Ken Wilber coined the terms “ascending” and “descending” to describe two possible orientations to spiritual practice. The ascending path has to do with transcending the world, leaving samsara behind, and fusing with the infinite. The descending path has to do with finding spirit in the world–in the midst of everyday life. Both approaches are important, and both have been clearly highlighted in Stuart Davis’s journey as a Zen practitioner.

Listen in to hear Davis’s radical flip-flop between these two approaches. Where Davis once found himself sitting up in his “Zen tree fort in the sky” he now finds that “the mystery” is most intimately connected with being a father & husband. Lastly, Davis shares with us a very strange and powerful connection he has with crows (yes, the animals), who apparently are an important symbol in the Zen tradition.

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Stuart Davis: Bodhisattva Rocker.

Episode Links:

Stuart's Crow Paintings ( http://www.stuartdavis.com/paintings )

StuartDavis.com

Sex, God, & Rock ‘n Roll ( http://www.sexgodrocknroll.com )

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Jun Po Roshi, an American Zen Master in the Rinzai Zen tradition, joins us to discuss his fascinating history with psychotropic drugs, including a form of LSD, called Clear Light, that he helped to create and distribute a long time ago.

We also speak with him about his new form of Koan practice that uses NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) techniques to help anchor spiritual realization in one’s linguistic structures.

This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Hollow Bones Zen.

Episode Links:

Hollow Bones Zen School ( http://www.hollowbones.org )

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This week we’re joined by prolific musician, artist, writer, & comic Stuart Davis. Davis, a long-time Zen practitioner, shares with us his background as a creative and the resulting unique understanding that he has of the Bodhisattva’s path.

Specifically, we discuss his current creative projects, including a language called IS that he is in the process of developing & and a spiritual talk-show that he’s hosting entitled Sex, God & Rock ‘n Roll. We also cover the topic of re-incarnation, and the spiritual tutelage he has received from his wife Marci. We hope you enjoy this interview with one of the most creative, absurd, and hilarious Zen-artists we know!

This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Zen Tree Fort in the Sky.

Episode Links:

StuartDavis.com

Sex, God, & Rock ‘n Roll ( http://www.sexgodrocknroll.com )

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We are joined this week by Jenny Phillips, Director and Producer of the newly released documentary, The Dhamma Brothers. The Dhamma Brothers gives an in-depth look at how a trial program of vipassana meditation courses radically transforms the lives of inmates in a the maximum-security prison facility in Alabama.

In our interview with Jenny we explore the story behind the film, her intentions for creating it, and the potential ramifications of introducing these powerful meditation practices into an environment where genuine positive transformation is almost unheard of. Put another way we discuss what happens when “East meets West, in the Deep South.”

To find out more about the movie and to watch the trailor please visit: www.dhammabrothers.com.

Episode Links:

Interview with Jenny Phillips on Oprah’s Soul Series ( http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Jenny-Phillips-on-Oprahs-Soul-Series-Webcast )

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana ( http://www.karunafilms.com/dtdv/dtdv.htm )

The Dhamma Brothers Film ( http://dhammabrothers.com )

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The Geeks of the Round Table are back, continuing our discussion of Judy Lief’s article Glimpses of Awakening. We speculate on the language and culture surrounding enlightenment both here in the West and in various countries in the East–including Japan, Burma, and Thailand. We also speculate on how likely it is that people can have initial breakthroughs in their practice (the first glimpses of enlightenment) and how useful it would be to have an empirical, longitudinal study that tracked these kind of breakthroughs. And if you make it all the way to the end of this dialogue you’ll hear something that has a %99 chance of getting you enlightened, right there on the spot. :::wink, wink:::

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Buzz Lightyear Model of Enlightenment: To Infinity and Beyond.

Episode Links:

Episode Links:

“Glimpses of Awakening” by Judy Lief ( www.lionsroar.com/glimpses-of-awakening-2/ )

The Zen Center of Las Cruces ( www.zencenteroflascruces.org )

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we bring back the Geeks of the Round Table segment. Joining us is one of our regulars Duff McDuffee, and a new geek to the lineup, Mike LaTorra. Mike is the resident teacher of the Soto Zen Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

During this conversation we discuss an article written by Shambhala Acharaya Judy Lief entitled, Glimpses of Awakening. We discuss the ideals surrounding awakening, and use the classic three trainings model (of ethics, concentration, & wisdom) to explore what enlightenment is about.

This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Particularities of Awakening.

Episode Links:

“Glimpses of Awakening” by Judy Lief ( http://www.lionsroar.com/glimpses-of-awakening-2/ )

The Zen Center of Las Cruces ( http://www.zencenteroflascruces.org )

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Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, continues his discussion of the meditative terrain and of his spiritual philosophy in general. He finishes off his discussion of the meditative maps with an exploration of what it actual takes–both in terms of time and effort–to master these various stages of consciousness.

He also explains the difference between what he is now calling “horizontal enlightenment” (which is basically everything we’ve explored up to this point) and “vertical enlightenment” which encompasses other areas of human development that can’t been developed while on the cushion. According to him the traditional notion of Buddhist enlightenment isn’t he be-all-end-all of human development.

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Meditative Maps: Happy Mornings and Dark Nights.

Episode Links:

Integral Life ( www.integrallife.com )

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Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, shares with us a 10,000 foot view of the terrain of meditative experience. He describes several of the most common Buddhist maps and their progression, including the one presented in the Visuddhimagga (one of the most prevalent in the Theravada tradition), the 10 ox herding pictures in the Zen tradition, and the Anuttara Tantra from the Tibetan tradition.

He also gives an overview of the very difficult stages of practice called the Dark Nights. These are periods where after being plunged into a whole new experience of reality we have it stripped from us and feel like we have lost what was once discovered. Another meaning of the dark night has to do with dis-identifying with previous levels of consciousness, and the difficult journey of releasing our grasping and addiction to these lower levels.

This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Horizontal and Vertical Enlightenment.

Episode Links:

Integral Life ( https://www.integrallife.com )

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, one of the most important figure in the development of Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the United States, joins us to discuss the importance of academic studies. We explore what Buddhist studies are like in the West, the relationship between being a scholar and practitioner, and the broader role that Buddhist academia plays in Western Buddhism.

This is part 2 of a two-part series Listen to part 1, The Practice Adventures of Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins.

Episode Links:

Tsong-Kha-Pa’s Final Exposition of Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/yIAVZ )

Light of Berotsana Translation Group ( http://berotsana.org )

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Today we speak with Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus of Tibetan & Buddhist Studies at University of Virgina. Dr. Hopkins is a prolific translator–with 40 books translated in his career–and a committed meditation practitioner.

In this episode we ask him to share some of the details of his early practice. He shares with us his experience doing sky meditations and dark retreats, all of which he did before being exposed to Tibetan Buddhism. He also shares some of the details of his meeting the Dalai Lama and working with him on translating some of his books to English, as well as being his translator.

This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Buddhist Studies in the West.

Episode Links:

Tsong-Kha-Pa’s Final Exposition of Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/yIAVZ )

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