Buddha at the Gas Pump

Recorded at the 2019 SAND Conference Opening points: People get polarized in different perspectives. The more they focus exclusively on their perspective, the more justification for it they find. Learning to appreciate paradox; accommodating different viewpoints within a broader perspective. Enlightenment as Totality. Only Totality can realize Totality. Totality has no difficulty reconciling paradoxes. Getting comfortable with paradox might be conducive to our realization of Totality. Examples of contradictory realities: free will vs. determinism personal self vs. no-self Are we already enlightened, or must enlightenment be attained? Is practice an aid or an obstacle? Is the guru model dead? Does non-duality imply that there are no stages of spiritual growth? direct vs. progressive paths patience vs. determination on the spiritual path Additional points covered: Acting in accordance with your own experience, not a concept of someone else’s. Absolute reality does not negate relative realities. Radically different realities at different levels of nature’s functioning are perfectly compatible with one another. Incorporating universal and individual perspectives – ocean and wave, boundless and boundaries. My experience in doing BatGap. Recorded at the Science and Nonduality Conference, October 27, 2019. Summary and transcript of this talk. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Previous talks on BatGap: 2018 SAND Conference Q&A and Interview by Shakti Caterina Maggi SAND 2017: "The Ethics of Enlightenment" Talk at Berkeley Open Circle Center Talk at SAND 2015 Interviewed by Fax Gilbert Interviewed by Richard Miller YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Different levels of consciousness 00:01:49 - Perspectives and Justifications 00:03:04 - The Knower of Brahman is Brahman 00:04:32 - The Debate on Free Will 00:05:40 - The Concept of Freewill 00:07:03 - The trouble of taking someone else's perspective 00:08:24 - Debating the Existence of Reincarnation 00:09:27 - Mithya: The Concept of Dependent Reality 00:10:43 - Subsuming Perspectives and the Totality of Brahman 00:12:14 - Shift in Perspective and the Sun's Perspective 00:13:30 - Rising to the Experience 00:14:49 - The Role of Practice in Spiritual Development 00:16:08 - The Role of Gurus in Contemporary Spirituality 00:17:21 - Respect for Different Spiritual Paths 00:18:43 - The Seamless Wholeness of Existence 00:20:05 - Progress in Spiritual Practice 00:21:19 - The Progressive Dyeing Process 00:22:36 - The Value of Life and Balance 00:23:57 - Levels of Complexity and Hierarchical Arrangements 00:25:25 - Different Levels of Reality 00:26:38 - Embracing Paradoxes and Ambiguities 00:28:05 - Cultivating Awareness and Focus in Meditation 00:29:34 - Finding Freedom in Confinement 00:30:53 - The Ethics of Feedlots and Advanced Beings 00:31:56 - Paradoxes and Personal Judgment 00:32:55 - The Beauty and Diversity of Life 00:34:11 - The Thrill of Interviews and Exploring Different Perspectives 00:35:22 - Being of Service to Others 00:36:42 - Surrendering to the Moment in the Spiritual Experience 00:37:44 - Comparing Yourself on the Spiritual Path 00:38:52 - Paths of Devotion, Intellect, and Meditation 00:40:05 - Balancing Heart and Mind

Mirabai Starr writes creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. She has received critical acclaim for her revolutionary new translations of the mystics: John of the Cross - Saint John of the Cross: Devotion, Prayers & Living Wisdom Teresa of Avila - The Interior Castle, and Julian of Norwich - The Showings of Julian of Norwich: A New Translation She is the award-winning author of: God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Caravan of No Despair: A Memoir of Loss and Transformation, and Mother of God Similar to Fire, a collaboration with iconographer, William Hart McNichols. Her latest book, Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics, was published in Spring 2019. