Bob Thurman Podcast: Buddhas Have More Fun!

In this podcast Professor Robert AF Thurman discusses the classic British Sci-Fi Series ‘Dr. Who’ drawing parallels to the Buddhist text ‘The Vimalakirti Sutra’. Includes an in depth exploration of the Buddhist perspective of selflessness & non-dualism. This talk was recorded during the 2016 Force For Good Class #6 at Tibet House US in New York City in February 2016. &#...

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains the Buddha’s enlightenment & the philosophical clarity that Je Tsongkhapa brought to the mind training systems disseminated through monastic & meditative traditions of Tibet. Includes an overview of British biologist Rupert Sheldrake’s Morphic resonance theory, the history of Tsongkhapa and the annual days cerebrating the founder of th...

In Buddhism, the most popular mandala is that of the Wheel of Life, a visual representation of the Six Realms of Existence. Traditionally the six realms into which a sentient being can reincarnate in its endless succession of lives. In this podcast Mark Epstein + Professor Thurman detail the Six Realms in Buddhist Cosmology and how to work with them as metaphors for the different psychological sta...

This podcast explores what happens at the moment of death and beyond according to Buddhist wisdom found in the ‘Bardo Thodol’ known in English as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Explaining the different stages of existence: life, death and the in-between Professor Thurman provides practical meditation methods for living more fully in our daily lives and to help one prepare for the moment...

Recorded on July 4th Independence Day Robert Thurman discusses the history of the American Holiday, Spiritual Evolution, Constitutional Monarchies, Mass incarceration, Thomas Jefferson’s Second Inaugural Address , Summer & the tradition of going on retreat within Buddhism. In this podcast Professor Thurman calls on the listener to re-examine the concept of a spiritual retreat by understa...

In this podcast Professor Thurman provides the context of the Buddha’s Enlightenment before launching into a succinct explanation of The Four Noble Truths. Opening this week’s episode with a discussion of the historical and spiritual setting in which the Buddha attained enlightenment , Robert A.F. Thurman gives an introduction to his discoveries and how they are applicable to modern so...

In this podcast Professor Thurman & Richard Freeman discuss interdependence, the need for compassion for self & others before detailing the subtle energetic system of the nervous system known in the yoga tradition as the chakras. Using references to ‘ Star Wars: The Force Awakens ‘ Maz Kantana, The Kalachakra Tantra, Wilhelm Reich & Freud’s Primal Scene Professor Thur...

Saka Dawa, named for the star prominent during the fourth month in the Tibetan calendar, like the Theravadin observance of Vesak is considered the most sacred month in which the Buddha displayed the deeds of birth, enlightenment & Parinirvana. In this Podcast Professor Thurman gives an overview of the Buddhist holiday, a detailed accounting of the details of the Buddha’s Enlightenment as expla...

The Buddha’s core teachings call for a series of revolutions in the individual’s perspective which then affect the surrounding community, culture & society in what Professor Thurman defines as a cool revolution . This podcast explores the themes of awakening consciousness, spiritual activism , transformative medicine of Buddha , facing wide ranging crises in our human condition tod...

Traditional Tibetan Medicine as preserved in Tibet with it’s practical synthesis of Ayurvedic, Chinese & Greek diagnosis systems is widely regarded as one of the greatest gems of Tibetan Culture. Opening this special podcast with recitation of the mantras of Avalokiteśvara, Tara & The Medicine Buddha Professor Thurman provides a detailed history of Traditional Tibetan Medicine and hi...

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses how Buddha Nature can be understood as being a form of Loving Activism found through the realization of Emptiness. Includes a reading from the introduction to the AIBS Publication “ Sublime Continuum Treatise Commentary ” by Bo Jiang. Emptiness, or selflessness, is a foundation in all forms of Buddhist thought & education. In contemporary...

Engaging the wit, wisdom & practical solutions offered by the Buddhist concept of fierce compassion Robert AF Thurman’s special Mother’s Day podcast is an exploration of cool revolutions & the cool heroes found in every home: women. Citing The Guardian’s Carole Cadwalladr research into Oligarchs, the Brexit Vote & the rise of President Donald Trump as an example of co...

