In this podcast extra Professor Thurman and Eric Rosenbush discuss Tibetan Medicine and Buddhist Inner Sciences using the miss titled “Tibetan Book of the Dead” as a guide for applying the lessons contained within it to our daily lives and lead a guided meditation on the Eight Dissolution Stages. This extended recording was originally excerpted as Episode #180 and is from the “Medicine Buddha Healing Retreat: The Buddha’s Inner & Healing Sciences” with Phakyab Rinpoche, Eric Rosenbush, Robert A.F. Thurman & Mark Epstein, M.D. held in Phoenicia, New York at Menla August 2014. Photo of Eric Rosenbush and Professor Robert A.F. Thurman by Justin Stone-Diaz. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman & Eric Rosenbush please visit: www.menla.us.

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman and Eric Rosenbush discuss Tibetan Medicine and Buddhist Inner Sciences using the miss titled “Tibetan Book of the Dead” as a guide for applying the lessons contained within it to our daily lives. Second Part of this week’s podcast is a guided meditation on the Eight Dissolution Stages as taught in the “Tibetan Book of the Dead” or the “Bardo Thodol.” Podcast concludes with a reading of William Stafford’s “You Reading this, Be Ready” by Gary Gach. Image of Marpa and Milarepa via www.treasuryoflives.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Liberation Through Nature, Hearing & Sleep – Ep. 180 was recorded during the “Medicine Buddha Healing Retreat: The Buddha’s Inner & Healing Sciences” with Phakyab Rinpoche, Eric Rosenbush, Robert A.F. Thurman & Mark Epstein, M.D. held in Phoenicia, New York at Menla August 2014. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. To learn more about the writings and work Of Gary Gach please visit: www.garygach.com

In this special edition of the Bob Thurman podcast Professor Thurman is joined by poet and scholar Gary Gach for an in-depth exploration of the Tibetan Science of Healing Sowa Rigpa‘s perspective on sleep, dreams and death using personal experience, Buddhist teachings and poetry. Podcast begins with Robert A.F. Thurman discussing the place of sleep in a balanced lifestyle, the value of dream interpretation within Buddhist medicine diagnosis and treatment, his personal experience learning from the Dalai Lama’s physician, the renowned Yeshe Dhonden and a recommendation of the work and teachings of Dr Nida Chenagtsang. The second half includes a deep dive into the miss-titled “Tibetan Book of the Dead”, the Buddhist understanding of the Eight Stages of Death and it’s connections to Sowa Rigpa’s holistic system of healing as taught in the Yuthok Tradition. Podcast concludes with a reading of Zhuangzi’s “Last Night I Dreamt I was a Butterfly” by Gary Gach with a short commentary. Science & Poetry of Sleep, Dreaming and Death Photo by Karina Vorozheeva on Unsplash.   This week’s episode of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the generous support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Science & Poetry of Sleep, Dreaming and Death – Episode 179 was recorded at the home of Robert and Nena Thurman in Woodstock, New York, August 2018. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. To learn more about the writings and work Of Gary Gach please visit: www.garygach.com To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman & Dr. Nida please visit: www.menla.us.

