Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I am joined by Miles Neale & Matthew Freidell to discuss their documentary film “Missing Peace”.

The film’s description states: “Borobudur is a 1250-year old Buddhist monument located on the island of Java, Indonesia. It was designed as a kind of ancient technology to broadcast the frequency of peace across the world. The only problem is---Borobudur is missing its most important piece. Follow along as two masters, from two different traditions, come together with the goal of reactivating this powerful relic at a time when the Earth needs it most.”

Miles and Matthew share the remarkable story of the making of the film, including the powerful life lessons both men learned along the way,

Miles and Matthew also reflect on the power of pilgrimage, learning to trust intuition in life and the creative process, and the strategies they employed in dealing with local land spirits on location.

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Link in bio.

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:03 - Chance meeting in Kathmandu

01:57 - Matthew’s creativity

03:39 - Synchronistic moments

04:07 - Origin story of the collaboration

05:22 - Matthew’s ontological suicide through plant medicines

06:42 - Embracing good and evil, coming to Bali

08:04 - Meeting of minds

09:54 - Thin veils since pandemic

10:43 - Miles’ stagnation and facing a choice

12:45 - Going to Bali during lockdown to follow an intuitive call

15:09 - Synergy and how to find courage and clarity

17:21 - Waypoints in learning to trust intuition

18:05 - Costly decisions and visions of Asclepius

21:25 - Healing temples of Ancient Greece

22:41 - From hyper-rationality to the mythopoetic

24:30 - Contact with discarnate entities

26:10 - Matthew’s experiences in the Amazon & encountering Chenrezig

29:57 - Spirit encounters in Bali

32:21 - Holistic perspective of wisdom cultures

36:03 - Turning off connection to the unseen world

38:10 - Borobudur monument has been turned off

38:57 - Strategies for dealing with entities

41:39 - The Missing Piece documentary

42:47 - Stupas are ancient technologies

44:46 - The power of pilgrimage

46:46 - Uniting Geshe Tenzin Zopa with a Javanese tantrika Mangku Jitho

51:45 - Shiva Buddha prophecy with global import

55:21 - Who is Geshe Tenzin Zopa?

55:52 - Who is Mangku Jitho?

56:38 - Mangku Jitho’s collection of cursed kris knives

57:43 - Reflections on the Shiva Buddha

59:14 - The joint ceremony to reactivate Borobudur

01:04:25 - The chatra and what do we worship?

01:06:50 - Challenges of filming in remote locations

01:08:49 - Style, the artistic process, and AI

01:11:44 - Matthew’s hero’s journey

01:16:06 - Invitation to the viewer

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Watch “The Missing Peace”:

- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDBzNsxyi_y_4ICCcAoMji6azDelR60OZ

Watch previous episode with Miles Neale:

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep69-dr-miles-neale-buddhas-tulkus-narcissists

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Ishtar, an independent mediation teacher, mystic, and spiritual guide.

Ishtar shares his unusual childhood including near constant encounters with ghosts, early spiritual experiences, astral journeys, and precognitive dreams.

Ishtar details his life of spiritual seeking, years of intensive meditation practice, encounters with the cult groups, dark nights of the soul, and more.

Ishtar also recounts the car crash which both killed his mother and plunged Ishtar, at 13 years old, into a near death experience that would change his life forever.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep278-the-mystic-ishtar

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:42 - Ishtar’s unusual childhood

