Tashi Dekyid Monet is a Tibetan scholar, writer, and translator who grew up in the Eastern Tibetan Highlands in the rhythms of nomadic and agricultural life, where time is measured by light and shadow, where songs carry cosmological wisdom and where knowing the face of the land means being woven into a web of reciprocal relationships with all four realms of beings. Through explorations of oral tradition, sacred geography, spiritual songs, and the concept of tendrel, or auspicious connection, Tashi offers insights into ways of knowing that nurture belonging, protect sacred knowledge, and recognize land itself as a teacher.

Time notes:

00:00:00 — Introduction

00:01:30 — Nomadic Highlands, Sacred Peaks

00:07:00 — Village Life as Education

00:10:00 — Light, Shadow, Flowers and Birds Tell the Time

00:16:00 — Knowing the Face of the Land

00:19:30 — When Land Extends Your Very Self

00:22:30 — Songs That Carry Cosmological Wisdom

00:26:00 — Tashi Sings

00:29:30 — The Yogi Shabkar and the Sacred Mountain

00:34:00 — A Dream Visit With the Mountain King

00:38:00 — Four Realms

00:42:30 — Consequences of Breaking Reciprocity

00:46:00 — The Secret Layer

00:50:00 — Protecting Knowledge From Extraction

00:54:00 — What Is Tendrel?

00:58:00 — Recognizing Auspicious Connections

01:02:00 — Raising Children in a Foreign Land

01:06:00 — Tashi Sings: Exquisite Abundance

01:10:30 — A Closing Prayer for Auspiciousness

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Links:

Post-listen episode:

Drukmo Gyal: Ngakma Lifestyle, Slowing Down & Balancing the Inner Elements

https://oliviaclementine.com/drukmo-gyal-ngakma-lifestyle-slowing-down-balancing-the-inner-elements/

Podcast website & transcripts

https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts

In this conversation, we sit down in Pharping Nepal with Josh Kinney, a western practitioner who spent over two decades immersed in the living meditation traditions of Nangchen in Eastern Tibet training under some of its most extraordinary masters, including the force of nature Yogi Pema Dorje, and the renowned Lhagen Pema Drimed. You will hear stories of cave retreats, Tibetan yogas, dark retreat practice, and what it means to enter this remotely held lineage as an outsider with devotion and a willingness to keep showing up.

Time notes:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:39 First steps into dharma

00:03:24 Eastern Tibet

00:04:12 Putting on robes

00:05:54 Adeu Rinpoche

000:9:58 Meeting Yogi Pema Dorje

00:12:27 Cave retreats and ngondro

00:14:59 Five Buddha family teachings

00:19:13 Sealed retreats with Pema Dorje

00:25:13 Tibetan yogas

00:27:15 Dark retreat

00:30:22 Pema Dorje's early life and tests

00:36:40 Naked yogi tales

00:39:08 Retreat training style

00:43:23 Lhagen Pema Drimed

00:49:57 Guided retreat stories

00:53:53 Chudlen essence practice

00:58:24 Dark retreat with friends

01:03:00 Peter Galambos as an example

01:04:43 Outer, inner and secret retreat

01:07:00 3-year retreat and serendipity as the way

Links:

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0mVOZmJ5bg

Josh Kinney:

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.kinney.524

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcguru29

Support building a dark retreat hermitage at Gebchak:

In response to Tsogyal Rinpoche and senior Gebchak female practitioners asking Josh to advise and direct the building of this future dark retreat center at the mother nunnery of Gebchak, in Eastern Tibet, Josh is currently requesting support to make this vision come to fruition. This space will be able to hold 15 practitioners at a time and will include bathrooms and a communal kitchen.

You can make an offering here, and Josh will send you a receipt for your gift:

paypal.me/gebchakyogis

For questions, you can write Josh: mcreynolds290 (at) gmail (dot) com

Suggested Episode Series:

On the Gebchak Yoginis, a 3 Part Series with Elizabeth McDougal:

Part One: https://oliviaclementine.com/elizabeth-mcdougal-the-gebchak-yoginis-part-one/

Love & Liberation podcast website & transcripts

https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts

Time notes:

[00:07:45] - Lakota and intuition

[00:10:29] - The highest intelligence

[00:16:03] - The spiritual umbilical cord

[00:21:20] -33 intelligences

[00:27:51] - Relationship with time and timelessness

[00:31:37] - Morning ritual of perception

[00:34:48] - Innocence

[00:40:42] - The elder at the creek

[00:46:16] - Language of grief

[00:54:16] - Using energy wisely

Music included is from Tiokasin called 'Butterfly Against the Wind'

This conversation originally aired on February 22, 2022

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Links:

Tiokasin Ghosthorse and First Voices Indigenous Radio

https://firstvoicesindigenousradio.org/production/tiokasin-ghosthorse

Podcast website & transcripts

https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts

Post-Listen suggested episode with Kunzang Choden

https://oliviaclementine.com/kunzang-choden-bhutanese-heritage-dorji-linga-part-one/

Dr. Andrea Loseries is a scholar, professor, and yogic practitioner. You'll hear about Andrea's more than 50 years of research and spiritual practice that includes incredible accounts of risk, discernment, and devotion on her path of transformation.

