Evolving Dharma in the Age of the Network
In our 1st episode, “Meet the Geeks” you’ll hear the three founding members of Buddhist Geeks--Vincent Horn, Ryan Oelke, & Gwen Bell--discussing the vision behind this project. By weaving together snippets of a larger conversation this podcast should give you a sense of what this project is about and how you can contribute to it. The following episodes will be interviews with Buddhist teachers, scholars, and advanced practitioners who we feel have provocative perspectives to offer. We hope you enjoy!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In our first interview featuring scholar-practitioner B. Alan Wallace, we asked Dr. Wallace to give us the low-down on his spiritual journey, as well as describe the stages of deepening relaxation and vividness of attention leading to the culmination of an attainment he calls shamatha.
This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2, Get a PhD in Contemplative Science and Part 3, The Shamatha Project.
Episode Links:
In our first episode with scholar-practitioner Phil Stanley, professor at Naropa University, he chats with us about how he became a practitioner and his passion for Buddhist study. Phil shares his thoughts on the importance of intellectual study, as well as what changes he sees Buddhism experiencing as it takes root in the West.
This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2, We’re Not the Cheerleaders of Buddhism and Part 3, Where are all the Western Rinpoches?
In our second episode with Alan Wallace, he presents a new model for “professional” contemplatives. Instead of trying to transplant the monastic model to the West, Dr. Wallace suggests that contemplation become an actual profession. Just as a neuroscientist would go to school to get a PhD and then spend 40+ hour a week working in their field, so too could we have “contemplative scientists” who devote their time to the exploration and investigation of subjective experience.
This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Alan Wallace on Achieving Shamatha and Part 3, The Shamatha Project.
In our second episode with professor Phil Stanley, Phil discusses Buddhist lifestyles in the West and how our approach to practice differs from traditional Eastern practitioners. He addresses our relationship to retreats and monasticism, as well as the difficulties Westerners face in finding a livelihood that supports practice. Phil also discusses controversy over what constitutes a legitimate lineage and teacher.
This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Phil Stanley on the Development of Western Buddhism and Part 3, Where are all the Western Rinpoches?
We’re joined this week by Daniel Ingram, MD, an authorized teacher in the Theravada tradition and an avid fan of out-right honesty with regards to the spiritual path.
In this episode Daniel (aka “Dharma Dan”) shares some of his more formative experiences as a meditator, touches on some of the Buddhist maps of awakening, and shares a powerful message, namely that enlightenment is possible.
This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2, Enlightened Teachers and Part 3, Models of Enlightenment.
In 2007 Dr. Wallace will be leading a joint scientific project named The Shamatha Project. A battery of studies will be conducted in two 3-month meditation retreats (one retreat is a control group), and the results will be submitted to the most prestigious academic journals. In our final podcast with Alan Wallace he discusses this project, both in terms of its structure and his hypotheses.
This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Alan Wallace on Achieving Shamatha and Part 2, Get a PhD in Contemplative Science.
In this episode, Phil Stanley discusses lineage in Western Buddhism, the lack of western teachers, what it will take to develop more qualified individuals. Phil notes that we are in an awkward phase in Western Buddhism, where we have several intermediary teachers and few fully empowered and authorized lineage holders. He discusses the development of such teachers in terms of training and cultural and economic resources. Phil also discusses the development of Western translators.
This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Phil Stanley on the Development of Western Buddhism and Part 2, We’re Not the Cheerleaders of Buddhism.
Naropa University ( www.naropa.edu )
In this episode, with Theravada teacher Daniel Ingram, he breaches the taboo of enlightenment by discussing the enlightenment of other teachers. Not only that but he argues for a more transparent approach to enlightenment within certain teaching circles, in hopes that enlightenment can become more attainable. Listen and see why he thinks this will help.
This is Part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, You Can Do It! and Part 3, Models of Enlightenment.
In this episode, Gwen Bell interviews Buddhist teacher Sensei Fleet Maull. Fleet recently spent a month on retreat with Roshi Bernie Glassman and the Zen Peacemakers in Massuchusetts, where he became a fully empowered Zen teacher. Fleet teaches at Naropa University and leads weekly meditation sessions there. His teachings are accessible to a wide audience and his authenticity is a breath of fresh air in the world of Buddhist teachers. In this episode Fleet shares his practice background and discusses the value of plunge experiences.
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2, Take Your Seat: The Importance of Boundaries in Practice.
