Buddha at the Gas Pump

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726. Dr. Neil Schuitevoerder Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

Neil Schuitevoerder - Beyond Awakening: Living Nonduality in Daily Life Dr. Neil Schuitevoerder, a clinical and organizational psychologist, has been doing spiritual practices for 50 years. He's no longer interested in his ego's story, so here's the story of his soul's evolution: He had early instruction in how to use a pendulum, which led to the opening of his intuitive knowing, which has continued to expand into higher stages. His intense meditation practices in his 20s led to illness, and he was guided to return to a householder life as husband and father. He continued practices in mystical Judaism, then turned to Vedanta, kundalini, and other Hindu practices. With a kundalini master, and with the Diamond Approach technique of Inquiry, he opened the higher chakras and began to experience states of unity and nonduality, first with a near object, such as a tree, then with a far object, such as the galaxy. Slowly, the dualities of self/other, near/far, past/future, dissolved, and his knowing expanded to include the distant past, his past lives, his rebirth in this lifetime, and his ability to travel in subtle bodies to the subtle planes, including conversing with the deceased. His mind emptied out, then his body became empty, containing the whole galaxy, a nondual body. Then his astral body emptied out, and he no longer "traveled" but was united with the subtle mental and causal planes, all within him. The state of bliss is always accessible. The local identity of Neil remains when he functions in the world, as he lives in dual and nondual levels of awareness simultaneously. Neil's has a podcast with his wife, Connie Zweig, about his ongoing awakening and what it's like to live in the world in advanced levels of consciousness -- Dr. Neil's Spiritual Awakening to Nonduality. It posts on Apple, Spotify, and all platforms. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded March 15, 2025 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 Different Levels of Perception  00:02:35 Soul's Evolution and Spiritual Practices  00:06:23 Journey of Consciousness and Skepticism  00:10:27 Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences  00:13:59 Exploring Consciousness and Cosmic Manifestation  00:17:19 Extraordinary Abilities in Blind Individuals  00:21:08 Understanding Freedom and Non-Attachment  00:25:32 The Importance of Moral Development in Spiritual Growth  00:30:46 Exploring Multidimensional Consciousness  00:34:03 Exploring the Buddhic Plane and Astral Projection  00:38:55 Understanding Subtle Body Layers and Incarnation Process  00:42:07 Exploring Reincarnation and Astral Realms  00:46:36 Exploring the Universe and Spiritual Liberation  00:51:36 The Nature of True Governance according to Lao Tzu  00:54:01 The Role of Ego in Daily Life  00:57:52 Understanding the Reduction of Thoughts and Ego  01:02:11 Understanding A.H. Almas's Protocol  01:06:05 Telepathic Abilities and Humanity's Shift  01:11:09 The Coexistence of Creation and Destruction Forces  01:15:21 The Cosmic Perspective: Our Place in the Universe  01:19:38 Energy Healing and Silent Therapy  01:23:35 Do Microbes Have Souls and Their Evolutionary Journey  01:27:50 Chakras and the Evolution of Consciousness  01:31:00 Understanding Chakras and Energy Centers  01:34:55 Exploring Spiritual Evolution and Incarnation  01:38:52 Understanding Shadow Material and Spiritual Bypassing  01:43:09 The Importance of Spiritual Community and Marriage  01:47:18 Embracing Pain Through Meditation  01:51:31 Exploring the Connection Between Consciousness and the Body-Heart  01:55:45 Exploring the Concept of the Vajra Body  01:58:30 Upcoming Interview with Diane Hennessey Powell on Telepathy Tapes

