Building on H. E. Kalu Rinpoche’s popular course The Illusory Body and Mind, this next chapter delves even deeper into the luminous wisdom of Niguma.

Journey through the Yogas of Niguma with Rinpoche as your guide, exploring foundational practices like guru yoga and tummo before he guides you into Niguma’s dream yoga. Together, these practices have the potential to create profound shifts in awareness and being.

What is meditation, and how do we practice it?

In The Power of Meditation, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, beloved teacher and co-founder of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, offers clear explanations and instructions for the life-changing practice of meditation.

From preparatory procedures, such as selecting a space and adopting the proper motivation, to the details of posture and how to focus the mind, Rinpoche offers step-by-step instruction that serves as both a starting point for beginners and a new vantage on familiar techniques for more experienced sitters. In his own direct and plain-spoken style, Rinpoche offers concise explanations for different kinds of meditation, such as shamatha, or calm abiding meditation, and vipashyana, or insight meditation, delineating their specific techniques and applications. And finally, Rinpoche presents tips for bringing our newfound clarity off of the cushion and into our daily lives, making each moment meaningful.

The Wisdom Culture Series, published under the guidance of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, provides English-language readers with key works for the study and cultivation of the Mahayana Buddhist path, especially works of masters within the lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa and the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Dorje Drolö and the Power of the Mind (#183)

Posted April 5, 2024

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat features special guest, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Born in the Himalayan border regions between Tibet and Nepal, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a rising star among the new generation of Tibetan Buddhist teachers. His candid, often humorous accounts of his personal difficulties have endeared him to audiences around the world.

During this Wisdom Dharma Chat host, Daniel Aitken, and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche discuss:

Dorje Drolö, a Buddhist practice meant specifically for use during difficult times in human history;
Rinpoche’s upcoming teachings in Nepal this June;
the imaginative power of the mind;
wrathful deities; and
much more!

Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please give us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our show—it’s a great support to us and helps other people find the podcast. Thank you!

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Peter Skilling: Buddha’s Words for Tough Times (#182)

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Cortland Dahl: Mahamudra and Daily Life (#184)

Peter Skilling: Buddha’s Words for Tough Times (#182)

Posted March 17, 2024

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat features special guest, Peter Skilling. Peter is a special lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, and an honorary associate, Department of Indian Sub-Continental Studies, University of Sydney, Australia. Until his retirement in 2017, he was a professor of the French School of Asian Studies (EFEO) based in Bangkok. He is an honorary member of the Siam Society, Bangkok, and in 2017 he was elected an honorary fellow of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. He has published widely on the Buddhist literature, history, and epigraphy of South and Southeast Asia. In this Wisdom Dharma Chat host Daniel Aitken and Peter discuss Peter’s new anthology, Buddha’s Words for Tough Times, and more.

During this episode, Daniel and Peter discuss:

Peter’s newest release Buddha’s Words for Tough Times;
his inspiration for writing the book;
the important roll images play for us as readers;
heedfulness (appamāda) and its relation to mindfulness;
how the Buddha’s words remain relevant in today’s climate; and
much more!

Images discussed in this episode:

Four apramāda seals: Apramāda seal from Lower Burma, Mandeville collection. Apramāda seals from India, Cunningham collection at the British Library. Page 242.
Frontispiece: Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust, licensed under CC0. Page ii
Frontispiece Buddha after excavation in Sultanganj in 1862 and, on the right, E. B. Harris with some of the Sultanganj images. Source: Harris, Description of Buddhist Remains Discovered at Sooltangunge. See also figures 9 and 11. Page v.
Image of the Buddha teaching, with etching of a stūpa in outline on reverse. Seventh century, Bihar. Height, 33 cm. British Museum (acc. no. 1854,0214.1). For the text of the inscription, see appendix 2, figure 54. Pages 25–26.