709. Philip Weber

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

Om Podcasten

The implication of the title - Buddha at the Gas Pump - is that ordinary people are experiencing higher states of consciousness once thought to be rare and difficult to attain. People everywhere are undergoing a shift or awakening to their true nature. For some, this shift has been abrupt and dramatic. For others, it has been so gradual that they may not have realized it has occurred. Such shifts, or awakenings, are not new: Christ spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven within, Buddhists speak of Nirvana, Zen masters of Satori, Hindus of Moksha, but these traditions generally regard these states as rare and difficult to attain. Many people are therefore skeptical of claims of higher states of consciousness. They find it hard to believe that apparently ordinary friends and neighbors might be experiencing something extraordinary. Maybe they expect Enlightenment to look as remarkable on the outside as it is reputed to be on the inside. This show will attempt to dispel skepticism and misconceptions by week after week, allowing otherwise ordinary people to relate their experience of spiritual awakening. The terminology is tricky, because there are no universally agreed upon definitions to describe this experience. So please forgive us if we use some unfamiliar terms. We will try to clarify our definitions as we go along. Perhaps, after a while, those listening will become convinced that genuine and permanent spiritual awakenings are not just a pipe dream, but are real and are becoming relatively commonplace. These podcasts are the audio track of a weekly interview show which may be seen as videos on our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/buddhaatthegaspump). Also see the main site: http://batgap.com. For search purposes, I will add the following to this description - batgap, Buddha at the Gaspump, Buddah at the Gas Pump.