Guru Viking Podcast Guru Viking

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr K.A Shakoor: spiritual life coach, doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, and author of several books such as ‘Ghetto Sutras’ and ‘Maahaah Yoga’.

Dr Shakoor discusses his own meditation practice, including periods of extreme mantra recitation, and recounts his struggles to reconcile the Bodhisattva ideal with corporate culture and for-profit medicine.

Dr Shakoor shares his experiences teaching energy and meditation techniques to the mentally ill, and discusses the discipline needed to acquire mastery of such techniques.

Dr Shakoor also recounts his own encounters with evil, including anecdotes of exorcisms, sorcery, and occult attacks, as well as magickal self defence advice for healers and spiritual practitioners.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep187-the-bodhisattva-occult-self-defence-dr-ka-shakoor-2

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

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Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro
00:54 - Training in Sufism
04:04 - Extreme Buddhist mantra practice
04:58 - Expressing the Bodhisattva ideal
05:36 - Disillusionment with corporate culture and racial politics
10:24 - Work as a social worker and counsellor
11:31 - The business of medicine
14:34 - The art of leadership
18:35 - Struggles navigating the healthcare industry
23:33 - Teaching energetic practices to the mentally ill
25:14 - Fake teachers of energy arts
27:05 - Discipline in personal practice
27:50 - 1-1 instruction is vital
30:05 - Direct teaching and Dr Nida Chenagtsang
31:27 - Facing challenges in practice
36:09 - Novelty seeking vs persistence and follow-through
38:23 - Old school teaching methods
39:03 - Wrong Tummo meditation and damaging chi
41:13 - Encountering evil
43:01 - Sorcery and ritual trauma
44:56 - Magick is easy to do, but difficult to fix
45:57 - Tools to help victims of magick
48:16 - Influence of Chagdud Rinpoche
49:28 - Exorcisms and spiritual healing
50:10 - Dr Shakoor’s first exorcism
52:58 - Possession vs psychological imbalances
53:30 - The importance of buy-in
54:29 - Occult attacks on Dr Shakoor
57:37 - Why healers and spiritual practitioners come under occult attack
01:00:35 - Psychic self defense advice
01:05:31 - Psychic recoil
01:06:39 - The basics are most important

Previous episode with Dr K.A. Shakoor:
- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/164-dr-ka-shakoor-ghetto-sutras


To find out more about Dr K.A. Shakoor, visit:
- https://www.drkashakoor.com/

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

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Camille Maurine, meditation mentor, dancer, and author of ‘Meditation Secrets For Women’ written with her husband Dr Lorin Roche.

Camille describes her turbulent upbringing and how her discovery of practices of mediation and embodiment saw her embark on over 50 years of adventure and exploration.

Camille recalls her performance career in dance and theatre, how she used movement to learn to feel her emotions, and the practices she uses to process strong feeling.

Camille recounts meeting Lorin Roche at a time when she had rejected romantic relationships, and how she drew on inner processes and practices to open into relationship with him.

Camille also discusses meditation secrets for women, why one should not fear the depths, how to honour one’s rhythms, and reflects on the limitations of male-oriented religious and spiritual systems.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep186-meditation-secrets-for-women-camille-maurine


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

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Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Camille’s upbringing
05:32 - Discovering dance at the time of her mother’s death
06:40 - The path of spirituality, creativity, and love
10:16 - Studying philosophy and looking for the essence in all
12:51 - Marriage to Lorin Roche
15:09 - Learning how to feel emotion
19:00 - Calling the inner beloved
20:32 - Camille leads a drinking practice
22:26 - Meeting Lorin Roche
28:13 - Empowerment and vulnerability
30:14 - From inner marriage to relationship with Lorin
36:25 - When love feels like dying
38:49 - Connection and awe
40:12 - Practices for working with strong emotion and deep patterns
45:16 - Primal, primary, and primordial creativity
52:39 - Meditation Secrets For Women
57:10 - Do not fear the depths
01:01:08 - Honouring your rhythms and hormonal cycles
01:05:02 - Male-oriented religions and spiritual traditions
01:09:37 - Tragic misunderstanding about meditation
01:13:02 - Camille’s contribution to Lorin’s ‘Radiance Sutras’ rendering of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra
01:19:40 - Training meditation teachers
01:26:30 - Concluding remarks

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Previous episodes with Lorin here:
- https://www.guruviking.com/the-guru-viking-interviews-ep1-lorin-roche-phd/
- https://www.guruviking.com/guru-viking-interviews-ep6-lorin-roche-phd/
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep30-lorin-roche-pandemic-edition-guru-viking-podcast/
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep55-lorin-roche-instinctive-meditation/ 


To find out more about Camille visit:
- https://www.camillemaurine.com/
- www.meditationtt.com 
- www.radiancesutras.com 


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


Music 'Deva Dasi' by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Lorin Roche PhD, meditation teacher and author of ‘The Radiance Sutras’.

Lorin describes meditation as an affair with life force itself, explores the role of sleep and rest, and explains the discipline of following the cosmic impulse in one’s practice.

