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.
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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’.
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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
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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