Academic path and the scholar-practitioner tension

In this episode, I am joined by Dr Christopher “Hareesh” Wallis, a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classical Tantra. Christopher recounts his unusual upbringing, early meetings with Osho and Muktananda, early shaktipat experiences, and powerful spiritual awakenings. Christopher traces his educational journey under professors such as Douglas Brooks and Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson, offers his opinions about optimal pedagogy for Sanskrit language study, and questions lineage claims made in Tibetan Buddhism. Christopher also considers the tension between religious faith and academic skepticism, explains why he thinks it is possible to receive spiritual benefit from corrupt gurus, and descries why he believes spiritual awakening leads to a deep trust in the unfolding of life. … Video version: www.guruviking.com Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:57 - An unusual family of origin 03:28 - Mother’s conversion to Hinduism 03:50 - Meeting Osho and Swami Muktananda 05:17 - Awakening experience at 16 years old 05:55 - Attraction to Tantric Shaivism 07:35 - Academic training and intellectual infatuation 09:00 - Multiple teachers 10:13 - Seeing through intellectual ego 12:57 - Teenage rebellion and psychedelics 14:44 - Love of sci fi and fantasy 17:05 - Siddha yoga shaktipat 18:33 - Gurumayi Chidvilasananda 20:33 - Heart opening shaktipat 24:01 - Saint or psychopath? 28:26 - The guru’s shadow 30:18 - Transmission from a disgraced guru 32:25 - No single objective reality 35:32 - No doubts despite guru’s flaws 38:18 - Has Christopher missed the point? 39:53 - Parsing subjective certainty 41:55 - A belief but not really 43:21 - Innate intelligence and trusting the unfolding of life 46:50 - Harmonising with the pattern 50:17 - Don’t pretend to be more enlightened that you are 51:56 - The same awakening as the Buddha’s 54:22 - Waking up out of your tradition 55:32 - Agnosticism about reincarnation 57:29 - BA at Rochester 01:00:53 - Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson 01:05:40 - Great professors at Rochester 01:08:22 - Learning Sanskrit 01:11:12 - Art of translation 01:13:27 - Sanskrit pedagogy 01:16:42 - Christopher’s approach to teaching Sanskrit 01:21:19 - Why learn Sanskrit? 01:24:10 - Parallel primer method 01:26:06 - Does academia ruin religious faith? 01:30:39 - Mantra disillusionment 01:34:40 - Disillusionment with saints and siddhas 01:38:10 - Religious professors 01:39:13 - Debunking tantric lineage claims 01:42:05 - Did Tibetan Buddhists fabricated their lineages? 01:43:10 - Tantric Shaivism as a living tradition 01:46:16 - Is Christopher a lineage holder? 01:48:04 - Critique of lineage holders and lamas … To find our more about Dr Wallis visit: - https://hareesh.org/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James