Student questions Ken: Well, this is our last class, and we have a number of things to do. The main topic for this evening is the development of experience or understanding in mahamudra practice. This is a tricky topic for various reasons. So that’s one thing to do. The second thing we have to do […]

The disappearance of Buddhism in India Ken: Okay. This evening we have the thirty-seventh class in the series, which is also the last class in Then and Now. We’re at July 8, 2008. This evening we’re going to cover the description of the three kayas of buddhahood. Difficult to know exactly how to translate kaya […]

The bodhisattva stages: historical context Ken: July 2, 2008. This class is class 36 in the Then and Now series. This will be the second to the last class. The last class will be next week. Tonight we’re going to look at the ten stages of the bodhisattva and start on buddhahood. And then next […]

Stages, maps, and progress Ken: Good evening. We’re here on June 4, 2008, for the class 35 in the Then and Now series. This evening the subject matter is The Five Paths. There is the need to feel that one is making progress in whatever endeavor one is doing in the human condition. It is […]

Student experiences letting the mind rest in an activity Ken: Lesson 34, I’ve been numbering them wrong recently. This is the thirty-fourth class in the Then and Now series, and tonight we are doing the Perfection of Wisdom. [Chapter 17, Gyaltsen and Guenther] Your homework, I recall, was dropping into a clear state when you […]

Comparing experiences of acting with and without a clear intention Ken: Tonight we continue on the perfection of meditative stability. Last week I asked you to look at your experience when you do something with a clear intention and when you do something without a clear intention. So, what was your experience here? Randye, you […]

Working hard: student experiences Ken: Today is Tuesday, May 27th; I won’t risk the year. This is class 32 in the Then and Now series. Tonight we will be talking about meditative stability, but first we are going to look at the exercise I gave you, or the exploration I gave you last week, based […]

What do you avoid by getting impatient? Ken: Okay, this is really important. In terms of being able to live awake this is really very important. Joe: It was my experience that whenever I felt impatience arise, and felt it moving towards anger–and whatever I was unwilling to experience was different or could be different, […]

What are you avoiding when you feel impatient? Ken: Okay. May thirteenth? 2008. This is class number 30 in the Then and Now series dealing with the perfection of patience. So the exercise that I left you with was … when we are impatient, usually we get impatient because there’s something we don’t want to […]

Acting morally: the natural or the right thing to do? Ken: This is the twenty-ninth class in the Then and Now series on Tuesday, May 6, 2008. Some of you may have noticed I sent out an email—or at least to everybody on Facebook—saying, “How many of you are actually listening to the podcasts?” and […]

Practicing generosity: student experiences Ken: This evening we’re going to be focusing on generosity. Cara, what was the assignment I gave? Cara: Our assignment was to focus on—no, what did you say?—explore, practicing generosity with the absence of an “I” or an “other.” Ken: Ah, yes. Cara: … and what do the six perfections become? […]

Reflections on the four black dharmas Ken: Here we are at our twenty-seventh class in the Then and Now series, April 22, 2008, right? I’m just hitting them all aren’t I? Okay, my estimate is that we will have about 12 more classes, give or take, to complete the The Jewel Ornament. I want to […]

Experience with the daily bodhisattva vow Ken: This is our class 26 in the Then and Now series. I can’t believe we’ve had that many; it’s half a year. Today is April the fifteenth. And today we’re going to conclude the bodhisattva vow material, with your experience of this, and then go into the training […]

Reflections on despair and rejection Ken: April 9th, today? Okay, April 8th, class 25. I got the number right. Then and Now. Last time we looked at the ceremony for the bodhisattva vow connected to Shantideva, and tonight we’ll be looking at the one associated with Dharmakirti. Both of these were great Buddhist teachers who […]

The experience of doing good Ken: Okay, last week we looked principally at … Oh, sorry, this is 24? That right, Sandy? Class 24 in the Then and Now series. Twenty-four, that’s a lot, and it’s April the first! This is not an April Fool’s. I don’t think so, anyway. 2008. Okay. Last week, we […]