682. Jill Bolte Taylor May 17, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard trained and published neuroanatomist who is now affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology. In 1996 she experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain causing her to lose the ability to walk, talk, read, write or recall any of her life. Her memoir, My Stroke of Insight, documenting her experience with stroke and eight-year recovery spent 63 weeks on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. Her most recent 2021 book is WHOLE BRAIN LIVING: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life. Dr. Taylor is a dynamic teacher and public speaker who loves educating all age groups, academic levels, as well as corporations about the beauty of our human brain and how we can work with ourself to live a more peaceful life. In 2008 she gave the first TED talk that ever went viral on the Internet, which now has well over 28.5 million views. Also in 2008, Dr. Taylor was chosen as one of TIME Magazine's “100 Most Influential People in the World” and was the premiere guest on Oprah Winfrey’s “Soul Series” web-cast. Website: drjilltaylor.com Dr. Taylor's "My Stroke of Insight" TED talk Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded May 14, 2023. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:33 - The Evolutionary Goal of Humanity 00:11:07 - The Experience of the Present Moment 00:17:04 - Developing the Whole Brain 00:23:18 - Understanding the Dynamics of Relationships 00:28:43 - Understanding Character Two and Emotional Pain 00:33:33 - Understanding the Little Character Two 00:38:03 - The Richness of Human Emotions 00:42:05 - Autism and Brain Circuitry 00:47:10 - The Potential Risks of Whole Brain Living and Psychedelics 00:52:44 - Exploring the Options for Bipolar Disorder and PTSD 00:59:58 - The Beauty of Humor 01:07:06 - The Interface of Individuality and Universality 01:16:07 - Bringing Balance and Meaning Into Life 01:25:16 - The Differences in Perception and Information Processing 01:32:07 - The Absurdity of Language and Consciousness 01:37:18 - The Value Structure of Character Four 01:44:01 - Changing the Model of Enlightenment 01:48:18 - The Existence of Free Will 01:53:44 - The Subtle Work of Cells and Neuronal Networks 01:59:21 - The 90-Second Rule & Addiction in the Brain 02:04:19 - Exploring Selective Mutism and Addiction 02:11:27 - Dealing with Fear of the Future and Worry 02:17:51 - Farewell and Thank You

589. Raymond Schumann Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Raymond Schumann is a fifth-generation carpenter with a high school education. A Roman Catholic upbringing left him sexually repressed. Adolescence left him a Soldier of Christ gone AWOL. In his twenties, he learned about dissociative disorder. The theory explained much. Help was not thick on the ground and ripe in the pod. Not in those days. A shrink who claimed to treat multiple personalities endangered his career. Schumann was on his own. He named the self who thwarted his desires Holdfast. Schumann knew spiritual consciousness was essential to healing. That only made things worse. He’d watched guru after roshi disgrace themselves. There was nothing to trust there. The more he sought healing, the worse Holdfast trashed him. Eventually, Schumann was desperate enough to say, “This has to get better. I don’t care what it costs. This has to get better.” At that instant, he suffered a Kundalini awakening. Never trust a Goddess. She opened the door to a year of hell. A year leading to ego death. A year leading to nondual awareness. Things only got worse from there. If you would like to contact Raymond, here's his email address. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded February 28, 2021 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:02:46 - The Self and Spiritual Consciousness 00:05:20 - Exploring Spiritual Interests in Youth 00:08:29 - The Self that Thwarted Desires 00:12:35 - The Impact of Kundalini Awakening on Daily Life 00:17:07 - Naming the Inner Drives "Holdfast" 00:21:35 - The Wrecking Ball of Kundalini 00:27:27 - Losing the Ego and Sense of Self 00:32:18 - The localized quality of experience and the ego construction 00:36:35 - The Role of Language in Human Existence 00:41:06 - The Evolution and Development of Ego 00:45:43 - The Complexity of the Ego and Ego Death 00:51:52 - The experience of self-recognition 00:56:25 - Liberation from Ego Holons 01:02:41 - Lack of Free Will 01:07:01 - First Do No Harm and Meeting Swami Muktananda 01:10:35 - Variables and the Flow of Shakti 01:13:39 - Meeting Bubastis 01:16:20 - The Cat with Psychic Inflation 01:19:10 - The Wisdom Download and Preparation 01:22:36 - Understanding the Clue 01:25:55 - The Risks of Playing with Powers 01:29:24 - The Chakra System and Ego Death 01:33:50 - The Importance of Writing Things Down 01:37:08 - The Power of Journaling and Meditation 01:41:30 - The Torture of Holdfast 01:45:30 - The Presence of God in Our Lives 01:48:39 - The meaning of "beyond the PALE" 01:53:53 - The Potential Impact of Spiritual Awakening and Transformation 01:58:18 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information 02:00:46 - Farewell and Thank You

