Buddhist Geeks

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A Technology of Transcendence Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

This week we speak with professor and teacher Roger Walsh. Roger shares his journey from being a hardcore neuorscientist and psychiatrist to becoming an avid meditator and mystic. Once Walsh discovered that at the core of all the religious traditions was “a technology of transcendence” he jumped head-long into vipassana meditation–bringing, as he put it, his personality into his practice. Following that he practiced Shikantaza in the Zen tradition, and then also spent many years practicing in the Vajrayana tradition, which he now teaches alongside Lama Surya Das.
Roger also explores with us a model of human needs and development, based on Carl Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He points out that Maslow added a level of needs above self-actualization toward the end of his career, that was about the need to transcend the self. He builds on this by saying that with that need has been met, the culmination of spiritual practice is service, otherwise known as the bodhisattva aspiration.
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Core of Wisdom.
Episode Links:
Shikantaza ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikantaza )
Lama Surya Das ( http://www.surya.org )
Trekchö ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trekcho )
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs )
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Enlightened Society Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

This week we’re joined by the President of Shambhala, Richard Reoch. Along with overseeing the Shambhala organization, Richard is also a long time human rights, activist, and environmental leader. With this unique background, we thought it would be particularly relevant to explore the topic of “enlightened society.” Enlightened society was an idea presented by Chogyam Trunpa, but which he said was originally taught by the Buddha. We explore what Trungpa meant by the term, and how it has evolved over the past few decades in the Shambhala community.
We also look at the parallels, between the path of the activist and the contemplative path. With one we are trying to fix ourselves (often), and the other we are trying to fix the world. As Richard says, both are paths where one moves first from a position of arrogance toward one of humility.
Episode Links:
Shambhala ( http://www.shambhala.org )
Kalachakra Tantra ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalachakra )
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The Most Fundamental Duality Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

We’re joined again by Zen Master Diane “Musho” Hamilton, this time to explore the most fundamental duality of masculine and feminine. Diane points out that if you have an objection to looking at it in these terms, you can also think of it as the polarity between receptivity and activity or between personal and impersonal. She describes this polarity, how it’s been helpful for her as a Zen teacher, and also how to look at compassion from this perspective.
Finally we talk about an approach that goes beyond these dualities, but doesn’t shy away from them. This approach of “not 2, not 1″ is characteristic of many Zen teachers and is a way of understanding non-duality in a completely different way.
This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Integral Zen.
Episode Links:
www.dianemushohamilton.com
Hal and Sidra Stone ( www.delos-inc.com )
Karl Renz ( http://www.karlrenz.com )
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Integral Zen Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

We’re joined by Zen Master, Diane “Musho” Hamilton, to explore an approach to spiritual practice called “Integral Zen.” In our interview we explore several related topics, including the difference between a path of renunciation and one of transmutation. As part of this we also look at the role that the shadow—a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung—plays in our spiritual practice. In addition we examine how different Buddhist traditions have, or have not, incorporated an understanding of the shadow. We also explore the role that community plays in helping wake each other up, and the verticality of the teacher-student relationship. Finally we talk about how she is incorporating, what are called the “3 faces of spirit” into her Zen teaching.
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Most Fundamental Duality.
Episode Links:
www.dianemushohamilton.com
Hal and Sidra Stone ( http://www.delos-inc.com )
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I Vow to Feed All Hunger Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

We’re joined this week by one of the pioneers of the socially engaged Buddhist movement, Zen Master Bernie Glassman. Although he grew up in a family that valued social action, after some years of Zen practice he had an experience that amplified his calling to serve those in need. At that point he made a vow to feed all hungers. We speak about the interconnection—and accordingly to Bernie, the inseparability—between contemplative practice and social action.
He shares details of many of the projects he has been part of, including the Greystone project in Yonkers, New York, which helped to cut homelessness in that area by three-quarters. He also shares some of the key tenets from the group that he founded, called the Zen Peacemakers. These tenets link together the “not knowing” of spiritual practice with the “loving action” of social engagement, and make it possible for us to turn our spiritual awareness into a vital force for all those in need.
Episode Links:
Zen Peacemakers ( http://www.zenpeacemakers.org )
The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology ( http://bit.ly/bslllz )
Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life That Matters ( http://bit.ly/bwjC4R )
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What Young People Want Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

