Ep216: Death, Money, & Dharma - Mordy Levine

Aug 25, 2023

Guest Mordy Levine discusses the origins of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, his collaboration with Lama Lhanang, and the intersections of money and spirituality. They explore dysfunctional money attitudes in American Buddhism, the impact of psychedelics in the West, and the importance of finding the right teacher. Mordy also shares his personal journey of transitioning from avarice to a more enlightened view and addresses the supernatural claims of the Book's transmission.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Preparing for Death and the Tibetan Book of the Dead

02:08 • 3min

Collaboration and Understanding the Dense Content

05:05 • 3min

Exploring the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Concept of Psychedelics in the West

08:03 • 18min

Finding Happiness and Clarity through Buddhism

26:20 • 18min

The Intersection of Business and Ethics

44:20 • 20min

Attitudes towards Money in Religious and Spiritual Circles

01:04:00 • 10min

Personal Experiences, Book on Death, and Magic

01:14:02 • 2min

In this interview I am joined by Mordy Levine, serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author of ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners’ with Lama Lhanang and published by Sounds True. Mordy reveals the origins of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, considers the validity of the claims of its supernatural transmission, and pulls back the curtain on his own writing process in collaboration with Nyingma meditation master Lama Lhanang. Mordy discusses the subject of money and spirituality and recounts his own journey from poverty and avarice to financial and business success and beyond, to a more enlightened view informed by Buddhist doctrines. Mordy also addresses the range of dysfunctional money attitudes found in American Buddhism such aversive attitudes to money based on beliefs that money is fundamentally unspiritual, immoral, and evil. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep216-death-money-dharma-mordy-levine   Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:50 - Tibetan religious teachings about death 02:35 - Why another book on the Tibetan Book of the Dead? 05:04 - Collaborating with Lama Lhanang 08:03- Lineage vs psychedelics and Timothy Leary 10:34 - Does Mordy really believe in Tibetan terma claims? 12:31 - Mordy’s experiences of the supernatural 14:05 - ’God of the gaps’ 18:03 - How important are the supernatural claims of the Tibetan Book of the Dead’s transmission? 21:27 - Energetic transmission of spiritual lineage 23:05 - The purpose of energy transmission 24:40 - Perceiving the light body 26:20 - Mordy’s practice of karate 31:55 - Conversion to Buddhism 34:03 - From Zen to Tibetan Buddhism 37:29 - Initial experiences of Tibetan Buddhism and search for a teacher 39:24 - Meeting Lama Lhanang 41:33 - About Lama Lhanang 44:21 - Applying lessons from the business world to dharma organisations 46:42 - Origin of Mordy’s motivation to become rich 48:45 - Addiction to success and money 50:47 - Grasping and clinging to feed one’s identity 53:17 - Childhood programming about money 56:03 - What woke Mordy up to his money addiction? 59:36 - Seeing through the BS of identity 01:02:04 - Addictions and grasping 01:04:04 - American Buddhists’ dysfunctional attitudes to money 01:08:34 - Advice for contemplating one’s relationship to money 01:11:47 - Is money unspiritual? … To purchase ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners’, visit: - https://www.soundstrue.com/blogs/authors/mordy-levine To find out more about Mordy Levine, visit: - https://www.mordylevine.com/    For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James