RE: Remembering Dreamwalker - Discussion
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Noah D, modified 1 Month ago at 10/14/24 10:16 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/14/24 10:16 PM
Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
My dear friend Devin passed away several days ago. He was well known as Dreamwalker on the DhO. I'd like to start this thread for us to celebrate him, his depth of understanding and practice in the dharma and his continuous interest in helping others deepen their practice. I plan to post some pictures and recollections as inspired. If anyone had any interactions with him on the forum, elsewhere online or in person , please feel free to share.
Siavash ', modified 1 Month ago at 10/14/24 10:24 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/14/24 10:24 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1700 Join Date: 5/5/19 Recent PostsAdi Vader, modified 1 Month ago at 10/14/24 10:48 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/14/24 10:48 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 397 Join Date: 6/29/20 Recent Postsshargrol, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 5:25 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 5:25 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 2756 Join Date: 2/8/16 Recent Posts
Goodbye Devin. I'm very glad to have known you. You were a good dharma friend to many people around the world. Wish you were still here.
Chris M, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 7:57 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 7:25 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 5483 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
Dammit! This news hits hard. I talked to Dreamwalker just a few months ago, and he seemed fine, but we didn't discuss each other's health issues. He was a personality on DhO and a personality in person. Those two "Devins" were part of what he wanted to talk about. I first met him face-to-face at one of the Buddhist Geeks conferences in Boulder, CO. He was full of energy and could talk a mile a minute. Dreamwalker was memorable, and he will be missed.
Rest in peace, Devin.
Rest in peace, Devin.
shargrol, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 7:29 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 7:29 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 2756 Join Date: 2/8/16 Recent PostsChris M, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 8:03 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 8:02 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 5483 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
When we talked via Zoom, Devon was worried that his direct questioning of their comments, beliefs, and practice reports was upsetting some DhO people. He didn't want to be seen as too aggressive but also wanted to be, had to be, true to his instincts, which told him to be honest, call 'em as he saw 'em, and not pull his punches. He was a sweetheart during that entire conversation and was open about his concerns. I wish everyone could have known that Devin - self-aware and concerned for and about others. Devon to the core.
Siavash ', modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 8:05 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 8:05 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1700 Join Date: 5/5/19 Recent PostsPepe ·, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 9:22 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 9:22 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 752 Join Date: 9/26/18 Recent Posts
How sad! Unexpected. There was so much energy and experience in their posts. I hope their family and friends can find a healthy way to find closure.
Martin, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 10:34 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 10:34 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1057 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent PostsOlivier S, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 10:37 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 10:37 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 996 Join Date: 4/27/19 Recent Posts
Paying homage to Dreamwalker/Devin. I never met him personally, but his framework for awakening was a great inspiration, and his posts here, despite the occasional poking ;), demonstrated a deeply caring soul. May he rest in peace.
ps: May we ask what happened?
ps: May we ask what happened?
Noah D, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:09 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:03 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
Adding a few pictures of Devin that were taken at SPUDS (tongue-in-cheek acronym for Seattle Pragmatic Underground Dharma Society). Devin started SPUDS around 2015 with myself and a couple others. Devin was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Seattle and we had also corresponded on the DhO chat function previously. Devin was well known for his pragmatic, no-nonsense yet humurous attitude towards dharma practice and life in general. The humor came out more in person, expressed as a style of sharp, witty and sometimes mildly obscene quips. There was also a stream of endless puns and "dad jokes," particularly when he got some momentum going.
He was relentlessly focused on awakening and faithfully maintained that as a true north where others would veer off into varying (and valid) dharma-adjacent paths such as psychotherapy, philosophy, health, etc. He was always mapping the path to awakening and frequently seemed to touch on objective aspects of the path that were easily reality-tested. His framework of awakening descriptions were of immense benefit to me and likely many others. His motto was "clear goal, clear recipe, clear result."
On a brief personal note, he helped me through many years of struggle and development. He always gave good advice and helped to counterbalance trends towards the extreme with his "clear eye." The group of friends ("SPUDies") that started gathering around Devin nine years ago is still going strong and meeting every week to discuss deep dharma practice openly and with an eye towards the pragmatic.
