Buddha at the Gas Pump

Episodios

• 755. Jonathan Ashford: C‑Level Executive’s NDE, Life Review, and Radical Spiritual Awakening 23.05.2026 2h 14m

  Jonathan lived the definition of material excess, twenty-five years climbing the corporate ladder in marketing and technology as a C-level executive, accumulating possessions, and actively avoiding anything spiritual. That was until May 22, 2023.On that day, Jonathan died. His skin turned yellow, his organs failed, and he was gone for three hours. What happened during those three hours wasn’t just a glimpse of white light. He experienced complete immersion in divine consciousness, received profound spiritual teachings and revelations, and was given a choice: stay on the other side or return to share with those ready to awaken.He chose to return. But the being who returned bears no resemblance to the executive who died. Jonathan now helps individuals across the world through speaking engagements, group calls, and private sessions.
• 754. Julia Mossbridge – The Science of Unconditional Love — Nonspeakers, Psi Abilities, and Healing 08.05.2026 1h 57m

  Teaching AI to love, the physics of unconditional love, and telepathy with non-speaking autistic people all come together in this lively Buddha at the Gas Pump conversation with neuroscientist and futurist Julia Mossbridge. In this wide-ranging dialogue, we explore unconditional love as a real, foundational force in the universe and what it means for consciousness, time, technology, trauma, and disclosure.Julia describes her working model of universal love as “that which connects,” a fundamental force more basic than space, time, matter, and energy. She explains how unconditional love is the human emotional and motivational state that arises when we become directly aware of this ever-present universal love, and why that experience paradoxically makes us more motivated to improve the world even though “nothing needs to change.” Along the way, she and Rick unpack the difference between unconditional and conditional love, the pitfalls of spiritual bypassing, and the limits of “purification” models in spirituality and healing.They then turn to the ethics and possibilities of “loving AI”: can we create AI systems and robots that genuinely support human well-being and help people access unconditional love, instead of amplifying our polarization and fear? Julia shares the origins of the Loving AI project, her work on Socratic GPT tools for critical thinking, and her leadership in efforts to bring more feminine and marginalized voices into AI, robotics, cognitive science, and consciousness research, including The Synapse women’s conference.Another major theme is time and precognition. Drawing on her neuroscience background, Julia discusses empirical work on precognition and self-transcendence, including how difficult life circumstances can sometimes push people into profound, love-filled states in which they recognize themselves as “the flame, not the candle.”The conversation also dives into “The Telepathy Tapes” and Julia’s research with non-speaking autistic people who communicate via letterboards and keyboards. She outlines why equating speech with intelligence is scientifically and ethically untenable, and how spontaneous telepathy, “the Hill,” and rich inner lives in non-speaking autistic individuals challenge mainstream assumptions about mind, communication, and consciousness.In the later part of the interview, Julia talks about her book “Have a Nice Disclosure,” which reframes disclosure not just as governments revealing secrets about advanced programs or possible non-human intelligences, but as an inner process of truth-telling, healing, and reconciliation. She and Rick explore how collective and personal shadow material is surfacing globally, why genuine disclosure must happen in the heart as well as in institutions, and how unconditional love can hold even the darkest aspects of our history.Julia Mossbridge focuses ruthlessly on developing a deep understanding of love, time, technology, and how these human experiences relate to corresponding physical forces. Her most recent relevant projects include: Creating a Socratic GPT to guide intelligence analysts through the critical thinking process, leading a diverse team of technologists and designers to create a scalable, self-guided digital tool that increases overall wellbeing and is now being developed further within Native American communities, and leading an international group of AI developers and roboticists toward creating an unconditionally loving robot that reduced anger and cognitive load in humans.
• 753. Tammy Lee Anderson – Near‑Death Experiences, Awakening Into Love, & Life as a Spiritual Medium 25.04.2026 1h 59m

  Tammy Lee Anderson shares how three profound near-death experiences opened her to unconditional love, spiritual awakening, and a life of service as a psychotherapist, healer, and spiritual medium. In this deep conversation, she describes what near-death really felt like, how it dissolved the fear of death, and how love and awakening can be embodied in daily life through grief, trauma, and ordinary relationships.We explore Tammy’s early near-death experiences in infancy, her memories of being “in between” worlds, and how these experiences invited her into a lifelong journey of surrender into love. She explains why we are not victims of our reality but co‑creators of it, and how even our deepest challenges can expand compassion, forgiveness, and embodied love.Tammy also talks about her unusual background as an Olympic‑level kayaker, 5th degree black belt Aikido teacher, former monastic, and long‑time psychotherapist. She shares powerful stories of working with grief, homelessness, abuse, and trauma, and how her mediumship and healing work now help people reconnect with loved ones in spirit, release fear, and rediscover meaning.If you’re curious about near‑death experiences, life after death, spiritual mediumship, or how to live awake in a dense and sometimes painful world, this conversation offers both inspiration and very grounded wisdom.
• 752. Robert Lawrence Kuhn – Closer to Truth 10.04.2026 2h 12m

  Robert Lawrence Kuhn is a public intellectual; he is the creator, writer, host of Closer To Truth, the long-running PBS/public television series and leading digital resource on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of science), Life (philosophy of biology), Mind (consciousness, brain/mind, philosophy of mind), and Meaning (theism/atheism/agnosticism, global philosophy of religion, critical thinking). Peter Getzels is Closer To Truth co-creator and producer/director. Kuhn is the author of the comprehensive review article on theories of consciousness – “A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a Taxonomy of Explanations and Implications” – and editor-in-chief of the expanded, continuously updated Landscape of Consciousness website (with more than 400 theories of consciousness in ten categories), Kuhn has written or edited over 30 books, including The Mystery of Existence: Why is there Anything At All? (with John Leslie); Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief; Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future; The Library of Investment Banking; How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping); The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin (China’s best-selling book in 2005 and in December 2022); and “The Origin and Significance of Zero: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” (with Peter Gobets). Dr. Kuhn is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. He has a BA in Human Biology (Johns Hopkins), PhD in Anatomy/Brain Research (UCLA), and SM (MBA) in Management (MIT).
• 751. Kogen Czarnik – Endless Depths of Enlightenment 27.03.2026 2h 1m

