About the Author

The seeds of this website were planted in November 1967, when I attended a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Yale University, just two months after I had arrived on campus as a freshman. He spoke about the Transcendental Meditation^® technique, or TM, which he described as a “simple, natural, effortless, mental technique for experiencing a state of restful alertness” that improves health, increases mental clarity, unleashes creativity, enriches relationships, and generates an influence of peace in the world. I enrolled in the next course, feeling that my life would change profoundly if even just a small fraction of what he said were true. And so it did. Among the many benefits that I experienced, the greatest were a growing sense of inner freedom and an upwelling of joy that was not dependent on where I was, who I was with, or what I was doing.

About half-way through my senior year, I picked up the Bible and read the Gospels for the first time. Having grown up in a nonreligious family, I read them unencumbered by sectarian doctrines or other people’s opinions. I was deeply moved, and I wanted to experience more of what I had just encountered in the stories of Jesus’s life and in his teachings. Yer the profound impact of my regular meditation inspired me to become trained as a TM teacher immediately after graduating. A year later, I was appointed Area Coordinator for the Southeast United States of the Students International Meditation Society, which gave me the opportunity to conduct TM courses throughout the South. During this period, I found a church in which I felt at home, was baptized, and delved into the Bible and other books about the Christian experience for a greater understanding of the journey that I had begun. Encouraged by a sympathetic minister a few years later, I began the daunting project of writing a book about Transcendental Meditation and Christianity that led me to a life-changing experience in a Trappist monastery and a rough draft of Joy beyond Belief.

For almost a decade I taught TM courses, worked on projects for TM organizations in the United States and Europe, and studied Maharishi’s teachings in great depth. My draft of Joy Beyond Belief was never far from my mind, but I knew that I needed to develop my skills as a writer to complete it. Fortunately, not long after I retired from my varied roles in the TM movement, I was appointed Vice President of Program Development for an international training and publishing company. In this position I oversaw the design and development of workshops in leadership development, interpersonal communication, self-discovery, and personal productivity that were delivered to thousands of client organizations in more than 20 countries, including Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, government agencies, universities, hospitals, and religious organizations.

I enjoyed this work, but it didn’t address what I still feel are life’s truly important questions:

After twenty-five years in organizational training and development, I returned to the task of completing my book, Joy Beyond Belief, to address those questions. I have developed this website to explore the themes of the book with you and others who share these interests.

Thank you for joining with me in this learning adventure. I genuinely appreciate your interest!