02:16 - Early encounters with ghosts

04:35 - Distress of constant ghost encounters

05:33 - Becoming Sherlock Holmes for ghosts

07:19 - Discovering the personality

10:48 - Beginning to suffer and developing roles

12:48 - Becoming a good faker

13:21 - Car crash, NDE, and the death of Ishtar’s mother

23:34 - Anger towards God

24:08 - A strange silence and bliss

26:59 - Grief and searching for transcendence

29:43 - Beginning of spiritual seeking

31:03 - Meeting local psychics

31:48 - Considering careers

33:12 - A powerful palm reading

36:15 - The mad monk inside

37:07 - 6hrs of practice each day

38:36 - Past life memories and spiritual proclivities

43:33 - Out of body experience

45:38 - Astral travel to floating cities

48:12 - Shaft of light

49:38 - Precognitive daydreams

50:17 - Further precognition

53:39 - Reading “Autobiography of a Yogi” and praying to Babaji

56:52 - Joining the Ishaya Foundation and living in ashrams

01:02:39 - Leaving the ashram and entering a dark night of the soul

01:05:44 - Repercussions of leaving a cult group

01:07:40 - Suffering returns and facing death

01:09:42 - The magic returns and teaching meditation

01:11:47 - Meeting his future wife

01:13:21 - A tough 2016

01:14:19 - Breakthrough to fully merging with everything

01:14:56 - Visions of Tuscany and experiences of blended time

01:19:20 - Reconciliations and purifications

01:19:43 - Leaving Portland and move to Portugal

01:21:47 - “I” vs “we”

01:22:52 - How did Ishtar spend his daily 6hrs of meditation?

01:26:18 - Spinning the wheels of meditation and trying to force results

01:27:40 - Powerful psychedelic experience

01:30:40 - Ishtar reflects on losing his mother at age 13

01:32:42 - An experience of maternal reconnection and affirmation

01:34:38 - Inner child work

01:36:11 - Mother’s embrace in Florence

01:37:44 - What does Ishtar’s teach

01:38:54 - Ishtar’s recent spiritual breakthroughs

01:41:40 - Psychic powers are not the bullseye

01:43:25 - Ishtar’s concluding thoughts and advice

01:47:29 - Christopher Wood, the stick peddler


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To find our more about Isthar, visit:

- https://www.ascension-meditation.com/

- https://www.awakenedlightastrology.com/

- https://www.youtube.com/ishtarishaya

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr. William Rory Dickson an associate professor of Islamic Religion and Culture at The University of Winnipeg and author of “Dissolving into Being: The Wisdom of Sufi Philosophy”.

Professor Dickson discusses Ibn ‘Arabi (1165–1240), an important Sufi poet and philosopher. Ibn ‘Arabi was described as the greatest master of the Way but has increasingly been seen as a controversial and heterodox figure by some within Islam.

Professor Dickson explores the historical tensions between the mystic and the cleric, describes Sufi meditation methods and the struggle to realisation, and considers extra-Islamic influences on Sufism throughout history.

Professor Dickson also reflects on Sufism’s interaction with American culture including the universalist new age movement, the failure of utopian models of worldwide religious harmony, and the retraditionalisation of religious orders such as the Inayatiyya.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep277-master-of-the-way-prof-william-rory-dickson-2

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:14 - Orthodox to heterodox

05:44 - Who was Ibn ‘Arabi?

06:49 - A spiritual prodigy

10:34 - Leaving Andalusia and arriving in Damascus

12:33 - The greatest master of the Way

14:57 - Mystic vs cleric

17:23 - Political executions of sufis

19:12 - The need to read the room

19:54 - Periods of tension and integration

21:37 - The influence of patronage

24:18 - The struggle for spiritual realisation

27:47 - The visions and practice of Ibn ‘Arabi

29:12 - Embodying the 99 names of God

32:11 - Sufi meditation on the names of God

35:36 - The state of dhikr

36:20 - Ascetic practices

37:53 - Extra-Islamic influences on Sufi practice, historical and modern

46:54 - God brings prophets to all people

49:09 - Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Lex Hixon, and the New Age

58:04 - History of the Inayatiyya order

01:03:00 - Reformulating Sufism for an American audience

01:05:13 - Retraditionalisation in Inayatiyya

01:06:43 - The failure of modernist universalism

01:09:48 - Death of optimism

01:11:28 - Postmodernism vs perennialism

01:12:24 - Does Ibn ‘Arabi offer a synthesis of modern and post-modern perspectives?

01:16:17 - Rumi and the controversy of Coleman Barks


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Previous episode with Professor William Rory DIckson:

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep272-mystical-path-of-sufism-professor-william-rory-dickson

To find our more about Professor William Rory Dickson, visit:

- https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/experts-guide/william-rory-dickson.html

- https://anqa.co.uk/publications/dissolving-being

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Tulku Sherab Dorje, Buddhist teacher, translator, and author of scholarly and popular books about Tibetan Buddhism.

Tulku Sherdor recounts his unusual childhood and past-life proclivities, his graduation from Columbia Law School and subsequent elite level law practice, and years of spiritual retreat under masters of Tibetan Buddhist lineages.

