I was going on this mission with the purpose of helping people through whatever I could learn. It was terrifying, yes — but it was also deeply infused with a sense that this was the right thing to do. This is what my heart was calling me toward. I don’t know where the idea first got planted in my mind — that I should learn about spirituality, that I should spend 50 days meditating alone in the forest, but I felt like I was being called through the ages to do it. It sounded crazy. I thought I was losing my mind. I was about to be homeless for a few years. But that’s exactly what I did. And it turned out to be the greatest decision of my life.

I had no idea what was going to happen, but I knew one thing: even if none of it “worked out,” these would be the most meaningful years of my life. And that was more important than anything else.

For some reason, the notion that the Buddha sat under a tree for 49 days and found enlightenment or that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and became Christ really stayed with me. It felt like history itself was speaking to me. Like it was saying: this is what we’re supposed to do. And so I had to trust.

I think when you follow your heart, and when your dreams are infused with the desire to help others, the universe conspires in your favor. And that’s exactly what I experienced.

A lot went through my head when I was buying that one-way ticket to India. I hoped, but wasn’t certain, that I’d find the ashrams and monasteries I was searching for. I hoped I wouldn’t end up in a cult. I hoped enough people would speak English. And I hoped I wasn’t crazy (the jury’s still out on that). But all the other hopes came true.

Just when I was ready for a new place, someone told me about it. Right when I needed a new experience, it found me. From that moment on, the universe kept giving me signs that everything would work out perfectly.

It was during those 50 days alone in the forest that I processed everything I had read, heard, and seen. With no rush, no people, no music, no books, and no internet — just stillness — I could finally absorb and reflect deeply. And during that silence, my purpose became clear: to help people experience inner peace, lasting joy, and infinite love.

Without the constant stimulation of modern life, I became more aware and present. And that presence, that state of just being, was where I found meaning. Because this life, this universe, is magic enough. There’s beauty in every atom, grain of sand, and speck of dust. But we miss it when we dull our senses with noise and distraction.

Meaning comes from full presence. From the moment when the mind stops, and we become one with everything around us. In that space, there is no negativity, no questions about the meaning of life, just aliveness and a powerful awareness. We begin to understand that everything we perceive, we perceive through the mind. And that awareness itself is what we truly are.

When we become aware of awareness, we see that we are both creating and being created by reality. There’s no more craving for meaning. No more avoiding pain. Just presence. And it’s incredible.

It’s deeply motivating when I hear from people about how my work has helped them or improved their lives. Even though these experiences changed my life, I still had doubts that anyone else would care or even listen. That’s the old egoic voice in my head. But it’s incredibly fulfilling to know that people are resonating with this message. That there is a world yearning for it. And that gives me hope for the future.

It makes me believe we really can create a more peaceful, loving world, one rooted in compassion, gratitude, kindness, and inner stillness.

Addressing a few questions and comments that some of you had:

You must be rich to travel to various monasteries and ashrams in various countries for various years. 

Some people think the places I visit must be very expensive, and that it must be so nice to live in the mountains. But all of the monasteries and ashrams I’ve visited are free, donation-based only. So really, it’s just the plane ticket that’s the big expense. But once you make it to India, Asia, or South America, there are many places where you’ll be warmly welcomed, places that help you deepen your connection to your spiritual source.

Do you live in the mountains? If I were living there away from all the wordly responsibilities, I would have been happy, spiritual and carefree like you as well.

I did not live in the mountains. I wish I lived in the mountains. Unfortunately, like most of us, I live in New York City, where I can earn a living and still continue to reach people and teach some of the things I learned around the world. I still try to visit ashrams, monasteries, and shamanic tribes and villages as often as I can, not always as much as I’d like. But every year, I try to visit as many spiritual places as possible to further my awareness.

Why are you living in New York City? A spiritual person like you should live in nature.

I try to live my life in that Buddhist middle path — not out of the world, not totally in it. I live in New York City because that’s where the people are. That’s where we’re all running around — stressed, overworked, and overtired. And really, that’s what spirituality is designed for. It’s not designed for the mountains. It is discovered in the mountains, and then we bring it to the cities, where we need it. You can bring the mountain with you. That’s the way to go.

Do your spiritual side and funny side (being an ex stand-up comedian) ever clash, as one is about deep stuff and the other one is about taking everything lightly?

I feel like not only should we not take anything seriously, but spirituality actually tells us not to take anything at all too seriously. Just let it all go. Believe in it all. Be. Trust in the universe, that it will all work out. Of course, we interact and engage with our surroundings, but we don’t need to grasp onto mental notions. Because as soon as we cling to something, we’re missing reality.

To me, comedy is spirituality. There is such a healing, soulful experience that happens when we laugh. It’s really like crying, an essential, uncontrollable release of overloaded emotion. It immediately releases whatever tension, stress, or worry we were holding on to. So for me, it’s a great spiritual gift to laugh, and to make others laugh.

Is there any teaching from your spiritual journey that has stayed with you and changed you?

There was this one famous Lama I spoke with at a Buddhist monastery in Northern India. He’s one of those Lamas with the last name Rinpoche and I’ll butcher the first name, so let’s just call him Mr. Rinpoche. He said that a bird needs two wings to fly, and humans need two wings as well. One is wisdom, and one is experience.

Wisdom is the intellectual understanding that we develop through teachings and scriptures. Experience is when we put it into practice, when we sit down to meditate, or become fully present as we go through our daily activities. The more we practice, the more we learn the correct way of thinking, the correct way of seeing reality, beyond opinions, judgments, and labels. That is how we make true spiritual progress.