2133 Articles
Wheel of Sharp Weapons – Section 3: Problems Caused by Self-Grasping
in Wheel of Sharp Weapons
Wheel of Sharp Weapons – Section 4: Destroying Self-Grasping with Tonglen
in Wheel of Sharp Weapons
Wheel of Sharp Weapons – Section 5: Understanding Emptiness
in Wheel of Sharp Weapons
Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Destroying Self-Grasping
Concluding Verses of the Third Section of the Text Having pointed out the trouble that our self-grasping and self-cherishing causes, and identifying that self-cherishing and self-grasping lie underneath the various problems and suffering that we have, Dharmarakshita finishes...
Part in Overview of “Wheel of Sharp Weapons” – Dr. Berzin
Wheel of Sharp Weapons: History and Structure
Today I’d like to begin our discussion of an important text known as Wheel of Sharp Weapons (mTshon-cha ’khor-lo). I first studied this with one of my teachers in India, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, and translated it under his supervision, with Sharpa Rinpoche, Khamlung Rinpoche...
Part in Overview of “Wheel of Sharp Weapons” – Dr. Berzin
Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Identifying the True Enemy
Brief Review of the History of Mind Training Texts We have been discussing the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, by Dharmarakshita, which is included in the collection of mind training texts and seems to be the forerunner of them. Dharmarakshita was one of Atisha’s teachers and Atisha...
Part in Overview of “Wheel of Sharp Weapons” – Dr. Berzin
Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Overcoming the Three Poisons
We have been speaking about tonglen, giving and taking, as discussed and presented in lojong, the mind training teachings. We find this at the beginning of this text by Dharmarakshita, and also in the beginning of a later text, Seven Point Mind Training by Geshe Chekawa. In...
Part in Overview of “Wheel of Sharp Weapons” – Dr. Berzin
Wheel of Sharp Weapons: The Four Sections of the Text
Part One: Contrasting Bodhisattvas with Ordinary Beings Two Traditions for Developing Conventional Bodhichitta To destroy self-grasping and self-cherishing and to attain enlightenment, all mind training texts emphasize tonglen. This is the practice of giving and taking as...
Part in Overview of “Wheel of Sharp Weapons” – Dr. Berzin
Wheel of Sharp Weapons: Tonglen Done with the Three Poisons
Contrasting Bodhisattvas with Ordinary Beings The text, Wheel of Sharp Weapons, begins with Dharmarakshita contrasting bodhisattvas with ordinary beings. Bodhisattvas practice tonglen – giving and taking – taking from others the three poisonous disturbing states of mind or...
Part in Overview of “Wheel of Sharp Weapons” – Dr. Berzin
When Are We Ready for Tantra?
Tantra Is an Advanced Practice For our last session together, let’s speak a little bit about tantra. We also need to bring tantra down to earth. Often, Western people, when approaching the tantric teachings in Tibetan Buddhism, fall into one of two extremes. One extreme is to...
Part in Bringing Buddhism Down to Earth
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