Guru Viking Podcast

In this interview I am joined by Bhante Vimalaramsi: author, American Buddhist monk, and abbot of the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, Missouri. In this episode Bhante Vimalaramsi describes how twenty years of dedicated practice of Mahasi-style vipassana meditation left him unsatisfied and how discarding that method and learning to relax and smile unlocked the spiritual path. Bhante describes how his current teaching approach, based not on Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga but on Vimalaramsi’s interpretation of the earlier Buddhist scriptures, sees anything from 25% to 50% of his students attain nibbana in a single 10-day retreat. Bhante Vimalaramsi also details the four path model of enlightenment found in the Theravada schools, and claims that his advanced students experience a permanent cessation of sexual activity and the ability to meditate for up to 7 days without breathing or heart beat. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep112-bhante-vimalaramsi-relaxing-into-nibbana/ Also availa

In this interview I am joined by Mike Crowley, Buddhist Lama, musician/composer, and author of ’Secret Drugs of Buddhism: Psychedelic Sacraments and the Origins of the Vajrayana’. We learn about Mike’s childhood as the son of a psychopath, and his extensive experimentation with all manner of drugs and psychoactive substances. Mike recalls his encounters with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and his 7 year apprenticeship with Lama Yungdrung which eventually resulted in Mike becoming a lama himself. Mike reveals details of his training and experiences practicing the yogas of Naropa including dream yoga, tummo, and more. Mike lays out his argument that psychedelic sacrament was an essential part of Buddhist Vajrayana, discussing symbolism in sacred art, references in hagiographical accounts, and artefacts of psychedelic use in modern practice forms. Mike also discusses how to transform negative emotion into wisdom, and compares Taoist inner alchemy to the inner yogas of Tibet. … Video version at: https://www.g

In this episode special guest Leigh Brasington, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of ‘Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas’, joins the ongoing conversation featuring: - Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant - Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student, - Dr Jay Sanguinetti, Assistant Director for the Center for Consciousness Studies and Research Professor at the University of New Mexico In this episode Leigh shares his work with jhana meditation and neuroscience, summarising his 2013 paper ‘Case Study of Ecstatic Meditation’ and showing his brain scans in profound states of samadhi. Dr Sanguinetti offers his own interpretation of Leigh’s scans, and Chelsey asks why mystics report states of nothingness as so much more satisfying than the mundane pleasures associated with the reward systems of the brain. Listen in as Shinzen and Leigh, old friends with decades of elite-level meditation experience, engage in far reaching discussions of sam

In this interview I am once again joined by Tibetologist, author, and Tantric Buddhist Lama Glenn Mullin. Glenn takes a deep dive into the use of yidam, or meditation deities, in Buddhist tantra including the role of personal preference, karmic coincidence, and divination in choosing the right yidam for you. Glenn reveals his own primary yidam practice and details the unusual experiences around his initiation as well the effects of the yidam practice over his lifetime. Glenn also explains the use of ritual instruments, mudra, and choreographed hand gestures in Tantric practice, and discusses what it means to become an accomplished practitioner of these disciplines. … Full episode link in bio. Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:47 - How to choose a practice deity 11:54 - How to determine your karmic dispositions and tales of empowerments 18:13 - Divination and karmic coincidence 24:57 - Effects of Yamantaka tantric pra

In this episode I am joined by Erik Jampa Andersson, a teacher of Tibetan medicine, astrology, and meditation endorsed by luminaries of the field such as Dr Nida Chenagtsang and Lama Tsultrim Allione. Erik recounts how childhood tragedy and an early interest in the occult saw him deeply influenced by the works of J.R.R Tolkien, and to eventually become a Buddhist in the Nyingma lineage of Tibet. Erik reveals his personal journey in resolving friction points with the Buddhist religion, including doctrines of hell realms and heteronormative ethical standards. Erik also discusses his education in Tibetan medicine, and shares his deep interest in and personal experience of the realm of spirits and unseen beings, both as mythic devices and also as influences in mental health and physical disease. … 

Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep108-erik-jampa-andersson-from-tolkien-to-tibet/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro

I was recently interviewed by James Iandoli at 'Engaging the Phenomenon', where we discussed meditation, psychic powers, and UFOs

In this episode I am once again joined by Henry Shukman, award-winning poet, Zen teacher, and author of ‘One Blade of Grass; a Zen memoir’.  In this interview Henry reveals what he calls Zen’s true miracle, and shares his own personal journey of healing childhood trauma in the context of spiritual awakening and integration of enlightenment. Henry also explores the two purposes of Zen koan training, contrasts different models of enlightenment, and explains how to awaken in the midst of intense suffering and pain. …

 Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep107-henry-shukman-2-zens-true-miracle/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:36 - Endorsed by Dr Rick Hanson 01:25 - Evolving definitions of trauma 05:16 - Cold War espionage and Henry’s infant trauma 08:18 - Profound insights from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 10:43 - Exploring Jungian dream work 17:36 - Can one be enlightened and traumatised? 21:08 - Integration

