Purnima Sinha is a spiritual director and coach whose life has been shaped by meditation, near‑death experiences, and a deep commitment to seva (selfless service). Raised in a highly spiritual Indian family steeped in the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, she began meditating in her teens and was trained in Ultra Transcendental Meditation and Surat Shabd Yoga in India. She has now practiced meditation for over 50 years.

After an intense emotional crisis around the year 2000, Purnima had a near‑death‑type experience in which she found herself in a tunnel, received a powerful life review and “downloads” about her future, and understood that her life’s purpose was far from complete. This, along with subsequent experiences—including warnings before a later collapse, shared‑death experiences with family members, and long‑term after‑death communication with her mother—reoriented her life around service, self‑love, and trust in inner guidance.

Professionally, Purnima worked for many years as a graphic designer before feeling an inner compulsion to serve in a hospital setting. Guided “voices” and a series of striking coincidences led her into over 3,500 hours of volunteer work and a formal role as a patient advocate in a major hospital, where she visited patients one‑on‑one, listened to their concerns, and supported them and their families through serious illness, cancer treatments, and end‑of‑life transitions. Repeatedly, nurses and staff invited her to sit with patients who were actively dying, and she became known informally as someone who could help people cross over peacefully.

Out of this work grew hospital meditation and wellness programs. Purnima has served as a meditation, chair‑yoga, balance and strength, and “Fit for Life” facilitator, as well as a spiritual life coach for county wellness programs and cancer support networks. She holds certificates in Lifestyle Medicine and in Meditation & Psychotherapy from Harvard Medical School. Drawing on clinical research supplied in part by her physician son, she helped establish a hospital‑based meditation initiative before the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Purnima has been a frequent presenter at the International Association for Near‑Death Studies (IANDS), including on after‑death communication panels, and has shared many of her experiences publicly only in recent years. Her article on healing the “pain body” was published in Eckhart Tolle’s newsletter. She emphasizes practical spirituality: starting and ending the day with gratitude, cultivating stillness and prayer, listening to inner guidance, and practicing self‑love as the foundation for serving others.

Her core messages include: no one ever dies alone; we are always guided and supported, even when we cannot see it; every experience, including painful ones, can serve the evolution of consciousness; and “Self‑Care = Self‑Love.”

Lawrence Pintak has spent his life grounded in facts while fascinated by the ethereal. An award-winning former CBS News Middle East correspondent with a PhD in Islamic Studies, Pintak has been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for three decades and is an avid student of the perennial truths at the core of the world’s religions. The author of seven books at the intersection of religion, media, and policy, his reporting and analysis on religion and international affairs has been published by The New York Times, Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, and many of the world’s leading media organizations. He also wrote about Buddhism and Eastern traditions for Shambhala Sun/Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Beliefnet.com and others before 9/11 drew his focus back to the Middle East. Pintak’s most recent nonfiction book, America & Islam, was a finalist for the 2020 Religion News Association award for Religion Reporting Excellence. Books: Lessons from the Mountaintop: Ten Modern Mystics and Their Extraordinary Lives America & Islam: Soundbites, Suicide Bombs and the Road to Donald Trump Website: pintak.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview Interview recorded October 4, 2025

Richard Lang first saw who he really was in a workshop in 1970 with the English philosopher Douglas Harding, author of ‘On Having No Head’. Since then he has devoted his life to Seeing, and to sharing the simple, accessible Headless Way. He has published two books, several videos, and a CD, and travels widely giving workshops. Books by Richard Lang: Seeing Who You Really Are Open to the Source: Selected Teachings of Douglas E. Harding Website: headless.org A free e-course in seeing Who we really are YouTube Channel Other books by Douglas Harding: Religions of the World (Liberal Studies) Look for Yourself: The Science and Art of Self-Realization The Hierarchy of Heaven and Earth Head Off Stress The Little Book of Life and Death The Science of the 1st Person The Trial Of The Man Who Said He Was God The Spectre in the Lake Visible Gods Face to No-Face: Rediscovering Our Original Nature To Be And Not To Be, That Is The Answer Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded June 21, 2014 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Richard Lang and The Headless Way 00:03:18 - The Headless Way: Unpacking the Experience 00:06:46 - Layers of Being and Identity 00:10:15 - The Headless Body and the Visible Center 00:14:12 - Discovery of the Hierarchy 00:18:00 - Profound Impact of the Experiments 00:22:10 - Mechanical Self-Inquiry with Ramana Maharshi 00:26:33 - The Way of Seeing 00:30:18 - The Four Stages of Life: The Baby and the Child 00:33:35 - The Journey of Self-Identification 00:37:46 - Seeking to Rediscover the Whole 00:41:29 - The Process of Growing and Learning 00:45:28 - The Creative Process and the Great Void 00:49:06 - Embracing the Self in the Mirror 00:53:01 - The Experience of Nothingness and One Eye 00:57:18 - Awareness of Thoughts and Feelings 01:01:36 - Sense of Being Un-contained 01:06:26 - The Development of Separate Minds 01:10:36 - The Dual Awareness of Self 01:14:50 - The Essence and Expression of Beautiful Beings 01:18:37 - Awakening of the Senses 01:22:41 - The Perspective of Oneness and Love 01:26:23 - Inner Peace in Tumultuous Situations 01:30:26 - Recognizing Inner Nature and Taking Refuge in It 01:34:50 - The Capacity for Sensations and Nothingness 01:39:27 - The confidence of the One 01:43:17 - The Unity of Mind and Body 01:47:12 - Eating Mangoes and the Workshop Experience 01:50:42 - The Spree-cast and the Value of Sharing 01:54:33 - Concluding Remarks and Thank You 01:58:12 - Books by Richard and Douglas Harding Save