He was relentlessly focused on awakening and faithfully maintained that as a true north where others would veer off into varying (and valid) dharma-adjacent paths such as psychotherapy, philosophy, health, etc. He was always mapping the path to awakening and frequently seemed to touch on objective aspects of the path that were easily reality-tested. His framework of awakening descriptions were of immense benefit to me and likely many others. His motto was "clear goal, clear recipe, clear result."
On a brief personal note, he helped me through many years of struggle and development. He always gave good advice and helped to counterbalance trends towards the extreme with his "clear eye." The group of friends ("SPUDies") that started gathering around Devin nine years ago is still going strong and meeting every week to discuss deep dharma practice openly and with an eye towards the pragmatic.
Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:04 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:04 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 7135 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
I was so sad to hear these news. I really liked Devin DreamWalker, and I have enjoyed our video chats and other exchanges. He has been a skillful sparring partner and a great inspiration to so many diligent practicioners. I personally appreciated his high standards for the paths and his scrutiny with regard to all the different aspects of experience that need to be worked through. I also enjoyed his quirky humor and wit. I didn't know him super well but I counted him as a friend, and I hope and believe that was mutual. He was always kind to me, even from the start when I was such a clueless noob. I hope he was able to have a good wakeful dying moment. I'm not sure what happens after that, but if there is such a thing as a bardo, may he ace that! May his helpfulness, generosity and awakeness continue to ripple through where it's needed for the benefit of all sentient beings! You are missed, Devin!
Robert L, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:04 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:04 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 85 Join Date: 2/10/19 Recent PostsPolymix P, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:37 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 11:37 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 20 Join Date: 3/1/24 Recent PostsNoah D, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 1:05 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 1:05 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
From Jim in SPUDS:
Early on in my experience of meditation, I was in DW's sangha. I would often go on our chat and talk about my experiences and attempt to understand their significance. DW always pushed me to be more specific, more clear, and less poetic in my descriptions. It really made me develop an additional level of clarity and specificity that I didn't have before. It's really helped me communicate with others, and I think it's really impacted my ability to really be part of a sangha in a positive way. DW has a lot to do with that, and for that I am very grateful. I'll try to pay that kindness forward to the next generation of the sangha in his honor. May he achieve a meritorious rebirth.
Noah D, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 1:07 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 1:06 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
From Aurea in SPUDS:
I remember the first time I met Devin he was talking about time. It was the first time I had come to SPUDS and I had only just started reading The Mind Illuminated. My mind was blown that day by how deep this rabbit hole could go! He was always a fixture of the group, and I think in many ways he embodied the best parts of it too. Once I got to know him I quickly realized that he is very kind, warm, approachable, and friendly person. He loved to share his experiences, insights, and theories and was ready to talk your ear off once you asked him a question, haha. He was very technical and direct with his words; he would say everything so matter of factly, talking that way even when he occasionally talked about his health issues. I still remember some of the things he said to me, like how he once told me he thought my spirit animal was an otter. He was always ready to jump in and be a resource to anyone who needed help or guidance. RIP Devin, you will be missed. Sending good vibes to you, wherever you are right now!
John L, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 6:11 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 6:10 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 79 Join Date: 3/26/24 Recent Posts
This is sad to hear. Strangely, Dreamwalker was passively on my mind yesterday; I noted that I hadn't seen him post in a while.
As this news settled in, I became aware of the emotional investment I have in this forum and its frequent posters. We’ve got something precious here, and Dreamwalker was an important part of it.
As this news settled in, I became aware of the emotional investment I have in this forum and its frequent posters. We’ve got something precious here, and Dreamwalker was an important part of it.
T DC, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 6:45 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 6:45 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 531 Join Date: 9/29/11 Recent Posts
So sorry to hear that, thinking of him and the SPUDs group. Like John said it is a sad reminder of the preciousness of this community.
Papa Che Dusko, modified 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 7:26 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/15/24 7:22 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 3140 Join Date: 3/1/20 Recent PostsNoah D, modified 1 Month ago at 10/16/24 11:08 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/16/24 11:08 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
From Aman in SPUDS:
I remember the SPUDS meeting that convinced me that SPUDS was for me. It was my 2nd or 3rd meeting and this time it was just me, Devin, and Zai . Zai and Devin were arguing/discussing about jhanas and access concentration and I thought, "this is the group for me".
