The Mystical Positivist: The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #58

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #58 - 18FEB12

The Mystical Positivist is now a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP 107.3 FM, Occidental, CA. Listen live on Saturday evenings from 4:00 - 6:00pm, PST, via the web at KOWS Live Stream.

This week's podcast features:

A conversation with Cogen Bohanec. Cogen Bohanec, a teacher at Sonoma Yoga Martial Arts in Penngrove, California, is registered with the ISKF (International Shotokan Karate Federation) as a third-degree black belt (Sandan) in Shotokan karate. He has been studying Karate for the last 13 years under many highly venerated ISKF instructors, including Japanese masters who were among the first generation of Japanese Karateka to bring Karate to the U.S. and the rest of the world. Students who train under Sensei Bohanec receive insight to the highly refined technical aspects of the art as well as insights into the fundamental Zen foundation of karate, and its transformative power in daily life.

In addition to martial arts, Cogen Bohanec has been practicing Yoga for over 10 years. He began training with various teachers in Sonoma County in the hatha traditions of Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Sivananda Yoga and eventually lived and trained on an ashram at the base of the sacred Mt. Arunachala in Tiruvanamali, India. He has spent 13 years studying Eastern Philosophy (Yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, etc.) becoming literate in Sanskrit, and memorizing the entire Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. He is currently studying Sanskrit and Eastern Philosophy at U.C. Berkeley, becoming versed in Indian Epic Literature (Mahabharata and Ramayana), Orthodox (Astika) and Heterodox (Nastika) systems of Indic thought, as well as the mythology, history and culture of India. He has worked to bring the incredible art of Yoga to hundreds of students over the last decade.

Cogen has spent over a decade training and performing in many forms of dance. Much of his formal training is in ballet though he is also well versed and certified in Jazz and Modern dance. Cogen's deepest passion for dance is for contact/acrobatic dance, and he is an expert at weight sharing, lifting, and stunt work. He was Co-director, Choreographer, and dancer for Grassroots Movement, a local dance company, for over 6 years.

More information about Cogen Bohanec's work and interests can be found at:

Sonoma Yoga Martial Arts website: www.sonomayogamartialarts.com

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"The Mystical Positivist" Radio Show

The Mystical Positivist is a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP FM 107.3 Occidental, CA, and on the web at KOWS-LP Live Feed, Saturdays from 4 - 6pm PST. Coming up on The Mystical Positivist:

April 20: A pre-recorded conversation with Ken McLeod, Buddhist teacher and author of the newly released book, The Magic of Vajrayana. In this conversation, we plan to explore a compelling quote from Ian McGilchrist's The Matter with Things: If you had set out to destroy the happiness and stability of a people, it would have been hard to improve on our current formula: remove yourself as far as possible from the natural world; repudiate the continuity of your culture; believe you are wise enough to do whatever you happen to want and not only get away with it, but have a right to it—and a right to silence those who disagree; minimise the role played by a common body of belief; actively attack and dismantle every social structure as a potential source of oppression; reject the idea of a transcendent set of values.

One of the more innovative Buddhist teachers today, Ken McLeod is known for his clear explanations, poetic translations, and pragmatic approach to practice. He is one of the first generation of Western teachers in the Tibetan tradition and one of the few to be authorized to transmit the full scope of these teachings to students. In particular, his approach resonates strongly with those whose path lies outside established institutions.

After graduating with a degree in mathematics, Ken cycled across Europe to Istanbul and then continued his journey overland to India. In 1970 he met his principal teacher Kalu Rinpoche at his monastery near Darjeeling. There Ken began a study and practice in Tibetan Buddhism that lasted more than twenty years. He completed the traditional three-year retreat program two times, translated for many teachers, and helped set up Buddhist centers in Canada and the United States. After his teacher's passing, Ken moved away from the hierarchical structures of Asian Buddhism to explore new approaches.

In 1990, he founded Unfettered Mind in Los Angeles. His approach of one-on-one consultations roiled the Buddhist world in the early '90s, but was quickly recognized as a viable way to teach and guide students in the West. He made individual interviews a central feature of the many retreats he taught in California, New Mexico, and British Columbia. Through numerous small groups in Southern California, he developed the materials that became the encyclopedic meditation manual, Wake Up to Your Life.

Now retired from formal teaching, he lives in Northern California where he hikes and writes. His writings and translations include The Great Path of Awakening (1987), Wake Up to Your Life (2001), An Arrow to the Heart (2007), Reflections on Silver River (2014), A Trackless Path (2017), and The Magic of Vajrayana (2022), as well as a corpus of articles and translations in Tricycle and other Buddhist magazines.