Curious Bodhi

This Satsang is for advanced spiritual seekers and knowers of the divine to reinvigorate the reason we are reaching for awakening. We talk about the forces that keep us returning to Samsara, the Dark Night of the Soul, and enlightenment.

Relax into this comforting reawakening meditation for your spiritual empowerment.

In episode 40, I had the good fortune of interviewing Sri Acharya; this is the second interview in our series. Now, I ask: how is our current political, economic, and technological situation related to the Vedic literature? What is Sri Acharya's view on the rise of technology throughout our societies? We also go into the nature of the gods, goddesses, devas, dakinis, and whether or not offering Puja and Yagya is required along with direct connection with God. Interestingly, we talk about what planet Earth actually is and whether Earth exists as a product of our own minds or is its own entity. Ending on one of the most significant question, Sri Acharya defines the evasive term "ego" that we hear all over Vedantic and Buddhist circles. Please see our video interview on Sri Acharya's Youtube channel: Dharma Nation. 

This is an inspiration episode on how all of us are truly "creatures of endurance". Whether you are fresh into sports or have years of experience, I help explain how endurance training - and running in particular - can benefit your spiritual life. In the past 5 years, I have run just over 8,000 kilometers. I've run tied to a dog, up the Himalayas, and had to constantly carry pepper spray in my home city. Life doesn't stop, and neither do my feet! The three aspects to endure in life, and running out on the trails or even lifting twice your body weight, are: Vows, Limits, and Focus, which I explain further. I also give interesting tips for new and seasoned runners. The possibilities for human beings do not rely on dry information, but we have to physically experiment and then meet the incoming challenges head on. In our spiritual life, we may meet our anxiety and fear seriously for the first time, and the same goes for meeting our limits by participating in endurance sports. Enjoy our episode, and don't forget to email me at [email protected]. 

Nowadays, it's preferable to call Hinduism by another name: "Sanatana Dharma", which has Dharma right in the name. The Sanskrit word Dharma has a difficult direct English translation, but the closest is akin to "Cosmic Law". In Indian society, it's no secret that upholding Dharma also has various practical implications for the family, social roles, morality, health and diet, and later on - and preposterously out of context, the caste system. Because Dharma is included in these various systems, the Dharma-code is possible to break. For example, if a woman who knows she should have children refuses to have children, then she is breaking the Dharma. It got so bad at one point in history that Lord Krishna had to come back to earth just to restore Dharma, because the world was so terribly out of order... and this is the Bhagavad Gita. When the Buddha came along, he too uses a similar word: Dhamma (Pali). This is exactly the same Cosmic Law, but it cannot be broken by anything. For example, beings who are professional criminals or people with little interest in morality cannot not follow the Cosmic Law; it is still functioning whether they like it or not. After all, gravity keeps us tethered to the earth whether we like it or not! However, that does not mean there are no repercussions in the Cosmic Order. In the Dhamma, the depiction of Bhavacakra / Wheel of Life and Death, demonstrates how beings are reborn for their actions - endlessly and timelessly - until they become enlightened. So the Buddha takes a broader approach and simply holds out his palms and says: "Friends, from my own direct experience, I have found the way to fall seamlessly into the Cosmic Law, and here are some tools and teachings to help you get there swiftly and easily... without being reborn so many times!" 

This Sutta is the Buddha's reminder that we all carry the same prospects for aging, sickness, death, separation, and acting in the world. The Buddha reminds us that we harbour our own actions, as all other beings harbour them, too. One person gets sick, but so does another. We are not immune nor separate from these facts. If we can take these facts as facts and not as hindrances, then we grow stronger and rest in the liberative affects of the Dhamma through contemplation, meditation, and practice. - Tipitaka: Anguttara Nikaya: AN 5.57

Recently, I have had the good fortune of having many mild realisations on the nature of reality, and I want to share them with you. These often inspire my episodes -- so the good news is that the Dharma works! Even better news is that you don't have to call it "Dharma" or even be a Buddhist. Here, we go over what a "Buddha" actually is (a non-denominational entity) and how this relates to the value of non-separation or not seeing yourself apart from anyone or anything else. The truth is... there is nothing else! This is all you. Reality shows itself to us through 7 billion different minds, and when we find out that this is only relative (duality) but that all duality is actually empty (shunyata / non-duality), then we come to inhabit our whole being; our true nature. Oh yes, and being a Buddha also means "loving your enemy" -- exactly what Jesus Christ taught. Join me, and don't forget to email me at [email protected].

Anna Zambreny of "Anna's Intuitive" podcast conducts an interview with me on the fruition of my spiritual awakenings and coming to Buddhism through my struggle with poverty with advice for anyone who is living below-the-line. Also, we talk about what Buddha-Dharma is and how I practice nowadays after the dark times have disappeared. Anna also wants to know about the mind/body/spirit continuum and how trauma is stored in the body - some topics of discussion include the biofield, massage therapy, and emotional trauma. Have a listen and please email me at [email protected] with your questions or your messages. I read them all!

I recently gave up my past history after 11 years in London (mundane job, rented flat, water and electric bills, less time for loving life) to move off-grid in Portugal. We bought a plot of land and imported four large shipping containers for the basic structure of our home. If you are thinking of doing something similar, I give advice about my experiences so far with: basic survival guidelines, unexpected consequences of new terrain and weather, creating a water system and harnessing rain, the magic of buckets, how time is different and managing expectations, and how-in-the-hell this connects with the Dharma! In part 2, we will talk about more progress on building and innovations, our new solar panel system, and possibly what we intend to do about making money. Because I'm not officially working... but it would be cool to be a mendicant, where people feed you because they respect "the person searching for enlightenment"... otherwise known as "professional unemployment". Namaste.

What is this mysterious "not-self" (Anatta) we keep hearing about in Buddhism? Does this mean complete obliteration into a black hole, or nihilism? Well, it can't be! The Buddha was the best dualist AND non-dualist simultaneously. He taught the Middle Way between eternalism: a complete and unchanging entity -- and nihilism: a complete nothingness void of any meaning. So, what does his teaching on not-self really mean, and how can we compare this with ancient Vedantic teachings? The answer is stranger than you might think... please leave a message at [email protected] with comments or questions, and I will answer them on our next show. Bless you. Namaste.