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