Podcasts about Abhidharma

Continuamos nas meditações baseadas no Abhidharma

The Abhidharmakośabhāṣya (Treasury of Metaphysics with Self-Commentary) is a pivotal treatise on early Buddhist thought composed around the 4th or 5th century by the Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu. This work is a complete and systematic account of the Abhidharma, and is the peak of scholarship in the Fundamental Vehicle. It elucidates the Buddha's teachings as synthesized and interpreted by the early Buddhist Sarvāstivāda school. Vasubandhu (4th to 5th century CE) was an influential Buddhist monk and scholar from Gandhara or Central India. He was a philosopher who wrote commentary on the Abhidharma, from the perspectives of the Sarvastivada and Sautrāntika schools. After his conversion to Mahayana Buddhism, along with his half-brother, Asanga, he was also one of the main founders of the Yogacara school. Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośakārikā ("Commentary on the Treasury of the Abhidharma") is widely used in Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism, as the major source for non-Mahayana Abhidharma philosophy. Vasubandhu is one of the most influential thinkers in the Indian Buddhist philosophical tradition. Because of their association with Nalanda university, Vasubandhu and Asanga are amongst the so-called Seventeen Nalanda Masters. In Jōdo Shinshū, he is considered the Second Patriarch; in Chan Buddhism, he is the 21st Patriarch.

Trechos de gravações em palestras de Jack Kornfield. Jack Kornfield (nascido em 1945), é Ph.D. em Psicologia Clínica, escritor e professor do movimento Vipassana no Budismo Theravada americano. Kornfield é descendente de judeus e tem quatro irmãos, seu pai era um cientista, o que o levou a se interessar por cura, medicina e ciência. Depois de se formar na universidade de Dartmouth College em 1967, Kornfield foi para a Tailândia, onde trabalhou em equipes de medicina tropical no vale do rio Mekong, e lá conheceu e se tornou um monge discípulo do mestre da floresta Ajahn Chah. Em 1972 Kornfield retornou aos Estados Unidos e após algum tempo fundou a Insight Meditation Society e Spirit Rock Meditation Center, os dois dos maiores centros budistas dos Estados Unidos. Jack treinou muitos dos professores de Vipassana na América e organizou e liderou reuniões para professores budistas em todo o mundo. Sendo um dos responsáveis por introduzir a atenção plena no Ocidente, Jack trabalhou para tornar o budismo acessível aos ocidentais, combinando bondade amorosa e autocompaixão com a prática da atenção plena, incorporando a sabedoria da psicologia oriental e ocidental.

This session focuses on the meaning of Emptiness in the Pali Buddhist sutras and the Abhidharma philosophy school.

Buddhism Reference Volume 2 – Abhidharma. Ancient writings on rules, lists, doctrines, and traditions for monks to formalize their training. E-books - “Buddhism Reference Volume 2” – Available now   Threefoldlotus.com/home/Ebooks.htm

In this episode, we look at chapter 3 of William Waldron's book 'Making Sense of Mind Only', which offers an overview and critique of the Adhidharma Buddhist tradition. More particularly, it aims to show how problems in the Abhidharma approach gave rise to Mahayana philosophical ideas and, more specifically, Yogachara developments.

In this talk, Jacob Fisher presents his research on a history of the Buddhist discussions surrounding perceptual relativism, in India and Tibet Indian and Tibetan epistemologists have spent millennia grappling with the central philosophical questions of relativism and intersubjectivity. This talk will present my ongoing DPhil research that attempts to map a philosophical history of the discussion, by focussing on a specific Buddhist example that problematises perceptual relativism. This classic Buddhist example is the perception across world spheres of a river, which depending on the realm one belongs to, will be perceived as either blood for hungry ghosts, water for humans, or nectar for the gods. This classic example of at least three contradictory perceptions emphasises the paradox of relativism and elicits novel philosophical and epistemological solutions to this real-world problem. The story begins in India with a brief map of the chronological and philosophical developments of the example, beginning with a Pāli discourse and followed by Vinaya, Abhidharma, and Mahāyāna sources. Next, the discussion shall survey the major Tibetan exegetes of Madhyamaka philosophy over the last millennia, specifically those who use the example. Finally, we will zoom inwards to focus on a specific debate on a highly controversial interpretation of the example by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), in which he simultaneously bolsters the importance of conventional epistemic instruments (tshad ma, pramāṇa) while at the same time undermining them through ascribing an illusory nature to all existence.

El TENGYUR Textos de Abhid hamma La palabra “Abhidhamma” está compuesta de dos partes, que son: El término Abhi, que significa excelente o distinguido. El término Dhamma, que significa enseñanza. Por tanto, Abhid hamma quiere decir enseñanza excelente o enseñanza distinguida. Excelente no significa que las enseñanzas en el Abhid hamma Pitaka son mejores, más altas o más nobles que las del Sutta Pitaka. La única diferencia entre lo enseñado en Sutta Pitaka y Abhid hama Pitaka es el método de tratamiento, o el método de presentación de los textos. Las enseñanzas son las mismas en Sutta y Abhid hamma. En sus textos se encuentran el mismo Dhamma, con los mismos tópicos. Pero en el Abhid hamma Pitaka éstos son analizados minuciosamente, y sobresalen con respecto a las enseñanzas en Sutta Pitaka. Y se distinguen de las enseñanzas en Sutta Pitaka con respecto al método de tratamiento. Los textos de Abhidharma definen muchos de los temas mencionados en las enseñanzas de los sutras de Buda. Y los organizan en clasificaciones como: los cinco skandhas, los doce ayatanas, los dieciocho dhatus, etc. Proporcionando así herramientas para generar una comprensión precisa de toda la experiencia.. Conozcamos el escrito …

There are a total of 5 talks that are put together here in one singular audio track. My teacher Steve Armstrong categorizes the 19 mental factors of the abhidharma in 5 sets: authenticity, care, awareness, creativity and contentment. These talks walk thru each one in detail. Enjoy!

On this episode I am joined by my friend, Rachel Tanner-Smith, and my friend, teacher, and mentor Mikey Noechel! We talk about their upcoming “Practice Intensive” on Buddhist Psychology and the Five Aggregates happening April 15th at Wildheart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN. We also talk about how the Dharma came into their lives, 90's hip-hop, sideways mullets, and Mikey and Rachael unpacks what the Five Aggregates are and explains how by clinging to them, all of our suffering is created. We basically nerd out on the Dharma, which is one of my favorite things to do! This is one not to be missed and I hope that you enjoy it!   Info for April 15th Practice Intensive @ WHMC Info for July 6-9 "Interdependence Day" Retreat Rachael Tanner-Smith is a long time dedicated practitioner in the nashville community and the former co-director of Wild Heart Meditation Center.  Her teaching integrates Buddhist wisdom and Western psychology, with an emphasis on extending practice off the cushion.    Having practiced across traditions, she weaves somatic, heart centered, and creative practices together to support awakening through body, speech, and mind. Her personal practice is supported by regular retreat and the accountability of working with a meditation mentor. Rachael is most at ease outside and finds great joy in parenting.     -- Rachael Tanner-Smith, PMHNP, LPC-MHSP Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Professional Counselor   Teaching Council, Wild Heart Meditation Center https://wildheartmeditationcenter.org/   Founding Partner, Experience Therapy Group https://www.experiencetherapygroup.com/   Rev. Mikey Noechel, MS is the guiding teacher and co-director of Wild Heart Meditation Center. In 2020, Mikey received lay ordination and empowerment to teach as a Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher) in both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions through the authorization of Ven. Pannavati Bhikkhuni and Ven. Pannadipa Bhikkhu. Mikey was given the name Rogahari Sokatura which means “healer of the brokenhearted.” Through this empowerment, he is committed to bringing the Buddha's teachings into nontraditional settings such as addiction treatment centers, jails, and a variety of settings.   Mikey also regularly teaches residential retreats, weekly classes, and workshops. He holds a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Troy University and has been trained to facilitate meditation groups through Against The Stream Buddhist Meditation Society under the guidance of JoAnna Hardy and Vinny Ferrero. Mikey lives in Nashville, TN, with his wife Cassie, their dog Durt McGurt and their kitty cat Mafia.  

