

Guru Viking Podcast
Guru Viking
The Guru Viking Podcast specializes in in-depth interviews with remarkable figures in the world of meditation, spirituality, and self development.
Steve travels internationally teaching somatic practices and meditation, and leads explorations in contemplative, mystic, & relational realms.
Steve travels internationally teaching somatic practices and meditation, and leads explorations in contemplative, mystic, & relational realms.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 5, 2021 • 2h 4min
Ep120: Meditation Virtuoso - Delson Armstrong
In this episode I am joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher and star student of Bhante Vimalaramsi, who’s senior student David Johnson has said ‘Delson Armstrong has mastered every practice we have given him. He is the most amazing student we have ever seen.’
In this interview, Delson recalls his early life training in the Himalayas where he mastered the system of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, attaining to all of its highest states of Samadhi; attained all 6 levels of Kriya Yoga under three separate lineages; studied Sanskrit; and was exposed to practices of Shaiva Tantra through students of Osho.
Delson shares his subsequent explorations of Buddhism, including Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and the TWIM practice of Bhante Vimalaramsi. Delson recounts and contrasts his experiences accomplishing the 8 jhanas, attaining the 4 levels of Buddhist awakening, and realising Rigpa.
Delson also reveals yogic feats such as recalling past lives and entering into a type of suspended animation called nirodha-samāpatti for up to six days, and reveals his passion for neuroscience and recent participation in a study at the University of Amsterdam that has examined his brain and body in this state of yogic suspension.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep120-meditation-virtuoso-delson-armstrong/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
01:17 - David Johnson’s endorsement
02:46 - Raised in America, and return to India
04:57 - First encounter with yoga
06:16 - Leaving school to study the practices of the yoga sutras and kriya yoga in the Himalayas
11:07 - Return to the US and meeting Bhante Vimalaramsi
14:29 - How was Delson able to master Raja Yoga, Kriya Yoga, and Buddhism so quickly?
15:17 - Raja Yoga path
23:56 - The Kriya Yoga path
26:29 - Delson’s timeline to mastery of Raja and Kriya yogas
28:51 - Brahmacharya and sexuality after realisation
31:34 - Is Delson beyond sexuality?
34:41 - Yogic vs Buddhist samadhi
41:13 - Studies of the Yoga Vasistha
46:00 - Intergalactic beings
47:09 - Studies of Shaiva Tantra
51:55 - Learning from Osho’s lineage
52:52 - Studying Dzogchen and Mahamudra with Lama Lena
55:10 - Rigpa vs TWIM
59:24 - Achieving all challenges set by Johnson and Bhante Vimalaramsi
01:07:14 - Attaining Stream Entry and the other path attainments
01:18:22 - How to see past lives and Delson’s previous life as a Sadhu
01:25:02 - Entering suspended animation of nirodha-samāpatti for 6 days
01:27:55 - Studied at University of Amsterdam
01:30:33 - Surprising results from the study
01:35:09 - Conflicts between traditional accounts and the scientific data
01:43:06 - Is Delson an outlier?
01:51:06 - Why do so few people become enlightened if anyone can do it?
01:54:30 - Why do people keep enlightenment secret?
01:55:35 - Delson’s view on his future
02:00:25 - Delson’s upcoming book and previous publications
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Previous episode with Bhante Vimalaramsi:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep112-bhante-vimalaramsi-relaxing-into-nibbana/
To find out more about Delson Armstrong, visit:
- https://www.suttavada.foundation/our-teachers/
- https://www.dhammasukha.org/
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Oct 29, 2021 • 1h 36min
Ep119: Sex and Enlightenment - Shinzen Young, Chelsey Fasano, Dr Jay Sanguinetti
In this episode we consider the effect of meditation practice and classical enlightenment on sexuality, as we continue the ongoing conversation between:
- Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant
- Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student
- Dr Jay Sanguinetti, Assistant Director for the Center for Consciousness Studies and Research Professor at the University of New Mexico
We recall Leigh Brasington’s statements in episode 115 that many of his students experience states of meditative absorption as erotic in nature, and we consider Chelsey’s observation that Leigh’s brain scans in these absorption states resemble images of the brain during orgasm.
