Episode 40: What Are Heaven and Hell?

In this episode of 'Conversations with Amoda Maa,' Amoda and Kavi explore what she calls the "light (radiance) of being"—our essential, quality-less nature that's prior to personality, thought, emotion, and circumstance. Amoda clarifies that "light" isn't a special effect or perfected persona; it's the ever-present transparency of awareness that remains when all experiences pass. The conversation unpacks how veils of conditioning (guilt, shame, unworthiness, grievance, the acquisitive ego) obscure this radiance, and how glimpses often arise in shock, beauty, or profound presence when the mind stops referencing. Awakening is both sudden and gradual: nothing outward needs to change, yet life is revolutionized from grasping and drama to a lightness of being—an ordinary, intimate openness that meets daily life without seeking the next moment for fulfillment. They touch on the potency of the shared field in gatherings, the end of horizontal seeking, and the simple inner inquiry: "What remains when experience passes?" The episode closes with a note about Amoda's forthcoming book, Unveiling the Light of Being, and upcoming events.

In this intimate face-to-face conversation, Kavi and Amoda explore one of the most vital themes of the spiritual path—openness. What does it truly mean to stay open when life hurts, when fear arises, when the ego contracts in self-protection? Why is openness central to freedom and not merely a psychological tool? With clarity, tenderness, and depth, they examine how our culture teaches closure and how the path of awakening is a journey into the radiance of being, which is always open. This conversation points to the heart of non-dual realization, while also offering gentle guidance for those still navigating emotional contraction, fear, and the longing for peace. Whether you're a long-time seeker or just beginning, this dialogue offers a bridge between the human struggle and the timeless ground of awareness.

In this episode, Kavi and Amoda explore the subtle but profound shift from loneliness to aloneness. What begins as a reflection on the discomfort of solitude opens into a deep inquiry into the root of human suffering — the existential sense of separation. Together, they examine the many ways we habitually distract ourselves from the rawness of being — from the small everyday impulses to keep busy, to the deeper patterns of addiction, emotional avoidance, and compulsive seeking. At the heart of this inquiry lies a powerful invitation: to stop running from the quiet, and instead turn inward with open awareness. Rather than offering a method or goal, the dialogue invites a deep recognition that awareness is already present, already whole, and that what we most deeply long for cannot be found through striving, but only through a willingness to stop and fully meet what is here. What is offered here is a simple yet radical truth: that what we call "the void" is not empty or frightening, but the very fullness of being itself. This is not a conversation about escaping life, but about entering it more fully — by embracing aloneness not as a problem, but as the sacred ground where healing, love, and true wholeness can finally be discovered.

In this conversation, Amoda Maa and Kavi explore the intensity of our times as both a crisis and an opportunity for awakening. Amoda shares insights from her book Embodied Enlightenment, highlighting how humanity is at a pivotal evolutionary moment where consciousness is becoming aware of itself through us.  Despite the turmoil and division in the world, this darkness serves as a catalyst for transformation, challenging individuals to either collapse into fear or embrace a radical shift in awareness. Rather than offering a utopian vision of mass ascension, they discuss how the intensification of fear, anxiety, and division mirrors a deeper collective and personal reckoning.  At this threshold, each person has the opportunity to break free from old paradigms and align with the unfolding of consciousness itself.

In this podcast episode, Amoda Maa and Kavi are in conversation about the possibility of an ongoing moment-to-moment surrender to "what is", revealing the vibrant aliveness and intelligence of life itself. They also explore some of the misconceptions of enlightenment, some of the common challenges on this journey, and emphasize the simplicity of the exhale into presence.

In this podcast episode, Amoda Maa is in conversation with Kavi (host, husband, and co-founder of the Amoda Maa Foundation) about the true nature of love. They explore the difference between transactional love and an unbounded love that cannot be compromised or negotiated, and how this relates to the shift from ego-identity to awakened consciousness. Can love be known as a wholeness that is already present in being? Can love be the recognition of one's innate completeness? And what does it take to embody this knowing in everyday life?

In this podcast episode, Amoda Maa is in conversation with Kavi (host, husband, and co-founder of Amoda Maa Foundation) about how embracing uncertainty and the dissolution of the ego can be profound gifts on the journey to inner freedom. By accepting life's inherent impermanence, a transformative resilience emerges, where feelings and experiences are no longer held as personal identities but as natural waves within open awareness. This journey invites a life lived in silent awareness and surrender, where each moment becomes an opportunity to meet reality without resistance or the need for certainty.

In this episode, Amoda Maa is in conversation with Kavi (husband, host, and co-founder of the Amoda Maa Foundation) about the role of community on the spiritual path. Together they explore the benefits of community, why it serves a purpose for many seekers, and how it can have an impact on our lives by providing a safe container for honesty, authenticity, and deep friendships.  Amoda and Kavi also talk about why they have recently launched the "Field of Love" Online Global Community.

In this podcast episode, Amoda Maa is in conversation with her host and husband, Kavi, talking about how humanity has lost the inner connection with the divine and what it means to reclaim our divinity.  Together they touch in topics such as the externalization of God in religion, the impact on individuals and society of being disconnected from our God-essence, and the possibility of remembering the wholeness of God within as our essential nature.

In this podcast episode, we explore the contemporary culture of spirituality within the marketplace of life. Unlike in previous ages when immersion into the spiritual life was a total devotion by becoming a monk or living on the metaphorical mountaintop, or else took place in the latter years of one's life when householder duties were over, today spirituality has filtered into the mainstream culture.  Amoda Maa is in conversation with host and husband, Kavi, talking about whether this spiritual filtering into the everyday life has changed the nature of the spiritual path and if there are any obstacles and/or benefits to the marriage of the spiritual and the secular.