Down with the Dharma

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John is joined again by fellow former monks from the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition Dat and Jem for the second part of their discussion on Buddhist monastic life. In this episode they talk about their experiences going from being monastics to returning to lay life. Jem's website from Sweden https://hjartatsgladje.se/sun-of-wisdom/ Dat's website from France https://maisonauxcedresbleus.com/

Rev Dhammabodhi (John Freese) provides a brief introduction to the Samyutta Nikaya (Connected Discourses) from the Pali Canon. Topics include how early Buddhism arose in Greater Magadha in northeast India separate from the Vedic culture or northwest India, how the Samyutta Nikaya may be the oldest collection of teachings in the Pali Canon, and how those teachings are an interconnected system of teachings on the Four Noble Truths from a yogic oral tradition. 

John and Dat share stories about being mentored by Thay Doji and Thay Giac Than when they were monks in Thich Nhat Hanh's Sangha.

John and Dat talk about how early Buddhist teachings on mindfulness of breathing and Goenka Vipassana teachings are very similar to Somatic Experiencing (SE), the somatic trauma therapy developed by Peter Levine. They argue that Buddhism already has theory and practice that can be used by Buddhist ministers within the context of Buddhist counseling to recognize and respond to trauma. Topics include the links of dependent origination, the 16 exercises of mindfulness of breathing, the theory and practice of Goenka Vipassana, and the theory and practice of SE. 

John and Dat talk about the interest in Integral Theory by the late Buddhist socialist Michael Brooks, Ken Wilber's Integral theory itself, secular mindfulness, and traditional Buddhism. Dat presents his own integral framework to Buddhist practice called the Path of the Indestructible Heart. John presents his integral framework of the Four Modes of Knowledge Production.  Topics include Thien (Zen) Master Thich Quang Duc's self immolation in Vietnam in 1966 and a recent experiment by the Mind and Life Institute about advanced Tibetan yogis going into Tukdam in which their brain stops functioning but their consciousness is still in spirit in the heart.  Dat's diagram of Integral Mindfulness https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qSpXtezd7_j6jC5RVay_qERhzLCdTPJ1/view?usp=sharing

John and fellow former monk from the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition Dat Phan discuss the first chapter of John's dissertation in practical theology on Buddhist meditation and trauma therapy. Dat is a cofounder of the Les Cedres Bleus (The Blue Cedars) mindfulness community in the mountains near Haute Loire outside of Lyon France.   https://maisonauxcedresbleus.com/

Rev Dhammabodhi (John Freese) gives the opening talk for the Association of Buddhist Care and Counseling Conference.

Lopon Dorje Khandro (Dr. Lourdes Arguelles), John, Franz Manfredi from Long Beach Meditation, and Chris Johnson from the Engaged Buddhist Alliance discuss the movie "Planet of The Humans." Executive produced by Michael Moore and directed by Jeff Gibbs, the film argues that green technology and capitalism will not save the planet. Only a radical change in human behavior will work. The film argues that in order to change human behavior humans must be able to face their own mortality. But the film doesn't say how to do that and it assumes that the worldview of scientific materialism should be the starting point. We discuss how a transcendent Buddhist worldview and practice could offer a middle way between dogmatic religion and dogmatic materialism.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE&ab_channel=MichaelMoore https://www.drikungkc.org/lopon-dorje-khandro https://www.longbeachmeditation.org/teachers-list/2019/8/3/franz-manfredi https://engagedbuddhistalliance.org/staff-volunteer/ 

Talk: Rev. Dr. Frank Rogers on the practice of spiritual direction from a Christian Perspective. Frank is a theology professor in the spiritual formation department at the Claremont School of Theology.   https://cst.edu/academics/faculty/frank-rogers-jr/ First Respondent: Bhante Sumitta Thero on traditional Buddhist spiritual direction from the perspective of the Pali Canon in Sri Lanka and Lankarama Temple in Los Angeles. Bhante has developed spiritual care programs at the temple for community level care, group level care, and individual level care. Bhante is a PhD candidate at UWest focused on historical critical research of the Pali Tipitaka and Sri Lankan commentaries. His sangha has temples in California, Sri Lanka, and India.  http://dhammausa.org/ Second Respondent: Venerable Bhikkshuni Hong on congregational spiritual care and counseling from a Buddhist chaplaincy and Buddhist a Buddhist informed psychotherapy perspective.  Venerable Hong did her MDiv and MA Psych. at University of the West and is about to start a clinical pastoral education unit. She serves a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Arizona as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanyin Third Respondent: Chris Johnson M.Div. and PhD student at UWest focused on early Buddhism talks about his experience as a volunteer Buddhist chaplain for people in prisons. He provides spiritual direction to some of the people that come to him to learn about Buddhism and meditation practice. He also teaches classes on Buddhism to undergrads as a religious studies professor that makes use of contemplative pedagogy.     http://engagedbuddhistalliance.org/

John interviews Dr. Stephanie Mines about her work in healing shock and trauma. Topics include somatic attunement, Buddhist practice, the energy medicine of Jin Shin Jyutsu, and the groundswell of Earth consciousness in response to global warming. Dr. Mines is the founder of the TARA Approach to heal shock and trauma and is the vision holder of Climate Change and Consciousness.