Dharma Ocean

In the second part of this talk on the training of a Bodhisattva, Reggie discusses the last five of the six paramitas: discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and wisdom. Through examples, he shows how the truth of each paramita is not necessarily what we might think. This talk was given at the 2003 Winter Dathün retreat […]

Today we listen to the first part of a talk Reggie offered at a Bodhisattva Vow ceremony. He says that […]

Today we listen to the first part of a talk Reggie offered at a Bodhisattva Vow ceremony. He says that the arising of tenderness and love in our hearts naturally inspires us to help sentient beings through taking the bodhisattva vow, cultivating bodhicitta, and training in the six paramitas. This talk was given at the […]

In this episode, Caroline discusses the somatic unfolding of the awakening heart. She says that the journey involves three concentric circles: an outer circle of enchantment, an inner circle that is like a ring of fire, and a third circle of complete freedom—the clear circle of brightness. This talk was given in 2016 at a […]

In this talk, Reggie speaks to the groundlessness that we experience when situations don’t fit into the known world of ego. In such moments, strong feelings of anxiety, fear, and ambiguity might arise. Instead trying to secure territory, he encourages us to turn toward the feelings and open to the uncertainty.This talk was given in 2006 at […]

In this talk, Reggie describes the moment when we check-out during experiences that are painful, unsettling, or disconcerting. He says such moments of intensity offer an opportunity to step through our fear and resistance, open to our feelings, and rest with the sacredness of the situation. This talk was given at the 2011 Winter Dathun […]

Here, Reggie points to the process that unfolds on the journey of somatic meditation: personal stories fall apart and we come to trust the intimacy, humor, openness, and love that emerges when our solid sense of self is dismantled. This talk was given in 2009 at the September Meditating with the Body retreat held at […]

In this talk, Caroline discusses the true nature of reality—the Dharmakaya—that we experience when we rest in the space of the lower belly in the practice of yin breathing. She says that this space is open, free, and not constrained by conditioned “parts.” This talk was given at the 2016 The Body Loves retreat held […]

In the second part of this talk, Reggie asks: where does the Life Force come from? He says that the empty nothingness of space gives birth to the primordial isness and rabid passion we feel when we rest with the raw energy that emerges from the emptiness of being. This talk was given at the […]

Here, Reggie speaks to the utter power of the Life Force that courses through our body as pure unadulterated love. This force, he says, speaks the message of this lineage: to trust our uncompromising, wild, reckless, implacable lust for being alive. This talk was given at the 2009 Winter Dathün retreat held at the Blazing […]

In today’s episode, Reggie discusses the meditative journey of individuation. He acknowledges societal obstacles, such as institutional bureaucracies, that can undermine inspiration and waylay personal development. True freedom requires taking responsibility for our life and completely trusting the inner voice of our body. This talk was given in 2009 at the September Meditating with the […]

In today’s episode, Caroline asks a shrine hall of retreatants: what are we doing here? The answer: letting be. In this process, we discover the felt sense, or non-conceptual awareness of the body, which has distinct qualities: loving presence, attentiveness, attunement, responsiveness, and reliability. This talk was given at the 2014 Winter Dathün retreat held […]

In this teaching, Reggie discusses the experience of pain as understood in the Vajrayana tradition of meditation. When we let go of judging and rejecting, moments of pain are experienced as sacred ornaments of tenderness that connect us to Life in all of its depth, power, and beauty. This talk was given at the 2011 […]

In this talk, Caroline teaches on bodhicitta, the wakeful intelligence of the body that is concentrated in the heart. She says that the essence of bodhicitta is space, the manifestation is love, and the activity is connection. This talk was given at the 2016 The Body Loves retreat held at the Blazing Mountain Retreat Center […]

Here, Reggie points to the often hidden and unrecognized dimensions in the life journey of the Buddha. He says that Thich Nhat Hahn’s book Old Path White Clouds shows how the Buddha’s renunciation of conventional norms was quite radical and threatening to the cultural establishment of his day. This talk was offered at a Dhyanasangha […]

In today’s episode, we listen to a talk Caroline offered on the experience of the natural state in childhood. She offers a Vajrayana account of the story of the Buddha who, at age 9, recognized rigpa while sitting under a rose apple tree. This talk was given in 2016 at the November Meditating with the […]

Here, Reggie teaches on experiences of pain that we encounter on the path of meditation. He says that people often judge pain as a bad thing, but the foundation of Buddhist practice is the First Noble Truth: the more we try to avoid pain, the more we suffer. This talk was given at the 2002 […]

Going deeper into the theme of refuge, Reggie teaches on the difference between the inner and outer view of taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Inner refuge means that we are committing to our non-existence, the nature of reality, and relationships of integrity. This talk was given at the 2002 Winter Dathün retreat […]

In this talk on refuge, Reggie discusses the history of refuge in the Buddhist tradition and describes the different styles of “emergency ego” that arise when we find ourselves challenged by reality. He says that surrendering ego is the basis for the practice of refuge. This talk was given at the 2002 Winter Dathün retreat […]

In the second part of this talk on the path of dharma, Reggie discusses the developmental journey that unfolds as we deepen in our meditation practice. When meditation becomes the ground of life, transformation becomes a way of being. This talk was given at the 2004 Winter Dathün retreat held in the Rocky Mountains of […]

In this teaching on the path of Dharma, Reggie encourages us to trust inspiration, stay with discomfort, and leap to the unknown. Each stage of the path—Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana—involves ever deeper levels of these themes. This talk was given at the 2004 Winter Dathün retreat held in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