Donald Hoffman received a Ph.D. from MIT and is a Professor of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He is an author of over 120 scientific papers and three books, including The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes. He received a Distinguished Scientific Award of the American Psychological Association for early career research, the Rustum Roy Award of The Chopra Foundation, and the Troland Research Award of the US National Academy of Sciences. His writing has appeared in Scientific American, New Scientist, LA Review of Books, and Edge, and his work has been featured in Wired, Quanta, The Atlantic, Ars Technica, National Public Radio, Discover Magazine, and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. He has a TED Talk titled “Do we see reality as it is?” Website Other book: Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded May 9, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump with Donald Hoffman 00:04:52 - Meditation as an Exploration 00:09:08 - The Process of Transformation and the Endless Exploration 00:13:08 - Safety First 00:17:22 - The Illusion of Space-Time 00:22:25 - The Limitations of Space-Time and Measurement 00:26:32 - The Observer and the Observed 00:31:40 - The Oneness of Ultimate Reality 00:36:35 - The Illusion of Objective Reality 00:41:47 - Humility and Precision in Science and Spirituality 00:46:03 - Challenging Dogmatism & the Split between Science and Spirituality 00:50:57 - Rethinking Reductionism and Fundamental Reality 00:55:56 - The Role of Science and Reason in Spiritual Exploration 01:01:03 - The Humility of Scientific Spirituality 01:05:36 - Godel's Candy Store Theory of Consciousness 01:10:03 - The Dynamics of Consciousness 01:14:07 - The Nature of Scientific Progress 01:19:03 - The Science Game and Precision in Spiritual Experiences 01:23:23 - Exploring Consciousness beyond Space-Time 01:27:33 - The Fundamental Dynamical Principle of Consciousness 01:31:38 - The Fictions of Space-Time and Extraordinary Experiences 01:35:20 - Consciousness as Fundamental 01:39:32 - The Evidence for Consciousness as Fundamental 01:43:21 - The Dance Between Precision and No-Concepts 01:47:08 - The Importance of Avoiding Sloppy Thinking 01:51:20 - The Conscious Agent and Unity Consciousness 01:55:58 - The Nature of Consciousness and Emotions 02:00:16 - The Infinite Nature of Consciousness and Godel's Theorem 02:04:41 - Exploring Infinite Possibilities within the Source 02:08:20 - The Playfulness of Exploration 02:11:29 - Consciousness as Fundamental

