Buddha At The Gas Pump

Richard Quentin 'Rick' Laird was a jazz musician, born on 5 February 1941 and died on July 4, 2021. He was a bass player best known for his place in The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Laird was born in Dublin, Ireland. He played music from a young age and enrolled for guitar and piano lessons. He started playing jazz after moving to New Zealand at the age of 16 with his father. He played guitar in jam bands in New Zealand before buying an upright bass. After extensive touring in New Zealand he moved to Sydney, Australia where he played with many top jazz musicians including Don Burrows. He moved to England in 1962 and became house bassist at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London, playing with many greats including the guitarist Wes Montgomery and Sonny Stitt. From 1963-4 Laird then at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He was recorded on Sonny Rollins's soundtrack for the movie Alfie and played in The Brian Auger Trinity (July 1963-February 1964) and The Brian Auger Group (Feb-October 1964). His next step w

Gary Crowley was born in 1965 and was raised in Massachusetts as a practical-minded New Englander. He graduated from Stanford University in 1987 with degrees in Economics and Political Science. At a young age, he was attracted to Eastern philosophy and spiritual writings that seemed to offer a glimpse of something greater than the life he had known growing up. However, by 2001, Gary finally gave up on all forms of spiritual seeking after decades on the path. He surrendered under the weight of the many well-intended spiritual teachings he'd accumulated over the years. All the study had not caused the shift in awareness that he'd so earnestly sought and had been so often promised. The problem, he then realized, was that he had been simply piling up concepts without addressing the very foundation - his sense of "self" - that was doing the seeking. He discovered that it is only by dismantling our assumptions about "who we are," rather than merely describing a state of being such as oneness or wholeness, that we

Until I was nine, I lived in one of New York City's "melting pot" neighborhoods, where a wonderful mix of freely mingling cultures, languages and races welcomed me into life on Earth. God, or my conception of God, was always at the center of my life and I conversed freely with the being I had inwardly invented to right wrongs, heal whatever hurt and generally keep the world just and flowing. Facing East I attended college on the West Coast (Portland and San Francisco) in the late sixties, where I discovered many kindred souls seeking deeper meaning and expanded purpose in their lives. Some of these friends turned my attention to teachings from the East—first Zen, and then masters from India. After a focused exploration of some of the life-enhancing modalities available at the time—and there were lots—I learned the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique offered by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Berkeley in 1967. TM's gifts were unmistakable and I started a thirty-year career of devoted service to the Vedic trad

The moment for me was instantaneous. The old me died literally, the new “me” emerged. More accurately stated, awakening took over the life of Doc Roberts as if this worldly life was stamped onto the infinite. Absolutely everything changed from that moment, yet all strangely remained just the same as it was. I’ve been a seeker since the age of 5. I knew a profound truth existed just beneath the surface of the everyday, though somehow ever illusive. Thanks to my capital “D”, Dark Night of the Soul, all my years of meditating, researching, attending retreats, listening to enlightened masters and endless self-improvement programs came to an abrupt halt. The bliss of Truth had dawned. I know from my first moment of conscious realization that life is an incredible gift to be relished and played in. I know there is absolutely nothing to fear, including death, for I did have a direct personal experience of this as well. We are bathed in Divine love and grace every moment. Absolutely everything that occurs in life i

Chuck Hillig is a modern spiritual teacher, author and licensed psychotherapist whose clarity of expression has earned him the admiration and praise of many notable writers and lecturers in this area. Chuck writes personally and directly about the essence of non-dual spirituality and presents its astonishing truths to the average reader in ways that are totally unique, completely accessible and absolutely life-changing. Using his studies in both eastern philosophy and western psychology, Chuck’s five unique books present a world view that shows his readers how to fully live a truly enlightened and authentic life in the 21st Century by waking up to who they really are. His books and interviews about non-dualism have been published in nine languages. Chuck appears in the new Leap 3.0 movie as well as in many recent videos on youtube. Chuck Hillig makes his home in Locust Grove, Virginia, and has one heck of a good time living life.   You can contact him at: chuck@chuckhillig.com. Website Chuck Hillig in Pane

