Buddha At The Gas Pump

Mariana Caplan, PhD, MFT, RYT 500, 
is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and the author of six books in the fields of psychology and spirituality, including Yoga & Psyche, the award-winning Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path, the seminal Halfway Up the Mountain: the Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment, and The Guru Question: The Perils and Rewards of Choosing a Spiritual Teacher. She is the founder of The Yoga & Psyche Method™ and The Yoga & Psyche Conference™. She has been teaching workshops and trainings at major retreat centers, yoga studios, and universities throughout the world since 1997, and since 2001 been an adjunct professor and developed large public programs at The California Institute of Integral Studies, and taught at Naropa University, John F. Kennedy University, and Sophia University. Website: marianacaplan.com Summary and Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 2/3/2012 Other BatGap events involving Mariana: Second BatGap interview w

The Open Secret message is totally radical and uncompromising.  It is a rare and singular expression of absolute non-dualism.  It bypasses the mind and speaks directly to the very core of a wisdom that is imminent in all of us. When there is a readiness to hear, all seeking and need for personal endeavor falls away, leaving simply the wonder of what is. There is no me or you, no seeker, no enlightenment, no disciple and no guru.   There is no better or worse, no path, and nothing that has to be achieved.  All appearance is source.  All that apparently manifests - the world, the life story, the hypnotic dream of separation, the search for home - is the one appearing as two, the nothing appearing as everything, the absolute appearing as the particular. There is no separate intelligence weaving a destiny, and no choice functioning at any level.  Nothing is happening, but this, as it is, invites the apparent seeker to rediscover that which already is...the abiding, uncaused, unchanging, impersonal silence from

Matt Kahn is a spiritual teacher and mystic who travels the world, offering sacred heart wisdom that invites all seekers into the joy of liberated existence. Matt's spontaneous awakening arose out of an out-of-body experience at the age of 8, and numerous direct experiences throughout his life. Many spiritual seekers have experienced amazing, unexplainable healings, and have awakened to their true nature through his offerings of profound and loving teachings, and direct transmission of presence. Books: Everything Is Here to Help You: A Loving Guide to Your Soul's Evolution “Whatever Arises, Love That – A Love Revolution That Begins with You” Matt's website Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 1/14/2012 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Matt Kahn's Unique Blend of Nonduality and Relative Considerations 00:05:02 - The Validity of Exploring Everything Equally 00:09:01 - Deepening the Experience through Self-Reflection 00:13:02 - Experiencing Different States of Co

Lisa started spiritually seeking in her early 20’s. She had her first awakening in 2005 after attending a talk given by Tony Parsons. After this, she spent some time in India with Ramesh Balsekar. It was there that she met her final teacher, Roger Castillo, who was also a student of Ramesh. She lived with him for three years in Australia during which time many falsehoods were seen through. In the beginning of 2011, Lisa’s awakening stabilized and the seeker fell away. Lisa now enjoys communicating the nature of Happiness to anyone desperate enough to know the truth. Website: lisacairns.com Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 1/7/2012 Lisa in BatGap discussion with Tim Freke YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - A De-scription, Not a Pre-scription 00:03:49 - The Illusion of Cause and Effect  00:07:20 - Living without Concepts and Belief Systems 00:10:50 - Animal Cruelty and Personal Concern 00:13:35 - The Funny Story of How I Met My Boyfriend Roger 00:16:28 - From

Greg is a teacher of nondualism well known for a breadth of expression and a sense of humor. Inspired by Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon, Greg is one of the pioneers, along with Jean Klein and Francis Lucille, of "direct path" style nondualism, a very intuitive, holistic and immediate form of Advaita. It was through contemplation on the teachings of Sri Atmananda that Greg's own search came to its peaceful conclusion. Having studied Western philosophy at the Universität zu Köln in Cologne, Germany, Greg received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester. He studied Advaita Vedanta through the Chinmaya Mission, the Mahayana teachings of Pure Land Buddhism through Jodo-Shinshu, and studied Madhyamika Buddhism through the lineage of the pre-eminent scholar of Chinese Buddhism, Master Yin-Shun of Taiwan, P.R.C., author of The Way to Buddhahood: Instructions from a Modern Chinese Master. Greg is the technical consultant for Philosophical Practice, the Journal of the American Philosophical Pra