Peter holds degrees in theoretical physics, experimental psychology, and computer science from the University of Cambridge, England, where he was a student of Stephen Hawking. Following university he went to India, to study meditation and Eastern philosophy. In the 1970s, he pioneered the introduction of personal growth programs to corporations, running courses for senior management on creativity, stress management and sustainable development. He coined the term "global brain" with his 1980s bestseller of the same name in which he predicted the Internet and the impact it would have on humanity. His other books, which include Waking Up in Time: Finding Inner Peace in Times of Accelerating Change, and From Science to God: A Physicist's Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness, and his visual presentations and videos have won international acclaim and awards. Peter's work integrates Eastern and Western understandings of the mind, exploring their relevance to the world today and to humanity's future. Peter's website: peterrussell.com Peter's YouTube channel 2nd BatGap interview with Peter Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Interview conducted 6/28/2014 Transcript of this interview. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:03:32 - The Fascination with Hydrogen and Consciousness 00:06:53 - The Dilution of Concepts and the Loss of Essence 00:10:24 - Challenging the Paradigm 00:13:41 - The Anomaly in the Existing Model 00:16:57 - The Anomaly of Consciousness 00:20:26 - The Mistake of Separating Consciousness 00:24:03 - The Construction of Reality 00:27:49 - The Universe as an Aware Field of Being 00:31:04 - The Field of Consciousness 00:34:34 - The Excitations of Consciousness 00:38:12 - Consciousness and the Experience of Reality 00:41:31 - Yoga: The Return to Connection 00:45:22 - Science and Spirituality 00:48:58 - Inner Exploration of Consciousness 00:52:07 - Exploring the Inner World with Scientific Approach 00:55:56 - The Importance of Inner Development and Balance 00:59:13 - The Impact of Human Consciousness 01:02:47 - The Collective Awakening and Access to Spiritual Wisdom 01:06:10 - The Catastrophic Risks of Climate Change 01:09:39 - Finding Peace Within 01:12:59 - Connecting with the Essence of the Cosmos 01:16:48 - The Marvel of Creation 01:20:23 - The Complexity of the Universe and the Purpose of Being 01:24:07 - Intelligence and Awareness in the Natural World 01:27:31 - Formation of Stable Structures 01:31:14 - The Processing of Information in Cells and Awareness 01:34:55 - The Mathematics Inherent in the Fabric of Creation 01:38:20 - The Fluidity of Understanding and the Openness to Change 01:41:37 - Concluding Remarks & Interaction Opportunities 01:45:12 - A Discussion with Peter

Andrée has been a spiritual teacher for 52 years. For 20 years Andrée was a full-time teacher of the Transcendental Meditation Program and introduced thousands of people to the experience of consciousness and meditation. More recently, she went to Brazil for 12 consecutive years to study their spiritual traditions to see into the spiritual realms and develop relationships with advanced Cosmic Souls. For Andrée, the exposure to the experience of consciousness led to new avenues of discovery. With refinement of perception, within the unboundedness of consciousness, along with the assistance of two Cosmic Souls, Hayehwatha and Vovó Anamalia, Andrée began to observe the details of the universe and beyond. Andrée feels this is the next level of experience to unfold within our culture; for people to observe their origin, history, and destiny with reference to the life of the universe and beyond. What is known as the life we live on the earth is a small portion of who we are. Andrée lives in Mount Shasta, California where she provides workshops and private sessions with Hayehwatha and Vovó Anamalia, as well as puts on The Best of Mt. Shasta Conference & Festival each summer. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 3/3/12 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:04:49 - The Radiating Aura and Transcendental Meditation Adventure 00:08:43 - Sentencing to Meditate 00:13:01 - The Beginning of Longer Meditation Courses 00:17:27 - The Power of Consciousness and its Qualities 00:21:51 - The Experience of Unboundedness and the Development of Consciousness 00:26:25 - Levitation and the Phenomenon of Consciousness 00:30:53 - The Value in Reading the Literature 00:35:43 - Exploring Afro-Brazilian Spiritual Traditions 00:40:11 - Incorporating Spirit Beings 00:44:17 - Falling Back and Laughing, A Distinguished Experience in Brazil 00:48:39 - Connecting with the Chief 00:53:01 - The Four Elements and the Vessel of the Body 00:57:25 - Connecting with Energetic Forces 01:01:53 - The Orixá of the Entity 01:06:08 - Awareness during sleep and profound awakening 01:10:32 - The Integration and Balance of Knowledge 01:15:05 - The Iroquois Confederacy and the US Constitution 01:19:59 - The Origins of Preto Velhos Tradition in Brazil 01:24:22 - Working with Dark Forces, Deleterious Aftereffects 01:28:46 - Working with Spirit Beings 01:33:01 - Connecting with the Orixás 01:37:09 - Incorporating the Orixá and its impact on life and success 01:41:33 - Connecting with Sophia and the Phenomenon of Gaia 01:45:26 - Vovó and Anamalia's Teachings on Life Choices 01:49:48 - Incorporating Hayehwatha and Vovó Anamalia 01:53:42 - Connecting with the Universal Force 01:57:22 - Lifted off Earth and introduced to the sky-people. 02:01:36 - The Limitations of Spiritual Journeys 02:05:11 - Acknowledging the Relevance of Spirituality 02:09:31 - New Episodes and Notifications Save Save

