Vows

A look at common misunderstandings people have about tantra.

We can access the Buddhist teachings, whenever and wherever we want, on our phones and laptops. What is the role of the spiritual teacher in such a society and such an age?

Examine the various aspects of the five Buddha-family traits (factors of Buddha-nature) in anuttarayoga tantra and their representations in terms of the five aggregates.

With the pledged state of bodhichitta, we promise to train in five actions that help us never to lose our resolve.

In addition to taking bodhisattva and the Kalachakra root tantric vows, another commitment of the Kalachakra empowerment is to safeguard 25 modes of tamed behavior.

The six-session yoga practice keeps us mindful of the vows and commitments we have taken from receiving an initiation or empowerment in an anuttarayoga tantra system from the Gelugpa tradition.

Jhado Rinpoche’s advice on how to practice the “Kalachakra Six-Session”: with correct understanding of voidness and bodhichitta.

The secondary bodhisattva vows are to refrain from 46 faulty actions.

Even if a Western Buddhist community is made up entirely of laymen and laywomen, with no monks or nuns, the monastic vows provide valuable guidelines that Buddha designed for building a harmonious spiritual community.

The development of bodhichitta progresses through various stages leading to the five types of trainings that prevent our development of bodhichitta from weakening in this life or in future lives.