Due to technical problems, this video only contains still shots of Mandi, while Rick’s video is normal.
The Absence of the Doer and the Joy of No Self
Mandi Solk lives in Hebden Bridge in the north of England and has spent many years sharing nondual insights through talks, meetings, writing, and online videos. In this conversation she speaks candidly about her seeker’s journey, a life-changing letting go in the face of death, and the shift in perspective that followed. She also discusses the sense of being pulled beyond the apparent solidity of the world, the profound silence she encountered, and how awakening changes the way ordinary life is seen and lived.
Mandi and Rick explore self-enquiry, meditation, fear and anxiety, the tendency to take thoughts too seriously, and the difference between rigid spiritual concepts and a more natural, inclusive understanding of nonduality. She emphasizes that everything is included: emotions, daily life, relationships, and even the most ordinary moments. The conversation also touches on the absence of the doer, presence, gradual and spontaneous realizations, and the possibility of awakening being accessible to everyone.
This interview offers a warm, practical, and deeply human perspective on awakening that stays grounded in everyday life.
Books:
- ‘The Joy of No Self’, endorsed by Scott Kiloby and Jeff Foster
- Is-Ness Is Your Only Biz-Ness: Highly Potent Power-Poems with the Power to Transform, Inspire, Heal, and Awaken to Liberation
Interview recorded 2/27/2011
2nd BatGap interview with Mandi
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction to Mandi Solk
- 00:02:49 – A Seeker’s Journey
- 00:06:17 – Letting go in the face of death
- 00:09:20 – The Awakening and Change of Perspective
- 00:12:00 – Encased in a Wall of Terror
- 00:15:01 – Profound Silence and Non-Events
- 00:17:45 – The Loving Way of Finding Your True Self
- 00:20:56 – Finding Stillness in Meditation
- 00:23:47 – Meditation Rigidities
- 00:26:13 – The Practice of Meditation
- 00:28:51 – The Absence of the Doer
- 00:31:54 – Embracing the Present Moment
- 00:35:16 – Observing Fear and Anxiety
- 00:38:41 – The Naturalness of Detachment
- 00:41:24 – Embracing all Emotions in Nonduality
- 00:44:12 – Living Life Fully
- 00:46:43 – Unraveling the tendency to take thoughts too seriously
- 00:49:16 – Scott’s Shadow Work and Personal Growth
- 00:51:49 – The Nature of Aliveness
- 00:54:20 – Dwelling in the State of Presence
- 00:57:17 – The Generosity of the Way to God
- 01:00:02 – Gradual Realizations and Seeing Beyond Separation
- 01:02:43 – The Two Ways of Awakening
- 01:05:25 – Spontaneous awakenings and the path to self-discovery
- 01:07:44 – The Experience of Absolute Love and God’s Presence
- 01:10:35 – Be Still and Know That I Am God
- 01:13:17 – The Possibility of Awakening
- 01:15:41 – Nonduality accessible to all
- 01:18:03 – Private Realization and Ordinary Life
- 01:20:40 – The Value of Diversity of Perspectives
- 01:22:57 – Healing by Revealing Soul Website
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