More recently, I had a call with him during my stay at MAPLE. I took the call in secret and I deeply appreciated his emphasis on bringing me back to the basics of vipassana, focusing on see hear feel and on the 3 characteristics. What I really felt in his directnes was a deep compassion for me and a desire for me to awaken. Devin will be missed. What a guy!
More recently, I had a call with him during my stay at MAPLE. I took the call in secret and I deeply appreciated his emphasis on bringing me back to the basics of vipassana, focusing on see hear feel and on the 3 characteristics. What I really felt in his directnes was a deep compassion for me and a desire for me to awaken. Devin will be missed. What a guy!
Stirling Campbell, modified 1 Month ago at 10/16/24 8:06 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/16/24 8:06 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 636 Join Date: 3/13/16 Recent Posts
In 2017 I found DHO feeling completely at sea with my new realization. Devin is one of the people who messaged me privately and engaged me. Over that Fall and Spring we had a series of Skype calls (remember Skype?) where he pushed me for details, and helped me investigate my understanding, oh... and asked me how "I" was. Yes, he had a gruff exterior, and over the years I sometimes thought he could have been kinder to some of the noobs, but I KNOW that underneath that was someone who wanted to help.
I made it through. Burnt through self and completed the path. Became a Zen priest with a fantastic teacher, and my own dedicated sangha.
Thanks for giving the new guy an even break, Devin. Thanks for your recommendation of Michael Singer's "Untethered Soul", which is like an oxygen mask on a plane. I still recommend it to all of my beginning students to begin to alleviate the suffering of the 2nd arrow almost immediately. Thank you for your Framework - its experiments in propriaception of the senses helped me quickly crack open my panoramic vision and ability to hear the "stillness" in every moment.
I'm sure there is perfumed lotus for you out there somewhere. Say hello to Syd and Sariputra for me.
I made it through. Burnt through self and completed the path. Became a Zen priest with a fantastic teacher, and my own dedicated sangha.
Thanks for giving the new guy an even break, Devin. Thanks for your recommendation of Michael Singer's "Untethered Soul", which is like an oxygen mask on a plane. I still recommend it to all of my beginning students to begin to alleviate the suffering of the 2nd arrow almost immediately. Thank you for your Framework - its experiments in propriaception of the senses helped me quickly crack open my panoramic vision and ability to hear the "stillness" in every moment.
I'm sure there is perfumed lotus for you out there somewhere. Say hello to Syd and Sariputra for me.
Matt Jon Rousseau, modified 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 5:23 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 5:23 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 247 Join Date: 5/1/22 Recent PostsGeoffrey Gatekeeper of the Gateless Gate, modified 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 8:09 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 8:09 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 615 Join Date: 10/30/23 Recent Posts
I'm sorry to hear this. May his family, friends and loved ones find peace and happiness.
I'll admit, I really didn't like him at first. The first couple of times we interacted, I thought he came off as mean. But every time I would actually sit with something he told me or wrote me, it would always become clear to me after a few minutes that he was pointing out something I wasn't aware and didn't want to hear. He had an absolute knack for figuring out your practice pain points just by things like where you were overly vague or unclear on something.
He was a sharp guy, had incredible insights, and will be missed <3
I'll admit, I really didn't like him at first. The first couple of times we interacted, I thought he came off as mean. But every time I would actually sit with something he told me or wrote me, it would always become clear to me after a few minutes that he was pointing out something I wasn't aware and didn't want to hear. He had an absolute knack for figuring out your practice pain points just by things like where you were overly vague or unclear on something.
He was a sharp guy, had incredible insights, and will be missed <3
Daniel M Ingram, modified 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 8:53 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 8:53 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 3293 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Devin was such a long-time and vital presence on the DhO, a friend, and he will be missed. Tragic. This mortal life...
May we all take inspriration from his engagement with the path and make precious use of our own remaining moments, care our ourselves and each other, and support wisdom and kinendss.
May we all take inspriration from his engagement with the path and make precious use of our own remaining moments, care our ourselves and each other, and support wisdom and kinendss.
