Speaker: Bill Bothwell. Fresh out of retreat, Bill shares his journey from a young poet and songwriter to his encounter with the Buddhadharma and becoming a student of Choygam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taking to heart Rinpoche's instruction that working within society is a necessity on the spiritual path, Bill became a lawyer. He recollects the essential teachings of his root teacher who challenged his students to embrace the view that conventional society was an expression of the ultimate truth, and that our tendency to judge others and our habit of wanting to fix things disrupts our ability to experience the natural purity of the world. Bill also shares experiences of his time at Naropa University with Alan Ginsburg, and Trungpa Rinpoche's instruction that his students call themselves Buddhist in order to establish an enlightened society of serious practitioners while living a conventional life.

Speaker: Vaishali Mamgain. Referring to herself as a "brainiac" who is more comfortable with wisdom than compassion, Vaishali shares how she used to approach the Dharma as a mental exercise. In her recent travels to Sri Lanka, surrounded by beauty and kind and humble people, she learned the value of simple ways of being. This experience opened up a path of embodiment, and discovery of new practices helping her to slow down, take care of herself, appreciate the wisdom of her body, feel gratitude for the natural world and deepen compassion toward herself and other people. Becoming more embodied has allowed Vaishali to work through her own trauma and become more sensitive to others.

Speaker: Bob Reid. Bob delves into the Four Immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity as the foundation for arousing bodhicitta, the altruistic intention to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Drawing from the Mahayana tradition, Bob explores how these boundless qualities open the heart and mind to the vast path of awakening.

Speaker: Morgan Starr. Morgan describes how navigating personal challenges has allowed him to explore the idea of turning toward suffering rather than avoiding it. Leaning into grief and heartbreak rather than resisting or numbing it has opened the door to compassion, presence, and growth. He recalls a sense of sacredness and wonder he felt in early life, which has faded over time but is now restored through his spiritual practice with MSB. Morgan recounts multiple quotes from Rinpoche about pain, which, when met with courage and curiosity, can serve as the gateway to liberation. Choosing to soften, lighten up, and cultivate self-awareness and love for others can create spaciousness and clarity even in moments of heartbreak.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. This LINK was originally given on August 2, 2015. In this talk, Dungse-la describes how careful introspection coupled with the study of karma cultivates choice, changes perceptions, clears habitual tendencies and creates one's environment.

Speaker: Stanton Dossett. Stanton contemplates the phrase, ‘connecting the dots’, used by Rinpoche in his book The Intelligent Heart. The first dot is suffering. For Stanton, it is only with the aid of daily practice that the dots become connectable, and the relationship between self-importance and negative karma can be understood. When walking one day in his local neighbourhood, Stanton had a sudden, vivid insight that everyone wishes, just like him, for happiness and to be free of suffering. Contemplating this insight and the aspiration of the Buddha to become enlightened for the benefit of all beings was a profound experience that stayed with him on the MSB Dana pilgrimage to Bodhgaya. Aware of the passage of time, Stanton encourages us to ask ourselves, as he does, "At what point do I commit completely to the aspiration of the Buddha, putting Dharma at the centre of my life?"

Speaker: Deborah Crouse. Deborah expresses her gratitude for the many resources that are available for practice and study and for the way Rinpoche has organized MSB to support his students. Some examples include the Study and Practice Representatives, Lobpons and Khenchungs who lead classes year round. She recalls Rinpoche saying that the point of study is certitude and study helps us untangle the knots. Because he is passionate about his students learning to study correctly, Deborah discusses his ‘How to Study’ guide, which provides detailed methods of study using the three wisdoms of hearing, contemplating and meditating. She also remembers Rinpoche saying that when we are able to grasp concepts previously unknown, we can fill the storehouse of our alaya with the “gold coins of wisdom” that will serve us on our path both now and in future lives. Finally, Deborah reminds us of how rare it is to find a teacher in the west who so generously offers word for word transmissions of classical texts in both Tibetan and English, as well as detailed commentaries.

Speaker: Deborah Haynes. In this second installment on the topic of death, Deborah recounts many losses experienced throughout her life. These include the recent death of her spouse and her son's current, terminal illness. These encounters with suffering and impermanence inform her Dharma path and animate her daily practice. Deborah's Buddhist path is the aspiration to meet whatever arises, both now and in lifetimes to come, with unwavering fearlessness and compassion.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la reminds us to review the eighteen freedoms and advantages and ascertain whether we are meeting them in our lives. If we find that we are lacking any, then we can strive to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from being present. Pointing to Milarepa as an example, Dungse-la emphasizes that it was his longing to meet the Dharma and his deep devotion that allowed him to overcome all circumstantial obstacles. Therefore, we too, need to keep our longing alive to whatever extent it currently resides in each of us, and reaffirm aspiration bodhicitta to engage our minds to benefit beings and bring them to enlightenment.

Speaker: Ani Nyima Dolma. Ani shares some of her daily positivity practices, prayers and readings, including a gratitude mala for those who are or have been in her life. This has proven to be an uplifting morning alternative to waking in rushed anxiety thinking of all the things that need to be done. She goes on to share details about the new, MSB online program to foster fellowship and build community. Ani sees it as an excellent way to get to know Sangha, especially those who don't live close to a community retreat center.