The journey for Canela Michelle towards this realization was happening long before she had heard of the potential of consciously living in the stateless state of Being.  Once she heard that this was possible in 1995, the path was lit up and speedy until she ended up in Satsang with Isaac Shapiro in February 1998.  By this time her inner and outer explorations were deep and subtle yet her explorations of what she perceived seemed to only serve to expand all of that even more…so she simply asked Isaac:  ‘Is it beyond perception?’  He answered ‘Yes’ and in that moment, what was there previously as some sort of structure fell away, leaving only ‘What Is’ at play and Awareness being aware of That. Canela Michelle is an expression of Awareness in each moment…just like everyone else is whether they recognize it yet or not (as is all that appears – air, body, thought, chair, taste, etc.).  Her love is in supporting people to relax open to this Truth.  Supporting them to allow themselves to not only recognize Love bu

Satsang with Bob Nickel was a great opportunity to be with someone who points to the pure truth of Awakening in a simple and clear way. One of the recent attendees at Bob's satsang wrote, "I was deeply moved by Bob’s blissful presence as well as the clear insight he is able to share with everyone into the deeper truths of life and ourselves. I could feel that Bob speaks from his own personal experience, those same truths shared through the ages by many of the great sages." Bob has been freely sharing in the non-dual Advaita tradition since 2004. He experienced his first spiritual epiphany at the age of nineteen, followed later by other special experiences. In recent years it has become clear to Bob that all experiences, which by nature come and go, have nothing whatsoever to do with the Truth that one essentially Is. His satsangs are dedicated solely to making Ramana Maharshi’s invitation to Self-Inquiry available to everyone, as a direct and immediate means to Self Knowledge, inviting all to simply abide ef

More than twenty years ago, my (second) wife and I divorced, after ten years of marriage. After we divorced, I recognized that I had some unfinished business: it revolved around “the meaning of life”, which is at the bottom of the spiritual pursuit—to which I returned. As soon as our house was sold, I took my share of the equity and bought a fully-equipped camper van. I parked it on the property of an absentee friend in the redwood forest, near where I had been living in Northern California. I lived there in virtual solitude: reading, contemplating, taking walks for hours in the forest. At the end of three years, something suddenly fell into place. The spiritual quest resolutely came to an end. I discovered the actuality which is inescapable. The inseparability of all things, which has been referred to persistently by mystic sages for 3,500 years of our written history, is commonly spoken of as “oneness” (or Oneness). There is an aspect of this oneness which is rather apparent to most any attentive mind. Bu

Natalie Gray is an ordinary person who spent the first 25 years of her adult life searching for meaning and answers. In her search, she looked for those answers in several places, including trying to find a calling (as an actress, teacher and life coach), through self-help and awareness seminars, through study and initiation with various spiritual teachers and teachings and through the use of drugs. After coming to the realization that no one or no thing outside of herself was going to be able to give Natalie what she wanted, she began an intense personal and internal search for the truth. In the fall of 2010, Natalie experienced what she refers to as “...the end of seeking. I was done,” she says. “I had no more questions. I needed no more answers. What was sought had been found.” Since then, Natalie has shared her experience and insights through her blog, and in videos on YouTube. She communicates regularly and freely with individuals who have questions or are interested in talking about nonduality. You can

Jon Bernie’s first awakening experience at the age of sixteen led him to spend many years practicing in the Zen and Theravadan Buddhist traditions, first as a monk in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and then as an early student of Jack Kornfield’s. In the late 1980s, Jon’s spiritual trajectory was profoundly altered when he met Jean Klein – master of Advaita Vedanta and Kashmiri Yoga with whom he studied intensively for an extended period. Jon subsequently spent time with H.W.L. Poonja and Robert Adams, both direct disciples of Ramana Maharshi. Jon’s spiritual development was also greatly aided by Brother David Steindl-Rast, who, along with Thomas Merton, was one of the first Christian monks to seriously practice in the Zen and Tibetan traditions and has since been instrumental in building interfaith networks worldwide. After Jon met Adyashanti in 2002, his spiritual journey came to fruition, and subsequently Adya asked Jon to teach. In addition to his work as a spiritual teacher, Jon is a certified

