This book is an account of Jon Peniel's personal journey of discovery, and more importantly, what it led him to, and can lead you to also.
FOUNDATIONS & UNDERSTANDING:
Sometimes you need to understand fundamental concepts first, before another class will really make as much sense as possible, or allow you to get the most out of it.
FIRST STEPS - A STRANGE CHILD IN A STRANGE LAND:
His final "voyage" began decades ago, when he was 17. Like the Dalai Lama, he was destined to return to his previous position with his spiritual order. Unlike the Dalai Lama, he was not told of it in early childhood, nor was he aware of it. He guesses you could say angels & saints were secretly guiding his young life.
He was a very strange & sensitive child (considered "over-sensitive"), with unusual abilities. This was just the "norm" for him. Many gentle & kind souls have experienced the same things as he did during childhood. He was abnormally bright, reading at age 3, self-learning to play music by 5. His childhood was very painful & lonely (sound familiar?).
As he approached his teen years, he was further alienated when he was "let down" by his religion. He would have eventually had the same crisis of faith with many other religions. The dogma & behavior of the leaders & practitioners of his religion, were "shooting down" his faith. Certain personal experiences, and "holes" in the teachings & practices, ultimately let him down, and left him feeling "empty" and even more alone. The worst part was he didn't just lose faith in his religion, but in the existence of God. By age 13, he was an atheist.
TRYING TO CONNECT PIECES OF AN ANCIENT PUZZLE:
Looking out at the stars, and observing the wonders of nature & life, he felt there MUST be something. So by the time he was 14, he became an agnostic.
The tunnel-vision theories of creation offered by most evolutionary "scientists" also left far too many unanswered questions, and were full of "holes". He had to find SOME kind of answers that made SENSE to him. His thirst was insatiable. He found "bits & pieces" of truth here & there, but something was always wrong with the entirety of the religion or philosophy.
At age 10, he tested very high for his I.Q., yet at age 16, he had flunked out of high school. So he moved out of his parent's house, started college, got a job, and his own apartment.
He realized the world was basically populated by 2 kinds of people, the users & the used. Thus the majority of people were usually always getting stepped on. The results were starvation, suffering, and servitude for most, while a few elite individuals had tremendous power & lived in incredible opulence & luxury. There were no good political solutions - because the problems were in basic human nature. The answer could only come from a change that took place inside every person on Earth. And he knew the chances for that were absurd. Eventually he began to entertain thoughts of suicide.
NEW HOPE ARISES FROM AN ODD PLACE:
One day someone recommended he read Robert Heinlein's book "Stranger in a Strange Land". Obviously, he could relate to the title alone. To him, what was represented in that science-fiction book seemed more like real spirituality, or how truly spiritual people would live, than most so-called spiritual or religious books he had read. It gave him hope, and spurred him on to continue his spiritual search even harder. His frustration with being unable to find anything to fit his ideal eventually turned to deep despair.
He grew increasingly despondent, and by 17, he finally gave up on finding anything or anyone who really had all the pieces of this grand puzzle. But right before he was about to end his life, he had a very odd experience. He was about to find out that there was a "third way" to live in this dog-eat-dog world.
IT MUST BE THE AGE OF TV:
What happened next was VERY BIZARRE. You might call it a "synchronicity" (which is like a "coincidence" but it is not just "chance"). You could call it "Universal Flow" or a "modern miracle".
Just before he was about to take an overdose of sleeping pills, he started "channel surfing". He did not even know why he was doing it at that time. It was an "urge" he was following. Anyway, to his surprise, as he turned the channel knob, he noticed a picture on the "U" channel setting. There was never a station broadcasting on that channel before. The odds against the entire complicated incident, were beyond any odds.
On his TV screen was a man who looked much like the stereotype image of "God". It was sort of an interview, but a bit more like a lecture. The subject matter was all about spirituality, God, the universe, creation, and of a history that went way beyond any Jon had ever known. It was as if Zeus, Merlin, and Moses had merged into one being, and stepped out of history into his living room. The man's every word struck a chord in him - they "rang" his "inner bell of truth". Even when the man spoke of knowledge or concepts he had never heard before - he seemed to already know them somehow.
The man on the TV said he was a monk of an ancient spiritual order who's name in English was, "The Children of The Law of One". Jon was caught between feelings of total awe, and wondering if this was really happening. The man said their order was dedicated to serving & experiencing God directly, via the development & use of Unselfish Love. But most importantly to him, they were devoted to LIVING a life of giving, caring, kindness, sharing, compassion, and harmlessness. It was what he had been looking for his whole life.
The man's descriptions of their life evoked images that seemed like memories to Jon. The man gave directions & instructions for getting to one of their monasteries - in Tibet no less! Jon's course was set. While only 17, he was determined to go.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: People wanting spiritual growth & fellowship also have another alternative to traditional monastery - they can start or join various Golden Rule programs with the help of the new Golden Rule Organization (GRO).
VIDEO 1: Interview with Jon Peniel Part 3
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