Podcasts about cutting through spiritual materialism

Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is one of the great novels of the twentieth century and a prime example of literature that transforms the deeply personal into something universal. For Phil and JF in this episode, the novel serves as the foundation for a discussion on spiritual journeying, the ideal of enlightenment, and the challenge of living in an ensouled universe. Sign up for JF's new Weirdosphere course on the supernatural (http://www.weirdosphere.org), starting on February 6th, 2025. Purchase tickets to the Weirdosphere screening of Aaron Poole's Dada (https://weirdosphere.mn.co/plans/1494861?bundle_token=efd897d98f0a13d7bac82f0a49af07fb&utm_source=manual) on February 1st, 2025. Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/weirdstudies). Buy the Weird Studies soundtrack, volumes 1 (https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com/album/weird-studies-music-from-the-podcast-vol-1) and 2 (https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com/album/weird-studies-music-from-the-podcast-vol-2), on Pierre-Yves Martel's Bandcamp (https://pierre-yvesmartel.bandcamp.com) page. Listen to Meredith Michael and Gabriel Lubell's podcast, Cosmophonia (https://cosmophonia.podbean.com/). Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop (https://bookshop.org/shop/weirdstudies) Find us on Discord (https://discord.com/invite/Jw22CHfGwp) Get the T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau (https://cottonbureau.com/products/can-o-content#/13435958/tee-men-standard-tee-vintage-black-tri-blend-s)! REFERENCES Herman Hesse, Siddhartha (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780553208849) Christopher Theofanidis and Melissa Studdard, Siddhartha Gustav Holst, [The Planets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThePlanets)_ Richard Wagner, Parsifal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsifal) G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9781511903608) Colin Wilson, The Outsider (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780399173103) Adam Kirsch, “Herman Hesse's Arrested Development” (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/19/hermann-hesses-arrested-development) Dogen, Genjakoan (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780992112912) Chögyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9781570629570)

Welcome to Season 4 of Spiritually Queer! I've been studying a new text called Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa. In celebration of the new season and new look on the pod, I have been feeling more inspired to share more of my favorite spiritual texts, starting with this one. In this week's episode, I share some of my favorite teachings from this text around Compassion, Generosity and Staying Open to What Is. Need Advice? Questions? I'd love to hear from you , email me at janelyon369@gmail.com Sign up for the Meditation Mastery waitlist. Get my free 10-Minute Energy Re-Set. Follow me on IG: @dakiniinabikini

