Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I am once again joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher, meditation virtuoso, and author of ‘A Mind Without Craving’.

Delson describes his recent initiation into the goddess tradition of Śri Vidya, recounts his subsequent encounters with deities and supernatural beings, and discusses his latest writings on para-consciousness and nibbanadhatu.

Delson explains how to relate to guilt, doubt, and skepticism; how to enter the three gates to cessation; and gives his take on the essence of the spiritual path.

Delson also reveals his recent explorations in Western Philosophy, why he has begun writing about world peace, offers his predictions for the future, and shares what he is doing to prefer himself and his family for what is to come.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep362-mirror-beyond-mind-delson-armstrong

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Delson life update
02:24 - Words for the exhausted seeker
04:18 - Why Delson still teaches TWIM
05:50 - Jhana wars
08:28 - Bad doubt vs good doubt
10:06 - What is beyond the fetter of doubt?
18:33- Questioning the doctrine of rebirth
19:46 - Ordinary right view vs supramundane right view
21:39 - Delson’s library of books
23:35 - Exploring Western philosophy
25:57 - The essence of the path
31:20 - Philosophy reading list
36:49 - Lucretius and the Swerve
38:42 - Initiation into Śri Vidya
45:10 - Encounters with Goddesses
50:17 - Deity visitations
54:39 - The Mirror Beyond Mind
58:41 - Para-consciousness and nibbanadhatu
59:01 - Did the Buddha reject the Vedas?
01:03:28 - Zero point of expansion and contraction
01:04:57 - 3 gates to cessation
01:10:25 - How to relate to cessation?
01:15:27 - What happens at death
01:16:47 - The Vakkalisutta
01:18:45 - Life review during meditation and death
01:19:42 - Forgiveness practice
01:22:25 - Teachings of Jesus
01:23:21 - Guilt and how to forgive
01:29:51 - When reconciliation is not possible
01:31:20 - Civilisational utopia thru enlightenment?
01:38:11 - Is world peace unrealistic?
01:39:57 - Can peace come from weakness?
01:44:01 - Why is Delson writing about world peace?
01:46:48 - Predictions about the immediate future of the world
01:50:43 - How Delson is preparing for the future

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Watch previous episodes with Delson Armstrong:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=delson

Find out more about Delson Armstrong:
- https://www.delsonarmstrong.com/events
- https://delsonarmstrong.substack.com/

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Stephen Snyder, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of several books including “Living Awakeness: Embodying Your Awakening”.

Stephen compares Theravada to Zen in terms of difficulty and depth, explains why 30 minutes of cessation is his minimum to achieve Theravada stream entry, and shares why he believes cessation has a feminine energy.

Stephen discusses the writing practices that have made him such a prolific author, reflects on how spiritual experiences can change one’s reading habits, and reveals his opinion on academic histories of Buddhism

Stephen also discusses false awakenings and ego inflation, whether enlightenment eliminates all negative emotions, and considers the controversial relationship between enlightenment and political engagement.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep361-living-awakeness-stephen-snyder



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


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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:02 - Stephen’s secrets for writing so prolifically
04:51 - Writing routine
05:57 - Influence of law career on writing style
07:32 - Does Stephen read fiction?
08:00 - Does awakening change reading preferences?
10:03 - Does Stephen read Buddhist history?
12:14 - Stephen’s new book, “Living Awakeness”
12:34 - Patterns in students with deeper awakening
13:30 - 8 levels of consciousness
18:22 - Are desire and anger eliminated by awakening?
20:32 - The Buddha was angry
21:19 - How does awakening affect emotion?
22:59 - Stored karma in the 8th level of consciousness
24:31 - Awakening vs self improvement
27:07 - Meditation as stress reduction
29:26 - Why not just teach the brahmavihārās?
30:45 - Yogic origin of Buddhist practices
31:18 - Different ways to practice brahmavihārā
34:13 - Theravada vs Zen awakenings
34:54 - Theravada awakening is in danger of being lost
37:00 - Which is more difficult: Theravada or Zen?
37:58 - Fear of extinction
39:34 - Cessation is a feminine energy
41:06 - Which awakening should you get first: Theravada or Zen?
41:54 - 30 min cessation minimum for stream awakening
44:56 - False awakenings
45:11 - Cessation vs falling asleep during meditation
45:38 - “Awakening” is used to generically
46:10 - Interrogating awakening experiences
47:18 - Ego inflation after transcendent experiences
49:09 - Post awakening perspectives
53:07 - Awakening and political engagement
57:21 - Bernie Glassman’s Auschwitz retreats
59:52 - Does awakening change one’s politics?
01:03:01 - Origin of enflamed political engagement

