Episode 5 of Redesigning The Dharma by Sahaja Soma features a conversation Ryan Oelke from Buddhist Geeks. In the first part of this two-part conversation, Adrian and Ryan talk about their personal experiences with Buddhism, specifically the practice of Dharma and the Vajrayana and Dzogchen traditions. They discuss their journeys becoming practitioners and teachers, and the impact of certain teachings and figures like Ken Wilber and Namkhai Norbu. This episode then dives into the importance of experimenting with different traditions, maintaining an open mind, and navigating the relationship with one's primary spiritual teacher or "Root Guru".

Episode Highlights:

• 00:10 Introduction
• 00:13 Updates from Ryan Oelke: Teaching Dharma Privately and Leadership Coaching
• 05:16 The Contrast Between Different Buddhist Traditions
• 21:55 The Impact of Namkhai Norbu's Teachings
• 28:23 Finding a Style and Tradition that Suits You
• 37:26 The Balance of Discipline and Playfulness

Guest Bio:

Ryan is an Executive Coach at Stagen, an Integral Leadership Academy based in Dallas, Texas; co-founder and teacher at Buddhist Geeks; and a Senior Teacher in Judith Blackstone’s Realization Process. He has an MSEd in counseling psychology and 20+ years experience in meditation, particularly in the Tibetan Buddhist and Dzogchen lineages.

Ryan teaches an integral path of embodied, responsive presence and invites others into the mystery of their own lived experience and embodiment. His approach is grounded in the foundation of waking up, and includes cleaning up (healing), growing up, and showing up in the world.

He also has a BA in Spanish, 3 years of graduate study of classical Tibetan and translation, and is a passionate learner and teacher of languages.

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