Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I am joined by Amalia Rubin - internationally known singer, Buddhist practitioner, 8 language polyglot, and scholar currently conducing her PhD research on ‘Gesar as an ongoing mode of reality in the lives of modern Tibetan youths in Eastern Tibet’ at the University of Leeds. In this interview, Amalia reveals her unusual upbringing and subsequent life of adventure, intensive language immersion, life and work throughout Asia, and encounters with high Lamas including an ongoing friendship of the 17th Karmapa. We learn about Amalia’s research interests, including the shamanic healing practices of the Steppes, the babdrung trance-bards of the Gesar tradition, and the similarities between the modern revivals of traditional shamanism in Mongolia and the Gesar Ling traditions of Eastern Tibet,. Amalia also discusses her special relationship with Tana monastery, and how she became an internationally renowned singer and performer. … https://www.guruviking.com/ep93-amalia-rubin-the-epic-of-king

In this episode I am joined by Alejandro Chaoul PhD, author, meditation teacher, Huffington Foundation Endowed Director of the Mind Body Spirit Institute at the Jung Center of Houston. Alejandro is an expert in tsa lung trulkhor, also known as Tibetan Yoga, and in this episode we discover the practices and encounters that kindled Alejandro’s fascination with this subject. We learn about Alejandro’s travels through India and encounters with gurus such as UG Krishnamurti, Namkhai Norbu, and the exorcist and weather maker Ngakpa Yeshe Dorje. Alejandro reveals the details of his path and practice, tells stories of his personal relationships with many great teachers, and his entry into academia. Alejandro also discusses the inner heat practice of tummo and I ask him about traditional dietary recommendations for yogis and the tantric practice of breath retention. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep92-dr-alejandro-chaoul-magical-movements-of-tibet/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify –

In this episode I am joined by Anna Lutkajtis author of ‘Dark Side of the Dharma: Meditation, Madness, and Other Maladies on the Contemplative Path’. Anna is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Sydney who’s research focuses on mysticism, the dark night of the soul, and the healing potential of altered states of consciousness. We learn how Anna’s own existential crisis saw her embark on a spiritual quest, including deep exploration of meditation and yoga, and close contact with pragmatic dharma teachers Daniel Ingram and Kenneth Folk. Anna reveals where a senior teacher placed her on the 4-path model of enlightenment, and why that framework is no longer the focus of her personal practice. We also discuss Anna’s research into adverse meditation effects, explore three different theories of the dark night of the soul, and consider the friction points between enlightenment and psychological health. Anna then asks me about my experience sharing meditation with others and we discuss my interests in

In this episode I am joined by Andrew Holecek, author, spiritual teacher, and expert on lucid dreaming and the Tibetan yogas of dream and sleep. In this interview, Andrew reveals his childhood fascination with the occult, including seances, Ouija boards, and channellers such as Edgar Cayce and Jane Roberts. We learn how a series of powerful spiritual openings set Andrew on a quest into the world’s mystical traditions, eventually to find a home in the practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Andrew discusses the limitations of scientific materialism, the similarities and differences between his training as a concert pianist and the discipline of meditation, and gives a lucid dreaming primer for those in lockdown. Andrew also shares his thinking on the role of lineage in religion, the recent scandals in the Buddhist tradition, and reflects on his own departure from the controversial religious organisation Shambala after decades of study. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep90-andrew-holecek-nocturnal-medi

In June 2020 I was interviewed for the second time by Dan Doty of DanDoty.com. Topics include: 0:00 - Living on a boat 2:59 - ‘Is Steve living the dream?’ 05:51 - Steve’s premonition 08:04 - A strange dream 12:00 - Unravelling and thinning out 15:12 -Steve’s practice approach 19:00 - Service and attention 22:38 - Being in shape 25:08 - Braindump on how to get a daily practice 31:51 - Confidence and tasting the result 36:43 - Different types of meditation 43:48 - Men, helping, and society
 Dan is known around the world for his work with men and his latest online offering is 'Ring of Fire', a 5 month mastermind for men's coaches: http://dandoty.com/ringoffire For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com

