About this episode
After 20+ years of Buddhist and non-dual practice, in 2003 Tina Rasmussen, Ph.D., undertook a year-long solo retreat during which awakening occurred. She later ordained as a Buddhist nun with a world-renowned meditation master, became the first Western woman to attain that path, and was authorized to teach. Tina has been studied by Yale Neuroscience Lab for research on the effects of meditation on consciousness and the brain. Tina is co-author of Practicing the Jhanas: Traditional Concentration Meditation as Presented by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, and has been featured on Conscious TV and in Non-duality Magazine. She is also involved in the Diamond Approach to realization. Tina teaches students worldwide how to walk the path of the “urban mystic”—functioning from deep spiritual understanding while living a modern human life. Dr. Rasmussen has also worked in the field of human/organizational development as a consultant/coach for 25+ years, with several published books on humanistic leadership. Website: luminousmindsangha.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded February 23, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Previous Interviews Menu 00:06:01 - Exploring Meditation and Inquiry Techniques 00:10:50 - The Brain Changes with Meditation 00:15:41 - Overcoming Hindrances in Meditation 00:20:33 - Understanding Awakening 00:24:17 - Uniqueness and Awakened Beings 00:28:08 - Fine-tuning the Contraption 00:31:56 - Deep Retreat Experience 00:35:55 - Handling Intense Energy during Meditation 00:39:37 - The Awakening Journey 00:43:32 - Working with Awakening in Daily Life 00:47:39 - Different Paths for Different People 00:50:55 - The Hare and the Tortoise 00:54:33 - The Neo-Advaita Shift 00:57:59 - Moving from Distortions to Integration 01:01:55 - Awakening in the World 01:05:28 - A Vision of a More Enlightened World 01:09:30 - The Lack of Understanding and Emphasis on Awakening 01:13:38 - The Importance of Diligence and Discernment 01:17:18 - Exercising Discernment and Ethical Living 01:21:14 - Living in Alignment with Realization 01:24:32 - Manifestation and Meditation across Different Walks of Life 01:28:24 - The Balance of Effort and Letting Go 01:32:47 - The Continuity of Awareness and Identification with Instinctual Drives 01:36:54 - Understanding the Harm and Delusion in Spiritual Practice 01:40:26 - The Challenges After Awakening 01:45:05 - Awakening and Dealing with Personality Material 01:51:11 - Insight and Rigpa: Stages of Liberation 01:59:03 - The Ground of Awakening 02:06:22 - The Full Potentiality of the Human Experience 02:12:23 - End of Presentation