

Buddha at the Gas Pump
Rick Archer
Conversations with spiritually awakening people.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 6, 2022 • 1h 22min
665. Mario Beauregard
Dr. Mario Beauregard, PhD., is a neuroscientist currently affiliated with the Department of Psychology, University of Arizona. He has received a bachelor degree in psychology and a doctorate degree in neuroscience from the University of Montreal. He also underwent postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Texas Medical School (Houston) and the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University.
Dr. Beauregard is the author of more than 100 publications in neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry. He was the first neuroscientist to use functional neuroimaging to investigate the neural underpinnings of voluntary control in relation to emotion. Because of his research into the neuroscience of consciousness, he was selected (2000) by the World Media Net to be one of the “One Hundred Pioneers of the 21st Century.” In addition, his groundbreaking research on the neurobiology of spiritual experiences (including near-death experiences) has received international media coverage. In 2008, he was invited to participate in a symposium held at the United Nations. In 2013, he participated in a dialogue with the Dalai Lama in regard to the new science of mind.
Dr. Beauregard has appeared over several radio programs in the U.S.A., Canada, and Europe, Asia, and Australia. His research has been featured on TV (Discovery Channel) and in many newspapers and magazines, including Nature, Science, The New Scientist, Scientific American Mind, and The Economist. He has received a number of distinctions, including the Joel F. Lubar Award (International Society for Neuronal Regulation, USA) and the Spectrum Award (The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, USA).
Being also an author, Dr. Beauregard has published The Spiritual Brain (Harper Collins, 2007) and Brain Wars (Harper Collins, 2012). In these books, he demonstrates that mind and consciousness are much more than the activity of nerve cells in our brains. He also shows that spirituality is a central feature of human beings that cannot be reduced to physical processes.
Beauregard actively contributes to the articulation of the new postmaterialist scientific paradigm. Co-author of the Manifesto for a Postmaterialist Science, which has been signed by several hundreds of scientists, he is also one of the founders of The Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences (AAPS).
Movie: Expanding Reality
Books:
Expanding Reality: The Emergence of Postmaterialist Science
The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul
Brain Wars: The Scientific Battle Over the Existence of the Mind and the Proof that Will Change the Way We Live Our Lives
Expanding Science
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded October 1, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:03:27 - Introduction to Dr. Beauregard and his work
00:06:30 - Mystical Experience and Life Mission
00:10:06 - A Life-Changing Experience
00:13:19 - Miraculous Recovery and Spiritual Awakening
00:17:02 - Psychic Experiences and Family Connections
00:20:05 - Prearranged Events and Purification of Sickness
00:24:03 - The Impact of the Scientific Materialist Worldview
00:27:59 - The Manifesto for a Post-Materialist Science
00:32:00 - Playing the Game, Being a Black Sheep
00:35:07 - The Journey from Job Loss to Collaboration
00:38:25 - The Transition Period and the Waning of Materialism
00:41:49 - The Illusion of Self and the Denial of Psi Phenomena
00:44:59 - The Changing Attitude Towards New Ideas
00:48:07 - The Importance of Open-Mindedness and Spiritual Practice
00:51:52 - The Influence of Mind and Non-Local Interactions
00:55:41 - Altered States of Awareness and Neuroplasticity
00:58:57 - Materialism, Reductionism, Scientism, and Determinism

Sep 30, 2022 • 2h 24min
664. Isira, 2nd Interview
Isira is an awakened spiritual teacher who has been initiated in advanced spiritual practices and rites across a number of traditions including Australian Aboriginal, Yogic Indian, African Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhist. When she was a young adult, Tibetan Lamas, recognized her as an important incarnation and travelled to Adelaide, Australia to bring her to the Himalayas to be ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Isira is also honored as an Australian Indigenous elder and wisdom keeper.
The heart of Isira’s teaching is Holistic Awakening. While the predominant western model of awakening focuses on individual consciousness, Isira’s holistic approach has us awaken to the sacred in all of life. It is an awakening that is integrated, embodied, and grounded, rather than siloed, conceptual, and abstract.