Tulku Sherdor explores the creative tension between cynicism and devotion, the use of humour in scripture and spiritual teaching, and the importance of reinvesting one’s merit with the inspiration of bodhicitta.

Tulku Sherdor also reflects on what it takes to be an effective translator, whether critical scholarship is a threat to religious faith, and the pros and cons of the tulku system from his position as a recognised reincarnation.

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Link in bio.

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:34 - Why write about one’s spiritual life?

04:48 - Humour and literary conventions of self-diminishment

06:20 - Self promotion and the marketplace of ideas

08:33 - Cynicism, devotion, and humour in relationship with gurus

11:46 - Buddha’s humour in the sutras

13:53 - Tulku Sherdor’s family background and unusual childhood behaviours

15:20 - Jewish diaspora and resonance with the Tibetan diaspora

17:36 Awakening of existential questioning

18:57 -Child psychologist’s advice to Tulku Sherdor

19:54 - Past life explanation and how to invest your merit

24:24 - How to use your freedoms and advantages

25:22 - Tulku Sherdor expresses gladness about his life’s work

26:52 - Are there dedicated practitioners?

27:49 - Tulku Sherdor’s unique combination of successes

28:53 - Benefits of being a well trained lawyer

29:46 - Important writing lessons learned at Columbia Law School and during law career

32:59 - Hypercriticism of other translators

34:00 - Serving the lineage with high standards

35:44 - Praise for Erik Pema Kunsang and Thinley Norbu

38:11 - Advice for writers and translators

41:12 - Dual-language immersion

42:23 - Translator disillusionment and historical perspective

46:46 - Cultural naivety and the published word

48:41 - Is critical scholarship a threat to sacred texts and religious faith?

53:16 - Advice about how to learn Tibetan

55:31 - Pros and cons of training at Harvard University and the Rangjung Yeshe Institute

56:46 - Advice for graduates of elite academic programs

01:00:39 - Sanskrit and Chinese

01:02:33 - The Amazon monster and Tulku Sherdor’s books

01:05:10 - Remembering past lives

01:08:44 - Carrying qualities into your next life

01:09:15 - Tulku Sherdor reflects on his childhood Dharmic tendencies

01:10:55 - Being a tulku

01:14:21 - Tulku Sherdor reflects on the tulku system

01:15:58 - Concluding remarks


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To find our more about Tulku Sherdor, visit:

- https://blazingwisdom.org/tulku-sherab-dorje/

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Khandro Kunzang Dechen Chodron, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism and executive director of Saraswati Bhawan Publications.

Khandro Kunzang details her apprenticeship in Nepal under renowned ngakpa Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche, outlines the course of her training from yidam practice to tummo and beyond, and reflects on the profound trust involved in the guru-disciple dynamic.

Khandro Kunzang shares stories about Kunzang Dorje’s psychic powers, his testing the honesty and obedience of potential students and even other lamas, and the price he paid for adhering to his yogic ideals by refusing involvement in politics and religious institutions.

Khandro Kunzang explains the value of a close relationship with a guru, what it takes to be a worthy student to a spiritual master, and considers the differences between those who teach dharma with or without lineage authority.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep275-i-was-a-tantric-disciple-khandro-kunzang-dechen-chodron-2

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:06 - Finding the guru

02:08 - US Tour with Lama Dawa

06:13 - Personal time and teachings with Lama Dawa

08:08 - Insistence on ngondro

09:16 - Proposing a consort relationship

14:23 - Meeting Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche in Nepal

16:46 - Past life test

20:48 - Receiving Dudjom Tersar 3 Roots Empowerment

22:00 - Challenged to drink alcohol as a nun

24:41 - Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche agrees to become Khandro’s teacher

25:23 - Further ngondro and 6 month retreat

27:01 - Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche’s clairvoyance and psychic powers

28:51 - How Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche tested seekers and students

30:29 - Exposing infidelity between a student and lama

31:23 - The importance of honesty and trust

32:23 - A pride offering

34:13 - Follow-through and other conditions of samaya

36:40 - A disobedient student

38:28 - Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche’s attitude towards high lamas

40:51 - The price of purity

42:52 - Exploitation of Westerners

44:15 - Ngakpas don’t form groups

45:20 - Faith in the guru

47:03 - Challenged by Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche

49:11 - Arguing with Lama Dawa

50:09 - The value of having a close relationship with a teacher

52:12 - Wrathful teaching vs abuse

53:57 - 2 dimensions of mentorship

55:08 - Motivation and lama wannabes

57:29 - Critique of bad lamas who come to the West

59:20 - What makes a real student?