  From my teenage years I had an unquenchable thirst to see beyond the veils that growing up had created in my mind. I tried different avenues of exploration, and soon found my spiritual home in the Zen tradition. After graduating from college, I went straight to Japan and became a Zen monk at the Bukkoku-ji monastery. For over a dozen years I practiced in the monastic context, mostly in Japan and Korea, living a life dedicated fully to this investigation, going through an awakening process, and deepening my realization and embodiment. Later I also explored approaches of other traditions and followed several secular non-traditional teachers. I have spent about 4 years total in silent meditation retreats, and have worked directly in the retreat setting and one-on-one with teachers such as my root monastic teacher, Tangen Harada Roshi, as well as with Jakusho Kwong Roshi, Shodo Harada Roshi, Wu Bong Sunim, Adyashanti and Angelo Dilullo.Even though the years of meditation and the simplicity of monastic life had a powerful effect, most important on my path were three breakthroughs at age 23, 30 and 37, each stripping down a different layer of illusion and revealing bare truth, without any sense of separation, or any sense of personal nor universal “self.” I have also explored and continue to explore various approaches of somatic work to aid embodiment and the uprooting of habitual tendencies, as I consider myself, and all human beings, a work in progress.Following my monastic Dharma grandfather (Daiun Harada Roshi)’s example, I vowed to spend all of my twenties and thirties only on my own practice, deepening and embodiment. Now in my forties, I make myself available as a resource to those who seek support in their own process of finding freedom from self-created suffering. Despite my love of the monastic life and the Zen tradition, I have decided to share outside of the confines of those systems. I stay true, however, to the essence and marrow of Zen as defined by Bodhidharma, the Indian monk considered the founder of what we now know as Zen:“Transmission outside of scripturesNot dependent upon words and phrasesDirectly pointing to each person’s mindSee your nature – become a buddha”Feel free to reach out if you feel so inclined.May all beings find liberation!
• 750. Purnima Sinha – NDEs, After‑Death Communication, & Guidance from Beyond 14.03.2026 1h 49m

  Purnima Sinha is a spiritual director and coach whose life has been shaped by meditation, near‑death experiences, and a deep commitment to seva (selfless service). Raised in a highly spiritual Indian family steeped in the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, she began meditating in her teens and was trained in Ultra Transcendental Meditation and Surat Shabd Yoga in India. She has now practiced meditation for over 50 years.After an intense emotional crisis around the year 2000, Purnima had a near‑death‑type experience in which she found herself in a tunnel, received a powerful life review and “downloads” about her future, and understood that her life’s purpose was far from complete. This, along with subsequent experiences—including warnings before a later collapse, shared‑death experiences with family members, and long‑term after‑death communication with her mother—reoriented her life around service, self‑love, and trust in inner guidance.Professionally, Purnima worked for many years as a graphic designer before feeling an inner compulsion to serve in a hospital setting. Guided “voices” and a series of striking coincidences led her into over 3,500 hours of volunteer work and a formal role as a patient advocate in a major hospital, where she visited patients one‑on‑one, listened to their concerns, and supported them and their families through serious illness, cancer treatments, and end‑of‑life transitions. Repeatedly, nurses and staff invited her to sit with patients who were actively dying, and she became known informally as someone who could help people cross over peacefully.Out of this work grew hospital meditation and wellness programs. Purnima has served as a meditation, chair‑yoga, balance and strength, and “Fit for Life” facilitator, as well as a spiritual life coach for county wellness programs and cancer support networks. She holds certificates in Lifestyle Medicine and in Meditation & Psychotherapy from Harvard Medical School. Drawing on clinical research supplied in part by her physician son, she helped establish a hospital‑based meditation initiative before the COVID‑19 pandemic.Purnima has been a frequent presenter at the International Association for Near‑Death Studies (IANDS), including on after‑death communication panels, and has shared many of her experiences publicly only in recent years. Her article on healing the “pain body” was published in Eckhart Tolle’s newsletter. She emphasizes practical spirituality: starting and ending the day with gratitude, cultivating stillness and prayer, listening to inner guidance, and practicing self‑love as the foundation for serving others.Her core messages include: no one ever dies alone; we are always guided and supported, even when we cannot see it; every experience, including painful ones, can serve the evolution of consciousness; and “Self‑Care = Self‑Love.”
• 095. Rupert Spira 08.11.2011 1h 51m