Daniel M Ingram, modified 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 8:55 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 8:54 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 3293 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Also, Jenny asked me to post this in his honor:
From Jenny Foerst to the Pragmatic Dharma community:
Devin’s (“Dreamwalker’s”) sister contacted me late Sunday night, October 14, to break the sad news to me that he has passed.
Devin and I had recently connected via a lengthy video call. During it he told me that he would not live another 5 years. He had lived many years with a serious health condition, never once complaining, and survived much longer than medical doctors expected possible. He attributed this good fortune to his practicing with Green Tara every night before sleeping to ask for her blessing for the sake of what he could still contribute to the collective.
Devin and I met more than a decade ago on the Dharma Overground. We were close from the start, and close to the end. Along with two of my high school and college era friends, Devin was the closest friend I had. But unlike earlier-era friends, Devin conversed with me almost daily for more than a decade and was the only one accompanying me on the Path.
In the early, exhilarating years of stream entry, second path, and third path, we spent many nights in conversation together, collaboratively elaborating submaps, cross-maps, and metamaps of awakening and describing phenomenology in novel ways. Even when I was on vacation in Asheville or New York I would sneak out onto the cabin porch or into the hotel bathroom after the family was asleep, while he likewise sneaked away from his family. By phone we would talk for hours excitedly about maps, magic, out-of-body traveling, and the nature of the cosmos and reality.
Even as recently as three weeks ago, Devin and I continued to collaborate. He cited and drew x, y, and z axes to describe the way that a practitioner’s core (0) and the hypothetical edge at a distance (1) can disappear in certain jhanas yet leave behind a sense of directionality. He was exceptionally intelligent and helped map levels of practice and experience even before he reached them personally. He had an uncanny ability to do so accurately and compellingly, often drawing diagrams.
Because of Devin’s keen powers of introspection and observation, he also innovated some amazing practices that he encouraged me to include in my book. I gratefully added them to my teaching instructions and draft manuscript, with “Dreamwalker” in the practice titles. One of these practices—to give an example—involved “flipping” back and forth between the Dark Night (vj3) and sj3. This mastery practice shows practitioner that the difference between vj3 and sj3 lies in feeling-tone and is interpretive and therefore subject to inversion at will.
Devin was my first, most enduring, and closest Dharma brother. I thought that I was prepared for the call. But I was wrong. There is a hole in my nights now and a hole in my heart. I’m grieving exquisitely, even so, for grieving is an expression of the perfection of what is. Human beings can move from grief, which is inward and private, to mourning, which is expressive and communal. By sharing these words, however inadequate to convey the multilayered feeling involved, I’m honoring this communal process for myself and, I hope, for many of you.
I hope that my bond with Devin made his life more bearable and fun than it otherwise would have been. In addition to his health challenges, he had much other tragedy he had to absorb over recent years—which he did, again, without complaint.
I am doing the bardo practice that I normally do for the people close to me who die. When they are practitioners, I also guide them through Mahamudra third and fourth yogas in the liminal spacetime. He knew that I was planning to do so. We talked about it many times, so I trust that he is listening. I know that many of you benefitted from his insight, guidance, sense of humor, and example. If you enter stillness, imagine him at the moment of death, and surround him with love at that moment, then you can help “retroactively,” for the arrow of time is empty.
An additional way to honor him is to honor yourself by practicing well. Do not stop, for death is certain, and the time of death is most uncertain. The Buddha tried to warn us, and now my dear friend’s departure is also the warning calling us to new collective possibilities writ large.
From Jenny Foerst to the Pragmatic Dharma community:
Devin’s (“Dreamwalker’s”) sister contacted me late Sunday night, October 14, to break the sad news to me that he has passed.
Devin and I had recently connected via a lengthy video call. During it he told me that he would not live another 5 years. He had lived many years with a serious health condition, never once complaining, and survived much longer than medical doctors expected possible. He attributed this good fortune to his practicing with Green Tara every night before sleeping to ask for her blessing for the sake of what he could still contribute to the collective.
Devin and I met more than a decade ago on the Dharma Overground. We were close from the start, and close to the end. Along with two of my high school and college era friends, Devin was the closest friend I had. But unlike earlier-era friends, Devin conversed with me almost daily for more than a decade and was the only one accompanying me on the Path.
