In January of 2012, Robert was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and told he had nine months to live. However, consistent with his contrarian nature, he lived a productive life until passing away in 2017.
Robert was struck by a strong curiosity about life when he was 11, which propelled him into years of globe-trotting adventures. In 1973, Robert met Swami Muktananda and spent the next 10 years studying with him. Since 1985, Robert’s professional motto was Have Mouth, Will Travel, and he was known as an iconoclastic self-awareness facilitator, speaker, leadership adviser, and mentor to people from all walks of life. He led “Conversations on the High Wire” and presented programs in “The 5 Principles of Authentic Living” and “Speaking Truthfully.”
Robert published eight books and more than 250 articles on the themes of meditation, self-inquiry, leadership, authentic living and speaking, and spiritual activism. In the early 1990s, he wrote a pioneering column for The New Leaders’ executive newsletter entitled “The Corporate Mystic.” He contributed original essays to three leading-edge anthologies and was interviewed for The Awakening West, a collection of conversations with contemporary Western wisdom teachers.
His résumé of speaking engagements includes more than 350 of his distinctive inquiry-based seminars and talks to such organizations as State of the World Forum, California Institute of Integral Studies, Institute of Noetic Sciences, International Conference on Enlightenment, Inner Directions Conference, and International Coach Federation.
Books:
- The 5 Principles of Authentic Living: How to Live an Authentic Life in 10 Words
- Sound Bites from Silence: Scouting Reports from the Frontier of Consciousness
- Speak Truthfully: Speak Your Way to an Authentic Life with Awareness, Courage, and Confidence
- Invisible Leadership: Igniting the Soul at Work
- The Sacred Hub
- Radical Wisdom: Living from Silence while Rocking the World
Interview recorded 8/1/2015
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
- 00:06:15 – A Journey Through Education
- 00:10:50 – Adventures in Watershed Management
- 00:14:12 – A Journey to India
- 00:18:11 – Healing and Meeting Baba
- 00:21:24 – An Encounter with Baba at the Ashram
- 00:25:24 – Shaktipat Experience and Leaving the Ashram
- 00:29:21 – Stories of Gurudev and Maharishi
- 00:33:32 – The Mechanics of Creation
- 00:37:26 – Reverence for the Body
- 00:41:09 – Living in Perpetual Astonishment
- 00:45:41 – Profound Transformative Experience
- 00:49:41 – The Ashram Experience and Letters to Mother
- 00:53:49 – Lessons from Cutting Carrots
- 00:57:39 – Managing Other People’s Money
- 01:01:36 – Acknowledging Devotion and Contribution
- 01:06:18 – The Significance of Human Feelings and Worth
- 01:11:13 – Transitioning into Political Activism
- 01:14:45 – Personal Reflection on Attending an Orgy
- 01:19:36 – Fear of Being Found Out
- 01:23:31 – The Terrifying Immensity of Muktananda
- 01:27:21 – Inner Growth and Making a Positive Difference
- 01:31:30 – Personalization and Open-mindedness
- 01:35:40 – The Experience of Silence, Shakti, and Action
- 01:40:46 – Pony Rides to Oblivion
- 01:47:03 – The Experience of Silence and Language Collapse
- 01:53:40 – The Source of Questions and Language in Spiritual Path
- 02:01:08 – Speaking your Inner Truth
- 02:10:40 – The Five Principles: Be Present, Pay Attention, Listen Deeply, Speak Truthfully, Act Creatively
- 02:19:08 – Following the Path of Mastery
- 02:26:42 – Supporting the interview series
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