In the context of this meditative view and drawing from his experience of 40 years of marriage, Loren reflects on intimate relationship, including his own journey in understanding intimacy, meditation keys to a thriving relationship, and how to use meditation to keep love alive.

Lorin also discusses tantric sex, including the difference between technique and art, common errors and misunderstandings, and the redemptive power of spiritual union.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep185-meditation-and-tantric-sex-lorin-roche-phd


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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:54 - Meditation as an affair with life force
04:19 - How to thrive in a long term relationship
07:39 - Psychedelic origins of meditation traditions
08:55 - Childhood in 1950’s Malibu
12:14 - Teenage schooling in Santa Monica and summer hunting in Kenya
15:48 - Meditating with the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra and discovering Tantric Sex
19:57 - Seeking a romantic relationship between equals
22:46 - How to use meditation to keep love alive
25:09 - Spontaneous meditation and healing trauma
30:37 - Psychedelic intensity of reality
35:32 - Celebration of thinking in meditation
38:35 - What is tantric sex?
41:32 - Technique and the art of touch
43:53 - Errors in tantric sex
46:54 - Prerequisites to practicing tantric sex
49:40 - Patanjali’s 8 Limbs and the yogic lifestyle
51:59 - Sleep and deep rest
55:52 - Following the cosmic impulse
56:46 - Beyond solo meditation into union with a partner
58:51 - Yogic science of the senses and sound
01:02:32 - The power of craving for fullness of being
01:07:39 - Redemptive power of spiritual sex
01:14:31 - Meditation in the modern world
01:18:02 - Attending to the electricity of sensation
01:20:18 - Lorin’s meditation teacher training program
01:24:30 - How Lorin teaches meditation
01:26:30 - The power of deep listening

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Previous episodes with Lorin here:
- https://www.guruviking.com/the-guru-viking-interviews-ep1-lorin-roche-phd/
- https://www.guruviking.com/guru-viking-interviews-ep6-lorin-roche-phd/
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep30-lorin-roche-pandemic-edition-guru-viking-podcast/
- https://www.guruviking.com/ep55-lorin-roche-instinctive-meditation/ 


To find out more about Lorin visit:
- www.lorinroche.com 
- www.radiancesutras.com 
- www.meditationtt.com

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


Music 'Deva Dasi' by Steve James

In this episode I host a dialogue between doctor of Tibetan Medicine and Buddhist spiritual teacher Dr Nida Chenagtsang and Dr Ian A. Baker, author, scholar, and initiate of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu Tantric lineages.

Drs Nida and Ian explore the theme of Vajrayana in the 21st century, including issues such as tradition and innovation, mass empowerments vs 1-1 discipleship, and what is essential for successful practice.

Drs Nida and Ian discuss common mistakes in practicing the 6 Yogas of Naropa, religious syncretism, and dark triad traits of narcissism, psychopathy, and machiavellianism in spiritual teachers.

Drs Nida and Ian also discuss the role of religious institutions in the history of Vajrayana and explore the tensions between the critical historical approach of academia with traditional views often held by religious teachers and practicing Buddhists.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep184-the-vajra-path-dr-nida-chenagtsang-dr-ian-a-baker


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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:05 - The Vajra Path
03:42 - Tradition and innovation
08:25 - Mass empowerments
10:24 - 84 Mahasiddhas and individualised practice
13:14 - Vajrayana is experiential
14:52 - Correcting misunderstandings
16:53 - What is essential for Vajrayana to be effective?
19:11 - The role of empowerment
21:00 - Listen, study, meditate
23:19 - The power of place
25:03 - Discerning effective methods for contemporary audiences
28:23 - Secrecy and education
32:18 - How much practice is needed for Varjayana?
36:30 - Struggles with dream yoga and tummo
40:14 - Working with your talents
42:34 - 6 Yogas study mistakes
44:05 - Misguided attitudes to ngondro, preliminary practices
47:06 - Spiritual cocktails and narcissism
49:02 - How to relate to other traditions
50:49 - Syncretism the critical historical perspective
54:51 - Fundamental values
58:12 - Dark triad traits in spiritual practitioners and teachers
01:02:12 - Vajrayana and institutions
01:03:35 - Distilling the essence or taking out of context?
01:05:00 - Dr Nida’s vision of Vajrayana institutions
01:06:38 - Cultural trappings vs the essence of Buddhism
01:12:49 - Dr Ian on religious institutions and the evolution of Vajrayana
01:16:41 - Essence of Vajrayana
01:20:45 - Who does Vajrayana belong to?
01:22:25 - Critical historical vs traditional perspectives
01:26:39 - Dr Nida reflects on the power of simplicity
01:30:09 - Friendship and collaboration
01:31:33 - Hijacking of Buddhism
01:34:47 - Deelaboration and the beautiful adventure
01:36:40 - Future trips, courses, and activities

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Previous episodes with Dr Nida Chenagtsang:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=nida 

Previous episodes with Dr Ian A. Baker:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=baker

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To find out more about The Vajra Path, visit:
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088040336775
- https://www.instagram.com/thevajrapath/

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


Music 'Deva Dasi' by Steve James

In this interview I am joined by Dr Caroline Van Damme, an adult psychiatrist and family and systemic psychotherapist specialising in chronic psychotic disorders, and co-teacher of Buddhist guru and Sowa Rigpa doctor Nida Chenagtsang. 

