Chapter 8 of “Mahayana Mind Training”
Guidelines for practice Ken: Good morning. This morning we’re going to talk about guidelines. We have these two long sections, one with commitments, one on guidelines. And one might ask, okay, what’s the difference here? Well, as I said yesterday, Chekawa, when he was composing these seven points of mind training chose a very, very […]
Chapter 8 of “Pointing Out Instructions”
The subtle art of guiding and teaching Ken: It’s a basic axiom that the key to a successful military campaign is deception. A lot of people don’t like this, but it’s true. There’s something analogous to this in teaching [Laughter]. Now you really don’t trust me anymore, I can tell. There is a proverb that […]
Chapter 8 of “The Warrior’s Solution”
Mind-killing antidotes Ken: Well this morning there are a few loose ends to tidy up, a little more material to complete the picture. Somebody expressed an interest in the application of this material to manifesting, and questions and answers. That’s what we have on tap for this morning. Student: Can you say more about mind-killing? […]
Chapter 8 of “Buddhahood Without Meditation”
Outlook, practice, and now … behavior Ken: Tonight, we’re going to talk about the third topic of practice: conduct or behavior. Conduct, behavior, whichever you want to call it, serves two functions. One is creating the conditions for fruitful practice, and the other is to enhance or deepen your practice. The literal Tibetan is to […]
Chapter 8 of “A Trackless Path II”
Q&A Ken: Let me just make sure we don’t have any interference from the ether. Sunday, August 6th, right? 8th. Students: 8th. Ken: I got the month right this time. A Trackless Path II, evening session. I believe we still have a few questions to take up. [Silence] [Laughs] You know I ran into this […]
Chapter 8 of “Guru, Deity, Protector”
Student questions Ken: I’d like to take up any questions for a few moments. Student: In the devotional prayer [Far-reaching Cry to the Guru] the second verse from the bottom, it says, “When I practice I feel sluggish and sleepy.” That I understand. And then the next sentence is, “When I don’t practice, my senses […]
Chapter 8 of “Being Mahamudra”
Helpful for practice? Ken: Okay, this morning’s a little technical. Let me set a little context if I can. Okay. Yesterday I talked about how the Tibetan tradition evolved from the Indian tradition of Buddhism after the Indian tradition of Buddhism had been around for a thousand years. We have almost no sense of what […]
Chapter 8 of “Karma: Awakening From Belief”
Finding the edge of your practice Ken: Well there’s nobody sitting there. I don’t know whether it means it’s free or not. But there’s a price for everything. [Laughter] Student: What did he say? Student: “There is a price for everything.” Ken: When I was in Rinpoche’s monastery for his funeral, a colleague of mine, […]
Chapter 8 of “37 Practices in Four Parts”
The difference between the world and my world Ken: So, the next three verses cover an area in which there is an immense amount of confusion. And the confusion, I think, has two or three different sources. One, to some extent, is overly literal readings. The second source of confusion, somewhat related to that, is […]
Chapter 8 of “37 Practices of a Bodhisattva”
Student questions on translation points Ken: As we’ve done in previous meetings, let’s take a look at any conceptual points or translation points that you’d like to inquire about. Randy? Randy: In verse 20, I understand the opponent inside, which is one’s own anger. What’s the opponent outside? Is that someone else’s anger? Ken: It’s […]
Chapter 8 of “Power and Presence”
The relationship between meditation and life Ken: October 11th, right? Somewhere around there, we’re into double digits anyway. We decided that this has been far too orderly [laughter], so we’re going to change the order and a topic for this morning is serving what is true. People have a lot of difficulty with serving what […]
Chapter 8 of “The Jewel in the Lotus”
The empowerment ritual Note: Students were not recorded. Ken: Much more so than the Sutrayana, Vajrayana is an intricate blend of very deep spiritual principles and methods and ritual. And the ritual is also deep and intricate. This dual nature has been a stumbling block for many people in a variety of ways, and I’m […]
Chapter 7 of “A Trackless Path I”
Being no one Ken: August 25, morning session. A fairly good way to approach practice, I think, is that we’re practicing being no one. First of all why would we do that? Well, when we aren’t attached to a particular identity or sense of ourselves then it is possible to respond to situations that arise […]
Chapter 7 of “Then and Now: A Commentary on The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”
Sutras are Q&A sessions Ken: This evening—probably this week and next week—we’ll spend on the teacher-student relationship. And this is a very important topic because in a certain sense it is the heart of Buddhism and what one can regard the heart of Buddhism in a number of different ways. Some would say it’s compassion, […]
Chapter 7 of “Mind Training in Seven Points”
Commitments v. guidelines Ken: Somebody remind me to talk about the body before the end of the teaching. Okay. Just remind me. Today we’re going to look at the guidelines. Unlike commitments, this is very definitely a Mahayana term. Whereas the commitments are instructions of things to either do or avoid because not to observe […]
