Buddha At The Gas Pump

Sally Kempton is a deeply practiced teacher of meditation and spiritual philosophy, and the author of the books Meditation for the Love of It and Awakening Shakti: as well as the audio course Doorways to the Infinite, recently put out by Sounds True.. A former swami in the Saraswati order of India, she has been practicing and teaching devotional contemplative tantra for more than 40 years. Her teaching is powerfully sourced in the eastern meditative traditions of yoga and Kashmir Shaivism, yet highly contemporary in her focus on evolutionary practice. She offers a powerful transmission of meditative experience. Books: Meditation for the Love of It Beginning Meditation Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga Shakti Meditations Doorways to the Infinite: The Art and Practice of Tantric Meditation (audio program) Website: sallykempton.com Sally Kempton in panel discussion on Kashmir Shaivism 2nd BatGap interview with Sally Discussion of this interview in the BatGap

Shinzen Young became fascinated with Asian culture while a teenager in Los Angeles. Later he enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Buddhist Studies at the University of Wisconsin. Eventually, he went to Asia and did extensive training in each of the three major Buddhist traditions: Vajrayana, Zen and Vipassana. Upon returning to the United States, his academic interests shifted to the burgeoning dialogue between Eastern meditation and Western science. Shinzen is known for his innovative “interactive, algorithmic approach” to mindfulness, a system specifically designed for use in pain management, recovery support, and as an adjunct to psychotherapy. He leads meditation retreats throughout North America and has helped establish numerous mindfulness centers and programs. He also consults widely on meditation-related research, in both the clinical and the basic science domains. He often says: “My life’s passion lies in exploring what may arise from the cross-fertilization of the best of the East with the best of th

I was born in Oxford, England, in 1946, and I’ve been a practicing Buddhist for 40 years. I began training with Zen, practicing with the Venerable Myokyo-ni, a teacher from the Rinzai school, at the Buddhist Society in London. This was my practice for more than five years, before travelling to Sri Lanka in 1980. Here I lived for three years as a Theravada monk under the guidance of the Venerable Dhammaloka Maha Thera. It was while I was in Sri Lanka that my spiritual breakthrough took place in 1981, and it is this that forms the framework of my first book, A Record of Awakening, published in 1999. There is an interview made for television by conscious.tv that covers this period of my training. There is also an edited transcription version on this website. On my return from Sri Lanka I matured my practice by essentially living on my own for a number of years in east London. At the time of my breakthrough in Sri Lanka my teacher told me I should travel and begin to teach, but it was to be around 20 years befo

Dan Harris is the author of 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story.The book was published in March 2014 and appeared number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. His most recent book is Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book. He hosts the 10% Happier podcast. He was named co-anchor of ABC News' "Nightline" in October 2013. He is also co-anchor of the weekend edition of "Good Morning America," a position he has held since October 2010. As well, Harris files reports for "World News with David Muir," "Good Morning America," ABC News Digital and ABC News Radio. For four years, he anchored "World News Sunday." Harris joined ABC News in March 2000 and has covered many of the biggest stories in recent years. He reported on the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, Aurora, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona, and natural disasters from Haiti to Myanmar to New Orleans. He has also covered combat in

Linda was born in Sydney in 1958. She had virtually no interest in meditation or spiritual matters until at the age of 37 she was introduced to Peter Jones, an enlightened man who became her first teacher. This meeting was an intense experience for her. There was a depth to the communication she had not experienced before, and it triggered a search for freedom, which was soon the major focus of her life. At this time she had two teenage children and was running a small business, but she managed to make time for intensive meditation. In 1997 she had a profound awakening during a ten-day retreat in northern New South Wales with Peter Jones. She later described the experience as ‘deeper than bliss’. There was a marked change in her after the awakening, which was really a very strong glimpse of enlightenment. She knew now what was possible, and she also knew that she would not be satisfied until that state became permanent. She maintained the humble attitude of a student and continued to practise. She medita

Without doubt, it is everyone’s potential and natural birthright to eternally experience the full knowledge and pure joy of Unbounded Awareness, where absolutely nothing is excluded, day to day, year after year. Universal-to-personal existence becomes revealed as layer after layer of Absolute intelligence, all eternally humming as my —and everyone’s—movement of pure consciousness. Eyes open or closed, submerged in an ocean of wholeness, where any stream of the love of my heart, the knowledge of my mind or flow of my senses is an obvious stir or expansion in the whole eternal sea of oneness. Here pure knowingness is so pervasive that there is nothing else that is known; but because it is pure knowledge, there is an experiencer, and this knower, by virtue of the internal structure of knowingness, naturally radiates infinite qualities to unboundedness, and thereby I—we—exist as eternal existence itself with our particular individuality and universality in complete connectedness. The entire field of our lives,

Bernardo Kastrup has a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering and has worked as a scientist in some of the world's foremost research laboratories, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the "Casimir Effect" of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). He has authored many scientific papers and four philosophy books: Rationalist Spirituality, Dreamed up Reality, Meaning in Absurdity, and Why Materialism Is Baloney. This latter book is a grand synthesis of his metaphysical views. Bernardo has also been an entrepreneur and founder of two high-tech businesses. Today, he holds a managerial position in the high-tech industry. In parallel, he maintains a philosophy blog, an audio/video podcast, and continues to develop his ideas about the nature of reality. Bernardo has lived and worked in four different countries across continents. Books: Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There Is No Death and Fathom Answers to life, the Universe, and Eve

Marlies Cocheret de la Morinière brings a potent invitation into the deep Silence that we are. She has been offering satsang and retreat since 2000 when her root teacher, Adyashanti, asked her to teach. Marlies is trained as a psychologist in The Netherlands and works as a certified Hakomi practitioner and a certified Tantric educator. She invites all seekers to live as the Divine in the body. She brings together Sensuality and the Silence of our Being.  With love, directness and humor Marlies creates a safe place for seekers to discover and deepen into the Stillness and Love that is our True Nature. She works internationally and lives in Santa Cruz, California. Marlies' website: marliescocheret.com Interview recorded 7/5/2014 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Struggling with Pronunciation 00:04:51 - Discovering Osho and Going to India 00:08:44 - The Human Side of Gurus 00:12:52 - A Transformative Experience with Osho

Peter holds degrees in theoretical physics, experimental psychology, and computer science from the University of Cambridge, England, where he was a student of Stephen Hawking. Following university he went to India, to study meditation and Eastern philosophy. In the 1970s, he pioneered the introduction of personal growth programs to corporations, running courses for senior management on creativity, stress management and sustainable development. He coined the term "global brain" with his 1980s bestseller of the same name in which he predicted the Internet and the impact it would have on humanity. His other books, which include Waking Up in Time: Finding Inner Peace in Times of Accelerating Change, and From Science to God: A Physicist's Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness, and his visual presentations and videos have won international acclaim and awards. Peter's work integrates Eastern and Western understandings of the mind, exploring their relevance to the world today and to humanity's future. Peter'

Richard Lang first saw who he really was in a workshop in 1970 with the English philosopher Douglas Harding, author of ‘On Having No Head’. Since then he has devoted his life to Seeing, and to sharing the simple, accessible Headless Way. He has published two books, several videos, and a CD, and travels widely giving workshops. Books by Richard Lang: Seeing Who You Really Are Open to the Source: Selected Teachings of Douglas E. Harding Website: headless.org A free e-course in seeing Who we really are YouTube Channel Other books by Douglas Harding: Religions of the World (Liberal Studies) Look for Yourself: The Science and Art of Self-Realization The Hierarchy of Heaven and Earth Head Off Stress The Little Book of Life and Death The Science of the 1st Person The Trial Of The Man Who Said He Was God The Spectre in the Lake Visible Gods Face to No-Face: Rediscovering Our Original Nature To Be And Not To Be, That Is The Answer Transcript of this interview. Interview recorde

