, ▁ful filled ▁lives . ▁He ▁was ▁an ▁advoc ate ▁of ▁computer ▁science ▁and ▁other ▁ment ally ▁challeng ing ▁prof essions ▁as ▁a ▁means ▁of ▁ach ieving ▁mental ▁clar ity . ▁ ▁Dr . ▁L enz ▁wrote ▁he ▁first ▁went ▁into ▁sam ad hi , ▁or ▁a ▁state ▁of ▁spiritual ▁absor ption , ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 9 . ▁In ▁his ▁books ▁Sur f ing ▁the ▁H imal ay as ▁and ▁Snow board ing ▁to ▁N ir v ana ▁he ▁stated ▁that ▁travel ing ▁to ▁sacred ▁locations ▁height ened ▁his ▁experiences ▁in ▁med itation . ▁ ▁Begin ning ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 2 , ▁he ▁became ▁a ▁student ▁of ▁H indu ▁g uru ▁Sri ▁Ch in mo y , ▁who ▁gave ▁him ▁the ▁name ▁" At man anda " ▁meaning ▁" one ▁who ▁Bl iss ▁is ▁in ▁the ▁Self ". ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 1 , ▁after ▁moving ▁back ▁to ▁San ▁Diego , ▁he ▁broke ▁with ▁Ch in mo y ▁and ▁founded ▁his ▁own ▁teaching ▁center ▁called ▁Lak sh mi . ▁ ▁" Self - dis cover y ▁is ▁the ▁essential ▁core ▁of ▁all ▁of ▁R ama ' s ▁teaching ", ▁according ▁to ▁Z oe ▁Nich ol son . ▁" The ▁principle ▁is ▁simple ; ▁that ▁inside ▁of ▁each ▁woman ▁and ▁man ▁is ▁the ▁Self , ▁N ir v ana , ▁E tern ity . ▁It ▁has ▁been ▁covered ▁with ▁layers ▁of ▁condition ing , ▁lif et imes ▁of ▁t endencies ▁and ▁fear ▁of ▁the ▁unknown . ▁Through ▁the