Delson Armstrong's REVEALING lost interview

[@BeingUntangled]

👇 READ BEFORE COMMENTING 👇 You are asked to be polite & respectful to all participants, and to limit your comments to the topics discussed in the videos. If you post comments containing insulting, demanding, promotional, false, irrelevant, or trolling statements then, as a result of your own actions, you will be permanently banned from commenting on this channel.

[@Wordartz]

Thanks!

[@TinnMannn]

I went to a retreat at Dhamma Sukha when Bhante Ananda was there. He gave us refuge and the precepts and sat in meditation with us. He was the first monastic I ever met and he was very inspiring. He read us the sutta 6 sets of 6 which was very moving and I have very fond memories and am glad he was guiding that. That retreat was my first experience with Buddhism and being around someone inspiring like Bhante Ananda opened up a new path me. I feel sorry that this situation became public and that he had to deal with making sure Dana was being distributed fairly.

[@StringVest]

As a non-buddhist I find it confusing when Buddhists who say they have come to the end of a path which claims to be the end of suffering still say they suffer. They hedge it with suffering that isn't attributable to an individual any more, and therefore not the same and doesn't count, but it still seems like regular old suffering whether of the self or not.

[@helpfulinfo2630]

I assumed that the interviewer was very slimy with a hidden agenda to destroy TWIM as stated by Delson on Guru viking, but it is hard to match what was described about Dor on Guru Viking with what is showing here.

[@helpfulinfo2630]

Dor seems nice, polite and caring

[@meowmeowsaymeowmeow]

I hope this video doesn't get taken down. I think it's transformative, with informative and critical content, and your commentary definitely changes the video. Your work exposing TWIM is very thorough and I'm shocked there's not more content calling it out. Thanks for your work 🙏

[@Dview550]

Delson's statements about being liberated while simultaneously seeking attention and acceptance, yet expressing a desire not to be placed on a pedestal, indicate that there are underlying issues to address. If he has accepted the teacher role at TWIM but is unaware of the responsibilities and influence that come with it, that is something he must reflect on. Achieving liberation is unlikely to be meaningful without addressing these issues. There seem to be inconsistencies in his speech, which is common among individuals. Regarding his decision to take money separately for his family, it may be worth considering why he didn’t extract it from his portion. Also, what’s with the wanting a video not to be released because it made him look a certain way, isn’t this clinging to views and also conceit ? He mentioned feeling lost after his father's passing; it's important to explore what that entails. Would it have been more appropriate for him to simply engage in meditation and be part of the community rather than assuming a teaching role? Seems to me like Bhante Vimalaramsi and delson weren’t align enough to be working to together. It may be beneficial for you and Delson to have a constructive, anonymous dialogue to restore a sense of harmony, hopefully he accepts. Metta!

[@wolfk2258]

Did completion of fourth path enable Delson to flamboyantly flout the Precepts (Not speaking the fault of others)? And geezus, I don't quite get his vendetta v Bhikkhu Ananda after he took the lion's share of retreat teaching donations. Besides later Ananda returns some money. It seems though Delson bears a grudge. Then there's the mystery of why Delson called this interviewer "slimey" when its a student of his and it's Delson doing most of the talking. Dor, the interviewer didn't seem slimey to me. But Delson doesn't show any hesitation at throwing his own student under the bus. Nice. Ahhh the profound insights of the Arahat! Doesn't seem much different than catty middle school girls.

[@martinspiering5817]

I recall a (fairly senior) teacher saying that when one of his teachers was asked who among his/her students was the most enlightened, he (or she) responded, "The student who took one year out of their life to be with their frail and dying mother." (Spontaneous) actions always speak louder than words (including claims to extraordinary realizations or declarations of attainments). "There are, strictly speaking, no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity." Shunryu Suzuki

[@andrewcooper4083]

I don't think Delson claimed he was an Arahant as far as I know ... could you provide a quote from a reliable recorded source?

