David R. “Doc” Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. (1927–2012) is a contributor to our award-winning book, The Power of Love. The book is dedicated to Dr. David R. “Doc” Hawkins and his wife Susan Hawkins. The author, Fran Grace, spent many years in close connection with Doc and Susan, and the book narrates the transformative effect of their love upon her life. Before Doc passed away in 2012, he and Fran conceived of this book, as a teaching and transmission of love in its many facets and expressions. Doc and Susan calibrated a list of people for Fran to interview and learn from. These teachers come from all walks of life and spiritual traditions—a demonstration of Doc’s teaching that love is present everywhere. The book is unusual in its interweaving of high teachings on love from diverse teachers with the author’s honest sharing of her struggles to embody them.
Dr. Hawkins was a physician, author, lecturer, researcher of consciousness, and spiritual teacher. For more complete biographical information, refer to:
–The “About the Author” section in Dr. Hawkins’ books, which includes his own autobiographical remarks.
–“Introduction” written by Dr. Fran Grace at the beginning of the book, The Map of Consciousness® Explained (2020) by Dr. Hawkins
For information on his body of work and his foundation, see his website, Veritas Publishing.
Bio blurb: Dr. Hawkins grew up in Wisconsin and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before entering medical school and becoming a psychiatrist. As Medical Director of the North Nassau Mental Health Center (1956–1980) and Director of Research at Brunswick Hospital on Long Island (1968–1979), he had the largest practice in New York State. In 1973, he coauthored Orthomolecular Psychiatry with double Nobel Laureate chemist Linus Pauling, and interviewed on numerous national TV broadcasts. In midlife, an unexpected and shattering realization of the Oneness of All Existence transformed Dr. Hawkins’s life. It took thirty years for him to articulate the experience in a way that would be meaningful to others. In 1995, at age sixty-eight, he published Power vs. Force, introducing his now well-known Map of Consciousness®. The book has been translated into twenty-five languages, with over a million copies sold, and has evoked praise from such notables as Mother Teresa. Twelve other books followed, as did lectures at the Oxford Forum and Westminster Abbey, as well as at many universities. Documentary films, magazines, and radio interviews (e.g., Oprah Radio) have featured “Doc” and his work.
Dr. Hawkins’ numerous awards include: the Huxley Award for the “Inestimable Contribution to the Alleviation of Human Suffering,” the Physicians Recognition Award by the American Medical Association, 50-Year Distinguished Life Fellow by the American Psychiatric Association, the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame, and a nomination for the Templeton Prize. For recognition of his contributions to humanity, Dr. Hawkins was knighted in 1996, and in 2000, a large community of Buddhists in Seoul, South Korea, bestowed upon him the designation “Tae Ryoung Sun Kak Tosa” (Teacher of Enlightenment). At age eighty-four, Dr. Hawkins gave his final public lecture, on the topic of “Love,” to an audience of 1,700 people spanning many nationalities and religious backgrounds.
