About this episode
(Photo taken in front of the American Gothic House in Iowa and is jokingly meant to emulate the famous painting American Gothic. We don't usually dress like that! Or hold pitchforks!) Richard Miller hosts a 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. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded 6/5/2010. Other talks by or interviews of Rick on BatGap: SAND 2019 - Knowledge/Reality is Different in Different States of Consciousness 2018 SAND Conference Q&A and Interview by Shakti Caterina Maggi SAND 2017: "The Ethics of Enlightenment" Talk at Berkeley Open Circle Center SAND 2015: Science and Spirituality: Potential Allies in Discovering Truth Interviewed by Fax Gilbert 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