As we begin to talk about the arrival of Buddhism on the Japanese archipelago we start out with a look at the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, and his teachings. For more, check out our webpage at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode- Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 83: Shakyamuni, aka the Historical Buddha. First a quick note—it has been brought to my attention that some of the episodes are out of order, particularly the older episodes.  I'm going to try to fix that.  It probably has to do with a decision I made about a year or so in to not worry about the “season” number, since this isn't exactly a “seasonal” show.  But if some episodes are marked as “Season 1” then they likely show up differently.  I'll probably see if I can't just remove the “Season” number from all of the episodes and hopefully that will fix it. Last episode we talked about the happenings over on the Korean Peninsula during the reign of Ame Kunioshi, aka Kimmei Tennou, and it wasn't looking very good for Yamato and their allies.  Over the course of the last several decades in our story the kingdom of Silla rose to power, brokered a deal with Baekje, and then ended up eating up all of the smaller polities that sat between them, including Nimna, Kara, and whatever else was there. A Baekje-Yamato alliance attempted to put the brakes on Silla's ambitions, but despite some major offensives they were thwarted time and again.  Overall, it seems rather a bleak outlook for Yamato, but there were several things going for it.  For one thing, with their close relationship with Baekje, Yamato was getting a plethora of new ideas—from how to govern to the subject of our current episode: religion. That's right, if you didn't figure it out from the title, we are finally going to talk about Buddhism. The Buddhist religion and its accompanying institutions have played a huge role in the development of Japan and Japanese culture, and so we are going to want to understand something about this and where it came from, and the journey it took to get to the islands. And to start with, let's go back to the very beginning, of what Buddhism actually is. Now this isn't going to be an in depth history of Buddhism, but I am going to try to hit the high points so that we have some context for things we'll see later on.  It should also be noted that, while the core of the religion remained the same, specific beliefs and practices were not always universal across all people and at all times.  Also, not everyone believes in exactly the same things, and as an outsider I'm going to do my best, but this will probably be more at the level of a Wiki article than a scholarly treatise.  If you are interested in more, I highly recommend looking into what various scholars have written. Also, a lot of what I'm pulling from is Andrew Skilton's book, “A Concise History of Buddhism”, mainly because I think it fits what we are trying to outline here, but I recognize that there other teachings and scholarly discussions.  Still, I think most of what we talk about will probably be at an even higher level than that book gets into. And that brings me to another thing that's important to say up front:  when I say Buddhism, I'm not necessarily talking about Zen, or any particular sect, at least not right now - though Zen is Buddhism, or a school of Buddhism.  Likewise you might also hear about Tendai, Shingon, or even Jodo, or Pure Land, Buddhism— those are all sects within Buddhism, and just some of the schools that made it to Japan, although a lot of them don't appear until after the time we're currently in.  The differences between these sects could be likened to the differences between Roman Catholicism and various Protestant groups—or even with the Orthodox church.  While they have differences, they also have their similarities, and the core beliefs that make them all Buddhist. As to why this is so important—Buddhism had a huge impact on the development of Japan.  As we'll talk about in a later episode, the adoption of Buddhism affected not just the philosophical thinking of the Japanese court, but had direct impacts that would bring about the end of what we consider the Kofun era.  Furthermore, having at least a cursory understanding of Buddhism is going to be useful in understanding some of the ways people thought about the world they inhabited. Finally:  I am probably going to butcher the pronunciation on a lot of Buddhist terms, but I will do my best.  Where possible I may preference the Japanese terms, both because they are more familiar to me, but also because that is how most of us will encounter them in the context of Japanese history. Buddhism gets its name from the fact that it promulgates the teachings of the Buddha, the Enlightened One, and while various people are believed to have attained this enlightened state over the course of human history, we usually are referring to the individual known to us as the Historical Buddha, also known to us as Siddartha Gautama. Tradition holds that Siddartha was the son of one of the elites of the Shakya clan—later this would translate into the term “Prince”, though some think that term may not be quite accurate.  Still he was born into power and privilege, at the height of his society; later this would translate into him being considered a member of the Kshatriya warrior class. His birthplace is thought to be located in “Lumbini”, at the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, in modern Tibet, in the 6th century BCE.  Some traditions put the year of his birth at about 566 BCE, though there are those that suggest a later date, even into the 5th century.     From a young age, we are told that Siddartha was protected from much of the outside world, living a life of luxury, and unaware of the poverty and suffering that went on outside of the palace walls.  You see, a seer had predicted that he would be destined to lead an empire—either political or spiritual.  And so his father did everything he could to ensure that Siddartha would aspire to the political.  Even though his mother had died when he was young, Siddartha was largely insulated from any suffering until his teenage years, and he was even provided a young wife, Yashodhara, by the time he was sixteen years old—which probably wasn't that young, back in those days.  It was as a young man, in his late twenties, traveling about the land in a carriage, that Siddhartha saw four sights that suddenly set his mind on a different path.  First, he saw an old man, and in asking about him, it occurred to him that old age and infirmity were the inevitable outcome of life; there is no escaping it.   Likewise he encountered people suffering from disease and even death, in the form of a dead body.  All of this forced him to confront the fact that suffering is a part of life here on the mortal plane.  Finally, he encountered a wandering ascetic, which got him to thinking about spiritual matters, and that perhaps there must be a better way—a solution to all of this suffering. As he contemplated what to do, he was suddenly graced with what should have been wonderful news:  his wife had just given birth to a son.  However, to Siddhartha, he saw this child as simply one more thing that was keeping him from going out and seeking answers to the problems he saw.  The comfort of his life, the social obligations, the privileges he had were all metaphorical chains, keeping him from going out really trying to answer the questions he had. And so, at the age of 29, he absconded himself.  He left his wife and child.  He left the power and prestige and worldly possessions he had inherited from his family, and he went out to seek answers and to find out how to put an end to suffering. To do this, he sought out teachers, one after the other, learned what they had to teach, found himself at the end of what they could give him, and moved on.  These teachers provided various meditation techniques, which helped, perhaps, to ease or even forget the pain and suffering of existence, but the pain and suffering were still there, nonetheless. It should be noted that a core belief at this time was in the concept of reincarnation.  The idea that, based on your karmic balance, that is the difference between the good and evil that you did, here in the world, you would be reborn after death into a new body and a new life.  If you did well, then you would be born higher up the ladder of existence, perhaps into a better caste or more.  But if you committed sins and evil acts then you would find yourself born further down the ladder of existence, perhaps even as an animal or an insect. The problem, as Siddartha saw it, was that all of this just meant you kept going back through the same things over and over again, coming back into the world, and once more experiencing suffering.  Even stories of the gods themselves tell of their wants and needs, and of their fighting,  suffering, and even dying.  As long as one stayed on the wheel of life and death, suffering would be inevitable, and you'd always come back around to it. He sought out answers in some of the extreme forms of asceticism.  Holding his breath for long periods.  Starving himself.  These were meant to bring on a state wherein he hoped he would find the answers.  Eventually, though, he spurned these techniques as well, claiming they were dangerous and unnecessary. He instead ate food in reasonable quantities, and found a form of meditation that felt natural.  In other words, he sought out a path between the extremes of hedonistic overindulgence and severe deprivation—a Middle Way, one might say.  Practicing this tempered form of existence, he meditated under a tree, and it was there that Siddartha Gautama achieved an awakening, or enlightenment.  He could see the world for what it truly was, and gained profound insight into our condition.  This is how he became known as Buddha, or “the one who has awoken”, to quote Andrew Skilton.  He was only 35 years old—he had been studying for 6 years to this point, when he finally found the answers he was looking for. Quick side note right here: For many, “Buddha” is not a single person or individual.  People may talk about the historical Buddha to refer to Siddhartha Gautama, but technically “Buddha” is a title for anyone who has awakened to the truths of the universe.  Buddhist traditions would come to define various people who had attained this enlightened state, though Siddhartha Gautama is generally considered the most important for the current era. Siddhartha Gautama spent the next forty-five years or so of his life wandering the land and teaching his Middle Way to anyone who would listen.  He initially spent time teaching in the area of the Bodhi Tree, where he had first experienced his revelation, and this area is known to us as Bodh Gaya.  He later went to a deer park in the area of Rshipatana, where five of the ascetics whom he used to hang out with were gathered. These ascetics had known Siddhartha when they were all practicing extreme deprivation together.  They had come to see him as a teacher, but turned from him when he spurned his own attainments and started on his Middle Path.  It took some initial convincing, but Siddhartha was eventually able to convince them and bring them around. From five, Siddhartha's disciples soon grew to 60, and he sent them out across the land to share his teachings with the people.  His community of followers—known as his Sangha—continued to grow.  As for Siddhartha himself, he seems to have focused much of his time on urban centers, with much of the last 20 to 25 years spent weathering the rainy monsoon seasons in the city of Sravasti. When he was 80 years old, Siddhartha grew seriously ill, possibly from something he ate.  Realizing his own state, it is said that he predicted his death in three days, and he passed away among a grove of trees.  Seven days later, his remains were cremated, and, much as with holy men everywhere, bone and teeth left over from the cremation were distributed as relics.  Tradition holds that ten relics went to ten rulers for burial under stupas, or memorial mounds, as a tribute to Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. After his death, his disciples continued to grow the community, or Sangha, and spread the word.  The life and teachings of the Buddha were written down in various documents and these were copied into different languages.  In about the 3rd century BCE, Buddhism gained a powerful patron in the form of Ashoka.  No, not the Togruta jedi, Ahsoka Tano, but the Mauryan king, Ashoka the Great.  Much of what comes down to us about Ashoka is as likely legend as fact, but we do know some things for certain because Ashoka left his own words carved in stone across his kingdom.  Many of these mention Buddhist ideas and concepts and even identify key sites, such as the site of Lumbini, where Siddhartha Gautama was born. At the same time, I would be remiss in not pointing out that it can be difficult to suss out just what Ashoka believed.  He certainly patronized Buddhism, much as Constantine patronized Christianity, including calling councils together to help ensure Buddhist orthodoxy, but it also can be read as a form of propaganda, utilizing Buddhist concepts to strengthen his own rule.  We'll see how later sovereigns would use similar tactics to lay claim to being a Buddhist sovereign, as well. Whatever his motivations, the pillars and inscriptions left from the 3rd century BCE provide us some of the first instances of the term “Buddha”, as well as another name, “Shakyamuni”, the “Sage of the Shakyas”; the “Shakyas” being Siddhartha's own people. So with the patronage of Ashoka the Great, the influence of Buddhism spread.  But what was it? Well, what we know is what was passed down, first as oral tradition, and later written down. First of all, all things in existence are impermanent.  That is they come and go.  People live and they die.  Even we change, moment from moment, nothing is truly static in this world—even if it were to last for thousands and thousands of years. Then there is suffering—the bane of humankind's existence.  However, it is also inescapable, at least in this life.  Describing suffering, and his solution to it, Siddhartha, aka Shakyamuni, revealed the Four Noble Truths, which are at the heart of Buddhist teaching.  They are, roughly: ·         Suffering is an innate characteristic of existence.  Even the greatest pleasure eventually fades, leaving longing in its wake.  No matter how many times you go round the wheel of life and death, you cannot escape it. ·         Suffering arises because of our desires. From our material wants and needs to simply our desire to not be hungry or cold. ·         Ending our attachment can help us put an end to suffering. ·         To put an end to desire, and thus to suffering, one should follow the Eightfold Path. So the four noble truths are something like a diagnosis of the human condition and then a potential solution.  By the way, notice the numbers four and eight—just as Christianity tends to find particular value in the number seven (seven deadly sins, seven heavenly virtues, etc.) and 12 (Jesus and the 12 Apostles), Buddhism finds particular significant in the number eight, and, to some degree, the number four, although that would clash in some areas of East Asia, where the word for “four” sounded like the word for death. And that eight is found in Shakyamuni's recipe for how to end suffering: Right understanding Right resolve Right speech Right action Right livelihood Right effort Right mindfulness Right concentration These are all individual actions for someone to strive to achieve, but they are also pretty vague.  After all, what is “Right Understanding” or “Right Resolve”?  That feels kind of like giving someone directions by saying “take the right road and you'll get to where you want to go”. Indeed, Buddhism therefore offers various precepts for how to live your life in accordance with the eightfold path.  There are precepts for the lay person and precepts for monks and nuns.  These include the requirement to avoid taking a life, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and even harsh, frivolous, or senseless speech.  There are also positive admonitions, such as to cultivate loving kindness and speech that is truthful, kindly, helpful, etc.  There are different lists of these precepts, but they generally include the same things. On top of this were the rules for monks, including such things as fasting after midday; no singing or dancing; no garlands, scent, or adornments; no luxurious beds; and a vow of poverty—no accepting gold or silver, the coin of the day.  Besides following the precepts, there were various teachings and practices that monks and lay persons can follow.  Most common are various techniques of meditation, meant to help open the mind to see beyond the surface of what we can perceive with our eyes and our ears and to transform one's consciousness. All of this was geared towards the eventual attainment of a state of enlightenment, and eventually, nirvana.  Contrary to many popular portrayals, though, nirvana is not some kind of heavenly existence.  After all, any existence in this plane, at least as we know it, was still suffering.  Instead, to attain nirvana meant to escape the cycle of death and rebirth entirely.  How and what that looks like may vary depending on your interpretation, but that is generally agreed upon as the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice. This does not mean that there was not a concept of a heaven or a hell in Buddhism.  While some have suggested that much of Buddhism and Buddhist practice is philosophical in nature, or geared more towards mindful practice, it is also steeped in certain cosmological views of the universe, and greatly influenced by the beliefs in the Indian subcontinent.  Gods and demons, however, were simply different orders of existence, and even gods and demons could seek their own escape from suffering if they chose to do so. It appears as though Buddhism was originally passed down as an oral tradition amongst the community of Shakyamuni's followers.  Eventually this was written down in texts, describing Buddhism for those who came later.  The canonical texts that outline the Dharma, that is to say the teachings of the historical Buddha, are known as sutras.  They contain the actual words of the historical Buddha, or so it is believed, and the core of his teachings. Then there are the Vinaya, which are those writings about the community, or Sangha, and the rules for the community and for various monks.  These came about as the community grew, and various Buddhists in different areas, without access to the direct disciples of the Buddha themselves, started to vary in their practices.  As such, the Vinaya texts were written to try to give some shared reference material. Finally, there are the Abhidharma texts, which are further writings about the teachings, generally with a more scholarly bent.  They elaborate upon what is found in the sutras, but are not considered the actual teachings of the historical Buddha. Together, these three classes of texts are known in the Buddhist tradition as the Tripitaka, or three baskets, with any canonical text generally falling into one of the three descriptions. I'll note that it is unclear to me just when these texts were written down.  The oldest extant sutra fragments are from sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE, but some of the texts—particularly sutras and Abhidharma texts, were likely around much earlier.  Various traditions make claims to when different texts were written, but it can be hard, sometimes, to discern fact from fiction. There is also at least one other form of Buddhist literature which would be important in its spread, and that is the jataka tales.  These are stories about the previous lives of the Buddha.  Much like Aesop's fables or the parables found in the Bible, these are stories that contain lessons and often help to break down or explain a particular point, but they are not necessarily the direct teachings of the Buddha himself. The focus of the canon was to help define and preserve the Three Jewels of Buddhism:  Memory of the Historical Buddha, Siddartha Gautama, aka the Shakyamuni Buddha; the Dharma, which is to say, his teachings, and the Sangha, or the community of followers. Over time, things changed.  Early on, Buddhist monks would wander much of the year, coming back together during the rainy seasons and then dispersing again.  At various times they would call a council and come together and ensure they still held the same doctrines, though even with that, differences began to form.  At first it was just over things like the rules of conduct, which might differ in one place or another.  Eventually, though, different sutras began to appear here and there, claiming to describe different teachings of the Buddha.  One such sutra is the Lotus Sutra, which claims to tell the story of what the Buddha taught after his last sermon.  It claims that after most of the people had left, the Buddha began another discourse just for those who remained, and that became known as the Lotus sutra, one that many will likely have heard of.  Other texts include the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra. Not everyone accepted these texts as factual and canonical scriptures, however.  Particularly in the south, down to Sri Lanka, many of the Buddhist communities continued to focus on what they considered the orthodox canonical texts, while others began to incorporate these new sutras into their practice.  Those sects that accepted the new sutras, which often focused on the concept of Boddhisatvas—individuals who had done all they needed to attain Buddhahood, but who had “remained” in this world to help shepherd and guide others—or on various tantric and spiritual techniques to attain Buddhahood for themselves, became known as the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, sects.  On the other hand, those sects that denied the authenticity of such sutras and which tried to keep to what they believed was the original tripitaka became known as Theravada Buddhism.   Today, Theravada Buddhism tends to be more popular in Southeast Asia, in places like Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, while Mahayana Buddhism tends to define many of the practices in Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. In addition to changes in what people considered doctrine, the nature of the Sangha and Buddhist worship changed as well.  Over time, monasteries were set up as specific places where monks could settle down. This may have originally arisen from the places where they would gather during the monsoons, but they eventually became places where the monks themselves stayed, and where individuals might come to learn.  In addition, there was a rise in the worship of holy relics, and many such settlements would have one or more stupas containing some form of holy relic that the people could pray to. People also built statues depicting the Buddha and other figures from the stories.  An entire school of how to depict various Buddhas and other figures came about, with specific hand gestures  and postures imparting specific meaning to what was built.  Traditions arose around how to build these temples and monasteries as well as to how to build the various statues and even to specific identifying features that would call out the Buddha, such as long fingers, drooping earlobes that had once held heavy and elaborate earrings, toes that were all the same length, et cetera.  The features of Buddha images—especially the faces—would change in different areas.  Much as Jesus is often depicted as a white man, Buddha would typically be depicted with features similar to the people who were making the image. Still, certain aspects remain the same from one tradition to another such that they are all recognizable as the Buddha. From Shakyamuni's home south of the Himalayas, Buddhism would eventually spread, following the trade routes of the so-called Silk Road.  Buddhist missionaries appear to have made contact with the Han dynasty, but it wasn't until the Northern and Southern states period that it really took off.  Likewise, it made its way to the Korean peninsula, and from there to Japan. But those are all things to save for our next episode, when we take a look at just how this new religion grew and expanded and became so influential in the continent and eventually in the peninsula and the archipelago itself. Until then, thank you for listening and for all of your support.  If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

