724. Lisa Carrillo

Although Lisa worked as a chemical engineer, spirituality always was the priority in her life. In 2009, at a silent retreat, her thought-based identity dropped away, and she saw only the single flow of benevolence in all that is.

When some of those thoughts returned a few weeks later (less convincing than before), there also came a deep curiosity to inquire into those thoughts. She developed many tools to return to a lived experience of the deeper knowing. Both of her books share these tools. All that is is a vibrant expression erupting from a single full emptiness.

Website: experiencingthetrueself.com

Books:

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Interview recorded January 26, 2025

706. Philip Wade

After a 14-year Meditation Journey, Philip experientially realized the nature of the True Self which referred to itself as Infinite Silence.

In his former life, Philip was a Chartered Civil Engineer and Operating Group Director of a large business. In 2000 in response to dreaming about work on a skiing holiday Philip began Meditation. Ultimately, this led him to leave his old world behind in 2009 at the height of his career to focus on a deep inner calling.

Since 2014 he has shared the gift of Self Realization with the world in ways led by Meditative Insight through direct experience of the Infinite Silence Meditation, Spiritual Inquiry, Infinite Touch and via his website and other outlets. His style is simple, compassionate and offers exquisite clarity. His sharing is all based on direct experience, is not rooted in any tradition and is ideal for the present era. Unexpectedly, Philip was both inspired and invited to offer events in person in the UK, Iceland, Greece (Corfu and Crete) and Amsterdam and globally online.

Philip lives near the small but very beautiful Cathedral City of Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. With his Wife Sue, they have created a purpose-built Meditation space for events. He light-heartedly calls it the Universal Studio!

Because of the misunderstandings and spiritual blocks that can be associated with them he has never been a fan of labels people have called him, including Guru, Teacher, and Master. Recently (late 2021) in meditation it was made clear the term Western Mystic was to be used. Whilst the ‘Western’ term is, in truth, superfluous the intention that was made clear was to draw out the fact that his sharing is all rooted in direct experience and is he is not ‘schooled’ in Eastern Teachings. Experience has shown that this has made the material accessible to a broad audience. His message focuses on helping people recognize, inquire into, and experience the absolute simplicity and power of the Infinite Silence that is our true essence.

  • Website – includes:
    • A link to a free Meditations Site
    • Many free resources
    • An Online Retreat in your own time for a nominal donation
  • The Living Soul, Self Realisation App – A Self Realisation Community and Resource Library including a Community Zoom Calls and Retreat. Access via the App stores and for more detailed information visit Philip’s Website here.
  • Insight Timer App – over 50 free Tracks – Includes a freely available LiveStream Self Realisation Programme with accompanying Infinite Silence Meditations (0.25 hours to 1.5 hours).
  • YouTube Channel – Over 250 videos including many Live Streams, Short Insights and Shorts
  • Podcast – Nothing Special with Philip Wade: Over 60 Episodes on many Self Realisation topics on all major platforms.
  • LinkedIn – More recent addition (called for from the Silence) with a series of ‘journeys’ posts to invite people to explore.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram – A vast array of insights, articles, videos and quotes.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded May 4, 2024.

YouTube Video Chapters:

688. Bob Harwood

Between the age of 20 and 40 I was consumed with a wide range of existential questions, but despite endless thinking and reading, I never found a single answer. Due to some business-related stress at the age of 40, I started a simple meditative exercise as a way to acquire some peace of mind, and within two weeks a major insight occurred that led to more meditative activities. Five months later a huge cosmic-consciousness event answered seven of my questions and catapulted me into a different reality. I then concluded that all answers were “within,” and for the next 15 years I went on silent meditation retreats with Christians, Buddhists, and Advaita groups during which all of my other questions got answered. Nevertheless, I still did not feel free. Then, a new question arose, “How is it possible to stay in a unity-conscious state of mind permanently rather than oscillating between a sense of selfhood and no-self?” In 1999, after a deep experience of gratitude on a solo hiking retreat, “the little guy in the head” (the sense of a personal “me”) totally vanished, and the result was freedom, contentment, and understanding.

Book: Pouring Concrete: A Zen Path to the Kingdom of God – Expanded Edition

Bob’s email

Transcript and summary of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded August 19, 2023

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:04:43 – Questioning Beliefs and Exploring Existential Questions
00:08:25 – The Journey of Seeking Answers in Zen Philosophy
00:12:17 – The Shift in Perception
00:16:07 – A Reality Shift
00:19:54 – The End of the Construction Company
00:24:03 – Realization of the Incomprehensible
00:28:16 – Simple answers to Zen riddles
00:32:17 – Finding Freedom in the Middle of Responsibilities
00:35:50 – Questioning Selfhood and Freedom in the Mountains
00:38:59 – The Dissolution of the Sense of Self
00:42:30 – The True Self and Identity
00:46:00 – The Silence of the Mind
00:49:19 – Non-Abidance in the Mind
00:52:39 – The Kingdom of God Inside and Outside of You
00:55:59 – Shifting Attention Beyond the Mind
01:02:47 – The Benefits of Practice and Reconfiguration
01:06:16 – The Natural Inclination to Help Others
01:09:50 – The Depth of Awakening
01:13:12 – Falling Asleep During Meditation
01:16:26 – Realizing the Irrelevance of a Silent Mind
01:20:00 – Seeking Benefit in the Present Moment
01:23:32 – Intuition and the Home of All Knowledge
01:27:00 – Knowing and achieving specific things in life
01:30:50 – The Blissful State on the Deathbed
01:34:07 – Embracing the Unknowable Future
01:37:31 – The Universal Sound
01:40:44 – The Challenges of Maintaining Friendships
01:48:00 – Wrapping Up with Bob