I contrast early Buddhist scriptural statements which state that it is impossible for enlightened people to have sexual intercourse with later, highly sexual accounts of enlightened masters such as ‘The Saint of 5000 Women’, Drukpa Kunley, and Rinzai saint and erotic poet Ikkyū Sōjun, and pose the question, ‘What does the data say?’.
In the face of this apparent disagreement within the wisdom traditions about the effect of realisation on sexuality, what trends have the panel observed in the sexuality of their meditation students, and in their ultra-sound subjects, and what might that tell us about the real world consequences of deep meditation practice and/or brain stimulation aimed at classical enlightenment.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep119-sex-and-enlightenment-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-jay-sanguinetti/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
01:29 - Jhana and orgasm
04:31 - Buddha vs Durkpa Kunley
11:07 - Shinzen on the sutras
15:12 - Who was Drukpa Kunley?
17:13 - Ikkyu and Zen
18:52 - Are arhats impotent?
22:37 - Jay on relationship to drives
24:33 - Screwing up on the job
26:43 - Different practices, different results?
31:12 - Being enlightened vs acting enlightened
36:07 - The single most important factor
39:22 - What is integration?
44:47 - Ethical guidelines vs commandments
50:53 - What does the data say?
56:33 - Neuroscience interventions in sexuality
01:01:58 - A logical conundrum
01:03:08 - Shinzen’s experience from the field
01:06:23 - Can any human being be free of sin?
01:08:13 - Benchmarks vs complete liberation as an end point
01:10:58 - What does it mean to be a certified a teacher
01:13:36 - Jay analyses the logic
01:16:25 - Chelsey’s dimensional analysis
01:18:53 - A job for applied category theory
01:24:00 - Shinzen’s advice to mathematicians and category theorists
01:26:30 - Aversion and the system
01:28:39 - Compassion cascading
01:32:57 - Complex systems
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Previous episodes in this series:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknxjhwG5wmXRVfrkeGczVPVI
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To find out more about Shinzen, visit:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep37-shinzen-young-pandemic-edition-guru-viking-podcast/
- www.shinzen.org
To find out more about Chelsey, visit:
- www.chelseyfasano.com
To find our more about Dr Sanguinetti, visit:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep102-dr-jay-sanguinetti-cults-science-the-dalai-lama/
- https://www.jaysanguinetti.com/
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Oct 22, 2021 • 1h 1min
Ep118 - Zen & the Crucible - Henry Shukman 3
In this episode I am once again joined by Henry Shukman, award-winning poet, Zen teacher, and author of ‘One Blade of Grass; a Zen memoir’.
In this interview Henry discusses the dangers of early spiritual openings, reflects on personality changes after awakening, and questions the complexifying of enlightenment in such activities as the yogas of dream and sleep.
Henry also shares his own journey rediscovering the power of community as crucible, how to navigate religious trauma, and offers his thoughts on a viable formula for Zen in America.
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Video version at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep118-henry-shukman-3-zen-the-crucible/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
01:43 - What’s it all about?
05:29 - Early openings can cause trouble
11:24 - Self as a seed
15:54 - What happens to the self after awakening?
20:31 - Personality changes after awakening
27:14 - Zen and sleep yoga
31:06 - Complexifying enlightenment
34:32 - Nondual experience can assist trauma resolution
36:26 - Community and wearing down the sharp edges
41:00 - The lone wolf finds a guide
45:29 - Navigating sangha after religious trauma
49:48 - The negative influence of power on religious leaders
50:50 - A plausible formula for Zen community
53:23 - Henry’s zen is not religious
56:05 - The Sambo Zen lifestyle
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Previous episode with Henry Shukman:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep101-henry-shukman-one-blade-of-grass/
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep107-henry-shukman-2-zens-true-miracle/
To find out more about Henry Shukman, visit:
- https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/henry-shukman/
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Oct 15, 2021 • 1h 17min
Ep117: Angela Farmer - A Life In Yoga
In this interview I am joined by internationally renowned yoga teacher Angela Farmer.