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico. Website: mirabaistarr.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview First BatGap interview with Mirabai. Interview recorded October 28, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:28 - Suppression of Women Mystics and the Rebalancing of Power 00:07:10 - The Burial of Feminine Wisdom in Religion 00:10:57 - The Dark Night of the Soul and Feminine Mysticism 00:14:34 - The Blend of Mysticism and Activism 00:18:39 - Finding Solace in Not Knowing 00:22:38 - Teresa's Second Conversion Experience 00:25:56 - The Gaze of Unconditional Love 00:29:17 - The Power of Spiritual Friendship 00:31:49 - Mystics and Wisdom Beings 00:34:32 - Non-duality and Surrender 00:37:00 - Dissolving into Sweetness 00:40:01 - Feminine Wisdom: Love and Embodiment in Spirituality 00:43:09 - Harmonizing Devotion and Non-Duality 00:45:24 - Devotion and Non-Dual Consciousness 00:48:40 - Mirabai: A 16th century woman mystic 00:50:44 - Krishna's Love and Protection 00:53:10 - The Life of Mirabai 00:55:56 - The Birth of Mirabai and Spiritual Awakening 00:58:46 - An Encounter with Anandamayi Ma 01:01:29 - Ram Dass and Anandamayi Ma 01:03:42 - Embracing Our True Selves 01:06:18 - Redefining Masculine Dominance and the Rise of the Divine Feminine 01:09:17 - The Reclamation of Mother Earth 01:12:36 - The Power of the Feminine 01:14:35 - The Dark Side of the Feminine 01:17:02 - Dropping into the Fierce Feminine 01:20:07 - Multiple Spiritual Belonging 01:22:25 - Women Mystics: Sharing Stories of Awakening and Service 01:25:13 - Finding Divinity in Everything 01:27:10 - End of Video

Rabbi Zvi Ish-Shalom, Ph.D., is a professor of wisdom traditions at Naropa University and is the founder of Kedumah, a universal mystical school that teaches a step-by-step approach to spiritual awakening and personal development. Integrating the timeless wisdom of the great mystical traditions with cutting edge knowledge of psychology, science, and the somatic healing arts, Zvi gently points us toward the primordial light of boundless freedom that abides at the heart of our experience. He is the author of the book The Kedumah Experience: The Primordial Torah and teaches retreats, workshops, and inner work groups internationally. Website: kedumah.org Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded November 30, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:02 - Understanding the Vibration of Texts 00:09:32 - Early Religious Experience and Discovery of Mystical Texts 00:15:13 - The Shifting Inner Transformation 00:19:23 - Early Devotional Phase 00:23:54 - Diving into Devotion and Meditation 00:29:59 - Shuckling and Divine Presence 00:34:11 - A Deepening Journey of Annihilation 00:39:24 - Connection with a Divine Presence 00:44:37 - Annihilation of the Self 00:49:31 - The Black Annihilation Fire and the Primordial Point of Light 00:54:04 - The Primordial Starlight 00:59:05 - Experiences of the Kabbalistic teachings 01:03:22 - Anointing with Divine Oil 01:08:03 - The Power of Ritual and Symbolism 01:12:23 - The Colors of Creation and Manifestation 01:17:13 - The Essence of Formlessness 01:22:02 - The Meaning of Torah, Kabbalah, and Kedumah 01:27:00 - Revealing the Kedumah Teachings 01:32:13 - The Five Dimensions of Experience 01:37:34 - Contraction and Concentration in Life 01:42:43 - Integrating the Inside and Outside 01:48:10 - The Culmination of the Spiritual Journey 01:52:44 - Contractions and Radical Awakening 01:57:08 - The Primordial Light of the Sun 02:02:01 - Reincarnation and Karma in Kabbalah and Kedumah 02:06:29 - Simultaneous Lives and Realities 02:10:49 - Worship through Materiality and the Feminine Principle 02:15:52 - The Vastness of Intelligence and the Soulship 02:20:39 - Nondimensional Soulship and the Next Buddha 02:26:06 - Farewell and Blessings

