364. Sri M

Sri MSri M – spiritual guide, social reformer, and educationist – was born into a Muslim family on November 6, 1949, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His transformational journey, from a young boy to a living yogi, is a fascinating story symbolized by single-minded discipline and dedication.

Entranced by mystical stories of Sufi saints and a brief encounter with a numinous Swami at a relatively young age, he was not only drawn to the ‘truth’ but also the compelling landscape of the snow-clad Himalayas. At the age of nine, his spiritual transformation was initiated by his future Master, Babaji (also known as Maheshwarnath Babaji), who miraculously appeared under a jackfruit tree in the compound of his house in Thiruvananthapuram. Though only fleeting, this meeting definitively set the stage for their future reunion in the Himalayas at Sri M’s age of nineteen.

For the next three and half years, he lived and traveled extensively through the Himalayas with his Master. Maheshwarnath Babaji guided him right through his initiation, his Kundalini awakening, the grueling journey to Tholingmutt and, the eventual meeting with the Grand Master, Sri Guru Babaji also known as Sri Mahavatar Babaji.

Few years after his Master passed away, he received the spiritual go-ahead to commence his mission. In 1998, he started his teachings, eventually leading to the formation of the Satsang Foundation.

In response to a query on the spiritual progress of a person and the path to that evolution, he responds, “Though my parampara is kriya yoga, I don’t think it suits all aspirants. I propound satsang even between two people. It cuts across barriers of caste and creed. Spiritual evolution is not diverse from regular living. Intervals of solitude are necessary but you cannot shut yourself totally. The world around you is your touchstone to spiritual practice.” Conversant with the teachings of most major religions, Sri M says: “Go to the core. Theories are of no use.” His message seeks to transcend the outer-shell of all religions, by exploring their mystical core to nurture the innate goodness in every human being.

Website: satsang-foundation.org

Books:

Transcript of this interview.

Second Batgap interview with Sri M.

Interview recorded 10/6/2016

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:05:07 – The Sufi Man and the Lesson of Ego
  • 00:10:05 – Cautionary Notes for Spiritual Teachers
  • 00:14:38 – Judging What to Say
  • 00:18:45 – The Limitations of Human Knowledge
  • 00:23:25 – Ramana’s Compassion
  • 00:27:50 – The Encounter with Maheshwar Babaji
  • 00:32:07 – The Search for Great Beings in the Himalayas
  • 00:36:13 – A humorous encounter with Babaji
  • 00:40:16 – The Limitless Potential of Spiritual Development
  • 00:44:00 – The Potential for Spiritual Evolution
  • 00:48:38 – Rishabhadeva and the Aim of Life
  • 00:53:25 – Encounter with the Yeti
  • 00:57:54 – Taken to a Mysterious Room
  • 01:02:39 – The Possibility of Life beyond Earth
  • 01:06:45 – Encounter with a Blue Serpent
  • 01:11:35 – Conditions for Teaching Kriya Yoga
  • 01:16:19 – The Mysterious Location of Mauni Baba’s Cave
  • 01:21:27 – The Neurological Basis of Mystical Experience
  • 01:25:16 – The Circuit of Energies
  • 01:29:10 – Swadharma and Self-Discovery
  • 01:33:53 – Losing Friends on the Spiritual Path
  • 01:38:06 – Disconnecting from the External World
  • 01:42:39 – The Conundrum of Enlightenment
  • 01:47:32 – The Importance of Spiritual Inclination
  • 01:51:45 – Nourishing Diversity in Life
  • 01:55:44 – Different Schools of Thought on Enlightenment
  • 02:00:28 – Different Angles on the Truth
  • 02:04:23 – The Basic Theory of Kriya Yoga
  • 02:09:15 – Simple Meditation Technique
  • 02:12:49 – Greetings

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329. Andrew Harvey

Andrew HarveyAndrew Harvey is an author, speaker and founder/director of the Institute of Sacred Activism, an international organization focused on inviting concerned people to take up the challenge of our contemporary global crises by becoming inspired, effective and practical agents of institutional and systemic change, in order to create peace and sustainability.

Andrew Harvey has taught at Oxford University, Cornell University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, The California Institute of Integral Studies, and the University of Creation Spirituality as well as at various spiritual centers throughout the U.S. He was the subject of the 1993 BBC film documentary The Making of a Modern Mystic and appears also in Rumi Turning Ecstatic and The Consciousness Of The Christ: Reclaiming Jesus for a New Humanity. He has also worked with the great Iranian Sufi dancer, Banafsheh Sayyad, in producing a film, In the Fire of Grace, which marries Sufi inspired dances to the stages of Rumi’s understanding of the path of Divine love.

He has written and edited over 30 books and received many awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award and the Mind Body Spirit Award.