I have recorded many Tricycle Week articles on Zen Commuter, and invariably I come across the word, Rinpoche. Today, I talk about what the term Rinpoche means; along with monastic, lama and tulku.  If that isn't enough, we will also learn the concept/word Abhidharma.  Come listen

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/indian-religions

Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary practices involving selves—or at least persons? In Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics (Oxford University Press, 2022), Monima Chadha answers these questions by considering Vasubandhu's arguments against the self. She argues that he—and Abhidharma philosophers like him—denies the existence of selves as well as persons and should take a strongly illusionist stance about our apparent senses of agency and ownership. The book also investigates how Vasubandhu ought to explain episodic memory and synchronic unity of conscious experiences without a self. Chadha weaves together philosophers from a range of traditions, drawing on contemporary and premodern interpreters of Buddhism as well as analytic philosophy, phenomenology and continental philosophy, and modern cognitive science. Malcolm Keating is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Yale-NUS College. His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast Sutras & Stuff.

Bright on Buddhism Episode 49 - What is the Tripitaka? What are its contents? What are the differences between the three baskets? Resources: Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. (2010). "Abhidharma Pitaka". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-ak Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.; Swearer, Donald K. (1992). "A Summary of the Seven Books of the Abhidhamma". In Donald S. Lopez (ed.). Buddhism in Practice. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press.; Gombrich, Richard (2006). How Buddhism Began: The Conditioned Genesis of the Early Teachings (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-415-37123-0.; Cox, Collett (2004). "Abhidharma". MacMillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Vol. 1. New York: MacMillan Reference USA. pp. 1–7. ISBN 0-02-865719-5.; Davids, T. W. Rhys, Oldenberg, Hermann (joint tr): Vinaya texts, Oxford, The Clarendon press 1881; Singh, Upinder (2016), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson, ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9; Hirakawa, History of Indian Buddhism, volume 1, 1974; Walser, Joseph (2005), Nāgārjuna in Context: Mahāyāna Buddhism and Early Indian Culture, Columbia Univ Pr, ISBN 978-0231131643; Dutt, Nalinaksha (1998), Buddhist Sects in India, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-0428-7; Harris, Ian Charles (1991), The Continuity of Madhyamaka and Yogacara in Indian Mahayana Buddhism, Brill Academic Pub, ISBN 9789004094482; https://web.archive.org/web/20030601154657/http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/index.html; https://suttacentral.net/; http://www.tipitaka.net/; http://www.cttbusa.org/sutratexts.asp; http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks.htm; http://www.cbeta.org/ Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by finding us on email or social media! https://linktr.ee/brightonbuddhism Credits: Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/message

This rather LONG talk discusses the (19) Beautiful Mental Factors of the Abhidharma. Broken down into 5 categories (thanks to Steve Armstrong). If you enjoy these sessions please consider joining my dharma mentoring program. We have a few spaces left. You can find out more here: https://www.davesmithdharma.com/meditation/mentoring/

In this episode I am speaking with Dr. Karen O'Brien-Kop. Karen is Lecturer in Asian Religions and Ethics at the University of Roehampton. She was formerly Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Religions and Philosophies at SOAS University of London. Her doctoral research at SOAS was on the intertextuality of Pātañjala yoga and Buddhist yoga in the classical era. She was a co-founder of the Sanskrit Reading Room and is a committee member of the SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies.You can hear Karen's excellent 4 hour audio course The Philosophy of the Yoga Sutra at wisestudies.comIn this conversation we discuss the relationship between Classical Yoga and Buddhism

Eva Natanya is Executive Director and Resident Teacher at the Center for Contemplative Research at Miyo Samten Ling. A scholar of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, Christian theology, and comparative religion, Dr. Natanya has served in many capacities as a spiritual teacher, academic lecturer, translator, and editor of Tibetan texts, writer, and retreat leader. Following a nine-year career as a professional ballet dancer with both the New York City Ballet and the Royal Ballet of England, she earned an MA in Christian Systematic Theology at the Graduate Theological Union and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. Her dissertation examined the complex interactions of Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, and Abhidharma teachings as they underlie the Vajrayāna philosophy of Je Tsongkhapa. She has worked closely with Dr. B. Alan Wallace on his translations for several books, including Open Mind: View and Meditation in the Lineage of Lerab Lingpa and Fathoming the Mind: Inquiry and Insight in Dudjom Lingpa's Vajra Essence, and has co-taught meditation retreats with Dr. Wallace around the world. In a Christian context, she co-authored Living Resurrected Lives: What It Means and Why It Matters with Veronica Mary Rolf. She has spent more than three years in solitary meditation retreat, and remains in residence at Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, guiding fellow retreatants in the details of contemplative training. Her website is: evanatanya.com. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Interview recorded August 21, 2021 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

In this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Sarah Shaw, who is an Honorary fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies; and lecturer for the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education. We spoke about her new book, Mindfulness: Where It Comes From and What It Means – published in paperback by Shambala. This is a very accessible and very well researched book – and we explored the history of mindfulness as it first appeared in the English language, the important role of memory and the oral chanting tradition in early Buddhism – to the multiple functions of mindfulness. We also touch on the significance of the Abhidharma and Abhidharmakosha – and how mindfulness is situated and functions in these schools. Sarah draws from her decade of practicing, researching, and teaching the history of mindfulness. Sarah read Greek and English at Manchester University, where she took a doctorate in English. It was later in her career that she decided to study Pali at Oxford, and she has a deep interest in Early Buddhist (Pāli) suttas and Abhidhamma material on meditation, the Pali chanting traditions. In addition, Sarah practices with the Samatha Association of Britain.

Kamalashila takes us into the world of the Abhidharma to investigate how positive mind states emerge. He describes the types of Shraddha (confidence, faith or esteem), and their place in Buddhist practice. Excerpted from the talk entitled Shraddha given for Sangha Night at the West London Buddhist Centre, 2016. *** Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast - a full Dharma talk every week! Follow our blog for news and new Dharma FBA on Twitter FBA on Facebook FBA on Soundcloud

In this extended conversation Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Mark Epstein M.D. discuss the history of scientific studies on the effects of meditation training since Buddhism’s migration to the West and encounter with materialists, psychotherapists and poets. Settling down after their annual Buddhism and Psychotherapy gathering, Bob Thurman and Mark Epstein reflect upon their twenty plus years teaching together, the on-going dialog between mental health care-givers and Buddhist Psychonauts, highlighting the teachers and teachings which impacted their work, writing and personal journeys. Candidly sharing details about his next book, Mark describes his academic career, the untold stories behind his groundbreaking writings, and shows how his lifelong combination of concentrated meditation practice with clinical psychological practice and study have earned him his eminent place on the front lines of the mindfulness revolution. This episode includes: an exploration of the influence of the historical Buddha, Freud, Ginsberg, John Cage, D.W. Winnicott, D.T. Suzuki, Tsongkhapa, 14th Dalai Lama, Yeshi Dhonden, Gelek Rimpoche, wives and close family have had upon Professor Thurman and Dr. Epstein, an introduction to Abhidharma, and the relationship between Buddhist Inner Sciences, Vajrayana, yoga and modern psycho-therapeutic practice. Recorded August 2020 this podcast includes a possible solution to the Zen koan of “one hand clapping”, also known as the un-stuck sound. Tibet House US Menla Conversations with Mark Epstein M.D. – Ep. 241 of the Bob Thurman Podcast photo by David Gabriel Fischer via Zen Diary.

