We’re excited to share what’s new to the Wisdom Experience this February and hope these resources continue to provide you with moments of inspiration, adventure, and awakening all month long.
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As you read the rest of the newsletter, remember to keep an eye out for the membership level icon in the corner of each image. These mark what level of membership the content is available to.
During the month of February the film Karma: Journey to Consciousness is available to Free members and we’re pleased to announce that thanks to the generous support of our donors and members like you, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha will now be included in the Reading Room for all our members year-round!
Distinguished by its lucidity and technical precision, this new translation makes this ancient collection of the Buddha’s discourses accessible and comprehensible to the thoughtful reader of today. Like its two predecessors in this series, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha is sure to merit a place of honour in the library of every serious student of Buddhism.
Thanks to your generous donations over the 2023 holiday season we surpassed our fundraising goal and are thrilled to share that we’re making The Connected Discourses of the Buddha available in the Reading Room for all our members year-round. This included Free members. Your donations directly help us with our mission to make the Dharma available to everyone. Thank you for your continued support!
In the high desert mountains of Mustang a revered abbess dies amidst signs that she will take an auspicious rebirth. Her nunnery must perform rituals and prayers to assist her consciousness through the bardo, the indeterminate state between death and rebirth, but it is suddenly discovered the nunnery’s coffers are mysteriously empty. To serve the legacy of their revered teacher, two nuns are sent on an adventure to locate the funds so prayers and rituals may be offered.
The sprawling mountain vistas and rich cinematography in Karma: Journey to Consciousness join a narrative exploring the interplay of Buddhist ethics and ritual mysticism, creating a compelling Tibetan Buddhist Himalayan adventure.
Don’t forget, you can invite your friends to sign up for a Free membership to join you.
Be sure to register for our upcoming Wisdom Dharma Chats this February and March!
We look forward to having you join us on Wednesday, February 21 at 7:00 PM EDT for our first Wisdom Dharma Chats episode of the year with 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. During this Wisdom Dharma Chat host Daniel Aitken and Peter will discuss Peter’s new anthology, Buddha’s Words for Tough Times, and more. To register to watch this Wisdom Dharma Chat live over Zoom, register here.
In-Depth, Plus, and All-Access Members are invited to read Buddha’s Words for Tough Times in advance here in the reading room.
Join us for a special episode of Wisdom Dharma Chats with Yongey Mingur Rinpoche, on Sunday, March 24 at 10:30 AM EDT. Please note this is not during our usual Wednesday evening time.
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 Mingur Rinpoche will discuss Dorje Drolö, a Buddhist practice meant specifically for use during difficult times in human history, as well as Rinpoche’s upcoming teachings in Nepal this June, and much more. To register to watch this Wisdom Dharma Chat live over Zoom, register here.
Discover all of the books in our Reading Room under the “Explore” menu on our website. Books in our Reading Room are available exclusively to Plus, All-Access, and In-Depth members.
New and Featured in the Reading Room
Abiding in Emptiness
by Bhikkhu Anālayo
“Through this book, Ven. Anālayo continues to build bridges between different Buddhist traditions, linking contemplations on emptiness to ancient doctrines and discourses, while highlighting their common heritage. He skillfully opens an avenue for meditative practice on emptiness for all, including contemporary Theravādin practitioners. This practical guide is for all those with a firm grounding in embodied meditation.” —Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Footprints on the Journey
by Khenpo Sodargye
Inspiring diary entries from a challenging year in the life of renowned Dzogchen master Khenpo Sodargye demonstrate right conduct on the path to liberation. This personal diary that the renowned Dzogchen master Khenpo Sodargye kept for one year gives serious Dharma practitioners a lifetime of inspiring, wise guidance for practicing right conduct on the path. The backdrop is the Tibetan plateau, from which Khenpo invites us to see the world—from native people to a spider, from vast galaxies to a water droplet—as he does, with candor and humor, and with a Dzogchen master’s sharp analysis. Spontaneous and lively, the entries play out the vicissitudes of his life throughout a challenging year, tracking the passage of his thoughts and actions, leaving footprints for whoever is able to follow.
Nāgārjuna’s Precious Garland
by Sara L. Mcclintock and John D. Dunne
“With their masterful translation and brilliant commentary, addressed both to academic scholars and Dharma students, McClintock and Dunne guide us through Nāgārjuna’s exploration of the bodhisattva’s life amid the complexities of our social and political worlds, inviting us to engage deeply with his poetic integration of emptiness and compassion.” —William Edelglass, director of studies, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Also in Your Reading Room
Exclusively for In-Depth, Plus, and All-Access members
- The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi
- Dogen’s Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki by Eihei Dōgen, translated by Shohaku Okumura
- Mastering Meditation by His Eminence Chöden Rinpoché, forward by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, translated by Tenzin Gache
- Essence of the Heart Sutra by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa
- and many more!
New Releases & Back in Stock
The following books were released in January, are available to purchase early on our website, or are now back in stock:
- Noble Truths, Noble Path (Paperback) by Bhikkhu Bodhi
- Perseverance by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, compiled and edited by Gordon Mcdougall
- Buddha’s Words for Tough Times by Peter Skilling
- Nāgārjuna’s Precious Garland by Sara L. Mcclintock and John D. Dunne
- Saraha’s Spontaneous Songs by Klaus-Dieter Mathes and Péter-Dániel Szántó
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat features special guest, Thupten Jinpa. Jinpa-la was educated in the classical Tibetan monastic academia and received the highest academic degree of Geshe Lharam (equivalent to a doctorate in divinity). He also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, he has been the principal translator to the Dalai Lama, accompanying him to the United States, Canada, and Europe. Jinpa-la is currently the president and the editor-in-chief of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to translating key Tibetan classics into contemporary languages. He also currently chairs the Mind and Life Institute and the Compassion Institute.
During this episode, host Daniel Aitken, and Jinpa-la discuss:
- his latest translation work in the Library of Tibetan Classics series, Stages of the Path and the Oral Transmission;
- how he chose to structure Stages of the Path and the Oral Transmission;
- the evolution of modern Western language and its impact on translation;
- the list of 51 mental factors and the commonly misunderstood factors;
- his Wisdom Academy course, How the Mind Works;
- how to raise joy in your daily life; and
- much more!
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features special guest, Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City. After completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as an author, translator, or editor. These include The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, and The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha. In 2008, together with several of his students, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi founded Buddhist Global Relief, a nonprofit supporting hunger relief, sustainable agriculture, and education in countries suffering from chronic poverty and malnutrition.
During this episode host, Daniel Aitken, and Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi discuss his most recent anthology from the Pāli canon, Noble Truths, Noble Path, the Teachings of the Buddha series, understanding the Buddha’s teachings and the logic behind the arrangement of the suttas within the nikāyas, and much more!
This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features Geoffrey Barstow. Geoff is an assistant professor of Philosophy and Religion at Oregon State University. He has been a student of Choky Nyima Rinpoche for more than 20 years and he spent over six years conducting research in Nepal, China, and Tibet. His studies focused on animal ethics, the relationship between humans and animals, and what that can teach us about Tibetan Buddhism. In this episode, Daniel and Geoff discuss Geoff’s book The Faults of Meat, vegetarianism in Tibetan Buddhism, as well as, a common topic of debate in Buddhist circles, should all Buddhists be vegetarian?