Guru Viking Podcast Guru Viking

In this interview I am joined by Dr Willoughby Britton, an Associate Professor at Brown University, the Director of Brown’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, and founder of Cheetah House which provides support to those experiencing meditation-related difficulties.

Dr Britton recounts her unusual childhood interest in consciousness, why a friend’s suicide drove her to meditation, and how a psychedelic peak experience changed her view of the world.

Dr Britton considers the overlaps between spiritual experience and mental illness, why deconstructing the sense of self in search of enlightenment can lead to lasting psychological damage, and questions if experiences of fear are a necessary part of the meditative path.

Dr Britton also covers the neurobiology of attention, reveals the hidden religious messaging woven into mindfulness techniques such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and shares how she deals with the negative responses from meditation enthusiasts towards her work.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep250-when-meditation-goes-wrong-dr-willoughby-britton



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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:15 - Dr Britton’s upbringing and early interest in consciousness
03:58 - Friend’s suicide and a life crisis
05:02 - Powerful high dose psychedelic experiences
08:46 - Influence of peak experiences
09:28 - Operative mechanism of Dr Britton’s epiphany
11:04 - Is redefinition of the self necessary for awakening?
11:50 - What is the ‘self’?
13:31 - A caveat
14:19 - Many possible modifications to the sense of self and identity
18:18 - What do Buddhists really mean when they talk about no-self?
19:01 - Surprising disagreement between Buddhist sects
19:48 - Lack on consensus about the end goal in Buddhism
20:47 - Awakening or mental illness?
24:01 - Cultural differences in what constitutes mental health
24:58 - Cultural influences and personal goals
26:39 - When meditation goes wrong
28:35 - When no-self experiences lead to negative outcomes
30:46 - The importance of connection
32:14 - Strategic ambiguity of enlightenment
34:34 - The enlightenment fantasy
35:23 - Absorbing a world view from meditation instructions
36:31 - How to assess your meditation practice
39:04 - Stealth Buddhism
40:31 - Hidden frames of meditation techniques
41:37 - Metaphysics of MBSR
45:18 - Market forces and religion as product
47:50 - Negative reactions to Dr Britton’s work
51:48 - Does Dr Britton’s work threaten meditators?
54:39 - Nasty emails and internet comments
56:08 - Is Dr Britton upset by the negativity?
57:31 - What is the goal of Dr Britton’s work?
59:51 - Why look for problems?
01:01:07 - How often do meditation related problems happen?
01:03:03 - Founding Cheetah House to help meditators in crisis
01:04:29 - Is fear necessary on the spiritual path?
01:06:20 - The neurobiology of attention
01:07:43 - Attention and arousal
0110:12 - The phenomenology and meaning of fear in Buddhist meditation
01:11:46 - Is fear part of the path?
01:13:10 - Buddhism doesn’t have its story straight
01:14:30 - The desire for a comprehensive world view

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To find out more about Dr Willoughby Britton, visit:
- https://www.cheetahhouse.org/
- https://www.brown.edu/public-health/mindfulness/people/willoughby-britton-phd

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this interview I am once again joined by Lama Glenn Mullin, spiritual teacher, Tibetologist, and author of over 30 books on Buddhism.

Glenn discusses the mysterious Kālacakra ‘Wheel of Time’ Tantra, exploring its history, and uncovers its unique esoteric characteristics,

Glenn recounts his own connection to the Kālacakra tantra, including his memories of the Dalai Lama’s first ever public Kālacakra empowerment given to hundreds of thousands of people in Bodhgaya, and discusses the surprising pros and cons of mass public initiations.

