Ep267: American Chan Master - Gilbert M Gutierrez

Aug 16, 2024

Gilbert M Gutierrez, a Chan Buddhism teacher and a dharma heir of Master Sheng Yen, shares his remarkable journey, from childhood mystical experiences to deep meditation practices. He discusses the transformative encounter with Quan Yin and the life-altering challenges of a strict meditation retreat. The conversation dives into his experiences with energy manipulation and spiritual healing, revealing the balance of compassion and insight required for working with terminally ill patients. Gilbert's stories of martial arts and navigating the spiritual realm add layers to his fascinating perspective.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Journey of Spiritual Discovery

01:36 • 11min

Beyond Perception: Lessons from Chan Buddhism

12:31 • 14min

Exploring Nago: Advanced Qi Manipulation Techniques

26:35 • 3min

Journey Through Martial Arts and Healing

30:03 • 30min

Journey Through Pain and Compassion

59:58 • 18min

Healing Through Compassion and Insight

01:18:24 • 11min

Buddha Perception and Reality

01:29:27 • 8min

In this episode I am joined by Gilbert M Gutierrez, Chan Buddhism teacher and a dharma heir of Master Sheng Yen. Gilbert recounts his early childhood mystical and meditation experiences, his deep-dive into closed-door internal martial arts and nei gong systems, and the special abilities he both witnessed and unlocked. Gilbert describes the unusual circumstances leading up to meeting Taiwanese Chan master Master Sheng Yen, and how an arduous meditation retreat and a powerful encounter with Quan Yin changed his life forever. Gilbert also discusses exorcisms, ghosts, and vexing spirits, and tells stories of the pitfalls of using spiritual healing to sustain terminally ill patients. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep267-american-chan-master-gilbertm-gutierrez Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:52 - Childhood bardo memories 03:28 - Early meditation experiences 06:05 - A “roaming” Catholic and asking questions 10:26 - Studies at UCLA 11:37 - Studying closed-door martial arts systems 12:44 - Chinese master vs Japanese karateka 15:23 - Things are not as they appear 17:45 - Visionary experiences across time 19:37 - Nāgārjuna’s refutation of time and space 20:32 - True meaning of “no thought” 24:27 - The first level of Chan practice 25:53 - Nei gong studies and building chi 29:07 - Developing Wu Nien and related abilities 33:13 - Demonstrating abilities 34:52 - Meeting a qigong master and becoming his successor 39:52 - Healing abilities of the master 42:32 - Meeting masters and cracking the code 44:15 - Asking why we practice 45:33 - The dangers of using entities to empower your practice 50:39 - Meeting Master Sheng Yen 54:01 - Master Sheng Yen psychically anticipates meet Gilbert 58:59 - Suffering at first retreat with Master Sheng Yen 01:02:44 - Prostrating to Quan Yin and finding life’s purpose 01:06:37 - Metta, Karuna, and Henry Shukman 01:08:44 - Unconditional compassion 01:11:21 - True meaning of the Heart Sutra 01:18:45 - Moving from qigong to Chan 01:25:57 - Exorcisms, ghosts, and vexing spirits 01:29:42 - Buddha-perception and seeing other realms 01:31:10 - How do the Buddhas see the world? 01:35:33 - A vision of Quan Yin  … To find our more about Gilbert M Gutierrez, visit: - https://www.youtube.com/@chanmindwork/playlists - https://mind-work.mn.co/ - https://riversidechan.org/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James