Dr Caroline draws on her extensive clinical experience as a psychiatrist, as well as her personal meditation practice, to explore the adverse effects of meditation, including psychosis, depersonalisation/derealisation, and spiritual bypass.

Dr Caroline considers the pros and cons of sleep deprivation as a spiritual training tool, visualisation practices of Buddhist Vajrayana, and shares stories of extended meditation retreats gone wrong.

Dr Caroline gives recommendations for those who wish to practice intensively, including dangers signs to watch for, the markers of high-risk individuals, and the importance of a a strong psychology and deep foundation in preliminary practice.

Dr Caroline also details her own success in using meditation with her patients in clinical settings, including with populations typically considered to be at high risk, and recounts her patient reports about the significant benefits of their practice.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep183-adverse-effects-of-meditation-dr-caroline-van-damme


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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:21 - Adverse effects of meditation
05:13 - Meditation and psychosis
08:42 - Matthieu Ricard’s advice
10:37 - Meditation success with schizophrenia
16:25 - Willoughby Britton’s work on adverse effects
18:39 - Caroline reflects on her own meditation practice
20:52 - Dangers of visualisation meditation
23:04 - Traumatic meditation retreats
27:42 - Modulating intensity and pre-practice warnings
30:57 - Spiritual bypass and tantric Buddhist practice
32:00 - Sleep deprivation as a sign of enlightenment
33:32 - When to push through hell
38:20 - Caroline’s monk patient who developed schizophrenia
41:17 - Sleep deprivation as a training tool
48:30 - Recommendations for those who wish to engage in intense practice
51:53 - The Dalai Lama’s sleep schedule
52:45 - Delusions of special powers
53:58 - Insomnia
55:36 - Cannabis and meditation
57:07 - Profile of a high risk person
57:43 - Enlightenment vs depersonalisation / derealisation
01:02:39 - Dream yoga and derealisation
01:07:50 - Caroline’s clinical experience teaching meditation to her patients
01:20:19 - Mechanism of benefit in meditation
01:24:50 - Impulse control and inner peace
01:29:03 - The stigma of mental illness

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Previous episode with Dr Van Damme:
- www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep143-dr-caroline-van-damme-psychiatry-religious-experience

To find out more about Dr Van Damme, visit:
- https://www.sowarigpainstitute.org/dr-caroline-van-damme 

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


Music 'Deva Dasi' by Steve James

In this interview I am joined by Adam Mizner, internationally renowned tai chi practitioner and meditation teacher.

Adam recounts how a troubled childhood saw him begin martial arts and meditation training, and he reflects on his childhood psychic visionary experiences.

Adam discusses the nature of internal cultivation, the role of standing practice, and provides a detailed analysis of the remarkable abilities and attainments of his teacher, the Thai Buddhist Arahant, Luang Por Jamnian.

Adam also shares his current understanding about the true path of meditation, criticises visualisation practices found in Vajrayana Buddhism, questions the efficacy of tummo meditation, and elaborates on the mechanics of his famous push hands abilities.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep182-meditation-maverick-adam-mizner


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

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Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Difficult childhood & psychic visions
03:13 - Are psychic powers actually an ailment
04:26 - Pros and cons of psychic openness
06:10 - Beginning Tai Chi and meditation
08:09 - Hard training
08:54 - Internal cultivation is not gentle
10:37 - Becoming a Tai Chi creature
15:38 - Adam’s early training
18:20 - The power of standing practice
21:21 - Harnessing obsessive qualities for practice
23:15 - Leaving fight training
24:24 - Adam’s teachers
26:05 - Aversion to lineage
26:48 - Meeting the arhat Luang Por Jamnian
30:34 - The remarkable spiritual feats of Luang Por Jamnian
33:44 - The life and training of Luang Por Jamnian
36:39 - Beyond mind and body
38:28 - How to transcend mind and body
44:29 - Attained people vs charismatic talkers
47:42 - Different types of enlightened people
52:59 - The true path of meditation
58:41 - Cultivate stillness
01:02:42 - Learning to sit still, even with injuries
01:08:27 - Realising your limits
01:10:29 - Acclimatisation vs transcendence
01:14:46 - Adam on morality
01:18:51 - Imaginary enlightenment
01:19:46 - Critique of visualisation practices of Vajrayana
01:24:39 - The secret of metta cultivation
01:28:08 - Adam on the mirage of tummo
01:31:01 - Can authentic tummo be restored?
01:33:44 - Real transformation
01:42:44 - Practice techniques as sectarian conditioning
01:45:11 - Adam on sex and sexual practice
01:49:47 - Ejaculation and orthorexia
01:52:57 - Men vs women on the path
01:54:46 - Men’s hormonal tendencies
01:56:26 - Secret to Adam’s Fajing and push hands skills
02:07:07 - Advice for the seeker
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To find our more about Adam Mizner, visit:
- https://heavenmanearth.com/en/adam-mizner
- https://discovertaiji.com/en
- https://discovermind.com/en

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James