Angela recounts the story of her life in yoga, from her birth in 1939 pre-war England, to her studies under yoga guru BKS Iyengar, to her international teaching career spanning over fifty years.
Angela reveals how after a decade of rigorous training under Iyengar, she broke away from strict asana practice to find her own path of listening to the body. Despite the resultant blacklisting by the yoga community, Angela uncovered a radically different way of practicing yoga.
Angela also shares what it means to be receptive to life in the face of fear, trauma, and change, and offers her heart advice to women of all ages.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep117-angela-farmer-a-life-in-yoga/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Angela’s childhood during WW2
04:37 - Differences between girls’ and boys’ education
08:02 - Major childhood injuries and surgeries
14:20 - Reading Huxley and discovering yoga
16:30 - Meeting B.K.S. Iyengar and time in India
22:01 - Challenges teaching yoga in English schools
25:37 - Teaching career in America and meeting Victor van Kooten
27:31 - Breaking from Iyengar and beginning to feel the body
31:25 - Injuries incurred practicing Iyengar yoga
35:34 - Radical change in teaching style
39:38 - Connecting to the woman inside
44:18 - How to be with the body
47:18 - Working with fear and trauma
53:17 - Do you really want to hug?
55:54 - Receptivity vs passivity
59:56 - Being a woman
01:05:34 - Being blacklisted by the Iyengar school
01:12:36 - Angela’s heart advice to women
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To find our more about Angela, visit:
- https://angela-victor.com/
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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Oct 8, 2021 • 1h 24min
Ep116: Occult of Personality - Greg Kaminsky
In this interview I am joined by Greg Kaminsky, host of the Occult of Personality podcast and author of ‘Pronaos: Reflections on the Preliminary Practices of Buddhist Tantra’.
In this episode, Greg details over twenty years of extensive occult studies, including his daily magickal practice regime, and reveals why an encounter with American born spiritual teacher Traktung Khepa Rinpoche, saw him leave the path of Western esotericism in favour of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Greg shares just why Traktung Rinpoche impressed him so much, and contrasts the view of magic and entity binding in the occult and Buddhist traditions.
Greg also discusses his new book on ngondro, so-called preliminary practices involving hundreds of thousands of repetitions of special prayers and prostrations, and recounts the profound spiritual transformations that occurred when he himself took up this practice.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep116-greg-kaminsky-occult-of-personality/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Greg’s book on ngondro
04:04 - Upbringing and early mystical experiences
06:36 - Exploring Western Esotericism, Freemasonry, & Tarot
09:01 - Transformative kundalini experience on salvia divinorum
11:48 - Greg’s daily magickal practice regime and its results
16:41 - Siddhis and working with angelic entities
19:51- Binding spirits in tantra vs occultism
21:58 - Meeting Traktung Khepa Rinpoche
24:55 - Who is Traktung Khepa Rinpoche?
26:55 - Assessing the teacher
32:45 - An inability to follow instruction
33:49 - Teaching in casual situations
36:52 - Does Traktung Rinpoche have any teachers?
38:09 - Unseen teachers
41:23 - Is Traktung Rinpoche’s biography known?
43:13 - Is Traktung Rinpoche connected with the wider Tibetan Buddhist community?
46:22 - What is ngondro practice?
52:24 - Intensity of practice a key ingredient for transformation
56:27 - Physical injury as spiritual purification
01:02:01 - Sarno back pain and learning by experience
01:03:56 - Managing lyme disease
01:07:10 - Changes to Greg’s life after ngondro
01:09:35 - Greg’s daily practice
01:13:04 - Working for his guru and upcoming publishing projects
01:14:20 - The Grail legends and the spiritual path
01:20:27 - The place of failure
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To find our more about Greg, visit:
- https://harvard-ext.academia.edu/GregKaminsky
- http://occultofpersonality.net/
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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

10 snips
Oct 1, 2021 • 1h 46min
Ep115: Jhana, Ego, & Orgasm - Leigh Brasington, Shinzen Young, Chelsey Fasano, & Dr Sanguinetti
In this episode special guest Leigh Brasington, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of ‘Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas’, joins the ongoing conversation featuring:
- Shinzen Young, meditation teacher and neuroscience research consultant
- Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience student
- Dr Jay Sanguinetti, Assistant Director for the Center for Consciousness Studies and Research Professor at the University of New Mexico
In this episode Shinzen and Leigh engage in a detailed discussion about the variety of classifications of jhana in Buddhist scripture and the competing interpretations of them that exist today.
