The Wisdom Podcast David M. DiValerio: Mountain Dharma (#221)
Dec 6, 2025
David M. DiValerio, an associate professor of history and religious studies specializing in Tibetan Buddhism, joins to discuss his book, Mountain Dharma. He shares his journey into Tibetan retreat practices from initial monastery visits to extensive research on retreat manuals. Topics include the evolution of retreat boundaries, the distinction between individual and solitary retreats, and the historical significance of Tibetan asceticism. DiValerio also highlights how modern centers often overlook ancient texts in their practices.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
A Decades-Long Research Trajectory
- David M. DiValerio discovered his interest in Tibetan retreat during a college study abroad and successive research projects over years.
- He spent four years reading nearly every individual-retreat manual to build Mountain Dharma's archive-based approach.
Comparative Archive Of Retreat Manuals
- Mountain Dharma studies 29 prescriptive texts on individual retreat spanning centuries and styles.
- DiValerio compares instructions across those texts to trace historical change in retreat practice.
Individual Retreat As A Separate Topic
- DiValerio narrows his study to individual retreat, excluding communal three-year group retreats.
- He treats communal retreats as a distinct phenomenon deserving separate study.