[@BeingUntangled]

It's in his first interview on Guru Viking, but he summarizes it pretty well here in this video. He said he completed 4 paths and fruitions, the last of which is Arahantship. Therefore this is a declaration of Arahantship. And furthermore he says that he allowed people to believe this so that people would like him and give him attention.

[@TaylanMorcol]

@andrewcooper4083 -- See Guru Viking, episode 120, from which the excerpt below is taken (starting at 1 : 14 : 30). kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKjMq4Sje8prbdEsi=Zdsl-Da6A8-G0kOM&t=4470 Steve - “When you said there that you had the experience twice in the same day, am I to take that to mean that you attained the second and third paths within the same day?” Delson - “Well the second path, the path and the fruition of the second. ...And then later on, subsequently the rest of the paths and fruitions. ... And what happens is you start to realize, especially at the final attainment, which is really what we’re talking about, which happened much later on ...”

[@TaylanMorcol]

@andrewcooper4083 - see Guru Viking, episode 120, starting at 1 : 14 : 30, which is where the quote below is taken from (edited to remove stutters and filler words): Steve - "When you said there that you had the experience twice in the same day, am I to take that to mean that you attained the second and third paths within the same day?" Delson - "Well the second path, the path and fruition of the second. ... And then later on, subsequently, the rest of the paths and fruitions. ... You start to realize, especially at the final attainment, which is really what we're talking about, which happened much later on..."

[@kota5050]

Thank you for doing the right thing for the dhamma followers. It takes immense courage to do what you are doing, 🙏🙏🙏

[@PuggiTheGreat]

Well, I shall be candid but polite, been a Buddhist most of my life, I’m 63, and seen people like Delson before…one thing I always notice, they do a lot of talk about me me me me me and my experiences…he may have experienced a Jhana or two and a lot of arising “mind content” that’s led him astray. Delson is either delusional or deceptive about his alleged accomplishments. As to his claims concerning Dzogchen & Rigpa, hah! Sorry, he wouldn’t last two minutes in an interview. There are may things I could say but this will suffice.

[@helpfulinfo2630]

It seems that the interviewee was asking Dor to help him to PR through this interviewing video, if it is understood correctly. DOR , May comment.

[@Wordartz]

Is he delusional or is he lying? Thanks brother for bringing this video out. I cannot believe that a person with cessation experience would not even have faith.

[@BeingUntangled]

Well there are layers to that. The first is that we only have his word about his cessation experiences, which clearly isn't worth much. Yes, I know there was a study, but this study did not confirm Delson's prior statements and he just tried to gloss over that fact and roll with it. As he said, he experienced these "cessations" prior to even encountering the Dhamma or TWIM. It is well known that the yogic traditions include an unconscious trance state, and clearly none of these yogis saw & understood what the Buddha saw & understood. Delson is assuming that this yogic state is identical to the Cessation of Perception and Feeling that the Buddha described, but this is an unjustified leap. He didn't reach this state by following the Buddha's method, so why then should anyone expect that he would get the results of the Buddha's method?

[@Collins_bear]

Can someone explain why monks, like Bhante Ananda are carrying money? I thought it was prohibited for monks to accept, handle, or use money

[@BeingUntangled]

You'd be surprised. Bhante Vimalaramsi himself did not take this particular precept seriously and went shopping regularly (buying candy, cigars, etc.)

[@supremeknowing]

Why ask? Its simply they are not monks at heart just people with klesas wearing robes anybkdy ordained in buddha sasanaa would repsect the buddha rules since its his tradition and never touch money! Greatest fools are those who ignore the noble world teacher (lord buddha) rules.

[@seynsverlassenheit3296]

Your approach is impeccable. You are relentless in a good sense. Only liars could have anything against your video-exposés.

[@davidjohnson8218]

What about the people who he says are liars that are not! You can call anyone a liar with no proof. Sheesh!

[@BeingUntangled]

@davidjohnson8218 We presented proof in previous videos as well as in the video you're commenting on. Lots of it. Maybe you should watch them again and try to hold your contempt at bay long enough to see the information being presented.

