Is the West Ready for Tantra? with Andrew Holecek

CHITHEADS with Jacob Kyle (Embodied Philosophy)

In this episode, author and Embodied Philosophy faculty, Andrew Holecek, is in conversation with Stephanie Corigliano and Jacob Kyle, as they discuss Andrew’s article, “Is the West Ready for Tantra?” an article released in the latest issue of Tarka. Explore the latest Tarka issue here.

About the Guest

Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and offers seminars internationally on meditation, dream yoga, and the art of dying. He is the author of Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition; Meditation in the iGeneration: How to Meditate in a World of Speed and Stress; The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy; the audio learning course Dream Yoga: The Tibetan Path of Awakening Through Lucid Dreaming, and his latest book Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and has authored scientific papers. His work has appeared in Parabola, Lion's Roar, Tricycle, Utne Reader, Buddhadharma Magazine, Light of Consciousness, and many other periodicals. Andrew holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery.

In this episode, we discuss:

1. What makes practices “Tantric”.
2. Why and when Tantra can be risky.
3. Why it’s important to have a teacher and how much power a teacher should have.
4. The 4 types of guru.
5. Psycho-spirituality & the different vectors of growing up versus waking up.
6. What is reality from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism?
7. The role of devotion in Tantric practice.

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