Buddhist Geeks

“Look to your experience in dreams to know how you will fare in death. Look to your experience of sleep to discover whether or not you are truly awake.” – Tenzin Wangyal RinpocheTenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, an esteemed teacher in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, joins us to discuss the importance of sleep in relation to the spiritual path. Since we spend nearly a third of our lives asleep, the focus on sleep and dream practice becomes of utmost important for those practitioners that want to make the best of the time they have.Listen in to find out more about the Bon tradition, the dissolution of the sense of self during sleep, and the way that dream practices can contribute to greater awareness during both sleep and death.This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Yogas of Dream and Sleep.Episode Links:The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep ( http://bit.ly/IjSZC )Ligmincha Institute ( https://www.ligmincha.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

Melvin McLeod, Editor-in-Chief of the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma magazines, concludes his conversation with us, this time discussing the inevitable tensions that arise in Buddhist media. These tensions center primarily around going deep vs. spreading wide. Listen in to hear how these magazines find the middle ground between condemning Buddhism to the irrelevant on the one hand (too much depth) and selling out on the other (too much breadth).Also at the end Melvin shares the specific ways that their publications are looking to integrate new media technologies into their projects. Exciting times!This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Peering Under the Hood of Buddhist Media.Episode Links:BuddhaDharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly ( http://www.thebuddhadharma.com )Shambhala Sun ( http://www.shambhalasun.com )One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/dy5egV )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

“Buddhism offers the most profound critique or criticism of life imaginable in it’s analysis of the role of ego, and of the nature of samsara, as well as in its basic doctrine of emptiness. There could hardly be a more profound critique of life then to say that neither your nor it exists.” – Melvin McLeodMelvin McLeod, Editor-in-Chief of the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma magazines, joins us to share his perspective on the differences and similarities that Buddhist media sources have with more traditional media. Listen in to find out more about the philosophical underpinnings of a publication that has at it’s heart a commitment to the teachings of non-ego.This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Inevitable Tension: Going Deep vs. Spreading Wide.Episode Links:Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place ( http://bit.ly/KnkeU )Shambhala Sun ( http://www.shambhalasun.com )BuddhaDharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly ( http://www.thebuddhadharma.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

“At any moment the Yellowstone caldera could blow up, wipe out %99 of the life on the surface of the planet, and probably all humans, and in our last minutes the degree of equanimity with which we face that prospect is the test of our dharmic fortitude and wisdom.” – James HughesIn our final episode with professor James Hughes we tackle the less rosy side of Transhumanism, which has to do with massive existential threats and risks. Though there are many natural risks that could threaten humanity as a whole, including large asteriod collisions, gamma bursts, and super volcanoes, the Transhumanist recognize a whole host of other ways that we could threaten ourselves with advanced technologies.In addition to discussing these threats and all of the possible side traps on the way toward a more techno-utopian future, James ties these together with our understanding of the dharma. He argues that even in a techno-utopian future (assuming we make it), we will still have to deal with annica—the ever changing flow of reality.This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Transhumanism and the Authentic Self and part 2, Cyborg Buddhas & Techno-Utopian Pure Lands!Episode Links:The Cyborg Buddha Project ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/cyborgbuddha ( http://bit.ly/Wh12u )Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The FutureThe Lifeboat Foundation ( http://www.lifeboat.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

With radical advances in science in technology would it be possible for us to turn our world into a so-called, “Buddha Realm” or would it be more likely that we create some sort of God Realm, where awakening is discouraged because the conditions are so radically pleasant? And how specifically could these advances help us develop spiritually, on the path toward Buddhahood?This week, we discuss this and other questions with professor James Hughes, author of the upcoming book Cyborg Buddha. If you want to have your views regarding technology and it’s relation to the Buddhist path challenged, please listen in!This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Transhumanism and the Authentic Self and part 3, Existential Threats and Risks: We Can’t Escape Impermanence!Episode Links:The Cyborg Buddha Project ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/cyborgbuddha )Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The Future ( http://amzn.to/1HOESA8 )Technologies of Self-Perfection ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/hughes20040922/ )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