518. Cassandra Vieten Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Cassandra Vieten is Executive Director of the John W. Brick Foundation, Scholar-in-Residence at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at the University of California, San Diego, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences where she worked for 18 years and served as President and CEO from 2013-2019. She is a psychologist, mind-body medicine researcher, author of numerous articles in scientific journals, and an internationally recognized keynote speaker. Her research has focused on spirituality and health, transformative experiences and practices, and the development of mindfulness-based interventions for emotional well-being. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and completed her research training in behavioral genetics at UCSF. She is the author of Mindful Motherhood: Practical Tools for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child's First Year, and co-author of Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life, and Spiritual and Religious Competencies in Clinical Practice: Guidelines for Psychotherapists and Mental Health Professionals. Her current projects focus on how mental health care be transformed so that it includes fitness/movement, nutrition, mind-body, and clients’ spiritual and religious beliefs and practices (when relevant) to foster mental and emotional fitness and well-being; what environmental and internal conditions, agents, practices, and states of consciousness stimulate imagination – in particular, the ability to see new possibilities; how cognitive, social and neuroscience along with practices from the world’s wisdom traditions can foster positive change in individuals and in our world (see Consciousness, Communication and Change program and Campaign Science for the political and activist arena), and how introducing people to awe-inspiring ideas and environments can stretch their imagination or help them see things from a new perspective, leading to self-transcendence, shifts in worldview and perspective on life, and other prosocial emotions and behaviors. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded September 14, 2019 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Science and Spirituality as Means of Understanding Reality 00:05:25 - Self-realization and the Gita 00:07:45 - A Blissful Epiphany in Space 00:10:40 - The Combination of Science and Spirituality 00:13:40 - The Role of Intuition and Creativity in Inventions 00:15:46 - Reluctance in the scientific community towards psychic phenomena 00:18:17 - History repeating itself 00:21:06 - Paradigm Shifts and Robust Studies 00:23:50 - The Importance of Critical Thinking in Science 00:27:54 - Presenting climate change to skeptics and the importance of collective thinking 00:31:30 - The Power of Authenticity in Activism 00:35:08 - Awakening and Change 00:38:20 - Taking Practice off the Mat: Fierce Love and Social Justice 00:41:38 - The Practice of Perspective 00:45:26 - Destiny and Enlightenment 00:48:31 - The Misunderstanding of Awakening 00:52:04 - The Normalization of Vulnerability and Self-Reflection 00:54:49 - Communicating for Change 00:58:08 - The Institute of Noetic Sciences 01:01:36 - Transformative Education and Spiritual Practices 01:04:56 - The Future of Meditation Science and Research 01:08:30 - The Complexities of Individual Perception 01:12:14 - Exploring the Nature of Reality 01:15:47 - Speculating on the Rules of Robotics 01:18:54 - The Role of Futurists 01:22:17 - Embracing Solutionism 01:25:23 - The Three Key Areas of Focus 01:28:25 - Shifting Perspectives and Fostering Imagination 01:31:56 - The Ripple Effect 01:34:57 - The Future of Virtual Reality Experience 01:38:01 - The Wonders of Possibility

