623. Babaji Bob Kindler

Babaji Bob Kindler is the Spiritual Director of the Sarada Ramakrishna Vivekananda (SRV) Associations since 1993 with teaching centers on the Big Island of Hawaii and Portland, Oregon, USA. Babaji teaches Vedanta, Yoga, Sankhya, and other philosophical systems of Truth with an emphasis on learning to live a divine life and the attainment of direct spiritual experience.  He holds a twin spiritual heritage via initiation into the Ramakrishna lineage (Vedanta) and Kagyu Tibetan Buddhism.  Editor of Nectar of Non-Dual Truth, A Journal of Universal Religious and Philosophical Teachings, he is also the author of over a dozen books on spiritual topics, including Dissolving the Mindstream A Quintessential Yoga Vasishtha Twenty-Four Aspects of Mother Kali Footfalls of the Indian Rishis: Charting the Timeless Wisdom of Mother India Babaji’s spiritual discourses can be found on YouTube, Livestream, and on the official SRV Associations website. Online and residential retreats are listed here. Email subscription and site index. “Our path is mainly a blend of Advaita and Shaktism, with our devotion to Sri Ramakrishna making it Universal, and inclusive of all religions.” Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded November 13, 2021. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Babaji Bob Kindler 00:04:43 - Babaji's Spiritual Discourses on YouTube 00:09:17 - Devotion to Shakti in Tantra and Kashmir Shaivism 00:14:03 - The Function of Maya 00:18:42 - Awakening from the Dream 00:22:42 - The Dangers of Jumping to Spiritual Enlightenment 00:26:54 - The Bliss of Meditation 00:30:55 - The State of Advaita Non-Duality 00:35:15 - The Field of All Possibilities 00:39:24 - Reincarnation and the Doctrine of Karma 00:43:24 - Remembering Atman and Buddha Nature 00:47:32 - Duality and Transcendence in Humanity 00:51:37 - The Value of Studying Secular Subjects 00:55:34 - Nonviolence and Money-making 00:59:40 - Kingdoms of Heaven and the Mind 01:03:49 - The Gods Within Us 01:07:56 - Different Levels of Consciousness and the Non-Dual Path 01:11:51 - Direct Path to Enlightenment 01:16:10 - The Forgetfulness of Ignorance and the Cyclic Nature of Time 01:20:09 - The Illusion of Change 01:24:09 - The Nature of Enlightenment 01:28:10 - Following Your Own Calling 01:31:52 - Realizing the Atman, the wasted life, and the refinement of the mind 01:35:35 - The Guru-Disciple Relationship 01:39:48 - The Qualification and Criterion for Sacred Sound 01:43:52 - The Universality of Religions and Swami Vivekananda 01:48:24 - Realizing the Inner Being and Inter-Religious Gatherings 01:52:23 - Deluding Pairs of Opposites and Rising Above 01:57:15 - Dharma and Morality 02:01:16 - Exploring the Cell of Knowledge 02:05:13 - Wrapping Up and Upcoming Interviews