This “insubstantial figure in the dream, pointing to the Divine Dreamer,” has lived and studied the nondual essence of our sacred tradi­tions for 40 years since an utterly life-changing, spontaneous awakening to God or Reality in his 16th year in the hills of Southern California. Fortunately, Timothy met many enlightened masters, esp­ec­i­ally in Advaita Vedanta (Sri Nisarga­datta Maharaj, Annamalai Swami, and others among Sri Ramana Maharshi’s immediate followers, Amma Amritanandamayi, Anandamayi Ma, Mother Krishnabai, Dadaji of Calcutta, et al.) and various lines of Buddhism (Taungpulu Sayadaw, Shifu Hsuan Hua, H.H. the Dalai Lama, Seung Sahn, et al.), as well as spiritual adepts in Taoism, Sufism, and mystic Christianity and Judaism. Timothy has freely shared the “pathless path” of deep spirituality for over 25 years in satsangs and in free ongoing education classes at Santa Barbara City College. Books: Women of Power & Grace: Nine Astonishing, Inspiring Luminaries of Our Time and the forthcoming

In my youth, I was not prone to easy laughter or the common jokes that circulated among human beings. I lived in a world all by myself, thinking, feeling and being led innocently toward a life of relentless spiritual evolution. It would be many years before my spiritual sadhana, or spiritual practices, would reveal the memory of my inherent oneness with the Divine. My parents did not hesitate to inform me that my destiny was to attend “college,” a word they spoke with joy and enthusiasm, emotions that stood out starkly in my young attention, since those emotions were so deeply absent in almost every other part of my childhood. My early religious background was coincidental and predetermined by my parents’ educational choices. I attended Roman Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school, schools selected for their reputation for academic excellence. My fate unfolded several months before my graduation when I was given an early graduation present, instruction in an East Indian form of meditation. I

Rahasya is a mystic, physician, spiritual teacher and author who has been working with people for more than 33 years. Meeting his master in 1980 revolutionized his life and led to a deep understanding of his being. Rahasya's teaching is simple, profound and deeply transformative. http://www.livingunity.com/ Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 6/23/10. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Rahasya 00:02:34 - A Life of Travel and Freedom 00:05:35 - A Journey to India: From France to Nepal 00:08:42 - Encountering Osho and Pune 00:11:26 - Meeting an American Guru in Goa 00:14:13 - Primal Therapy and Childhood Traumas 00:17:03 - Osho's Vision on Therapy and Meditation 00:19:51 - The Moment of Desperation and the Search for Freedom 00:22:50 - Realizing Oneness and Letting Go of the Seeking 00:26:23 - The Illusion of Individual Improvement 00:29:17 - Experiences of Cosmic Super-consciousness 00:32:15 - The Unfolding of Life 00:34:49 - The Flow of

As a child, I had many experiences of the limitless side of my Being, but perhaps nothing extraordinary. I think most people have such experiences quite naturally. As I grew older, I felt increasingly overwhelmed by my own wounds and by all the separation and denial I felt inside and out. By the time I left grammar school, I was confused and repressed. But I was telling myself and the world I was fine and everything was OK. By the time I’d reached my teens, I was in crisis and I found myself reaching out for something beyond the ordinary world. I began my spiritual search (as did many of my peers) reading books by J. Krishnamurti, Yogananda, Carlos Casteneda, Ram Dass, and Richard Bach. Soon thereafter, I began using hallucinogens as a tool in my self-inquiry process. I glimpsed my future realization in this life, but I also saw that I couldn’t reach it through drugs. At 17, I took initiation into TM and began to practice regularly. After meeting Maharishi, I found myself preparing to become a TM teacher. I

(Photo taken in front of the American Gothic House in Iowa and is jokingly meant to emulate the famous painting American Gothic. We don't usually dress like that! Or hold pitchforks!) Richard Miller hosts a interview show called Never Not Here. Somehow we connected and he asked to interview me, not necessarily as an awakened being or teacher, but as a fellow spiritual aspirant. In the summer of 1967, when I was 17 years old, I was driving through Westport, CT with three friends in the car. One of them in the back seat was reading from a commentary on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass). A quiet but memorable realization dawned in me that there was such a thing as "enlightenment" and that realizing it was life's ultimate goal. I rather recklessly explored that possibility through drugs for a year, then saw the futility of that approach and learned Transcendental Meditation. I taught TM for 25 years and still meditate regularly but am not affiliated with any particular s

