It’s very important to try to understand the various appearances of the mind, how they exist and do they correspond to reality or not.

Review Thus far we have covered in our discussion valid and invalid ways of knowing. Valid cognition is cognition that is fresh, accurate and decisive. We have also discussed apprehension, which is accurate and decisive cognition, but not necessarily fresh. Apprehension can be...

A variety of forms of Buddhism developed as people in the different lands it reached emphasized one or another aspect of the teachings. Here is a general description of some of the major forms found in Southeast Asia, China and Tibet.

An overview of terminologies used when describing everything left on someone’s mental continuum as a consequence of having committed a karmic action.

Five Types of Results We were speaking about the different types of causes and conditions, and in order to finish that discussion, let’s just list the five types of results. First of all, there are ripened results. Ripened results are the unobstructive unspecified items...

Three Main Types of Nonrevealing Forms Vasubandhu states in A Treasure House of Special Topics of Knowledge, Put in Verses (Chos mngon-pa’i mdzod-kyi tshig-le’ur byas-pa, Skt. Abhidharmakośa-kārikā) (IV.13) (Gretil ed., Derge Tengyur vol. 104, 11A): Nonrevealing (forms) are to...

Introduction [As background, see: The Two Truths: Vaibhashika and Sautrantika] The Tibetans study four tenet systems (grub-mtha’) of Indian Buddhism. Among them, Vaibhashika (bye-brag smra-ba) and Sautrantika (mdo-sde-pa) are Hinayana systems – specifically, subdivisions of...

When voidness is cognized conceptually, its superficial truth appears; this is known as denumerable voidness. When voidness is cognized non-conceptually, an absolute absence of truly established existence appears; this is known as non-denumerable voidness.

The Second Noble Truth — True Causes of Suffering Just as we looked at the First Noble Truth in a more personal and accepting kind of way, likewise we need to look at the other three Noble Truths in the same way, so that we can have our Buddhist practice touch us personally...

Taking the Kalachakra empowerment also entails six uncommon practices that create close bonds with six Buddha-family traits.