  From an early age Rupert Spira was deeply interested in the nature of reality. For twenty years he studied the teachings of P.D.Ouspensky, J.Krishnamurti, Rumi, Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Robert Adams, until he met his teacher, Francis Lucille, in 1996. Francis introduced Rupert to the teachings of Jean Klein and Atmanada Krishnamenon and, more importantly, directly indicated to him the true nature of experience. Rupert’s YouTube Channel. Interviews can be listened to here and watched here. Rupert lives in UK and holds regular meetings and retreats in Europe and USA. Books: The Transparency of Things: Contemplating the Nature of Experience Presence, Volume I: The Art of Peace and Happiness Presence, Volume II: The Intimacy of All Experience The Ashes of Love: Sayings on the Essence of Non-Duality The Light of Pure Knowing: Thirty Meditations on the Essence of Non-Duality Transparent Body, Luminous World: The Tantric Yoga of Sensation and Perception (Book and six MP3 CD Box Set - 30 Hours of Audio) The Nature of Consciousness: Essays on the Unity of Mind and Matter Being Aware of Being Aware (The Essence of Meditation Series) For all further information see http://www.rupertspira.com. Interview recorded 11/6/2011. Summary and Transcript of this interview. 2nd BatGap interview with Rupert YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Rupert Spira and his book 00:04:14 - The Path of Advaita-Vedanta 00:08:06 - Recognizing "Home" 00:11:59 - Explorations of Feeling in the Body 00:15:50 - The Mechanics of the Experience 00:20:03 - The Knowingness of Experience 00:23:57 - The Objectivity of Reality 00:27:44 - The Common Perception in a Dream 00:31:26 - The Relationship Between Intelligence and the Structure of the World 00:34:53 - The Nature of Awareness 00:38:37 - The Presence of the Imaginary Separate Self 00:42:38 - Individuality and the Illusion of a Separate Self 00:46:34 - Models of Enlightenment 00:50:22 - Enlightenment and the Perpetuation of the Separate Self 00:53:51 - The Point of View of Awareness vs the Separate Self 00:57:43 - The Illusion of Ignorance and the Reality of Awareness 01:01:23 - The Illusion of Duality 01:04:34 - The Conundrum of the Apparent World 01:08:17 - The Path of Exclusion 01:12:11 - The Path of Understanding and Love 01:15:22 - The Experience of Perception as Awareness 01:18:12 - The Nature of Direct Experience 01:21:08 - The Illusion of Separate Objects 01:24:54 - The Art of Teaching and the Nature of Experience 01:29:04 - Tailoring Love and Understanding to the Question 01:32:57 - The Limitation of Language and Teaching 01:36:46 - The After-Effects of Enlightenment 01:40:40 - The Art of Teaching 01:44:11 - The Continuing Process of Enlightenment 01:48:03 - The Permeation of Love and Transparency
• 224. Robert Svoboda 02.04.2014

  Robert E. Svoboda is the first white member of Kenya's Pokot tribe, and the first non-Indian ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India, where he lived for more than a decade. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra, and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. For a decade he was involved with thoroughbred horses as Vimalananda's Authorized Racing Agent. The author of more than a dozen books, since 1985 he divides his time between India and other lands. Website: drsvoboda.com Books: AGHORA, At the Left Hand of God (Aghora) (v. I) AGHORA II: Kundalini (Aghora) (Vol II) Aghora III: The Law of Karma The Greatness of Saturn: A Therapeutic Myth Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution Ayurveda: Life, Health, and Longevity Prakriti Vastu: Breathing Life into Space Ayurveda for Women: A Guide to Vitality and Health Tao and Dharma: Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda Interview recorded 3/29/2014 Interview transcript YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Robert Svoboda 00:06:18 - The Quest for the Soma 00:12:44 - The Appeal of Alcohol and Possession in Indian Religion 00:19:59 - Possession and Worship in India 00:25:55 - Possession and Disembodied Entities 00:31:51 - The Story of the Billiken 00:37:31 - Growing Up in Different Cultures 00:43:17 - The Battle of Positive and Negative Forces 00:49:37 - Potential Pathological and Bizarre Results of the Singularity and Transcendence 00:55:28 - The Concept of Her-ness and Femininity in Kundalini 01:02:14 - The Complexity of Human Organisms 01:08:11 - The Nature of Shakti and its Search for Supreme Reality 01:14:52 - The Supreme External and Internal 01:21:01 - The Meaning of Moksha and Enlightenment 01:27:30 - The Creation of Chakras 01:33:27 - Puberty and the Purpose of Reproduction 01:39:03 - The Role of Sexual Energy in Spiritual Awakening 01:44:36 - Humans as servants to other species 01:50:15 - Higher intelligence in other species 01:55:56 - Unleashing Kundalini and the Journey of Self-Discovery 02:01:42 - The Transformative Power of Kundalini and LSD 02:08:22 - The Awakening of the Prana Kundalini 02:13:45 - The Three Levels of Kundalini Energy 02:19:08 - The Price of Ignorance  02:24:21 - The beginning of the spiritual journey 02:30:18 - Surviving Difficulties and the Need for External Guidance 02:35:26 - The Guru and the Student's Dharma 02:41:04 - The Complexity of Historical Figures and Issues 02:46:25 - Materialism vs Consciousness 02:52:01 - Smiling on the Battlefield 02:57:17 - Join Our Mailing List Save
• 127. Deepakbhai Desai 24.06.2012 1h 19m

  Deepakbhai Desai is the current representative of Akram Vignan, a direct path to Self-realization. Born in Gujarat, India, Deepakbhai met Dada Bhagwan (the originator of Akram Vignan) at the age of 17, and attained Self-realization from him in the Gnan Vidhi ceremony. He credits these two events as the great turning points of his life. Previously burdened by a shy and introverted nature, Deepakbhai became able to successfully complete his engineering studies and, over the coming decades, to build three successful engineering businesses. Simultaneously, Deepakbhai was nurtured in further spiritual development by Dada Bhagwan, and Niruma Amin (Dada’s closest disciple). With all available free time, Deepakbhai attended satsangs (spiritual discourse), performed seva (selfless service), and engaged in continuous Self-introspection – devotedly seeking to understand the full dimension of Dada’s spiritual science. In 1987, before Dada Bhagwan’s passing, Niruma and Deepakbhai were given the spiritual abilities to conduct satsangs and Gnan Vidhi ceremonies on Dada’s behalf. Together, they carried on Dada’s mission with tremendous harmony and spirit of oneness until Niruma’s sudden passing in 2006. Since then, Deepakbhai has officiated over a burgeoning spiritual community (Simandhar City, Gujarat, India), celibate male and female groups, teen and children’s programs, and ongoing world-wide satsang and Gnan Vidhi programs for seekers of Self-realization. For further information, and for Deepakbhai’s tour schedule, please visit: http://www.dadabhagwan.org/ All satsang and Gnan Vidhi programs are offered entirely free of cost. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 6/16/2012 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:15 - Self-realization and the Knowledge of the Eternal Soul 00:05:36 - The Gnan Vidhi Ceremony and the Awareness of Pure Soul 00:08:13 - Understanding the Temporary and Permanent 00:11:45 - Understanding the Concept of "I" and "My" 00:13:22 - Separating the Self from the Ego 00:15:44 - The Simultaneity of Business and Spiritual Progress 00:18:59 - Finding and Removing Our Faults 00:21:54 - Progression from Gross to Subtle to Subtlest 00:24:22 - Separation from Ego and Enduring Pain 00:26:31 - Increasing the Experience of Pure Soul 00:28:32 - The Awareness of the Pure Soul 00:30:48 - Dedication to World Salvation 00:34:26 - Stopping Charging of New Karma 00:36:54 - The Unity of the Permanent and Impermanent 00:39:58 - The Six Eternal Elements and the Illusory Nature of the World 00:42:38 - The Permanency of Matter and Soul 00:45:12 - The Six Eternal Elements in the Universe 00:47:24 - The Separation of Forces 00:49:39 - The Biggest Experience: Separation from Mind, Speech, Body, Ego 00:52:37 - Dissolving Anger, Pride, and Greed 00:55:10 - Doubt and Self-Realization 00:57:51 - The Flawless Vision of Self-Realization 00:59:45 - The Illusion of Being the Doer 01:02:00 - Karma and the Soul 01:03:49 - The Importance of a Spiritual Teacher 01:05:59 - The Attitude of a Beginner 01:08:18 - The Goal of the Spiritual Path 01:12:02 - The Search for Permanent Happiness 01:14:43 - Layers of Attachment and Discharge Karma 01:17:28 - Dissolving Ego and Experiencing the Pure Soul Save
• 094. Jeff Foster 04.11.2011 1h 39m

