Finding Agency within the Hinayana (Link #615)




Mangala Shri Bhuti - The Link show

Summary: Speaker: Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel. Elizabeth discusses the Hinayana vehicle on the first of three weekends at the 25th annual Nyingma Summer Seminar. She emphasizes the need for analysis which she translates as "to loosen or to set free". A flexible mind is needed to traverse the path of the three yana system. This path is based on having a realistic view of what it means to be alive. Having a sense of agency counteracts feeling we are living in a state of emergency all the time. In the Hinayana we have a choice to feel like a victim or own our suffering and karma. If we don't take that leap in the Hinayana we drag it with us into the other two yanas. This is not a path of vulnerability but a path of strength. Elizabeth spoke on vows and precepts, the three wisdoms, the nature of trust, karma and agency.