They examine the contents and political context of 5th century text the Visuddhimagga and its author Buddhagosa and consider possible conflicts between its jhana system and the those of the Sutta and Abhidhamma literature.
Chelsey reveals fascinating research on the neuroscience of pleasure and its relationship to meditational bliss, Jay shares the research on cognitive bias and religious belief, and the group ask the question if jhana and kriya phenomena are actually forms of epileptic seizure.
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Video version available at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep115-jhana-ego-orgasm-leigh-brasington-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-sanguinetti/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics Include:
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Sutta vs Visuddhimagga jhanas
06:53 - Complete absorption and nimitta
09:35 - Do jhanas confer an evolutionary advantage?
11:54 - Orgasmic jhanas
14:18 - Shinzen and Leigh discuss jhanas and lineage
25:40 - How enlightened was Buddhagosa?
29:55 -Sutta vs Abhidhamma vs Visuddhimagga
33:01 - Why did the Visuddhimagga become so popular?
37:14 - Leigh’s orientation vs Shinzen’s orientation
43:36 - The spiritual ego
47:11 - Cognitive bias and defense mechanisms in spiritual practice
54:38 - Sutta Nipāta on dogmatism and bias
59:05 - Is grasping fundamental to the brain?
01:01:54 - Leigh’s enlightenment test
01:07:34 - The nature of pleasure
01:14:28 - Reducing inhibition to reveal states of bliss
01:15:33 - Centre-surround neurons
01:22:25 - Sensory processing according to Buddhism
01:27:24 - The neuroscience of pleasure
01:32:43 - Jhana and kriya as kinds of epileptic seizure
01:42:58 - Leigh’s upcoming book on dependent origination
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Previous episodes in this series:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknxjhwG5wmXRVfrkeGczVPVI
To find out more about Leigh, visit,
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep18-leigh-brasington-guru-viking-interviews/
- http://www.leighb.com/
- Case Study of Ecstatic Meditation: fMRI and EEG Evidence of Self-Stimulating a Reward System - https://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/2013/653572/
- How Many Jhanas Are There? http://www.leighb.com/howmanyjhanas.htm
To find out more about Shinzen, visit:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep37-shinzen-young-pandemic-edition-guru-viking-podcast/
- www.shinzen.org
To find out more about Chelsey, visit:
- www.chelseyfasano.com
To find our more about Dr Sanguinetti, visit:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep102-dr-jay-sanguinetti-cults-science-the-dalai-lama/
- https://www.jaysanguinetti.com/
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Sep 24, 2021 • 1h 57min
Ep114: Lineage - Who May Teach The Authentic Dharma? - Dhammarato & Daniel Ingram
n this episode I host a dialogue between Dhammarato and Daniel Ingram on the question ‘Lineage: Who May Teach The Authentic Dharma?’.
Dhammarato is a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition, a student of the meditation master Bikkhu Buddhadasa, and is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype.
Daniel Ingram is an independent Buddhist author and co-founder of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC), a multidisciplinary, multinational alliance of researchers, clinicians, and patrons who share a vision of bringing scientific methods and clinical sensibilities to the study of emergent phenomena.
In this episode Dhammarato and Daniel offer various definitions of the word ‘lineage’ and debate the value of lineage authorisation as a qualification to teach the Buddhist religion.
Dhammarato recalls his own monastic training in what he calls the ‘noble lineage’ under teachers such as a Ajahn Po and Bikkhu Buddhadasa and critiques the lack of authentic lineage in the West, while Daniel reflects on the pros and cons of the concept of lineage purity and institutional persecution of the outsider.
