Ep233: Blessing Power of the Buddhas - Naomi Levine 4

Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I am once again joined by Naomi Levine, author, under her birth name Norma Levine, of several books including ‘The Miraculous 16th Karmapa’, ‘A Quest For The Hidden Lands’, and ‘Chronicles of Love and Death: My Years With The Last Spiritual King of Bhutan’. In this interview, Naomi discusses her first book ‘Blessing Power of the Buddhas’, an account of her 3 year investigation into the sacred relics and holy men of Himalayan Buddhism and the field of supernatural happenings that surround them. Naomi recounts her insider meetings with Tibetan Lamas such as the polarising Dzongsar Khyentse, the reclusive Tarthang Tulku, and the wrathful Orgyen Tobgyal; and recalls stories of talking statues, sky metal magical implements, and the necessity of a female consort for certain tantric workings. Naomi also talks about the naive faith of the fresh convert, what it’s like to be burned by a guru, and how to survive the waning of the honeymoon phase in one’s religious devotional life. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep233-blessing-power-of-the-buddhas-naomi-levine-4 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:08 - Evolution of Naomi’s faith and writing 03:19 - Writing her first book 06:04 - The esoteric side of Tibetan Buddhism 07:33 - Naive faith of the neophyte 09:35 - Interviewing the who’s who of Tibetan clergy 12:27 - Hunting down sacred objects 18:13 - Getting burned by the guru 21:55 - Saved by the lineage blessings 24:44 - Quest for the hidden 25:55 - When devotion matures 28:30 - Guru scandals and Vajrayana vows 31:48 - You can’t return to the honeymoon phase of religiosity 37:34 - Corporate Buddhism and today’s guru circuit 44:21 - Naomi’s impressions of Dzongsar Khyentse 50:11 - Meeting the enigmatic Tarthang Tulku 56:41 - Meeting the wrathful Orgyen Tobgyal 59:43 - Stories of sky metal 01:05:57 - Sacred objects of Tibetan Buddhism 01:10:04 - Categories of sacred objects and hidden treasures 01:13:17 - Rethinking how to get explanations about reality 01:15:37 - True meaning of ‘hidden’ 01:16:25 - Talking statues and other miracles 01:21:43 - The necessity of the female consort 01:24:37 - The mysterious phenomenon of rangjung … Previous episodes with Naomi Levine: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep190-love-death-in-the-himalayas-naomi-levine - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep208-karmapa-tales-naomi-levine-2 - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep223-the-spiritual-odyssey-of-freda-bedi-naomi-levine-3 To find out more about Naomi Levine, visit: - https://www.facebook.com/naomilevine111 - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Norma-Levine/author/B001K86LZ4?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James