From an early age Rupert Spira was deeply interested in the nature of reality. For twenty years he studied the teachings of P.D.Ouspensky, J.Krishnamurti, Rumi, Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Robert Adams, until he met his teacher, Francis Lucille, in 1996. Francis introduced Rupert to the teachings of Jean Klein and Atmanada Krishnamenon and, more importantly, directly indicated to him the true nature of experience. Rupert’s YouTube Channel. Interviews can be listened to here and watched here. Rupert lives in UK and holds regular meetings and retreats in Europe and USA. Books: The Transparency of Things: Contemplating the Nature of Experience Presence, Volume I: The Art of Peace and Happiness Presence, Volume II: The Intimacy of All Experience The Ashes of Love: Sayings on the Essence of Non-Duality The Light of Pure Knowing: Thirty Meditations on the Essence of Non-Duality Transparent Body, Luminous World: The Tantric Yoga of Sensation and Perception (Book and

Jeff Foster graduated in Astrophysics from Cambridge University in 2001. Several years after graduation, following a period of severe depression and illness, he became addicted to the idea of ‘spiritual enlightenment’, and embarked on an intensive spiritual search which lasted for several years. The spiritual search came crashing down with the clear recognition of the nondual nature of everything. In the clarity of this seeing, life became what it always was: open, loving, spontaneous, and fully alive. Jeff presently holds meetings and retreats in the UK, Europe, and around the world, clearly and directly pointing to the frustrations surrounding our seeking activities, to the nature of the mind, and to the clarity at the heart of everything. His uncompromising approach, full of humour and compassion, enlightens and exposes the seeking mechanism – the mechanism behind all suffering – shattering our hopes for a future salvation, revealing the unconditional freedom and ease that is always already present, right

Gangaji shares a simple message-This is an invitation to shift your allegiance from the activities of your mind to the eternal presence of your being. Born in Texas in 1942, Gangaji grew up in Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1964, she married and had a daughter. In 1972, she moved to San Francisco where she began exploring deeper levels of her being. She took Bodhisattva vows, practiced Zen and Vipassana meditation, helped run a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center, and had a career as an acupuncturist in the San Francisco Bay area. Despite her successes, Gangaji continued to experience a deep and persistent longing for fulfillment. She pursued many paths to change her life including relationship, motherhood, political activism, career, and spiritual practice, but even the greatest of her successes ultimately came up short. In the wake of her disillusionment, she made a final prayer for true help. In 1990, the answer to her prayer came unexpectedly, taking her to India and

Ellie is a happily married woman for 29 years. She has been blessed, with two beautiful children—a lovely daughter and a sweet son. Since childhood, she was seeing herself as a vision, which was not associated with the body at all. The question was arising, “Who am I?” This was never answered and it was there in her heart for a long time… Since the year 2001, she has been inspired: To get to know who she is, To find what she is searching for For the past few years, she has had wonderful experiences by “going within,” meditating and discovering the Truth. The Truth reveals itself to itself by itself. She would like to share these experiences with you. She hopes that by reading her story, you also get inspired to “go within” and "discover" who you really are, and also find the authentic joy that resides within. This is simply a discovery, not to become anyone or anything. Remember: Joy is already there, it just needs to be uncovered. We learn to go within and to be a witness of the "nothingness.” It may be f

Unmani is originally from the UK but has lived a nomadic life in many countries around the world from the age of 18. Unlike most people, since she was a child, Unmani never identified with being a ‘person’ in the world, but she felt very lost and alone in a world that everyone else seemed to take so seriously. She spent years traveling around the world trying on different roles and identities to see if any of them fit. Disappointed with each role, she continued searching to find a way out of the pain she felt. She spent some time in the Osho centre in Pune, India, and there discovered meditation, free expression, and other insightful wisdom. But although this brought her more relaxation, it did not seem to get to the root of her search. Some years later she met the German Zen master, Dolano. With her, Unmani recognized that what she had been searching for had always been right here. She woke up to the dream, time stopped, and the search ended. She no longer needed to try to fit in or be someone, because Unman

