Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism

• Paths of Practice with Yogi Lama Gursam Rinpoche

  Yogi Acharya Lama Gursam Rinpoche was born in India and received a monastic education from the age of six. He went on to study at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. He graduated at the top of his class, receiving honors from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Thereafter, he taught language and philosophy at the Drikung Kagyu Institute in Dehradun, serving His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche for six years.In 1995, he was invited to teach in the United States. He has taught and travelled extensively for more than 25 years. In addition to teaching in numerous Dharma Centers, he taught in schools, prisons, mental health and addiction settings, and in animal hospitals. He completed a traditional three year retreat and created The Bodhicitta Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which aims to support the flourishing of Dharma activity. His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche has officially recognized The Bodhicitta Foundation as an affiliate of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage.As part of his ongoing activities, Lama Gursam maintains a regular retreat and teaching schedule internationally. Online classes are offered multiple times per week for the study and practice of authentic Dharma texts, some of which are translated into Spanish and Chinese. Every year, Lama goes on retreat in various mountains and holy places, including some of Milarepa's caves and Bodh Gaya. He also leads pilgrimages to holy places in India and Nepal.Lama teaches in English, and always tries to focus on the practical application of the Dharma in everyday life. For more information about Lama Gursam and his offerings, please visit https://lamagursam.org/We discussed Lama Gursam's experience meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Gursam’s personal connection to Milarepa, visiting sacred caves in the Lapchi mountains, making time for walking meditation while traveling, the Bodhicitta Foundation, organizing and leading pilgrimages to sacred sites, and the importance of applying the Buddha's teachings to the real world.

  --------  

  1:01:21

  --------

  1:01:21
• Paths of Practice with Gullu Singh, JD

  Gulwinder “Gullu” Singh is a mindfulness and Dharma teacher who also practices corporate real estate law. Although he was exposed to meditation as a child, he found his own practice when, after law school, he found himself working at high-powered law firms where the job was extremely stressful.Gullu completed the four-year Spirit Rock Meditation Center Teacher Training Program and qualified to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Gullu is core faculty in the Mindfulness in Law Teacher Training, the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioner Program, and a mentor for the Sounds True Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. He is also a core teacher and board member for Sacred Mountain Sangha, a senior teacher at InsightLA, and a member of the guiding teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.Gullu is deeply inspired to share meditation as an antidote to stress, a path to well-being, and a way to inject more sanity, compassion, and wisdom into this world. For more information, please visit https://gullusingh.com/ and check out Gullu's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@Gullu-Meditation/videosWe talked about what it's like to live in Los Angeles during this time of unrest and the power of awareness, befriending emotions and the RAIN technique, developing mindfulness trainings specifically for lawyers, listening to Jack Kornfield talks on tape and Spirit Rock, and the importance of maintaining your practice so you can go and play your “music” out in the world.

  --------  

  57:05

  --------

  57:05
• Paths of Practice with Ven. Lobzang Dorje

  The Venerable Lobzang Dorje, Leon E. Pettiway, Ph.D., began his dharma studies in January 1999 and took refuge under the guidance of Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche in May of that year. In 2002, he received Getsul (Novice) Vows in Kathmandu, Nepal, and took Gelong Vows (full ordination) in Switzerland from Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche in 2005. While he has studied with and has received numerous empowerments from many Gelug teachers, he also had the opportunity to study at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Centre of Buddhist Studies in Kathmandu, where he studied Tibetan and Buddhist Philosophy.As the founder of Dagom Geden Kunkyob Ling, a Buddhist monastery in Indianapolis, Ven. Lobzang Dorje fulfills a wish to provide a space where Buddha’s teaching would be available to an urban audience, particularly to minority group members and other underrepresented group members. In doing so, he hopes to create a setting that supports the ideals of social engagement where it intersects with concerns around racial and gender equality, sexuality, poverty, crime, and justice.Ven. Lobzang Dorje holds graduate degrees from the University of Cincinnati, the University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and much of his adult life has been spent teaching as a university professor. After 33 years of university teaching, he retired as Professor Emeritus from Indiana University, Bloomington. As a faculty member in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, one of his primary research interests was the integration of geographical and criminological theories to explain patterns of crime in urban areas.For more information about Ven. Lobzang Dorje, please visit: https://www.leonpettiway.com/For more information about Dagom Geden Kunkyob Ling, please visit: https://dgklbuddhistmonastery.org/ We talked about moving to Bloomington, IN from Philadelphia, mystical experiences and meeting Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche, the novice vow experience vs. full ordination, and remembering that you are not your mind or your body and to never ever give up!

  --------  

  1:05:28

  --------

  1:05:28
• Paths of Practice with Rev. Dr. Enrique Galvan-Alvarez (Part 2)

  Rev. Dr. Enrique Galvan-Alvarez is a professor of Humanities and Digital Society at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja-UNIR and a Jōdo Shinshū priest that serves Jinen-Kō, an online community of Portuguese and Spanish speaking folk who are interested in learning and practicing the Dharma, or teachings, of Pure Land Buddhism. For more information about Jinen-Kō, please see the following link: https://jodoshinshu.org/We discussed modern ritual elements of Jōdo Shinshū and how 'the periphery can influence the center,' ritual archaeology and how some sanghas enact “lost” rituals, online dharma with Jinen-Kō and engaging with a digital sangha, and walking and hearing the name.Rev. Dr. Galvan-Alvarez will be speaking during Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii's Summer Session 2025 at the Buddhist Study Center from August 4-8, 2025. The BCS Summer Session is held both in person at the Buddhist Study Center in Honolulu and online via Zoom. For more information about Rev. Dr. Galvan-Alvarez's upcoming lectures at the BSC, please see the following link: https://bschawaii.org/summer-session/

  --------  

  1:00:31

  --------

  1:00:31
• Paths of Practice with Rev. Hibiki Junkyo Murakami

  Rev. Hibiki Junkyo Murakami serves as an Associate Minister at the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. He was born and raised as the oldest son of Jonen-ji Temple in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. Rev. Murakami received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Shin Buddhism from Ryukoku University in Kyoto in 2016 and 2018 respectively. He received Tokudo ordination in 2013 and Kyoshi certification in 2015. His Buddhist name is Shaku Junkyo.Rev. Murakami completed the International Ministerial Orientation Program (IMOP) at the Jodo Shinshu Center in Berkeley, CA in 2018. Upon completion of his IMOP studies in January 2020, he was assigned to the Los Angeles betsuin. Outside of his ministerial functions, Rev. Murakami enjoys working on and driving his car. He also has a fondness for Aikido and outdoor activities such as golf, skiing, and relaxing at the beach. Recently, he has been developing his skills as a sketch artist.We talked about the differences between the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and Jonen-ji Temple in Kitakyushu, how Rev. Murakami's great-grandfather traveled to America about 100 years ago and served a Jodo Shinshu sangha in Sacramento, working on cars as a method of meditation and cultivating appreciation, and the importance of exploring your curiosity and enjoying the adventure.

  --------  

  57:24

  --------

  57:24

Meer Religie en spiritualiteit podcasts

Trending Religie en spiritualiteit -podcasts

Over Paths of Practice: Conversations on Journeys into Buddhism