Question the Orthodox

I had a lovely chat with Suzanne Chang about non-duality, seeking, the end of seeking, energy, suffering, creativity and more. Suzanne offers regular online meetings and has a lot of great stuff on YouTube. You can find out more at https://suzannechang.net/ or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@suzanne-chang

I had a lovely chat with Kenneth Madden, who is an uncompromising non-duality speaker from Ireland. He does online meetings, in person meetings and individual sessions. You can learn more about him on his website - https://www.kennethmadden.net/. Here is a quote from his site, "The suggestion being made here is that you are not the separate individual self you experience yourself to be and that the sense of separation that may be  felt is artificial.  There is and never has been a separate individual "you".  You will never find what you are looking for as you are not there to find it and there is no "it" to find."

Tim Cliss is a non-duality speaker and author from Great Britain who gives weekly online talks and retreats. He has written a book entitled, This Deafening Silence, as well as a great deal of poetry. We had a lovely chat about the nature of Life as well as disillusionment. His energy and words are compassionately uncompromising. Here is a quote from his website, "Life is always as it is, this is it. All the past is here, all the future is here. For the seemingly separate individual, the search for freedom is the search to find something other than this. In his debut book, Tim points towards the unknowable everything and nothing. All there is, is this. This deafening silence." You can learn more about Tim, his writings and his videos at https://www.timclissthis.com. He also posted the video version of this interview here - https://youtu.be/RQG6SePHFq0.

Emerson has been conducting interviews and hosting online retreats for non-duality speakers for a while now. His videos and online retreats have introduced me to other radical non-duality speakers, for which there is immense gratitude. His passion for this radical non-duality message is very apparent in the conversations he's had with various speakers, as well as in our conversation. You can learn more about the events he's organizing on his website is https://www.non-duality.live/.

Andreas Muller is from Germany and has been giving talks on non-duality since 2011. He has written several books on the topic of non-duality and hosts regular online meetings as well as some residential meetings. We had a lovely conversation about the nature of seeking and the end of seeking, and the illusory experience of separation. You can learn more about Andreas on his website https://thetimelesswonder.com.

A friend of mine on the non-dual path introduced me to Anna's videos last year and I was immediately struck. She is young, wide awake and lovingly sharing non-duality without pulling any punches. Anna does not consider herself to be a teacher, but a mirror reflecting the innate perfection of all that is. As she says, there are no recommended practices or teachings that could bring us closer to what we already are. We are already wholeness itself. I highly recommend checking out Anna's posts if you are on the nondual path or interested in spiritual awakening. You can learn more about her on her website - https://www.wonderfullynothing.com as well as her YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsAMJ3K8EEvDCPLTGdc4eg.

This guided meditation was designed to accompany you on a hike in nature. You don't have to be walking in nature to enjoy the message, but it helps :)

These questions are not designed to be answered with the mind. They are intended to invite exploration into the questions, to the experiential answer. They are intended to invite attention to explore its Source of Awareness and become familiar with it. In other words, we want to explore the nature of Awareness with our attention. 

Am I aware?

What does it feel like to be aware?

What does the experience of just being aware feel like?

Is there a stillness here?

Is there a sense of peace here?

Is there a sense of just being aware here?

Is there a sense of aliveness here?

Is there a sense of existing here?

What is it that’s aware of all that?

Is this aware stillness what I am?

Am I just Awareness?

Is this person I call “me” just an experience in Awareness?

What is it like to just be Awareness?

Does this Awareness feel contained by the body, or is the body contained by Awareness?

Does this Awareness have a location, or is it everywhere?

Does this Awareness have any limits, or is it infinite?

Does this Awareness come and go, or is it ever-present?

Does this Awareness ever move, or is it always Here?

Does this Awareness have any preferences, or is it all accepting?

What is it like to just be aware?

What is it like to know yourself as Awareness?

Meditative Inquiry

After I ask each of these questions, repeat them over and over again (out loud or in your mind) and direct attention to where they are pointing. There will be a one minute pause after each question, but you are welcome to pause this and sit with each question for longer if you feel so inclined.

Sights and Sounds

You can use these questions to explore your current perception of the world.

What is looking through these eyes?

What perceives what’s being seen?

Is what I’m seeing being seen from behind my eyes, or is it being seen where it is?

What hears these sounds?

Are these sounds being heard in my head, or are they being heard somewhere in space?

The body

Direct attention toward the feeling of aliveness in the body. Close your eyes and get a feel for the energetic experience of the body. Once you are feeling its  alive energy, ask the following questions:

What is experiencing the body?

Is the experience of body just a sensation floating in an aware space?

Is the body is being experienced from all around, both from inside and out?

Am I this aware space that experiences the body, or am I the body? 

The mind

The following questions become the thoughts you are investigating when you think of each question.

From where do these thoughts arise?

What hears the voice of these thoughts?

What’s here prior to and in between thoughts?

Where are thoughts being perceived from?

Are these thoughts appearing in my head, or are they just appearing in an empty, aware space?

Am I this aware space, or am I the thoughts?

In this episode, Trey interviews Tammy Hendrix and Tom Marino on their experience with the Enneagram. Tammy teaches workshops on the Enneagram of Awakening and shares how she has used the Enneagram with her clients. She talks about the various blind spots that people with different types tend to fall into. Tom shares how his life was permanently changed for the better thanks to his experience with the Enneagram.

(My apologies for the background noise in places. One of the microphones was being rustled without me noticing.)

In this episode, Trey, Tammy and Dan talk a bit about their personal experiences with spiritual awakening. A discussion about tantra ensues and will be explored in more detail in a future episode. (2/11/2019)

Trey interviews author and spiritual teacher, Dan Kelso,  Dan shares how his 30 year spiritual search eventually ended in a final shift in identification from the body/mind to pure awareness. Dan shares how he finally discovered the right questions to ask, which eventually led to the creation of the Deep Self Investigation approach to awakening that he currently teaches.  Learn more about Dan and DSI at http://deepselfinvestigation.com.

In my discussion with author and spiritual teacher, Mary O'Malley, she talked about the depression and suicide attempts in her younger years and how her suffering contributed to her finding the peace that we all seek. She demonstrates how our challenging issues (or spells as she likes to call them) are actually Life's way of guiding us to the light. You can learn more about Mary at https://maryomalley.com. 

[Due to a connection issue there are a few places where the audio drops out and a bit of background noise in places.]

Alaya is a spiritual teacher in Asheville, NC who has been offering satsang since 2011. I sat down with her in July, 2014 for an interview. We discussed a bit about her awakening journey, as well as her perspective on the meaning of non-duality. Learn more about Alaya at https://www.alayasatsang.org.