In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)

Continuing with the Non-associated compositional factors started in the previous episode, Lama J…

In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)

Lama John begins by talking about how when we first begin meditating it’s hard to see results, t…

In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)

Lama John spends the first few minutes describing the essence of the effortless path of Mahamudr…

In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)

Lama John first talks about his recent revelation and decision to begin labeling himself as a Ma…

In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)

He continues talking about the fourth aggregate, that of Compositional Factors, also known as me…

First he talks about his recent two-week retreat, where he discovered the new approach that he will take moving forward with his teaching. He then talks about the fourth aggregate, that of Compositional Factors, also known as mental formations (sankharas), that are considered willful mental actions, triggered by some object, that produce karma.

There are 51 psychic factors, which are further delineated into omnipresent factors, determining factors, virtuous factors, six root afflictions, secondary afflictions, and changeable factors (the first two are discussed in this episode). We all experience these factors differently, based on our karma, and the nature of our belief system makes it so that we see only what we believe. He then describes how mindfulness can be for good or bad and similarly our knowledge can be correct or incorrect.

He dives into the second and third aggregates, feeling and recognition, and describes the role they play in our happiness and the perception of our reality. As always, karma plays a big role in everything. He describes the three feelings (happiness, suffering, neutral) and how we experience each of the three realms of recognition (desire, form, and formless).

He further explains how stability of awareness leads to greater serenity and how, in the formless realm, we can disappear entirely from our concept of self.

The first of the five aggregates (a.k.a., the five skandhas, the five conditions, the five heaps, or the five collections) is the 15 form aggregates, which consists of the four elements and the eleven physical manifestations stemming from those elements. (Buddhism loves its lists and taxonomies, to be sure.) Lama John explains how the four elements can, to a varying degree, be found in everything, and that the interaction between the elements and the physical manifestations creates our reality and our sense of self. The result is our own personal magical display of the elements in space, which is wholly based on our karma.

A deep understanding of these interactions will eventually lead us to break down the conceptual barrier of “outside me” and “inside me,” to see that this ignorance of our true nature is, at the end of the day, just an idea in our mind.

In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” Before he dives into the text, he looks back at his relationship with Lama Marut, who passed away four years ago this month, and how Lama Marut revealed the true purpose of the lama to him. Taking a moment to acknowledge t…

In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” He gives an example of how we can find a deep understanding of karma and compassion in every moment of life, no matter how small, by cracking the case of The Stolen Cookie. This is all part of the magical world of receivin…

In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” In this freewheelin’ wide-ranging discussion, he talks about how it’s important to maintain joyous effort when you feel stuck in your practice; how seeing the results of the path in a teacher is inspirational; and how we’r…

In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” Emphasis is placed on how the unification of the six perfections (method) and emptiness (wisdom) is absolutely essential on the road to enlightenment. He also explains how it’s important to truly understand what the Buddha…

In this episode, Lama John begins reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” The importance of seeing emptiness under the influence of bodhicitta is emphasized, and how we need to get on the loving-kindness train if we ever hope to dissolve our delusional sense of self.

“Donning the armor of loving-ki…

In this episode, Lama John begins reading from the “Actualising Special Insight” chapter of Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” After first talking about how it’s beneficial to practice shamatha and vipassana together, on a parallel track, he then talks about the meaning of the Tibetan word gak-cha, which refers to finding the object to be negated in e…

In this episode, Lama John concludes reading from “The Practice of Calm Abiding” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” After a short preamble about the nature of awareness in the here-and-now, Lama John continues reading the text, which describes how all Buddhist scripture is pointing to the importance of suchness (a.k.a., emptiness), and ho…

Decide that that is your seat of your compassion, your love for other beings, this desire that nobody suffers.    

And that with this wish that, by our efforts here, by our motivation, by our wish to see a brighter world full of awakened beings, give away the goodness and dedicate our time together to all sentient beings.  

Then visualize galaxies full of sentient beings as far as your mind can imagine, really go supernova. And let this light explode out of your heart, and imagine that it's striking the hearts of all these sentient beings, and that our motivation, our dedication, our very path is benefiting not only ourselves but all these sentient beings.

And imagine, just imagine, that clarity dawns. Ahhh! True refuge — refuge that will actually bring true well-being, true enlightenment — arises in the minds of all these sentient beings, and rejoice in this end of pain and confusion. See it happen and be happy.

And then let that light withdraw back into your body, back into your heart.

And just sit for a second in non-elaboration feeling the beauty of compassion.