Guru Viking Podcast

During a recent trip to Nepal, I met with frequent podcast guest Lama Glenn Mullin, spiritual teacher, Tibetologist, and author of over 30 books on Buddhism. Glenn was in Kathmandu to lead a group of over fifty pilgrims into tantric retreat in the nearby mountains and graciously agreed to film with me at various sacred sites before and after their retreat. In this video, we join Glenn before his retreat as he carries out his early morning circumambulation of the Great Stūpa of Boudhanath. As we walk, Glenn explains the story and significance of the renowned holy site, reveals the esoteric symbolism of stūpa design, and discusses the healing and spiritual power of pilgrimage. Glenn also reflects on his own life experiences in Kathmandu, recalls his early dharma training, interacts with people around the stūpa, and considers the implications of Kālacakra prophecies for recent history and current events. … Link in bio. Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topic

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr James Justin Sledge, a professor of philosophy and religion specialising in the Western Esoteric tradition and founder of the popular Esoterica Youtube channel. Dr Sledge begins by explaining his position on enlightenment, why he’s not interested in becoming enlightened but still finds the concept interesting, and whether or not enlightenment claims are linked to traits of narcissistic personality disorder. Dr Sledge also reveals his own ethical orientation, considers various theories of morality, the role of tradition vs subjective experience, and what he calls the ”meaning famine”. Dr Sledge also takes aim at postmodernism and deconstructionism, retrieves the overlooked philosophers of antiquity and the Renaissance, and offers recommended reading lists for the autodidact interested in the esoteric. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep259-questioning-enlightenment-dr-justin-sledge-2 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Gu

In this interview I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe, anthropologist and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. Dr Joffe begins an interview series on demonology with a discussion about the spirit ontology of Tibet and the Himalayas. Dr Joffe explores the pre-Buddhist frameworks of relating to spirits and considers the degrees to which the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet erased, modified, or even incorporated those frameworks. Dr Joffe explains the unique methods of spirit domination, missionary geomancy, and other magickal techniques found in Buddhist Tantra and how these means were used to establish Buddhism in Tibet. Dr Joffe also discusses the inevitability of spirit contact for Tantric practitioners, what to do about predatory demons, the misunderstandings of Buddhist converts about the paranormal, and recalls his own stressful experiences with the spirit world. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep258-demonology-of-tibet-dr-ben-joffe Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spoti

In this interview I am once again joined by Dr Nida Chenagtsang, Buddhist teacher, doctor of Tibetan Medicine, and author of ‘Let Meditation Be Your Medicine: The Timeless Healing Wisdom of Tibet’. Dr Nida discusses his latest book, the practicality of the Yuthok Nyingthik meditation system, and why it is important to choose a meditation style that suits one’s typology. Dr Nida explains why he opens the book with a tribute to the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, recounts how he came to a deep appreciation of the roots of European culture, and parses the difference between intellectual and experiential spirituality. Dr Nida also calls for a moving beyond conditioned views, explains how to appreciate culture and religion without being limited by them, considers attachment theory and guru-disciple dynamics, and reveals how transformative retreat experience brought him beyond conceptual limitations. … Link in comments. Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … To

In this interview I am once again joined by Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, a tantric priest in a centuries old Newari Buddhist family lineage and master of the religious dance tradition of Charya Nritya. Prajwal Vajracharya explores the history of Newar Buddhism, a rich form of Varjayana practiced in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. Prajwal Vajracharya recounts the history of the religion, from its periods of suppression and secrecy up to its complex modern day interactions with 1960s hippies and Tibetan Buddhist refugees. Prajwal Vajracharya details the distinctive ritual practices of Newar Buddhism, which contain cultivation practices for ten paramitas, and explains the use of sacred sounds and the alphasyllabry. Prajwal Vajracharya also reveals distinctive mudra and mantra practices, explains the many esoteric uses of the mala prayer beads, and decodes the rich deity artwork for which the region is renowned . … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep256-newar-buddhism-prajwal-ratna-vajracharya

