Introductory Verses and Verse 1 Setting the Motivation First of all, we need to have very good motivation for studying about the behavior of bodhisattvas. When we have a strong motivation, it is interesting how our minds work. If I were to say, “Let’s all go to the Dalai...

The Organized Bon Religion and the Native Tibetan Tradition The two main religious traditions of Tibet are Bon and Buddhism. The former was the native faith of Tibet, while the latter had been introduced by Tibet’s first emperor, Songtsen-gampo (Srong-btsan sgam-po, r. 617 ...

Review of Tibetan Relations with China Tibet and China had first established diplomatic relations in 608 C.E. when Emperor Songtsen-gampo’s father, Namri-lontsen (gNam-ri slon-mtshan), had sent the first Tibetan mission to the Chinese court at the time of the Sui Dynasty...

Medical traditions create a shared space for contemporary Buddhist–Muslim understanding and engagement through compassionate care of both mental and physical well-being.

Review We were speaking this morning about deepest bodhichitta. We saw that it was not enough just to have relative bodhichitta, either: Just the aspiring state in which we aspire to attain our not-yet-happening enlightenment Or, in addition,...

Review We’re continuing our discussion of this particular verse by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which explains how we go from understanding the two truths to understanding the Four Noble Truths, to having confidence in the Three Precious Gems. We’ve seen that the two truths...

Working toward a Spiritual Goal There are two ways that we can work toward a spiritual goal: On the basis of faith – we have faith that it’s possible to achieve that goal. On the basis of this faith you work toward it, and as you proceed further in your training, you...

Karmic impulses of the body and speech include both revealing forms and nonrevealing forms. What are nonrevealing forms and what are their characteristic properties? Nonrevealing Forms Are Exclusively Constructive or Destructive  Vasubandhu affirms in A Treasure House of...

Mongolian Tulkus By 2022, twenty-two Mongolian tulkus, reincarnations of Mongolian eminent lamas, had been recognized since the democratic change. An additional few have been identified in 2023. They continue their advanced studies at the Tibetan monasteries in India and spend...

What are further properties of nonrevealing forms? Nonrevealing Forms Are Not Conjoined with the Great Elements of the Body 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....