Profile
"Lives are like rivers. Eventually they go where they must. Not where we want them to." – Richard Russo, "Empire Falls"
I joined the CBS News organization in New York, a starry-eyed intern confident that broadcast journalism and working for Eric Sevareid was my destiny. It was here I found my niche in electronic media and the written word. Five years later the U.S. State Department recruited me to Washington, D.C. with the promise of free passage to everywhere when I entered the foreign service. A restless spirit with eyes on distant horizons, the search for Who Am I took the long and tortuous path across oceans and continents, from the African bush to the roof of the world, only to find the answer dwells within.
Europe during the Cold War, Third World poverty, political assassinations, an emotionally shattering Vietnam War were some of the more stressful environments in which I lived and worked. But the diverse cultures of Japanese, European, Islamic, Southeast Asian and African peoples played a defining role in the person I am today.
It would be impossible to forget the friendship and generosity of those whose lives were entwined with mine like interwoven wickerwork–my American foreign service colleagues, and the myriad foreign nationals who opened their homes and hearts to me. How grateful I am to have known every single one of them. After many years overseas I was assigned to our Washington, D.C. Office of Public Affairs where I wrote and produced educational documentaries.
When I left State and moved to New York I found myself working for the Veterans Administration in their downtown office. The young man in charge of Public Affairs was Everett Chasen. Bright, enthusiastic and a good writer, Ev opened the door for innovative ideas that helped focus attention to the many problems and needs of our veterans. I spent five happy years there.
My spiritual journey led me to a frozen Himalayan mountainside described in my article, "The Eternal Search For Who Am I?" Here I encountered a near-naked barefooted yogi, who came out of the snowy mist and spoke to me in a language I did not understand. In those few moments a portal opened to an indescribable spiritual experience, only to have it close for a long time.
I've been guided by many spiritual teachers. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi made me a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the 1970s. I studied with Siddha Yoga masters Baba Muktananda and Gurumayi Chidvilasananda in the 1980s. More recently, I spent considerable time in an ashram in southern India where I had many "mystical" experiences. But as Maharishi taught us long years ago, spirituality is not about flashy experiences. It is those very moments of ecstasy that attract like a drug, keep you coming back for more, but take you nowhere. Sri Mooji is from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. A disciple of Papaji of Lucknow, Mooji's wise and simple message is: "Stop. Be quiet. You already are what you are seeking. Since the day is already written, all you have to do is show up."
"What a liberation to realize that the voice in my head is not who I am. 'Who am I then?' The one who sees that." – Eckhart Tolle
Diamond level author at ezinearticles.com
I joined the CBS News organization in New York, a starry-eyed intern confident that broadcast journalism and working for Eric Sevareid was my destiny. It was here I found my niche in electronic media and the written word. Five years later the U.S. State Department recruited me to Washington, D.C. with the promise of free passage to everywhere when I entered the foreign service. A restless spirit with eyes on distant horizons, the search for Who Am I took the long and tortuous path across oceans and continents, from the African bush to the roof of the world, only to find the answer dwells within.
Europe during the Cold War, Third World poverty, political assassinations, an emotionally shattering Vietnam War were some of the more stressful environments in which I lived and worked. But the diverse cultures of Japanese, European, Islamic, Southeast Asian and African peoples played a defining role in the person I am today.
It would be impossible to forget the friendship and generosity of those whose lives were entwined with mine like interwoven wickerwork–my American foreign service colleagues, and the myriad foreign nationals who opened their homes and hearts to me. How grateful I am to have known every single one of them. After many years overseas I was assigned to our Washington, D.C. Office of Public Affairs where I wrote and produced educational documentaries.
When I left State and moved to New York I found myself working for the Veterans Administration in their downtown office. The young man in charge of Public Affairs was Everett Chasen. Bright, enthusiastic and a good writer, Ev opened the door for innovative ideas that helped focus attention to the many problems and needs of our veterans. I spent five happy years there.
My spiritual journey led me to a frozen Himalayan mountainside described in my article, "The Eternal Search For Who Am I?" Here I encountered a near-naked barefooted yogi, who came out of the snowy mist and spoke to me in a language I did not understand. In those few moments a portal opened to an indescribable spiritual experience, only to have it close for a long time.
I've been guided by many spiritual teachers. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi made me a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the 1970s. I studied with Siddha Yoga masters Baba Muktananda and Gurumayi Chidvilasananda in the 1980s. More recently, I spent considerable time in an ashram in southern India where I had many "mystical" experiences. But as Maharishi taught us long years ago, spirituality is not about flashy experiences. It is those very moments of ecstasy that attract like a drug, keep you coming back for more, but take you nowhere. Sri Mooji is from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. A disciple of Papaji of Lucknow, Mooji's wise and simple message is: "Stop. Be quiet. You already are what you are seeking. Since the day is already written, all you have to do is show up."
"What a liberation to realize that the voice in my head is not who I am. 'Who am I then?' The one who sees that." – Eckhart Tolle
Diamond level author at ezinearticles.com
