Chapter 6 of “Stalking Death”
Summary of the death experience Ken: This is our last teaching session together, so I’ve got a couple of things to say, but basically I want to use this as a summary and to clear up any questions or points that you might have. One was concerning the end stages of the death process, so […]
Chapter 6 of “A Trackless Path II”
Tracking in meditation Ken: Saturday, August 7th, A Trackless Path II, evening session. What I’d like to do actually is to continue on with the questions. So where did we get to? I think you were the last one, were you, Nick? Nick: Okay, so from The Wisdom Experience of Ever-Present Good, on page 29, […]
Chapter 6 of “Karma: Awakening From Belief”
War and Buddhist ethics Ken: Well, there are a few people still to come, so why don’t we take some time and take up any questions you have about your practice? Student: I was remembering what Thich Nhat Hanh said when he was asked why the war happened in Vietnam. He said what happened in […]
Chapter 6 of “Finding the Way”
A Zen story Ken: How was your treasure hunt? Here’s a story. Joe: May I answer before I get lost into the … [unclear]? Ken: Go ahead. Joe: I just wanted to comment on how struck I am by how much time and how much enjoyment I get out of reportage to continue this metaphor […]
Chapter 6 of “Practicing the Diamond Sutra”
Opening prayers Ken: Well, we have a fair amount of ground to cover this evening. Twenty-one chapters. So let’s jump in. May my heart turn to practiceMay practice become a pathmay this path dissolve confusionMay confusion become wisdom Knowing there is nothing outside or inside to free me,I seek sanctuary in buddhaKnowing that experience and […]
Chapter 6 of “Guru, Deity, Protector”
Student responses to the protector prayer Ken: This morning we are going to talk about protector. In the scheme of things actually, protector, dakini—it’s all in the same area. Now, some of you, maybe many of you, may have noticed there’s a kind of enchantment or intrigue around protector and dakini. It resonates with something […]
Chapter 6 of “Being Mahamudra”
Practice experiences Ken: We’re going to go through the rest of Milarepa’s interaction with Lady Paldarboom. We went over this yesterday afternoon. How many of you tried practicing this way in the evening? What was your experience? That’s what we’re going to talk about; that’s what the next part is, it’s about your experience. What […]
Chapter 6 of “37 Practices in Four Parts”
Student questions Student: I had a comment about the first two lines in 14. Ken: Okay. Student: Perhaps it’s just the way you translated it. But it almost seems as if he could see into the future where it would be possible to broadcast something all around the world. And, it just immediately made me […]
Chapter 6 of “37 Practices of a Bodhisattva”
Is violence ever warranted? Ken: Okay. So, the question is: in what circumstances is violence appropriate or warranted? Well, let’s start with—what is violence? Here’s the definition that’s offered by a friend of mine. Violence is extremely rapid change. Now, we don’t usually think of violence that way. I’m going to take a moderately extreme […]
Chapter 6 of “Power and Presence”
Moving into balance Ken: This afternoon I want to talk about why, when you move in the direction of balance, you end up more out of balance. Anybody have this experience? Think, “Oh, this is what I need to do in this situation.” You do it. And things get worse. There’s a reason for this. […]
Chapter 6 of “The Jewel in the Lotus”
The elements of Vajrayana practice Note: Students were not recorded. Ken: Today we’re going to talk about a couple of different things, not necessarily in this order, but we’ll get through them one way or another. One is moving into this practice of what is usually called visualization, which is an unfortunate term, because it’s […]
Chapter 6 of “Releasing Emotional Reactions”
Direct awareness Ken: Today we are going to the practice of the third of the three methods, ways of releasing emotional reactions, and I am going to give a bit of background first. All of the great contemplative traditions have at some point one or more practices which are extremely simple, and one can call […]
Chapter 5 of “Monsters under the Bed”
Posture Ken: All right, basically, this is our cleanup session. What often happens in retreat is that we lay out exactly the sequence of teachings and the process that we want to cover, and we have it all nicely laid out, so it’ll be a wonderfully climactic process for all of you. The only trouble […]
Chapter 5 of “Four Immeasurables”
Forming a relationship with the world of experience Ken: This is class five of the Four Immeasurables. This is the second two weeks you’ve been working on compassion. I’d like to hear about your experiences, questions, insights, challenges. Student: Was it your intention that we say these things out loud or to ourselves? Ken: Yes. […]
Chapter 5 of “Ganges Mahamudra: Tilopa’s Pith Instructions to Naropa”
Open your heart Ken: February 2, 2009. Ganges Mahamudra, part 5. Our last session here. Did everybody get the new translation? No? You should’ve received an email with it. You didn’t check your email? Student: No, I checked it. Ken: You didn’t get it? Well, see Peri, make sure she’s got your email address. I […]