AddictionAddiction is real —Born of body, mouth, and mind;Not invented here. In this segment of UnMind we return to a subject — if it can be reduced to a mere “subject” — that I explored publicly many years ago, when I gave a series of talks on addiction and Zen under the rubric of “sex, drugs, rock ‘n' roll.” Which, at that time, seemed to cover the waterfront of possible addictions. I took the position that, from the point of view of Zen Buddhism — perhaps as distinct from more traditional Buddhism, as well as other philosophical and religious systems — “It is all addiction.” Everything, including life itself, may be regarded as a kind of addiction. Zen teachings have this kind of all-inclusive flavor, captured in such expressions as Master Dogen's frequent use of “All things are like this,” following one of his many apt analogies. The premise was, and still is, based somewhat on the American Psychiatric Association's definition of an addictive substance — referenced from the then-current edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” — which, if memory serves, defined an addictive substance as anything that, when withdrawn from an addict, results in a “significant degree of discomfort.” Which would apply equally to air, water, food, warmth, and all the other hierarchy of fundamental needs as outlined by Maslow, perhaps extending to social or self-actualization needs — for acceptance, status, power, wealth and privilege, and so on, and finally, the need for transcendence — which is where Zen comes in, I suppose. In the context of a panoply of needs destructive to self and others, addiction to alcohol — while of historic and epidemic proportions, and thereby attracting a lot of the attention — may not be the worst, or most socially damaging, addiction to have to cope with. It depends. Allow me to insert a caveat here, to counter the notion that some of the more controversial ideas that may come up in this discussion may have come from my root Zen teacher, Matsuoka Roshi. He made a few comments from time to time regarding human sexuality, for example; but we did not discuss at in any length or in great detail. And while he once gave a public talk on “LSD and Zen” at the local Y in Chicago, drugs were not a big item in his lineup of topics, either. He certainly was not obsessed with either sex or drugs, and had little interest in “rock n' roll” — by which I meant the then American, now worldwide, addiction to “living large” — the “everything, all the time” wretched excess lifestyle captured in the lyrics of the popular song, “Hotel California.” The few fragmentary comments I recall regarding sexuality included a self-effacing claim to have been a virgin his whole life. And that he regretted never marrying because he had no one to take care of him in his old age. He also pointed out that since I was “used to this” (i.e. sexual relations), I needed it; but since he wasn't used to it, he didn't. One day when I visited the Chicago Temple, I found him red-faced and giggling, as my senior dharma brother, Kongo roshi, mercilessly teased and regaled him with ribald tales of the kinds of sex acts that — according to Kongo, at least — gay men engage in. Kongo had that kind of merciless and sardonic sense of humor. But he could also be very tender and sympatico, to those who knew him well. He especially relished getting Sensei's goat, especially on something that might be embarrassing to a traditional Japanese sensibility. On another occasion, I happened to notice a Playboy magazine in Sensei's bedroom, where we would store the donations from the altar, so I assume he had some curiosity about sex, in those days of nascent soft pornography, and wonder what he would have thought of the endless “cabinet of curiosities” of human sexuality on display on the internet today. I once overheard him comment, somewhat dismissively, when someone mentioned human orgasm: “Ha! Orgasm in every cell.” Which I took to be, possibly, a reference to satori. I did not inquire. I suppose that sex can become an addiction, if pursued for pleasure or reasons other than procreation — which, some religious and philosophical systems seem to insist, is its only legitimate function. There seems to be sufficient evidence that porn can be addictive — testimony to the power of our imagination, translating pixels into lust. Which Buddha is said to have called a “snake amongst the flowers.” He also claimed to have been satiated with overindulgence and dissipation prior to his spiritual quest. As Shopenhauer reminds us, sexual desire is delusional: it is on behalf of the species, not us, personally. Adherence to the monastic code of celibacy illustrates one extreme response to what is, after all, only biology. But the antipode, the sybaritic lifestyle emulated now — by elites from Hollywood to DC, indeed globally — saturates contemporary culture. Speaking of extreme lifestyles, the famous Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa, in his 1970s classic, “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism,” warns against this kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder subtly infiltrating and infecting your own, personal practice path. In terms of drugs, some time before Sensei delivered his talk at the Y — the text of which, incidentally, we have not been able to recover — he and I were discussing my psychedelic experiences, when he quipped, with his usual sense of humor, “Maybe you will be my LSD master, and I will be your Zen master!” He showed none of the paranoid, over-the-top, dismissive rejection that I had heard were characteristic of his contemporary Zen luminaries of the period. In his talk on LSD and Zen, he admitted that the descriptions of psychedelic experiences, as compared to those of kensho — a Japanese word for Zen insight — shared certain similarities that could not be lightly dismissed. But he insisted that we who follow Zen do not recommend indulging in drugs, in order to render hoped-for insight, especially under uncontrolled circumstances. For one thing, an ingested chemical might trigger a reaction that the individual may not be ready for, in terms of psychic maturity, and an understanding of what it might mean. He went on to say that in Zen's