Dharma Talk by Shindō Neely Atkinson. Neely’s dharma name is Shindō, Heart of the Way. He is a science teacher and a long-time student of Zen.

In this extended recording with Krishna Das and his band, Professor Thurman leads a discussion of the Hindu and Buddhist perspectives on the soul, sin and greed using stories from their early years in India. Archive session includes a group recitation of the “Heart Sutra”, a discussion of non-duality as it relates to bliss, an extended dialog on the connections between Hindu and Buddhist self transformation technologies and several chant and response sessions led by Nina Rao and Krishna Das. This podcast includes stories from Robert A.F. Thurman and Krishna Das’ time in India and reading of Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol’s poetry. “In these three sessions, we will chant together, mantra together, teach and discuss wisdom and love and compassion in the tradition of Krishna Das’ Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, and H.H. the Dalai Lama, and have a great time, invoking Noble Tara, Shri Devi, Krishna/Radha and Manjushri/Sarasvati, covering the Guru-disciple relationship and its permutations, all kinds of mental and physical yogas, mind-concentration and heart transformation, bhakti and Tantra, etc., and basically enjoy the beautiful Dharmas of India and Tibet.” This talk was recorded during the Force For Good Class “Hindu Buddhist Paths of Devotion: Cherishing Divine Wisdom and Compassion Through Chanting and Mantra” at Tibet House US in New York City in 2019 with Krishna Das & Robert A.F. Thurman & is apart of the THUS Member Archive. To learn more about the work + music of Krishna Das please visit: www.krishnadas.com. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this special podcast with Krishna Das, Professor Thurman leads a discussion of the Buddhist perspective on the soul, sin and greed using stories from their early years in India. Opening with a group recitation of the “Heart Sutra” Robert A.F. Thurman uses this seminal text of all Buddhist traditions as a jumping off point for a discussion of non-duality, bliss and the connections between Hindu and Buddhist self transformation technologies.This week’s poetry segment Krishna Das reads the work of Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol. “Chanting breaks down the difference between the inside and the outside. It’s about having a heart that never shuts down, that nothing can shut down.”Krishna Das My Early Years : Buddhist Soul with Krishna Das- Ep. 216 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via “Illumination, Meditation and Bodhisattvas – འོད་སྣང་། སྒོམ། བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།” Co-organized by Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. To learn more about the work + music of Krishna Das please visit: www.krishnadas.com. This talk was recorded during the Force For Good Class Series at Tibet House US in New York City in 2019 with Krishna Das & Robert A.F. Thurman & is apart of the THUS Member Archive. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2

In this special podcast with Krishna Das, Professor Thurman leads a discussion of the Buddhist perspective on the soul, sin and greed using stories from their early years in India. Opening with a group recitation of the “Heart Sutra” Robert A.F. Thurman uses this seminal text of all Buddhist traditions as a jumping off point for a discussion of non-duality, bliss and the connections between Hindu and Buddhist self transformation technologies. This week’s poetry segment Krishna Das reads the work of Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol. “Chanting breaks down the difference between the inside and the outside. It’s about having a heart that never shuts down, that nothing can shut down.” Krishna Das My Early Years : Buddhist Soul with Krishna Das- Ep. 216 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via “Illumination, Meditation and Bodhisattvas – འོད་སྣང་། སྒོམ། བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།” Co-organized by Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. To learn more about the work + music of Krishna Das please visit: www.krishnadas.com. This talk was recorded during the Final #ForceForGood Class at Tibet House US in New York City in 2016 with Krishna Das & Robert A.F. Thurman & is apart of the THUS Member Archive. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this extended archive recording Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Tom Yarnall explore the “Guhyasamāja Tantra King of Tantras – The Glorious Esoteric Community” by Tsongkhapa giving an introduction to Buddhist tantra and the practice of creation stage deity yoga. Includes an exploration of Buddhist Sand or powder mandalas and the chakra system used in the visualizations used in creation stage tantra meditations and self transformation practices by Robert A.F. Thurman. Podcast includes a discussion of the role of gods in visualization, the need to study and develop critical wisdom and selfless compassion before engaging in advanced self-transformation and the historical place of initiation in Indian and Vedic communities.   Force For Good : Creation Stage Tantra Podcast Bonus Image via Lotus Within. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. “Force For Good : Creation Stage Tantra Podcast Bonus″ of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2017 Force for Good Class Series. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this extended archive recording Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Tom Yarnall explore the “Guhyasamāja Tantra King of Tantras – The Glorious Esoteric Community” by Tsongkhapa giving an introduction to Buddhist tantra and the practice of creation stage deity yoga. Includes an exploration of Buddhist Sand or powder mandalas and the chakra system used in the visualizations used in creation stage tantra meditations and self transformation practices by Robert A.F. Thurman. Podcast includes a discussion of the role of gods in visualization, the need to study and develop critical wisdom and selfless compassion before engaging in advanced self-transformation and the historical place of initiation in Indian and Vedic communities. Force For Good : Creation Stage Tantra Podcast Bonus Image via Lotus Within. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. “Force For Good : Creation Stage Tantra Podcast Bonus″ of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2017 Force for Good Class Series. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the

In this extended archive recording of the Tibet House US Force For Good class Buddhist Sciences : Vajrayana II Robert A.F. Thurman gives an overview of the esoteric teachings of Buddhism. Using the “Esoteric Community” (Guhyasamāja) by Tsongkhapa, Professor Thurman discusses how with proper study and meditation anyone can understand the full meaning of the Buddha’s esoteric teachings. Podcast includes: an overview of the Buddhist Inner Sciences, an explanation of the different lineages, orders and sects of Tibetan Buddhism, a short discussion of the distinctions between Mother, Father and Non-Dual Tantra, definitions of Professor Thurman’s “Tantric Abidharma”, Mind Objective, Speech Isolation, Clear Light and the Central Channel system used in Buddhist Medicine and Inner Sciences. Buddhist Sciences Vajrayana Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Image of Medicine Buddha and Tsongkhapa via www.welcomecollection.org “Buddhist Sciences Vajrayana Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives″ of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2016 Force for Good Class “Vajrayana II”. This archive was originally excerpted as the episodes: “Mother and Father Tantras” and “Buddhist Opening Verses” and the full video version can be viewed on the Tibet House US Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa YouTube Channel. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this on-going series please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman uses stories and lessons learned from his time studying with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to explain the Buddhist perspective on God, gods, goddesses and theism. Joined by Dr. Tom Yarnall in a discussion of "Guhyasamāja Tantra King of Tantras - The Glorious Esoteric Community" by Tsongkhapa Professor gives an introduction to Buddhist tantra and the practice of deity yoga. Podcast includes a discussion of the role of gods in visualization, the need to study and develop critical wisdom and selfless compassion before engaging in advanced self-transformation and the historical place of initiation in Indian and Vedic communities. This week’s poetry segment Gary Gach reads Lew Welch's poem "Lichen". Deity Yoga : Buddhism and Theism - Episode 214 Image via www.namgyalmonastery.org This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. “Deity Yoga : Buddhism and Theism - Episode 214″ of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2017 Force for Good Class Series. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Unwinding the mystery of the ancient traditions of Hatha and Vajrayana Yoga, Professor Thurman gives an engaging history and extends a personal invitation to practitioners of both communities to begin developing the esoteric teachings for future generations of sensitive beings. Robert A.F. Thurman opens this week’s episode with an introduction to Buddhist tantra, tantric Abhidharma and the philosophy common to Tsongkhapa, Nagarjuna, the practice lineages of Vajrayana, Shaivite and Hatha Yoga. Second half of this week’s episode is a special invitation to all Hatha yoga and Vajrayana Buddhist students, mediators and inner scientists to develop and participate in a teacher training with Robert Thurman at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa. Podcast concludes with a reading of Patti Smith’s poem “Oracle” by Gary Gach. Hatha & Vajrayana Yoga : Developing Traditions Photo by Ryan McGuire via www.mcguiremade.com. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman & Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative & theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews & one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. Hatha & Vajrayana Yoga : Developing Traditions – Ep. 212 of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded July 2019. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”.

Unwinding the mystery of the ancient traditions of Hatha and Vajrayana Yoga, Professor Thurman gives an engaging history and extends a personal invitation to practitioners of both communities to begin developing the esoteric teachings for future generations of sensitive beings. Robert A.F. Thurman opens this week’s episode with an introduction to Buddhist tantra, tantric Abhidharma and the philosophy common to Tsongkhapa, Nagarjuna, the practice lineages of Vajrayana, Shaivite and Hatha Yoga. Second half of this week’s episode is a special invitation to all Hatha yoga and Vajrayana Buddhist students, mediators and inner scientists to develop and participate in a teacher training with Robert Thurman at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa. Podcast concludes with a reading of Patti Smith’s poem “Oracle” by Gary Gach. Hatha & Vajrayana Yoga : Developing Traditions Photo by Ryan McGuire via www.mcguiremade.com. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman & Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative & theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews & one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. Hatha & Vajrayana Yoga : Developing Traditions – Ep. 212 of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded July 2019. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

Using the "Esoteric Community" (Guhyasamāja), by Tsongkhapa  Professor Thurman discusses the fractal nature of Buddhist writings and how with proper study and meditation upon their salutatory or opening verses one can understand the full meaning of the Buddha's esoteric and esoteric teachings. Podcast opens with an exploration of the history of Buddhist monastic and university traditions, a teaching on the Seven Ornaments and the six parameters of interpretation used within Tantric and Vajrayana philosophy. Episode includes definitions of Professor Thurman's "Tantric Abidharma", Mind Objective, Speech Isolation, Clear Light and the Central Channel system used in Buddhist Medicine and Inner Sciences. Podcast concludes with a reading of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s writings on World War Two and the Bombing of Nagasaki by Gary Gach.   This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman & Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative & theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews & one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. Exploring Buddhist Opening Verses - Ep. 204 was recorded at the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources Class Introduction of the Force for Good Series Class “Buddhist Science Vajrayana Part Three” on November 30th 2016 at Tibet House US in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”.

