In January of 2012, Robert was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and told he had nine months to live. However, consistent with his contrarian nature, he lived a productive life until passing away in 2017.
Robert was struck by a strong curiosity about life when he was 11, which propelled him into years of globe-trotting adventures. In 1973, Robert met Swami Muktananda and spent the next 10 years studying with him. Since 1985, Robert's professional motto was Have Mouth, Will Travel, and he was known as an iconoclastic self-awareness facilitator, speaker, leadership adviser, and mentor to people from all walks of life. He led "Conversations on the High Wire" and presented programs in "The 5 Principles of Authentic Living" and "Speaking Truthfully."
Robert published eight books and more than 250 articles on the themes of meditation, self-inquiry, leadership, authentic living and speaking, and spiritual activism. In the early 1990s, he wrote a pioneering column for The New Leaders' executive newsletter entitled “The Corporate Mystic." He contributed original essays to three leading-edge anthologies and was interviewed for The Awakening West, a collection of conversations with contemporary Western wisdom teachers.
His résumé of speaking engagements includes more than 350 of his distinctive inquiry-based seminars and talks to such organizations as State of the World Forum, California Institute of Integral Studies, Institute of Noetic Sciences, International Conference on Enlightenment, Inner Directions Conference, and International Coach Federation.
Books:
The 5 Principles of Authentic Living: How to Live an Authentic Life in 10 Words
Sound Bites from Silence: Scouting Reports from the Frontier of Consciousness
Speak Truthfully: Speak Your Way to an Authentic Life with Awareness, Courage, and Confidence
Invisible Leadership: Igniting the Soul at Work
The Sacred Hub
Radical Wisdom: Living from Silence while Rocking the World
Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded 8/1/2015
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:06:15 - A Journey Through Education
00:10:50 - Adventures in Watershed Management
00:14:12 - A Journey to India
00:18:11 - Healing and Meeting Baba
00:21:24 - An Encounter with Baba at the Ashram
00:25:24 - Shaktipat Experience and Leaving the Ashram
00:29:21 - Stories of Gurudev and Maharishi
00:33:32 - The Mechanics of Creation
00:37:26 - Reverence for the Body
00:41:09 - Living in Perpetual Astonishment
00:45:41 - Profound Transformative Experience
00:49:41 - The Ashram Experience and Letters to Mother
00:53:49 - Lessons from Cutting Carrots
00:57:39 - Managing Other People's Money
01:01:36 - Acknowledging Devotion and Contribution
01:06:18 - The Significance of Human Feelings and Worth
01:11:13 - Transitioning into Political Activism
01:14:45 - Personal Reflection on Attending an Orgy
01:19:36 - Fear of Being Found Out
01:23:31 - The Terrifying Immensity of Muktananda
01:27:21 - Inner Growth and Making a Positive Difference
01:31:30 - Personalization and Open-mindedness
01:35:40 - The Experience of Silence, Shakti, and Action
01:40:46 - Pony Rides to Oblivion
01:47:03 - The Experience of Silence and Language Collapse
01:53:40 - The Source of Questions and Language in Spiritual Path
02:01:08 - Speaking your Inner Truth
02:10:40 - The Five Principles: Be Present, Pay Attention, Listen Deeply, Speak Truthfully, Act Creatively
02:19:08 - Following the Path of Mastery
02:26:42 - Supporting the interview series