Spiritual Teachers

There are many misunderstandings about ngondro practices, such as that they are a miracle cure for all our problems.

His Eminence Dagyab Rinpoche discusses the importance of lifelong learning, why a clear understanding of emptiness is crucial, and how to stop ourselves from impulse buying.

A summary of the main points that a group of senior Western Buddhist agreed upon as a result of the presentations and discussions with His Holiness the Dalai Lama during a conference in Dharamsala, March 1993.

The type of relationship between a spiritual student and teacher depends on the level of qualification of each, and is not the same as the relation between a client and a therapist.

Even though attachment is a disturbing emotion, developing attachment to our teachers does have a certain benefit, since it leads to trust. What we need to watch out for is exaggerating their good qualities.

We practice this meditation in order to inspire and uplift ourselves to the state of our spiritual teacher inseparable from Avalokiteshvara, by joining our good qualities with theirs.

The Dalai Lama’s view of a 21st-century Buddhist means having fuller knowledge about modern education and modern science, while having full conviction about Buddha’s teachings about limitless altruism, bodhichitta and the view of dependent arising.

Alan Turner, Serkong Rinpoche’s “Westerner Yogi’s,” recollections of his relation with his teacher.

Guru-yoga is done with visualizations, where we imagine that our own qualities of body, speech, and mind become joined with the good qualities of our spiritual teacher and uplifted by them.

An overview of the intellectual, emotional, and devotional approaches to Dharma.