Eva Natanya is Executive Director and Resident Teacher at the Center for Contemplative Research at Miyo Samten Ling.
A scholar of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, Christian theology, and comparative religion, Dr. Natanya has served in many capacities as a spiritual teacher, academic lecturer, translator, and editor of Tibetan texts, writer, and retreat leader. Following a nine-year career as a professional ballet dancer with both the New York City Ballet and the Royal Ballet of England, she earned an MA in Christian Systematic Theology at the Graduate Theological Union and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. Her dissertation examined the complex interactions of Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, and Abhidharma teachings as they underlie the Vajrayāna philosophy of Je Tsongkhapa. She has worked closely with Dr. B. Alan Wallace on his translations for several books, including Open Mind: View and Meditation in the Lineage of Lerab Lingpa and Fathoming the Mind: Inquiry and Insight in Dudjom Lingpa's Vajra Essence, and has co-taught meditation retreats with Dr. Wallace around the world. In a Christian context, she co-authored Living Resurrected Lives: What It Means and Why It Matters with Veronica Mary Rolf. She has spent more than three years in solitary meditation retreat, and remains in residence at Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, guiding fellow retreatants in the details of contemplative training. Her website is: evanatanya.com.
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Transcript of this interview.
Interview recorded August 21, 2021
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:05:22 - Mystical Longing and Spiritual Quest
00:09:59 - The Discipline and Demands of Rehearsal and Performance
00:14:11 - Transition to Deep Education and Meditation
00:18:22 - Preparation for Solitary Retreat
00:23:26 - Challenges of Long-term Retreat Practice
00:27:50 - The connection between mind and pr??ic system
00:32:00 - Sensations of Pr??a and the Inner Body
00:36:14 - The Dangers of Kundalini and Inner-body Practices
00:40:35 - The Proper Meditation Posture and Settling the Mind
00:45:25 - The Process of Settling the Mind
00:49:54 - Integrating Meditation with Daily Life
00:54:20 - The Depths of Loving-Kindness
00:58:30 - Meditation and the Transformation of Worldview
01:02:51 - The Notion of a Person as a Temporary Conglomerate
01:08:02 - The karmic cause of suffering and purification possibilities
01:12:21 - Reincarnation and Hypotheses of Past Lives
01:16:16 - Dream Lives and Illusion of Self
01:20:56 - Pratityasamutpada and the Two Realities
01:25:34 - The Illusory Nature of Things
01:29:51 - The Trinity in Christian Theology and Buddhism
01:35:06 - The Divine Light and Celestial Perception
01:39:40 - The Manifestation of Divinity in Every Little Thing
01:44:55 - The True Nature and Buddha Nature
01:50:25 - The transcendence of death in different cultures
01:55:27 - The Vastness of Awareness in Buddhism
01:59:28 - Finding a Path and Authentic Teachers
02:04:15 - Authenticity and Discernment in Choosing a Teacher
02:08:53 - Unconventional Behavior in the Name of Crazy Wisdom
02:13:19 - The Concept of Enlightenment
02:17:51 - Taking a Step towards Enlightenment
