Ranveer Allahbadia - Palga Rinpoche

1) Palga Rinpoche, a former monk turned millionaire, discusses his fascinating life, including his four-sentence story of being recognized as a reincarnation, sleeping on the sidewalk when he was extremely poor, experiencing extreme wealth at a young age, and realizing the importance of love, God, and inner happiness. He also delves into his earliest memory of remembering brief moments of trauma in his previous life and describes Tibet as a protected heaven where Buddhism thrived and survived, before being introduced to the born religion that incorporated many local traits into its fusion with Buddhism.

2) Palga Rinpoche explains how the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1959 in order to expand their own country and how many Tibetans, especially those following Buddhism, were forced to come down to India and settled in Himachal Pradesh. The Dalai Lama, who is considered the political and spiritual leader of Tibet, had to flee Tibet at a young age and propagate the Buddha's teachings to every corner of the world after seeing his countrymen being butchered for no reason. Palga Rinpoche explains how he is a spiritual guru in the dragon lineage of Vajrayan Buddhism, which is practiced along the Himalayas, and chants the Mantra of compassion before the interview continues.

3) Palga Rinpoche explains the power of a six-syllable Mantra that he chants and how its meaning is not as important as its vibration. He believes that chanting the Mantra can transform a person at a molecular level and teaches that the primary method of the Buddhist Himalayan Buddhism is transformation. Palga Rinpoche also shares his memories of his past life and how he felt extreme anger towards anything Chinese or communist party propaganda, as he believes he died due to the Chinese invasion in Tibet.

4) Palga talks about how his guru gave a list of clues to find his reincarnated self when he was young. He also talks about his childhood, where he admits to being a normal kid who enjoyed reading comic books and eating chocolates, rather than constantly thinking about the Buddha. He then recalls his tough life in the monastery, where he was beaten and made to meditate for long hours. He talks about how he would often watch other monks outside playing games, while he was indoors studying scriptures.

5) Palga talks about the discipline he learned at an early age while teaching to large audiences. He discusses how even though he carried a spiritual lineage from his previous life, he still had to relearn discipline in this life. Palga Rinpoche then shares his journey from leaving the monastery at 18 to working his way up in England, where he eventually earned a lot of money and became very materialistic. However, he realized that growing rich too fast caused him to lose sight of what was most important in life, leading him to leave the materialistic lifestyle behind and embrace what truly mattered: love and relationships.

6) Palga's transition from a life of extreme wealth and luxury to a simple and spiritual life dedicated to teaching and living off donations. He shares how he used to have multiple ATM machines and spent 15 lakhs on a two-night stay, but realized that material wealth was not fulfilling. Despite feeling trapped in the societal circle of give and take, he made the decision to cold turkey and sold everything to return to India and donate to monasteries before spending two years in Retreat. Now, he lives a life focused on teaching and traveling for photography, finding happiness in the little things like the smell of his mother's kambiri and a good vada pav.

7) Palga reveals that in his free time, he reads novels, Buddhist teachings, and comments on his Instagram page. When asked about his vision of an ideal death, Rinpoche describes a peaceful and regret-free passing while staring up at the sun shining through green leaves. He emphasizes that the key to making money is to accumulate good karma and to renounce material possessions for inner peace. Rinpoche notes that people chooses pirituality either by being born into a spiritual family or experiencing enough suffering to accept that spirituality is more important than anything else.

8) Palga discusses the main differences between Buddhism and Hinduism, noting that in Buddhism the intention and motivation behind actions is centered around ridding oneself and all sentient beings from suffering and achieving enlightenment. They discuss the concept of samsara and how it is a deluded state of mind with negative emotions, whereas nirvana is a purified state of mind with positive emotions. He also describes the two modes of appearance and nature and how being caught up in appearance is like being caught in a simulation, while vajrayan is a faster and more shortcut path towards enlightenment compared to other forms of Buddhism.

9) Palga discusses the differences between Buddhist and Hindu traditions, particularly their approach to karma and deities. While both traditions emphasize doing good deeds and accumulating karma, Buddhism does not believe in a creator or destroyer, and instead focuses on the accumulation of positive and negative karma. Furthermore, while Hinduism has significant emphasis on deities or gods, Buddhism sees deities more as a manifestation of one's true nature, and tries to invoke them through visualization and chanting.

10) Palga discusses the idea of our true nature being inherently good and enlightened, but it is often covered up by external factors. He explains that people can call it God, Buddha nature, or enlightenment. He also talks about the Tumo practice, which is part of the six meditations of Naropa, and involves using the fire element of our bodies and visualizing to generate heat. The practice takes place in the coldest month of the year in the Himalayan Mountains in Ladakh. Rinpoche emphasizes that the practice should not be done for the sake of being cool, but rather for its true purpose.

11) Palga Rinpoche discusses his experiences with possession and interaction with the spiritual world. He shares that he has had conversations with those who have been possessed, and they have spoken in different languages and revealed details of places that exist but are unknown to him. He also talks about the protection deities that accompany him due to his family's long-standing involvement with Buddhism. When he helps possessed individuals, he does so compassionately and tries to get their attention without physically harming them.

12) Palga discusses his experiences with near-death situations and how they have impacted his perspective on life and death. He also delves into the concept of wrathful deities in Buddhism and the transformative power they can have on an individual's personality and behavior. He explains that through a three-year retreat and constant practice, one can absorb the deity's personality and powers, resulting in the manifestation of their activities and the way they carry themselves. While he admits that it can be used as a last resort, he believes that having a bit of fire and arrogance can lead to success in both daily and spiritual life, particularly in relationships.

13) Palga discusses the duties of a monk in the spiritual realm and the guidance he receives from oracles possessed by good deities. He explains that monks and some spiritually awakened humans have work in the astral world, which is the world of dreams, deities, and ghosts. He also talks about how meditation is a powerful tool that can rest your soul, mind, and consciousness. The power of meditation is such that it can make you feel rested even with just two to three hours of sleep, making it a reason why he doesn't dream much, as he prefers meditation over sleep.

14) The discussion centers around the idea that certain practices, such as yoga, can make the body more conducive for meditation. While certain cravings and desires are not necessary to give up for spiritual progress, abstaining from them at the beginning may help the common person from getting caught up in certain webs or hooks. The real renunciation, however, is from within and involves abstaining from negative emotions like jealousy, greed, and ego. The conversation touches on the Buddhist vajrayana path that involves sexual union with the goal of deepening spirituality and meditation rather thanjust seeking sexual gratification.

15) Palga explains how anger can be a destructive emotion if not managed properly, drawing an analogy to fire that can cook food if properly contained but can destroy a house if unleashed. He emphasizes the importance of channeling all emotions, positive and negative, in order to achieve transformation and utilize 100% of one's energy. The topic then transitions to the ethics of eating meat and how the mistreatment of animals, especially in factory farming, is contributing to the Earth's decay and a dark age. Palga Rinpoche advocates for vegetarianism as a way to reduce suffering to innocent and sensitive creatures and for the wellbeing of the planet.

16) Palga talks about his perspective on vegetarianism and explains how he encourages people in areas with food abundance to choose vegetarianism by making them aware of steroids, hormones, and antibiotics present in animals. According to oracles, people are losing faith in spirituality and becoming more materialistic, and Palga's message to the listeners is to stop looking for happiness outside in external things and instead focus on spirituality, mindfulness, and compassion to replace default emotions with good emotions.