Ep385: The Independent Disciple - Christiana Polites

In this episode I am joined by Christiana Polites, practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, long time collaborator of Tibetan spiritual teacher Nida Chenagtsang, and founder of Sky Press Books, Pure Land Farms, the Sowa Rigpa Institute, and more. Christiana recalls her privileged upbringing in Manhattan, New York; her education in comparative religions at Harvard University; and her deep involvement in the 90s New York yoga scene. Christiana talks about her discipleship under and collaborations with Nida Chenagtsang, reflects on the tantric guru-disciple relationship, and considers the trend of asking one’s guru for advice about life choices. Christiana shares her own journey to personal empowerment and self-direction, why working closely with a guru requires adaptability, and gives a potted history of the many religious and cultural organisations she has founded. … Also available on Youtube , iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 02:42 - Upbringing in Manhattan 05:54 - Beginnings of spiritual questioning 06:50 - History of religions class 09:08 - New York yoga in the 90s 10:55 - Spiritual side of yoga in the 90s 13:00 - Body bliss 16:37 - Quitting yoga overnight 22:05 - Studying comparative religions at Harvard 25:55 - Influential professors and deciding against academia 28:43 - Areas of study 30:18 - Life-changing 3 months in Bodhgaya 32:46 - A survey of the 3 yanas 35:02 - Connecting with Tibetan Buddhism 37:52 - Gradual vs sudden awakening 39:42 - Constitutional type vs karma 41:03 - Pros and cons of kapha/bad kan constitution 42:38 - Character change vs peak experiences 44:49 - Fruits of the path 45:47 - Adaptability and working with Dr Nida 47:52 - Dr Nida’s spontaneous creativity 49:28 - Life after Harvard, further study of Tibetan Buddhism, and Chinese medicine studies 52:14 - Gurus in Colorado 53:22 - Decision not to study @ Naropa 53:42 - When did Christiana become a Buddhist? 55:25 - Plant medicines and meeting Dr Nida 01:01:26 - Taoist medicine studies in China 01:05:33 - Asking Dr Nida for advice and founding Yanchenma Healing Arts 01:10:47 - Culture of asking the guru for life advice 01:13:37 - Becoming personally empowered and the burden of logistics 01:20:40 - Healthy separation 01:22:48 - Having a dharma centre 01:24:13 - Reflections on the guru-disciple relationship with Dr Nida 01:30:43 - What motivates Christiana’s practice? 01:34:48 - Basic teachings vs advanced practices 01:40:03 - Founding Sky Press Publications 01:48:02 - Founding the Sowa Rigpa Institute 01:50:17 - Founding Yangchenma Arts and Music with Simone Giuliani 01:52:51 - An auspicious year 01:54:55 - An unusual sangha … Find out more about Christiana Polites: - https://skypresspublications.com/ - https://www.yangchenma.org/christiana - https://purelandfarms.com/teachers … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James If you value the podcast and would like to support its continued production, you can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/guruviking.