About this episode
People have always loved sitting and sharing in the presence of an awakened human being and experiencing that tender beingness. For about 7 years Florian Tathagata and his life companion Julia have travelled around the world untiringly inviting seekers to recognize in their own experience who they really are and to live as an embodiment of truth in everyday life. In his unmistakable manner he embraces the daily and simple life that he is sharing with a constantly increasing number of 'friends of truth', as he calls all those being interested. Again and again visitors of meetings tell of spontaneous awakening, of an all penetrating silence, of simple clarity and presence and of overflowing love and gratitude which they experience in Florian Tathagata‘s presence. With both legs firmly rooted in normal everyday life and at the same time in the heart deeply connected with Ramana Maharshi, Papaji, Jiddu Krishnamurti and his teacher and friend Isaac Shapiro, Florian Tathagata speaks and is silent, laughs and cries, is present with everyone who would love to savour the truth of awareness. Florian is the author of two books: Being and Given. Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 9/18/2011. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Spiritual Names 00:04:00 - The Influence of Past Experiences and Memory 00:07:47 - Connection and Communion 00:12:03 - Relaxing the Focus: 00:16:05 - The Experience of Overwhelm 00:20:04 - Disembodiment and Traumatic Experiences in Awakening 00:24:08 - The Tragedy of Denying Unconscious Triggers 00:27:48 - The Shift of Attention during Awakening 00:31:06 - Natural Awakening and Self-Exploration 00:34:45 - The Exploration of Attention and Connection 00:38:17 - The Impact of Early Life Experiences on Connection 00:41:20 - Disembodied Spirituality 00:44:40 - The Cultural Background and the Importance of Embodiment 00:47:53 - Identification with Nothingness and Accumulating Exhaustion 00:50:43 - The Transformation of Exhaustion into Rest 00:53:45 - Connecting to the Natural State 00:57:09 - The Seduction of Spiritual Winners 01:00:17 - The Integration of Ramana and Muktananda 01:03:41 - Removing Tricks and Natural Methods for De-stressing Soldiers 01:07:32 - Inviting Awareness and Relaxing Attention 01:11:14 - The Reality Beneath the Surface 01:14:55 - Connecting with Inner Reality 01:18:47 - Layers of Conditioning in Healing and Integration 01:22:06 - Learning to Listen to the Body 01:25:37 - Being Present and Self-Aware 01:29:44 - The Importance of Female Moderation 01:33:52 - Unraveling Protective Beliefs for Relaxation 01:38:04 - Options arise when conscious 01:41:36 - Cultivating Self-Referral Awareness 01:44:41 - Discussion on upcoming website and video 01:47:45 - Interviews and Conference Updates