Using the “Esoteric Community” (Guhyasamāja), by Tsongkhapa  Professor Thurman discusses the fractal nature of Buddhist writings and how with proper study and meditation upon their salutatory or opening verses one can understand the full meaning of the Buddha’s esoteric and esoteric teachings. Podcast opens with an exploration of the history of Buddhist monastic and university traditions, a teaching on the Seven Ornaments and the six parameters of interpretation used within Tantric and Vajrayana philosophy. Episode includes definitions of Professor Thurman’s “Tantric Abidharma”, Mind Objective, Speech Isolation, Clear Light and the Central Channel system used in Buddhist Medicine and Inner Sciences. Podcast concludes with a reading of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s writings on World War Two and the Bombing of Nagasaki by Gary Gach. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman & Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative & theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews & one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. Exploring Buddhist Opening Verses – Ep. 204 was recorded at the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources Class Introduction of the Force for Good Series Class “Buddhist Science Vajrayana Part Three” on November 30th 2016 at Tibet House US in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman discusses the value of studying Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana by anyone interested in improving their mind, relationships and the world around them with or without initiation or empowerment. Opening with a succinct explanation of the different lineages, orders and sects of Tibetan Buddhism from a historical perspective, Robert A.F. Thurman leads a discussion of the common misconceptions of Vajrayana Buddhism since coming to the West giving rise to the appearance of sectarianism and abuses by non-traditional Guru figures. Podcast includes: an overview of the Buddhist Inner Sciences, a short discussion of the distinctions between Mother, Father and Non-Dual Tantra and an introduction to the central channel practices including the Magic Body and Chakra symbolism. Second half of the podcast includes an in-depth exploration of the the symbolism and use of the Bells, Dorjes and Vajra Ritual Implements in art and meditational practices. Podcast concludes with a reading of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s “Millennial Cities” by Gary Gach. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman & Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative & theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews & one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. Buddhist Sciences : Mother & Father Tantras - Ep. 203 was recorded at the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources Class Introduction of the Force for Good Series Class "Buddhist Science Vajrayana Part Three" on November 30th 2016 at Tibet House US in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility).   This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”.

In this archive recording from the Force For Good class "The Buddha Soul, Nature, Essence, Element, or Womb" Robert A.F. Thurman gives a teaching on the secular nature of Buddhist meditation and mantra practices. Recording opens with discussions of: mindfulness of the breath, instructions on mantra recitation, a history of Zen on Chan Buddhism and an introduction to the Bodhisattva Maitreya’s “The Sublime Continuum Super-Commentary with the Sublime Continuum Treatise Commentary” published by AIBS, Tibet House US and Columbia University Press. Robert A.F. Thurman provides a quick fire summary of the historical Buddha’s core teaching of The Four Noble Truths, an introduction to Buddhism’s messianic figure of Maitreya, Asanga and his brother Vasubandhu, and a humorous perspective of the film “Death Becomes Her”. Includes an extended re-telling of the story of Asanga and the Dog, an in depth discussion of the Three Jewels of Buddhism and an exploration of the Buddhist perspective on the soul, death and the existence of both heavenly and hell-like realms. Buddha Soul - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo Young Monks studying by Tenzin Chojeor via www.dalailama.com. This talk was recorded during the "The Buddha Soul, Nature, Essence, Element, or Womb" Force For Good Class at Tibet House US in New York City, October 2017 with Robert A.F. Thurman & is apart of the THUS Member Archive. “When we really feel that there is some need to change, then our minds can change. Wishing and praying alone will not transform your mind, but with conviction and reason, reason based ultimately on your own experience, you can transform your mind. Time is quite an important factor here, and with time our mental attitudes can certainly change.” H.H. Dalai Lama To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this Force For Good archive recording, Professor Thurman gives a teaching on the history of Buddhism and the Esoteric Vajrayana meditation practices preserved in Tibet and found within all Buddhist traditions and teachings. Opening with a humorous presentation on non-duality using the science fiction movies featuring Godzilla, Robert A.F. Thurman explores the nature of anger, the subtle mind and selflessness. Archive recording includes a discussion of dharmakāya and mandala visualizations using The Four Noble Truths, The Heart Sutra, the mis-titled Tibetan Book of the Dead, an exploration of anger with an explanation of “Buddha Pride” and how confidence in the primal knowledge of voidness can help anyone understand how misplaced pride leads to suffering. This recording includes two guided meditations on selflessness and on visualization appropriate for Buddhists and Non-Buddhists alike, This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Buddhist Sciences Vajrayana : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives was recorded at the Force For Good Class “Buddhist Sciences II : Vajrayana” on November, 2016 in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (

In this Force For Good archive recording, Professor Thurman gives a teaching on the history of Buddhism and the Esoteric Vajrayana meditation practices preserved in Tibet and found within all Buddhist traditions and teachings. Opening with a humorous presentation on non-duality using the science fiction movies featuring Godzilla, Robert A.F. Thurman explores the nature of anger, the subtle mind and selflessness. Archive recording includes a discussion of dharmakāya and mandala visualizations using The Four Noble Truths, The Heart Sutra, the mis-titled Tibetan Book of the Dead, an exploration of anger with an explanation of “Buddha Pride” and how confidence in the primal knowledge of voidness can help anyone understand how misplaced pride leads to suffering. This recording includes two guided meditations on selflessness and on visualization appropriate for Buddhists and Non-Buddhists alike, This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Buddhist Sciences Vajrayana : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives was recorded at the Force For Good Class "Buddhist Sciences II : Vajrayana" on November, 2016 in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman gives a teaching on the history of Buddhism and the Esoteric Vajrayana meditation practices preserved in Tibet and found within all Buddhist traditions and teachings. Opening this week’s episode with humorous presentation on non-duality using the science fiction movies featuring Godzilla Robert A.F. Thurman explores the nature of anger, the subtle mind and selflessness. Podcast includes a discussion of dharmakāya and mandala visualizations using The Four Noble Truths, The Heart Sutra and of the mis-titled Tibetan Book of the Dead as a popularization of the Buddhist science of the subtle and super subtle mind. Second half of this podcast continues Professor Thurman’s exploration of anger with an explanation of “Buddha Pride” and how confidence in the primal knowledge of voidness can help anyone understand how misplaced pride or a pride of ordinariness leads to mis-knowing the blissful nature of reality and suffering. Podcast concludes with a presentation of the work of Arnold J. Toynbee & Karl Jaspers on the Axial Age and a recommendation of “Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies” by Jared M. Diamond. This week’s poetry segment Gary Gach reads the poetry of Korean poet, writer, and activist Ko Un This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Godzilla Sutra : Understanding Anger & The Axial Age – Ep. 191 was recorded at the Force For Good Class on November, 2016 in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “S

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman gives a teaching on the history of Buddhism and the Esoteric Vajrayana meditation practices preserved in Tibet and found within all Buddhist traditions and teachings. Opening this week's episode with humorous presentation on non-duality using the science fiction movies featuring Godzilla Robert A.F. Thurman explores the nature of anger, the subtle mind and selflessness. Podcast includes a discussion of dharmakāya and mandala visualizations using The Four Noble Truths, The Heart Sutra and of the miss-titled Tibetan Book of the Dead as a popularization of the Buddhist science of the subtle and super subtle mind. Second half of this podcast continues Professor Thurman's exploration of anger with an explanation of "Buddha Pride" and how confidence in the primal knowledge of voidness can help anyone understand how misplaced pride or a pride of ordinariness leads to miss-knowing the blissful nature of reality and suffering. Podcast concludes with a presentation of the work of Arnold J. Toynbee & Karl Jaspers on the Axial Age and a recommendation of "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond. This week's poetry segment Gary Gach reads the poetry of Korean poet, writer, and activist Ko Un. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Godzilla Sutra : Understanding Anger & The Axial Age - Ep. 191 was recorded at the Force For Good Class on November, 2016 in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. Korean poet, writer, and activist Ko Un was born in Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do. He was drawn to poetry after discovering the early work of Han Ha-Un, a nomadic Korean poet with leprosy. After witnessing the devastation of the Korean War, Ko entered a monastery and became a Buddhist monk. He left the Buddhist community in 1962. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Ko was detained, tortured, and imprisoned repeatedly for his opposition to the military regime. Ko has twice won the South Korean Literature Prize and received the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry’s Lifetime Recognition Award. He was elected chairman of the Association of Writers for National Literature and was chosen president of the Compilation Committee of the Grand Inter-Korean Dictionary. He has taught at Seoul National University, Kyonggi University, Harvard University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Ko lives in South Korea. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this archive recording from the “Force for Good” class series Robert A.F. Thurman uses the work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to elucidate the esoteric sources and imaginative tools used by Tibetan monastics, wandering mendicants, yogis, yoginis and everyday sensitive beings for the cultivation of love, compassion, joy, and equilibrium. Opening with an introduction to the Buddhist Neurosciences as practiced by the Mahāsiddhas using the Cakrasamvara Tantra to develop the art of lucid sleeping, lucid dreaming, and lucid awakening, Professor Thurman provides a road map for seekers of any tradition to positively re-imagine their ability to consciously restructure the brain, relationships and their world through an understanding of the nature of reality. Podcast includes an overview of the Yogic chakras & channels, an explanation of the Mother and Father Tantra systems, the historic reasoning of the secrecy of esoteric teachings due to dangers of becoming conscious of the unconscious and the blissful experiences of the subtle, super subtle and clear light non-dual realities to be discovered by anyone who has developed their inner imaginative microscope through meditative stabilization and the practice of mandala meditations. Recording includes an overview of Nine Point Breath Meditation as taught by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, introductions to Buddhist Tantra, the Karma Sutra, the history of Theravada and the diverse meditation traditions of India, China and South East Asia, and a frank presentation of so-called “crazy wisdom” by Robert Thurman shedding much needed philosophical light upon the ethical lapses which occur due to milsleading teachers’ and misled students’ misunderstandings of the nature of ultimate and causal realities described by the Buddha and his great successors. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