Isira believes that, even among those on a committed spiritual path, there is still a deep sense of “something missing.” The human spirit is hungering to be nurtured by the sacred. We know this because we're living in a world that is fractured and conflicted more than ever. And people are reporting a sense of fear, alienation, depression, anxiety, and chronic illness in epidemic numbers.
Inspired by the wisdom of indigenous cultures, Isira teaches that we must awaken to what she calls the “Four Sacred Pillars of Life.” While one of these four pillars is the Self or Spirit, they go beyond the Self to include our interconnected relationship with three other essential dimensions of life—the second is nature or earth, the third is kinship or others, and the fourth is the cosmos or universe. While conventional thinking assumes that our spiritual connection must start with Self or Spirit, instead, Isira teaches that for awakening to be holistic, it is essential that we start with our connection to earth or nature.
Through holistic awakening, we move out of the mind into a lived experience in which the sacred is restored to each moment of our day-to-day life.
As we integrate our awakening, a natural byproduct is that we relate in a deeper, more meaningful way—respecting, honouring and loving all of life. Simply, we live sacredly.
Books:
Awakening You: Embodying Peace, Love and Freedom on Earth (enter code ISIRA010 to access eBook for no charge)
Buddha on the Dance Floor
Website: isira.com
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
First BatGap interview with Isira
Summary and transcript of this interview.
Interview recorded September 25, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:04:56 - The Power of Spiritual Connection and Ancestral Guidance
00:10:23 - Indigenous Wisdom and Lore
00:15:32 - Interactions in Dream State and Meditation
00:20:14 - Appointment as a Lama's Consultant
00:25:07 - The Emergence of Nature and Creation
00:30:32 - Embracing Holistic Development and Avoiding Narrow Paths
00:35:10 - Incorporating Boundaries and Boundless
00:40:38 - The Interconnectedness of All Living Beings
00:45:53 - The Importance of Connectivity with Nature and the Cosmos
00:50:54 - The Value of Deeper Connections with Earth
00:55:33 - Connecting with Nature in a Modern World
01:00:35 - The Role of Indigenous Cultures in Awakening Humanity
01:05:44 - Indigenous People as Transceivers of Natural Lore and Values
01:10:31 - Addressing the Root Cause of Crime
01:15:32 - Dissolving Centralized Systems
01:20:38 - Healing Wounds and Transgressions
01:25:29 - The Four Pillars of Connection and Fulfillment
01:30:47 - The Four Pillars of Balance
01:35:55 - Restoring Balance within Ourselves and the World
01:40:49 - Finding Beauty in Life's Experiences
01:45:42 - The Cosmic Perspective
01:50:21 - The perception of reality
01:55:48 - Anchoring with the Senses
02:00:35 - Wrapping up the interview and answering viewer questions

Sep 24, 2022 • 0sec
663. Brian Thomas Swimme
Brian Thomas Swimme did his doctoral work in gravitational dynamics in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Oregon. From the publication of The Universe Is a Green Dragon to the Emmy Award–winning PBS documentary Journey of the Universe, Swimme has articulated the cosmology of a creative universe, one in which human intelligence plays an essential role.
For three decades as a professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, he taught evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. Currently he is director of the Third Story of the Universe at Human Energy, a nonprofit public benefit organization.
A detailed description of his books and media works can be found at storyoftheuniverse.org.
About the documentary, Journey of the Universe.