John J. Prendergast, Ph.D., is the author of The Deep Heart: Our Portal to Presence and In Touch: How to Tune in to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself. He is a retired adjunct professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and a licensed psychotherapist. He studied for many years with the European Advaita master, Jean Klein, as well as with Adyashanti. He was invited to share the dharma by Dorothy Hunt. He offers retreats in the U.S. and Europe, as well as online. Website: ListeningFromSilence.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview First BatGap Interview with John Interview recorded November 23, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:03:49 - Following the Subtle Impulses 00:07:19 - Mysterious Encounters with Wise Teachers 00:11:02 - The Wisdom of Not Knowing 00:14:24 - Crossing the Barrier of Fear 00:18:08 - The Head, Heart, Gut Structure 00:21:46 - The complexity of human nature and awakening 00:25:45 - The Polarity of Change and Fixing 00:29:35 - Balancing Act and Spiritual Maturity 00:33:24 - Trusting the Process of Balance 00:37:29 - The Seeker and the Sought, a Paradoxical Teaching 00:40:40 - Finding Your Dharma 00:44:11 - The Shift and the Capacity for Empathy 00:47:52 - The Capacity of the Heart to Bear Collective Suffering 00:51:44 - Moving with Love and Being of Service 00:55:19 - Living in Deep Integrity with our Heart 00:59:04 - The Influence of Teachers 01:02:07 - The Importance of Teachers in Spiritual Awakening 01:05:03 - Discovering Inner Resonance 01:09:09 - Opening Communication with the Body 01:12:46 - Non-phenomenal completion and the refinement of the instrument 01:16:29 - Leaning into Deep Sadness 01:20:28 - The Heart's Upwelling and Sharing the Love 01:24:15 - The Wisdom of the Body 01:27:52 - The Power of Beliefs in Creating Noise 01:31:29 - Identifying Core Subconscious Beliefs 01:34:49 - The Tendency for Darkness in Human Nature 01:38:28 - Acting without being married to the principle of fairness 01:42:04 - The Power of Self-Acceptance and Transformation 01:49:20 - Interviews with Regular Joes

Julie Brown Yau, Ph.D., has a 30-year background in psychological, somatic and spiritual traditions providing her with a unique depth of knowledge and direct experience. Julie’s unified approach for addressing developmental and complex trauma, includes the latest neuroscientific & psychosomatic findings, depth psychology, & Eastern wisdom. Julie is an author, speaker, and has a private practice in Laguna Beach CA. She works on Skype worldwide. Julie supports those on a spiritual path to embody realizations and assists those going through spiritual emergence. She is also the Director of Education and Program Development at Compassionate Care ALS, helping families and individuals through trauma and the dying process. Julie's latest book: The Body Awareness Workbook for Trauma: Release Trauma from Your Body, Find Emotional Balance, and Connect with Your Inner Wisdom. Website: juliebrownyau.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded October 24, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview+ Introduction to Julie Brown Yao 00:04:05 - Connecting to Subtle Energies 00:08:02 - Exploring the Spaciousness of Experience 00:11:51 - Early Trauma and Boundaries 00:16:37 - Creating a Sense of Safety in Trauma Healing 00:21:19 - Experiencing the Extraordinary and Ordinary 00:27:01 - The Impact of Incoherence on Society 00:30:39 - The Importance of Love and Nurture in Early Development 00:33:59 - Building Resilience and Connection in Childhood 00:36:57 - The Detrimental Effects of Distraction on Infants 00:40:22 - The Biochemistry of Trauma and Samskaras 00:44:14 - The Trauma of Hellfire and Intergenerational Healing 00:48:57 - Building Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth 00:52:57 - Finding Meaning in Trauma Healing 00:57:01 - Trauma and Disconnection 01:00:35 - The False Sense of Pride and Shame 01:03:24 - Descending into the Underworld 01:06:32 - Healing Trauma in Spirituality 01:09:49 - Suffering from Squashed Authentic Expression 01:13:05 - The Cycle of Expansion and Abiding States 01:16:28 - Disturbing Stories and Trauma in Spiritual Communities 01:20:53 - Healing Trauma and Self-Love 01:28:31 - Exploring Trauma and Body Awareness 01:32:12 - Exploring Early Trauma 01:35:28 - The Impact of Early Trauma on Identity Development 01:38:49 - Connecting with Your Inner Child 01:41:49 - Transforming Tension with Compassion 01:44:44 - Soothing Trauma with Eye Contact 01:47:24 - Writing the Body Awareness Workbook for Trauma 01:50:25 - Closing Remarks and Appreciation