In the early, exhilarating years of stream entry, second path, and third path, we spent many nights in conversation together, collaboratively elaborating submaps, cross-maps, and metamaps of awakening and describing phenomenology in novel ways. Even when I was on vacation in Asheville or New York I would sneak out onto the cabin porch or into the hotel bathroom after the family was asleep, while he likewise sneaked away from his family. By phone we would talk for hours excitedly about maps, magic, out-of-body traveling, and the nature of the cosmos and reality.
Even as recently as three weeks ago, Devin and I continued to collaborate. He cited and drew x, y, and z axes to describe the way that a practitioner’s core (0) and the hypothetical edge at a distance (1) can disappear in certain jhanas yet leave behind a sense of directionality. He was exceptionally intelligent and helped map levels of practice and experience even before he reached them personally. He had an uncanny ability to do so accurately and compellingly, often drawing diagrams.
Because of Devin’s keen powers of introspection and observation, he also innovated some amazing practices that he encouraged me to include in my book. I gratefully added them to my teaching instructions and draft manuscript, with “Dreamwalker” in the practice titles. One of these practices—to give an example—involved “flipping” back and forth between the Dark Night (vj3) and sj3. This mastery practice shows practitioner that the difference between vj3 and sj3 lies in feeling-tone and is interpretive and therefore subject to inversion at will.
Devin was my first, most enduring, and closest Dharma brother. I thought that I was prepared for the call. But I was wrong. There is a hole in my nights now and a hole in my heart. I’m grieving exquisitely, even so, for grieving is an expression of the perfection of what is. Human beings can move from grief, which is inward and private, to mourning, which is expressive and communal. By sharing these words, however inadequate to convey the multilayered feeling involved, I’m honoring this communal process for myself and, I hope, for many of you.
I hope that my bond with Devin made his life more bearable and fun than it otherwise would have been. In addition to his health challenges, he had much other tragedy he had to absorb over recent years—which he did, again, without complaint.
I am doing the bardo practice that I normally do for the people close to me who die. When they are practitioners, I also guide them through Mahamudra third and fourth yogas in the liminal spacetime. He knew that I was planning to do so. We talked about it many times, so I trust that he is listening. I know that many of you benefitted from his insight, guidance, sense of humor, and example. If you enter stillness, imagine him at the moment of death, and surround him with love at that moment, then you can help “retroactively,” for the arrow of time is empty.
An additional way to honor him is to honor yourself by practicing well. Do not stop, for death is certain, and the time of death is most uncertain. The Buddha tried to warn us, and now my dear friend’s departure is also the warning calling us to new collective possibilities writ large.
Nihila, modified 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 3:58 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/17/24 3:58 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 362 Join Date: 1/19/23 Recent Poststerry, modified 1 Month ago at 10/18/24 1:07 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/18/24 1:07 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 2803 Join Date: 8/7/17 Recent Posts
hawaiian remembrances
generally not sad affairs
lots of flowers
and food
music
aloha
hugs
the only thing missing
the departed
they are not far away
we won't be parted long
He Makana No Na Mamo
Na Mo'olelo O Na Pua O Nehinei
E Pili Mau I Na Kupuna
Na Lei 'A'ala
I Ohu Mau I Ku'u Lei
I Ke Aloha Pili Mau
English Translation:
A Gift For The Descendants
The Stories of Yesterday's Flowers
Let's Always Hold Close
Our Ancestors, Who Are
A Sweet Smelling Lei For Us
Like A Misty Cloud Around The Mountain
Their Love Surrounds Us Forever
generally not sad affairs
lots of flowers
and food
music
aloha
hugs
the only thing missing
the departed
they are not far away
we won't be parted long
He Makana No Na Mamo
Na Mo'olelo O Na Pua O Nehinei
E Pili Mau I Na Kupuna
Na Lei 'A'ala
I Ohu Mau I Ku'u Lei
I Ke Aloha Pili Mau
English Translation:
A Gift For The Descendants
The Stories of Yesterday's Flowers
Let's Always Hold Close
Our Ancestors, Who Are
A Sweet Smelling Lei For Us
Like A Misty Cloud Around The Mountain
Their Love Surrounds Us Forever
Conal, modified 1 Month ago at 10/23/24 3:38 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/23/24 3:38 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 85 Join Date: 6/3/17 Recent Posts
I feel that I have to grasp the nettle and address the elephant in the room here!
