As if Santa had set his clock forward, a Micallef-sized gift has come early. Shaun Micallef’s Stairway to Heaven was originally announced by SBS to air next year, but luckily for us, it will actually air this Sunday 7:30pm!
After his experience on Who Do You Think You Are, he was invited to travel to India and immerse himself in the Hindu world of Gods, Gurus and the Ganges. He’ll travel away from the crowds and the polluted Ganges, to meet a Guru who encourages him to challenge his beliefs, confront his fears, strip back his ego and examine the ‘Self’. Eventually Shaun will find himself heading deep into the Himalayas, towards the ultimate source of the Ganges and maybe the source of life.
This is sure to be more than just another “comedian discovers spirituality” story, with a good dose of the Shaun deprecating style to make it unmissable.
Dear Shaun,
I just wanted to thank you for presenting such an inspiring story on your personal journey in India.
I also have been drawn to India in precious years and have understated a similar pilgrimage and sought the same answers.
I was drawn to watch the show, as if once again been drawn to experience India once again. My next journey there will be to take my 12 year old son with me…. He is also intrigued about my previous journeys and wants to understand meditation.
We are not a religious or very spiritual family by any means, I’m fact we are a typical Aussie surfer BBQ eating beer drinking family… But somehow India draws me back again and again…
Shaun, funny enough, just like u were drawn to your guru, your show presented me now with call to start to organise my next trip…. Thank you for this. I have been waiting, and I have received the message…
Shaun, I was wondering if you would kindly share some of your contacts in India and the places you stayed. I was drawn to the people you met a the experiences and places you visited, like somehow I needed to also see them…
I would be very grateful and thank u very much for the way u presented your show. It was honest, pure and full of light. It made me smile on the inside…
Always grateful, namaste…
P.s. I haven’t said ‘namaste’ in years since leaving India… And now feel the need to say it again…
I really felt for you as you strived so hard to find purpose and meaning for life.
I believe there is a big plan!
A God!
A purpose for our lives!
I’d be happy to share what I believe is the Truth.
I love your comedy and your assessment of life around us and was really impressed with your dedication to seek out what you are longing to find.
Thanks so much for the Stairway to Heaven show. If John Cleese can become a Buddhist then it makes perfect sense that a similar intellectual comedian such as Shaun could look deeper as well. This kind of ego feeding won’t do him any good of course on his journey but I wanted to say thanks Shaun for taking such a big step and introducing many to some actual wisdom tonight.
I just watch the program on SBS. I am interested to know more about Shaun’s experience. Please let me know how to contact him.
Thanks
Wow!
Hello Shaun,
I want to tell you how impressed I was by your documentary of your spiritual quest in India. As one of many Australians who are ‘spiritual but not religious’, I was so happy and proud to see an Australian celebrity with the courage to display humility and open-minded curiosity about Eastern spirituality. The cultural chauvinism of our extreme left-brain orientated ‘west’ has, in its extreme arrogance, dismissed the profound depth and wisdom of the spiritual traditions of other cultures while maintaining that we are being totally objective. Who do we think we are! : -)
One more thing. I think it’s important to make a distinction between dualistic and non-dual spiritual approaches. Non-dual spirituality is the domain of the mystics of all traditions, east and west, and has nothing whatsoever to do with religious fundamentalism – and its practitioners are, in fact, often persecuted by religious fundamentalists.
Thank you so much for opening up the conversation.
I have always loved your goofy wit. I LOVED Stairway to Heaven and was hoping for a series but this was a short but poignant journey. You have such charm that goes beyond language. Just a smile to a little girl and she knows your humour.
I would love to watch more of this…….and some more series’s of Mr and Mrs Murder.
Can’t me on Australia don’t you realise the brilliant comic genius we have in our own country?
This time I saw the empathetic clown often hidden by sarcastic wit.
Let’s see more of the vulnerable human Shaun.
Thank you for lifting spirits.
Claire
Excellent doco’ Shaun (Stairway to Heaven) and a change from your over the top ‘political’ comedy of late. I saw much of the real you on the Indian journey and you are much like me in Catholic background and the outlook of a seeker. You don’t need to go to India to contact the enlightened, but like me and a mate of mine, we are not gurus or media personalities. I am writing this because when I needed help to verify my ‘awakening’ I could not find it, and it took several years of tentative searching before I was ready to ‘speak up’. I now have a web site which anyone interested can view.
Awkward westerner cliche search for spiritual truth in India (of course).None of life’s big questions answered ,the usual vague become one with everything ,empty your mind drivel from gurus with nothing in their minds.At least his enlightenment was filmed and he was able to make a buck out of it .
Hey Shaun, Stairway to Heaven was a great program, kudos to you and the camera crew, beautiful shots.
More please!
Brilliant Shaun. Thank you for this inspiring journey. I think you’ve found your calling right here, in these shows about your search. More please!
Rohan
I was so impressed by your journey. The need to find meaning – your own purpose – in life, turned out to be much more elegant & simple. Not at all what I expected. It made me smile. Even so, I’m still drifting… Perhaps I need to put myself through a quest, a physical (and phobia) challenge, and some hardship as the way to see life more clearly and appreciate it. Thanks for bravely sharing your personal thoughts, foibles and experiences on this show. I’m sure many people will benefit from your example.
Kind regards,
Lyndall
PS – I hope the show is repeated. More people should see it; and I’d watch it again!
Thank you, Shaun, for sharing your “Stairway to Heaven” which was obviously very personal as well. I am reminded of Buddha’s final words for us,”Seek your own enlightenment diligently”, as the meaning for life that you also discovered. Life’s blessings be with you on your quest. Metta. Trish
Colorful customs, rituals ,symbols and mythical gods of India have always been rich material for cinematic feast for the spiritually starved. It works as novel experiential distraction just as a well made movie of materially rich organised modern life of New-Yorkers will be for those Sadhus and Gurus. I bet the glamour of western world will fascinate them equally and their minds will be filled with many searching questions. Nevertheless, Shaun’s work is very brave and engrossing .
“Stairway to Heaven” was absolutely fascinating. The monologues & dialogues, the serenity, the scenes, the people and those sadhus all added great color. The episode depicted a land full of spiritual richness and controversy. You were splendid Shaun. I hope some of us are inspired to discover ourselves and search for truth motivated by your experience and the profound, difficult questions.
Shaun’s Indian experience bring back memories of my Himalayan walking experiences. My wife used to say, ‘I wish you would go back to India again. You are so calm when you come back”.
Would it be possible to do a documentary with Indian migrants in Australia to find out more how Hinduism affects their lives, how do they achieve the peace of mind,etc.. when working and bringing up a family. I suppose a Guru is akin to a monk in a monastery and is free of daily distractions.
Think I’ll book another trip!