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Guru Viking Podcast

Guru Viking Podcast

By: Guru Viking
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 The Guru Viking Podcast specializes in in-depth interviews with remarkable figures in the world of meditation, spirituality, and self development. Steve travels internationally teaching somatic practices and meditation, and leads explorations in contemplative, mystic, & relational realms.All rights reserved Spirituality
Episodes
  • Ep322: Dharma of Dance - Ngakma Yumma Mudra

    Ep322: Dharma of Dance - Ngakma Yumma Mudra
    Aug 29 2025
    In this episode I am joined by Myriam Szabo, also known as Ngakma Yumma Mudra: dancer, producer, model, teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, and founder of the international Danza Duende Network. Ngakma Yumma Mudra describes the path of the body, what it means to practice the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta through movement, and how to contact the blissful nature of mind with dance. Ngakma Yumma Mudra reveals how she guides students to transform habitual tendencies into new expressions, how to read others, and why it is so easy to become stuck in the 6 realms. Ngakma Yumma Mudra also discusses dance as art, how to infuse technique with goodness, and reflects on what it takes to be a true artist. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep322-dharma-of-dance-ngakma-yumma-mudra Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:54 - Path of the body 02:28 - Dancing without choreography 04:40 - Mindfulness of the body and the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta 07:25 - Empathy and reading others 13:11 - Art, technique, and the Path of the artist 16:15 - The Man Who Cried 20:53 - Structure and flow 22:27 - Working with students through dance 23:32 - Infuse technique with goodness 24:08 - Transforming habitual tendencies 26:06 - Bridging students’ technique into art 30:56 - First thought, best thought 35:49 - Blissful nature of mind 37:22 - Expressing bodhicitta 40:55 - Opening a fan of possibilities 42:09 - Getting stuck in the 6 realms 49:32 - All true Buddhist masters are unique 51:17 - Cleansing technique 53:47 - Attracting mostly women 56:06 - Trajectory as a teacher 01:00:29 - Whirling 01:03:36 - Attracting students 01:06:53 - Sequel plans … To find our more about Ngakma Yumma Mudra visit: - https://www.danzaduende.org/yumma-bio-en.htm For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Ep321: Tibetan Bon - Lama Vajranatha

    Ep321: Tibetan Bon - Lama Vajranatha
    Aug 22 2025
    In this episode I am once again joined by John Myrdhin Reynolds, also known as Lama Vajranatha: writer, teacher, translator, and scholar/practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. John shares his own decades of contact with the Bon religion, reveals its doctrines and practices, and gives a detailed history of its transmission in the West. John traces the automythos of Bon, compares it to historical evidence and Buddhist accounts, and addresses the common critique that Bon is merely plagiarised Buddhism. John also addresses misconceptions about the history of religion in Tibet, explains how to successfully practice multiple religious lineages, and reveals various means of attaining siddhi power through ritual and meditation. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep321-tibetan-bon-lama-vajranatha Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Bon vs Buddhism 01:35 - First contact with Bon and subsequent involvement 06:17 - Namkhai Norbu’s nationalism and promotion of Bon 06:44 - 2 authentic Dzogchen lineages 07:45 - Bon Dzogchen 09:10 - Later transmission period and folk religion syncretism 12:03 - Old Bon vs New Bon 13:06 - Bon’s automythos 14:11 - Snellgrove’s “9 Ways of Bon” 16:37 - Bonpo refugee community in India 18:08 - Reprinting of Bonpo texts in exile 19:31 - Gene Smith’s text preservation work 22:25 - Election of Lungtok Tenpai Nyima as the 33rd Menri Trizin 24:35 - Dalai Lama’s recognition of Bon as the fifth Tibetan school 26:39 - Bon scriptures 28:38 - Are gter ma authentic? 32:17 - Personal contact post-1959 and T Lobsang Rampa 33:27 - Academic work on Bon 34:44 - Geshe Tenzin Wangyal comes to the West 40:03 - Lopon’s interest in translations and USA activities 43:46 - New Age sponsorship of Bon 45:31 - Further USA activities 48:02 - Search for a Bon HQ in Europe + gtum mo studies 51:20 - Guinness sponsor a Bonpo HQ in Europe, blocked by aristocrats over Sogyal scandal 56:11 - Tenzin Wangyal’s USA activities and influx of Bon teachers 58:48 - Geshe Wangyal, Jeffrey Hopkins, and Robert Thurman 59:32 - Jeffrey Hopkin’s influence on Buddhist Studies 01:02:38 - Popularity of podcasts 01:04:11 - Samten Karmay 01:05:27 - Bon vs Buddhism & the question of plagiarism 01:07:34 - Bonpo one-upmanship? 01:12:44 - How to practice different lineages simultaneously 01:18:50 - Namkhai Norbu’s independent status 01:21:16 - Supernatural powers of Bonpo lamas and other spiritual beings 01:24:53 - Chatral Rinpoche’s siddhi powers and the possibility of miracles 01:27:24 - How to attain siddhi powers 01:30:32 - Tibetan vs gter ma in the rest of the world 01:33:06 - Accidental gter ma 01:35:39 - Misconceptions about the history of religion in Tibet 01:37:32 - Animal sacrifice and gtor ma 01:41:40 - Lithuanian’s unusual religious heritage 01:45:44 - Spiritual relations in India and Tibet … Previous episodes with John Myrdhin Reynolds: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=vajranatha To find our more about John Myrdhin Reynolds visit: - https://vajranatha.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James
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    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Ep320: Divination & Tarot - Dr Ben Joffe