[@world-classjanayoho]

​@@davidjohnson8218 David do look into your reactions Maybe others are right maybe others are wrong yet regardless of all that see every thing is teaching you well in you Well it is how we help each other on this path to Dhamma @Being untagled too i think what you are doing is good but you are getting too attached do see that May all beings be happy

[@HumbertoMaynoldi]

@@davidjohnson8218what if someone provides irrefutable proof of lies? Sheeesh!

[@AH-wk1id]

What does being untangled think about Bhante Vimalaramsi?

[@BeingUntangled]

There are several videos on the channel that address Bhante Vimalaramsi and his views, this one being the most comprehensive: 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/onqcYmZnYsanjMU

[@robertg.3331]

​@@BeingUntangled Would you agree that he at least seemed to have a genuine wish to promote what he believed was a way to find the Dhamma? Practically, that doesn't change much, though: being misled is being misled, whether that comes about because of associating with an outright scammer or with someone honest but misguided.

[@BeingUntangled]

@robertg.3331 He (Bhante Vimalaramsi) did believe in what he was promoting, even though those immediately below him didn't believe it (such as his meninges theory for example). His conviction seems to have come mostly from the fact that he believed certain devas had visited him and told him that he was teaching what the Blessed One taught. Bhante Vimalaramsi did not recognize these devas as Māras. He should have known that what he was teaching wasn't what the Blessed One taught. That is to say, he had the information at his disposal and he had it pointed out to him on numerous occasions, but he stubbornly refused to do his duty (just like the "worthless persons" the Blessed One famously chastised in the suttas). There is nothing admirable about sincerely believing something that is false and harmful. That is fundamentally what all run-of-the mill, uninstructed people are doing. But what he did was far worse, because he represented what was not-Dhamma as Dhamma and misled many people (and people have continued to be misled since his passing away). But although Bhante Vimalaramsi did believe that he was teaching correctly, he was not sincere in all matters (as has been covered elsewhere)

[@MrCastleJohnny]

Shocking. You opened my eyes. Many of these gurus seem to be totally corrupted. I wonder if there's any noble teachers these days ? What do you think about Dhammarato? At least he doesn't make big claims... is he legit?

[@dethtrain]

Just because he's had glimpses he considers himself liberated? Oh boy

[@DorKonforty]