01:00:27 - Importance of work ethic and personal sacrifice

01:02:30 - Self interest and hidden agendas

01:04:14 - Who is authorised to teach the lineage?

01:07:07 - Selecting a lineage holder

01:08:37 - Different levels of teacher

01:10:02 - The burden of being enthroned

01:12:56 - Khandro details her training under Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche

01:14:28 - Generation stage for ḍākinī, lama, and yidam

01:16:02 - Tummo and completion stage practices

01:19:40 - Rare pipe practice

01:23:23 - Private and public enthronements

01:25:28 - Further completion stage practices and Vajrakīlāya


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Previous episode with Khandro Kunzang Dechen Chodron:

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep268-sitting-with-terror-khandro-kunzang-dechen-chodron

To find our more about Khandro Kunzang Dechen Chodron, visit:

- https://www.phurbathinleyling.org/khandro-kunzang/

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I host a dialogue between Henry Shukman, British poet, Zen teacher, and author of ‘One Blade of Grass; a Zen memoir’; and John Brehm, American poet and author of ‘The Dharma of Poetry’.

Henry and John share the story of their formations as poets, compare the similarities as well as the marked differences in their backgrounds, and reveal the powerful forces that inspire the creative process.

Henry and John discuss the purpose and process of writing poetry, reflect on poetry as a means of contact with the sacred, and contrast the richness of poetry with attentional practices such as mindfulness and Zen.

Henry and John also perform and discuss several of their poems, including “Walk the Talk”, “Swifts”, “Yahrzeit”, and “Finis Ter”.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep274-poetry-the-sacred-henry-shukman-john-brehm

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:56 - Henry’s early interest in poetry

03:45 - Poetry and spiritual practice

06:04 - What is it to be alive?

06:30 - Searching for the charge

06:51 - First profound experience of writing poetry

08:17 - Poetry that awakes

09:25 - John’s unliterary family background

12:00 - John’s psychedelic experiences in the 1970s

13:23 - Poetry as a way to evoke luminosity

14:37 - Contact with the sacred

15:11 - Henry reflects on John’s early life

15:57 - Henry’s unusual parents

17:23 - Inner freedom and childhood trauma

18:01 - Imagist and Tang dynasty poets

20:08 - The Beat poet and a different way of living

20:54 - Intimacy and rediscovering landscape

22:26 - Seeing beauty in the ordinary and discarded

24:41 - It’s about quality of attention

26:01 - Attracted to the neglected

29:25 - The curse of being a public poet

30:09 - No allies and no encouragement

32:01 - John’s first poetry teacher

33:08 - The audience

34:40 - Poetry only works without purpose

35:32 - Recognising the false note

36:54 - Henry’s process of composition and revision

38:24 - Great poets of the past as audience

39:43 - A R Ammons an writing for an audience

40:20 - Henry’s dream for his poetry

41:52 - The chore of mindfulness

43:09 - Remembering your True Self

43:31 - The sacred pause

44:28 - Temporary enlightenment

45:31 - Poetry is richer than mindfulness

47:28 - Beauty beyond mere mindfulness

49:28- Focusing on what you love

49:59 - Using language to go beyond language

50:54 - Autopoiesis and memetic fulfilment

53:25 - Poet as conduit

55:32 - Radical awakening

57:00 - Banishing the beautiful

58:13 - Seamus Heaney on poetry as redress

59:24 - Collective awakening of consciousness

01:00:20 - Reciprocity and post-medieval alienation

01:01:20 - Hospicing modernity

01:02:30 - Why publish poems?

01:04:27 - John reads “Walk the Talk”

01:06:03 - Reflecting on success as poets

01:09:08 - John reads “Swifts”

01:12:48 - Henry reads “Yahrzeit”

01:18:22 - Henry reads “Finis Ter”

01:19:26 - Appreciation and gratitude


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Previous episodes with Henry Shukman:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=shukman 


Previous episode with John Brehm:

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep230-the-dharma-of-poetry-john-brehm

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Find out more about Henry Shukman:

- https://henryshukman.com/

- http://thewayapp.com/

Find out more about John Brehm:

- https://www.johnbrehmpoet.com/

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this interview I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe, anthropologist and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.

