Tag: self-actualisation

Thai Temple Drug Detox: An interview with a Buddhist monk – Episode 192

The Story: A monk tells the story of Wat Tham Krabok

Wat Tham Krabok is a fascinating place, home to scores of monks and nuns who practise an austere lifestyle, working patiently, making statues, sweeping paths, chanting and sitting for meditation three times a day. It’s also the home to a narcotics detox program for people looking to leave their bad habits behind. Vice once sensationally named their rehab program as “the world’s toughest”.

I had the opportunity to stay on the temple grounds for a few weeks, spending time with monks and others looking to improve their lives, trying the vomit-inducing medicine which officially contains 108 herbs, created by the temple’s founder, the mystic “Great Father” Yai.

There are many stories about the temple, and its founder, many of them contradictory. Luang Paw Yai was a mystic, illiterate, who gave lectures in a combination of Thai, the ancient tongue Bali, and a channelled language unknown to humans. Some say that Luang Paw Yai was ordained as a nun, others say she was a female monk. The detox program was started because a drug addict approached her two nephews and pleaded them to help, but it was also started because Luang Paw Yai predicted the problems that Thailand would have with drugs in the future.

In the Thai conception of history, there’s nothing unusual about these contradictions. Unlike in the west, Thai people aren’t hung up about discovering one true and factual version of the past. After all, in many cases, Buddhism is all about leaving the past alone, and focusing on what we can control – our mind, our speech, our actions.

In this episode, I interview my friend who has lived as a monk for some years in Wat Tham Krabok, talking about the reputation of the temple, the process of detoxification, the herbal medicine, the historical and religious context of its founding, and how drug addicts are actually excellent candidates to absorb the teachings of the Buddha.

Join us on another karma-cleansing episode of … The Paradise Paradox!

The Links:

I believe in holy things Part 1

I believe in holy things Part 2

I believe in holy things Part 3

I believe in holy things Part 4

The Cash:

If you enjoy our posts, please become a patron on Patreon, or have a look at The Paradise Paradox’s page on Steemit where you can join, earn money, and upvote our posts to help support the show! You can also find a lot of additional content which is not posted on this site, with Kurt’s posts on Steemit.

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Episode:

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Meditation on self-love

The Story: Give yourself the gift of tenderness

It’s common to hear people talk poorly of themsevles, getting frustrated at themselves when they make a mistake, even saying things like “I’m a horrible person.” When you hear someone speak that way about themselves, you can deduce, unfortunately, that it’s only the tip of the iceberg. They probably say much nastier things about themselves within the privacy of their own minds. Most people wouldn’t tolerate a person who hung on their shoulder, poison dripping into their ear, and most would never say such things about their friends, instead encouraging them, comforting them and uplifting them. Let’s always be such a friend to ourselves.

In this short episode, Kurt describes a meditation on self-love, imagining your love for an innocent child and then turning that love back on yourself, in order to give the gifts of compassion, kindness and tenderness.

The Eps:

Receive the universe’s gifts – Episode 187

Down at the ashram with Link McElvenny – Episode 44

The Cash:

If you enjoy our posts, please become a patron on Patreon, or have a look at The Paradise Paradox’s page on Steemit where you can join, earn money, and upvote our posts to help support the show! You can also find a lot of additional content which is not posted on this site, with Kurt’s posts on Steemit.

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Episode:

To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

Receive the Universe’s Gifts – Episode 187

The Story: Being open to new opportunities

Some people seem to have all the luck – being able to travel the world, getting money, attracting romantic partners. And sometimes it really is luck – just a genetic accident or having the good fortune of being born in the right place. Many times, it’s not just luck, but an awareness of their surroundings, a willingness to try new things, and a mentality of readiness for opportunity.

In this world, it’s possible to make all kinds of connections, find all kinds of people, help them reach their goals, and allow them to help you reach yours. However, these gifts generally don’t come in the way you expect them. If you ever catch yourself saying things like “I could never do that…” or “I hate money” you may be putting up blocks in your life that prevent you from reaching abundance.

In this episode, Kurt explains his perspective on how sometimes, “luck” is actually the result of awareness, open-mindedness and preparedness. He explains how being open to love in different forms can help you be more fulfilled, how the next level of wisdom will always appear bizarre to you, and practising mindfulness meditation can bring you to new plateaux of prosperity. Join me on another heart-breaking, hair-raising, life-giving episode of… The Paradise Paradox!

The Eps:

The electricity of your intentions: Gela Amini – Episode 172

A life without precedent: Gela Amini – Episode 174

Value is everywhere – Episode 170

The Links:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Psyched Substance on YouTube

Swim on YouTube

Double Your Dating

Practising the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle audiobook

Read ’em and Reap by Joe Navarro

Revolver (2007) movie

The Cash:

If you enjoy our posts, please become a patron on Patreon, or have a look at The Paradise Paradox’s page on Steemit where you can join, earn money, and upvote our posts to help support the show! You can also find a lot of additional content which is not posted on this site, with Kurt’s posts on Steemit.

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Episode:

To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

Episode 92 – Peak Experiences

The Episode:


To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

The Cash:

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Story:

Everybody, at some point in their life, has a peak experience. It might be described as a mystical, or religious experience, being touched by the hand of God, having a spiritual awakening, or perhaps just a moment of clarity. It can come in the form of intense awe, happiness, well-being, acceptance or tranquility. Abraham Maslow coined the term “peak experience”, and originally thought they were only experienced by self-actualised people, but with further research he realised that they were available to everyone – it was just that certain types of people felt them more intensely and more frequently.

What do peak experiences mean? Are they blessings from God, or just a glitch in our brains? Can they reveal greater truths about life and the universe? Who knows, but I ask those questions and more in the next spine-tingling, chakra-awakening, spirit-rattling episode of … The Paradise Paradox!

The Eps:

Episode 19 – Anomalies of Consciousness

The Links:

Peak experiences on Wikipedia

Abraham Maslow on Wikipedia

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Peak experiences on The Spirit Wiki

Episode 59 – Personal Development: The Critical Point

The Episode:

To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

The Cash:

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link.

The Story:

Many people are content to cruise through life without thinking too deeply about things, without questioning their own motivations, focusing on personal development, formulating a long-term plan, developing a strategy and being as honest as they possibly can with the man in the mirror. Without introspection, self-analysis and self-knowledge, one can be lead down the wrong path, mislead by their culture, mass media, friends and family, dictated to about what is important without ever extending the glance beyond the veil, beyond the superficial.

As I once wrote:
“You better be really sure of who you are and what you want from yourself,
Because there’s a lot of people who’d prefer you be someone else.”

It’s no surprise that years later many people can wake up to a mid-life crisis, or worse, a death-bed crisis, realising that they’ve wasted their lives and being so far off-target, that they don’t even know how to get back to shore. The stereotype of a middle-aged man buying a sports car and dating a much younger, attractive and vapid woman is a tragic manifestation of this, the man trying to recapture his youth, while at the same time not really remembering what it means to be young, to be full of hope about making a better world, open to possibilities and having the audacity to confront established norms. A new Ferrari and a set of fake tits in your face doesn’t even qualify as a consolation prize.

What does it take to be successful? What does it mean to be successful? Who can help you be successful, and what is the real meaning of the phrase “self-reliance”? We explore these questions and more with our friend Charlie “Carlos” Selman, discussing an essay by Exosphere founder Skinner Layne, “The Critical Point”. Join us as we embark on a journey of self-exploration in the next exciting chapter of … The Paradise Paradox!

The Links:

Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

The Magic of Thinking Big

Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller – Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

How to Win Friends & Influence People

The Guy In The Glass poem

Bahá’í Faith on Wikipedia

Plato’s cave on Wikipedia

Heraclitus on Wikipedia

Sunk cost fallacy on Wikipedia

The Critical Point by Skinner Layne