Ep169: Visiting Dhammarato

In this episode I travel to the tropical island of Ko Pha-ngan in the Kingdom of Thailand, to visit recurring podcast guest Dhammarato, a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition who is known for his unique, 1-1 teaching style conducted over Skype. I arrived at Dhammarato’s home and over the course of two days engaged in discussions with him about his life, practice, and teaching. Dhammarato shares stories of his childhood in the American South, where he faced conflict and racism that influence his world view today. He recalls his time in Ana Arbor where, immersed in the New Age movement, he studied with a witch, and attended meetings with the Indian siddha Muktananda. Dhammarato unfolds his approach to teaching Buddhism, and addresses commonly misunderstood topics such as the 8 fold noble path, stream entry, paticca samuppada, the power of placebo, how to deal with malicious people, and the importance of sangha. … Video version: www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep169-visting-dhammarato Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. ... 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Finding Dhammarato 02:15 - Life after the Wat 06:04 - Starting to teach on Skype 07:30 - Noble Dhamma vs ordinary Buddhism 08:30 - Respect for Bikkhu Buddhadasa in Thailand 11:22 - Other teachers of the Noble Dhamma 13:27 - Skilful means 14:44 - Dhammarato’s approach to concentration and jhana 16:37 - Common practice mistakes 19:25 - How to practice the Supra-mundane Dhamma 20:05 - Right view 22:20 - Right effort and sati 23:53 - Remember to look, then make a change 25:08 - From victim to winner 28:53 - No need for examples 36:09 - Is stream entry permanent? 37:16 - Does it get easier? 42:19 - Fear and the self 48:04 - Realisation of no-self is overrated 01:01:21 - Identification with the body 01:06:31 - Liking and disliking 01:23:06 - Tour of Dhammarato’s house 01:25:30 - ‘The Handful of Leaves’ sutra 01:26:58 - Dhammarato’s Skype teaching set-up and protocol 01:30:20 - Dinner with Dhammarato 01:31:39 - Placebo and meditation 01:44:27 - Dhammarato’s upbringing 01:48:05 - Paticca samuppada and movie projection 01:52:10 - Racism in the American South 01:56:46 - Why did Dhammarato’s family move from place to place 01:58:18 - Experiences of racism and jealousy 02:03:25 - Dhammarato’s childhood dreams 02:05:24 - New age period in Ana Arbor 02:06:31 - Studies with a witch 02:11:17 - Swami Muktananda and shaktipat 02:16:23 - Dhamma is playful 02:19:02 - Anything goes? 02:25:55 - Dealing with malicious people 02:34:04 - The sangha and good friends 02:38:31 - Capitalism vs socialism 02:41:52 - Dhammarato’s work to build the Western Sangha 02:46:04 - What is Dhammarato’s motive? 02:48:18 - Dhammarato’s students and graduates … Dhammarato Episode Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlkzlKFgdknyGISEfksirYaYpsrXdf8va … To find out more about Dhammarato, visit: - https://dhammaratoblog.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxg5GJFsRqnS-YLTzyrjLQ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com … Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James