Visualization

Many meditation practices involve visualization. “Visualization,” however, might be a bit of a misleading translation, because we’re not using our eyes. We’re working with our imagination, so it’s not just visual, but we have to imagine sounds, smells, tastes and physical...

In our final session, we have quite a lot of text left to cover, so I will just read each of the verses and comment very briefly on them.  Prayer for Inspiration to Develop the Graded Pathway Minds (Lam-rim)  We start with the lam-rim review. As I said, what we’re asking for...

The Buddha-Nature Factors Going from the basis level to the resultant level through the pathway level in tantra involves working with our Buddha-nature factors. Let’s look at what they are. There are evolving factors and abiding factors, as they are called. The evolving...

Brief Review The Eight Verses of Mind Training comes from a long tradition, beginning with Shantideva’s text Engaging in Bodhisattva Behavior, then with Atisha, who heard of these teachings from Dharmarakshita, who wrote Wheel of Sharp Weapons, and then traveled to Sumatra to...

How to Practice Giving and Taking: Tonglen  Now, that leads us into our discussion of tonglen and the understanding of how important it is and why then it can be our core practice. “Tonglen” is giving and taking, and is an extremely, extremely advanced and difficult practice...

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

An overview of the structure of a “sadhana,” a visualization method used in tantra for generating and actualizing ourselves as a Buddha-figure.

An in-depth look at the Buddhist practice of tantra: what’s the difference between visualizing ourselves as a Buddha-figure or as Mickey Mouse?

What you need to know for taking a Kalachakra initiation.

A look at common misunderstandings people have about tantra.