Bob Peck
Producer-Writer-Filmmaker into mystic philosophy and an interconnected world ☯️
Bob Peck is a festival award-winning filmmaker, author, lawnmower, meditator, and a spiritual student of Christ, Krishna, the Buddha, and Paramahansa Yogananda. With bachelor’s degrees in Religious Studies & Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas, he has made ‘conscious films’—spiritual & advocacy documentaries—since graduating in 2011. He’s also a Kriya Yoga practitioner through KYI and a certified mindfulness & meditation teacher. His day job is centered around ads and mindfulness in Big Tech. A native Austinite, he lives with his wife and young son in Austin, Texas.
Original Sin Is A Lie is his first book.
More about the book:
“Original sin” is a lie. Jesus, a deeply profound teacher of Love and Unity, never said a thing about “original sin.” It’s a doctrine invented by Augustine of Hippo over three hundred years later.
While there are certainly issues within institutional religion, upon textual examination and spiritual contemplation; there are also beautiful, enduring teachings of collective harmony and inner transformation. Underneath layers of ego, the real message shines through.
“Truth is One;
The sages call it by many names.”
—Rig Veda
In the comparative religion game for years. (An early journal entry, 2002)
In this book, author Bob Peck takes us through his own highlights of the “spiritual buffet line”: from present-embracing Zen Buddhists to insightful Indigenous shamans and compassionate karma yogis. He explores the Avatar doctrine of the Bhagavad Gita, the Work of Byron Katie, new science in relation to spirit, and the true loving message of Jesus.
As Peck articulates, the Bible is not infallible, but in certain moments it does point to the Reality of Who We Are; as does Sri Ramana Maharshi, Carl Jung, Anandamayi Ma, the Gospel of Thomas, A Course in Miracles and Dogēn.
From psychedelics to ‘the illusion’, to Peck’s own learnings along the way, Original Sin Is A Lie is here to point us to a rich spectrum of mystic wisdom across the spiritual traditions and ultimately help us uncover our True Nature. What else is there to do?
Chapter Samples
Films
The Kingdom Within (2014) - 83 minutes
The film began as a response to evangelical Christian pastors referring to yoga as “demonic” and “against Christianity”. While not all Christians have these sentiments, there are many Christians that are conflicted about their yoga practice.
The premise of this film is based on one of Jesus’s most direct and timeless instructions: that the Kingdom of Heaven cannot be observed, for it is within you (Luke 17:21).
This film is a compilation of interviews from yogis, Christians, and scholars comparing these two ancient spiritual systems, and why they have a compatible application.
Directed & Produced by Bob Peck
WORLD PREMIERE: Zanzibar International Film Festival 2014
U.S. PREMIERE & AUDIENCE AWARD: Awareness Film Festival 2014
Successfully licensed to Gaiam TV for digital distribution streaming, 2015-2020
The Blazing Heart (2015) - 15 minutes
This is the portrait of a venerated Hindu saint, Sri Amma Karunamayi, whose name translates to Compassionate Mother. Along with her spiritual sanctity and love among thousands of followers, she has a global humanitarian mission to alleviate suffering, poverty, and hunger for the world's underprivileged children. Through interviews with disciples and Amma herself, the film shows the true nature of a contemporary, living sage.
Directed & Produced by Bob Peck
WORLD PREMIERE: 30Under30 Film Festival 2015
Awareness Film Festival 2015
Solidarity (2020) - 70 minutes
Solidarity: Five Largely Unknown Truths About Israel, Palestine, and the Occupied Territories” opens with the late Palestinian-American author, educator, and activist Edward Said in discussion about the many valid historic claims on the land that is modern-day Israel. He concludes with the point that no one claim justifies one group driving another out, his voice-over paired with footage of Israeli bulldozers destroying Palestinian houses.
This 2020 documentary by director Bob Peck tackles the moral quandary of building a needed refuge for a people in a place where other people already live. More than 70 years later, that refuge is well-established, but illegally and violently encroaches on the Palestinian territories it occupies. The film is a series of comprehensive vignettes about the history and current status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and seeks to clear up misconceptions while stark realities are spoken by scholars including Noam Chomsky, activists including Jewish Voice for Peace, and people who were born in Palestinian refugee camps.
WORLD PREMIERE: Witness Palestine Film Festival 2021
Podcast
Karmic Relief
Karmic Relief is a lighthearted interview show where I talk to spiritual teachers, creatives, scholars, and activists, and humans who embody the overlapping beauty of all of the above dimensions. According to the mystics, the truth cannot be spoken, but we’ll do our best to talk about it anyway.
Season 1 (29 episodes) aired on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts as (Be Where How? Show).
Courses
The Awareness & Compassion Project connects hearts & minds to resonant wisdom traditions from around the world, helping young learners reduce their anxiety.
We provide digital courses on powerful mental techniques for calming anxious minds.