Human Energy presents Story of the Noosphere
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Summary and transcript of this interview
Interview recorded September 18, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Brian Thomas Swimme and Cosmology
00:03:59 - Two Meanings of Cosmologist
00:08:00 - The Relationship Between Human Mind and the Universe
00:12:49 - The Power of Scientific Knowledge in Understanding Ourselves
00:16:55 - The Color of the Universe
00:20:55 - The Nature of Laws and the Mystery of the Universe
00:25:36 - The Ontology of Intelligence and Consciousness
00:29:10 - The Fallacy of Misplaced Concreteness and the Experience of Reality
00:34:14 - The Ontological Connection between Individuals and the Universe
00:38:50 - The Interplay of Science and Spirituality
00:42:17 - The Mystery of Mathematics and Science
00:46:22 - The Influence of Teilhard de Chardin and Thomas Berry
00:50:12 - The Interdependence of Science and Spirituality
00:53:43 - The Noosphere: United Humanity and Earth's Evolution
00:58:46 - The Special Quality of Humanity and Symbolic Consciousness
01:03:50 - The Dark Age and the Loss of Knowledge
01:07:45 - Ignorance of Extinction
01:10:57 - Co-evolution of Technology and Spirituality
01:15:02 - Becoming beings who see the whole first
01:19:50 - The Bhagavad Gita and Being Established in Action
01:23:55 - The Vast Intelligence Within You
01:27:25 - The Noosphere in Action
01:32:05 - The Noosphere as a Collective Consciousness
01:35:24 - Deepening Collective Intelligence
01:38:19 - The Dream of the Earth and Integral Ecology
01:43:30 - Embracing Change: A Deep Change of Heart and Mind
01:46:42 - A Breaking of Symmetry in the Early Universe
01:50:50 - The Incessant Creativity of the Universe
01:54:52 - Matter's Intrinsic Property of Self-Organization
01:59:13 - The Excitement of Matter and Spiritual Development
02:02:39 - A Round-Trip from Tacoma to Berkeley

Sep 16, 2022 • 1h 42min
662. Emilio Diez Barroso
Emilio Diez Barroso perfected the art of appearing very successful. He manages two family offices, a venture investment firm, sits on the board of over a dozen companies etc... but up until recently, he was always trying to get somewhere other than where he was—seeking recognition, achievement, love, success, and finally, the ultimate carrot: enlightenment.
In his pursuit of enlightenment, he was forced to face what all the seeking had been trying to avoid: his own sense of unworthiness. Defeated at the game of becoming and humbled by the realization of his true nature, he is now dedicated to alleviating suffering in the world.
Emilio is a father to three incredible teachers and resides in Los Angeles.
Book: The Mystery of You: Freedom is Closer Than You Think (All proceeds from the book go to contentment.org.)
Website: emiliosbook.com
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded September 10, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Background
00:04:18 - Breaking Free from Conditioning
00:08:12 - The Influence of Religion and Self-Worth
00:11:54 - The Illusion of Wholeness and Self-transcendence
00:15:54 - The Experience of Oneness and Waves of Self
00:19:44 - Integrating Spirituality into Everyday Life
00:23:51 - Nature's Efficiency and Guiding Intelligence
00:27:41 - The Practice of Meditation and Spiritual Seeking
00:31:39 - Outrunning Jealousy and Feelings of Inadequacy
00:35:43 - An Exploration of Inner Energy and Consciousness
00:39:45 - The Spiritual Growth of Life
00:43:45 - The Inner Wound and Healing the World
00:47:53 - Surrender and Agility
00:51:43 - Being in the State of Inner Hereness
00:55:39 - Sitting in Defeat Before the Next Energy Kicks In
00:59:39 - Gradual Shifts and Bankruptcies
01:03:29 - Coping and dependence with artificial stimuli and plant medicine
01:07:22 - The Constant State of Experience
01:11:12 - The Feminine Qualities in Spiritual Teachings
01:15:30 - Learning from Women, Integrity, and Ethics in the Spiritual Path
01:19:39 - The Unregulated Nature of Spiritual Teaching
01:23:43 - The Divine Nature of the Body and the Importance of Taking Care of It
01:28:03 - Irrational Discontent and the Search for Truth
01:31:48 - Unnecessary Roughness and Judgment
01:35:43 - Parenting with Humility and Responsibility
01:39:19 - Freedom at Different Levels
01:43:12 - Rediscovering Devotion
01:47:32 - Awe and Attachment
01:51:43 - Opening the Heart and Feeling in the Body
01:55:56 - The Warrior's Impeccability
01:59:25 - Looking Ahead to the Next Conversation

Sep 10, 2022 • 0sec
661. Anneloes Smitsman
Dr. Anneloes Smitsman (Ph.D., LLM), is a futurist, evolutionary systems scientist, coach, healer, and award-winning bestselling author. She is the Founder and CEO of EARTHwise Centre. Her programs, practices, and strategies are sought after around the world for actualizing our future human potential, and catalyzing the next steps in human consciousness and systemic design for thrivability. She was awarded the Visioneers Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2022, and was crowned overall African winner in the category "Human Development" of the 2022 Africa’s Most Respected CEOs Awards. She is the co-author of the award-winning Future Humans Trilogy with Dr. Jean Houston, and a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle.
