Ep279: The Missing Peace - Miles Neale & Matthew Freidell

In this episode I am joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher and star student of Bhante Vimalaramsi, who’s senior student David Johnson has said ‘Delson Armstrong has mastered every practice we have given him. He is the most amazing student we have ever seen.’ In this interview, Delson recalls his early life training in the Himalayas where he mastered the system of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, attaining to all of its highest states of Samadhi; attained all 6 levels of Kriya Yoga under three separate lineages; studied Sanskrit; and was exposed to practices of Shaiva Tantra through students of Osho. Delson shares his subsequent explorations of Buddhism, including Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and the TWIM practice of Bhante Vimalaramsi. Delson recounts and contrasts his experiences accomplishing the 8 jhanas, attaining the 4 levels of Buddhist awakening, and realising Rigpa. Delson also reveals yogic feats such as recalling past lives and entering into a type of suspended animation called nirodha-samāpatti for up to six days, and reveals his passion for neuroscience and recent participation in a study at the University of Amsterdam that has examined his brain and body in this state of yogic suspension. …

 Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep120-meditation-virtuoso-delson-armstrong/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:17 - David Johnson’s endorsement 02:46 - Raised in America, and return to India 04:57 - First encounter with yoga 06:16 - Leaving school to study the practices of the yoga sutras and kriya yoga in the Himalayas 11:07 - Return to the US and meeting Bhante Vimalaramsi 14:29 - How was Delson able to master Raja Yoga, Kriya Yoga, and Buddhism so quickly? 15:17 - Raja Yoga path 23:56 - The Kriya Yoga path 26:29 - Delson’s timeline to mastery of Raja and Kriya yogas 28:51 - Brahmacharya and sexuality after realisation 31:34 - Is Delson beyond sexuality? 34:41 - Yogic vs Buddhist samadhi 41:13 - Studies of the Yoga Vasistha 46:00 - Intergalactic beings 47:09 - Studies of Shaiva Tantra 51:55 - Learning from Osho’s lineage 52:52 - Studying Dzogchen and Mahamudra with Lama Lena 55:10 - Rigpa vs TWIM 59:24 - Achieving all challenges set by Johnson and Bhante Vimalaramsi 01:07:14 - Attaining Stream Entry and the other path attainments 01:18:22 - How to see past lives and Delson’s previous life as a Sadhu 01:25:02 - Entering suspended animation of nirodha-samāpatti for 6 days 01:27:55 - Studied at University of Amsterdam 01:30:33 - Surprising results from the study 01:35:09 - Conflicts between traditional accounts and the scientific data 01:43:06 - Is Delson an outlier? 01:51:06 - Why do so few people become enlightened if anyone can do it? 01:54:30 - Why do people keep enlightenment secret? 01:55:35 - Delson’s view on his future 02:00:25 - Delson’s upcoming book and previous publications … Previous episode with Bhante Vimalaramsi: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep112-bhante-vimalaramsi-relaxing-into-nibbana/ To find out more about Delson Armstrong, visit: - https://www.suttavada.foundation/our-teachers/ - https://www.dhammasukha.org/ 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

5 Nov 20212h 3min

In this episode we consider the effect of meditation practice and classical enlightenment on sexuality, as we continue the ongoing conversation between:

 - 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 We recall Leigh Brasington’s statements in episode 115 that many of his students experience states of meditative absorption as erotic in nature, and we consider Chelsey’s observation that Leigh’s brain scans in these absorption states resemble images of the brain during orgasm. I contrast early Buddhist scriptural statements which state that it is impossible for enlightened people to have sexual intercourse with later, highly sexual accounts of enlightened masters such as ‘The Saint of 5000 Women’, Drukpa Kunley, and Rinzai saint and erotic poet Ikkyū Sōjun, and pose the question, ‘What does the data say?’. In the face of this apparent disagreement within the wisdom traditions about the effect of realisation on sexuality, what trends have the panel observed in the sexuality of their meditation students, and in their ultra-sound subjects, and what might that tell us about the real world consequences of deep meditation practice and/or brain stimulation aimed at classical enlightenment. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep119-sex-and-enlightenment-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-jay-sanguinetti/

