Gin And Tantra

This episode is a companion episode to the second part of our interview with Professor Robert Thurman.  He dives deep into the Tantric view on enlightenment and the multi-faceted aspects of the human potential.  We break that down into bite sized pieces so that it makes sense for our everyday lives and how we can work towards achieving some of the states that these philosophies say are possible.  We talk about the relation between epiphanies and memory and the analogy of being omnivorous to being omniscient.  

Further Reading - Jewel Tree of Tibet, Liberation Upon Hearing in the Between, The Infinite Life and The FLower Ornament Sutra

In the second part of our interview with Professor Robert Thurman we ask him about enlightenment... What is it?  How can it be described?  His response covers a wide range of ideas and philosophies but he describes enlightenment as an evolutionary goal, the highest potential for the human platform, a culmination of all of the cultures who believe in it.  Ultimately, amongst other things its liberation with happiness as a freedom from suffering.  He then goes into a discussion on the 3 bodies of a Buddha (reality, enjoyment and emanation) and what that means theoretically and practically from his perspective.  Although this view is shared by many in the tradition, Professor Thurman states that its a theory.  A means to express the inexpressible and that the only sure thing, is freedom.  Professor Thurman concludes by saying that miracles are always possible and reality is totally comprehensible.   Bob Thurman,  known in the academic circles as Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, is a  talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings and the first Westerner  Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A charismatic speaker and author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism,  art, politics and culture, Bob was named by The New York Times the  leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and was awarded the  prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s  ancient Buddhist heritage. Time Magazine chose him as one of the 25  most influential Americans in 1997, describing him as a “larger than  life scholar-activist destined to convey the Dharma, the precious  teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, from Asia to America.”Bob served as the Jey Tsong  Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of  Religion at Columbia University for 30 years, until 2020. A very popular  professor, students always felt his classes were “life-changing”.   Bob is the founder and active president of Tibet House US, a non-profit  organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan  culture, and of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit  affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University  and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic  and scientific Tibetan treatises.  His own search for enlightenment began  while he was a university student at Harvard. After an accident in which  he lost the use of an eye, Bob left school on a spiritual quest  throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He found his way to India,  where he first saw His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1962.   After learning Tibetan and studying Buddhism, Bob became a Tibetan  Buddhist monk and the first Westerner to be ordained by the Dalai Lama.  Some years later, however, he offered up his robes when he realized he  could be more effective in the American equivalent of a monastery: the  university, returning to Harvard to finish his PhD.  As part of his long-term commitment to the Tibetan cause, at the  request of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Bob co-founded Tibet House US in 1987  with Tenzin Tethong, Richard Gere, and Philip Glass, a non profit  organization based in New York City and dedicated to the preservation  and renaissance of Tibetan culture.  Inspired by his longtime good friend  the Dalai Lama, Bob takes us along with him into an expanded vision of  the world through the prisma of Tibetan Buddhism. He shares with us the  sense of refuge in the Dharma, which unfailingly helps us clear away the  shrouds of fear and confusion, sustains us with the cheerfulness of an  enriched present, and opens a door to a path of realistic hope for a  peaceful, kind, and wise future.

This is a companion episode to the first part of our Robert Thurman interview.  We Wanted to give our thoughts, reflections and insights into the interview and highlight some of the topics that came up that might be new for people.  We touch again on the idea of authoritarian dependency, epiphanies and the enlightened state, happiness as a means of liberation and much more.  We hope this helps to highlight some of the deep teaching that Professor Thurman shared with us and with you.

We would like to humbly welcome on the show, a great influence in the lives and minds of many, Professor Robert AF Thurman!  We are very happy to have him on and discuss his origin story in this episode.  He shares his influences and life circumstances around much of his time during his pilgrimage to India and after becoming a monk...then deciding to return to the US and live amongst the people.  He shares a story about his brief encounter with Fidel Castro's army and the economic strangulation of education a it stands today.  Professor Thurman also highlights giving at a high intensity and how he has learned through his own teaching.  Enjoy the episode!

Bob Thurman,  known in the academic circles as Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, is a  talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings and the first Westerner  Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama,

A charismatic speaker and author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism,  art, politics and culture, Bob was named by The New York Times the  leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and was awarded the  prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s  ancient Buddhist heritage. Time Magazine chose him as one of the 25  most influential Americans in 1997, describing him as a “larger than  life scholar-activist destined to convey the Dharma, the precious  teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, from Asia to America.”

Bob served as the Jey Tsong  Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of  Religion at Columbia University for 30 years, until 2020. A very popular  professor, students always felt his classes were “life-changing”.   Bob is the founder and active president of Tibet House US, a non-profit  organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan  culture, and of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit  affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University  and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic  and scientific Tibetan treatises.

