About this episode
Peter Russell is a leading thinker on consciousness and contemporary spirituality. He coined the term "global brain" with his 1980s bestseller of the same name in which he predicted the Internet and the impact it would have on humanity. His new book, Letting Go of Nothing: Relax Your Mind and Discover the Wonder of Your True Nature, is published this August. He is the author of ten other books, including Waking Up in Time: Finding Inner Peace in Times of Accelerating Change and From Science to God: A Physicists Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness. He studied theoretical physics, experimental psychology, and computer science at the University of Cambridge, and pioneered the introduction of personal growth programs to corporations, running courses for senior management on creativity, stress management, and sustainable development. His mission is to distill the essential wisdom on human consciousness found in the world’s various spiritual traditions and to disseminate their teachings on self-liberation in contemporary and compelling ways. Peter's website: peterrussell.com Peter's YouTube channel Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. First BatGap interview with Peter. Interview recorded August 14, 2021 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:22 - Exploring Intelligent Design and Nature's Orchestration 00:07:34 - The Release of Letting Go 00:11:19 - Letting Go of Attachments through Body Awareness 00:16:56 - The Fundamental Motivation 00:21:56 - The Search for Inner Peace 00:26:06 - The Natural Mind 00:31:36 - Falling and Finding Contentment 00:41:50 - Distractions and Inner Quietness 00:47:37 - The Limitations of Books on the Spiritual Path 00:51:40 - Starting with Simple Meditation Techniques 00:55:08 - The Effects of Technological Acceleration 00:58:24 - The Innovative Power of Humans 01:01:18 - The Potential Limits of Technological Acceleration 01:04:20 - The Unsustainability of our Civilization 01:07:09 - Understanding the Trajectory 01:10:03 - The Importance of Becoming Better Human Beings 01:13:14 - The Importance of Confidence and Speculation 01:16:11 - The Power of Now 01:19:01 - The Two Aspects of Emotions 01:22:12 - Letting Go and Moving On 01:25:19 - The Doer and the Divine 01:29:07 - Synchronicity and Nature's Favor 01:32:37 - Attuning to Divine Intelligence 01:36:11 - The Natural Tendency of the Mind 01:39:32 - Letting Go: The Essence of Forgiveness 01:42:31 - Letting go of Judgments and Grievances 01:45:46 - The Vicious Circle of Attack and Defense 01:48:55 - The Power of Apologizing and Being Kind 01:52:01 - Mindfulness of Being Webinars 01:54:41 - Reflecting on the Talk with Peter