This in depth teaching on the practice and performance of visualization during meditative states Robert A.F. Thurman provides a practical roadmap for those from any religious, cultural or economic background to apply the tools from the esoteric traditions of Buddhist tantra to understand and reduce suffering on all levels. Podcast includes an overview of the subtle energy systems taught by Buddhist Vajrayana and Hindu Shaivism, to the Nine Point Breath Meditation as taught by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang and a discussion on Buddhist Tantra, the Karma Sutra, the history of Theravada and meditation practices. This week’s poetry segment Gary Gach reads the poetry of W. S. Merwin. Pharmacopeia of Visualization : Tantra, Sex and Meditation – Ep. 190 Photo by Matt Briney on Unsplash Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. W.S. Merwin is the 17th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry of the United States. He is the author of over fifty books of poetry, prose, and translations. He has earned every major literary prize, most recently the National Book Award for 'Migration: New and Selected Poems' and the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for 'The Shadow of Sirius.' He lives in Hawaii where he raises endangered palm trees. “Pharmacopeia of Visualization : Tantra, Sex and Meditation – Ep. 189″ of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2017 Force for Good Class Series. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Using the work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as presented in Daniel Goleman's best selling book "Force for Good" Robert A.F. Thurman elucidates the esoteric sources and imaginative tools used by Tibetan monastics, wandering mendicants, yogis, yoginis and everyday sensitive beings for the cultivation of love, compassion, joy, and equilibrium. Opening with an introduction to the Buddhist Neurosciences as practiced by the Mahāsiddhas using the Cakrasamvara Tantra to develop the art of lucid sleeping, lucid dreaming, and lucid awakening, Professor Thurman provides a road map for seekers of any tradition to positively re-imagine their ability to consciously restructure the brain, relationships and their world through an understanding of the nature of reality. Podcast includes an overview of the Yogic chakras & channels, an explanation of the Mother and Father Tantra systems, the historic reasoning of the secrecy of esoteric teachings due to dangers of becoming conscious of the unconscious and the blissful experiences of the subtle, super subtle and clear light non-dual realities to be discovered by anyone who has developed their inner imaginative microscope through meditative stabilization and the practice of mandala meditations. This week’s poetry segment Gary Gach reads "To Paint The Portrait Of A Bird" by Jacques Prévert. Buddhist Psychonauts & Their Yogic Technology - Ep. 189 Photo by Daniil Kuželev on Unsplash Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. “Buddhist Psychonauts & Their Yogic Technology - Ep. 189" of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2017 Force for Good Class Series. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this archive recording from the Tibet House US class "Key Pali Suttas : Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, Agannya Sutta" Robert A.F. Thurman explores rebirth and reincarnation using the colorful Jataka Tales from the Buddha’s past lives providing an overview of the evolution of the notions of Karma, Dharma and community through history. Opening with a discussion of the work of sociologist Talcott Parsons, Robert A.F. Thurman illustrates how the Buddha’s early Pali Suttas (Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, and Agannya Sutta) were secular in nature offering practical insight and tools for seekers looking beyond traditional religion, ritual and superstition through kindness, fellowship and meditative wisdom. Includes: a recommendation of the work of Daniel Goldman, an explanation of the Buddha’s rebellion against religion through the redefining of Dharma and Karma within his mendicant community’s practices and an in-depth exploration of the logic of infinitely connected past and future lives through a close line translation of the ‘Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life’ and Jataka Tales including the story of the rabbit and the moon. "Key Pali Suttas : Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, Agannya Sutta" is an excerpt the Force For Good : Buddhist Sources and Practices Beyond Religion. A Teacher’s Training Marathon recorded at Tibet House US in 2016. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Exploring rebirth and reincarnation using the colorful Jataka Tales from the Buddha's past lives Professor Thurman in this two part podcast provides listeners with an overview of the evolution of the notions of Karma, Dharma and community across history. Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Naomi Shihab Nye by Gary Gach.     Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet, songwriter, and novelist born to a Palestinian father and an American mother in St. Louis, Missouri. Nye is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for her work, including a Lavan Award, the Paterson Poetry Prize, the Carity Randall Prize, and many Pushcart Prizes. She has received fellowships from the Lannan Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and she was a Witter Bynner Fellow. From 2010 to 2015 she served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this archive recording of the on-going Force For Good Class Series Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Nida Chenagtsang give an introduction to Buddhist Tantra and the meditation practices used to accelerate spiritual evolution through the development of one’s magic body. Using Nargajuna‘s verses on clear light, Bodhisattvas, the development of the rainbow body and bliss Professor Thurman gives an introduction to the Unexcelled Yoga Tantra perfection stage teaching of the Sarma (later translation) schools, in tribute to Dr. Nida’s enlightened non-sectarian way of imparting teachings and blessings. Dr. Nida teaches the pith quintessence of the Nyingma Atiyoga Great Perfection (Dzogchen) teaching transmitted from the famous 12th century Enlightened healer, physician, and accomplished Ngagpa yogi and scholar, Yuthok Yonten Gonpo, elucidating key points of his book on that subject, “Ati Yoga: Mirror of Light“. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Wisdom Publications. Force For Good : Ati Yoga - Podcast Bonus was recorded at the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources Force for Good Class Series session "Ati Yoga: According to Yuthok Yonten Gonpo" with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang and Robert A.F. Thurman, Tibet House US, New York City, Winter 2016. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility).   This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Nida Chenagtsang in this two part podcast give an introduction to Buddhist Tantra and the meditation practices used to accelerate spiritual evolution through the development of one's magic body. Using Nargajuna's verses on clear light, Bodhisattvas, the development of the rainbow body and bliss Professor Thurman gives an introduction to the Unexcelled Yoga Tantra perfection stage teaching of the Sarma (later translation) schools, in tribute to Dr. Nida’s enlightened non-sectarian way of imparting teachings and blessings. Second half of the episode Dr. Nida teaches the pith quintessence of the Nyingma Atiyoga Great Perfection (Dzogchen) teaching transmitted from the famous 12th century Enlightened healer, physician, and accomplished Ngagpa yogi and scholar, Yuthok Yonten Gonpo, elucidating key points of his book on that subject, "Ati Yoga: Mirror of Light". Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Korean poet, writer, and activist Ko Un by Gary Gach. Buddhist Inner Sciences: Revealing Your Magic Body Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Wisdom Publications. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman & Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative & theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews & one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. Buddhist Inner Sciences: Revealing Your Magic Body - Ep. 183 was recorded at the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources Class Introduction of the Force for Good Series at Tibet House US Spring 2018. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”.

Christoph Rei Ho Hatlapa spricht über die verschiedene Interpretationen der Lehre des Buddha und dass es hilfreich ist, sich damit zu beschäftigen und in wieweit die Zenübung hilft, das Verständnis zu vertiefen. Er erzählt über seine Erfahrungen mit Dogmen und Weltanschauungen und folglich seiner Zurückhaltung und Respekt gegenüber dem großen Kanon des Buddha. Das Undogmatische des Zen hat ihn besonders angezogen. Aus seiner Erfahrung ist es von großem Wert, sich mit der Lehre auseinanderzusetzen, da dadurch Fragen entstehen, die uns auf dem Weg weiterhelfen können. Ummon, z.B., hört, dass der fragende Mönch, der ein sehr guter Kenner der Lehre Buddhas war, viele Widersprüche in Buddhas Lehre wahrnimmt, dass er verwirrt ist und es ein Bedürfnis nach Klarheit gibt. Wie kann man Ummons knappe Antwort: „Ein einziger Zuspruch!“ (eine der verschiedenen Übersetzungen) verstehen? Christoph erwähnt die unterschiedlichen Übersetzungen des Koans und die tiefere Bedeutung der Auslegungen von Ummons Antwort. Zum Beispiel empfiehlt Oi Saidan Roshi folgende Übersetzung: „Preaching facing one answer“, also, „..einer Antwort gegenübersitzen“. Es war in China üblich, im Angesicht des Buddha eine Predigt zu halten. Der Meister saß dem Buddha, oft schweigend, gegenüber. Ummons Anwort weist darauf hin, dass sowohl in dem Sprechen, wie auch in dem Schweigen des Buddha eine einzige Botschaft verkörpert wird. Was ist das für eine Botschaft? Der ganze Zweck der Buddhalehre ist das Wohlergehen aller. Was kann uns glücklich machen, jenseits unserer Vorstellungen und Wünsche an das Leben? Welches Bedürfnis erfüllen wir uns, wenn wir zu einem Sesshin kommen? Wie können wir dem Ausdruck verleihen? Buddhas Lehre weist auf die genau Erforschung der Bedingungen. Welche Bedingungen tragen zu unserem Leben bei? Zu unserem Glück, zu unserem Unglück? Begriffe, die im Teisho vorkommen: Abhidharma- der 3. Teil des Pali-Kanon Vinhabthi Vijnana - 5 Sinne + Denken Vijnana - Wissen von der Welt / Bewusstsein Alaya Vijnana - Speicherbewusstsein / das 8. Bewusstsein / „Samen“- Bewusstsein Manas - Identitäsbewusstsein / persönlicher Memoirenschreiber Ropa - Form / Körper Nama Ropa - Einheit von Geist und Körper Wir freuen uns sehr über eine Spende, um die Kosten für die Erstellung dieses Podcast zu decken. Sie finden die Kontodaten/Paypal auf unserer Website http://choka-sangha.de/kontakt/spenden/ Herzlichen Dank

Second in a two-part series on Indian philosophy. Buddhism teaches that the self is an illusion—so what do we do with self-conscious emotions like guilt and shame, which can put useful brakes on ethical misconduct? If there's no self to be ashamed of, how should we understand the emotion? The answer lies in an ancient series of Indian Buddhist texts: the Abhidharma.

The Buddha is said to have given 84,000 distinct teachings to groups, individuals and super beings such as gods, demons and the spirits of those lost between the bardos of life, death and dreaming during his 45 years of teaching  In this week’s podcast Robert A.F. Thurman leads a close translation of The Jewel Rosary (Ratnāvalī aka Precious Garland) and in his trademark style makes the 3rd Century B.C.E. advice to the Indian King Udayibhadra come alive for today’s interconnected, global village. Opening this two part podcast with stories about Tibet’s Geshe Ben Gungyal, Professor Thurman gives short introductions to the ethics of Buddhism, the history of mindfulness skills training and the sources of bias found in the understanding and presentation of Mahayana Buddhist teachings. The second half of this week’s podcast Robert A.F. Thurman defines the five mental aggregates or body mind processes during a guided meditation and leads an exploration of non-dualism and it’s relationship to the Buddha’s teachings on ethics, emptiness, compassion and his discovery of the blissful nature of reality. Podcast concludes with a discussion of the transcendent virtues, especially upāya (Skillful Means or Liberative Art), the seventh, as presented in the Mahayana sūtras and in the writings of Nāgārjuna. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Omega Institute & brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community. Buddhist Advice for Kings, Rulers + Oligarchs is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class “Buddhist Ethics and the World Crisis: Counsel for Kings (Ratnavali) The Ethics of Cool Revolution” held at Tibet House US in New York City April 2018. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member- to learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Full access begins at $2 a month. To watch the full video archive of this teaching or to learn about the next Force For Good Class series please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Buddhist Advice for Kings, Rulers + Oligarchs Chess Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash The songs ‘Dancing Ling’ and ‘Trance Tibet” by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is called Chittamatra (and#8216;Mind-Onlyand#8217;) from the talk The Depth Psychology of the Yogachara by Sangharakshita. The Yogachara School of Indian Mahayana Buddhism and its doctrine of and#8216;Mind-Onlyand#8217; (Chittamatra) crucially influenced the development of Zen. Here the doctrine is related to subjective and absolute idealism in Western philosophy. Talk given in 1967. This talk is part of the series Aspects of Buddhist Psychology.

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman discusses the methodologies of Traditional Himalayan Medicine or Sowa Rigpa's Galenic, Chinese, and Ayurvedic roots detailing the diagnostic tools of urine analysis, pulse reading and dialog between doctor and patient. Using the visual medical thankgas depicting "The Four Tantras" Robert A.F. Thurman’s begins this week's podcast with stories from his early days as studying Tibetan Medicine with the Dalai Lama's personal physician and founder of the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute (Men-Tsee-Khang) in Dharamshala, India Yeshe Dhondon, gives an explanation of the Tibetan Phrase "Raising the Banner of Victory on the Mountain Peak" before elaborating the framework and concepts found in the analytic Buddhist Medical sciences known as Sowa Rigpa.  “Tibetan Medicine 101 : Medicine Buddha : Raising The Banner of Victory on The Mountain Peak – Ep. 170″ of the Bob Thurman Podcast is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class “Medicine Buddha: Buddhist Inner Sciences” held at Tibet House US in New York City on November 29, 2017. “It is the gift of scientifically as well spiritually enlightened healers, who not only understand what ails us but also know how to help us understand ourselves and become more conscious about our own health and how to sustain it.First priority for the enlightened healers is awakening us patients to the way our own body-mind complex works in terms we can easily understand. The whole point is to expand our vision of ourselves as beings in a nature that is luckily more beneficial than harmful, especially if we understand how it works.”   Robert A.F. Thurman Tibetan Book of Health: Sowa Rigpa, The Science of Healing     ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). To watch the full video archive of this teaching please visit: www.tibethouse.us. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Full access begins at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. "Tibetan Medicine 101 : Medicine Buddha : Raising The Banner of Victory on The Mountain Peak – Ep. 170″ of the Bob Thurman Podcast” Photo via www.dalailama.com.  

