343. Thomas Razzeto

Thomas RazzetoThomas Razzeto is one of the newest and freshest voices among the teachers of our balanced, ancient nondual wisdom. Thomas easily digs deeply into the core of this wisdom to reveal both its essential truth and the heartfelt compassion that all true sages embody when they are genuinely engaged in the world without being entangled by it.

The first time Thomas heard this nondual wisdom was in 2005 when he attended one of Timothy Conway’s satsangs and Thomas has continually attended these weekly meetings since they provide the foundation for all his work. (By the way, Timothy Conway was guest number 28 at Buddha at the Gas Pump way back in July of 2010.) Timothy woke up when he was only 16 and he later was fortunate enough to meet several enlightened masters, such as Sri Nisargadatta, Annamalai Swami, and others among Sri Ramana Maharshi’s immediate followers.

Thomas teaches in plain English, yet much of what he says would be recognized by people familiar with Advaita, Buddhism, or Hinduism. Thomas has taught his book, Living the Paradox of Enlightenment: Spiritual Awakening in Simple, Clear English, as a class for the Center for Lifelong Learning, which is a part of Santa Barbara City College, the highest-ranked community college in the United States. In September 2012, Thomas spoke for the prestigious lecture series, Mind, and Supermind, which is run by Santa Barbara City College.

Website: Infinitely Mystical

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview conducted 4/23/2016

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:11 – Practical Understanding of Non-Dual Wisdom
  • 00:07:16 – Early Spiritual Journey
  • 00:10:31 – Timothy’s perspective on enlightenment
  • 00:13:28 – The Nature of Experience
  • 00:17:07 – The Transformation of a Gang Member
  • 00:21:25 – The Recognition of Mystical Experiences
  • 00:24:00 – The Snake and the Rope: Recognizing What You Are Looking At
  • 00:31:00 – The True Self and Enlightenment
  • 00:41:23 – The Beauty of Clear Language and Examples
  • 00:47:05 – The Three Steps of Awakening
  • 00:51:03 – The Realm of Possibility in Enlightenment
  • 00:54:15 – The Definition of Enlightenment
  • 00:58:12 – The Functionality of the Ego
  • 01:01:29 – The Faint Remains of Ignorance
  • 01:04:34 – Setting Goals and Letting Go
  • 01:07:11 – The Prayer for Liberation
  • 01:10:17 – The Effortless Flow of Creation
  • 01:13:38 – Balancing assertiveness and passivity
  • 01:17:18 – Engaging with Life and Divine Intelligence
  • 01:21:20 – The multi-leveled reality of the world
  • 01:25:27 – The Existence of Atrocities in a Divine Universe
  • 01:28:43 – The Vastness of the Universe and Different Realms
  • 01:32:40 – The Power of Finding Good in Every Situation
  • 01:36:16 – Awareness and Personal Consciousness
  • 01:39:57 – Permeating the Dream Body and Maintaining Awareness during Sleep
  • 01:43:02 – Science and Consciousness Beyond the Materialistic Paradigm
  • 01:46:51 – The Mystery of Divine Intelligence
  • 01:50:02 – The Difference in Experience: Dualities and Multiplicities
  • 01:53:28 – The Importance of Self-Love and Social Justice
  • 01:56:43 – Explore the Menus on batgap.com