Examining the form Buddhist traditions have taken in America in terms of the Eight Fold Path & the services they provide Professor Thurman suggests American Buddhism can be best defined as a Buddhism without Buddhism. Recorded at the Awakened Leadership Conference hosted by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation in 2009. To learn more about their work please visit: www.fredericklenzfoundation.org ....

In this podcast Professor Thurman & Sharon Salzberg explore the traditional Buddhist understanding of love and detail the Loving Kindness meditation practices developed by the historical Buddha. Using personal stories & those from the Buddhist tradition this two long time friends provide a series of practical practices that help develop love as an ability. Excerpted from the Tibet House US...

Using the Guhyasamāja Tantra as a jumping off point Professor Thurman leads a discussion with Richard Freeman on the value of studying Esoteric philosophy within the context of experiential yoga practices. In this podcast Professor Thurman guides an investigation of the Buddhist understanding of Interdependence & explains how the concept of morphic resonance suggests a revolutionary energetic...

In this dialog with Don George Professor Robert AF Thurman discusses the psychological & spiritual value of performing pilgrimages both in the modern day as well as in the life of Prince Siddhartha and his original group of followers. Podcast includes dialog with Don George and a short guided meditation for those performing pilgrimages to Buddhist sites. Excerpted from the Geo Ex talk “E...

The imagery of Tibetan tantric symbolism is potent and often shocking to those unfamiliar with the meanings of Buddhist art. In this podcast Professor Thurman explores how art is used in Buddhist Cultures as a way to stimulate the mind to develop the imagination needed to conceive of enlightenment & Buddhahood. Using selections from the Tibet House US Repatriation + MET Collections Professor T...

The story of the Chinese Invasion of Tibet & the resulting exile of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama vaulted the young leader onto the world’s stage in an unprecedented manner in 1959. Professor Thurman continues his exploration of the Tibet House US Publication ‘Man Of Peace’ starting with the dramatic events of 1959 and concluding with HHDL’s 80th Birthday in the West...

Citing the on-going industrialized savagery occurring post World War II Professor Thurman uses the example of Communist China’s self-created conflict & the potential reconciliation with Tibet’s His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as a possible model for all countries + nations to not only survive but thrive the modern age of mutually assured destruction. This podcast is an excerpt fro...

Tibet’s Dalai Lama is one of the world’s most respected, influential & beloved yet little understood refugees. In this podcast Professor Thurman gives an overview of the life of the Buddha, The Four Noble Truths & their connection to the modern reincarnation of the Dalai Lama . This podcast is a part of the Buddhism 101 Series using classic teachings from the Robert Thurman Arc...

In this podcast Robert AF Thurman discusses the history of the Tibet House US publication graphic novel “Man of Peace” and his long time personal relationship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After more than a decade in the works Professor Thurman discusses the ‘Man of Peace: Illustrated Life of the Dalai Lama’ Graphic Novel publication + provides an introduction to the hi...

A Special Losar (Tibetan New Year) Podcast celebrating the Fire Bird/Phoenix year with a detailed introduction to the Buddhist Sciences + the secular nature of the Historical Buddha’s teachings. In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses how the Buddha’s insight and resulting teachings were scientific in nature and can be applied to complex relationships + situations in our busy modern worl...

In this podcast Professor Thurman leads a reading of the early Pali Suttas known as the Digha Nikaya or The Long Discourses of the Buddha on the four foundations of Mindfulness. Includes a guided meditation using the Buddha’s instructions to bhikkhus & bhikkhunis. Recorded at the 2009 Tibet House US weekend retreat “Stress” with Sharon Salzberg at Menla in Phoenicia, New York...

In this podcast Professor Thurman gives a brief history of the Western discovery of Buddhism and how there have often been misrepresentations of its central ideas—Dharma (or Dhamma), nirvana, karma—confusions some times brought over from the Asian sources countries, some imposed in attempts to modernize or Westernize Buddha’s expressions of how he sees the world. The podcast includes questio...

Professor Thurman begins this podcast with a detailed exploration of the concepts of absolute + relative realities as taught through the Buddhist Inner Sciences with commentary by Mark Epstein M.D.. This recording is apart of the Tibet House US Member Archive. To listen to more from this & other past programs please consider becoming a member. Recorded at the 2009 Tibet House US Self & Sel...