Glenn reveals the subtle body yogas of the Kālacakra, compares its methods to other highest yoga tantras such as Cakrasaṃvara and Guhyasamāja, and considers the Kālacakra prophecies of Śambhala and a coming age of darkness over the world.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep249-kalachakra-tantra-lama-glenn-mullin



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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:56 - Kālacakra
03:01 - Glenn’s history with the Kālacakra
04:25 - Dalai Lama’s first public Kālacakra empowerment
08:18 - Coney Island of the mind
08:49 - Blavatsky and Theosophical Society’s interest in Kālacakra and Śambhala
10:25 - Dreams and other signs during tantric empowerment
14:24 - Why give public tantric empowerments?
15:35 - Outer, Inner, and Secret levels
18:14 - Exclusively secret traditions
18:38 - History of public Kālacakra empowerments
20:06 - Tantric vows
21:07 - Śambhala prophecies and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
23:48 - Today’s signs of fulfilment of prophecy
26:30 - Origin of Kālacakra in the Buddha’s teaching career
32:42 - Time capsule wisdom teachings
35:09 - Highest Yoga Tantra’s characteristics
36:29 - Cross-fertilisation with Himalayan shamanism
37:30 - Later ways of categorising tantric systems
40:20 - Unique and common aspects of the Kālacakra yogas
42:30 - 7 initiations of entering like a child
46:48 - Kālacakra completion stage
48:18 - Subtle body yogas and rainbow body
53:35 - Misunderstandings about Śambhala
55:15 - A century of Russian interest in Kālacakra
01:00:27 - Limits of Helena Blavatsky’s understanding
01:01:38 - Blavatsky’s world legacy
01:06:50 - Why is Kālacakra so little practiced?
01:15:10 - How to receive teachings from Glenn

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Previous episodes with Lama Glenn Mullin:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=glenn%20mullin

To find out more about Lama Glenn Mullin, visit:
- http://www.glennmullin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Maitripa.Glenn

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Dr James Justin Sledge, a professor of philosophy and religion specialising in the Western Esoteric tradition and founder of the popular Esoterica Youtube channel.

Dr Sledge recounts how his working class upbringing profoundly influenced both his view of academia and his work ethic within it. He recounts his early fascination with philosophers and mystics, and recalls his studies in religion, philosophy, and the occult.

Dr Sledge discusses the importance of language learning in academic study of religion and shares his own practical strategies for achieving competency in several ancient and modern languages including Latin, Hebrew, German, French, Akkadian, and more.

Dr Sledge also shares his views on education, diagnoses its problems and offers solutions, gives advice to the self-learner, and reveals his surprising view on whether attaining enlightenment is worth the effort.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep248-esoterica-academia-dr-justin-sledge

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:07 - Working class upbringing in Misissipi
03:03 - Limited access to education
04:13 - Exploitation in academia
05:20 - Fascination with Aristotle
08:55 - Accidentally entering college
11:28 - Dr Sledge’s experience in college
12:58 - Double majoring in religious studies and philosophy while working full time
1408 - Studying Western Esotericism in Amsterdam, Holland
15:44 - Bad reputation of Western Esotericism in academia
18:07 - Lessons learned studying in Amsterdam
20:37 - Distaste of punching down
21:44 - Surprising difference between USA and European education
24:47 - Toxicity in American academia
25:57 - How should we educate ourselves?
28:42 - Intellectual aristocracy or a cartel?
29:50 - Educating through Youtube
31:47 - How would Dr Sledge fix the American education system?
34:42 - The importance for scholars to read French and German
37:28 - Learning Latin and Hebrew, reading the Bible in the original language
39:50 - How to learn ancient languages
41:56 - Philology and the dirty secret of The Key of Solomon
43:56 - Copying out texts and scrolls
46:46 - Dr Sledge shows scrolls he has copied by hand
49:59 - Dr Sledge’s highly structured work and study life
58:24 - Common mistakes when learning Latin and other languages
01:01:21 - Pedagogical data and living Latin
01:05:48 - Dr Sledge’s advice for young students who wish to go to University
01:06:56 - Advice for the autodidacts
01:09:54 - The importance of education
01:13:30 - Why Dr Sledge doesn’t want to become enlightened
01:15:10 - The horror of heaven
01:16:15 - How Dr Sledge wants to die
01:16:47 - Enlightenment isn’t worth it

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To find out more about Dr Justin Sledge, visit:
- https://www.justinsledge.com/
- https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am join by Steve Donoghue, writer, nationally published book critic, and popular Youtuber.

Steve details his remarkable daily routine in which he sleeps 90 minutes a night and devotes vast amounts of time to reading and writing. He recalls his Jesuit education and reveals the intellectual doctrines at the heart of the religious order famed for its rigour and learning.

