In this episode I am once again joined by Stephen Snyder, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of several books including ‘Buddha’s Heart’, ‘Trust in Awakening’, and his up-coming release ‘Soothing the Longing Heart’.

Stephen talks about the importance of working with one’s personality material especially after awakening. He points to an idealisation of the Buddha and other blindspots in Buddhism that he believes have led to the various behavioural scandals that have surrounded so many famous Zen masters.

Stephen discusses how to work with fear and anger, how to heal one’s core wound, how to convert the superego into Absolute guidance, and reflects on the pros and cons of American culture’s interaction with the Buddhist religion.

Stephen also reflects on how he approaches leading meditation retreats, why he does not enforce strict Zen schedules, the deleterious effect of electronics on concentration power, and the subtle power of taking a dharma name.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep242-soothing-the-longing-heart-stephen-snyder


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


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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro01:07 - Stephen teaching in-person retreats in 2024 in Europe and the US03:53 - Relaxed vs rigorous retreat approaches 06:10 - Treating students like adults 08:23 - Why Stephen cooks for his retreats10:00 - Reworking the precepts 11:40 - The damaging effect of electronics on concentration power 13:03 - Stephen’s interview schedule on retreat13:37 - Receiving full Zen dharma transmission to be recognised as a sensei 17:00 - Combing Zen with Theravada practice18:10 - Post-awakening problems with personality issues 19:06 - Examples of post-awakening triggered behaviour and the core wound23:08 - Working with anger and fear 27:42 - Quickly resolving karma 29:09 - Do meditation peak experiences heal the personality?29:30 - Blindspots and scandals in Zen Buddhism 31:41 - Going beyond cultural bias 33:52 - How much cultural transfer is necessary in Buddhist practice?35:36 - Stephen’s experimental teaching approach 38:00 - America’s contribution to Buddhism 40:57 - British class system42:23 - Indian caste system43:53 - How Buddhism assimilates indigenous cultural and religious forms45:28 - Gregorian style Zen chanting 46:50 - The importance of your dharma name47:49 - Working vs wallowing in emotional material 52:16 - What is your core wound?54:52 -The personality as a shield 56:44 - The tyranny of the superego01:00:39 - Transforming the superego into Absolute guidance 01:02:07 - True vs false01:04:32 - Common compassion misunderstanding 01:06:12 Parenting mistakes around compassion 01:08:08 - Should we tell stories of awakening?01:09:47 - The importance of doubt and trust 01:11:59 - Stephen’s advice to practitioners

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Previous episode with Stephen Snyder:- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=Stephen%20Snyder

To find our more about Stephen Snyder, visit:- https://awakeningdharma.org/

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:- www.guruviking.com

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James