sitting meditation, with insight developing over time in a natural way, one will be fully prepared for whatever happens in the natural course of things. But again, the drug revolution was not a major area of interest for him. If Sensei could be said to be obsessed with anything, it was the transmission of genuine Zen practice to his adopted country. In many ways, he was the archetypal “man without a country” — no longer really Japanese, nor yet truly American, in the cultural sense. He was focused like a laser on zazen. Allow me a brief overview of theism and atheism, and how they fit into the picture of addiction as a general principle, at least as I see it from my admittedly limited perspective. I am not apologizing here, nor being overly modest. I assume my layman's perspective on religion to be as clear, if less informed, as anyone's. Theological concerns are so broad and deep, yet intimately personal, that even the most deeply informed theories carry little more weight than those of the average person on the street. To come to a conclusion about whether “God” exists or not, for example, reliance on erudition, scholarship, or any other credentialing process would have little if any relevance. By contrast, study of a tangible science, such as biology or botany, or astrophysics for that matter, would have a more rational, reliable relationship to evidence and logic, rendering some opinions more valid than others. Let us return to addiction, and how I think it relates to conventional religion — manifested as theism, and its inverse doppleganger — atheism. This latter belief, more serious commentators than I have insisted, constitutes the strongest form of theism. Which notion, from a Zen perspective, smacks of that compelling, oxymoronic logic that most pithy Zen aphorisms share: both can be true at the same time. As is the case with any addiction, the seductive quality of sensory pleasure or comfort associated with the drug of choice comes to bear upon one's judgment as to whether its indulgence constitutes a positive or a negative. The addict has to wake up to the fact of being addicted, as a negative, in order to have the determination to go through withdrawal. We all have to hit bottom, and put down the shovel, before we can begin climbing out of the hole we have dug for ourselves. Similar to the temporary effect of intoxication, belief in God can be comforting, which feeling naturally constitutes first-person validation. Karl Marx, the 19th-century German economist, remarked that religion — by which one presumes he meant all forms of theism — is the “opiate of the masses.” Quoting: “If people are to know and understand the real world, they must give up superstitious beliefs because they have a narcotic effect on the mind.” If the thought of God makes me feel warm and fuzzy, that may become prima facie evidence of the presence of God. A self-fulfilling prophecy, or tautology, proven by the all-encompassing feeling of wellbeing. This is not to deny the epiphany of the saints, however. And the testimony of Zen adepts suffers from this same lack of provability, or the inability to disprove its claims in any scientific, third-party manner. Atheism, on the other hand, may give one the same comfy feeling as an unflagging certainty of faith in a loving God. Instead, it may provide a smug sense of superiority, especially over those who adhere to a blind faith in what may be dismissed as mere superstition; or a need to explain the unexplainable with a myth of creation; or a belief in the divine intervention of a benign deity, however contrary the evidence — of natural disasters, for example. However, if this secular insistence upon “believing in” only those things for which there can be indisputable evidence comes to dominate our worldview, many ordinary and extraordinary insights of modern existence would have to be abandoned. Master Dogen's frequent appeals to the compassionate consideration of the buddhas and bodhisattvas smack of this kind of theistic resort to something larger, a greater power, than oneself. And the notion of a cosmic Buddha, “Vairocana” by name, seems to differ mainly in the semantics, from the theistic concept of a creator god. None of which seems all that germane to the problem at hand, as Buddha was known to dismiss such speculation. Matsuoka Roshi questioned the wisdom of going all in on a future existence in an unproven heaven, rather than focusing on the daily life we are living. I would submit that the teachings of Buddha were not intended as contrarian ideas to be debated against the prevailing views of the Hinduism of the time; nor would I offer them as arguments against the theistic dogmas of our time. Dogen's teachings were certainly offered as correctives to the prevalent practices of the other Zen sects, such as the Rinzai school, apparently predominant in 13th century Japan. But this does not mean that the teachings of Buddhism are accessible only by adherence to the tenets of one school. What Zen Buddhism points at is unvarnished reality, which is not captured by an ideology or belief system. It is what it is, and coming to apprehend buddha nature directly does not depend upon the horse you rode in on. Atheism, theism, Buddhism, any “ism,” has no direct connection to the truth, as clarified in the ancient Ch'an poem Hsinhsinming—Trust in Mind [insertions mine]: Now there are sudden and gradual [schools] in which teachings and approaches ariseWith teachings and approaches distinguished, each has its standards[but] Whether teachings and approaches are mastered or notReality constantly flows It is this constantly-flowing reality that reduces all teachings, belief systems, ideologies and philosophies to clumsy, humble fingers pointing at the brilliant moon. We have not really sated our innate desire for clarity, or resolved the dilemma of inherent confusion here, but may be encouraged to reconcile ourselves to the abandonment of any reliance on comforting opinions or beliefs in our dogged pursuit of resolution of this fundamental problem of existence itself. Please join again next time, when we will persist in our endeavor, however futile, to withdraw from our addiction to understanding that which is beyond understanding.

