Buddha at the Gas Pump

I came across the writings of a well-known Indian guru in my early twenties and thus began a twenty-five-year odyssey that would uproot me from my normal life and see me living in ashrams and committed spiritual communities around the world. The answers I sought were not easy to find, however, and the promises made by the teachers in whom I placed my trust were rarely kept. Exhausted and disillusioned I left my last teacher and abandoned spiritual life in 2004, and during the intense and all-consuming crisis that followed I finally realized the truth of my own unchanging nature beyond the personal identity. The questions that had haunted me for so long dissolved and I was astonished to find that all seeking had ceased. Over time the shift of identity stabilized and became normalized and permanent. Grateful and content with what I saw as a private internal matter I rarely spoke or thought about spirituality and for the next fifteen or so years focused instead on my long-neglected art career. I began to establish myself as a visual artist exhibiting firstly in the UK and later internationally. I now collaborate with my partner, scientist Dr. Jesse Shore, producing artworks as Sweet+Shore, as well as my individual work as Anne Penman Sweet. About eighteen months ago I confided in my friend, author, and researcher Amir Freimann about what had happened, and he immediately invited me to participate in his research project Living Transcendence: a Phenomenological Study of Spiritual Exemplars. I was very surprised as I had no sense of knowing anything or of having arrived anywhere in particular. However, over the course of a dozen or more formal interviews skillfully conducted by him, I experienced an outpouring of spiritual insights and understandings that I had no idea I contained. It was revelatory and transformative and since then I have spoken freely and publicly about these matters. Not long after, I started to feel a deep inner prompting to begin sharing what I had learned and understood, not as a teacher but as a friend and advisor. I created the End of Seeking website as a free resource to help simplify and demystify the spiritual search for others and to give seekers the tools and knowledge they may need to independently navigate the often confusing and at times hazardous terrain of the contemporary spiritual marketplace. I am currently working on a book of spiritual insights illustrated with Sweet+Shore artworks which I hope to publish by the end of the year. Website: theendofseeking.org Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Recorded February 12, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:04:46 - The Beginning 00:16:42 - Cautionary Note on Opening Ourselves Up 00:20:53 - Severe Consequences of Authenticity 00:24:55 - Leaving the Scene and Moving On 00:29:28 - Finding Stability through Meditation 00:34:10 - Choosing Transformation over Seeking 00:38:02 - Rediscovering Spiritual Truths 00:42:01 - Discovering My Understanding 00:46:22 - The Awakening 00:50:19 - The Importance of Enlightenment and Self-Examination 00:54:58 - Responsibility and Vulnerability in the Teacher Role 00:59:24 - The Emergence of Peer-to-Peer Spirituality 01:03:34 - New Approaches to Enlightenment and Psychoactive Drugs 01:20:25 - The Contextualization of Experience and the Limitations of Vedanta 01:24:45 - The Definition and Evolution of Enlightenment 01:29:27 - Exploring Further Dimensions 01:33:51 - Equanimity and Inner Fullness 01:37:53 - Dissolution of the Self 01:42:31 - Embracing Pain and Suffering 01:46:59 - The Writing Process and Learning through Expression 01:50:51 - Still Learning and Discovering 01:54:53 - Understanding Creation and Divinity 01:59:08 - The Importance of Ethics in Spiritual Teaching 02:02:56 - Contacting Anne Sweet and Getting in Touch for Questions

William Peters, MFT, is the founder of the Shared Crossing Project whose mission is to positively transform relationships to death and dying through education and raising awareness about shared crossings and their healing benefits. As the director of the Shared Crossing Research Initiative (SCRI), William and his team collect and study extraordinary end-of-life experiences (shared crossings).  William is a global leader in shared death studies and end-of-life phenomena. He has developed methods to facilitate the shared death experience and to assist experiencers in meaningfully integrating their experiences. William is a psychotherapist at the Family Therapy Institute of Santa Barbara where he specializes in end-of-life counseling as a means toward psycho-spiritual evolution. He served as a hospice worker with Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco.  