Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This is a previously-recorded talk given by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche from Northshire Book Store in Manchester, Vermont on August 31, 2018. The talk was from Rinpoche’s 2018 Book Tour, ‘Training in Tenderness: Buddhist Teachings on “Tsewa”, the Radical Openness of Heart That Can Change the World’.

Speaker: Kate Dobbertin. Kate speaks about her journey to bring her heart to a state of well being by breaking down the false realities within herself. Kate describes how being nearer to her mother during a time of illness and her siblings brought to light various attachments and storylines to reflect upon and investigate more deeply. Being part of a lineage built on self-reflection, coupled with Kate’s hunger to shift her consciousness to a larger reality, she delved into what obscures her heart- a solidified sense of self. Kate describes how samsara, karma and attachment cut deep into the idea of self, and describes samsara as what we experience when we have preferences. It is represented by a constant wish that things were different from the way they are, driven by our own individual karma. She believes that every practice in this lineage offers healing, and healing is creating a state of well being, or a heart unburdened by layers of self-deception.

Speaker: Natasha Carter. Natasha discusses how the practice of staying open allows her to see more clearly her patterns of mind, particularly when the mind is disturbed and agitated. Caring for elderly parents can be challenging, but Natasha uses this as an opportunity to lean into her discomfort to cultivate self-awareness. Reading Rinpoche’s book, “Peaceful Heart” with her mother has provided a framework for reflecting on her repetitive patterns of anger, irritation and remorse that sometimes arise while relating to her parents. In particular, she examines how the eight worldly concerns (pleasure and pain, loss and gain, praise and blame, fame and disgrace) show up to hook her, causing pain to herself and others. Rather than criticizing, she remains curious about her own disturbance of mind. The willingness to face these destructive mindsets takes humility, courage and resolve. It also requires an agile mind: the capacity to think clearly in the face of reactivity.

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.

Speaker: Mary Cobb. Mary shares her experience of meditation on the Vajrayana path of Tibetan Buddhism.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.