# Ep354: Islamic Mysticism & Tantric Buddhism - Dr Francisco José Luis

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/guru-viking-podcast-1161340/ep354-islamic-mysticism-tantric-buddhism-dr-francisco-jos-luis
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/guru-viking-podcast-1161340/ep354-islamic-mysticism-tantric-buddhism-dr-francisco-jos-luis.md
Podcast: [Guru Viking Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/guru-viking-podcast-1161340)
Published: 2026-03-27T14:00:45+00:00
Episode link: https://soundcloud.com/guruviking/ep354-islamic-mysticism
Audio file: https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2289742538-guruviking-ep354-islamic-mysticism.mp3
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Duration seconds: 5021

## Resource

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Francisco José Luis, scholar of Indo-Iranian Studies and Comparative Religion trained at the Sorbonne, Paris and SOAS, London. Francisco shares his research into the links between Indian and Tibetan tantric practices and the mystical teachings of Shi’ite Islam, reveals the prevalence of lucid dreaming techniques in antiquity, and emphasises the importance of the Silk Road in transmitting esoteric knowledge between civilisations. Francisco discusses the Islamic yogi, Jâbir ibn Ḥayyān; traces the historical tensions between the scholarly, jurist factions and mystics within Shi’ism; and asserts that Iranian Buddhism was a key part of the Islamic Golden Age. Francisco also argues for significant Islamic influence on Buddhism, the need for a sense of civilisational greatness, and why he believes the time has to come to reignite sacred chivalry. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep354-islamic-mysticism-tantric-buddhism-francisco-jose-luis Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Lucid dreaming techniques in a 19th century Shi’ite text 03:34 - The focal point of the Shi’ite tradition 04:28 - 4 volume Shi’ite encyclopaedia of dreams 06:21 - Links between Tibetan and Shi’ite dream yoga techniques 08:01 - Silk road, Gandhāra, and the internationalisation of Buddhism 09:07 - Jâbir ibn Ḥayyān, the Islamic alchemist and “Buddhist yogi” 11:06 - Iranian Buddhist influence on the Golden Age of Islam 14:26 - The rise of the scholar 16:20 - Islamic influence on Buddhism 17:04 - Practice over dogma in Oḍḍiyāna 19:11 - The influence of Classical Greece 19:51 - Lucid dreaming in antiquity 22:27 - Hesychasm: a Christian breath, body, and mind meditation…

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