Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I am once again joined by Leigh Brasington, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of “Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas”.

This episode begins with a brief comment from Leigh about his appearance in “Ep329: Enlightened Politics” in which he explored the relationship between Buddhism and political ideology.

After that we discuss Leigh’s new book “On the Way to the Far Shore”, his commentary on the Pārāyanavagga, chapter five of Suttanipāta, one of the earliest sutta collections in the Pali canon. The text takes the form of a question and answer session with the Buddha himself and evidences nascent forms of the doctrines of the four noble truths and the path of gradual training.

Leigh considers the pros and cons of formal study of the Pali language, explains the ways in which English translations can be misleading, and muses on why so few Buddhist converts read their own scriptures.

Leigh also reveals how his Dzogchen practice helped him understand early Buddhist doctrine, gives advice about how to internalise intellectual ideas through meditation practice, and shares how a profound experience of the nature of mind changed his life forever.

…

Video version: www.guruviking.com

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

…

Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro
01:17 - Can there be an enlightened tyrant?
02:49 - Anyone can perform enlightened activity
04:20 - Why Leigh wrote On the Way to the Far Shore
08:13 - Wrestling with the Pali sutta
09:07 - Leigh’s training the the Pali language
11:18 - Struggles to learn foreign languages
12:37 - Is training as a scholar worth it?
14:36 - 4 categories of Pali suttas
17:05 - Why Leigh won’t pursue a PhD
19:17 - Why don’t Buddhists read the Pali canon?
23:14 - Diving into the the Pārāyanavagga, book five of the Suttanipāta
27:50 - Vedanā and āsava - don’t believe the English translations
29:44 - Literal vs meaning translations + implications of grammar
33:40 - Q&A with the Buddha
36:20 - Questions the Buddha refuses to answer
37:46 - Experiencing the world raw
42:27 - The most important insight
44:22 - How to really gain insight
45:24 - Leigh’s Dzogchen practice
46:14 - Leigh’s mind blowing experience of the nature of mind
51:28 - After effects of Leigh’s epiphany
53:56 - Integrating vs losing an insight
55:04 - How to keep an insight fresh
56:31 - How to regard the world so you are not seen by the King of Death
59:17 - How to become “ever mindful”
01:01:30 - This is a different kind of book
01:02:41 - The roots of the Four Noble Truths and the gradual training
01:05:13 - Will Leigh start a Pali sutta discussion group?
01:07:14 - Man in the Light of History of Religion
01:10:02 - Scripture as literature or an instruction manual?
01:12:32 - Leigh’s advice for approaching difficult books
01:13:46 - What do the suttas say about the brahmavihārās?

…

Previous episodes with Leigh Brasington:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=brasington

To find our more about Leigh Brasington visit:
- http://www.leighb.com/

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 Lorin Roche PhD, meditation teacher and author of “The Radiance Sutras”.

I first met Lorin at the Summit at Sea conference in 2015 where we were both teaching. We attended each others’ workshops and immediately hit it off.

In those days, we both taught on the California conference circuit and were often booked to teach at the same gatherings. Over the years we spent many weeks enjoying extended conversations, raucous dinners, and long evenings of music and poetry. In short, we became true friends.

It was a desire to share the rich conversations I was having with friends like Lorin that contributed to my decision to start the Guru Viking Podcast. And so, naturally, I asked Lorin to be my first interview subject. He went on to become one of my most popular, recurring guests.

On the 18th of April 2026, Lorin died. What follows is our last interview and conversation, recorded a few months before his passing. The episode covers many of Lorin’s most characteristic teaching themes and I have also included some of the conversation we had before and after the main episode content.

There are many poignant and amusing stories from the years of my friendship with Lorin and there is a lot worth saying about his approach to meditation. One day, I might record an episode dedicated to those themes.

For now I will say that it is obvious to all that Lorin was a vivacious man - the essence of his approach to teaching meditation was an encouragement to wholeheartedly embrace life. But I can also report that behind the scenes and off the stage Lorin was a generous man, irreverent, funny, and very kind.

…

https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep365-the-last-interview-lorin-roche-phd

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

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:5 - Boats, geese, and hummingbirds
07:05 - Meditating with the flow of nature
08:14 - Being human is like being president of Earth
11:35 - The miracle of attention
13:51 - Teaching was easier in the 70s
15:15 - Agencylessness is a dumb idea
16:38 - Human reaction time
17:52 - Attending to the inner life
18:44 - Evil meditation teaching
19:58 - Misunderstandings about Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras
22:55 - Taming the body
26:33 - The genius of yoga
28:01 - Pros and cons of stopping the mind
28:57 - Where meditation went wrong
35:47 - Tuning the instrument
38:56 - Limitations of the “tuning” metaphor
43:24 - Monastic ideas sabotage lay people
45:41 - Religion vs meditation
50:56 - Is Loren’s approach self-indulgent?
56:18 - Peak experiences and enlightenment
59:20 - Loren’s drug experiences
01:02:20 - LA Yoga community’s enthusiasm for drugs
01:04:50 - Loren asks about Steve’s meditation

…

Previous episodes with Lorin here:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=lorin 


To find out more about Lorin visit:
- www.lorinroche.com 
- www.radiancesutras.com 
- www.meditationtt.com

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 Tara Springett, a Buddhist psychotherapist who specialises in treating what she calls “Kundalini Syndrome”.

