Buddha at the Gas Pump

Kim Sheridan is an award-winning author, naturopath, entrepreneur, and more. Her focus includes animals, the afterlife, health, the environment, veganism, and all topics related to compassion for humans and animals alike. She is a highly respected expert on life after death for animals, and much of her time is devoted to rescuing animals, caring for them, and providing hospice care for elderly animals making their transition to spirit.

Kim is the author of Animals and the Afterlife and the founder of Compassion Circle, a non-profit organization with a mission to expand the circle of compassion to all beings. Compassion Circle is comprised of animal rescue, animal sanctuary, and a line of nutritional products for animals, all proceeds of which help fund the rescue and sanctuary.

Kim has been listed in 2,000 Notable American Women, Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals, and Great Minds of the 21st Century. Her goal is to help make the world a better place, to provide comfort to those grieving the loss of a beloved animal, and to be a voice for the voiceless, teaching compassion and respect for all living beings.

Website: animalsandtheafterlife.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded September 30, 2024

Four years ago, I experienced an awakening that opened up different worlds and granted me access to the Akasha through telepathy, leading to a higher state of consciousness. Since then, I have dedicated my time to integrating this experience and helping others identify past influences that hinder the realization of their soul's full presence. I also assist animals through telepathy.

I conduct workshops on esoteric teachings gathered since my awakening, providing keys to help people find their way home.

Website: lucasbergendahl.com

Summary and transcript of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded September 7, 2024

A lifelong student of philosophy and comparative religion, a practitioner of Shaiva Tantra in the Shaiva Siddhanta lineage, and recent entrant into the Ramakrishna lineage by his guru, Swami Sarvadevananda Puri, Nishanth Selvalingam shares an authentic, firsthand approach to the Sanskrit texts of the Tantrik scriptural tradition to expose audiences to the profoundly positive and transformative philosophies and practices that this tradition offers. Nishanth Selvalingam graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Philosophy in 2024 and now lives in Westwood, Los Angeles where he hosts satsanghs with his wife, coaches middle school debate and lectures incessantly on all things Tantra and Non-Duality.

Website: nishyoga.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded August 18, 2024

Tree works as a Spiritual Mentor, Kundalini Support, Certified Global TRE® Instructor, Transformational Bodyworker and a Healer from the Shamanic tradition.

Tree believes healing trauma can precipitate spiritual awakening and it is from this precept she works. She works with the body releasing contraction and with the nervous system establishing balance - with the understanding that a disregulated nervous system can hold the beingness hostage.

She believes enlightenment is achieved not by bypassing the body, but by going into the body. By addressing and releasing trauma bound in the flesh and stored in the nervous system. This is true freedom and the result is presence - embodied.

Tree has been a devotee of Meher Baba since she was 21.

She and her husband are establishing a Retreat Centre on the Far South Coast of New South Wales, Australia called Meher Farm Healing and Awakening Centre.

Tree is the author of Hot Flush Dark Cave describing her healing and awakening journey through the portal of menopause.

She is a devoted mother, grandmother and healer - her favourite past time is swimming in the river and the ocean and chanting to God.

Website: awakeningthroughthebody.com.au

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded August 3, 2024

Melinda Edwards, MD is a mother, writer and physician in Charleston, South Carolina, providing psychiatric care for underserved adults. She attended the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency in psychiatry at Stanford Medical Center. She has studied complementary and alternative medicine with Andrew Weil, MD, researched the effects of MDMA on PTSD with Michael Mithoefer, MD, and is a columnist for Autism Parenting Magazine. Dr. Edwards is the author of PSYCHE & SPIRIT: How a Psychiatrist Found Divinity Through Her Lifelong Search for Truth and Her Daughter’s Autism.

As a child of medical missionaries, Melinda grew up in a Mayan Indian village in Guatemala, Central America. Early in life she experienced an inner pull to a deeper truth. Her journey has taken her through various spiritual practices including meditation retreats, guidance from spiritual teachers, travel to India, and living in spiritual communities. Her quest led to the ongoing discovery of the sacred in all.

Inspired by her journey with her daughter Saachi, Dr. Edwards founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization Living Darshan to foster a deeper understanding of autism in the world.

