John Astin - Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview

[@alreadyshining]

As part of this interview, the host, Rick Archer invited me to share a little of my background and exposure to different spiritual teachers and teachings. In the middle of my speaking about some of that history, the conversation took a different turn and we never quite continued that exploration. I did share a little about my early study of Yogananda’s work, my subsequent involvement with the Buddhist-flavored mindfulness teachings and my fairly brief but at the time very significant encounter with Andrew Cohen’s non-dual inspired teachings in 2000. Subsequent to that, I was introduced to the work of Adyashanti and have continued to have a close connection with him over the intervening years. An interesting pattern in all of this unfolding is that I would often experience a series of insights, write about those and then turn those writings into a book. Soon after this, I would meet another teacher whose work seemed to speak directly to the very things I’d been realizing and then writing about. For example, in my first book, "Too Intimate for Words," I wrote about ending the war with our selves and recognizing that what we were seeking was always, already present in and as every moment of experiencing. I then met Adyashanti whose teachings spoke so beautifully to many of these same themes and served in some important ways to further unpack and deepen what I’d been discovering. Several years later, I wrote a second book, "This Is Always Enough," that was more focused on the discovery of awareness as the ever-present, naturally open ground and basis of every experience and that explored the inherent qualities of this naked awareness including its inseparability from all experience. Shortly thereafter, I met another teacher, Candice O’Denver who had developed a contemporary articulation of the direct awareness teachings found in the Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhist tradition. My encounter with those teachings helped put yet another dagger in the at times subtle belief that God, enlightenment, awakening, awareness (call it what you will) looks or feels a particular way. Even though I’d seen and written and taught about it hundreds of times, that part of us that imagines certain expressions of the vast intelligence that is Reality (generally the one’s we characteristically label as confusing or difficult), are somehow not also Reality can have a certain staying power. And every teacher that I encountered along the way seemed to help, each in their own idiosyncratic ways, to lay such beliefs to rest. In the wake of my involvement with Candice’s work, I wrote my last book, "Searching for Rain in a Monsoon." A major theme in this writing was the absolutely unfathomable, indescribable nature of reality. The book came out in 2012. About a year or so ago, a client of mine told me about a teacher he'd been studying with and who he said my own sharing sounded almost exactly like. I’d never heard of the him but proceeded to check his work out and sure enough, this teacher, Peter Brown - theopendoorway.org - was very much pointing to many of the same themes I’d been writing about. Peter is in my estimation one of the clearest, most compelling voices I’ve come across in a long time. I have found my ongoing encounter with his beautifully lucid articulation of the inconceivable nature of reality continues to deepen my own understanding of this same truth. In gratitude to all my teachers and to the inconceivable, unfathomable reality and intelligence that makes all things possible... - John Astin

[@OrlyAum]

Dear John, Your music has affected me in the 80's and I always kept you close by. Your song wLove Serve Rememberw is an Icon song in my life and re-emerges whenever I need. I wanted you to know that - you are close to my heart.

[@OnlyNewAgeMusic]

Beautiful songs! What I hear John pointing to is that the judgement or conceptualization of experience might create the "problem" which is in reality not a problem but a natural expression of infinite reality. Experiencing the feeling of fear or anxiety is real and its nature can be explored like the nature of the color red or blue. What is it - other than infinite being in dynamic expression? Inquiring into the mystery of our experience without judgement is ever present liberation.

[@storiesneedears]

What I get and agree with is ones dependence on teachers. It resonated strongly as I have found that the further along the path I go, the more I see all as equals, including teachers.

[@glenemma1]

I am just up to the 17 min. mark and am moved to hark back to a recently familiar theme of mine...John talks about his original awakening and Rick really wants him to give the credit of this to his meditation.. Rick,everything we do from the time we are born is spiritual(or equally unspiritual). Meditating for half a century is no more spiritual to gardening for decades or following the football...everything comes out of IT and can(and does)serve as an awakening to IT..In fact our egoic investment in the small ''me'' can be as much through a ''spiritual''practice as meditation as the power trip of a politician. It may be (the spiritual''practice) is as much a barrier to realization as any ego journey. Indeed,it may be largely an ego journey. On the other hand,the non attached politician or businessman may suddenly find himself awakening someday. I don't know if you get this. It's not rocket science.

[@brandonpfeiffer1]

couldn't agree with you more Thomas seven. Wanted to post something to that effect myself, but after reading your comment, don't really think I need to, other than to add to the choir a bit: Rick, I appreciate what you do, but please, listen more, talk less. Mr. Astin said some quite amazing things that could have led to a profound exploration of just what it is we do experience when we look at our own experience, without concepts. You really missed the boat on this one. Hope you'll have him back in the future.

[@musicalparadox9199]

Rick, Just change your description from "interviews with ......Enlightened people". To " Talks with....Enlightened people". That way you do what you do anyway. But don't get the constant critics that comment, what you "do wrong" .

