699. Brad Laughlin & Anna Breytenbach

Brad Laughlin is the author of Living with Enlightenment—A Journey of Love, which is about his 25-year life-partnership with Leslie Temple-Thurston, a teacher of enlightenment, and the profound spiritual transformation he experienced. With Leslie, he is co-author of two books, The Marriage of Spirit—Enlightened Living in Today’s World and Returning to Oneness—The Seven Keys of Ascension.

Brad is dedicated to finding innovative ways of helping people to awaken spiritually and to find love, joy and inspiration during these times of great change. Using ancient Truth teachings, yogic practices and spiritual psychology, he offers simple yet powerful practices for dissolving old, limiting ego structures that keep us trapped in negativity, pain and fear. Brad’s transformative events are based on the principles of integration and unity consciousness, which help us to know our own inner Divinity—who we truly are.

Brad and Leslie are co-founders of the nonprofits, CoreLight.org and Seeds of Light.org, CoreLight’s humanitarian arm, serving marginalized communities and AIDS orphans in South Africa. Brad has a bachelor’s degree from Duke University. He is an American by birth, considers himself a global citizen and lives in both South Africa and the United States.

Anna Breytenbach is an internationally acclaimed professional interspecies communicator with over 20 years’ experience. Native to South Africa and currently based in Europe, she mentors and consults globally. Her focus is exclusively with wild places and beings, facilitating peaceful interventions and greater understanding. This includes predator research, wilderness protection, anti-poaching assistance, reforestation initiatives, wildlife management and rehabilitation. She is currently taking a sabbatical from her usual teaching and public appearances to write a book.

Anna’s passion is raising awareness and advancing the relationships among human and nonhuman animals, on both the personal and spiritual levels. Her work is the subject of the documentary movie “The Animal Communicator”, watched by tens of millions of people (and a few of their pets), available on YouTube.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded January 28, 2024

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

693. Jem Bendell

Professor Jem Bendell is a world-renowned scholar on the breakdown of modern societies due to environmental change. Downloaded over a million times, his Deep Adaptation paper is credited with inspiring the growth of the Extinction Rebellion movement in 2018, and created a global network of to reduce harm in the face of societal collapse. He completed his PhD at the University of Bristol and his Geography BA (Hons) at the University of Cambridge. For decades he worked on Sustainable Development as a researcher and NGO manager, as well as a consultant to businesses, political parties and UN agencies. One of his specialisms since 2011 is pro-social currency innovation, with his TEDx from that year explaining reasons for Bitcoin and similar. In 2017, he co-led the development of the UK Labour Party’s communications plan for the General Election and co-wrote speeches for their top politicians. Although recognised in 2012 as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Jem has been increasingly critical of the globalist agenda on sustainable development. Away from that work, he is partner in an organic farm school in Bali (bekandze.net) and supports meditation retreats at the main Buddhist Temple on the island.

Website: jembendell.com

Books:

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded October 28, 2023

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Professor Jem Bandel
  • 00:03:58 – Introducing “Breaking Together” and its Hypothesis
  • 00:07:56 – The Shift in Collective Consciousness
  • 00:11:47 – The Importance of the Dark Night of the Soul
  • 00:15:32 – The IPCC’s Desire for Consensus
  • 00:19:03 – Siloed Science and the Denial of Climate Change
  • 00:22:44 – A New Form, A New Identity Structure, A New Kind of Safety
  • 00:26:24 – Finding Inner Presence in Times of Chaos
  • 00:30:21 – Faith and the Sense of Time
  • 00:34:18 – The Catastrophic Risks of Climate Change
  • 00:38:04 – Climate Change and Public Dialogue
  • 00:41:35 – Debunking the Study on Free Will
  • 00:45:06 – The Importance of Ocean Health to Climate Change Awareness
  • 00:48:47 – Rejecting Activist Stunts and Embracing Community Preparedness
  • 00:53:20 – Indigenous Environmental Stewardship
  • 00:57:28 – Eternity and the Meaning of Life
  • 01:01:31 – A Vision for Freedom and Connection
  • 01:05:04 – Consciousness and Reincarnation
  • 01:08:40 – Collapse Acceptance and Joy
  • 01:12:30 – The Source of the Theory of Spiritual Awakening
  • 01:15:26 – The Possibility of Human Extinction
  • 01:18:54 – Examining Deep Stories and the Importance of Consciousness
  • 01:22:15 – Collective Consciousness and Spiritual Awakening
  • 01:26:14 – The Scientific Attitude and the Future of Human Society
  • 01:29:14 – Implications and Perspectives
  • 01:32:54 – Love Beyond Hope and Social Engagement as a Gift
  • 01:36:23 – The Cultural Breakthrough of the Beatles
  • 01:38:52 – Feeling Empathy for Others
  • 01:42:51 – Becoming Oceanic in Consciousness
  • 01:46:54 – The Meaning of Life and Personal Values
  • 01:50:05 – Conversation with Jem about his book