  Jeff Foster graduated in Astrophysics from Cambridge University in 2001. Several years after graduation, following a period of severe depression and illness, he became addicted to the idea of ‘spiritual enlightenment’, and embarked on an intensive spiritual search which lasted for several years. The spiritual search came crashing down with the clear recognition of the nondual nature of everything. In the clarity of this seeing, life became what it always was: open, loving, spontaneous, and fully alive. Jeff presently holds meetings and retreats in the UK, Europe, and around the world, clearly and directly pointing to the frustrations surrounding our seeking activities, to the nature of the mind, and to the clarity at the heart of everything. His uncompromising approach, full of humour and compassion, enlightens and exposes the seeking mechanism – the mechanism behind all suffering – shattering our hopes for a future salvation, revealing the unconditional freedom and ease that is always already present, right in the midst of the human drama, and within every experience. Jeff belongs to no tradition or lineage but has a deep respect for traditions and lineages. Jeff is not an ‘authority’ on life. His words are equal to the sound of a bird singing, or a cat meowing. All are expressions of the One Life. And when all words have disappeared, as they do, all that’s left is laughter. Jeff's site: Life Without a Centre Jeff's books: An Extraordinary Absence: Liberation in the Midst of a Very Ordinary Life, The Wonder of Being: Awakening to an Intimacy Beyond Words Interview recorded 10/30/2011 Interview summary and transcript YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to the Interview with Jeff Foster 00:03:24 - The Mystery of Non-Duality 00:06:21 - The Stuck-ness and Freedom 00:09:49 - Discovering the Ocean Behind Things 00:12:30 - Embracing our Humanity 00:16:04 - A Total Embrace of Life and Non-Duality 00:18:54 - The Longing for Completeness and the End of Seeking 00:22:07 - Seeking Completeness in Relationships 00:25:42 - The Natural Movement of Seeking Completeness 00:29:06 - The Completeness of Seeking 00:32:33 - The Paradox of Seeking and Completeness 00:35:55 - The Constant Invitation of Waves 00:39:25 - Embracing Relationships and Self-Acceptance 00:42:26 - The Adventure of Relationships 00:45:30 - The Pain of Honest Self-Reflection 00:48:38 - The Possibility of Recognizing Who You Really Are 00:52:28 - A Journey of Self-Discovery 00:55:47 - The Messy Path to Self-Realization 00:59:26 - The Myth of Dramatic Stories 01:02:03 - The Sun and the Waves 01:05:02 - The New Doing: Rejecting All Doing 01:08:00 - Meeting People at Their Level 01:10:54 - Meeting Without Defenses 01:14:06 - The Man or Woman at the Cash Register 01:17:28 - Reflections on Crucifixion and Acceptance 01:20:51 - The Crucifixion and the Resurrection 01:23:40 - The Evolution of Language and Understanding in Non-duality 01:27:29 - The Natural Expression of Sharing 01:31:11 - Singing Our Song 01:35:02 - Allowing and Acceptance in Spiritual Teachings 01:37:44 - Introduction to the Show and Guest
• 218. Kristin Kirk 20.02.2014

  Kristin Kirk experienced an initial awakening in 2003 which revealed healing gifts, subtle workings of consciousness and radically transformed her experience of reality. Since then, Kristin has supported self-realization, embodied awakening and multidimensional functioning for individuals and groups through classes, healing sessions, meditation retreats and awakening journeys. Kristin is available in person, by phone and live video stream and travels by invitation. Interview recorded 2/16/2014 http://kristinkirk.com Transcript of this interview. Previous BatGap events involving Kristin: Kristin Kirk, in Panel Discussion on Refined Perception Kristin Kirk in Panel at Sofia U. Part 1 | Part 2 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Spiritual Awakening and Childhood Experiences 00:05:02 - Divine Being Experience 00:09:21 - Awakening and Communication with Nature 00:13:29 - Shifting from fear to trust 00:18:04 - Awakening to the Universal Ground of Being 00:23:13 - Levels of Awakening and Integration in Consciousness 00:27:40 - 24/7 Communication with Spirit Guides 00:32:31 - The potential difficulties for people in lower consciousness as the planet awakens 00:37:20 - The Unfolding of Painful Imbalance 00:43:01 - The drive for completeness within 00:48:05 - The Levels and Dimensions of Consciousness 00:53:02 - Opening to Different Dimensions and Shifting Awareness 00:57:26 - The Divine Game of Oneness 01:02:16 - Deconstructing Structures of Experience 01:07:48 - Seeking Deeper Truths 01:12:04 - Exploring Different Dimensions of Consciousness 01:16:40 - Dissolving the Substance of Identification 01:21:33 - Dissolving Story Identification 01:26:24 - Unity and Consciousness in Different Dimensions 01:31:22 - Cultivating the Worthiness for Spiritual Experiences 01:35:33 - A Journey through Different Dimensions 01:42:07 - The Dance Between Individual Experience and Oneness 01:46:57 - The Healing Process and Consciousness 01:51:28 - Resonating on Different Floors 01:55:25 - Hands-on Work and Physical Support 01:59:53 - Teaching in Between Lifetimes 02:04:46 - The Awakening of Consciousness 02:09:10 - Experiencing Love and Appreciation 02:13:46 - The Power of Consciousness in Kauai 02:20:30 - The Anatomy of Consciousness 02:25:11 - Meditation Retreats on Kauai
• 204. Kiran Trace 14.11.2013

