hallelujah! Gasp! Someone on batgap actually mentioned the fact that terrible things are going on in America and it's foreign policy is a crock of ............ . I was beginning to wonder if those interviewed on batgap hadn't noticed these things or thought that talking about them would be considered "negative" which would diminish their number of potential followers. Being positive is NOT being in denial as Robert Thurman points out here. One CAN and SHOULD (if one cares about others) speak about these things. If they are not part of one's spiritual path, which is about investigating reality, then its a deluded path. To sit back and watch the weak be slaughtered and abused and not do (or at least prepare to do) anything about it means one has lost sight of what spirituality is all about.
+David 2025 What do you see when you see Jesus being crucified? You might see something “very bad”, something “truly horrific” happening. You might see something completely bad out of which nothing good can possibly come. But, what is the reality of that? Will there be a religion called Christianity without Jesus crucifixion (and, ultimately resurrection)? Would it be as popular and as powerful it is? It is hard to imagine. That cross is the symbol of Christianity. What do you see when you see a volcano erupting? You might see it as something disastrous and deadly and possibly against life. Do you know that scientists speculate that the life might have actually begun because of volcano? What does that mean? Does that mean that you shouldn’t do what feels wise, kind, compassionate and loving to you? No, it doesn’t mean that. It means that it might be wise to not assume to really understand it all and to really know what is truly good or bad. The nature, the universe, The Reality, the ONE which has created it all might be much more intelligent, deeper and vaster than you and me. www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/29621/title/Volcanic-origin-of-proteins-/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/topics_life_soup.html
Thanks Rick & Robert -- thoroughly enjoyed this interview :) Something about all the discussion re: the spirituality/politics interface brings to mind these lines of Cyrus Cassels (from his collection "Soul Make A Path Through Shouting") -- "And if the husk of the world is ripped away, we will not have altered the consciousness of one leaf -- "
Buddha at he Recharging Station, sounds more in sync with furthering our progress towards a healthier, more loving Nation. Not consuming so much of our common creation. A cleaner verbal vehicle to help transport us to a better state of mind, so that we can better unwind, the tangled thoughts that hamper our cultural climb, out of the crime fouling up our better times. The freeing of minds One by One, speeds the flow, towards the more satisfying Societal shore, as each that can, picks up their own oar.
If I'm seeking enlightenment just to further entrench myself in a political ideology as this guest appears to be, then count me out. Reminded me of a juvenile college discussion.
Not one of those guys are 'enlightened', I'm starting to think enlightenment is completely different to what my understanding of it was. Isn't it that once you realise you aren't anyone, you don't author your thoughts and feelings, you don't pump your blood or grow your hair, your just a biological system with awareness and the fact you may think you're someone is the illusion society can't wake up from? just by going on the search of enlightenment or the fact you want to attain something means you're still under the illusion of the separate self because you still want something, and the truth is there's no one there to want anything! But the in awakened can't realise that because they're still under the illusion! Like seriously how can you speculate about Buddhas teachings and not understand the teaching!
+Blazin 420 There is no absolute enlightenment as long as you are in a relative body. What there is, there is greater consciousness, the awakening of awareness, which gives you a tool to work on the conditioning of the intellect so that the intellect can serve that greater awareness. When that's done, you will gain access to greater consciousness, and the whole process of intellectual rework continues. Enligtenment isn't final but a process.
