In this episode, I am joined by Dr Christopher “Hareesh” Wallis, a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classical Tantra.

Christopher recounts his unusual upbringing, early meetings with Osho and Muktananda, early shaktipat experiences, and powerful spiritual awakenings.

Christopher traces his educational journey under professors such as Douglas Brooks and Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson, offers his opinions about optimal pedagogy for Sanskrit language study, and questions lineage claims made in Tibetan Buddhism.

Christopher also considers the tension between religious faith and academic skepticism, explains why he thinks it is possible to receive spiritual benefit from corrupt gurus, and descries why he believes spiritual awakening leads to a deep trust in the unfolding of life.

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Video version: www.guruviking.com

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:57 - An unusual family of origin

03:28 - Mother’s conversion to Hinduism

03:50 - Meeting Osho and Swami Muktananda

05:17 - Awakening experience at 16 years old

05:55 - Attraction to Tantric Shaivism

07:35 - Academic training and intellectual infatuation

09:00 - Multiple teachers

10:13 - Seeing through intellectual ego

12:57 - Teenage rebellion and psychedelics

14:44 - Love of sci fi and fantasy

17:05 - Siddha yoga shaktipat

18:33 - Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

20:33 - Heart opening shaktipat

24:01 - Saint or psychopath?

28:26 - The guru’s shadow

30:18 - Transmission from a disgraced guru

32:25 - No single objective reality

35:32 - No doubts despite guru’s flaws

38:18 - Has Christopher missed the point?

39:53 - Parsing subjective certainty

41:55 - A belief but not really

43:21 - Innate intelligence and trusting the unfolding of life

46:50 - Harmonising with the pattern

50:17 - Don’t pretend to be more enlightened that you are

51:56 - The same awakening as the Buddha’s

54:22 - Waking up out of your tradition

55:32 - Agnosticism about reincarnation

57:29 - BA at Rochester

01:00:53 - Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson

01:05:40 - Great professors at Rochester

01:08:22 - Learning Sanskrit

01:11:12 - Art of translation

01:13:27 - Sanskrit pedagogy

01:16:42 - Christopher’s approach to teaching Sanskrit

01:21:19 - Why learn Sanskrit?

01:24:10 - Parallel primer method

01:26:06 - Does academia ruin religious faith?

01:30:39 - Mantra disillusionment

01:34:40 - Disillusionment with saints and siddhas

01:38:10 - Religious professors

01:39:13 - Debunking tantric lineage claims

01:42:05 - Did Tibetan Buddhists fabricated their lineages?

01:43:10 - Tantric Shaivism as a living tradition

01:46:16 - Is Christopher a lineage holder?

01:48:04 - Critique of lineage holders and lamas

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To find our more about Dr Wallis visit:

- https://hareesh.org/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James