Reviewing My 25 Years As a Student (Link #699) MSB Student Dai Inaba | March 17, 2024 | 51:55 Min. Speaker: Dai Inaba. Dai-san analyzes the ways in which he’s dealt with unexpected life events, including embarrassing situations, and things about himself he hasn’t wanted to face. Dai-san described some recent, unexpected events that caused damage to the entrance gate at Tashi Gachil. Staying present with the events and calmly investigating the source, Dai-san was able to respond with equanimity, instead of panic and blame. In looking back over his 25 years as a student of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, he remembered being very hard on himself, but now sees clearly the source of his pain as self-clinging. Practices such as Lojong allow Dai-san to view one’s own suffering as a way to decrease the suffering of others. This has helped him disrupt habitual self-clinging, and focus more on alleviating the suffering of others, with meditation and prayer. https://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_03_17_LINK699_DI.mp3
On Meditation (Link #698) MSB Student Mary Cobb | March 10, 2024 | 51:03 Min. Speaker: Mary Cobb. Mary shares her experience of meditation on the Vajrayana path of Tibetan Buddhism. https://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_03_10_LINK698_MC.mp3
Neglecting One of the Pillars (Link #697) MSB Student Mary Lee Mooney | March 3, 2024 | 48:09 Min. Speaker: Mary Lee Mooney. Mary Lee reflects on discovering that she had been neglecting one of the three pillars- study, and how she has come to embrace it on her path as a practitioner. Over the past few years, spurred on by the forced solitude of the pandemic lockdown, Mary found that her interest in study had grown. Becoming a lobpon for MSB’s online courses encouraged her as the wealth of the contemplations in these classes changed her view. Mary shared that studies didn’t come easily to her since childhood, and she became aware of the creative ways she pushed forward through life on her own terms. When Mary recognized that she was not fully relating with the three wisdoms, she began including them into her daily contemplative practice. In doing so, she realized the importance of self-compassion and humor in relating to our humanness as critical for waking up. Mary now feels more grounded in the three pillars of study, practice and service, and in truly being “with” the Buddhadharma. https://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_03_03_LINK697_MLM.mp3
Comprehending Our Mind: Removing Vaguenenss and Establishing Clarity (Link #696) Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche | February 25, 2024 | 43:43 Min. Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Rinpoche describes how to understand our relationship to our mind, and what supports our well being. There are two sides to the mind: thoughts and emotions. Thoughts are made up of our perceptions and the labels we put on them. We will always remain vague about what holds us back and what supports us to move forward, until we learn how to self-recognize our experiences. In order to remove vagueness and establish clarity we must “bring everything out onto the table”. We then begin to develop a certain intelligence and sophistication of mind which sees the relative truth of what arises, as well as the absolute truth, which is beyond dualism. Holding relative and absolute simultaneously and inseparably, not abandoning one and accepting another, is the mark of a truly mature mind. The second side of mind – emotions – is crucial to understand as well. Emotions are nothing more than a façade. When the façade is exposed to all aspects of mind, things become free and open. Nothing gets stuck. Emotions are free to arise and cease. They are part of a bigger awareness that sees everything clearly but does not get caught in believing that things are intrinsically good or bad. It takes focus, discipline and stillness to observe our own mind. This is how we will gain true maturity and intelligence. With this special kind of intelligence – based not on thoughts but direct observation of the mind – there will never be an agony that cannot be overcome. https://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_02_25_LINK696_DKR.mp3
The Posture of Refuge (Link #695) MSB Student Amy Hayes | February 18, 2024 | 55:06 Min. Speaker: Amy Hayes. As a ngondro practitioner in the refuge section, Amy introduces the idea of refuge as a mudra of refuge. Amy demonstrates how, through the humbling act of prostrations, our bodies become vehicles of refuge using the Refuge Prayer as her main point of reference. The Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) are companions we take along the path. The Buddha is our own enlightened nature, the Dharma the teachings, and through our connections with Sangha our hearts can crack open. Amy views the physicality of full body prostrations as an opportunity for purification. Fully flat, with one’s forehead to the ground, one is expressing humility, faith and devotion. Our body and how we relate to it becomes a gateway to self awareness. Just as the seated posture of meditation may be viewed as a mudra of transformation, prostration can be seen as a mudra of refuge. In this way, prostrations are a path and a gateway to enlightenment. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_02_18_LINK695_AH.mp3
