The Mindshift podcast returns to BHNN! This time, Shira Lazar & Jordana Reim speak with spiritual teacher David Gangelman about enlightenment.
Shira Lazar and Jordana Reim are co-founders of Peace Inside Live. Become a Peace Insider at peaceinside.live.
David Gandelman is a spiritual teacher, author, and guide, whose mission is to awaken souls on their path of growing into being human, and living an enlightened, purpose-driven life. He is the founder of the Meditation School app, and host of the Meditation School, Energy Matters, and Grounded Sleep podcasts. He has taught at Cornell University, NBC Universal, SAP, and numerous other organizations. David holds a B.A. in Western philosophy from Rutgers University and has studied Eastern spiritual traditions while living in the Himalayas. This, along with his experience as the director of a school for intuitive development and mysticism in Hawaii, informs his unique teaching style. David connects energetic experience, ancient wisdom traditions, and humor in order to create a safe atmosphere for people interested in learning to meditate and develop into their potential. Keep up with David on Instagram and Youtube.
Click to join Jordana & David, April 1-11, 2023 in Nepal and Bhutan
Enlightenment Through Humanity
We open this podcast with a discussion on finding enlightenment through humanity. David describes how we may have very euphoric experiences of awakening when we realize the illusions of the universe. This might happen during meditation or after a meaningful event. However, that euphoria often wears off. He shares that a deeper sense of lasting enlightenment actually comes from turning inward and sensing our humanity. Rather than having transient bliss, we can utilize our humanity to extend that feeling of awakening into all of our actions.
“Instead of chasing that kind of bliss or enlightenment, for me what I found is more important is to deepen into being a human being.” – David Gandelman
Spiritual Maturity (12:46)
Even if we think we are enlightened, we might still have to psychologically mature. Growing up is sometimes even harder than waking up. Often, the first experience we have of awakening is just by grace. We may not have even been ready to nurture our spiritual selves the first time we experienced a sense of eternal knowing. David says that we need to have the maturity to spiritually grow in order to find true enlightenment. After we feel a sense of enlightenment that is not the end. We need to foster that special experience and incubate enlightenment through spiritual teachers, meditation, and retreats.
“You also have to live an enlightened life. It’s maybe not enough to hide in a cave, so what is enlightenment and what does my enlightenment look like in the world?” – David Gandelman
Infinite Doors (25:28)
David says that there are infinite doors to enlightenment but offers us a few suggestions. First, we can watch the gap between our thoughts while meditating. Secondly, we can notice that we are the awareness that realizes this gap. Despite any anxieties and doubts that we have, we always have an inner awareness. We are not just the stories that pass through our minds.
“Maybe the hardest part about enlightenment is not that it’s far away but that it is so close it’s hard to see. It’s like trying to see your own eye through your eye”— David Gandelman