His work is informed by his two NDEs and a variety of shared crossings. William has presented at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s Annual Conference. His research has been published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and is approved and awaiting publication in Omega - Journal of Death Studies. Book: At Heaven's Door: What Shared Journeys to the Afterlife Teach About Dying Well and Living Better. For more information on William go to SharedCrossing.com. Shared Crossing's Story Library contains videos of shared death experiences. Viewers may share their spiritual end-of-life experiences with Shared Crossing's research team. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded February 5, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:35 - The Spiritual Relevance of the Shared-Death Experience 00:09:02 - The Overmedicalization of Death 00:13:32 - The Purpose of Hospice and Palliative Care 00:17:48 - Physician's Orders for Life Sustaining Treatments 00:21:36 - Returning from the Light 00:25:55 - A State-specific Experience 00:30:12 - A Profound Encounter with Underprivileged People 00:34:43 - Encountering the Homeless Community 00:38:57 - Near-Death Experience and Re-Embodiment 00:43:36 - A Parallel Universe Above the Bed 00:48:12 - The Shared-Death Experience 00:52:38 - Remote Shared-Death Experience 00:57:05 - Sensory Experiences After Death 01:00:59 - A Mother's Premonition 01:04:52 - A Beautiful Being in a Hurry 01:08:53 - Phenomenon of the Soul Spirit Leaving the Body 01:13:49 - Witnessing the Departure 01:18:27 - Different modes of participation in near-death experiences 01:23:14 - The Conductor and Coordinating Human Death 01:27:15 - Cultural Experiences of the End of Life 01:31:28 - The Resistance to Studying Spiritual Experiences 01:35:36 - Science and Spirituality 01:39:56 - The Shared-Death Experience 01:43:51 - Facilitating Mystical Experiences at the End of Life 01:47:54 - Reflection on Suicide and Death 01:52:06 - Premonitions of Death 01:55:59 - Transition into the Afterlife 02:00:11 - Spiritual Aspects of Dying and the Need for Change 02:04:29 - Major Influencers and the Shared-Death Experience 02:08:25 - A New Paradigm for Death and Dying

Lauren Robertson is a lifelong psychic medium who has conducted over 15,000 sittings and public demonstrations globally in a career spanning two decades. She is the author of The Medium in Manolos: A Life-Affirming Guide to Modern Mediumship, published by Hay House, and The Art and Science of Mediumship on Substack. Lauren graduated with honors from the University of Glasgow where she studied English Literature and Philosophy specializing in consciousness studies. Website: laurenrobertson.co.uk The Art and Science of Mediumship Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded January 29, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump with Rick Archer 00:04:29 - Differentiating Psychic and Mediumistic Work 00:08:45 - Finding a Job as a Medium 00:12:30 - Overcoming Adversity and Pursuing Education 00:16:09 - Rethinking Selfhood and Relationships 00:20:40 - A Holistic View of Existence 00:24:51 - Reconnecting with Gran and the Dream 00:28:51 - Implications of Viewing Consciousness as Primary Focus 00:33:09 - The Constant Movement of Existence 00:37:04 - Opening our Minds to a Different Perspective of the World 00:41:07 - Healing from Stress and Trauma through Connection and Loving Practices 00:45:39 - Communication in the Spirit World 00:50:10 - Perception and Communication Beyond the Body 00:54:19 - Telepathic Communication and Mind-to-Mind Bond 00:58:23 - Refuting Explanations of Mediumship 01:03:27 - Mediumship and the Future of Psi Research 01:07:30 - The Distinction between Mediumship and Psi Tasks 01:11:14 - Morphic Field and Communication with the Deceased 01:15:30 - The Shaping of Consciousness 01:19:56 - Love and Healing in the Spirit World 01:24:05 - Communication in the Spirit World 01:28:01 - The Purpose of the Book 01:32:25 - Entities and Spiritual Experiences 01:36:38 - The Upside-Down of the Donut 01:40:52 - The Complexity of Time 01:44:42 - Mediumship and Psychic Abilities in Scotland 01:49:02 - Communicating with Loved Ones in the Spirit World 01:52:50 - Communicating Through Objects and Memories 01:56:57 - Understanding Mediumship and Capturing the Essence 02:00:58 - Connecting With Lauren Robertson 02:04:28 - Conclusion and Farewell