In this episode I host a dialogue between Dr Ian Wickramasekera, Bön Buddhist practitioner and associate professor of Mindfulness Based Transpersonal Counselling at Naropa University, and Petra Tauchner, a student at the University of Vienna with a degree in microbiology and genetics, whose current batchelor’s thesis in psychology is based on Dr Ian’s ‘Empathic Involvement Theory’ of hypnosis. In the first part of this interview, Dr Ian gives an overview of the history of the mysteries and theories of hypnosis, lays out his own journey to formulating EIT, and discusses its implications for therapy and enlightenment. Then, Dr Ian and Petra dialogue about how to increase one’s own hypnotisability, why empathy does not guarantee pro-social outcomes, and the very particular empathy skills of psychopaths - including a case review of Dr Ian’s own psychopathic client. Dr Ian also recounts his own experiences practicing Dzogchen, meeting spiritual gurus, and taking ayahuasca, while Petra reveals her own passion f

In this episode I am joined by Har-Prakash Khalsa, artist, meditation teacher, and founder of the Expand Contract Youtube Channel, which hosts the video teachings of Shinzen Young. Har-Prakash discusses his early life, including ten years of heavy drug use, near death experiences in the Andes and India, and a life changing encounter with Yogi Bhajan’s Kundalini Yoga. We learn of Har-Prakash’s research into Yogi Bhajan’s questionable historical claims, and how Har-Prakash reconciled his own practice and teaching with the many allegations of abuse made against his once guru. Har-Prakash discusses his decades of study with Shinzen Young, and shares more thoughts on spiritual scandals when recounting his own time with Joshu Sasaki Roshi. Then, an accomplished interviewer himself, Har-Prakash gives me a set of 12 questions to ask him. Har-Prakash reveals that these are the questions he has often wished I would ask my guests, and gamely submits to answering them himself. They cover topics such as stream e

In this episode I am joined by Drukmo Gyal Dakini, an International singer, recording artist, and practitioner of Tibetan mantra healing. Drukmo discusses her childhood in Amdo, Tibet, and the early musical and spiritual influences of her family and community. Drukmo reveals how a chance meeting with the man who would become her root guru, Dr Nida Chenagtsang, kindled a passion for Tibetan medicine and spiritual practice in the Yuthok Nyingthig tradition. Drukmo talks about her experiences of cultural differences between East and West, the history and power of mantra for healing, the importance of personal practice, and addresses common misconceptions about being the devotee of a guru. … Video version available at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep87-drukmo-gyal-dakini-tibetan-mantra-healing/ 
This podcast is also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics Include: 0:00 - Intro 0:48 - Growing up in Amdo, Tibet 05:03 - The role of religion in Drukmo’s upbringing 0

In this episode I host part 4 of an ongoing dialogue between Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant, and Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student. But now the dialogue has become a trialogue as we have the great pleasure of being joined by Dr Jay Sanguinetti, Assistant Director for the Center for Consciousness Studies and Research Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico where he directs the NICE Lab (Non-Invasive Cognitive Enhancement Lab) and SEMA, the Sonication Enhanced Mindful Awareness Lab in collaboration with Shinzen. In this episode we discuss topics such as what is pleasure?, enlightenment as Fristonian free-energy, the relationship between predictive coding and the nature of suffering, bliss and orgasm, Shinzen’s daily mystical experiences, and more. … https://www.guruviking.com/ep86-bliss-enlightenment-fristonian-physics-feat-chelsey-fasano-shinzen-young-dr-jay-sanguinetti/ Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes a

In this episode, I am joined by Wendy and Ronnie Barry who discuss their quest to find the reincarnations of their two sons who, in 1997, died in a car crash. Upon learning of the deaths of their sons, Andy and Bobby, the Barrys immediately turned to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and entered the world of the supernatural as they followed the instructions within to guide their sons through the after-death realms. The Barrys then vowed to find their sons next lives. Embarking on an international search and recruiting the aid and support of high Lamas, tulkus, seers, channellers and more. Wendy and Ronnie also reveal their plan for their next lives, and discuss their history as prominent members of the Brotherhood of the Eternal Love. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep85-wendy-and-ronnie-barry-finding-our-sons-reincarnations/ Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … 0:00 - Intro 0:53 - Brotherhood of the Eternal Love 08:28 - LSD