Dhammarato and Daniel also consider generational preferences in lineage styles, the roles of religious institutions, and predict the evolution of Buddhism in America.
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Video version at https://www.guruviking.com/ep114-lineage-who-may-teach-the-authentic-dharma-dhammarato-daniel-ingram/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics Include:
00:00 - Intro
01:59 - Lineage - who may teach the authentic dharma
03:36 - Dhammarato’s opening address
18:51 -Daniel’s opening address
33:31 - What is lineage?
38:55 - Lack of lineage in the West
41:57 - Christopher Titmuss on what makes a dharma teacher
44:31 - Aesthetics vs dhamma
47:59 - Dhammarato’s noble training under Ajahn Po
54:10 - Goenka approach is the end a lineage
55:42 - Lineage as family and pure blood perspective
59:04 - Noble vs ordinary lineage
01:06:48 - Lineage as outsourced social proof
01:13:08 - Spending time with role models
01:20:37 - The roles of institutions
01:24:20 - With whom should you share your attainments?
01:31:11 - The maverick and the institution
01:33:02 - Generational preferences
01:37:22 - The evolutional of Western Buddhism
01:43:23 - Evaluating competency and judging others
01:44:07 - Daniel’s closing address
01:49:00 - Dhammarato’s closing address
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Dhammarato Episode Playlist
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va
Daniel Ingram Episode Playlist
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdkny_MJSecHyvKHPpvxTskBAC
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To find out more about Dhammarato, visit:
- https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ
To find out more about Daniel, visit:
- https://theeprc.org/
- integrateddaniel.info
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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Sep 17, 2021 • 1h 20min
Ep113: American Gurus - Arthur Versluis PhD 2
In this interview, I am once again joined by Professor Arthur Versluis, a professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University, author of over 25 books on subjects ranging from Western esotericism, magic, Christian Theosophy, ancient mystery schools, and more.
In this episode we discuss Arthur’s 2015 book, ‘American Gurus’ and trace the uniquely American cultural and philosophical factors that lead to the prevalence of independent spiritual teachers such as Adi Da, Andrew Cohen, and Ken Wilber.
Arthur argues that a philosophy he calls immediatism is the key cultural force and traces its origins from Plato to Emerson to the 60s counter-culture and beyond. Arthur recounts personal meetings with figures such as Stephen Gaskins, Bill Ayers, and Bernadette Roberts as well as reflecting on his own affiliation with Tibetan Buddhism as both a practitioner and teacher.
Arthur also shares his take on the psychedelic movement, the revolutionary politics of the counter-culture figures, and the essential ingredients of the modern American Guru.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep113-arthur-versluis-phd-2-american-gurus/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
01:12 - Current writing projects
02:42 - Immediatism and the transcendentalists
08:26 - American individualism and the emphasis n personal mystical experiences
12:14 - Meister Eckart to Bernadette Roberts
14:56 - Adi Da as the avatar of immediatism
19:24 - The psychedelic movement
21:57 - Stephen Gaskin and the counter-culture of the 60s
28:29 - Mysticism and revolutionary politics
40:02 - The confidence of the American gurus
46:53 - Social dynamics and the role of the devotee
58:54 - The charismatic powers of the guru
57:36 - Arthur as a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and teacher
01:03:01 - American Gnosis and writing about heresy
01:04:54 - American influence on Zen and Tibetan Buddhism
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Previous episode with Dr Arthur Versluis:
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep106-arthur-versluis-phd-conversations-in-apocalyptic-times/
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To find out more about Dr Arthur Versluis, visit:
- https://arthurversluis.com/
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Sep 10, 2021 • 1h 15min
Ep112: Relaxing into Nibbana - Bhante Vimalaramsi
In this interview I am joined by Bhante Vimalaramsi: author, American Buddhist monk, and abbot of the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, Missouri.
In this episode Bhante Vimalaramsi describes how twenty years of dedicated practice of Mahasi-style vipassana meditation left him unsatisfied and how discarding that method and learning to relax and smile unlocked the spiritual path.