EDWARD F. KELLY is currently a Professor in the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) at the University of Virginia. He received his Ph.D. in psycholinguistics and cognitive science from Harvard in 1971, and spent the next 15-plus years working mainly in parapsychology, initially at J. B. Rhine’s Institute for Parapsychology, then for ten years through the Department of Electrical Engineering at Duke, and finally through a private research institute in Chapel Hill. Between 1988 and 2002 he worked with a large neuroscience group at UNC-Chapel Hill, mainly carrying out EEG and fMRI studies of human somatosensory cortical adaptation to natural tactile stimuli. He returned full-time to psychical research in 2002, serving as lead author of Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century (2007), Beyond Physicalism: Toward Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality (2015), and Consciousness Unbound: Liberating Mind from the Tyranny of Materialism - (2021), all published by Rowman & Littlefield. He is now returning to his central long-term research interest – the application of modern functional neuroimaging methods to intensive psychophysiological studies of psi and ASCs in exceptional subjects. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded January 22, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:31 - Overhauling Our Worldview 00:08:31 - The Center for Theory and Research at Esalen 00:12:46 - Anomalies in Conventional Ideas 00:16:49 - Mrs. Piper and the Existence of PSI Phenomena 00:21:00 - Maternal Impression Cases and Vivid Imagination 00:24:59 - Intense and Transformative Experiences 00:28:57 - The Astonishing Abilities of Child Prodigies 00:33:19 - The Neglect of Mystical Experiences in Contemporary Science 00:37:40 - Alfred North Whitehead's Metaphysics and Process Philosophy 00:42:17 - Jung and Pauli's Interaction 00:47:04 - Secondary Personalities and Centers of Consciousness 00:51:21 - The Presence of God in All Things 00:55:55 - Differences between Myers and Jung 01:00:35 - The Changing Culture and Challenges to Physicalist Viewpoint 01:04:52 - The Effect of Psilocybin on Brain Activity 01:09:02 - The Connection Between Consciousness and Global Issues 01:13:25 - Enriching Consciousness and the Whole Field 01:17:36 - The Introverted Mystical Experience 01:22:04 - Exploring Mystical and Psi Phenomena 01:26:22 - The Nature of Reality and Consciousness 01:30:35 - Mystical experiences and scientific justification 01:35:16 - The Stealth Worldview of Evolutionary Pantheism 01:39:47 - The Intersection of Science and Mysticism 01:44:21 - Incorporating Quantum Mechanics in the Study of Consciousness 01:49:06 - Marvels of Functioning Atoms and the Intelligence Factor 01:53:38 - Tapping into our Full Potential 01:57:36 - ESP Performance and EEG Methods 02:02:11 - Levitation and the Laws of Nature 02:06:10 - Levitation and Mystical Ecstasy 02:10:06 - Additional Topics Covered

Gail Brenner, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author, speaker, and lover of the nondual teaching with a fire that burns brightly. She is an expert in healing from early trauma and brings to this work years of experience with individuals and groups. Her work lovingly illuminates our everyday humanness with the deepest spiritual truths, and she is known for creating the safe space needed for inner exploration. Gail has special expertise working with older adults and their families in the transitions of aging, death, and dying. She was an assistant clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco where she trained physicians and maintained a clinical practice. She has published numerous professional articles on coping with stress and chronic medical illness and is the author of the award-winning The End of Self-Help: Discovering Peace and Happiness Right at the Heart of Your Messy, Scary, Brilliant Life and Suffering Is Optional: A Spiritual Guide to Freedom from Self-Judgment and Feelings of Inadequacy. She loves exploring different cultures through international volunteering. First BatGap interview with Gail Website: gailbrenner.com Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded January 16, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:53 - Personal and Professional Growth 00:07:54 - Tapping into the Beyond 00:11:40 - The Release of Old Patterns and Conditioning 00:15:33 - Embracing Openness and Compassion 00:19:00 - Exploring the Nature of True Self and the Overshadowing of Experience 00:22:41 - The Separation of Identity 00:26:00 - The Impact of Unmet Needs and Coping Strategies 00:29:37 - The Healing Power of Meditation 00:33:11 - The Healing Power of Meditation 00:36:39 - The Power of Attention 00:40:07 - The Importance of Paying Attention and Self-Scrutiny 00:43:38 - Numbing out to avoid discomfort 00:47:15 - Investigating conditioned patterns and healing trauma 00:50:54 - The Neurophysiology of Trauma and Healing 00:55:13 - Tools for Relaxation and Rest 00:58:32 - Inner Awakening and House Cleaning 01:02:09 - The Recognition of Timeless Being 01:06:01 - Healing and Growth in a Nurturing Environment 01:09:27 - Living in Bigger Questions and Non-Duality 01:12:28 - Letting go of control and being present 01:15:38 - Listening Deeply and Bringing Compassion 01:19:30 - Being Present with What Arises 01:22:57 - Working with Unworthiness Issues 01:27:05 - The Power of Being with Emotions 01:30:51 - Beyond Limitations and Identification 01:34:48 - The Profoundness of Being Together in Unity 01:38:19 - Contemplating People 01:41:58 - Finding Meaning and Satisfaction in Life 01:45:28 - Going Deeper and Discovering Meaning 01:49:00 - Thank you for Listening