After thirty years of seeking liberation, James Braha had nearly given up on finding fulfillment. His mind began to change, however, when he encountered the Hindu/Vedic philosophy of non-duality. Upon reading “Sailor” Bob Adamson’s book What’s Wrong with Right Now Unless You Think About It, James immediately invited Bob to come from Australia to share his knowledge with Americans.  For five glorious weeks in the summer of 2004, Bob and his wife stayed with the Braha family at their home in Florida. Spiritual talk with arguably the greatest non-duality teacher alive continued from morning till night, as James’ dearest friends and spiritualists from around the country joined the investigations into the truth of reality versus the illusion of appearance. James Braha's Site Sailor Bob's Site Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 5/19/2010. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:03:52 - Seeking Spiritual Techniques and Paths 00:07:41 - Understanding Non-duali

Am a Zoroastrian by birth but a theosophist by inclination; was educated in South India as a civil engineer and worked in Pakistan from 1950. I learned TM in 1974 from an American teacher who introduced it for the first time in the country. Realizing its great value, I traveled to Switzerland in early 1975 and graduated as a teacher of TM under the guidance of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who had popularized its practice in the West. As the only teacher in Pakistan initially, I organized the TM Movement there and was its National Leader for 12 years until my wife and I left in 1987 to settle in the US. Several thousand were taught during this period. In 1981, at Maharishi's invitation, I visited India and graduated as a TM-Sidhi teacher at his ashram in Rishikesh. Have been a member of the Theosophical Society for 44 years and am at present the president of the Houston Lodge, which is 98 years old. The motto of the Society is "There is no religion higher than Truth", to which all seekers would subscribe. Transcri

Igal Moria was infected with the spiritual bug in his teens has no plans of recovering. He joined Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at 19 (in 1973) and was involved with the TM movement for 25 years, working with Maharishi on developing courses and course materials on Maharishi Vedic Science and world religions. He was a member of Andrew Cohen’s core body of students. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded 4/21/2010 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction: Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:16 - Leaving the Ashram and Seeking Independence 00:09:42 - A Traumatic Event and Its Aftermath 00:12:44 - The End of an Era 00:16:03 - Introduction to Andrew Cohen and Enlightenment 00:20:17 - A Rekindling of the Spirit 00:24:14 - The Allure of Spiritual Leadership 00:27:46 - The Recognition of a Bigger Reality 00:31:53 - Overcoming Inertia and Embracing Change 00:35:36 - Liberation from Anxiety and Gratitude for Maharishi 00:41:03 - The Meeting of Papaji and Ramana Maharshi

Summary and Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 4/7/2010. Interview with George and Mary Foster YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:06:09 - The Power of Hearing in Consciousness 00:09:44 - The Realization of Being Stuck in the Body 00:13:53 - The Ultimate Connection with All of Existence 00:18:00 - The Experience of "I" in Consciousness 00:21:09 - Awareness of the Self and the World 00:23:20 - The Natural State of Man is Seeking More 00:25:56 - The Persistence of Awareness Beyond the Body 00:28:20 - A New Sensory Experience 00:31:40 - The Expansion of Awareness 00:34:31 - The Power of Meditation and Automatic Progress 00:37:34 - Connecting with the Celestial Realms 00:40:43 - Connecting with the Celestial Realm 00:43:20 - The Connectedness of All Beings 00:45:44 - Celestial Nervous Systems and Consciousness 00:48:48 - The Job of Celestial Beings 00:51:55 - The Experience of Wholeness 00:55:17 - Witne

John Speer is a spiritual teacher and psychotherapist whose awakening journey is grounded in authenticity, acceptance, and integration. John candidly shares how his deep transformation unfolded—not through seeking exotic states or escaping daily life, but by embracing his full humanity.