In this interview, I am joined by Professor Arthur Versluis, a professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University, author of over 25 books on subjects ranging from Western esotericism, magic, Christian Theosophy, ancient mystery schools, and more. In this episode we discuss Arthur’s latest book, ‘Conversations In Apocalyptic Times’ and trace a thread of esoteric Christianity that stretches back to the mystery schools of Ancient Greece. We discover fascinating figures such as shoemaker and mystic Jakob Böhme; priest, alchemist, and astrologer John Pordage; and learn about the negative theology of Christian Neoplatanist Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, contrasting it with Buddhist notions of emptiness and the ‘neti neti’ method advocated by Shankara. Arthur also explains the differences between historical and a-historical lineages and discusses the recurring friction between the religious mystic and the religious institution. … Video version

In this interview, I am joined by Dr Angelo Dilullo, anaesthesiologist, spiritual teacher, and author of ‘Awake! It’s your Turn’. We learn how a profound existential angst in childhood and adolescence propelled Angelo into spiritual practice and, at the age of 24, precipitated a radical spiritual awakening. Angelo details the practices, shifts, and consequences of his awakening, and shares the process of coming face to face with deeply held conditioning. Angelo also discusses certainty and religious experience, and reveals why he is absolutely certain that not only can anyone wake up, but that anyone who wants to will. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep105-dr-angelo-dilullo-simply-always-awake/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Profound existential suffering during childhood and adolescence 05:44 - Transcendental Meditation and a life-changing encounter 09:56 - Angelo’s awakening 14:11 - More on Angel

In this episode, I am once again joined by David Curtis, a Lama in the Shangpa-Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism and founder of the Tibetan Language Institute. In this interview, David shares his passion for the Tibetan language and insights gained from his 27 year career teaching Tibetan to thousands of students. We learn about David’s unique approach to language learning, the unique characteristics of the Tibetan language that David loves, and how different approaches to grammar can open up meaning at different points in a student’s journey. David also reveals how to approach language learning as a spiritual practice, and shares stories of his interactions with prominent gurus and translators. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep104-lama-david-curtis-teaching-the-tibetan-language/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Tibetan Language Institute 02:26 - Developing language learning materials over 27 years of t

In this episode I host part 6 of an ongoing conversation between Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant, Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student, and Dr Jay Sanguinetti, Assistant Director for the Center for Consciousness Studies and Research Professor at the University of New Mexico. In this episode we take a deep dive into the dopaminergic reward system, including current thinking on its function and role, and its interaction with meditation practice and Buddhist notions of craving and suffering. We also discuss what to do after enlightenment, and speculate about the Fibonacci sequence as a universal constant. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep103-dopamine-meditation-fibonacci-feat-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-jay-sanguinetti/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:44 - International attention and Sir Roger Penrose 02:38 - What is the reward system and how does

In this interview I am joined by Dr Jay Sanguinetti, Research Professor at the University of Arizona, Assistant Director at the Center for Consciousness Studies, and co-director of the SEMA Lab with Shinzen Young. In this episode, Jay recalls his upbringing in Mississippi, falling in love with science, and how his work synthesising MDMA as a promising undergraduate brought him o an ethical crisis . Jay recounts a life changing encounter with the Dalai Lama that radically altered his research path and inspired him to personally take up the practice of meditation. Jay reveals how a profound meditation epiphany led to an existential crisis, and the role that psilocybin had in reintegrating his body and mind. Jay also discusses Olympic level meditators, the role of identity in self-transformation, and what it’s like to collaborate with noted meditation teacher Shinzen Young. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep102-dr-jay-sanguinetti-cults-science-the-dalai-lama/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTun

In this episode I am joined by Henry Shukman, award-winning poet, Zen teacher, and author of ‘One Blade of Grass, a Zen memoir’. In this interview Henry discusses his upbringing in Oxford, as the son of a don and a graduate of the illustrious Dragon School, and how in poetry he found the liberating aspect of literary life. Henry reveals his first awakening experience, the breakdown that occurred thereafter, and how finding meditation saw him begin a quest to deepen his spiritual life. Henry discusses the importance of finding a teacher, how he overcome a childhood-learned distrust of men to do so, and why his Zen practice brought an end to his professional writing career. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep101-henry-shukman-one-blade-of-grass/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:47 - Henry’s learned upbringing in Oxford 06:30 - An award-winning career as a poet and author ended by Zen 09:13 - Henry’s educati

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Ian A. Baker, international fellow of the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographic Society, author of 7 books, and an initiate of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu Tantric lineages. In this interview Ian recounts a life-changing encounter with a Shakta tantric Siddha in Nepal, who healed Ian of severe climbing injuries and initiated him into the Kaula Tantric order. Ian compares the hitherto secret practices of this sect - such as pranayama, asana, and kundalini techniques - with their Tibetan Tantric equivalents. Ian reveals the surprising reactions of his Tibetan teachers to his initiations into Kaula Tantra, including Chatral Rinpoche and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and shares a drinking practice taught to him by his Kaula guru. Ian also discusses Himalayan Beyul, the thin places of the Scottish Highlands, and how a trip to the Isle of Skye brought him into living contact with local Faerie lore. ... Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep100-ian-baker-emancipat