Time notes:

00:01:06 - Journeying to the Himalayas to study with yogic masters

00:07:38 - Taking the Karmapa as her teacher

00:12:28 - From village girl to lady in 6 months

00:16:05 - Ancient Bon religion and bone ritual objects

00:20:34 - The confiscated skull

00:23:53 - The legendary Snow Lion Expedition

00:35:56 - Guidance on choosing malas and ritual objects

00:38:51 - Learning chod practice with Chatral Rinpoche

00:49:19 - On purity and impurity at the cremation ground

00:55:02 - Being a woman at the cremation ground

01:04:30 - Using oil from burning bodies for a Mahakala lamp

This conversation originally aired on March 14, 2023

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Podcast website & transcripts

https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts

Post-listen episode with Kulavadhuta Satpurananda:

https://oliviaclementine.com/kulavadhuta-satpurananda-the-path-of-a-yogi-gone-beyond/

Christina Monson spent decades studying with the meditation master Chatral Rinpoche in the mountains of Nepal and translating and practicing the teachings of Sera Khandro. But it was facing stage four cancer that revealed whether decades of practice could meet the greatest pain with the greatest teaching. This conversation, recorded less than a year before Christina's passing, offers a window into what it means to follow one's heart all the way through, free of regrets.

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Time notes:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:02:18] Meeting Chatral Rinpoche

[00:08:48] Seeing Her Ego Up Close

[00:14:10] A Nomad's Temperament

[00:17:57] Mountain Retreat

[00:25:08] Discovering Sera Khandro

[00:27:30] The Rhythm of Retreat

[00:28:48] No Sessions, No Breaks

[00:32:09] About Sera Khandro

[00:36:37] Grief and Terminal Diagnosis

[00:43:47] Everything as a Test of Practice

[00:47:45] Natural Process of Illness

[00:49:04] Precious moments

[00:51:18] Sera Khandro's Song of Severance

[00:58:58] The Power of Her Realization

[01:01:02] Chatral Rinpoche's Prayer

[01:05:19] The Impossibility of Translation

[01:10:40] Following One's Heart, No Regrets

This conversation originally aired on Dec 21, 2022

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Christina Monson was a Buddhist practitioner and teacher, and Tibetan language translator, and interpreter with over 30 years of study, translation, and practice experience in Buddhism.

~

Links:

A Dakini's Counsel: Sera Khandro's Spiritual Advice and Dzogchen Instructions

By Sera Khandro and translated by Christina Monson

https://www.shambhala.com/a-dakini-s-counsel.html?srsltid=AfmBOoryRwpUExBE8808dsuCtSMUzURCGSXpNh6n5hr1l10NsLOcG0DO

A Song of Amazement Inspired by Practice Experience

by Sera Khandro

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/sera-khandro/song-of-amazement

Spontaneous Advice Connected with a Prayer

by Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/chatral-rinpoche/spontaneous-advice-connected-with-prayer

Post-Listen Episode with Sally Kempton

https://oliviaclementine.com/sally-kempton-on-tantra-divinity-shakti-the-subtle-influences/

This is a conversation revisited with philosopher, writer, and professor Bayo Akomolafe.

Time notes:

00:00:29 - 00:07:50 The Sporulation of the Slave Ship

00:07:50 - 00:16:11 Beyond the Human - Blackness as Becoming

00:16:11 - 00:19:48 Entanglement and the Agency of the World

00:19:48 - 00:27:09 Language Beyond Vocality

00:27:09 - 00:34:32 Poetry as Prophecy and the Loss of Precision

00:34:32 - 00:41:12 - Learning from Children's Agency

00:41:12 - 00:47:20The Tortoise's Drum - Cracks and Openings

(This conversation originally aired July 2022)

Links:

Bayo Akomolafe:

https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/

Post-listen episode with Francis Weller:

https://oliviaclementine.com/francis-weller-the-medicine-you-carry-suturing-the-inevitable-tears/

Podcast website & transcripts

https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts

Stay tuned for our next season coming to you later in the year ...

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:08 Stages towards authentic devotion

00:09:40 Karmic guru connection

00:12:00 Blessings

00:16:00 Ideal student qualities

00:20:00 Living lineage

00:25:00 Dharma protectors

00:29:00 Samaya

00:33:00 Divisive Speech

00:35:00 Root guru

00:41:00 Dudjom Rinpoche and Lama Dawa Rinpoche

00:43:00 When to fully depend on a teacher

00:44:00 Cult behavior

00:46:00 Student's personal work

00:48:00 Sleep, wakefulness, and Lama Dawa

00:52:00 Signs of maturing on the path of realization

00:53:00 Biggest obstacle for westerners

~

Links:

Khandro Kunzang & the P'hurba Peace Mandala Project

https://www.phurbathinleyling.org/the-peace-mandala-project/

Podcast website & transcripts

https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts

Listen to previous episodes with Khandro Kunzang:

Vajrakilaya, Guru Rinpoche Prophecies & the Mandala Principle

https://oliviaclementine.com/khandro-kunzang-dechen-chodron-vajrakilaya-guru-rinpoche-prophecies-the-mandala-principle/

Elemental Spirits, Vajra Armor & Dharma Marriage

https://oliviaclementine.com/khandro-kunzang-elemental-spirits-vajra-armor-dharma-marriage/

Lineage of Oral Instruction, Real Teachers & Himalayan Yogas of Tsa lung and Tummo

https://oliviaclementine.com/khandro-kunzang-the-oral-instruction-lineage-ngagpas-himalayan-yogas-of-tsa-lung-and-tummo/

Cultivating Siddhis, Tukdam, Lineage Protection & Consortship

https://oliviaclementine.com/khandro-kunzang-cultivating-siddhis-tukdam-lineage-protection-consortship/

Today, our guest is the Balinese high priest, Ida Pedanda Gede Putra Watulumbang Manuaba also known as Ida Pedanda Watulumbang. We meet at his house and learn about his path to becoming a priest and some of the spiritual beliefs and practices in the Balinese Hindu tradition.

Time notes:

00:01:00 Becoming a priest

00:05:00 Ceremonies

00:06:45 Ritual and adornment

00:10:45 Balinese cremation

00:12:25 Karma and daily correction

00:16:29 Fearless Death

00:19:00 Daily spiritual tending

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Podcast website & transcripts https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts

Erik Pema Kunsang is a dharma teacher, practitioner, and one of the most highly regarded Tibetan translators. Today, we meet in his homeland of Denmark, where Erik shares stories of meditation masters he has spent time with, as well as on some essential aspects of the path and fruit of spiritual realization.

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:24 Trulshik Adeu Rinpoche

00:04:50 Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

00:12:22 Dilgo Khyentse and 16th Karmapa

00:13:25 Tulku Urgyen on nature of mind

00:17:20 Dilgo Khyentse's style of teaching

00:20:44 Former training for realization

00:23:46 Tantras and sutras theatre

00:26:37 Chatral Sangye Dorje

00:27:30 Open-mindedness towards Bodhisattva activity

00:30:12 Outcome of denigrating a bodhisattva

00:36:00 Karmic links with humans and non-humans

00:39:44 Two accumulations

00:42:18 Instantaneous enlightenment

00:44:00 Seeking what makes sense in this life

~

Links:

Gomde Denmark

https://gomde.dk/

Previous conversations with Erik

https://oliviaclementine.com/erik-pema-kunsang-changing-karmic-patterns-studying-reality-being-a-decent-human/

Podcast website & transcript

https://oliviaclementine.com/erik-pema-kunsang-stories-of-meditation-masters/

Kulavadhuta Satpurananda (Khyapababa) was initiated into the secret oral tradition of the great Indian lineage of Buddhist tantra at the age of five. He then spent decades practicing under great Indian gurus and mystics. Kulavadhuta is an artist, teacher and research guide in Buddhism, Tantra, Sufism, and the Indigenous practices of Mystics of India and Tibet. And at the heart is an Avadhuta, one who has transcended worldly concerns and even the dharma.

Time notes:

00:00:00 Introduction

01:05:80 Spiritual matriarchy from birth

0:6:30 Early spiritual experiences

00:10:00 Near-death experiences as a child

00:11:00 Knowledge making him an orphan

00:14:00 Spiritual experience with Baba Ramnath Aghori

00:22:00 Cremation ground practice

00:22:56 Internal conflict around Ma, the divine goddess

00:28:00 Renunciation with Ma Annandamoyee

00:30:00 Leaving his family and material support, for spiritual life

00:34:00 Museum iconography consultant and designer

00:37:00 Confirmed as an Avadhuta

00:41:00 Self-initiated into Buddhist tantra

00:44:00 Why Vedas are not Khyapababa's cup of tea

00:49:00 Comparing Christian Gnostic, Wrathful Sufi Order, and Leftist Tantra

00:55:00 2 Essences of cremation ground practice

00:57:00 5 Deaths

00:50 Compassionate exorcism

01:03:00 Taking obstacles as the game of life

01:08:00 Life beyond the world and dharmas

01:11:00 Meeting his spiritual partner and marrying at 60

01:15:00 Meaning of a tantric practitioner

01:16:00 On tantric partnership and 5 elemental relationship

01:23:00 Baul traditions historical Siddhas

01:30:00 Ngakpa robes, dreadlocks, and earrings

01:34:00 Non-importance and samadhi

01:38:00 Baba shares a doha by Lalan Shah Fakir of Kushthiya, Bangladesh,19th Century.

Lalan made it clear in his teaching songs that Vajrayana came up to Vaishnavism and Sufism to create Sahajiya Bauls of Bengal. His Teachings are pointing out to Voidness and Tantrayoga.

01:38:48 Closing: Khyapababa sings about the Guru

~

Podcast website & transcripts

https://oliviaclementine.com/podcasts