  Kiran Trace is an internationally known spiritual teacher and author. She died of massive spontaneous awakening into her true nature, then eight years later, and at the encouragement of Moni Vangolen, Thomas Stubbs, Adyashanti, and others, she began to talk and teach. Because she spontaneously awoke, with no prior spiritual background, orientation or understanding, she is known for her unique point of view. Folks often call her teachings “fresh” because she doesn't have any spiritual language or point to any lineage. She sees primarily from vast stillness and embodies "the world" from an "inside-outside" point of view.  Seeing the coding of the universe in order to see the universe, it’s very “matrix” like. Visit more of her works and teachings at kirantrace.com, or visit her YouTube channel. Interview recorded 11/2/2013 Transcript of this interview. Kiran's 2nd Batgap interview. Kiran Trace in Batgap Panel at Sofia U. Part 1 | Part 2 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Kiran's Name and Background 00:04:44 - Awakening into Your True Nature 00:09:31 - The Relationship Between Spiritual Practice and Awakening 00:13:54 - Distortions in Spiritual Teachings 00:18:58 - Disillusionment with Traditional Teaching Methods and Distorted Interpretations 00:23:46 - The Experience of Oneness and Expanded Perception 00:27:59 - Picking up on Different Frequencies 00:31:53 - Awakening in Sleep 00:35:53 - Narrow Definition of Awakening 00:40:23 - The Beauty of Your Own Present Moment 00:44:41 - The Movement of Love and Creativity 00:49:39 - The Creative Power of Joy and Pain 00:54:20 - Effortlessness and True Nature 00:58:56 - Effortlessness and Awakening into True Nature 01:03:26 - The Effortless Approach to Welcoming What Arises 01:07:53 - Cultivating a State of Love and Compassion 01:12:25 - Cultivating Awareness; Beginning the Unwinding 01:16:49 - The Effortlessness of Love 01:21:34 - Touching Pain with Love: The Alchemy of Healing 01:26:03 - Different Teachers on the Planet 01:30:11 - Following Your Authentic Yes 01:34:47 - Trusting Life's Provision 01:38:54 - Awakening and Oneness Experience, Part 2 01:43:20 - The Night of Beauty and Bliss 01:48:01 - The Mess After the Rapture 01:51:53 - Awakening and Accessing Vast Fields of Information 01:56:43 - The Healing Journey 02:01:04 - The E-Word: Embodied with Projections 02:05:46 - The Liberation of Love and Honesty 02:09:51 - Gratitude and Friendship 02:13:39 - Continuing to Grow and Evolve Save Save
• 189. Thomas Hübl 20.08.2013

  Thomas Hübl is a modern mystic, spiritual teacher, author, and systems-thinker. His work integrates the essence of the great wisdom traditions, scientific knowledge, and his own personal experience.  Thomas offers a unique approach to life as a 'mystic in the marketplace' and helps people to attain a deeper level of self-awareness and personal relationship and to transcend a 'culture of the personal' and a self-centered worldview. Through his work, people from all walks of life learn how to become a living expression of spirit and how to participate in 'we cultures' through an embodied inner and outer connection. His teachings combine transformation through the integration of trauma, somatic sensitization, advanced meditative practice, and a deepening understanding of cultural processes.  Since 2004, Thomas' leading-edge work has spread worldwide through workshops, multi-year training programs, and online courses. The non-profit 'Celebrate Life Festival' brings together more than 1,200 people every year and has showcased a wide network of experts in various disciplines, through dialogue and exchange. In 2008 Thomas founded the 'Academy of Inner Science'. This provided a framework for dialogue between the inner science of consciousness and the external scientific-academic exploration of life. Over the years Thomas has also organized several major healing events, aimed at healing the Holocaust's cultural shadows. Thousands of Germans and Israelis have been brought together through these processes.  In 2016 Thomas and his wife Yehudit founded the non-profit 'Pocket Project', with the aim of exploring collective trauma and shadow work and integrating this through large-scale group processes. A global organization has been launched, intended to research and explore specific aspects of local traumatization. This applies both to past traumas and also to current conflict zones. Thomas was born in Austria in 1971 and now lives in Tel Aviv, Israel, with his wife, the Israeli artist Yehudit Sasportas and their daughter Eliya. thomashuebl.com Interview recorded 8/18/2013 Transcript of this interview. Second interview with Thomas. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Thomas Hubl 00:03:46 - Following Inner Guidance 00:07:14 - The Fundamental Opening 00:10:56 - Changes in Life and Relationships 00:14:07 - Deep Meditation in Teaching and Individual Work 00:17:30 - Overview of Teaching and Spiritual Development 00:21:06 - Developing for the Greater Context 00:24:52 - Integration of Shadow Aspects in Practice 00:28:30 - Simultaneous Inner and Outer Directedness in Spiritual Practice 00:31:57 - The Dangers of Saying "The World Is an Illusion" 00:35:15 - The Paradox of Existence 00:38:28 - The Fullness of Creation and Stillness 00:41:43 - Aligning with Cosmic Flows 00:45:15 - Overcoming Conditioned Reality 00:48:59 - The Balance Between Monastic Life and Culture 00:52:31 - The Challenges of Conditioning and Freedom 00:56:12 - The Importance of Meditation in Awakening 00:59:49 - Awakening Intelligence in All Expressions 01:03:22 - Embracing Complexity and Human Excellence 01:06:45 - The Fusion of Scientific and Mystical Realizations 01:13:21 - Healing the Shadow of the Holocaust 01:16:52 - Healing the Collective Unconsciousness in Europe 01:20:23 - Creating a Massive Impact with a Group 01:23:46 - The Importance of Cracks in Society 01:27:19 - Reaching through the Ceiling of Consciousness 01:30:45 - Signs of Healthy Spiritual Development 01:34:16 - The Influence of Collective Consciousness on Leadership 01:37:39 - Beings of Pure Light 01:40:57 - Inner and Outer Competencies for Global Challenges 01:44:18 - Introduction to Thomas H-you-ble
• 147. Francis Lucille 02.12.2012