Hello, Being Untangled! Nice to meet you. My name is Dor and I recorded the video that you’ve posted here. This isn’t the video Delson and I had intended to publish; Delson didn’t like this one, and I as well had advised him to re-do many of the parts in it, particularly those that were more about other people personally. We did another one the following day that, in my opinion, would have been of much greater service to its potential viewers. Unfortunately, after our time together had come to an end, Delson had asked me to not publish it - or any of the other videos we had created together, mostly us happily shooting the shit about the Dharma. I’m sorry to see this one online; I was hoping Delson would eventually reconsider so that we could post the better one we had made. === I believe you have a similar underlying intention to what drove me to make this video: arriving at a deeper truth than what was previously presented, and finding, and bringing to people, the truest Dharma. I'm sorry you were made crazy. It looks to be in the same vein as how the video I had made with Delson was called "slimy", with him making the claim that I had "an agenda to destroy TWIM". I was sad to see your rebuffed attempts at communicating with Delson, again and again, and you being pushed away. I wish you had gotten a chance to have a real, one of one conversation with him where you could have expressed yourself plainly, not needing to speak to intermediaries and running up against walls even when hoping to ask a simple question about the Dharma in a container made just for that. I myself have gone through a similar, and incredibly frustrating, experience of this sort with Delson and it felt awful. I value your desire to get at the truth. This as well was my intention in the videos I had recorded with Delson. I hope that it shows even in this video that was the first and flawed iteration of this conversation between us. === My desire was to give Delson an opportunity to talk about his own, first hand experience, without the “confines” of an interview that he was sent to do as a representative of TWIM or where he was needing to arrive at some pre-designed conclusion or message. To allow him to be truly himself, and fully accountable for any harmful impact his previous words had had on his students and followers - myself included. I was excited to use this opportunity, of a straight-talk conversation with Delson, a teacher I appreciate very much and was valuable for me on my own path - to show how even such a highly attained master of meditation can still suffer from human issues directing their behaviors in ways that skew the deeper truth, that sin to the Dharma that they otherwise are exemplars of. And make no mistake - in many ways, Delson is an exemplar of the Dharma. He's just also “still human”, driven unconsciously by old wounds and traumas and fears, with unaligned behaviors resulting from that. Our time together was characterized by many conversations around these issues, about the path that goes beyond just the "Waking Up" vector of development (in Integral Theory parlance). About "Growing Up" -- taking on more perspectives, being more inclusive and caring for all humans. And particularly, about "Cleaning Up" and “Showing Up”: Reclaiming shadows, healing old developmental trauma and maladaptive belief systems, And showing up authentically in every moment, true to one’s self and the immediate experience, bringing one’s self fully to relationships and to all interactions with the world. Delson ended up talking about a lot of his conclusions from our time together around these topics in the recent Guru Viking interview, which I am very happy about!, but hasn't really owned the way that he was driven by these issues, by his own personal and challenging life circumstances, in a way that has created harmful impact - which I am sure he is not happy about, being aware of the harm that was caused to his students and followers. My desire in this interview - and, again, we did a better job in the next one that we did want to publish - was to flesh this out so that Delson's students and followers could learn from the _complete_ path of their teacher, not just from his knowledge of Suttas and Jhanic practices. There is so much more to this path! I was hoping Delson would take accountability for his actions, reflect to people the impact that was done and show empathy for it, apologize for any actions which he now realizes are unaligned, discuss how he can and will do better - and, mainly, that he speaks openly about how something like this could have happened as a result of shadows, of unhealed trauma, of unhealthy projections on the world resulting from unmet and frozen childhood needs that one can carry even as an adult, even as a master of multiple “spiritual practices”. I thought this would be doing a service to the Theravada Dharma community and the "spiritual"/"awakening community at large, having someone like Delson express himself in this manner and show up so beautifully, vulnerably, openly. The Guru Viking interview, in my view, was characterized by "ifpologies". "If I hurt someone, then I apologize". A real apology, in my world, contains a clear statement of "I apologize for this action that I had taken". A particularly skillful apology is followed up with an acknowledgment of any impact, any harm that might have been done, and with empathy for any difficult and challenging emotions and situations created. Taking accountability is then, at the least, showing what you’ve learned, what you’re going to change about how you show up, and even shedding light on what made you show up in the way that caused the issue to begin with. === I want to believe I understand where you’re coming from. I get a sense that we both had a flavor of the same frustrating experience with Delson. I myself still see Delson as my friend and believe in his inherent goodness, in his capacity to learn and evolve and go beyond old mistakes. I believe sitting down for this conversation was part of this process for him, even as perhaps later he was a little scared about the implications of showing up this way, so vulnerably and openly, in a way that challenges his teacher persona. I wish at some point he changes his mind and wishes to publish all of the videos we had created. I truly believe the iteration on this video we had made would have only aided his path, both as a human on this planet and as a teacher of Dharma. Until that time, and for now, I have submitted a takedown request to KZbin. You have published a video that belongs to me without contacting me and without my permission. I’m asking that even before any action by KZbin, you take this down yourself. If and when Delson chooses to have the updated iteration of this conversation published, you are more than welcome to publish your take and analysis of it then. 🙏 All the best, -- Dor Konforty

[@BeingUntangled]

@DorKonforty Thanks for sharing your side of the story. If you're interested, it might make more sense to get your statements in an interview format rather than excessively long KZbin comment. Let me know if this appeals to you and we can set one up. One of Delson's problems is that he keeps the bad friends and pushes away the good ones (for reasons I think you have a clear understanding of). I too considered and still consider Delson to be my friend (even though he may see me as his enemy) and it brings me no pleasure to have to criticize my friends in public, but he left me no choice and many people are at risk of being misled. An "intervention" is sometimes required in cases such as this. Thank you for trying to help him see what he needed to see. I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you had hoped. I understand why you submitted a takedown request, but I must warn you that it is baseless as this video is clearly covered by the parameters of fair use and there is serious legal liability in creating false copyright claims. I kindly recommend that you remove your claim, since without that there is no wrong doing in this for either of us (as uncomfortable as it may be for Delson). It hurts the channel and makes it harder to reach people with this important, and potentially life saving, information.

