In January of 2012, Robert was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and told he had nine months to live. However, consistent with his contrarian nature, he lived a productive life until passing away in 2017.

Robert was struck by a strong curiosity about life when he was 11, which propelled him into years of globe-trotting adventures. In 1973, Robert met Swami Muktananda and spent the next 10 years studying with him. Since 1985, Robert's professional motto was Have Mouth, Will Travel, and he was known as an iconoclastic self-awareness facilitator, speaker, leadership adviser, and mentor to people from all walks of life. He led "Conversations on the High Wire" and presented programs in "The 5 Principles of Authentic Living" and "Speaking Truthfully."

Robert published eight books and more than 250 articles on the themes of meditation, self-inquiry, leadership, authentic living and speaking, and spiritual activism. In the early 1990s, he wrote a pioneering column for The New Leaders' executive newsletter entitled “The Corporate Mystic." He contributed original essays to three leading-edge anthologies and was interviewed for The Awakening West, a collection of conversations with contemporary Western wisdom teachers.

His résumé of speaking engagements includes more than 350 of his distinctive inquiry-based seminars and talks to such organizations as State of the World Forum, California Institute of Integral Studies, Institute of Noetic Sciences, International Conference on Enlightenment, Inner Directions Conference, and International Coach Federation.

Books:

The 5 Principles of Authentic Living: How to Live an Authentic Life in 10 Words

Sound Bites from Silence: Scouting Reports from the Frontier of Consciousness

Speak Truthfully: Speak Your Way to an Authentic Life with Awareness, Courage, and Confidence

Invisible Leadership: Igniting the Soul at Work

The Sacred Hub

Radical Wisdom: Living from Silence while Rocking the World

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 8/1/2015

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump

00:06:15 - A Journey Through Education

00:10:50 - Adventures in Watershed Management

00:14:12 - A Journey to India

00:18:11 - Healing and Meeting Baba

00:21:24 - An Encounter with Baba at the Ashram

00:25:24 - Shaktipat Experience and Leaving the Ashram

00:29:21 - Stories of Gurudev and Maharishi

00:33:32 - The Mechanics of Creation

00:37:26 - Reverence for the Body

00:41:09 - Living in Perpetual Astonishment

00:45:41 - Profound Transformative Experience

00:49:41 - The Ashram Experience and Letters to Mother

00:53:49 - Lessons from Cutting Carrots

00:57:39 - Managing Other People's Money

01:01:36 - Acknowledging Devotion and Contribution

01:06:18 - The Significance of Human Feelings and Worth

01:11:13 - Transitioning into Political Activism

01:14:45 - Personal Reflection on Attending an Orgy

01:19:36 - Fear of Being Found Out

01:23:31 - The Terrifying Immensity of Muktananda

01:27:21 - Inner Growth and Making a Positive Difference

01:31:30 - Personalization and Open-mindedness

01:35:40 - The Experience of Silence, Shakti, and Action

01:40:46 - Pony Rides to Oblivion

01:47:03 - The Experience of Silence and Language Collapse

01:53:40 - The Source of Questions and Language in Spiritual Path

02:01:08 - Speaking your Inner Truth

02:10:40 - The Five Principles: Be Present, Pay Attention, Listen Deeply, Speak Truthfully, Act Creatively

02:19:08 - Following the Path of Mastery

02:26:42 - Supporting the interview series