His own search for enlightenment began  while he was a university student at Harvard. After an accident in which  he lost the use of an eye, Bob left school on a spiritual quest  throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He found his way to India,  where he first saw His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1962.   After learning Tibetan and studying Buddhism, Bob became a Tibetan  Buddhist monk and the first Westerner to be ordained by the Dalai Lama.  Some years later, however, he offered up his robes when he realized he  could be more effective in the American equivalent of a monastery: the  university, returning to Harvard to finish his PhD.

As part of his long-term commitment to the Tibetan cause, at the  request of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Bob co-founded Tibet House US in 1987  with Tenzin Tethong, Richard Gere, and Philip Glass, a non profit  organization based in New York City and dedicated to the preservation  and renaissance of Tibetan culture.

Inspired by his longtime good friend  the Dalai Lama, Bob takes us along with him into an expanded vision of  the world through the prisma of Tibetan Buddhism. He shares with us the  sense of refuge in the Dharma, which unfailingly helps us clear away the  shrouds of fear and confusion, sustains us with the cheerfulness of an  enriched present, and opens a door to a path of realistic hope for a  peaceful, kind, and wise future.

In this final segment of our interview with Pete Kadens we discuss the difficulty in raising money for charitable causes, owning one's own generosity and having perseverance when waiting for societal progress and being the 'spark that starts the fire'.

Pete Kadens currently serves as the chairman of the Kadens Family  Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to closing the pervasive  wealth and education gaps in the U.S. He retired in August 2018 as CEO  of Green Thumb Industries, one of the largest publicly-traded, legal  cannabis operators in the U.S. with a current market capitalization of  over $3 billion. Prior to Green Thumb Industries, in 2008 Kadens started  one of the largest commercial solar companies in the U.S., SoCore  Energy. Under his leadership, SoCore expanded operations into 17 states  and was named one of Chicago’s most innovative businesses by Chicago  Innovation Awards. In 2013, he sold SoCore Energy to Edison  International, a Fortune 500 energy holding company. Kadens is one of 25  cannabis industry executives serving on the board of directors of the  Cannabis Trade Federation, the nation’s leading organization focused  solely on federal marijuana policy reform. He was also named one of the  20 People to Watch in the Cannabis Industry in 2018 by Marijuana  Business Daily.

Kadens believes deeply in, and actively leads,  organizations that seek to transform lives and strengthen communities,  serving as chairman of StreetWise (2009–2018), one of the largest  homeless aid organizations in Chicago. He currently serves as chairman  emeritus at StreetWise and sits on several other boards in the nonprofit  and for-profit space. Kadens was awarded the Trailblazer Chicago Award  by The Cara Program in 2019, The Catalyst Man of the Year by Streetwise  in 2015, the Distinguished Alumnus for Citizenship in 2010 by his  college alma mater, Bucknell University, where he earned his bachelor’s  of arts in political science, and a Distinguished Alumnus by his high  school, Ottawa Hills High School in Toledo, Ohio in 2019. He was also  named one of the 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2012. Kadens  is a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Pete's Ted Talk: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86136672760?pwd=NDdVMHJYREdSbng1QlZUTFpyaFRmUT09

In this third segment of our interview with Pete Kadens, Pete shares his views on the business world and its social responsibility, holding corporations responsible, understanding the collective impact of our consumer and business habits as well as the social determinants of health.  Pete also gives a his take on what he calls the "Lives Improved Metric" and how that could help to determine the positive effects a corporation has in its employees and their communities.

Pete Kadens currently serves as the chairman of the Kadens Family  Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to closing the pervasive  wealth and education gaps in the U.S. He retired in August 2018 as CEO  of Green Thumb Industries, one of the largest publicly-traded, legal  cannabis operators in the U.S. with a current market capitalization of  over $3 billion. Prior to Green Thumb Industries, in 2008 Kadens started  one of the largest commercial solar companies in the U.S., SoCore  Energy. Under his leadership, SoCore expanded operations into 17 states  and was named one of Chicago’s most innovative businesses by Chicago  Innovation Awards. In 2013, he sold SoCore Energy to Edison  International, a Fortune 500 energy holding company. Kadens is one of 25  cannabis industry executives serving on the board of directors of the  Cannabis Trade Federation, the nation’s leading organization focused  solely on federal marijuana policy reform. He was also named one of the  20 People to Watch in the Cannabis Industry in 2018 by Marijuana  Business Daily.

Kadens believes deeply in, and actively leads,  organizations that seek to transform lives and strengthen communities,  serving as chairman of StreetWise (2009–2018), one of the largest  homeless aid organizations in Chicago. He currently serves as chairman  emeritus at StreetWise and sits on several other boards in the nonprofit  and for-profit space. Kadens was awarded the Trailblazer Chicago Award  by The Cara Program in 2019, The Catalyst Man of the Year by Streetwise  in 2015, the Distinguished Alumnus for Citizenship in 2010 by his  college alma mater, Bucknell University, where he earned his bachelor’s  of arts in political science, and a Distinguished Alumnus by his high  school, Ottawa Hills High School in Toledo, Ohio in 2019. He was also  named one of the 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2012. Kadens  is a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Pete's Ted Talk: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86136672760?pwd=NDdVMHJYREdSbng1QlZUTFpyaFRmUT09

In this second part of our series with entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter Kadens, we discuss his views on seeing life as a culmination of themes and understanding that the more one gives, the more one receives in return.   He also discusses helping minority communities through marijuana legalization and how there are structures built into society to keep the power in the hands of the powerful.  Pete highlights how "misfortune plays no favorites" and that we must turn empathy into action.

Pete Kadens currently serves as the chairman of the Kadens Family  Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to closing the pervasive  wealth and education gaps in the U.S. He retired in August 2018 as CEO  of Green Thumb Industries, one of the largest publicly-traded, legal  cannabis operators in the U.S. with a current market capitalization of  over $3 billion. Prior to Green Thumb Industries, in 2008 Kadens started  one of the largest commercial solar companies in the U.S., SoCore  Energy. Under his leadership, SoCore expanded operations into 17 states  and was named one of Chicago’s most innovative businesses by Chicago  Innovation Awards. In 2013, he sold SoCore Energy to Edison  International, a Fortune 500 energy holding company. Kadens is one of 25  cannabis industry executives serving on the board of directors of the  Cannabis Trade Federation, the nation’s leading organization focused  solely on federal marijuana policy reform. He was also named one of the  20 People to Watch in the Cannabis Industry in 2018 by Marijuana  Business Daily.

Kadens believes deeply in, and actively leads,  organizations that seek to transform lives and strengthen communities,  serving as chairman of StreetWise (2009–2018), one of the largest  homeless aid organizations in Chicago. He currently serves as chairman  emeritus at StreetWise and sits on several other boards in the nonprofit  and for-profit space. Kadens was awarded the Trailblazer Chicago Award  by The Cara Program in 2019, The Catalyst Man of the Year by Streetwise  in 2015, the Distinguished Alumnus for Citizenship in 2010 by his  college alma mater, Bucknell University, where he earned his bachelor’s  of arts in political science, and a Distinguished Alumnus by his high  school, Ottawa Hills High School in Toledo, Ohio in 2019. He was also  named one of the 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2012. Kadens  is a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Pete's Ted Talk: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86136672760?pwd=NDdVMHJYREdSbng1QlZUTFpyaFRmUT09

This is the first part of a 4 part series where we interview Pete Kadens, philanthropist, entrepreneur, husband and father of three.  In this first episode we detail his early life and some of the contributing factors that would lead him to a life of entrepreneurship and reciprocity.  We discuss his views on poverty and the numerous pathways to it in addition to the massive effect of the so called 'War on Drugs'.

Pete Kadens currently serves as the chairman of the Kadens Family  Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to closing the pervasive  wealth and education gaps in the U.S. He retired in August 2018 as CEO  of Green Thumb Industries, one of the largest publicly-traded, legal  cannabis operators in the U.S. with a current market capitalization of  over $3 billion. Prior to Green Thumb Industries, in 2008 Kadens started  one of the largest commercial solar companies in the U.S., SoCore  Energy. Under his leadership, SoCore expanded operations into 17 states  and was named one of Chicago’s most innovative businesses by Chicago  Innovation Awards. In 2013, he sold SoCore Energy to Edison  International, a Fortune 500 energy holding company. Kadens is one of 25  cannabis industry executives serving on the board of directors of the  Cannabis Trade Federation, the nation’s leading organization focused  solely on federal marijuana policy reform. He was also named one of the  20 People to Watch in the Cannabis Industry in 2018 by Marijuana  Business Daily.

Kadens believes deeply in, and actively leads,  organizations that seek to transform lives and strengthen communities,  serving as chairman of StreetWise (2009–2018), one of the largest  homeless aid organizations in Chicago. He currently serves as chairman  emeritus at StreetWise and sits on several other boards in the nonprofit  and for-profit space. Kadens was awarded the Trailblazer Chicago Award  by The Cara Program in 2019, The Catalyst Man of the Year by Streetwise  in 2015, the Distinguished Alumnus for Citizenship in 2010 by his  college alma mater, Bucknell University, where he earned his bachelor’s  of arts in political science, and a Distinguished Alumnus by his high  school, Ottawa Hills High School in Toledo, Ohio in 2019. He was also  named one of the 40 Under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business in 2012. Kadens  is a 2019 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Pete's Ted Talk ;

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86136672760?pwd=NDdVMHJYREdSbng1QlZUTFpyaFRmUT09

In the 4th installment of our Multiverse series, we discuss Infinite Universes and a Steam Room?  We talk about the three main theories of how a multiverse can exist as they are known today... The universe as Infinitely Large, The Universe as a series of Expanding Forces and the Many Worlds Theory.  We also discuss dependent origination, Schrodingers Cat, the quantum field theory, emptiness, Sean Carroll and his Preposterous Universe as well as entanglement.  This episode will expand your mind!