  Francis Lucille is a spiritual teacher of the tradition of Advaita Vedanta (non-duality). He became a disciple of Jean Klein, a French Advaita teacher whom he met in 1975. This was the beginning of a close association that lasted until the death of his friend and spiritual master in 1998. Jean Klein's own guru, "Panditji" Rao, whom he met in India in the nineteen-fifties, was a college professor in Bangalore who taught Sanskrit and belonged to a lineage of traditional Advaita Vedanta teachers. www.francislucille.com. Interview recorded 10/29/2012 Summary and Transcript of this interview. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Francis Lucille 00:02:54 - The Impossibility of Proving Consciousness 00:05:58 - The Belief in Limited Consciousness and its Revolt 00:08:51 - The Search for Truth 00:11:26 - The Reality of Consciousness 00:14:08 - The Reality of Consciousness 00:16:30 - Discrimination between the perceiver and the perceived 00:19:04 - The Journey to Enlightenment 00:21:56 - The Difference Between Intellectual Understanding and Realization 00:24:18 - A Zen Story about Satori 00:27:08 - Establishing Peace and Happiness 00:29:35 - The Journey to the Summit 00:32:00 - The Importance of Physical Proximity in Transmission 00:34:43 - Becoming Addicted and Finding True Nature 00:37:28 - The Natural State of Fulfillment 00:39:43 - Enjoying the Show and Following Your Heart 00:41:20 - The Value of Exemplarity 00:43:40 - The Watershed Moment of Enlightenment 00:46:01 - Incremental Glimpses of Consciousness 00:48:15 - Glimpses of Not-Being 00:50:29 - The Litmus Test for Awakening 00:53:04 - The Three States of Consciousness 00:55:53 - The Unity of God in Sufism 00:59:30 - Expanding Consciousness and Connecting with Others 01:02:07 - The Body Expanded to the Size of the Universe and Contains All Things 01:04:37 - The Surprise of Absolute Happiness 01:06:24 - Recognizing the Love for Truth 01:08:56 - The Miraculous Intelligence in Everything 01:11:24 - The Divine qualities in consciousness 01:13:42 - The Bird Enjoys the Singing 01:15:36 - Gratitude for Donations and Closing Remarks
• 117. Benjamin Smythe 01.04.2012

  I thought I knew something.  It turns out I didn't.  My heart explodes into pieces, and they rain down everywhere I look.  It doesn't feel as new agey as it sounds, and that ends up being such an incredible delight.  Nothing spiritual I have ever encountered has anything to do with the simple Wow I am talking about. It is this Mystery.  Wow! Facebook page Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 3/31/2012 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Benjamin Smythe: A Fun and Sensitive Guy 00:04:25 - The Importance of Authentic Sharing 00:08:15 - Learning to Be a Good Person 00:12:20 - The Humility of Seeking 00:16:18 - The Beauty of Not Knowing 00:19:58 - Embracing Paradox and Shutting Up 00:24:05 - Balancing Self-Awakening and Helping Others 00:27:49 - Embracing Chaos and Helping Others 00:31:08 - The Beauty of Connection on the Street 00:34:48 - The Power of Kindness and Love 00:38:10 - The Sadness of Human-to-Human Violence 00:42:06 - The Resonance of Kindness and Compassion 00:45:51 - The Setup of Competition 00:49:41 - Embracing the Vast Range of Possibilities 00:53:42 - Finding Ease in Chaos 00:57:04 - The Value of Living in Integrity 01:00:51 - Honoring and Learning from Others 01:05:02 - The Innocence of Humanity 01:08:52 - The Shift in Subjective Perspective 01:13:25 - The Potential of Every Individual 01:17:07 - The value of silence and the limitations of language 01:21:33 - The Silent Experience of Ourselves 01:25:24 - Discovering the Quiet Within 01:29:11 - Questioning the Bible's Moral Guidance 01:33:20 - Ideas Competing for Attention 01:37:19 - Choosing Love and the Possibility of Force 01:41:17 - The Responsibility to Care for Each Other 01:45:26 - Making a Difference, One Person at a Time 01:49:25 - The Egalitarian Quality in Spirituality 01:53:05 - Playing with Different Ideas 01:56:28 - Stay Connected through Interviews and Chat Groups Save
• 105. Matt Kahn 28.01.2012

