Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I talk with Ian A. Baker, author of 7 books and an initiate of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu Tantric lineages. Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep23-ian-a-baker-the-secret-yogas-of-tibet-guru-viking-interviews/ Ian is an international fellow of the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographic Society and was joint curator of the 2016 exhibition “Tibet’s Secret Temple” at the Wellcome Collection, London. In this interview we discuss Ian’s 25 years living in India and Nepal, seeking out the ‘beyul’, the mystical hidden lands of the Himalayas whilst simultaneously pursuing academic studies at Oxford and Columbia Universities. We discuss the history of the illustrious 6 Yogas of Naropa, and hear about Ian’s research into the monastic re-interpretation (and perhaps even distortion) of these Tantric techniques of India. We also examine the remarkable overlap between Tibetan completion stage practices, the practices of Shakta Shaivism, and Taoism - including stories about Ian’s own training