Website: melindaedwardsmd.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded July 20, 2024

John R. Audette is the author of “Loved by the Light: True Stories of Divine Intervention and Providence”. He earned a Master of Science degree from Virginia Tech. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, his professional career spans over three decades of senior executive positions in hospital and hospice administration and physician practice management, as well as the performing arts and public broadcasting.

He contributed several scholarly chapters to various books by other authors about spiritually transformative experiences and non-local consciousness including works by Dr. Ervin Laszlo. He is also gratefully acknowledged in many other books on these subjects by various well-known authors whom he assisted dating back to 1974. His first work of fiction, a novel trilogy, will be published in 2025.

John is the primary founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, Inc., (IANDS.org), with co-founders Raymond Moody, MD; Bruce Greyson, MD; Michael Sabom, MD; and Kenneth Ring, PhD. John now serves as CEO of Eternea, (eternea.org), which he co-founded with Eben Alexander, MD and Edgar Mitchell, Sc.D. He is also an honorably discharged veteran with over six years of voluntary service (both active and inactive duty) in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era.

Website: AffirmingGod.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded July 7, 2024

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

 00:04:46 - Edgar Mitchell and the Institute of Noetic Sciences

 00:09:08 - Raymond's Integrity and a Missed Opportunity

 00:12:45 - Validating Observations about the Nature of Reality

 00:17:45 - The Ring of Destiny

 00:20:22 - A Beautiful Near-Death Experience

 00:24:02 - The Power of Nonsense

 00:29:19 - The Meaning of Cigarettes and Traumatic Incidents

 00:34:14 - The Lizard Beings

 00:37:56 - Spiritualization of Material Life

 00:41:58 - The Realization of True Divine Inspiration

 00:46:14 - A Journey of Karma and Forgiveness

 00:49:17 - The Realization of God's Existence and Transformation

 00:54:14 - The Power of Experience and Spiritual Awakenings

 00:57:45 - Wrestling with Chaos, Fear, and Confusion

 01:01:31 - The God Void and Escaping Addiction to Heroin

 01:05:51 - Moving Beyond Materialism

 01:09:42 - The Eternea Concept

 01:15:03 - The Purpose of All Religions

 01:18:41 - Synerge with a GE and the Power of Cooperation

 01:23:24 - Catalyzing a Global Spiritual Revolution

 01:28:10 - Advancing Love and Light

 01:31:54 - Emulating Saintliness

 01:36:47 - The Continuum of Evil

 01:41:27 - God's Reaction to Evil

 01:44:32 - The Nature of Consciousness and Diversity

 01:48:01 - Connectedness and Awareness

 01:50:39 - The Role of Paradise and the Potential for a Perfect World

 01:54:22 - The Power of Personal Epiphany and Transformation

 01:57:15 - The Possibility of Publishing and Filming the Work

Viivi Jokela facilitates awakening in people who are inclined in that way. She had a spontaneous, deep awakening to true nature in 2022, followed by a strange and at times intense acclimation, which she refers to as no self realization or simply the natural state.

Viivi communicates a direct approach to realization, grounded on experiential insight on the aspects of awakening. She invites you to inquire into and recognize the awe-striking immediate, inherently awake radiance of your own being and of all being.

Website: sensingradiance.com

In this interview, Viivi Jokela shares her journey of spiritual awakening and self-realization. She discusses her early life, her struggles with suffering and alienation, and her eventual deep awakening to her true nature in 2022. She describes the intense acclimation process she went through, which she refers to as no self-realization or the natural state. Viivi also talks about her experiences with a yoga school that turned out to be a cult, her powerful Kundalini awakening, and the subsequent purification process. Throughout the interview, she emphasizes the importance of understanding the nature of experience and the difference between direct experience and mental interpretation.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded June 29, 2024