[@TheSoteriologist]

Before I even listen to this, I urge serious seekers to listen intently to the latest interview with Russel Williams on conscious TV as well as all other interviews with that man. Search for the playlist *PLodLrJq6TlDol5Rb3a7mo2C8OW7ILPMko*

[@Batgap]

+Kwistenbiebel200 We have a cool guest suggestion system set up now. Feel free to submit Ressel and anyone else at batgap.com/future-interviews/suggest-guest/

[@TheSoteriologist]

+BuddhaAtTheGasPump Make no mistake: *I am not recommending Russel Williams for being interviewed at Batgap* for the simple reason that I think his voice would be difficult on skype and given the age of the man somewhat disrespectful of him. *If Batgap wants to interview him then only in person*. Of course, you can do whatever you want, just making sure you understand that I am not suggesting him for the regular Batgap format.

[@Batgap]

+Soteriologe OK, thanks for the clarification. But keep that suggest a guest feature in mind for future reference.

[@TheSoteriologist]

+Kwistenbiebel200 That the hub around which such a story revolves transcends the grasp of the worldly mind is to be expected. But there are differences in how convincing a rendering is with regards to whether there even is a hub ! I mainly meant his life story leading up to the insight and his demeanor which lends particular gravity of credibility. I found him to be the epitomy of the wise old man. You can be sure he isn't trying to gain anything by relating his take on things and that is a rare thing. *The question you can ask yourself is: how do you imagine someone - after having started his life in a way that would have made anyone else suicidal and depressive for the rest of his life - to be left with consistent equanimity and contentment for 65 years since his insight under the poorest circumstances ? The only real meaning that humans have searched for for millennia and he holds the wishfulfilling gem in his hands, and to you that is "meaningless" ?*

[@TheSoteriologist]

+Kwistenbiebel200 _"the most convincing person with the same story?"_ Show me anyone with a remotely similar story. Actor at 94 ? If you watch the guy in that interview and still think he might be acting then I understand why you are having trouble with all sorts of recognitions ☺

[@kwixotic]

He's also quoting something Adyashanti stated in one of his Satsangs I heard: "Nobody is a problem to be solved."

[@kwixotic]

Rick might WISH or LIKE to think that the "utility" of being spiritually evolved translates then into the abolition of negative traits, or less anxiety or however he conceptualizes it, but even after many years of meditative progress I have come to accept that I just cannot "cure" myself of stage fright prior to performing even given how much significant progress I've made as an actor and the confidence I've acquired in that. Guess I'll have to blame it on the ineradicable amygdala and the accompanying fight or flight response that goes with that.

[@TheSoteriologist]

*A 1.0 on a -3.0 to +3.0 scale.* Disclaimers at the end of the comment. An unfortunate example of what happens if the medieval hindu/buddhist debate is being repeated as entertainment on a kind of high school level between a neo-crypto-hindu and a neo-crypto-buddhist. We might have heard something about John's insights or how insight unfolded in his life or even if there was any such insight for that matter except for the brief mention of his experience on that Cohen retreat. Did that subsequently change his body chemistry any when he looks at someone of his preferred sex or would it make a difference assuming his body gets permanently paralyzed now as opposed to before the insight ? As usual, however, Rick is trying to graft his hindu-metaphysical substantialism ("god", "self", "the consists-of relation leading to a foundation if analyzed", eternalism) on someone who is well trained enough in the Wilber school not to be reeled in that way and trying to remain true to the purely phenomenalistic and non-substantialistic approach ("the consists-of relation does not lead to a foundation if analyzed"). As a consequence of that not leading anywhere that would be satisfactory for substantialists the interview had to steer into safe territory by an endless enthusiastic expression with words that everything is inexpressible with words - yawn. Let's summarize therefore: the songs are at 22:37, 1:36:50 and 2:09:53. _About the rating: anything below and including 0 means by and large a waste of time, and anything below 0 is not only worthless but damaging to the world. For comparison, on that scale, Francis Bennett would be a +2 or more and Harri Aalto would be roughly a tentative +2 to +2.5. Not coming up with original, independent cosmological insights bans any interviewee from > 2.0 ratings as a matter of principle._ *General Disclaimer:* the rating _pertains to an interview, not to the interviewee_. If the rating is high it means merely and exclusively that I consider the interview to be of high value relative to the stated purpose of the channel, and that it is therefore no waste of time to listen to the interview. It would _not_ imply that whatever the interviewee speaks is the truth (as if I was the arbiter over that) or that you should follow him/her or accept whatever that person offers. _That is particularly in need of emphasis if that would be an expensive enterprise_ !

[@robbyr9286]

You didn't ask him about being married to Morticia Addams!? Different John Astin? Never mind...

[@carrollvance]

+Robby R They do discuss "Thing" between 34:00 and 35:00. "Awareness is not a Thing". Also Addams... or was that atoms? :)