In this episode, I am once again joined by David Curtis, a Lama in the Shangpa-Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism and founder of the Tibetan Language Institute. In this interview, we pick up David’s story as he emerges from 3 years of closed retreat as a fully qualified Lama, and see his return to America to teach both the Tibetan language and the Buddhist religion. David also recounts many unexpected meetings and powerful mystical experiences with Buddhist masters including Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche, Anam Thubten Rinpoche, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin, and more. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep99-lama-david-curtis-2-making-of-a-tantric-lama/ Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Becoming a Lama in the Kagyu tradition 05:12 - Finishing the 3 year retreat and studying Tibetan medicine 09:40 - Meeting Dzogchen master Nyoshul Khen 11:38 - A powerful encounter with Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Ri

In this interview I am joined by Meido Roshi, Rinzai Zen Abbot of Korinji Monastery, Wisconsin, and author of ‘Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realisation’. In this episode we discuss how childhood existential panic set Meido Roshi on a quest for spiritual meaning, travelling Asia to meet famous meditation masters such as Shri Munindra, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, & Sheng Yen before finally finding a home in the practice of Zen. Meido Roshi details his years of rigorous training, his subsequent awakening, and critiques the shortcomings of today’s American Zen lineages. Meido Roshi reveals the Rinzai Zen principle of ‘Ba’, how to cultivate spiritual charisma and use it to impact others, and offers a comparison of the different flavours of spiritual charisma possessed by the masters that he has met. … https://www.guruviking.com/ep98-meido-roshi-hidden-zen/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - I

In this episode I am once again joined by Tibetologist, author, and Tantric Buddhist Lama Glenn Mullin. Glenn explains the 4 Classes of Buddhist Tantra - Kriya, Charya, Yoga, and Anuttarayoga - including their history and development, and what distinguishes them from each other in practice and view. Glenn reveals the structures of each level of Tantra, compares their creation and completion stage practices, and discusses the possible Persian origin of the Bön and Nyingma schools and their classification systems. Glenn also guides a walk-through of the Kriya Tantra practice of Avalokiteshvara, using his own translation of the 3rd Dalai Lama’s practice text to illuminate each step. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep97-glenn-mullin-from-the-heart-of-chenrezig/ Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:48 - Life update and current projects 06:29 - The history and development of the 4 Classes of Tantra 18:18 - The class

In this interview I am joined by Gregory Blann: mystic, artist, author, and initiate of the Inayati and Halveti-Jerrahi orders of Sufism. Gregory reveals the rich history and practices of Sufism, including meditation techniques, Zikr, and the dream practices of the Halveti-Jerrahi. Gregory also recounts his own spiritual journey from Evangelical Christianity to Gurdjieff to encounters with great Sheiks of the 20th century such as Pir Vilayat Khan, Sheik Nur, and Muzaffer Efendi. Gregory also explains the 4 Levels of Religion, connections between Sufism and Kabbalah, and discusses the possibility of an allegorical reading of the Gospels. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep96-gregory-blann-the-garden-of-mystic-love/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - The history and context of Sufism 12:41 - The 4 levels of religion 17:14 - The ‘Verse of the Sword’ and the inner path 27:34 - Inclusiveness of Sufism 32:44

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe, anthropologist and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. In this interview Ben takes us on a deep dive into the theory, practice, and scholarship of coitus reservatus as a Tantric religious practice. Ben compares these practices within various Buddhist lineages, as well as exploring the similarities and differences between Shaiva Tantra, Western Occultism, and modern Neo-Tantric approaches. Ben also discusses the various applications of this practice - including spiritual, medical, and magickal - how to choose a consort, and draws on religious texts to discuss previously secret catheter practices. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep95-dr-ben-joffe-4-coitus-reservatus/ This podcast is also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 0:42 - Ben’s move to South Africa and work with Dr Nida Chenagtsang 04:10 - Ben’s line-by-line ngondro translation class 06:59 - About ngo

In this episode I host part 5 of an ongoing trialogue between Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant, Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student, and Dr Jay Sanguinetti, Assistant Director for the Center for Consciousness Studies and Research Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico. In this episode we discuss topics such as is there an enlightenment button and is it enough, extracting the essence of religious approaches, multi-dimensional integration after enlightenment, a deep dive on trauma and the no-self, and more. … https://www.guruviking.com/ep94-the-enlightenment-button-feat-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-jay-sanguinetti/ This podcast is also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - Is there an enlightenment button and is it enough? 03:46 - The scope of the enlightenment button 09:01 - How deep can a state level change go? 11:24 - Spontaneous awakening trends 14:21