  Matt Kahn is a spiritual teacher and mystic who travels the world, offering sacred heart wisdom that invites all seekers into the joy of liberated existence. Matt's spontaneous awakening arose out of an out-of-body experience at the age of 8, and numerous direct experiences throughout his life. Many spiritual seekers have experienced amazing, unexplainable healings, and have awakened to their true nature through his offerings of profound and loving teachings, and direct transmission of presence. Books: Everything Is Here to Help You: A Loving Guide to Your Soul's Evolution “Whatever Arises, Love That – A Love Revolution That Begins with You” Matt's website Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 1/14/2012 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Matt Kahn's Unique Blend of Nonduality and Relative Considerations 00:05:02 - The Validity of Exploring Everything Equally 00:09:01 - Deepening the Experience through Self-Reflection 00:13:02 - Experiencing Different States of Consciousness 00:16:51 - The Nondual State and Paradox 00:20:51 - Freedom from the Need for Certainty 00:25:02 - The Dream of Denial 00:29:37 - Perceiving the Divine Intelligence 00:34:43 - Awakening Through Conversation 00:39:00 - The Intimacy of Divine Experience 00:43:28 - The Fear of Deficiency and the Fantasy of a Final Destination 00:47:57 - Seeing Through Pixilated Energy 00:52:14 - The Purification of the Body for Awakening 00:56:18 - Exploring Different Perspectives on Reincarnation 01:00:28 - The Aliveness of Being 01:04:36 - The Sincere Inquiry of the Spiritual Journey 01:08:49 - The Meaning of Seeking and Fulfillment 01:13:19 - Deeper Dimensions of Fulfillment 01:18:06 - Embracing and Loving Every Expression of Reality 01:22:24 - Childhood Realizations and Experiences 01:26:15 - Encountering a Being in the Garden 01:30:05 - The Misconception of Apologizing and Fixing Others' Lives 01:34:06 - The Power of Choice within Relationships 01:38:16 - Valuing One Piece of the Puzzle 01:42:24 - The Birth of a Burning Desire to Assist Others in Experiencing Infinite Possibilities 01:46:48 - Different Strokes for Different Folks 01:51:28 - Surreal Nonattachment and the Equality of Life 01:55:54 - The Activation and Energy Levels 02:00:16 - The Value of Payment for Spiritual Teachings 02:04:21 - Ending on Love 02:08:46 - Introduction and Theme Music
• 104. Lisa Cairns 19.01.2012

  Lisa started spiritually seeking in her early 20’s. She had her first awakening in 2005 after attending a talk given by Tony Parsons. After this, she spent some time in India with Ramesh Balsekar. It was there that she met her final teacher, Roger Castillo, who was also a student of Ramesh. She lived with him for three years in Australia during which time many falsehoods were seen through. In the beginning of 2011, Lisa’s awakening stabilized and the seeker fell away. Lisa now enjoys communicating the nature of Happiness to anyone desperate enough to know the truth. Website: lisacairns.com Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 1/7/2012 Lisa in BatGap discussion with Tim Freke YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - A De-scription, Not a Pre-scription 00:03:49 - The Illusion of Cause and Effect  00:07:20 - Living without Concepts and Belief Systems 00:10:50 - Animal Cruelty and Personal Concern 00:13:35 - The Funny Story of How I Met My Boyfriend Roger 00:16:28 - From Buddhism to Tony Parsons 00:19:40 - The Illusion of Cause and Effect 00:23:11 - The Need to Hold onto Blame, Good and Bad Perspectives 00:26:52 - Indifference towards the opinions of others 00:30:43 - Life Showing What Needs to Be Happening 00:33:37 - Enlightenment and Spiritual Practice 00:37:09 - The Illusion of Happiness and Beliefs 00:40:59 - The End of the Urge to Do 00:44:51 - The Falling Away of Beliefs and Ideas 00:48:20 - The Dog's Thoughts 00:52:05 - The Spotlight on Experiences  00:55:24 - The Marvelous Creation of God 00:59:00 - Continuous Refinement and Exploration 01:02:48 - The Energy of Seeking 01:05:44 - The Joy of Laughing with Others 01:08:56 - The Awakening and Separation 01:12:08 - Overwhelmed by the Beauty of Everything 01:15:20 - A Radical Change of Perspective 01:18:52 - Exiting the Incubator 01:22:11 - The Intelligence Orchestrating the Mind-Body System 01:24:33 - Flexibility and Freedom in Being 01:27:44 - The Hilarity and Suffering of the Ego 01:30:47 - The Metaphor of Lines on Stone, Sand, Water, and Air 01:33:53 - Consultations and Donations 01:36:53 - The Challenges of Managing Time 01:39:29 - Visit BATGAP.com Save
• 084. Pamela Wilson 31.08.2011 1h 28m

  Pamela speaks the Truth of Advaita, non-duality - that the universe is one undivided whole. For the last ten years, she has traveled widely in the United States, Canada, and Europe, holding satsang and giving private sessions. Week-long retreats have been held in Mexico, Costa Rica, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the USA. She has endeared herself to many through her lighthearted humor and compassion, and deep understanding of what it is to be human. She lives in the Bay Area of Northern California. Pamela's website Summary and Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 8/28/2011 2nd Interview with Pamela YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Pamela Wilson's Spiritual Teachings 00:03:33 - The Supreme Intelligence 00:06:26 - The Play of Natural Intelligence 00:09:31 - Clear Seeing and the Balance of Consciousness 00:13:01 - Coming Back to Deep-Rooted Still Naturalness 00:15:52 - The Devotion of Saints and Sages 00:18:54 - The Infinite and Existence 00:21:44 - Greek Mythology and Seeking Deeper Meaning 00:24:15 - Spontaneous visitations from Ramana Maharshi 00:26:47 - A Pillow Fiasco 00:29:21 - The Beauty and Seduction of the Vastness 00:32:05 - Appreciating Brahman through our perceptual mechanism 00:34:50 - Using the Sedona Method for Meditation 00:37:33 - The Shakespearian Costume 00:40:19 - The Fear of Annihilation 00:42:56 - Urgency and Immersion in Spiritual Teaching 00:45:45 - The Mystery of Awakening 00:48:30 - The Transformative Effect of Awakening 00:51:31 - Fear in the Unmoving Pond 00:54:30 - Relaxing the tension in humanness 00:57:18 - The Tree of Life's Relaxation Process 01:00:08 - The Nature of Suffering and Awakening 01:02:43 - The Power Surge of Relaxation During Sleep 01:05:15 - The Luminous Nature of Reality 01:07:41 - Hanging out with a sage 01:11:10 - The Integration of Strength and Sensitivity 01:14:17 - The Healing Influence of Attention 01:17:14 - Resting in Substratum 01:19:48 - The Function of Timelessness 01:22:32 - The Essence of Life Waking Up 01:27:43 - Transition to Adyashanti Save
• 085. Adyashanti 31.08.2011

