Ryan Oelke a buddhist and a geek

Just recently I spoek with and Ryan Oelke from the Buddhist Geek podcast about his start in Buddhism, his solitary retreat and his foray into podcasting.

1: How, when and why do you get into Buddhism?

I came to Buddhism while I was in undergrad at Missouri Western State College. I don’t quite remember the exact course of events, but I do know that the Dalai Lama’s book, "The Art of Happiness" was pivotal for me. I had never heard the world spoken of in this way, and it all sounded so matter-of-factly. Reading that book really opened the door to contemplative practice, to dive into what lie behind ordinary perceptions. This lead me to visit the Rime Center in Kansas City, Missouri, a non-sectarian Tibetan Buddhist center. I took up meditation practice and have been practicing and studying ever since. My entrance into Buddhism seemed very natural, very familiar in some way.  

2: I read on your bio you did a solitary retreat? Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences on retreat.

Sure thing. I did a solitary retreat at Tsegyalgar in Conway, Mass, a primary center for the Dzogchen Community of Namkah Norbu, my teacher. Solitary retreat is fairly normal in this community and Tsegyalgar has wonderful retreat land and cabins. For me, this was both my longest retreat and first solitary retreat:) I don’t recommend that to the average person! My experience was a tough one, but also good. I think sometimes we imagine retreats and meditation as this wonderful, peaceful, non-stop blissful experience, when in fact much of it is suffering, or at least coming face-to-face, intimately with our suffering. This was my experience. That’s not to see that peace and bliss aren’t also common, but not all the time, and certainly not for me on this retreat. As for my practice, I went into knowing I do one specific practice for three weeks, which kept things simple. I think practitioners should feel 100% confident that they understand the practices they’re undertaking and if possible, have access to a teacher during the retreat, depending on how long they’ll be in retreat. Interestingly enough, my experience resulted in me knowing what to do the next time, and so I’ve been longing to go for another retreat, a do-over, if you will:)

3: How has Buddhism and meditation changed your life?

Great question. Part of me feels stumped in answering this question, which seems kind of odd! I think it’s hard to see how meditation has or has not changed one’s life. Broadly speaking, I think it’s opened up, or cracked a veil covering mundane life and experience. I think this is what the Buddha taught us: a way for us to penetrate a fundamental misperception of ourselves, others, and the world in general, and to pursue this contemplation and investigation to the end. All I can say at this point is that practicing and studying Buddhism has started this process and continues to compel me along the path. As for my relative life, I think minimally, practice provides a powerful foundation from which we can make significant change in our lives and the world, but I believe that has to happen in tandem with other practices.

4: How do you take what you have learned from Buddhism into normal daily life.

Oops, looks like I got ahead of myself:) I partly answered this in my previous questions. As I stated, I think that the line between Buddhist practice and daily life is somewhat gray, which I know some would disagree with. Perhaps I should say it’s complex. Of course, I think the ethical teachings of Buddhism deal directly with life, and in it’s simplest form is actually very helpful, but often it’s not so simple. Much of the ethics are encased in the cultural context from which they emerged, which at the time we could say was quite skillful, but for today’s age requires some updating. I think I try to bring the Buddha’s teachings in a simple, fundamental way: recognize the suffering within myself and others, and act accordingly. The more I am familiar with my own suffering, the more I work through it’s causes, the more I can act compassionately to others.

5: Tell us about BuddhistGeeks.com. What the goal behind it?

Buddhist Geeks is a project I started with Vince Horn, a close friend and fellow Buddhist. Our main focus is on our podcast, though we have written several articles on the site as well. We recently wrote a statement describing what we’re about, so I figure that would be a good way to describe what we’re about:

Buddhist Geeks: Seriously Buddhist, Seriously Geeky. Combining ancient wisdom with modern technology, Buddhist Geeks aims to catalyze a community of practice committed to awakening.  Discover the emerging face of Western Buddhism.

I think that sums it up nicely. We want everything we do to be tied to awakening, to real practice. We don’t want to "talk dharma" for the sake of flapping our gums or making us feel good. We want people to benefit concretely from our podcast, to be inspired in their practice.
As for the nature of the conversations on Buddhist Geeks, I see them like this: imagine talking with an admirable, inspirational teacher, author, or practitioner, maybe over coffee or tea. At some point in the conversation you hit upon some amazing insights. I think we try to capture that feeling in what we do. We try to be very practical, and yet personable in our interviews, which I think is a distinguishing characteristic.

6: If you could go back in time and change one thing or event, what would it be?

I’ve thought about this question now and then in my life. There have been times in my life when I’ve looked back wanting to change things, particularly those times of intense suffering. However, in the end, those times of suffering have been the catalyst for profound changes, and so I really don’t want to change anything. That being said, I do look back and learn from those experiences and seek to make the present and future better.