Bhante describes how his current teaching approach, based not on Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga but on Vimalaramsi’s interpretation of the earlier Buddhist scriptures, sees anything from 25% to 50% of his students attain nibbana in a single 10-day retreat.
Bhante Vimalaramsi also details the four path model of enlightenment found in the Theravada schools, and claims that his advanced students experience a permanent cessation of sexual activity and the ability to meditate for up to 7 days without breathing or heart beat.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/ep112-bhante-vimalaramsi-relaxing-into-nibbana/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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00:00 - Intro
01:05 - Krishnamurti and Ram Dass
02:30 - Beginnings in Mahasi-style vipassana meditation
07:55 - Attending to U Sīlānanda and ordaining in Thailand
09:56 - Dissatisfaction with the Mahasi method
13:49 - Learning to relax and discarding the Visuddhimagga
32:05 - 50% of students attain stream entry in Bhante’s 10-day retreats in Asia
37:10 - How to handle hinderances
44:59 - Defining ‘mindfulness’
46:39 - The importance of having fun
52:41 - 25-30% of students attain nibbana in Bhante’s 10-day retreats in America
54:37 - How to become enlightened
59:38 - Overcoming anxiety and PTSD
01:03:58 - Effects of becoming a stream enterer, sakadāgāmin, anāgāmi, and arahant
01:09:30 - Dipa Ma and other anagamis can sit for up to 7 days without breathing
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To find our more about Bhante Vimalaramsi, visit:
- https://www.dhammasukha.org/
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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Sep 3, 2021 • 1h 55min
Ep111: Secret Drugs of Buddhism - Mike Crowley
In this interview I am joined by Mike Crowley, Buddhist Lama, musician/composer, and author of ’Secret Drugs of Buddhism: Psychedelic Sacraments and the Origins of the Vajrayana’.
We learn about Mike’s childhood as the son of a psychopath, and his extensive experimentation with all manner of drugs and psychoactive substances.
Mike recalls his encounters with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and his 7 year apprenticeship with Lama Yungdrung which eventually resulted in Mike becoming a lama himself. Mike reveals details of his training and experiences practicing the yogas of Naropa including dream yoga, tummo, and more.
Mike lays out his argument that psychedelic sacrament was an essential part of Buddhist Vajrayana, discussing symbolism in sacred art, references in hagiographical accounts, and artefacts of psychedelic use in modern practice forms.
Mike also discusses how to transform negative emotion into wisdom, and compares Taoist inner alchemy to the inner yogas of Tibet.
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Video version at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep111-mike-crowley-secret-drugs-of-buddhism/
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics Include:
00:00 - Intro
01:05 - Upcoming books and memoirs
05:17 - Growing up with a psychopathic father
07:45 - Extensive drug and psychedelic experimentation
09:52 - A life-changing vision of Indra’s net
14:53 - Mike’s understanding of the fifth precept
18:41 - Meeting Chogyam Trungpa and studying with Lama Yungdrung
21:37 - Hippy vs vajrayana psychedelic use
25:12 - Drug use in Buddhism
34:34 - 7 year training apprenticeship with Lama Yungdrung and becoming a lama
45:22 - Tummo, dream yoga, and the 6 Yogas of Naropa
56:16 - Learning Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese
01:01:47 - Tummo and pranayama as psychedelic substitutes?
01:07:18 - Longchenpa’s psychedelic ganacharka
01:10:13 - Tantric deities emerging from psychedelic experience
01:27:45 - To those who doubt the use of psychedelics in Buddhism
01:32:37 - Implications for vajrayana practitioners who have been practicing without psychedelics
01:35:39 - Transforming negative emotions into wisdom energy
01:42:07 - Taoist drugs, and comparing Taoist alchemy with Tibetan inner yogas
01:53:24 - Mike demonstrates some of his musical instruments
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Buy ‘Secret Drugs of Buddhism’:
- https://synergeticpress.com/catalog/secret-drugs-of-buddhism-psychedelic-sacraments-and-the-origins-of-the-vajrayana/
To find our more about Mike, visit:
- http://amritadzong.com/AD_LamaMike.html
- https://www.facebook.com/SecretDrugs/
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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James