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Evan Thompson: The Conversation Between Buddhism and Science (#97) Oct 30, 2020

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For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Evan Thompson, professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia, and author of several books including Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy.

Evan is among the most widely respected philosophers and writers on Buddhism today. In this fascinating conversation, you’ll hear Evan discuss his views on what he calls “Buddhist exceptionalism.” As someone who deeply values Buddhism, Evan asks what it means to use science to justify or validate Buddhist teachings. He also asks what it means to use Buddhist ideas toward scientific endeavors or toward ends such as positive psychology. You’ll hear Evan and Daniel unpack and even debate a lot of these deeply relevant questions on the topic of Buddhism as a “science of mind,” and how they relate to questions of enlightenment, faith and belief, rational versus irrational thinking, and ultimately, what is lost or gained when Buddhist teachings are reframed to accommodate the impulses of our modern age. Many of the topics discussed in this conversation can be found in Evan’s latest book, Why I am Not a Buddhist.

The post Evan Thompson: The Conversation Between Buddhism and Science (#97) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

John Dunne: Dharmakīrti, Conceptuality, and Antidotes for Distorted Thinking (#96) Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Professor John Dunne, acclaimed scholar and teacher in both Indian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. John’s research focuses on Buddhist philosophy in relationship to contemplative practice, religious studies, and cognitive science. John is presently Distinguished Professor of Contemplative Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and author of several publications, including Foundations of Dharmakīrti’s Philosophy, published by Wisdom.

In this rich conversation, you’ll hear John take a deep dive into the world of human conceptuality and, specifically, its relationship to human suffering. For John, as well as for the philosophers he studies, the root of our suffering is not human emotion itself but rather our distorted perceptions. You’ll hear John discuss the structures that underlie perception and how they play a role—for better or for worse—in determining how we conceptualize ourselves and our experiences. John also explains how different types of meditation can serve as antidotes to various categories of distorted thinking.

Lastly, you’ll hear John discuss the difference between learning conceptually versus learning experientially. John asserts that conceptual ideas don’t necessarily change our behavior—instead, we need experiential knowledge to catalyze a deeper internal shift in our understanding.

The post John Dunne: Dharmakīrti, Conceptuality, and Antidotes for Distorted Thinking (#96) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

Jessica Pimentel: Tibetan Buddhism, Creativity, and the Work of the Imagination (#95) Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken interviews American actress and musician Jessica Pimentel. Jessica is best known for her role as Maria Ruiz on the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black. She is also a practitioner within the Geluk tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and studied under the former abbot of Sera Mey Monastery, H.E. Sermey Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin.

Throughout her youth, Jessica grew up in a Christian household but also held a deep interest in learning about other traditions as a means to expand her spirituality. You’ll hear her describe the moment she learned about the twelve links of dependent origination, a concept which immediately resonated with her and motivated her to search for a Buddhist teacher. As a teenager in New York in the 1990s, she was able to explore many different traditions before feeling a profound and instantaneous connection with Khen Rinpoche and the Tibetan tradition.

You’ll also hear Jessica discuss the integration of her creative pursuits with her Buddhist practice and how she is able to use her public platform to spread the Dharma. She notes that stepping into the character roles she plays requires a similar type of concentration and imagination as some Buddhist practices, especially regarding the practice of exchanging self and other. You may be surprised to hear that Jessica is also the lead singer of a metal band called Alekine’s Gun. She describes how music is also a spiritual practice for her, and how she includes Buddhist concepts in her lyrics as well as a particular kind of wrathful energy in her performances to break down notions of what a “typical Buddhist” is and should be.

The post Jessica Pimentel: Tibetan Buddhism, Creativity, and the Work of the Imagination (#95) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

Roger Jackson: Mahāmudrā in the Geluk and Kagyü Traditions (#94) Sep 18, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Roger Jackson, renowned scholar of both Indian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions and author of several books, including his most recent, Mind Seeing Mind: Mahāmudrā and the Geluk Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. We’re also delighted to share that Mind Seeing Mind recently won the prestigious Toshihide Numata Book Award in Buddhist Studies, given by the Numata Foundation.

In this conversation, you’ll hear Roger tackle the enormous subject of mahāmudrā and its extremely complex origins within Tibetan Buddhist history. Mahāmudrā is considered especially prominent in the Kagyü school of Tibetan Buddhism; however, Roger’s primary interest is in the history, texts, and doctrines of Geluk mahāmudrā. You’ll hear Roger compare and contrast the essence of classic mahāmudrā texts as interpreted by both Kagyüpas and Gelukpas. Within this context, Roger and Daniel dive into central questions: What exactly is emptiness of mind within these two schools of thought? What is conventional versus ultimate reality? How do these differing views translate to the practice itself?

The post Roger Jackson: Mahāmudrā in the Geluk and Kagyü Traditions (#94) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

Michael Mendizza: Conversations with Samdhong Rinpoche and J. Krishnamurti Aug 28, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Michael Mendizza, documentary filmmaker and author of Always Awakening: Buddha’s Realization, Krishnamurti’s Insight. In this fascinating conversation, you’ll hear Michael share stories from his creative filmmaking journeys, and in particular the extremely rare opportunities he had of spending one-on-one time with two towering figures in the world of Buddhism and Eastern spirituality: Tibetan Buddhist master Samdhong Rinpoche and Indian spiritual philosopher J. Krishnamurti. In this conversation, you’ll hear Michael and Daniel think through central questions relevant to the philosophy of these two spiritual giants: What is mindfulness and attention? What does it mean to be an observer? What’s the difference between the relative and the absolute? Michael draws from knowledge gained having spent hours upon hours with both these teachers, and reads excerpts from Samdhong Rinpoche’s responses to some of Krishnamurti’s central philosophical concepts.