This podcast extra includes an extended basic mindfulness practice instruction and a guided “Developing the Spirit of Enlightenment or the Mind of The Bodhisattva” meditation. Guided Mindfulness Meditation Professor Thurman leads a traditional Buddhist mindfulness meditation using the breath and mantra as one’s focus along with basic instruction of one’s physical posture during practice sessions taken from the Wisdom Academy Course “Sutra and Tantra: The Profound and Miraculous“. Developing the Mind of the Bodhisattva / Spirit of Enlightenment Meditation This meditation includes the eleven steps to compassion, love and happiness including “The Seven fold Cause and effect Precept of Mother Recognition” from Maitreya and Asanga and “The Exchange of Self and Other” Precept from Manjushri and Shantideva, a discussion of how physics and the Buddhist Inner Sciences intersect, how anyone can imagine having infinite past and future interconnected lives, of Pretans or hungry ghosts and Thomas à Kempis’ imitatio christi (Imitation of Christ) teaching. Mindfulness + Developing the Mind of the Bodhisattva Meditations – Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Collage by How to be a Bodhisatva via www.lionsroar.com. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks Wisdom Publications and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Mindfulness + Developing the Mind of the Bodhisattva Meditations – Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives is an excerpt from the online course presented by Wisdom Publications with Robert A.F. Thurman. To learn more abut this ongoing online offering please visit: www.wisdompubs.org Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Studying the teachings of Tsong Khapa has been at the heart of Robert A.F. Thurman's personal translation work and professional teaching career. In this two part podcast Professor Thurman discusses the new edition of "The Life and Teachings of Tsongkhapa" by Wisdom Publications and leads a guided mindfulness meditation. Opening this week's podcast with a short explanation of the Tsongkhapa's teaching history in Tibet, Robert Thurman highlights Tsongkhapa writings focusing upon the "Garland of Supremely Healing Nectars" the dialogue between Karmavajra, The Nyingma Master Lhobrag Khenchen & the Bodhisattva Vajrapana, discussing his relationship with the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, modern Tibet and the Yongle Emperor of China of his time. Podcast includes a discussion of the use of some "Christian" terminology when translating Buddhist texts and ends with a discussion of Ling Rinpoche's new biography by H.H. Dalai Lama's senior tutor including personal stories from Robert Thurman's time spent with this legendary tutor and teacher. In the second half of this week's podcast Professor Thurman leads a traditional Buddhist mindfulness meditation using the breath and mantra as one's focus along with basic instruction of one's physical posture during practice sessions taken from the Wisdom Academy Course "Sutra and Tantra: The Profound and Miraculous". This week's meditation is excerpted from the online course presented by Wisdom Publications with Robert A.F. Thurman students learn the inner science behind the tantric and sutric methods employed by scholars and adepts of India and Tibet on their paths to enlightenment, as well as how to apply such learning to their own personal practice of the path. To learn more abut this ongoing online offering please visit: www.wisdompubs.org Tsongkhapa's Profound and Miraculous Wisdom - Ep. 177 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Park Troopers on Unsplash This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks Wisdom Publications and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman & Rich

Using the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois + Geshe Ngawang Wangyal Robert A.F. Thurman and Richard Freeman explore the symbolism and meditation practices centering on the Hindu Brahma, Shiva, and Buddha in the form of Vajradhara. Podcast includes a discussion of Brahmism, Shaivism, Tantic Buddhism, the Chöd Charnel Ground Practice, Raja Yoga (King Yoga), a re-telling of the story of the Mahasiddha, Luipa The Fish-Gut Eater and how the non-Dualism found in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions erode hierarchies and brought change about change within the rigid caste system of India. Buddha and the Yogis drawing of Richard Freeman, Robert A.F. Thurman and John Campbell by Marc Rosenthal, All Rights Reserved, 2013. This recording was originally excerpted as apart of Stunning the Mind with Yoga – Episode #178 of the Bob Thurman Podcast and was recorded at Menla’s Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2011 ‘Buddha & The Yogis’ Retreat with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell + Robert A.F. Thurman. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation & esoteric study at this year’s ‘Buddha & The Yogis: The Divine Feminine Retreat with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman & Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives. Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman & Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor please visit: www.menla.us.

Opening this podcast with an introduction to the Medicine Buddha and his long time co-teacher + friend Richard Freeman, Professor Thurman explore the connections between Hatha Yoga, Buddhist Philosophy + the Indic Inner Sciences through a close translation of the classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on hatha yoga, “The Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā” by Svāmi Svātmārāma. Using the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois + Geshe Ngawang Wangyal Robert A.F. Thurman and Richard Freeman explore the symbolism and meditation practices centering on the Hindu Deities Brahmā, Shiva, and Buddha in the form of Great Vajradhara. Podcast includes a discussion of Brahmanism, Shaivism, Tantic Buddhism, the Chöd (“Severence”) Charnel Ground Practice, Raja Yoga (King Yoga), a re-telling of the story of the Mahasiddha, Luipa The Fish-Gut Eater and how the non-Dualism found in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions erode hierarchies and brought change about change within the rigid caste system of India. Second half of this week’s podcast continues the dialog focusing on how the Vedic + Buddhist traditions both approach non-dualism, daily practice and bathroom humor. Stunning the Mind with Yoga – Episode #178 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Park Troopers on Unsplash This podcast was recorded at Menla’s Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2016 ‘Buddha & The Yogis’ Retreat with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell + Robert A.F. Thurman. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation & esoteric study at this year’s ‘Buddha & The Yogis: The Divine Feminine Retreat with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman & Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Stunning the Mind with Yoga is an excerpt from the archive recordings from the Tibet House US retreat “Buddha & the Yogis” with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell and Robert A.F. Thurman recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2011. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives. Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman & Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor please visit: www.menla.us.

