479. Rick Archer SAND Conference Q&A and Interview by Shakti Caterina Maggi - a podcast by Rick Archer

This video contains my Question and Answer session at the 2018 Science and Nonduality conference. and also an interview of me by Shakti Caterina Maggi, an Italian spiritual teacher who used to be a journalist. My SAND Q&A includes the following points:

How BatGap started.Which guests have been the most interesting, provocative, intriguing, brilliant, mysterious, surprising, etc.?
What insights have I gained? How has this process influenced my spiritual path? What do I experience while I’m interviewing people? What do I foresee for BatGap in the next few years?How to deal with family and friends who don’t understand your awakening or interest in spirituality?
A consideration of sudden vs. gradual awakenings.How do I regard the urgency of humanity’s need to take a spiritual/cultural leap in response to the dire predicament facing us?
The joy and challenge of speaking with people from such a broad range of spiritual backgrounds.Why science and spirituality need and can benefit one another.
The importance of understanding consciousness to be the fundamental to the universe rather than merely a product of brain functioning.Shakti's interview includes the following points:


In which direction are we as consciousness moving? How might the growing awakening of consciousness help humanity avert disaster?Embodied spirituality vs. avoidance of life through transcendence. Consciousness is relevant to every field of human endeavor.
Consciousness is fundamental to matter.Finding the foundation of our being and dealing with individual planetary problems from that foundation.
Ethical standards for spiritual teachers.When is one ready to become a spiritual teacher? The potential consequences of entering the profession prematurely.
The guru is a function of consciousness which can work through imperfect bodies and personalities.The importance of teachers and students having the humility to acknowledge that we’re all works in progress.
Culturing discernment and discrimination.Having the freedom to ask anything in a teacher/student relationship in order to dispel doubts.
Is it possible to establish absolute guidelines on appropriate teacher behavior?The quality of awakening will vary according to one’s constitution.
Awakening enhances individual differences while establishing our fundamental unity.Sticking with one teacher vs. working with many.
The importance of sincerity. The principle of “the highest first”.Recorded October 27th and 28th, 2018, in San Jose, California.

Other talks on BatGap:SAND 2019 - Knowledge/Reality is Different in Different States of Consciousness
SAND 2017:"The Ethics of Enlightenment"Talk at Berkeley Open Circle Center
Talk at SAND 2015Interviewed by Fax Gilbert
Interviewed by Richard MillerDiscussion of this talk and interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this talk and interviewOther talks by Rick on BatGap:

SAND 2019 - Knowledge/Reality is Different in Different States of ConsciousnessVideo and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


Chapters:00:00:00 - The Birth of Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:04:10 - The Enlivening Effect of the Industry Update00:07:12 - The Power of Ordinary People
00:09:47 - Hidden Gems in Interviews00:12:14 - Creating New Categories of Interesting Content
00:14:24 - The Transformative Power of Immersion in the Interview Process00:16:44 - The Evolutionary Impact of Service
00:18:38 - Dealing with Family in the Awakening Process00:20:04 - Cultivating Patience and Compassion in Relationships
00:22:16 - A Remarkable Awakening00:24:14 - The Incremental Process of Spiritual Development
00:25:57 - A Tipping Point00:28:44 - The Spiritual Awakening in Response to Crisis
00:31:40 - Awakening Within Everyone's Physiology
00:33:49 - Revival of Extinct Cultures and Converg...

Further episodes of Buddha at the Gas Pump

Further podcasts by Rick Archer

Website of Rick Archer