Vicki Woodyard is a spiritual writer living in Atlanta, Georgia. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, she graduated from The University of Memphis, magna cum laude, with a B.S. in English and Psychology. She is a meditator, a webmaster and has a lifelong interest in the spiritual path. Her late husband, Bob, died of multiple myeloma in 2004 and they lost their only daughter to cancer when she was seven. This equips Vicki to write about her path in an honest and humble way, opening the reader’s own heart to what is worth living for. The light of her path is tinged with humor as she lays down the bottom line and invites you to consider what YOU are living for. Awakening is but a dream until you sink into the heart. When you are caught in the dream, it just means you have temporarily forgotten. Vicki’s writing, as Elsa Joy Bailey says, "serves as a bookmark to help you find your place again. The website is a way into what is. Vicki’s writing catches one off-guard, waking people up to their mortality and infinite being at the same time..." She is the author of: Paperbacks: LIFE WITH A HOLE IN IT: That's How the Light Gets In - The Wisdom of an Awakened Heart BIGGER THAN THE SKY: A Radical Awakening eBooks - All of Vicki's books are available in eBook form on her website: You can find out more about Vicki at her website or friend her on Facebook. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded November 16, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump with Vicki Woodward 00:05:26 - Suffering and Spiritual Awakening 00:11:04 - My Introduction to His Teachings 00:15:03 - The Short-Term vs. Long-Term Perspective 00:18:45 - The Bus Stop and Digging Deep Wells 00:22:38 - Finding Balance Between Extremes 00:25:56 - Capturing Wisdom in Short Sutras 00:29:35 - Gathering Energy 00:32:59 - The Journey to Wholeness and Simplicity 00:36:28 - True Resting and Putting to Rest 00:39:35 - The Gentleman Teacher 00:42:47 - Cracking Open the Ego and Humility 00:46:15 - Dreams and Destiny 00:49:43 - Meeting the Hawaiian Guru 00:52:59 - Synchronicities with John Ramsey 00:55:47 - Synchronicities and Spiritual Coherence 00:59:05 - The Experience of Self 01:02:18 - Finding Humor in Tragic Times 01:05:49 - Being Conscious in Daily Tasks 01:09:28 - Suffering and Consciousness 01:13:16 - Overcoming Agoraphobia and Social Anxiety 01:16:47 - A "What Me Worry" Approach 01:19:48 - Manifesting Grace through Leaps of Faith 01:23:09 - The Grace of Christmas Dinner 01:26:53 - The Phoenix Rises from the Ashes 01:30:35 - The Intensity of Spiritual Practice 01:34:26 - The Power of Consciousness and Grace 01:37:42 - The Journey of an Ordinary Spiritually Awakening Person 01:41:27 - Finding Wholeness in Life 01:44:56 - The Art of Going Deep 01:47:39 - Closing Remarks

Mark has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time,” “a consummate storyteller,” and “an eloquent spiritual teacher.” His work is widely accessible and used by many and his books have been translated into more than twenty languages. A bestselling author, he has published twenty-one books and recorded fourteen audio projects. In 2015, he was given a Life-Achievement Award by AgeNation. In 2016, he was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People, and was also chosen as one of OWN’s SuperSoul 100, a group of inspired leaders using their gifts and voices to elevate humanity. Mark has a regular columnist for Spirituality & Health Magazine. Recent books include Drinking from the River of Light; More Together Than Alone: Discovering the Power and Spirit of Community in Our Lives and in the World, cited by Spirituality & Practice as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2018; Things That Join the Sea and the Sky, a Nautilus Book Award Winner; and The Way Under the Way: The Place of True Meeting, a Nautilus Book Award Winner. If you’d like more information about Mark, his books, or events, please visit MarkNepo.com or ThreeIntentions.com. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded November 9, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:51 - Being a Conduit and a Membrane 00:07:10 - Believing in Everything 00:10:18 - The Diversity of Paths 00:13:39 - The Story of Ganesh 00:16:58 - The Addiction to Watching Things Fall Apart 00:20:31 - The Two Tribes 00:23:43 - The Paradox of Progress and Incarnation 00:27:10 - The Essential Role of Music in Survival 00:30:37 - Being the Poem and Breathing in Life 00:34:04 - The Evolution of Creativity 00:37:10 - The Disconnect and Epidemic of Mass Shootings 00:41:05 - The Heart as a Gill 00:44:35 - Looking Inward, Finding Contentment 00:47:45 - The Power of Shared Consciousness 00:51:31 - The Power of Connection and Resilience 00:55:24 - The Wagon Wheel Metaphor and Community 00:58:29 - The Power of Quotes from Presidents 01:01:49 - Holding the Paradox of Being Jewish 01:05:10 - Softening the Heart through Conversation 01:08:19 - Feeling the Collective Consciousness 01:11:50 - Distributing the Pain and Opening Our Hearts 01:14:56 - The Wisdom of Suffering 01:18:22 - The Continued Exposure of Misconduct and the Challenge of Enlightenment 01:21:21 - Learning from Nature and Culture 01:24:14 - Learning by Watching the Monkey 01:27:12 - God's Words on the Heart and a Compassionate Universe 01:30:21 - The Little Worm and the Golden Web 01:33:26 - The Unity of Creation and Interconnection 01:36:38 - Starting the Day with Meaningful Rituals 01:39:32 - Concluding Thoughts and Remarks

Annette Kaiser was born in Zürich, Switzerland in 1948. She is a spiritual teacher, founder and spiritual director of the retreat center Villa Unspunnen in Switzerland. Under her guidance, this place has become a gem of peace and light, that inspires many people in their spiritual work. She is a visionary of a Universal Spirituality and has written more than ten books. After completing her studies in economics and sociology at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), she worked for many years in the field of development cooperation. Her special fields were the women`s cause and intercultural dialog. During 17 years, she was a student of Irina Tweedie, an Anglo-Russian Sufi-teacher (author of Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master). In the late 1980s, Annette Kaiser opened her Tai Ji DO-School, training teachers for over 30 years. Since 1998, she is authorized by Mrs. Tweedie to continue the Naqshbandiyya Mujaddidiyya Sufilineage, guiding human beings on the path of love. In the year 2000, she developed the „DO-path“, which she continues to develop and which enhances a deep transformation of the heart as a way of living in a non-dual, cosomocentric understanding. In 2017 she started teaching the art of spiritual dreamwork. She is particularly devoted to transconfessional and transcultural evolutionary spirituality, which implies an open aware state of being as the natural expression of an integral way of living in a very deep sense. This way leads to Universal Spirituality and Universal Cooperation as Not-Two. In both areas, Annette Kaiser initiates and participates in many ways (retreats, workshops, conferences, audio-conferences, etc.) with different groups, centers and human beings in Europe and worldwide. She sees the 21st Century as a call for humanity to recognize itself as inseparably One, co-creating a new culture in collective wisdom and love of One Heart. In addition, she engages herself also on a very practical level, always in the spirit of what