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H. E. Dza Kilung Rinpoche: Jigme Lingpa and the Longchen Nyingtik Tradition May 25, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, Daniel Aitken speaks with H. E. Dza Kilung Rinpoche, revered teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, and head of Kilung Monastery in East Tibet. Kilung Rinpoche was discovered as a reincarnation of H. H. Jigme Ngotsar Gyatso, a yogi who built Kilung Monastery in the eighteenth century. Jigme Ngotsar was also one of four main disciples of Jigme Lingpa, a revered visionary of the Nyingma lineage, and among the chief tertöns, or treasure revealers, of the Longchen Nyingtik cycle of teachings. In this episode, you’ll hear Rinpoche explain his connection to Longchen Nyingtik teachings, as well as the history of their transmission throughout the ages, and their particular significance to Dzogchen. Rinpoche also shares wisdom for contemporary practitioners, offering insights on the necessary relationship between shamatha and vipashyana, as well as the difference between absolute and relative bodhichitta.

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Sonam Thakchoe: In the Laboratory of Meditation May 11, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, Daniel Aitken speaks with Dr. Sonam Thakchoe, professor of Buddhist philosophy at the University of Tasmania and former monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Sonam was a child during the Cultural Revolution in Tibet. At just ten years old, Sonam fled to India with his father, where he began his formal education at the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala, India, before eventually earning a PhD in Indo-Tibetan philosophy. In this episode, Sonam recalls the absence of Buddhist traditions in his childhood, how he didn’t understand who the Dalai Lama was, and how his parents had to keep their religious faith hidden. Sonam also shares his life-changing discovery of vipassana meditation in the Goenka tradition, which revolutionized his academic understanding of Buddhist philosophy. Daniel asks Sonam about his experimental nature as a practitioner and how he integrates his textual knowledge with embodied experiences in practice. They also discuss the inextricable relationship between sīla (morality) and meditation, and how emptiness might be conceptualized within vipassana practice.

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Richard Salomon: Early Buddhism in Ancient Gandhāra Apr 20, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, Daniel speaks with Dr. Richard Salomon, Professor of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington and a leading figure in the field of early Buddhist studies. You’ll hear Richard discuss his groundbreaking scholarship in the field of ancient Gāndhārī literature. His new book, The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra, is a fascinating look at the oldest Buddhist manuscripts ever to be uncovered. You’ll learn the historical and religious context of these 2000-year-old documents, which were found in modern-day Pakistan, and what it was like for Richard to first encounter them in person. Richard also talks about the ancient language of Gāndhārī, how it was decoded, and its particular significance in the formation of standardized Buddhist canons. Richard’s important work sheds new light on how we understand early Indian Buddhist traditions and their transmission into central and East Asia.

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Karl Brunnhölzl: Stories of Translation and Transformation Apr 09, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, we meet Karl Brunnhölzl, celebrated teacher, translator, and author in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Originally trained as a medical doctor, Karl practiced medicine for twenty years before dedicating his life full-time to translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts. You’ll hear Karl share stories of his early ventures throughout Asia while still in medical school. Eventually, Karl would come to study with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche as well as Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, whose exceptional teaching abilities had a profound impact on Karl as both student and translator. You’ll also hear Karl share his experience meditating in one of Milarepa’s famous caves in Nepal, and his unexpected but fortuitous encounters. He also discusses his most recent work in the Northern Treasure Tradition as related to his book, A Lullaby to Awaken the Heart: The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra and Its Commentaries.

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Dungse Jampal Norbu: A New Generation of American Buddhists Mar 16, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, we meet Dungse Jampal Norbu, Dharma teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and son of the revered Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Dungse was raised in a Tibetan-American family in Colorado. At the instruction of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dungse’s father set him on a path to uphold and continue his lineage in the Dzogchen Longchen Nyingtik tradition. You’ll hear Dungse share stories from his cross-cultural evolution as a student, practitioner, and teacher of Buddhism, including his years of intense Buddhist training in India, as well as his annual 100-day retreat at Longchen Jigme Samten Ling. We also hear Dungse share his thoughts on being Dharma heir to his father, as well as the value of artistic practice in both his and his father’s life. Lastly, Dungse offers insights on our contemporary age of social media, as well as the millennial generation in the United States, and how the Dharma might translate to a younger generation of American Buddhists.

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Karen Derris: A Professor and Her Students Engage H. H. the Karmapa Mar 02, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, Daniel Aitken speaks with Dr. Karen Derris, scholar of South and Southeast Asian Buddhist traditions and Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Redlands. In recent years, Karen had the rare opportunity of working one-on-one with His Holiness the Karmapa as an editor of his book, Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society, published by Wisdom.

You’ll hear Karen share stories from the time she spent studying in Nepal as an undergraduate, where she formed meaningful connections with her Tibetan hosts through reading Buddhist literature together. From these experiences, she developed a lifelong interest in Buddhist narrative and the potential it has to transform the audience’s engagement with the tradition.

