Curious Bodhi

What does the world need right now?! A "Bhakti Revival"! This is my new ambitious and REAL LIFE project (ie, not online), based right here in Portugal, where I am happily hosting live kirtan dancing and musical jam sessions in the near future. Please see my full dance performance at www.curiousbodhipodcast.com. Let's bring God back to life and to each other with limitless expressions of love and joy! Jai, jai, jai!

In this episode, we tackle the "problem" of whether we are truly infinite beings! Get ready for a philosophical and uplifting talk on how we can expand... and expand... and expand...

Rodrigo and I 'argue' that we are completely infinite and that there are millions of ways to do a million things... and that no perspective in particular is right or wrong. We human beings limit ourselves based firstly on our parents' projections, then on our cultural upbringings and systems of thought (such as capitalism or communism) and believe that we are separate egos instead of the sea of love and bliss that we are.

Because we are individuals, which is the beauty of life and of nature, this indivi-duality creates an unlimited scope for unlimited possibilities. If this is so, then we can go on to transcend our current limitations and become the all. Shakyamuni Buddha experienced this infinity during his enlightenment. Call it Moksha, or Mukti, or Nirvana, or Awakening -- yet it is the same.

We talk Siddhis. We talk culture. We talk consciousness. And we talk our amazing human nature.

-------------------------------

Enjoy, and email me at [email protected]

Many feel as if they are not growing spiritually, nor positively, because their life-force energy is being held back in some way. This is usually due to cultural and social influences but also can be due to early trauma or emotions such as shame and guilt. But, these shadows can be overcome and we can be truly happy, in the Dharmic sense, by following the necessity of uplifting ourselves and each other through: compassion, bodily movement/imbibement, doing what pleases us, and even big changes such as getting out of the city or learning the needs of our spouse or child. In fact, I went through this myself -- for 7 years, I sacrificed nearly 100% of my life-force energy, though unknowingly, for a job I didn't enjoy in a large city (that is, London, England) with no free time to expand my consciousness or awareness. Through moving to Portugal and throwing away the keys to my old lifestyle, I am growing and expanding, because each day is precious: I now have time for nature, to enjoy the sunshine, to spend quality time with my family and friends, say hello to my community on my daily runs, to contemplate, dance, garden, paint, and worship the divine through both Kirtan and Sadhana (prayer). If your heart is calling you this way, I encourage you to follow your intuition so your energy becomes "unstuck" and you can again grow. Blessings, healing, and prayers for you, friends. Namaste! Email me at [email protected] and visit www.curiousbodhipodcast.com. **Please look into: Samaneri Jayasara, Lama Surya Das, and Dharma Bytes Podcast for the awareness meditations mentioned in this episode.

The pinnacle of spiritual evolution is about other people -- and not just people, but animals and all those inhabiting this universal sphere with us: from Tibetan gods and goddesses to Shiva, Vishnu, Narayana, Krishna and all our spiritual friends both seen and unseen. Enjoy, and please reach out to me! I love you!

Do Buddhists simply focus on themselves rather than the greater good going on out there? Absolutely not! In this joint episode, I talk to Nick and Jared who host an awesome podcast called Revolution and Ideology, and we talk about whether Buddhism can make an impact from first the "individual level" and then on to a massive scale. But, we are not simply limited to Buddhism -- all Dharmic paths are involved, since they ultimately lead to final liberation. In the age of our pandemic, lasting one year now, we have a vital window of opportunity to harness the collapsing social, economic, political, and personal structures that have kept our minds and hearts encapsulated for too long. What type of world do we want to see in our not-so-distant future? Do we want to live from a place of truth, serenity, and harmony with each other and all other species and beings that inhabit this biosphere with us -- and beyond? Let's explore. Tell me what you think at [email protected]. Visit Nick and Jared at www.revolutionandideology.com and visit their Youtube channel for current episodes!

A short message on what the meaning of life is about. Loneliness, or the sense of being alone, is only down to a distorted view of what life means. True compassion -- what the Buddha realised under the Bodhi tree -- is knowing that focusing on OTHERS as opposed to the "me" is what makes us actually happy. It's a simple truth but as a wise man once said: "The truth is simple, but the seekers of truth are complex." Namaste!

Who are the greatest teachers, wholeheartedly devoted to truth, who deserve more time in the spotlight? Of the numerous masters I've studied over the past five years, the works of three great teachers stood the test of time: Sri Acharya of Dharma Nation, Leo Gura of Actualized.org, and Shunyamurti of the Sat Yoga Institute. In our episode, I give guidance on what these teachers are made of -- from ancient Vedic tradition to the mind-bending nature of reality. Also included in our episode is talk of the Golden Age we could now be entering, due to the pandemic and its cosmic influences on our planet. Email me at [email protected]. See you next week, lovely fellow Human Beings!

The Dharma, meaning "the eternal, natural, way" is rich in ways to access the truth -- the Buddha most famously saying there are 84,000 doors to enlightenment. But what does this have to say about the way we interpret our own minds, and indeed, the world? Which perspective holds the most accountability for the deepest nature of reality, reflecting the entire picture of truth when we compare this with the western scientific view? The Dharma as a "better" way to know the truth and the divine is presented, along with multiple philosophical and epistemological debates that really can be elaborated upon for eternity. I encourage you to reflect and use your own creative imagination and justification to form your own ideas, here. I thank Dr. Robert AV Thurman for his talk: The Tibetan Path of Enlightenment; Sri Acharya for: Hierarchy, Dharma, and Modernity; and Leo Gura for his work on: Spiral Dynamics.

Clarity can be conceived as either a "small" and contracted concept or we can choose to see clarity in its larger sphere. Clarity in Buddhism is a sort of good habit to attain; indeed, if our goal is enlightenment, then Buddhahood is the ultimate clarity! Rodrigo Jacinto speaks with me, while taking a walk in the wild pear fields, about what clarity means in our everyday lives. He is an expert in having a positive worldview that he shares regularly with others. Rodrigo lives in Portugal and was utterly changed when a motorcycle accident nearly took his life in his early 20s, and it rearranged his mind to contain what is important: happiness, friends, family, flow, and taking every moment with a smile. Join us in this uplifting conversation, and don't forget to email me at [email protected] with any questions or just to say hello. Om, Namaste, Hare Krishna, and may all be happy and peaceful!

We are joined by two guests: Rodrigo Jacinto, native to Portugal and Andrzej Idzikowski, native to Poland, to talk about what freedom means and our future after this epidemic. In my previous episode, 73, I went into detail on the premonitions I have had about the virus and its future implications, especially this coming Autumn, so tune in to hear more. It's important to preserve freedom of expression and speech, so we talk freely about "the epidemic" and how this will impact human beings' consciousness for our futures. I strongly encourage critical thinking and an open mind as we dive into this discussion. We talk technology, education, a little bit of politics, and what happiness means to all of us. Please email me at [email protected] with comments or questions! Namaste!