“We always talk about the Sangha as part of the triple gem, but I think it is the least developed part of Buddhism in the West.” – Sumi Loundon Kim
We’re joined this week by Sumi Loundon Kim, author of Blue Jean Buddha and The Buddha’s Apprentices, to explore what young people want from spiritual communities. We explore young people’s need for belongingness, their natural spiritual inclination, and the big questions that they are asking.
Sumi, who is in her mid-30’s now, gives several suggestions for how Buddhist communities can engage more effectively with a younger population. She points out that though Buddhist communities tend to be somewhat asocial when compared to other communities, there are many things we can be doing to better reach a new generation of seekers. Many of these suggestions are surprisingly obvious, but few are implemented on a large scale in Buddhist communities.
Episode Links:
Blue Jean Buddha: Voices of Young Buddhists ( http://bit.ly/aiCOoV )
The Buddha’s Apprentices: More Voices of Young Buddhists ( http://bit.ly/abRn7U )
I Married a Monk ( http://bit.ly/aw2s6K )
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I'm Not Babysitting Your Ego Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

We finish up our discussion with spiritual teacher Adyashanti, focusing on several topics relevant to contemporary seekers. We start off by exploring his thoughts on questions of power & hierarchy in the student-teacher relationship. Adya’s approach is to put power back on the student, encouraging them to be their own inner authority from the beginning.
We also explore a type of writing meditative inquiry practice that Adyashanti has done, and which he teaches others. He explores how this type of inquiry can be used in conjunction with silent meditation practice to eliminate roadblocks on the spiritual path.
This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Now That’s Zen.
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Now That's Zen Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

We’re joined by spiritual teacher Adyashanti to discuss his 15 years of training with Zen teacher Arvis Joen Justi. He shares details from his initial awakening at 25–where he realized that he was what he was seeking–to the end of the search several years later at 31. It’s at that point that Arvis asked Adyashanti to begin teaching, and as he shares with us, his teaching evolved and changed fairly quickly. He shares how it changed, and how he saw it as a natural evolution of his Zen training, rather than an entirely new form.
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, I’m Not Babysitting Your Ego.
Episode Links:
Yasutani Hakuun Roshi ( http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Yasutani_Hakuun_Roshi )
Soen Nakagawa ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soen_Nakagawa )
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Contributing to the Gross National Happiness Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

Richard Brown–a long time Buddhist and contemplative educator–joins us to share some of the details from his recent involvement in helping the small Buddhist country of Bhutan reform their public education system. Bhutan, which since the early 70’s has had as its main goal to increase Gross National Happiness, wants to create an education system that pulls the best from the West. The main principles they’re holding with this reform, include Contemplation, a Holistic approach, Sustainability, Cultural Integrity, and Critical Intellect. They’re aim is to educate their populace in such a way that they’re prepared for the onslaught of some of the more negative aspects of modernity–including the barrage of information and gross commercialization.
Richard was a core part of a recent 5-day workshop aimed at starting to plan the reform of their education system. Richard shares many of the details from that workshop, and shares some of the amazing steps that Bhutan has already taken, as a result, to foster the happiness and well-being of their countries inhabitants.
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Happiness: There's an App For That Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

In this episode we’re joined by Soren Gordhamer, long time tech writer, and author of Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected. Soren often writes for the Huffington Post and Mashable (a social media blog) on the relationship between the inner world with technology and social media. He explores with us some of the potential shadow sides of technology, as well as some of the remedies that can be used in balancing our internal life with our external. He suggests that focusing more consciously on our internal world actually puts us in a position where we can use technology, instead of technology using us.
Soren also shares some details on a conference that he’s organizing, which will be bringing together luminaries from both the spiritual and technology worlds. His hope is that a conversation between the two can better answer the question of how we live a life of wisdom in the modern world.
Episode Links:
Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected ( http://bit.ly/czcde1 )
digital_nation : life on the virtual frontier ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/ )
4 Steps for Managing Social Media Attention ( http://mashable.com/2010/02/17/social-media-attention/ )
The Wisdom 2.0 Conference ( http://www.wisdom2summit.com )
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