338. Matthew Wright Mar 14, 2016

Show notes

The Rev. Matthew Wright is an Episcopal priest, writer, and retreat leader working to renew the Christian Wisdom tradition within a wider interspiritual framework. He writes a monthly column, Belonging, for Contemplative Journal and serves as priest-in-charge at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock, NY. Matthew lives with his wife, Yanick, alongside the brothers of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY. You can learn more about his work through the Center for Spiritual Resources. Transcript of this interview. Interview conducted 3/12/2016 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction of Matthew Wright 00:03:06 - The Second Axial Age 00:07:03 - Questioning Fundamentalist Worldview 00:10:48 - The Components of Traditional Spiritual Systems 00:14:53 - The Living Presence of Jesus and Buddha 00:19:14 - The Presence of Departed Loved Ones 00:23:01 - Spiritual Journey to India 00:27:07 - The Encounter with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 00:30:41 - Unfolding, Awakening Body: The Body of Christ 00:34:44 - The Importance of Periods of Withdrawal 00:38:49 - Establishing Centers of Coherence 00:42:19 - The Palpable Atmosphere of Worship Centers 00:46:08 - Cultivating the Heart and Awakening 00:50:32 - Ego and Enlightenment 00:54:43 - The Power of Devotion 00:58:31 - Cultivating Qualities in Devotion 01:02:15 - Teilhard de Chardin and Second Axial Age 01:05:50 - The Bodhisattva Vow and the Emergence of Second Axial Consciousness 01:09:52 - Convergence and Creative Unions in Evolution 01:14:11 - Evolving Consciousness through Contemplative Practice 01:18:10 - The Importance of Keeping the Experiment Going 01:21:38 - The Universal Voice of Jesus in the Gospel of John 01:25:25 - Fear and belief in spiritual teachings 01:28:30 - The Shaky Ground of Belief 01:32:15 - The Call to Step into the Consciousness of Jesus's Lived Experience 01:35:45 - Moving Beyond the Masculine-Feminine Binary 01:40:13 - The Role of Nurturance and Femininity in Addressing Environmental Issues 01:44:31 - The Enlivenment of Consciousness and the Diversity of Being 01:48:25 - Diving Deep or Surface Skimming 01:52:17 - Cynthia Bourgeault and Richard Rohr at SAND Conference 01:54:54 - Farewell and Thanks

321. Rick Archer at the Science and Nonduality Conference, 2015 Dec 20, 2015

Show notes

Science and Spirituality: Potential Allies in Discovering Truth My talk was accompanied by a multimedia presentation, which has been edited into this video. There were technical issues: the official camera wasn't there, so a friend recorded this on her camcorder and the sound quality isn't ideal. I ran out of time and had to cut some things that I added to this video, etc. But hopefully, you'll enjoy the content. I put a lot of thought into this over several months. Talk recorded 10/23/2015 at the Science and Nonduality Conference. Summary and Transcript of this talk. Other talks by or interviews of Rick on BatGap: SAND 2019 - Knowledge/Reality is Different in Different States of Consciousness 2018 SAND Conference Q&A and Interview by Shakti Caterina Maggi SAND 2017: "The Ethics of Enlightenment" Talk at Berkeley Open Circle Center Interviewed by Fax Gilbert Interviewed by Richard Miller YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Talk at the Science and Non-Duality Conference 00:02:06 - Reuniting with an old friend 00:04:15 - The Divine Human Experience 00:05:31 - The Journey to Enlightenment 00:07:27 - Science and Spirituality: Exploring the Ultimate Reality 00:08:35 - The Distortion of Spiritual Messages 00:09:20 - Belief and Experience in Religion 00:11:04 - Exploring the Unified Field with the Human Nervous System 00:12:39 - The Shekinah: God's Indwelling Presence in Everything 00:14:00 - The True Nature of Consciousness 00:15:48 - The Self-Interaction of the Absolute 00:17:23 - The Omnipresence of Intelligence in the Body 00:18:19 - The Fourth Element 00:20:19 - Navigating the Asteroid Field 00:22:13 - The Big Bang and Continuous Creation 00:23:55 - Fear and the Concept of Consciousness 00:25:31 - Devatas and Consciousness 00:27:19 - The Consciousness of Everything 00:27:54 - The Power of Repetition 00:30:16 - The Mind: An Important Part of Our Life 00:31:59 - The Infinite Nature of Consciousness 00:33:39 - The Blinking Lights of Galaxies 00:35:52 - The Vastness of the Universe 00:37:51 - The Vastness of the Universe and Our Perspective 00:39:34 - The Expression of Infinite Intelligence 00:42:10 - Partial Knowledge and Harm 00:43:41 - The Light that Shines in Our Hearts 00:47:10 - Brahman and the Conquest of the Universe 00:49:17 - The Beauty of Devotion 00:51:23 - Everything is a Miracle & Everything is Holy 00:55:17 - Applause

