As a philosopher, he specialized in Vedic ontology and the epistemology of Vedanta-sutra, and became a major interpreter of the esoteric devotional scripture Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, assisting his guru by editing the first English translation of the work. He also studied different forms of yoga including hatha-yoga, raja-yoga, tantra-yoga, mantra-yoga and many more. Traveling four times around the world on teaching tours, he received many advanced initiations in esoteric philosophy and practices from important Vedic spiritual teachers.


After David completed preliminary studies in yoga, Sanskrit, Sankhya philosophy, temple worship, devotional music and dance, and Vedic mantras, his guru formally ordained David as a brahmana or Vedic priest. David is one of few Westerners ever to be awarded this eminent Vedic distinction.


Because of this uncommon initiation, acknowledging his penetrating knowledge of Vedic spiritual wisdom—unparalleled qualifications for a Westerner—and the personal recommendation of his guru, David was invited to study at a Tantric esoteric school in Nainital, India, in 1979. This school, situated near the source of the Ganges , is not only a fully-functional traditional Tantric community; it also safeguards a comprehensive repository of the Vedic and Tantric literatures. David was thus privileged to study both the complete theory and the esoteric practices of Yoga and Tantra at their source. His attainment in Tantra was recognized by formal initiation into Madhyamika, the most esoteric of all Tibetan Tantric mysteries, under the direction of the Dalai Lama in 1983.


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