In February 2008 at the age of thirty-three, Karen experienced a sudden and radical awakening. Prior to this realisation, no teachings or practices were followed – in fact at that time the terms non-duality and awakening were completely unfamiliar. This spontaneous realization presented itself during a period of intense emotional suffering and when demands in life exceeded Karen’s physical capability. Karen attempted to persevere in the face of these challenges, the consequence being a severely debilitating illness that affected physical functioning on every level. Although the illness had a devastating effect on life as it was then known, it seemed to create a space for a deeper reality to be recognized. As her state of health was so poor, Karen was unable to return to work – meaning that she spent a significant amount of time confined to her home. The effect of this period of solitude was profound surrender, allowing the realization to become deeply integrated into daily living. Two and a half years after

People have always loved sitting and sharing in the presence of an awakened human being and experiencing that tender beingness. For about 7 years Florian Tathagata and his life companion Julia have travelled around the world untiringly inviting seekers to recognize in their own experience who they really are and to live as an embodiment of truth in everyday life. In his unmistakable manner he embraces the daily and simple life that he is sharing with a constantly increasing number of 'friends of truth', as he calls all those being interested. Again and again visitors of meetings tell of spontaneous awakening, of an all penetrating silence, of simple clarity and presence and of overflowing love and gratitude which they experience in Florian Tathagata‘s presence. With both legs firmly rooted in normal everyday life and at the same time in the heart deeply connected with Ramana Maharshi, Papaji, Jiddu Krishnamurti and his teacher and friend Isaac Shapiro, Florian Tathagata speaks and is silent, laughs and crie

Krishna can be a catalyst for the awakening transformation of your life. He also appears to be a pretty ordinary guy. For most of his life, he has been driven by a desire to know the power that moves the universe. In this mad quest for authentic spiritual realization, he has been blessed to come across the right people at the right time. Besides working as a spiritual coach and teacher and being trained in hypnotherapy, he has also been a cabinetmaker, an auto assembly line worker, a New York City taxi cab driver, and a bus driver. He has lived real life as a down to earth human being and knows that the truth of spirituality is always tested there. His experience is that you will never have exactly what you want and that you are already what you're looking for. His sense is that you don't need to be taught as much as you need to be understood and heard. He is well versed in several spiritual maps but he knows that who you are is beyond any map. You are changeless and you are always changing, and he relates t

Joan Tollifson writes and talks about the ever-changing, ever-present aliveness of Here / Now, that which is obvious, unavoidable and impossible to doubt. She has an affinity with Advaita, Buddhism and radical nonduality, but she belongs to no tradition or lineage. Her main teacher was Toni Packer, but Joan has also studied with several Buddhist teachers and has spent time with a number of Advaita and nondual teachers. She has been holding meetings on nonduality since 1996. In her books and meetings, Joan invites people to explore their actual present moment experience and to question the deep-seated assumption that we are each an independent entity encapsulated inside a separate bodymind looking out at an alien world. Instead, we may discover that everything is one seamless, boundless, unbroken whole in which there are no separate parts. Joan also invites people to question the deep-seated assumption that we are in control of our lives (or should be), and she points to the realization that everything is one

I’m sorry about the video quality. We had technical problems which we weren’t able to surmount. “Adyashanti” means primordial peace. Adyashanti dares all seekers of peace and freedom to take the possibility of liberation in this life seriously. He began teaching in 1996, at the request of his Zen teacher with whom he had been studying for 14 years. Since then many spiritual seekers have awakened to their true nature while spending time with Adyashanti. Adyashanti offers spontaneous and direct nondual teachings that have been compared to those of the early Zen masters and Advaita Vedanta sages. However, Adya says, “If you filter my words through any tradition or ‘-ism’, you will miss altogether what I am saying. The liberating truth is not static; it is alive. It cannot be put into concepts and be understood by the mind. The truth lies beyond all forms of conceptual fundamentalism. What you are is the beyond—awake and present, here and now already. I am simply helping you to realize that.” A native of North