 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics include: 
 00:00 - Intro 01:29 - Jhana and orgasm 04:31 - Buddha vs Durkpa Kunley 11:07 - Shinzen on the sutras 15:12 - Who was Drukpa Kunley? 17:13 - Ikkyu and Zen 18:52 - Are arhats impotent? 22:37 - Jay on relationship to drives 24:33 - Screwing up on the job 26:43 - Different practices, different results? 31:12 - Being enlightened vs acting enlightened 36:07 - The single most important factor 39:22 - What is integration? 44:47 - Ethical guidelines vs commandments 50:53 - What does the data say? 56:33 - Neuroscience interventions in sexuality 01:01:58 - A logical conundrum 01:03:08 - Shinzen’s experience from the field 01:06:23 - Can any human being be free of sin? 01:08:13 - Benchmarks vs complete liberation as an end point 01:10:58 - What does it mean to be a certified a teacher 01:13:36 - Jay analyses the logic 01:16:25 - Chelsey’s dimensional analysis 01:18:53 - A job for applied category theory 01:24:00 - Shinzen’s advice to mathematicians and category theorists 01:26:30 - Aversion and the system 01:28:39 - Compassion cascading 01:32:57 - Complex systems … Previous episodes in this series: - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknxjhwG5wmXRVfrkeGczVPVI 
… To find out more about Shinzen, visit: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep37-shinzen-young-pandemic-edition-guru-viking-podcast/ - www.shinzen.org To find out more about Chelsey, visit: - www.chelseyfasano.com To find our more about Dr Sanguinetti, visit: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep102-dr-jay-sanguinetti-cults-science-the-dalai-lama/ - https://www.jaysanguinetti.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

29 Okt 20211h 36min

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 discusses the dangers of early spiritual openings, reflects on personality changes after awakening, and questions the complexifying of enlightenment in such activities as the yogas of dream and sleep. Henry also shares his own journey rediscovering the power of community as crucible, how to navigate religious trauma, and offers his thoughts on a viable formula for Zen in America.
 …

 Video version at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep118-henry-shukman-3-zen-the-crucible/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:43 - What’s it all about? 05:29 - Early openings can cause trouble 11:24 - Self as a seed 15:54 - What happens to the self after awakening? 20:31 - Personality changes after awakening 27:14 - Zen and sleep yoga 31:06 - Complexifying enlightenment 34:32 - Nondual experience can assist trauma resolution 36:26 - Community and wearing down the sharp edges 41:00 - The lone wolf finds a guide 45:29 - Navigating sangha after religious trauma 49:48 - The negative influence of power on religious leaders 50:50 - A plausible formula for Zen community 53:23 - Henry’s zen is not religious 56:05 - The Sambo Zen lifestyle … Previous episode with Henry Shukman: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep101-henry-shukman-one-blade-of-grass/ - https://www.guruviking.com/ep107-henry-shukman-2-zens-true-miracle/ To find out more about Henry Shukman, visit: - https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/henry-shukman/ 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

22 Okt 20211h

In this interview I am joined by internationally renowned yoga teacher Angela Farmer. Angela recounts the story of her life in yoga, from her birth in 1939 pre-war England, to her studies under yoga guru BKS Iyengar, to her international teaching career spanning over fifty years. Angela reveals how after a decade of rigorous training under Iyengar, she broke away from strict asana practice to find her own path of listening to the body. Despite the resultant blacklisting by the yoga community, Angela uncovered a radically different way of practicing yoga. Angela also shares what it means to be receptive to life in the face of fear, trauma, and change, and offers her heart advice to women of all ages. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep117-angela-farmer-a-life-in-yoga/ Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Angela’s childhood during WW2 04:37 - Differences between girls’ and boys’ education 08:02 - Major childhood injuries and surgeries 14:20 - Reading Huxley and discovering yoga 16:30 - Meeting B.K.S. Iyengar and time in India 22:01 - Challenges teaching yoga in English schools 25:37 - Teaching career in America and meeting Victor van Kooten 27:31 - Breaking from Iyengar and beginning to feel the body 31:25 - Injuries incurred practicing Iyengar yoga 35:34 - Radical change in teaching style 39:38 - Connecting to the woman inside 44:18 - How to be with the body 47:18 - Working with fear and trauma 53:17 - Do you really want to hug? 55:54 - Receptivity vs passivity 59:56 - Being a woman 01:05:34 - Being blacklisted by the Iyengar school 01:12:36 - Angela’s heart advice to women … To find our more about Angela, visit: - https://angela-victor.com/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

15 Okt 20211h 17min

In this interview I am joined by Greg Kaminsky, host of the Occult of Personality podcast and author of ‘Pronaos: Reflections on the Preliminary Practices of Buddhist Tantra’. In this episode, Greg details over twenty years of extensive occult studies, including his daily magickal practice regime, and reveals why an encounter with American born spiritual teacher Traktung Khepa Rinpoche, saw him leave the path of Western esotericism in favour of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Greg shares just why Traktung Rinpoche impressed him so much, and contrasts the view of magic and entity binding in the occult and Buddhist traditions. Greg also discusses his new book on ngondro, so-called preliminary practices involving hundreds of thousands of repetitions of special prayers and prostrations, and recounts the profound spiritual transformations that occurred when he himself took up this practice. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep116-greg-kaminsky-occult-of-personality/ Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:59 - Greg’s book on ngondro 04:04 - Upbringing and early mystical experiences 06:36 - Exploring Western Esotericism, Freemasonry, & Tarot 09:01 - Transformative kundalini experience on salvia divinorum 11:48 - Greg’s daily magickal practice regime and its results 16:41 - Siddhis and working with angelic entities 19:51- Binding spirits in tantra vs occultism 21:58 - Meeting Traktung Khepa Rinpoche 24:55 - Who is Traktung Khepa Rinpoche? 26:55 - Assessing the teacher 32:45 - An inability to follow instruction 33:49 - Teaching in casual situations 36:52 - Does Traktung Rinpoche have any teachers? 38:09 - Unseen teachers 41:23 - Is Traktung Rinpoche’s biography known? 43:13 - Is Traktung Rinpoche connected with the wider Tibetan Buddhist community? 46:22 - What is ngondro practice? 52:24 - Intensity of practice a key ingredient for transformation 56:27 - Physical injury as spiritual purification 01:02:01 - Sarno back pain and learning by experience 01:03:56 - Managing lyme disease 01:07:10 - Changes to Greg’s life after ngondro 01:09:35 - Greg’s daily practice 01:13:04 - Working for his guru and upcoming publishing projects 01:14:20 - The Grail legends and the spiritual path 01:20:27 - The place of failure … To find our more about Greg, visit: - https://harvard-ext.academia.edu/GregKaminsky - http://occultofpersonality.net/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

8 Okt 20211h 23min

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 Shinzen and Leigh engage in a detailed discussion about the variety of classifications of jhana in Buddhist scripture and the competing interpretations of them that exist today. They examine the contents and political context of 5th century text the Visuddhimagga and its author Buddhagosa and consider possible conflicts between its jhana system and the those of the Sutta and Abhidhamma literature. Chelsey reveals fascinating research on the neuroscience of pleasure and its relationship to meditational bliss, Jay shares the research on cognitive bias and religious belief, and the group ask the question if jhana and kriya phenomena are actually forms of epileptic seizure. … Video version available at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep115-jhana-ego-orgasm-leigh-brasington-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-sanguinetti/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:45 - Sutta vs Visuddhimagga jhanas 06:53 - Complete absorption and nimitta 09:35 - Do jhanas confer an evolutionary advantage? 11:54 - Orgasmic jhanas 14:18 - Shinzen and Leigh discuss jhanas and lineage 25:40 - How enlightened was Buddhagosa? 29:55 -Sutta vs Abhidhamma vs Visuddhimagga 33:01 - Why did the Visuddhimagga become so popular? 37:14 - Leigh’s orientation vs Shinzen’s orientation 43:36 - The spiritual ego 47:11 - Cognitive bias and defense mechanisms in spiritual practice 54:38 - Sutta Nipāta on dogmatism and bias 59:05 - Is grasping fundamental to the brain? 01:01:54 - Leigh’s enlightenment test 01:07:34 - The nature of pleasure 01:14:28 - Reducing inhibition to reveal states of bliss 01:15:33 - Centre-surround neurons 01:22:25 - Sensory processing according to Buddhism 01:27:24 - The neuroscience of pleasure 01:32:43 - Jhana and kriya as kinds of epileptic seizure 01:42:58 - Leigh’s upcoming book on dependent origination … Previous episodes in this series: - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknxjhwG5wmXRVfrkeGczVPVI To find out more about Leigh, visit, - https://www.guruviking.com/ep18-leigh-brasington-guru-viking-interviews/ - http://www.leighb.com/ - Case Study of Ecstatic Meditation: fMRI and EEG Evidence of Self-Stimulating a Reward System - https://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/2013/653572/ - How Many Jhanas Are There? http://www.leighb.com/howmanyjhanas.htm To find out more about Shinzen, visit: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep37-shinzen-young-pandemic-edition-guru-viking-podcast/ - www.shinzen.org To find out more about Chelsey, visit: - www.chelseyfasano.com To find our more about Dr Sanguinetti, visit: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep102-dr-jay-sanguinetti-cults-science-the-dalai-lama/ - https://www.jaysanguinetti.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

1 Okt 20211h 45min

n this episode I host a dialogue between Dhammarato and Daniel Ingram on the question ‘Lineage: Who May Teach The Authentic Dharma?’. Dhammarato is a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition, a student of the meditation master Bikkhu Buddhadasa, and is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. Daniel Ingram is an independent Buddhist author and co-founder of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC), a multidisciplinary, multinational alliance of researchers, clinicians, and patrons who share a vision of bringing scientific methods and clinical sensibilities to the study of emergent phenomena. In this episode Dhammarato and Daniel offer various definitions of the word ‘lineage’ and debate the value of lineage authorisation as a qualification to teach the Buddhist religion. Dhammarato recalls his own monastic training in what he calls the ‘noble lineage’ under teachers such as a Ajahn Po and Bikkhu Buddhadasa and critiques the lack of authentic lineage in the West, while Daniel reflects on the pros and cons of the concept of lineage purity and institutional persecution of the outsider. Dhammarato and Daniel also consider generational preferences in lineage styles, the roles of religious institutions, and predict the evolution of Buddhism in America. … Video version at https://www.guruviking.com/ep114-lineage-who-may-teach-the-authentic-dharma-dhammarato-daniel-ingram/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:59 - Lineage - who may teach the authentic dharma 03:36 - Dhammarato’s opening address 18:51 -Daniel’s opening address 33:31 - What is lineage? 38:55 - Lack of lineage in the West 41:57 - Christopher Titmuss on what makes a dharma teacher 44:31 - Aesthetics vs dhamma 47:59 - Dhammarato’s noble training under Ajahn Po 54:10 - Goenka approach is the end a lineage 55:42 - Lineage as family and pure blood perspective 59:04 - Noble vs ordinary lineage 01:06:48 - Lineage as outsourced social proof 01:13:08 - Spending time with role models 01:20:37 - The roles of institutions 01:24:20 - With whom should you share your attainments? 01:31:11 - The maverick and the institution 01:33:02 - Generational preferences 01:37:22 - The evolutional of Western Buddhism 01:43:23 - Evaluating competency and judging others 01:44:07 - Daniel’s closing address 01:49:00 - Dhammarato’s closing address .. Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va Daniel Ingram Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdkny_MJSecHyvKHPpvxTskBAC … To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ To find out more about Daniel, visit: - https://theeprc.org/ - integrateddaniel.info … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

24 Sep 20211h 56min

In this interview, I am once again 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 2015 book, ‘American Gurus’ and trace the uniquely American cultural and philosophical factors that lead to the prevalence of independent spiritual teachers such as Adi Da, Andrew Cohen, and Ken Wilber. Arthur argues that a philosophy he calls immediatism is the key cultural force and traces its origins from Plato to Emerson to the 60s counter-culture and beyond. Arthur recounts personal meetings with figures such as Stephen Gaskins, Bill Ayers, and Bernadette Roberts as well as reflecting on his own affiliation with Tibetan Buddhism as both a practitioner and teacher. Arthur also shares his take on the psychedelic movement, the revolutionary politics of the counter-culture figures, and the essential ingredients of the modern American Guru. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep113-arthur-versluis-phd-2-american-gurus/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Current writing projects 02:42 - Immediatism and the transcendentalists 08:26 - American individualism and the emphasis n personal mystical experiences 12:14 - Meister Eckart to Bernadette Roberts 14:56 - Adi Da as the avatar of immediatism 19:24 - The psychedelic movement 21:57 - Stephen Gaskin and the counter-culture of the 60s 28:29 - Mysticism and revolutionary politics 40:02 - The confidence of the American gurus 46:53 - Social dynamics and the role of the devotee 58:54 - The charismatic powers of the guru 57:36 - Arthur as a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and teacher 01:03:01 - American Gnosis and writing about heresy 01:04:54 - American influence on Zen and Tibetan Buddhism … Previous episode with Dr Arthur Versluis: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep106-arthur-versluis-phd-conversations-in-apocalyptic-times/ … To find out more about Dr Arthur Versluis, visit: - https://arthurversluis.com/ 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

17 Sep 20211h 19min