I found his style of questioning very strange and off putting. I don't like to speak ill of the dead but it would be good to have an explanation, if anyone can provide it. Other posters here have referred obliquely to this so it's not just me. Was he always like this or had it something to do with his health condition? I was tempted at times to ask if he had some sort of neurological condition that we should be aware of. His behaviour on this list was certainly not what I would have expected of someone who had advanced attainments in meditation.
Conal
I found his style of questioning very strange and off putting. I don't like to speak ill of the dead but it would be good to have an explanation, if anyone can provide it. Other posters here have referred obliquely to this so it's not just me. Was he always like this or had it something to do with his health condition? I was tempted at times to ask if he had some sort of neurological condition that we should be aware of. His behaviour on this list was certainly not what I would have expected of someone who had advanced attainments in meditation.
Conal
Papa Che Dusko, modified 1 Month ago at 10/24/24 6:41 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/24/24 6:38 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 3140 Join Date: 3/1/20 Recent Posts
It's just the old way DhO used to be. Back in 2011 I joined this site and left almost immediately. It was very boothcamp oriented and felt like being interrogated by a bad cop Its not for anyone.
But that attitude is long gone and Dreamwalker was from that time. Now that he has passed away I dont think any one will question it that way anymore.
RIP Dreamwalker!
But that attitude is long gone and Dreamwalker was from that time. Now that he has passed away I dont think any one will question it that way anymore.
RIP Dreamwalker!
Monsoon Frog, modified 1 Month ago at 10/27/24 1:31 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/27/24 1:31 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 75 Join Date: 3/16/14 Recent Posts
Dreamwalker often took on the role of DhO gadfly ... fearlessly and relentlessly forcing critical reflection in areas where conclusions and assumptions were glossed over or taken for granted. He used a sharp sword which cut both ways and could often leave folks scratching their heads (or nursing their egos) and although (especially at first contact) it could be disconcerting it never seemed gratuitous or malicious as it was directed towards self knowledge and wisdom. He kept me on my toes.
He'll be missed!
He'll be missed!
Stranger_Loop Stranger_Loop, modified 1 Month ago at 10/27/24 4:12 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/27/24 4:12 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 70 Join Date: 3/17/23 Recent Posts
I just came to recent posts after reading a comment of his. This body walking through this dream is very thankful to him. May he, his friends and family and all beings be free from suffering.
> If you enter stillness, imagine him at the moment of death, and surround him with love at that moment, then you can help “retroactively,” for the arrow of time is empty.
Maybe part of the reason he survived so long is practitioners from the now sending him good wishes and wellbeing.
Many blessings to you DREAMWALKER.
> If you enter stillness, imagine him at the moment of death, and surround him with love at that moment, then you can help “retroactively,” for the arrow of time is empty.
Maybe part of the reason he survived so long is practitioners from the now sending him good wishes and wellbeing.
Many blessings to you DREAMWALKER.
Noah D, modified 1 Month ago at 10/28/24 9:37 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/28/24 9:37 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
Sharing this obituary for Devin with some comments at the bottom - https://bartonfuneral.com/2024/10/18/devin-mccarty/
shargrol, modified 1 Month ago at 10/29/24 7:11 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/29/24 7:11 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 2756 Join Date: 2/8/16 Recent Posts
Thanks Noah, these are beautiful, I'm really am getting a fuller sense of the man. What a loss. RIP Devin.
Chris M, modified 1 Month ago at 10/29/24 9:23 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/29/24 9:23 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 5483 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent PostsJ W, modified 1 Month ago at 10/30/24 5:28 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/30/24 5:28 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 737 Join Date: 2/11/20 Recent Posts
I just saw this. Oh my god, this is so sad. I have talked with Devin over the years and there were times when it felt like he was one of the only people that I could talk to about stuff and not feel like i sounded like a lunatic. He just texted me out of the blue a couple of months ago. I had been looking forward to reconnecting with him about music and meditation. Just... really sad. I need to process this.