    Ep320: Divination & Tarot - Dr Ben Joffe
    Aug 15 2025
    In this interview I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe, anthropologist, occultist, and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. Dr Joffe leads a deep dive into the topic of divination, explores its underlying mechanisms and practical methods, and compares different cultural understandings of the practice. Dr Joffe details his understanding of the tarot as a scholar and reader, shares his advice for those who wish to learn the system, and reveals how to use tarot for information gathering, sorcery, and magickal workings. Dr Joffe also reflects on his own journey as a tarot reader, addresses criticisms that tarot and other psychic methods are exploitative, and considers the uneasy relationship between divination and licensed counselling. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep320-divination-tarot-dr-ben-joffe Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 02:12 - What is divination? 06:08 - Synchronicity and randomness 09:37 - Dependent origination 14:34 - Ben’s extensive study of divination 22:13 - Mechanistic vs intuitive 29:17 - Scrying and establishing parameters 34:56 - Childhood divination 39:59 - What should divination mean for the client? 41:50 - Addiction to divination 43:50 - Cold reading and choosing a question 48:45 - Ben’s recounts his own history as a diviner 01:20:43 - Structure of the tarot 01:27:16 - How to read tarot 01:48:38 - Tarot reading mistakes 01:53:46 - Tibetan butter lamp divination 01:57:11 - Collaboration vs cold reading 02:02:10 - Studying the history of tarot 02:06:58 - 6 reasons to engage with tarot 02:09:22 - Critique of modern, inclusive decks 02:12:43 - Bad omens and gatekeeping 02:20:17 - Is tarot exploitative pseudo-counselling? 02:47:23 - Why not just become a counsellor? 02:54:19 - Is tarot over-psychologised? 02:55:25 - Ben reflects on his recurring clients 03:01:11 - The power of the right question 03:07:39 - Shaman and tarot reader as therapy-adjacent 03:13:18 - Does clairvoyance actually have value? 03:16:16 - Caution about taking life advice from Buddhist lamas 03:21:44 - Wild West of Tiktok diviners 03:22:49 - Anti-divination laws 03:29:14 - Tibetan and Buddhist divination 
… Previous episodes with Dr Ben Joffe: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=joffe To find out more about Dr Ben Joffe, visit: - https://perfumedskull.com/ - http://www.skypressbooks.com/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James
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    3 hrs and 31 mins
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