Website: earthwisecentre.org
Other books:
The New Paradigm in Politics
Love Letters from Mother Earth: The Promise of a New Beginning
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Summary and Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded September 5, 2022.
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:04:19 - Two Futures: Sustainability Crisis and Emerging New Era
00:08:12 - The Regenerative Renaissance
00:12:11 - A Higher Order of Possibility
00:15:59 - Engaging Youth Creativity in Shaping the Future
00:19:44 - Engaging the Mind in Learning
00:23:28 - Global Collapse and Planetary Conditions
00:27:11 - The Balancing Act: Mother Earth and Human Consciousness
00:30:36 - Emergence of a New Narrative and Maturation of Our Species
00:34:05 - The Power and Manifestation of Consciousness
00:37:26 - Harnessing the Power of Consciousness
00:41:11 - A Coherent Pattern of Collaboration
00:45:34 - Creating a Heavenly World
00:50:07 - Wake-up Call and Systems Change Begins Within
00:54:47 - Living in Harmony with Nature
00:59:31 - The Detail in Creating New Economic and Financial Systems
01:04:13 - The Rising Tide: Consciousness as a Field
01:08:18 - Solidarity with Ukraine and the Emerging Collective Consciousness
01:11:31 - The Risk of Becoming the Next Dominator
01:15:35 - The Power of Dedication and Assistance
01:19:43 - Maintaining Coherence in the Face of Disinformation
01:24:27 - Finding Common Ground
01:28:59 - Social upheaval and the American spirit
01:33:22 - The Pioneering Spirit of Americans and the Challenges of Division
01:37:49 - The Need for a Different Kind of Politics
01:42:35 - Renewal and Evolution in Society
01:46:58 - Rethinking Growth and Expansion
01:51:30 - The Journey of Living Within Planetary and Social Boundaries
01:56:10 - The Future of Companies and Adaptation
02:00:39 - The Future of Creativity and Innovation
02:04:39 - Co-creating a World that Works for All

Sep 1, 2022 • 0sec
660. Alaya Dickinson
Alaya first experienced brief glimpses leading to a spontaneous awakening in 1997. This left her with a burning fire for truth and a determination to find a release from her suffering. She was drawn to satsang and to the feet of her beloved Neelam: a teacher of the Ramana Maharshi lineage. From that very first meeting there arose a profound recognition of unconditional love but also a strong sense of separation and resistance. However, Alaya instinctively knew that penetrating the resistance was exactly what was needed to penetrate the suffering. With Neelam’s unconditional love this separation fell away shortly after the birth of Alaya’s first child in 2001.
With a new husband and baby, Alaya moved to Asheville. She found in her daily experience of being a householder and working mother, that there was much abiding awareness/living in present Reality. But the non-abiding dream state kept arising which created an even deeper desire to investigate what was still appearing as separation. She realized that what was needed was already in the life she was leading and that every moment was a gift and opportunity to return to the natural awakened Self. “My husband, my children, my job, everything is my teacher, and true love is laying down whatever pulls on you, turning back to this life with an open heart and open palms.” With the realization that ordinary everyday life was sacred and that each moment was the Beloved pointing us home, she continued to question and inquire into her ideas, perspectives, and feelings until the veil of separation finally fell away. “With tenderness and openness, conditioning can unmanifest - leaving what naturally remains, as stillness, presence and love.” As people began to ask her to teach, Grace appeared as the non-dual teacher Adyashanti and with his support and friendship she began to give satsang in 2011. “Grace is like gravity, it will continue to pull you within for the truth of who you are isn’t found in doing. It is found in the silence – in stillness.”
