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.
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