in Enlightenment Experiences 01:45:46 - The Barrier of Concepts 01:49:36 - The Awakening of the Self and the Ego 01:52:48 - The Nature of the Absolute Body 01:57:24 - An Interesting Conversation About Spiritual Awakening 02:02:16 - Dancing with the Ego 02:07:06 - Writing and Engaging in Conversations 02:10:22 - The vastness of reality 02:14:10 - Batgap Theme Song and Goodbye Save Save