714. Nishanth Selvalingam

A lifelong student of philosophy and comparative religion, a practitioner of Shaiva Tantra in the Shaiva Siddhanta lineage, and recent entrant into the Ramakrishna lineage by his guru, Swami Sarvadevananda Puri, Nishanth Selvalingam shares an authentic, firsthand approach to the Sanskrit texts of the Tantrik scriptural tradition to expose audiences to the profoundly positive and transformative philosophies and practices that this tradition offers. Nishanth Selvalingam graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Philosophy in 2024 and now lives in Westwood, Los Angeles where he hosts satsanghs with his wife, coaches middle school debate and lectures incessantly on all things Tantra and Non-Duality.

Website: nishyoga.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded August 18, 2024

651. Shambhavi Sarasvati

Shambhavi is the spiritual director of Jaya Kula, a nonprofit organization offering opportunities to learn and practice in the traditions of Trika Shaivism and the Dzogchen. She has also studied meditation with teachers in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. Her root Guru is Anandamayi Ma.

Shambhavi emphasizes direct encounters with the wisdom of the heart through the more explicitly devotional teachings and practices of Trika Shaivism and Dzogchen. In addition to offering teachings in spiritual practice and view, Shambhavi is a trained jyotishi and diviner. At one time, Shambhavi taught at Northwestern University. She left academia in 2004 in order to devote herself to practice, writing, and teaching in her spiritual traditions.

Websites:

Books (Author page on Amazon)

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded June 20, 2022

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump and Jaya Kula
  • 00:03:39 – Esoteric Connections and Studying Different Traditions
  • 00:07:39 – Meeting Anandamayi Ma
  • 00:11:55 – Encountering Divine Intelligence
  • 00:16:35 – The Artistry of Limitation and Release from Suffering
  • 00:21:13 – The Intimate Relationship with a Teacher
  • 00:25:27 – The Role of a Teacher in Spiritual Practice
  • 00:29:08 – The Friend: A Guiding Wisdom
  • 00:33:04 – The Round World vs the Flat World
  • 00:37:09 – Continuous Learning and Refinement in Wisdom Traditions
  • 00:41:24 – The Direct Path vs the Progressive Path
  • 00:45:34 – Sticking with a Spiritual Practice
  • 00:49:33 – The Misunderstanding of Instant Enlightenment
  • 00:53:38 – Contentment and Yearning
  • 00:57:06 – The Privilege of Spiritual Practice (feat. Shambhavi)
  • 01:01:11 – The Nature of Self and God
  • 01:04:54 – Vrittis: Patterns of the Mind
  • 01:08:34 – Shaktipat and Transmission of Enlightenment
  • 01:12:38 – Science Fiction and Channeling Experiences
  • 01:16:36 – The Revelation of Devotion and Integration
  • 01:20:52 – Exploring the realms of science and spirituality
  • 01:24:41 – The Intersection of Science and Spirituality
  • 01:28:18 – The Journey to Spiritual Awakening
  • 01:32:22 – The Connection between the Cosmic Heart and the Individual Heart
  • 01:36:29 – Satsang and the Grand City of Manifest Life
  • 01:40:23 – Living Without View
  • 01:44:38 – The Nature of Reality in Trika Philosophy
  • 01:48:19 – The Nuanced View of Illusion in Advaita Vedanta
  • 01:52:11 – The Immanence of the Divine
  • 01:55:57 – The Surprises of Spiritual Practice
  • 01:59:46 – The Reality of the Experience

568. Paul Muller-Ortega, 2nd Interview

Paul Muller-Ortega, Ph.D., the founder of Blue Throat Yoga, is an internationally recognized meditation teacher, and one of the world’s most highly respected academic scholars in the field of Indian Religion and Hindu Tantra.

In this interview, he discusses his work on the Blue Throat Yoga tradition, his views on the nature of reality, and his insights into the process of spiritual awakening. He also talks about his experiences with psychedelics, his thoughts on the role of gurus, and his advice for those who are interested in pursuing a spiritual path.

Paul is passionate and devoted to teaching students how to access their truest Self, and to offer the knowledge base to understand and support that experience. He has led hundreds of meditation retreats, offered a vast array of study courses, translated and provided commentary on many of the most inspired sacred texts of the Śaiva-Śākta tradition, and has personally trained over 40 Ācāryas as Authorized Teachers of Neelakantha Meditation.

Paul is uniquely qualified to offer these potent teachings, drawing upon the synergy of his long career as an academic scholar, his particular capacity to translate complex ideas and concepts into easily accessible and comprehensible understanding, and a personal history of deep meditation and extensive practice in the Śaiva-Śākta Tantra tradition.

Paul Muller-Ortega is the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir (Suny Series, Shaiva Traditions of Kashmir), in which he examines the “Heart” as the mystical core of Consciousness. He is also one of the co-authors of “Meditation Revolution”, as well as numerous scholarly articles on aspects of Tantric Studies.

Website: bluethroatyoga.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

First BatGap interview with Paul.

Interview recorded September 12, 2020

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:45 – Symbolic Forms of Goddesses and the Teacher Prajanaka Abhinavagupta
  • 00:08:59 – The Formulation of Nilakanta Meditation
  • 00:13:22 – The Meaning and Importance of Mantras
  • 00:17:25 – The Activation of Mantras with Consciousness
  • 00:21:53 – The Potency and Vibratory Frequency of Consciousness
  • 00:26:18 – The Power of Mantra and Introversive Meditation
  • 00:31:31 – The Increase of the Ananda Value
  • 00:36:03 – The Shaiva Tradition and the Malas
  • 00:40:35 – The Activity of Consciousness and Relatively Real Appearances
  • 00:44:53 – The Subtle Attitude Towards Creation
  • 00:49:59 – The Different Approaches of Renunciates and Householders
  • 00:54:05 – Encounters with Ramana Maharshi
  • 00:58:12 – The Wave of Freedom and Transformation
  • 01:02:18 – Natural Awakening and the Impact of Grace
  • 01:06:33 – The Difficulty of Liberated Individuals
  • 01:10:38 – Turiya and Turiyatita States
  • 01:15:24 – The Divya Chakshu and Celestial Perception
  • 01:19:42 – The Value of Substandard Teachers
  • 01:23:33 – The Value of Knowledge in Attainment
  • 01:27:39 – Understanding the madhya space in meditation
  • 01:31:45 – The Sequences of Reality and Evolution
  • 01:36:25 – The Yoga Vasishta as a Syncretistic Text
  • 01:40:38 – Cult Mentality and Lack of Discrimination in Today’s World
  • 01:44:55 – Spiritual Perspectives on Planetary Awakening
  • 01:49:19 – The Transformation of Understanding and the Re-blossoming of Spirituality 
  • 01:53:39 – The Churning of the Ocean of Milk
  • 01:57:51 – Making the Maximum Use of Time 
  • 02:01:39 – The Significance of Aum and its Use as a Mantra
  • 02:05:35 – The Subtle Levels of Reality
  • 02:09:00 – Concluding Remarks