[@Wordartz]

I would urge Dorkonforty to publish the rest. When Delson puts himself out there as a teacher he is bound to receive criticism. Why would he want to hide it rather than address it.

[@DorKonforty]

​@@BeingUntangled Thank you for your prompt reply. I have now watched the video all the way through and want to say I appreciate your reflections on how I conducted myself as well as your reflection of my intentions. I feel seen and appreciated. Thank you. 🙏 While I believe your use of this video is far outside the realm of fair-use -- try posting a leaked, full-length Disney movie on KZbin with your commentary-in-a-box and count how many seconds it takes till it's removed -- I have retracted my claim with KZbin for now and will take the time to contemplate how to best move forward with this.

[@kzantal]

​@@DorKonfortyI understand how you feel. However, please remember that Delson abused and lied to tens of thousands of people online and in person. He even went as far as fabricating shared and grandiose past life experiences for Bhante V and himself (the straw that broke the camel's back to me and a sin he has yet to atone for or be confronted to, which turned me from being indifferent to openly opposing his statements in comment sections). In this context, exposing this video lies, in my opinion, far outside the limits of fair use. Should a video exposing atrocities be cancelled because of fair use? His interviews are atrocities in the Dhamma! From the moment I heard him speak and make his claims, I knew he was a fraud. However so many people drank his words. He must be exposed at all costs for their benefit.

[@kzantal]

​@@DorKonfortyAlso regarding his past life stories, he made it sound as if Bhante V and him had this deep spiritual connection going back eons (I'm barely exaggerating). And here he's saying that Bhante was not even his teacher and they had hardly anything to do with one another. He can't keep up with his own lies and deceptions. No wonder he didn't want it published. It would be a disservice to humanity to take out this video. If there was any doubt left that he is a fraud and a liar, this video dispelled it.

[@paragozar]

Also, it's tempting to get judgementlal an djump on the guy but this is part of our world and many people seek out this type of personality, so in a way he's just responding to audience demand.

[@BeingUntangled]

Yes. If he continues on this trajectory he'll be forming a cult around his 2026 prediction of the apocalypse (from his latest Guru Viking interview), surrounding himself with a harem of young women, and touching people on the forehead with the crystal phalluses he's so inspired by. It's so ordinary and predictable at this point that few would have even noticed if it weren't for the specific way he went about acquiring his fame and influence, namely claiming to have made these very specific attainments. But bear in mind that many actions that accumulate very bad kamma are nevertheless quite common and ordinary.

[@kzantal]

🙏🙏🙏

[@not-one-not-two]

Did you really spend 60k for that first doco? If so, why did it cost so much?

[@BeingUntangled]

1) Yes of course. 2) This is a very shoe-string budget for such a production and only includes the hard costs, not the price of labor or the opportunity costs. The total expenditure now is closer to $100,000, again not including opportunity cost. Do you live in an inexpensive country? For some perspective, here's what GPT has to say about the cost to produce a 5 and a half hour documentary: Per Minute Cost: Documentary production typically costs between $1,000 and $10,000 per finished minute, depending on the complexity and quality desired For a 5.5-hour (330-minute) documentary: Low-end Estimate: 330×1,000=$330,000330×1,000=$330,000 High-end Estimate: 330×10,000=$3,300,000330×10,000=$3,300,000

[@gerhard108]

Delson is so full of himself.. not to use another phrase. Looks like a classical narcissist to me! Thank you for exposing „Mr Jivanmukta“. Sad to watch this level of hypocrisy!

[@gin-g6s]

Dam you took this turkey apart

[@kengleck129]

Buddhist cultural revolution going on ?

[@AH-wk1id]

To Bhantes credit, he was not swept up in the covid madness at all.