Pepe ·, modified 1 Month ago at 10/31/24 8:53 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/31/24 8:53 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 752 Join Date: 9/26/18 Recent Posts
Noah, did Delvin elaborate further on his Framework of Awakening, and is it available online? If his family and friends are comfortable with it, I'd be happy to add a link to Daniel's Posts Compilation (which includes an entry dedicated to some exchanges and clarifications about DW's map) and so reach a wider audience.
Noah D, modified 1 Month ago at 10/31/24 9:20 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 10/31/24 9:16 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
Pepe:
"Noah, did Delvin elaborate further on his Framework of Awakening and is it available online?"
great question. I did previously ask a friend if they had any unpublished additions to the framework. I think we should post them for everyone's benefit if we can find any.
"If his family and friends are comfortable with it, I'd be happy to add a link to Daniel's Posts Compilation [...] and so reach a wider audience."
please feel free to link it there and in this thread. I think that's a good idea. Thank you
edited for clarity*
"Noah, did Delvin elaborate further on his Framework of Awakening and is it available online?"
great question. I did previously ask a friend if they had any unpublished additions to the framework. I think we should post them for everyone's benefit if we can find any.
"If his family and friends are comfortable with it, I'd be happy to add a link to Daniel's Posts Compilation [...] and so reach a wider audience."
please feel free to link it there and in this thread. I think that's a good idea. Thank you
edited for clarity*
Smiling Stone, modified 1 Month ago at 11/8/24 2:27 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 11/7/24 11:26 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 347 Join Date: 5/10/16 Recent Posts
Thanks Noah, for sharing all this material. And to all who participated, sharing memories... It was really nice to put a name and a face on the Dreamwalker alias at the time of his passing (I was shocked as I did not realize how fragile his health was, although he gave a few discrete hints)... I really enjoyed his posts and blunt advices, and thought of contacting him on a few occasions, but never did.
The bluntness makes more sense knowing his condition... No time for bullshit or patting people in the back !
May his family and friend recover from this terrible loss, may we all keep him in our hearts
much metta
smiling stone
Edited : an h for a w, thanks Balint !
The bluntness makes more sense knowing his condition... No time for bullshit or patting people in the back !
May his family and friend recover from this terrible loss, may we all keep him in our hearts
much metta
smiling stone
Edited : an h for a w, thanks Balint !
Mind over easy, modified 1 Month ago at 11/8/24 6:35 PM
Created 1 Month ago at 11/8/24 6:35 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 297 Join Date: 4/28/12 Recent Posts
Wow, this is some really sad news
Devin was an amazing friend and compatriot. I first met him here on DHO almost two decades ago, while I was a teenager just barely learning about meditation and frameworks of awakening. When I started practicing and posting here, he gave me valuable advice, practice pointers, insights, even reaching out to have voice and video calls to provide encouragement, tips, and his own experience in progressing through meditation. He was so instrumental in my journey and in helping me take my first steps. Through the many years since then, he was always in touch, always offering feedback and encouragement as I've practiced.
He was incredibly genuine, filled with curiosity, very authentic and forthcoming with his thoughts and reflections on meditation, practice, and awakening. In times I was absent from dho and practice, he would often send me texts to check in and see how practice was going. He'd often ask me to look over his framework, looking for feedback and to chat and reflect on phenomenology. He cared deeply about helping others, and particularly cared about holding others to a high degree of honesty and accountability in regards to practice.
It's very clear that Devin was, passionate, intense, quite vocal and unforgiving in his desire to keep the DHO space one of serious, no B.S. practice, with emphasis on honesty with ones self, unapologetically encouraging people to cut through their narratives, fantasies, ego-trips, pride, and anything that might stand in the way of real, blood-sweat-and-tears practice and progress. (said more simply: if you didn't keep it real, he would beat you down with a stick ) While I know this might not be everyone's style, and could possibly rub people the wrong way, I think it's great to reflect on how this community was founded and cultivated in the spirit of serious, hardcore, no-nonsense practice, and how Devin deeply desired for others to succeed in walking the path.
