Interview with Larry Melton, Spiritual Teacher
Written on July 25, 2008 by Tom Stine
Larry Melton
I had the pleasure of interviewing a wonderful spiritual teacher, Larry Melton, who lives and teaches in Davis, California. Larry was a student of Adyashanti’s for a few years, and then after he experienced a profound spiritual awakening, he was asked by Adya to teach.
Our conversation is focused primarily on Larry’s experience of spiritual awakening, how that developed over the years he spent in spirituality, and what all of that has meant for his life. We also discussed awakening quite a bit, and it was fascinating to hear Larry’s perspectives and insights. I think you will agree. So click play below to listen now, or download the mp3 and take it with you on your iPod.
I know from my prior experience with videos that some of you may prefer to read rather than watch or listen. To accommodate everyone, I’ve had a transcript made of this interview. You can obtain the transcript by subscribing for free to my newsletter, Living from Consciousness. Enter your email address in the sign-up box to the right, and you will receive an email with instructions for downloading the transcript. Current subscribers will be receiving an email, too, with instructions for downloading.
I like to provide my subscribers with unique content not found here on the website, and this transcript is simply my way of saying thanks to my subscribers. Remember, the newsletter is free, and I respect your inbox and your privacy (but you knew that, right?).
on July 26th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Very nice interview, Tom. Larry seems like a nice, down to earth, let’s go bowling kind of guy. I enjoyed it.
It would be nice to have these interviews as a regular part of the blog. I enjoy the listening.
Takuin
on July 26th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
@Takuin Yeah, Larry is a really great person to know. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. And, as you can guess, I’m planning on making interviews and podcasts a regular part of the blog. At first, I’m thinking once per month. We shall see. Glad you enjoyed the interview.
on July 27th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Spent the afternoon with you and Larry.
This is a long interview but the first time I have heard a spiritual teacher speak about awakening in a simple, logical, transparent way. It was an incredible and beautiful experience.
Take some time to listen - or Tom will send you the transcript from his blog. There is no guru or hype here. Just truth. You know it when you hear it.
on July 27th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
@Corinne Now you know why I wanted to feature Larry for an interview. You do know truth when you hear it. I knew it when I first talked with him. It is a real joy. Glad you spent the afternoon listening to us.
on July 28th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I find it fascinating to hear different people’s stories of their process. Thank you for a great one.
Interesting comments about the ego not dying but rather simply we loose identification with it. I thought about this a little and see that he is using the word a little differently. I would agree that we loose identification with the identity as “me”, but that identification is what many call the ego and in that sense the ego dies. But the individual does not, it simply takes on a lesser role. Another one of those terminology use variants.
Some of things he said I don’t entirely agree with but it’s obvious that he is speaking honestly from his experience. And he does lay out awakening clearly. After awakening, some may find other approaches valuable, as we’ve discussed here elsewhere.
Thanks again for an insightful interview.
on July 28th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
@Davidya One thing to keep in mind is how Adya (and perhaps Larry) defines ego. He will often refer to it as a “movement of mind” or simply just a thought. Same with “me.” So, in that context, ego doesn’t end as thought doesn’t end. But we no longer belief we are those thoughts. And the movement of mind decreases dramatically.
on July 28th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Sorry to be off topic, but nice new header image Tom!
on July 28th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Agreed Takuin. I was debating about messaging Tom offline about it. Nice and clean and clear.
Curious we associate ‘eastern’ with ’spiritual’ though.
on July 28th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
@Takuin & Davidya Thanks for the compliments. I really like the change, too. Since this is a spiritual blog, I had to “zen” it up a bit. Surely you’ve noticed that “zen” is a requirement in blogs these days, especially in the title. I loved MonkMojo’s comments a while back on the videos I did. He kept saying “I want my ZenTV!”
on July 28th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
well - my blog is pretty un-Zen that way. But then, I’m amused by obscure symbolism. (laughs)
on July 28th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Thank you for the interview Tom.
I’ll now transfer it to my ipod so that I can hear it over and over again.
on August 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
the hardest thing, and the most necessary, don’t dramatize this awakening thing. not even a bit
on August 4th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
@Gregory I agree completely. It is the most ordinary thing.
on August 20th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Fantastic interview, Tom! And thanks also to Larry. A very compelling first-person account of spiritual experience, something I always enjoy hearing. Reminds me of Buddhist Geeks, the podcast my friends Ryan and Vince started that got me excited about podcasting.
I can’t wait to listen to more of your podcasts.
on August 20th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Oooooh, I love the idea of the mind as the tool for awakening.
And thanks for covering the idea of ego-bashing that runs so prevalent in spiritual circles. Only peace leads to peace, only love to love.
on August 20th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
p.s. I would love to get these podcasts in smaller lengths, perhaps cutting up a longer interview into multiple parts. Around 20-30 minutes is best for me.
on August 21st, 2008 at 11:23 am
@Duff Hey, glad you liked the interview. Larry is a very cool guy, to say the least. You are quite correct: peace leads to peace.
And I agree: shorter podcasts. I should have made this one a 3 parter. I’m learning the “secret” that people have short attention spans, myself included. Next one will be done in 2-3 parts.