Buddhist Geeks

In this episode we speak with Karma Kagyu teacher, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. He starts off by telling us about how he got into formal Buddhist practice, at the tender age of 9. He also shares some of his initial challenges with anxiety, and how he was able to work with it on his first 3-year retreat. Rinpoche also shares some suggestions for meditators who are fairly new to the path, suggesting that they focus on 1) Wisdom & 2) Method. In addition to that he speaks about what makes a good teacher and whether or not it is vital to practice in a particular lineage.
We finish our interview with Rinpoche discussing the importance of Joy on the Buddhist path, and of what he calls “Boundless Joy.” Tying in with that he shares what it was like participating in the meditative research conducted by Dr. Richard Davidson, and what the results of that study were.
Episode Links:
Sitting Quietly, Doing Something ( http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/sitting-quietly-doing-something/ )
The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness ( http://bit.ly/8Se7E )
Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom ( http://bit.ly/UcxEb )
The Yongey Foundation ( http://www.mingyur.org )

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We’re joined today by Vidyuddeva, a young Zen teacher who spent 5 years in monastic training with Zen Master Steve Hagen. Vid is now a teacher in his own right, and teaches with both the iEvolve Practice Community as well as with the Integral Spiritual Center (founded by Ken Wilber).
In this episode, Vid shares with us how he came to the dharma, and how it eventually led to his time as a Zen monastic. He also turns the table on the Geeks and begins questioning us as to what the significance is between meditation and life. Listen in to hear more from this young & dynamic voice of wisdom.
Episode Links:
Dharma Field Zen Center ( http://www.dharmafield.org )
Buddhism Plain and Simple ( http://bit.ly/ZjJFK )
iEvolve: Global Practice Community ( http://www.ievolve.org )

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Erik Curren is a business leader, community activist, author, Buddhist meditator, and politician—who is running for state legislature in Virginia during the 2010 election period. We were contacted by Erik’s campaign manager, who told us that Erik’s Buddhist background was causing a backlash of religious intolerance from some camps, including his fellow Democrats. We spoke with Erik about the importance of religious freedom in American politics, as well as about the way that the Bodhisattva ideal impacts his work as a politician.
Finally, we speak with Erik about his first book, Buddha’s Not Smiling, which explored some of the issues behind the current controversy between the two young men who both claim to be reincarnations of the 16th Karmapa–the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school. It turns out that there is corruption and misunderstanding in Tibetan politics, just as there are in American politics.
Episode Links:
OnBeing: Liberating the Founders ( http://www.onbeing.org/program/liberating-founders/122 )
Buddha’s Not Smiling : Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today ( http://bit.ly/UnLD6 )

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This week we’re joined by Reverend Danny Fisher–a Buddhist Chaplain and author. Danny shares with us his reasons for becoming chaplain, where the notion of chaplaincy or service to others comes from in the Buddhist tradition, and what it’s like to undertake a Buddhist-based divinity program.
In the 2nd half of our conversation we ask him about his take on the challenges and opportunities that young Buddhists encounter. Being an emerging voice for young Buddhists, and a popular Buddhist blogger, Danny shares with us some of his thoughts on what it’s like being a young Buddhist today.
Episode Links:
Girimananda Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.060.than.html )
University of the West – Buddhist Chaplaincy Program ( http://bit.ly/1TOH8yZ )

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This week we speak with esteemed scholar, and the former professor of Buddhist Studies at UC Berkely, Dr. Lewis Lancaster. Lewis shares with us the important history of the Buddhist tradition, focusing in particular on the unique attributes of Buddhism that made it the first “world religion,” a religion that is able to detach from it’s original homeland and language and travel wide and far.
We also discuss the recent history of Buddhism transitioning to the West, and how Buddhism continues to morph and change through time. Listen in for a great dose of geeky history!
Episode Links:
Buddhism in a Global Age of Technology ( https://youtu.be/cX2f6QHkU-I )
Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative ( http://www.ecai.org )

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Zen teacher Norman Fischer—a teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi—joins us again to speak about the religion, evolution, and Buddhism’s unique role in both. The conversation begins with an overview of American sociologist Robert Bellah’s schema on the evolution of religion throughout the ages. We then discuss the important role that Buddhism can play in the evolution of religion in the West.
This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1, Buddhism May Need a Plan B.
Episode Links:
Robert Bellah ( http://www.robertbellah.com )
Everyday Zen ( http://www.everydayzen.org )

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As Buddhism transitions to the West, we see that it is doing so in a couple different ways. Some forms look more like their original Asian roots, while others are secular and non-Religious in their presentation. Zen teacher Norman Fischer, an early 2nd generation teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, calls the more traditional forms part of “Plan A” and the more secular forms, “Plan B.”
In this interview we discuss with Norman the importance of Plan B approaches, like Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction. We also discuss his personal experience teaching Plan B at places like Google. Finally, we explore how the livelihood of trained and competent meditation teachers may rely heavily on Plan B approaches.
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Buddhism and the Evolution of Religion.
Episode Links:
Why We Need a Plan B ( http://bit.ly/1TOGMs0 )
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction ( http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php )
Everyday Zen ( http://www.everydayzen.org )

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This week, I speak with non-dual teacher and former Tibetan monk, Peter Fenner. Peter was a monk for nearly a decade before he disrobed, realizing that the Buddhist practices he was engaged in weren’t leading him to what he was looking for. He then looked to Western psychotherapeutic technologies, and in the process developed a non-dual teaching that relates in part to Madhyamika, Advaita Vedanta, and Western psychology.
He calls this approach Radiant Mind, and in this episode we speak with him about the various aspects of his teaching, from a type of deconstructive inquiry based on dialoguing with him, to the formless “practice” of natural meditation. Listen in to hear more about this type of “fruition or results” based spiritual path.
Episode Links:
radiantmind.net
Landmark Forum ( http://www.landmarkeducation.com )
Radiant Mind: Awakening Unconditioned Awareness ( http://bit.ly/4a8bZQ )

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This week we speak with Shambhala acharya and cultural anthropologist, Gaylon Ferguson. Gaylon speaks about the view of Natural Wakefulness, in short that innate wisdom is there from the beginning. We also discuss the four foundations of mindfulness as they were taught by Chogyam Trungpa, and the differences between emphasizing naturalness and training on the spiritual path.
We wrap up by exploring how cultural anthropology and the study of religion fit in with being a practitioner of the dharma. And since Gaylon has done and taught all three, he has a distinctly interdisciplinary approach that you’ll probably find quite interesting.
Episode Links:
Turning the Mind Into an Ally ( http://bit.ly/19BJgj )
The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion ( http://bit.ly/11SuEG )
Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With ( http://bit.ly/MbrIM )

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This week we speak with Gen-X Zen teacher Brad Warner, author of the newly released Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. We talk a little bit about his book, which leads to a critique of what we might call “Popular Buddhism.” We then ask Brad about an article he wrote called, “Satori Porn”, where he argues that descriptions of enlightenment that make it sound like an experience just aren’t that helpful for students. Even so, at the end of the episode he tries his best to talk about enlightenment, while not describing it in terms of experience.
Episode Links:
Zen Wrapped In Karma Dipped in Chocolate ( http://bit.ly/ZZOxS )
Hardcore Zen ( http://amzn.to/1TOGnG7 )
Sit Down and Shut Up ( http://amzn.to/1TOGotw )

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