Podcasts about thai buddhist

In this episode of Spirit Box, I'm joined by professional occultist Mademoiselle Vendredi for a chat about her recent adventures in Thailand. We discuss Mademoiselle Vendredi's encounters with local ghosts, spirits, and animist practices in Bangkok, where she was introduced to a world of supernatural entities, offerings, and hidden magical traditions. From her experiences with Thai Buddhist animism to the mysterious sounds of spectral visitors in her room, she shares firsthand accounts of a city teeming with unseen forces.We also explore the unique duality of Thai spiritual life, where Buddhist shrines coexist with older spirit houses, and offerings of red Fanta serve to appease ghosts. Mademoiselle Vendredi recounts her time in Bangkok's Portuguese quarter, where Catholic and Thai animist traditions merge, and describes her visit to the legendary Amulet Market.A heads-up to listeners: The next section of our discussion touches on necromantic practices and esoteric rituals involving human remains, which some may find upsetting. This is an exploration of historical and cultural practices, not an endorsement or advocacy of them.Our conversation turns to the darker side of Thai occultism, where necromantic practices involving effigies of the spirits of deceased infants, known as Kuman Thong. Mme Vendredi shares insights into these controversial practices, as well as other esoteric rituals involving oils and charms crafted from human remains.In the Plus show, we take a deeper look into the case of Mae Niyam, a spirit whose shrine has become a focal point for those seeking supernatural intervention. Mademoiselle Vendredi shares the eerie story of how Mae Niyam, once a young beauty queen, became a powerful spirit known for granting wishes—so much so that people flock to her shrine to leave offerings of red Fanta and luxury items in exchange for her favor. She recounts her own experiences of receiving assistance from May Neom and how she introduced one of her mentees to the spirit, leading to uncanny results.We also discuss another prominent Thai spirit, Mae Nak, a benevolent entity associated with luck and prosperity. Often depicted as a plump woman in traditional attire, Mae Nak is revered by business owners who set up altars for her in their shops, hoping to attract success.Beyond Thai spirits, we dive into Mademoiselle Vendredi's unexpected encounter with a Bangkok taxi driver who, instead of small talk, launched into an impromptu history of the Chinese ghosts, ancient grave relocations of Bangkok. We explore the significance of these ghost stories, the interplay between Chinese and Thai magical traditions, and how urban legends in Bangkok often stem from real historical events.We round out the Plus show with a discussion on Mademoiselle Vendredi's upcoming travels to Romania, where she plans to explore vampire folklore and connect with practitioners of local magic, as well as her extended stay in London. We also take a closer look at her Pharaoh's Club—an online space dedicated to magicians and occult practitioners seeking hands-on guidance, practical magical techniques, and insights from her global travels.This episode is a fascinating journey into folk magic, animism, and the intricate interplay between the living and the spirit world. Tune in for an immersive and wide-ranging discussion on magic, spirits, and the unseen forces shaping our world.Show notes:Kuman Thong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuman_thongMae Nak https://www.thailandfoundation.or.th/culture_heritage/mae-nak-phra-khanong-thailands-most-famous-ghost-love-story/ Red Fanta https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/thailand-drinksPharaohs Club https://buymeacoffee.com/mademoisellevKeep in touch?https://linktr.ee/darraghmasonMusic by Obliqka   / obliqka  

Focusing on awareness of the breath, Joseph Goldstein explores what the Buddha said about continuous attention.The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This episode is the thirty-fourth part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta. If you are just now jumping into the Satipatthana Sutta series, listen to Insight Hour Ep. 203 to follow along and get the full experience!This week on Insight Hour, Joseph elucidates:The Buddha's instructions for concentrationNot judging ourselves or our practiceWhy morality is the basis of concentrationGood and bad memories that arise during practiceSimple awareness of our inward and outward breathLearning the patterns and tendencies of the mindThe natural arising of concentration out of tranquility of mindLessons from Upasika Kee Nanayon, a renowned Thai Buddhist teacher and laywomanHow the knowing of the breath can open us up to the whole range of changing experiencesThought as a vehicle for deepening our wisdomGrab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE“It's mindfulness which actually notices that a thought is present. Without mindfulness, we don't know. It's continuity of mindfulness, many moments of mindfulness in a row, that strengthens the steadiness of mind and the factor of concentration. Concentration arises from continuity of mindfulness.” – Joseph GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alexander Polinsky began his showbiz career on stage, at seven, and soon landed a role on one of the 80s' biggest sitcoms, Charles in Charge. From there, Alex followed his imagination into working as a toy maker, a magician, a chef, a clown, a musician and a voice actor. Alex joins us to share stories about his Universal backlot adventures, his spiritual healing journey and his new album!Alex comes from an acting lineage. His parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were performers and by age ten, he had acquired more fame than anyone yet in the Polinsky acting dynasty. But the pathway to happiness has been more circuitous. Alex played Adam Powell (who had Charles in Charge of him from ages 10 to 16.) Not the best supervision. Alex stepped forward during the #MeToo movement, along with his co-star, Nicole Eggert, to allege that he was persistently bullied, tormented and sexually harassed by the star of the show. Charles in Charge was not a safe set for children but Universal had recently turned their backlot into a theme park and Alex enjoyed the run of it… to the point where his adventuring through attractions triggered lasers that awakened floods and giant apes! He had the opportunity to learn from veteran actors and special effects masters. Lessons and wisdom that informed his future endeavors.Alex transitioned from actor to toymaker, designing the molds that shaped icons of creative play… Polly Pocket and the talking Pee Wee Herman doll. But he dreamed of becoming an action figure and his voice over work has shrink wrapped exactly that! He voices Control Freak in Teen Titans, Argit in Ben 10 and Darington in Blaze and the Monster Machines. All now action figures!Alex's parents valued spirituality, and when he was ready to begin his healing journey he turned to Buddhism and its tenets of mindfulness and self-discovery. His fascination with the Theravada school of Thai Buddhism recently brought him to a monastery in Chiang Mai where he studied its history and is planning on recording the audiobook version of the biography of influential monk Ācariya Mun Bhūridatta Thera!Alex's band with Johnny Vallone is called Make Magic. Their new album is Before Your Very Eyes and they describe their music as evocative, emotional, impressionistic, alt rock/pop with a theatrical flair. All that plus a rousing round of IMDB Roulette!In recommendations --Fritz: The movie Conclave, Streaming on Several PlatformsWeezy: The PBS Series Funny WomanPath Points of Interest:Alexander PolinskyAlexander Polinsky on IMDBAlexander Polinsky on WikipediaMake MagicMake Magic on SpotifyMake Magic on Apple MusicĀcariya Mun Bhūridatta Thera biographyAlexander Polinksy on InstagramAlexander Polinksy on TiktokAlexander Polinksy on XConclave (2024)Funny Woman - PBSMedia Path Podcast

Selected excerpts of a teaching given by Ajahn Chah at the request of one of his students whose mother was on her deathbed. The student had expected just a short message for his mother, but instead Ajahn Chah gave this extended talk of the Dhamma of profound wisdom, compassion and encouragement for the mother and the whole family. Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk and meditation Master. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was reputed to be an Arahant.

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/indian-religions

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen by an earlier generation of scholars as a mixture of three religions: local spirit religion, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In part, the perception that Thai Buddhism is syncretistic is due to a misunderstanding of traditional Buddhism, which has always accepted the existence of local spirits and gods. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic. Moreover, Thai Buddhists themselves are increasingly adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? In Holy Things: The Genealogy of the Sacred in Thai Religion (Oxford UP, 2024), Nathan McGovern answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images--all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"--in Thailand. He takes the reader on a historical and genealogical journey, showing how the category saksit began as a term to describe a power that is inherent to gods and spirits and accessible to Brahmans. Only later, when it was used in the nineteenth century to translate the Western concept of the "holy" did it become associated with Buddhist practice. McGovern shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion. The worship of "holy things" is not a mixture of different religions, but the category of "holy things" is a mixture of different ways of talking about religion.

Welcome to Classic Skeptic Metaphysicians! We're re-releasing some of our back catalog so that these gems can be re-discovered!This week: Wild World of Thai Buddhist MagicJoin Our Inner Circle and enter to win FREE sessions with Ray Catania or Julie Phoenix:https://app.dropstation.io/skepticmetaphysicianWhat does chin fat and the ashes of deceased babies have in common? Believe it or not, they are just two of the surprisingly esoteric ingredients used in one of the most obscure magical practices in the world; Thai Buddhist Magick. Our friend, the Sadhu Dah visits us this episode to dive deeply into a world that may delight you, may disgust you, but definitely will surprise you!GUEST INFO: (Note: this is a re-broadcast and the links may no longer be active)Wesbite: thesadhudah.comSupport the Show:Rate/review Us Here: https://lovethepodcast.com/SkepticMetaphysiciansPurchase Merchandise: https://www.skepticmetaphysician.com/storeBuy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SkepticMetaphys Connect With The Skeptic Metaphysicians:Website: skepticmetaphysician.comFacebook: @TheSkepticMetaphysicianIG: SkepticMetaphysician_PodcastTik Tok: @skepticmetaphysicians

Ajahn Jayasāro is a British and Thai Buddhist monk in the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. He travels around the world speaking to monastics and lay audiences on how to live a happy life, covering topics which are fundamental to Buddhists in their understanding of Buddha's teachings and how to apply them in a fast-changing world. In this episode, he takes us through an overview of Buddhism as practised in Thailand, and also helps us view our craving for objects, the questions he asked himself as a teenager, which led him to becoming a monk among other things. The Ajahn also clarifies the value of asking the right questions to arrive at wise answers, the importance of being kind, the impact of social media and ways in which we can safeguard ourselves from being overwhelmed by it. We also learn from him the right way to study our meditation experiences, hear him share some episodes from his earlier life, get him to answer a 'frivolous' question. He ends with an inspiring take of a snippet from Buddha's story. What an amazingly inspiring conversation this is. Don't miss it. For the video, check www.youtube.com/c/thevaluesworkshop

Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk and meditation Master. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was reputed to be an Arahant.

Storycast- We all have experiences. No person has no experiences. Here is a story regarding a boy's learning experience at a Thai Buddhist temple - narrated by Drewy.

For episode 237, we are launching the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour.This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the launch of this monthly series is a conversation between Sharon and Jack Kornfield. Jack trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. The conversation begins with a 10-minute guided meditation from Jack.In this episode, Sharon and Jack discuss:Jack's experience with Thai Buddhist monk Ajahn ChahThe Buddha statue debate from the early days on IMSJack's first book “Living Dharma”Ajahn Chah's teaching about the original mindRealizing innate qualities versus developing themThe sign above the door at IMSWhat languages Sharon and Jack learned in AsiaSharon's relationship with teacher Tsoknyi RinpocheThe role of study in one's spiritual lifeDualistic versus non-dualistic teachingsThe necessity of lovingkindness in their early teachingsLearning to accept help and supportSharon's experiences with Dipa MaDifferent teachers that Jack has pissed offThe conversation closes with a short sitting. You can learn more about Jack's work right here and check out his new online course on the eight-fold path available right here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Matthew Gindin, freelance writer, teacher, acupuncturist and author of the Philosophy as Therapy Substack. To say that Matthew's background is eclectic is an understatement. When he was 21, he lived as a monastic Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition for three years. Since then, he has continued to explore and examine, experimenting with observant Jewish practice, Advaita Vedanta, Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, and Western Esoteric traditions while all along the way reading philosophy and science. He also taught meditation and yoga and has worked as an Ayurvedic counsellor and Chinese medical acupuncturist.Yah. It's a lot of stuff, and it's all informed his new writings on the Philosophy as Therapy Substack, which brings together his dynamic background with the philosophical teachings of the Buddha and Hellenic (particularly Stoic) philosophers-- all with the intent of offering relief from suffering through the cultivation of meaning. Rachel and Matthew also explore how true spiritual and intellectual exploration and growth will inevitably lead to ego death, the destruction of closely-held paradigms, and the exponential expansion of personal perspective, sharing their personal stories of evolution. In other words: tribalism and teams don't survive true spiritual growth OR intellectual honesty. And yes, it really pisses people off when you grow or, worse yet, "change your mind".The upshot? Your old, bad ideas and beliefs have to die so you don't have to suffer in ignorance. And, to do this, you must expand out beyond your limitations and explore new intellectual, existential and spiritual cultures and concepts. Regardless of what Becky at the lunch table has to say about it.Is it hard to face facts? Let go of your closely held beliefs? Sit in the "in between" of the messy middle?Yes. But it's also totally worth it.LINKS:Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachMatthew's Substack: https://matthewgindin.substack.comMatthew's Medium: https://matthewzgindin.medium.comPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: The TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXPlease note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this episode, I am once again joined by Dhammarato: a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype.  Dhammarato challenges what he sees as the widespread misconceptions about meditation practice, focusing in particular on American Buddhism and the Goenka and Mahasi methods. Dhammarato discusses issues such as the dangers of meditation retreats, the problems with sleep deprivation and other austerities, and recounts stories of men he has known who crippled themselves through obsessive meditation practice in damaging seated postures. Dhammarato also calls for a return to the original teaching of the Buddha, advises on how to find and keep spiritual friends, and shares his perspective on how to meditate well. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep241-myths-of-meditation-dhammarato Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. ... 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Challenging Western Buddhism 03:54 - Drawbacks of Goenka Vipassana retreats 04:14 - Buddha's advice for meditation 06:21 - Common meditation mistakes 07:28 - How to see dukkah 08:16 - Coming out of victimhood 09:28 - Drawbacks of the Mahasi method 11:21 - The problem of pain on meditation retreats 13:48 - Following the Ānāpānasati Sutta and jhana practice 16:18 - Western practitioners who destroyed their knees and legs while meditating 17:47 - Sleep deprivation 18:38 - Take it easy and be gentle 19:18 - Dangers of meditation retreats 20:31 - Essence of Buddhism 22:01 - Misunderstandings about meditation posture 28:16 - Magical body postures and siddhi powers 32:29 - The Donald Trumps of Buddhism 33:56 - What attracts people to extreme asceticism and psychedelics? 35:23 - Does Dhammarato's approach merely suppress suffering? 43:00 - The myth of life enhancing meditation 47:24 - Dhammarato's advice for regular practice 50:22 - The value of noble friends 55:49 - The Open Sangha Foundation 59:23 - Getting out of magical thinking 01:01:08 - How to make Dhamma friends
 … Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=DHAMMARATO … To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

Illuminating the benefits of taking spiritual retreat, Jack highlights the importance of meeting our practice with great faith, great courage, and great questioning.Join Jack with Trudy Goodman, Krishna Das, Anne Lamott and more, live online from Maui in the virtual Ram Dass Legacy Retreat: Love and Renewal 11/29 - 12/3!"It's not a question of practicing and losing weight, or getting rid of our neurosis or figuring out our mother, father, husband, or wife trip; but it's really to get the bottom of the question of life itself: Who are we? What makes up our experience? And to ask that question, to come to the end of our questioning requires a kind of passion, a kind of urgency, to see, to know." – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:The history and importance of taking spiritual retreat in Eastern traditions What it was like for Jack to take spiritual retreat with Burmese Buddhist teacher, Mahasi Sayadaw, and his Thai Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah Instructions for meditation and how to apply them properly to the retreat experience Moving beyond our psychological melodrama so we can gain deeper insight into the processes of mind Gurdjieff and using the fire of practice to transform our inner-world into a single whole Using our time wisely within the great mystery of this precious human birth Meeting our meditation practice with great faith, great courage, and great questioning The Diamond Sutra and how to live with a heart of light"You say that practice is difficult. This is thinking. Practice is not difficult. If you say it's difficult this means you're examining yourself too much—examining your situation, your condition, your opinion—so you say practice is difficult. But if you keep the mind that is before thinking and planning, then practice is not difficult." – Jack Kornfield quoting a Zen MasterThis Dharma Talk on 10/07/78 from Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A selection of teachings by Ajahn Chah. Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk and meditation Master. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was reputed to be an Arahant.

In this episode, I speak about Stoicism and Buddhism with Matthew Gindin. Matthew is a former Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition.  He taught meditation practices for 15 years, and has written extensively for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.  He is now the author of the newsletter on Substack.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* How Matthew became interested in Stoicism and his other philosophical influences, such as Spinoza* The rise in popularity of Stoicism, e.g., how it appeals to people interested in Buddhism, etc.* What do you think Stoicism and Buddhism have in common?* The historical relationship between Stoicism and Buddhism, e.g., communication between ancient eastern and western philosophers* How Stoics could benefit from learning more about Buddhism Links* Substack NewsletterThank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe

A reading for meditation of Ajahn Chah's teaching on 'Right Samadhi' - taken from the text "A Taste of Freedom." Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk and meditation Master. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was reputed to be an Arahant.