Our FBA Dharmabyte today is another dip into the Yogachara from Subhuti called Our Illusory View. This is the last in a brilliant four-part series by Subhuti on the Yogachara school of Buddhist philosophy, which provides a comprehensive psychological overview of the workings of and#8216;consciousnessand#8217;. What can we do about the veils of our basic delusions? Where do ethics come into all this? Time to steep ourselves in reality again for another session with Subhuti as he grasps the slippery snake of the mind and tries to help us see which end is which! Please note, theses and#8216;ramblesand#8217; were given without notes and may contain quotational misrememberings and inevitable slips of the tongue! Rambles Around the Yogachara: Talk 4, given at London Buddhist Centre, 2003 This talk is part of the series Rambles Around the Yogachara.

Our FBA Podcast this week is called Mind and Mental Events by Subhuti. These five omnipresent mental events (sarvatragas) constitute the basic mechanics of the mind; if you are conscious, they are present. 1. Feeling-tone (vedana) 2. Recognition (or conceptualisation) (samjna) 3. Directionality of mind (cetana) 4. Contact (sparsa) 5. Egocentric demanding (manaskara) From this we can conclude that: 1. All our experience is feeling-toned. The more conscious we are of this, the less we will react and be driven by our likes and dislikes. 2. We are always interpreting our experience with varying degrees of accuracy and depth. We can make an ongoing effort to raise the level of our experience. 3. The mind is always moving towards things. We can use cetana skilfully to move in the direction of Going for Refuge by practising the precepts etc. But we need to want to go in that direction. This talk is part of the series Mind and Mental Events (Subhuti 2001).

Opening this week's podcast with a discussion of mindfulness of the breath as it relates to the practice to reciting mantras Professor Thurman gives instructions from the Zen Buddhist tradition before introducing the root text from the 2017 Force For Good Class Series: Dr. Bo Jiang’s translation of Bodhisattva Maitreya’s "The Sublime Continuum Super-Commentary with the Sublime Continuum Treatise Commentary" published by AIBS, Tibet House US and Columbia University Press. In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman provides a quick fire summary of the historical Buddha's core teaching of The Four Noble Truths, an introduction to Buddhism's messianic figure of Maitreya, the future Buddha before going on a deep dive into the history of the 4th Century Indian Author Asanga and his brother Vasubandhu, co-founders of the Yogacara school of philosophy and a humorous perspective of the film "Death Becomes Her". Podcast concludes a re-telling of the story of Asanga and the Dog, an in depth discussion of the Three Jewels of Buddhism (The Buddha, His Teachings and the Community of practitioners of his philosophy known formally as The Sangha) their relationship to mindful bliss, clear light, the subtle body and the death process. Buddha's Mindful Bliss + The Sublime Continuum - Episode #168 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo of Hotei Buddha with Asanga and Vasubandhu by Ryan via www.flickr.com. This talk was recorded during the Final #ForceForGood Class at Tibet House US in New York City in 2016 with Krishna Das & Robert AF Thurman & is apart of the THUS Member Archive. "The Dharma doesn't Belong To Buddhism." H.H. Dalai Lama To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility).   This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.  

In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman leads a live translation of “The Samaññaphala Sutta : The Fruit of the Homeless Life” providing the back-stories of the historical figures found in the sutra in order to elucidate the ethical and scientific insights of the Buddha’s teachings on the value of the contemplative life. Using this beloved + often referenced sutra in which King Ajatasattu of the Magadha Kingdom questions the Buddha on the benefits of the spiritual life Professor Thurman explains the abundant selection of ascetic practices on offer from the various schools of philosophy at the time and how these ideas can help any spiritual seeker, Buddhist or not. Podcast Includes stories about the Buddha’s closest associates including: Jivaka Komarabhacca, his personal physician and the community’s doctor, his cousins Devadatta (who led the assassination by elephant attempt on his life) and Ananda his close friend, personal attendant and eventual inheritor of the reigns of leadership of the monastic community after his death + parinirvana. Second half of the podcast begins with a definition of the terms Shramana (Skt. śramaṇa; Tib. དགེ་སྦྱོང་, gejong, Wyl. dge sbyong), Bhagavan (Skt. bhagavant; Tib. བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་, chomdendé; Wyl. bcom ldan ‘das) and a discussion on the secular nature of Buddha’s advice found within “The Samaññaphala Sutta”. “Buddha’s Entourage: Ananda, Jivaka and Devadatta” is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class “The Samaññaphala Sutta : The Fruits of the Homeless Life” held at Tibet House US in New York City Winter 2016. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics f

In this two part podcast Robert AF Thurman leads live translation of "The Samaññaphala Sutta : The Fruit of the Homeless Life" providing the back-stories of the historical figures found in the sutra in order to elucidate the ethical and scientific insights of the Buddha's teachings on the value of the contemplative life. Using this beloved + often referenced sutra in which King Ajatasattu of the Magadha Kingdom questions the Buddha on the benefits of the spiritual life Professor Thurman explains the abundant selection of ascetic practices on offer from the various schools of philosophy at the time and how these ideas can help any spiritual seeker, Buddhist or not. Podcast Includes stories about the Buddha's closest associates including: Jivaka Komarabhacca, his personal physician and the community's doctor, his cousins Devadatta (who led the assassination by elephant attempt on his life) and Ananda his close friend, personal attendant and eventual inheritor of the reigns of leadership of the monastic community after his death + parinirvana. Second half of the podcast begins with a definition of the terms Shramana (Skt. śramaṇa; Tib. དགེ་སྦྱོང་, gejong, Wyl. dge sbyong), Bhagavan (Skt. bhagavant; Tib. བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་, chomdendé; Wyl. bcom ldan ‘das) and a discussion on the secular nature of Buddha's advice found within "The Samaññaphala Sutta". “Buddha's Entourage: Ananda, Jivaka and Devadatta” is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class "The Samaññaphala Sutta : The Fruits of the Homeless Life" held at Tibet House US in New York City Winter 2016. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). To watch the full video archive of this teaching please visit: www.tibethouse.us. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Full access begins at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. “Buddha's Entourage: Ananda, Jivaka and Devadatta” Photo by Peter Hershey on Unsplash.

Guiding a meditation and a traditional Dharma teaching from “the happiest place on earth” Professor Thurman begins this two part podcast discussing the Buddha’s insight into the psychosis at the heart the suffering of individuals, groups and in society as a whole. Recounting the Dalai Lama‘s teaching on his personal experiences with the ethics of showing compassion for mosquitoes given to a panel of scientists Professor Thurman humorously elucidates the concept of Abhidharma– the categories of Buddhist scriptures, ontology and theories of consciousness within the framework of the theory of spiritual salvation. Second part of this podcast includes an extended guided meditation on compassion recorded outdoors surrounded by Bhutan’s unique audio soundscape of birds, wind and dynamic citizens. This podcast was recorded during the Tibet House US + GeoEx Trip lead by Robert AF Thurman and Brent Olsen to Bhutan in January, 2012. “Pilgrimage : Psychosis, Mosquitoes + Compassion – Ep. 163 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. “Pilgrimage : Psychosis, Mosquitoes + Compassion – Ep. 163 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” Photo by Christopher Michel, Used with permission. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Guiding a meditation and a traditional Dharma teaching from "the happiest place on earth" Professor Thurman begins this two part podcast discussing the Buddha's insight into the psychosis at the heart the suffering of individuals, groups and in society as a whole. Recounting the Dalai Lama's teaching on his personal experiences with the ethics of showing compassion for mosquitoes given to a panel of scientists Professor Thurman humorously elucidates the concept of Abhidharma- the categories of Buddhist scriptures, ontology and theories of consciousness within the framework of the theory of spiritual salvation. Second part of this podcast includes an extended guided meditation on compassion recorded outdoors surrounded by Bhutan's unique audio soundscape of birds, wind and dynamic citizens.   This podcast was recorded during the Tibet House US + GeoEx Trip lead by Robert AF Thurman and Brent Olsen to Bhutan in January, 2012. “Pilgrimage : Psychosis, Mosquitoes + Compassion - Ep. 163 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. "Pilgrimage : Psychosis, Mosquitoes + Compassion - Ep. 163 of the Bob Thurman Podcast" Photo by Christopher Michel, Used with permission. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.     To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

This podcast captures Rinpoche’s session with the Vana Team on day 2 and the first session with Shishyas on day 3 of Vanavās with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche at Vana. The interactive session covers aspects of learning, evolving, the guru-shishya relationship, being of service to others, meditation and the importance of contentment. With Shishyas, Rinpoche touches upon the important topics of Pramana (Buddhist logic), Abhidharma, Vinaya and enlightenment. The session concludes with a Q&A. Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche is one of the most sublime and skillful Teachers of the Buddhadharma today and an invaluable treasure holder of India’s vast and deep wisdom. The breadth and depth of his knowledge, of cultural and philosophical traditions from India and beyond, make him a profoundly current and versatile Teacher. Without the slightest hesitation, Rinpoche says that he derives his wisdom and conviction from the Buddha Shakyamuni, that the Buddha’s life and what he revealed is immeasurably inspiring, and that devotion, study and practice of the Buddhadharma are priceless. Rinpoche's activities bring countless people closer to the truth and to the Buddha's wisdom. From his films to his books to a spectrum of initiatives, Rinpoche spares no moment to be of benefit to all beings. We are immensely grateful to Rinpoche for fitting this retreat into his intense schedule, a rare opportunity for new and aspiring Shishyas to be introduced to fundamental aspects of the Buddhadharma and how it relates to mundane life. Rinpoche taught on being in the present moment, material life, methods to practice, dreams and also death; even seasoned students were left elated after these precious days with Rinpoche. We thank Rinpoche with folded hands for his invaluable role in reviving Indian wisdom in contemporary India, especially that of the Prince of India – Siddhartha Gautama. www.vanafoundation.org.in For more information on Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s activities, please visit siddharthasintent.org Copyright © 2018 Siddhartha's Intent. All recordings of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche are – without exception - property of Siddhartha’s Intent and may not be distributed in any way shape or form without prior written consent from: recordings@siddharthasintent.org khyentserinpocherinpochegurudzongsarjamyangkhyentserinpochevanavasvanavanafoundationdehradunshortretreatspiritualwisdom

Contrasting our modern materialistic terminal lifestyle which denies the interconnection of sensitive beings + the possibility of past + future lives with that of the Infinite Lifestyle as taught by the Buddha Professor Thurman re-frames the traditional translations of key terms found in Shantideva and in describing nirvana as bliss. Opening this two part podcast with an overview of the Buddhist perspective on emptiness Robert AF Thurman leads a discussion on "Shantideva's Bodhisatva's Way to Life" & his book "Infinite Life" highlighting the lessons from each on patience, generosity, creativity + justice. Includes a discussion of the decimal system and the zero's origins in ancient India, it's linguistic + conceptual connections to Shunyata and the place of non-dualism in the Buddha's Teachings. "Bliss is more or less illegal in most cultures." Robert AF Thurman In the second half Professor Thurman gives an overview of the Six Transendences ( Traditionally Known as the Six Perfections) beginning with a detailed examination of selfless compassion, the blissful nature of nirvana & Shantideva's famous presentation of the yoga of patience as the antidote to anger/hate, with its three varieties of tolerant patience, insightful patience, and forgiving patience. Podcast concludes with a short "exchanging self for other" guided meditation on Disney's Living Dessert documentary. "Bliss Suspicion & The Three Types of Justice" is an excerpt from the March 22, 2017 HH Dalai Lama’s A Force for Good: Buddhist Science Sources for Practices Beyond Religion Talk ‘Patience and Creativity Transcendences ’ by Robert AF Thurman recorded at Tibet House US in New York City. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Bliss Suspicion & The Three Types of Justice"Photo Created with love by Ryan McGuire. via www.gratisography.com.

