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)
Website: bluethroatyoga.com
Another book:
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
First BatGap interview with Paul.
Interview recorded September 12, 2020
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
- 00:04:45 – 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
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