Ep88: Saints and Psychopaths - Har Prakash Khalsa
In this episode I am joined by Har-Prakash Khalsa, artist, meditation teacher, and founder of the Expand Contract Youtube Channel, which hosts the video teachings of Shinzen Young.
Har-Prakash discusses his early life, including ten years of heavy drug use, near death experiences in the Andes and India, and a life changing encounter with Yogi Bhajan’s Kundalini Yoga.
We learn of Har-Prakash’s research into Yogi Bhajan’s questionable historical claims, and how Har-Prakash reconciled his own practice and teaching with the many allegations of abuse made against his once guru.
Har-Prakash discusses his decades of study with Shinzen Young, and shares more thoughts on spiritual scandals when recounting his own time with Joshu Sasaki Roshi.
Then, an accomplished interviewer himself, Har-Prakash gives me a set of 12 questions to ask him.
Har-Prakash reveals that these are the questions he has often wished I would ask my guests, and gamely submits to answering them himself.
They cover topics such as stream entry, enlightenment, suffering, the self, and more.
This podcast is also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Topics Include:
0:00 – Intro
01:10 – Early interest in meditation
03:04 – Childhood altered experiences
05:10 – Near death experience in India
08:11 – Lost in the Andes jungle and coming to a realisation
13:20 – 10 years of heavy drug use and finding kundalini yoga
20:24 – Teaching kundalini yoga in jail after 3 months practice
26:50 – Meeting Yogi Bhajan
27:48 – Allegations against Yogi Bhajan
32:10 – Criticisms of kundalini yoga’s origin story
35:14 – Reconciling with the allegations against and criticisms of Yogi Bhajan
40:57 – Why did Yogi Bhajan fabricate so much of his history and system?
45:40 – Saints and Psychopaths
48:04 – Meeting Shinzen Young
52:03 – Studying with Shinzen for 20 years and founding a Youtube channel
59:29 – Personal experiences of Shinzen
1:04:50 – Powerful experiences with Joshu Sasaki Roshi
1:07:34 – The prevalence of spiritual scandals among masters
1:10:46 – Har-Prakash’s spiritual curriculum
1:13:57 – Har-Prakash gives Steve a set of questions to ask
1:17:23 – Har-Prakash’s dramatic awakening experience
1:26:20 – Surprises and disappointments after awakening
1:33:10 – Integration of awakening |
1:36:09 – How much does Har-Prakash suffer post-awakening?
1:40:13 – Har-Prakash’s current sensory experience
1:42:49 – Current sense of ‘self’
1:48:58 – Changes to craving and aversion
1:56:25 – Har-Prakash’s ‘Fabrication Cycle’
2:02:10 – Qualities and behaviours to improve
2:05:04 – Common misunderstandings about enlightenment
2:06:36 – Har-Prakash’s art
2:09:10 – Har-Prakash on service and legacy
To find our more about Har-Prakash Khalsa, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James