*A 0.0 on a -3.0 to +3.0 scale*. Disclaimers at the end of the comment. This is good entertainment, it would be a 2.0 on a - 3.0 to +3.0 fun- and easy-listening-scale, and the nice under 1 hour length is part of the enternainment value, but it has nothing to do with the by Rick stated purpose of he channel. I guess having Thurman on the show is a clicking asset. He throws in some interesting bits but also some pretty gullible traditionalism. At the same time this is a 70s liberal mindset fest of politically correct way-back thinking, slightly updated but still stuck in the 70s. While I find his engaged attitude and his willingness to actually name some agents of destruction in some of the more truthful political points he makes very commendable (compared to the uncritical suck up mentality otherwise prevailing in "spiritual" circles), he is *still* talking as if voting would make a difference for heaven's sake and as if "democrats" would be any less minions of money faschism than "republicans" www.globalresearch.ca/who-are-the-architects-of-economic-collapse/10860 or ruclips.net/video/a0-HkVcMOSw/видео.html (and note that it was Clinton who repealed Glass-Steagall). Rick uses the occasion of now being on familiar "liberal" lala-territory to throw in his own usual favorites and still uses the term "global warming" even though even the propagators of human induced climate change themselves have become too embarrassed to use that obviously nonsensical propaganda term, he probably actually believes the polarbears are newly particularly threatened over humanly caused melting of polar ice. Thurman is *still*, wantedly or unwantedly, working for the powers that be by making it seem as if Assad and/or Putin are the problem when *everyone* knows where the chemical weapons in Syria came from and who supplied and is supplying "ISIS", everyone knows that it isn't China's expansive and hegemonical interests that are causing the problems but those of the anglo-saxon empire. Yet he isn't mentioning where the problem really lies. And finally, even though he seems to want to restrict that to his way past, he tries to find nice words about one of the most extreme war criminals and pathological liars, Henry Kissinger ! I don't know if he is really politically senile or actually has buddies among the powers that be and acts as a gatekeeper. But these aspects offset the few good moments in there such that you get a 0.0. After all he likes "shunyata", so he should be happy about a zero. A few links for beginners in the art of thinking also relevant to the political nonsense this interview contains: ruclips.net/video/gobe0vWPfl8/видео.html ruclips.net/video/lQqPQ0i_fl0/видео.html ruclips.net/video/hKl2ksAERS0/видео.html "Ahhh, polar bears..." ruclips.net/video/dKRneha-4VE/видео.html Yes, *lives* matter: ruclips.net/video/bDazIXANnH0/видео.html About the supposed power of men: ruclips.net/p/PLE2D_BOjJ-owrNhB2OYg9-inbSHXD7G5n Obviously, men do whatever women implicitly order them to do by rewarding their activities with sex. I consider people who think women would make things better as partially braindead. Ancient and contemporary history is littered with female brutality. And men only do whatever they during their youth thought women want them to do because women rewarded it sexually. Women seem to want more power(ful men), security, a nicer lifestyle, so they give sex to men who give them more of that than their follow men. And these men can give them that more than their competitors only if they treat their fellow men immorally. So the most attractive women reward the criminals with sex. And that is the only reason men have become such criminals because women's sexual choices 1) naturally select for reckless men by procreating their brutality genes and 2) reward them sexually, psychologically and socially for the successful implementation of such brutality for their sake. If women would suddenly only fuck losers, all men would want to be losers. It's not rocket science. _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_ !
+Soteriologe Should have asked Thurman whether he supports transhumanism as the Dalai Llama does - should man merge with machine? Sorry to see Thurman isn't quite up to date on the global warming hoax - if someone hasn't figured out that scam yet, it may be best not to take their word/advise on anything of importance. Focusing on fox news and the Koch brothers while ignoring the rest of the equally deceptive mass media and billionaire club is a bit myopic at best - though it does keep the illusory polarization going strong. Thurman might also want to look into which countries support or outlaw GMOs, it should be enlightening. On the other hand thanks for documenting a classic example of a 21st century misinformed (hopefully) pseudo (neo?) liberal, noted academic, sort of celebrity sort of spiritual spokesman, sort of fashion maven, as these types of videos may help future generations (if there are any) figure out where it all went wrong.
Should have asked Thurman whether he supports transhumanism as the Dalai Llama does - should man merge with machine? Sorry to see Thurman isn't quite up to date on the global warming hoax - if someone hasn't figured out that scam yet, it may be best not to take their word/advise on anything of importance. Focusing on fox news and the Koch brothers while ignoring the rest of the equally deceptive mass media and billionaire club is a bit myopic at best - though it does keep the illusory polarization going strong. Thurman might also want to look into which countries support or outlaw GMOs, it should be enlightening. On the other hand thanks for documenting a classic example of a 21st century misinformed (hopefully) pseudo (neo?) liberal, noted academic, sort of celebrity sort of spiritual spokesman, sort of fashion maven, as these types of videos may help future generations (if there are any) figure out where it all went wrong.
+Soteriologe Yes, RUclips had marked it as potential spam. I have to regularly check interviews to find those. If I could find a way of turning off RUclips's tendency to do that, I would.
+Soteriologe I just checked the settings and I have "Allow all comments" chosen, but RUclips still flags some as potential spam. There's a general page where I can see flagged comments for various interviews, and I regularly check that and approve them, but then I still find flagged comments on individual interviews. For all I know, there may be hundreds of them on interviews I haven't checked.
This interview was a new low. Were exactly was the spiritual talk? I heard more politics than anything else, and on top of that views that was utter crap as well. Hope this piece of garbage was the last one from you Rick.
Enlightenment is remembering “past lives” :-)? Really? Who taught that? Buddha? Didn’t Buddha teach “no self”? Where is “reincarnation” and “past life” if there is no self to start with?
