Ep169: Visiting Dhammarato
I travel to the tropical island of Ko Phangan, in the Kingdom of Thailand, to visit recurring podcast guest Dhammarato, a lineage teacher in the Thai Buddhist tradition.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
I arrived at Dhammarato’s home and over the course of two days engaged in discussions with him about his life, practice, and teaching.
Dhammarato shares stories of his childhood in the American South, where he faced conflict and racism that influence his world view today.
He recalls his time in Ana Arbor where, immersed in the New Age movement, he studied with a witch, and attended meetings with the Indian siddha Muktananda.
Dhammarato unfolds his approach to teaching Buddhism, and addresses commonly misunderstood topics such as the 8 fold noble path, stream entry, paticca samuppada, the power of placebo, how to deal with malicious people, and the importance of sangha.
Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
01:02 - Finding Dhammarato
02:15 - Life after the Wat
06:04 - Starting to teach on Skype
07:30 - Noble Dhamma vs ordinary Buddhism
08:30 - Respect for Bikkhu Buddhadasa in Thailand
11:22 - Other teachers of the Noble Dhamma
13:27 - Skilful means
14:44 - Dhammarato’s approach to concentration and jhana
16:37 - Common practice mistakes
19:25 - How to practice the Supra-mundane Dhamma
20:05 - Right view
22:20 - Right effort and sati
23:53 - Remember to look, then make a change
25:08 - From victim to winner
28:53 - No need for examples
36:09 - Is stream entry permanent?
37:16 - Does it get easier?
42:19 - Fear and the self
48:04 - Realisation of no-self is overrated
01:01:21 - Identification with the body
01:06:31 - Liking and disliking
01:23:06 - Tour of Dhammarato’s house
01:25:30 - ‘The Handful of Leaves’ sutra
01:26:58 - Dhammarato’s Skype teaching set-up and protocol
01:30:20 - Dinner with Dhammarato
01:31:39 - Placebo and meditation
01:44:27 - Dhammarato’s upbringing
01:48:05 - Paticca samuppada and movie projection
01:52:10 - Racism in the American South
01:56:46 - Why did Dhammarato’s family move from place to place
01:58:18 - Experiences of racism and jealousy
02:03:25 - Dhammarato’s childhood dreams
02:05:24 - New age period in Ana Arbor
02:06:31 - Studies with a witch
02:11:17 - Swami Muktananda and shaktipat
02:16:23 - Dhamma is playful
02:19:02 - Anything goes?
02:25:55 - Dealing with malicious people
02:34:04 - The sangha and good friends
02:38:31 - Capitalism vs socialism
02:41:52 - Dhammarato’s work to build the Western Sangha
02:46:04 - What is Dhammarato’s motive?
02:48:18 - Dhammarato’s students and graduates
Dhammarato Episode Playlist
To find out more about Dhammarato, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James