In this episode I am joined by Erik Jampa Andersson, a Sowa Rigpa healing practitioner, student of Tibetan Buddhism, meditation instructor, and author of ‘Unseen Beings: How We Forgot The World Is More Than Human’.

Erik discusses how he came to write ‘Unseen Beings’ and why he changed its theme from the spirit ontologies of Tibetan culture to the themes of climate change and animism.

Taking climate change as his starting premise, Erik follows a traditional 4-part medical model to make a diagnosis, and goes on to present his views on the causes and conditions, prognosis, and treatment.

Erik also grapples with moral and cultural dilemmas, compares animal testing in a medical context to hunting practices and animal sacrifices in a traditional context, and challenges the anthropocentrism of both modern culture and the environmentalist movement.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep204-unseen-beings-erik-jampa-andersson

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:02 - Celebrating Erik’s first book

02:15 - Unexpected praise

04:09 - Charlie Morley’s author advice

05:49 - 4-part medical model

06:48 - How the book changed direction from spirit ontology to climate change

10:36 - The inspiration of the pandemic

12:44 - Summarising Erik’s argument

13:36 - Rinpoches performing rituals to appease the spirits who sent the pandemic

15:24 - Animism vs materialism

20:21 - A scientific materialist challenge to animism

29:59 - Tolkien on gods and fairy tales

32:58 - Ian McGilchrist and harmonising vs polarisation

37:26 - Should we abandon modernity?

39:19 - Generalisation vs individuality

41:20 - Disenchanting ontologies

43:00 - The danger of sweeping generalisations

44:27 - The lived experience of mice

46:45 - Alienation from nature

51:21 - Moral nuance and confused views

55:46 - Erik considers hunting in animistic societies

58:19 - The trolley problem and perceived consent in hunting

01:00:15 - Is animal sacrifice justified within certain cultural contexts?

01:05:57 - Stewarding the resources of the world

01:08:43 - Anthropocentrism vs animism

01:10:41 - Erik on the climate crisis

01:13:09 - The bloody history of Tibet and other nations

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Previous episode with Erik Jampa Andersson:

- https://www.guruviking.com/ep108-erik-jampa-andersson-from-tolkien-to-tibet/

To find out more about Erik Jampa Andersson, visit:

- https://www.shrimala.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James