Ep290: Answering Critics & Kriya Yoga - Delson Armstrong

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 available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - Return to Bhutan to establish psychiatry 05:40 - Programme to train primary healthcare staff 06:18 - Advocating for community based mental health services 10:38 - DANIDA funding and mental health survey 12:07 - Collaboration with and educating traditional healers 13:47 - Locating and treating cases in remote communities 18:13 - What kinds of mental illness is commonly found in Bhutan? 19:29 - Challenges identifying depression 21:16 - The stigma of epilepsy 22:50 - Community fear of contagion of mental illness 26:55 - Culture of taboo and about mental illness in Bhutan 29:00 - Impact of the pandemic 30:29 - Using social media to educate 31:22 - Psychological first aid 35:09 - Why is South Asian psychology and psychology training weak? 37:41 - Mental health as a luxury for the rich 40:40 - Borderline personality disorder encounters 43:36 - Rise in cases of BPD in Bhutan 45:05 - Social changes in Bhutan causing rise in mental illness 49:10 - Chronic psychosis and social disturbance 51:26 - Lack of compassion for BPD 52:17 - Economic aspiration and the rat race 54:36 - Overlap and clash with religious professionals 56:21 - Buddhism and shamanism in Bhutan 58:05 - Use of rituals in healing mental illness 59:00 - Personal indifference towards Buddhism 01:00:19 - Challenges engaging with Sowa Rigpa practitioners 01:02:39 - Educating Sowa Rigpa doctors about mental health 01:03:34 - Do traditional healing modalities have a role in modern medicine? 01:04:17 - Different kinds of monk 01:05:41 - Religious control of the population 01:07:33 - Difficulties communicating with clergy 01:09:58 - Karma and the importance of openness 01:10:56 - Navigating patients’ supernatural world views 01:14:42 - Example of a manic patient claiming to be Guru Rinpoche 01:17:18 - Impact on families 01:18:05 - Cases of entity possession and mass hysteria 01:24:38 - Possession by Lord Shiva 01:29:58 - Advice for working with traditional healers and shamans 01:31:01 - Future challenges of mental health in Bhutan 01:34:41 - Explosion of mental illness, obesity, and substance abuse 01:35:43 - Neglect of the elderly 01:37:31 - A model for the third world … Previous episode with Dr Chencho Dorji: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep237-bhutans-first-psychiatrist-dr-chencho-dorji To find out more about Dr Chencho Dorji, visit: - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057403100633 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

15 Mars 20241h 40min

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 Pine and mentoring relationship 11:59 - Red Pine’s influence and friendship 14:02 - Chaos Elemental 15:01 - Professor father and blue collar mother 18:34 - Childhood delinquency 24:07 - Model of masculinity 24:14 - Entry into the martial arts 26:27 - Male role models and discipline 28:57 - Did UFC destroy traditional martial arts? 31:34 - How to win a fight 33:34 - Limits of Chinese Kung Fu schools 35:31 - Rock bottom and kicked out of University of Chicago 38:09 - Return to martial arts and finding a Taoist master 41:17 - Initial Taoist training 45:01 - Buddhist vs Taoist cultivation 49:26 - Possession by demonic entity 55:58 - Generational demonic possession 59:50 - Learning Chinese 01:01:49 - Finding teachers in China 01:04:19 - Powerful purification experiences in Taoist cultivation 01:09:58 - Encountering a spiritual cult leader 01:17:04 - Reflections on spiritual charlatans in China 01:18:43 - Discovering the power of the empty state 01:22:13 - Practicing Taoist Inner Alchemy 01:25:17 - Move to Taiwan and walking away from Chinese medicine 01:27:36 - The dangers of meditation and internal cultivation 01:32:52 - Premature ejaculation and the lower Dantian 01:33:39 - Qigong and Tai Chi delusions 01:35:53 - Psychosis and Qigong fever 01:36:40 - Being in the presence of powerful teachers 01:38:07 - The heart of the path … Pre-order Mattias’ new book at a 30% discount with the promo code ALCHEMY30 at https://www.shambhala.com/ten-discourses-on-daoist-alchemy.html. Valid through March 11th. To find our more about Mattias Daly, visit: - https://www.shambhala.com/authors/a-f/mattias-daly.html … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