In January 2015, my mind experienced a huge shift, where I perceived everything as God. In that experience, I had what felt like, a download of knowledge or understanding of the truth. I also felt an inner voice telling me that there was more to be revealed and understood, so I continued to give time to silence so that more could be illuminated. Over the following six months, my mind experienced many deeper understandings, and the teachings of A Course in Miracles were linked up in my mind in a way that I could express them to other students, which seemed to be helpful. From that inner illumination, I have kept vigilance to ensure that no false ideas enter my mind and distort truth to any student. I was guided to start an online group and share what was illuminated, to anyone that would like to hear.  My main teaching is that our brother is holy and innocent... and in that perception, our mind heals of its belief in sin, guilt, and fear. I teach others how to apply this "Christ Blessing" to all brothers as a way to a clear and happy peaceful mind. What ACIM calls... The Mind of God. Website: categrieves.com Facebook page YouTube channel Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded January 8, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:46 - A Desperate Search for Truth and Healing 00:09:59 - Devoting Myself to Self-Improvement 00:15:10 - Revelatory Experience of Peace 00:20:08 - Awakening to the Illusion of Self 00:25:33 - The Tiny Mad Idea of Separation 00:30:59 - Asking for Help and Shifting Perception 00:35:41 - Surrender and Letting go of Attachments 00:39:58 - Letting go of identity with the body 00:44:52 - Rediscovering the Inner Center 00:49:38 - The importance of personal time for inner connection 00:54:26 - Overcoming the Obstacle of Death 00:59:16 - A Transformational Experience 01:03:42 - The Origin of A Course in Miracles 01:07:45 - Struggling with the Course in Miracles teachings 01:11:42 - Advancements in Spiritual Journey 01:16:10 - Recalling Past Lives 01:20:21 - The Song with God 01:25:09 - Being a Newbie on the Block 01:29:18 - Healing the Body with the Mind 01:34:08 - Being the One Christ Mind in the World 01:38:45 - Anchoring in Peace and Love 01:43:35 - Speaking from Love 01:47:25 - Finding Joy in Painting and Being Present with Love 01:52:19 - Experiencing Grief and Seeking Comfort 01:56:28 - Allowing Emotions to Flow 02:00:43 - The Beauty of Iambic Pentameter and the Course in Miracles 02:05:05 - Finding Your Own Spiritual Path 02:09:18 - Finding Hope in Times of Desperation 02:13:39 - Finding Meaning and Seeking the Truth 02:17:46 - Farewell and Future Communication

Dr. Betty J. Kovacs’ understanding of consciousness and spirituality is based on both scholarly research and symbolic, visionary experience.  In fact, she has written two books concerning these subjects.  Her first book is about her family’s profound visionary experiences surrounding multiple deaths in their family.  Her second book relates to our ancestors’ experience of a vaster consciousness, Cosmic/Christ Consciousness. Within a three-year period, Dr. Kovacs experienced the deaths of her mother, her son, and her husband in separate automobile accidents.  While she had studied shamanism before her son’s accident, she and her husband actually experienced their son’s consciousness after his death for an extended period of time.  These experiences completely changed their lives.  Her first book, The Miracle of Death: There Is Nothing But Life, is about these altered states of consciousness.  After her retirement, she began an intensified period of research into our ancestors’ experience of a vaster consciousness, Cosmic/Christ Consciousness, which she relates in her new book, Merchants of Light: The Consciousness That Is Changing the World, winner of the Nautilus Silver Book Award and The Scientific & Medical Network 2019 Book Prize. Dr. Kovacs’ extensive research tracked the existence of a shamanic-mystic-scientist culture from at least 40,000 BCE.  Our ancestors had developed symbolic language and various shamanic techniques to trigger altered states of consciousness.  Some of these ancestors achieved great skill as visionaries, mystics, and scientists, while others, it is not known how many, achieved the ability to experience Cosmic Consciousness. The consistent suppression of this ancient wisdom is the root cause of our current planetary crisis.  