Gregory Penn, DD, began his spiritual path at a very young age and, after attending San Diego State University (SDSU) in 1969, he went on to enter the ministry by studying at Unity seminary. During this time Gregory met a Zen Master whose influence inspired him to combine the practice of Zen meditation in conjunction with becoming an ordained Unity minister.
After his ordination, Gregory felt a deep pull to journey to India where he lived for five years in a beautiful Ashram practicing the riggers of spiritual training and enfoldment while sitting at the feet of the great masters: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Baba Muktananda, Sathya Sai Baba and Jiddu Krishnamurti.
There he learned many techniques for dealing with and transcending the ego, including the ancient art of Tibetan Pulsing and the meditations that accompany these powerful experiences, which he has shared with his students over the past ten years. Gregory became an honored Sannyasin, Swami Chaitanya Siraj (Lamp of Consciousness), which was a name given to him by Rajneesh as a blessing to become an authentic spiritual teacher. He then returned to the U.S. with the essentials necessary to teach an authentic path to the direct encounter with life as Love.
Upon his return to the United States, Gregory continued his studies in Gnosticism, Sufism, Buddhism and Taoism, realizing that all offer great insights and that he could draw from each of these traditions in various ways to enhance his own teaching. During this time he also earned his Doctorate at Golden State University in 1989.
He continued his work with various Zen teachers and authors throughout the U.S., including Fritz Perls (founder of Gestalt Therapy), Jack Kornfield (author and teacher of Vipassana meditation), Thelma Moss (Kirlian photography) and Richard Bach (author of Jonathon Livingston Seagull), and gradually evolved a practice of living life from Love as well as teaching it to others. His teaching regards life as it is, not as it is supposed to be, with the focus of the Love of this life as being…not believing. Gregory teaches quality of life as living in the energy and presence of Love, the ultimate experience and meaning of a lifetime.
Gregory has dedicated his life to offering a message that is beyond conventional thinking, ideas, beliefs, religions and philosophies. With humor and insight, he offers a Zen twist with spiritual playfulness and useful methods for personal transformation. Throughout his 40+ years as a teacher, counselor and author, Gregory has offered an intimate encounter with his innermost presence as a man, teacher and spiritual being to serve as an example and open invitation to all who seek the path to the transformational Love of their life.
