Bob Thurman Podcast: Buddhas Have More Fun!

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses how Buddha Nature can be understood as being a form of Loving Activism found through the realization of Emptiness. Includes a reading from the introduction to the AIBS Publication “Sublime Continuum Treatise Commentary” by Bo Jiang. Emptiness, or selflessness, is a foundation in all forms of Buddhist thought & education. In contemporary scholarship, its critical, negational impact is widely misunderstood as a form of nihilism. Revealing the radically life affirming call to action to all sensitive beings found in the Buddha’s teachings through the recent works by the Wachowski sisters (The Sense8 Netflix Television Series & The Cloud Atlas) Professor Thurman unpacks the Buddhist Centrist notion of Buddha Nature in humorous language even today’s binge watching seekers can understand. © Image by Just1of7billion via Flickr. To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert A.F. Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Engaging the wit, wisdom & practical solutions offered by the Buddhist concept of fierce compassion Robert AF Thurman’s special Mother’s Day podcast is an exploration of cool revolutions & the cool heroes found in every home: women. Citing The Guardian’s Carole Cadwalladr research into Oligarchs, the Brexit Vote & the rise of President Donald Trump as an example of cool leadership in this podcast Professor Thurman outlines the important non-violent global resistance that women are the center of. Buddhism’s Cool Heroes : Women – Ep. 118 of the Bob Thurman Podcast photo by Rebecca Cook/Reuters. This special Mother’s Day podcast was recorded on May 12th in Woodstock, New York.  

Examining the form Buddhist traditions have taken in America in terms of the Eight Fold Path & the services they provide Professor Thurman suggests American Buddhism can be best defined as a Buddhism without Buddhism. Recorded at the Awakened Leadership Conference hosted by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation in 2009. To learn more about their work please visit: www.fredericklenzfoundation.org. This podcast is a part of the on-going series ‘American Buddhism’ exploring current events from a modern Buddhist Centralist perspective with Professor Robert AF Thurman. “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for Buddha” Image from www.thetattooedbuddha.com. To listen to more recordings from this & other past programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman & Sharon Salzberg explore the traditional Buddhist understanding of love and detail the Loving Kindness meditation practices developed by the historical Buddha. Using personal stories & those from the Buddhist tradition this two long time friends provide a series of practical practices that help develop love as an ability.Excerpted from the Tibet House US Member Archive’s Annual New Year’s “Real Love Meditation & Yoga Retreat” with Robert A.F. Thurman & Sharon Salzberg recorded Dec 2015 at Menla in Phoenicia, New York. “Real Love: Buddhism & Meditation with Sharon Salzberg – Ep. 116” of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part by the Tibet House US and Menla Retreat Membership community.

Using the Guhyasamāja Tantra as a jumping off point Professor Thurman leads a discussion with Richard Freeman on the value of studying Esoteric philosophy within the context of experiential yoga practices. In this podcast Professor Thurman guides an investigation of the Buddhist understanding of Interdependence & explains how the concept of morphic resonance suggests a revolutionary energetic exchange between the self and the other, both on and off the yoga mat or meditation cushion. This podcast was recorded at Menla’s Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2011 ‘Buddha & The Yogis’ Retreat with Richard Freeman + Robert Thurman. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation & esoteric study at this year’s ‘Buddha & The Yogi/nis: The Divine Feminine Retreat‘ with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman & Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. Green Ganesha image from Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor Yoga: www.richardfreemanyoga.com. To read more about this year’s Buddha and the Yogis Retreat with Robert AF Thurman at Menla please visit: www.bobthurman.com. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert AF Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

In this dialog with Don George Professor Robert AF Thurman discusses the psychological & spiritual value of performing pilgrimages both in the modern day as well as in the life of Prince Siddhartha and his original group of followers. Podcast includes dialog with Don George and a short guided meditation for those performing pilgrimages to Buddhist sites. Excerpted from the Geo Ex talk “Every Journey Is a Pilgrimage” given at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, CA, on November 10, 2013. “Pilgrimage: Inner and Outer Pilgrimages – Ep. 114 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Don George is Editor in Chief of Wanderlust: Literary Journeys for the Discerning Traveler. He has been Travel Editor for Salon.com and the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, as well as Global Travel Editor for Lonely Planet Publications. Don is the author of “The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George” and of “Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing.” He has also edited eleven anthologies, including A Moveable Feast, The Kindness of Strangers, and An Innocent Abroad. To learn about upcoming Geo Ex Trips with Robert AF Thurman please visit: www.geoex.com Norbulingka Museum photo by Nevil Zaveri via Flickr.com

The imagery of Tibetan tantric symbolism is potent and often shocking to those unfamiliar with the meanings of Buddhist art. In this podcast Professor Thurman explores how art is used in Buddhist Cultures as a way to stimulate the mind to develop the imagination needed to conceive of enlightenment & Buddhahood. Using selections from the Tibet House US Repatriation + MET Collections Professor Thurman details the rituals, rites, and texts involved in the quest for spiritual detachment from the corporal body. This recording is an excerpt from the Annual Lecture on South and Southeast Asian Art talk “Ritual in Contemplation: Text and Tools in Tantric Buddhism” given at The Metropolitan Museum in 2012.

The story of the Chinese Invasion of Tibet & the resulting exile of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama vaulted the young leader onto the world’s stage in an unprecedented manner in 1959. Professor Thurman continues his exploration of the Tibet House US Publication ‘Man Of Peace’ starting with the dramatic events of 1959 and concluding with HHDL’s 80th Birthday in the West. To listen to the story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet’s life before 1959 as told in “Man Of Peace” please visit: www.bobthurman.com. Image from ‘Man Of Peace: The Illustrated Life of Tibet’s Fourteenth Dalai Lama‘ Graphic Novel by Robert Thurman, William Meyers & Michael G. Burbank, Published by Tibet House US + Distributed by Hay House. To learn more about + get your copy of the ‘Man of Peace’ Graphic novel please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

Citing the on-going industrialized savagery occurring post World War II Professor Thurman uses the example of Communist China’s self-created conflict & the potential reconciliation with Tibet’s His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as a possible model for all countries + nations to not only survive but thrive the modern age of mutually assured destruction. This podcast is an excerpt from the talk “Civilizational Changes in the World” given by Robert Thurman in Moscow in 2012. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Image from ‘Man Of Peace: The Illustrated Life of Tibet’s Fourteenth Dalai Lama‘ Graphic Novel by Robert Thurman, William Meyers & Michael G. Burbank, Published by Tibet House US + Hay House. To learn more about + get your copy of the ‘Man of Peace’ Graphic novel please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

Tibet’s Dalai Lama is one of the world’s most respected, influential & beloved yet little understood refugees. In this podcast Professor Thurman gives an overview of the life of the Buddha, The Four Noble Truths & their connection to the modern reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. This podcast is a part of the Buddhism 101 Series using classic teachings from the Robert Thurman Archives to elucidate basic concepts + key figures from the tradition. Excerpted from the talk “The Dalai Lama’s Millennial Ethic of Intelligent Nonviolence: Sources in Tibetan Buddhism and Prospects for Our Troubled World.” Recorded at the University of Vermont as apart of their Asian Studies program in 2002. Alex Grey Image from ‘Man Of Peace: The Illustrated Life of Tibet’s Fourteenth Dalai Lama‘ Graphic Novel by Robert Thurman, William Meyers & Michael G. Burbank, Published by Tibet House US + Hay House. To learn more about + get your copy of the ‘Man of Peace’ Graphic novel please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.