John Sherman - Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview

Also see http://batgap.com/john-sherman/
I had been sentenced to a total of thirty years — an act of leniency that almost gave the prosecutor a stroke — and sent to the US Penitentiary at Lompoc, from which I escaped with the help of my new wife a couple of months later.
During my years in prison, I studied philosophy, physics, metaphysics, etc. Early on, drawn by its unabashed celebration of a mystical reality, I even converted to Catholicism. Much later, in 1993, in a federal prison in Littleton, Colorado, I got involved with the Buddhists who were coming to prison from the Naropa Institute in Boulder. I was very quick to understand the teachings, and successful in my practice. The Buddhists were very happy with me, and they soon brought in a Tibetan lama and I took refuge and bodhisattva vows. In 1994, fifteen years into my sentence, an American spiritual teacher named Gangaji came to the prison. In her presence I discovered myself to be peace and freedom and love without condition. The next year was spent in an extreme state of bliss and in the clear seeing of the reality of the oneness of all being. The year of blissful experiences was followed by a year in hell, where I lost everything I had attained. I fell into abject despair. Finally, in desperation, I turned to Ramana Maharshi. I put all of my energy into the project of figuring out what he was asking us to do. I wanted to find an action that would either put an end to my torment or show me that it was, as I suspected, all completely hopeless after all.

These efforts to see for myself whether there was anything to be seen at all have brought an end to the life-long fear and hatred of life that had been the cause of all the trouble. The perfect intimacy with life that has resulted from that loss continues to reveal to me the absolute wonder of life as an ordinary human being in the natural state of being human.

In 1998, I was released from prison on parole and went to work for the Gangaji Foundation in Boulder, Colorado. Six months later the Foundation moved to Novato, California and took me with it. I worked for the foundation as a computer systems manager until July 1999.

On a Friday afternoon in June 1999, Carla and I discovered without warning that we were meant to be together. On the following Monday, we offered our first public meeting (Palo Alto, California), and on Wednesday afternoon we were married on the back lawn of our friends' house in San Rafael overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

We have been together ever since, meeting with people ever since and, since August of 2001, we have lived in Ojai, California with our magnificent Maine Coon cat, Switters. I was released from parole in 2007.

John's sites: lookatyourself.org, riverganga.org, johnsherman.org, thefearoflife.org

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Tags:

• enlightenment
• awakening
• gangaji
• meditation
• self-realization
• interviews
• spirituality
• non-dualism
• advaita
• non-duality
• Ramana
• Maharshi

[riccardo1767]

Pure gold! This by far the best interview on batgap! John you're a genius!!

It is so simple that the mind refuses it and tries to grab it, analyse it, understand it in every way possible but, of course, fails to do so.

I did it and it's working!! The only thing I can say is just do it!

Tx john!!!

[birdofafeatherami]

Thank you again Rick.

[birdofafeatherami]

Really to the point. How tell if your experiencing a state. If it was not here before it is a state. Perfect.

[4DINTEGRAL]

Excellent interview with John Sherman! A genuinely engaged and authentic, 4 dimensional human being. This is the evolution of non-duality to it's practical application! Though Zen masters have been offering the same insight in a less palatable practice. I would add that the birth anxiety that turns into defensive anxiety and fear of life is an ever present but misdirected focus of the 'Primal Anxiety' - eternal desire for life (to manifest form) that exists at the heart of the ground of being.

[rlcbabaji3]

The egotistical host needs to shutup and let John Sherman make his point. The constant annoying interruptions cause the clarity of the message to be lost.

[davidpeterscqa]

John points to the birth experience as to the cause of our fear of life. Could it be that we have inherited this anxiety or unease from our ancestors as way to survive and that we will probably pass this gene on. So a trait of true human nature is to be "on guard" against things/others for the survivor ship of the race. So we are humans, what a relief.

[kasvattaja1]

Thank you John, XLNT

[rickardlingonvatten]

Thank you John! Looking at myself really works! SO SIMPLE! One might not believe it but please just try it, it's not hard, it might seem hard but i promise you all, you already know how to just look at yourself's and to be self reliant and able to enjoy this life! Much Love!

[een2iii]

This was the first time i understanded what john talks about. By comparing an old memory with this moment. And by knowing that drugged, drowsy, insane, dreaming, in fear or what ever situation there is present, i am just as present. So if my mind is barely functioning i still notice it. And i am just as big as always.

[MrDanielTynan]

Great interview. . will try John's recommended act as soon as I get home!  Very interesting stuff here. Felt blissful listening to the interview.