Using the historical spread of the Buddha’s teachings as a road map Robert A.F. Thurman introduces Buddhist life and practice as an evolutionary sport which effectively transforms the hearts, minds and societies of the individuals who encounter it and make their precious human lives supremely meaningful for self and others.

Opening with an exploration of the modern definition of religion, Professor Thurman gives a teaching on the nature of the Buddha’s revolutionary movement and the actions of its mendicant seekers and inner-scientific explorers across history.

This episode includes : a discussion of the place and value of hagiographies, short histories of Buddhism in India, Tibet and Central Asia, an introduction to the Siddha Adept "Psychonauts" of the Nalanda tradition and an extended (adult) re-telling of the story of Naropa, his consort and the royal deer herd of the king of Varanasi.

Episode concludes with a reading of the work of Juan Felipe Herrera by Gary Gach.

Buddhism As Evolutionary Sport - Ep. 224 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via Wellcome Collection.

Buddhism As Evolutionary Sport - Ep. 224 of the Bob Thurman Podcast is excerpted from the talk "Buddhism, Religion or Evolutionary Sport" given at the California Institute of Integral Studies.