Steve reflects on the healing power of high states of concentration, the art of memory and how to train it, and considers the threats posed to human attention by social media and smartphones. Steve considers strategies for more effective reading, how to grapple with difficult texts, and how to engage in criticism without losing appreciation.

Steve also offers his views on religion, shares his fasciation for religious writing, and expresses his passion for the Gospel of Luke and the works of Erasmus and St Augustine.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep247-a-life-in-reading-steve-donoghue

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

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Topics include:


00:00 - Intro
01:03 - Background and career in book reviewing
03:54 - A Jesuit education
06:28 - The brain is a muscle
09:50 - Learning and reading Ancient Greek and Latin
13:15 - A breakthrough moment in Latin
15:48 - Steve’s favourite Latin authors
18:06 - Common misunderstandings about memorisation
20:06 - What is the point of memorisation?
21:46 - Can memory be trained?
23:22 - Memory palaces and other ancient memory techniques
25:51 - Advice for those who wish to improve memory
27:01 - 21st century attacks on human attention
28:29 - A simple test of concentration
32:00 - The healing power of concentration
33:26 - People don’t know what they’re missing
37:18 - Experiences of transcendence and intrinsic reward
38:47 - The value of boredom and rest
42:00 - Meditation as rest taken too far?
44:02 - Generational changes in attention
46:08 - Meditation as attention training
47:00 - Steve’s amazing sleep and reading schedule
52:39 - Sleeping 90 minutes a night
55:19 - The joy of starting a new book
57:20 - Grappling with a text
59:27 - Sub-vocalising slows you down
01:03:32 - Difficulties in discussion religion
01:04:36 - Steve’s view on religion
01:06:00 - Steve’s admiration for religious people
01:11:37 - Steve’s fascination with religious writing and texts
01:14:52 - Philosophers are priests
01:15:29 - Faith based on texts?
01:17:07 - The danger of criticism without appreciation
01:22:07 - Reluctance to examine scripture
01:23:01 - Cynical critics
01:24:28 - A Christian meme of losing one’s faith
01:30:36 - The thrill of engaging with religious texts even without belief
01:32:37 - Following the thread
01:33:05 - The Gospel of Luke
01:34:10 - Steve’s love for St Augustine and Erasus
01:36:36 - Luke vs the other Gospels
01:38:25 - St Augustine’s Confessions
01:40:40 - In Praise of Folly and mocking religious hypocrisy
01:45:40 - Concluding remarks on faith and religion

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To find out more about Steve Donoghue, visit:
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1B9FfvVLRt8s6scUa79oag
- https://www.stevedonoghue.com/

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this interview I am once again joined by John Maki Evans, teacher of Japanese swordsmanship and several esoteric spiritual disciplines, and author of ‘Kurikara: The Sword and the Serpent’.

John discusses his time at Oxford University, his depression as a student, and why it took him years in a monastery and extensive training in Japan to undo the effects of academic study on his mind.

John shares his insights into ‘The Subtle Art of a Cat’, a little known, centuries old Japanese text with a potent message about spiritual cultivation, true art, and complete spontaneity.

John tells the story of the text and explores its hidden meanings, including how to maintain awareness during dynamic action, access freedom and flow, and move beyond self consciousness.

John also reflects on his powerful near-death experience, the art of teaching, and how to harmonise the primal forces of Thanatos and Eros, death and desire.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep246-subtle-art-of-a-cat-john-maki-evans-2 