After experiencing two, close, broad-daylight UFO sightings, Darryl’s path led him to become a channel for an extraterrestrial entity called Bashar. Darryl has channeled Bashar internationally for the past 30 years, providing powerful methods by which people can change their lives in positive ways. Bashar’s information has been published in over 20 books in the U.S. and Japan and hundreds of CDs and DVDs have been distributed worldwide by April Rochelle, CEO of Bashar Communications. In addition to his channeling career, Darryl also has over 30 years of experience in miniature effects, storyboards, sets, and designs on three Star Trek films, Iron Man, The Aviator, Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End, I Robot, Live Free or Die Hard and Flags of our Fathers among several others. Darryl is now writing, directing, and producing his own films, including "Dearly Departed" - a fictional documentary shot as if the crew took a camera into the afterlife and interviewed the spirits of people who've passed on to

Daniel Ingram is the author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book, is one of the founders of the Dharma Overground, has been a speaker and interviewee on Buddhist Geeks, and practices Emergency Medicine as a physician. He is highly influenced by the practices of Mahasi Sayadaw, but his interest in the dharma is much more pragmatic than dogmatic and draws on a wide range of sources. Longer, more tongue-in-cheek bio: Daniel is an extroverted Gen X intellectual. He is known for his pronounced enthusiasm, lip-flapping, grandiosity, eccentricity, and calling people on their stuff and shadow sides regardless of whether or not this is helpful or even accurate. He is an arahant and has a solid mastery of the basic concentration states from the first jhana to Nirodha Samapatti, including the Pure Land Jhanas. He also has a solid knowledge of Buddhist theory and the texts, and because of these three areas of expertise considers himself a qualified teacher. He was also authori

Karen Johnson is a co-founder of the Diamond Approach as it is taught in the Ridhwan School, a contemporary original spiritual understanding and path, expressing timeless wisdom on self-realization using the insights of our time. She is a colleague and friend of Hameed Ali (A.H. Almaas). Her life is dedicated to the discovery of inner freedom and sharing the treasures with humankind. In this interview, we discussed how the Diamond Approach is evolving, what differentiates it from other traditions, and the most recent developments of the past 15 years, about which Karen and Hameed have only recently begun to teach, speak and write. Neither the depths of spirit nor the surface of the mundane world can adequately express what reality is and what is possible for each of us. How can our human lives be both the arena for spiritual practice and enlightenment, and the occasion for our true being to express its infinite possibilities? When we realize that we are each the miracle of matter and spirit and at the same

 Painting by Harri Aalto The iconography and texts of most spiritual traditions depict and describe realms of existence more subtle than ordinary sensory perception reveals. The most commonly portrayed phenomena are halos in paintings of saints. But in addition to this evidence of the human “subtle body”, the traditions are abundant with paintings and stories of subtle beings such as angels, gods, devas, demons, etc. Is this mere mythology or does it suggest that subtle perception is part of spiritual development? So far, the non-dual community has not discussed this at all. The New Age community has, but often in a fanciful way that the non-dual community has, perhaps wisely, chosen to eschew. Yet many who have had abiding awakenings that non-dual traditions predict and respect discover, in time, that subtle perception begins to dawn. They begin to perceive auras, angels, devas, and the like as routinely as most of us see other human beings. This panel discussion included five such people:  Name Website

Roger Housden is the author of 20 books, including the New York Times bestseller Ten Poems to Change Your Life. Housden’s work has been featured in O: The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Huffington Post. He lives in Sausalito, CA. For more, visit rogerhousden.com. Other books: Keeping the Faith Without a Religion (book) Keeping the Faith Without a Religion (audio download) For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystics Seven Sins for a Life Worth Living Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Revelation Ten Poems to Open Your Heart Ten Poems to Say Goodbye Ten Poems to Change Your Life Again and Again Dancing with Joy: 99 Poems Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 5/17/2014 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:03:45 - Using Life's Circumstances for Growth and Reflection 00:07:14 - Visiting Karoli Baba's Ashram 00:10:39 - The Dif