In this episode, I am joined by David Curtis, a Lama in the Shangpa-Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and founder of the Tibetan Language Institute. David reveals how a radically transformative experience of LSD led to his leaving a career in military intelligence to dedicate himself to spiritual exploration We discuss David’s love for classical languages, the Western canon, and why conversion to Buddhism often includes a rejection of Western civilisation. David tells of hitchhiking across Europe, entering a 3-year retreat under the direction of famous meditation master Kalu Rinpoche, and recounts his powerful experiences there practicing the 6 Yogas of Naropa. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep84-lama-david-curtis-hitchhiking-in-samsara/ Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … 0:00 - Intro 0:46 - Studying philosophy and meeting the Dalai Lama 8:55 - Vietnam, military intelligence, and a transformative experience with LSD 14:44

In this episode I host a dialogue between Daniel Ingram and Dhammarato on the question ‘Is there magic in the Dharma?’. Daniel Ingram is a contemporary Buddhist author who controversially declared himself to be an Arhat, one of the highest spiritual attainments in Buddhism, challenging cultural taboos against disclosing one’s enlightenment. Dhammarato is a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition, a student of the famous meditation master Bikkhu Buddhadasa, and is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. In this episode Daniel and Dhammarato discuss the pros and cons of magical experiences, how to develop siddhis and their dangers, and whether these topics should even be discussed in public. They debate the differences between their own teaching approaches, as well as the approaches of the Burmese and Thai meditation methods, and the importance of a close relationship with a teacher. Daniel and Dhammarato also acknowledge each other, decrypt the ways in which they signal rec

In late 2019 I was interviewed by Anna Rova of www.girlskill.com about various topics to do with relationships and more. From Anna's episode description: Join us for a conversation about navigating modern gender roles, embracing who we truly are and exploring intimacy as the constantly changing and challenging realm of relationships. Here are the details of our conversation: - What does Steve find attractive in a woman? - Fear as the state of readiness in the face of the unknown - What is masculinity? - The changing terrain of modern gender roles - How mating strategies influence our behavior - Navigating modern relationship needs and intimacy - Feminine/masculine identities as roles we’re playing - What real intimacy is and why it’s a tremendous threat to our roles and strategies www.guruviking.com

In this episode, I am once again joined by Dhammarato – a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype.  This interview was recorded in the lead up to a dialogue I will be hosting between Dhammarato and Daniel Ingram on the question ‘Is there magic in the dharma?’. In this episode, Dhammarato explores the Mahātanhāsankhaya Sutta, and draws out themes of magical thinking, continuation of consciousness, and dependent origination. Later Dhammarato gives his take on the Buddhist doctrines of rebirth and making merit, the Mahasi meditation method, the tulku system, and the Dalai Lama’s claims of reincarnation. We also discuss if the 8-fold path inevitably leads to individual renunciation and societal collapse, and what it means to ‘leave the fight’. … Video version at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep82-dhammarato-magical-thinking-in-buddhism/ Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcas

In this episode I host part 3 of a dialogue between Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant, and Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student. We discuss oneness vs emptiness experiences, gamma brain activity and binding, Posner’s model of attention networks, and more. Chelsey explores the surprising similarities between mystical experience, epilepsy, and orgasm; while Shinzen reveals the profound challenge of integrating esoteric states into practical life. … Video version at https://www.guruviking.com/ep81-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-3-orgasm-epilepsy-mystical-experience/ 
Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Stitcher – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics Include: 0:00 - Intro 1:28 - A model for the process of change that contemplative practice causes 3:07 - Chelsey’s epiphany about gamma and theta in advanced meditators 7:31 - Oneness vs emptiness as meditation experiences 10:36 - Reduction in suffering as increase in ner