I thought I knew something.  It turns out I didn't.  My heart explodes into pieces, and they rain down everywhere I look.  It doesn't feel as new agey as it sounds, and that ends up being such an incredible delight.  Nothing spiritual I have ever encountered has anything to do with the simple Wow I am talking about. It is this Mystery.  Wow! Facebook page Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 3/31/2012 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Benjamin Smythe: A Fun and Sensitive Guy 00:04:25 - The Importance of Authentic Sharing 00:08:15 - Learning to Be a Good Person 00:12:20 - The Humility of Seeking 00:16:18 - The Beauty of Not Knowing 00:19:58 - Embracing Paradox and Shutting Up 00:24:05 - Balancing Self-Awakening and Helping Others 00:27:49 - Embracing Chaos and Helping Others 00:31:08 - The Beauty of Connection on the Street 00:34:48 - The Power of Kindness and Love 00:38:10 - The Sadness of Human-to-Human Violence 00:42:06 - The Resonance of Kindness and Compassion 00:45:51 - The Setup of Competition 00:49:41 - Embracing the Vast Range of Possibilities 00:53:42 - Finding Ease in Chaos 00:57:04 - The Value of Living in Integrity 01:00:51 - Honoring and Learning from Others 01:05:02 - The Innocence of Humanity 01:08:52 - The Shift in Subjective Perspective 01:13:25 - The Potential of Every Individual 01:17:07 - The value of silence and the limitations of language 01:21:33 - The Silent Experience of Ourselves 01:25:24 - Discovering the Quiet Within 01:29:11 - Questioning the Bible's Moral Guidance 01:33:20 - Ideas Competing for Attention 01:37:19 - Choosing Love and the Possibility of Force 01:41:17 - The Responsibility to Care for Each Other 01:45:26 - Making a Difference, One Person at a Time 01:49:25 - The Egalitarian Quality in Spirituality 01:53:05 - Playing with Different Ideas 01:56:28 - Stay Connected through Interviews and Chat Groups Save

George Thompson is a filmmaker, teacher, and founder of Balance is Possible!— a 15-person team on a mission to inspire balance for people and planet. His films and teachings have touched over 25 million people and he is supported by renowned changemakers including Dr. Jane Goodall, Louie Schwartzberg, Tara Brach, Stephen Fry and many more. Drawing from years of deep study in the Wudang Mountains of China, George blends ancient wisdom with modern science, translating it into fun, practical tools for overcoming the challenges of modern life. Once plagued by anxiety and a sense of disconnection, George’s journey led him from pain to purpose. With playful kindness, George helps people to do the same: to awaken their potential. Website: Balance is Possible! YouTube Channel Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group Interview recorded January 6, 2026.

Richard Moss is an internationally respected leader in the field of inner transformation, subtle body-mind dynamics, and living a path of conscious relationships. In 1977 Richard was a practicing medical doctor when he experienced a spontaneous spiritual illumination that awakened him to the multi-dimensional nature of human consciousness. This realization profoundly transformed his understanding of the roots of emotional suffering, and inspired him to explore the almost limitless human potential for growth and healing. Impelled by this opening, he released the practice of medicine to devote his life to mentoring individuals and couples whose lives have brought them to the point where they hunger to explore the mystery of their being. Whether called to his work by their soul’s yearning to awaken and grow, or impelled by a health, career, or relationship crisis, his comprehensive and evolutionary approach to healing and forging loving relationships has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people. He is particularly renowned for the innovative, experiential nature of his workshops and longer retreats that offer individuals direct experience of life-changing states of consciousness and provide them with very effective models and practices for on-going personal growth. He guides seminars and retreats in North and South America, Europe, and Australia, and is available for private mentoring for individuals at his home in Colorado. He has published 7 seminal books on his visionary approach to human evolution which have been translated into 6 languages. Website: richardmoss.com Books: Inside-Out Healing: Transforming Your Life Through the Power of Presence The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness The Black Butterfly: An Invitation to Radical Aliveness The I That Is We: Awakening to Higher Energies Through Unconditional Love The Second Miracle: Intimacy, Spirituality, and Conscious Relationships Metaphysics: Who Will Cure a Sick World? Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 12/5/2015 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:15 - Meeting a Wise Stranger at Jenny Lake 00:08:42 - Loss of Boundary and Vibrating Molecules 00:13:08 - The Energetic Transformation 00:18:15 - The Value of Body Wisdom 00:22:57 - The Lineage of Spontaneous Realization 00:27:33 - Appreciating Different Spiritual Traditions 00:32:06 - Instruments of the Divine 00:36:39 - Personal Background and Connection with Svend Trier 00:41:22 - The Power of Awareness 00:45:07 - The Power of Awareness 00:49:14 - Observing Clinging and Pushing Away 00:53:46 - The Power of Awareness and Focused, Spacious Awareness 00:58:16 - Injury Imprinted in Consciousness 01:02:36 - Learning through the Body 01:07:12 - Nip it at the Bud 01:11:15 - Making a Deeper Mark 01:15:42 - The Flow State and Spiritual Integration 01:20:19 - Shifting States: The Power of Discontinuity 01:24:42 - The Benefits of Discontinuity 01:29:30 - Healing in the Present Moment 01:34:11 - Working with Energy in Dance and Meditation 01:38:58 - The Limitless Consciousness 01:43:11 - The Flow of Energy and Body Wisdom 01:47:13 - Being in the Moment 01:51:52 - The Sense of Personal Identity 01:56:07 - Deriving Identity from the Outside 02:00:54 - Awakening from Future and Past Stories 02:05:06 - The Power of Awareness and Present Moment Consciousness 02:09:07 - Keep Going, Keep Going 02:13:38 - Live Streaming and Future Interviews

