Review of the Five Aggregates of Experience We have been going through the text of the Heart Sutra, which is presenting in a condensed fashion the teachings on Prajnaparamita, the “far-reaching discriminating awareness of voidness.” Inspired by the Buddha, who is sitting in...

Three Layers of Unawareness Voidness (stong-pa-nyid, Skt. śūnyatā; emptiness) is a total absence of impossible ways of existing: impossible means there is no such thing. Here, we are speaking specifically about the voidness of impossible ways in which the conventionally...

“Engaging in Bodhisattva Behavior” (Skt. Bodhisattvacharyavatara) has ten chapters dedicated to the development of bodhichitta through the six far-reaching attitudes (perfections) – generosity, ethical self-discipline, patience, perseverance, concentration and discriminating...

Combining Mahamudra with Other Sutra and Tantra Practices and with the Four Types of Behavior As for the third part, the concluding material, there are also the actions for enhancing your progress. When, without meandering, you have totally immersed yourself in the mental...

Envy is a complex emotion made up of many disturbing factors, but can be overcome by identifying these factors and applying effective antidotes.

To reach enlightenment and benefit all others, we need to regard everyone as equal and instead of cherishing only ourselves, cherish all others as our primary concern.

Review We have been going through the various stages for developing equanimity, equanimity specifically toward ourselves. This is a type of equanimity with which we have an even attitude toward ourselves: free from aversion (a negative attitude); free from attraction...

Review We began our discussion of how to equalize our attitudes about ourselves, with the aim of helping us to overcome disturbing emotions directed at ourselves. The strongest disturbing emotion for many of us is a feeling of low self-esteem and a negative attitude toward...

Introduction I would like to speak about a problem that is quite typical among Westerners, which is the problem of a negative attitude toward ourselves, low self-esteem. It can go even to the extreme of not only not liking ourselves, but even hating ourselves. It’s very...

A short overview of what we need to know about tantra and empowerments before we take the Kalachakra Initiation.