Bob Thurman Podcast: Buddhas Have More Fun!

Using “The Vimalakirti Sutra” as a guide Robert Thurman gives an introduction to the historical Buddha’s insight into the blissful nature of reality and to the practical tools of positive transformation found through out his teachings. “In this passionate, incisive, and often hilarious joyride of the mind and spirit, Thurman explores: mindful communities as “enlightenment factories” and how they have sparked “inner” revolutions throughout history; the Buddha’s philosophy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of real happiness; how compassion and nonduality spur social action; the vision of sacred texts for the future of humanity; and much more.” Podcast includes a short history of the Three Vehicles of Buddhism and to the Four Noble Truths. Recorded during the San Francisco Zen Center’s Buddhism at Millennium’s Edge year long series, Millennial Consciousness: Bliss & Buddhaverses – Ep. 271 of the Bob Thurman Podcast is excerpted “Making the World We Want” by Robert A.F. Thurman, Available via www.audible.com.

Opening with a reading of the mind expanding descriptions of the multitude of Gods, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Divine Creatures found in “The Vimalakirti Sutra”, Robert Thurman gives a concise teaching on the nature of Dharma as taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. “The Vimalakirti Sutra teaches a nondualistic wisdom and reconciliation of dichotomies. It challenges ordinariness and reveals systematic and effective ways of tapping higher potentials while upholding one’s usual responsibilities and enriching long-term relationships. Robert Thurman examines one of the most sacred texts of Mahayana Buddhism, The Vimalakirti-nirdesha Sutra. To any Buddhist practitioner, particularly those of Vajrayana Buddhism and Zen, this sutra is of the utmost importance. Unlike most sutras, its central figure is not a Buddha, but an ordinary man, who, in his mastery of the teaching and spiritual practice, personifies the ideal lay believer, assuring commoners that they can reach levels of spiritual attainment comparable to those accessible to monks. The sutra teaches, among other subjects, the meaning of non-duality Thurman discusses the background of the sutra, its place in the development of Buddhist thought, and the profundities of its principal teaching: emptiness.” In The Garden of Amrapali: Buddhism and the Multiverse is excerpted from “The Yoga of Ordinary Living” by Robert A.F. Thurman, Available via www.betterlisten.com.

In this episode Robert Thurman is joined by Tenzin Metok, founder of the Medicine Buddha App, which allows you to book online consultations with Tibetan doctors and wellness practitioners. Through THUS | Menla’s sponsorship, this app will allow you to make donations to directly sponsor the medical training of aspiring Tibetan doctors at the Men-Tsee-Khang in India! Men-Tsee-Khang is the largest and oldest Tibetan Medical & Astro-science Institute, established in Tibet by HH the XIII Dalai Lama in 1916 and re-established by the XIV Dalai Lama in India in 1961. To educate each doctor it costs $5000, plus $500 in administrative and other fees. When you choose to use the Medicine Buddha app you are supporting a 100% Tibetan employed team and helping to expand the influence and reach of Tibetan culture internationally. We thank you for your generous support, if you cannot donate, please share this podcast episode and download the free ap. Every share, download, mention and donation helps!

Spiritual disciplines often seen remote from the realities of our daily lives. Yet there is a Mahayana Scripture which presents a model of enlightened practice in the midst of urban living, the Vimalakirti Sutra. This teaches a nondualistic wisdom and reconciliation of dichotomies. It challenges ordinariness and reveals systematic and effective ways of tapping higher potentials while upholding one’s usual responsibilities and enriching long-term relationships. Robert Thurman examines one of the most sacred texts of Mahayana Buddhism, The Vimalakirti-nirdesha Sutra. To any Buddhist practitioner, particularly those of Vajrayana Buddhism and Zen, this sutra is of the utmost importance. Unlike most sutras, its central figure is not a Buddha, but an ordinary man, who, in his mastery of the doctrine and religious practice, personifies the ideal lay believer, assuring commoners that they can reach levels of spiritual attainment comparable to those accessible to monks. The sutra teaches, among other subjects, the meaning of non-duality Thurman discusses the background of the sutra, its place in the development of Buddhist thought, and the profundities of its principal doctrine: emptiness. This episode is an excerpt from “The Yoga of Ordinary Living” by Robert A.F. Thurman, Available via www.betterlisten.com.

Dr. Eric Rosenbush has devoted his life to the study of the traditional sciences of Asia, their botanical treasures, ancient texts and living transmissions. For over 20 years, he has studied with masters of Tibetan, Chinese, and Ayurvedic medicines, and currently maintains a clinical practice in California. Eric frequently teaches courses on Sowa Rigpa and other ancient sciences in many locations around the world, and translates medical texts from the Tibetan and Sanskrit languages. Under Dr. Nida Chenagtsang and other senior Tibetan doctors in the US and Asia, Eric learned the practice of Sowa Rigpa, Traditional Tibetan medicine. In addition to Masters and Doctoral university studies in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, Eric studied with senior practitioners working with classical traditions of Chinese herbal medicine and pulse diagnosis. He also lived in India for many years, studying and practicing Ayurveda, Jyotish, and Hindustani music. In additional to clinical practice and teaching, Eric is also involved with various charitable projects, directing the Ngakmang Foundation, a nonprofit organization working in Tibet to preserve the lineage of Ngakpas – Tibetan yogis, supporting Sowa Rigpa education in Nepal, and other projects in the Himalayan regions. In 2006 with Dr. Nida he founded what would become the Sorig Institute of Tibetan Medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area. From 2015, Eric mostly lived in tropical and alpine areas of India, working with the Dunagiri Foundation cultivating threatened medicinal plants and treating patients. For more information about Eric please visit: www.gunanatha.com.

In this fast paced teaching recorded at the New York Open Center, Professor Thurman introduces the Buddha’s teachings through an exploration of Buddhist Mandalas and their counterparts across history and in Western culture. Opening with an overview of the architecture used in the design of Buddhist Tantric mandalas Robert Thurman uses personal stories, popular culture and world history to demystify the intricate tools of inner and outer transformation they contain. “Mandala is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning “sacred circle that protects the soul.” It also refers to the sacred cosmograms that serve as core symbols of all cultures. Westerners have been fascinated for centuries about the mandalas of the Hindu-Buddhist cultures of Asia, most often painted geometric diagrams of great beauty and sophistication, that draw the viewer into a realm of balance, harmony, and calm. But such diagrams are actually architectural blueprints of the purified realm of bliss that we can only realize through enlightenment. They represent three-dimensional spaces of personal and communal exaltation, palaces for the regal confidence of love, compassion, and universal satisfaction of self and other. Understanding their role in anchoring the world-picture of a culture or a person provides a new insight into the “mandalas” of our own culture – the national space anchored by the Washington monument and its environs, or the personal cosmological space anchored by the models of the solar system, the DNA double-helix molecule, and the atom.” -Robert A.F. Thurman This episode is an excerpt from “World Mandala” by Robert A.F. Thurman, Available via www.betterlisten.com.    

In this extended episode, Professor Thurman is joined by Ayurveda pioneer, author and translator Dr. Robert E. Svoboda for an in-depth dialog on the inner and outer yogic sciences and their experiences studying with Indian, Tibetan and Himalayan adepts, yogis and scholars. The podcast includes: an exploration of the history of holistic healing in the West and its relationship to Yoga, Ayurveda and Tibetan Medicine; a discussion of the interrelationship of Vajrayana, tantra and the ancient wisdom traditions of India, Tibet, China, Japan, and South East Asia; and personal stories from their encounters with His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Yeshi Dhonden, Geshe Wangyal, and the Aghori Vimalananda. Dr. Robert E. Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training Robert was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. The author of more than a dozen books, including the bestseller “Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity and Ayurveda for Women”, he lived in India for more than a decade, after which he has continued to spend much of each year there and in other lands. To learn more about the work and teachings of Dr. Robert Svoboda, please visit his website: www.drsvoboda.com.

In this episode Robert Thurman share’s his thoughts on the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, the holiday celebrations that mark the occasion of the Buddha’s initial public teachings and the inherent fun and friendly nature of the wisdom and compassion found in the Four Noble Truths. Recorded on Chokhor Duchen to celebrate the Buddha’s Heart Sutra or Prajnaparamita teaching, The Four Noble Truths they contain, and the launch of Professor Thurman’s new book “Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life” Available from Hay House on August, 3rd, 2021. This episode explores the Four Noble Truths as a joyful exploration into the nature of reality through Buddha’s threefold curriculum of “super-education” and the Eight Fold Path. From the book: “Buddha had to be an educator, rather than a prophet or religion founder, since he had achieved his goal of exact and complete understanding of reality by using reason, experiments to open his own mind, and vision to do so. From his own experience, he could help [others] as a teacher by streamlining the process. He could not just transplant his realization into their minds. They could not get their own realizations just by believing whatever he said. He could only provide them with a prospect of full realization along a path of learning and experiencing they could follow-they would have to travel on their own. This book is your invitation to travel that same road. Deeply felt and bracingly direct, it doesn’t teach about the teaching-it is the teaching. Get ready to get real, and have fun along the way, as you chart a path to reliable, lasting happiness.” To learn more about “Wisdom is Bliss”, Available as a Kindle E-Book and in hardcover through Hay House, Please visit www.bobthurman.com. Four Fun Friendly Facts: Four Noble Truths Thumbnail via www.himalayanart.org.

Robert A.F. Thurman is joined in this episode by Non-Sectarian Vajrayana Master Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche for a dialog on everyday spirituality and the value of practicing and preserving the esoteric traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Opening with a recommendation of Khentrul Rinpoche’s “The Realm of Shambhala A Complete Vision for Humanity’s Perfection” Professor Thurman interviews the third incarnation of the Kalachakra adept Ngawang Chözin Gyatso about his personal experiences as a reincarnate Tulku teaching and leading the inspiring non-sectarian movement of Buddhism down under in exile in Australia. Podcast includes: a short overview of Kalachakra translations and practice, an introduction to the myth and symbolism of the Kingdrom of Shambhala, a discussion of Bodhichitta and the difficulty of translating Western materialist concepts of spirituality, religion and creator gods into Tibetan.

In this inspiring talk recorded at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York Robert A.F. Thurman discusses the importance of happiness in every day life, in spiritual traditions and it’s central place in the life, work and vision of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet.