Guru Viking Podcast

In this interview I am once again joined by Martin Faulks: author, hermeticist, meditation adept, and memory expert.

Martin discusses the recent death of his mother, reflects on the profound power of her positive support in his own life successes, and describes the surprising consequence of her loss in his own mindset and practice.

Martin discusses his latest book “Long Livers”, a new edition of a work published in 1722 by English alchemists Thomas and Rebecca Vaughan. Martin explains the text’s methods of life extension, shows their links to spiritual and moral practice, and reflects on his successful participation in the Rejuvenation Olympics.

Martin also muses on the appeal of high demand religious groups, espouses the virtues of philosophical Freemasonry, and compares Western and Eastern methods of spiritual alchemy.

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

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Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Long Livers editions
02:24 - Martin’s current daily practice
03:55 - Interest in esoteric rejuvenation methods
07:23 - How to measure effectiveness of rejuvenation?
08:00 - Martin’s 2hr daily regime to slow the ageing process
11:16 - Setbacks
12:06 - Death of Martin’s mother
13:36 - Ascetic or English gentleman?
14:56 - Aftermath of Martin’s mother’s death
17:44 - Don’t let anything pull you out of who you are
18:33 - Sending well wishes to his mother
19:43 - The power of supportive observers
25:07 - Martin summarises his progress
26:41 - Authorship of “Long Livers” (1722)
28:45 - Thomas and Rebecca Vaughan, practical alchemists
31:33 - Anti-ageing advice in “Long Livers”
34:48 - Eccentric techniques
36:39 - Western vs Eastern Inner Alchemies
38:52 - Christian Inner Alchemy
42:31 - Morality and rate of ageing
46:52 - Simulacra of virtue
48:32 - Philosophical Freemasonry
53:22 - Is Freemasonary a good spiritual path?
01:01:48 - An avoidant pattern in Martin’s life
01:03:20 - Detachment vs engagement
01:06:34 - Respect through observation of authenticity
01:07:49 - Skepticism about public spiritual claims
01:09:58 - When spirituality is a distraction from the real challenges of life
01:14:54 - Actions as truth
01:16:37 - Intuition vs intellect
01:19:45 - Unity of complementary opposites
01:20:27 - Jordan Peterson
01:22:56 - Pushing the borderlines of human potential
01:27:00 - A cultural turn to rigorous religion and high demand groups
01:29:16 - Why anti-ageing?
01:30:36 - 5 top anti-ageing tips

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Previous episodes with Martin Faulks:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=FAULKS

To find out more about Martin Faulks, visit:
- https://martinfaulks.co.uk/

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

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

I was recently interviewed by Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho from the Clear Mountain Monastery Project. They asked wonderful questions and we talked a lot about the power of listening.

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Their shownotes:

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Steve James, meditation teacher & host of the Guru Viking Podcast (https://www.guruviking.com/).

00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:01:32 Formative faith moments and vocation
00:06:18 Life on an English canal boat
00:08:40 The rhythm of travel and interviewing
00:10:59 Interviewing the same guest over time
00:14:20 Most moving and luminous conversations
00:17:21 Handling negative reactivity in conversation
00:22:24 Balancing internal and external awareness
00:23:50 Advice for engaging with teachers and mentors
00:29:50 Finding beauty in people on different paths
00:34:45 Questions that bring out conversational depth
00:41:06 Personal frameworks for organizing experience
00:48:15 Belief alignments and the "pie chart" of faith
00:55:30 Personal relationship to the Buddha
00:59:44 Navigating dual vs. non-dual teachings

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.

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Video version: www.guruviking.com

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

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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?

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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.

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

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

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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

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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.

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


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

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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

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

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

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