303. Gary Renard Aug 18, 2015

Show notes

Gary Renard is the author of The Disappearance of the Universe trilogy of books. He speaks regularly all over the world, teaching the principles of A Course in Miracles, which is the fundamental focus of his books. In 1992, he began to be visited in person by two people in the flesh who identified themselves as Arten and Pursah, two Ascended Masters. They are the main teachers in the books and Gary is the student. The critically acclaimed books are now in 22 languages. Books: The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk about Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness Your Immortal Reality: How to Break the Cycle of Birth and Death Love Has Forgotten No One: The Answer to Life Fearless Love - The Answer to the Problem of Human Existence Secrets of the Immortal - Advanced Teachings from "A Course in Miracles" The End of Reincarnation - Breaking the Cycle of Birth and Death Website: garyrenard.com Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 8/15/2015 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background of Gary Renard 00:04:28 - The Power of Positive Thinking 00:08:43 - Living in Southern California, with an unpredictable future 00:12:26 - Awakening from the Dream 00:16:30 - The Oneness of Reality 00:20:53 - Seeing Innocence Everywhere 00:24:50 - The Truth Buried in the Mind 00:29:04 - The Experience of Being Separate and Being a Body 00:33:26 - The Holy Instant and Thinking with the Holy Spirit 00:37:16 - The Ripple Effect of Forgiveness 00:41:19 - The Forgiveness of Illusion 00:45:02 - David Shapiro's daily state of the industry update 00:48:59 - The Power of the Mind to Heal the Body 00:53:03 - Shifting Identity and Experiencing Spirituality 00:56:58 - The Practicality of Forgiveness and Awakening in God 01:00:58 - The Illusion of Separation and Awakening to Oneness 01:05:15 - Following Personal Experience and the Complexity of the Universe 01:09:32 - Making it Real vs Forgiving the Unreal 01:13:44 - Choosing Love over Ego in the Dream 01:17:27 - Ending the Cycle of Rebirth 01:21:27 - Lucid Dreaming and Awakening through Forgiveness 01:25:36 - Reincarnation and past lives 01:29:02 - Visions in the "Inbetween Zone" 01:33:06 - The Importance of Experience and Trust in A Course in Miracles 01:37:19 - Reconciling the Dream and Brothers in Christ 01:41:10 - Perceiving Forgiveness 01:45:12 - The State of Perfect Oneness 01:49:01 - The Holy Spirit's Forms and Examples 01:52:54 - The Struggle of Living According to The Course in Miracles 01:57:11 - The Power of Forgiveness 02:01:06 - Meeting People and Thanking Rick