In this podcast extra Professor Robert A.F. Thurman leads an extended Nine Fold Purification Breath Meditation from the Yuthok Nyingthig as taught by Dr Nida Chenagtsang. This practice, also known as “Expelling the Dead Air” begins with by sitting in the Vairocana Meditation posture and then visualizing moving energy with the breath through the Central, Left + Right Channels to clear blockages, decrease negativity and increase clarity. According to Tibetan Medicine, ultimate health can only be achieved when approached from the perspective of body, energy, and mind together. Yuthok Nyingthig is considered the most important practice for Tibetan medicine healing practitioners- helping one reveal the rainbow body that is each person’s natural state. This 9 Fold Breath Meditation was excerpted in the second half of  Episode #176 “Bias, Racism + Buddhism ” of the from the Bob Thurman Podcast.   This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York & brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman & Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative & theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews & one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. About The Yuthok Nyingthig The Yuthok Nyingthig (Tib. གཡུ་ཐོག་སྙིང་ཐིག་), the ‘Heart Essence of Yuthok’, composed by Yuthok the Younger, the great 12th Century Tibetan yogi-physician is a complete cycle of Vajrayana Buddhist practice, beginning with the preliminary practices (Tib. སྔོན་འགྲོ་ “ngöndro”) and progressing through the development and completion stage practices to the highest practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. It is characterized by its concise and simple methods which bring about both worldly benefits, including improved health and longevity, as well as the ultimate benefit of complete spiritual liberation. The Yuthok Nyingthig is the main spiritual practice of Tibetan physicians, and it contains many unique techniques to heighten the intuition and healing capacities of the doctor. These practices eliminate and prevent illness, lengthen the life span of the practitioner and bring all levels of spiritual accomplishment. As the great master, Guru Rinpoche said, ‘of all activities, the first should be long life practice. If life is long, it can be virtuous, and the purpose of this life and the next can be achieved.” The Seven Meditation Postures of Vairocana 1. Sit Cross Legged, Ideally in full lotus position. 2. Sit with the Spine Straight with vertebrae balanced like a “stack of golden coins”. 3. Clasp the hands in Vajra Fists (Thumb on Ring finger, back of fist pushed down inside each leg) 4. Press the tongue to the palate, just behind the teeth. 5. Lift the shoulders with straightened arms like folded eagle’s wings 6.

Reincarnation as Buddha taught it to his community of mendicants suggests that everyone has at some time or another been born in every conceivable species, race, gender, or class. Professor Thurman opens this two part podcast discussing the Buddhist perspective on reincarnation and how the on rigid barriers such, caste, race, sex or class tend to be eroded through the acceptance of karmic biology. Examining bias + racism on a personal level, Robert A.F. Thurman shares insights learned from the teachings of Jey Tsongkhapa, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet and his life long study of Buddhism and the Buddhist Inner Sciences. The second half of this week’s podcast is an in-depth guided Nine Fold Breath Meditation from the Yuthok Tradtion as taught by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York & brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community. Bias, Racism + Buddhism Photo by Ryan McGuire, All Rights Reserved. To listen to the full Nine (9) Fold Breath Meditation by Robert A.F. Thurman excerpted in the second half of this week’s podcast please visit: www.bobthruman.com. Bias, Racism + Buddhism – Ep. 173 of the Bob Thurman Podcast is apart the Practicing Buddhism Series.  

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman is joined by Richard Freeman, John Campbell + Mary Taylor for a discussion of the connections between the Buddhist Inner Sciences + the Vedic Yoga Traditions and how the two streams of self-transformation when practiced together can positively affect our relationships, communities and the wider world in unexpected ways. Sharing the spiritual history of the International Pathwork Foundation’s Phoenicia, New York property before it was donated to Tibet House US to become Menla Retreat, Robert A.F. Thurman reflects on the work of Eva Pierrakos + The Guide contextualizing it within a Yoga or Yogic perspective. First half of podcast includes a discussion of breathing meditation practices, the subtle body, the place (and value) of secrecy in initiatory traditions and how an understanding of emptiness and the interrelated nature of reality can make one feel responsible for the world we construct everyday through the use of our imagination enough to take compassionate, wise action. Podcast concludes with an in-depth teaching on Vinyasa, Buddhist Vajra breathing and on the Twenty One Taras mantra practice. Body as Holy Grail : Yoga, Breath + Imagination Photo by Fares Nimri on Unsplash This podcast was recorded at Menla’s Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2016 ‘Buddha & The Yogis’ Retreat with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell + Robert A.F. Thurman. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation & esoteric study at this year’s ‘Buddha & The Yogis: The Divine Feminine Retreat with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman & Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Body as Holy Grail : Yoga, Breath + Imagination is an excerpt from the archive recordings from the Tibet House US retreat “Buddha & the Yogis” with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell and Robert A.F. Thurman recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2017. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Ti