  I’m sorry about the video quality. We had technical problems which we weren’t able to surmount. “Adyashanti” means primordial peace. Adyashanti dares all seekers of peace and freedom to take the possibility of liberation in this life seriously. He began teaching in 1996, at the request of his Zen teacher with whom he had been studying for 14 years. Since then many spiritual seekers have awakened to their true nature while spending time with Adyashanti. Adyashanti offers spontaneous and direct nondual teachings that have been compared to those of the early Zen masters and Advaita Vedanta sages. However, Adya says, “If you filter my words through any tradition or ‘-ism’, you will miss altogether what I am saying. The liberating truth is not static; it is alive. It cannot be put into concepts and be understood by the mind. The truth lies beyond all forms of conceptual fundamentalism. What you are is the beyond—awake and present, here and now already. I am simply helping you to realize that.” A native of Northern California, Adyashanti lives with his wife, Mukti, and teaches extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area offering satsangs, weekend intensives, and silent retreats. He also travels to teach in other areas of the United States and Canada. Books and other media: The 30-day Wake Up Challenge Resurrecting Jesus - a self-guided video course The Direct Way The End of Your World (book) The End of Your World (audio download) Emptiness Dancing True Meditation Falling Into Grace Spontaneous Awakening Realization Unfolds Adyashanti's website Interview Summary and Transcript Interview recorded 8/30/2011 Other interviews with Adyashanti Interview on Conscious.tv covering a lot of biographical info. Adyashanti and Francis Bennett on “Resurrecting Jesus” Adyashanti and Susanne Marie on the Falling Away of Self Adyashanti and Francis Bennett on "The Embrace of Jesus and Buddha" YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Adyashanti's Teachings on Spiritual Awakening and Inquiry 00:04:11 - Intuition and the Spirit of Inquiry 00:07:23 - Connecting through Fresh Inspiration 00:10:46 - Letting go of Attachments to Thoughts and Ideas 00:14:11 - Different Strategies for Awakening 00:17:03 - The Thorn and the Boat Analogy 00:19:50 - The Capacity for Infinite Truth 00:22:19 - The Beginning of Awakening 00:25:41 - Understanding Awareness and Awakening 00:28:08 - The Complexity of Defining "Ego" and "Awakening" 00:31:13 - The Complexity of Truth and Viewpoints 00:34:12 - The Resistance to What Is 00:37:18 - The Concept of Self and its Functionality 00:40:06 - The Subtle Sense of Self 00:43:40 - The Disappearance of Ego in Awakening 00:46:19 - The Absence of Seeking and Fear 00:49:00 - Surrendering to Death for Truth 00:52:43 - Seeing the Hidden Secrets 00:56:05 - The Process of Letting Go 00:59:00 - The Erosion of Personal Will and False Notions of Awakening 01:02:04 - The Disappearance of Personal Will 01:05:22 - Letting Go of Personal Relationship to Existence 01:08:17 - The Importance of Taking Action 01:10:41 - The Breaking of the Heart's Shell 01:14:15 - Awakenings in the Head, Heart, and Gut 01:17:45 - The Nuanced Nature of Understanding and Awakening 01:20:52 - Insight and Action in Zen 01:23:03 - Maturing in Spiritual Awakening 01:25:50 - The Fear of Aloneness and Loneliness 01:29:04 - The Maturity of the Process 01:31:46 - A Conversation with Adya Save Save Save Save
• 062. Paul Hedderman 29.03.2011

  Paul has been involved with the recovery community since 1988 and has been leading workshops and holding talks for 18 years. He has been assisting those with addiction problems for many years. The 12-step program has some very potent ‘pointers’, which have assisted a few to go beyond the 12 steps. Paul is unwavering in his teaching. His very direct, uncompromising pointing doesn't provide a refuge for entrenched conditioning and the sense of separateness, no matter how convincing that experience may be. "Whatever arises in my mind, I don't let it vouch for me."  "Any form of looking that focuses on an object misses the opportunity to directly be the seeing, and not be identified with the object." Paul's site: ZenBitchSlap. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 3/26/2011 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Paul Hedderman 00:03:18 - The Essence of Awakening 00:05:13 - The cat knocking over the light and the value of interpretation 00:07:31 - The false interpretation of a self 00:10:00 - The Bogusness of Self 00:12:23 - The concept of selfing explained 00:14:30 - Language and the Reflective Mind 00:17:12 - Freedom from the Bondage of Being a Self 00:19:43 - A Conversation on Repetition and Learning 00:22:15 - Childhood Innocence and Ant Wars 00:24:33 - Finding Relief in Alcohol and Drugs 00:26:50 - The Book of Recovery: A Spiritual Program 00:28:49 - The Identification as Self 00:31:34 - Living in "having found" 00:34:13 - The Flow of Juice 00:36:22 - Spiritual Practices and Near-Death Experience 00:38:18 - Exploring Different Spiritual Practices 00:40:48 - Letting Go of the Failed System 00:43:03 - The Mental Vice of Selfing 00:45:16 - The False Center 00:47:46 - Degrees of Bondage 00:50:05 - The Illusion of "Self" and Freedom from Selfing 00:52:07 - The Pause in Selfing 00:54:00 - Applying the Approach to Recovery 00:56:22 - The Origin of "Zen Bitch-Slap" 00:58:58 - The Illusion of Personal Death 01:01:16 - The Seeing of What I'm Not 01:03:23 - The Paradox of What's Not Going On (with Rick Archer) 01:06:01 - A Course In Miracles and the Structure of the Mind 01:08:11 - Traveling Light through Maya 01:10:15 - A Fun Place to Live Save