Terrence is an Australian born teacher and guide of Non-Duality. Like us all, Terrence had his own personal back ‘story’ (a ‘me’) which included sexual abuse as a child, living in a dysfunctional and broken family followed by drug addiction, divorce, depression, and anxiety with suicidal thoughts. He has also been a student and chief instructor in the art of Kung Fu for most of his life, a professional singer-songwriter-musician, and has also run several successful companies as a director.

During his journey, he consulted various psychologists and therapists and pursued a variety of spiritual paths and self-help groups.

Nothing seemed to relieve the deep-seated experience of separation and isolation. Then one day in 1986 he chanced to meet Sailor Bob Adamson who had settled in Melbourne following his 12 months with Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay.

Here, Terrence gained an intellectual understanding of Non-Duality. However, it was many years later that his sense of self (me) finally collapsed.

What resulted was no more searching, no wanting, and no desires, and a state of being carefree. It was in this state of collapse that his true nature was revealed; awakening from the dreamed fictitious personal character.

Since then Terrence has been pointing the way. Profoundly direct and yet delivered with compassion, warmth, and fun!

Website: terrencestephens.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded September 5, 2020.

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:04:04 - Meeting Sailor Bob Adamson in Melbourne

00:08:19 - The Illusion of Personal Consciousness

00:12:32 - Consciousness and Awareness

00:17:05 - The Primary Love of Being

00:21:12 - The Nature of Thought and Duality

00:25:19 - The Paradoxical Perception of Self

00:30:00 - The Illusion of a Separate Self

00:34:39 - The Mind's Natural Tendency for Seeking

00:39:01 - The Bursting Forth of Creativity

00:43:03 - The Appearance of Mind

00:47:23 - The Three Levels of Enlightenment

00:51:25 - Speaking to the Dream Character

00:55:20 - The Dream Character and Awakening

00:59:34 - Unconditional Love and Conditional Love

01:03:32 - Direct Experience of Consciousness

01:08:16 - The Dark Night of the Soul

01:12:51 - Absolute Surrender

01:17:12 - A Stirring of the Mind

01:21:13 - A Shift in Perspective

01:25:49 - Reconciliation with the Past

01:29:47 - Becoming Carefree

01:33:28 - Being Present in Awakening

01:37:31 - Being Still and Observing

01:41:08 - The Split of "I Am"

01:45:21 - The Profound Effect of Proximity

01:49:16 - The Nature of Consciousness and Awareness

01:53:07 - The Intelligence of Light

01:56:45 - The belief in past lives and memories

02:00:47 - The mysteries of the universe and personal perspectives

02:04:43 - Farewell and outro