8 Mars 20241h 45min

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 his son’s mother, and details his experiences undertaking 8 years of closed retreat including challenging group dynamics, the painful complications of energetic yogas, and the mechanisms of spiritual transformation. Charles also discusses his remarkable time with the terton Karma Rinpoche, receiving sacred chulen instructions and witnessing the mahasiddha miraculously press a footprint into rock; as well as Charles’ own return to academia, with postgraduate studies at Harvard and longstanding work at Oxford University and the British Library. … https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep243-scholar-practitioner-charles-manson … 01:48 - Karma Pakshi, the 2nd Karmapa 07:57 - Summoned by the Khan 15:26 - Imprisoned by Kublai Khan 25:58 - The tulku tradition 33:18 - Interest in Karma Pakshi and the tulku tradition 39:02 - Childhood in Venezuela 45:28 - Suffering at boarding school 49:34 - Institutional cruelty and formation for empire 52:07 - Coping strategies and intellectual rebellion 54:33 - Attraction to Buddhism 56:18 - Love of reading and research 01:02:08 - Study at Columbia 01:04:42 - Changes in the UK private school system 01:07:30 - The social and political scene at Columbia 01:08:36 - Joining the Black Panthers 01:09:30 - Psychedelic experimentation 01:12:21 - Arrest and deportation 01:16:34 - Homelessness 01:20:32 - Resilience 01:22:30 - Searching accentuated 01:24:22 - Career as a woodcarver 01:28:07 - Unplanned pregnancy 01:28:41 - Finding Buddhism 01:31:07 - Seeking Chogyam Trungpa 01:36:17 - 16th Karmapa and ngondro 01:37:48 - Regrets about Sherab Palden 01:39:33 - Early days at Samye Ling and meeting Kalu Rinpoche 01:45:12 - The charisma of the 16th Karmapa 01:46:26 - What is charisma? 01:49:40 - How to develop spiritual power 01:53:21 - Private time with the 16th Karmapa 01:55:09 - Maggie’s cancer and a sacred pilgrimage 02:01:53 - Regrets 02:03:54 - Maggie’s death and the aftermath 02:07:44 - Entering into long-term retreat 02:13:20 - Were the 3-year retreats successful? 02:26:26 - Experience on extended retreat 02:26:57 - Spiritual obstacles 02:29:37 - Trulkhor heart attack 02:30:47 - Should 3-year retreatants call themselves ‘Lama’? 02:37:24 - Advice for those coming out of retreat 02:39:23 - Reintegrating into society 02:40:46 - Terton Karma Rinpoche 02:42:58 - What is chulen? 02:44:06 - Karma Rinpoche’s siddhi 02:50:50 - Journeys to Tibet 02:52:34 - Mountain yogis in Tibet 02:56:40 - Chulen retreats 03:00:34 - Harvard and return to academia 03:06:46 - British Library and the Bodleian 03:07:38 - PhD work at Oxford and Paris 03:08:33 - Writing a book about Karma Pakshi 03:09:05 - 1000 year old Tibetan documents at the British Library 03:11:16 - The Bodleian collection and the John Stapleton Driver project 03:16:19 - Charles’ teaching activities and other work … To find our more about Charles Manson, visit: - https://www.shambhala.com/authors/the-second-karmapa-karma-pakshi.html

1 Mars 20243h 27min

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/podcast/ep242-soothing-the-longing-heart-stephen-snyder
 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
 … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:07 - Stephen teaching in-person retreats in 2024 in Europe and the US 03:53 - Relaxed vs rigorous retreat approaches 06:10 - Treating students like adults 08:23 - Why Stephen cooks for his retreats 10:00 - Reworking the precepts 11:40 - The damaging effect of electronics on concentration power 13:03 - Stephen’s interview schedule on retreat 13:37 - Receiving full Zen dharma transmission to be recognised as a sensei 17:00 - Combing Zen with Theravada practice 18:10 - Post-awakening problems with personality issues 19:06 - Examples of post-awakening triggered behaviour and the core wound 23:08 - Working with anger and fear 27:42 - Quickly resolving karma 29:09 - Do meditation peak experiences heal the personality? 29:30 - Blindspots and scandals in Zen Buddhism 31:41 - Going beyond cultural bias 33:52 - How much cultural transfer is necessary in Buddhist practice? 35:36 - Stephen’s experimental teaching approach 38:00 - America’s contribution to Buddhism 40:57 - British class system 42:23 - Indian caste system 43:53 - How Buddhism assimilates indigenous cultural and religious forms 45:28 - Gregorian style Zen chanting 46:50 - The importance of your dharma name 47:49 - Working vs wallowing in emotional material 52:16 - What is your core wound? 54:52 -The personality as a shield 56:44 - The tyranny of the superego 01:00:39 - Transforming the superego into Absolute guidance 01:02:07 - True vs false 01:04:32 - Common compassion misunderstanding 01:06:12 Parenting mistakes around compassion 01:08:08 - Should we tell stories of awakening? 01:09:47 - The importance of doubt and trust 01:11:59 - Stephen’s advice to practitioners … Previous episode with Stephen Snyder: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=Stephen%20Snyder To find our more about Stephen Snyder, visit: - https://awakeningdharma.org/ … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