Universal Spirituality means for her – ONE World – ONE Humanity – ONE Consciousness – locally and globally: e.g. recently by initiating the Co-creating Europe movement, or supporting the project of “Lebensraum Belmont” next door. And for over 30 years she is president of the not-for-profit association “Open Hands” that supports projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Furthermore, projects like “The path of Love – A Meditation path” and the meditation “The Golden Thread – for ONE WORLD” have been inspired by her. She is married, mother of two adult children and grandmother. Website: goldenerwind.ch Books: The Path Has No Name: Life and Vision of a Sufi Teacher Annette Kaiser: 99 Questions to a Spiritual Teacher Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded October 19th, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:14 - Early Devotion and Interest in Spirituality 00:09:12 - The Quest for Understanding Reality 00:13:44 - The Journey of Finding Spiritual Guides 00:17:19 - The Miracle of Life 00:21:42 - The Life of Mrs. Tweedy 00:26:00 - Inviting Her to Switzerland 00:28:59 - Studying in Hochschule St. Gallen and the Movement of Gestalt Therapy 00:32:08 - Falling into Nothingness 00:36:08 - Awakening with Responsibility 00:40:11 - The Practice of Zikr and its Benefits 00:43:26 - The Possibility of Heaven on Earth 00:48:06 - The Awakening of Consciousness and the Calamity we Face 00:52:47 - The Transformation Process of the Butterfly 00:56:51 - Gems of Humanity in Iran 01:01:09 - The Immigrant Crisis and the Spiritual Perspective 01:06:16 - The State of Mind of All People 01:10:58 - The Miracle of the Body and Understanding Sexuality 01:16:28 - Unity of Soul, Body, and Spirit 01:20:53 - The Three Faces of God and the Shadow Part 01:25:03 - Embracing Different Perspectives 01:29:29 - The Journey of Spiritual Development 01:32:14 - Finding Divinity in the Ordinary 01:35:54 - Interview with Damian Eccles 01:39:26 - Exclusion from the Community 01:43:35 - The Importance of Self-Reflection in the Collective Field 01:47:38 - The Power of Spiritual Dream Work 01:52:24 - The Beauty of Switzerland and Engagements 01:55:41 - The State of Europe and its Challenges 02:00:34 - The Emergence of the New Culture 02:04:23 - Signing Up for Notifications

Henry Shukman (Ryu’un-ken) is an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen lineage, based in Kamakura, Japan. He has trained primarily with Joan Rieck Roshi, Zen teacher John Gaynor, Ruben Habito Roshi, and now continues his training under the guidance of Yamada Ryoun Roshi, current abbot of Sanbo Zen. Henry is dedicated to what he sees as core Zen training—clarifying our essential nature to our own satisfaction, and thereby finding true peace of mind, and then living that essential nature in every moment of daily life, in freedom, love and deep responsiveness. As it happens, Mountain Cloud Zen Center was originally founded by a teacher whose training also took place within Sanbo Zen back in the 1950s, and Henry is the first Sanbo Zen teacher to have taught at Mountain Cloud since its founder. Henry is a writer and poet of British-Jewish origin, who has published eight books to date, of fiction, poetry and nonfiction. He writes regularly for Tricycle, The New York Times and other publications, and his most recent book is the poetry collection Archangel. He lives near the center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife Clare and their two sons. Henry adds, “At one point in our conversation I start to outline several “levels” of practice that have traditionally been outlined in zen. But partway through I slipped into another categorization of “wisdom levels” as given by Shinzen Young, a mentor of mine. I should have credited him. With apologies, I’m doing so now. Many thanks.” Earlier books: One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart, a Zen Memoir The Lost City (Vintage Contemporaries) Savage Pilgrims In Doctor No's Garden The Lost