Dr Joffe leads a deep dive into the Western magickal tradition of spirit conjuration, traces their diverse forms through the centuries, and considers the range of beings described, from the land sprites of localised traditions to the high angels of the Enochian system of Renaissance polymath John Dee.

Dr Joffe reflects on the origin and changing usage of terms such as “demon” and “devil”, laments the prevalence of dangerously lax invocation practices, considers the cultural impact of the grimoire tradition, compares the systems of demonology found in world religions, and notes striking similarities between Buddhist tantric mystic Padmasambhava and King Solomon.

Dr Joffe also shares his own occult experiences including tales of spirit contact, servitor creation, dream visitations from the recently deceased, and ritual workings in several magickal systems.

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:12 - Western Esotericism

04:42 - Spirit conjuration and the grimoire tradition

05:49 - Analysing spirit conjuration tropes in horror movies

09:46 - Diverse magical practice

10:51 - Professor Ronald Hutton’s history of Western Esotericism

12:05 - History of spirit conjuration from Ancient Egypt to today

14:49 - Mesopotamian laws against witchcraft

16:08 - The status of magick in the Abrahamic traditions

16:58 - Clerical underground of wizards

18:20 - Literacy and the power of a magickal book

21:03 - Prioritising of the book and of language itself

23:08 - Gathering one’s magickal tools

25:00 - Preparation is key

26:20 - Do spirits find humans repulsive?

30:29 - Self-purification and strategies for self-deification

31:24 - Similarities between Padmasambhava and King Solomon

32:43 - Dzamling Chi Sang and subjugating spirits

33:41 - The Testament of Solomon and subduing spirits

35:34 - Magick and frat-boy fantasy

37:47 - John Dee and the quest for knowledge

39:40 - Christian ceremonial magick and Jesus as a sorcerer

41:55 - Pre-Christian Pagan European spirit traditions

43:09 - Magick vs religion

45:12 - Hamlet and old spirit frameworks

48:03 - Arguments for and against the grimoire tradition

53:56 - Cultural impact of the grimoire tradition

56:05 - Wisdom of the past

58:33 - Different types of spirits and supernatural beings

01:02:33 - Muslim views of Iblīs (the devil) and djinn.

01:04:22 - Evil spirits in Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism

01:06:01 - Different ideas of the Devil

01:07:17 - What is a demon?

01:07:50 - Lazy demonology

01:15:05 - The perspective of nondual Tibetan tantra

01:18:31 - Limitations of dualistic cosmology

01:20:56 - Angels and pre-modern Christian views

01:25:03 - Why demons are useful for practical magick

01:27:47 - Ben’s personal reflections on working with spirits

01:31:17 - Rites of passage and creating servitors

01:33:00 - Ben explains the Goetia

01:34:16 - Ben reflects on his magickal career

01:36:45 - Summoning spirits at 12 years old

01:43:11 - ADHD approach to magick

01:44:09 - Ben recalls powerful, unexpected spirit contacts

02:00:51 Group corroboration

02:02:17 -Dream visitations from the recently deceased

02:04:56 - Are these experiences real?

02:07:30 - The social aspects of magickal practice

02:10:48 - Ben’s relationship with an invented spirit

02:15:42 - Wyatt the servitor

02:21:02 - Models of magick and questions of purity

02:29:09 - The two wolves inside of Ben

02:31:25 - Universal principles or relative frames?

02:34:33 - Artisanal magick and honing attention

02:36:18 - Is magickal training reliable?


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Previous episodes with Dr Ben Joffe:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=joffe

To find out more about Dr Ben Joffe, visit:

- https://perfumedskull.com/

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Dr. William Rory Dickson an associate professor of Islamic Religion and Culture at The University of Winnipeg and author of “Dissolving into Being: The Wisdom of Sufi Philosophy”.

Professor Dickson recalls his Christian upbringing, teenage atheism, and how powerful psychedelic experiences saw him embark on a religious search.

Professor Dickson recounts his initial explorations of Tibetan Buddhism, his conversion to Islam, and how his dissatisfaction with conservative and Salafi revivalist trends saw him embrace the Sufi path.

