In this episode I am once again joined by Piers Cross, ex-Buddhist monk, coach, and creator of the documentary “Boarding on Insanity”.

Piers explains the British boarding school system, examines its history and social context, and reveals how and why boarding school attendance is seen by many as a pathway to power.

Piers recalls his own boarding school experience, the trauma and subsequent breakdown it caused, and describes the dynamic of the “privilege double-bind”.

Piers recounts his years as a Buddhist monk, how he navigated suicide attempts and self harm with meditation and community support, and the powerful mystical experiences he encountered during his religious practice.

Piers lists over two dozen leading figures in the arts, business, and politics who attended boarding school and reflects on the possibility of a leadership class affected by abandonment and dissociation by elite educational institutions.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep297-boarding-on-insanity-piers-cross

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:05 - Military family upbringing and alcoholic father

03:42 - Going to boarding school at 11 years old

05:36 - History of British boarding schools

08:23 - Pathway to power

10:19 - Oxbridge emphasis

11:37 - The old boys network and breaking parental attachment

14:42 - Is the education better?

17:48 - IQ vs emotional intelligence

20:31 - A typical day at boarding school

23:30 - Piers’ boarding school trauma and learning to dissociate

27:07 - Suicide of Piers’ best friend

29:37 - Resilience vs dissociation and avoidant attachment

32:48 - Resurfacing trauma in the 30s and 40s

33:28 - Richard Branson, David Cameron, Bear Grylls, and John Peel

34:36 - Trauma of neglect

36:53 - Idealisation, cover up, and not listening to children

41:45 - The privilege double-bind

47:32 - After boarding school & city career

51:03 - Depression and breakdown

53:07 - Laughed at by the doctor

54:31 - Death of Piers’ father and work in Africa

56:41 - 3.5 years in a Buddhist monastery

59:37 - A sense of coming home

01:02:22 - Taking the 8 precepts

01:03:30 - Ordination, self harm, and suicidal ideation

01:06:31 - The support and kindness of the other monks

01:09:26 - Struggles with meditation

01:12:03 - Reading scriptures and other Buddhist books

01:14:00 - Tastes of transcendence

01:14:55 - Profound experience of childlike mind

01:16:35 - Healing avoidant attachment

01:20:10 - Working with dreams

01:21:10 - Tears and connecting to emotion

01:22:41 - Buddhist doctrine about suicide and hell

01:25:14 - The power of initiation

01:27:13 - Leaving the monastery

01:28:08 - Piers shows his journal

01:29:33 - After the monastery and work with board school survivors

01:33:15 - “Boarding on Insanity” documentary

01:33:28 - Tony Blair, Boris Johnson, Justin Welby

01:37:05 - Cover ups and a societal flip

01:39:30 - Prince Charles, Stephen Fry, Ranulph Fiennes, Gabriel Byrne, Roald Dahl, Harry Windsor,

01:41:00 - JFK, Princess Diana, Charles Spencer, Aldous Huxley, Richard Beard, Jeremy Paxman,

01:41:26 - Elon Musk, Mini Driver, Eddie Izzard, Princess Catherine, Rupert Murdoch,

01:44:46 - Piers’ 3hr daily practice

01:46:44 - Taoist Tantric Arts

01:47:59 - Piers’ advice for taking on new practices

01:49:37 - Piers’ meditation practice

01:51:02 - Closing remarks and advice for ex-boarders

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To find our more about Piers Cross, visit:

- https://www.youtube.com/@pierscross

- https://www.piers-cross.com/

- https://www.boardingoninsanity.com/

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- www.guruviking.com

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James