And it can only be healed through the consciousness of the heart that births a just and feeling world.  This same tradition, on which our survival now depends, has once again emerged today—and it can change the world. Website: kamlak.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded December 19, 2021. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:09 - The Search for Meaning and Belief 00:07:58 - The Ancient Wisdom of Shamanism 00:12:11 - Uncovering Ancient Wisdom 00:16:28 - Suppression of the Sacred Feminine 00:20:47 - Living with the Tao and the Awakening 00:24:48 - The Distorted Story of the Tree 00:28:47 - The Hidden Tradition of Christianity and the Gnostic Experience 00:33:03 - The Church's Resistance to Scientific Exploration 00:37:30 - A Journey of Search and Freedom 00:41:36 - The Power of the Feminine and the Importance of Listening  00:45:05 - Plans Being Made for Us 00:49:13 - The Hidden Tradition within the Church 00:53:25 - The Dangers of Manipulating Human Nature 00:57:18 - Unfolding our Full Inner Potential 01:01:09 - The Wholeness of Mind Experience 01:05:14 - Ancient Wisdom and Indigenous Cultures 01:09:43 - The Deep Spiritual River 01:14:00 - A Father's Vision 01:18:04 - Decaying and Transforming Darkness into Light 01:22:15 - The Earth's Longing for Love 01:26:36 - Interactions with Higher Forms of Life 01:30:31 - Integration of Cosmic Consciousness 01:34:56 - The Relevance of Connecting to Vast Intelligence 01:39:30 - The Power of Creativity and Love 01:43:41 - True Stories and Organizing Principles 01:47:33 - The Wisdom of Integration 01:51:59 - Finding Purpose Despite Circumstances 01:55:45 - Finding Fulfillment and Inner Peace on the Spiritual Path 01:59:24 - The Power of Lighting a Candle

Father Nathan Castle graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio and entered the Dominican order in 1979. He received MA and MDiv degrees from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California. He was Director of the Catholic Communities at Stanford University and Arizona State University. He believes the Holy Spirit has given him a “night job” of helping souls who died suddenly and violently find afterlife peace. He is the author of: And Toto, Too:: The Wizard of Oz as a Spiritual Adventure Afterlife, Interrupted: Helping Stuck Souls Cross Over—A Catholic Priest Explores the Interrupted Death Experience Afterlife, Interrupted Book Two: Helping Souls Cross Over Website: nathan-castle.com Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded December 11, 2021 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview 00:04:32 - A Horrible Piece of Art 00:08:28 - Pre-life Planning and Purgatory Journey 00:12:30 - The Encounter and Prayer Start 00:16:25 - Communication with the Other Side 00:20:05 - Helping a Spirit Greet His Dying Wife 00:24:13 - The Healthcare Continuum 00:28:13 - Healing from Heartbreak and Guilt 00:32:06 - Discipline and Punishment 00:35:52 - Finding Dignity in Teaching and Learning 00:39:36 - Leaving Behind the Catholic Upbringing 00:43:42 - The Meaning of "Catholic" 00:48:02 - The Importance of Paradoxical Perspectives in Truth 00:51:29 - The Truth in the Middle 00:55:48 - A Visit from Jesus in the Afterlife 00:59:50 - Walking with Einstein 01:04:09 - Being in more than one place at the same time 01:07:48 - Symbolic Objects in the Afterlife 01:11:40 - Buddy's Experience and the Ball of Light 01:15:33 - Holding Hands and Childhood Games 01:19:11 - Post-death Experiences 01:22:48 - Afterlife Experiences 01:26:44 - Interaction with Angelic Beings 01:30:47 - Different Kinds of Divine and Angelic Persons 01:34:43 - Angelic Experiences and Guardian Angels 01:38:32 - Jake from State Farm and Angelic Assistance 01:42:00 - Encountering Shadow Figures and Beings of Light 01:46:19 - Assisting Others with Benign Presence 01:50:44 - Joyful Experiences to Counterbalance Dark Memories 01:54:43 - The Lion's Transformation 01:58:33 - Audio Podcast Subscription

Nipun Mehta is the founder of ServiceSpace, a global community at the intersection of technology, volunteerism, and the gift economy. Most recently, ServiceSpace's pandemic response has showcased the unique beauty of its global ecosystem. Nipun has catalyzed a global social movement of community builders grounded in their localities and rooted in practices for cultivating love, nonviolence, selfless service, and compassion. The ecosystem has reached millions, attracted thousands of volunteers, and mushroomed into numerous community-based service projects as well as inspiring content portals. ServiceSpace harnesses the collective power of networks and our deeper interconnectedness to create a distributed social movement founded on small, local individual acts of kindness, generosity, and service that ignite shifts in individual