He was an incredible guy... asides from his dharma-related work, I knew him to be incredibly strong, very cheeky, a great sense of humor, resilient, full of love and compassion. I'll always cherish our conversations and friendship. Rest in peace brother, you are so loved and you'll be dearly missed. <3
Devin was an amazing friend and compatriot. I first met him here on DHO almost two decades ago, while I was a teenager just barely learning about meditation and frameworks of awakening. When I started practicing and posting here, he gave me valuable advice, practice pointers, insights, even reaching out to have voice and video calls to provide encouragement, tips, and his own experience in progressing through meditation. He was so instrumental in my journey and in helping me take my first steps. Through the many years since then, he was always in touch, always offering feedback and encouragement as I've practiced.
He was incredibly genuine, filled with curiosity, very authentic and forthcoming with his thoughts and reflections on meditation, practice, and awakening. In times I was absent from dho and practice, he would often send me texts to check in and see how practice was going. He'd often ask me to look over his framework, looking for feedback and to chat and reflect on phenomenology. He cared deeply about helping others, and particularly cared about holding others to a high degree of honesty and accountability in regards to practice.
It's very clear that Devin was, passionate, intense, quite vocal and unforgiving in his desire to keep the DHO space one of serious, no B.S. practice, with emphasis on honesty with ones self, unapologetically encouraging people to cut through their narratives, fantasies, ego-trips, pride, and anything that might stand in the way of real, blood-sweat-and-tears practice and progress. (said more simply: if you didn't keep it real, he would beat you down with a stick ) While I know this might not be everyone's style, and could possibly rub people the wrong way, I think it's great to reflect on how this community was founded and cultivated in the spirit of serious, hardcore, no-nonsense practice, and how Devin deeply desired for others to succeed in walking the path.
He was an incredible guy... asides from his dharma-related work, I knew him to be incredibly strong, very cheeky, a great sense of humor, resilient, full of love and compassion. I'll always cherish our conversations and friendship. Rest in peace brother, you are so loved and you'll be dearly missed. <3
Richard Zen, modified 1 Month ago at 11/13/24 12:46 AM
Created 1 Month ago at 11/13/24 12:46 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1676 Join Date: 5/18/10 Recent Posts
Very sad. I remember him from the old days and he had a good sense of humor, and made digs about traditional Buddhist environments, but also with a friendly attitude. The pictures posted literally look like how I imagined him. I vividly remember when I visited a Theravada sangha in someone's basement and described it to him, where after the class you could ask questions, and the monk would constantly move around like he was trying to avoid blows, sending the signal that many people were probably mentally ill and he was scared to talk to students about stream entry and find an angry Mark David Chapman type. Naturally, Dreamwalker was skeptical that you could get good instructions in those environments.
Noah D, modified 10 Days ago at 12/2/24 3:42 PM
Created 10 Days ago at 12/2/24 3:42 PM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 1219 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
Jenny shared Devin's latest version (June 2024) of his "Framework of Awakening." I haven't edited it and it was left in rough draft mode. But I figured it was still good to share in case it is helpful for anyone.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16DpXOTkDOgbmcTy959ap9qfhguClhXiu/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117294344641142191461&rtpof=true&sd=true
Perhaps a moderator could also link it in the main Framework of Awaking thread, since it is locked.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16DpXOTkDOgbmcTy959ap9qfhguClhXiu/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117294344641142191461&rtpof=true&sd=true
Perhaps a moderator could also link it in the main Framework of Awaking thread, since it is locked.
Chris M, modified 10 Days ago at 12/3/24 7:01 AM
Created 10 Days ago at 12/3/24 7:01 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 5483 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent PostsStranger_Loop Stranger_Loop, modified 9 Days ago at 12/4/24 3:59 AM
Created 9 Days ago at 12/4/24 3:59 AM
RE: Remembering Dreamwalker
Posts: 70 Join Date: 3/17/23 Recent Posts
Thank you for posting it. It gave me an idea of what I am missing and helped me integrate some part of the body randomly also explained what happens sometimes with vision and sound when my mind drops the wider perspective. But then when I investigate it's back again. Gave me a better idea where I am actually on the maps ;) (always less far than I thought . I shared it with some other people as well.