216. Jan Esmann, 2nd Interview Feb 04, 2014

Show notes

Jan passed away on July 5, 2025. Jan Esmann, born 1960, is an "enlightened kundalinī shaktipāt master" living in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he teaches, transmits and gives shaktipāt. The highest teachings are transmitted in silence during meditation or afterward. Jan is not part of any tradition or represents a lineage. He has been giving shaktipāt since the mid-1980s but did not fully emerge as a teacher until after 2006. He has an MA in History of Modern Culture from Copenhagen University, and a B.Sc in Art-restoration from the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen. He earns his living as an artist, a writer, and a software developer. Books: Lovebliss: The Essence of Self-Realization Enlightenment 101: From Ignorance to Grace Kundalini Tantra: Song of Liberation Website: shaktipat.one Transcript of this interview First BatGap interview with Jan. Interview recorded 2/1/2014 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Spiritual Journey 00:04:51 - Awakening versus Self-realization 00:09:14 - The Journey to Self-Realization 00:13:42 - The Distinction Between Enlightenment and Awakening 00:18:44 - Witnessing Consciousness and Self-Realization 00:23:11 - Awakening vs Self-realization 00:27:29 - The Mechanism of Self-realization 00:32:35 - The Dark Night of the Soul and Depression 00:37:12 - Witnessing Sleep and Dream 00:41:53 - Witnessing and Self-Realization 00:46:34 - Dissolving the Kundalini and Liberation 00:51:24 - Remembering Past Lives 00:55:51 - The Value of Understanding 01:00:20 - Bliss in God-Consciousness 01:05:52 - Pure Self-Realization and God-Consciousness 01:10:39 - A Divine Encounter 01:15:44 - Self-realization as a baby 01:20:28 - The Soul and Kundalini 01:25:59 - Kundalini awakening and Shaktipat 01:31:08 - Endless Journey of Enlightenment 01:37:07 - Advaita Vedanta and Ramanuja's Point of View 01:41:27 - The Opening and Expansion of the Crown Chakra 01:46:09 - The Significance of Profound Experiences 01:51:00 - Zen Practice and Enlightenment 01:55:11 - The Effectiveness of In-Person Interaction 02:00:00 - The Recognition of Bliss 02:05:25 - Sahaja Samadhi and the Variations of Experience 02:09:59 - The Power of Shaktipat 02:14:55 - The Mechanics of Meditation and Shaktipat 02:20:33 - Self-Realization and Para-Bhakti 02:26:09 - Meditation Practices and Contact Information

214. David Alsobrook Jan 22, 2014

Show notes

David Alsobrook is now deceased. His father was a Nazarene pastor and David received a “new birth experience” at age 15. He devoured the Bible from cover to cover and went much deeper into exhaustive, detailed studies of Scriptures for years after that. He devoted the first 3 hours of the day in private prayer as well, hungering and seeking for more of God in his life. He began traveling and speaking in a wide assortment of churches and special events, ministering in more than 2000 speaking events in 49 states and 5 provinces in North America and in other countries. He wrote more than 40 books of varied sizes which were translated in more than 30 languages and distributed in no fewer than 50 nations. In 2005 David experienced a crushing life blow and put aside everything for a season of seeking God more intimately, desperate for healing from his own brokenness. In July 2008 his prayers were answered when he was sitting on a large rock in a nature preserve. Time stopped, mind stopped, while everything around him shone with Light and Life. His sense of “personhood” dissolved as he experienced himself as Being. Since then his life has been largely one of almost uninterrupted peace, bliss, and serenity as a result of what he now calls a “transformation”. Books: You Can Be Free from Your Self: The Grace of Soul Transformation Learning to love Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 1/18/2014 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction of David Alsobrook 00:03:02 - The Anomaly of Spiritual Awakening 00:05:42 - Spirit and Soul Transformation 00:08:18 - Embracing Different Spiritual Expressions 00:11:04 - The Transformation and Dissolution of Ego 00:13:37 - Temporary Relief of Pain 00:16:36 - Seeking the Kingdom of God 00:19:12 - Returning to the Sermon on the Mount 00:22:01 - Contradictions within Christendom 00:24:46 - A Resonance in Nature 00:27:51 - A Life-Changing Experience 00:30:26 - The Significance of a Flat Rock 00:33:15 - Appreciating the Christian Terminology 00:36:13 - The Pain and the Ego 00:38:56 - Backsliding and Suffering on the Cross 00:41:33 - The Awakening and the Transition 00:44:15 - The Flip in the Garage 00:47:31 - Awakening to a new perspective 00:50:14 - The Eternal Christ and True Teaching 00:52:55 - Interpreting Mystical Statements 00:55:54 - Transformation and the Divine Intelligence 00:58:48 - Profound Awakening and Universal Truth 01:01:38 - The Importance of Stillness 01:04:40 - The Torment of Inner Noise 01:07:27 - The Importance of Coping Mechanisms 01:10:35 - The Noise of Emotionalism 01:13:48 - The Place of Different Practices 01:18:33 - The Experience of Stillness and Presence 01:24:19 - Observing the Mind and Finding Stillness 01:30:03 - Many Paths to Spiritual Awareness 01:33:46 - Donate Button and Upcoming Schedule