Professor Dickson also explains the history of Sufism; considers the influence of Ancient Egyptian, Persian, and Neo-Platonic thought; reflects on the role of language proficiency in the study of religions; and addresses common misconceptions about Sufism and Islam.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep272-mystical-path-of-sufism-professor-william-rory-dickson

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:59 - Upcoming book

01:42 - Religious upbringing

03:39 - Becoming a precocious atheist

04:36 - Late teen mystical experiences

05:29 - Rebellious teen years and interest in Japan

06:29 - Working as a social worker in child protection

07:57 - Drawn to academia

08:29 - Returning to graduate school in late 20s

09:58 - Becoming a professor

11:02 - Psychedelics as spiritual doorways

13:10 - Lessons from trauma

14:24 - Spiritual reading and engaging with Tibetan Buddhism

17:42 - Passion for reading

18:42 - From Tibetan Buddhism to Islam

20:44 - Dissatisfaction with local mosque Islam

22:50 - Friends and family reactions to conversion to Islam

23:52 - Involvement with Salafi Muslim revivalist movements

24:53 - First flush of fundamentalism

26:26 - Burning out, renewed spiritual exploration, and seeking a teacher

28:37 - Meeting Ngak’chang Rinpoche of the Aro gTer

31:32 - Gradual or sudden conversion to Islam?

32:23 - The role of Arabic language study

35:05 - Is source language study necessary to really understand and practice religions?

37:08 - Three idiots on an island

38:04 - Language skills and scholarship

40:21 - Decay of language skills in academia

41:59 - Shift from textual study to lived religion

44:56 - Elite vs popular Sufism

47:44 - Common misconceptions about Sufism and Islam

49:53 - Rich mystical philosophy and the post-colonial dilemma

51:17 - Meeting Sufi teachers and the question of Islamic identity

53:26 - Origin story of Sufism

57:515 - Historical perspective of Sufism and connections to Ancient Egypt, Neo-Platonism, and Persia

58:35 - Enoch as a progenitor of the mystical tradition

59:51 - Inner circle perspective

01:00:52 - Evolution and methods of Sufism

01:03:43 - Diversity of Sufi forms through cultural adaptation

01:06:28 - Ibn ‘Arabi

01:07:58 - Methods and metaphors

01:09:11 - Overwhelmed by the visceral presence of love


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To find our more about Professor William Rory Dickson, visit:

- https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/experts-guide/william-rory-dickson.html

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode, I host a dialogue between Brad Warner, Zen teacher, Youtuber, and best-selling author of “Hardcore Zen”; and Shozan Jack Haubner, ex-Zen Monk, Youtuber, and prize winning author of the memoir “Zen Confidential: Confessions of a Wayward Monk”.

Brad and Jack explore their own journeys as writers, the humorous and confessional elements in their work, and the complications of writing about real life events that involve other people.

Brad and Jack reflect on what they see as the politicisation of American Zen, describe how religious institutions can compromise their principles when faced with financial and political pressure, and explain their own efforts on Youtube and elsewhere to challenge hegemony and encourage a return to essential Zen.

Brad and Jack also discuss facing criticism as public figures, consider some of their more controversial videos and views, and reveal how they stay centred amidst the polarising forces of today’s internet and social media world.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep271-zen-confessions-brad-warner-shozan-jack-haubner

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:10 - Radical self disclosure