670. Robin Chaurasiya

Robin was born and raised in the US with a very religious and schizophrenic mother as well as a violent and atheist father. At 14, Robin started volunteering with various non-profits organizations and traveling the world, two lifelong passions which led her to work with dozens of NGOs and travel to nearly 100 countries. After spending several years in the US Air Force, Robin was kicked out for being lesbian which led to her new life as an activist. At 24, she started Kranti, an NGO that empowers survivors of trafficking and daughters of sex workers from Mumbai’s red-light areas, where she lived and worked for a decade. In 2020, Robin moved to a mud hut at 13K feet in the Himalayas without any water, electricity or toilet. For over a year, she wasn’t online, didn’t read any book and didn’t speak with anyone. In July 2021, she started working part time from the mountains and became a certified BatGap addict. She returned to civilization in August 2022.

The spiritual routine at Kranti:

Our house is a mix of girls who have been raised Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and Jain. We are extremely mindful of integrating all of these traditions (as well as a few others like Sikhism) into our daily lives as well as our travel experiences.

Just to give you an idea, some of the places we make sure to take all Kranti girls are: Golden Temple in Amritsar, Dalai Lama’s temple in McLeodganj, Nizamuddin’s shrine in Delhi, St. Thomas’ basilica in Chennai, Haji Ali’s shrine in Mumbai, as well as dozens of famous Hindu temples around India.

All of the girls are required to attend 10-day Vipassana courses, either the programs specifically for teens or on their own after age 18, as well as Buddhist philosophy courses at Tushita Meditation center. We are connected to quite a few spiritual leaders here, and the Dalai Lama’s translator, as well as Sri M, are regular visitors at the Kranti home.

But most importantly, yoga and meditation are the first activities of the day at Kranti School, along with daily journaling and writing gratitude letters every morning. All of the girls have a therapist through a Mumbai-based organization called Inner Space where all therapists and clients are trained in mindfulness based cognitive therapy.

Donating to Kranti:

Contact Robin

PDF with more info about Robin, her upcoming book, and Kranti

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded November 20, 2022

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:05:40 – The Motivation of Kranti
  • 00:10:15 – Childhood Memories and Spiritual Moments
  • 00:15:03 – Childhood Curiosity and Spiritual Exploration
  • 00:19:28 – The Age of 12: Dreams, Stealing, and Non-Existence
  • 00:24:21 – The Key Players in My Journey
  • 00:29:01 – The Unstoppable Desire
  • 00:33:48 – Overcoming Challenges and Unexpected Help
  • 00:37:57 – A Moment of Realization and Gratitude
  • 00:42:55 – The Impact of Extraordinary Girls and Gender Inequality in India
  • 00:47:49 – Taking in the Kids
  • 00:52:43 – Unexpected Meeting in Glastonbury
  • 00:57:30 – The Neo-Advaita Movement
  • 01:02:28 – The Beauty of Seeing People in Their Perfection
  • 01:07:05 – The Purpose of Life and Finding Happiness
  • 01:11:23 – From Sex Worker to Drum Circle Facilitator
  • 01:15:57 – The Generosity of an Illiterate Sex Worker
  • 01:20:41 – Compassion in the Red Light Area
  • 01:25:10 – Girl’s Perception and Plans for the Future
  • 01:29:30 – Supporting Children in Mumbai
  • 01:33:36 – The Value of Love and Support
  • 01:38:24 – The Process of Burnout and Seeking Guidance
  • 01:43:03 – Surrender and Letting Go
  • 01:48:08 – The Changes Within Our Body
  • 01:52:34 – The Beauty of Individual Awakening
  • 01:57:04 – Treating Everyone as a Buddha
  • 02:01:31 – Cursing at God
  • 02:05:45 – The Role We Play in the World
  • 02:10:41 – The Dream of Existence and Ecstasy on the Mountains
  • 02:15:43 – The Journey of Love and Crying
  • 02:20:43 – Godding with Himself

Empowering girls in red-light areas for social good | Robin Chaurasiya, India | Global Teacher Prize

Robin’s hut at 13,000 feet in the mountains of Nepal: