371. Adyashanti and Susanne Marie on the Falling Away of Self

Join Susanne Marie and Adyashanti in an exploration of an often misunderstood subject. Beyond the traditional landing places that mind creates (commonly discussed in non-dual circles), lies an indescribable landscape of living as pure, direct experiencing. Prior to this opening, the habitual subjective filter creates a veil of separation of which one is not even aware. This is true even within expanded, unified states of consciousness. Once this filter falls away, life is experienced directly, as itself, without an intermediary.

Adyashanti is an American-born spiritual teacher and author devoted to serving the awakening of all beings. His teachings are an open invitation to stop, inquire, and recognize what is true and liberating at the core of all existence. Asked to teach in 1996 by his Zen teacher of 14 years, Adyashanti offers teachings that are free of any tradition or ideology. “The Truth I point to is not confined within any religious point of view, belief system, or doctrine, but is open to all and found within all.” He teaches throughout North America and Europe, offering satsangs, weekend intensives, silent retreats, and a live internet radio broadcast. Adya’s podcast, “Being Unlimited“.

Previous BatGap posts involving Adyashanti:

Website: adyashanti.org

A lifelong spiritual explorer, Susanne Marie offers teachings in support of freedom, meeting in sacred mutuality, and celebrating our common essence of Love and Unity with all life. Her work is transformational and empowering, as she points to the remembering of That which we have always been, allowing truth to become ever more conscious of Itself through a human life. Susanne, the mother of two teenagers, lives in Northern California and works with individuals and groups, offering spiritual mentoring to those who feel called to work with her. She is available for Skype and phone sessions as well as open to invitations to share with groups.

Website: susannemarie.org

Previous BatGap posts involving Susanne Marie:

Transcript of this discussion.

Interview recorded October 23, 2016.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview
  • 00:04:40 – The Expansion of Unity and Perception
  • 00:08:44 – A Shift in Perception
  • 00:13:11 – The Journey from Unity Consciousness to No-Self
  • 00:17:46 – The Mistranslation of Experience
  • 00:21:44 – Being Forces of Nature
  • 00:26:15 – The Falling Away of the Sense of Self
  • 00:29:53 – The Sense of Self and Localization
  • 00:33:00 – The Fear of No-Self and Unbuffered Consciousness
  • 00:36:30 – The Premonition of the End
  • 00:40:36 – Recognizing Differentiation
  • 00:44:38 – The Experience of Perception
  • 00:48:37 – The Perceiver in Us All
  • 00:52:17 – The Spiritual Search
  • 00:56:00 – Consciousness in All Things
  • 01:00:12 – Transition and Integration in the Journey to No-Self
  • 01:03:40 – The Awakening of Divine Will
  • 01:07:34 – Divine Will and Personal Will
  • 01:11:10 – The Evolution of Human Consciousness
  • 01:15:19 – Awakening to the True Nature of Being
  • 01:18:53 – The All-pervading Intelligence
  • 01:21:46 – The Importance of Terminology in Spiritual Culture
  • 01:25:32 – Unconceptualizing Ourselves and Letting Go
  • 01:29:21 – The nature of Saguna and Nirguna Brahman
  • 01:33:11 – The Different States of Being
  • 01:37:12 – The End of Life and Constant Evolution
  • 01:40:50 – Closing Thoughts and the Continuation of Development
  • 01:44:50 – Realizing No-Self: Saints and Jerks
  • 01:48:19 – Waking Up, Cleaning Up, and Growing Up
  • 01:51:40 – Sharing Personal Experiences and Understanding Others
  • 01:55:05 – Thank You and Theme Music

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318. Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) and Karen Johnson on Nondual Relationships

A. Hameed Ali was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the USA to study at the University of California in Berkeley. Hameed was working on his Ph.D. in physics when he reached a turning point in his life and destiny that led him more and more into inquiring into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature.

Hameed’s interest in the truth of human nature and the true nature of reality resulted in the creation and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach®:

Some of Hameed’s many books:

Website: ahalmaas.com

1st interview with Hameed

2nd interview with Hameed

Karen Johnson is a co-founder of the Diamond Approach as it is taught in the Ridhwan School, a contemporary original spiritual understanding and path, expressing timeless wisdom on self-realization using the insights of our time. She is a colleague and friend of Hameed Ali (A.H. Almaas). Her life is dedicated to the discovery of inner freedom and sharing the treasures with humankind.

In this interview, we discussed how the Diamond Approach is evolving, what differentiates it from other traditions, and the most recent developments of the past 15 years, about which Karen and Hameed have only recently begun to teach, speak and write.

Neither the depths of spirit nor the surface of the mundane world can adequately express what reality is and what is possible for each of us. How can our human lives be both the arena for spiritual practice and enlightenment, and the occasion for our true being to express its infinite possibilities?

Book: The Power of Divine Eros: The Illuminating Force of Love in Everyday Life

Website: ridhwan.org

Individual interview with Karen

Recorded 10/23/2015 at the Science and Nonduality Conference.

