Ep373: Rude Awakenings - Samuel Bercholz

In this episode I am joined by Samuel Bercholz, a senior teacher in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, founder of Shambala publications, and author of “Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path”.

Samuel recalls his childhood as the son of holocaust survivors, his arrival in America as a refugee, his rapid ascent in the Democratic party as part of the Kennedy campaign, and his eventual disillusionment with politics.

Samuel describes his early spiritual seeking in theosophy and Buddhism, details his first experience of satori, and explains the process of learning to trust his gurus.

Samuel tells stories of his years of discipleship under controversial spiritual teachers such as Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, offers his insights about how to be a vajrayana student, and reflects on what it takes to be the disciple of tough masters.

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Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:02 - Rude Awakenings

02:46 - Child of the holocaust

05:03 - Arriving in America