In this episode I travel to the tropical island of Ko Pha-ngan in the Kingdom of Thailand, to visit recurring podcast guest Dhammarato, a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype.

I arrived at Dhammarato’s home and over the course of two days engaged in discussions with him about his life, practice, and teaching.

Dhammarato shares stories of his childhood in the American South, where he faced conflict and racism that influence his world view today.

He recalls his time in Ana Arbor where, immersed in the New Age movement, he studied with a witch, and attended meetings with the Indian siddha Muktananda.

Dhammarato unfolds his approach to teaching Buddhism, and addresses commonly misunderstood topics such as the 8 fold noble path, stream entry, paticca samuppada, the power of placebo, how to deal with malicious people, and the importance of sangha.

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Video version: www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep169-visting-dhammarato

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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00:00 - Intro

01:02 - Finding Dhammarato

02:15 - Life after the Wat

06:04 - Starting to teach on Skype

07:30 - Noble Dhamma vs ordinary Buddhism

08:30 - Respect for Bikkhu Buddhadasa in Thailand

11:22 - Other teachers of the Noble Dhamma

13:27 - Skilful means

14:44 - Dhammarato’s approach to concentration and jhana

16:37 - Common practice mistakes

19:25 - How to practice the Supra-mundane Dhamma

20:05 - Right view

22:20 - Right effort and sati

23:53 - Remember to look, then make a change

25:08 - From victim to winner

28:53 - No need for examples

36:09 - Is stream entry permanent?

37:16 - Does it get easier?

42:19 - Fear and the self

48:04 - Realisation of no-self is overrated

01:01:21 - Identification with the body

01:06:31 - Liking and disliking

01:23:06 - Tour of Dhammarato’s house

01:25:30 - ‘The Handful of Leaves’ sutra

01:26:58 - Dhammarato’s Skype teaching set-up and protocol

01:30:20 - Dinner with Dhammarato

01:31:39 - Placebo and meditation

01:44:27 - Dhammarato’s upbringing

01:48:05 - Paticca samuppada and movie projection

01:52:10 - Racism in the American South

01:56:46 - Why did Dhammarato’s family move from place to place

01:58:18 - Experiences of racism and jealousy

02:03:25 - Dhammarato’s childhood dreams

02:05:24 - New age period in Ana Arbor

02:06:31 - Studies with a witch

02:11:17 - Swami Muktananda and shaktipat

02:16:23 - Dhamma is playful

02:19:02 - Anything goes?

02:25:55 - Dealing with malicious people

02:34:04 - The sangha and good friends

02:38:31 - Capitalism vs socialism

02:41:52 - Dhammarato’s work to build the Western Sangha

02:46:04 - What is Dhammarato’s motive?

02:48:18 - Dhammarato’s students and graduates

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Dhammarato Episode Playlist

- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va

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To find out more about Dhammarato, visit:

- https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/

- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- www.guruviking.com

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James