This guy seems to think differently. www.alanpeto.com/buddhism/understanding-reincarnation-rebirth/ … As Walpola Rahula said in What the Buddha Taught: It must be repeated here that according to Buddhist philosophy there is no permanent, unchanging spirit which can be considered ‘Self’, or ‘Soul’, or ‘Ego’, as opposed to matter, and that consciousness (viññāṇa) should not be taken as ‘spirit’ in opposition to matter. This point has to be particularly emphasized, because a wrong notion that consciousness is sort of Self or Soul that continues as a permanent substance through life, has persisted from the earliest time to the present day. …
I don’t even remember everything I did and thought and every dream I had and every person I met and every thing I saw in this very life. Nor do I wish to. Do you? Do you remember everything you thought, saw,read, met or did in this very life? Do you want to? I don’t want my mind to be full of all memories. I prefer perfect emptiness so that I can fully focus on the Present Moment and fully notice what is Here Right Now without being occluded by the memories of the past. :-)
+TOA (Transmission of Awakening) memories are just thoughts rising in the moment, they're no different from any other thought! Enlightenment is remembering past lives haha you're right tho who taught that? Who's past life? Haha
+TOA (Transmission of Awakening) From what I have understand so far it is a condition or presence that we have never come close to so it would not make sense. If you read about oracles, like Stichomancy , (or think Tarot cards) The idea is that every is happening right now. That is why a really accomplished oracle can tell the future - because it too is happening now. But you can change it by changing what you do. That is complicated and I don't understand it fully.
+TOA (Transmission of Awakening) +TOA (Transmission of Awakening) From what I have understand so far it is a condition or presence that we have never come close to so it would not make sense. If you read about oracles, like Stichomancy , (or think Tarot cards) The idea is that every is happening right now. That is why a really accomplished oracle can tell the future - because it too is happening now. But you can change it by changing what you do. That is complicated and I don't understand it fully.
You have to get him back for a longer interview Rick, what a fascinating, hilarious guy!
Very interesting, entertaining and spontaneous guest. A very welcome relief.
Thurman is hilarious and inspiring!
Great interview! Thank you.
hallelujah! Gasp! Someone on batgap actually mentioned the fact that terrible things are going on in America and it's foreign policy is a crock of ............ . I was beginning to wonder if those interviewed on batgap hadn't noticed these things or thought that talking about them would be considered "negative" which would diminish their number of potential followers.
Being positive is NOT being in denial as Robert Thurman points out here. One CAN and SHOULD (if one cares about others) speak about these things. If they are not part of one's spiritual path, which is about investigating reality, then its a deluded path. To sit back and watch the weak be slaughtered and abused and not do (or at least prepare to do) anything about it means one has lost sight of what spirituality is all about.
+David 2025 What do you see when you see Jesus being crucified? You might see something “very bad”, something “truly horrific” happening. You might see something completely bad out of which nothing good can possibly come. But, what is the reality of that?
Will there be a religion called Christianity without Jesus crucifixion (and, ultimately resurrection)? Would it be as popular and as powerful it is? It is hard to imagine. That cross is the symbol of Christianity.
What do you see when you see a volcano erupting? You might see it as something disastrous and deadly and possibly against life. Do you know that scientists speculate that the life might have actually begun because of volcano?
What does that mean? Does that mean that you shouldn’t do what feels wise, kind, compassionate and loving to you? No, it doesn’t mean that. It means that it might be wise to not assume to really understand it all and to really know what is truly good or bad. The nature, the universe, The Reality, the ONE which has created it all might be much more intelligent, deeper and vaster than you and me.
www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/29621/title/Volcanic-origin-of-proteins-/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis
www.physicsoftheuniverse.com/topics_life_soup.html
Rik please please post more of this, totally awesome!
Thanks Rick & Robert -- thoroughly enjoyed this interview :)
Something about all the discussion re: the spirituality/politics interface brings to mind these lines of Cyrus Cassels (from his collection "Soul Make A Path Through Shouting") --
"And if the husk of the world is ripped away,
we will not have altered the consciousness of one leaf -- "
A naturally funny guy. Really enjoyed this :)
Superb.
Buddha at he Recharging Station, sounds more in sync with furthering our progress towards a healthier, more loving Nation. Not consuming so much of our common creation. A cleaner verbal vehicle to help transport us to a better state of mind, so that we can better unwind, the tangled thoughts that hamper our cultural climb, out of the crime fouling up our better times. The freeing of minds One by One, speeds the flow, towards the more satisfying Societal shore, as each that can, picks up their own oar.