43. Ishvara Nov 08, 2010

Show notes

Ishvara was born in 1945 in Missouri USA and raised a fundamentalist Christian. While involved in church ministry at a young age, he became frustrated with the limitations of restricted belief. He began a quest for truth that led him to explore the great scriptures of the world, but he continually found limitations and contradictions in the interpretations of the core truths. In 1987 Ishvara experienced a quantum leap in consciousness, a profound awakening. Ishvara merged with Life, seeing the universe, seeing love, knowing everything without any trace of doubt. Ishvara became aware of his true being and of the significance of his awakening: a new level of existence had taken birth in human form. Ishvara could not relate his experience to anything that was recorded in any book or scripture. Inherent in Ishvara’s awakening was a clear understanding of the tremendous conditions that prevent people from realizing their true nature and living their full potential. It became obvious to him that even spiritual teachings, systems and structures that were designed to bring liberation to the individual no longer served to bring forth the next evolutionary step for humanity. Ishvara’s message is one of radical transformation through letting go of conditional thinking and stepping into the direct experience of Life as it is, moment by moment. Through his awakening Ishvara found that his sole purpose is embodying this new possibility with every fiber of his being. Ishvara is available to people as a living example of what is possible for all of us. Ishvara lives in Albuquerque New Mexico. Through the nonprofit spiritual organization, Alaya, he quietly teaches a small group of students through talks and dialogues. He also leads retreats in Germany, which prove to be extraordinary events that propel individuals into an ever-deepening experience of what Ishvara calls the New Consciousness. Ishvara's two meditation CDs and a book are available via email or phone: 505-294-4911. Website: ishvara.org Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 10/21/2010 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - The Small World Department of Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:02:57 - The Motivation Behind the Interviews 00:06:06 - The Mysterious Dream about Cows 00:08:22 - The Power of Knowing 00:10:51 - Discovering a Different Path 00:13:46 - Taking What You Need and Leaving the Rest 00:16:17 - The Partial Truth of Scriptures and Misleading Information 00:18:01 - A Breaking Point 00:19:46 - A Moment of Grace 00:21:51 - Shifting Language Patterns 00:23:17 - Understanding the Changes 00:25:28 - Authenticating the Space 00:28:03 - The Shift in Perspective and Connection 00:32:09 - Awakening and Shifting Identity 00:35:39 - The Cosmic Self and its Interpretations 00:37:54 - The Unity and Diversity of Cosmic Expression 00:40:55 - Embracing the Diversity of Life 00:43:52 - Embracing Paradox and Ambiguity 00:46:51 - Criticisms and Authority 00:48:50 - Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:50:44 - Embracing Change in Appearance 00:53:02 - Kundalini Awakening Experiences 00:55:48 - Physical Transformation and Health Changes 00:58:22 - Sudden Health Issues 01:00:45 - Balancing the Body and Spirit 01:03:17 - Finding Spiritual Clarity with Enlifement 01:06:00 - Spiritual Journey and Escaping Suffering 01:08:52 - Embracing Your True Self 01:13:18 - The Dance of Life and Creativity 01:17:07 - The Awakening Journey 01:20:02 - Upcoming Interviews and Back to Skype Save

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