Examining cultural norms through the lens of compassion, when grounded in the Centrist mind training perspectives of India + Tibet can transform one's relationship to conditioning, to themselves and the world in which one finds one self. In this two part podcast Professor Robert AF Thurman discusses Three Manjushris, the place of the Lam Rim Teachings in Buddhism and the use of negation in understanding intrinsic reality. Podcast opens with an introduction to the 14th Dalai Lama's favorite teaching Tsong Khapa’s Tengyur text, Essence of True Eloquence and a discussion of reincarnation from the Tibetan + Buddhist perspectives. In the second half of the podcast Robert Thurman gives a traditional Dharma teaching on absolute and relative reality, non-dualism and a humorous series of stories about the nature of Universal Messianic Compassion. "Compassion + The Intrinsic Reality of Miss Piggy" was recorded at the “Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources: Madhyamaka – Lam Rim” Session of the Force For Good Series at Tibet House US in 2014 in New York City. H. H. the Dalai Lama gave an historic discourse on Nov. 3 & 4 2014 in New York City at the request of Tibet House US on “Essence Of True Eloquence”, and the masterpiece text by Jey Lama Tsong Khapa (1357-1419) that is considered a classic presentation of the profound view of reality that is foundational for opening the floodgates of universal compassion. The text is known as the Essence Of True Eloquence: Distinguishing the Interpretable from the Definitive Meanings of the Buddha’s Sutra Discourses (Tibetan– Drang nges legs bshad snying po), which is lucid and detailed expansion of the Short Essence of True Eloquence, the poem Jey Tsong Khapa wrote on the morning of the dawning of his full enlightenment in 1398. "The root of enlightenment is compassion and different traditions emphasise compassion, but here we are talking about great compassion which is combined with insight into emptiness. Because we experience suffering of different degrees of intensity, we need to recognize its causes and see if we can overcome them. This is the context in which we cultivate great compassion with the intention of liberating all sentient beings and relieving them of their suffering. If you can’t tame your own mind, How can you help others tame theirs? The Buddha has given clear advice, if people won’t heed him, why should they listen to me?" Dalai Lama on Lam Rim from www.dalailama.com.   ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studiesand Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). To watch the full video recording of this & other Force For Good Teachings at Tibet House US please consider becoming a member. All past teachings from this on-going course are available as apart of the Tibet House US Member Archives. Full Access begins at $2 a month. To learn more about the benefits of Tibet House US Memberships please visit: www.tibethouse.us. This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition.

Concentration master Leigh Brasington talks with Michael W. Taft about the jhanas, a Buddhist system of eight altered states of consciousness that arise in states of high concentration. The conversation dives deep into practicing each of these eight states, how the jhanas relate to vipassana practice, ways to work through major challenges that may arise, the so-called "powers" that are often attributed to concentration practice, and much more.Leigh Brasington has been practicing meditation since 1985 and is the senior American student of the late Ven. Ayya Khema. Leigh began assisting Ven. Ayya Khemma in 1994, and began teaching retreats on his on in 1997. He teaches in Europe and North America and is the author of the book Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhanas. Find more about Leigh’s teaching and schedule at http://leighb.com.Show Notes0:31 - Introduction1:59 - The Jhanas, de-emphasis on jhana practice in American practice, the Visuddhimagga, Paw Auk Sawadaw, overview concentration vs vipassana5:23 - The variety of systems of jhana, why there are differences in what counts as jhana, sermons, meditation instructions and one on one interviews8:08 - The Jhanas - specific states10:16 - Did the Buddha learn the jhanas from his teachers?12:19 - The Buddha’s unique contribution – a well-concentrated mind can more accurately investigate reality – vipassana13:21 - Redefinition of the jhanas over time - Sutta to Abhidharma to Visuddhimagga15:37 - What makes concentration a jhana?17:36 - Jhana from a light switch or other object how to generate it, access concentration, feedback loops to generate piti-sukkha19:41 - Piti-sukkha gleeful happiness - variety of experience among meditators20:23 - How long does attention need to be there? Indistractability, and when to switch between access concentration and the first jhana22:26 - Why is this better than meditating on a cloud? Why meditate on piti-sukkha? A great way to set up your vipassana practice.24:34 - The higher jhanas, discussion of emotions with bodily components vs emotions as embodied with mental aspects.27:10 - Focus in the first four jhanas on the mental aspect of the emotion vs. the physical aspect28:36 - How long does it take to learn the jhanas29:36 - Unresolved psychological stuff may show up as a function of concentration, getting those up and out,32:04 -Example feeling of unworthiness, low self esteem, how to handle it,35:21 -Purification practice39:55 -Unwise action that won’t lead to the results you are hoping for, social media, where people are trying to get happiness and be safe42:21 -Strong piti in first jhana, moving from first to second jhana45:21 -Jhanic states and neurotransmitters and transition to third jhana, varying time in different jhanas47:56 -The Difference between the second and third jhana, third jhana afterglow49:38 - Moving into the fourth jhana, attention on the quiet stillness wherever you find it52:16 - Hanging out in the fourth jhana, and insight practice55:28 - Misinformation on the jhanas57:48 - The four immaterial jhanas1:00:40 - Getting to the fifth jhana1:02:17 - The sixth, seventh, and eighth jhanas1:05:03 - The ninth jhana - cessation of feeling and perception1:07:17 - Weird experiences with jhanic concentration, powers1:13:40 - Which jhanas are helpful for insight practice, even access concentration helps,1:15:01 - The jhanas and retreat1:15:17 - The importance of the jhanasYou can help to create future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.

  Exploring the history of the “Lam Rim: Stages of The Path” a collection of mind training teachings preserved in Tibet, Professor Thurman provides an introduction to these cherished practices as refined + passed down by Tsongkhapa & the Dalai Lama lineage. Podcast includes a discussion of Gendün Druppa the First Dalai Lama, the centrality of the awareness of the possibility of infinite past + future lives, The Three Kinds of Suffering as presented in Tsongkhapa’s Lam Rim teachings & how these teachings provide a systematized path to prepare one for the study of Buddhist Tantras. Concludes with a guided meditation on the exchange of Self + Other, Mother Kindness Recognition & the Causal Steps used in Tsongkhapa’s Lam Rim teachings. This podcast was recorded at the “Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources: Madhyamaka – Lam Rim” Session of the Force For Good Series at Tibet House US in 2016 in New York City. The oral teachings of the tradition coming from Atisha had been passed to Atisha’s chief disciple, the layman Dromtonpa. He in turn passed on the lineage and emphasized the need for a thorough comprehension of the meaning of the Buddha’s actual words in their entirety, not omitting even a single word or syllable. The Lam Rim Lineage was given to Gampopa and places reliance on Atisha’s Light on the Path to Enlightenment, The Guideline Instruction Lineage and Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, that Atisha had travelled to an island near Java in order to receive.” Robert AF Thurman from Life & Teachings of Tsongkhapa   To watch the full video recording of this & other Force For Good Teachings at Tibet House US please consider becoming a member. All past teachings from this on-going course are available as apart of the Tibet House US Member Archives. Full Access begins at $2 a month. To learn more about the benefits of Tibet House US Memberships please visit: www.tibethouse.us ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studiesand Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition.  

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses the modern relevance of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, the key place of wisdom in choosing meditation practices and the centrality of understanding emptiness as the logical gateway to selflessness, compassion & generosity. Using The Padmakara Group’s Translation of Shantideva’s ‘Way of the Bodhisattva‘ Fourth & Fifth Chapters on Generosity and Justice Transcendences Robert AF Thurman leads an examination of the basic concepts underlying the Buddhist understanding of justice, patience & generosity. “According to legend, when Shantideva was a student at Nalanda, he was not well liked. The officials and students thought he was lazy and no-good. All he did was sleep and eat and use the toilet (later revealed to be Shantideva’s “three Perfections”), while everyone else was busy studying and practicing. In fact, they wanted to kick him out. However, they decided that Shantideva should at least give one teaching before they expelled him. So one day they came up and demanded that he give a teaching, and Shantideva had never given one before so he was hesitant, but eventually he said okay, let’s do it. They gathered a large group of monks together and erected a very high throne for Shantideva to sit in. They actually planned to embarrass Shantideva because they figured that he wouldn’t know how to get up into the throne. But when Shantideva merely touched the throne, it shrank to normal size. He sat down and they requested he present a teaching that had never been given by anyone before. Shantideva then recited the Bodhicharyavatara or “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.” The legend has it that when he got to the 34th verse of the ninth chapter he rose into the sky and finished the rest of the teaching from atop a cloud.” Robert AF Thurman via SF Zen Center   This podcast is an excerpt from the March 15, 2017 HH Dalai Lama’s A Force for Good: Buddhist Science Sources for Practices Beyond Religion Talk ‘Generosity and Justice Transcendences’ by Robert AF Thurman recorded at Tibet House US in New York City. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

In this special podcast Professor Thurman is joined by Krishna Das, long time friend & co-teacher for an intimate dialog covering their shared histories, meeting their teachers, non-dualism, love and the interplay between Hinduism & Buddhism. Includes humorous stories by Krishna Das + Bob Thurman about Khunu Lama, Kalu Rinpoche, the 16th Karmapa, the Dalai Lama, Allan Ginsberg, Ram Das & Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). To learn more about the work + music of Krishna Das please visit: www.krishnadas.com. “It’s a long way from Mickey Mouse to Ram.” Krishna Das This talk was recorded during the Final #ForceForGood Class at Tibet House US in New York City in 2016 with Krishna Das & Robert AF Thurman & is apart of the THUS Member Archive. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind & Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) & along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility).