Buddhist Geeks

Ken McLeod joins Vincent Horn for the start of a conversation examining some of the painful generational gaps that occur between students and teachers. They begin by exploring the question of how to skillfully deal with this gap, and in particular what kinds of gaps are most common. Vincent brings up some of the tensions he has felt and noticed, many of which are usually only discussed “behind closed doors”. This leads into one of the most pressing areas where tension is felt between the generations, with that of technology.This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Communication Gap.Episode Links:Pragmatic Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/1S1bMYw )Philosophy as a Way of Life ( http://amzn.to/GQsNQ8 )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Rob McNamara is a psychology professor, zen practitioner, and strength trainer who works at the intersection of strength training and contemplative practice. In this episode McNamara explains how his experiences in the gym helped him understand the purpose of meditation, and how both inner and outer strength are deeply intertwined. He describes how strength training can stretch both the upper and lower boundaries of the ego, helping us learn how to not check out when things get uncomfortable, nor space out when we have an opportunity to relax deeply and let go.Episode Links:www.robmcnamara.comStrength to Awaken ( http://amzn.to/ysYV4H )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, Diane Hamilton explores Enlightenment, not as a binary state, but from a developmental point of view, as ever-expanding identification. Hamilton explains, and then demonstrates through the Big Mind Process, the value of taking on the perspective of others to help resolve disputes and come to greater understanding of human development.Episode Links:www.dianemushohamilton.comThe Most Fundamental Duality ( http://bit.ly/1S1brVD )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Rohan Gunatillake, in this presentation taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, explores how Buddhism can learn from the suffering of other established systems such as the music, publishing and journalism industries. Rohan outlines his presentation based on the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, explains how he used the concepts presented to launch an iPhone app, and challenges other entrepreneurs to join in the quest to bring these values to other business initiatives.Episode Links:http://rohangunatillake.combuddhify ( http://buddhify.com )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, Kelly McGonigal, PhD in Health Psychology, speaks on how the neuroscience of meditation can help us understand how practice shapes the mind and can also offer fresh insights into concepts like mindfulness and suffering. As Dr. McGonigal presents various scientific studies that show differences in the brain functioning between meditators and non-meditators, she highlights how meditation practice benefits the practitioner in various ways such as higher pain thresholds and reduced depression.Episode Links:www.kellymcgonigal.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Ari Goldfield and Rose Taylor are Buddhist teachers and translators . Goldfield is a Buddhist translator and teacher who has studied and practiced under the close guidance of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche since 1995. Taylor is a Buddhist translator and second-generation Buddhist teacher who teaches Buddhist meditation, philosophy, yogic exercise and dance, and classical Tibetan language to Westerners as well as to the nuns at Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s nunneries in Bhutan and Nepal. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn they recount how each discovered their paths and together they explain the “songs of yogic joy”, one of the unique aspects of the Kagyu path of Tibetan Buddhism. As a special treat Goldfield and Taylor end the episode with two examples of this type of singing meditation.Episode Links:Wisdom Sun ( http://www.wisdomsun.org )Stars of Wisdom ( http://www.starsofwisdom.info )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Lodro Rinzler is a next generation Buddhist teacher in the Shambhala tradition and author of “The Buddha Walks Into a Bar.” In our discussion we focus primarily on the ways in which Generation Y is relating differently to dharma–from sex and relationships, to technological changes and instantaneous connection, to working with 1st generation Western teachers. We explore what differences are merely generational and which are more fundamental to our unique time and place.Episode Links:www.LodroRinzler.comThe Buddha Walks Into a Bar: A Guide to Life for a New Generation ( http://amzn.to/zzexf6 )Gampo Abbey ( http://www.gampoabbey.org )Shambhala Meditation Center of New York ( http://ny.shambhala.org )The Reciprocity Foundation ( http://www.reciprocityfoundation.org )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Martine Batchelor joins Buddhist Geeks again, this time to explore the way that the roles of teacher and student are changing in contemporary times. While acknowledging various teacher models in the Buddhist tradition, she lays out the reasons she prefers the good friend, or adviser model that you find in the Theravada and Korean traditions. She speaks about the dangers of priming students as well as the dangers in teachers not acknowledging their own limitations and shortcomings. She then lays out a way of teaching that focuses on the fundamentals of developing concentration and inquiry, instead of focusing on a particular technique of meditation.This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Practicing at the Crossroads.Episode Links:www.MartineBatchelor.orgThe Buddhist Teachers Council ( http://bit.ly/1S1aJYr )The Timeless Tradition of Spiritual Apprenticeship ( http://bit.ly/1S1aI6Z )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Martine Batchelor was a nun in a Korean Buddhist monastery for 10 years, where she followed a traditional path of practice and exploration. We speak about her journey in becoming a nun, what the rhythms of that life were like, what practices she undertook, and how she came to integrate, and deepen, the understanding she uncovered during her decade of training there.The episode concludes with a compelling conversation about the multi-perspectival nature of human beings, and how we’re constantly practicing at a crossroads between various aspects of our lives.This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Myth of the Teacher.Episode Links:www.MartineBatchelor.orgChinul and the Hwadu Meditation ( http://www.openbuddha.com/2010/09/09/chinul-and-the-hwadu-meditation/ )Master Dahui ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahui_Zonggao )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Vincent Horn is a co-founder and director of Buddhist Geeks. In this talk, originally given at the Pacific Asia Art Museum, he explores the interdisciplinary insights to be gained by combining geek culture’s radical experimentation, facility with external technologies, and forward-thinking with Buddhism’s wisdom of the human condition, mind-training systems, and familiarity with the inner world.This talk, with slides, is also available to watch as a video here: http://bit.ly/vdwNtEEpisode Links:Steve Jobs ( http://amzn.to/ufoZks )Buddhify ( http://buddhify.com )Shinzen Young: The Hybrid Teacher ( http://bit.ly/1S1a5dq )See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe