Proud to be born in India as a Hindu, I will be sad if I die merely a Hindu. Convinced very early in life that all boundaries are artificially created and tend to hinder the growth of the spirit, I ended up studying at post-doctoral level Physics, Philosophy, and Religion at various universities and later teaching as a professor in these fields. Wishing to correspond to the transformational teachings of several great spiritual luminaries, especially of Krishna, Buddha, Christ, and Patañjali and of present-day masters Krishnamurti and Gurdjieff, I am interested in the actual journey of self-transformation and experiencing the inevitable shifts of focus of energy along the way.

Website: ravindra.ca

Books:

The Gospel of John in the Light of Indian Mysticism

The Bhagavad Gita: A Guide to Navigating the Battle of Life

The Pilgrim Soul: A Path to the Sacred Transcending World Religions

Heart Without Measure: Gurdjieff Work with Madame de Salzmann

The Wisdom of Patañjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide

Science and the Sacred: Eternal Wisdom in a Changing World

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded May 2, 2020.

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:05:56 - Radical Transformation in Spiritual Practice

00:10:39 - The Emphasis on Science and Technology in India

00:15:05 - Exploring Christianity in a Different Cultural Context

00:19:16 - The Role of Belief and Faith in Spiritual Development

00:23:48 - Truth is a Pathless Land

00:28:53 - Love and Compassion vs Intellectual Understanding

00:33:38 - The Significance of Uniqueness and Oneness

00:39:19 - Uniqueness and Oneness in Spiritual Traditions

00:44:43 - The Miraculous Orderliness of Creation

00:49:18 - The Expulsion of Lucifer from Heaven

00:54:34 - Inclusivity in Religion

00:59:45 - Temptations and Tests

01:04:24 - Seeking for What I Am

01:09:07 - The Journey of Self-Realization

01:13:37 - The Development of an Enlightened Person

01:18:12 - Kundalini Awakening and Subtle Energies

01:23:42 - The Importance of Self-Knowledge in Spiritual Growth

01:27:41 - The Shift in Perspective: From Having Questions to Being in Question

01:31:44 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga

01:35:57 - Being Breathed

01:40:40 - The Path to Self-Transformation

01:45:58 - The Purpose of Prakriti in Serving Purusha

01:49:47 - Conditioning and Impression

01:53:46 - Christ's Response on the Crucifixion

01:58:25 - The Need for the Right Instrument

02:03:03 - The Connectivity of Mycelium and Wondering About Astrology

02:07:15 - Remarkable People and Scientific Work

02:11:34 - Trouble with CIA and FBI suspicions

02:15:14 - Website and Future Events

02:17:45 - Swami Beyondananda's Farewell