Website: andrewharvey.net

Some of Andrew’s many books:

Movie referred to during the interview: A Human Search: The Life of Father Bede Griffiths (1993)

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 1/25/2016

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction and Welcome
  • 00:04:48 – Returning to the Sources of My Childhood
  • 00:08:24 – Mystical Experiences and Life Changes
  • 00:11:34 – The Purpose of Our Souls’ Work
  • 00:14:54 – The Transforming Power of Love
  • 00:18:22 – The Dark Night: A Process of Divinization
  • 00:21:27 – Embracing the Depths of the Shadow
  • 00:24:44 – The Urgency of Preparing for Evolutionary Shattering
  • 00:29:39 – The Marriage of Opposites
  • 00:35:12 – The Marriage of Mission and Heart
  • 00:39:34 – The Power of Love in the World
  • 00:43:37 – Networks of Grace and Radical Social Work
  • 00:48:43 – The Paradigm of Deep Cooperation and Collaboration
  • 00:53:56 – Creating an Alternate Reality
  • 00:59:03 – The Transformation of Birthing the Divine in the Human
  • 01:03:43 – The Power of Unconditional Forgiveness
  • 01:08:24 – Changing the World Through Collective Action
  • 01:13:20 – The Process of Transformation through Divine Self
  • 01:18:55 – The Price of Spiritual Awakening
  • 01:23:36 – Gratitude and Appreciation for a Difficult Breakup
  • 01:27:46 – Abusive Power in Spiritual Circles
  • 01:31:08 – The Modulation of Softness and Flexibility
  • 01:34:36 – Mystical Christianity and Hinduism-Buddhism Integration
  • 01:38:21 – Finding Grace in Everyday Joys
  • 01:42:23 – The Endless Evolution of Enlightenment
  • 01:46:38 – Enlightenment and the Sacrifice of Ramana Maharshi
  • 01:49:30 – Cultivating Humility through Practices
  • 01:53:00 – The Dance Between Light and Dark
  • 01:56:39 – The Primordial Love Relationship
  • 01:59:24 – Life well-lived in progress
  • 02:02:28 – Free resources and ongoing project

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302. Guy Finley

Guy FinleyBest-selling “Letting Go” author Guy Finley’s encouraging and accessible message is one of the true bright lights in our world today. His ideas cut straight to the heart of our most important personal and social issues – relationships, success, addiction, stress, peace, happiness, freedom – and lead the way to a higher life.

Finley is the acclaimed author of The Secret of Your Immortal Self: Key Lessons for Realizing the Divinity Withinand more than 40 other books and audio albums (plus over 1,000 unique audio programs) that have sold millions of copies in 24 languages worldwide.

His syndicated weekly radio program is aired on several international networks including Healthy Life Radio, Achieve Radio, Sedona Talk Radio, and Healthlife.net. Guy is a faculty member at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York and is a regular expert contributor to Beliefnet.com, the Huffington Post and many other journals.

Guy is the founder and director of Life of Learning Foundation, the renowned non-profit Center for Self-study in Merlin, Oregon where he offers four inner-life classes each open to the public.

More books:

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 8/8/2015

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:47 – Growing up in Hollywood with the In-Crowd
  • 00:09:12 – The Bonsai Tree Experience and the Revelation of Self
  • 00:13:20 – The Journey of Self-Discovery
  • 00:18:02 – Milestones on the Path of Self-Realization
  • 00:22:42 – The Foundation Must Be Laid
  • 00:27:19 – Discovering Truth Within Myself
  • 00:31:37 – The Value of Heartbreak and Resistance
  • 00:35:56 – The Importance of Patience and Tolerance
  • 00:40:15 – The Intelligence of Awareness
  • 00:45:06 – Seeing the Celestial in the Common
  • 00:49:54 – Seeing Life in a Different Way
  • 00:54:36 – Resistance and Negative States
  • 00:59:28 – Recognizing and dealing with negativity
  • 01:04:16 – The Practice of Purifying the Nadis and Energetic Patterns
  • 01:08:52 – Seeing through the Illusion of Self
  • 01:13:38 – The Benefits of Meditation and Alignment
  • 01:18:15 – The Interface between the Subtle and the Gross
  • 01:22:51 – Useless Suffering vs Voluntary Suffering
  • 01:27:11 – The Tipping Point of Consciousness
  • 01:31:24 – The Interpretation of the Trinity
  • 01:35:57 – Understanding the Cycle of Happiness and Unhappiness
  • 01:40:09 – Transcending Conditions and Finding Freedom
  • 01:43:45 – The Contradictions of Self-Worth and Identity
  • 01:47:25 – Transformation from Pursuit to Presence
  • 01:50:45 – The Universe Revealing Its Consciousness
  • 01:54:38 – Discovering Your Infinite Potential
  • 01:57:45 – The Metaphor of a Line in Air
  • 02:00:17 – The Search for the Sacred
  • 02:03:01 – A Conversation with Gary Renard
  • 02:04:59 – Prolific Work and Reasonable Prices