Website: alayasatsang.org
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Summary and Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded August 27, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:04:08 - The Awakening Experience at a Young Age
00:07:43 - Following Intuitive Knowing
00:11:14 - Unknowing and Reformulation
00:14:34 - The Unknowingness of Grass
00:18:00 - The Fishiness of Life
00:21:39 - A Diverse Community in a Double Wide Trailer Bar
00:24:59 - A Transformational Experience
00:28:39 - Deepening of Presence and Surrendering to the Vaster State
00:32:16 - The Primal Resistance to Opening Up
00:36:06 - The Trauma of Duality
00:39:37 - The Stages of Spiritual Development and Societal Growth
00:43:01 - Being of Service by Becoming Nobody
00:47:11 - Different Roles and Different Paths
00:51:06 - Unconditional Love and the Collapse of Searching
00:55:26 - Carried by Grace
00:58:56 - Deepening into Oneness with Neelam
01:03:04 - The Decision to Move On
01:07:08 - The Fear of Suffering and Awakening
01:10:55 - Dissolving the Ego and Aligning with the Deeper Gift
01:14:55 - Meeting Neelam and the Veil on My Face
01:18:41 - The Role of a Teacher in Spiritual Awakening
01:22:16 - The Gift of Healing and Transmission
01:25:47 - Degrees of Receptivity and Awakening
01:29:06 - Deeper embodiment of awakening
01:32:47 - The Beauty of Constant Change
01:35:59 - The Nature of the Path and the Danger of Feeling Accomplished
01:39:31 - The Pitfall of Idolizing Teachers
01:42:55 - Being of Service to Others
01:46:49 - Expansion of Zoom Retreats and In-Person Meetings
01:50:22 - Experiencing Psychological Trauma of Separation

4 snips
Aug 24, 2022 • 0sec
659. Jessica Eve
After years of radical liberation in my own absence eventually became another kind of prison, I found freedom from "Enlightenment" in the freedom to live a richly human bittersweet life, in a new way, the way of transimmanence, in which the spiritual and the material are unified, and everything including suffering is a sacred expression of the divine.
Discovering how many other people have been harmed by modern adaptations of liberation via self-negation teachings, I've become a Spiritual Emergence Coach, and run peer support groups for people experiencing spiritual crisis, especially related to Neo-Advaita.
Website: thegloriousbothand.com
Subscribe to monthly newsletter
YouTube Channel
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Summary and Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded August 21, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:04:02 - Childhood Panic Attacks and Existential Thoughts
00:07:49 - Dissolution of the Sense of Self
00:11:20 - The Beginnings of Pure OOCD and Existential Thoughts
00:15:26 - Awakening Beyond Thought and Self
00:19:43 - The Path of Jnana Yoga
00:23:34 - Exploring the Demise of Ego and Boundaries
00:27:20 - The Dark Side of Radical Contentment
00:31:35 - Concerns about Neo-Advaita in Self-Help Books
00:35:20 - The Relief of Realizing Nothing Matters
00:39:45 - The Fear of Death and Martyr Complex
00:44:23 - Embracing Paradox in Spiritual Awareness
00:47:58 - The Erosion of Language and Relationships
00:51:59 - The Pitfall of the Spiritual Ego
00:55:35 - The Shift into Depersonalization
00:59:26 - The Value of Going through Different Phases
01:03:32 - Exploring New Paradigms of Reality
01:07:40 - The Illusion of Selflessness and Awakening
01:11:09 - The challenge of Neo-Advaita spiritual teachings
01:14:48 - The Non-permanence of Flashy Experiences and the Misunderstanding of Realization
01:18:32 - Interpretations of the Ultimate Truth
01:22:24 - Embracing Fear and the Process of Rebirth
01:26:02 - Realization of the larger aspect of one's nature
01:29:25 - Dissolution of Physicality and Meditation Process
01:32:59 - Kundalini Awakenings and the Dangers of Neo-Advaita
01:36:27 - The Nothing Conference
01:40:17 - The Oneness of Individuals
01:43:30 - Eye Gazing and Unividuality
01:47:23 - The Severe Consequences of Toxic Teachings
01:50:52 - Living in Boundlessness and Boundaries
01:54:18 - Subscriber Notification System

Aug 17, 2022 • 0sec
658. Matt Garrett
Growing up, a burning desire to seek truth took hold. After years of searching, the need to see reality overtook the need to avoid suffering. Through the marriage of inquiry and surrender, realization unfolded in ways that could never have been imagined by my former self.