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Anthony Metivier, author and internationally renowned memory expert who’s meditation practice is reciting sacred Sanskrit texts from memory. Anthony shares his own language learning journey, including his childhood struggles learning French, to later success with languages such as German, Mandarin, Latin, Hebrew, and Sanskrit. Anthony describes the 5 levels of processing and reveals how he uses his expertise in the art of memory to fast track language acquisition, including strategies to optimise progress in vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension. Anthony challenges popular theories of comprehensible input, criticises gamified language learning apps, and reveals his number one secret to success in foreign language study. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep255-memory-secrets-for-language-learning-dr-anthony-metivier Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Antho

In this episode I am joined by Jason Miller, occultist, author, and teacher of magick. Jason shares his explorations in Tibetan Buddhism, including life changing encounters with Lama Vajranatha and famed ngakpa Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche. Jason recalls his months spent in Nepal during which he received esoteric empowerments, conducted cave and charnel ground practice, and refused the offer of discipleship under a spiritual master. Jason also discusses encountering the goddess Hekate and beginning to teach a magickal system associated with her. Jason compares Western ritual magick to the tantric sorcery of the Himalayas, and considers the role of natural talent in spiritual accomplishment. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep254-adventures-in-vajrayana-jason-miller Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Meeting Lama Vajranatha 04:27 - Experiments in Voodoo and psychedelic insights 07:23 - Beginning studies in B

In this episode I am once again joined by Leigh Brasington, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of ‘Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas’. Leigh discusses his latest book, ‘Gradual Training: The Buddha’s Step-by-Step Guide for Awakening’, in which Leigh lays a 13 step training which culminates in enlightenment. Leigh explains the scriptural origins of this formulation, why it is so crucial for meditation success, and speculates as to why it is so rarely taught by Buddhist teachers in America. Leigh also emphasises the importance of moral precepts, wrestles with contradictions in the Buddhist scriptures, considers how the scriptures have been altered over the centuries, and reveals his opinion of Buddhist claims to psychic powers. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep253-the-buddhist-path-leigh-brasington Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Leigh’s latest book 02:09 - A life changing

In this episode I host a dialogue between Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist and the Professor of Psychiatry at Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences, and Dr Caroline Van Damme, an adult psychiatrist and family and systemic psychotherapist specialising in chronic psychotic disorders. Drs Dorji and Van Damme dialogue about their experiences as psychiatrists in very different countries, Bhutan and Belgium. They compare their experiences treating religious psychosis in which patients believe they are Jesus or Padmasambhava, address mental health stigma, and examine the interaction of supernatural beliefs such as spirit possession with modern psychiatry. The Drs discuss the emerging mental health laws in Bhutan, including forced treatment laws, innovative treatment models, and pressures from pharmaceutical companies. The Drs also consider the pros and cons of religion to both society and the individual, examine three levels of Bhutanese Buddhism, and reflect on the dire consequences of the d

In this episode I am once again joined by Mattias Daly, Taoist practitioner and translator of ‘Taoist Inner Alchemy’, published by Shambala. Mattias recounts the unusual circumstances that saw him travel to a remote monastery to meet Abbess Liu Yuanhui, under whom he would begin intensive training in meditation. Mattias discusses Taoist meditation and its relationship to magical powers, psychic abilities, and other unusual meditation experiences. Mattias then pulls back the veil to reveal the history and evolution of Taoist inner alchemy, referencing classical texts to contextualise and explain the Golden Elixir, differing ideas of the goal of alchemy, and the various ways in which the practice was undertaken. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep251-taoist-inner-alchemy-mattias-daly-2 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:54 - Meeting Abbess Liu Yuanhui 03:23 - Recruited to rescue a wealthy son 08:10 - Mirac

In this interview I am joined by Dr Willoughby Britton, an Associate Professor at Brown University, the Director of Brown’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, and founder of Cheetah House which provides support to those experiencing meditation-related difficulties. Dr Britton recounts her unusual childhood interest in consciousness, why a friend’s suicide drove her to meditation, and how a psychedelic peak experience changed her view of the world. Dr Britton considers the overlaps between spiritual experience and mental illness, why deconstructing the sense of self in search of enlightenment can lead to lasting psychological damage, and questions if experiences of fear are a necessary part of the meditative path. Dr Britton also covers the neurobiology of attention, reveals the hidden religious messaging woven into mindfulness techniques such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and shares how she deals with the negative responses from meditation enthusiasts towards her work. … V

In this interview I am once again joined by Lama Glenn Mullin, spiritual teacher, Tibetologist, and author of over 30 books on Buddhism. Glenn discusses the mysterious Kālacakra ‘Wheel of Time’ Tantra, exploring its history, and uncovers its unique esoteric characteristics, Glenn recounts his own connection to the Kālacakra tantra, including his memories of the Dalai Lama’s first ever public Kālacakra empowerment given to hundreds of thousands of people in Bodhgaya, and discusses the surprising pros and cons of mass public initiations. Glenn reveals the subtle body yogas of the Kālacakra, compares its methods to other highest yoga tantras such as Cakrasaṃvara and Guhyasamāja, and considers the Kālacakra prophecies of Śambhala and a coming age of darkness over the world. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep249-kalachakra-tantra-lama-glenn-mullin

 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:56 - Kālacakra 03:01 - Gle

In this episode I am joined by Dr James Justin Sledge, a professor of philosophy and religion specialising in the Western Esoteric tradition and founder of the popular Esoterica Youtube channel. Dr Sledge recounts how his working class upbringing profoundly influenced both his view of academia and his work ethic within it. He recounts his early fascination with philosophers and mystics, and recalls his studies in religion, philosophy, and the occult. Dr Sledge discusses the importance of language learning in academic study of religion and shares his own practical strategies for achieving competency in several ancient and modern languages including Latin, Hebrew, German, French, Akkadian, and more. Dr Sledge also shares his views on education, diagnoses its problems and offers solutions, gives advice to the self-learner, and reveals his surprising view on whether attaining enlightenment is worth the effort. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep248-esoterica-academia-dr-justin-sledge Al

In this episode I am join by Steve Donoghue, writer, nationally published book critic, and popular Youtuber. Steve details his remarkable daily routine in which he sleeps 90 minutes a night and devotes vast amounts of time to reading and writing. He recalls his Jesuit education and reveals the intellectual doctrines at the heart of the religious order famed for its rigour and learning. Steve reflects on the healing power of high states of concentration, the art of memory and how to train it, and considers the threats posed to human attention by social media and smartphones. Steve considers strategies for more effective reading, how to grapple with difficult texts, and how to engage in criticism without losing appreciation. Steve also offers his views on religion, shares his fasciation for religious writing, and expresses his passion for the Gospel of Luke and the works of Erasmus and St Augustine. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep247-a-life-in-reading-steve-donoghue Also available

In this interview I am once again joined by John Maki Evans, teacher of Japanese swordsmanship and several esoteric spiritual disciplines, and author of ‘Kurikara: The Sword and the Serpent’. John discusses his time at Oxford University, his depression as a student, and why it took him years in a monastery and extensive training in Japan to undo the effects of academic study on his mind. John shares his insights into ‘The Subtle Art of a Cat’, a little known, centuries old Japanese text with a potent message about spiritual cultivation, true art, and complete spontaneity. John tells the story of the text and explores its hidden meanings, including how to maintain awareness during dynamic action, access freedom and flow, and move beyond self consciousness. John also reflects on his powerful near-death experience, the art of teaching, and how to harmonise the primal forces of Thanatos and Eros, death and desire. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep246-subtle-art-of-a-cat-john-maki-evans

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist and the Professor of Psychiatry at Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences. Dr Dorji reveals the challenges he faced establishing modern psychiatrist in Bhutan, a culture heavily invested in a supernatural model of mental illness. He recounts stories of patients possessed by ghosts, local avatars of Shiva, reincarnations of Padmasambhava and more. Dr Dorji explains the role of religion and superstition in stigmatising mental illness, and considers whether shamanistic rituals and other traditional healing methods can co-exist with modern medical practices. Dr Dorji also warns that mental illness in general, and borderline personality disorder in particular, is on the rise on Bhutan and shares his vision for a greater collaboration between modern medicine, the clergy, shamans, and Sowa Rigpa healers. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep245-padmasambhava-psychosis-dr-chencho-dorji-2 Also availabl

In this episode I am joined by Mattias Daly, Taoist practitioner and translator of ‘Taoist Inner Alchemy’, published by Shambala. Mattias reveals how youthful delinquency and substance abuse problems saw him kicked out of the University of Chicago and drove him to seek out martial arts and meditation instruction under a Taoist master. Mattias shares his travels to China and unusual training adventures there including bodily purification through tree slapping, encounters with religious cults, and experiences with profound spiritual masters. Mattias also discusses having a generational demonic possession exorcised by a Māori Tohunga in New Zealand and warns of the danger of incorrect internal practice such as psychosis, premature ejaculation, and more. … Link in bio. Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - Why translate Taoist Inner Alchemy 04:58 - Trying not to be a scumbag 06:50 - Attraction to Buddhism 09:06 - Meeting Red

In this episode I am joined by Charles Manson, author of ‘The Second Karmapa Karma Pakshi’ published by Shambhala, and librarian for the Tibetan Collections at the Bodleian Library (Oxford University) and the British Library. Charles begins by discussing the remarkable life of Karma Pakshi, the second Karmapa, Tibet’s oldest continuous reincarnation lineage. Charles traces Karma Pakshi’s adventures as a yogic trainee, personal guru to Mongol Khans, figure of political intrigue, and reformer of monasteries. Charles goes on to tell the story of his own life, from brutal treatment at elite British boarding schools to undergraduate studies at the renowned Columbia University. Charles recounts how arrest and deportation saw his academic prospects dashed. After a period of homelessness, he became a master woodcarver training under craftsmen in England and Germany. Charles recalls his encounter with Buddhism, his contact with spiritual teachers such as the 16th Karmapa, his reckoning with the untimely death of h

In this episode I am once again joined by Stephen Snyder, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of several books including ‘Buddha’s Heart’, ‘Trust in Awakening’, and his up-coming release ‘Soothing the Longing Heart’. Stephen talks about the importance of working with one’s personality material especially after awakening. He points to an idealisation of the Buddha and other blindspots in Buddhism that he believes have led to the various behavioural scandals that have surrounded so many famous Zen masters. Stephen discusses how to work with fear and anger, how to heal one’s core wound, how to convert the superego into Absolute guidance, and reflects on the pros and cons of American culture’s interaction with the Buddhist religion. Stephen also reflects on how he approaches leading meditation retreats, why he does not enforce strict Zen schedules, the deleterious effect of electronics on concentration power, and the subtle power of taking a dharma name. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcas

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.  Dhammarato challenges what he sees as the widespread misconceptions about meditation practice, focusing in particular on American Buddhism and the Goenka and Mahasi methods. Dhammarato discusses issues such as the dangers of meditation retreats, the problems with sleep deprivation and other austerities, and recounts stories of men he has known who crippled themselves through obsessive meditation practice in damaging seated postures. Dhammarato also calls for a return to the original teaching of the Buddha, advises on how to find and keep spiritual friends, and shares his perspective on how to meditate well. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep241-myths-of-meditation-dhammarato Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. ... 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Challenging Western Buddhism 03:5