Karyn’s spiritual journey was documented in her book Findings from the Hunting Party’s Scout, which chronicles her four most intense years of spiritual growth as an ordinary working soccer mom into an embodied awakened faith leader. After a life-changing spontaneous awakening she shared her Toltec teacher’s teachings and her own experiences as an Interfaith minister ordained by One Spirit Seminary in NYC. In 2019 Karyn was certified as a Mindfulness Meditation teacher taught by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield in their Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program Program. Incorporating methods of mindfulness, The Four Agreements and mystical teachings of the world’s religion into her talks, workshops and writings, Karyn shares wisdom in a non-denominational, dogma free style that is accessible to people who are searching for an open spiritual path that they can call their own. On her Substack, Karyn’s Findings, she released Inviting Grace In, a curated full year of quotes to guide readers through Four seasons of spiritual growth: Spring-Uplifting Spirit, Summer-Shifting Perspectives, Autumn-Recognizing Wisdom, Winter-Expanding the understanding of our being. As a life long social activist, Karyn’s posts highlight ways we can mindfully and compassionately co-create a world where all life is uplifted with a new understanding of ourselves and the source of existence we often call God. Website: karynobeirne.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group Transcript of this interview Interview recorded November 15, 2025 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00 – Opening quote on grace  00:26 – BatGap intro and guest overview  02:02 – From atheist soccer mom to seeker  05:01 – What grace is (and isn’t)  08:31 – Ordinary people and awakening (BatGap origin)  11:01 – Brother’s suffering and rejecting a punitive God  12:25 – Carolyn Myss, tears, and first cracks in atheism  15:05 – Belief vs direct experience  16:06 – Questioning religion and “Pale Blue Dot”  18:08 – One Spirit Seminary and UU principles  20:03 – Mystical cores vs literalism and misuse of religion  22:48 – Mystics, administrators, and organizing “truth”  24:03 – Don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec path, and Omega retreat  26:01 – Funeral visualization, love, and urgency  28:02 – 9/11 and not waiting to live and love  29:03 – Toltec community and vulnerability  30:05 – Living‑room meditation and erratic heartbeat  32:05 – Vision of lines, “unhooking,” and boundlessness  35:02 – Recognizing this as reality and calling it grace  36:02 – Aftershock, fear, and re‑forming identity  39:01 – “Accident‑prone” practice and stabilizing awakening  43:21 – How the glimpse guides Karyn’s work  44:21 – Conditioning and the Toltec “dream of the planet”  46:24 – Grace as unsolicited intervention; daily chances to love  48:33 – Retreats, disrupting routine, and nature as teacher  50:43 – “I am the awareness…” – Ireland insights  52:20 – Leaving “God” undefined; “everything is God”  54:20 – Omnipresent intelligence in life and nature  56:20 – “We are God’s love made manifest”  58:03 – Pain, injustice, and where we place attention  59:03 – Helping where we can; appreciating being alive  1:00:01 – Contemporary teachers (Tolle, Adyashanti, others)  1:20:00 – Death, responsibility, and “response‑ability”  1:30:00 – Karma and cause and effect  1:40:00 – Accepting “what is” vs resisting life  1:50:00 – Ways to invite grace in daily life  2:00:00 – Final reflections: open path and living as love