I remember having the thought at age 26, “what am I going to do, I will never make it through the second year of graduate school”? Having just completed my first year in training as a psychiatric social worker it was obvious that I felt more like a patient, who needed intense help, than the person charged with helping others. At that moment, I became a seeker.  The subsequent initiation into Transcendental Meditation forever set the direction of my life in ways I could not have imagined and it was a blessing that I did not. The road was bumpy quite a bit of the time yet there were always people there to help. Nature was always there giving both challenges and help necessary to see my way through them. Then one day not knowing how it happened or why, silence was now present all the time. Everything had changed yet nothing was different.  The change was both ordinary and profound. It was not the end of the journey but a new beginning and way of experiencing it. Life is now spent in the deepening of that silence

A lifelong seeker of spiritual awakening, Sandra has deeply applied and correlated many teachings, methods, disciplines, healings, experiments, adventures, and views of every kind to forge a comprehensive understanding of human identity. She attended the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, an interdisciplinary program, experientially based, and purposed toward personal transformation. Her investigations led her to become a devotee of Adi Da Samraj between 1986 and 1996. She then began studying with Saniel Bonder, founder of Waking Down in Mutuality, with whose guidance she awakened in 1996, to a non-dual conscious embodiment of both her divine and human nature. She is currently a Senior Teacher of Waking Down, participating also in the ongoing creation of dharma, organizational structure, courses, and workshops. Sandra has been in private practice as a transpersonal psychotherapist since 1987. She has been a resident of Fairfield, Iowa since 2004. Her personal web site Summary and transcript of this inte

bax (or baxishta if he’s feeling uppity) does not consider himself fully awakened, but knows for sure that he’s recognized glimpses of the self.  He says this puts him in an awkward position and insists on starting off with this apology, if what i’ve seen is true then i’m a hypocrite every time i speak about it no better than the man who having awoken briefly from his dream rushes back to tell his friends what he saw “you’re all in my mind” he  informs  them and they laugh at him twice once for being obviously wrong and once for being right and therefore talking to himself my only defense is that even hypochondriacs do get sick and even hypocrites do awaken briefly bax’s motto is “self is solid”, and he considers himself a student of Ramana Maharshi, whose favorite description of the self was “a dense mass of self-knowledge”.  He considers himself a post-new age thinker, and feels that most of what is discussed today goes only halfway to Shankara’s great ‘three laws of self-knowledge’.  Specifically, much is

Pam Keene currently resides in Fairfield, Iowa with her husband Brad. A conscious seeker since the age of nineteen, she has been influenced by a variety of spiritual teachers. However, her sacred marriage of ten years has provided her with the most profound education so far. And she is still learning. Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 2/10/2010. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Buddha at the Gas Pump Introduction 00:04:32 - Pam and Brad's Awakening Journey 00:08:54 - Letting go of Transcendental Meditation 00:12:43 - Alcohol, Drugs, and Awakening Journey 00:16:44 - Honeymoon period and drinking/drugs 00:20:19 - The Importance of a Guru in Spiritual Growth 00:23:21 - Dana's Spiritual Journey 00:27:29 - The Power of Desire and Individual Paths 00:30:36 - The Awakening Process and Embracing a Personal God 00:33:35 - The Progression of Awakening 00:36:07 - The Rheostat of Belief 00:39:11 - Holding all Expressions of the Divine in the Heart 00:42:53 - Reco

Based on this 2010 interview for Buddha at the Gas Pump, Christopher Roberts is a spiritual seeker who experienced a profound awakening around that time. Growing up in Peoria, Illinois, Christopher explored a wide array of religious and spiritual traditions, from paganism and Gnosticism to Zen Buddhism and “A Course in Miracles.” This diverse background shaped a complex belief system focused on enlightenment and spiritual progress. Christopher’s pivotal shift came after reading an interview with “James” from Wingmakers.com, featured on ProjectCamelot.com. The content deeply challenged and ultimately dismantled his previously held beliefs, leaving him without a clear spiritual paradigm. Rather than causing confusion, this abrupt loss of certainty brought Christopher a sense of peace, spontaneity, and heart-centered living. He describes letting go of the intellectual pursuit of enlightenment and embracing a more intuitive, trust-based approach to life, where synchronicities and supportive connections began to a