Speaker: Bob Reid. In the first of a two-part talk, Bob speaks about the four immeasurables, reviewing two of the three supreme methods: to arouse the bodhicitta, and while carrying out an action, to avoid getting lost in any conceptualization. He describes bodhicitta as an attitude where you wish for others the happiness that you have, with a broad mind and perspective. He points out that it is the truth of suffering that brings us to engage in the path of Dharma. Relating to the second method, Bob says it is from the state of confusion that there is a journey to be made at all. From the perspective of genuine reality there is no independent, singular and permanent self to make this journey. Ultimately, it is waking up from the dream that is the aspiration, as all beings are Buddhas who have not yet recognized it.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la describes the spiritual path as a path of getting know oneself. Having grown up in a Dharmic family, the practice of self reflection has been a constant in his life from a young age. Being a Dharmic person means going beyond improving the self based on worldly concerns, to develop a relationship with one’s internal world of thoughts and emotions. A daily practice of meditation is foundational to self-knowing. By observing thoughts and emotions arising and dissipating, the habit of identifying with them as belonging to one's self begins to unravel. Looking more deeply at our thoughts, feelings and emotions in the context of the five skandhas uncovers the concept of looking-but-not-finding, which brings great relief. Self-knowing that arises from not finding a single, intrinsic self is referred to as ‘Egolessness of Self’. It is the foundation for discovering who and what we truly are: intrinsically enlightened. In sum, self reflection is the practice that leads us to recognize our Buddha nature.

Speaker: Jennifer O'Keeffe. Jennifer describes how the Lojong practice supports us in transforming adversity into a path of awakening. As a mind training tool, Lojong helps to liberate ourselves from attachment to self cherishing and to cultivate a compassionate heart. In today's talk, Jennifer covers slogans 11-14: (11) ‘When the world is full of evil, transform misfortune into the path of awakening’: When we bring our obstacles onto the path, they help clarify our practice; (12) ‘Realize all faults spring from one source: Ego clinging, belief in "I"’: Rather than blaming others for challenging circumstances we turn to our own minds, analyzing how all phenomena result from multiple causes and conditions; (13) ‘Meditate upon gratitude toward all’: Being grateful for beings who do us harm or irritate us, seeing their provocations as our true teachers; (14) ‘Use whatever you face as a practice immediately’: With awareness, our suffering can be a gateway to bodhicitta with such practices as tonglen, the four immeasurables and recitation of mantras and prayers.

Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This previously recorded teaching was given by Rinpoche at the 2023 Nyingma Summer Seminar on July 8, 2023 at Phuntsok Choling in Ward, Colorado. Opening the Hinayana section of this annual summer program, Rinpoche discusses self-awareness and how Dharma is the medicine to reduce self-attachment.

Speaker: Jennifer Shippee. Jennifer speaks about excerpts from Rinpoche's upcoming book on diligence. She investigates both discipline (Tib. tsultrim) and diligence (Tib. tsöndrü), how their meanings differ and overlap, and explains how to harness diligence based on Chapter 4 of Shantideva's ‘Bodhisattvacharyavatara’. The first step in harnessing diligence involves understanding the inner obstacle of laziness, which comes in three forms. The first is an attachment to sleep and idleness, the second, an attachment to mundane distractions and the third is self-denigration. To counter these obstacles, one can rely on the four allies: aspiration, steadfastness, moderation and taking breaks. Explaining this and more in great detail, Jennifer views these exercises as a fundamental part of our Dharma education where we are taught how to work with our mind and ultimately experience deeper meaning in our lives. As Shantideva reveals, working with diligence uncovers tremendous joy.

Speaker: Katsutoshi Okabayashi. Oka-san shares his thoughts on the importance of establishing a daily reflection on the precepts of Bodhicitta. He has been examining how he might engage with his world each day versus how he might habitually engage with a world full of stressful, confusing or annoying situations. Although difficult because of years of habit, it is important for him to re-commit each day, keep a more awakened attitude of mind, and practice viewing daily stressors with curiosity and when possible, with humor.

Speaker: Christine Anisko. Christine addresses the ways in which our preoccupations with material reality and the fast-paced nature of our lives block our awareness of an expansive spiritual realm. When Christine's parents recently passed away, she experienced firsthand how the animation of being alive suddenly ceases. To avoid the pain of becoming invisible we distract ourselves with external preoccupations, which prevent us from contemplating the true meaning of death. Only through meditative awareness can we access the expansive invisible realm in which the death of a body marks a passage of continuation towards future incarnations.

Speaker: Michaela Ledesma. The Outer, Inner and Secret Refuge Prayer of Tangtong Gyalpo and the power of its tremendous blessings is the focus of this talk. Michaela shares stories about her personal connection to the prayer and her continuing relationship with Tangtong Gyalpo in her own life. Drawing on the namthar, or spiritual biography by Cyrus Stearns entitled, ‘King of the Empty Plain: The Tibetan Iron-Bridge Builder Tangtong Gyalpo’, she provides background information on this great lineage master and his impact on the mystical tradition of Tibet. He is known as a mind emanation of Guru Padmasambhava and is believed to have recovered numerous caches of terma (hidden treasure teachings) concealed by the Indian master.

Speaker: Susan Walp. Following Rinpoche's advice, Susan shares her personal journey in learning to practice the Dharma from a place of enjoyment, rather than discipline. Discipline is important for the practitioner, but there are two kinds of discipline: one that comes from a feeling of obligation, competitiveness and wanting to be a good student, and the other which has enjoyment as its basis. In examining what inspires her to practice, she is learning to approach her practice from a place of appreciation, warmth, creativity and inner joy.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la explores the practice of self-reflection as the way of finding our true north as practitioners. We can use the interrelated methods of analysis (‘tokpa’, in Tibetan) to look at things in general and ‘chopa’ to examine details for clarifying our own thought process. With the internet and social media we meet with many contrasting perspectives and narratives that push agendas. Dungse-la encourages us to align ourselves with the perspectives of the Buddhas by being honest with ourselves, holding ourselves accountable to mind training and facing our mind with equanimity. We learn to trust ourselves as the primary witness. Then, we do not build new stories of ourselves or the nature of reality. We transform the negative emotions by seeing they are ultimately empty of intrinsic characteristics and remain natural- a child of illusion.