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Malcolm Smith: Translating The Tantra Without Syllables and The Blazing Lamp Tantra Aug 07, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Wisdom author and renowned Tibetan Buddhist translator, Malcolm Smith. Malcolm has been a student of the Great Perfection teachings since 1992 and studied under Dzogchen masters Chogyal Namkhai Norbu and the late Kunzang Dechen Lingpa. His translations include Buddhahood in this Life: The Great Commentary of Vimalamitra, which is one of the earliest and most influential tests of the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Most recently, Malcolm has published the second installment of a multi-volume translation project of the Seventeen Tantras, which are among the most essential texts of the Great Perfection tradition. The first installment includes The Self-Arisen Vidyā Tantra (Vol 1) and The Self-Liberated Vidyā Tantra (Vol 2), published in 2019. His most recent translation is of The Tantra Without Syllables (Vol 3) and The Blazing Lamp Tantra (Vol 4), published in 2020.

In this fascinating conversation, Malcolm and Daniel focus on Malcolm’s most recent translation of Volumes 3 and 4, discussing why these, like Volumes 1 and 2, are essential to an overall understanding of the whole Dzogchen system. You’ll hear Malcolm give a brief overview of the history of the Seventeen Tantras in relationship to Dzogchen, Dzogchen’s central teachers and texts, and how the Seventeen Tantras fit within other Tibetan Buddhist traditions. You’ll also hear why these two texts—The Tantra Without Syllables (Vol 3) and The Blazing Lamp Tantra (Vol 4)—are published together. Malcolm explains how these two texts contain some of the most detailed expositions on two essential practices of the Great Perfection: trekchö, the view, and thögal, the meditation.

Malcolm and Daniel also discuss the nature of restriction of these texts both historically and for contemporary students of Dzogchen.

This episode was recorded as part of our new series, Wisdom Dharma Chats, where you can attend live video versions of the Wisdom Podcast from the comfort of your own home. Wisdom Dharma Chats also include a Q&A where you can ask questions directly to Buddhist teachers, practitioners and scholars. To watch the video version of this podcast, visit our Wisdom Dharma Chats page.

To hear Malcolm’s Wisdom Podcast on The Self-Arisen Vidyā Tantra (Vol 1) and The Self-Liberated Vidyā Tantra (Vol 2), which is the first 2-volume set of the Seventeen Tantras, click here.

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Venerable Robina Courtin: Understanding the Buddha’s Teachings for Ourselves Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Venerable Robina Courtin, Australian-born Buddhist nun. Venerable Robina has led an extremely active and inspiring life—from her dynamic work as an editor of a wide variety of Buddhist books, to her Buddhist teaching activities that traverse the globe.

In this lively episode, you’ll hear Venerable Robina share riveting stories from her early years as a young activist, when she was trying to figure out her own spiritual and political paths. You’ll also hear Venerable Robina discuss how to deal with anger, how to practice mindfulness, and how to understand karma, amongst many other topics.

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Shohaku Okumura Roshi: Stories from Modern Zen Masters Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

For this episode, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Shohaku Okumura Roshi, Japanese Soto Zen priest and revered writer and translator. Shohaku Okumura is also the founder and current abbot of the Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington, Indiana. In this conversation, you’ll hear Okumura Roshi tell powerful stories, not only from his own life, but from the lives of his teachers: Zen Master Kosho Uchiyama, and the great Kodo Sawaki Roshi, one of the most influential Soto Zen teachers of the twentieth century. Okumura Roshi explains the emphasis on zazen over monastic rituals within his lineage, drawing parallels to both Dogen’s teachings as well his teachers’ own personal encounters with zazen. You’ll also hear how this emphasis on zazen has played out in Okumura Roshi’s own development as a practitioner as well as his development as a translator later in life.

The post Shohaku Okumura Roshi: Stories from Modern Zen Masters appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

Norman Fischer: A Poet’s Path to Awakening May 01, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Norman Fischer, American poet, writer, and Soto Zen priest. Norman is the author of many popular books including his most recent publication, The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path. In this fascinating conversation, you’ll hear Norman share stories from his own spiritual journey—from aspiring young poet living in the woods of Northern California, to meditation teacher and celebrated writer. Norman talks about how early encounters with death predisposed him to religious and philosophical inquiry, and how reading the existentialists would pave the way for a fascination with Zen. You’ll also hear Norman discuss the topic of doubt. Rather than providing faith or certainty, Buddhism for Norman provides a path—a set of questions in which we discover what life is and who we are. Lastly, Norman talks about what it means to be a teacher of the Dharma, as well as his own relationship to himself as a teacher of Buddhism.

The post Norman Fischer: A Poet’s Path to Awakening appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

Gil Fronsdal: The Wisdom of Many Traditions Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Gil Fronsdal, American Buddhist writer, teacher, and scholar in both the Zen and Theravada traditions. Gil was ordained as a Sōtō Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and later became a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985.

As someone committed to two distinct traditions, Gil brings an unusual breadth and depth of knowledge to his practice. Incredibly self-aware in his observations about his own spiritual development, Gil describes his training in vipassana with U Pandita and how the practice of mental noting radically transformed his Zen practice of shikantaza. You’ll hear Gil describe so many fascinating epiphanies along his journey—for example, how learning the difference between mindfulness and concentration was a liberating experience for him. You’ll also hear how meditation is actually a form of deep expression for Gil—a way of accessing a deeper wellspring of life—and how this is connected to a sense of wholeness and integrity for him, both on the cushion and off.

The post Gil Fronsdal: The Wisdom of Many Traditions appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

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