Sacred Stream Radio

On this episode, Laura Chandler speaks with bestselling author and scholar, Robert Thurman, who was in town for the Science and Non-Duality Conference in San Jose (SAND). Bob is a recognized worldwide authority on religion and spirituality, Asian history, and Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. He is the co-founder of Tibet House and the author of many books, including Infinite Life and Why the Dalai Lama Matters. In this interview, Bob and Laura talk about the conference, his latest book – a graphic novel about the Dalai Lama, Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life History of the Dalai Lama of Tibet – and some of Bob's favorite subjects, like the dogma of materialism, the absurd belief that nothing exists, and how Buddha actually discovered relativity.

To learn more about Bob or to listen to his podcast, visit bobthurman.com. For more on his classes and retreats, visit his retreat center website, menla.us, or Tibet House's website, tibethouse.us. Our featured music in this episode is from Dan Walters' latest release, Imaginary TV. To learn more about Dan, visit danwaltersmusic.net.

In this episode, Laura Chandler takes a look back over the past year of interviews, revisiting key moments with inspiring guests that include renowned channel Paul Selig, activist and former nun Margarita Melville, and the exquisite electric cellist Jami Sieber. And you'll also hear some new conversations with Robert Thurman and Lama Tsultrim Allione.

It features music from some of the great musicians that have been on the show, including Grammy nominee and future guest Barbara Higbie, world music vocalist Lisa Kelman, the monks of Gaden Shartse Dokhang, Jami Sieber (featuring the elephants of the Thai Elephant Orchestra), and NuJazz artists The Allure (with guest vocalist Isa Gucciardi).

This episode begins with eighty-eight-year-old activist and former nun Margarita Melville, who in the 1960s, left the Maryknoll sisters to join the Guatemalan resistance, and was dubbed "The Guerrilla Nun." After barely escaping with her life, she and her husband, former Maryknoll priest Tom Melville, joined a group of activists in the US and became part of a famous civil action known as the Catonsville Nine. Here she talks about her escape from Guatemala and the action that sent her to prison.

Lama Tsultrim Allione talks to Laura about her experience of the death of one of her teachers, the great Tibetan Dzogchen master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. He died on September 27, 2018 and is said to have entered a state known as tugdum.

Best-selling author and channel Paul Selig had a spiritual experience 25 years ago that left him clairvoyant. Nine years ago, he began channeling a group he refers to as "The Guides." In this segment, he talks about his role as a channel and the awareness of the Divine.

Jami Sieber talks about her time in Thailand and her first mystical encounter meeting and playing music with the Thai Elephant Orchestra, which became the inspiration for her album, Hidden Sky.

And in the final segment, Laura catches up with Robert Thurman at the Science and Non-Duality Conference in San Jose. They talk about one of his favorite subjects, nothing.

On this episode, Laura Chandler is joined by author and Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Lama Tsultrim Allione. Lama Tsultrim is currently on a European book tour to support her latest book, Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine. In this conversation, Lama Tsultrim talks about the mandala practices in her book and her focus on making certain practices of Tibetan Buddhism relevant and impactful for contemporary practitioners. She also addresses many current political and spiritual topics, including sexual misconduct by spiritual teachers, the #metoo movement, and the role of women spiritual teachers in Tibetan Buddhism.

Lama Tsultrim is one of the preeminent American teachers of Tibetan Buddhism. Her interest in Buddhism began as a teenager, and in the early 1970s, she visited Nepal and backpacked across India, befriending Ram Dass and eventually becoming Allen Ginsburg's meditation teacher for a time. At age 22, she became the first American ordained by H.H. the 16th Karmapa, and has studied with and received transmissions from many of the great masters of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Tsultrim is recognized as an emanation of the 11th Century yogini, Machig Labdron, who developed several Tibetan lineages of the Vajrajana practice of Chod.

Lama Tsultrim resides at her retreat center, Tara Mandala, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, which she founded to help preserve and pass on the teachings that she has spent over fifty years studying. For more information about Lama Tsultrim and Tara Mandala, visit taramandala.org.

Our featured musical artist is the prolific, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Barbara Higbie.

In the conclusion of this two-part interview, Laura Chandler continues her conversation with Buddhist teacher and the founder of Nangten Menlang Buddhist Medical Center, Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche. Tulku Lobsang is the recognized reincarnation of the great Tibetan Buddhist master Tulku Nyentse. At age 17, he escaped Tibet, was caught, and after spending time in a Chinese prison, successfully escaped to Nepal.

In this episode, Tulku Lobsang explains how discovering true happiness within yourself is the wisdom of Buddhism, and offers an important teaching from Machig Labdrön, Tibetan Buddhism's great female yogini. He also shares his thoughts on the future of Buddhism and his upcoming teachings in Europe and the U.S.

To learn more about Tulku Lobsang you can visit his website, tulkulobsang.org. This episode of the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast features music from the Monks of Gaden Shartse Dokhang and their Sacred Chants of Tibet album, released on Red Cow Records.

On this episode, Laura Chandler speaks with Tibetan Buddhist teacher and founder of Nangten Menlang Buddhist Medical Center, Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche. Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche was born to a farming family in Tibet in 1976. He entered the Sowa Monastery at age six, and at age eleven, he went to the Nangzi Bön Monastery, where he studied Dzogchen. Tulku Lobsang was identified by the oracle of Tibet as the incarnation of the master teacher, Tulku Nyentse, and at age thirteen he was enthroned as the eighth incarnation of this master teacher. Tulku Lobsang has received teachings in all of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and teaches and lectures throughout the world on the subjects of Tibetan Medicine, Buddhism, and Astrology.