“The longer our lives, the more we’ll have a chance to see that there’s no self living them.” – James HughesWhat is Transhumanism and how is it related to Buddhist practice? Will technology enable us to radically extend our lifespans, help us control our thoughts and emotions, and bring about the potential to upload our consciousness into virtual reality spaces? And if so, what are the deeper implications for our contemplative traditions. Will these advances actually support the deepening of wisdom? According to professor James Hughes, a Buddhist practitioner and leading voice in the Transhumanist movement, these advances will enable us to deconstruct the notion and experience we have of an “authentic self” and will support the development of happiness, and the cessation of suffering. Listen in to find out how…This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to part 2, Cyborg Buddhas & Techno-Utopian Pure Lands! and part 3, Existential Threats and Risks: We Can’t Escape Impermanence!Episode Links:The Illusiveness of Immortality ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/430/ )Zen and the Brain ( http://bit.ly/KxYDq )The Cyborg Buddha Project ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/cyborgbuddha )Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The Future ( http://bit.ly/Wh12u )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

“I do not believe in an after life, although I am bringing a change of underwear.” – Woody AllenThe Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche joins us again, this time to discuss the importance of the teachings of rebirth in the Western context. He also gives many detailed suggestions on how to work with suffering in practice, especially when your awareness of it becomes more acute–a common occurrence in practice. We finish off this fantastic dialogue with Rinpoche hearing his thoughts on transplanting Buddhism to the west to form a genuine form of western buddhism.This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Analytical Meditation: Going Beyond Coffee Table Dharma and part 2, The Best Preparation for Dying Well is Living Well.Episode Links:Bodhi Magazine ( http://www.bodhionline.org )Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche ( http://dpr.info )Mind Beyond Death ( http://bit.ly/OJHKT )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

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is the only Rinpoche we know who owns and uses a Blackberry! Rinpoche shares with us the different ways that he has adopted modern technology into the work that he does and into his teaching style. We also speak with Rinpoche about his most recent book, which explores the Bardo teachings, Mind Beyond Death. Rinpoche explains to us that death, one of the greatest sources of suffering, gives us a palpable opportunity to live well. He also points out that in terms of the trained mind, both death and life are but two sides of the same coin. Both can bring about enlightenment.This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Analytical Meditation: Going Beyond Coffee Table DharmaEpisode Links:Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche ( http://dpr.info )Bodhi Magazine ( http://www.bodhionline.org )Mind Beyond Death ( http://bit.ly/OJHKT )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

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, one of the foremost teachers in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism, joins us to discuss his efforts in creating a genuinely Western form of the traditional shedra tract of Buddhist learning. This traditional scholastic training system is being translated and slightly altered for Westerners so that they can learn the full system of monastic training. In this episode we spoke with Rinpoche about the ways that these systems are being altered for Westerners, how this in-depth training is different from “coffee table dharma”, and how analytic meditation—using the mind to analyze the mind—actually works.This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to part 2, The Best Preparation for Dying Well is Living Well.Episode Links:Nitartha Institute ( http://www.nitarthainstitute.org )Bodhi Magazine ( http://www.bodhionline.org )Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche ( http://dpr.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

Long-time American Zen practitioner Stuart Lachs has spent some 40 years practicing Zen. First with Suzuki Roshi at the Tassajara Monastery in California and then with Eido Shimano Roshi, Walter Nowick, and finally with Ch’an Master Sheng-yen. In all of these communities Stuart ran up against strange and unfortunate dynamics playing out between the Zen Master and their communities. After getting heavily involved with the academic and sociological study of Zen, Stuart began seeing some of the cultural (and invisible) reasons that these communities would falter, whether from sexual scandals, the intense vanity of the teacher, or worse.In this episode he shares with us some of the ways that the legitimacy, authority & power of the Zen Master are spread through the Zen institution, and how these sometimes ridiculous ideals are accepted without questions from many intelligent, well-meaning, people. If you’re a Buddhist practitioner of any sort, you won’t want to miss this conversation!This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Darker Side of Zen: Institutions Defining Reality.Episode Links:Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves ( http://mandala.hr/samsara/Stuart_Lachs.The_Zen_Master_in_America.pdf )The Sacred Canopy ( http://bit.ly/Svhwi )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