Buddhism for Beginners
The Buddhism for Beginners Podcast is brought to you by Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC). KPC was founded by Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo Rinpoche to uphold the Palyul lineage within the Nyingma tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. KPC is a hub of compassionate activity with a mission to inspire people to improve the world and end suffering for the benefit of all beings.
The Buddhism for Beginners podcast draws from a wealth of teachings by Jetsunma and other great masters from around the world. Gain insight and guidance into how you can apply foundational Buddhist principles and meditation techniques to use in your everyday life. For more teachings, meditations, and resources visit out online virtual temple at Tara.org.
Episodes
50 episodes
Perception is a Squirrel Cage of Reaction
Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo takes the concept of perception and describes just what it is like for us in samsara.
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46:38
Don't Wait to Feel Devotion
Devotion is often thought of as a "feeling". Actually, in Buddhism, it is based on logic. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains how if we wait for the "feeling" we will still be waiting when we die, without having achieved any result.
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52:43
Hold Pure View of All Buddha's Paths
The Buddha taught many paths to reach enlightenment. They build on each other, and each one is perfect for a certain karma. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains these paths and how each one is a pure path by itself, as well as linking to the next.
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53:21
Emptiness and Compassion are Inseparable
The teachings tell us that "just as the rays of the sun cannot be separated from the sun itself, emptiness and Bodhicitta are joined in a similar way" Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains how this is true.
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38:54
The Hook of Compassion
The Guru appears to us as a display of our own nature - Bodhicitta. To show us our own face, they often display "the hook of compassion". Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains this process and what blessings it can bring.
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51:16
Meditation in Action
Compassion spans both samsara and nirvana. Bodhicitta is the essence of our nature. How to determine what kinds of compassion are lasting is the subject of this talk by Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo.
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26:53
Temporary & Ultimate Compassion
Compassion spans both samsara and nirvana. Bodhicitta is the essence of our nature. How to determine what kinds of compassion are lasting is the subject of this talk by Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo.
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54:23
Your Motivation for Kindness
Bodhicitta (Compassion) is the basic core of our true nature. As we reach for enlightenment, we come closer to that nature. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo helps us understand why kindness is just logical and how to develop it.
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43:40
Use Devotion for Personal Change
Change isn't easy. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gives us some useful tools to use to help with those hard choices.
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38:46
How to Have Pure View of Your Guru
"Pure View" can be confusing to new students. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo takes the mystery out of "view" and gives solid advice on the steps to take.
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38:31
Find the True Guru
The right guru can guide you to enlightenment. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo shows us how we can identify that teacher.
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41:02
Personal Ethics in Buddhism
To be a true Buddhist, a personal ethical standard is a must. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo defines what that might look like and how we arrive at our goal.
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49:56
Experience Holidays with a Calm Mind
Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gave this teaching Christmas eve 1995. In it she describes the hope and fear that is magnified during the holiday season, using it as a way to understand the habits of our minds. During the holiday season our minds become e...
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1:09:58
Marrying Your Spiritual Life with Western Culture
Our spiritual life can be a precious living truth inside of us if we develop a deep and ultimate connection with our spiritual path. Jetsunma explains to us that this is not easy to do because our society is materialistic and removed from the n...
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1:13:48
Compassion Stops the Suffering
Jetsunma takes us to a deeper understanding of the interdependence of the practices of Refuge and Bodhicitta. Leading us through the mental equations that will result in the cessation of suffering, she points out, "The cessation of suffering do...
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1:05:28
Live a Sacred Life
The ideas of competition and materialism are taught to us as virtues during our childhood. Collecting things and going somewhere are pivotal ways of viewing our life’s progress. Jetsunma steers us away from these misconceptions: "Every moment i...
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1:12:11
What do the Five Senses Really Tell You?
The five senses are about distinction - the idea of self-nature being inherently real. They are extensions of our ego. Why is the understanding of our own true nature so difficult for human beings? Jetsunma answers, "Because we are practicing t...
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59:21
Go Beyond Safety to Love
We are taught to never truly surrender our heart, to never risk in order to experience great passion, to always keep something aside for ourselves. Our quest for safety leads us to compartmentalize our experiences and keep everything in a neat,...
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53:42
Chöd (Cutting the Ego) Western-style
When Jetsunma was in her early 20’s she practiced examining all aspects of life: physical, mental, emotional. What she found in the things of samsara: "There’s no future in this." At the same time, meditating upon the natural, luminous state th...
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1:07:45
The Logic of Dharma Practice
There is a deep prejudice in the West that has become almost invisible to us: the idea that one’s spiritual life is somehow separate from the rest of one’s life. This results in the habit of denial about the truth of our situation and we are li...
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1:03:25
Not Grasping Means Not Suffering
Growing up in a materialistic culture, being taught to "be all that you can be", actually produces obstacles to the path to enlightenment. The definition of neurotic is acting in a way that is inappropriate according to reality. The Buddha teac...
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1:01:24
How we Experience Perception
Each of us has our own "perceptual bubble", describes Jesunma Ahkon Lhamo, as she unveils for us the dynamics of how we perceive, and react to, everything around us.
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43:36
Turning the Mind to Dharma
One of the first things we hear about in Buddhism is "turning the mind to Dharma". This is a study of the first teachings of the Buddha. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo walks us through this process, and explains how necessary it is to motivate us on the ...
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39:01