Karen also describes the importance of human relationships and emotional experience as she moved further into her intellectual studies of Buddhism over time. It was through some of these connections that she had the opportunity to travel to Gyuto Monastery in India, where she and her students met with the Karmapa for a three-week dialogue. Karen describes how this rare connection with the Karmapa had a profound influence on her students’ professional aspirations by reorienting views of success, leading them to deeply meaningful service-oriented careers.

Additionally, these conversations helped to inform the message of Interconnected, which offers a twenty-first century model of interdependence in support of a truly global society. Karen describes the vital message the Karmapa shares: that people must move beyond the purely intellectual to feel truly interconnected in an emotional way, and only then can the capacity for action be realized and sustained. Finally, Karen relates the ways in which the Karmapa’s direct guidance has had on her personally, an experience which she likens to being “inside a sutra” and among the most profound moments of her entire career.

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Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche: Lineage and Transmission in the Nyingma Tradition Feb 21, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded with a live audience, Daniel Aitken speaks with Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche, revered teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and founder of the Danakosha Dharma Center in Finland. Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche was recognized by His Holiness Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche as a reincarnation of Drupwang Rogza Sonam Palge, a hidden yogi of eastern Tibet. Third in his line of tulkus, Rinpoche shares stories from the legendary lives of his earlier incarnations as well as their esteemed contemporaries. Now a Dharma teacher based primarily in Europe, Rinpoche discusses his program of study in Finland, where he’s lived for ten years, as well as his own education at the famous Mindrolling Monastery in India. As an introduction to his oral transmission of Buddhahood in this Life, one of the earliest and most influential Dzogchen texts, Rinpoche shares insights on this particular transmission as well as the tradition of transmission more broadly in his lineage.

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Ani Choying Drolma: A Voice for Nepalese Buddhist Nuns Feb 06, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, Daniel Aitken speaks with Ani Choying Drolma, Tibetan Buddhist nun from Nepal and internationally renowned singer of both traditional and contemporary Tibetan song. Ani-la is also founder of multiple nonprofits in Nepal, such as the Arya Tara School, which promotes the equality, education, and welfare of Nepalese Buddhist nuns.

Ani Choying entered Nagi Gompa nunnery at age 13, intentionally choosing monastic life over marriage. Escaping an abusive home, Ani-la found refuge in the nunnery. It was here where she would discover childhood for the first time, and where she flourished as a young entertainer and singer. Ani Choying shares stories about her beloved teacher, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, who offered unconditional guidance and mentorship, ultimately paving the way for her to pursue singing professionally. You’ll hear Ani-la describe her artistic life as both a performer and Buddhist practitioner, and the parallels she finds between singing and meditation. She also describes the difference of intention between devotional singing and regular performance, and the power of certain mantras to stir energies. Finally, Ani-la shares insights on the issue of gender discrimination in Nepal, and the ways in which her nonprofit, the Nuns’ Welfare Foundation, creates opportunities for women to surmount gender-based obstacles.

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H. H. the Sakya Trichen: Learning from the Lives of Great Masters Jan 22, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, Daniel travels to Tsechen Kunchab Ling in upstate New York to speak with His Holiness the Sakya Trichen Rinpoche, the 41st throne holder of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. You’ll hear His Holiness share insights from the first volume of his book Freeing the Heart and Mind, as well as his forthcoming second volume. Both books emphasize the necessity of learning the Dharma through the life stories of great Buddhist masters. His Holiness speaks on the practical nature of the sutrayana teachings as outlined in his first book, as well as the life of Mahasiddha Virupa and his key role in the formation of both the Lamdré lineage and the Sakya school at large. His second volume looks at valuable life lessons from the legendary 13^th century leader of the Sakya order, Drogön Chögyal Phagpa—namely his relationship with the Mongols and the religious conversion of Kublai Khan. We also hear His Holiness share insights on the nature of samaya in the guru-disciple relationship, as well as his views on restricted teachings and their increased availability in the modern world.

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Bhante Gunaratana: A Special Teaching on Mindfulness Jan 05, 2018

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast we meet Bhante Gunaratana, renowned meditation teacher, Buddhist monk, and author of the now-classic Mindfulness in Plain English, published by Wisdom. Born in Sri Lanka, Bhante Gunaratana was ordained at the age of twelve in the Theravada tradition. In this episode, we hear “Bhante G” (as he is affectionately called by his students) recall his early years as a precocious young monk. After suffering the tragic loss of his photographic memory when he was a teenager, Bhante G regained his mental faculties by teaching himself meditation, despite being forbidden by monastic rule. Drawing wisdom from his own experience, Bhante G shares the value of studying meditation directly from the suttas. In this extraordinary teaching, you’ll hear Bhante G recall the words of the Buddha himself as he explains the very heart of an effective mindfulness or meditation practice. Bhante G encourages a more complex understanding of central terms as bhāvanā, or cultivation, sati, or mindfulness as pre-conceptual awareness, the five aggregates, as well as the term vipassana itself. He also reminds us why sīla, samādhi, and paññā—or morality, concentration, and wisdom—are inextricably bound to one another within mindfulness and meditation, and also shares his thoughts on the wisdom of non-labeling. As part of this special episode, you can also listen to a guided meditation led by Bhante G available below.

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