Wayne Liquorman was both a spiritual seeker and a family man with a successful export business, when he met his first and final guru, Ramesh Balsekar, in September 1987. In April 1989 the process of seeking ended when enlightenment happened through the body-mind mechanism called Wayne.

Wayne describes the event as being "of interest only to seekers." His first book, No Way: A Guide For the Spiritually 'Advanced' was published in 1990 under the pen name Ram Tzu because he "didn't want a bunch of miserable seekers cluttering up his living room." In fact, Wayne did not speak publicly until Ramesh asked him to do so in 1996.

This enlightenment event and its aftermath are described in Wayne's second book, Acceptance of What IS, published in 2000. He is also the author of Never Mind... A journey into Non-duality, and the editor of Consciousness Speaks and several other books by Ramesh Balsekar, who refers to Wayne as his "spiritual son." His most recent book, Enlightenment Is Not What You Think, was published in 2009.

The teaching, as it happens through Wayne, is pure Advaita (non-duality), uniquely presented in a uncompromising, sometimes humorous way, without religious dogma or new age veneer. In his Talks, Wayne is without agenda, speaking only in response to seeker's questions. He talks about Consciousness: the ground of all being, the source and the substance of everything.

"This Advaita, as I talk about it, is not actually a philosophy, because it does not hold any tenets. It is simply a collection of pointers and concepts, and it posits that none of them are true in an absolute sense. This teaching is not about conveying the truth. It is about prying away the limitations and misconceptions about how things are." - from Never Mind

Wayne's message is clear and simple. Although he may suggest areas for further inquiry, Wayne offers no cures, practices, or miracles to reach enlightenment. He invites you to bring your most cherished beliefs to his Talks. If you are really fortunate, you may leave without them.

Wayne's site: http://www.advaita.org/

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 7/24/2011

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Wayne Liquorman

00:03:29 - The Illusion of Authorship

00:06:45 - The Metaphor of the Ocean and the Wave

00:09:48 - The Illusion of Separation

00:13:18 - Pure Presence and Is-ness

00:16:59 - The Paradox of Action and Inaction

00:19:41 - Playing the Role of an Instrument of Consciousness

00:22:22 - The Journey from Addiction to Recovery

00:25:21 - A Life-Altering Moment

00:28:02 - Transformation and the Power of the Universe

00:30:16 - Exploring Spiritual Explanations

00:32:46 - Falling in Love with Ramesh

00:35:38 - Falling in Love with an Indian Guru

00:37:54 - The Movement from Wanting to Getting

00:40:15 - The Turning Point of Giving and Receiving

00:42:27 - Real Freedom and Giving

00:44:34 - Getting to Know the Man on Tour

00:47:17 - The Experience of Resonance with the Guru

00:50:07 - The Awakening

00:53:07 - The Presence of Absence

00:57:53 - The Unexpected Talk with Ramesh

01:01:00 - The Difference Between Pain and Suffering

01:04:40 - The Experience of Pain without a Witness

01:07:32 - Understanding the Sense of Self as Wayne

01:10:35 - The Difference Between Awakening and Enlightenment

01:13:56 - The Link Between Enlightenment and Behavior

01:17:15 - Behavior and Enlightenment

01:20:20 - The Relationship between Action and Consciousness

01:23:18 - Further Unfoldment and Development After Realization

01:26:01 - Changes in the Human Organism

01:28:19 - Wrapping up the Interview