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

 00:03:37 - Early Suffering and Alienation

 00:07:22 - Finding Yoga in the Hospital

 00:10:22 - The Powerful Kundalini Awakening

 00:13:16 - The Journey of Purification

 00:16:27 - Challenges after Kundalini Awakening

 00:19:46 - Recommendation for Kundalini awakening practitioners

 00:23:23 - Finding the Right Meditation Practice

 00:26:55 - Defining Enlightenment and Liberation

 00:30:16 - The Experience of Self

 00:33:57 - Multi-Dimensionality of Life

 00:37:16 - The Personal and Impersonal within a Larger Wholeness

 00:40:18 - The Dance of Relative and Absolute

 00:43:30 - Holding Multiple Perspectives Amid Conflicting Views

 00:46:24 - Appreciating Different Perspectives

 00:49:52 - Understanding the "I got it, I lost it" syndrome

 00:53:22 - Extracting Instructions for Awakening

 00:56:35 - The Beginner's Mind and Approaching with Curiosity

 01:00:16 - Different Types of Meditation

 01:03:58 - The Collapse of Fundamental Structures of Reality

 01:07:38 - The Teacher and the Experience of Death

 01:11:20 - Moments of Transcendence and Nothingness

 01:14:34 - The Reality of the Deep Homecoming and Healing Through Realization

 01:18:22 - The Disappearance of God

 01:21:34 - Kundalini: The Most Powerful Energy

 01:24:54 - The Relationship between Trauma and Relational Healing

 01:28:34 - Dismissive Attitudes and Lack of Empathy

 01:31:58 - The Contradictory Nature of the Experience

 01:34:44 - The Importance of Having a Broad Perspective

 01:38:40 - Exploring Aggression and Self-Respect

 01:42:37 - Closing Remarks and Next Interview Preview

Philip Weber had a successful 35-year career as an executive in the hospitality industry. A member of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship since 1999, Phil is known for his highly ecumenical outlook, holding a deep appreciation for many of the world’s spiritual traditions and teachings, and often affirming his Guru’s adage: “Truth is one, paths are many.”

Currently retired and residing in Carlsbad, California, Phil prefers a quiet, contemplative life. He is not a spiritual teacher and has no online or social media presence. For Phil’s book announcements, please go to his editor’s website.

Books:

Grace Happens: An Awakening of Consciousness

Reflections of Consciousness: Essays on the Journey of Awakening and the Nature of Reality

To Contact Phil please go the "Connect" page of his editor's website.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded June 16, 2024.

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

 00:04:18 - The Joy of Helping Others

 00:07:40 - The Birthright of Spiritual Awakening

 00:11:10 - The Illusion of Point A and Point B

 00:14:43 - The Journey of Awakening

 00:19:15 - A Drunk on Energy: The Awakening

 00:22:56 - Finding My Guru at Barnes and Noble

 00:26:05 - The Infinite Possibilities of Awakening

 00:29:22 - A Shift in Career Satisfaction and the Discovery of Wayne Dyer and Alan Watts

 00:32:48 - Exploring Different Teachings

 00:36:46 - Walking for Grounding and Safety

 00:40:47 - Finding Help in Adyashanti's Talks

 00:45:10 - Exploring Different Spiritual Paths

 00:49:23 - Intensive Kriya Practice for Karma Mitigation

 00:52:43 - The Fan Blades Stopping

 00:56:30 - The Fulfillment of Awakening

 01:00:42 - Awakening to Being Okay with What Is

 01:04:35 - Not Letting Sports Ruin Your Day

 01:08:30 - The Perfection of Suffering

 01:12:31 - The Beauty of Life and Mystical Experiences

 01:15:38 - Grateful Indifference and Mystical Experiences

 01:20:02 - Profound Mystical Experience and Removal of an Astral Parasite

 01:24:19 - Astral Entities and Energy Feeding

 01:28:24 - The Glowing Orb of Energy

 01:32:40 - Exploring Different Paths to Awakening

 01:36:01 - The Short Path vs. Progress in Spiritual Growth

 01:38:59 - Surrender and the Debate on Free Will

 01:42:50 - Understanding God and Conscious Awareness

 01:47:28 - A Conversation about Writing and Books

 01:50:43 - The Changing Relationship with the Guru

Since we have a gap in the schedule I thought I'd put up a recent video of Yvonne Kason of Spiritual Awakenings International (SAI) interviewing me. SAI is a non-profit worldwide network of individuals and groups who are interested in collaborating to raise awareness, network, and share personal experience relating to diverse types of Spiritually Transformative Experiences, to raise global spiritual awareness. From the description on their YouTube channel:

