Buddhist Geeks

In this latest addition to the Metadharma series, Ryan Oelke is joined by philosopher Ken Wilber to explore what a fourth turning of Buddhism looks like, what it includes, and why it’s needed.  "The new Buddha is not going to be the Sangha, but the unification of the Buddha, Sangha, and Dharma in a single ongoing nondual Awareness and Awakening.” - Ken Wilber In Part 1 , Ken discusses the evolutio...

In this latest addition to the Metadharma series, Vince Horn is joined by Michael W. Taft to explore the (meta)reasoning around Metadharma. Why do we need another Dharma? What does Metadharma respond to that Modern and Postmodern forms of Dharma haven’t? What do we need to jettison in order for a genuine Metadharma to emerge? And how does Metadharma relate to the very real social crises we face, i...

"Climate change", as a term, no longer captures the real danger that climate scientists say that we as a species, along with our fellow creatures, face today. Already the impacts of climate change have turned into a genuine ecological crisis. A growing group of people are asking out loud, if the recent string of dire government-backed climate reports are too conservative to accurately describe the...

In this deep dive into the emerging territory of American Dharma , scholar-practitioner Ann Gleig joins with Buddhist Geeks host Vince Horn to explore a plurality of perspectives, some overlooked and marginalized, some debated for millennia. Over 2 hours of deep dialogical podcasting, Ann & Vince explore the larger territory of postmodernism in relation to American Dharma from multiple philoso...

In this episode Vince Horn kicks-off a new series on Buddhist Geeks on "Metadharma." Sharing his journey from working with integral philosopher Ken Wilber in the early aughts, to deconstructing grand metanarratives with inquiry meditation and developmental psychology, to returning back to a metaphilosophical orientation in recent years. This series, on Metadharma, will explore the ways that the th...

In this episode, Vince Horn is joined by Kathryn "Kati" Devaney, one of the founders of the newly formed student-led sangha, SF Dharma Collective .  In addition to being practitioner, and community organizer, Kati is also a neuroscience researcher who has specialized on studying human visual attention.  In this discussion Kati describes the origin story of the SF Dharma Collective and talks about...

In this episode Ryan Oelke speaks with Judith Blackstone , a teacher in the contemporary fields of nondual realization and spiritual, relational, and somatic psychotherapy, about her new book, “ Trauma and the Unbound Body : The Healing Power of Fundamental Consciousness”.  They chat about the connection between embodiment, nondual realization, and healing, and how all three help deepen one other....

I had the great delight of speaking with Oren Jay Sofer , just as he was fresh off a month-long silent retreat.  The timing couldn't be better, as the bulk of what we discussed relates to silent retreat culture, both its strengths and limitations.   We ended up discussing communication and social practice quite a bit as well, including touching on some of the practices that he teaches in his new b...

What is the future of consciousness hacking? Organic molecules, blinky machines, good old fashioned meditation, or some combination of them all?  In this episode, recorded live in San Francisco on October 24th 2018, Michael Taft of Deconstructing Yourself , Vincent Horn of Buddhist Geeks , and host Mikey Siegel of Consciousness Hacking discuss the possibilities, the challenges, and the many ways f...

In this episode I'm joined in dialogue by David Gold to explore the path of Love. David shares the story of meeting his beloved, Juli Reeves, and how their meeting kicked off a process of being disrupted by Love. Listen in as we inquiry into Love, Life, Trust, Emergence, & Evolution. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Memorable Quotes: “Whatever stands in the way of me loving her more, may i...

During this episode I'm joined by an old friend and mentor, David Gold , to discuss, as he puts it, his "evolution from a non-teacher to a non-teacher." We talk about our shared history, going back to my time as college student at NC State, where he was a facilitator of the Self-Knowledge Symposium. He also shares his history with American mystic, Richard Rose, and with the fallen guru, Andrew Coh...

In this episode I'm joined by my old friend and colleague, Rohan Gunatillake . Rohan is the founder of Mindfulness Everywhere , a creative studio combining meditation, technology, & design. Mindfulness Everywhere is perhaps best known for it's popular meditation app buddhify , and for it's innovative-indie approach to developing digital mindfulness products.  In this conversation we talk about...