Welcome to another episode of Spooky Gay Bullsh!t, our new weekly hangout where we break down all of the hot topics from the world of the weird, the scary, and issues that affect the LGBTQIA2+ community!This week, we cover: a Turkish dog owner's unfortunate fate, further proof that bats are metal AF, the National UFO Historical Records Center's single is dropping, a supposed solution to a fictitious problem, and a Thai Buddhist temple with a capital T.See you next Friday for more Spooky Gay Bullsh!t!Join the Secret Society That Doesn't Suck for exclusive weekly mini episodes, livestreams, and a whole lot more! patreon.com/thatsspookyGet into our new apparel store and the rest of our merch! thatsspooky.com/storeCheck out our website for show notes, photos, and more at thatsspooky.comFollow us on Instagram for photos from today's episode and all the memes @thatsspookypodWe're on Twitter! Follow us at @thatsspookypodDon't forget to send your spooky gay B.S. to thatsspookypod@gmail.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this part we talk United Furniture CEO goes missing, EU spends 400k on a Metaverse party that only 4 people showed up for, man who turned himself into an alien can't find work, Thai Buddhist temple loses all monks after they test positive for meth, farmer sleeps with 11 pigs, mom refuses to cancel Christmas hike due to sons out of shape girlfriend, man gets paid 126k a year to read the paper and eat sandwiches after becoming whistle blower, man shoplifts at Walmart hosting a Shop with a Cop event, and much more! Check us out Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/TokyoBlackHour/   Check out the Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX_C1Txvh93PHEsnA-qOp6g?view_as=subscriber Follow us on Twitter @TokyoBlackPod Get your apparel at https://tkbpandashop.com/  You can also catch us Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify Check out Every Saturday Morning here https://www.everysaturdaymorning.fun Check out The Basic Caucasian Podcast here https://www.youtube.com/user/dgriffin156 The Kamen Ride With Me podcast here https://open.spotify.com/show/6AnU7AMegB3Lt6qJkFE

Thai Buddhist temple left empty after all its monks test positive for meth.

Believers' health and happiness benefits might be as fake as their god, Rideshare drivers try to ruin everyone's day, BYU Idaho fires professors, Scientology cares more about celebrities than the safety of their members, happy demographics in the UK, a Thai Buddhist monastery that knows how to PARTY, and Frank and Dan discuss [Kan]Ye's love of Hitler.

On this week's episode Jordan and Cortni are joined by model, entrepreneur, and digital creator Thalia Lynn.Thalia has amassed a social media platform of over 100k followers through her unique marketing strategy and tiered system of personal and onlyfans material. Thalia came on to discuss her foray into the YouTube content creator sphere and how she's taking her approach and emboldening other creators who want to join the space.This week we talk about her start in SW and how she's able to deal with the worst aspects of the space, and we discuss cultural topics such as Kanye's newest meltdown, why an ex-priest needs to rethink his hookup locations, and why one Thai Buddhist temple mirrors our own town problems. Check out all of this and much, much more on this week's episode of the Kokomo Press Podcast!    @thekokomopress on YouTube, Facebook, and instagram.Jordan Grainger is @ultrajoyed on twitter, facebook, and tiktok.Jordan Bell is @curatorbell on all major platforms.Cortni Richardson is @cortni88 on instagram and @cortni_lean on twitter.Brian West is @veinypeckerpete on twitter and @westjr.brian on instagram.

Thai Buddhist Monks Working to Revive Deserted Temple in Conflict Zone

Patrick answers listener questions about how to guide your kids back to the faith, is Martin Luther a Saint, why don't Catholic's go straight to God instead of going to confession, and is meditation okay Emma - Is Mary Omnipresent? Christina - I'm a Psychiatrist and it sounds like this transgirl is trying to use conversion therapy on others-this is supposed to be a bad thing for gay people but it's okay for us? Thai Buddhist temple left empty after all its monks test positive for meth Debbie - Is Martin Luther a saint? Christine - Friend wants to know why Catholic's don't go straight to God.  Also my kids left the faith and I don't know what I can do? Ken - Looking for new charity to donate money to this year. Any suggestions? James - What do Catholics think of meditation?

What does chin fat and the ashes of deceased babies have in common? Believe it or not, they are just two of the surprisingly esoteric ingredients used in one of the most obscure magical practices in the world; Thai Buddhist Magick. Our friend, the Sadhu Dah visits us this episode to dive deeply into a world that may delight you, may disgust you, but definitely will surprise you!ABOUT OUR GUEST:Sadhu Dah is a student of the Theravada lineage under Master Pong Sak and Master Thanaphol Pakdee, he has years of experience and training with inner door secrets of Thai Buddhist Magick. After the Sadhu Dah became a Mophi in Theravada tradition he then had the privilege of studying under Rinpoches and Lamas from the Bonpo Tibetan lineage where he became a Lama through initiation. In continued learning he is now a formal student in the Mao Shan sect of Taoism under High Priest Yong in Malaysia. With careful practice and plenty of devotion, Sadhu Dah became a High Priest in a Wiccan Coven, he studied under Jeffery Deuel in Norse Magic, became a Master Hypnotist under the guidance of the Shambala Institute. A passionate practitioner in Fook Yuen Chaun and a Sechem Level Reiki Master among many other titles. Through a love of learning and a studious approach, Sadhu Dah has undergone the ritual rites and testings of many traditions and customs.Guest Info:Wesbite: thesadhudah.com Skeptic Metaphysician Info:Website: skepticmetaphysician.comFacebook: @TheSkepticMetaphysicianIG: SkepticMetaphysician_PodcastLike the show? We'd love to hear your thoughts!Please rate/review the show here:https://lovethepodcast.com/SkepticMetaphysicians

In this episode I travel to the tropical island of Ko Pha-ngan in the Kingdom of Thailand, to visit recurring podcast guest Dhammarato, a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. I arrived at Dhammarato's home and over the course of two days engaged in discussions with him about his life, practice, and teaching. Dhammarato shares stories of his childhood in the American South, where he faced conflict and racism that influence his world view today. He recalls his time in Ana Arbor where, immersed in the New Age movement, he studied with a witch, and attended meetings with the Indian siddha Muktananda. Dhammarato unfolds his approach to teaching Buddhism, and addresses commonly misunderstood topics such as the 8 fold noble path, stream entry, paticca samuppada, the power of placebo, how to deal with malicious people, and the importance of sangha. … Video version: www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep169-visting-dhammarato Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. ... 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Finding Dhammarato 02:15 - Life after the Wat 06:04 - Starting to teach on Skype 07:30 - Noble Dhamma vs ordinary Buddhism 08:30 - Respect for Bikkhu Buddhadasa in Thailand 11:22 - Other teachers of the Noble Dhamma 13:27 - Skilful means 14:44 - Dhammarato's approach to concentration and jhana 16:37 - Common practice mistakes 19:25 - How to practice the Supra-mundane Dhamma 20:05 - Right view 22:20 - Right effort and sati 23:53 - Remember to look, then make a change 25:08 - From victim to winner 28:53 - No need for examples 36:09 - Is stream entry permanent? 37:16 - Does it get easier? 42:19 - Fear and the self 48:04 - Realisation of no-self is overrated 01:01:21 - Identification with the body 01:06:31 - Liking and disliking 01:23:06 - Tour of Dhammarato's house 01:25:30 - ‘The Handful of Leaves' sutra 01:26:58 - Dhammarato's Skype teaching set-up and protocol 01:30:20 - Dinner with Dhammarato 01:31:39 - Placebo and meditation 01:44:27 - Dhammarato's upbringing 01:48:05 - Paticca samuppada and movie projection 01:52:10 - Racism in the American South 01:56:46 - Why did Dhammarato's family move from place to place 01:58:18 - Experiences of racism and jealousy 02:03:25 - Dhammarato's childhood dreams 02:05:24 - New age period in Ana Arbor 02:06:31 - Studies with a witch 02:11:17 - Swami Muktananda and shaktipat 02:16:23 - Dhamma is playful 02:19:02 - Anything goes? 02:25:55 - Dealing with malicious people 02:34:04 - The sangha and good friends 02:38:31 - Capitalism vs socialism 02:41:52 - Dhammarato's work to build the Western Sangha 02:46:04 - What is Dhammarato's motive? 02:48:18 - Dhammarato's students and graduates … Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va … To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

This is a reading of a talk given to a group of lay practitioners on the topic of samadhi at Hampstead Vihara, London in the late 1970s. It is designed to be listened to as a guided meditation. The Pali/Sanskrit word samādhi, usually translated as “concentration,” is made up of three parts, a verbal root and two prefixes (sam+ā+dhi). The last part, dhi, is a noun form derived from the verbal root dhā, meaning “to put or place.” The prefix ā gives direction and suggests “placing upon,” and the prefix sam means “gathering or bringing together.” When combined and used in a Buddhist context, these elements add up to the sense of “unifying the mind and placing its awareness upon a particular object.” Traditional sources also emphasize that the mind focuses on a single (eka) point (agga), and “one-pointedness” (Pali, ekaggatā; Skt. ekāgratā) is another common way of defining samādhi (Andrew Olendzki). Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk and meditation Master. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was reputed to be an Arahant.

On the morning of August 10th, 1991, in a little rural town in Arizona, two women walked across a parking lot toward a Buddhist temple. They were there to prepare a meal for the monks who lived inside. As they walked, the women noticed that none of the monks were outside meditating or gardening, which was strange. And, when they reached the front door, not only was it locked, which was strange, but also, there was also this huge puddle of water forming in front of it which they just couldn't understand. The women sensed something was off, but they shrugged and left the front door, and found an open door on the side of the building and went inside. Minutes later, those women would come running back out, hysterical, screaming for help.For 100s more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @MrBallenSPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT:....Main Sources:1. Innocent until interrogated: the true story of the Buddhist Temple Massacre and the Tucson FourStuart - The University of Arizona Press - 20202. "1991 Buddhist temple murders in Waddell" -- https://www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/news/local/surprise/2014/03/14/1991-buddhist-temple-murders-in-waddell/6419153/3. Temple floor plan -- https://framedpod.com/pages/temple-layout4. Framed: Season 2 -- https://framedpod.com/pages/season-two-episodes-and-info?_pos=1&_sid=0603ed70f&_ss=r5. "Arizona Killing Fields" -- https://tricycle.org/magazine/arizona-killing-fields/6. "A Place of Peace—A Place of Blood" -- https://www.myazbar.org/AZAttorney/PDF_Articles/0508GaryStuart.pdf7. "Robbery suspected in temple murders" -- https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/08/12/robbery-suspected-in-temple-murders/43a1ed36-5dfe-4a45-82c8-e5efc9a6bace/8. "Drugs: The Thai connection" -- https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/the-thai-connection-64260119. "Dealing with a confessed serial killer" -- https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/dealing-with-a-confessed-serial-killer-642601510. "Arizona Murder Probes Put Wrong Men Behind Bars : Crime: Experts say the interrogation techniques used show how the innocent can be pushed into confessions." -- https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-13-mn-1343-story.html 11. "Time to remember 1991 massacre at Thai Buddhist temple" -- https://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=64,3025,0,0,1,012. "Arizona man gets nine life terms for Buddhist temple murders" -- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-temple-murder/arizona-man-gets-nine-life-terms-for-buddhist-temple-murders-idUSBREA2D0SB2014031413. "On the 25th anniversary of infamous Buddhist temple murders, community honors victims" -- https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2016/08/06/25th-anniversary-infamous-buddhist-temple-murders-community-honors-victims/88345818/14. "Montini: Arpaio tweets a reminder about how a mass murder made him sheriff" -- https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2016/08/08/montini-buddist-temple-murders-sheriff-joe-arpaio/88382642/15. "27 years later, Waddell Buddhist temple commemorates victims of 1991 temple massacre" -- https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/surprise/2018/08/20/waddell-buddhist-temple-commemorates-victims-1991-massacre-wat-promkunaram/1042642002/16. UNITED STATESUS 9TH CIR.DOODY V. SCHRIRO, Decided: February 25, 2010 -- https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1509160.html17. Johnathan Doody court documents -- https://corrections.az.gov/public-resources/inmate-datasearch18. Archival newspaper articles from: https://www.newspapers.com/image/12319866418a) Slayings at Buddhist Temple, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) · S un, Aug 11, 1991 · Page 4/5 Downloaded on Jun 14, 202218b) Tuscon Four, Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Arizona) · S un, Aug 9, 1992 · Downloaded on Jun 14, 202218c) Alibis claimed in slaying of 9, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) · S un, S ep 15, 1991 ·Downloaded on Jun 15, 202218d) Temple killings fuel fear and racism, The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Victoria, Australia) · Sun, Aug 18, 1991 · Page 13 Downloaded on Jun 14, 202218e) Day of celebration at wat, Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) · S at, Feb 15, 2003 · Page 325 Downloaded on Jun 15, 202218f) Massacre: forgiving not forgetting, Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) · S un, Aug 12, 2001 · Downloaded on Jun 15, 202219. "How does a Buddhist monk face death?" -- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/opinion/buddhist-monk-death.html20. "Death and Dying in Tibetan Buddhism" -- https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tibet/understand/dying.html21. Buddha monk life -- https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/wat_m5.htm22. Wat Promkunaram, Harvard University Pluralism Project -- https://hwpi.harvard.edu/pluralismarchive/wat-promkunaram23. Forensic ITC services -- https://forensicitc.com/about-us/in-the-news/wat-promkunaram-temple-murders/24. Historical weather -- https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/az/waddell/date/2021-1-125. Gardening in Arizona -- https://growinginthegarden.com/vegetable-gardening-in-arizona/26. Arizona desert sounds -- https://sound.stackexchange.com/questions/6821/what-does-the-arizona-desert-sound-likeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, I talk with Dhammarato—a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who has gained an enthusiastic internet following for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. See the video version of this call on YouTube. ►YouTube Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxxpWJTiwHc Find the full video chats on the Dhammarato Dhamma YouTube channel. ►YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/DhammaratoDhamma Weekly Sangha calls, everyone is welcome! ►The Sangha US - https://join.skype.com/uyYzUwJ3e3TO ►The Sangha UK - https://join.skype.com/w6nFHnra6vdh To meet Dhamma friends or volunteer to help spread the Dhamma, join our discord. ►Discord - https://discord.gg/epphTGY To unite the growing interest in Buddhism with the hundreds of Buddhist wats in the West, we are in the process of starting the Open Sangha Foundation. If you want to learn more or volunteer to help, join the discord link above and navigate to the "open-sangha" text channel. We are in the process of timestamping and organizing the 1000+ Dhammarato skype calls on this channel. If you would like to help with the process, find more information here - https://bit.ly/3H1EWSA What do the numbers in the title mean? The number by the name of the student indicates the total amount of recorded calls with Dhammarato. The date in the title indicates the date the call was recorded.

This is a reading of a series of questions that were put to Ajahn Chah by a group of monks in his monastery. Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk and meditation Master. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was reputed to be an Arahant.