I was looking forward to hearing something interesting about Tibetan Buddhism. I was disappointed.
If I'm seeking enlightenment just to further entrench myself in a political ideology as this guest appears to be, then count me out. Reminded me of a juvenile college discussion.
What Sutra is he talking about when he refers to God talking to Buddha?
Not one of those guys are 'enlightened', I'm starting to think enlightenment is completely different to what my understanding of it was. Isn't it that once you realise you aren't anyone, you don't author your thoughts and feelings, you don't pump your blood or grow your hair, your just a biological system with awareness and the fact you may think you're someone is the illusion society can't wake up from? just by going on the search of enlightenment or the fact you want to attain something means you're still under the illusion of the separate self because you still want something, and the truth is there's no one there to want anything! But the in awakened can't realise that because they're still under the illusion! Like seriously how can you speculate about Buddhas teachings and not understand the teaching!
*** but the un-awakened can't...
+Blazin 420 There is no absolute enlightenment as long as you are in a relative body. What there is, there is greater consciousness, the awakening of awareness, which gives you a tool to work on the conditioning of the intellect so that the intellect can serve that greater awareness. When that's done, you will gain access to greater consciousness, and the whole process of intellectual rework continues. Enligtenment isn't final but a process.
*A 0.0 on a -3.0 to +3.0 scale*. Disclaimers at the end of the comment.
This is good entertainment, it would be a 2.0 on a - 3.0 to +3.0 fun- and easy-listening-scale, and the nice under 1 hour length is part of the enternainment value, but it has nothing to do with the by Rick stated purpose of he channel. I guess having Thurman on the show is a clicking asset. He throws in some interesting bits but also some pretty gullible traditionalism. At the same time this is a 70s liberal mindset fest of politically correct way-back thinking, slightly updated but still stuck in the 70s. While I find his engaged attitude and his willingness to actually name some agents of destruction in some of the more truthful political points he makes very commendable (compared to the uncritical suck up mentality otherwise prevailing in "spiritual" circles), he is *still* talking as if voting would make a difference for heaven's sake and as if "democrats" would be any less minions of money faschism than "republicans" www.globalresearch.ca/who-are-the-architects-of-economic-collapse/10860
or ruclips.net/video/a0-HkVcMOSw/видео.html (and note that it was Clinton who repealed Glass-Steagall). Rick uses the occasion of now being on familiar "liberal" lala-territory to throw in his own usual favorites and still uses the term "global warming" even though even the propagators of human induced climate change themselves have become too embarrassed to use that obviously nonsensical propaganda term, he probably actually believes the polarbears are newly particularly threatened over humanly caused melting of polar ice. Thurman is *still*, wantedly or unwantedly, working for the powers that be by making it seem as if Assad and/or Putin are the problem when *everyone* knows where the chemical weapons in Syria came from and who supplied and is supplying "ISIS", everyone knows that it isn't China's expansive and hegemonical interests that are causing the problems but those of the anglo-saxon empire. Yet he isn't mentioning where the problem really lies. And finally, even though he seems to want to restrict that to his way past, he tries to find nice words about one of the most extreme war criminals and pathological liars, Henry Kissinger ! I don't know if he is really politically senile or actually has buddies among the powers that be and acts as a gatekeeper. But these aspects offset the few good moments in there such that you get a 0.0.
After all he likes "shunyata", so he should be happy about a zero.
A few links for beginners in the art of thinking also relevant to the political nonsense this interview contains:
ruclips.net/video/gobe0vWPfl8/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/lQqPQ0i_fl0/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/hKl2ksAERS0/видео.html
"Ahhh, polar bears..."
ruclips.net/video/dKRneha-4VE/видео.html
Yes, *lives* matter:
ruclips.net/video/bDazIXANnH0/видео.html
About the supposed power of men:
ruclips.net/p/PLE2D_BOjJ-owrNhB2OYg9-inbSHXD7G5n
Obviously, men do whatever women implicitly order them to do by rewarding their activities with sex. I consider people
who think women would make things better as partially braindead. Ancient and contemporary history is littered with female brutality. And men only do whatever they during their youth thought women want them to do because women rewarded it sexually. Women seem to want more power(ful men), security, a nicer lifestyle, so they give sex to men who give them more of that than their follow men. And these men can give them that more than their competitors only if they treat their fellow men immorally. So the most attractive women reward the criminals with sex. And that is the only reason men have become such criminals because women's sexual choices 1) naturally select for reckless men by procreating their brutality genes and 2) reward them sexually, psychologically and socially for the successful implementation of such brutality for their sake.
