The intermediate scope of the lam-rim teaches that a precious human life enables liberation from samsara by training in ethical self-discipline, concentration and discriminating awareness of voidness, with special emphasis on keeping pure pratimoksha vows as the essential...

The Rarity of a Precious Human Life In our first discussion, we spoke about how this precious human rebirth that we all have is a perfect working basis for our Dharma practice. This working basis is complete with all of the eighteen qualities: the respites and the enrichments....

Making Life Meaningful Now we will continue with the text. We are on the second verse. (2) Listen with a clear (mind), O fortunate one, whose mind would rely on the path pleasing to the Triumphant through being unattached to the pleasures of compulsive...

We need to have confidence in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha to make our refuge firm.

Progress made on the spiritual path occurs through a combination of both linear and nonlinear models. Learn the sources of these models in the teachings and how they fit together.

Tantra entails advanced Mahayana practices that weave together all the different themes of practice that we’ve developed already in sutra. It is the intertwining of the basis, pathway, and resultant conditions of everlasting continuities of Buddha-nature factors to weave a...

The 18 Closely Bonding Practices The sixth point is the eighteen closely bonding practices for mind training – in other words, for cleansing and training our attitudes. “Close bond” in Sanskrit is “samaya,” or “dam-tshig” in Tibetan, which means something that will bond us...

Everyday practice of praise and prostration, sutra recitation, and dedication.

Continuation of Instructions for Chenrezig Deity Practice  We imagine that in our own heart as Khasarpani and in the center of the stupa on the crown of our head, we have another smaller Khasarpani on the center of a thousand-petaled lotus, and in his heart as well we...

The appropriate relationships with our teachers depend on our aim, our level of development.