Inspired by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's book "Cutting through Spiritual Materialsim," Carl Jung, Ram Dass (@babaramdass) and St. Francis Assisi.  Music by Yogestu Akasaka (@yochanting). Audiobook.  Mature listeners only (18+).

Tim explores the concept of spiritual bypassing and why it is so common in law of attraction circles. For more information on Tim's bestselling books and private coaching visit: https://www.RadicalCounselor.comNotes:Spiritual Bypassing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_bypass"Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chögyam Trungpa: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570629579"Spiritual Bypassing: When Spirituality Disconnects Us from What Really Matters" by Robert Augustus Masters: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1556439059   

This episode touches on the language & tone we often experience (and sometimes contribute to) in the Yoga world.  Theresa & Sherry talk a lot about what it is to “hold space” and how important it is to be able to feel and express the full range of emotions.  Even when we do, there can be a residual that seeps into the body, held by its fibers and other connective tissues. The body doesn't do denial like the mind.  Even if our minds believe a story has been fully lived and told, the body may have something else to say about it. Emotional wellbeing impacts physical wellbeing and practices are one way to process all that information. Practicing presence and a willingness to be vulnerable and hold the space for ourselves, will ultimately enable us to see things as they are. Some practices are formal and done at pre-determined times and have a conscious structure.  Other practices are more the fruits of formal practice, which allow us to embody and live into the multiple outcomes of wellbeing they yield.  In simpler terms, they are the lived experience of formal practice.   They discuss some of the ways we try to avoid doing the work and how we can get caught up in the tone of the teachings.  One way to stay in your seat, stay on your mat or cushion when you are running late is to “Abbreviate don't abandon.”  Shorten it all up to what you can do (even if it's just a few minutes), so you honor the commitment to be present and practice. Sources: https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Chogyam/dp/1570629579 (Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism) – by, Chogyam Trungpa David Nichter's article from HuffPost:  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/boredom-as-medicine_b_509917 (Stay On Your Cushion: The Importance of ‘Hot' and ‘Cool' Boredom During Meditation). Ethan Nichtern's Books: https://www.ethannichtern.com/books (The Road Home) https://www.ethannichtern.com/books (The Dharma of the Princess Bride) https://thus.org/ (The Tibet House) Article:  http://shresthasingh.com/the-spiritual-path-of-avoidance/ (The “Spriitual” Path of Avoidance) BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Balance-Your-Hormones-Life-Achieving/dp/0738214825 (Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life) Anecdotal Anatomy's Amazing Team: http://www.tobereel.com/ (Judith George) - Editor (video & audio) https://www.keithkenny.com/ (Keith Kenny) - Music http://cindyfatsis.com/ (Cindy Fatsis) - Photography

Join us in the New Year for Feed the Fire Within, a series of 6 facilitated online gatherings in January in which we will connect with our bodies, our intentions, and each other through cacao, embodiment meditation and meaningful conversation. Learn more and sign up here.Listen and explore:How our last dieta went and what's been going on lately over at Wild WithinThe agricultural revolution, Decartes and a brief history of disembodimentSome spiritual teachers who have influenced our views on embodimentDifferent embodiment medicines we've found: plant medicine, Kambo, wilderness, meditation, yoga, travel, in-person gatherings and moreNumbing, escaping the body and other obstacles to embodimentThe pain and joy of being in our bodies and becoming explorers of the body Our personal journeys of coming home and into our bodiesThe wisdom of the body and why we need it now more than everMentioned on this episode:FAR OUT #72 ~ Don't Ask 'Why Me?' ask 'For What?' with Mayan Entrepreneur Anita Cortez ChacWild Within website: www.thewildwithin.orgWild Within IG handle: @thewild_withinThe Transformation Power of Fasting: The Way to Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Rejuvenation by Stephen Harrod BuhnerTouching Enlightenment: Finding Realization in the Body by Reginald RayThe Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge by Jeremy NarbyCutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa RinpocheThe Posture of Meditation: A Practical Manual for Meditators of All Traditions by Will JohnsonFAR OUT #92: Exploring Ayahuasca: Student Michael Peterson on the Tobacco as a Healing Plant and Walking the Medicine PathMichael PollanThe Inner Light by The BeatlesConnect with us:Website: www.thefarout.lifeEmail us at info@thefarout.lifeWild Within @ www.thewildwithin.orgSupport this podcast:Discount link to purchase organic, raw ceremonial-grade cacao ethically sourced in Guatemala (a portion of proceeds support this podcast)Become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/thefaroutcoupleMake one-time donation with PayPal (our account is aplambeck22@gmail.com)Leave a review on iTunes!Share this episode with a friend! :DCredits:Intro music: "Complicate ya" by Otis McDonaldOutro music: "Running with wise fools" written & performed by Krackatoa (www.krackatoa.com)

