Paul Muller-Ortega, Ph.D., the founder of Blue Throat Yoga, is an internationally recognized meditation teacher, and one of the world’s most highly respected academic scholars in the field of Indian Religion and Hindu Tantra. Paul is passionate and devoted to teaching students how to access their truest Self, and to offer the knowledge base to understand and support that experience. He has led hundreds of meditation retreats, offered a vast array of study courses, translated and provided commentary on many of the most inspired sacred texts of the Śaiva-Śākta tradition, and has personally trained over 40 Ācāryas as Authorized Teachers of Neelakantha Meditation. Paul is uniquely qualified to offer these potent teachings, drawing upon the synergy of his long career as an academic scholar, his particular capacity to translate complex ideas and concepts into easily accessible and comprehensible understanding, and a personal history of deep meditation and extensive practice in the Śaiva-Śākta Tantra tradition. Paul Muller-Ortega is the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir (Suny Series, Shaiva Traditions of Kashmir), in which he examines the “Heart” as the mystical core of Consciousness. He is also one of the co-authors of "Meditation Revolution", as well as numerous scholarly articles on aspects of Tantric Studies. Website: bluethroatyoga.com Another book: The Philosophy of Sadhana (SUNY Series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy) Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview Interview recorded September 16, 2017 2nd BatGap interview with Paul. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:45 - Symbolic forms of goddesses 00:08:59 - The Origins and Influences of Nilakanta Meditation 00:13:22 - The Meaning of Mantra 00:17:25 - The Chalice of the Mantra 00:21:53 - Vibratory Frequencies and Higher Consciousness 00:26:18 - The Power of Mantra in Meditation 00:36:03 - The Shaiva Tradition and the Malas 00:40:35 - The Appearance and Relative Reality in the Shaiva Shakta Tradition 00:44:53 - The Purpose of Creation and the Value of Evolution 00:49:59 - Different Mantras for Household and Renunciate 00:54:05 - Encounters with Ramana Maharshi 00:58:12 - The Wave of Freedom and Transformation 01:02:18 - The Awakening Process and Transformation Levels 01:06:33 - Liberation without Practice 01:10:38 - The Fourth State of Consciousness and Beyond 01:15:24 - Celestial Perception and Stages of Enlightenment 01:19:35 - The Role of Substandard Teachers in Spiritual Circles 01:23:31 - The Curious Cherishing and Denouncing of Knowledge 01:27:38 - Understanding the concept of "madhya" 01:31:39 - The Krama Tradition and Sequential Manifestation 01:36:24 - The Yoga Vasishta's Philosophical Outlook 01:41:58 - The Rush to Act from Knowingness 01:44:50 - Understanding the Planetary Phenomenon 01:49:15 - The Transformation of Spirituality 01:53:37 - The Ocean of Milk and the Poison 01:57:45 - Making the Maximum Use of Time 02:01:34 - The Mandukya Upanishad and Aum as a mantra 02:05:30 - The Subtle Level of Understanding 02:08:56 - Being an Instrument in the Transition to Higher Consciousness Save