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Watch previous episodes with Stephen Snyder:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=Stephen%20Snyder

To find our more about Stephen Snyder, visit:
- https://awakeningdharma.org/

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

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode, I am once again joined by Dr Christopher “Hareesh” Wallis, a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classical Tantra.

Christopher shares how he became a spiritual teacher, explains the dangers of guru idealisation, and considers if he may be misleading his students.

Christopher discusses his own series of religious peak experiences, explores their causes, and reflects on their consequences.

Christopher recalls his time studying with American spiritual teacher Adyanshanti, the influence of Marshall Rosenberg, and reveals how his ability to spot fake gurus improved after his awakening.

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Full episode at www.guruviking.com.

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Studying under Alexis Sanderson
04:16 - Faithfulness to the traditions
05:38 - The requirements to understand tantric sources
06:24 - Secrecy and the oral tradition
09:07 - Did Sanderson receive Lakshmanjoo’s energetic transmission
12:28 - Academic approaches to religion
13:28 - Public vs private religion
14:23 - Why isn’t Sanderson religious?
16:40 - Is Shaivite Tantra a relic of the past?
17:42 - Does religious affiliation contaminate academic objectivity?
20:43 - Cabezón on the benefits of an insider perspective on religious
21:44 - Piety and devotion as motives
23:02 - Humanists can have devotion too
23:43 - Cynicism about human motives
24:50 - Loss of trust in gurus
26:39 - Famous gurus want to be famous
28:30 - How gurus fall
31:25 - How Christopher became a spiritual teacher
33:33 - Switching from academia to freelance spiritual teaching
25:22 - Is Christopher a guru?
39:30 - Does Christopher mislead his students?
44:21 - Christopher’s experience of flow when teaching
47:20 - Feeling the presence of past masters
49:30 - Self-deception and collusion with students
53:02 - Student-teacher projection
54:29 - Christopher’s experience with naive projection
56:23 - How Christopher deals with idealisation
57:52 - Why your biggest fans can become your greatest haters
59:14 - A story of praise and blame
01:01:55 - Christopher’s spiritual journey
01:05:22 - Studying with Adyashanti
01:08:26 - Christopher’s awakening
01:09:45 - What is vs one’s mental representation
01:14:39 - Sudden or gradual?
01:18:08 - Freedom from mental constructs
01:20:08 - Non-violent communication
01:24:13 - Am I good enough?
01:26:31 - Aftermath of an awakening experience
01:29:58 - Glimpse vs abiding shift
01:33:42 - Spotting fake gurus after awakening
01:35:57 - Changes in doctrinal understanding
01:40:22 - Challenging the true believer
01:42:29 - Denying the Buddhist doctrine of no-self
01:43:26 - 3 stages of awakening
01:47:41 - Christopher’s “Tantra 112” meditation app

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Previous episode with Christopher Wallis:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=wallis

To find our more about Dr Christopher Wallis visit:
- https://hareesh.org/

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode, I am once again joined by Jensen Martin, a scholar-practitioner and PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

Jensen leads a deep dive into Narasiṃha, compares different version of the Narasiṃha myth, and examines contradictions in the tradition.

