Buddhist Geeks

Episode Description: Shinzen Young joins us again to discuss the possibility of a new way to deliver classical enlightenment to the masses. He discusses the classic delivery systems, which included monastic and lay life. He then builds on that to show a hybrid two-fold delivery system that would incorporate his artificial intelligence system with virtually […] The post BG 104: Enlightenment for the Rest of Us appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Shinzen Young, professional meditation instructor and geek-extraordinaire, continues his discussion with us on the unique approach he has taken to combining the best of the scientific approach with the best of the contemplative modalities of the East. The result of this combination appears to be a delivery system for enlightenment that uses an […] The post BG 103: Building a Dharma Successor appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Shinzen Young, professional meditation instructor and geek-extraordinaire, joins us today to share his unique journey as a contemplative. From discontinuing his PhD studies to become a full-time shingon practitioner to taking up Japanese Zen and finally discovering the mindfulness practices originating from Theravada Buddhism, Shinzen has gone deep with several contemplative techniques. In […] The post BG 102: Shinzen Young: The Hybrid Teacher appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Jun Po Roshi, an American Zen Master in the Rinzai Zen tradition, joins us again this week to discuss the limitations of Japanese Zen as it enters contemporary American culture. He also shares the way that his Hallow Bones Zen community has re-organized the core teachings of the Buddha in their five training […] The post BG 101: Hollow Bones Zen appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Jun Po Roshi, an American Zen Master in the Rinzai Zen tradition, joins us to discuss his fascinating history with psychotropic drugs, including a form of LSD, called Clear Light, that he helped to create and distribute a long time ago. We also speak with him about his new form of Koan practice […] The post BG 100: Psychotropics and NeuroLinguistic Zen appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Ken Wilber coined the terms “ascending” and “descending” to describe two possible orientations to spiritual practice. The ascending path has to do with transcending the world, leaving samsara behind, and fusing with the infinite. The descending path has to do with finding spirit in the world–in the midst of everyday life. Both approaches […] The post BG 099: The Zen Tree Fort in the Sky appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: This week we’re joined by prolific musician, artist, writer, & comic Stuart Davis. Davis, a long-time Zen practitioner, shares with us his background as a creative and the resulting unique understanding that he has of the Bodhisattva’s path. Specifically, we discuss his current creative projects, including a language called IS that he is […] The post BG 098: Stuart Davis: Bodhisattva Rocker appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: We are joined this week by Jenny Phillips, Director and Producer of the newly released documentary, The Dhamma Brothers. The Dhamma Brothers gives an in-depth look at how a trial program of vipassana meditation courses radically transforms the lives of inmates in a the maximum-security prison facility in Alabama. In our interview with […] The post BG 097: The Dhamma Brothers: Vipassana Meditation in Prison appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: The Geeks of the Round Table are back, continuing our discussion of Judy Lief’s article Glimpses of Awakening. We speculate on the language and culture surrounding enlightenment both here in the West and in various countries in the East–including Japan, Burma, and Thailand. We also speculate on how likely it is that people […] The post BG 096: The Particularities of Awakening appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: In this episode we bring back the Geeks of the Round Table segment. Joining us is one of our regulars Duff McDuffee, and a new geek to the lineup, Mike LaTorra. Mike is the resident teacher of the Soto Zen Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. During this conversation we discuss an article […] The post BG 095: The Buzz Lightyear Model of Enlightenment: To Infinity and Beyond appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, continues his discussion of the meditative terrain and of his spiritual philosophy in general. He finishes off his discussion of the meditative maps with an exploration of what it actual takes–both in terms of time and effort–to master these various stages of consciousness. He also explains […] The post BG 094: Horizontal and Vertical Enlightenment appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, shares with us a 10,000 foot view of the terrain of meditative experience. He describes several of the most common Buddhist maps and their progression, including the one presented in the Visuddhimagga (one of the most prevalent in the Theravada tradition), the 10 ox herding pictures […] The post BG 093: The Meditative Maps: Happy Mornings and Dark Nights appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, one of the most important figure in the development of Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the United States, joins us to discuss the importance of academic studies. We explore what Buddhist studies are like in the West, the relationship between being a scholar and practitioner, and the broader role that Buddhist […] The post BG 092: Buddhist Studies in the West appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Today we speak with Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus of Tibetan & Buddhist Studies at University of Virgina. Dr. Hopkins is a prolific translator–with 40 books translated in his career–and a committed meditation practitioner. In this episode we ask him to share some of the details of his early practice. He shares with […] The post BG 091: The Practice Adventures of Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.

Episode Description: Join us as we finish up our dialogue with Venerable Robina Courtin, the highly energetic Tibetan Nun, who some refer to as a “Dharma CEO”. In this episode she continues to share the specific logistics behind her approach to balancing wisdom and compassion in today’s world. This is part 2 of a two-part […] The post BG 090: The Logistics of Being a Bodhisattva appeared first on Buddhist Geeks.