Ep197: Scholar Practitioner - Dr Julian Schott

In this episode I am joined by Dr Julian Schott, Indologist & Tibetologist, trained at institutions such as the renowned Center for the Study of Manuscript Culture at the University of Hamburg. Julian recalls his early interest in philosophy and meditation, and recounts how he emerged from a period of self destruction and found meaning and purpose in academic studies. Julian describes how he fell in love with classical Indic and Tibetan languages, and details the rigorous academic atmosphere at the University of Hamburg, where he immersed in years of reading Sanskrit for many hours a day under masters of philology. Julian makes the case for the vital importance of primary language competency for scholars and religious practitioners alike, and offers his opinion on those who practice or teach religious traditions without an ability to read its writings in the original languages. Julian critiques the idea of Buddhist transmission as a useful lie without historical support which is employed to encourage behaviour in line with the religion’s soteriological aims, and reflects on his own evolving journey as both a scholar and religious practitioner. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep197-scholar-practitioner-dr-julian-schott 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:13 - Julian’s upbringing 02:27 - Origins of Julian’s interest in Indology and Tibetology 03:11 - Investigating meditation traditions 04:13 - Spiritual not religious 05:08 - Early meditation experiences 06:44 - Julian’s favourite meditation techniques 07:18 - Self destructive phase and turning life around 10:37 - The downward spiral 11:28 - Rock bottom 12:44 - The day is full of potential 13:14 - Immersion in the study of history, classical Western philosophy, law, and 14:58 - Falling in love with Indian and Tibetan language 17:04 - Redirecting from law to philology 17:47 - Discovering what real mastery takes 19:21 - Rigorous academic atmosphere at University of Hamburg 20:16 - Reading Sanskrit for 5-6 hours a day 23:46 - Self-teaching Classical Tibetan via Sanskrit 24:44 - How to bridge the intermediate gap in language learning 27:43 - The vital role of primary language knowledge in understanding a religion and culture 31:29 - The incredible level of previous generations of philologists and Indologists 32:29 - The diminishing role of primary language learning in the academy 34:51 - The limitations of not knowing the primary languages 37:17 - To meditators and religious teachers who don’t know the languages 42:05 - Julian’s own religious journey 43:39 - Scepticism vs naivety 44:37 - Liberated by the proliferating unknowns in practice and scholarship 46:54 - Friction with religious institutions 48:23 - Make your own Dharma 50:31 - Mistaken ideas about lineage and transmission in Buddhism 54:05 - The useful lie of Buddhist lineage 55:51 - Critically investigating Buddhist claims 57:42 - Challenging the esoteric claims of Tantric Buddhist transmission 01:00:56 - Surpassing the master and the Jedi dimension 01:05:53 - Julian probes Steve’s opinion on doctrinal contradictions 01:07:23 - Lack of self confidence and making your own Dharma 01:10:42 - Contradictions of modern Buddhist practitioners 01:12:34 - Was Buddha a Buddhist? … To find our more about Dr Julian Schott, visit: - https://www.aai.uni-hamburg.de/indtib/personen/schott.html For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James