What Have I Learned So Far? (Link #694) MSB Student Cary Yang | February 11, 2024 | 55:06 Min. Speaker: Cary Yang. Cary’s question, ‘What have I learned so far?’ as a practitioner and student stems from a conversation with her mother who was curious to know. Cary provides deep reflections on Rinpoche’s 2024 Year of the Wood Dragon Losar address, which deals with developing positive habits of mind, including seeing the best in others to create the optimal atmosphere for tsewa to arise. Contrastingly, a disturbed mind blocks the opportunity for tsewa. She refers to Patrul Rinpoche who, in Words of My Perfect Teacher, guides us to contemplate how we listen, as it can be a barometer to gauge our state of mind. Listening filled with obstacles like distraction and toxic thinking is not conducive to cultivating tsewa. However, an awareness of how we listen is a step toward overcoming such obstacles and developing a positive mindset. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_02_11_LINK694_CY.mp3
Sonam and Appreciation (Link #693) Dungse Jampal Norbu | February 4, 2024 | 1:09:34 Min. Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la speaks about “sonam” or merit, and explains how things manifest in our lives. Merit is the energy that brings joy. We cannot be dependent on circumstances for our happiness and well-being as it is dependent on sonam. We know that even those who have wealth are sometimes unable to appreciate their wealth. What’s more, we are naturally predisposed to avoid suffering and rather than seeking to find an outer remedy for our suffering, we need to generate merit through actions that are in line with bodhicitta (based on an altruistic mind). Dungse-la further speaks to dedication, as a powerful tool to conserve the energy of a particular action towards a particular goal. It allows the momentum of an action to go in a particular direction and not slow down due to circumstances. Therefore, we need to dedicate the merit of our actions towards the enlightenment of all beings. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_02_04_LINK693_DJN.mp3
Training In Tenderness: 2018 Book Tour (Link #692) Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche | January 28, 2024 | 55:25 Min. Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This is a previously-recorded talk given by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche in Boston Massachusetts on May 19, 2018. The talk was part of his 2018 Book Tour for ‘Training in Tenderness: Buddhist Teachings on “Tsewa”, the Radical Openness of Heart That Can Change the World’. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_01_28_LINK692_DKR.mp3
The Meaning of the Words: A Personal Exploration (Link #691) MSB Student Joseph Waxman | January 21, 2024 | 1:08:20 Min. Speaker: Joseph Waxman. Joey explains how to listen to the Dharma, how to interpret the words and integrate them into our lives. Language never expresses the absolute truth; language can only express the relative truth. In that way, understanding the context of the words is necessary so we can come as close to understanding the meaning as they are given. Joey talks about the three wisdoms as our path to understand the teachings completely so they become part of us, and not just words we hear. With hearing wisdom, he points out that hearing and understanding the words also require trusting where the words are coming from and the intention behind them. This allows one to move to the next step in contemplating what was received, bringing them deeply within to make the teachings a part of who we are through meditative wisdom. Joey illustrates this by examining each word of the Lojong slogan #21 from the Seven Points of Mind Training, “Always Maintain a Joyful Attitude”. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_01_21_LINK691_JW.mp3
Becoming a Disciple of the Longchen Nyingtik Lineage (Link #690) MSB Student Christopher Kreider | January 14, 2024 | 50:34 Min. Speaker: Christopher Kreider. Christopher explores what it means to be a student of the Longchen Nyingtik Lineage. He begins by exploring the meaning of lineage and the line of transmission from teacher to student. Christopher reflects on the ways he has assumed personal responsibility for the Lineage through his relationship to Phuntsok Choling, seeing the Center as if it was his own. He contrasts this definition of “ownership” to the dominant capitalist model in which self worth is equated with material wealth, which results in people becoming very hard on themselves. He recalled hearing Rinpoche say that being hard on oneself is not in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings. Christopher adds that self deprecation is adventitious; it can be unlearned through kindness and gentleness towards the self and others, allowing one to turn towards our own inner wisdom guru. Only an unbroken lineage can provide a gateway towards enlightenment. This is not conceptual but must be deeply experiential. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_01_14_LINK690_CK.mp3