In part one of this two-part series, we begin with discussing Jordan Kirk's spiritual path going from Ayahuasca to finding his teacher, His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist Lama. We explore topics such as what it means to have a teacher or guru, phallic processions, and the value of crazy wisdom.Excerpts from this episode: "what happened is this I was having a spiritual crisis next to two missile range in California, where I had rented the tiniest cabin in the most desolate part of the desert near here, to try to work on a project and I was basically at the end of my rope...and I was just like, haunted by these absurd, just obsessive thoughts of hatred towards someone that I love very, very much. And I just couldn't- I was I was in a weird spiral of obsession and misery. And I went to this little bookstore. And as happens, as you know, this, this book fell off the shelf, which was this book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who you mentioned before, and I was like, okay, if a book falls off the shelf and it's a spiritual book and you're having a spiritual crisis, you got to buy the book.So I got this book in this little store and, and read it during this writing retreat, not a not a spiritual retreat, supposedly, you know, everything's a spiritual retreat, even during this horror fest that we're in right now. And I read this book, and I was like, I don't have a clue what this book is about. This book is backwards. This book makes no sense to me. Really, it's so interesting. I'm obsessed with it. And I have no idea what he's talking about. And he must be wrong about it. It just must be wrong. It just it. It's all it's all backwards. That was my experience of reading this book. And then and then a few months later, I was on an Ayahuasca retreat, where I met you at that retreat where we met and I remember he showed up in my Ayahuasca vision. And and he gave me a teaching in the, in the vision I kind of gestural, like, he kind of pointed towards something and showed me something. And was like, you can, you can read my books now."  About Jordan:Jordan Kirk is a writer who lives outside of Los Angeles. His first book, Medieval Nonsense: Signifying Nothing in Fourteenth-Century England, will appear from Fordham University Press in 2021. His current research is in the history and theory of metaphor; premodern contacts across Afro-Eurasia; medieval techniques of ecstasy; and homeopathic philosophy and materia medica. He is also a student in the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a founding editor of and frequent contributor to Ich bin ein Junge, and his essays and reviews have appeared in Exemplaria, Glossator, Studies in the Age of Chaucer, and various edited collections. He studied comparative literature at New York University and Princeton University and teaches medieval literature at Pomona College. Support the show (http://paypal.me/PauletteWaltz)

A quotient is an answer to a mathematical division problem. When we gather experience and look at the opportunities within our most challenging days, by deduction we begin to grow in wisdom. Hey, at the very least, we might learn what not to do. When we become wise and stop desiring the acquisition of wealth, or love or spiritual enlightenment, we will begin to become naturally happy. The Happiness Quotient endeavors to apply knowledge to the experiences in our lives, exploring how Happiness can be a part of our every day, even during the most challenging times. In today's inaugural episode of our new incarnation we explore the healing power of music with bluesman and Master of Divinity in Buddhist Philosophy the Reverend Freakchild. We also share a killer rendition of Happiness Jones by The Wood Brothers. Music throughout the episode is brought you by Reverend Freakchild off his latest album The Bodhisattva Blues. Final cut is Happiness Jones by The Wood Brothers. HAPPY STUFF - RESOURCES AND RESEARCH If you'd like to support this podcast or download a PDF from A Course In Happiness plese visit:https://www.patreon.com/happinessquotientFor more information about Thom Dharma Pollard and The Happiness Quotient please visit eyesopenproductions.com To join our mailing list message me at thom.dharma.pollard@gmail.com Our guest for Episode #63, Reverend Freakchild, can be found at:https://www.www-reverendfreakchild.org/Link to Happiness Jones by The Wood Brothers, as heard in Episode #63 can be found here, by Jam In The Van, Live in Nashville, TN 2019:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWFT2Ya332IChogyam Trungpa’s book, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism:https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Chogyam/dp/1570629579Naropa University webpage:www.naropa.eduThank you for your kindness.See you next time at The Happiness Quotient.Peace and Love,Thom Dharma PollardSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/happinessquotient)

"Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chogyam Trungpa - Book Review Book of the Week - BOTW - Season 1 Book 47 Buy the book on Amazon https://amzn.to/2QYyzcl GET IT. READ :) FIND OUT which HUMAN NEED is driving all of your behavior http://6-human-needs.sfwalker.com/ Human Needs Psychology + Emotional Intelligence + Universal Laws of Nature = MASTER OF LIFE AWARENESS https://www.sfwalker.com/master-life-awareness --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sfwalker/message

Adam and Stephan dive into the inner workings of Buddhism to further explore spiritual materialism. This is a continuation of our first episode on Chogyam Trungpa.