If women would suddenly only fuck losers, all men would want to be losers. It's not rocket science.
_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_ !
+Soteriologe
Should have asked Thurman whether he supports transhumanism as the
Dalai Llama does - should man merge with machine? Sorry to see Thurman
isn't quite up to date on the global warming hoax - if someone hasn't
figured out that scam yet, it may be best not to take their word/advise
on anything of importance. Focusing on fox news and the Koch brothers
while ignoring the rest of the equally deceptive mass media and
billionaire club is a bit myopic at best - though it does keep the
illusory polarization going strong. Thurman might also want to look
into which countries support or outlaw GMOs, it should be enlightening.
On the other hand thanks for documenting a classic example of a 21st
century misinformed (hopefully) pseudo (neo?) liberal, noted academic,
sort of celebrity sort of spiritual spokesman, sort of fashion maven, as
these types of videos may help future generations (if there are any)
figure out where it all went wrong.
Should have asked Thurman whether he supports transhumanism as the Dalai Llama does - should man merge with machine? Sorry to see Thurman isn't quite up to date on the global warming hoax - if someone hasn't figured out that scam yet, it may be best not to take their word/advise on anything of importance. Focusing on fox news and the Koch brothers while ignoring the rest of the equally deceptive mass media and billionaire club is a bit myopic at best - though it does keep the illusory polarization going strong. Thurman might also want to look into which countries support or outlaw GMOs, it should be enlightening. On the other hand thanks for documenting a classic example of a 21st century misinformed (hopefully) pseudo (neo?) liberal, noted academic, sort of celebrity sort of spiritual spokesman, sort of fashion maven, as these types of videos may help future generations (if there are any) figure out where it all went wrong.
+Soteriologe Yes, RUclips had marked it as potential spam. I have to regularly check interviews to find those. If I could find a way of turning off RUclips's tendency to do that, I would.
+Soteriologe I just checked the settings and I have "Allow all comments" chosen, but RUclips still flags some as potential spam. There's a general page where I can see flagged comments for various interviews, and I regularly check that and approve them, but then I still find flagged comments on individual interviews. For all I know, there may be hundreds of them on interviews I haven't checked.
This interview was a new low. Were exactly was the spiritual talk? I heard more politics than anything else, and on top of that views that was utter crap as well. Hope this piece of garbage was the last one from you Rick.
Enlightenment is remembering “past lives” :-)? Really? Who taught that? Buddha?
Didn’t Buddha teach “no self”? Where is “reincarnation” and “past life” if there is no self to start with?
This guy seems to think differently.
www.alanpeto.com/buddhism/understanding-reincarnation-rebirth/
…
As Walpola Rahula said in What the Buddha Taught:
It must be repeated here that according to Buddhist philosophy there is no permanent, unchanging spirit which can be considered ‘Self’, or ‘Soul’, or ‘Ego’, as opposed to matter, and that consciousness (viññāṇa) should not be taken as ‘spirit’ in opposition to matter. This point has to be particularly emphasized, because a wrong notion that consciousness is sort of Self or Soul that continues as a permanent substance through life, has persisted from the earliest time to the present day.
…
I don’t even remember everything I did and thought and every dream I had and every person I met and every thing I saw in this very life. Nor do I wish to.
Do you? Do you remember everything you thought, saw,read, met or did in this very life? Do you want to?
I don’t want my mind to be full of all memories. I prefer perfect emptiness so that I can fully focus on the Present Moment and fully notice what is Here Right Now without being occluded by the memories of the past.
:-)
+TOA (Transmission of Awakening) memories are just thoughts rising in the moment, they're no different from any other thought! Enlightenment is remembering past lives haha you're right tho who taught that? Who's past life? Haha
+TOA (Transmission of Awakening) From what I have understand so far it is a condition or presence that we have never come close to so it would not make sense. If you read about oracles, like Stichomancy , (or think Tarot cards) The idea is that every is happening right now. That is why a really accomplished oracle can tell the future - because it too is happening now. But you can change it by changing what you do. That is complicated and I don't understand it fully.
+TOA (Transmission of Awakening) +TOA (Transmission of Awakening) From what I have understand so far it is a condition or presence that we have never come close to so it would not make sense. If you read about oracles, like Stichomancy , (or think Tarot cards) The idea is that every is happening right now. That is why a really accomplished oracle can tell the future - because it too is happening now. But you can change it by changing what you do. That is complicated and I don't understand it fully.