and collective consciousness. Nipun was honored as an "unsung hero of compassion" by the Dalai Lama, not long before former U.S. President Obama appointed him to a council for addressing poverty and inequality in the US. Yet the core of what strikes anyone who meets him is the way his life is an attempt to bring smiles in the world and silence in his heart: "I want to live simply, love purely, and give fearlessly. That's me." In his mid-twenties, Nipun quit his job to become a "full-time volunteer". One of his most formative experiences was a walking pilgrimage across India, with his wife of six months, whose profound lessons also became the subject of his widely-read address at UPenn commencement. Over the last twenty years, he has addressed thousands of gatherings around the world, speaking next to wide-ranging leaders from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to author Elizabeth Gilbert to civil rights legend John Lewis. Germany's OOOM magazine named Nipun one of the Top 100 Most Inspiring People of 2020. See links to these ServiceSpace websites at the bottom of their website. And for some of Nipun's talks and articles, visit his personal website. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded December 4, 2021. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Nipun Mehta 00:04:52 - An Unexpected Encounter on a Plane 00:08:37 - Reunion with a Compassionate Monk 00:12:00 - Inklings of Deeper Dimensions in Life 00:16:20 - Meeting and Marriage Journey 00:20:39 - The Meeting with Gauri and the Right Path 00:24:51 - The Impermanence of Life and Leaving a Lasting Impact 00:30:10 - Finding Your Inner Vows and Virtues 00:35:13 - Living with Compassion and Inner Transformation 00:40:10 - The Importance of Self-Reflection and Experimentation 00:44:49 - Being an Instrument of the Divine 00:49:33 - Letting Go of Outcome 00:53:56 - Quality of Motivation and its Impact on Outcome 00:58:23 - The Trap of Spiritual Detours 01:02:44 - Sticking to Your Path and Avoiding Spiritual Traps 01:07:25 - Causation vs. Correlation 01:13:18 - Noble Friendships and Resilience 01:18:11 - Functioning from a State of Oneness 01:22:28 - Laughter as a Tool for Transformation 01:26:56 - All Paths Lead to Deep Absorption 01:31:51 - Acting Without an Agenda 01:36:08 - From Websites to Acts of Service 01:40:47 - The Power of Listening and Offering Food 01:44:43 - Karma Kitchen: A Deeper Form of Transaction 01:48:55 - Reframing Transactions and Trust 01:52:33 - Wealth Inequity and the Future of Society 01:58:01 - The Urgent Question of Inequity and Service 02:03:33 - Building a Bigger Heart in Response to the World 02:07:48 - The Story of the Little Sparrow 02:12:21 - Peace and Compassion 02:17:13 - Signing off and looking forward to future interviews

Colin was born in a staunch protestant family into the war-torn east end of London in the aftermath of WWII, where austerity and food-rationing were the norms. At the age of 11 he was sent to a Methodist boarding school and from there went to Sheffield University. So, by his early twenties finding himself in Earls Court, West London, in the late 60s when the ‘hippie revolution' was in full swing he was fully ready to break out of the narrow confines that had dogged his life up until then. He discovered the power of high dose LSD to break the barrier between the subconscious and conscious allowing decades of religious (and social) conditioning to pour out, leaving him feeling totally cleansed as if his brain had been truly washed!  He also experimented with mescalin having read Aldous Huxley’s ‘The Doors of Perception’ and had many experiences which felt deeply spiritual in nature including ‘sitting’ above his body for hours and observing the world (and the body itself) from this vantage point. It was this that gave him glimpses as to what could be achieved by natural means which raised one’s consciousness to a ‘higher level’. He was reading Ouspensky at the time and could see that many of these experiences tallied with those that he described. He was fully convinced that Awakening was the purpose of life, but Ouspensky made the whole process sound so onerous that Colin decided to postpone the attempt and enjoy life while he was young and living in such a vibrant environment. About ten years later his wife Janet persuaded him to accompany her to a yoga class given by an ex-Jesuit priest. who inspired us by quoting passages from the Upanishads, Dhammapada, and other scriptures during the class. He also emphasized the importance of relaxation and meditation.  