Jensen reveals his motive for pursuing a PhD, describes his plans for a meditation retreat as part of the project, and reflects on what he sees as a crisis in academia.

Jensen also discusses the relevance of Narasiṃha to today’s world situation, the terror of dissolution, and the advantages of being an outsider.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep359-narasimha-the-lion-man-jensen-martin-2

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:47 - Jensen’s PhD about Narasiṃha
02:27 - Caveats and disclaimers
04:26 - Relevance of Narasiṃha to today’s world situation
07:54 - Story of Narasiṃha
25:59 - Uniqueness of Narasiṃha
29:00 - Calculating the yuga
33:46 - Interstellar travel and kriya yoga
37:15 - Reconciling myths with historical evidence
37:15 - Soifer and comparing the Narasiṃha myths
50:06 - Star Wars canon
51:55 - 1000 years of narrative development
56:03 - How Narasiṃha is most commonly seen today
01:01:49 - Many different schools
01:02:50 - The advantages of being an outsider
01:06:09 - Jensen is motivated by awakening
01:08:42 - Narasiṃha meditation text
01:15:15 - Oral tradition
01:20:12 - Dhruva Gorrick and visions of Narasiṃha
01:23:43 - Terror of dissolution
01:28:42 - The Cult of Janagannath
01:34:14 - The benefit of worshipping Narasiṃha
01:42:28 - What Narasiṃha means to Jensen
01:45:29 - Jensen’s goal is to find out what Narasiṃha means today
01:47:21 - Contradictions in the tradition
01:48:35 - How Jensen will proceed with his PhD and a practice focus
01:49:37 - The danger of moving too fast
01:52:43 - Jensen’s retreat curriculum
02:00:09 - Learning Hindi
02:01:58 - Academic lineage and a flexible programme
02:03:12 - Future plans and financial crisis in academia

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Previous episode with Jensen Martin:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=jensen

To find our more about Jensen Martin visit:
- https://www.instagram.com/jensen_sudarshan/

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Mary Shutan: author, occultist, and spiritual teacher.

Mary opens her casebook as a spirit lawyer, working on behalf of her clients with occult techniques to solve all manner of natural and supernatural problems.

Mary recounts stories of jealous wizards, astral encounters, and the dark side of shamanism.

Mary also reveals the two ways in which curses operate, warns about the power of blood magic, and explores the connection between trauma and soul retrieval.

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Video episode: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep358-casebook-of-a-spirit-lawyer-mary-shutan

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

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:39 - What is a spirit lawyer?
05:46 - How Mary works with clients
09:16 - Case study: I am blocked in my spiritual seeking
12:50 - Case study: I keep getting angry at work
15:14 - How to meet people where they are
18:28 - A shift in Mary’s method
20:30 - Working with spirits
23:07 - Initiations and navigating the Underworld
27:08 - Dark side of shamanism
30:01 - 2 ways in which curses work
34:23 - Easy-access occult systems
36:44 - Rescuing black magic practitioners
38:20 - Magick can be addictive
40:27 - Difficulty letting go of magick
41:44 - How to offset karmic debts
45:19 - Language magick
47:16 - The exorcism of Mattias Daly
49:39 - - How common is genuine spirit oppression?
55:13- Blood magick
57:29 - Dangers to the spirit lawyer
01:00:41 - Power and jealous wizards
01:02:25 - Meeting powerful practitioners
01:04:14 - Commonalities among systems
01:06:11 - Meeting people in the astral realm
01:07:08 - Mary’s shamanic techniques
01:08:45 - Journeying and discernment
01:10:37 - Trauma and soul retrieval
01:13:26 - Psychedelic casualties
01:14:25 - Mentoring others
01:17:32 - Alienation from the natural world
01:19:42 - Mary on today’s world
01:22:18 - Healing, shadow work, and creativity
01:23:54 - Mary’s advice for others

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Previous episodes with Mary Shutan:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=shutan

To find out more about Mary Shutan, visit:
- http://maryshutan.com/

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James