Speaker: Jen Kern. Jen reflects on maitri aspiration and how it leads to warm-hearted courage and “buddhanature self esteem”. She contemplates two profound questions related to maitri that came up after recent talks given by Rinpoche: “Why am I still putting up walls of protection and closing down when I aspire to expand?” “How am I shirking my responsibility to self-reflect, be present with fear, and shine a light on obscurations?” Jen discovered that her fear of self-cherishing resulted in a failure to direct loving-kindness to herself, which then became an obstacle to feeling genuine compassion and open-heartedness. Reflecting on the benefits of “placing the fearful mind in the loving cradle of maîtri”, she leads listeners in a loving-kindness practice that starts with oneself.

Speaker: Fredi Kaufmann. Fredi reflects on how language shapes experience and spiritual growth. Words are creative forces- our inner and outer speech manifest reality. Cultivating kind, compassionate self-talk supports well being and transformation. On the Buddhist path, mantra recitation is a sacred language, which becomes a means of transformation. Mantras hold vibrational power beyond meaning. Repetition of mantras or prayers calms the mind, aligns us with deep aspiration, and reveals the mind’s nature. Over time, repetition rewires thought patterns and allows sacred words to surface in daily life, aligning us with deep wisdom and compassion.

Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This previously-recorded teaching was originally given by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche to the Sangha on December 6, 2015 in Crestone, Colorado. Rinpoche extensively explains the meaning of four famous lines from the Sakya tradition that address being a spiritual practitioner, renunciation, bodhicitta and the ultimate view.

Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This previously-recorded LINK was the third teaching of a weekend program called, “Breeze of Simplicity”, given to the Naropa University student body by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel in October 2012. Part 1 aired on the September 21st LINK, and included an introduction to shamatha and calm abiding practice. Part 2 aired on September 28th where Rinpoche introduced the five (5) obstacles and the eight (8) antidotes. Today’s teaching includes the nine (9) ways of resting.