Francesca Maximé – ReRooted – Ep. 56 – Modern Tantric Buddhism with Lama Justin von Bujdoss

Lama Justin von Bujdoss joins Francesca to share an authentic and embodied conversation around Tantric Buddhism for our Dharma practice in the modern age.

Justin von Bujdoss is an American Buddhist teacher and chaplain ordained as a repa in the Karma Kamstang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism by His Eminence Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Justin is passionate about the preservation of the heart-essence of the tantric Buddhist tradition in a way that meets the needs of, and simultaneously challenges, the modern western way of life. Justin has served as the resident-lama and executive director of New York Tsurphu Goshir Dharma Center and is Staff Chaplain and Executive Director of the Division of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for NYC Department of Correction. Justin has also worked as a full-time home hospice chaplain and teaches dharma in a variety of settings from monasteries, retreat centers and dharma centers, to hospital didactics, CPE groups and at conferences and museums. More info: JustinvonBujdoss.com

Modern Tantric Buddhism: Engaging in Practice

Welcoming Lama Justin von Bujdoss to the ReRooted podcast, Francesca invites him to share the core themes encased within his new book brimming with ancient wisdom translated for our spiritual practice in the contemporary age: Modern Tantric Buddhism: Embodiment and Authenticity in Dharma Practice.

“The book and a lot of the work that I do is rooted at this intersection of Tantric Buddhist practice and chaplaincy, and also a lot of the natural critique, which I think is a healthy thing for practitioners to engage in exploring: how is it that I interact with the tradition that I am practicing?” – Lama Justin von Bujdoss

Learn to embody Tantric Devotion with RamDev, on Ep. 63 of Healing at the Edge

Embodied Tantric Buddhist Practice: Authentic Wisdom Born of Experience (11:28)

Francesca and Lama Justin von Bujdoss speak to the importance of visualization practices, working with relationships, facing difficulties and apprehensions head-on, and how truly authentic wisdom is born of direct felt experience.

“Authentic wisdom born of experience—I can’t stress the importance of that enough. That is the thing that becomes this fuel that allows us to reinvest in our meditation, double down, and go a little bit deeper.” – Lama Justin von Bujdoss 

Take the journey to authenticity with Buddhist writer, speaker, and broadcaster, Kelly Carlin on Ep. 71 of the BHNN Guest Podcast

Breaking Relationship to Habit Mind // Social Justice & Equity Work (30:00)

Sharing on the powerful Tibetan Buddhist practices of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, Lama Justin and Francesca dig deep into the power encased in breaking/disrupting our momentum-driven relationship with our habit-mind through short, but frequent meditation sessions. From here, they dive into how to apply Tantric Buddhist practices to social justice and equity work in the real world.

“There’s a long thread of practice style around a meditation called Mahamudra, which is very similar to Dzogchen, advising people to sit for short periods, like 12 minutes, where it’s really about breaking up the habit, rather than one long grueling session where your mind goes numb and you find yourself suffering. Sometimes there’s more power in breaking up our relationship to habit-mind in these shorter sessions.” – Lama Justin von Bujdoss

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