In this audio interview from the spring 2008 issue of WIE, editor in chief Andrew Cohen sits down with Deepak Chopra and takes an in-depth look at the remarkable life of this world-renowned spiritual teacher.As Cohen writes in his introduction from the magazine:
“Over the last couple of years I’ve developed considerable respect for Deepak’s sheer creative capacity and seemingly boundless energy. I’m a bit awestruck by the pace with which he lives his relentless globe-trotting life while writing bestseller after bestseller, giving lectures, teaching workshops, leading retreats, making movies. . . . And in this interview, I hoped to be able to portray a side of him that most people never get to see.”
Section 1: In this candid discussion between two spiritual teachers, Chopra and Cohen explore the lesser-known stories of Deepak’s young life, from his not-so-humble beginnings as the son of a well-known Indian doctor to his career as a Nobel Prize–seeking endocrinologist—and finally, to the spiritual transformation that set the course for the rest of his life.
Section 2: Deepak tells the story of his own spiritual journey, from his days as a student of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to the flowering of his career as a teacher. Chopra talks about his struggles with the ambition that drove him in his early years, and how he has evolved to a place where he no longer has a “personal stake” in anything he does. Finally, in this fascinating dialogue with Cohen, he describes the inner state of awareness that supports his creative energy and inspires him to share his understanding of consciousness with as many people as possible around the world.