Interview
Daniel Schmidt — Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview
Daniel Schmidt on his films, the Awaken the World initiative, and his approach to self-inquiry and meditation.
About the teacher
Daniel Schmidt
Daniel Schmidt founded Awaken the World in 2012 to produce and freely distribute spiritual documentaries, including Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds (2012) and the Samadhi series, which have reached tens of millions of viewers in over 30 languages. He also created Awakening Mind, a three-part documentary series featuring interviews with leading spiritual teachers, made together with Bill Free and Leif Heimbold. His teaching combines self-inquiry, in the tradition of Ramana Maharshi's "who am I?", with meditation practices drawn from his own background, including time at a Zen center.
Schmidt currently teaches primarily through the Samadhi Center, a retreat facility he established in Bancroft, Ontario, offering a continuously running online "IAM" retreat (launched 2023) and online and in-person Self-Inquiry Dyad Intensives; in-person retreat dates at the physical center should be confirmed directly.
“Kensho is a Japanese word from Zen that means 'seeing true nature'. It refers to the direct experience of awakening beyond name and form, unmediated by the conditioned 'I'.”Daniel Schmidt
Upcoming events
Meet Daniel Schmidt in person.
Talks, day programmes and retreats currently listed in the Paths Are Many calendar.
No upcoming events are currently listed.
Talks & videos
Watch before you attend.
Short introductions and longer conversations, to hear this teacher in their own words.
31 min
Documentary
Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds: Akasha
The opening chapter of a wide-ranging visual essay connecting ancient cosmology, sacred geometry and consciousness across traditions.
90 min
Documentary
Samadhi Part 3: The Pathless Path
The third film in the Samadhi series, on why the path to Samadhi cannot be walked as a series of steps toward a destination.
70 min
Documentary
Samadhi Part 2: It's Not What You Think
The second film in the Samadhi series, exploring what happens when attention turns from external phenomena toward consciousness itself.
59 min
Documentary
Samadhi Part 1: Maya, the Illusion of the Self
The first film in the Samadhi series, on how identification with thought constructs a separate sense of self.
