Mangala Shri Bhuti - The Link

Speaker: Christine Anisko. Although we tend to rely on wrong views as dependable coping mechanisms, they do not reduce suffering; seeing this encourages us to examine how they arise from ignorance and perpetuate suffering. Wrong views can take the form of spiritual side-stepping, which we use to avoid directly experiencing suffering, and spiritual "hocus pocus," which convinces us that we are special. But self-reflection and investigation reveal that we see and experience the world through the lens of our skandhas. Realizing that our experiences arise from within our minds gives us the freedom to understand and liberate ourselves from wrong views.

Speaker: Sasha Dorje Meyerowitz. Instead of struggling with a divided mind, blaming ourselves for our habit of being hard on ourselves, we can recognize ignorance itself as the root of the problem and engage in dharma practice to familiarize ourselves with our nondual buddha nature. Conventional advice for alleviating the habit of beating ourselves up is often not very helpful. To root it out, we need to recognize that the cause of suffering is self-grasping ignorance-the mistaken belief in the true existence of a self. Analyzing our experience reveals how impersonal ignorance gives rise to self-cherishing, self-protecting, and self-importance, and how these in turn lead to the experience of a mind confused and divided against itself. The alternative to this loop of self-blame is to engage in practicing the dharma, which offers a perspective based on our nondual buddha nature. Over time, familiarizing ourselves with the practice will liberate us from the delusion and suffering of a divided mind.

Speaker: Chris Holland. Chris encourages us to respond to current historical crises with wisdom, compassion, and kindness by reconnecting with our buddha nature and remembering our deeper aspirations. A crystal unobstructed by impurities reveals its true nature, refracting light and revealing a rainbow spectrum; so too a mind cleansed of afflictions reveals its buddha nature. Citing the Uttaratantra Shastra, Rumi, and The Venerable Dzigar Kongrul Rinpoche, Chris emphasizes the need to "polish the crystal" of the mind by self-reflection, and by generating and extending kindness and compassion to ourselves and to others. Only through self-acceptance and self-reflection can we experience our buddha nature; recognizing that we share this buddha nature with all beings enables us to embrace our inseparability from others and from the universe itself.

Speaker: Julia Sanderson. Julia addresses the need to work fearlessly with challenging circumstances to benefit ourselves and others. Two challenges that confront us today, the coronavirus pandemic and systemic racial injustice, arouse uncomfortable emotions that we may be tempted to avoid; but if we instead use them as opportunities for self reflection, we can learn to work with our minds, see our blinds spots and relax. Shamatha and tonglen are two methods that support our aspiration to align our intentions with our actions, benefitting ourselves and allowing us to serve others.

Speaker: Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel. This is the first talk of a weekend series given on June 6-7, 2020: In our lives we tend to relate to the world as if it is other. The category encompasses almost everything that we can think of: the weather, the government, the coronavirus, our boss, our adversaries and even our loved ones. Other also includes our unpredictable all-consuming thoughts and emotions. In this dynamic with the world where it seems as if things are always happening to us beyond our control, we have little agency and often encounter suffering and confusion. Mahayana teachings on interdependence encourage us to look deeper into our unconscious assumption that we are separate from our world. They teach us how to poise our mind in a more inclusive way and can heal even our most troubling relationships with other. These teachings form the basis of the bodhisattva path which give clear and practical instructions for a meaningful compassionate and healthy life, and helps us to develop a sense of unconditional well being.

Speaker: Lauren Ray Hensey. Lauren contemplates how the practice of the four immeasurables and the cultivation of bodhicitta enable us to integrate all aspects of our experience and to include all beings in our circle of care. Contemplating the four immeasurables diminishes our sense of self-absorption and shines a light on our tendency not only to exclude others but to hide from the parts of ourselves we prefer not to acknowledge. Rinpoche encourages practitioners to be real on the cushion; to do so, we need to recognize how much our view and circumstances are subject to change, bias, and self-decepton. Opening our hearts to all perceptions, especially those we find uncomfortable, grounds us and allow us to open our hearts to all beings regardless of circumstance, thus gaining what Longchenpa calls Freedom From Partiality.

Speaker: Jasmine Pema. Jasmine contemplates how exploring our fears allows us to cultivate a more genuine sense of refuge, recognize how essential our feminine and masculine aspects are to our wellbeing, and balance our inner guru with the outer guidance of the teacher and lineage. Working with fears, whether it be our fear of recognizing our doubts about Buddhism, our fear of others who differ from us, or our fear of the coronavirus pandemic, offers opportunities for growth; it is by exploring our fears that we transform them into wisdom. Though it may be uncomfortable for practitioners to question the male-dominated traditions of Buddhism, its own tenets require us to investigate our minds; doing so allows us to cultivate authentic refuge and devotion. In the process, we cultivate our connection to our inner guru, balancing it with our connection to our teacher and lineage. From this perspective, the coronavirus pandemic and the fear it arouses invite us to reconsider the conventional view of productivity as "good" and rest as "bad." By recognizing the need to balance both the masculine and feminine aspects of our energies and our society, we open ourselves to the opportunity to become more united, egalitarian, and compassionate individuals and societies.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la does a thorough explanation on the basis of the practice of tonglen or exchanging self for other. He reviews how we feel ourselves to be a solid entity and the suffering that arises from that misapprehension. The practice of tonglen undercuts that fixation on a sense of self. He explains the prajna paramita teachings, the four noble truths and then goes on to describe three forms of tonglen. Tonglen can happen on the cushion during a meditation session and also off the cushion after one has developed fearlessness.

Speaker: Angela Rose. Angela reflects on four important elements of progressing on the path: the blessings of the lineage, the pith instructions of the teacher, our own maturity, and the experience of suffering. As maturity ripens, our understanding of pith instructions grows; as our capacity to experience suffering grows, we are able to connect to the teachings and to others more deeply. Both maturing and deepening our connection to suffering require patience and courage. Throughout this path, the blessings of the unbroken lineage and of our teacher' s pith instructions give us strength and understanding.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la explains how the three wisdoms of listening, contemplation and meditation are useful during this time of uncertainty. When we join those three wisdoms with bodhicitta, we provide ourselves with a ground to navigate these difficult times.

Speaker: Matthew Mackay. Matthew identifies contemplations and practices designed to cultivate our understanding and acceptance of death.

Speaker: Polly Banerjee-Gallagher. Polly contemplates impermanence and how she can practice in a way that creates more ease in everyday life.

Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. Rinpoche advises how we can use the pandemic to enrich our practice with prayers and aspirations to end the suffering this sickness is causing the world. He describes what he is personally doing to help.

Speaker: Okabayashi Katsutochi. Oka-san conveys how being a practitioner brings the joy of discovery, the ability to apply the dharma to all situations, more confidence and a sense of appreciation and freshness.

Speaker: Valeska Agasto. Valeska contemplates the lessons presented by the current period of sheltering in place during the coronavirus pandemic and how to bring the Dharma into practice at this time.