Deep DiveS
Buddhanature
Buddhanature is a Mahayana Buddhist concept that, while foundational, can sometimes be confounding. Here, great Buddhist thinkers of the present and past shine a prismatic light on buddhanature so that we might all better recognize the potential for awakening within.
“In a single instant, the light of a lamp can illuminate
—Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol
A house that has been dark and uninhabited for a thousand years.
Just so, realizing the luminous nature of your own mind for even an instant
Will purify an eon’s worth of negativity and obscurations.“
The World Between Breaths
Vanessa Zuisei Goddard on the famous Zen koan “Mu,” and how it helps us dive into buddhanature.
How to Experience the True Nature of Mind
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche shares step-by-step instructions to experience the basic nature of mind.
Meditations on Buddhanature
Four Buddhist teachers share concise instructions for recognizing the luminous nature of mind.
Hope for the Hopeless
Rev. Blayne Higa on the founder of Shin Buddhism’s “spiritual insight of imperfection and radical acceptance.” It can lead us to the ultimate realization of buddhanature.
Imagine You Are a Buddha
In this second part of his series on tantra, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche explains how visualization practice helps us recognize our buddhanature.
Realize Your True Nature
In this, the final part of his series on tantra, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche presents practices for recognizing the true nature of mind—empty and open, luminous and aware.
Emanations of Avalokitesvara
Also known by Guan Yin, Chenrezig, Kanzeon and other epithets, Avalokitesvara is the bodhisattva who “hears the cries of the world” and responds with limitless compassion — and inspires Buddhist practitioners the world over to try and do the same.
Your Whole Body is Hands and Eyes
Ejo McMullen on the total response of Avalokiteshvara — with a thousand arms, an eye on the palm of each hand — as the model of the bodhisattva path.
Venerating Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva by Engaging the World
According to An Tran, reciting the Twelve Aspiration Prayers of Avalokitesvara encourages us to engage with the world as part of our practice, so that we may become instruments of the buddhas of this world, helping ease the suffering of beings and our environment.
The Heart Sutra Will Change You Forever
Penetrate the true meaning of the Heart Sutra, says Karl Brunnhölzl, and nothing will be the same again. The secret is making it personal.
Monasticism Matters
Whether monk or nun or lay Buddhist, we all have so much to gain by better understanding monasticism and the people who take up monastic life. Includes a special focus on the timely subject of women’s ordination.
Why We Need Monasticism
A panel discussion with Robert Thurman, Jan Chozen Bays, Bhikkhu Bodhi and Ayya Tathaaloka. Introduction by Ajahn Amaro.
A Radiance of Nuns
Tsunma Sherab Khandro attended March’s Alliance of Non-Himalayan Nuns’ Gathering in Dharamsala, India. Here, she shares her experience and her perspective on the many challenges today’s nuns are faced with as they strive to uphold their vows, including lack of community and financial support.
The Fourfold Sangha Still Matters
The monastic path has failed to take hold in the West, says Tibetan Buddhist nun Ayya Yeshe. She argues that it’s time to renew the fourfold sangha.
Living Buddhist Ethics
Looking primarily at the three sila aspects of the Buddha’s eightfold path—right action, right speech, and right livelihood—leading dharma figures explain how, as Buddhists in today’s world, we can live ethically, and in accord with what the dharma teaches.
Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom
Norman Fischer on how sila, samadhi, and prajna work together to give us stability on the Buddhist path to liberation.
Understanding the Vinaya
Amy Paris Langenberg on the history, evolution, and modern manifestations of the training rules followed by Buddhist monastics.
Dukkha as a Doorway to Liberation
Scott Tusa on how Buddhist ethics transcend mere morality and help us to realize awakening.
The Six Dharmas of Naropa
Considered a fast track to buddhahood, the Six Dharmas are advanced tantric practices including tummo (inner heat), yoga of the dream state, resting in luminosity, and more. Featuring an overview by Pema Khandro Rinpoche, plus in-depth teachings by specialists in each of the Six Dharmas.
The Swift Path to Buddhahood
Pema Khandro on the fascinating history, practice, and purpose of the Six Dharmas of Naropa.
The Practice of Fierce Inner Heat
Judith Simmer-Brown on tummo, one of the most famous esoteric practices of Tibetan Vajrayana and the Six Dharmas. What is it, what are its benefits, and what role does it play in our journey to enlightenment?
A Wake-Up Call
Andrew Holecek on bardo, one of the Six Dharmas of Naropa’s two practices for helping us find our way, when the time comes, through the death experience. It can help us in life, too.