I discovered Christoper Vitale 's writing after doing a google search on the "philosophy of networks." At the time I had recently started doing the Buddhist Geeks podcast again and had formulated a new tagline for the project: Dharma in the Age of the Network . I wanted to dive deeper into what networks are, not in a specific sense (of say a "computer network"), but in more general & philosoph...

In this episode I was joined by my dharma friend Lama Karma . During our time together we explored his time in Peru, using the native plant medicine ayahuasca. He said he couldn't help but relate to his experience through the lens of his vajrayana training, and shares some of how he makes sense of the experiences he had while using ayahuasca ceremonially. We also get into a heart-felt conversation...

This episode comes from a live event on " Waking Up with Psychedelics " that occurred in Los Angeles, co-hosted by InsightLA . I was joined in this dialogue by Trudy Goodman , Spring Washam , & Dr. Charles Grob . Ram Dass joined us at the end of this dialogue, and his talk is on available for Buddhist Geeks Patrons as a bonus episode. Memorable Quotes "An untrained mind may go into panic, but...

I’m joined in this raw & intimate conversation by meditation teacher & author Spring Washam , as we discuss the integration of Buddhist contemplative practice with the Peruvian plant medicine ayahuasca . We begin with Springs dharma journey and the way that silent practice no longer served her deeper healing journey, and how the ultimately brought her to the jungles of Peru. I share parall...

I don’t want to over-hype this episode too much, but listening back over it today and preparing these notes, I was left feeling that this was perhaps the most intimate, raw, & profound conversation I’ve had throughout the Meditating on Psychedelics series so far.  It might have something to do with the fact that my guest is Trudy Goodman , who is also one of my teachers.  My wife Emily & I...

On this episode I had the great pleasure of speaking with Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care, Roshi Joan Halifax.  One of my previous guests, Raghu Markus, recommended I speak with her as part of the Meditating on Psychedelics series, and so that's where the conversation began.   I think it's fair to say that by the end of our discussion it h...

In this episode I'm joined by one of my favorite productivity writers, Tiago Forte. Tiago is part of a new generation of productivity thinkers, whose exploring new ways of working in the digital age. I've found his writing both refreshing and insightful, and when I discovered that he also has a serious interest in meditation & spirituality I knew I'd have to invite him onto Buddhist Geeks. The...

In this episode we speak with meditation teacher & author Michael Taft about his experience of meditating on LSD. Michael describes himself as someone who has likely done more LSD than anyone you've ever known, while also being a hardcore meditator, a skilled teacher, and one of the more high-functioning & well integrated adults that you're likely to meet. In addition to discussing the pot...

This week we speak with Albert Grabb, an LA-based radiologist & meditator, who was one of the 1st legal participants in a Johns Hopkins study of seasoned meditators using psilocybin (aka "magic mushrooms"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/s...

In this episode we speak with author, podcaster, award-winning journalist, and dharmic psychonaut Erik Davis about the intersection of psychedelic practice & culture with dharmic practice & culture. Episode Links : - Become a Buddhist Geeks Patreon - TechGnosis - Expanding Mind Podcast - " Zig, Zag, Zen " - Dharma Protectors - Erowid - Cognitive liberty See Privacy Policy at https://art19....

During the 2nd part of my conversation with Raghu Markus, director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation, we speak about the powerful fusion of bhakti (devotion) practice and more traditional Buddhist meditation practice. Episode Links : - Rick Doblin’s Psychedelic Studies - Ram Dass - Be Here Now Network - SHARANAGATI: The True Meaning of Surrender from the Bhakti Yoga Tradition See Privacy Polic...

Raghu Markus lives in Asheville (my hometown) and is the executive director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation, the same organization that runs RamDass.org . Raghu traveled with Ram Dass (formerly Richard Alpert) in the 70s to India and studied with the Indian guru Neem Karoli Baba. There he also met Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, & Lama Surya Das, who all became lifelon...

In this episode we speak with Dr. Douglas Osto, author of "Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America". Episode Links : - Become a Buddhist Geeks Patreon - Douglas Osto - “ Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America ” - “ Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars ” - “ Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics ” - 'She didn't...