Review Let us set the proper motivation for listening to these teachings, namely a heart of bodhichitta, dedicated to helping others and to achieving enlightenment in order to be able to do so. These teachings have been presented in terms of the three levels of motivation. On...

Foundation for Development of Equanimity In order to generate the enlightening aim of bodhichitta with which we wish to attain enlightenment in order to benefit all living beings, it is first necessary to develop a sense of equanimity and an equal attitude toward everyone. If...

By studying the Buddhist path with spiritual teachers, we learn the teachings and the various methods for applying them to our lives. We train in these methods to bring about positive self-transformations. The process of change is never linear. Emotional and spiritual growth...

The health of a society arises dependently on each of its members developing a healthy mind and sense of ethics. See how the various world religions would tackle a disaster in accord with their own system of ethics.

Mental Activity and How the “Me” Exists We began our discussion of the healthy development of the self through the lam-rim graded stages. We established the need to clearly differentiate between the conventional self and the false self, the one that...

Review We ended the last session with an exercise in which we practiced enhancing our mirror-like deep awareness. It’s important to remember that this type of deep awareness is not like a mirror or a still camera; it’s more like a video camera. We’re taking in information...

Buddhist practice becomes most effective when we avoid approaching it with either an inflated ego or a deflated one.

Dharma-Lite is Buddhism practiced to improve this lifetime alone, without belief in reincarnation; the Real Thing Dharma is the traditional presentation, which includes rebirth.

A question-and-answer session between Dr. Alexander Berzin and Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche II on the Prasangika view of voidness according to the Gelugpa and Nyingma assertions.

Premises People at Dharma centers often have difficulty relating to spiritual teachers, even properly qualified ones. Some may feel nothing toward the resident teacher, even if the person is a geshe or a lama. Others may be unimpressed with a famous teacher who visits,...