Host Viking Guru, guest Delson Armstrong, 11/5/21; Jen B., Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Episode 120: Meditation virtuoso Delson Armstrong
In this episode Viking Guru is joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher and star student of controversial American teacher Bhante Vimalaramsi, who’s senior student David Johnson has said:
"Delson Armstrong has mastered every practice we have given him. He is the most amazing student we have ever seen."
In this interview, Armstrong recalls his early life training in the Himalayan foothills, where he mastered the eightfold system of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, attaining to all of its highest states of samadhi; attained all six levels of Kriya Yoga under three different lineages; studied Sanskrit; and was exposed to practices of Shaiva Tantra through students of [scandalous sex guru Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh now called] Osho.
Armstrong shares his subsequent explorations of Buddhism, including Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and the "TWIM" practice invented by Ven. Vimalaramsi.
Armstrong recounts and contrasts his experiences accomplishing the eight jhanas (meditative absorptions), attaining the four levels of Buddhist awakening [up to and, we are told, arahantship or full enlightenment], and realizing Rigpa.
Armstrong also reveals yogic feats such as recalling past lives and entering into a type of suspended animation called nirodha-samāpatti [cessation of sixfold sense perception] for up to six days at a time.
- [NOTE: It would be instructive to read self-proclaimed arhat [fully enlightened] Daniel Ingram's Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book. If Armstrong's claims are true, and if Ven. Vimalaramsi is actually the extraordinary teacher he claims to be, then Ingram's insights gain added weight and some apparent verification.]
He also reveals his passion for neuroscience and recent participation in a study at the University of Amsterdam that examined his brain and body in this state of yogic suspension.…guruviking.com/ep120-medi...
Also available on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify by searching "Guru Viking Podcast."
Topics include
- 00:00 - Intro
- 01:17 - David Johnson’s endorsement
- 02:46 - Raised in America, return to India
- 04:57 - First encounter with yoga
- 06:16 - Leaving school to study the practices of the Yoga Sutras and Kriya Yoga in the Himalayas
- 11:07 - Return to the US and meeting Bhante Vimalaramsi
- 14:29 - How was Delson Armstrong able to master Raja Yoga, Kriya Yoga, and Buddhism so quickly?
- 15:17 - Raja Yoga [Ashtanga/Eightfol] path
- 23:56 - The Kriya Yoga path
- 26:29 - Delson Armstrong’s timeline to mastery of Raja and Kriya Yoga
- 28:51 - Brahmacharya [celibacy] and sexuality after realization
- 31:34 - Is Delson Armstrong beyond sexuality?
- 34:41 - Yogic vs. Buddhist samadhi
- 41:13 - Studies of the Yoga Vasistha
- 46:00 - Intergalactic beings
- 47:09 - Studies of Shaiva Tantra
- 51:55 - Learning from Osho’s lineage
- 52:52 - Studying Dzogchen and Mahamudra with Lama Lena
- 55:10 - Rigpa vs. TWIM
- 59:24 - Achieving all challenges set by David Johnson and Bhante Vimalaramsi
- 01:07:14 - Attaining stream entry [the first stage of enlightenment] and the other path attainments
- 01:18:22 - How to see past lives and his previous life as a sadhu
- 01:25:02 - Entering suspended animation of nirodha-samāpatti for six days
- 01:27:55 - Studied at the University of Amsterdam
- 01:30:33 - Surprising results from the study
- 01:35:09 - Conflicts between traditional accounts and the scientific data
- 01:43:06 - Is Armstrong an outlier?
- 01:51:06 - Why do so few people become enlightened if anyone can do it?
- 01:54:30 - Why do people keep enlightenment secret?
- 01:55:35 - Armstrong’s view on his future
- 02:00:25 - His upcoming book and previous publications…
- Previous episode with Bhante Vimalaramsi: guruviking.com/ep112-bhan...
- To find out more about Delson Armstrong, visit: suttavada.foundation/our... and dhammasukha.org.
- For more interviews, videos, and more visit: guruviking.com
- Music: "Deva Dasi" by Steve James
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