In this episode I am joined by Thomas Hübl, spiritual teacher, author, and international facilitator whose work integrates the core insights of mysticism with the discoveries of science. When Thomas’ team contacted me to interview Thomas about his new book, Healing Collective Trauma, I was very interested to read Thomas’ thoughts on this emerging area. In this interview Thomas shares his spiritual biography, including his time in Vienna training as a medical doctor, and his four-year meditation retreat in the Czech Republic. Thomas goes into detail about his intellectual influences, his spiritual insights, and his twenty years of group facilitation work. Thomas also discusses the challenges of combining evidence based scientific work in the field of trauma and psychology with the subjective authority of the mystic’s personal experience. … Video version: Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … 0:00 - Intro 0:52 - Why did Thomas write thi

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr. Ian Wickramasekera as he recounts his dramatic nervous system collapse and near-death experience as a consequence of COVID-19. Dr Wickramasekera is a Bön Buddhist practitioner and associate professor of Mindfulness Based Transpersonal Counselling at Naropa University. On the 19th of March Ian woke up with a headache, dizziness, and fatigue - he had contracted COVID-19. While symptoms initially receded, and it seemed like this might be a light case, events soon took a devastating turn for the worse. What followed brought Ian to the very brink of death and forced him to draw on all his decades of advanced meditation and hypnosis training. Ian recounts how, his life hanging by a thread, he experienced the dissolution of his bodily elements, slipping into the between-lives realm of the Bardo, and the emergence of the clear light of the nature of mind. We learn how, while fighting for every breath and subject to painful experimental medicines, Ian’s practice o

In this episode I am joined by John Yates, PhD, aka Culadasa. On the 19th of August 2019, the board of Culadasa’s organisation Dharma Treasure released a public letter which denounced Culadasa for the Buddhist moral failings of sexual misconduct, wrong speech, and taking what is not freely given. Culadasa issued two short statements at that time and then recently, on January 13th of 2021, released a 33-page account of the years leading up to the board’s letter. In this interview Culadasa discusses his account, which disputes the board’s accusations, and reveals the circumstances that led to his public denouncement. Culadasa also discusses the professional and personal consequences of the letter, and reflects on the psychological and spiritual lessons he has learned. Topics include: 0:00 - Intro 0:54 - The accusations 10:11 - Summarising Culadasa’s 33 page account 12:29 - Why did Culadasa keep his and Nancy’s separation private and delay divorce proceedings? 18:45 - Why didn’t Culadasa tell the board a

In this episode am joined by Dolama Mantas, a hermit, yogi, and shaman with a remarkable story. Mantas reveals how he was recruited into an occult sect led by a charismatic leader, subjected to brainwashing and psychic domination, and kept as a slave to commit violent crimes on behalf of the Master. Mantas tells of his eventual escape, and the subsequent 4 years living as a hermit in the Lithuanian forests where he learned to meditate and underwent extreme austerities to recover his broken mind. We follow Mantas to the Himalayas, where he met Tibetan hermits and powerful spiritual masters, and then to South America in search of true shamanism. After much searching he finally met his Abuelo, and began a spiritual and shamanic apprenticeship under the tutelage of an extraordinary 94 year old Peruvian shaman. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep77-dolama-mantis-the-shaman-hermit/ 
Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Stitcher – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Some weeks ago I was interviewed by Ashley from Inspire Initiative for his podcast. Ashley has diverse interests and so he asked me about a wide range of topics including relationships, meditation practice, the pros and cons of polyamory, business strategy for meditation teachers, and more. ... Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/steve-interviewed-by-ashley-of-inspire-initiative/ 
Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Stitcher – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 ... 0:00 Why does Steve live on a boat? 1:13 - What does Steve do for work? 4:36 - What is the most important thing in a relationship? 7:56 - Ashley’s unusual upbringing around romantic relationships 9:47 - Steve’s take on polyamory 14:31 - Religious conversion and relationship patterns 17:31 - Pros and cons of polyamory and seeking relational fulfilment 24:02 - Why have a relationship? 29:27 - Discovering your why 31:13 - Steve’s background in meditation 37:22 - Ashley asks Steve about his business and travel 43:44