Todd and Cathy discuss intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation for kids, and discuss the harm of unachievable success in the documentary The Weight of Gold (about Olympic athletes) and The Go Go's documentary (about the rise and fall of the band). They also discuss the true and false self, and the “Three Lords of Materialism” (coined by Chögyam Trungpa in his book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism) and how they relate to our perception of success and motivation.

Todd and Cathy discuss intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation for kids, and discuss the harm of unachievable success in the documentary The Weight of Gold (about Olympic athletes) and The Go Go’s documentary (about the rise and fall of the band). They also discuss the true and false self, and the “Three Lords of Materialism” (coined by Chögyam Trungpa in his book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism) and how they relate to our perception of success and motivation.

Chogyam Trungpa was a controversial yet undeniably influential Tibetan Buddhist teacher who brought the essence of Tibetan Buddhism to the West. His book outlines the spiritual path and the pitfalls commonly found along the way.

Sokuzan quotes this sentence from the introduction in Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa to go deeper into the idea of liberated concepts: "The process of transforming the material of mind from expressions of ego's ambition into expressions of basic sanity and enlightenment through the practice of meditation---this might be said to be the true spiritual path." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQOCfiR7PE0

Dharmakirti, Kagyu, and Aura discuss the concept of having a teacher in Buddhism, with a special focus on a few teachers in particular: the disgraced Sogyal Rinpoche; the wild and influential Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche; and the austere-yet-mirthful Thai forest Masters, Ajaan Mun and Ajaan Lee. Also discussed: long summer days, taking refuge, "Lama-ism", past vs present karma, "The King and I", dirty feet, healing wounds, making amulets, Theosophy, and Silicon Valley "Buddhism". Note: Aura misspoke about Ajaan Mun. He did not study with Prince Mungkut. He studied with a Master of the school founded by the Prince, named Ajaan Sao.   The Buddha explains how there are two kinds of karma: past karma and present karma. "Karma" means "action" (NOT "retribution/reward"). In any given moment you have past karma and present karma. Thanissaro Bhikkhu https://www.dhammatalks.org/  Taking refuge https://www.samyeling.org/buddhism-and-meditation/teaching-archive-2/choje-akong-tulku-rinpoche/the-meaning-of-taking-refuge/ … Sogyal Rinpoche http://sogyalrinpoche.org/  The Dhammapada https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.intro.budd.html … List of qualities of a dharma teacher https://samyeinstitute.org/philosophy/qualities-dharma-teacher/ … Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche https://shambhala.org/teachers/chogyam-trungpa/ … Naropa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naropa  Milarepa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milarepa  "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" https://www.amazon.ca/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Chogyam/dp/1570629579 … Ajaan Mun and the founding of the Thai Forest Tradition https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/customs.html … King Rama IV https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongkut  Ajaan Lee https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/index.html … Madame Blavatsky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Blavatsky …

John Baker, one of the editors who worked closely with Chögyam Trungpa in the writing of Trungpa’s spiritual masterpiece Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism talks openly and honestly with Jeff Carreira about his deep devotion to the spiritual path and his teacher.

Mitch Horowitz, occult scholar and expert in metaphysics, joins the DTFH! Check out Mitch's new book, The Miracle Club, available now! This episode is brought to you by [Squarespace](https://www.squarespace.com/duncan) (offer code: DUNCAN to save 10% on your first site) and [BLUECHEW](https://www.bluechew.com/) (use offer code: DUNCAN at checkout and get your first shipment FREE with just $5 shipping). Friday, November 16th - Come see "[Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism](https://www.samarasacenter.com/cutting-through-spiritual-materialism-lots-of-icing-not-much-cake/)" with Duncan & David Nichtern at the Samarasa Center in Echo Park, LA!

Joey Diaz, priest, pope, guru, and founder of the Church of What's Happening Now joins the DTFH! This episode is sponsored by [Eero](https://eero.com/) (use offer code: DUNCAN at checkout for $100 off!) and [Robinhood Financial](http://duncan.robinhood.com/) (get one free stock when you sign up!). Friday, November 16th - Come see "[Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism](https://www.samarasacenter.com/cutting-through-spiritual-materialism-lots-of-icing-not-much-cake/)" with Duncan & David Nichtern at the Samarasa Center in Echo Park, LA!

