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
Self Reflection, Renunciation and Appreciation to Bring in the New Year (Link #689) Dungse Jampal Norbu | January 7, 2024 | 1:10:51 Min. Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la speaks about self reflection as the entry to Dharma practice, about disillusionment, and appreciation for our present opportunity as practitioners, particularly as we enter the new year. Topics include a profound appreciation for this precious human life, reflections on the past year to motivate us to make changes when we see how they contribute to our suffering and disillusionment, and the power of aspiration for the future. In order to rise above our circumstances, we can start by asking ourselves if we are still looking for short term benefit or if we truly appreciate this poignant gift of the Three Jewels as an opportunity for growth. Dungse-la also discusses the benefits of being uncomfortable to shake ourselves out of complacency, and to appreciate these moments as opportunities to expand the heart and realize Buddhanature. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2024_01_07_LINK689_DJN.mp3
Showing Up in Life and Death (Link #688) MSB Student Stephanie Kindberg-Velasco | December 31, 2023 | 55:54 Min. Speaker: Stephanie Kindberg-Velasco. Stephanie reflects on the past year focusing on several Sangha members who’ve died and also on Rabjam Rinpoche’s visit to Boulder, Colorado. Her contemplation of these events is guided by by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel’s question: “When are we at our best?” Stephanie relates how the Sangha shows up for one another around sickness and death, and the opportunity it provides for directing our minds away from self clinging and towards tsewa, for example through the practice of tonglen. This applies not only to those who are dying but also to working with our own suffering. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2023_12_31_LINK688_SKV.mp3
Diligence, Introspection and Dependent Origination (Link #687) MSB Student Nicholas Carter | December 24, 2023 | 1:09:36 Min. Speaker: Nicholas Carter. Nick shares his personal insights from many years of service, study, practice and retreat at Longchen Jigme Samten Ling Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado where he resides. Nick defines these three aspects of Dharma- introspection, diligence and dependent origination, and how to apply them in life and practice. He is an example of someone who has turned his life towards the Dharma and is committed to fulfilling his bodhisattva vow under all circumstances, especially in the light of the recent challenges he has had to overcome. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2023_12_24_LINK687_NC.mp3
Appreciation of the Three Jewels (Link #686) MSB Student Hillary Campbell | December 17, 2023 | 1:04:10 Min. Speaker: Hillary Campbell. Hillary uses the metaphor of a three-tiered torma to outline the qualities of the Three Jewels: the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Her analogy is based upon Rinpoche’s book, “Like A Diamond”. She shares personal examples of how being challenged and by study and service has served to deepen her appreciation of the Three Jewels and what they have come to mean for her. The question and answer in Hillary’s LINK provides the listener with a glimpse into her unique upbringing in a Dharmic family, and offers advice for practitioners who would like to guide their children on the path. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2023_12_17_LINK686_HC.mp3
Navigating Dharma and the Habits That Cause Trouble on the Way to the Next Life: Making My Way (Link #685) MSB Student Mary Newton | December 10, 2023 | 1:03:19 Min. Speaker: Mary Newton. Mary talks about how Dharma helps her to engage with life and its vicissitudes. While dwelling on thoughts and feelings can mire us in a samsaric mindset, they are also a means of letting go when we are able to step back and analyze them. Mary gives the poignant example of being diagnosed with cancer, and feeling that she just wanted to give up and have it all be over with. But then she recalled what Rinpoche has taught us; that what we have not faced in this life will be carried over into the next. When she finds her mind mired in suffering, Mary remembers the four immeasurables. When she’s in a state of mental turmoil she derives strength, confidence and grounding by having those four specific steps to redirect her mind towards the Dharma. http://podcast.mangalashribhuti.org/2023_12_10_LINK685_MN.mp3