530. Rick Archer at the 2019 SAND Conference – Knowledge/Reality is Different in Different States of Consciousness

Opening points: People get polarized in different perspectives. The more they focus exclusively on their perspective, the more justification for it they find. Learning to appreciate paradox; accommodating different viewpoints within a broader perspective. Enlightenment as Totality. Only Totality can realize Totality. Totality has no difficulty reconciling paradoxes. Getting comfortable with paradox might be conducive to our realization of Totality. Examples of contradictory realities: free will vs. determinism personal self vs. no-self Are we already enlightened, or must enlightenment be attained? Is practice an aid or an obstacle? Is the guru model dead? Does non-duality imply that there are no stages of spiritual growth? direct vs. progressive paths patience vs. determination on the spiritual path Additional points covered: Acting in accordance with your own experience, not a concept of someone else’s. Absolute reality does not negate relative realities. Radically different realities at different levels of nature’s functioning are perfectly compatible with one another. Incorporating universal and individual perspectives – ocean and wave, boundless and boundaries. My experience in doing BatGap. Recorded at the Science and Nonduality Conference, October 27, 2019. Summary and transcript of this talk. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Previous talks on BatGap: 2018 SAND Conference Q&A and Interview by Shakti Caterina Maggi SAND 2017: "The Ethics of Enlightenment" Talk at Berkeley Open Circle Center Talk at SAND 2015 Interviewed by Fax Gilbert Interviewed by Richard Miller YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Different levels of consciousness 00:01:49 - Perspectives and Justifications 00:03:04 - The Knower of Brahman is Brahman 00:04:32 - The Debate on Free Will 00:05:40 - The Concept of Freewill 00:07:03 - The trouble of taking someone else's perspective 00:08:24 - Debating the Existence of Reincarnation 00:09:27 - Mithya: The Concept of Dependent Reality 00:10:43 - Subsuming Perspectives and the Totality of Brahman 00:12:14 - Shift in Perspective and the Sun's Perspective 00:13:30 - Rising to the Experience 00:14:49 - The Role of Practice in Spiritual Development 00:16:08 - The Role of Gurus in Contemporary Spirituality 00:17:21 - Respect for Different Spiritual Paths 00:18:43 - The Seamless Wholeness of Existence 00:20:05 - Progress in Spiritual Practice 00:21:19 - The Progressive Dyeing Process 00:22:36 - The Value of Life and Balance 00:23:57 - Levels of Complexity and Hierarchical Arrangements 00:25:25 - Different Levels of Reality 00:26:38 - Embracing Paradoxes and Ambiguities 00:28:05 - Cultivating Awareness and Focus in Meditation 00:29:34 - Finding Freedom in Confinement 00:30:53 - The Ethics of Feedlots and Advanced Beings 00:31:56 - Paradoxes and Personal Judgment 00:32:55 - The Beauty and Diversity of Life 00:34:11 - The Thrill of Interviews and Exploring Different Perspectives 00:35:22 - Being of Service to Others 00:36:42 - Surrendering to the Moment in the Spiritual Experience 00:37:44 - Comparing Yourself on the Spiritual Path 00:38:52 - Paths of Devotion, Intellect, and Meditation 00:40:05 - Balancing Heart and Mind