"A Conversation with Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump" was presented to Spiritual Awakenings International on May 18, 2024. Rick Archer shares his personal spiritual journey from childhood, through the turbulent 1960's, his introduction to Transcendental Meditation, to the launch of his popular podcast on spirituality, Buddha at the Gas Pump. Rick shares his spiritual awakening story, starting with his complicated family life, learning to meditate in 1968, and his years as a Transcendental Meditation teacher. He describes his inspiration and motivation to start Buddha at the Gas Pump in 2009. He also shares insights and experiences he’s had while doing this now very popular spiritually focused podcast. Rick also talks about the importance of ethical behavior for spiritual leaders and the Association for Spiritual Integrity, which he helped found.

Also, I was interviewed a few months ago by Amertat Cohn of Sunseed. He split it into three parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

And another recent interview by James Plath of the The Institute For Advanced Astonishment.

Summary and transcript

Interview recorded May 18, 2024

Swamini Brahmaprajnananda Saraswati Ph. D has dedicated her life to serving the Vedic tradition by teaching Advaita Vedanta. A Hindu monk who currently lives in Mumbai (India) she is a teacher, podcaster, writer, creator who points to the suffix -er in all the roles as the abiding Atma in all beings.

She offers regular Vedanta courses (online), Vedanta – the river of wisdom weekly podcast, insightful videos, workshops and retreats in India and abroad. Her teachings range from the depth and breadth of self-mastery to self-discovery.

She is the author of ‘You matter – Insights from Vedanta.’ Swamini ji teaches three core courses at Hindu University of America. She has a Ph. D in Philosophy and her thesis on the Role of Ishvara in Advaita Vedanta is due to be published soon as a book.

She is a direct disciple of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, having studied Vedanta, Sanskrit and Vedic chanting at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in a residential, intensive three-year course in Coimbatore and Rishikesh, India. She studied with Swami Brahmavidananda for about twelve years while balancing her work commitments.

Her last leadership role was as the Country Head (India) of an international organization which positively impacted the lives of 150,000 street children. She was formerly a psychologist.

Website

YouTube Channel

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded May 21, 2024

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

 00:04:24 - Questioning Hinduism and Childhood Rebellion

 00:08:21 - Becoming a Monk for Guru and Grace

 00:12:20 - Neo-Advaita and Traditional Advaita

 00:16:23 - The Importance of Traditional Teachings in Vedanta

 00:20:16 - Contextualizing Vedic Literature and Manusmriti

 00:24:03 - Vedanta: The Sixth Means of Knowledge

 00:28:06 - Vedanta as a Means of Knowledge

 00:31:58 - The Scientific Approach and Spiritual Development

 00:35:52 - Science's Damage and Universal Values

 00:40:00 - The Nature of Maya Shakti

 00:43:44 - The Nature of Brahman and Self-Discovery

 00:47:38 - The Strange Pursuit of Seeking and Harmony with the World

 00:51:26 - The Nature of Consciousness and Seeking

 00:55:09 - The Stages of a Seeker

 00:58:59 - Transformation from Seeker to Knower

 01:02:50 - The Process of Chipping Away and Shedding Ignorance

 01:06:34 - Direct vs Progressive Approaches in Vedanta

 01:10:15 - Direct and Progressive Understanding of Vedanta

 01:14:09 - The Five Sets of Relationships

 01:17:54 - The Meaning and Process of Puja

 01:21:51 - Understanding the Law of Karma

 01:26:03 - Karma and Free Will

 01:29:36 - Expanding and narrowing our range of free will

 01:33:24 - The Legacy of the Tradition and the Role of a Spokesperson

 01:37:16 - The Importance of Dharma in Spiritual Growth

 01:41:12 - Aligning with Dharma

 01:45:07 - The Mirror of Dharma

 01:48:56 - Maintaining Discernment in Spiritual Teachings

 01:52:24 - The Power Within Us

 01:56:08 - Recognizing our Sacred connection to God