Emanuel Sferios, founder of [DanceSafe](https://dancesafe.org/), joins the DTFH! Emanuel & Duncan discuss anti-drug policy & changing perceptions. Then Duncan uncovers a long-forgotten LP by one of America's most-treasured troubadours. This episode is brought to you by [Squarespace](https://www.squarespace.com/duncan) (offer code: DUNCAN to save 10% on your first site). Friday, November 16th - Come see "[Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism](https://www.samarasacenter.com/cutting-through-spiritual-materialism-lots-of-icing-not-much-cake/)" with Duncan & David Nichtern at the Samarasa Center in Echo Park, LA!

JF and Phil tackle Genjokoan, a profound and puzzling work of philosophy by Dogen Zenji. In it, the 13th-century Zen master ponders the question, "If everything is already enlightened, why practice Zen?" As a lapsed Zen practitioner ("a shit buddhist") with many hours of meditation under his belt, Phil draws on personal experience to dig into Dogen's strange and startling answers, while JF speaks from his perspective as a "decadent hedonist." "When one side is illumined," says Dogen, "the other is dark." For proof of this utterance, you could do worse than listen to this episode of Weird Studies. REFERENCES Dogen Zenji, [Genjokoan](http://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/DogenTeachings/GenjoKoan8.htm)_ Shohaku Okumura (http://www.sanshinji.org/) and the Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington, Indiana Peter Sloterdijk, [You Must Change Your Life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouMustChangeYourLife) Weird Studies, Episode 8 (http://www.weirdstudies.com/8): "On Graham Harman's 'The Third Table'" Gilles Deleuze, [Cinema 1: The Movement Image](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema1:TheMovementImage) Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, [In Praise of Shadows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InPraiseofShadows)_ Thomas Aquinas, [Summa Theologica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SummaTheologica)_ Henri Bergson, [Matter and Memory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MatterandMemory) Søren Kierkegaard, [Fear and Trembling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FearandTrembling) Joris-Karl Huysmans, À Rebours (Against Nature) (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/35341/against-nature/) Chogyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (https://www.shambhala.com/cutting-through-spiritual-materialism-458.html)

My friend Justin Kirkwood from Bloomington, Indiana went to India for a fun little adventure, which turned into years and being initiated as a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He lived and studied Tibetan and Buddhism with great Lamas in holy places of the Buddha and his followers. After being immersed in the culture and traditions for years, he is forced to return to America because of an emergency medical condition. His story of recovery and support of unexpected friends and family will inspire and amaze you! Justin goes deep into the mysteries of the Buddha, comparisons to Christ, we talk about Karma, Reincarnation, the Dalai Lama, Tantric Sex and the true meaning of life according to Justin.. This interview is packed with tons of juicy details about everything you've ever wanted to know about Buddhism and some deep thoughts to take with you on your own spiritual adventures. Justin's Recommended Books : "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chogyam Trungpa. Link: http://a.co/f3hi368 "What Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula. Link: http://a.co/flRY8z0 "The Joy of Living" by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Link: http://a.co/2qPeBCv The song Justin shares to us is : "From The Cradle To The Grave" by The Subhumans Justin's recommended Buddhist Centers in Bloomington, Indiana : The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center : www.tmbcc.org Sanshin Zen Community : www.sanshinji.org You can connect with Justin on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/justin.kirkwood.54 Enjoy this Buddha-full episode!!!

My guest today is holistic nutritionist and extremely advanced soul, Sah D'Simone. You'll be hard pressed to find a more genuine and authentic spiritual seeker than Sah. Also, if you're interested in nutrition and health for the mind/body/soul Sah is available for consults and sessions. Sah is incredibly awesome and I encourage you to learn more about him on his website http://sahdsimone.com. This is a short episode post today because I just had a baby (well, technically my wife Alexis did) so my life is insane right now. That said, enjoy the episode! Be sure to subscribe to Synchronicity if you haven't already. Oh yeah and this week's book giveaway is "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chogyam Trungpa. Join the Synchronicity Community and you're automatically entered in each weeks book giveaway contest. 

In this podcast episode, we discuss spiritual bypass and the use of spiritual practice as a substitute for doing psychological work. The history of the split between spirituality and psychology is discussed as well as the disconnection between intellect and emotions. This is followed by examples in our lives.The three books discussed are: Psychotherapy East And West by Allan Watts, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa, and Awakening The Heart by John Welwood.www.AbdiAssadi.com

Ethan Nichtern, who is a senior teacher (Shastri) in the Shambhala lineage of Trungpa Rinpoche, discusses Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. This is the first of a six part series.