In part one of this two-part episode, Tulku Lobsang discusses his childhood, his imprisonment by the Chinese, and his daring escape from Tibet. He explains what it means to be a Tulku, or reincarnated master, and how he was enthroned at the age of thirteen. Also discussed are the benefits of Tibetan medicine and a form of Tibetan exercise known as Lu Jong, which helps to release blockages in the body.

To learn more about Tulku Lobsang you can visit his website, tulkulobsang.org. This episode of the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast features music from the Monks of Gaden Shartse Dokhang and their Mantras for Meditation album, released on Red Cow Records.

Tulku Lobsang is part of the Wisdom in Exile Conference, a free conference where renowned Tibetan Buddhist practitioners come together with esteemed scholars to explore the profound insights and perennial teachings of one of the world's great wisdom traditions. Other guest teachers include, Robert Thurman, Isa Gucciardi, Thupten Jinpa, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Lama Tsultrim Allione. For more information or to join, visit embodiedphilosophy.org.

This episode features a talk by Isa Gucciardi, Finding Meaning in Loss, which she gave at the Reimagine End of Life Conference in Berkeley, CA. In this thoughtful and uplifting talk, Isa encourages us to create the spaciousness required to truly be with the experience of loss, grief, and even death. She examines ways of navigating loss, and explores Buddhist perspectives on theme, while also offering practices that will help us approach death, our own and those we love, with awareness and grace.

Reimagine is an organization dedicated to expanding the conversation on death to include new ways of thinking about dying and preparing for death. This is an annual conference that takes place each spring throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. It brings more than 100 different presenters to over 50 locations offering thoughtful discussions on topics ranging from existential questions, practical estate planning options, and ways of offering tribute to those who have gone before us. The Reimagine Conference takes place in New York City each fall and in the San Francisco Bay Area each spring.

Isa Gucciardi holds degrees in cultural and linguistic anthropology, comparative religion, and transpersonal psychology. She is the Founding Director of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream and the creator of the highly-effective therapeutic model, Depth Hypnosis. Isa teaches and speaks nationally and internationally, and she has published numerous articles, blog entries, and videos, and the books Coming to Peace and Return to the Great Mother. She maintains a private practice with institutions and individuals in Depth Hypnosis and Coming to Peace processes. Isa speaks five languages and has lived in eleven countries. She is the mother of two children and lives with her partner in San Francisco.

In part two of this two-part interview, Laura Chandler is joined by the multi-talented composer, singer, and electric cellist, Jami Sieber. Jami creates lush soundscapes using her voice and the cello through a process called "looping." She tours national and internationally, and her compositions have appeared in film, television and the critically acclaimed video game, Braid.

On this episode, Jami discusses her spiritual path, working with sound healing, and the tours she leads to elephant sanctuaries in Thailand. We feature music from Jami's album, Hidden Sky, inspired by her work with The Thai Elephant Orchestra.

On this episode, Laura Chandler is joined by the multi-talented composer, singer, and electric cellist, Jami Sieber. Jami creates lush soundscapes using her voice and the cello through a process called "looping" that turns her solo instrument into an orchestra of heart-opening sound. Since launching her solo career in 1994, she has performed throughout the Europe, Asia, and North America to rave reviews. Her compositions have appeared in film and television and the critically acclaimed video game, Braid. In part one of this two-part interview with Jami, we discuss her early work in the award-winning pop-rock band, Rumors of the Big Wave, a socially conscious band that came of age during the aids epidemic in the 1980s. She also talks about her solo career, as well as her dedication to social activism, the environment, and her relationship to music, spirit, and the creative process.

We are featuring music from Jami's album, Hidden Sky, inspired by her invitation to meet and play music with The Thai Elephant Orchestra in Thailand. She describes the experience as a mystical collaboration that awakened her to the inherent connection underlying all that appears separate. For in the midst of the sheer joy that permeates life with the elephants, you must also live with the constant grief of their captivity and possible extinction. Hidden Sky is a devotional portrait that embodies both.

To really experience Jami's music, you have to immerse yourself in it, and in this episode you'll have the opportunity to do just that.

This episode features international bestselling author and pioneer of the Enneagram, Helen Palmer, in conversation with Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., creator of Depth Hypnosis and the author of Coming to Peace. Moderated by The Net and the Butterfly author Judah Pollack, this discussion takes place in front of a live audience at the Sacred Stream Center in Berkeley, CA. Topics covered in this talk include intuition, somatic processes, the early origins of the Enneagram, Buddhism, and how Helen came to be one of the early pioneers of this fascinating model.

The Enneagram is a model of the human psyche that describes nine interconnected personality types. The Enneagram of Personality has been widely promoted in business management as a way to gain insights into workplace dynamics and spirituality as a path to higher states of being, essence, and enlightenment. In 1988, Helen co-founded the Narrative Enneagram School with David Daniels, MD, of Stanford University, Helen's book, The Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and the Others in Your Life, is known as one of the pinnacle works on the subject.

The featured musical artist in this episode is Brenda Schuman-Post and her enticing ensemble, Sonic Forest. Brenda teaches the oboe and regularly offers free performances at The Arc in San Francisco. For upcoming performances and more information about Brenda Schuman-Post and Sonic Forest, visit brendaschumanpost.com.

This bonus episode of the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast contains a preview of the newest podcast from Wondery called American Innovations.

American Innovations isn't your typical science podcast – because you'll not only hear about the science behind some of the greatest innovations of the last century, you'll also be immersed in the dramatic moments behind the people, places, and time that lead to those "ah ha" moments.

You can hear the first 3 episodes right now by searching for American Innovations on Apple Podcasts, or by visiting wondery.fm/sacred.