There followed a few years of investigating various spiritual paths including a prolonged dalliance with the Brahma Kumaris (Raja Yoga) whose meditations were wonderful, but whose dogma he found very hard to take. They then moved into the country to start a pottery and immersed themselves in Satyananda Yoga, an organization that had no dogma but taught a wide range of yogic practices. They were both initiated into karma sannyas by Swami Satyananda and adopted a yogic lifestyle consisting of asanas, pranayama, yoga nidra, meditation, kirtan, and vegetarianism. During this time Colin was at a silent retreat when he happened to pick up a volume entitled The Gospel of Ramakrishna which introduced him to this amazing being who practiced many spiritual paths, within Hinduism and also Islam and Christianity, discovering that they all lead to the same result, and was then approached by many devotees from these various paths all of whom he was able to teach in their own path, whilst emphasizing the harmony of religions. After ten years of meditating on Ramakrishna, having been initiated by a nun of that order, he encountered a disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi, Gangaji, who said ‘Stop! Be still, you are already That’.  The message being that the effort and search were masking that which is always present; all that was required was to ‘stop’ and see what is always here.  After many years of struggle and effort this news came like a breath of fresh air and he glimpsed the essence, that undeniable ever-present reality.  This was followed by a seven-day silent retreat, in 1996, which resulted in his first ‘Awakening’, and in an ecstasy that slowly faded over the following year. During this time, he began to be aware of the utter simplicity of the process, especially as it became more established through repeated self-inquiry. The realization that one is the Pure Awareness that underlies the whole of life, and in fact all things, became startlingly obvious; so much so that he became increasingly disillusioned by most spiritual writings which seemed to mystify this whole subject. This created the desire to put the matter in the simplest, most straightforward, way so that anyone could understand it … and through repeated inquiry (or investigation) ‘get it’. At the time he was writing the occasional article for his email group and it was the collection of these plus a few new ones that became his first book ‘Beyond the Separate Self’. He also completed an honours double-major degree in Comparative Religion and Philosophy and his honours thesis, which considered self-identity in the world’s major religions became the basis of his second book ‘Humanity – Our Place in The Universe’. Since then, answers to questions, interpretations of spiritual writings from all traditions, and new insights gained during meditation/contemplation have been compiled and published in another fourteen books. All of these are ‘stand-alone guides’ to Awakening as they all rely on the same ‘investigation into this moment of direct experience’ which is included in them all and is explained in full in each introduction. They have all also been converted into books of poems, one per chapter. For the full list visit Beyond Awakening Publications. You are all welcome to visit his Facebook page where he posts poems, new articles, and photos of nature taken in his natural environment of sub-tropical rainforest with ocean views. Finally, all are invited to join his email group by contacting him at colinj108@gmail.com. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded November 27, 2021. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:31 - Initial Interest in Spirituality 00:08:34 - Profound Shift in Perception 00:12:27 - Exploring Yoga and Meditation 00:16:12 - Exploring Spiritual Influences 00:20:11 - The Impact of Gangaji's Teachings 00:24:41 - The Importance of Prior Practice in Awakening 00:29:08 - The Awakening and Compassion 00:32:40 - Investigating the Three Elements of Experience 00:36:22 - The Three Elements of the Mind and Awareness 00:40:12 - The Properties of Presence 00:44:44 - The Field of Awareness and the Absolute 00:48:58 - Reversing Damage through Spiritual Practice 00:52:27 - Pure Awareness and Stilling the Mind 00:56:21 - Universal Awareness 01:00:06 - The Awareness of Electrons and Consciousness in the Universe 01:04:15 - All motion arises in stillness 01:09:12 - Incorporating Gyana Yoga into Daily Life 01:13:32 - The Mind's Purification and Moral Behavior 01:17:45 - Attention to Karma 01:21:42 - The Beauty of Hatha Yoga and Morality 01:25:44 - The Meaning of Love and Ego Death vs Spiritual Awakening 01:29:45 - Efficiency and the Elasticity of Time 01:33:50 - Providing Pointers to Getting Started 01:37:38 - The Method of Self-Inquiry 01:41:51 - The Practice of Awareness of Awareness 01:46:29 - Negating Thoughts and Sensations 01:50:37 - Living as an Instrument of That 01:55:22 - The Importance of Experience and Actualization 01:59:51 - Using Awareness to Relieve Pain 02:03:55 - Sorting It All Out