In the second part of this talk on the esoteric tradition of meditation, Reggie suggests that mahamudra practices of direct experience serve as a compelling gate for modern people who long to connect with reality. By dismantling concepts, we meet Life—stripped down, unmediated, free. This talk was given at the 2013 Mahamudra for the Modern […]

This talk begins with an account of the ancient forest tradition of meditation that began with the Buddha. Reggie discusses the values represented by these meditators and says that our lineage is in alignment with other sanghas that practice with nakedness and humility. This talk was given at the 2013 Mahamudra for the Modern World […]

This talk begins with an account of the ancient forest tradition of meditation that began with the Buddha. Reggie discusses the values represented by these meditators and says that our lineage is in alignment with other sanghas that practice with nakedness and humility. This talk was given at the 2013 Mahamudra for the Modern World […]

In the second part of this talk on genuineness in spirituality, Reggie says that relaxation in somatic meditation allows us to see how the forces of oppression, control, and busyness in the world are also within us. When tension in the body dissolves, we discover not only our inherent freedom, but also all the ways […]

In this talk on our natural spiritual inheritance, Reggie discusses the impediments presented by religious institutionalism, consumerism, and fundamentalism to the unfolding of each unique human life. In the modern world, authenticity is a lonely journey. This talk was given at the April 2006 Meditating with the Body retreat held at the Blazing Mountain Retreat […]

In this talk, Reggie says that the tantric path does not separate spiritual practice from the ordinary circumstances of everyday life. Rather, tantric meditation invites us to see the sacredness within the earthiness, messiness, emotions, and chaos of our human incarnation. This talk was given in 2009 at an evening gathering held at the Star […]

In the second part of this talk on genuine spirituality, Reggie describes the outer, inner, and secret forms of the retreat container. By respecting the forms, practicing silence, and staying present to waves of pain, we come to discover the abundance of our true life. This talk was given at the 2002 Winter Dathün retreat […]

Spiritual materialism is the ambitious ego-centered approach of striving for perfection through meditation practice. Here, Reggie speaks to genuine spirituality—the willingness to face our insecurities, depression, anger, darkness, and pride with an open heart. Such an approach, he says, is the way of wholeness. This talk was given at the 2002 Winter Dathün retreat held […]

Here, Reggie says that when we practice with the elements we discover that their basic nature is space. For instance, by allowing our awareness to completely enter the into the life of fire, we touch the emptiness, openness, and warmth of being. This talk was given at the April 2009 Meditating with the Body retreat […]

In the second part of this talk on the challenges, demands, and grittiness of retreat practice, Reggie says that the way through involves developing trust in our feelings of disruption, uncertainty, anxiety. In the Vajrayana, difficult emotions are a source of inspiration and strength. This talk was given at the 2016 Meditating with the Body […]

After circumstances did not unfold according to plan, a group of devoted practitioners in England erected a tent so that a late autumn retreat could go on. Reggie offers a talk of encouragement, sharing lore about the hardiness of the lineage in times past. This talk was given at the 2016 Meditating with the Body […]

You are listening to the Dharma Ocean Podcast. In the second part of this talk on entering into relationship with the energetic aspect of the elements, Reggie says that the journey of becoming who we are is found in surrendering to the primeval birth of the five elements in the empty space of our basic […]

In this talk, Reggie discusses the burning quality of space that is felt when we open to heightened awareness of emptiness. By offering our agendas, strategies, and concepts to the primordial Fire, Life is liberated to flare forth—utterly wild and free. This talk was given at the 2009 Advanced Meditating with the Body retreat held […]

In this talk, Reggie reflects on the fear we experience on the somatic journey of meditation when we lose reference points and enter into the world of the shadowlands, a world that is utterly new and unfamiliar—the realm of our true self. This excerpt is from a talk given in Your Breathing Body Volume I […]

Here, Reggie introduces his teacher, Chögyam Trungpa. He offers a short account of Trungpa’s journey from Tibet, to England, and then to North America, and discusses how he transmitted the Vajrayana Buddhist teachings to his Western students. This excerpt is from a talk given in When Lightning Strikes: The Living Teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, […]

In the second part of this talk on the journey of somatic meditation, Reggie describes the initiatory process we experience when we enter the depths of the body. Initiations, he says, involve a process of dysregulation and entrainment with the awakened state. This talk was given at the November 2016 Meditating with the Body retreat […]

Reggie opens this Meditating with the Body retreat with a talk on the primordial sacredness of the human person. He says that the esoteric spirituality of the body that we are practicing has endured throughout the ages. No matter the external circumstances, the body is trustworthy. This talk was given at the November 2016 Meditating […]

Here, Reggie explores the roots of somatic meditation in ancient India. He says that the history of Buddhism was mostly written by monastics and reflects a “renunciation” approach to spirituality. However, there is a more unknown history of practice exemplified by lay practitioners known as “siddhas.” This excerpt is from a talk given in Your […]

In the closing talk of their weekend program on the path of consort relationship, Reggie discusses the three vows of the consort relationship, and Caroline offers guidance on how to integrate consort practice into everyday life. This talk was given in 2017 at a weekend program held at Naropa University in Boulder, CO called Awakening […]

Here, we listen to the first part of Reggie and Caroline’s concluding talk from their weekend program on consort relationship. They reflect on lessons learned in their own relationship, sharing insights about staying connected, the importance of daily meditation practice, and receiving the wholeness of the beloved. This talk was given in 2017 at a […]

Today, we listen to Reggie’s opening talk from an online course he taught on meditation and the journey of intimate relationship. He says that the tantric consort tradition shows us how to discover ever deeper levels of love and relationality with our partner. This excerpt is from a talk given in The Tantric Consort: Awakening […]