After seeing through the illusion of separation, there is now a keen interest in exploring the mystery of reality and the human form. The stage of integrating this non-dual understanding into daily life is ongoing and beautiful, and something I return to daily. Not just to help myself, but to look for ways to alleviate suffering for anyone who is interested.
Website: matt-garrett.org
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group
Summary and Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded August 14, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:06:32 - Finding Freedom through Surrender and Inquiry
00:13:07 - The Paradox of No Self
00:20:28 - The Empty Body and the Aliveness Within
00:26:32 - Inquiry into the Self and Objects
00:30:48 - Spiritual Development and Full Blossoming
00:35:31 - Tapping into Non-Duality and Expressing It
00:39:23 - The Relationship between Free Will and Determinism
00:42:57 - Different Levels of Spiritual Maturity
00:46:23 - The Importance of Discernment and Checking Desires
00:49:05 - The Pendulum Analogy
00:52:32 - The Courage to Pursue Inner Development and Incorporate it into Daily Life
00:55:54 - The Fullness Within Yourself
00:59:43 - Resistance and Trusting the Universe
01:02:57 - The Play of Life and the Power of Surrender
01:06:48 - The Awakening after Giving Up Seeking
01:10:28 - Going Beyond the Self
01:13:57 - Beyond Awakening
01:17:28 - The Calling to Go Deeper
01:21:28 - The Flexibility of Reality and the Dilemma of Purpose
01:25:54 - Transitioning from Purpose to No Purpose
01:30:01 - Finding Freedom Beyond Purpose
01:33:40 - Surrender and Inquiry
01:37:10 - The Wisdom to Accept the Unchangeable
01:40:22 - The Transformation of Inquiry
01:43:25 - Emotional Work and the Inquiring into the Self
01:46:55 - The Impersonal Nature of Suffering
01:50:53 - Surrendering Personal Suffering for Humanity
01:54:45 - The Balance of Selfishness and Altruism in Helping Others
02:00:23 - Knowing the Self and Helping Others
02:05:21 - Farewell and Outro

Aug 10, 2022 • 0sec
657. Jeffrey Mishlove
New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, The PK Man, and Psi Development Systems. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "Parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death.
Website: newthinkingallowed.org
YouTube Channel
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group
Summary and Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded August 6, 2022.
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Background of Jeffrey Mishlove
00:04:35 - A Dream of Uncle Harry's Death
00:08:58 - The Paranormal Capabilities of the Human Mind
00:12:49 - Followed a Dream to Pursue My Interests
00:17:00 - Consciousness and the Universe
00:20:51 - The Significance of Parapsychology and Consciousness
00:24:42 - Society with Fundamental Consciousness Understanding
00:28:49 - Believing in the Power of Manifestation
00:32:57 - White Crows and Psychical Research
00:37:16 - The criticism of research with Mrs. Piper and the Dark Age of scientism
00:41:31 - The Rise of the Spiritual but Not Religious Movement
00:45:28 - Potential Capabilities of Humans and Moral Development
00:49:28 - The Cosmic Game of Life and Suffering
00:53:38 - Levels of Creation and the Unknown Mysteries of the Universe
00:58:05 - The Reality of Macro Psychokinetic Phenomena
01:02:12 - Interface between Dreams and the Bardo Planes
01:06:22 - Similarities between mystical and near-death experiences
01:10:49 - The Bardo Planes and Higher Dimensions
01:14:28 - Living Agent Psi and the Afterlife
01:18:20 - The Fisher Hoffman Process and the Dictated Therapy
01:22:10 - Pre-birth Communication
01:26:20 - Electronic communication with the deceased
01:30:18 - Difficulty in Identifying Authentic Psychic Occurrences
01:35:03 - A Game of Chess with a Deceased Chess Master
01:39:16 - Physical Mediumship and Materialization
01:43:20 - Houdini's Attempt to Expose Marjorie the Medium
01:47:45 - The Reality of the Witnessed Experience
01:51:38 - Remembering Dean Brown
01:55:45 - The Fate of the Human Species
02:01:46 - The Possibility of Past Lives
02:02:38 - Closing Remarks

Jul 28, 2022 • 0sec
656. Bernard Carr
Bernard Carr is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Queen Mary University of London. As an undergraduate, he read mathematics at Cambridge University and for his Ph.D. he studied the first second of the Universe, working under Stephen Hawking. He was elected to a Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1975, and in 1980 spent a year traveling around America as a Lindemann Fellow before taking up a Senior Research Fellowship at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge. In 1984 he was awarded the Adams Prize, one of the UK’s most prestigious mathematical awards. In 1985 he moved to Queen Mary and he became a Professor there in 1995. He has also held Visiting Professorships at various institutes in America, Canada, and Japan. His professional area of research is cosmology and astrophysics and includes such topics as the early universe, black holes, dark matter, and the anthropic principle. He is the author of around 300 papers and the books Universe or Multiverse? and Quantum Black Holes. He is also very interested in the role of consciousness as a fundamental rather than incidental feature of the Universe. In particular, he is developing a new psychophysical paradigm linking matter and mind which accommodates normal, paranormal, and mystical experiences. He also has a long-standing interest in the relationship between science and religion, especially Buddhism, having been the coholder of a grant from the Templeton Foundation for a project entitled “Fundamental Physics, Cosmology and the Problem of our Existence". He is President of The Scientific and Medical Network and a former President of the Society for Psychical Research.
Summary and Transcript of this interview
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Interview recorded July 24, 2022
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump with Rick Archer
00:06:07 - The Three Books that Awakened My Interests
00:11:41 - The Origins of the Anthropic Principle
00:17:09 - Fine Tunings in Physics
00:23:05 - The Number of Fundamental Constants in Physics
00:28:41 - The Fine Tuning and Theology
00:34:21 - The Changing Nature of Science
00:39:47 - The Possibility of Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter
00:44:55 - The Possibility of Life in Different Universes
00:50:31 - The Complexity Principle and the Hierarchy of Complexity
00:56:20 - The Origin of Order in the Universe
01:01:49 - The Existence of a Pre-Big Bang Mind
01:07:31 - God's Presence in the Universe
01:12:42 - The Limits of Physics and Mathematics
01:17:57 - Anomalies in the Standard Big Bang Model
01:23:32 - Indirect Evidence of Fine Tuning and Containment of Superintelligence
01:29:02 - Primordial Black Holes and Astronomical Observations
01:34:07 - Connecting Science, Spirituality, and Psychical Research
01:39:55 - Expanding Physics to Accommodate Consciousness
01:45:51 - Expanding Science for Spirit
01:51:53 - The Possibility of Levitation
01:56:49 - Building a Bridge Between Mind and Spirit
02:01:56 - The Reconciliation of Science and Religion
02:07:34 - The Human Psyche and Probing Reality
02:13:03 - Exploring the Mysteries of Reality
02:18:26 - Extra dimensions and their implications
02:23:55 - Hyperspatial Higher Dimensions and Consciousness
02:29:40 - The Perception of Time and Consciousness
02:34:51 - The Nature of Consciousness and Self-Identity
02:40:09 - The Programmer of the Simulation
02:44:54 - Wrapping up the Topics