Ep384: Edgy Gurus & Rude Dharma

In this episode I am once again joined by Samuel Bercholz, a senior teacher in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, founder of Shambala publications, and author of “Rude Awakenings:An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path”.

Sam reflects on the controversial behaviour of his guru, Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa; explores the uneasy relationship between enlightenment and morality; and reports Thinley Norbu Rinpoche’s enthusiasm for cleaning and toilet hygiene.

Sam explains why he believes that the ground of meditation is hopelessness, shares his own past skepticism about Buddhist doctrines of awakening, and discusses the pros and cons of publicising one’s spiritual attainments.

Sam also recounts times when his gurus demonstrated omniscience and other siddhi powers, muses about a special sense of humour that comes with spiritual realisation, and reveals the centrality of working with spirits and other beings in Indo-Tibetan Tantra.

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Also available on Youtube , iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

- Intro
- High octane gurus
- Guru trends, edgy vs nice
- Dzogchen madness
- Things happen
- How lies become truth
- Claiming enlightenment
- Why meditate?
- Meditation and hopelessness
- Skepticism about the path
- Realising hopelessness
- From depression to liberation
- The middle way
- No problem amidst problems
- No more working hard
- Guru relationship vs personal practice
- Chod practice
- Ngondro, the preliminary practices
- Is more practice better?
- The mind of the 16th Karmapa
- Enlightened humour
- The cosmic joke
- Concepts about enlightenment
- Thiney Norbu Rinpoche’s fanaticism about cleaning and toilet practice
- Enlightenment vs moral development
- The ālaya, all-ground
- Wrathful and peaceful deities
- Spiritual bliss
- Esoteric and drop the scientific method
- Morality and gurus
- Vinaya is based on human error
- Vajrayana morality
- Why people hate Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
- The Merwin incident
- Trungpa slept with his students
- Does Trungpa’s bad reputation bother Sam?
- Why Sam wrote Rude Awakenings
- Building an enlightened society
- Why Trungpa’s enlightened society crumbled
- Guided Tour of Hell
- Guru omniscience and psychic powers
- Thinley Norbu Rinpoche’s omniscience
- ESP and entity contact in Tantra
- Why Buddhist Tantra is failing
- Working with spirits
- Emphasising the Indo-Tibetan link
- Narpoa, Tilopa, and Padmasambhava

To purchase “Rude Awakenings: vist:
- shambhala.com/rude-awakenings.html

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

If you value the podcast and would like to support its continued production, you can do so here: ko-fi.com/guruviking.

Ep384: Edgy Gurus & Rude Dharma - Samuel Bercholz

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