Tara discusses her book "Stairway to Heaven" in which she lays out a 9 stage model of consciousness from innocence to enlightenment.

Tara compares psychological ego strengthening to Buddhist ego deconstruction, reflects on her own childhood development and family of origin, and considers the place of kundalini phenomena in her 9-stage model.

Tara also reflects on the Tibetan saint Milarepa as a model for spiritual development, gives her assessment of Western Civilisation, and explains why she believes so many people choose the wrong practice for their stage of development.

…

Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep364-9-stages-of-consciousness-tara-springett


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

…

Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Award for “Stairway to Heaven”
02:42 - Psychological ego strengthening vs Buddhist ego deconstruction
07:15 - Tara’s 9-stage model of consciousness
08:28 - Innocence stage
09:38 - Dominance stage
11:45 - Obedience stage
14:43- Ambition stage
17:36 - Sharing stage
21:21 - Responsibility stage
27:31 - Love stage
29:16 - Bliss stage
30:54 - Enlightenment stage
33:43 - Kundalini awakening vs spiritual awakening
38:14 - Difficulties when having an awakening at a lower stage
41:09 - Tara’s family’s stage
41:56 - Tara’s assessment of Western Civilisation
47:46 - Stage model applied to historical periods
49:53 - Political positions and the stage model
51:44 - Milarepa as an exemplar of stage development
53:41 - The power of stories, fairy tales, and myths
56:25 - Choosing practice according to stage
01:01:19 - Teachings appropriate to all levels
01:02:33 - Reflections on the last 10 years
01:07:12 - Tara’s optimism about the future

…

Previous episodes with Tara Springett:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=springett

To find out more about Tara Springett, visit:
- https://www.taraspringett.com/

…


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

In this episode I am once again joined by Duncan Barford, occult practitioner, counsellor, and author of “Occult Experiments in the Home”.

Duncan reflects on his training as a counsellor and the difficulties in sharing his occult interests in that context; his deep appreciation of Freud and Jung; and the links between psychoanalysis and mythic figures such as such as Uranus, Oedipus, and Narcissus.

Duncan considers whether Buddhism is merely a useful fiction, offers advice for those interested in learning how tp use mythology to gain insight into life, and explains why the emphasis of his spiritual practice has shifted from awakening to psychological wellbeing.

Duncan also talks about his new magical novel, “The Going Down”, describes its plot and messages, and reveals why he believes the practice of Pragmatic Dharma can accrue a profoundly dark karmic debt.

…

Video version: www.guruviking.com

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

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Duncan’s therapist hated the occult
02:58 - Misconceptions about Jungian therapy
04:19 - Psychopomp as therapist
04:25 - Freud, Jung, Skinner, Piaget, Rogers, and Carlyle
08:48 - Duncan was a fervent Freudian
09:35 - Freud vs trauma therapy
13:13 - What Freud did
15:58 - Buddhism’s useful fiction
19:47 - Where Freud went wrong
21:50 - The castration complex
26:37 - Castration myths
27:58 - Freud and Duncan’s childhood
30:40 - Universal or culturally specific?
32:15 - Oedipus, myth, and psychoanalysis
37:29 - Duncan’s novel
38:36 - Writing “The Going Down”
41:11 - Plot summary
43:07 - A life-changing ancestor working
44:22 - Duncan’s hope for the book
45:53 - Fiction and the occult
48:40 - Alan Chapman’s dismay at the novel
49:22 - The dark, karmic debt of Pragmatic Dharma
54:38 - Meeting a Dark Goddess
56:15 - The myth of Persephone
59:49 - A change in Duncan’s meditation practice
01:00:43 - This is the Underworld
01:02:34 - Bailey’s and Steve’s problems
01:03:55 - The Franklin’s Tale
01:05:30 - How occultists interpret their life situations
01:09:12 - Is everyone psychotic?
01:10:45 - Using depression and panic as portals
01:12:16 - Duncan believes in everything
01:14:00 - Internal vs external integration
01:19:30 - Why you need mythic literacy
01:20:57 - How to learn more about myths
01:22:55 - Should you read myths?
01:25:07 - The myth of Narcissus
01:28:25 - Scholar vs poet
01:32:22 - Finishing a novel
01:34:06 - Narrative fashions in fiction
01:36:01 - Haunting quality
01:37:43 - A companion in the Underworld

…

Watch previous episodes with Duncan Barford:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=barford

Read “The Going Down”:
- https://godsandradicals.squarespace.com/bookstore/p/the-going-down-by-duncan-barford

To find our more about Duncan Barford, visit:
- https://www.duncanbarford.uk/

…

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 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 prepare himself and his family for what is to come.

…

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

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

…

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

...

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/

…

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

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James