Jeddah Mali is the Executive Director and founder of Global Paradigm Ltd, which delivers training programs for individuals and organizations seeking a completely new approach to the age-old dilemma of how to make life, business and society work effectively and harmoniously. Jeddah’s unique approach identifies and maps the cohesive design underlying every system, from an individual person to a solar system. It reveals the hidden patterns within every aspect of life that are responsible for how things turn out. Jeddah provides an in-depth examination into the nature and function of this design, and the mechanics that make it work. Our understanding and use of these mechanics determine the extent to which we can produce consistent and reliable results. Jeddah is sought after for her precise understanding of human beings, the contribution each person makes individually and collectively and the impact this has on the world in which we live. Her work examines the link between our design as human beings and our hard

Fax and Sharon Gilbert were among my first guests on BatGap (interview here). Recently, Fax has been interviewing a few people in Fairfield, Iowa under the auspices of Fairfield's Trillum Awakening group. In this interview, I neglected to adequately express my appreciation to the volunteers who make BatGap possible. Please see the Volunteers page for a list of some of them. Transcript of this interview Interview conducted 5/11/2014 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 SAND 2015: Science and Spirituality: Potential Allies in Discovering Truth Interviewed by Richard Miller Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to the Interview 00:03:50 - Awakening and Resistance 00:06:56 - From Fairfiel

Neelam is a direct disciple of H. W. L. Poonja (Papaji), whose teacher was Sri Ramana Maharshi. Her unequivocal commitment to Truth helps us turn inward and release underlying patterns of conditioning which block the recognition of our True Nature. With the utmost tenderness while helping us to address all aspects of daily living, including past conditioning and trauma, she invites us into the same recognition of Truth that her teacher, Papaji, transmitted to her. Neelam’s website Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 5/3/2014 Her first Interview here Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:04:39 - Identity and Presence 00:08:59 - The Continuum of Presence 00:13:10 - The Experience of Consciousness 00:17:13 - The Ground of Knowing 00:21:14 - The Embodiment of Knowing 00:25:48 - Awakening vs Enlightenment 00:30:25 - The Role of Knowledge in Teaching and Living 00:34:20 - The Intelligence of P

As an independent scholar, speaker, radio show host, published author, sacred tour leader and social justice activist, Karen's work for three decades has been inspired by her interests and passion for travel, comparative religions, ancient cultures, women's her story and the resurging interest in the rise of the Feminine Consciousness. Her work combines feminism, spirituality, and uplifting women, all of which are highlighted in her projects. Her first book, Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations has garnered prestigious endorsements, while her second book, Walking An Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth, was a finalist in the National Best Books of 2008 Awards. Her newest book, Goddess Calling: Inspirational Messages & Meditations of Sacred Feminine Liberation Thealogy, out in the Spring of 2014 is already getting rave reviews from her mentors and peers. Her fourth book, the anthology Voices of the Sacred Feminine: Conversations to Re-Shape Our World, includes the wisdom of noted visionaries

Adam C. Hall achieved the American Dream in all its glory and then woke-up to the nightmare of his own life condition.  Once a financial power broker and real-estate developer, Adam undertook a life-changing metamorphosis that would ultimately alter his mind-set from Earth Conqueror to Earth-Keeper. To come this far, Adam had to come to terms with the misery that was at the center of his very privileged and comfortable life. He endured the loss of all that he treasured most. It was only then that he was finally able to open to discover the Creative Power of the Universe that is hidden within each of us. We have entered an era like none other in history. The economy of the Western world and the ecology of the entire planet are threatened with the possibility of imminent collapse.  In the midst of these dire circumstances, a dramatic shift is occurring within human consciousness. The ancient prophecies of the Hopi, Maya, and Inca (among others) all point to this moment as the time when humanity will undergo a