Old blues masters of 20th century Tibetan Buddhism
2024-05-03 09:57:00 +07:00 by Mark Smith
From a recent David Nichtern appearance Ep#609 on the Duncan Trussell Podcast. He describes his buddhist lineage [01:13:26]:
It's essentially ultimately an oral transmission lineage. They call it ear whispered sometimes. There is a passing along of some essence of experience that is very difficult to calibrate as purely an intellectual set if ideas that's being transmitted along. There's something deeper going through.
I feel a responsibility personally because I kind of, through no real virtue of my own, got very seriously exposed to, what I call, the old blues masters, the 20th century tibetan, the last group of teachers that were raised in that system in tibet.
Dilgo Kenze Rempoche, Galo Rempoche, Tumpa Rempoche, Karmapa Rempoche. These were incredible transmission beings. You could remember what they said and things like that but there's a feeling that got passed along that I'm absolutely intent on sharing as much as I can if possible.
I love this thought, that there is a set of buddhist monks that are like the old blues masters. I've listenned to a lot of blues over the years. The first album I ever picked out at a music store was Hendrix' Are you experienced? His music was hugely inspired by those that came before him. Often traveling musicians that didn't make it big, but did leave some recordings. They've become legendary, and I've since explored some of their music and vibe.
Duncan then responds:
To put it back in stoner terminology, it’s like a contact high, it kind of is. I don't know if you've had this experience, if I get around people who are on acid, I can start feeling like I'm tripping. And it's not like breething in smoke. What's going on there? Their consciousness is so altered, and we tend to harminize with each other, that my consciousness is harmizing with their consciousness, and that harmonization is feeling like Woah, I am ... tripping.
And so I have a feeling it's sort of similar to that. When I'm around comedians...it's the same thing when you're around commedians you get funnier.
Vibe is what both Nichtern and David are talking about here. It's something that's akin to atmosphere or ambience, like the cosmic background radiation of the universe. It's easy to miss. You don't exactly see it, you experience it, it's all around you, and passing through you at the same time. Communicating that, the essence of experience, is very difficult, but some people have a knack for it.
Maybe there are old blues masters in any field of endeavour?
I also thought this little interaction between Duncan and Nichtern was a classic. It's worth listening to the whole episode, it was one of the most fun Trussell episodes I've listened to in quite a while. #