288. Peter Fenner

Peter is a leader in the Western adaptation of Buddhist wisdom. He is a pioneer in the new field of nondual psychotherapy. He was a celibate monk in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions for nine years. He has a Ph.D. in the philosophical psychology of Mahayana Buddhism and has held teaching positions at universities in Australia and the USA.

He has taught workshops at Naropa University, the California Institute for Integral Studies, Omega Institute, and other centers, and given invited presentations at JFK University, Saybrook College, Stanford Medical School, Columbia University, and internationally.

Peter’s way of teaching is known for its dynamic and engaging deconstruction of all fixed frames of reference that block entry to unconditioned awareness, and for the purity and depth of natural, uncontrived silence that emerges in his work. He also has a unique capacity for sharing the skills and states of his transmission in a way that others can easily understand and begin to replicate the nondual transmission.

Books:

Websites:

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 4/18/2015

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:07 – Distinguishing between intellectual understanding and direct experience
  • 00:08:19 – Sourceless Bliss
  • 00:12:35 – The Progressive Development of Experience
  • 00:16:29 – Starting at the End
  • 00:20:59 – Cultivating Peace and Serenity Amidst Difficulties
  • 00:25:16 – The Paradoxical Nature of Non-Doing and Non-Dualism
  • 00:29:40 – The Purity of Resting in Awareness
  • 00:33:49 – The Purpose of Meditation
  • 00:37:05 – The Practice of Doing Nothing
  • 00:40:22 – Not Knowing and Presence
  • 00:44:17 – The Ground of Subjectivity
  • 00:47:26 – The Mystery of Awareness and Non-Duality
  • 00:51:14 – Diversity of Non-Dual Approaches
  • 00:54:39 – Neuroplasticity and the Nature of Enlightenment
  • 00:58:35 – The Expansiveness of Enlightenment
  • 01:02:03 – Resting as pure awareness in any state
  • 01:05:39 – Collective Psychological Problems
  • 01:09:15 – Dissolving Hidden Baggage and Flowing Life
  • 01:13:00 – Exploring Devotion and Awareness
  • 01:16:57 – The Concept of the Mind Stream
  • 01:20:34 – Finding Inspiration in the Lineage
  • 01:24:26 – Regaining the Natural State
  • 01:28:19 – Embodiment and Integration
  • 01:32:07 – Retreat in India and Nepal
  • 01:35:49 – Nutty People and Spirituality
  • 01:39:33 – Appreciating What We Have
  • 01:43:18 – A Lifelong Passion
  • 01:46:29 – Holding Up the Stick
  • 01:50:09 – The Structure of the Course: Three Workshops
  • 01:53:17 – Future Topics