Continent Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview conducted October 12, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:10 - A Brief Introduction and the New Book 00:07:37 - Finding Belonging in the Universe 00:11:54 - Emotional Wounds and Healing Journey 00:16:00 - Recalibrating and Finding Balance 00:19:55 - The Different Levels of Personal Psychology 00:24:16 - Discovering Zen Meditation 00:29:02 - Awakening through Different Senses 00:33:34 - Becoming Inseparable from All Phenomena 00:37:56 - The Importance of Having a Teacher 00:41:53 - A Shift in Perception and the Dissolution of Self 00:46:13 - The Marvel of Each Moment 00:50:06 - Humility and ongoing training in spiritual practice 00:54:22 - The Wall of Awakening 00:58:19 - Shifting to a Perspective of No Self 01:02:24 - The Importance of Multiple Valences in Practice 01:06:51 - Feeling Excluded in Pickleball 01:10:49 - Presenting the Koan 01:14:52 - Trusting the Process and the Yearning 01:18:59 - Awakening and Levels of Realization in Zen 01:23:06 - The Ten Stages of Zen Awakening 01:26:59 - The Beauty of Not Knowing 01:31:08 - Humility, Gratitude, and Compassion 01:35:11 - The Latent Energy of the Universe 01:39:40 - Falling into the Mystery 01:44:02 - The Cup Running Over 01:48:04 - Beings in the Buddhist Realm 01:52:17 - Finding the Hara in Zen Practice and What is Looking? 01:56:41 - The Importance of Teachers 02:01:12 - The Buddha with a small "b" 02:05:10 - Wrapping Up the Interview

Dr. Miles Neale, PsyD, is a Buddhist psychotherapist in private practice and founder of the two-year online Contemplative Studies Program. Author of Gradual Awakening (Sounds True, 2018) and co-editor of Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy (Routledge, 2017), Miles is a faculty member of Tibet House (US) and Weill Cornell Medical College. With more than twenty years integrating the mind science and meditative practices of Tibetan Buddhism with psychotherapy, trauma research, and neuroscience, Miles is a forerunner in the emerging field of contemplative psychotherapy and leads pilgrimages around the Buddhist world. Websites: milesneale.com 2 Year Online Contemplative Studies Program Audio course: The Gradual Path - Tibetan Buddhist Meditations for Becoming Fully Human Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded September 28, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:02 - Integration and gradual progression of consciousness 00:09:59 - Expanding Circumference of Concern 00:14:57 - The Journey to Unity Consciousness 00:19:36 - The Certs commercials and the importance of multidimensionality 00:28:42 - What was being removed from meditation practices 00:33:23 - Transforming the Collective Consciousness 00:37:55 - The Fear of Hedonism and Nihilism 00:42:28 - The Importance of Systematic Teaching in the Lam Rim 00:46:55 - The Purification of the Nervous System and Release of Samskaras 00:51:36 - The Power of the Mantra and Settling the Mind 00:55:47 - The Divide between Spiritual Life and Personal Predicaments 01:00:35 - Addressing Trauma in Spiritual Communities 01:04:56 - Unconditioning from Cult-like Thinking 01:08:59 - Trusting Your Intuition and Sense of Self 01:12:16 - Trauma-Informed Dharma: Empowering People 01:15:47 - The Pitfalls of Science Turning into Dogma 01:20:00 - Authority Figures and Self-Confidence 01:24:35 - Removing Deep Rooted Imprints without Meditation 01:29:13 - Processing Trauma Memories 01:33:42 - The Limits of Yogifying Trauma 01:38:19 - Accessing Alternative News Content 01:42:46 - Reconciling Paradoxes: The Brahman Perspective 01:47:16 - The Importance of Multiplicity of Views and the Teachings of Emptiness 01:51:18 - The Resurgence of Psychedelics and Expansion of Consciousness 01:55:40 - The Power of Pilgrimage in the Modern Age 01:59:15 - The Power of Immersion and Pilgrimage 02:03:36 - An Integrative Curriculum for Personal Growth 02:07:33 - Bringing Spiritual Knowledge into Life 02:11:20 - Concluding Remarks