Ep359: Narasiṃha the Lion Man - Jensen Martin 2
Jensen Martin is a scholar-practitioner and PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.
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Jensen leads a deep dive into Narasiṃha, compares different version of the Narasiṃha myth, and examines contradictions in the tradition.
Jensen reveals his motive for pursuing a PhD, describes his plans for a meditation retreat as part of the project, and reflects on what he sees as a crisis in academia.
Jensen also discusses the relevance of Narasiṃha to today’s world situation, the terror of dissolution, and the advantages of being an outsider.
00:00 - Intro
00:47 - Jensen’s PhD about Narasiṃha
02:27 - Caveats and disclaimers
04:26 - Relevance of Narasiṃha to today’s world situation
07:54 - Story of Narasiṃha
25:59 - Uniqueness of Narasiṃha
29:00 - Calculating the yuga
33:46 - Interstellar travel and kriya yoga
37:15 - Reconciling myths with historical evidence
37:15 - Soifer and comparing the Narasiṃha myths
50:06 - Star Wars canon
51:55 - 1000 years of narrative development
56:03 - How Narasiṃha is most commonly seen today
01:01:49 - Many different schools
01:02:50 - The advantages of being an outsider
01:06:09 - Jensen is motivated by awakening
01:08:42 - Narasiṃha meditation text
01:15:15 - Oral tradition
01:20:12 - Dhruva Gorrick and visions of Narasiṃha
01:23:43 - Terror of dissolution
01:28:42 - The Cult of Janagannath
01:34:14 - The benefit of worshipping Narasiṃha
01:42:28 - What Narasiṃha means to Jensen
01:45:29 - Jensen’s goal is to find out what Narasiṃha means today
01:47:21 - Contradictions in the tradition
01:48:35 - How Jensen will proceed with his PhD and a practice focus
01:49:37 - The danger of moving too fast
01:52:43 - Jensen’s retreat curriculum
02:00:09 - Learning Hindi
02:01:58 - Academic lineage and a flexible programme
02:03:12 - Future plans and financial crisis in academia
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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James