745. Swami Sarvapriyananda – Enlightenment, AI, and Advaita Vedanta

 Swami Sarvapriyananda has been the Minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York since January 2017. He joined the Ramakrishna Math in 1994 and received sannyasa in 2004. He served as an acharya (teacher) of the monastic probationers’ training center at Belur Math, India. He also served in various capacities in different educational institutes of the Ramakrishna Mission in India and as the Assistant Minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California. During 2019-2020 he was a Nagral Fellow at the Harvard Divinity School. Swami Sarvapriyananda is a well-known speaker on Vedanta and his talks are extremely popular globally via the internet. He has been a speaker on various prestigious forums such as TEDx, SAND, Google Talk etc. He has also been invited to speak at several universities across the world, including Harvard University. The swami has engaged in dialogue with many eminent thinkers such as Deepak Chopra, Rupert Spira, Rick Archer, David Chalmers and Sam Harris. He has played a prominent role in organizing and participating in various interfaith panels and seminars, including speaking at the World Parliament of Religions in Toronto in 2018, and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Learn more in Conversations. Swami Sarvapriyananda is a prolific writer and speaker whose works make the insights of Advaita Vedanta accessible to modern audiences. His publications include Mahavakya: The Essence of Vedanta,  Fullness & Emptiness: Vedanta and Buddhism, and From Illusion to Infinity: Discovering the Self. The more recent book Conversations on Vedanta in Practice is a curated collection of question and answer sessions with the Swami, on topics of practical importance. The wide range of his writings reflect his deep engagement with comparative philosophy and the application of Vedantic wisdom in daily life. He has also contributed essays and research papers on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the philosophy of consciousness. Mentioned during the interview: Consciousness Across Three Worldviews - Central concepts in three different domains — Hindu tradition, computer science and quantum physics — Paper by Swami Sarvapriyananda, Blaise Agüera y Arcas and Carlo Rovelli Website: vedantany.org YouTube channel Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group Transcript of this interview First BatGap interview with Swami Sarvapriyananda Swami Sarvapriyananda on Ethical Foundations of Nondual Spirituality Interview recorded December 18, 2025 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00 – What is enlightenment?    00:00:27 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump    00:01:21 – Swami Sarvapriyananda’s background and work    00:03:24 – Swami’s current leading interest: Advaita and consciousness studies    00:04:01 – How AI enters the consciousness discussion    00:05:06 – Using AI as a study and research tool    00:05:26 – Venice workshop: “Towards a New Theory of Consciousness”    00:07:02 – Berggruen Institute and cross‑tradition dialogue    00:07:23 – Can AI be conscious?    00:08:44 – Joint paper on consciousness, quantum theory, and AI    00:10:23 – Is it a stretch to see AI as conscious?    00:12:28 – Everything is consciousness vs everything being conscious    00:13:40 – Reflected consciousness and the subtle body    00:15:31 – Mountains, deities, and indwelling consciousness    00:17:24 – Are the Vedas universal and primordial?    00:18:28 – Vivekananda on Veda as universal spiritual law    00:20:32 – Creativity as accessing an existing reality    00:22:29 – Intuition in mathematics and the arts    00:23:35 – Examples from Mozart, McCartney, and Lennon    00:25:55 – Question: Is enlightenment extremely rare?    00:27:02 – Not becoming infinite; seeing what you are not    00:29:05 – Does the I‑sense (ahamkara) cease in enlightenment?    00:32:05 – Vedantic definition of enlightenment    00:35:02 – How common is enlightenment really?    00:36:36 – Enlightenment experiences vs lasting shift    00:38:41 – Risks of claiming enlightenment prematurely    00:39:54 – Gradual “oozing” into awakening    00:40:53 – Manifesting the divinity already within    00:41:57 – Story of Totapuri and the brass pot    00:43:39 – Gold pot, avatars, and effortless abidance    00:45:45 – Jiva, Ishvara, Brahman, and Maya    00:47:52 – Is God just a product of illusion?    00:51:45 – Practical spirituality: work, health, and balance    00:53:54 – Karma Yoga, meditation, and integrated practice    00:55:45 – Final advice: keep doing what works spiritually