Transcript of this discussion

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Hameed Ali and Karen Johnson
  • 00:03:39 – Reconciling Enlightenment with Human Relationships
  • 00:07:01 – Recognizing Unity in Relationships
  • 00:10:27 – Non-duality and the Fabric of Reality
  • 00:13:29 – The Qualities of Personal Relating
  • 00:16:27 – Understanding Personalness and Relationships
  • 00:19:19 – Relationships as Tools for Growth and Expansion
  • 00:21:48 – Using the Relationship to Optimize Truth and Growth
  • 00:24:28 – The Expansion of Non-Dual Experience in Relationships
  • 00:27:13 – A Unique Friendship
  • 00:29:39 – The Unconventional Bond
  • 00:31:46 – The Power of Libido in Relationships
  • 00:34:30 – Taking Risks and Replenishing the Genius
  • 00:37:14 – The Importance of Seeing and Being Seen in Relationships
  • 00:40:05 – Shifting of Gears in Relationship
  • 00:42:56 – Unleashing Energies for Heart and Mind Nourishment
  • 00:45:34 – Unity and Oneness in Relationships
  • 00:48:00 – The Paradox of Being One
  • 00:50:59 – The Rich Possibilities of Relationships
  • 00:53:58 – Falling in Love and Inquiry in the Diamond Approach
  • 00:56:24 – The Power of Inquiry and Love
  • 00:59:26 – Dialectic Inquiry and Relationship Building
  • 01:02:39 – The Practice of Self-Exploration
  • 01:05:26 – Passion for the Teaching and Deep Connection
  • 01:08:13 – The Discovery of Oneness
  • 01:10:48 – The Dimension of Friendship
  • 01:13:47 – Tele-somatic Events and Soul Connections
  • 01:16:05 – The Patterns of Consciousness in Relationships
  • 01:18:24 – The Diamond Approach Online
  • 01:20:23 – Teaching Opportunities and New Groups
  • 01:21:40 – Musical Performance

312. Group Discussion at Sofia University, Part 2

Sophia-group-CompWhile out in California for the Science and Nonduality Conference, I had some downtime before the conference started, so I decided to tape a long panel discussion with a rather large group of friends, most of them previous guests on Batgap. Sofia University in Palo Alto (where transpersonal psychology was founded by Abraham Maslow and others), generously provided a room and video equipment. I’m especially grateful to Dr. Jeffery Martin, who conducts research there, for offering and organizing this. It was an experiment, and some were skeptical that it would work, but it did!

Participants included:

NameOther Batgap Interview(s)Website(s)
Canela Michelle Meyers12/18/2011, 9/24/2015canelamichelle.com
Chuck Hillig7/21/2010chuckhillig.com
Clare Blanchflowerclareblanchflower.com
Craig Holliday1/3/2015, 12/19/2018*, 10/25/2019*craigholliday.com
Dana Sawyer9/29/2010, 2/9/2014*, 3/19/2016dana-sawyer.com
David Buckland9/25/201510/27/2017*davidya.ca
David Ellzey1/16/2016davidellzey.com
Francis Bennett8/4/2012, 4/21/2013* 10/26/2013*, 5/24/2014*, 10/23/2014*, 10/21/2016, 10/25/2016*
Jeffery Martin1/25/2017drjefferymartin.com
nonsymbolic.org
Kiran Trace11/2/2013, 09/24/2015kirantrace.com
Kristin Kirk2/16/2014, 5/24/2014*kristinkirk.com
Laurie Moore7/21/2012, 10/24/2013counselingscottsvalley.us
animiracles.com
Mariana Caplan2/3/2012, 1/6/2013, 10/25/2019*marianacaplan.com
Rick Archer6/5/2010, 3/16/2013, 5/11/2014, 10/23/2015, 10/24/2016, 10/21/2017, 12/19/2018*, 10/25/2019*10/27/2019You’re on it.
Susanne Marie7/7/2013, 10/24/2014*, 10/23/2016*susannemarie.org

*In group discussion.

Transcript of this discussion

Recorded 10/22/2015

Part 1 of this discussion

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Silence and Self-Reflection
  • 00:09:12 – The Sense of Expanded Living
  • 00:16:29 – The Pitfalls of Spiritual Awakening
  • 00:22:43 – The Value of Mainstream Context and Therapist Category
  • 00:30:58 – The Beauty and Service of Pain
  • 00:36:33 – The Blossoming of the Heart and Devotion
  • 00:44:06 – The Importance of Growth and Honesty
  • 00:50:19 – The Exploration of the Human Condition
  • 00:55:50 – Surrender and Humility in the Awakening Process
  • 01:03:34 – Opening to Multiple Worlds and Listening to God
  • 01:09:38 – Channeling Angelic Guidance
  • 01:15:58 – Accessing Universal Energy and True Nature
  • 01:22:55 – Capturing the Fort and Exploring the Territory
  • 01:28:38 – Different Dimensions and Spiritual Ego
  • 01:32:55 – The Importance of Meaningful Conversations
  • 01:39:00 – The Irrelevance of Truth and Reality
  • 01:45:43 – Discussions on various spiritual phenomena and dangers of believing in them blindly
  • 01:50:25 – Discriminating Subtle Beings 
  • 01:53:51 – The Variability of Awakening Experiences
  • 01:56:40 – The Six Bhavas in Ayurveda
  • 01:59:52 – The Healing Question and Awakening
  • 02:02:59 – The Importance of Healing and Psychological Maturity after Awakening
  • 02:06:33 – The Pressure of Awakening and Awakening Levels
  • 02:10:22 – Surrendering through Pain, Healing and Awakening
  • 02:13:54 – Awakening and Healing
  • 02:17:12 – Awakening and Healing in the Journey
  • 02:21:29 – Life as a Single Parent and the Shift in Functioning
  • 02:26:33 – Living in a Beautiful Apartment
  • 02:30:23 – Embracing the Human Experience
  • 02:36:19 – Surrendering to the Unknown
  • 02:41:50 – Updates on BatGap

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