23 Feb 20241h 14min

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 03:54 - Drawbacks of Goenka Vipassana retreats 04:14 - Buddha’s advice for meditation 06:21 - Common meditation mistakes 07:28 - How to see dukkah 08:16 - Coming out of victimhood 09:28 - Drawbacks of the Mahasi method 11:21 - The problem of pain on meditation retreats 13:48 - Following the Ānāpānasati Sutta and jhana practice 16:18 - Western practitioners who destroyed their knees and legs while meditating 17:47 - Sleep deprivation 18:38 - Take it easy and be gentle 19:18 - Dangers of meditation retreats 20:31 - Essence of Buddhism 22:01 - Misunderstandings about meditation posture 28:16 - Magical body postures and siddhi powers 32:29 - The Donald Trumps of Buddhism 33:56 - What attracts people to extreme asceticism and psychedelics? 35:23 - Does Dhammarato’s approach merely suppress suffering? 43:00 - The myth of life enhancing meditation 47:24 - Dhammarato’s advice for regular practice 50:22 - The value of noble friends 55:49 - The Open Sangha Foundation 59:23 - Getting out of magical thinking 01:01:08 - How to make Dhamma friends
 … Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=DHAMMARATO … To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

16 Feb 20241h 4min

In this interview I am once again joined by Dr Nida Chenagtsang, Buddhist teacher, doctor of Tibetan Medicine, and author of ‘Foundations of Sowa Rigpa: A Guide to the Root Tantra of Tibetan Medicine’. Dr Nida discusses the traditional Tibetan medical system of Sowa Rigpa and reveals its core doctrines such as health as balance, pulse and urine analysis, and how to discover your body’s typology. Dr Nida also delves into the esoteric side of Sowa Rigpa, including Tibetan demonology, the crossovers with tantra, and the use of magic rituals and spells to treat mental and physical illness. Dr Nida also discusses the similarities between Sowa Rigpa and Ancient Greek medicine, the importance of sleep, the toxicity of emotion, and offers a direct warning to spiritual people around the world. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep240-foundations-of-sowa-rigpa-dr-nida-chenagtsang Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include:
 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - What is Sowa Rigpa? 03:27 - Connecting to the European medical tradition 07:02 - Pros and cons of modern medical science 10:05 - How Dr Nida’s teaching changed after integration into European culture 12:46 - Cultural conditioning in Asia vs Europe 17:58 - Similarities between Ancient Greek medicine and Sowa Rigpa 21:19 - 8th century international medical conference in Tibet 24:21 - A universal medicine 25:14 - What is medical tantra? 27:33 - The ‘4 Tantras’ 30:34 - Why study an 8th century medical text today? 32:34 - A new translation by Dr Ben Joffe 35:47 - Compiling Dr Nida’s commentary 36:56 - Sowa Rigpa Institute 37:47 - The core of Sowa Rigpa 41:11 - How to understand your typology 44:15 - Healthy sleep 45:03 - 3 methods of diagnosis in Sowa Rigpa 46:27 - Urine analysis 47:57 - 3 levels of pulse reading 52:03 - How to receive to the body’s signals 54:15 - Bedside manner 56:58 - Connecting to the unconscious mind 01:00:03 - Art of conversation 01:02:54 - Buddhist influences on Sowa Rigpa 01:07:48 - Emotional toxins 01:11:02 - Toxic energy 01:14:49 - 3 nyepas and the 3 doṣas 01:18:18 - Monastics vs ngakpas 01:22:36 - The esoteric specialisms of the village ngakpa 01:27:44 - Tibetan demonology 01:29:21 - How spirits cause health problems 01:33:57 - The esoteric side of Sowa Rigpa 01:36:37 - Dr Nida’s warning to spiritual people 01:38:37 - Dangers of materialism Previous episodes with Dr Nida Chenagtsang: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=nida To find out more about Dr Nida Chenagtsang, visit: - https://www.facebook.com/DoctorNida/ - http://www.skypressbooks.com/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

