Podcasts

Shantaram’s Gregory David Roberts on The Spiritual Path

by | Dec 13, 2021 | INSPIRED EVOLUTION PODCAST | 0 comments

In this episode Gregory and Amrit talk about Gregory’s latest book, The Spiritual Path, a non-fiction book about his experience with a spiritual practice over the course of 6 years while he lived secluded, and they dive deep in the step-by-step process Gregory followed in search of a spiritual connection.

GET THE BOOK HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Path-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0349144672

Gregory David Roberts is an artist, composer and author. He is best known for his captivating best-seller Shantaram.

Roberts was a drug addict that turned to crime and ended up in jail. He escaped and went to India but ten years later was found and extradited to Australia where he served a further six years in prison, two of which were spent in solitary confinement.

Gregory wrote The Spiritual Path with spiritual matters that his younger self wanted desperately. It is about his arduous path to self and spiritual realization. Succeeding every experience, he would write down notes in his journal. After six years of meticulous devotion those notes were shaped into this book that takes people on his journey of a leap of faith.

Spirituality takes a three step process: acknowledgement, surrender and devotion.

Acknowledgement means acknowledging the existence of the divine to have free will.

Surrender means surrendering the “unrequired” elements within your ego that are not required to go into a devotional state; putting them close to the margins and taking the essential parts which are humility, honesty, sincerity and authenticity.

Devotion is finding a way to give something to the divine in a physical way rather than constantly asking for something from it.

Gregory believes it is an ongoing process. Once you have got clear with who you are and accept responsibility for what you have done, you must begin to tidy up your relationship with others.

Gregory started creating a devotion to himself because of a two year solitary confinement. Those years were a gift to see himself and see where he was going. He looked at his past and realized that pain had been a beast of his own creation. If he wanted to change, he had to acknowledge it and take responsibility. It was the only way to take responsibility for the future.

Meeting a charismatic devotional teacher who performed rituals with rigorousity, intensity, authenticity and sincerity was another catalyst. The teacher/student relationship is transformative as long as both sides are being scrupulously honest with each other. After years, it becomes a beautiful two way strength relationship based on trust.

The material and spiritual worlds are two parallels that can blend together. We must accept them separately but we can bring our spiritual perspective to our work in our material world.

“I hope my book helps someone out there to start forming their own perspective about what the spiritual means” 

Gregory David Roberts books:

Tune In: 

  • Welcome Gregory David Roberts to Inspired Evolution!: (00:00:00)
  • Impetus to writing The Spiritual Path: (02:19)
  • What is The Leap of Faith?: (04:34)
  • A book with spiritual matters that Gregory’s younger self wanted desperately: (06:39)
  • Resistance to acknowledge the divine: (07:44)
  • Impetus for Gregory to create a devotion for himself: (10:22)
  • The importance of teacher/student relationships: (15:02)
  • Releasing “unrequired” parts of oneself: (18:40)
  • The importance of taking responsibility; a process of two years being by Gregory’s own self: (21:44)
  • Confinement integral to his transformation: (23:37)
  • Process for surrendering some of the “unrequired” parts of himself: (25:08)
  • Commiting to our path and showing up for our path in life:(29:15)
  • The importance of the book and why?: (34:42)
  • Gregory’s own opinions before he went on his own path, a leap of faith: (36:57)
  • Inspired Evolution according to Gregory: (39:08)

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