In this bonus episode, I am once again joined by Dhammarato – a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype.  This footage was recorded right before a dialogue about the Mahasi Method between Dhammarato and Daniel Ingram. Due to a scheduling miscommunication, Dhammarato and I arrived to the recording one hour early. It wasn't long before Dhammarato began sharing his insights with his characteristic humour and precision and so we decided to release this informal exchange as a bonus episode. Dhammarato discusses the role of story and how to wake up from it, what stream entry really is and how can it be verified, and the difference between sati and psychological repression. Dhammarato also teaches a coffee meditation, talks about mindfulness in daily life, and reveals the real practice of anapanasati. … Video version: www.guruviking.com Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. ... 00:00 - Intro 01:24 - The role of story and memory 04:10 - Waking up to the story 10:52 - Verifying stream entry 12:44 - What is stream entry really? 19:04 - Is stream entry a sudden event? 22:27 - Motor habit and Steve's coffee 24:21 - Dhammarato teaches a coffee meditation 27:50 - The real practice of anapanasati 32:33 - Spiritual materialism and buying books 36:12 - Catch the rabbit 31:05 - All fires have a fuel 44:28 - Repression, catharsis, and the mechanism of waking up 
 … 
Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va … To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

Cindy's relationship with her mother was challenging. She felt fractured growing up and had a yearning to heal her broken self. Cindy sought sanctuary, that sacred place of belonging that she calls home. She moved to Thailand, where she met a Thai Buddhist nun, who led her on a spiritual and healing journey. Cindy shares the following powerful nuggets of life wisdom: - find sanctuary, that sacred place of belonging that you call home - strive to have a safe place of refuge to go to - we cannot solve anything with anger - it is much harder to practice love and kindness - forgiveness is at the heart of it - feel the depth of your 'self' and your voice - allow your heart to expand - we all have inner voices to listen to - there can lay a dormant higher, truer self that is capable of love, creativeness and happiness - follow the path you're searching - don't be afraid to open up, listen and follow your inspirations - strive to see the see the 'we/us/you' of the world - go forward with an open heart and courage https://cindyrasicot.com  tags: Cindy, Rasicot, writer, author, Finding, Venerable, Mother, Daughter's, Spiritual, Quest, Thailand, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean, https://storiesthatempower.com  

Sadhu Dah will speak about internal energy cultivation for spiritual development and protection, from both Eastern and Western traditions. Sadhu Dah specializes in teaching sympathetic and animistic magic of Thai tradition, along with performing exorcisms and soul retrievals. He is a student of the Theravada lineage under Master Pong Sak and Master Thanaphol Pakdee, with years of experience and training with inner door secrets of Thai Buddhist Magick. After the Sadhu Dah became a Mophi in Theravada tradition he then had the privilege of studying under Rinpoches and Lamas from the Bonpo Tibetan lineage where he became a Lama through initiation. He is now a formal student in the Mao Shan sect of Taoism under High Priest Yong in Malaysia. Sadhu Dah also became a High Priest in a Norse Magic Wiccan Coven under Jeffery Deuel, and became a Master Hypnotist under the guidance of the Shambala Institute. A passionate practitioner in Fook Yuen Chaun and a Sechem Level Reiki Master among many other titles. Through a love of learning and a studious approach, Sadhu Dah has undergone the ritual rites and testings of many traditions and customs.www.thesadhudah.com

n this episode I host a dialogue between Dhammarato and Daniel Ingram on the question ‘Lineage: Who May Teach The Authentic Dharma?'. Dhammarato is a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition, a student of the meditation master Bikkhu Buddhadasa, and is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. Daniel Ingram is an independent Buddhist author and co-founder of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC), a multidisciplinary, multinational alliance of researchers, clinicians, and patrons who share a vision of bringing scientific methods and clinical sensibilities to the study of emergent phenomena. In this episode Dhammarato and Daniel offer various definitions of the word ‘lineage' and debate the value of lineage authorisation as a qualification to teach the Buddhist religion. Dhammarato recalls his own monastic training in what he calls the ‘noble lineage' under teachers such as a Ajahn Po and Bikkhu Buddhadasa and critiques the lack of authentic lineage in the West, while Daniel reflects on the pros and cons of the concept of lineage purity and institutional persecution of the outsider. Dhammarato and Daniel also consider generational preferences in lineage styles, the roles of religious institutions, and predict the evolution of Buddhism in America. … Video version at https://www.guruviking.com/ep114-lineage-who-may-teach-the-authentic-dharma-dhammarato-daniel-ingram/ 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:59 - Lineage - who may teach the authentic dharma 03:36 - Dhammarato's opening address 18:51 -Daniel's opening address 33:31 - What is lineage? 38:55 - Lack of lineage in the West 41:57 - Christopher Titmuss on what makes a dharma teacher 44:31 - Aesthetics vs dhamma 47:59 - Dhammarato's noble training under Ajahn Po 54:10 - Goenka approach is the end a lineage 55:42 - Lineage as family and pure blood perspective 59:04 - Noble vs ordinary lineage 01:06:48 - Lineage as outsourced social proof 01:13:08 - Spending time with role models 01:20:37 - The roles of institutions 01:24:20 - With whom should you share your attainments? 01:31:11 - The maverick and the institution 01:33:02 - Generational preferences 01:37:22 - The evolutional of Western Buddhism 01:43:23 - Evaluating competency and judging others 01:44:07 - Daniel's closing address 01:49:00 - Dhammarato's closing address .. Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va Daniel Ingram Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdkny_MJSecHyvKHPpvxTskBAC … To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ To find out more about Daniel, visit: - https://theeprc.org/ - integrateddaniel.info … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

Born in Bangkok to a Thai Buddhist mother and Irish Catholic father, Tom spent his formative years at a Benedictine monastery school in Yorkshire, England before pursuing a career in film and television. After attending the Northern Film School in Leeds in 1995, he embarked on producing and directing his first feature film project Monk Dawson.Tom returned to Thailand in 2002 and produced multiple independent feature films through his production company De Warrenne Pictures, now one of Thailand's leading international production companies based out of Bangkok and Chiang Mai.After producing assignments in Thailand on foreign films, Tom decided to return to his passion for directing with Mindfulness and Murder. His Thai language cinematic directorial debut, the film was nominated for 5 Thailand National Film Association awards including Best Picture and Best Director. In 2014, he produced and directed The Last Executioner, an award-winning biopic on Thailand's last prison executioner.In 2019, Tom wrote and directed The Cave, the first narrative feature film about the dramatic Thai Cave Rescue that captivated the world in the summer of 2018. The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival.Tom lives in Bangkok with his four children.

Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition.

Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition.

2020-21 ‘Fabrication' Fellows, Adin Lears, assistant professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Anthony Lovenheim Irwin, scholar of Asian religions, engage in a conversation that ranges from creatures and creaturehood in Piers Plowman to craft and construction in Thai Buddhism, finding common ground in questions of spirituality and belief, language and craft, as they consider the ethics and poetics of ‘Fabrication.'

I spoke with the beautiful and inspiring Diana Min all about: Generational trauma and ending the cycles and patterns of our lineages The Dark Night of the Soul Plant medicine & Ayahuasca Feminine flow & allowing life to unfold with ease The path of least resistance Wealth consciousness The energetics of money and abundance Shifting out of a scarcity/lack mentality Money rituals The keys to receiving Cultivating a sense of worthiness The power and strength found in surrendering Boundaries as an act of self-love & much more!   ABOUT DIANA: New York City native Diana Min began her spiritual journey growing up at a Thai Buddhist temple surrounded by monks and meditation from the age of 5 to 15. All the while suffering unimaginable abuse in her private home life at the hands of her family's mental illnesses. Diana's addiction to alcohol and drug use developed quickly as she tried to escape the painful reality of her upbringing as well as her intense anxiety, depression, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. These issues haunted her into adulthood where the addictions intensified and brought with them very unfortunate and traumatic circumstances. At 26 years old, Diana suffered a mental breakdown which led her to seek out a shamanic healer who eventually led her to participate in an Ayahuasca ceremony, a sacred plant medicine from the Amazon jungle that has been used in ancient cultures for over 6,000 years. Afterward, Diana was able to break free from all of her addictions and eventually healed herself of all her mental ailments without any medications. Since then, she has continued to spread the message of this incredibly healing plant medicine to the masses. Today, Diana is a transformational coach who helps to guide people on their own personal healing journey with the use of many different holistic modalities.      CONNECT WITH DIANA: Instagram Facebook YouTube Urban Indigo Podcast   CONNECT WITH NADINE: Website Instagram Temple of Bloom: 12-week transformational program   If you like what you hear, please rank and review the show, forward it to your friends & family, and hit “Subscribe.” Make sure to take a screenshot of your review and email it to nadine@bloomwithnadine.com to receive a special healing meditation.   Share this episode on Instagram and tag @bloomwithnadine with your biggest a-ha moments and takeaways. I'd love to shout you out and hear what resonated with you.   Want to contribute to the funding of Soul Nectar? You can donate here ♡   AFFILIATE LINKS: ☆ Gift yourself a yoni egg, crystal wand, & more at Yoni Pleasure Palace and get $10 off using code YONILOVE ☆ Check out the beautiful yoni eggs, crystal wands, & ste

Our Real Home - A Talk to an Aging Lay Disciple Approaching Death by Ajahn Chah translated from the Thai by The Sangha at Wat Pah Nanachat. Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition.

A selection of key pointers and quotes by Ajahn Chah on Dhamma and Meditation practice. For all the range of teachings given by Ajahn Chah, which are made available for free, please see this great website: https://www.ajahnchah.org/​ Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk and meditation Master. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. He was reputed to be an Arahant.

Growing up with a bi-polar mother and a father who also struggled from his own history of childhood abuse, Diana Min suffered mental, emotional, and physical abuse and neglect. She started having suicidal thoughts at 8 years old, and fell into drug and alcohol addictions. At 26 years old, Diana suffered a mental breakdown which led her to seek out a shamanic healer who eventually invited her to participate in an Ayahuasca ceremony. Now Diana shares the power of Ayahuasca with listeners of The Urban Indigo podcast and inspires with her many uplifting projects to raise awareness. Watch this interview for a tale of trauma to triumph and be inspired that you can heal and build the life you've been dreaming about. LISTEN: The Urban Indigo Podcast https://apple.co/2Ve8t5W More About Diana Min NYC native Diana Min began her spiritual journey growing up at a Thai Buddhist temple surrounded by monks and meditation from the age of 5 to 15. All the while suffering unimaginable abuse in her private home life at the hands of her family's mental illnesses. Diana's addiction to alcohol and drug use developed quickly as she tried to escape the painful reality of her upbringing as well as her intense anxiety, depression, PTSD and borderline personality disorder. These issues haunted her into adulthood where the addictions intensified and brought with them very unfortunate and traumatic circumstances. At 26 years old Diana suffered a mental breakdown which led her to seek out a shamanic healer who eventually led her to participate in an Ayahuasca ceremony, a sacred plant medicine from the Amazon jungle that has been used in ancient cultures for over 6,000 years. Afterwards, Diana was able to break free from all of her addictions and eventually healed herself of all her mental ailments without any medications. Since then, she has continued to spread the message of this incredibly healing plant medicine to the masses. Today, Diana is a transformational coach that helps to guide people on their own personal healing journey with the use of many different holistic modalities. Connect with Diana: Podcast: https://apple.co/2Ve8t5W Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianamin8 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theurbanindigo/ YouTube: https://bit.ly/2VfCEJY   YOUR GUIDE TO SOUL NECTAR – KERRI HUMMINGBIRD SAMI I love mentoring women to rewrite the story of their lives through inner transformation, connection to essence, remembrance of purpose, and realignment to authenticity and truth. If you don't want to settle for anything less than a life of passion and purpose, book a Discovery Call and let's talk! Schedule today! http://bit.ly/2CpFHFZ FREE GIFT: The Love Mastery Game, an oracle for revealing your soul's curriculum in every day challenges. http://www.kerrihummingbird.com/play Do you lack the confidence to trust yourself and go for what you want? When you take actions towards your dreams, does self-doubt infect your certainty? Do you find yourself distracting and numbing while also feeling something is missing inside? Do you feel disrespected and like your wisdom is being dismissed? Do you have a hard time asking for what you need? You may benefit from healing the Mother Wound and reconnecting with the Divine Mother for love. Find out more at www.motherwoundbook.com You may be a member of The Second Wave, here to uplift human consciousness from the inside out by healing patterns of suffering that run through your ancestry. Find out about “The Second Wave: Transcending the Human Drama” and receive a guided meditation at www.thesecondwave.media READ an Excerpt from the Award-Winning memoir, Awakening To Me.

In this episode I host a dialogue between Daniel Ingram and Dhammarato on the question ‘Is there magic in the Dharma?’. Daniel Ingram is a contemporary Buddhist author who controversially declared himself to be an Arhat, one of the highest spiritual attainments in Buddhism, challenging cultural taboos against disclosing one’s enlightenment. Dhammarato is a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition, a student of the famous meditation master Bikkhu Buddhadasa, and is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. In this episode Daniel and Dhammarato discuss the pros and cons of magical experiences, how to develop siddhis and their dangers, and whether these topics should even be discussed in public. They debate the differences between their own teaching approaches, as well as the approaches of the Burmese and Thai meditation methods, and the importance of a close relationship with a teacher. Daniel and Dhammarato also acknowledge each other, decrypt the ways in which they signal recognition of others’ spiritual attainments, and explain how to recognise enlightened teachers. … www.guruviking.com Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 0:00 - Intro 1:44 - Structure of the episode 2:09 - Daniel’s opening address 12:34 - Dharmmarato’s opening address 26:56 - The pros and cons of magical experiences 35:15 - Anapanasati and developing sukkha 38:39 - Slow and hard path or fast and easy path? 43:30 - Different paths to enlightenment 48:41 - Does magic exist? 52:56 - Is there any value in cultivating siddhis? 58:26 - Should we talk about siddhis and magic? 1:12:43 - Moving from Right Dhamma to Supramundane Dhamma 1:18:50 - Misconceptions about the Mahasi method 1:23:30 - How to recognise Noble Ones and the dangers of siddhis 1:36:32 - The cat is out of the bag 1:39:50 - Mage vs sage 1:47:26 - Close relationship with a teacher 1:52:41 - Mass teaching vs 1-1 teaching 1:55:55 - A mature spiritual culture and the dynamics of Asian temples 2:19:24 - Daniel and Dhammarato recognise each other 2:22:04 - Ajahn Po the arhat 2:30:00 - Gender equality in the sangha and Thai culture 2:44:48 - Dhammarato’s closing address 2:47:06 - Daniel’s closing address … Daniel Ingram Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdkny_MJSecHyvKHPpvxTskBAC Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va … To find out more about Daniel, visit: - integrateddaniel.info - firekasina.org - https://theeprc.org/ To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ 
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 Dhammarato – a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype.  This interview was recorded in the lead up to a dialogue I will be hosting between Dhammarato and Daniel Ingram on the question ‘Is there magic in the dharma?’. In this episode, Dhammarato explores the Mahātanhāsankhaya Sutta, and draws out themes of magical thinking, continuation of consciousness, and dependent origination. Later Dhammarato gives his take on the Buddhist doctrines of rebirth and making merit, the Mahasi meditation method, the tulku system, and the Dalai Lama’s claims of reincarnation. We also discuss if the 8-fold path inevitably leads to individual renunciation and societal collapse, and what it means to ‘leave the fight’. … Video version at: https://www.guruviking.com/ep82-dhammarato-magical-thinking-in-buddhism/ Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. ... 0:00 - Intro 0:54 - Dhammarato gives a summary of magical thinking and the Mahātanhāsankhaya Sutta 20:08 - The two levels of Dhammarato’s analysis 21:16 - How is it possible to read magical thinking into a sutta that refutes magical thinking? 25:51 - Placebo, causation, and useful ignorance 29:39 - Relationship of understanding of cause and effect to suffering 33:42 - Craving, perception, and the 4 Modes of Clinging 50:10 - Repetition and understanding how the mind works 53:46 - How to see through the Self 57:08 - Critique of the Mahasi Method and Thai vs Burmese meditation 1:00:44 - Who or what realises the No-Self? 1:05:58 - Reincarnation is irrelevent 1:07:21 - The problem with the doctrine of reincarnation 1:10:30 - Is the doctrine of making merit magical thinking? 1:19:36 - Uppaya and useful ignorance 1:20:21 - Society is built on magical thinking 1:23:01 - Renunciation is the inevitable outcome of the 8-fold noble path 1:25:57 - Is the Hinayana self-terminating? 1:26:38 - A historical example of Buddhism destroying a society 1:28:22 - Is Buddhism inviable on a societal level? 1:35:32 - The tension between individual liberation and societal collapse 1:36:43 - Dhammarato reflects on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation claims 1:38:23 - Is the tulku system a scam? 1:41:45 - Magical beliefs prevent progress 1:45:23 - Ideal society: Benign dictatorship vs democracy 1:47:41 - Leaving the fight 1:49:41 - Dhammarato’s radical position of renunciation in the face of death 
 … 
Previous Episodes with Dhammarato: - https://www.guruviking.com/ep20-dhammarato/ - https://www.guruviking.com/ep29-dhammarato-guru-viking-podcast-pandemic-edition/ To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode, Susan Guthrie speaks with psychotherapist, Cindy Rasicot, the author of the Best-Selling memoir, Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughter's Spiritual Quest to Thailand, about her journey of physical, emotional and spiritual healing through her nuturing relationship with a Thai Buddhist nun and mentor.  Cindy's years long journey involves many lessons that will resonate with those going through divorce or any tranformative change, as she navigates physcial injury and healing, loss and pain and even her own gray divorce.  Cindy's path to healing with the guidance of Venerable Dammananda Bhikkhuni reminds us all that a truly open heart is the door to faith, forgiveness and love.  For anyone and everyone on the human journey through life, this is an episode that will bring hope to all with a focus on: Change and the feeling of loss that can accompany that change; The propensity of the mind to dwell on loss causing us to experience that loss over and over again; and The realization that nothing is permanent and that happiness is sometimes in how you look at things. Much as Elizabeth Gilbert's, Eat, Pray, Love, captured the collective conscious and the search for love that is common to all, Cindy Rasicot's, Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughter's Spiritual Quest to Thailand, touches on what is human in us all.  Listen to the episode, read the book and find connection and hope. More About This Week's Special Guest:  Cindy Rasicot is a writer and retired psychotherapist.  Author of Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughter’s Spiritual Quest to Thailand, her book is a #1 best seller in spirituality on Amazon and an International Book Awards finalist.   Cindy’s life has been a spiritual journey that took on new dimensions when she and her family moved to Bangkok, Thailand for three years. There, she met her spiritual teacher, Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, an encounter that opened her heart and changed her forever. This deepening relationship led to writing her debut memoir which chronicles her adventures along the spiritual path. She is currently writing her second book about her spiritual teacher. Visit Cindy at www.cindyrasicot.com For more information on the upcoming LIVE event in Los Angeles where Cindy will be interviewing Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, just click here:  https://insightla.org/event/dhamananda/2020-11-18-19-00/ **************************************************** SUSAN GUTHRIE, ESQ., the creator and host of The Divorce and Beyond Podcast, is nationally recognized as one of the top family law and divorce mediation attorneys in the country.  She is one of the Co-Chair's of the American Bar Association's DR Section Mediation Committee and is the Founder of Divorce in a Better Way which provides a curated selection of resources and information for those facing divorce and other life changes.  Find out more at www.divorceinabetterway.com. ***************************************************************************** THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR! SOBERLINK:   As the Experts in Remote Alcohol Monitoring Technology, Soberlink combines a breathalyzer with wireless connectivity and is the only system with facial recognition, tamper detection, and Advanced Reporting™. The real-time system reduces litigation, fosters peace of mind, and ensures child safety.  SPECIAL OFFER:  For a limited time, get an exclusive $50 off your device by emailing info@soberlink.com and mentioning Divorce and Beyond. ***************************************************************************** SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE! If you would like to sponsor the show please reach out to us at  divorceandbeyondpod@gmail.com for pricing and details!!! ********************************************************************* Remember to follow Susan Guthrie and THE DIVORCE AND BEYOND PODCAST on social media for updates and inside tips and information: Susan Guthrie on Facebook Susan on Instagram Susan on Twitter Divorce & Beyond Podcast on Instagram Divorce & Beyond Podcast on Twitter If you want to see the video version of the podcast episodes they are available on The Divorce & Beyond YouTube Channel!  Make sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode! Finally, we'd really appreciate it if you would  give us a 5 Star Rating and tell us what you like about the show in a review - your feedback really matters to us!    You can also get in touch with Susan at divorceandbeyondpod@gmail.com. She loves to hear from listeners and you might hear your comment or question on an upcoming episode!   Don't forget to visit the webpage www.divorceandbeyondpod.com and sign up for the free NEWSLETTER to receive a special welcome video from Susan and more!! ***************************************************************************** DISCLAIMER:  THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE.  YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE WITH RESPECT TO ANY PARTICULAR ISSUE OR PROBLEM