[@HumbertoMaynoldi]

Thank you for your hard work, and diligence in exposing these misguided men.

[@StringVest]

Thing is we don't have Buddha's original words we just have those of scribes who recorded oral tradition.

[@BeingUntangled]

Don't say that. It isn't good to say that. We do have the Buddha's words. If there were recording of his voice on magnetic tape, a faithless man might say, "we don't have his voice, only a recording of it on magnetic tape." Well a magnetic tape or a copy of a magnetic tape wouldn't last 2600 years. But an oral followed by a scribal tradition of preservation can last 2600 years. How can it be known for certain that the suttas contain the words & phrases spoken by the Buddha? Because these words are inspired, they are confirmed, they mean something, they are instructions for practice, and that practice gives specific results. Imagine finding Einstein's theory of relativity and doing all the calculations and finding that they work and are perfectly applicable for their purpose and then concluding that these must not be the statements of Einstein but rather some off the cuff ramblings of a scribe, or the work of some committee with no understanding of the subtle aspects of time, space, and motion. Just because Delson hasn't penetrated the meaning of this teaching, or you yourself haven't penetrated the meaning, don't therefore assume that penetrating the meaning is impossible. It is possible for those with little dust in their eyes.

[@StringVest]

@BeingUntangled People don't talk in the style found in sutras so it's obviously been edited, and it's not a complete biography. People will have to do their best to match their own experience with the second hand data in scripture. It would have helped if he just dictated his philosophy. Not very helpful. Maybe one day they find something old in a cave like with the Christian scriptures.

[@BeingUntangled]

@StringVest Your comments are showing that you are quite ignorant of even the recent past. Read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. That wasn't so long ago. It is very clear that you are speaking from a place of ignorance and haven't studied the ancient world.

[@StringVest]

@@BeingUntangled Well, the Bible and Quran are also cobbled together by scribes, the bible being particularly problematic when it comes to accurately conveying the words of it's founder. Buddhist scripture was created a long time after his death so I'd take it with a pinch of salt. I'd also be cautious accepting the belief of devotees for the same reason I'd be cautious of accepting the scriptural interpretations of Christian apologists. Buddhism does, though, like you say, provide methods which you can experiment with and see for yourself although people are arguing about that too. That's people for you! The flower sermon even depends entirely on secondary scribal words, being the conveying of a non verbal event. They say.

[@BeingUntangled]

@StringVest again you are showing a profound ignorance of the matter and yet have the confidence to make bold statements. The Flower Sermon and other Mahayana texts are fictional and much later works. Educate yourself and only speak to what you actually know. Please refer to the following statements from the Blessed One: “Monks, endowed with five qualities, even though listening to the True Dhamma, one is incapable of alighting on the orderliness, on the rightness of skillful qualities. Which five? ”One holds the talk in contempt. “One holds the speaker in contempt. “One holds oneself in contempt. “One is undiscerning, dim-witted, a drooling idiot. “Not understanding, one assumes one understands. You are clearly suffering very much from #4, and #5. Reflect on this. You have been corrected multiple times and yet persist in clinging to this evil, pernicious view of yours.

[@jamesm5192]

It was inevitable :P BTW, I'd be surprised if your health issues continue if you start eating proper animal protein like your viking genetics require. Wasn't the Buddha's last meal lamb? I don't know... But I do know I see a lot of the health problems I see in these "spiritual communities" are self inflicted; I've even done it to myself.

[@BeingUntangled]

Thank you for the sound advice. That's not the issue in my case, but certainly worth others' consideration.

[@jamesm5192]

@@BeingUntangled Yes I spoke without knowing anything about why you're unwell; just by generalizing you as a Buddhist in the modern world :) The fridge diets causing problems are so common that I figured it worth mentioning. @38:00 He wishes we could see him as a normal person who has faults and is "capable of being politically incorrect" - haha priceless!

[@Joseph-zw6wm]

@@BeingUntangled Might you talk about your issue in more depth ? Maybe someone could help you with it.

[@Wordartz]

Thanks!