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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:09 - Getting into Oxford University
04:30 - John’s experiences at Oxford University
07:57 - Struggles with depression
09:12 - Bad effect of Oxford on John’s mind
10:25 - Stultification and John’s personality
11:04 - Time at the monastery and releasing inner stuckness
13:26 - Time in Japan and developing a different personality
17:28 - How John learned Japanese
18:43 - Study arc for reading Japanese classics
21:19 - Gaining practice value from texts
23:37 - Accessing the real thing
27:22 - The Subtle Art of a Cat
33:17 - The polarising ego
35:14 - Spontaneity and beyond self consciousness
37:09 - Neti neti
39:12 - Spontaneous action and the spiritual side of martial arts
41:35 - Freedom and flow
43:09 - Maintaining awareness and complete spontaneity
45:47 - John’s life changing near-death experience
54:20 - Hara power, the unconscious, and the survival instinct
58:16 - True martial cultivation
01:00:06 - Common mistakes and hurting oneself
01:04:11 - Complete body-mind participation
01:05:43 - Evaluating quality of movement and being
01:07:46 - Duende and art
01:09:18 - England and the old white male
01:10:24 - Learning to be with Thanatos and Eros
01:12:39 - The Gate of Killing and Death
01:15:39 - Harmonising intuition and manipulation
01:16:16 - Egotism in the martial arts
01:18:00 - Becoming exposed and the art of teaching
01:21:39 - Letting go of feeling good

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Previous episode with John Maki Evans:
- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep231-esoteric-arts-of-japan-john-maki-evans

To find out more about John Maki Evans, visit:
- https://www.battodo-fudokan.co.uk/

Read ‘The Subtle Art of a Cat’
- https://terebess.hu/zen/neko.pdf
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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist and the Professor of Psychiatry at Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences.

Dr Dorji reveals the challenges he faced establishing modern psychiatrist in Bhutan, a culture heavily invested in a supernatural model of mental illness. He recounts stories of patients possessed by ghosts, local avatars of Shiva, reincarnations of Padmasambhava and more.

Dr Dorji explains the role of religion and superstition in stigmatising mental illness, and considers whether shamanistic rituals and other traditional healing methods can co-exist with modern medical practices.

Dr Dorji also warns that mental illness in general, and borderline personality disorder in particular, is on the rise on Bhutan and shares his vision for a greater collaboration between modern medicine, the clergy, shamans, and Sowa Rigpa healers.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep245-padmasambhava-psychosis-dr-chencho-dorji-2

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Return to Bhutan to establish psychiatry
05:40 - Programme to train primary healthcare staff
06:18 - Advocating for community based mental health services
10:38 - DANIDA funding and mental health survey
12:07 - Collaboration with and educating traditional healers
13:47 - Locating and treating cases in remote communities
18:13 - What kinds of mental illness is commonly found in Bhutan?
19:29 - Challenges identifying depression
21:16 - The stigma of epilepsy
22:50 - Community fear of contagion of mental illness
26:55 - Culture of taboo and about mental illness in Bhutan
29:00 - Impact of the pandemic
30:29 - Using social media to educate
31:22 - Psychological first aid
35:09 - Why is South Asian psychology and psychology training weak?
37:41 - Mental health as a luxury for the rich
40:40 - Borderline personality disorder encounters
43:36 - Rise in cases of BPD in Bhutan
45:05 - Social changes in Bhutan causing rise in mental illness
49:10 - Chronic psychosis and social disturbance
51:26 - Lack of compassion for BPD
52:17 - Economic aspiration and the rat race
54:36 - Overlap and clash with religious professionals
56:21 - Buddhism and shamanism in Bhutan
58:05 - Use of rituals in healing mental illness
59:00 - Personal indifference towards Buddhism
01:00:19 - Challenges engaging with Sowa Rigpa practitioners
01:02:39 - Educating Sowa Rigpa doctors about mental health
01:03:34 - Do traditional healing modalities have a role in modern medicine?
01:04:17 - Different kinds of monk
01:05:41 - Religious control of the population
01:07:33 - Difficulties communicating with clergy
01:09:58 - Karma and the importance of openness
01:10:56 - Navigating patients’ supernatural world views
01:14:42 - Example of a manic patient claiming to be Guru Rinpoche
01:17:18 - Impact on families
01:18:05 - Cases of entity possession and mass hysteria
01:24:38 - Possession by Lord Shiva
01:29:58 - Advice for working with traditional healers and shamans
01:31:01 - Future challenges of mental health in Bhutan
01:34:41 - Explosion of mental illness, obesity, and substance abuse
01:35:43 - Neglect of the elderly
01:37:31 - A model for the third world

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Previous episode with Dr Chencho Dorji:
- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep237-bhutans-first-psychiatrist-dr-chencho-dorji


To find out more about Dr Chencho Dorji, visit:
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057403100633


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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James