02:49 - Why Brad began writing about Zen

05:59 - Hardcore Zen and success

06:48 - Noah Levine’s Dharma Punx

07:50 - Jack’s initial Zen writing

10:43 - Complications of being ordained

12:34 - When people find out

13:40 - Protecting others’ identity

16:29 - Compromise thru affiliation with Zen organisations

18:08 - Selling meditation as a product

21:03 - Austrian Zen and hard retreat

22:44 - Mainstream mindfulness

23:37 - Wearing Zen robes

24:55 - Why Brad stopped teaching in the USA

25:45 - Hostility in NYC

27:50 - Zen apprenticeship and closing the doors

30:53 - Boomer hippy ideals vs real Zen

31:45 - US Zen hegemony

35:11 - Politicised Zen and 80s televangelists

36:20 - Bullying and fixed views

37:25 - Sasaki Roshi’s scandal and encounters with boutique Zen teachers

39:02 - Politicisation of US Zen

41:07 - Financial pressure and running an institution

44:59 - Brad on Sasaki Roshi

47:16 - Sweeping Zen

48:08 - Challenging socio-political trends in American Zen

50:08 - Hijacking Zen

56:06 - The Jack Kornfield problem

59:20 - Attacked from both sides

01:01:16 - Right wing Zen

01:03:54 - Demonising the other side and facing your shadow

01:09:40 - Abuse and pushing your buttons

01:12:10 - Being too nice

01:13:28 - Self-justification

01:14:57 - Co-opting Zen

01:16:09 - Sasaki beats a lazy student

01:19:06 - The danger of Zen practice

01:23:06 - Patron priest corruption

01:24:58 - Dealing with negative feedback on social media

01:33:24 - Internet radicalisation and keeping your head

01:38:52 - Watching your equilibrium

01:39:49 - Jordan Peterson vs Zen

01:43:07 - Teachings vs entertainment

01:46:00 - Why Rinzai is evil and Soto sucks

Previous episode with Brad Warner:

- www.guruviking.com/podcast/155-hardcore-zen-brad-warner

Previous episodes with Shozan Jack Haubner:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=haubner

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To find out more about Brad Warner, visit:

- http://hardcorezen.info/

- https://www.youtube.com/c/HardcoreZen

To find our more about Shozan Jack Haubner, visit:

- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt9Q74t3o7AUCJ_bKTc5CgA

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode, filmed on location in Kathmandu, Nepal, I am joined by Jina Kusala, originally from Norway and now a wandering Theravada monk.

Jina tells the story of his traumatic childhood, the mental suffering and instability it caused, and how the Buddhist path provided a means to reckon with the pain.

Jina shares encounters with religious leaders such as Mingyur Rinpoche, recounts meeting previous podcast guest Bhante Jason and reflects on the profound time he spent under Bhante’s instruction.

Jina recalls his Himalayan wanderings and cave retreats, discusses the power of the 4 foundations of mindfulness, details the differences between Hīnayāna and Vajrayāna realisations, and explains why with incremental progress one may aim for sainthood.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep270-wandering-monk-jina-kusala

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:56 - Background and recent travels in the Himalayas

01:40 - How to work with hardship

03:09 - Upbringing in Norway and traumatic childhood

04:30 - Healing trauma

06:21 - Redeeming trauma and helping others

07:42 - Chasing satisfaction

10:22 - Finishing high school and seeking

13:25 - Discerning the wholesome vs unwholesome

14:46 - First encounter with Buddhism in Norway

15:44 - Travel to Sri Lanka and attempts at meditation

17:17 - Jina suggests a location change

17:57 - Meeting Bhante Jason

19:19 - Sophisticated use of the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness

22:46 - Entering the 4 jhānas, clearing emotional blockages,

23:34 - Mechanism of gaining insight

24:31 - The Buddhist path in brief

24:59 - 3 kinds of delusion

25:35 - The 4 noble truths

29:14 - When the mind lets go

31:55 - Leaving Bhante Jason’s hermitage

35:21 - Making Jina’s broken mind functional

38:25 - A scripture parade

38:45 - A period of chaos and profound uncertainty

40:05- Stabilising and improvement of functionality

40:59 - Interpersonal difficulties and wounds of mistrust

42:52 - Manifestation of unprocessed trauma

43:55 - Becoming a cure for trauma

44:53 - Himalayan Buddhism as Jungian shadow work

45:49 - Jina’s karmic background with Himalayan Buddhism

47:02 - Differences between the realisations of early vs later Buddhist forms

49:16 - Formless states vs true nirvāṇa

52:25 - A private meeting with Mingyur Rinpoche and 5 month retreat in caves

54:40 - Plans for India

55:21 - Reflections on the wandering life

57:05 - Developing intuition and accessing the magical mind

58:59 - Reflections on the path, meaning, and ennobling character

01:00:43 - Learning from your mistakes

01:02:29 - Incremental improvement

01:02:32 - Aiming for sainthood

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Kathmandu Interviews playlist:

- https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknwvU82dU487LhF_mF4AkGek&si=gFGJpi-fnLtxeyZ5

Previous Episode with Bhante Jason:

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep12-bhante-jason-guru-viking-interviews

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ and ‘Meditation’ by Steve James