9 Feb 20241h 40min

In this interview I am once again joined by Ralph White holistic learning pioneer, international speaker on cultural transformation and the history of the Western esoteric tradition, and co-founder of the New York Open Centre. Ralph reflects on his decades at the centre of the American spirituality and human potential movements and discusses the life and works of figures such as poet Robert Bly, Ram Dass, Colin Wilson, RD Laing, and Rupert Sheldrake and tells personal anecdotes of his time spent with each. Ralph also reflects on today’s psychedelic renaissance, the pros and cons of AI, and why he is more motivated than ever before to bring about an enlightened cultural shift. … https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep239-gurus-i-have-known-ralph-white-3 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include:
 00:00 - Intro 02:14 - Ralph on Robert Bly 07:48 - Bly as a source of spiritual strength 08:35 - Where did Bly get his depth of insight? 09:48 - The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart 11:06 - Spiritual Athlete in an Orange Robe 13:29 - The mysterious Colin Wilson 18:49 - RD Laing’s wildness 20:04 - RD Laing’s alcoholism 22:53 - British vs USA approaches to the esoteric 24:27 - Rupert Sheldrake and the psychedelic renaissance 28:35 - Do psychedelics affect one’s credibility? 31:05 - Ralph on Ram Dass and Timothy Leary 35:30 - Was the 60s psychedelic movement good or bad? 37:13 - Reconnecting to the earth and existential crisis 41:13 - Is civilisational utopia naive? 46:33 - The rise of the religious right in America 49:34 - Engage with society or withdraw into the ark? 54:14 - Ralph’s work organising international conferences 56:29 - Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance To Globalisation 57:56 - Techno utopian attitudes of Silicon Valley 01:00:39 - Revitalising the Western Esoteric tradition 01:04:09 - Ralph on the current frontiers of human potential and culture … Previous episodes with Ralph White: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep140-quest-for-a-life-of-meaning-ralph-white - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep202-mission-to-tibet-ralph-white To find out more about Ralph White, visit: - https://www.ralphwhite.net/ 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

2 Feb 20241h 14min

In this episode I am joined by Katarina Falkenberg & Tommy Westlund, alchemists, practitioners of Western Esotericism, and authors of ‘Alchemy, The Divine Work’. Katarina and Tommy recount the history of Western alchemy from Egypt, through Ancient Greece, the Islamic golden age, Renaissance Europe, to today and consider critiques of alchemy as mere proto or indeed pseudo-science.. Katarina and Tommy reveal the language of the birds, the hidden language of symbol and intuition used among initiated practitioners. The detail the stages of inner transformation that the alchemist ascends in his quest for spiritual evolution and compares them to the stages of other meditative traditions. Katarina and Tommy also discuss today’s changing cultural mores around masculinity and femininity and their implications for the metaphors used by the alchemical tradition to express polarity and the union of opposites. … Video versions: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep238-alchemy-the-divine-work-katarina-falkenberg-tommy-westlund

 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:04 - Writing ‘Alchemy, The Divine Work’ 05:56 - The language of the birds and hidden language 09:14 - Are alchemical symbols specific to certain cultures? 11:13 - Alchemy vs other esoteric traditions and religions 14:20 - Intuition vs intellectual study 19:39 - People have changed in the last 5 years 21:03 - Me too movement & the pandemic 24:42 - Are masculine-feminine paradigms of polarity still relevant? 29:47 - Polarity is essential to alchemy 30:55 - Tommy’s hopes for masculinity and femininity in culture 35:32 - History of Western alchemy 41:57 - Spiritual alchemy vs metallurgical techniques 46:47 - Proto-science or pseudo-science? 49:17 - The relationship between the outer and the inner 56:56 - Who is attracted to study alchemy? 01:01:24 - The role of experimentation 01:03:44 - Collaboration with the egregore of the tradition 01:05:26 - Katarina and Tommy’s collaboration 01:09:32 - Greek philosophical influence on alchemy 01:11:40 - The first element of creation 01:12:52 - Pythagoras 01:15:44 - Cosmogony and alchemical application 01:18:01 - Metaphilosophy 01:18:47 - The prima materia 01:20:48 - The principle of love 01:22:24 - Gnosticism and alchemy 01:25:04 - The gnostic revolution 01:29:26 - Religious traditions as living metaphors 01:31:00 - Alchemical stages 01:35:44 - The dark nights of the mind and soul 01:41:47 - Blissful stages and beyond … To find out more about Katarina Falkenberg & Tommy Westlund, visit: - https://www.alkemiskaakademin.se/eng/about-us/ 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

26 Jan 20241h 55min