Krishna Gauci was born in Monterey, California, and was raised in New York City. Thirty-four years ago, he moved to the Pacific Northwest. He presently lives in Portland with his wife, Vivian. While pursuing his spiritual endeavors, he has worked as an auto assembly line worker, a New York City taxi cab driver, a cabinetmaker, and a bus driver.

Krishna has a background in the practice of Buddhist Meditation and has been a devotee of the Spiritual Master HWL Poonja (Papaji) since 1993. He has been a part of (what is now) the Trillium Awakening Community since 1998, and is a founding member of the Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle and the Institute of Awakened Mutuality. He has been holding Satsang since 2000.

Krishna on his development:
“I’ve always been involved with one or another form of growth, and it’s not easy to see where it all began. I was raised a relatively secular (even atheistic or at least agnostic) cultural Roman Catholic. For about five years in the late 1970s, I was a fervent evangelical Christian. On the other extreme, I was later a disciple of the controversial iconoclastic Indian teacher Shree Rajneesh (Osho) for five more years in the early 1980s. While it’s challenging to draw stark lines, I consider this period my spiritual infancy.

It wasn’t until later, while working with the American teacher Ken Lloyd Russell (“The Way of Seeing”), that I felt encouraged to explore more serious, traditional approaches. Although primarily involved in Buddhist Dharma, I was also drawn to the view of Advaita Vedanta after my first reading of “I Am That” by Nisargadatta Maharaj in 1984. At this time, I began a Zen sitting practice, and then later, Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism, emphasizing Devotional and Dzogchen practices. These were informed by receiving teachings and practice transmissions in the Nyingma lineage through Ngakpa Chogyam Rinpoche and later through Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche.

In 1992 I attended the Satsang of the teacher Gangaji and became exposed to the radical Nondual teachings of HWL Poonja (Papaji), her Master. Poonjaji was both an enlightened disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi (the renowned Master of Advaita Vedanta) and a Master of the Vaisnava Bhaktimarga tradition in which his family raised him. My meeting with Him in January 1993 drew me into a profoundly personal and devotional Relationship, an unexpected turn of events for someone who considered himself a Buddhist.

I spent much of the 1990s helping spread Sri Poonjaji’s teachings in the US, supporting and assisting those teachers connected to Him. These friends and fellow disciples of Poonjaji included (in order of my meeting them) Arjuna Ardagh, Hanuman Golden, and Catherine Ingram. Hanuman Golden is the friend I spent the most time with and is a sterling example of the integrity, loyalty, and devotion that Poonjaji inspired.

Poonjaji’s life was a bridge from the ancient to the modern. Being a down-to-earth householder, He was the essential heart of the tradition, making itself profoundly ordinary and incredibly available to people where they lived. He freely and entirely gave me my Self. I am forever in gratitude to Him. While His “passing” happened in 1997, I am still His disciple.

I became involved with the community and work of Trillium Awakening (Formerly Waking Down in Mutuality) in 1998 and then became a teacher in that work in 2002. While the teaching emphasis was somewhat different, I considered it continuous with all that had come before in my life.

Over time, while In the context of teaching, a new and unique perspective made itself known to me that I began calling The Tapestry Mandala and The Tapestry of Being.

The Tapestry of Being is a framework for expressing the unfolding that I’ve experienced; it includes understanding that became clear as a result of my living out the implications of multiple schools of awakened teachings that sometimes appear to be in contradiction with each other.

As for myself and Poonjaji: He is my Master in my heart and my bones, so for me, He can never be “past.” But, still, I must confess that I live and teach in ways that I would have not anticipated earlier. So, I’m now happy to be teaching in a way that addresses the whole of people’s experiences yet supports them in relaxing into a deep trust in Being and the recognition of That which transcends everything.”

Testimonials

"To say that Krishna and his workshop were amazing is really an understatement. There are no words for how much this time with him meant to me. His authenticity, presence, directness in his words and intention, his unbelievable ability to green light and give insights, his powerful clarity and teaching style, his love and Devotion to humanity, all created such a sacred, vast, transformative space for the whole group to be pulled in and transformed. The Divine worked through him in such a unique way, drawing the Divinity out of us all to experience a field of Being that was intoxicating, sweet, rich, like fragrant water to bathe in. I felt as if every word spoken was a treasure that I will hold deep in my heart forever."

Stacey Rhodes

"The exercises to increase awareness were amazing and very effective. Krishna's powerful transmission activated a greater awareness than I have ever felt. The next day after the workshop during my morning practice I felt the boundaries of my sense of self expand. I became awareness and there was a deeper clarification of my awakening."

With much Love & Gratefulness,

Lucy A Midwestern Christian grandmother

"The teaching flowed in such a beautiful, enlivening way that by the end everyone felt as if they'd been co-creators of a timeless moment of profound grace. Revelations came through the teachings, such as Krishna's explanation of why gazing is such a profound practice, as well as through powerful practices."

Bill E
Educator

Hi Krishna,

My experience with your radiant awareness workshop was so sweet. I became aware of a feeling of expanded love - vibrating and becoming seemingly limitless. It is still resonating, despite the fact that this morning at 5 a.m. we had two smoke alarms start screeching and a mechanical voice saying, "fire, fire." False alarm, but unnerving. So I sit here now with a huge amount of trusting in my wholeness that feels a combination of great fullness and great emptiness.

You can use my name and my words to help you get your work to reach others. It has been my great privilege to have been a part of it.

Love and gratitude,

Martha

"I have worked with Krishna Gauci in sittings, weekend and day long retreats, and on conference calls with other participants. Krishna is a profoundly realized teacher, with vast presence and deep wisdom. He has a gift for meeting students exactly where they need to be met and sometimes gently, sometimes boldly imparting this wisdom along with his palpable transmission. Krishna is also a virtual encyclopedia of Eastern religions and traditions, not only having read about them, but having studied them, practiced them and contemplated them for decades. His perspective is unique, wide and well considered. And, lastly, Krishna is a regular guy from New York. He’s utterly human, totally accessible, and a kind, good man. I am uber-grateful for the time I’ve spent with him, and look forward to future training, sharing, and evolving with Krishna."

Liz Kennedy

"Despite his intellectual brilliance, Krishna's teachings embrace a trans-rational unconditional acceptance shared with grounded-ness and humor. By making our mutual vulnerability an object of compassion, he models heart-open clarity in a profound yet non-linear way."

Lisa Norton

"The Presence he emits touches everyone who engages with him. His teachings are clear, his heart open to all. It was a weekend of deep connection and transformation. Krishna Gauci authentically transmits the wisdom, love and power of a master teacher."

Amy Wagner
 Artist, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Thank you, Krishna and Vivian, for making the trip to Atlanta. The presence of your transmission was palpable, and your useful analogies helped make abstract concepts easy to grasp. I really enjoyed the welcoming energy of the group and felt really at home. I look forward to meeting the two of you again.

Best wishes,
Eduardo Gordon

"I was at a sitting with Krishna, grappling with one of my "favorite" paradoxes. He kept tossing one koan after another into the room (seemingly unintentionally), in what felt like rapid succession to me. My mind couldn't keep doing its dance. A profound release occurred that had me relaxing and smiling for the rest of the night:

Non-sense
He's pitching koans into the room
Mind stops
It cannot proceed
I am a pool of smiles and deep rest"

Susanne West CA