Ep257: Let Meditation Be Your Medicine - Dr Nida Chenagtsang
Dr Nida Chenagtsang is a Buddhist teacher, doctor of Tibetan Medicine, and author of ‘Let Meditation Be Your Medicine: The Timeless Healing Wisdom of Tibet’.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Dr Nida discusses his latest book, the practicality of the Yuthok Nyingthik meditation system, and why it is important to choose a meditation style that suits one’s typology.
Dr Nida explains why he opens the book with a tribute to the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, recounts how he came to a deep appreciation of the roots of European culture, and parses the difference between intellectual and experiential spirituality.
Dr Nida also calls for a moving beyond conditioned views, explains how to appreciate culture and religion without being limited by them, considers attachment theory and guru-disciple dynamics, and reveals how transformative retreat experience brought him beyond conceptual limitations.
00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Sowa Rigpa Forum
14:41 - Appreciation of Western culture
18:05 - Know your roots
19:47 - Dr Nida’s journey to open up to European culture
22:55 - Déjà vu when first coming to Rome
25:37 - Similarities between Ancient Greek medicine and Tibetan medicine
28:48 - European meditation traditions
32:01 - Grabbing the devils
34:09 - A dream of facing the devil
36:50 - Inner dialogue meditation
39:51 - The essence of meditation
44:20 - The roots of meditation
47:37 - Becoming more open
49:07 - Intellectual vs experiential spirituality
50:33 - Dr Nida’s transformational experience on retreat
56:18 - Freedom from conditioning
59:00 - Yuthok’s open-mindedness
01:01:16 - Choosing the right meditation for your typology
01:05:05 - Anger management and Guru Yoga meditations
01:07:26 - Attachment theory and guru-disciple dynamics
01:13:131 - Beyond fixation and appreciating culture
01:16:31 - Adjusting to different life circumstances
01:18:36 - Learning languages
01:20:35 - Bonsai vs bamboo
Previous episodes with Dr Nida Chenagtsang:
To find out more about Dr Nida Chenagtsang, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James