In this episode I am once again joined by Naomi Levine, author, under her birth name Norma Levine, of multiple books including ‘The Miraculous 16th Karmapa’, ‘A Quest For The Hidden Lands’, and ‘Chronicles of Love and Death: My Years With The Last Spiritual King of Bhutan’. Naomi discusses her various publications about the Karmapas, focusing in particular on the lives and activities of the 16th and 17th of that line. Naomi describes the magical powers and spiritual aura of the 16th Karmapa, recounts her own and others’ experiences of his supernatural potency, and recalls the process of compiling stories of his miraculous activities. Naomi explores the controversies around the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, including his recognition, escape from Tibet, interactions with the Tibetan government in exile, and various accusations in the media. Naomi also speculates about the futures of both the Tibetan political cause and the Tibetan religious institutions after the death of the Dalai Lama. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep208-karmapa-tales-naomi-levine-2 
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - 16th Karmapa’s miraculous powers 02:51 - Meeting the 16th Karmapa in England 05:08 - Apolitical 06:51 - Political intrigue and persecution of the Karmapas 09:02 - The 16th Karmapa’s freedom 10:13 - The controversy of the 17th Karmapas 11:50 - Escaping from Tibet but captured in Dharamsala 22:35 - Politics and Dharma 24:03 - The unravelling of the Tibet cause 26:23 - The future of Tibetan religion 28:56 - Did the Tibetan government In exile block the 17th Karma’s activities? 31:41 - The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje’s current situation 34:11 - Compiling satires for ‘the book’ 36:15 - A black hat ceremony story 43:18 - How did the Karmapa become so supernaturally powerful? 48:22 - Allegations against the 17th Karmapa 57:05 - The role of the 17th Karmapa in discovering the Shabdrung’s yangsi 01:07:54 - Separating personal religious practice from religious politics … Previous episode with Naomi Levine: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep190-love-death-in-the-himalayas-naomi-levine To find out more about Naomi Levine, visit: - https://www.facebook.com/naomilevine111 - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Norma-Levine/author/B001K86LZ4?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James