Our expectations determine how we experience our reality. Learn how to engage in present moment thinking so you can release your preconceived ideas of how life “should” be, so you can embrace and fully wake up to what it is.    Expectation is one of the root causes of our suffering.    Our experience in life is colored by our expectations - expectations of others, of society, and of ourselves. And then, there are also the expectations others have of us.    But, we can let go of our expectations through the power of awareness and present moment thinking.   How so, you might ask?    Consider this story of the Thai Buddhist master and the broken goblet:   “You see this goblet?” — asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai Buddhist master.   “For me, this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table, and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, “Of course.”   When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”   By learning how to release our expectations, we reduce our suffering and improve the quality of our life experience.   I share a present moment living practice you can begin today so you can wake up to experiencing your life through a whole new lens.   If this episode was valuable to you, be sure to check out our popular Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Happiness Course You Can Be Mindful! by going here. In this course [with acclaimed mindfulness expert Dr. Shauna Shapiro], you’ll learn how to develop and deepen your mindfulness practice for greater clarity and calm.

Our guest today, Sebastian Bruno is the co-founder of ThaiVedic Yoga, a holistic healing system that bridges timeless Ayurvedic principles with Thai Buddhist medicines and Yoga Therapy. Sebastian is a student of the Body, Breath, and Movement. These studies brought him into different disciplinary practices such as martial arts, dance, bodywork and traditional healing arts. For the past 17 years he has been immersed in the learning and practice of Traditional Thai Medicine; rooted in the Five Element Theory and Buddhist principles of mindfulness, kindness and compassion; following the lineage of the acclaimed Master Arjhan Pichest. Thai Vedic ~ https://www.thaivedic.com Thai Vedic Youtube ~ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2YOvkOk4lwuo7hlRP8J_cAThai Vedic Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/ThaiVedicOfficial/Sebastian Bruno Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/sebastian_thaivedic/Check out amazing organic products on Pure Shop - https://pureshop.jp Face Care Oil (Recommended)https://pureshop.jp/product/facecareoil Support the show (https://paypal.me/breakfastwithtiff)

Today, I get the privilege to interview a fellow Thai Buddhist teacher, Superwan Green. Superwan teachers about the 6th-senses taught in Buddhism, which all people have the ability to tap into and amplify in the new energies of the 5th dimension. As people deepen their awakening process and ascend their level of energy in their aura fields, they will start fine-tuning their 6th-senses as discussed in Buddhism. Learning how to manage these new human skills respectfully and coexist harmoniously with these abilities is a skill everyone can master. Supawan is here to explain the Buddhist understanding of being one with your 6th senses as part of your daily spiritual practice and she will explain how Tai Chi Qi Gong and various meditation practices can help harmonize your merkabah. To watch the VIDEO interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3k2So3fgELg For more on Supawan Green's work: en.supawangreen.com For more information about Merkaba Chakras: https://merkabachakras.com/ Please hit SUBSCRIBE for notifications of new episodes. Many abundant blessings to you for watching, liking, commenting, and sharing! #SupawanGreen, #Buddhism6thSenses, #spiritualgifts, #Metaphysics, #WhatIsConsciousness, #BuddhistNirvana, #BuddhistSpiritualEmptiness, #JourneyOfSamsara, #WheelOfDharma, #MerkabaChakrasQHHT, #FourNobleTruths, #Buddhism, #5thDimension, #Earth5DAscension, #VonGaltPodcast, #MerkabaChakrasPodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/merkabachakras/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/merkabachakras/support

Sebastian Bruno is the co-founder of ThaiVedic, a holistic healing system that bridges together timeless Ayurvedic principles with Thai Buddhist medicine and Yoga Therapy; a holistic medicine if you like.In usual circumstances, he travels around the world sharing his practice through sessions, classes, workshops and trainings.Sebastian has been a long-time student of the Body, Breath and Movement and these studies have brought him through a variety of disciplinary practices such as martial arts, dance, bodywork and traditional healing arts. 

In this podcast, Martin Seeger from the University of Leeds joins Petra Desatova to talk about his recent book Gender and the Path to Awakening: Hidden Histories of Nuns in Modern Thai Buddhism jointly published by Silkworm Books and NIAS Press. Martin shares his insights into how he researched this fascinating topic and how he discovered that an unknown female Buddhist practitioner was the true author of well-known Thai Buddhist texts that had been wrongly attributed to a prominent male monk. 

“Three deep bows to Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni. Venerable Mother, you gave me my life back. You have helped me heal and become the woman I am meant to be. You made my heart whole. Words cannot express how grateful I am to you for taking me under your wing. Your prophetic words of advice are an inspiration to me, a light out of the darkness. And I am not alone. You are a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope for so many women and men whose lives you have changed forever. Sadhu. Sadhu. Sadhu.” – writes Cindy Rasicot  Valeria interviews Cindy, the author of Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughter's Spiritual Quest to Thailand When Cindy Rasicot moves to Thailand with her husband and teenage son, she finds herself strangely adrift in a foreign culture, unprepared for the challenges she encounters there. On an impulse she signs up for a conference where she unexpectedly meets a Thai Buddhist nun, Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, who leads her on a spiritual journey from which there is no turning back. Along the way she discovers the beauty of the Thai people and culture. This soulful and engaging memoir is the story of one woman's journey of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing through her connection to a loving Buddhist teacher who fully accepts and nurtures her in a way her own mother never did. Finding Venerable Mother is a testimony to the power of faith, forgiveness, and love. Cindy Rasicot is a retired Marriage Family Therapist. Her life has been a spiritual journey that took on new dimensions when she and her family moved to Bangkok, Thailand for three years. There, she met her spiritual teacher, Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the first fully ordained Theravada nun — an encounter that opened her heart and changed her forever. This deepening relationship led to writing her memoir, Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughter's Spiritual Quest to Thailand, which chronicles her adventures along the spiritual path. Sylvia Boorstein said about her book, Cindy Rasicot's loving account of her own transformation through knowing her is a joy to read." To learn more about Cindy Rasicot please visit her website: https://cindyrasicot.com/ For Intro-free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/aquestforwellbeingpodcast Podcast Page: https://fitforjoy.org/podcast   ** Bio intro and outro one by Heidi Lynn Peters. 

Finding Venerable Mother follows Cindy Rasicot's captivating journey to Thailand with her husband and son, where she found herself immersed in a foreign culture. Unexpectedly, Thai Buddhist nun Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni enters Cindy's life and changes it forever. Along her newfound spiritual journey, she discovers a beautiful life filled with faith, forgiveness, and love. Cindy's mentor, Dhammanada Bhikkhuni, was named one of BBC's 100 Influential Women of 2019. She was the first Thai buddhist nun. Cindy reveals her courageous adventure to find compassion and forgiveness in her memoir Finding Venerable Mother. " —Linda Joy Myers, President National Association of Memoir Writers, author of Journey of Memoir, Don’t Call Me Mother, and Song of the Plains.

Finding Venerable Mother follows Cindy Rasicot's captivating journey to Thailand with her husband and son, where she found herself immersed in a foreign culture. Unexpectedly, Thai Buddhist nun Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni enters Cindy's life and changes it forever. Along her newfound spiritual journey, she discovers a beautiful life filled with faith, forgiveness, and love. Cindy's mentor, Dhammanada Bhikkhuni, was named one of BBC's 100 Influential Women of 2019. She was the first Thai buddhist nun. Cindy reveals her courageous adventure to find compassion and forgiveness in her memoir Finding Venerable Mother. " —Linda Joy Myers, President National Association of Memoir Writers, author of Journey of Memoir, Don’t Call Me Mother, and Song of the Plains.

Finding Venerable Mother follows Cindy Rasicot's captivating journey to Thailand with her husband and son, where she found herself immersed in a foreign culture. Unexpectedly, Thai Buddhist nun Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni enters Cindy's life and changes it forever. Along her newfound spiritual journey, she discovers a beautiful life filled with faith, forgiveness, and love. Cindy's mentor, Dhammanada Bhikkhuni, was named one of BBC's 100 Influential Women of 2019. She was the first Thai buddhist nun. Cindy reveals her courageous adventure to find compassion and forgiveness in her memoir Finding Venerable Mother. " —Linda Joy Myers, President National Association of Memoir Writers, author of Journey of Memoir, Don’t Call Me Mother, and Song of the Plains.

In this episode, I talk with Dhammarato – a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who has gained an enthusiastic internet following for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype.  Video version here: https://www.guruviking.com/ep29-dhammarato-guru-viking-podcast-pandemic-edition/ Audio version of this podcast also available on iTunes and Stitcher – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … At the time of writing, the world is in the midst of a viral pandemic. Many people are afraid and many people are in isolation. Some people are sick or will become sick, and some people are dying. In this special series of the Guru Viking Podcast, I ask my guests the questions like how to work with anxiety, fear, and panic? How to work with isolation? How to work with sickness and death? And how to help others having those experiences? Neither I nor my guests are medical professionals, and this podcast is not medical advice. Fear, sickness, and death are perennial human experiences, and so my hope is that these episodes will be of use not only to those who are being affected now in this situation, but also of use to others beyond it. … 0:58 - Guidance for those who are afraid or panicked. 12:04 - Guidance for those who are sick. 24:28 - Guidance for those who are dying. 35:31 - Guidance for helping those who are sick or dying. 38:35 - Guidance for those in isolation. 39:40 - Concluding comments. To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode, I talk with Dhammarato - a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who has gained an enthusiastic internet following for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. We discuss Dhammarato’s adventures throughout India studying in search of magic and meditation; his encounters with gurus such as Muktananda, Sai Baba, and Osho; why meeting famed meditation master Buddhadasa turned his search for magic upside down and saw him ordain as a Buddhist monk in the Thai Tradition. We discuss what Dhammarato calls the ‘supra-mundane Dhamma’; hear his take on the failings of Western Buddhism; learn why he believes Visuddhimagga author Buddhaghosa was either a charlatan or a fool; and discover Dhammarato’s surprisingly simple advice on correct practice. For the video version of this interview, visit: https://www.guruviking.com/ep20-dhammarato/ Topics include: 00:50 - Dhammarato’s professional background and search for magic in India 04:42 - A challenging 10-day retreat with U Upandita 05:47 - Time with Muktananda and the practices of Siddha Yoga 07:55 - Buddha magical vs Buddha reality 09:50 - The Magicians of India 12:48 - Meeting the meditation master Buddhadasa 17:32 - The story of Bikkhu Buddhadasa 19:24 - The real teachings of the Buddha 24:06 - The trial of Bikkhu Buddhadasa 29:09 - Life at the monastery 31:14 - What is correct practice? 33:12 - How to be free of the five hindrances 36:25 - Gathering the jhana factors 37:59 - The flaws of the Visuddhimagga and critique of Buddhaghosa 52:48 - What is an arhat? 57:52 - The Pragmatic Dharma movement, the 4 Path Model, and Stream Entry 1:02:22 - Why students need teachers and not just books 1:03:41 - Teaching on Skype and Dhammarato’s internet popularity 1:06:35 - The results of Dhammarato’s personal practice 1:10:07 - The problem with words like ‘arhat’ and ‘enlightenment’ 1:15:10 - How to find Dhammarato To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music 'Deva Dasi' by Steve James

It's our fourth episode, just in time for Halloween! This week we discuss the use of religion in horror films, the why, how, and when of usage. We do this through an American film looking at the history of puritanical beliefs of the Salem Trials era (The Witch), a Catholic Italian criticizing the Church (Don't Torture a Duckling), and a Thai Buddhist commentary on retribution (Phobia 2). We also discuss a Vice article (link below) and why we disagree. Just so you know, SPOILERS ABOUND, and if you care certainly watch these films first. The Vice article: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gqkj84/why-are-so-many-horror-films-christian-propaganda

Text: Plus de la moitié des 147 tigres qui ont été sauvés d'un temple bouddhiste controversé il y a seulement 3 ans sont morts. Translation: More than half of the 147 tigers that were rescued from a controversial Thai Buddhist temple just three years ago have died. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Text: Plus de la moitié des 147 tigres qui ont été sauvés d'un temple bouddhiste controversé il y a seulement 3 ans sont morts. Translation: More than half of the 147 tigers that were rescued from a controversial Thai Buddhist temple just three years ago have died.

In this episode we interview Ajahn Sarayut Arnanta Ajahn Sarayut Arnanta is the founding abbot of the Wat Buddhametta: Tucson Buddhist Meditation Center and currently serves as the Vice-President of Dhammaratanaram Temple(the temple he first served in the US). Born in Chiang Rai, the northern province of Thailand, he became a monk in 1983 when he was 15 and took full ordination at age 21 in 1989. Ajahn, the title for a Thai Buddhist monk, means “Teacher” or “Master.” He is also a poet and has written a number of poems, some were published in “Sandscript” the literature magazine for Pima Community College. He regularly leads meditation: Vipassana (mindfulness) and Metta (loving friendliness) at Wat Buddhametta: Tucson Buddhist Meditation Center and elsewhere. Ajahn Sarayut has been teaching Buddhism and meditation since he first moved to the United States in 2000.To find out more visit: http://www.tucsonbuddhistcenter.orgSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/awwypodcast)

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D’Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand’s reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann’s Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D’Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand’s reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann’s Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D’Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand’s reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann’s Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D’Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand’s reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann’s Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D’Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand’s reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann’s Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D'Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand's reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann's Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D’Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand’s reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann’s Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the late 1990s Thai cinema has come to global attention with movies like the famous ghost film, Nang Nak, and more recently the evocative films of director Aphichatpong Weerasethakul, who won a Palme D’Or award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. A perennially popular theme in Thai cinema is that of haunting by a female ghost. In this unique, unusual book, Ghostly Desires: Queer Sexuality and Vernacular Buddhism in Contemporary Thai Cinema (Duke University Press, 2016), Arnika Fuhrmann hones in on this ghostly theme in contemporary Thai cinema to explore the subjects of female desire and queer sexuality. In doing so she raises questions about a central concept in Queer Theory: the nature of desire. Fuhrmann identifies a tension between Western liberal and everyday Thai Buddhist understandings of desire. Arguably, Buddhist teaching about desire is one factor that has contributed to Thailand’s reputation for being a “queer-friendly” country. Indeed, it is even marketed as a “gay paradise”. But the reality is not quite so simple, especially for women in same-sex relationships. Fuhrmann’s Ghostly Desires also addresses the issue of the subtle regulation of heteronormative sexuality, “Thai-style”. Listeners to this episode might also enjoy listening to: Justin Thomas McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011)Martin Joseph Ponce, Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading (NYU Press, 2012)Patrick Jory teaches Southeast Asian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland. He can be reached at: p.jory@uq.edu.au Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/lgbtq-studies

Andrew and Peter explore the world of Thai magic and occultism. Talking about the importance of meta, self cultivation, personal growth and how they all relate to the intense practices of Thailands indigenous magic. Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you listened to, and consider if it is time to support the Patreon You can do so here. If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. You can find Peter on FB here and at his website here Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  Transcript  ANDREW: [00:00:00] Welcome, everybody, to another installment of The Hermit's Lamp podcast. I am here today with Peter Jenx. And for those who don't know Peter Jenx, he is the author of a massive and intriguing tome, called Thai Occult. And it's really interesting to meet with somebody and talk with people who are involved in non-western [00:00:30] cultures and other ways of practicing magic that don't kind of come out of, you know, say, the Golden Dawn, or Wicca, or these other things, which are all lovely, but I think it's really interesting to get a dive into, you know, other kinds of worldviews and magic and all of those things. So really, that's why, you know, when Peter and I connected, I thought he'd be a great fit for being on the show. But for those who don't know you, Peter, who are you? PETER: And ... [00:01:00] Well, I'm an aging Englishman stuck in Chiang Mai at the moment. I've been here, been living in Thailand, since 2002, but first visited here in 1991. Which is kind of before its main economic explosion and everything else. And then, come from a musical background, working in music in Manchester, worked a lot with gigs, run rather interesting [00:01:30] night clubs in Manchester, and also been a practitioner of Tai Chi for like 20 years. So, I think everything's always pulled me East, which is why I really ... the first … on the first visit, I kind of knew I'd end up living here. It fits. ANDREW: Yeah, it's interesting how that works, right? You know, I was talking with somebody yesterday about, you know, I come from a Scottish background, [00:02:00] even though I was born and raised in Toronto, and they're like, “Oh, well, have you've been to Scotland?” And I'm like, “No, I haven't.” I mean, I'm curious, but I find I'm much more drawn to the East, you know? And I spent a bit of time in Thailand and a chunk of time in India, and you know, I was in China last year, and every time I return to the East, I always have this sense of ease that emerges that's quite different than what I experience, you know, living in Toronto. It's like, [00:02:30] that there are these places and cultures that are suited to our nature in ways that we might not even be able to explain or understand, you know? PETER: Well, I think it's working. I think at first when we come here, we are given space. And it's a space that we're not necessarily given in the West. Also, what I experienced when I first came here was a realization that what I'd always felt, regarding nature and regarding what [00:03:00] I perceive as magic in the West, was correct. It … Because here it is expressed in a much deeper way than it is in England, in particular. I don't know … And also, I think, you know, we need the strangeness to grow. Yeah, and sometimes part of any growth, as far as I'm concerned, is the process of change and [00:03:30] if you go to an alien culture, you are constantly challenged to change, and that can be astonishingly refreshing for us. And .... ANDREW: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I can see that, for sure, and also that that idea that, you know, I mean, there are other ways of looking at the world and nature, you know, I mean this … the word animism has been, you know, being kicked around a lot and sort of gained a lot of ground as sort of a word [00:04:00] for some of the kind of world view that we might be talking about. And you know, I think that that's, that's both part of it. You know, for me, going … they're going to other places, and you and my involvement in and initiation in Afro-Cuban Lukumí, there is this sort of world view at play where plants are alive and have energies and consciousness, and you know, there's this interconnectedness between everything that [00:04:30] isn't really common, even amongst magical practitioners, at least in my experience, kind of growing up. PETER: Yeah. Yeah. It's one of those … [sigh] You know, the funny thing is … Okay. I had to act like myself to do this book. I have not been able to read other but … other magical books at all. Otherwise, it would have kind of diluted or influenced what I was going to do. The whole time I've spent here has been really a time to learn how not to [00:05:00] think and influence what is around you, and if you do that, you gain the natural focus that comes with the occult practices of this land, and that allows the nature to come through. But I always perceived this as just the Thai occult. Everybody else calls it Thai animism. [laughing] So I'm just getting used to the fact that it is probably animism, but everybody … all the people I deal with [00:05:30] all refer to it as an occult practice, but as an animist practice, it dates back thousands of years and it is uninterrupted now, that's quite rare in the world, as far as I know. I haven't studied anything else in depth, deliberately. And because of that, the depth of what I've been able to write about and the depth of understanding that is available is really off the planet as far as I'm concerned, you know. ANDREW: Yeah. Yeah, [00:06:00] I mean, there's such a difference between, you know, living practices that date way back, you know, you know with the Buddha, Afro-Cuban Lukumí stuff in Orisha tradition, it's one of those things where … When we start talking about divination in those systems, often people are quite astounded, and I know I was really astounded at the kinds of things that are included in the wisdom and specificity and all of these kinds of things. And, [00:06:30] you know, it's … In the end, the explanation is simple. You've had a lot of very deep, intelligent, mystical people pondering the human condition and connecting to the spirit world for thousands of years and passing on that information and allowing it to accumulate. And it provides such a deep insight into human, you know, human nature and human problems because you [00:07:00] know, although the nature of the problems changes with modernity and, and so on, the nature of being human really doesn't, I don't think. PETER: Well, that actually depends on the culture, though, because if you look at the Thai system, the things that it offers are the things that people, because of this region require, right? So, you know, this has been a very dangerous region over the thousands of years, and [00:07:30] they've been lucky enough to have the influence of Buddhism, which always overrides ancient animist practices, so, things can … They can remain who they are, while attaining higher spirituality, if that makes sense.  And really because of, you know, the rough nature of the living in the wild, and the constant wars in the region, most of the things that they have worked out to offer, and create, for their devotees are [00:08:00] related to protection in many forms, impenetrable skin, invincibility, ways to bounce back black magic, ways to change your fate, ways to attract people, ways to become popular, ways to gain good fortune, and it's all about, at the core of it all, it's actually all about the person as well, because they're being given an advantage that [00:08:30] they've got to work with. So, it's not just abracadabra, like wham! Okay. Now you're popular. Yeah, they might give you the attribute of being popular. But if you're a bit of a twat it's not going to work. Right.  So everything that they create is all about the development of the person themselves, being given an advantage that they have to grow into, which is typical of what we were talking about earlier, whereby the constant process [00:09:00] of change is also, can be -- we go backwards sometimes, can be the process towards either becoming a better person or more magical or however you want to see it. Yeah? And throughout the thousands of years that they developed it here, they've discovered what is actually supernatural in nature, and they have their own versions of it. Which, how the hell did they discover that? I don't know, but you know, special people discover [00:09:30] special things. They discover what human products they can use for rather powerful spells, they discover all the plants independently, often, of other approaches. So, the odd time, I've shared a picture of a tree .... [ringing phone] ANDREW: Oh! Now the phone's going to ring, just let it finish. It's not gonna … [00:10:11] I think I can make it stop. All right. You know what I'm going to do? I'm just going to unplug the phone. How about that? Problem solved. PETER: [laughing] Yeah, that's easy. So, you need, you need, you need that stick I showed you earlier. ANDREW: I know right? You know, I do. Yeah, before we started, let's just continue. PETER: So I'll go back in … I'll let you edit that out later. I'll just go back into where it was. ANDREW: Yeah, perfect.  PETER: So like one time, I posted a picture of a particular tree that has, that produces a particular wood [00:10:41] that the Thais use in many magical amulets, called amudam. I mean there are legends, it's the tree that you'd climb to get out of hell, because it's impossible to climb, because of huge spikes on the trunk. And it was possibly … There was a fantastic discussion ensued, because it was also a magical wood in pretty much every other system that I was in contact with at that time through the Facebook page. And the incredulity [00:11:11] of that between everybody was really rather wonderful. You know, it kind of just pulled everybody together. And … ANDREW: That's animism, right? That's the tree telling you what it wants to do, right? You know, and  telling everybody like the same thing. It's like, hey, I can help you with this thing. You know, if you work with me, you know, and that's what's really profound about these things, I think. PETER: Yes, very much so. It's … And [00:11:41] the more kind of I've learned about things, you know, I just, we were discussing about a person earlier, about lightning, and how lightning can make things magical. And, you know, I was chatting with a particularly learned ajahm from a very old lineage called Ajahm [?], Ajahm Tiger. With the help of my partner, of course, and he was telling me, really, if a lightning strikes [00:12:11] a tree, its use depends on the effect of the lightning on the tree. Like, if it blows off the bark in the middle, that area is used for the handles of magical knives; if it strikes another area of the tree, it's used for something else. So, depending even on how a supernatural occurrence like a lightning strike hits something, it can produce all [00:12:41] sorts of different results. And they … At the time we were having this chat, it was really rather mind-blowing that people have spent generations upon generations studying the effects of these supernatural occurrences.  ANDREW: Well, and I think that … It's so foreign to people living in cities, you know, but I mean, when you start spending time in nature and start consistently spending time in nature, [00:13:11] you know, it really, it really can start to speak to you after a while, right? You know, I spent … There's a site where we used to go and do ceremonies, every month, for almost two years, and kind of towards the end of that time, I did a 10-day retreat by myself where I just hung out in the woods and fasted and did my own rituals and stuff like that. And the amount of things [00:13:41] that I learned from that land and from the plants and the kinds of things that got revealed to me ... and even just like sort of unexpected beautiful things, you know.  There was this cherry tree and you know, I knew it was a cherry tree, we'd seen the flowers, it was beautiful, and so on, but the thing that was amazing, because I was there all day, every day, for that period of time, when I [00:14:11] was there, the sap was coming out and so there were these little reddish golden amber blobs on the tree from the sap emerging, and the tree was in the west from where we ... where I usually was, and when I looked up, toward sunset, all of those were glowing like a stained glass window, right? And so there are these moments of profound beauty and profound transference of information, [00:14:41] and where those plants can speak to you, and if you're around them all the time, then … and you're paying attention, then you get to notice them, right? But ... PETER: Well, it's the attention. That's the thing.  ANDREW: Yeah.  PETER: And this is why, I think, in the modern world, governments are terrified of nature, because it calls people away from what they want to do, the people to do, you know, and to be a good little drone and all the other sayings that we [00:15:11] can come out with rather pithily. But, you know, it's ... and even the medical community is now turning around and saying look, you know, to fight depression, just go and walk in the hills, go and sit in the forest. You know, but this kind of … You know, I'm lucky enough to be of an age where it was more of an actual world at the time, and this is, you know, it makes me kind [00:15:41] of put my head in my hands that people are having to be reminded to do that. You know, and the beauty that is available, the wealth that is available is astonishing. Since we moved to Chiang Mai, me and my partner have been round looking at various, some of the interesting spiritual caves in this region. And you know how, if we have time when people visit, I might take them to one or two, but there's one that I've already decided, I [00:16:11] think there's only one or two people I'll take to that particular one. It's too wild. And if … You know, if we spend the time like you have, to be able to still the mind, and treat ourselves to a little bit of solitude, we start to see these things, you know. And maybe they become more special. ANDREW: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Well, and I also think that we really need to understand and [00:16:41] respect, you know, like if we're really going to going to go into the real wilderness, you know, or real spots in nature, you know, it's something quite different, right? You know, in … Again, in my tradition, the real woods, you know, like not just like a couple plants around your yard or the park but the actual forest is a place that's somewhat feared by practitioners, not in a ... that sounds wrong. It's a place [00:17:11] that's deeply respected because it's known to be a place of power, and because it's a place of power, it's also a place of danger. You know, and so you make offerings to make sure that you're protected while you're there. You make offerings, maybe when you leave, to make sure that nothing you didn't want comes with you, you know, you make … If you're going to take anything, then you make offerings to the plants that you're going to take from, you know, and you know, it's so rare for a lot of us to have contact [00:17:41] with that deep wilderness, you know, it's something completely foreign and it's astounding, right? PETER: Well, it's … Usually at least once or twice a month, I end up going off with an ajarn, often to graveyards for graveyard ceremonies. And … Which I'm starting to document more fully. And, you know, watching, the ajarn go into, I always [00:18:11] call it ajarn world. ANDREW: Yeah, and by … What's a good translation for ajarn? Is … practitioner? teacher? Yeah. PETER: Teacher … The ajarn is a higher teacher. Yeah, but it's more than that. Yeah. It's an occultist, really. And, and watching them deal with what is there, and become open to what is there ... And, you know, I asked Ajarn Su and I've also asked Ajarn Apichai. You know, [00:18:42] often they go there to choose a ghost to do a particular task, and, to which Ajarn Apichai would, you know, often say, “Well, we've come to this graveyard, because it's a graveyard where there are many soldiers and police.” So, I normally … He said he normally tries to choose a good-natured ghost, so they don't come home with you, even though he has strong protection. And the deal is made, you know, to [00:19:12] reward the spirit when the job is done. And he knows, he can tell, within five percent, really, how effective that particular spirit's going to be. And sometimes he will go back and repeat, or just say “No, it's worked.” You know? ANDREW: Mm-hmm. PETER: And then you go with Ajarn Su, and the same questions will be, you know, Ajarn likes to choose what are called Phi Thai Hong ghosts. And, which [00:19:42] are the ghosts of people who've died violently, before their time. And again, he said--some of them are really quite lovely--and you know, we were standing just in the graveyard, doing a love ritual, pulling a separated couple back together. And he's called, and he slaps on the side of the cremation pit. It's just two walls that focus the heat in to be [00:20:12] able to burn the body fully, in the open, in a thin, a bit of a wood, and he's calling ghosts. And you know, it was the time of year when leaves are on the floor--the leaves shed up here, some trees--and you could hear the ... something walking towards us, you know, from a particular direction.  So, he called that ghost over and came to a deal, and he said, “Oh, it's been successful and I'll come back in a [00:20:42] few days and bring the offering that I promised, and I will donate merit.” And merit is something we gain. It's a Buddhist, Thai Buddhist principle where we gain merit through good deeds, helping people. A basic form of it would be giving to charity, and, you know, these Phi Thai Hong ghosts need to collect merit to get out of hell. Eventually try and rise towards rebirth. [00:21:12] And Ajarn Su is very careful about the ghosts he chooses, only, he never forces them, he requests, he is very gentle. Otherwise, they can hurt you. Yeah. And then when we get back, both of the ajarns will always bless water, splash on feet, hands, top of head, back of neck, just to make sure nothing has been clingy, you know. So, I mean they all follow similar [00:21:42] patterns, where, you know, and if anything's taken, you request it to be taken and if you're going to work with anything, you're asking permission, and it's extremely similar all around the world except for the cultural differences. And the influences, like in this region, with Buddhism has been a particular influence. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. So, I have so many questions, so many questions! [laughs] I guess one of my, one of  [00:22:12] my questions, though, coming out of what you just talked about … We talked about … You mentioned somewhere along the way, changing your fate, right? And I'm really curious about the idea of fate as it as it exists in this practice, you know, can you ... Can you just answer that small question for us? Tell us what that's like. [chuckles] PETER: Okay. Well, the idea of fate is … Without, I don't study horusat, which is Thai astrology. [00:22:42] Okay, but what I would say is, that I think the Thai occult corresponds to people's state of mind. Yeah? And help to get people out of the state of mind to improve themselves again, as well as realigning their faith, there's a dual motion going on here. We are given a Qatar. We have to make offerings. We [00:23:12] have to take care of something. We have to structure our lives around it. We have to take the five precepts, which are the basic things. Don't kill anybody. Stop shagging around. Don't lie, you know, etcetera etcetera. And often, besides the help of something like Rahu, which, the Thai Rahu is not the same as the Indian one, but, we praise it in a different way, which really annoys the Indians. And we [00:23:42] gain his help now, if … to do that we have to order our lives around it. So, I think it's a dual road of choosing a better path, choosing the help of somebody who is smart enough and spiritual enough to help you, and then structuring your life in a different way, and the Rahu is considered to raise your general level of good fortune. ANDREW: And Rahu is [00:24:12] what exactly? PETER: Rahu is the god that eats the sun or the moon from Indian mythology. Yeah? He's the god of eclipses. In India, they do not praise him, they're trying to get rid of him. Hmm. Yeah. They think it's horrific that the Thai people praise Rahu but usually they often consider that a period of very bad fortune is sometimes, Rahu coming into somebody's lives and influencing it without being [00:24:42] asked to come in. So, by praising him, you're going to offer your foods, the correct foods, which always have to be black. They need the numbers of seven, nine, or 15, depending on the ajahm. Different black foods, usually on the four quarters of the moon, with the full moon being the most important. Normally, it's advised to wear the Rahu on the full moon when in which [00:25:12] case it kind of feels like he's bouncing around on your chest like going to a disco. He can't … he's extremely rewarding; many ajarns swear by Rahu, but he takes a lot of work. So, I think it's a dual, being very honest about this, I think it's a dual combination, whereby we get our shit together, and then the help offered by the Rahu offered by the ajarn, will start to improve the life. ANDREW: And when we're [00:25:42] talking about fate here, are we talking about … We can be a little simplistic too, maybe for the conversation. Are we talking about it as a sense of karma, like consequences for our actions, this life, other lives, or whatever? Are we talking about like a destiny or a thing that we're ... sort of came intact from somewhere or that we need to try and achieve maybe in our life. PETER: Well, we always [00:26:12] have influence. Actually, there's three forms of influence on the brain. Okay, there's three forms of influence we consider to be three forms of influence from life. One is an astrological influence. Astrology influences the person without any doubt at all. Yeah? The second one in Thai is the influence of ghosts. Yeah? And spirits directing your life without you knowing about it. And the third one is the influence of the mind and all the silly things that the mind does can [00:26:42] be destructive. Yeah? If you … Everybody goes through periods of bad fortune, but they can have very very different reasons. Sometimes even in the Thai practices, you know, we can have a real crash of fortunes, but I was just seeing it as, it's just a part of life, man. It can't be good all the time. Yeah? It's a readjustment of yourself and of your … the way you deal with yourself. I don't like to involve things [00:27:12] like karma. I'm very practical in that respect. It's about living an open and happy life and sometimes shit goes wrong. Yeah? Through bereavement and through everything else ... ANDREW: So, go ahead. PETER: And through bereavement and through everything else, but that period then we have to kind of realign ourselves. I think focusing in on what has actually caused the problem is one of the things that we need to get away from [00:27:42] and just deal with the fact that we're in the shit. Yeah? Yeah, so that also immediately stops all the stuff that goes around in the brain or at least helps with it. Yeah? So. ANDREW: Yeah. Yeah, in Lukumí divination we have kind of negativity, which we call Otonawa, which means … roughly means, that which you brought with you from heaven, and it's like, it's like, yeah, this is a thing that's, [00:28:12], you can't do anything about, maybe it's part of your destiny, maybe it's just come from, come to a place where the various forces in your life make this inevitable. But now you need to just, you know, appease it, ease it, support yourself, and get through it, and then, you know, but there's no making it go away, right? You know, like there's no perfect road, right? Where we never see these things.  PETER: Well there can't be, otherwise we get so spoiled that the smallest pebble on the road would become an absolute nightmare [00:28:42] if it got into our shoes. Right? You know, we need it. We need these things to happen in life, in my opinion. Otherwise, we don't have any understanding of what life is or can be about. ANDREW: And I also … I also think it's really interesting that ... the idea of easing the mind by stopping, asking why, and looking to explain it. You know, I think that that's a place where a lot of people ... you [00:29:12] know, I mean, I read cards for people, and you know, there are certainly folks who come in for card readings who are just like: “but why, why did this happen, why did this happen?” It's like, at a certain point, why does it matter? How about you do this to make it better, you know, and yeah, it's that practicality that I think is sometimes very unsatisfying to people in certain situations, you know? PETER: Well, it's a Western thing, you know? Our minds are way too busy. You know? I live, you know, one of the core elements of [00:29:42] Thai culture is samadhi, which is [? 29:45]  that is gained through Buddhism. It is an open and clear focus whereby we're trying to separate ourselves from the mind, so you end up in a position where you can watch your mind being a bastard. Yeah? Or being a bit barmy one day. Yeah? So, eventually when you actually … You know, but I always ask people what is watching the mind? Yeah? [00:30:13]  So in my opinion, what you are doing and what you are going to learn to do, is to find out who you are, which is not often what your mind is? You know, even in our … Even in our culture, we have sayings like, what does your stomach tell you? It's not the same as what does your mind tell you? They will say, what do you think? Yeah. So, one of the aims is to eventually secure yourselves and then when you get to that point, you can start to [00:30:43] see or feel astrological influences. You can have an idea about whether you're being influenced by something else. And you can watch your mind and attempt to behave and try and calm it down, so, it doesn't cause which as much trouble. Yeah? And all these are core practices within Buddhism and Eastern philosophies. ANDREW: Yeah. For sure. Yeah, that ability to step back [00:31:13] from what's going on in your head and basically be like, oh, take a look at that. My brain is … my brain is doing this thing in the same way that my stomach might be doing another thing in my … You know, my knee might be acting up or whatever. It's like, I'm not even those things, right, but sort of tuning down the emotions and the mind to kind of a place of somewhat lesser value or more specific value than the sort of overriding quality that we often associate with them. You [00:31:43] know, that's not easy, right? That's ... for a lot of people, especially Western people. PETER: You know, if you ever visit, an example of one of the wonderful things to do is to go and see someone like Ajarn Su, who was a monk for 18 years. So, this guy's got focus. Yeah? And recently, we went along with somebody who wanted a head tattoo. A head young [not sure if this is right? at 32:08] for metta. Yeah, for loving-kindness. Higher, the highest of the high Buddhist-style tattoos. You know, head tattoos [00:32:13] hurt. ANDREW: Yeah, I can imagine. PETER: This is done with a gun. Ajarn Su can only use a gun because he's got an arm that won't do as it's told, and, you know, the lad doing it had great difficulty controlling the screaming. And I was … I was helping out, being a bit of an assistant. And I was watching Ajarn, and he just went into his quiet place and not thought, but [00:32:43] no thinking, he was just chanting Qatar while he was doing the inside, while doing, while performing this tattoo, which took way longer than the recipient really wanted it to, and he pretty much screamed all the way through, so when we let … And then the worst thing was that if you have a tattoo with Ajarn Su, he will then give you his Yant Kru, which is, it gives … Everybody he gives tattoos to and it's a line [00:33:13] of script going along the front line at the bottom of the palm, and man, it's painful. Yeah? And as soon as, as soon as he said to me in Thai, “Oh, just hold his hand,” I thought, “Oh my God, he's really going to scream now.” And, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He did. He really let go. Yeah, and then when, and then when we left Ajarn, after about 10 minutes, the guy just lit up, and he got the sun inside his face. And [00:33:43] he actually said, “Wow, now I know why I've had it done. I wasn't so sure for the last half an hour,” and it looked amazing, and we were actually leaving. But then once we left, Ajarn's neighbors from across the road came over to see him to make sure everything was okay. [laughing] ANDREW: Right? PETER: And Ajarn is such a sweet man. He kept stopping and going, “so [00:34:13] soo,” which means, you know, “you have to fight a little bit,” but doing it in such a cute way, it was like an anime, you know. And watching him not be drawn into somebody else's pain, not be influenced by somebody who is having difficulty, and retaining his own presence was a lesson in itself. It was quite astonishing, it was an amazing 30 minutes.  ANDREW: It's [00:34:44] such a … I mean, I hear in that story what I would call a profound sense of compassion that doesn't match what we normally, you know, people might go to as a sense of compassion, which is, a sense of that deeper purpose of what's at hand, a loving acknowledgment of the struggle, and a commitment to the outcome that was what was meant to ... like what was agreed to, as opposed to an avoidance of a kind [00:35:14] of suffering for that person, right? PETER: Yep, that's exactly right. And also, when he finished the tattoo, Ajarn told him, instead of keeping the five precepts, he only has to keep one. He said, “But you keep this precept,” and when he told him the one, I'm not going to say which one it is, I'm not going to divulge anything about what he said, but he said, “How does he choose the most difficult [00:35:44] one he could possibly choose for me?” I said, “Oh, he always does that!”  ANDREW: Of course.  PETER: I said, “Otherwise what's the point?” And the guy just fell around laughing? You know, he said, “How does he know?” I said, “He's an ajarn, my friend.” ANDREW: Yeah. PETER: “He probably knew as soon as you walked in.” And it was again one of those comical moments when we realize how much we have to grow in the situation we are in. But the [00:36:14] levels of metta, loving-kindness and the beauty of what they are trying to do is, it's just breathtaking. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. So, I mean I guess, let me ask this question, and I imagine there might be a few different answers to it. But, how does, how does a person become an ajarn? PETER: In the usual route.  ANDREW: [chuckling] PETER: Okay, those … From what I can see at the moment, and this is going to change over time, as [00:36:44] the more time I spend with them, but basically everybody starts off as being some sort of devotee, using their amulets, learning the Qatar, becoming kind of known as somebody who makes an effort towards those spiritual practices. They might go off and do a few weeks, or a month, or even three months as a monk. Yeah? Which is all [00:37:14] set up within the community, and most times men will be a monk at some point in their life, for a short period of time, and then they may start helping the ahjan with rituals and helping the people who visit the samyat, which is the place of work. It's like his spiritual shop, his temple, yeah? And then, the [00:37:44] studying begins. Now the studying, we discovered, has actually got levels. And each level, it's a bit like going and getting different degrees. Each level has got what is called the khan kru associated with it and the khan kru is a construction of various objects. Like sometimes swords, sometimes flags, and [00:38:14] they're always quite different, a lot of betel nut, flowers. It depends on the lineage of the ajarn that's giving it and there are various levels of the khan kru, depending on what you study. So, the earlier levels tend to be directed towards satyam, the Thai traditional tattooing, after which you tend to learn about sunay sunay magic, which is the magic for attraction. [00:38:44] Eventually … I'm trying to remember the levels. It's something like the 8, 12, 27 but it ends up at 108. There's men. There's about eight different levels of the khan kru, and at each level you attain a certain understanding, but the khan kru is actually considered to be alive. It's considered to have life, and it helps you teach [00:39:14] you, and it can also knock you back if you're not studying enough, or being erudite enough, or not trying enough or you're just getting it wrong. Yeah? So, I … it's weighed like everything in this system. The book kind of introduces the subject of the khan kru, but the khan kru in itself could probably be a book on its own.  Ajarn Su holdes the khan kru 108, which [00:39:44] is the full witcha, which comes from a similar root word as Wiccan, by the way, the witcha is the knowledge, and a very famous monk called Kru Badung Dev, still alive, but he's bedridden and 105 and his witcha collection, his book collection is really quite something, it's off the planet and his knowledge to go along with it. When he was a monk, he had the khan kru 227, [00:40:15] which only monks can have, and then you go back to the 108, when you stop being a monk. So, often you're going to see … In Ajarn Su's samyat, there's one khan kru and it's a 108, everything, and there are a certain color to show that his teacher is still alive and they change the color when he dies.  In other samyat, you go and they'll have like five or six khan kru [00:40:45] for different subjects from different ajarns. Yeah, so you have some that stick to a certain lineage and some that go around collecting different witchas, almost like create their own lineage to start their own path, which then they can help other people along as well. It involves learning at least three scripts. It involves learning an enormous amount of Qatar, understanding the Qatar, [00:41:15] and it involves practices such as various meditational practices, like the 32 parts of the body practice for which you need a teacher but there's a brief outline in the book of it. We're about … we get to know our physical body by traveling around it. And it's split into 32 parts. There is also various meditational practices [00:41:45] towards cutting four elements within the body, but all these kind of roll along through the different levels of study. ANDREW: And so, is the title conferred by the teacher then at some point? Is that the …? PETER: The teacher decides when you move to the next level. To become an ajahm, you know, you can say, I could now turn around and say, “I'm ajarn, I'm [00:42:15] an ajarn,” but I'd be a bit of an idiot to do so, because it's really obvious that I'm not, right? Yeah. Yeah, in the same way as mastership in martial arts. You know, you always get … there's always a number of [pillocks? 42:26] who call themselves a master and they have to go through the very painful process of being beaten up by an eight-year-old at some point. You know what I mean? Yeah. Similar, you prove yourself by being good at your ajarn. ANDREW: That's interesting. I also … I'm also really fascinated by … I mean, we were talking about nature [00:42:45] earlier. Do the ajarns, like, are there any living, like do they practice in Bangkok in the center of town? Do they out in the woods? PETER: Yes, woods. Yeah. Yes. They did. There is … There are some remarkable magicians in Bangkok. Normally, they will deal with the things that people who live in the metropolis need, will help them with the promotion at work, will help them find a lover. Yeah, and [00:43:15] be more attractive, and there is those … One ajarn called Ajarn Weaver Ted [? at 21:32] who's now very famous. He's the first photograph in the book. And he's got very rich clientele, that he does spiritual work for, whatever that may entail. Yeah, some of it will be aggressive. Some of it will be protective. Some of it, you know … because in Thailand basically, [00:43:45] it's really the rich and the poor that use magic, not necessarily the middle classes. Yeah. And there's also people like Ajarn Samat, [43:57] who is one of the most remarkable satyan ajahms I've ever met. Man, he has it. He has it. Yeah? And for me, he's the best satyan ajarn in Bangkok, but he's difficult to see, he has a mostly retired clientele. His work is not beautiful. It's very old [00:44:15] style. It's very ancient witcha, but man, he has it, whoo! You know, so all these things are available for people who need it, finding the very traditional Thai ones will only be done by the Thai people, but then there are other ones who become famous outside the country as well. ANDREW: So, let me ask you this question then. So, where does where does morality fit in these kinds of practices, you know? PETER: [00:44:45] In what respect?  ANDREW: So, if someone's coming to have work done to bring a relationship back together, is that … is that seen as both people should be there and consent? Is it seen as one person who wants this to happen can do the work and that could work? You know we talked about defense and aggression and these other kinds of things. Is there a morality in [00:45:15] there? Or is that sort of purely a Western question and not even relevant? PETER: Well, it's, well, there's a morality in everything in life. It just depends on your personal standpoint. And, many ajarns nowadays, a lot of the really heavy stuff has gone back in the cupboard, because it's not needed anymore, yeah? So, but I'd say Ajarn Cau, who's a particularly lovely ajarn who I got along very well with in towards [00:45:46] Doi Saket, the mountains to the east. He only pulls lovers back together who were already married, and they have to prove it to him. Yeah, he will ask them for impossible things to get. You know, if they can, the skin off the bottom of his foot or her foot, depending on which partner wants the other partner to come back, and, and he will help them get back together, because that is an act of metta, he [00:46:16] is helping keep the couple together.  At the same time, he will basically attempt to get the person who is bringing the ... paying for the ritual to understand that all the ritual does is bring them back. It's not going to fix your relationship problems. So, if you turn around and be angry, it's not going to keep them there. This is not making a slave out of somebody, [00:46:46] yeah? So there isn't really anything aggressive within that. I mean, really, you know, people often ask the question: What is black magic in Thailand? You know, yes, then you get a different answer from everybody, but when they ask the same ajarn, the ajarn always said, well, you know attraction. He said, I might use part of somebody's skull for attraction. Esanay, [47:12] we call it, and he said, but it's just an air magic. It's not … it's [00:47:16] not black magic. He said, you're just attracting somebody, where's the harm in that? You're not kind of turning them into a slave. You're just attracting them. ANDREW: Right? If the work isn't … The work isn't geared towards removing people's free will. The work is geared towards providing opportunity, and that opportunity, especially sort of based on what you said in the earlier part of the conversation too, that opportunity is both access [00:47:46] to the opportunity of that thing and also the opportunity to grow as a person to embody that thing. PETER: Exactly.  ANDREW: Yeah.  PETER: Yeah. So, you know other people think the use of any human materials is black magic in itself, which I don't, I don't consider it to be. There's all sorts of … We'll not get into the Thai thoughts about death, because you know, everybody does … they're not … well, you know, it's just part of life. And generally, most … some ajarns [00:48:16] think that anything with human materials is black magic. Some ajarns only think that anything that is forceful is black magic, anything that is cursing is black magic, and they really try not to do it nowadays. ANDREW: Hmm. PETER: Yeah, they will do something called a kong ritual, which is a ritual. It's like a controlling ritual you do in the graveyard and it's to rebalance [00:48:46] some sort of relationship. A work relationship, your boss is being a bit of a bastard to you, etc. You'll bring a kong ritual just to slap him down a little bit, slap him down for a few months, let the relationship become better between you, and then it wears off. And they are extremely effective, these. But then, you know, you get people coming forward wanting people hurt or dead or [00:49:16] forced into bankruptcy or something serious and to be honest nowadays, yes, it can be done, but most ajarns will say no. And the only … And there's some very knowledgeable people about cursing in this city. Terrifyingly knowledgeable, but they just choose not to do it unless it's for the right reason. Yeah, because you know, they're bringing … They're forcing something, they're bringing something [00:49:46] difficult to themselves. Everybody nowadays is now trying to strike the correct balance. ANDREW: Hmm. And do you see that shift as coming out of a shift in cultural values, or is it a shift in the difference in the quality of life now versus in the past? PETER: It's both, you know, the government's also … 10 to 15 years ago, they started clamping [00:50:16] down, they started stopping people who had died violently being buried. Yeah? Originally …. Only anybody who died a difficult death, which basically reflects like a really bad karma was buried, everybody else was burnt, right? So, these ground … And they're exactly the people that the ajarns want to use the [00:50:47] products from, yeah? And they basically stopped doing that 10 to 15 years ago. So, slowly but surely, that source is being exhausted. You know, Thailand is becoming a very developed country, access to the human materials is becoming extremely difficult, and, you know, it's not as wild here as it used to be, people need more, less protection in many ways, more metta, [00:51:17] more senay, … Because now you know the times have changed. Gone are the days where they could just chop a corpse's head off and leave a watermelon. You know, now they believe that a better protection is to have so much metta that somebody doesn't want to hurt you anyway, is to be such a lovely person that attracts other people, it makes you difficult to attack, you know, so as cultures develop the way they use [00:51:47] their magical knowledge develops, which is actually the sign of any living form of magic, isn't it? ANDREW: Well, it reminds me of martial arts practice, right? You know, I mean, a lot of people start off in you know, something a little harder like karate or whatever, and you know, they want to fight and use their muscles and whatever, and as you, you know, hopefully as you age and get a little wiser, you know, you move to something more circular and more soft and you know, like, you know, nothing … Not that you can't, you know, throw [00:52:17] that punch if you need to but it's often more like, oh, I can just redirect this and just flow with things in a completely different manner and therefore I won't have that problem any more. PETER: Oh, I always recommend running away. It's fucking great for avoiding problems. ANDREW: Yeah, exactly, right? Exactly. [laughing]  ANDREW: Just don't be there in the first place, right? PETER: And also … Exactly, the greatest defense! I mean, this is not counting somebody who comes up being an absolute idiot. In which case, finish it and then run away. Yeah? I mean, [00:52:47] I've [? 52:49] done martial arts for about 20 years. But really, it should just be about happiness, physical comfort, you know, nothing more difficult to attack than somebody who's happy, you know, and that relates to what we were just saying about the magic as well. You know, it's … As soon as you're aggressive, it gives people something to hang onto. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. Well, and possibly puts you off balance, then, right? PETER: Well, [00:53:17] everything goes to your head.  ANDREW: Yeah. Mm-hmm. PETER: And if what you're trying to do is not to let it go, though, because that raises your center of balance as well, and you become slow and you tense. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. Yep.  PETER: So, it's all … they're very interrelated in many respects, actually, you know, and just retaining that open clear mind rather than being pulled by your emotions all the time, you know. It's … and in many ways, to get the martial arts, is one of them. Meditation [00:53:47] works. You know, what have you found works, Andrew, for you? ANDREW: Yeah, I mean meditation. I did martial arts for a long time. Martial arts was a good road for getting over being angry, to me. You know, I sort of worked through my anger there in an environment where I could sort of explore power dynamics very openly. And yeah, just, you know, returning, you know, returning my attention back always to like, I [00:54:17] don't know how to put it. So, there's you know, there's that transcendent sort of samadhi kind of loss of attachment to yourself and your daily life. You know, so that piece of it combined with just very practical cultivation of self and a sustainable life, right? Like just, what do I need? What do I need to do? Where am I showing up? Where do I feel I'm lacking? Why do I feel I'm lacking there? Is [00:54:47] there something I actually need and just, you know, kind of cycling through those different patterns of, I guess, growth-orientated questions. And, you know, it's … It does wonders for removing unhelpful hungers and, you know, and sort of recognizing the own … my own internal bullshit for what it is, which, then, allows me to show up more, right?  PETER: Well, there's nothing like … Yeah, there's nothing like a good bit of bullshit within ourselves as well, you know? There's [00:55:17] many things that we can pull on.  ANDREW: Yeah. PETER: You know, there's many, many, there's many advantages to these things, but it's just knowing what they are … ANDREW: Mm-hmm. Yep. PETER: … Is the difficult thing and not being led by them, you know, and I'm sure you'd agree that when we get, you know, when you get past the monkey mind, as they call it here.  ANDREW: Yeah.  PETER: You know the relation … Your relationship with time changes, your relationship with people changes.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  PETER: You know, the way you can [00:55:47] sit with people changes … ANDREW: Yeah.  PETER: The way, you know, the joy of life changes. ANDREW: And the way in which people receive you changes.  PETER: Completely.  ANDREW: Right? Because when you … When you show up and you're genuinely present with other people, they feel that, you know, and if you have, you know, if you want to call it metta, it's not really a word I would use, but you know, but you know, compassion or you know, those … That sort of openness to other people and seeing them for who they are without judgments or overt attachments. That's a [00:56:17] completely different dynamic, right? That goes to a completely different place than, you know, when you show up and you're just like, oh my God, I so need this or that or whatever from you. Right? PETER: Well, it's also, I mean, I'm very lucky to be able to go anywhere in Thailand, literally, anywhere. You know? My partner's family, we were there a few months ago, and I said, “oh, I'm gonna go to Surat Veree [? 56:43] because I want to photograph this particular shrine for the book.” And I said, “Where is the bus [00:56:47] go from, the minibus? She said, “Oh, from there.” And so, I've got up at like 4:00 o'clock, I got the 5 o'clock bus, I was there by 6, and the driver dropped me off as close as he could to the temple. Ten seconds later, a motorbike boy came up, took me to visit the temple. We had a quick bit of breakfast together, which I paid for, of course, it was very nice. Then I did the photographs, he waited for me, he drove me back. I jumped on the next mini bus which arrived seconds later, and I rode back up to Bangkok and back to [00:57:17] family home in about four hours, three and a half hours. And the response was, “How have you done that? How?” Yeah, I said, well, it just kind of happens. If you just connect to people, you know, he's not the driver of a minibus. He's a man who's having to get through a day and hopefully support his family, you know? He is not just a motorbike guy, he might be an older [00:57:47] man who's had a very interesting life, and you treat him with some respect. You know, if you look, you look people in the eye, you make those connections, you open your heart. ANDREW: Yeah. Well when I was in India, I wanted to go to Bodghaya, where the Buddha was enlightened? Or, I'm sorry, where the Buddha first preached the dharma, right? And, you know, and I went … So I wanted to go to these places, but there's [00:58:17] nothing there, right, there's just temples. It's just a city of temples and a few restaurants, things to support people, but nobody … I don't think people really live there or whatever and there's definitely no trains or whatever. So I arrived in the nearest city and--which wasn't that far away--but there was this huge strike there that day, and I was trying to find somebody who'd be willing to take me, 'cause I was only there for a day because I left it to sort of towards the end of my trip, [00:58:47] because I was trying to kind of hit a couple of important places, and two things happened, which remind me exactly of this conversation.  So, one was, I was walking down the street, and it was a long street with a big park and government building, I think, on the other side, and it was just this huge fence that ran along this massive park all the way along. There's no easy way there, no gates, you would have to climb it and it was all houses on the other side and all the houses were basically [00:59:17] attached and there's no roads or alleys or whatever.  And I'm like mid-block, and then I hear this huge ruckus and the people who are protesting are coming down the street, and there's this mob of people, with sticks and signs, and they're yelling and screaming and whatever, and I look at the crowd and I turn around and I look and there's this gentleman standing in his door, and I just look at him and I point at myself and I point inside his house and he's just like, yes, [00:59:47] like just, waved with his hands, like yes, come in my house [laughing], and so we go in his house. He closes the door. We wait for everybody to pass. And he had no English, you know, my Hindi is not particularly, you know, I knew a few things like hello, and thank you, and whatever, and we just waited in his house and stood there and looked at each other very pleasantly and peacefully and whatever. And then you know, when it was obvious that this, the sound had passed and the people were gone. He opened the door, and looked out, and then he gave me a pat on the back [01:00:17] and you know, sent me on my way.  And then a few minutes later, I ran into this guy who was driving a, like one of those cycle rickshaws, this really older gentleman, and I got … I just like looked at him and I'm like, “I want to go here,” and he's like, “sure!” And so, he took me and we rode this bicycle through the countryside and stopped at a couple farms and all these amazing things. And then, when we got there, on top of paying him for his time, I also bought him lunch. And we just [01:00:47] sat there. He also had, you know, basically no English and we just sat there eating together and looking at each other and smiling. And you know, there's such a connection that can happen when you're open to those things, and like I say, when you're going for a purpose and when you go in with a certain way, that road can just open for you, right? You know? PETER: It just happens … and it really happens because you're not thinking …  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. PETER: And by not thinking, you're taking away the barriers that people can come, [01:01:17] that generally stop people relating to you… ANDREW: Yeah, for sure.  PETER: You know, it's a remarkable period of time here, you know, but, especially this last few years, going through the process of doing all this work, because it just, it just happened. Just, it was just, doors kept opening and things kept telling me what to do next, and you [01:01:47] know, and then we got to the point where this, you know, we managed to finish this work. ANDREW: Yeah. PETER: And yeah, there were bits where it wasn't easy, but it's still found a way to be done.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. For sure.  PETER: And you know, it's … Even my partner sometimes says, “How have you done this?” [laughing] ANDREW: Mm-hmmm.  PETER: You know. “How have you done it?” Well it kind of just gave me the opportunity to do it and then it kind of did itself.  ANDREW: Yeah. They meet you [01:02:17] halfway. You know? Or more than halfway sometimes, right? Yeah.  PETER: Yeah, they do. And also, I've really been wanting, you know, I've kind of resisted it for the first, God, 20 years of coming here … ANDREW: Mm-hmm. PETER: Because that was apparent when I first came over.  ANDREW: Yeah. PETER: And kind of waited until I was ready to kind of do it. ANDREW: Yeah. PETER: You know, it's been quite old and extremely rewarding and rather wonderful. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. It's [01:02:47] fantastic. Well, I mean, maybe, we've been on the phone for a long time here. Maybe we should wrap this up, because I could talk to you all day. This is a wonderful conversation. So, first of all ... PETER: It'd be nice with a cup of tea and a biscuit, wouldn't it? [laughing] ANDREW: Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Well, you know, I'll let you know when I'm going to be in Bangkok or Thailand, some time. And we'll make that happen. For people who want to check out this book, and you know, if this stuff really interests you, and you're, you know, you really should [01:03:17] check out the book. It's quite a, it's quite an amazing work. Where do people find you, and where do people find your book? PETER: I'm easy found in two places. One is on Facebook through the Thai Occult book page, and the easiest place to click on the book to get the Timeless editions would be through the Thai Occult.com, all one word.  ANDREW: Perfect.  PETER: I can't … And there's [01:03:47] two book pictures on the front cover, one from the Sak Yant book and then the new one on the Thai occult. Of the … to be honest, I'm very very very proud of the new one, the Sak Yant book and yes, we have some superb interviews with the guys, some of the makers in there, but having just produced something really good, I'd love to go back and rewrite it. ANDREW: Isn't [01:04:17] that always the way, right? Isn't that always the way? PETER: Though to be honest with you, I don't think I'm going to do … I don't think I'll be in that position, with the new one. I don't think I could have made a much better job, to be honest. There's always more, it's going to come up, but as a broad taste as a buffet of the Thai occult, I don't think … It'd be difficult to do a better job than this, in my opinion. ANDREW: Perfect. Well, go and check it out, and support [01:04:47] Peter's work and you know, thanks for being on, Peter and thanks to everybody, as always, for listening. PETER: It's been lovely. Thank you. 

In Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), Mark Padoongpatt weaves together histories of food, empire, race, immigration, and Los Angeles in the second half of the twentieth century. Flavors of Empire explores how Thai food became hyper-visible in the United States, and yet Thai people have remained relatively invisible in American life. The story of Thai food in America begins with U.S. informal empire and culinary tourism in Thailand in the 1950s. Subsequent migration and settlement in LA spurred a Thai restaurant boom in the 1970s and 1980s. Padoongpatt investigates how these culinary contact zones helped shape Thai identity while remaining attentive to tensions over ethnicity, class, and gender in these spaces. The commercially driven, multicultural sensibility that made Thai cuisine popular among Angelenos had its limits, however, and Padoongpatt uses the clash over a weekend food festival at a Thai Buddhist temple to highlight conflicting modes of suburbanization. By the 1990s, the Thai community could organize politically, and used local culinary tourism to stimulate equitable economic development in the newly designated Thai Town neighborhood of LA. As the story of Thai cuisine in the U.S. continues to unfold, Flavors of Empire urges readers to think critically about the long journeys—both geographic and historical—that our food has taken to get to our plates. Ian Shin is C3-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the History Department at Bates College, where his teaching and research focus on the history of the U.S. in the world and Asian American history. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the politics of Chinese art collecting in the United States in the early 20th century. Ian welcomes listener questions and feedback at kshin@bates.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), Mark Padoongpatt weaves together histories of food, empire, race, immigration, and Los Angeles in the second half of the twentieth century. Flavors of Empire explores how Thai food became hyper-visible in the United States, and yet Thai people have remained relatively invisible in American life. The story of Thai food in America begins with U.S. informal empire and culinary tourism in Thailand in the 1950s. Subsequent migration and settlement in LA spurred a Thai restaurant boom in the 1970s and 1980s. Padoongpatt investigates how these culinary contact zones helped shape Thai identity while remaining attentive to tensions over ethnicity, class, and gender in these spaces. The commercially driven, multicultural sensibility that made Thai cuisine popular among Angelenos had its limits, however, and Padoongpatt uses the clash over a weekend food festival at a Thai Buddhist temple to highlight conflicting modes of suburbanization. By the 1990s, the Thai community could organize politically, and used local culinary tourism to stimulate equitable economic development in the newly designated Thai Town neighborhood of LA. As the story of Thai cuisine in the U.S. continues to unfold, Flavors of Empire urges readers to think critically about the long journeys—both geographic and historical—that our food has taken to get to our plates. Ian Shin is C3-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the History Department at Bates College, where his teaching and research focus on the history of the U.S. in the world and Asian American history. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the politics of Chinese art collecting in the United States in the early 20th century. Ian welcomes listener questions and feedback at kshin@bates.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), Mark Padoongpatt weaves together histories of food, empire, race, immigration, and Los Angeles in the second half of the twentieth century. Flavors of Empire explores how Thai food became hyper-visible in the United States, and yet Thai people have remained relatively invisible in American life. The story of Thai food in America begins with U.S. informal empire and culinary tourism in Thailand in the 1950s. Subsequent migration and settlement in LA spurred a Thai restaurant boom in the 1970s and 1980s. Padoongpatt investigates how these culinary contact zones helped shape Thai identity while remaining attentive to tensions over ethnicity, class, and gender in these spaces. The commercially driven, multicultural sensibility that made Thai cuisine popular among Angelenos had its limits, however, and Padoongpatt uses the clash over a weekend food festival at a Thai Buddhist temple to highlight conflicting modes of suburbanization. By the 1990s, the Thai community could organize politically, and used local culinary tourism to stimulate equitable economic development in the newly designated Thai Town neighborhood of LA. As the story of Thai cuisine in the U.S. continues to unfold, Flavors of Empire urges readers to think critically about the long journeys—both geographic and historical—that our food has taken to get to our plates. Ian Shin is C3-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the History Department at Bates College, where his teaching and research focus on the history of the U.S. in the world and Asian American history. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the politics of Chinese art collecting in the United States in the early 20th century. Ian welcomes listener questions and feedback at kshin@bates.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), Mark Padoongpatt weaves together histories of food, empire, race, immigration, and Los Angeles in the second half of the twentieth century. Flavors of Empire explores how Thai food became hyper-visible in the United States, and yet Thai people have remained relatively invisible in American life. The story of Thai food in America begins with U.S. informal empire and culinary tourism in Thailand in the 1950s. Subsequent migration and settlement in LA spurred a Thai restaurant boom in the 1970s and 1980s. Padoongpatt investigates how these culinary contact zones helped shape Thai identity while remaining attentive to tensions over ethnicity, class, and gender in these spaces. The commercially driven, multicultural sensibility that made Thai cuisine popular among Angelenos had its limits, however, and Padoongpatt uses the clash over a weekend food festival at a Thai Buddhist temple to highlight conflicting modes of suburbanization. By the 1990s, the Thai community could organize politically, and used local culinary tourism to stimulate equitable economic development in the newly designated Thai Town neighborhood of LA. As the story of Thai cuisine in the U.S. continues to unfold, Flavors of Empire urges readers to think critically about the long journeys—both geographic and historical—that our food has taken to get to our plates. Ian Shin is C3-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the History Department at Bates College, where his teaching and research focus on the history of the U.S. in the world and Asian American history. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the politics of Chinese art collecting in the United States in the early 20th century. Ian welcomes listener questions and feedback at kshin@bates.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), Mark Padoongpatt weaves together histories of food, empire, race, immigration, and Los Angeles in the second half of the twentieth century. Flavors of Empire explores how Thai food became hyper-visible in the United States, and yet Thai people have remained relatively invisible in American life. The story of Thai food in America begins with U.S. informal empire and culinary tourism in Thailand in the 1950s. Subsequent migration and settlement in LA spurred a Thai restaurant boom in the 1970s and 1980s. Padoongpatt investigates how these culinary contact zones helped shape Thai identity while remaining attentive to tensions over ethnicity, class, and gender in these spaces. The commercially driven, multicultural sensibility that made Thai cuisine popular among Angelenos had its limits, however, and Padoongpatt uses the clash over a weekend food festival at a Thai Buddhist temple to highlight conflicting modes of suburbanization. By the 1990s, the Thai community could organize politically, and used local culinary tourism to stimulate equitable economic development in the newly designated Thai Town neighborhood of LA. As the story of Thai cuisine in the U.S. continues to unfold, Flavors of Empire urges readers to think critically about the long journeys—both geographic and historical—that our food has taken to get to our plates. Ian Shin is C3-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the History Department at Bates College, where his teaching and research focus on the history of the U.S. in the world and Asian American history. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the politics of Chinese art collecting in the United States in the early 20th century. Ian welcomes listener questions and feedback at kshin@bates.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), Mark Padoongpatt weaves together histories of food, empire, race, immigration, and Los Angeles in the second half of the twentieth century. Flavors of Empire explores how Thai food became hyper-visible in the United States, and yet Thai people have remained relatively invisible in American life. The story of Thai food in America begins with U.S. informal empire and culinary tourism in Thailand in the 1950s. Subsequent migration and settlement in LA spurred a Thai restaurant boom in the 1970s and 1980s. Padoongpatt investigates how these culinary contact zones helped shape Thai identity while remaining attentive to tensions over ethnicity, class, and gender in these spaces. The commercially driven, multicultural sensibility that made Thai cuisine popular among Angelenos had its limits, however, and Padoongpatt uses the clash over a weekend food festival at a Thai Buddhist temple to highlight conflicting modes of suburbanization. By the 1990s, the Thai community could organize politically, and used local culinary tourism to stimulate equitable economic development in the newly designated Thai Town neighborhood of LA. As the story of Thai cuisine in the U.S. continues to unfold, Flavors of Empire urges readers to think critically about the long journeys—both geographic and historical—that our food has taken to get to our plates. Ian Shin is C3-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the History Department at Bates College, where his teaching and research focus on the history of the U.S. in the world and Asian American history. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the politics of Chinese art collecting in the United States in the early 20th century. Ian welcomes listener questions and feedback at kshin@bates.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his first UK media interview, Ed Stourton talks to John Calvin, grandson of the co-founder of Hamas, whose conversion to Christianity meant he had to flee the Middle East. In 1964 Cassius Clay announced he had given up his name for Muhammad Ali and joined the Nation of Islam. Dr Dawn-Marie Gibson talks about how his faith influenced his life. Ed Stourton talks to the BBC's Bangkok correspondent, Jonathan Head, about what the arrests of monks at the Thai Buddhist temple with links to animal trafficking says about the state of Buddhist monasticism in Thailand today. Trevor Barnes investigates the findings of a report that claims the Home Office is rejecting asylum claims from converts to Christianity because officials are making basic mistakes about the faith and what followers should know. Why is Vimto, a soft drink from Manchester, such a big seller in the Gulf States during Ramadan? Kevin Bocquet reports. Sunday hears from Carly Paoli, the British mezzo soprano, whose version of Ave Maria will be the official song for the Pope's Jubilee Year of Mercy celebrations in Rome. Albert Einstein said: 'Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.' Three leading scientists, Professor Tom McLeish, Professor Mohamed El-Gomati and Professor Robert Winston, from three different faith traditions join Ed Stourton to discuss the science and religion 'question' in 2016, ahead of the debate at the Cheltenham Science Festival next week. Producers: Catherine Earlam Peter Everett Series Producer: Amanda Hancox.

Incantation for all kinds of Amulets which are scrolls inside of bullets or, takrut kong grapan/klaew klaad.This particular Amulet is for protection and invincibility.   this is a re-upload of the previous podcasts and a remake with that enchanting. It has a better sound quality and was made to give to the people who I give these particular amulet to which incantation is used for.The Amulet has never been up for sale, but has been made often, and distributed. It continues to be distributed by myself, as and when I make them which is according to how time goals and in what phase I am in.This is the third method invoking the four elements that is not just an invocation. In terms of the four elements within an Amulet, especially within Sacred geometry type Amulets, and animist designs. Sculpted effigies also come under this context. This particular invocation is essential in the empowerment of Thai Buddhist Amulets, and other cultures who have possessed mastery of sorcery and the empowerment of inanimate objects, all have their versions of this kind of incantation.The incantation is not just performed in order for the Amulet to be empowered through its recital. It is necessary to use the incantation to invoke a certain level of concentration, and rapture, as one performs the chanting of the spell.This particular incantation, is used to awaken the powers and strengthen the powers, within the Amulet which I traditionally make since 2008, where I learned this particular magical spell used for inscription of Sacred geometry using Buddhist Yant & Khom Agkhara lettering which is Sanskrit derived, to perform the inscription of the spell within the leaden, metal or other material surface used to make the scroll with.The (in this case),leaden foil scroll, is then empowered with the incantations again, and further incantations, and the use of meditative focus, and the arousal of rapture within that concentrative focus.The Amulets which I Endow or bestow this incantation, as a form of empowerment is called 'takrut maha ud kong grapan chadtri klaew klaad'. It is a protective amulet, which I was originally talked by one of my Kroo Ba Ajarns, who showed me to insert the Takrut within bullet shells of the 9, and 35 mm caibre, as well as the very large M-16 style bullet shells. I myself, also make them as simple Takrut scrolls, within transparent tubular casing with stainless steel caps, to enclose them with. This is a Takrut non Thai Buddha Magic related, which uses enter into Khmer sorcery, of the dark arts variety.It uses sacred geometry and incantations which are in pure Khom Khmer, which is the version of medical inscription used by the Khmer people. In contrast we have also and that which is also mostly used in Thailand that which we call 'Thai-Khom. Thai-Khom, is also an ancient magical form of inscription, based on Sanskrit in the Pali form, which was created in Sri Lanka sometime after the death of the Lord Buddha. Thai-Khom, has a larger number of files and more complex method of writing in order to incorporate certain forms of incantations made by Thai Buddhist monks, and certain Buddhist prayers, and in order to incorporate them within the Sacred geometry used, which had been adopted from the Brahman Hindu people. It was the Breimon people and the Hindus, who were the previous visitors to Southeast Asia and entered into Thailand and brought the influence of their Hindu religion to Siam.It can hence be said, that the incantations used in Thai Buddha magic, are auspicious based, and lean towards white magic. The ancient Khmer forms of sorcery, in contrast, are mostly based in the dark arts, and various forms of necromancy. Thai-Khom inscription is more based on auspicious Buddhist white magic.Whether inserted within bullet shells, or place to bury bond within transparent tubing in the traditional casing, they can be worn around the waist on a piece of cord, or attached to a belt, which is the traditional Thai form of wearing them. They can be placed inside bullet shells, or not. The spell remains the same. The bullet shell can however also be inscribed and empowered, separately. In this case, it would of course be an additional charging up of power and increase in protective aura because of its extra magical powers and qualities combining with those of the Amulet within its interior.Author website; www.ajarnspencer.comDigital Rights Management; Buddha Magic Multimedia & PublicationsAffiliate channel; Specialized Media Channel for Thai Amulet and Southeast Asian Occult Fans.http://amulets.tv

A short pronunciation and chanting tutorial, on how the invocation, and the reanimation, of the four elements, being turned within each other, and contained within each other, is performed as an incantation in Thai Buddhist sorcery. Please excuse the wind in the background ,which disturbed the microphone a little bit, but we decided to publish this pod cast despite its lower sound quality, feel that this is an essential incantation for those who are active practitioners of Buddha Magic.

An introduction to Thailand's adaptation of Valmiki's classic epic tale, the Ramayana. This series of podcasts, will tell the full story of the Thai Ramakien, as it has never been told before, and will be looked at in multiple ways, and from multiple angles, including the cultural, literary and anthropological way. Comparisons will be raised, and examined, to investigate the differences, between The hermit sage Valmiki's original classic of Vedic times, and the Thai Buddhist adaptation

I recently visited Thailand and was impressed by the richness of Thai popular religious traditions. We played a couple of Thai pop songs as part of this week’s segment. It was the first half of a double feature to mark … Continue reading →

When most people think of Buddhism they begin to imagine a lone monk in the forest or a serene rock garden. The world of ghosts, amulets, and magic are usually from their mind. They may even feel some aversion to the notion that the meditative calm of monks from the East could have anything to do with these superstitious ideas and practices. Justin Thomas McDaniel, associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, challenges many of theses preconceived ideas about what constitutes the substance of modern Buddhism in Thailand. In his new book, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011), McDaniel begins his journey of contemporary Buddhism at one of the regular funerals for our lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak). Despite the compelling nature of this scene, as a skilled linguist and practicing scholar-monk for many years, McDaniel never imagined that he would be examining the supernatural world of ghost stories. However, after living in Thailand for several years as an academic and practitioner he realized that the specter of modern Thai Buddhist practices and believes would not leave him alone. McDaniel has catalogued much of hat he has found about Thai Buddhism on his wonderful project in digital humanities, the Thai Digital Monastery. Instead of looking for Buddhism, he let Buddhists tell, show, describe and recount what they do, chant, hold, and value. McDaniel uses the story of the lovelorn ghost and the magical monk, who we find out, is the infamous Somdet To, as an opening to explore the various aspects of contemporary religious Buddhist practices and how they shape Thai society. The six degrees of separation (from Somdet To) takes us through an erudite analysis of biographies, hagiographies, film, statues, amulets, murals, texts, magic, chants, and photographs, in the coproduction of religious knowledge. While McDaniel's book is a key contribution to Thai, Theravada, and modern Buddhism, it is also valuable in the study of religion more generally. His approach provides a template for the “pragmatic sociological study of cultural repertoires,” which examines what a particular person carries, recites, and respects, how they do something, how they say they do something, and the material and social contexts they do it in. This allows us as researchers to unshackle our study from the expectations of certain terminology. He also problematizes a number of other categories, such as, magic, cult, localization, folk, popular, local, syncretism, synergy, domestication, hybridity, and vernacularization, by demonstrating their limited usefulness when attempting to describe a Thai monastery, shrine, liturgy, or ritual. These innovative moves in methodology should be motivational to others in the field more generally. Overall, McDaniel produced a highly readable and enjoyable portrait of Buddhism in contemporary Thailand.

When most people think of Buddhism they begin to imagine a lone monk in the forest or a serene rock garden. The world of ghosts, amulets, and magic are usually from their mind. They may even feel some aversion to the notion that the meditative calm of monks from the East could have anything to do with these superstitious ideas and practices. Justin Thomas McDaniel, associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, challenges many of theses preconceived ideas about what constitutes the substance of modern Buddhism in Thailand. In his new book, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011), McDaniel begins his journey of contemporary Buddhism at one of the regular funerals for our lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak). Despite the compelling nature of this scene, as a skilled linguist and practicing scholar-monk for many years, McDaniel never imagined that he would be examining the supernatural world of ghost stories. However, after living in Thailand for several years as an academic and practitioner he realized that the specter of modern Thai Buddhist practices and believes would not leave him alone. McDaniel has catalogued much of hat he has found about Thai Buddhism on his wonderful project in digital humanities, the Thai Digital Monastery. Instead of looking for Buddhism, he let Buddhists tell, show, describe and recount what they do, chant, hold, and value. McDaniel uses the story of the lovelorn ghost and the magical monk, who we find out, is the infamous Somdet To, as an opening to explore the various aspects of contemporary religious Buddhist practices and how they shape Thai society. The six degrees of separation (from Somdet To) takes us through an erudite analysis of biographies, hagiographies, film, statues, amulets, murals, texts, magic, chants, and photographs, in the coproduction of religious knowledge. While McDaniel’s book is a key contribution to Thai, Theravada, and modern Buddhism, it is also valuable in the study of religion more generally. His approach provides a template for the “pragmatic sociological study of cultural repertoires,” which examines what a particular person carries, recites, and respects, how they do something, how they say they do something, and the material and social contexts they do it in. This allows us as researchers to unshackle our study from the expectations of certain terminology. He also problematizes a number of other categories, such as, magic, cult, localization, folk, popular, local, syncretism, synergy, domestication, hybridity, and vernacularization, by demonstrating their limited usefulness when attempting to describe a Thai monastery, shrine, liturgy, or ritual. These innovative moves in methodology should be motivational to others in the field more generally. Overall, McDaniel produced a highly readable and enjoyable portrait of Buddhism in contemporary Thailand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When most people think of Buddhism they begin to imagine a lone monk in the forest or a serene rock garden. The world of ghosts, amulets, and magic are usually from their mind. They may even feel some aversion to the notion that the meditative calm of monks from the East could have anything to do with these superstitious ideas and practices. Justin Thomas McDaniel, associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, challenges many of theses preconceived ideas about what constitutes the substance of modern Buddhism in Thailand. In his new book, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011), McDaniel begins his journey of contemporary Buddhism at one of the regular funerals for our lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak). Despite the compelling nature of this scene, as a skilled linguist and practicing scholar-monk for many years, McDaniel never imagined that he would be examining the supernatural world of ghost stories. However, after living in Thailand for several years as an academic and practitioner he realized that the specter of modern Thai Buddhist practices and believes would not leave him alone. McDaniel has catalogued much of hat he has found about Thai Buddhism on his wonderful project in digital humanities, the Thai Digital Monastery. Instead of looking for Buddhism, he let Buddhists tell, show, describe and recount what they do, chant, hold, and value. McDaniel uses the story of the lovelorn ghost and the magical monk, who we find out, is the infamous Somdet To, as an opening to explore the various aspects of contemporary religious Buddhist practices and how they shape Thai society. The six degrees of separation (from Somdet To) takes us through an erudite analysis of biographies, hagiographies, film, statues, amulets, murals, texts, magic, chants, and photographs, in the coproduction of religious knowledge. While McDaniel’s book is a key contribution to Thai, Theravada, and modern Buddhism, it is also valuable in the study of religion more generally. His approach provides a template for the “pragmatic sociological study of cultural repertoires,” which examines what a particular person carries, recites, and respects, how they do something, how they say they do something, and the material and social contexts they do it in. This allows us as researchers to unshackle our study from the expectations of certain terminology. He also problematizes a number of other categories, such as, magic, cult, localization, folk, popular, local, syncretism, synergy, domestication, hybridity, and vernacularization, by demonstrating their limited usefulness when attempting to describe a Thai monastery, shrine, liturgy, or ritual. These innovative moves in methodology should be motivational to others in the field more generally. Overall, McDaniel produced a highly readable and enjoyable portrait of Buddhism in contemporary Thailand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When most people think of Buddhism they begin to imagine a lone monk in the forest or a serene rock garden. The world of ghosts, amulets, and magic are usually from their mind. They may even feel some aversion to the notion that the meditative calm of monks from the East could have anything to do with these superstitious ideas and practices. Justin Thomas McDaniel, associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, challenges many of theses preconceived ideas about what constitutes the substance of modern Buddhism in Thailand. In his new book, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (Columbia University Press, 2011), McDaniel begins his journey of contemporary Buddhism at one of the regular funerals for our lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak). Despite the compelling nature of this scene, as a skilled linguist and practicing scholar-monk for many years, McDaniel never imagined that he would be examining the supernatural world of ghost stories. However, after living in Thailand for several years as an academic and practitioner he realized that the specter of modern Thai Buddhist practices and believes would not leave him alone. McDaniel has catalogued much of hat he has found about Thai Buddhism on his wonderful project in digital humanities, the Thai Digital Monastery. Instead of looking for Buddhism, he let Buddhists tell, show, describe and recount what they do, chant, hold, and value. McDaniel uses the story of the lovelorn ghost and the magical monk, who we find out, is the infamous Somdet To, as an opening to explore the various aspects of contemporary religious Buddhist practices and how they shape Thai society. The six degrees of separation (from Somdet To) takes us through an erudite analysis of biographies, hagiographies, film, statues, amulets, murals, texts, magic, chants, and photographs, in the coproduction of religious knowledge. While McDaniel’s book is a key contribution to Thai, Theravada, and modern Buddhism, it is also valuable in the study of religion more generally. His approach provides a template for the “pragmatic sociological study of cultural repertoires,” which examines what a particular person carries, recites, and respects, how they do something, how they say they do something, and the material and social contexts they do it in. This allows us as researchers to unshackle our study from the expectations of certain terminology. He also problematizes a number of other categories, such as, magic, cult, localization, folk, popular, local, syncretism, synergy, domestication, hybridity, and vernacularization, by demonstrating their limited usefulness when attempting to describe a Thai monastery, shrine, liturgy, or ritual. These innovative moves in methodology should be motivational to others in the field more generally. Overall, McDaniel produced a highly readable and enjoyable portrait of Buddhism in contemporary Thailand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[audio:http://penanghokkien.com/media/PgHkn-2010-01-11.mp3] We have a guest who can see ghosts when she was little. She saw a girl ghost when she was young. Another guest shared his experience in a Thai Buddhist temple where he witnessed others possessed by spirits. More hotel ghost stories from another guest. (((DOWNLOAD AUDIO FILE)))