Curious Bodhi

Sutta reading -- part II in a series of the three most crucial  suttas to begin to understand the Dhamma. (Tipitaka: Samyutta Nikaya:  SN56)

Sutta reading -- the first part in a series of the three most crucial suttas to begin to understand the Dhamma. (Tipitaka: Samyutta Nikaya: SN22)

How do we know we are learning genuine spiritual teachings and are not being taken a fool? Here, we talk about spiritual fads in relation to gurus, teachings, and paths and how to spot them. For example, Tantra has been co-opted to remain synonymous with sex, while its origins are extremely complex and broad, ranging from manipulating inner energies and winds, to perfectly imagining mandalas, to literally becoming a Vajrayana god or goddess.  I open with an astonishing claim that the Buddha uttered himself about his own 8-fold path and its truths. Join me and tune in to look at your own experience to see if what I'm saying is true -- don't just believe me or any authority!

Why can we trust the Vedas and the Upanishads over the scriptures and books of other religions? If experience is of the utmost importance, as it is in Buddhism, then what role does experience play in Sanatana Dharma and knowing Krishna as the highest? Why do we have this material body? What is unconditional love, and why does God desire it? How does personal intuition play into Sanatana Dharma? In this practical and philosophical interview which encourages free-thinking and reflection, Sri Acharya shares his knowledge and wisdom with ease. Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya is a Dharmi who is serious about changing the way societies across the world function to bring restoration of the "Eternal, Natural Way" from the dark age of Kali Yuga into the Coming Golden Age as predicted by the Vedas. Sri Acharya has been teaching solely in the United States after he was ordained a Vedic Brahmana over 40 years ago in India. Included in a long list of credentials, Acharyaji earned his PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in "Languages and Cultures of Asia" and has spoken at Harvard, Cornell, Rutgers, and other prestigous universities and is learned in Sanskrit, Philosophy, Vedic Studies, and South Asian Affairs. Please visit dharmacentral.com and visit Dharma Nation on Youtube to become fascinated by Acharyaji's approach to life and spirituality.

Eric battled his former problem of addiction with meditation. Here, we talk about the way we both use meditation and our experiences. As a practice, meditation is so open to interpretation, so this episode may give you a new perspective on what meditation can do.

With much experience under his belt, Eric Zimmer has interviewed hundreds of guests on his own podcast and has had the privelege of meeting the likes of Sharon Salzburg, Lama Surya Das, and many other amazing human beings. He is well-renowned for his TedX talk called The Battle of Changing Your Behavior and now runs The One You Feed Podcast, named one of the “Best Podcasts of 2014” by iTunes and also named one of the "Best Health Podcasts of All Time" by the Huffington Post.

Devananda of the Essence of Dharma podcast talks with us in a free-flowing conversation about the nature of consciousness and Buddhism in a 'non-sectarian' sense and what this is like, breaking boundaries and barriers in this thing called "the world", Sadhana and realisation, emptiness, and existence in its largest sense. 

My first awakening was as a teenager. I opened a book after having a psychological break (you know, the world ends with everything when you're young), and I read the sentence out loud: "We are all One". With that sentence, I lost my sense of self completely. Tears ran down my face, and I became one with the universe and all my pain and suffering was relieved. Long story short -- ever since, I have searched for God beyond conventional reality. Why? Because that experience was isolated and did not carry itself until final liberation. This is a very common pitfall: temporary enlightenment. Spiritual bypassing is another trap. What else? As an adult, the ego becomes solidified and strong. I even remember standing in my kitchen (again, as a moody teenager) while listening to the radio. A scientist on the broadcast mentioned that "by age 30, 99% of thoughts are no longer creative but are programmed and mechanical." I remember thinking, "I can't even think for myself when I grow up? I hope that never, ever happens to me!" Well, I've breached the barrier and became 31. As an avid painter and musician, at least some creative thought still belongs to me. And psychedelics have helped me realise that society doesn't actually exist, so there's that! But for many adults and people my age, awakening isn't easy. Adulting comes with baggage: childhood baggage, mortgage baggage, relationship baggage, job expectation baggage, socialising baggage, and anti-creative mind programming to top off the entire 30+ cake. Western culture teaches us that we are going somewhere, and we can't stop to breathe until we get there. It's covered up in bank balances, responsibilities, and social prestige/conditioning. But really, we are all just looking for ourselves! The "real me". Reality. The truth of what it means to be human. Love: real, unconditional love for ourselves and each other. So, we have to essentially unravel all the conditioning from the time we were born until this very moment to have any sort of epiphany and take all these layers off to become naked. What adult feels comfortable standing in a crowd naked? As a child, we did it, and we were damn proud of ourselves! But, awakening takes courage. This episode is about why it's difficult and what traps we can run into along the way. Sneaky ego! Send me a voice message - make it easy, @ https://anchor.fm/curiousbodhi/message  

Veda: Knowledge (n). Akshay was born in India and now lives and breathes in New York City, though he still keeps his connections to India. He is well-versed in Sanskrit, the Vedas, and Hindu scriptures, where we go through his wealth of knowledge and wisdom. We touch on Vedic stories, Ayurveda, history, and more. Though the Vedas can seem daunting to touch at first, here are key resources to become familiar with Vedic literature and thought: The Bhagavad Gita As It Is - by Srila Prabhupada, The Upanishads - of 108, 10-13 of which are considered major: Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Svetasvatara, Isha, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Kausitaki and Maitrayaniya, & great Vedantan Swami Vivekananda.

Greg Lawrence is a certified transformational and psychedelic integration coach who works with his clients in the preparation and integration stages of using psychedelic medicines. In our episode, we talk about psychedelic care; what to expect when taking plant medicines; and when it's a good or bad time take psychedelics personally. Greg has worked extensively with: Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Bufo/5-MeO-DMT, NN-DMT, Kambo, Iboga, Sananga and Psilocybin/magic mushrooms. If you want to get in touch, see Greg's website at www.psychedelicintegrationspecialist.com.

It's no secret: "modern mindfulness" is in -- especially in the United States, and it is spreading rapidly also within Europe. We chat to Ron Purser, head of the Mindful Cranks Podcast and author of McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became The New Capitalist Spirituality, on his critique of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme that may have gotten too big for its britches to become a trendy self-help business model and even harmful for people and society in the long run. How has "modern mindfulness" been severed from its true Buddhist roots? How have big companies like Google and Apple hijacked mindfulness programmes to keep workers docile and the wheel of good ol' capitalism spinning? Is the science backing mindfulness even that sound? We go over all these questions and more in this engaging interview. McMindfulness will be released in July, 2019. Catch Ron at Foyle's Bookstore in Charring Cross, London in early August at his book signing.