567. Terrence Stephens

Buddha at the Gas Pump

Terrence is an Australian born teacher and guide of Non-Duality. Like us all, Terrence had his own personal back ‘story’ (a ‘me’) which included sexual abuse as a child, living in a dysfunctional and broken family followed by drug addiction, divorce, depression, and anxiety with suicidal thoughts. He has also been a student and chief instructor in the art of Kung Fu for most of his life, a professional singer-songwriter-musician, and has also run several successful companies as a director. During his journey, he consulted various psychologists and therapists and pursued a variety of spiritual paths and self-help groups. Nothing seemed to relieve the deep-seated experience of separation and isolation. Then one day in 1986 he chanced to meet Sailor Bob Adamson who had settled in Melbourne following his 12 months with Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay. Here, Terrence gained an intellectual understanding of Non-Duality. However, it was many years later that his sense of self (me) finally collapsed. What resulted was no more searching, no wanting, and no desires, and a state of being carefree. It was in this state of collapse that his true nature was revealed; awakening from the dreamed fictitious personal character. Since then Terrence has been pointing the way. Profoundly direct and yet delivered with compassion, warmth, and fun! Website: terrencestephens.com.au Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded September 5, 2020. Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:04 - Meeting Sailor Bob Adamson in Melbourne 00:08:19 - The Illusion of Personal Consciousness 00:12:32 - Consciousness and Awareness 00:17:05 - The Primary Love of Being 00:21:12 - The Nature of Thought and Duality 00:25:19 - The Paradoxical Perception of Self 00:30:00 - The Illusion of a Separate Self 00:34:39 - The Mind's Natural Tendency for Seeking 00:39:01 - The Bursting Forth of Creativity 00:43:03 - The Appearance of Mind 00:47:23 - The Three Levels of Enlightenment 00:51:25 - Speaking to the Dream Character 00:55:20 - The Dream Character and Awakening 00:59:34 - Unconditional Love and Conditional Love 01:03:32 - Direct Experience of Consciousness 01:08:16 - The Dark Night of the Soul 01:12:51 - Absolute Surrender 01:17:12 - A Stirring of the Mind 01:21:13 - A Shift in Perspective 01:25:49 - Reconciliation with the Past 01:29:47 - Becoming Carefree 01:33:28 - Being Present in Awakening 01:37:31 - Being Still and Observing 01:41:08 - The Split of "I Am" 01:45:21 - The Profound Effect of Proximity 01:49:16 - The Nature of Consciousness and Awareness 01:53:07 - The Intelligence of Light 01:56:45 - The belief in past lives and memories 02:00:47 - The mysteries of the universe and personal perspectives 02:04:43 - Farewell and outro