023. Rick Archer interviewed by Richard Miller

I’m the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer at Buddha at the Gas Pump. Richard Miller hosts a similar interview show called Never Not Here. Somehow we connected and he asked to interview me, not necessarily as an awakened being or teacher, but as a fellow spiritual aspirant. In the summer of 1967, when I was 17 years old, I was driving through Westport, CT with three friends in the car. One of them in the back seat was reading from a commentary on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass). A quiet but memorable realization dawned in me that there was such a thing as “enlightenment” and that realizing it was life’s ultimate goal. I rather recklessly explored that possibility through drugs for a year, then saw the futility of that approach and learned Transcendental Meditation. I taught TM for 25 years and still meditate regularly, but am not affiliated with any particular spiritual organization. I respect any of them which seem to offer genuine benefits to their participants.

Interview recorded 6/5/2010.

Other talks by or interviews of Rick on BatGap:

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Welcome to Never Not Here
  • 00:02:56 – The Growth of Transcendental Meditation in Fairfield
  • 00:05:45 – A Diverse Spiritual Community in Fairfield
  • 00:08:12 – The Blurring of Cultural Boundaries
  • 00:11:23 – The Awakening Moment
  • 00:13:59 – Sincerity and Genuine Practice
  • 00:16:48 – The Profound Effects of Long Meditation
  • 00:19:36 – The Process of Re-Entry from Meditation Retreats
  • 00:22:28 – Unwinding Deep Stresses
  • 00:24:52 – The Benefits of Dissolving Negative Experiences
  • 00:26:35 – The Continuous Practice of Meditation
  • 00:28:26 – The Reflection of Consciousness in the Nervous System
  • 00:30:25 – Becoming a Better Reflector
  • 00:32:21 – The African man’s interpretation of the surroundings
  • 00:34:31 – The Correlation of Concept and Experience
  • 00:38:11 – The Presence of Babbling Saints and Articulating Experience
  • 00:41:28 – Different Orientations and Experiences
  • 00:45:27 – The Origins of Spiritual Traditions and Their Relevance Today
  • 00:48:16 – The Qualities of Enlightenment
  • 00:50:06 – Layers of Ignorance and the Essence of Consciousness
  • 00:51:56 – Preferences and Enlightenment
  • 00:54:03 – The Limitations of Conceptual Thinking
  • 00:56:25 – Duality in Concepts: The Positive and Negative
  • 00:58:40 – The Tragedy of Locked Perspectives
  • 01:01:23 – Living in a State of Enlightenment
  • 01:04:27 – Leaving the Incubator and Awakening
  • 01:07:11 – The Illusion of Movement in Enlightenment
  • 01:10:21 – Embracing Further Unfoldments in Education
  • 01:13:33 – The Paradox of Seeking Answers
  • 01:16:05 – Remembering the Nature of Thoughts
  • 01:18:28 – Farewell for this Episode