Gary Crowley was born in 1965 and was raised in Massachusetts as a practical-minded New Englander. He graduated from Stanford University in 1987 with degrees in Economics and Political Science. At a young age, he was attracted to Eastern philosophy and spiritual writings that seemed to offer a glimpse of something greater than the life he had known growing up. However, by 2001, Gary finally gave up on all forms of spiritual seeking after decades on the path. He surrendered under the weight of the many well-intended spiritual teachings he'd accumulated over the years. All the study had not caused the shift in awareness that he'd so earnestly sought and had been so often promised. The problem, he then realized, was that he had been simply piling up concepts without addressing the very foundation - his sense of "self" - that was doing the seeking. He discovered that it is only by dismantling our assumptions about "who we are," rather than merely describing a state of being such as oneness or wholeness, that we can bring about a natural opening to a new way of experiencing life. Gary's site: http://garycrowley.com/ Gary's books: Pass the Jelly: Tales of Ordinary Enlightenment From Here to Here: Turning Toward Enlightenment Interview recorded 8/11/2010. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Past the Jelly, Tales of Ordinary Enlightenment 00:03:00 - The Surprising Repetition of the Same Stuff 00:05:44 - Compassion for Ourselves and Others 00:08:32 - The Process of Change 00:11:18 - Insights from the Book 00:13:12 - Exploring Eastern Philosophy and Spiritual Writings 00:16:02 - A Shift in Perspective and Understanding 00:18:36 - The True Nature of Self 00:21:39 - The Experiencing of Living 00:24:51 - Observing the Soup of Life 00:28:06 - The Illusion of Perception 00:30:54 - Quantum Possibilities and Everyday Miracles 00:34:06 - Athletes in the Zone 00:36:59 - The everythingness of experiencing 00:40:00 - The Mystery of the Human Condition 00:42:49 - Perspectives on Politics 00:46:01 - The Illusion of Conscious Will 00:48:48 - Embracing the Actuality of the Human Condition 00:51:48 - Freedom from Illusion 00:55:03 - Helping People in Need 00:57:54 - The Tapping Technique for Change and Healing 01:00:23 - The Diagnosis of a Bone Spur 01:02:24 - Relieving Neck Pain with Body Work 01:05:21 - The Distraction of Physical Pain 01:07:47 - A Shift in Perspective 01:10:03 - The ebb and flow of experiencing everythingness 01:13:04 - The Impact of Stress on Brain Development 01:16:08 - Trading Spiritual Jokes 01:19:06 - The Mantra Meditation Challenge 01:20:26 - Discussing distribution of the interview 01:22:18 - The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment