Opening with a recommendation of “Angels in My Hair” by Lorna Byrne, Robert Thurman sits down with its author for a far-ranging discussion of faith, angels, materialism, climate change and the power of positive thinking and prayer. This podcast includes: a discussion of the commonalities of all faiths and religions, an in-depth exploration of the divine beings and protectors found in Christian and Buddhist traditions, and a heart-opening dialogue on love, the soul, the afterlife, and the non-dual nature of reality. The episode concludes with an extended discussion of guardian angels and a guided meditation led by Lorna. Spiritual teacher, international bestselling author and philanthropist Lorna Byrne has dedicated her life to remind humanity of the spiritual potential within us all. She is the author of seven best-selling books, including "Angels in My Hair", "A Message of Hope From the Angels", and "Angels at my Fingertips" and she has been published in more than 50 countries and 30 languages around the world. To learn more about the work of Lorna Byrne, please visit her website: www.lornabyrne.com.

In this extended recording Professor Thurman gives an introductory teaching on the centrality of reincarnation to the Buddha's philosophy and how an understanding of past and future lives is essential to becoming enlightened. Using the teachings of Atisha, Tsongkhapa and the 14th Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman begins the teaching with a humorous thought experiment examining the materialist notions unpinning intellectual discussion about past and future lives. Episode includes : a short history of Buddhism in India, Tibet and Asia, an exploration of the Christian traditions of reincarnation and explanation of the process of becoming enlightened as told in the life story of Shakyamuni Buddha. This episode is the recording of the thought-provoking and lively lecture “Past & Future Lives: Is Enlightenment Possible Without Them?” with Robert Thurman, given at Maitripa College in Portland, OR on April 8, 2016. Past & Future Lives Buddhism 101 : Bob Thurman Podcast Bonus photo by Wonderlane. This recording from the “Past & Future Lives: Is Enlightenment Possible Without Them?" was originally excerpted as the episode: "Do We Need to Believe in Past & Future Lives to Become Enlightened? - Ep. 66" of the Bob Thurman Podcast. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” & ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this extended holiday episode Professor Thurman gives an introduction to the history and mission of the Dalai Lama's cultural arts center Tibet House US in New York City and its retreat center Menla in Phoenicia, New York. Opening with a personal invitation to the Annual Carnegie Hall Benefit Concert Robert A.F. Thurman gives a detailed history of the event organized by Philip Glass and explains it's connections to Tibetan New Year and the precious culture of Tibet. Podcast includes a discussion of the benefits of becoming a Tibet House US Member, a short introduction to Tibetan Culture for beginners and an in-depth exploration of the landmark graphic novel "Man of Peace : The Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet" by Robert A.F. Thurman. Preserving Culture with Tibet House US Podcast Bonus of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo via www.dalailama.com. Tibet House US is dedicated to preserving Tibet’s unique culture at a time when it is confronted with extinction on its own soil. By presenting Tibetan civilization and its profound wisdom, beauty, and special art of freedom to the people of the world, we hope to inspire others to join the effort to protect and save it. Tibet House US is part of a worldwide network of Tibetan institutions committed to ensuring that the light of the Tibetan spirit never disappears from the face of this earth. Tibet House US was founded at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who at the inauguration in 1987 stated his wish for a long-term cultural institution to ensure the survival of Tibetan civilization and culture, whatever the political destiny of the six million people of Tibet itself. “I feel that Tibetan culture with its unique heritage - born of the efforts of many human beings of good spirit, of its contacts with Mongolian, Chinese, Indian, Nepalese and Persian culture, and of its natural environment – has developed a kind of energy which is very helpful for cultivating peace of mind and a joyful life. I feel that there is a potential for Tibet to help humanity, and particularly our Eastern neighbor, where millions of young Chinese have lost their spiritual values. In this way, I feel very strongly that Tibetan culture will have a role to play in the future of humanity.” – His Holiness the Dalai Lama This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by <a href="http://www.tenzinchoegyal.c

In this extended recording with Krishna Das and his band, Professor Thurman leads a discussion of the Hindu and Buddhist perspectives on the soul, sin and greed using stories from their early years in India. Archive session includes a group recitation of the “Heart Sutra”, a discussion of non-duality as it relates to bliss, an extended dialog on the connections between Hindu and Buddhist self transformation technologies and several chant and response sessions led by Nina Rao and Krishna Das. This podcast includes stories from Robert A.F. Thurman and Krishna Das' time in India and reading of Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol's poetry. "In these three sessions, we will chant together, mantra together, teach and discuss wisdom and love and compassion in the tradition of Krishna Das’ Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, and H.H. the Dalai Lama, and have a great time, invoking Noble Tara, Shri Devi, Krishna/Radha and Manjushri/Sarasvati, covering the Guru-disciple relationship and its permutations, all kinds of mental and physical yogas, mind-concentration and heart transformation, bhakti and Tantra, etc., and basically enjoy the beautiful Dharmas of India and Tibet." This talk was recorded during the Force For Good Class "Hindu Buddhist Paths of Devotion: Cherishing Divine Wisdom and Compassion Through Chanting and Mantra" at Tibet House US in New York City in 2019 with Krishna Das &amp; Robert A.F. Thurman and was excerpted as "My Early Years : Buddhist Soul with Krishna Das - Episode 216" of the Bob Thurman Podcast. To learn more about the work + music of Krishna Das please visit: www.krishnadas.com. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with C

In this extended archive recording Professor Thurman introduces &amp; elaborates the idea of enlightenment using Tibetan History as a lens highlighting the historical Buddha's discovery of the blissful interconnected, interdependent nature of reality. Podcast includes: an introduction to the Buddhist history of India and Tibet, an overview of the experience of enlightenment as recounted by Shakyamuni Buddha and a concise elaboration of the "Lam Rim" or "Stages of the Path" for those of any tradition. Tibetan Path of Enlightenment : Bob Thurman Podcast Bonus photo by Wonderlane. This recording from the ‘Pathways to the Spirit’ Series Talk given to Trinity College in 1998 and was originally excerpted as the episodes "Buddhism 101: Defining Enlightenment – Ep 101" and "Buddhism 101: Preciousness of Human Life – Ep 103". This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this extended archive recording Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Tom Yarnall explore the “Guhyasamāja Tantra King of Tantras – The Glorious Esoteric Community” by Tsongkhapa giving an introduction to Buddhist tantra and the practice of creation stage deity yoga. Includes an exploration of Buddhist Sand or powder mandalas and the chakra system used in the visualizations used in creation stage tantra meditations and self transformation practices by Robert A.F. Thurman. Podcast includes a discussion of the role of gods in visualization, the need to study and develop critical wisdom and selfless compassion before engaging in advanced self-transformation and the historical place of initiation in Indian and Vedic communities. Force For Good : Creation Stage Tantra Podcast Bonus Image via Lotus Within. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. “Force For Good : Creation Stage Tantra Podcast Bonus″ of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2017 Force for Good Class Series. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) &amp; along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vi

In this extended archive recording of the Tibet House US Force For Good class Buddhist Sciences : Vajrayana II Robert A.F. Thurman gives an overview of the esoteric teachings of Buddhism. Using the “Esoteric Community” (Guhyasamāja) by Tsongkhapa, Professor Thurman discusses how with proper study and meditation anyone can understand the full meaning of the Buddha’s esoteric teachings. Podcast includes: an overview of the Buddhist Inner Sciences, an explanation of the different lineages, orders and sects of Tibetan Buddhism, a short discussion of the distinctions between Mother, Father and Non-Dual Tantra, definitions of Professor Thurman’s “Tantric Abidharma”, Mind Objective, Speech Isolation, Clear Light and the Central Channel system used in Buddhist Medicine and Inner Sciences. Buddhist Sciences Vajrayana Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Image of Medicine Buddha and Tsongkhapa via www.welcomecollection.org “Buddhist Sciences Vajrayana Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives″ of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2016 Force for Good Class "Vajrayana II". This archive was originally excerpted as the episodes: "Mother and Father Tantras" and "Buddhist Opening Verses" and the full video version can be viewed on the Tibet House US Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa YouTube Channel. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and <a hre

In this extended podcast bonus Professor Thurman discusses the current global political crisis facing all citizens as the effects of climate change are becoming more and more pronounced in their daily lives. Continuing his call to action for a Democratic Party "Dream Team" in 2020 and discussion on the connections between Buddhism, Democracy and the environment, Robert A.F. Thurman in this episode gives a teaching on the history of Buddhist activism, corporate climate change awareness and the role of enlightened leadership based on the wisdom of interdependence and the practice of compassionate generosity. Podcast bonus includes an extended discussion of the: The Koch Brothers, pointing out how they are Libertarians who have destroyed the Republican party—i,e, not real, good Abe Lincoln Republicans, their use of "Dark Money" in American politics, and a call to action for the creation of a "Bright Money" campaign to sweep away the propaganda-created doubt in the people, and encourage environmental responsibility, to contest the long term "Dark Money" campaign's subversion of our democracy, by now well documented by Jane Mayer and others. “Landscape of Change” Image by Jill Pelto via PBS.org. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives.  Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. “Climate Change : Mother Earth in Crisis - Podcast Bonus″ of the Bob Thurman Podcast is apart of the Buddhism 101 series using classic teachings from the archives of Robert A.F. Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; friends please visit: www.menla.us.

A special American Independence Day teaching on the connections between Buddhism and Democracy and a call to action for a Democratic Party Dream Team by Robert A.F. Thurman. American Independence Day : Dream Team 2020 - Podcast Bonus of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Ben Rosett on Unsplash. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives.  Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. “American Independence Day : Dream Team 2020 - Podcast Bonus″ of the Bob Thurman Podcast is apart of the Buddhism 101 series using classic teachings from the archives of Robert A.F. Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; friends please visit: www.menla.us.

The Buddha &amp; the Yogis all levels intensive series brings together three contemporary Buddhist and yogic masters to actively explore, intellectually and experientially, the profound texts and practices from the yogic technologies associated with Tantric Mahayana Buddhism and Vedantic Hinduism, in the pristine hidden mountain valley of Menla, land of the Medicine Buddha. This extended archive recording opens with a discussion on the Buddhist definition of the mind, Professor Thurman details the philosophical history of the Buddha’s teachings, it’s meditations and yoga practices, detailing how Buddhism’s central tenets of causality, emptiness and compassion relate to modern Quantum and Particle Physics. Includes an introduction to the Buddhist Inner Sciences, the “network of Dakinis” as taught in Buddhism’s esoteric art and Vajrayana practices and guided selflessness and body scan meditations. "Buddha &amp; The Yogis : 2017 - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archive" was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. This archive is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman &amp; Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative &amp; theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews &amp; one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. "Buddha &amp; The Yogis : 2017 - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archive" of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded at the Annual All Levels Yoga and Buddhism Retreat “Buddha &amp; the Yogis” with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor and Robert A.F. Thurman July 16 – 23, 2017 at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and was originally excerpted as "Yoga, Bliss &amp; Mind : Buddhist Inner Sciences – Ep. 205". Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this message celebrating the full moon day of celebration of the birth, enlightenment and passing of the historical Buddha, Professor Thurman gives an extended teaching on how Saka Dawa is celebrated by Tibetans across the world. Saka Dawa, named for the star, Vishakha, prominent during the fourth month in the Tibetan lunar calendar, is almost the same as the Theravadin observance of Vesak. It is considered the most sacred month for remembering the great achievement of Shakyamuni Buddha in the 6th BCE century (earlier in the Tibetan calendar). H. H. the Dalai Lama and all Tibetan Buddhist monks and laity celebrate this holiday. In this Podcast Robert A.F. Thurman gives an overview of the Buddhist holiday, a detailed accounting of the details of the Buddha’s Enlightenment as revealed by Indian Buddhist Sanskrit literature and Tibet’s yogic tradition. Podcast includes: an introduction to the four major schools of Buddhism found in China, details on the practice of vegetarianism during Buddhist Holidays, the symbolism behind the Buddha's "Earth Witness" mudra made upon being challenged by Mara the Evil One, just before Siddhartha attained unexcelled enlightenment; and how traditional Chinese people were quite tolerant of diversity in religion and ideology, as “Confucians in office, Taoist for weddings, birth ceremonies, and in retirement, and Buddhist for funerals, meditations, and scientific philosophies.” Includes a teaching on the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and mentions Professor Thurman’s Four Nobler Truths, based on the White Lotus and Great Total Nirvana Sutras. To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert A.F. Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this extended archive recording of “The Legacy of Lama Tsongkhapa” Talk by Robert A.F. Thurman from Tse Chen Ling Center in San Francisco celebrates the 600th anniversary of the enlightenment of Tsongkhapa. Opening  with personal reflections upon “The Year of Tsongkhapa”, Robert A.F. Thurman uses the miss-titled “Tibetan Book of The Dead” core teaching of infinite interconnected, past and future lives to frame his exploration of the life, work and teachings of Je Tsongkhapa and gives an in-depth teaching on his historical importance and impact upon Buddhism, Tibet and philosophy. Podcast includes a reading of the first Panchen Lama Khedrup Gelek Pelzang’s account of Tsongkhapa’s attainment of the magic body and manifestation of Manjushri during his enlightenment, a discussion of the use of spiritual consorts, Karmamudra, the history of the different schools, sects and “orders” within Pre-Invasion Tibet and a recommendation of the forthcoming biography of Tsongkhapa by Thupten Jinpa by Wisdom Publications. About Lama Tsongkhapa and “International Year of Tsongkhapa” ​Je Tsongkhapa Lobsang Drakpa (1357-1419) was one of the greatest scholar-practitioners in the history of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder of the Gelug tradition. While still a young man, Tsongkhapa distinguished himself through intense study, a sharp intellect and meditative accomplishment. In the last three decades of his life, Tsongkhapa dedicated himself to practice, teaching, writing and establishing monasteries. Respected by all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Lama Tsongkhapa’s deeds contributed tremendously to the revitalization of Buddhism in Tibet. On December 30th, 2018, the 104th Ganden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin, the supreme head of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism proclaimed that 2019 will be “International Year of Tsongkhapa.” “I call upon all Gelukpas and well-wishers to render their support to spreading awareness of the eloquent teachings and writings of the great Master Tsongkhapa throughout the world. I encourage Geluk monasteries, centers, organizers, individuals and admirers of Master Tsongkhapa worldwide to initiate special activities throughout the year of 2019 to commemorate (the) 600th anniversary of the great master and to inspire beings to follow in his footsteps.” Ganden Tri Rinpoche This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Wisdom Publications. Suggested Reading:  “The Life and Teachings of Tsongkhapa” Edited by Robert A.F. Thurman published by Wisdom Publication, 2018. The Year of Tsongkhapa : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archive Episode was recorded during the “The Legacy of Lama Tsongkhapa” Talk at Tse Chen Ling in San Francisco in 2019. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by

In this extended recording from Menla's "Tibetan Secrets of Longevity" Retreat in 2016, Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Nida Chenagtsang discuss the history of Buddhist Medicine’s origins in the teachings of the Buddha and elaborate how it found it’s synthesis with other medical traditions in Sowa Rigpa or the Tibetan Science of Health. Introducing the Buddha as a physician of the body, mind and of wider society Robert Thurman gives a detailed history of the healing nature of the teachings and of the medicine tradition of Sowa Rigpa which they gave rise to. Includes an exploration of the Yuthok Nyingthig, the unique cycle of Vajrayana Buddhist practice connected with Tibetan Medicine, short biographies of Yuthok the Elder and Younger, generosity as a vehicle for spiritual development, Buddhist mantras as form of psychotherapy and a guided meditation on selflessness. Tibetan Secrets of Longevity : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Photo of Robert A.F. Thurman and Nena Thurman at Menla by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang Tibetan Secrets of Longevity : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives was recorded at the Third Session of the “Tibetan Secrets of Longevity Retreat with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Robert A.F. Thurman”  held at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, July 2017. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. To learn more about this year’s program with Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Nida at Menla please visit: www.menla.us The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

Professor Thurman and Dr. Nida Chenagtsang in this two part podcast discuss the history of Buddhist Medicine's origins in the teachings of the Buddha and elaborate how it found it’s synthesis with other medical traditions in Sowa Rigpa or the Tibetan Science of Health as founded by Yuthok the Elder and carried on in Tibet, the Himalayas, and the Mongolias by Yuthok the Younger. Opening this week's episode with a recommendation of "The Mirror of Light" by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang and introducing the Buddha as a physician of the body, mind and of wider society Robert Thurman gives a detailed history of the healing nature of the teachings and of the medicine tradition of Sowa Rigpa which they gave rise to. Explaining the Buddha's insight into the blissful nature of reality and it's connection to selflessness Robert A.F. Thurman shows how the transcendent nature of enlightenment transforms the individual into a pulsar of encouraging energy to all those who encounter them. Second half of this week's episode includes an exploration of the Yuthok Nyingthig, the unique cycle of Vajrayana Buddhist practice connected with Tibetan Medicine, short biographies of Yuthok the Elder and Younger, generosity as a vehicle for spiritual development, Buddhist mantras as form of psychotherapy and a guided meditation on selflessness. Podcast concludes with a reading of Allen Ginsberg's poem The Sunflower Sutra by Gary Gach. Tibetan Medicine : Yuthok the Elder &amp; Sowa Rigpa - Episode 199 the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by David Brooke Martin on Unsplash. Tibetan Medicine : Yuthok the Elder &amp; Sowa Rigpa - Episode 199 the Bob Thurman Podcast is an excerpt from the “Tibetan Secrets of Longevity Third Session with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Robert A.F. Thurman” Video. Recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, July 2017 the Annual Kalachakra Study + Practice Intensive Retreat. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. To learn more about this year’s program with Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Nida at Menla please visit: www.menla.us Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in

In this archive recording from the Force For Good class "The Buddha Soul, Nature, Essence, Element, or Womb" Robert A.F. Thurman gives a teaching on the secular nature of Buddhist meditation and mantra practices. Recording opens with discussions of: mindfulness of the breath, instructions on mantra recitation, a history of Zen on Chan Buddhism and an introduction to the Bodhisattva Maitreya’s “The Sublime Continuum Super-Commentary with the Sublime Continuum Treatise Commentary” published by AIBS, Tibet House US and Columbia University Press. Robert A.F. Thurman provides a quick fire summary of the historical Buddha’s core teaching of The Four Noble Truths, an introduction to Buddhism’s messianic figure of Maitreya, Asanga and his brother Vasubandhu, and a humorous perspective of the film “Death Becomes Her”. Includes an extended re-telling of the story of Asanga and the Dog, an in depth discussion of the Three Jewels of Buddhism and an exploration of the Buddhist perspective on the soul, death and the existence of both heavenly and hell-like realms. Buddha Soul - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo Young Monks studying by Tenzin Chojeor via www.dalailama.com. This talk was recorded during the "The Buddha Soul, Nature, Essence, Element, or Womb" Force For Good Class at Tibet House US in New York City, October 2017 with Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; is apart of the THUS Member Archive. “When we really feel that there is some need to change, then our minds can change. Wishing and praying alone will not transform your mind, but with conviction and reason, reason based ultimately on your own experience, you can transform your mind. Time is quite an important factor here, and with time our mental attitudes can certainly change..” H.H. Dalai Lama To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for M

Professor Thurman opens this archive recording from Menla's Kalachakra Study Intensive retreat with a group recitation of the Heart Sutra and a teaching on how the classic text can be used as a roadmap for advanced Buddhist practices and for personal transformation. Robert A.F. Thurman addresses questions from retreat participants about: Fire Puja Ceremonies, Dream Yoga, gender in Buddhism, the symbolism of deities in found traditional Indian and Vedic art, how best to prepare for Buddhist Vajrayana practices, Tibetan Astrology's connections to Sowa Rigpa and Himalayan Medicine, Relativity, Clear Light and how anyone can use the Buddhist Inner Sciences no matter what one's background or religious tradition. Concludes with a guided “Three Principles of the Path” meditation and instructions on the dedication of positive merit generated through contemplative practices. Kalachakra Study 2017 - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Photo of Dalai Lama creating Kalachakra Sand Mandala with Monks by Manuel Bauer, Used with permission via www.dalailama.com. “Kalachakra Study 2017 - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives”  is an excerpt from the “Final Questions + Answers Session of the Kalachakra Study + Practice with Robert A.F. Thurman” Video. Recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, July 2017 the Annual Kalachakra Study + Practice Intensive Retreat. To read more about this year’s Kalachakra Program with Robert A.F. Thurman at Menla please visit: www.menla.us. “Kalachakra Study 2017 - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives” is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman &amp; Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative &amp; theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews &amp; one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming

In this extended archive recording from the 2017 Tibet House US Benefit Trip to Bodh Gaya, India, Robert A.F. Thurman gives a teaching on the value of imaginative compassion as expressed in the cosmology, art and people found throughout the Buddhist sutras and tantras. This archive recording includes: discussions of "Flower Ornament Sutra", Kalachakra Tantra, the non-dual nature of the Shakyamuni’s time under the bodhi tree and introductions to Vairochana, Avalokiteshvara and the Eighth King of Shamabala. "By tracing the Buddha’s steps, partaking in daily meditations in the very places where Buddha’s own life’s journey unfolded, and enjoying daily talks with Professor Thurman. This journey, custom crafted for Tibet House US with Dr. Thurman and GeoEx, explores the birth of Buddhism by tracing a path through the sacred sites of the Buddha’s life. At each sacred site, the group will be offered teachings and stories about the life of the Buddha. Traveling with leading Buddhist scholars Dr. Robert Thurman and Geographic Expeditions’ own inveterate leader Brent Olson, the trip offers a rare opportunity to explore a treasure trove of cultural, historical, and spiritual riches—and indeed to see places, through their importance in the life of the Buddha, that would shape the history of the region and the world." From Trip Description via www.geoex.com. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips with Robert A.F. Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com. Pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya – Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Photo via GeoEx. This podcast was recorded during the Tibet House US + GeoEx Trip lead by Robert A.F Thurman to the 34th Kalachakra Empowerment with the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India in January, 2017.   “Pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya – Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. &nbsp;

Teaching from the bodhi tree the Buddha attained enlightenment beneath, Robert A.F. Thurman gives a teaching on the value of imaginative compassion as expressed in the cosmology, art and people found throughout the Buddhist sutras and tantras. Opening this week's episode with a reading of the "Flower Ornament Sutra" Professor Thurman introduces us to "swimming" in the fantastic sutra with its descriptions of multiple planes of existence and dimensions of reality as a gateway to unpacking the practical and esoteric lessons of Buddhism. Contextualizing the non-dual nature of the Shakyamuni’s time under the bodhi tree just after full enlightenment as holographic in nature, Thurman gives a history of the pilgrimage site and introduces the infinite buddhas visited during this experience including: Vairochana Buddha, Avalokiteshvara and their connections to the Dalai Lama of Tibet and the Eighth King of Shamabala. Podcast includes discussions of: the Kalachakra Tantra, it's mandala and the practices, the Twelve Deeds of a Buddha and a Buddhist perspective on mystical experiences. Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Mary Oliver by Gary Gach. . Pilgrimage : Swimming &amp; Sitting Under The Bodhi Tree - Ep. 196 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Filip Wolak All Rights Reserved. This podcast was recorded during the Tibet House US + GeoEx Trip lead by Robert AF Thurman to the 34th Kalachakra Empowerment with the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India in January, 2017. “Pilgrimage : Swimming &amp; Sitting Under The Bodhi Tree - Ep. 196 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.   Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘<a href="http://www.tenzinchoegyal

In this archive recording from the Buddha and The Yogis program held annually at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa Robert A.F. Thurman discusses the importance of the divine feminine and the role of women in Indian, Tibetan and Western history. Opening with an exploration of the experience of enlightenment Professor Thurman gives an introduction to Buddhist meditation, to the practice of meditating on Tara and female inspirational figures. Podcast includes a short history of Buddhism, it’s relationship to yoga, a re-telling and re-contextualization of the Buddhist Jātaka tales and an in-depth exploration of the Twenty One Taras meditation practice. Includes guided meditations and teachings on selflessness, the dedication of positive merit and Tara. Buddha &amp; The Yogis : Divine Feminine - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives photo with Mary Taylor, Sandi Higgins and Richard Taylor from Buddha and the Yogis Annual Retreat via www.instagram.com. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and was originally excerpted as "Tara, Yoga &amp; Female Buddhas" Episode 195 of the Bob Thurman Podcast. Recorded at the annual Buddha and The Yogis intensive program with Robert A.F. Thurman and Friends held at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2016. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman discusses the role of women in Indian and Tibetan history and of the feminine principle within their inner and outer yoga traditions. Opening with an exploration of the experience of enlightenment as depicted in the classic science fiction film "Star Trek The Motion Picture" Robert A.F. Thurman gives a brief introduction to the study and practice of Buddhist Vajrayana deity yoga meditation on Tara and female inspirational figures of any tradition. Podcast includes a recommendation of the yoga teachings of Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor, a short history of Buddhism, it's relationship to yoga, a non-dual perspective on the role of women in society and in Buddhist monastic communities and an exploration of the Twenty One Taras used by Tibetan adepts, pilgrims and everyday people for generations. Second half of this week's episode includes a guided meditation and a teaching on the dedication of positive merit generated during the spiritual practice and contemplation of Tara's immeasurable, multi-colored forms. Recorded at the annual Buddha and The Yogis intensive program with Robert A.F. Thurman and Friends held at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2016. In this week’s Bob Thurman podcast poetry segment Gary Gach reads the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Tara, Yoga &amp; Female Buddhas - Ep. 195 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Tara statue photo via www.luminousbuddha.com. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by <a href="http://ww

An extended archive podcast from Professor Thurman's annual holiday message and his monthly teaching for the ongoing Kālachakra Study &amp; Practice Group. Robert A.F. Thurman discusses the value of end of year celebrations, compassion and the Kālachakra yoga in helping individuals of any tradition or religious background to escape the terminal lifestyle of self centered materialism. Highlighting the common spiritual threads found in Christmas, Hanukkah, Losar &amp; Pagan Solstice celebrations Robert Thurman discusses his upcoming program at Kripalu based upon his book “Infinite Life: Awakening to Bliss Within”, his long time New Year's tradition of teaching with Sharon Salzberg, and the place of mindfulness, emptiness and compassion in transforming one's life. Recording includes an extended call to action and re-telling of Professor Thurman's vision of creating a space for the development and support of an Kālachakra Yoga practice community in New York City. Buddha Bliss and Kālachakra Yoga - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Priscilla Kimie, All Rights Reserved. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs at Kripalu please visit: www.kripalu.org.

Opening this week's holiday podcast with a guided meditation from his book "Infinite Life: Awakening to Bliss Within" Professor Thurman discusses the value of end of year celebrations, compassion and the yoga sciences in helping individuals of any tradition or religious background to escape the terminal lifestyle of self centered materialism. Highlighting the common spiritual threads found in Christmas, Hanukkah, Losar &amp; Pagan Solstice celebrations Robert Thurman discusses the symbolic and psychological value of such community gatherings detailing the history of solar and lunar celebrations in Judaism and of Tibet's Tsongkhapa Butter Lamp Festival. Podcast includes a discussion of the Annual Tibet House US New Year's Dharma and Yoga retreat with held at Menla with Sharon Salzberg, of upcoming programs at Kripalu and of Hatha Yoga's history, origins of it's connections to Buddhist Vajrayana and to Unexcelled Yoga Tantras. In the second part of this week's episode Robert A.F. Thurman discusses his dream of creating a space at Tibet House US  with his colleague Dr. John Campbell for the development and daily practice of Buddhist Vajrayana yoga community. In this week’s Bob Thurman podcast poetry segment Gary Gach reads the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Infinite Lifestyle : Yoga &amp; End of Year Celebrations - Ep. 194 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Paul Cooper, All Rights Reserved. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile

In this extended archive recording from the Annual New Year’s Tibet House US Dharma and Yoga Retreat held at Menla Retreat Professor Thurman, Sharon Salzberg, Carolyn Christie, Brooke Myers and Paul Bloom lead a discussion with retreat participants on how the daily practice of Buddhist Dharma and all Yoga traditions can transform one's life. Opening with a group recitation of the "Heart Sutra" Robert A.F. Thurman and Sharon Salzberg share rare personal stories about their decades of studying Buddhism and meditation and a round robin of New Year's stories of gratitude by each of the retreat teachers. Robert A.F. Thurman gives a short history of Menla Retreat and the Pantherkill Valley in New York's Catskill mountains before presenting the Buddhist Eight Fold Path in modern language for a general audience. Presentation includes a discussion of each of it's eight parts and a guided meditation. Includes a discussion of the centrality of causation to understanding the Eight Fold Path, a re-telling of the myth of the Buddhist Kingdom of Shambhala, a recommendation of the oral biography of Neem Karoli Baba "Love Everyone" and about the teachings of Shantideva passed down through the life and work of Lama Khunu Rinpoche and his Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Recording concludes with a traditional guided meditation and recitation dedication practice led by Robert Thurman offering the merit of the day's teachings to those who have helped to support Tibetan culture by visiting Menla in Upstate, New York and to the selfless work of Sharon Salzberg, Nena Thurman and the Tibet House US Membership community over the years. This teaching includes a call to action to all sensitive beings to join the on-going efforts to present and preserve Tibetan culture by becoming apart of the Menla Tibet House US Membership community. Dharma and Yoga : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Photo by Raimond Klavins. Dharma and Yoga : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives was excerpted from the Tibet House US Member Archive’s Annual New Year’s “Real Love Meditation &amp; Yoga Retreat” with Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Sharon Salzberg recorded Dec 2015 at Menla in Phoenicia, New York. To learn about this annual event, please visit: www.menla.us. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by <a href="http://www.ethnosuperlounge.com/esls

Robert A.F. Thurman is joined by Sharon Salzberg from the Annual New Year's Tibet House US Dharma and Yoga Retreat held at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York for a special teaching on the Buddha's Eight Fold Path. Opening with a dedication to Sharon Salzberg for her selfless history of teaching, on helping to establish the Tibet House US center Menla and how she was transmitted the "Equal Exchange of Self for Other" teachings by Lama Khunu on her first visit to India, Professor Thurman leads a discussion and guided meditation on the Buddhist Eight Fold Path for people of all traditions, backgrounds or levels of interest. Podcast includes a discussion of emptiness, motivation, reincarnation, the centrality of causation to understanding the Eight Fold Path, a re-telling of the myth of the Buddhist Kingdom of Shambhala, highlighting it's multi-faith, inter-sectional diversity, a recommendation of the Bill Murphy movie "What About Bob?" and an exploration of how shifting the traditional translation away from an moral framing of right/wrong to realistic/unrealistic (i.e Right Livelihood vs Realistic Livelihood) can help reveal the spiritual path as the Buddha taught to mendicants, merchants and all sensitive beings of his time. Second half of this week's episode is a complete introduction to the Eight Fold Path by Robert Thurman with a break down of each of it's branches, including the mental and physical aspects in modern language. In this week’s Bob Thurman podcast poetry segment Gary Gach reads the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Menla and the Buddha's Eight Fold Path - Ep. 193 was excerpted from the Tibet House US Member Archive’s Annual New Year’s “Real Love Meditation &amp; Yoga Retreat” with Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Sharon Salzberg recorded Dec 2015 at Menla in Phoenicia, New York. To learn about this annual event, please visit: www.menla.us. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1683641752?tag=bobthu-

Addressing the sexual misconduct and abuse by leaders and members of Buddhist communities, Robert A.F. Thurman gives a practical teaching on understanding the destructive emotions and deluded perspectives underlying such bad behavior. Opening this week's episode with a mantra recitation, Professor Thurman gives a short teaching for Buddhists and Non-Buddhists on the Buddha's discovery of Bliss, on the nature of nirvana, enlightenment, happiness and on the place of the Guru and disciple relationship. Using Buddhist texts, stories and the teachings of the Middle Way Centrist (Middle Way) school of philosophy, Robert Thurman gives an in-depth history of sexuality in Buddhism within the context of Western colonialism and in light of abusive gurus, teachers and leaders. Podcast includes an introduction to the work of Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, a recommendation of his book on sexuality in Buddhism: "Karmamudra : The Yoga of Bliss", discussions of: Tantra, Gender Roles in esoteric visualization practices, Hatha Yoga's relationship to the Buddhist Inner Sciences, the experience of emptiness and how anyone can begin to transform negative relationships through the development of wisdom and practice of meditation. Abuse in Buddhism : Gurus, Disciples &amp; The Middle Way Photo by Arisa Chattasa on Unsplash This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Abuse in Buddhism : Gurus, Disciples &amp; The Middle Way - Ep. 192 was recorded in Woodstock, New York, November, 2018. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by <a href="http://www.ethnosuperlounge.com/eslshop/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&amp;cPath=62_77&amp;products_id=220" target="_blank" rel="noopen

In this Force For Good archive recording, Professor Thurman gives a teaching on the history of Buddhism and the Esoteric Vajrayana meditation practices preserved in Tibet and found within all Buddhist traditions and teachings. Opening with a humorous presentation on non-duality using the science fiction movies featuring Godzilla, Robert A.F. Thurman explores the nature of anger, the subtle mind and selflessness. Archive recording includes a discussion of dharmakāya and mandala visualizations using The Four Noble Truths, The Heart Sutra, the mis-titled Tibetan Book of the Dead, an exploration of anger with an explanation of “Buddha Pride” and how confidence in the primal knowledge of voidness can help anyone understand how misplaced pride leads to suffering. This recording includes two guided meditations on selflessness and on visualization appropriate for Buddhists and Non-Buddhists alike, This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Buddhist Sciences Vajrayana : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives was recorded at the Force For Good Class "Buddhist Sciences II : Vajrayana" on November, 2016 in New York City. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) &amp; along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Force-Good-Dalai-Lama

In this archive recording from the “Force for Good” class series Robert A.F. Thurman uses the work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to elucidate the esoteric sources and imaginative tools used by Tibetan monastics, wandering mendicants, yogis, yoginis and everyday sensitive beings for the cultivation of love, compassion, joy, and equilibrium. Opening with an introduction to the Buddhist Neurosciences as practiced by the Mahāsiddhas using the Cakrasamvara Tantra to develop the art of lucid sleeping, lucid dreaming, and lucid awakening, Professor Thurman provides a road map for seekers of any tradition to positively re-imagine their ability to consciously restructure the brain, relationships and their world through an understanding of the nature of reality. Podcast includes an overview of the Yogic chakras &amp; channels, an explanation of the Mother and Father Tantra systems, the historic reasoning of the secrecy of esoteric teachings due to dangers of becoming conscious of the unconscious and the blissful experiences of the subtle, super subtle and clear light non-dual realities to be discovered by anyone who has developed their inner imaginative microscope through meditative stabilization and the practice of mandala meditations. Recording includes an overview of Nine Point Breath Meditation as taught by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, introductions to Buddhist Tantra, the Karma Sutra, the history of Theravada and the diverse meditation traditions of India, China and South East Asia, and a frank presentation of so-called “crazy wisdom” by Robert Thurman shedding much needed philosophical light upon the ethical lapses which occur due to milsleading teachers’ and misled students’ misunderstandings of the nature of ultimate and causal realities described by the Buddha and his great successors. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Insti

This in depth teaching on the practice and performance of visualization during meditative states Robert A.F. Thurman provides a practical roadmap for those from any religious, cultural or economic background to apply the tools from the esoteric traditions of Buddhist tantra to understand and reduce suffering on all levels. Opening this week's teaching with an introduction of the subtle energy systems found in Vajrayana Buddhism and Hindu Shaivism Professor Thurman details the transformational power of imaginative visualization when guided by an experienced, qualified teacher. Continuing the discussion begun in last week's episode on Buddhist Psychonauts this episode includes an overview of Nine Point Breath Meditation as taught by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, introductions to Buddhist Tantra, the Karma Sutra, the history of Theravada and the diverse meditation traditions of India, China and South East Asia, and a frank presentation of so-called "crazy wisdom" by Robert Thurman shedding much needed philosophical light upon the ethical lapses which occur due to milsleading teachers' and misled students' misunderstandings of the nature of ultimate and causal realities described by the Buddha and his great successors. The second half of this week's episode begins with a short explanation of the Mādhyamaka Centrist or Middle Way perspective and the experiential methods of teaching of emptiness, compassion and relativity found in the writings of Tsongkhapa, Asanga and Nagarjuna. This week’s poetry segment Gary Gach reads the poetry of W. S. Merwin. Pharmacopeia of Visualization : Tantra, Sex and Meditation – Ep. 190 Photo by Matt Briney on Unsplash Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the a

Using the work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as presented in Daniel Goleman's best selling book "Force for Good" Robert A.F. Thurman elucidates the esoteric sources and imaginative tools used by Tibetan monastics, wandering mendicants, yogis, yoginis and everyday sensitive beings for the cultivation of love, compassion, joy, and equilibrium. Opening with an introduction to the Buddhist Neurosciences as practiced by the Mahāsiddhas using the Cakrasamvara Tantra to develop the art of lucid sleeping, lucid dreaming, and lucid awakening, Professor Thurman provides a road map for seekers of any tradition to positively re-imagine their ability to consciously restructure the brain, relationships and their world through an understanding of the nature of reality. Podcast includes an overview of the Yogic chakras &amp; channels, an explanation of the Mother and Father Tantra systems, the historic reasoning of the secrecy of esoteric teachings due to dangers of becoming conscious of the unconscious and the blissful experiences of the subtle, super subtle and clear light non-dual realities to be discovered by anyone who has developed their inner imaginative microscope through meditative stabilization and the practice of mandala meditations. This week’s poetry segment Gary Gach reads "To Paint The Portrait Of A Bird" by Jacques Prévert. Buddhist Psychonauts &amp; Their Yogic Technology - Ep. 189 Photo by Daniil Kuželev on Unsplash Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. “Buddhist Psychonauts &amp; Their Yogic Technology - Ep. 189" of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2017 Force for Good Class Series. ‘<a href="https:/

Archive recording from the closing talk from the "Death &amp; Deathlessness Retreat" held at Menla in 2015 with Robert A.F. Thurman and Dale Borglum. This archive recording is a lively discussion of the miss titled “Tibetan Book of the Dead” and the place of gurus and fierce deities within the Buddhist perspective on the death process. Includes a traditional guided Bardo meditation on the fierce and peaceful Bardo deities depicted in the “Tibetan Book of the Dead” led by Robert A.F. Thurman which includes: a discussion of the eight stages of dissolution, Buddhism’s perspective on heaven, hell and fantastical realms of the afterlife, Dream Yoga, Lucid Dreaming and call to action for digital animators and film makers to engage in creative projects depicting the journey of life, death and beyond found in all spiritual traditions. “Death &amp; Deathlessness Intro : Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives" photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash Dale Borglum founded and directed the Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the first residential facility in the United States to support conscious dying. Executive Director of the Living/Dying Project in Santa Fe &amp; in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dale is the co-author with Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman and Dwarka Bonner of Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook, and has taught meditation since 1974. Dale lectures and gives workshops on the topics of meditation, healing, spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, and on caregiving as spiritual practice. He has a doctorate degree from Stanford University. “Tibetan Book of the Dead : Fierce Deities, Friends &amp; Gurus” was recorded at Menla‘s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the Oct 31st 2015 Halloween Evening Discussion of the 2015 “Death &amp; Deathlessness: Buddhist Insights and Practices for Life, Death &amp; the In-Between Retreat” with Dale Borglum &amp; Robert A.F. Thurman. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Robert A.F. Thurman is joined in this two part podcast by the Living/ Dying Project's Dale Borglum for a lively discussion of the miss titled "Tibetan Book of the Dead" and the place of gurus and fierce deities within the Buddhist perspective on the death process. Opening this week's podcast with a recommendation of the classic "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings" by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki Professor Thurman elaborates the value of the creative imagination within Buddhism and all spiritual traditions. Second half of podcast includes a traditional guided Bardo meditation on the fierce and peaceful Bardo deities depicted in the "Tibetan Book of the Dead" led by Robert A.F. Thurman which includes: a discussion of the eight stages of dissolution, Buddhism's perspective on heaven, hell and fantastical realms of the afterlife, Dream Yoga, Lucid Dreaming and call to action for digital animators and film makers to engage in creative projects depicting the journey of life, death and beyond found in all spiritual traditions. This week's poetry segment podcast Gary Gach reads the poetry of Muriel Rukeyser. "Tibetan Book of the Dead : Fierce Deities, Friends &amp; Gurus - Ep. 188 of the Bob Thurman Podcast photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash. Dale Borglum founded and directed the Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the first residential facility in the United States to support conscious dying. Executive Director of the Living/Dying Project in Santa Fe &amp; in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dale is the co-author with Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman and Dwarka Bonner of Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook, and has taught meditation since 1974. Dale lectures and gives workshops on the topics of meditation, healing, spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, and on caregiving as spiritual practice. He has a doctorate degree from Stanford University. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. "Tibetan Book of the Dead : Fierce Deities, Friends &amp; Gurus" was recorded at <a href="h

In this archive recording from the Tibet House US class "Key Pali Suttas : Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, Agannya Sutta" Robert A.F. Thurman explores rebirth and reincarnation using the colorful Jataka Tales from the Buddha’s past lives provides an overview of the evolution of the notions of Karma, Dharma and community through history. Opening with a discussion of the work of sociologist Talcott Parsons, Robert A.F. Thurman illustrates how the Buddha’s early Pali Suttas (Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, and Agannya Sutta) were secular in nature offering practical insight and tools for seekers looking beyond traditional religion, ritual and superstition through kindness, fellowship and meditative wisdom. Includes: a recommendation of the work of Daniel Goldman, an explanation of the Buddha’s rebellion against religion through the redefining of Dharma and Karma within his mendicant community’s practices and an in-depth exploration of the logic of infinitely connected past and future lives through a close line translation of the ‘Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life’ and Jataka Tales including the story of the rabbit and the moon. Key Pali Suttas : Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, Agannya Sutta Burmese Pali Manuscript Photo via Wellcome Collection. "Key Pali Suttas : Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, Agannya Sutta" is an excerpt the Force For Good : Buddhist Sources and Practices Beyond Religion. A Teacher’s Training Marathon recorded at Tibet House US in 2016. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Exile-Autobiograp

Exploring rebirth and reincarnation using the colorful Jataka Tales from the Buddha's past lives Professor Thurman in this two part podcast provides listeners with an overview of the evolution of the notions of Karma, Dharma and community through history. Opening with a discussion of the work of sociologist Talcott Parsons, Robert A.F. Thurman illustrates how the Buddha's early Pali Suttas (Samanapala, Kevaddha Sutta, Tevijja Sutta, and Agannya Sutta) were secular in nature offering practical insight and tools for seekers looking beyond traditional religion, ritual and superstition through kindness, fellowship and meditative wisdom. Podcast includes: a recommendation of the work of Daniel Goldman, an explanation of the Buddha's rebellion against religion through the redefining of Dharma and Karma within his mendicant community's practices and an in-depth exploration of the logic of infinitely connected past and future lives through a close line translation of the 'Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life' and Jataka Tales including the story of the rabbit and the moon. Second half of podcast begins with a humorous presentation of the Buddha's core teaching insights as demonstrated through the mischievous (yet traditional) teaching style of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in his public Dharma events over the years. Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Naomi Shihab Nye by Gary Gach. Illustration: Yoshitoshi, Jade Rabbit: Sun Wukong from the series One Hundred Views of the Moon, 1889. Ronin Gallery. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. Naomi Shihab Ny

In this archive recording from the Artist and Buddhist Contemplatives Project gathering held at Garrison Institute Professor Thurman and Meredith Monk discuss the role of art in Buddhism and the inspiring bliss of the artist. Detailing the Buddhist concept of Dharma, Robert Thurman introduces the Ten Paramitas through a discussion of art, creativity, stories from the Dalai Lama’s dialogs with Western creatives and depictions of the Buddha’s smile. Recording includes: an in-depth exploration of the artfulness of the Seventh Paramita: Upāya (Skillful Means or Liberative Art), the relationship of bliss to beauty, the imaginative inspiration found in the “Flower Ornament Sutra”, the nature of Buddhahood, the role of artist as Bodhisattva and the inevitability of every being becoming a Buddha in our infinite, interconnected universe. “Compassionate Bliss of the Artist – Podcast Bonus” of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded the Artist and Buddhist Contemplatives Retreat at Garrison Institute in 2015. The Artist and Buddhist Contemplatives project was founded to explore Buddhist and art practices. Begun in 2012 the project’s goal is to bring artists together to meet, collaborate, and inspire one another, and to mentor emerging artists. The gatherings explore Buddhism and art, and how both can serve the world. “Compassionate Bliss of the Artist – Podcast Bonus” of the Bob Thurman Podcastwas brought to you in part by The Artist and Buddhist Contemplatives Project and the Tibet House US and Menla Retreat Membership community. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Opening this two part podcast detailing the Buddhist concept of Dharma, Robert Thurman introduces the Ten Paramitas through a discussion of art, creativity, stories from the Dalai Lama's dialogs with Western creatives and depictions of the Buddha's smile. Podcast includes: an in-depth exploration of the artfulness of the Seventh Paramita: Upāya (Skillful Means or Liberative Art), the relationship of bliss to beauty, the imaginative inspiration found in the "Flower Ornament Sutra", the nature of Buddhahood, the role of artist as Bodhisattva and the inevitability of every being becoming a Buddha in our infinite, interconnected universe. Second half of podcast begins with Professor Thurman giving a teaching on past life, reincarnation and the Buddha's spiritual evolutionary biology accessed through the development of wisdom, compassion and the practice of generosity. Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Susan Griffin by Gary Gach. . Photo by Alice Achterhof on Unsplash "Buddhism for Artists : Behind the Buddha's Smile" of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded the Artist and Buddhist Contemplatives Retreat at Garrison Institute in 2015.. The Artist and Buddhist Contemplatives project was founded to explore Buddhist and art practices. Begun in 2012 the project's goal is to bring artists together to meet, collaborate, and inspire one another, and to mentor emerging artists. The gatherings explore Buddhism and art, and how both can serve the world. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. Susan Griffin is a Poet, essayist, and playwright born Los Angeles in 1943, she has written over twenty books, including non-fiction, poetry and plays. Her work addresses many social and political issues, social justice, the oppression of women, ecology, war and peace, economic inequities and democracy. She and her work have been given many awards, among them a Guggenheim Foundation Award and an Emmy. "Compassionate Bliss of the Artist - Ep. 186" of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part by The <a href="https://www.abcontemplatives.org/" target="_blank" rel="noo

Archive recording from the Geo Ex and Tibet House US Membership Community Trip Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon led by Robert A.F. Thurman and Brent Olson in 2014. Robert A.F. Thurman in this archive discusses how pilgrimage combined with study of Buddhist Philosophy can help anyone encounter the bliss at the core of his mind transformation practices and leads a guided meditation. Using the colorful depictions of the Padmasambhava, Pema Lingpa and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel Professor Thurman explains the role of meditation deities in Tibetan Buddhism, the different understandings of Iconography and of Idolatry that Western and Eastern viewers hold. Includes a short history of Bhutan, it’s relationship to it’s neighbor Tibet, a teaching on the difference between being a pilgrim and being a tourist, and how the use of Inner and Outer pilgrimages can help one understand the interconnected nature of reality. Recording includes basic instructions on using the breath to develop one pointed concentration and a guided Jewel Tree Meditation for those of all traditions. Land of the Thunder Dragon - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Photo of Karma Ura's paintings at Dochu La Temple by Brent Olson. This episode was recorded in Bhutan as part of the Geographic Expedition called “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon” led by Professor Thurman in April, 2014.   “Land of the Thunder Dragon - Podcast Bonus" of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

Robert A.F. Thurman in this two part podcast discusses how pilgrimage combined with study of Buddhist Philosophy can help anyone encounter the bliss at the core of his mind transformation practices and leads a guided meditation. Using the colorful depictions of the Padmasambhava, Pema Lingpa and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel Professor Thurman explains the role of meditation deities in Tibetan Buddhism, the different understandings of Iconography and of Idolatry that Western and Eastern viewers hold. Podcast includes a short history of Bhutan, it's relationship to it's neighbor Tibet, a teaching on the difference between being a pilgrim and being a tourist, and how the use of Inner and Outer pilgrimages can help one understand the interconnected nature of reality. In the second half of this week's episode Robert Thurman gives basic instructions on using the breath to develop one pointed concentration and leads a guided Jewel Tree Meditation for those of all traditions. Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Thich Nhat Hanh by Gary Gach. . Photo by Juliana Kozoski on Unsplash This episode was recorded in Bhutan as part of the Geographic Expedition called “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon” led by Professor Thurman in April, 2014.   “Pilgrimage : Encountering the Buddha's Bliss - Ep. 185 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

Archive recording from the Inaugural reading of Flowers of a Moment by Ko Un, translated by Young Moo Kim, Brother Anthony of Taizé, by Gary Gach, at Moe’s Books, Berkeley, California, 2006 Korean poet, writer, and activist Ko Un was born in Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do. He was drawn to poetry after discovering the early work of Han Ha-Un, a nomadic Korean poet with leprosy. After witnessing the devastation of the Korean War, Ko entered a monastery and became a Buddhist monk. He left the Buddhist community in 1962. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Ko was detained, tortured, and imprisoned repeatedly for his opposition to the military regime. Ko has twice won the South Korean Literature Prize and received the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry’s Lifetime Recognition Award. He was elected chairman of the Association of Writers for National Literature and was chosen president of the Compilation Committee of the Grand Inter-Korean Dictionary. He has taught at Seoul National University, Kyonggi University, Harvard University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Ko lives in South Korea. Flowers of a Moment with Gary Gach – Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Photo by Daniel Kim on Unsplash This week’s podcast extra of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Excerpts from this recording originally appeared as apart of "Vimalakīrti’s Verses on Cool Heroes and Heroism" Episode #184 of the Bob Thurman Podcast. To listen to the original recording please visit: www.archive.org. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1683641752?tag=bobthu-20"

Using the Goddess Chapter of the “The Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti’” and his classic "Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Real Happiness" Robert A.F. Thurman in this two part podcast illuminates his theory of cool heroism and the cool heroes that live the revolutionary wisdom of Buddhism daily. Professor Thurman opens the first half of the podcast with a discussion on: the origins and the development of the theory, the history of cool heroism in Buddhism, and how cool heroes are embodied by the women who are the heart of the hearth of every home since time immemorial. Podcast includes an overview of the Vimalakīrti Sutra, it's translation history, and the non-dual teachings contained in it's fantastical setting and gender bending dialog between Śhāriputra and the Wisdom Goddess. Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Korean poet, writer, and activist Ko Un by Gary Gach. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Free Online Book + Suggested Reading:  “The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti” Translated by Robert A.F. Thurman available via www.84000.co. Vimalakīrti’s Verses on Cool Heroes and Heroism - Ep. 184 was recorded at the home of Robert and Nena Thurman in Woodstock, New York, September, 2018. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Poetry Excerpted from the Inaugural reading of Flowers of a Moment by Ko Un, translated by Young Moo Kim, Brother Anthony of Taizé, &amp; Gary Gach, at Moe's Books, Berkeley, California, 2006 Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology <a href="https://www.ama

Archive recording from the introductory class "How To Build a Buddhaverse + Buddhist Non-Dual Physics" from the Force For Good on-going class series held annually at Tibet House US in New York City and online through live-stream broadcast. Professor Thurman uses his translation of "The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti" to introduce the heroes of enlightenment (Bodhisatvas), the perfected worlds (Buddhaverses) they create through powerful arts and to the hidden meanings of the Heart Sutra. Presenting the short text as an analogy of the Mahayana sutras Robert A.F. Thurman elucidates the practical instructions given to the Vimalakirti's visitors during the fantastical events of their visit to his home related in the sutra. Containing elements from the full range of teachings of the Buddha, Professor Thurman guides a live translation of this beloved text and relates it's presentation of infinite relativity to "The Heart Sutra", The Four Noble Truths and to the teachings of Tsongkhapa. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Wisdom Publications. Free Online Book + Suggested Reading:  “The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti” Translated by Robert A.F. Thurman available via www.84000.co. Force For Good: Vimalakīrti's Verses On Buddhaverses + Bodhisatvas - Ep. 182 was recorded at the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources Class Introduction "How to Build a Buddhaverse and Buddhist Non-Dual Physics" of the Force for Good Series at Tibet House US February 2018. This recording is also available as a Tibet House US Member Video, to enjoy full access to archive recordings from from past Robert A..F Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Force For Good: Vimalakīrti's Verses On Buddhaverses + Bodhisatvas - Ep. 182 Bob Thurman Podcast Photo of Sand Mandala by Wonderlane. T

Beginning this week's two part podcast recounting Geshe Wangyal reaction to his translation of "The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti" Professor Thurman uses the text to introduce the heroes of enlightenment (Bodhisatvas), the perfected worlds (Buddhaverses) they create through powerful arts and to the hidden meanings of the Heart Sutra. Presenting the short text as an analogy of the Mahayana sutras Robert A.F. Thurman elucidates the practical instructions given to the Vimalakirti's visitors during the fantastical events of their visit to his home related in the sutra. Containing elements from the full range of teachings of the Buddha, Professor Thurman guides a live translation of this beloved text and relates it's presentation of infinite relativity to "The Heart Sutra", The Four Noble Truths and to the teachings of Tsongkhapa. Podcast concludes with a reading of the poetry of Al Young by Gary Gach. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Wisdom Publications. Free Online Book + Suggested Reading:  “The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti” Translated by Robert A.F. Thurman available via www.84000.co. Force For Good: Vimalakīrti's Verses On Buddhaverses + Bodhisatvas - Ep. 182 was recorded at the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources Class Introduction of the Force for Good Series at Tibet House US February 2018. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. Al Young was born May 31, 1939 at <a href="http://www.oceanspringsmississippi.com/local/cityinfo.html"

Recorded at the inaugural Shaman and Siddhas retreat held 2015 at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa Robert A.F. Thurman is joined by Isa Gucciardi and Dr Nida Chenagtsang for a discussion on the intersection of Buddhism and Shamanism. Includes a discussion of the history of Tsongkhapa, the Ganden (Joyous) Community he founded, an introduction to the Buddhist conception of emptiness, it’s relationship to selflessness, meditation and the ‘royal reason of relativity‘ using stories from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Old Testament and the past lives of the Dalai Lama and the Buddha. Podcast includes a guided meditation on the Four Keys of Selflessness, This retreat on the cusp of the winter solstice, a time of natural inward self-reflection, focuses on the traditions of the “psychonauts,” explorers of the subtle realms of dream, death, and all “between” states. Such people are known as “shamans” in indigenous traditions and as “siddhas” or “adepts” in Buddhist and Hindu Tantric traditions. Isa Gucciardi joins Robert Thurman in exploring the deep and vast dimensions of these traditions, focusing on our planetary welcoming of various forms that consciousness takes in this time of global crisis, as she has done from time immemorial. Shamans and siddha adepts provide us with resources from long-developed, time-tested positive sciences and arts that help us celebrate the blessings of reality and live meaningfully in the midst of the ups and downs of our daily lives ever more realistically and happily. In this retreat, we will review the historic encounters between these two spiritual traditions from world indigenous and Indic regions and learn how they have informed one another from time immemorial. While steeped in philosophy and psychology, this retreat is also highly experiential in nature. We will explore methods of going inward drawn from both traditions including the Shamanic Journey and Indo-Tibetan Deity Meditation. The Shamanic Journey is an ancient and time-tested method that shamans around the world have used to develop a deep relationship with the powers of the Earth and Cosmos. Deity Meditation is a form of meditation that brings the meditator into an intimate understanding of the fields of wisdom, sensitivity, and power held by the deities of the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon. We will explore the role of ritual and ceremony in both contexts and learn what role ritual and ceremony provide in bringing forward the realizations, sensitivities, and powers that are the fruits of these deep forms of inner exploration. From Shamans and Siddhas 2015 Retreat Description This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Robert A.F. Thurman, Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. and Dr Nida Chenagtsang please visit: www.menla.us.

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman discusses the history of Tsongkhapa, the Ganden (Joyous) Community he founded and leads a guided meditation on the Four Keys of Selflessness. Opening the podcast with a discussion of Eckhart Tolle's personal discovery of relativity described in his best selling book "The Power of Now", Robert A.F. Thurman explains how it relates to the teachings of Tsongkhapa and the Buddha's Middle Way. Podcast includes an introduction to the Buddhist conception of emptiness, it's relationship to selflessness, meditation and the 'royal reason of relativity' using stories from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Old Testament and the past lives of the Dalai Lama and the Buddha. Podcast concludes with a reading of Three Dharma Poems by Feminist Beat Poet Diane di Prima by Gary Gach. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Wisdom Publications. Suggested Reading:  “The Life and Teachings of Tsongkhapa” Edited by Robert A.F. Thurman published by Wisdom Publication, 2018. Tsongkhapa's Kindness + Four Keys of Selflessness - Ep. 181 was recorded during the “Shamans and Siddhas Retreat” + with Isa Gucciardi Ph.D., Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Mark Epstein, M.D. held in Phoenicia, New York October 2015. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. To learn more about the writings and work Of Gary Gach please visit: www.garygach.com The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. please visit: www.menla.us.

In this podcast extra Professor Thurman and Eric Rosenbush discuss Tibetan Medicine and Buddhist Inner Sciences using the miss titled “Tibetan Book of the Dead” as a guide for applying the lessons contained within it to our daily lives and lead a guided meditation on the Eight Dissolution Stages. This extended recording was originally excerpted as Episode #180 and is from the “Medicine Buddha Healing Retreat: The Buddha’s Inner &amp; Healing Sciences” with Phakyab Rinpoche, Eric Rosenbush, Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Mark Epstein, M.D. held in Phoenicia, New York at Menla August 2014. Photo of Eric Rosenbush and Professor Robert A.F. Thurman by Justin Stone-Diaz. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Eric Rosenbush please visit: www.menla.us.

In this special edition of the Bob Thurman podcast Professor Thurman is joined by poet and scholar Gary Gach for an in-depth exploration of the Tibetan Science of Healing Sowa Rigpa's perspective on sleep, dreams and death using personal experience, Buddhist teachings and poetry. Podcast begins with Robert A.F. Thurman discussing the place of sleep in a balanced lifestyle, the value of dream interpretation within Buddhist medicine diagnosis and treatment, his personal experience learning from the Dalai Lama's physician, the renowned Yeshe Dhonden and a recommendation of the work and teachings of Dr Nida Chenagtsang. The second half includes a deep dive into the miss-titled "Tibetan Book of the Dead", the Buddhist understanding of the Eight Stages of Death and it's connections to Sowa Rigpa's holistic system of healing as taught in the Yuthok Tradition. Podcast concludes with a reading of Zhuangzi's "Last Night I Dreamt I was a Butterfly" by Gary Gach with a short commentary. Science &amp; Poetry of Sleep, Dreaming and Death Photo by Karina Vorozheeva on Unsplash.   This week’s episode of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the generous support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Science &amp; Poetry of Sleep, Dreaming and Death - Episode 179 was recorded at the home of Robert and Nena Thurman in Woodstock, New York, August 2018. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Gary Gregory Gach is an author, translator, and editor living in San Francisco. A dynamic speaker and teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism his works include the anthology “What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop” and the forthcoming “Pause Breathe Smile - Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough”. To learn more about the writings and work Of Gary Gach please visit: www.garygach.com To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Dr. Nida please visit: www.menla.us.

This podcast extra includes an extended basic mindfulness practice instruction and a guided "Developing the Spirit of Enlightenment or the Mind of The Bodhisattva" meditation. Guided Mindfulness Meditation Professor Thurman leads a traditional Buddhist mindfulness meditation using the breath and mantra as one’s focus along with basic instruction of one’s physical posture during practice sessions taken from the Wisdom Academy Course “Sutra and Tantra: The Profound and Miraculous“. Developing the Mind of the Bodhisattva / Spirit of Enlightenment Meditation This meditation includes the eleven steps to compassion, love and happiness including "The Seven fold Cause and effect Precept of Mother Recognition" from Maitreya and Asanga and "The Exchange of Self and Other" Precept from Manjushri and Shantideva, a discussion of how physics and the Buddhist Inner Sciences intersect, how anyone can imagine having infinite past and future interconnected lives, of Pretans or hungry ghosts and Thomas à Kempis' imitatio christi (Imitation of Christ) teaching. Mindfulness + Developing the Mind of the Bodhisattva Meditations - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives Collage by How to be a Bodhisatva via www.lionsroar.com. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks Wisdom Publications and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Mindfulness + Developing the Mind of the Bodhisattva Meditations - Podcast Bonus RAFT Archives is an excerpt from the online course presented by Wisdom Publications with Robert A.F. Thurman. To learn more abut this ongoing online offering please visit: www.wisdompubs.org Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Studying the teachings of Tsong Khapa has been at the heart of Robert A.F. Thurman's personal translation work and professional teaching career. In this two part podcast Professor Thurman discusses the new edition of "The Life and Teachings of Tsongkhapa" by Wisdom Publications and leads a guided mindfulness meditation. Opening this week's podcast with a short explanation of the Tsongkhapa's teaching history in Tibet, Robert Thurman highlights Tsongkhapa writings focusing upon the "Garland of Supremely Healing Nectars" the dialogue between Karmavajra, The Nyingma Master Lhobrag Khenchen &amp; the Bodhisattva Vajrapana, discussing his relationship with the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, modern Tibet and the Yongle Emperor of China of his time. Podcast includes a discussion of the use of some "Christian" terminology when translating Buddhist texts and ends with a discussion of Ling Rinpoche's new biography by H.H. Dalai Lama's senior tutor including personal stories from Robert Thurman's time spent with this legendary tutor and teacher. In the second half of this week's podcast Professor Thurman leads a traditional Buddhist mindfulness meditation using the breath and mantra as one's focus along with basic instruction of one's physical posture during practice sessions taken from the Wisdom Academy Course "Sutra and Tantra: The Profound and Miraculous". This week's meditation is excerpted from the online course presented by Wisdom Publications with Robert A.F. Thurman students learn the inner science behind the tantric and sutric methods employed by scholars and adepts of India and Tibet on their paths to enlightenment, as well as how to apply such learning to their own personal practice of the path. To learn more abut this ongoing online offering please visit: www.wisdompubs.org Tsongkhapa's Profound and Miraculous Wisdom - Ep. 177 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Park Troopers on Unsplash This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks Wisdom Publications and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Rich

Using the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois + Geshe Ngawang Wangyal Robert A.F. Thurman and Richard Freeman explore the symbolism and meditation practices centering on the Hindu Brahma, Shiva, and Buddha in the form of Vajradhara. Podcast includes a discussion of Brahmism, Shaivism, Tantic Buddhism, the Chöd Charnel Ground Practice, Raja Yoga (King Yoga), a re-telling of the story of the Mahasiddha, Luipa The Fish-Gut Eater and how the non-Dualism found in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions erode hierarchies and brought change about change within the rigid caste system of India. Buddha and the Yogis drawing of Richard Freeman, Robert A.F. Thurman and John Campbell by Marc Rosenthal, All Rights Reserved, 2013. This recording was originally excerpted as apart of Stunning the Mind with Yoga – Episode #178 of the Bob Thurman Podcast and was recorded at Menla’s Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2011 ‘Buddha &amp; The Yogis’ Retreat with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell + Robert A.F. Thurman. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation &amp; esoteric study at this year’s ‘Buddha &amp; The Yogis: The Divine Feminine Retreat with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman &amp; Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives. Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor please visit: www.menla.us.

Opening this podcast with an introduction to the Medicine Buddha and his long time co-teacher + friend Richard Freeman, Professor Thurman explore the connections between Hatha Yoga, Buddhist Philosophy + the Indic Inner Sciences through a close translation of the classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on hatha yoga, "The Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā" by Svāmi Svātmārāma. Using the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois + Geshe Ngawang Wangyal Robert A.F. Thurman and Richard Freeman explore the symbolism and meditation practices centering on the Hindu Deities Brahmā, Shiva, and Buddha in the form of Great Vajradhara. Podcast includes a discussion of Brahmanism, Shaivism, Tantic Buddhism, the Chöd ("Severence") Charnel Ground Practice, Raja Yoga (King Yoga), a re-telling of the story of the Mahasiddha, Luipa The Fish-Gut Eater and how the non-Dualism found in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions erode hierarchies and brought change about change within the rigid caste system of India. Second half of this week's podcast continues the dialog focusing on how the Vedic + Buddhist traditions both approach non-dualism, daily practice and bathroom humor. Stunning the Mind with Yoga - Episode #178 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Park Troopers on Unsplash This podcast was recorded at Menla’s Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2016 ‘Buddha &amp; The Yogis’ Retreat with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell + Robert A.F. Thurman. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation &amp; esoteric study at this year’s ‘Buddha &amp; The Yogis: The Divine Feminine Retreat with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman &amp; Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Stunning the Mind with Yoga is an excerpt from the archive recordings from the Tibet House US retreat “Buddha &amp; the Yogis” with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell and Robert A.F. Thurman recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2011. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives. Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + ‘Trance Tibet’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor please visit: www.menla.us.

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman is joined by Richard Freeman, John Campbell + Mary Taylor for a discussion of the connections between the Buddhist Inner Sciences + the Vedic Yoga Traditions and how the two streams of self-transformation when practiced together can positively affect our relationships, communities and the wider world in unexpected ways. Sharing the spiritual history of the International Pathwork Foundation's Phoenicia, New York property before it was donated to Tibet House US to become Menla Retreat, Robert A.F. Thurman reflects on the work of Eva Pierrakos + The Guide contextualizing it within a Yoga or Yogic perspective. First half of podcast includes a discussion of breathing meditation practices, the subtle body, the place (and value) of secrecy in initiatory traditions and how an understanding of emptiness and the interrelated nature of reality can make one feel responsible for the world we construct everyday through the use of our imagination enough to take compassionate, wise action. Podcast concludes with an in-depth teaching on Vinyasa, Buddhist Vajra breathing and on the Twenty One Taras mantra practice. Body as Holy Grail : Yoga, Breath + Imagination Photo by Fares Nimri on Unsplash This podcast was recorded at Menla’s Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2016 ‘Buddha &amp; The Yogis’ Retreat with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell + Robert A.F. Thurman. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation &amp; esoteric study at this year’s ‘Buddha &amp; The Yogis: The Divine Feminine Retreat with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman &amp; Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Body as Holy Grail : Yoga, Breath + Imagination is an excerpt from the archive recordings from the Tibet House US retreat “Buddha &amp; the Yogis” with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, John Campbell and Robert A.F. Thurman recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2017. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits o

In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman gives an unique presentation of "Three Principles of the Path" to the annual "Buddha and The Yogis" gathering of yoga practitioners held at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Professor Thurman elucidates in clear and readily accessible terms to those unfamiliar with Buddhism the “Lam Rim: Stages of The Path” a streamlining of mind transformation teachings created in Tibet by Jey Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), focusing on his “Three Principles of The Path” poem, which is known as the quintessence of the longer teaching. Providing a concise introduction to the Buddhist path, Robert Thurman begins this fast moving teaching by defining what Buddhism is and how it's mind-tranforming philosophy based on the inner sciences is thought of as religious by those not engaging in its practice. The first half of this podcast includes: a discussion of the concept of a Bodhisattva, it's relationship to tantra, yoga, how the desire for freedom from suffering when coupled with altruistic intention and an understanding of emptiness is the essence of the Buddhist path, a re-telling of a humorous story of the walking stick from Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" and a non-dual perspective on Nirvana. This week's podcast's second half concludes with an in-depth teaching on causation, karma and reincarnation and how they relate to an understanding of the Nirvanic nature of reality of a Realistic world view as taught as the first branch of the Buddha's Noble Eight Fold Path. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. "Principles of the Path : On + Off The Yoga Mat" is an excerpt from the archive recordings from the Tibet House US retreat "Buddha &amp; the Yogis: the Divine Feminine" with Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor and Robert AF Thurman recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2017. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives. Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ + 'Trance Tibet' by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Mark Epstein M.D. please visit: <a href="https://menla.us" target="_blank"

In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman takes some time to bring his students, friends and podcast subscribers up to date on his recent activities, the on going work of Tibet House US, Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa and shares ways each of us can begin to return the kindness of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. Recorded at his home in the Catskill Mountains this week's podcast begins with a discussion of the Buddhist mendicant tradition, the wide variety of teachings and initiatives of the Dalai Lama intended for secular people and Professor Thurman's personal and academic insights on daily sitting meditation practice, mindfulness skills training and the mindfulness revolution. Podcast includes a short discussion of Andy Puddicombe's Headspace and other digital mindfulness mobile applications. Second half of this week's podcast concludes with a special teaching and personal message on the recent summit between the United States and North Korea, death, dying and a non-dual Buddhist perspective on suicide. This week’s episode of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Omega Institute &amp; brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat + Dewa Spa. "Remembering Those Who Struggle with Wisdom + Compassion" Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. The Lifeline is comprised of a national network of over 160 local crisis centers, combining custom local care and resources with national standards and best practices. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation or depression please visit: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 1-800-273-8255. The songs ‘Dancing Ling’ and ‘Trance Tibet” by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. For full archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member and subscribe to the THUS YouTube Channel. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Full access begins at $2 a month

The Buddha is said to have given 84,000 distinct teachings to groups, individuals and super beings such as gods, demons and the spirits of those lost between the bardos of life, death and dreaming during his 45 years of teaching  In this week's podcast Robert A.F. Thurman leads a close translation of The Jewel Rosary (Ratnāvalī aka Precious Garland) and in his trademark style makes the 3rd Century B.C.E. advice to the Indian King Udayibhadra come alive for today's interconnected, global village. Opening this two part podcast with stories about Tibet's Geshe Ben Gungyal, Professor Thurman gives short introductions to the ethics of Buddhism, the history of mindfulness skills training and the sources of bias found in the understanding and presentation of Mahayana Buddhist teachings. The second half of this week's podcast Robert A.F. Thurman defines the five mental aggregates or body mind processes during a guided meditation and leads an exploration of non-dualism and it's relationship to the Buddha's teachings on ethics, emptiness, compassion and his discovery of the blissful nature of reality. Podcast concludes with a discussion of the transcendent virtues, especially upāya (Skillful Means or Liberative Art), the seventh, as presented in the Mahayana sūtras and in the writings of Nāgārjuna. This week's episode's of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Omega Institute &amp; brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community. Buddhist Advice for Kings, Rulers + Oligarchs is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class “Buddhist Ethics and the World Crisis: Counsel for Kings (Ratnavali) The Ethics of Cool Revolution” held at Tibet House US in New York City April 2018. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent ap

In this two part podcast Professor Thurman discusses the Galenic, Chinese, and Ayurvedic methodologies found in Traditional Himalayan Medicine or Sowa Rigpa's "Science of Healing" detailing the powerful diagnostic tools of urine analysis, pulse reading and dialog between doctor and patient which have proven to prevent illness, cure illness, extend life, and cultivate happiness. Using the visual medical thankgas depicting the "Four Medical Tantras" (Tib. རྒྱུད་བཞི་ “gyüd zhi”): the Root Tantra, the Explanatory Tantra, the Oral Transmission Tantra, and the Final Tantra) Robert A.F. Thurman begins this week's podcast with stories from his early days studying with Yeshe Dhondon, the Dalai Lama's personal physician and founder of the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute (Men-Tsee-Khang) in Dharamshala, India, giving an explanation of the Tibetan phrase "Raising the Banner of Victory on the Mountain Peak" used by Sowa Rigpa practitioners before elaborating the framework and concepts found in the analytic Buddhist sciences preserved in Tibet. This Tibetan Medicine 101 podcast on Traditional Himalayan Medicine's Subtle Anatomy system includes in-depth explanations of: the Five Internal Elements (Space, Wind, Fire, Water and Earth), The Five External Elements (Wood, Fire, Metal, Water and Earth), The Three Humors (Wind/Loong, Bile/ Tripa and Phlegm/ Beken), The Five Chakras,The Three Channels and overall cosmology used in Sowa Rigpa and in Buddhist Philosophy. To view images of the Blue Beryl Medical paintings please visit: www.himalayanart.org. “Tibetan Medicine 101 : Medicine Buddha : Raising The Banner of Victory on The Mountain Peak – Ep. 170″ of the Bob Thurman Podcast is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class “Medicine Buddha: Buddhist Inner Sciences” held at Tibet House US in New York City on November 29, 2017. “Materialist science is imprisoned by a philosophical mix-up. Scientists need to set themselves free by learning from the great scientists of India and Tibet how to own up to the fact that they are beings who have minds, spirits, and even souls- not as some sort of mystical entities, but as rationally explorable and experimentally understandable processes. These processes are extremely subtle, and to learn about them, understand them, and so master them requires a new kind of advanced educational and training of one's own emotional, intellectual, and mental abilities.”   Robert A.F. Thurman Tibetan Book of Health: Sowa Rigpa, The Science of Healing    ‘<a href="https://tibethouse.us/event/

Traditional Himalayan Medicine or Sowa Rigpa with it's integration of Galenic, Chinese, and Ayurvedic systems of healing is one of the crown jewels of Tibetan Buddhist Culture with the most potential to help individuals, communities and the global community in a sustainable and long lasting manner. In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman introduces the Medicine Buddha myth, the role of Buddhist Medicine within Indian + Tibetan History and gives an in-depth explanation of the symbolism of it's meditative iconography, including the three types of myrobalan plant found in the Medicine Buddha's bowl. Podcast Includes stories about Professor Thurman's early days as studying Tibetan Medicine, Jivaka Komarabhacca, the Buddha's personal physician and the community’s doctor and an introduction to the different styles and forms of Medicine Buddha practices used in the Yuthok tradition. Second half of podcast begins with a guided Medicine Buddha meditation and concludes with a special teaching to doctors, health practitioners or anyone hoping to transform, rejuvenate, and improve their relationship to their body. “Tibetan Medicine 101 : Medicine Buddha : From Myth to Myrobalan - Ep. 169" of the Bob Thurman Podcast is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class “Medicine Buddha: Buddhist Inner Sciences” held at Tibet House US in New York City on November 29, 2017. "It is the gift of scientifically as well spiritually enlightened healers, who not only understand what ails us but also know how to help us understand ourselves and become more conscious about our own health and how to sustain it. First priority for the enlightened healers is awakening us patients to the way our own body-mind complex works in terms we can easily understand. The whole point is to expand our vision of ourselves as beings in a nature that is luckily more beneficial than harmful, especially if we understand how it works."   Robert A.F. Thurman Tibetan Book of Health: Sowa Rigpa, The Science of Healing     ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-

Opening this week's podcast with a discussion of mindfulness of the breath as it relates to the practice to reciting mantras Professor Thurman gives instructions from the Zen Buddhist tradition before introducing the root text from the 2017 Force For Good Class Series: Dr. Bo Jiang’s translation of Bodhisattva Maitreya’s "The Sublime Continuum Super-Commentary with the Sublime Continuum Treatise Commentary" published by AIBS, Tibet House US and Columbia University Press. In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman provides a quick fire summary of the historical Buddha's core teaching of The Four Noble Truths, an introduction to Buddhism's messianic figure of Maitreya, the future Buddha before going on a deep dive into the history of the 4th Century Indian Author Asanga and his brother Vasubandhu, co-founders of the Yogacara school of philosophy and a humorous perspective of the film "Death Becomes Her". Podcast concludes a re-telling of the story of Asanga and the Dog, an in depth discussion of the Three Jewels of Buddhism (The Buddha, His Teachings and the Community of practitioners of his philosophy known formally as The Sangha) their relationship to mindful bliss, clear light, the subtle body and the death process. Buddha's Mindful Bliss + The Sublime Continuum - Episode #168 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo of Hotei Buddha with Asanga and Vasubandhu by Ryan via www.flickr.com. This talk was recorded during the "The Buddha Soul, Nature, Essence, Element, or Womb" Force For Good Class at Tibet House US in New York City, October 2017 with Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; is apart of the THUS Member Archive. "The Dharma doesn't Belong To Buddhism." H.H. Dalai Lama To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ethics-New-Millennium-Dalai-Lama-ebook/dp/B001IP0V5K?tag=bobthu-20" target="_blank" rel="noope

Buddhism is the collection of teachings, traditions and religions based upon the mind training philosophy as presented by Prince Siddhartha to his community of mendicants, householders and followers over 2500 years ago. Learning it's history and the practices of meditation passed down through the generations is not as intimidating as it might sound when one is able to ask questions directly of a qualified and fun loving teacher. In this two part podcast Professor Robert A.F. Thurman responds to a series of questions from his long time friend, translator and student of Geshe Wangyal Dr. Alexander Berzin. Podcast begins by addressing several questions on the topic of Anger and the Buddhist perspective on dealing with and eventually embracing and loving one's enemies. Professor Thurman discusses his personal experiences on the deceptive nature of the emotion, how it relates to the Christian notion of The Seven Deadly Sins as laid out in his book "Anger", to the Buddha's Middle Way and to the Centralist Philosophy of Je Tsongkhapa. This Question and Answers podcast concludes with a frank discussion of the place of celebrity in modern Buddhism, it's role in it's early history, including during the Buddha's life, the importance of Tibet's Dalai Lama and of preserving Tibetan Buddhist Culture. Questioning Buddhism : Angry or Fierce Buddhas - Episode #167 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Fierce Buddha Photo of Vajrayogini via Flickr.com. To watch the full video versions of these questions from Dr. Alexander Berzin please visit: www.studybuddhism.com. This podcast is apart of the on going series “Questioning Buddhism” in which Robert A.F. Thurman answers questions from those looking to learn more about the Buddha, his teachings and the history of those people, countries and cultures influenced by his ideas. To submit your questions to be answered in future podcasts please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

Studying Buddhism for personal transformation or to further one's education in an academic setting is a much richer experience when one is able to ask questions directly. In this two part podcast Professor Robert A.F. Thurman responds to a series of questions from his long time friend, translator and  student of Geshe Wangyal Dr. Alexander Berzin. Podcast includes a discussion of the value of studying Buddhism, the differences between learning in a general or monastic setting and an in-depth examination of the role of the supportive social structures found in Asian countries where Buddhism is practiced as a religion and the challenges Western students encounter. This Question and Answers podcast concludes with with a discussion of nirvana, emptiness, clear light and the centrality of bliss, happiness and selflessness in the Buddha's perspective of an infinitely relational universe. Questioning Buddhism : With Robes and Without Robes - Bob Thurman Podcast Episode #166 Photo by Wonderlane. To watch the full video versions of these questions from Dr. Alexander Berzin please visit: www.studybuddhism.com. This podcast is apart of the on going series "Questioning Buddhism" in which Robert Thurman answers questions from those looking to learn more about the Buddha, his teachings and the history of those people, countries and cultures influenced by his ideas. To submit your questions to be answered in future podcasts please visit: www.bobthurman.com. &nbsp;

Recorded on Earth Day 2018 Professor Thurman opens this two part podcast with an invitation to the Dewa Spa at Menla Retreat providing a translation of the word dewa, a history of the Tibet House US property in Phoenicia, New York and a teaching on his personal inspiration found in the life and wisdom of the Buddha. Citing the Buddha's scientific prediction of the infinite divisibility of matter, the inevitability of causal processes and his development of a theory of biological evolution which includes three genes (the two of the body and another of the super-subtle mind or spirit) as the wellspring of inspiration Robert AF Thurman discusses the importance of Himalayan and Buddhist Medicine found in Tibet in his personal studies, to the mission of the Dalai Lama's cultural center and to the modern world. Podcast includes a discussion of the symbolism of the Buddha's Earth Touching Gesture made under the Bodhi Tree, the story of the Devil Mara, a history of Menla's Panther Mountain, Wakanda and how Tibetan Medicine is interconnected with Ancient Galenic, Chinese, and Ayurvedic systems of healing. Second half of podcast is a traditional Dharma teaching on the Buddha's physics of emptiness and how his understanding of the unconscious more than 2500 years ago can help anyone suffering find an escape from the prison of materialism. Photo of Dalai Lama, Robert Thurman, Thubten Jimpa and the Tibet House US Board in the Menla Retreat Snow Lion Living Room for Dewa, Emptiness + The Buddha's Inspiration Episode via www.menla.us. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Full access begins at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman leads a live translation of "The Samaññaphala Sutta : The Fruit of the Homeless Life" providing the back-stories of the historical figures found in the sutra in order to elucidate the ethical and scientific insights of the Buddha's teachings on the value of the contemplative life. Using this beloved + often referenced sutra in which King Ajatasattu of the Magadha Kingdom questions the Buddha on the benefits of the spiritual life Professor Thurman explains the abundant selection of ascetic practices on offer from the various schools of philosophy at the time and how these ideas can help any spiritual seeker, Buddhist or not. Podcast Includes stories about the Buddha's closest associates including: Jivaka Komarabhacca, his personal physician and the community's doctor, his cousins Devadatta (who led the assassination by elephant attempt on his life) and Ananda his close friend, personal attendant and eventual inheritor of the reigns of leadership of the monastic community after his death + parinirvana. Second half of the podcast begins with a definition of the terms Shramana (Skt. śramaṇa; Tib. དགེ་སྦྱོང་, gejong, Wyl. dge sbyong), Bhagavan (Skt. bhagavant; Tib. བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་, chomdendé; Wyl. bcom ldan ‘das) and a discussion on the secular nature of Buddha's advice found within "The Samaññaphala Sutta". “Buddha's Entourage: Ananda, Jivaka and Devadatta” is an excerpt from the Force For Good Class "The Samaññaphala Sutta : The Fruits of the Homeless Life" held at Tibet House US in New York City Winter 2016. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet’s Dalai Lama) &amp; along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). To watch

Guiding a meditation and a traditional Dharma teaching from "the happiest place on earth" Professor Thurman begins this two part podcast discussing the Buddha's insight into the psychosis at the heart the suffering of individuals, groups and in society as a whole. Recounting the Dalai Lama's teaching on his personal experiences with the ethics of showing compassion for mosquitoes given to a panel of scientists Professor Thurman humorously elucidates the concept of Abhidharma- the categories of Buddhist scriptures, ontology and theories of consciousness within the framework of the theory of spiritual salvation. Second part of this podcast includes an extended guided meditation on compassion recorded outdoors surrounded by Bhutan's unique audio soundscape of birds, wind and dynamic citizens. This podcast was recorded during the Tibet House US + GeoEx Trip lead by Robert AF Thurman and Brent Olsen to Bhutan in January, 2012. “Pilgrimage : Psychosis, Mosquitoes + Compassion - Ep. 163 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. "Pilgrimage : Psychosis, Mosquitoes + Compassion - Ep. 163 of the Bob Thurman Podcast" Photo by Christopher Michel, Used with permission. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

Teaching from the pilgrimage sites in Bodhgaya Professor Thurman opens this podcast with a discussion of how the Buddha redefined the concept of truth and how modern language about Buddhism is influenced by it's early translation by scholars attempting to frame it's philosophy of mind training into Western religious equivalencies. Guiding a close reading of Shantideva's "Guide to the Bodhisatva's Way of Life" and the Centrist Commentaries on the Kalachakra tantra Robert AF Thurman in this two part podcast discusses how an understanding of non-dualism and emptiness can form the basis for deepening one's wisdom and compassion. Podcast includes a discussion of apperception, Vipassana (Insight Meditation), Shamatha (Calm Abiding Meditation), James Cameron's "Avatar," Henry David Thoreau's "Walden", the Buddhist understanding of yoga and concludes with a thought experiment on the causal narratives and habitual stories that contribute to suffering and unskillful behavior. This podcast was recorded during the Tibet House US + GeoEx Trip lead by Robert AF Thurman to the 34th Kalachakra Empowerment with the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India in January, 2017. “Pilgrimage : Deepening Wisdom and Compassion - Ep. 162 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the "Buddhist Pilgrimage Series" using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

In this two part podcast Mark Epstein M.D. joins Professor Thurman for a dialog on the Buddhist &amp; Alcoholics Anonymous perspectives on addiction, depression, recovery and their strategies on how individuals can change their relationship to feelings of powerlessness. Beginning with a recommendation of BBC's long running Science Fiction Fantasy program 'Dr. Who' and a humorous take on the culinary history of civilization Robert Thurman gives a teaching on karma, compassion + emptiness suggesting alternative solutions on dealing with anger and one's enemies. Second half of the podcast opens with an in depth discussion on the relationship between powerlessness as taught by Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve Step programs of recovery and the Buddha's teaching on emptiness. Podcast concludes with Professor Thurman's teaching on the Three Buddha's of Western Liberal Education: Darwin, Marx &amp; Freud. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Photo by Mike Paradise, All Rights Reserved. "Alcoholics Anonymous, Buddhism + Powerlessness" is an excerpt from the archive recordings from the Tibet House US retreat “Addiction, Depression &amp; Recovery: Buddhist Psychological Insights for Mental &amp; Spiritual Health in the Modern World Retreat" with Robert AF Thurman &amp; Mark Epstein M.D., recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, Summer 2017. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives.  Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. “Alcoholics Anonymous, Buddhism + Powerlessness - Ep. 161" of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the Buddhism 101 series using classic teachings from the archives of Robert AF Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Mark Epstein M.D. please visit: www.menla.us.

Joined by Foundation for the Sacred Stream's Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. Robert AF Thurman in this podcast discusses the power of creative and humorous rudeness as taught by Shantideva, Tibet's Dalai Lama and by his beloved teacher: wife of fifty years Nena von Schlebrügge. This two part podcast begins with Professor Thurman recounting personal stories from the Fourteenth Dalai Lama discussing the illusion of American Democracy, Mammon-ocracy (The Worship of Money), identity slippage and the origins of Shantideva’s name Bhusuku. Guiding a thought experiment on the Royal Reason of Relativity, Robert Thurman examines the self identifying habit which without the development of empathy and direct experiential understanding of the interconnected nature of reality can lead to selfish absolutism and much of our every day suffering. Second half of podcast begins with Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. inquiring about reincarnation as taught in the different schools of Buddhism and by the Dalai Lama Podcast includes an overview of the Buddhist Biological point of view on evolution, how to develop empathy, the model of compassion found in the films of Bill Murray Films and Lutheran perspective on changing the world as heard on public radio's A Prairie Home Companion. This episode include a special teaching of Professor Thurman's "trademark" Sleep Yoga which is given to over-night visitors to the Tibet House US Retreat Center and to Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. “Creative + Humorous Rudeness” is an excerpt from the panel discussion Foundation for The Sacred Stream's "Learning from Dying: Buddhist Understandings of Consciousness and Death with Isa Gucciardi Ph.D., Eve Ekman and David Bullard held at UCSF September 11th, 2017. To learn more about Foundation for the Sacred Stream please visit: www.sacredstream.org. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘<a href="http://www.tenzinchoegyal.com/music/tenzin-choegyal-heart-sutra" target="_blank" rel="noreferr

In this recording from his early days at Columbia University Professor Thurman explores Indo-Tibetan Buddhism in the intellectual setting of ancient India and Tibet, how it relates to modern philosophical thought and to the mindfulness revolution in popular culture. Focusing on the Dialecticist Centrism found in the writings of Aryadeva, Dharmakīrti, Dignāga, Tsongkhapa, Vasubandhu &amp; in the teachings of the 14th Dalai Lama Robert Thurman provides an academic perspective on the Buddha's teachings on Karma, The Subtle Body system, Reincarnation and the Yogācāra school's "Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma" framework as the ground work for a frank exploration of the esoteric concept of super knowledge. Professor Thurman begins this podcast by detailing the cultural understanding + social context of the seemingly fantastical descriptions of psychic or super normal events found in Buddhist teachings + commentaries and a teaching on the indestructible drop or the "spiritual gene" residing in the heart chakra in the esoteric tantric system. Second half of podcast includes a comparison of the different Buddhist logicians and their perspectives on the five aggregates or Skandhas, a suggestion of Bruce Lamb's "Wizard of the Upper Amazon: The Story of Manuel Manuel Córdova-Rios" and a guided thought experiment for busy people of any era. "Buddhist Inner Sciences: Super Knowledge For Busy People - Episode 159 of the Bob Thruman Podcast" photo, Created with love by Ryan McGuire via www.gratisography.com. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. "Buddhist Inner Sciences: Super Knowledge For Busy People" podcast is an excerpt from a course taught by Robert A.F. Thurman at Columbia University, focusing mainly on his book "The Central Philosophy of Tibet" - a study and translation of Jey Tsong Khapa's "Essence of True Eloquence" (tib: drang nges legs bshad snying po)', but also addressing material in Jey Tsong Khapa's "Ocean of Reasoning" translated by Geshe Ngawang Samten &amp; J Garfield, and in Aryadeva's "Four Hundred Stanzas" translated by Ruth Sonam. To listen to the full, unedited thirteen class series please visit: <a href="https://archive.org/details/CentralPhilosophyOfTibet/Centr

Contrasting our modern materialistic terminal lifestyle which denies the interconnection of sensitive beings + the possibility of past + future lives with that of the Infinite Lifestyle as taught by the Buddha Professor Thurman re-frames the traditional translations of key terms found in Shantideva and in describing nirvana as bliss. Opening this two part podcast with an overview of the Buddhist perspective on emptiness Robert AF Thurman leads a discussion on "Shantideva's Bodhisatva's Way to Life" &amp; his book "Infinite Life" highlighting the lessons from each on patience, generosity, creativity + justice. Includes a discussion of the decimal system and the zero's origins in ancient India, it's linguistic + conceptual connections to Shunyata and the place of non-dualism in the Buddha's Teachings. "Bliss is more or less illegal in most cultures." Robert AF Thurman In the second half Professor Thurman gives an overview of the Six Transendences ( Traditionally Known as the Six Perfections) beginning with a detailed examination of selfless compassion, the blissful nature of nirvana &amp; Shantideva's famous presentation of the yoga of patience as the antidote to anger/hate, with its three varieties of tolerant patience, insightful patience, and forgiving patience. Podcast concludes with a short "exchanging self for other" guided meditation on Disney's Living Dessert documentary. "Bliss Suspicion &amp; The Three Types of Justice" is an excerpt from the March 22, 2017 HH Dalai Lama’s A Force for Good: Buddhist Science Sources for Practices Beyond Religion Talk ‘Patience and Creativity Transcendences ’ by Robert AF Thurman recorded at Tibet House US in New York City. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and <a href="https:

Examining cultural norms through the lens of compassion, when grounded in the Centrist mind training perspectives of India + Tibet can transform one's relationship to conditioning, to themselves and the world in which one finds one self. In this two part podcast Professor Robert AF Thurman discusses Three Manjushris, the place of the Lam Rim Teachings in Buddhism and the use of negation in understanding intrinsic reality. Podcast opens with an introduction to the 14th Dalai Lama's favorite teaching Tsong Khapa’s Tengyur text, Essence of True Eloquence and a discussion of reincarnation from the Tibetan + Buddhist perspectives. In the second half of the podcast Robert Thurman gives a traditional Dharma teaching on absolute and relative reality, non-dualism and a humorous series of stories about the nature of Universal Messianic Compassion. "Compassion + The Intrinsic Reality of Miss Piggy" was recorded at the “Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources: Madhyamaka – Lam Rim” Session of the Force For Good Series at Tibet House US in 2016 in New York City. H. H. the Dalai Lama gave an historic discourse on Nov. 3 &amp; 4 2014 in New York City at the request of Tibet House US on “Essence Of True Eloquence”, and the masterpiece text by Jey Lama Tsong Khapa (1357-1419) that is considered a classic presentation of the profound view of reality that is foundational for opening the floodgates of universal compassion. The text is known as the Essence Of True Eloquence: Distinguishing the Interpretable from the Definitive Meanings of the Buddha’s Sutra Discourses (Tibetan– Drang nges legs bshad snying po), which is lucid and detailed expansion of the Short Essence of True Eloquence, the poem Jey Tsong Khapa wrote on the morning of the dawning of his full enlightenment in 1398. "The root of enlightenment is compassion and different traditions emphasise compassion, but here we are talking about great compassion which is combined with insight into emptiness. Because we experience suffering of different degrees of intensity, we need to recognize its causes and see if we can overcome them. This is the context in which we cultivate great compassion with the intention of liberating all sentient beings and relieving them of their suffering. If you can’t tame your own mind, How can you help others tame theirs? The Buddha has given clear advice, if people won’t heed him, why should they listen to me?" Dalai Lama on Lam Rim from www.dalailama.com. &nbsp; ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studiesand Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Religion-Ethics-Whole-World-ebook/dp/B005LVQZ3E?tag=bobthu-20" ta

Reconciling the contradictions found in the wisdom traditions of Tibet, India and all male dominated cultures begins with an acceptance of the chauvinism inherent in the language, symbolism and forms used to express them across history.  In this two part podcast Robert AF Thurman addresses questions from retreat participants about Fire Puja Ceremonies, Dream Yoga and gender in Tibetan Buddhism. Professor Thurman opens this podcast with an examination of the Heart Sutra + the Symbolism of Agni (Sanskrit: अग्नि) and other planetary deities in found traditional Indian and Vedic Fire Pujas illustrating the corrective teachings and ideas to the chauvinism found in each arguing that Buddhist monasticism was the ultimate antidote to the militarism of India at the Buddha's time. Podcast includes a discussion of how best to prepare for Buddhist Vajrayana teachings like the Kalachakra, a discussion of Marilyn Waring's "Counting for Nothing: What Men Value and What Women are Worth", Dalai Lama's "Art of Happiness", Patrul Rinpoche's "Words of My Perfect Teacher" and a teaching on the value of Tibetan Astrology, Himalayan Medicine and accurate cosmology to seekers of nirvana and ultimate freedom from suffering. Second part of this week's podcast includes a Dharma teaching on Relativity, Clear Light and how to use the Buddhist Inner Sciences to find realistic bliss despite it's history of chauvinism and roots in a male dominated lineages. "In embracing modernity and progress, we must not abandon the human values that have been so preciously passed down on to us by our elder generations. These values make up our unique culture. It is these spiritual values that are so ingrained in our culture and in our way of life that make us special and loved by the outside world, and if we are to abandon these values, then it will be a very disheartening situation." HH Dalai Lama from www.dalailama.com. Podcast concludes with a discussion of the dangers of absolutism, a warning to those practicing meditation without developing wisdom, a teaching of Professor Thurman's "consolation prize" of retroactive nirvana and a dedication of merit practice by Menla visitors. Dalai Lama attending Tra

The Fantastical Beings and creatures contained within Buddhist Symbolism provide a rich tapestry upon which it's teachings of Wisdom + Compassion create the foundation of inner + outer transformation. In this two part podcast Professor Thurman leads exploration of the language found in the Kalachakra initiation and practice sadhanas- using his close translation as a gateway to understanding of the Gods, Humans, Titans and fairies (Dakini) found throughout Buddhist teachings, prayers and art work. Podcast begins with a discussion of the twelve offering goddesses, the different types of Vajrayana Initiation and an examination of the difficulties of visualization meditation practice faced by modern Buddhist students. In the second half of the podcast Robert AF Thurman continues his exploration of Buddhist Daka + Dakini, discusses how the Buddha's teaching on karma eroded the lethality of tribalism of India of his day and gives a teaching on the connections between the Kalachakra, Tantra, Theravada's "The Four Immeasurables", the Eight Dissolution States of the "Tibetan Book of the Dead" and the subtle body understanding of elements, channels, drops and winds. Using his trademark wit &amp; perspective on studying Buddhism Bob Thurman in this podcast reiterates the value of the "Lam Rim" Teachings as preliminary practices and foundational centrist understanding of emptiness found in the teachings of Shantideva and the Great pandits of Nalanda and in those of the daka, dakini, gods, demi-gods, hungry ghosts and other mythical, other worldly creatures. This podcast is an excerpt from the “Second Afternoon Session of the Kalachakra Study + Practice with Robert A.F. Thurman” Video. Recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, July 2017 the Annual Kalachakra Study + Practice Intensive Retreat. To read more about this year’s Kalachakra Program with Robert AF Thurman at Menla please visit: www.menla.org This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman &amp; Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative &amp; theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews &amp; one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘<a href="http://www.tenzin

The Call for Cool Heroism. It's vanguard of grandmothers, wives, mothers, sisters &amp; daughters  are a modern day embodiment of the Buddha's revolutionary, non-violent teachings of radical personal and social activism. In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman gives an explanation of his concept of Inner Cool Revolutions, it's relationship to Buddhist Education, Meditation, and politics, their connections to the modern grassroots #MeToo &amp; #RiseUp movements, and a traditional Dharma teaching on how to use wisdom + fierce (as well as mild) compassion to best amplify our emergency efforts to create a more positive, suitable and equitable future for all. Using light heated references to comedian Michael Ian Black's book "A Child’s First Book of Trump" &amp; the Sci-Fi Classic Film "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" Professor Thurman leads the listener through the Buddhist perspective on the place of celestial bodies in understanding the interconnected nature of reality and the symbolic value of the the Sun, Moon + especially Eclipses within it's mind-transformation + subtle body yogic practices. In the second part of this podcast Professor Thurman describes the differences between the Individual and the Universal Vehicles of Buddhism by addressing concerns raised at the recent Buddhist Action Council regarding the value of solitary meditation, the dangers of social isolation and the need to understand patterns of conflict avoidance in our communities, our families and most importantly in our minds. "Cool heroes are people who are forceful, intelligent, just, and insightful, who can speak up loudly and clearly, but without getting angry or indulging in hatred. We need cool heroes today. We don’t need hot heroes. You’re happier than the violent people. The final completion of the American revolution has to be fun, nonviolent, and determined while cool. As Gandhi said, peace has to be the path to peace. Violence will never be the path to peace. Jesus said “Love thine enemy!” The Buddha said that hatred will not put an end to hatred. Only nonhatred and love will put an end to hatred." Robert A.F. Thurman via Lion's Roar Podcast concludes with a recommendation of Riane Eisler's "The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future" and a special message about upcoming programs with Robert Thurman and Friends. "Cool Heroism in the Age of Americus Trumpus" podcast was recorded Feb 1st, 2018 in

In this two part podcast Robert AF Thurman gives an overview of the Buddha's enlightenment and Tibetan way of learning his mind transformation teachings as passed down through their Sanskrit translations. Using the films 'Star Trek The Motion Picture' + 'The Matrix' Professor Thurman demonstrates in the first half of the podcast science fiction's ability in developing the imagination needed for Buddhist meditative visualization and Tantric practices. Includes a discussion of the History of NRA, KKK, the on going debate between Relativism + Absolutism and an in-depth teaching on how to practice long sadhanas with a busy modern life style Second half of podcast includes a teaching on the Seven Fold Preliminaries (Prostration, Refuge, Offering, Confession, Rejoicing, Requesting the Teachings &amp; Dedication Of Merit), the importance of using traditional meditation practices and for respecting one's religious and spiritual tradition of origin. &nbsp; "A pure land is the environment created by a fully enlightened being so that many others as possible have the potential also developing into fully enlightened beings. This enlightened individual is called a buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha was not a simply an historical figure who lived and taught 2,500 years ago- he is an example of the full flowering of human potential, reached by undergoing inner revolutions, coups of the spirit in which the power of negative impulses and emotions is toppled and we are freed to be as happy, good, and compassionate as we can evolve to be. The Buddha developed an inner science for achieving this revolution, one that was preserved in Tibet after invaders nearly wiped it out of India 1,000 years ago." Robert AF Thurman &nbsp; Podcast concludes with a discussion of Shakyamuni's Pure Land and dialog with retreat participants. Tibetan Way of Learning + Shakyamuni's Pure Land - Photo by Chris Michael, Used with Permission. "Tibetan Way of Learning + Shakyamuni's Pure Land" an recording from the Tibet House US “Medicine Buddha Retreat with Robert AF Thurman &amp; Friends” held at Menla in Phoenicia, New York 2014. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert AF Thurman please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. Full Access starts at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Beginning the podcast with a description of The Blue Beryl paintings Professor Thurman gives an introduction to the series of 77 Buddhist thangkas used as a memorization tool for traditional Tibetan doctors.  Commissioned by the 5th Dalai Lama's Spiritual son Sangye Ghamtso (1645-1705), who founded Tibet's first medical college and codified the country's medical practices The Blue Beryl or the Atlas of Tibetan Medicine, are 19th century copies of a 17th century volume destroyed in 1959 which illustrate physical symptoms, disease, treatment, medicinal herbs &amp; plants. The problem is our rigidified scientific way of approaching health — we’re not being thorough enough in our science. If we were being scientific, doctors would have to look at how people are afflicted by this poisoned lifestyle. Doctors would really have to go after the food industry, the medical industry, and the pharmaceutical industry and we’d all have to admit to the complete train wreck of what I call industrialized medicine." Robert AF Thurman via www.huffingtonpost.com Podcast includes a history of traditional medicine of Tibet, Buddhist Doctors in America, Menla Retreat, stories from Robert Thurman's time studying with Yeshi Dhonden and a discussion of the symbolism of the blue found in Medicine Buddha meditations. Second half of this podcast includes dialog with retreat participants, teachings on emptiness, ignorance, the value of prostrations, the dangers of inner absolutism and the lessons found in Buddha's royal reason of relativity. "Buddha's Barefoot Doctors : Tibetan Medicine 101" is an recording from the Tibet House US "Medicine Buddha Retreat with Robert AF Thurman &amp; Friends" held at Menla in Phoenicia, New York 2014. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert AF Thurman please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. Full Access starts at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

From Silicon Valley to Lhasa, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is one of the world's most beloved figure Professor Thurman explains in this week's podcast covering the Tibet House US "Man of Peace: Illustrated Life Story of Tibet's Dalai Lama" Graphic Novel. The first part of the podcast details the origins of the "Man Of Peace" Graphic Novel, how it relates to Robert AF Thurman's earlier book "Why The Dalai Lama Matters" and a humorous discussion of Google's motto  "Don't Be Evil". Second part of this week's podcast discusses John Oliver's recent interview with HH Dalai Lama, global militarism, Truman's use of Thermonuclear weapons on Japan and the centrality of anger in all conflicts. Recorded at the November 2nd "Robert Thurman: "Man of Peace" Talks at Google" at Googleplex in Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California. Special Thanks to Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. &amp; Foundation of the Sacred Stream for their production &amp; hosting work for the 2017 West Coast "Man Of Peace" Book Tour. The Foundation of the Sacred Stream is a non-profit organization and school for consciousness studies dedicated to bringing the wisdom of ancient spiritual and healing traditions into the awareness of contemporary society. It was created on the basic principle that there is a common source of wisdom that underlies all authentic spiritual, cultural and artistic traditions that informs and enlivens them. The Foundation of the Sacred Stream was founded in 2002 and is located in Berkeley, California. To learn more about Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. &amp; Sacred Stream please visit: www.sacredstream.org. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert AF Thurman please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. Full Access starts at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Providing a history of Non-Violent &amp; Violent Revolutions Robert AF Thurman discusses the Buddhist perspective on messianic millenarianism on the eve of Barrack Obama's election as the 44th President of the United States. Using "A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World" by Isabel Losada as a staring point Professor Thurman highlights the value of re-framing one's understanding of the nature of revolutions + the fundamental nature of reality suggesting abandonment of the desire for external transformation as the only reasonable path to sustainable global change. This two part podcast includes an overview of the Dalai Lama's teachings on mind transformation through inner peace, his "Act of Truth", Satyagraha and Professor Thurman's "Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty &amp; The Pursuit of Real Happiness" Published by Riverhead Books &amp; "Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World" available from Atria Books/Beyond Words. "Professor Thurman's scholarly and popular writings focus on the "inner revolution" that individuals and societies successfully negotiate when they achieve enlightenment. He defines this inner revolution as accurate insight into the true nature of reality and determined compassion for the suffering beings. He also works toward what he terms a "Second Renaissance," which he sees currently taking place as Western culture goes beyond the 14th century European discovery of the natural sciences of the ancient Greeks that catalyzed the "first renaissance" to discover and apply in practice the advanced "inner science" of ancient Indian culture. Credited with being at the forefront of making Tibetan art accessible and understandable in the West and, with distinguished art historians, he collaborated in curating several important traveling exhibitions, including "Wisdom and Compassion," "Mandala," and "Worlds of Transformation," which set a standard in the art world." From www.transcendentnation.org &nbsp; This episode is an excerpt from the "How to Save the World" interview series, produced by the Transcendent Nation Foundation non-profit, which is exclusively available at www.enterthemandala.com. The primary aim of the Transcendent Nation Foundation is to promote the possibility of world peace by means of personal realization and holographic action. This is based on the simple idea that when a critical mass in the body of humanity awakens, the whole collective will be awakened. American Dream Photo by Lisa Norwood via www.flickr.com. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert AF Thur

In this two part podcast Robert A.F. Thurman opens with an essential Dharma teaching in the form of Advice to Benefit Bad Gurus &amp; Teachers and on the power of radical generosity &amp; gratitude to transform relationships. Using the Zen Chan metaphor of the "Demon Ghost Cave" of a misunderstood enlightening experience, in which individuals—who absolutize a personal moment of emptiness (shūnyatā) as a state of disappearance—can become entrapped, by failing to understand that the voidness is void of itself, and so only guarantees the absolute relativity of themselves and all things, Professor Thurman explains how the Buddhist Centrist scientific philosophy can free the essentially psychotic, unenlightened person from suffering and the mental, verbal, and physical misbehavior that makes it worse. The second part of this podcast includes a discussion of the historical &amp; philosophical context of the American Thanksgiving holiday, climate change, colonialism, sacred geometry, non-violent communication, the power of gratitude + generosity, industrial farming, vegetarian cooking &amp; conflicts that often arise during family &amp; community gatherings. Demon Ghost Cave Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash "Perception of faults in the guru should not cause us to feel disrespect, for by demonstrating faults to us the guru is actually showing us what we should abandon. At least, this is the most useful attitude for us to take. An important point here is that the disciple must have a spirit of sincere inquiry and must have clear, rather than blind, devotion. It is frequently said that the essence of the training in guru yoga is to cultivate the art of seeing everything the guru does as perfect. Personally I myself do not like this to be taken too far. Often we see written in the scriptures, “Every action seen as perfect.” However, this phrase must be seen in the light of Buddha Shakyamuni’s own words: “Accept my teachings only after examining them as an analyst buys gold. Accept nothing out of mere faith in me.” The problem with the practice of seeing everything the guru does as perfect is that it very easily turns to poison for both the guru and the disciple. Therefore, whenever I teach this practice, I always advocate that the tradition of “every action seen as perfect” not be stressed. Should the guru manifest un-Dharmic qualities or give teachings contradicting Dharma, the instruction on seeing the spiritual master as perfect must give way to reason and Dharma wisdom." From The Path to Enlightenment by HH <a href="https://info-buddhism.com/Questioning_Advice_of

Robert A.F. Thurman discusses Standing Rock to highlight the interconnection between Tibet + Indigenous Peoples across the planet and how both the environmental + opioid addiction crisis provide the unique opportunity for them to forge new ties and provide innovative solutions. Includes a discussion of Sogan Rinpoche and about the melting ice caps + snow throughout the Himalayan Plateau with ways people can support endangered ecosystems + cultures globally. Podcast concludes with a special expose &amp; call to action for the American + British electorate about the Radical Libertarian special interest groups and individuals behind the election tampering + voter suppression during Brexit &amp; the election of Donald J. Trump. Using wit, wisdom &amp; compassion Professor Robert Thurman provides a clear explanation of how these Libertarian &amp; Anarchist groups are different from Republican efforts &amp; candidates in their intentions, stated or implied. "Tibet as Global Standing Rock" Thumbnail photo by David Breashears, courtesy of Glacier Works. "Whether we like it or not, we have been born on this earth as part of one great family. Rich or poor, educated or uneducated belonging to one nation, ideology or another, ultimately each of us just a human being like everyone else. Of course, this sort of compassion is by nature, peaceful and gentle, but it is also very powerful. It is the true sign of inner strength. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities. We have to treat each major local problem as a global concern from the moment it begins. In the context of our new interdependence, considering the interests of others is clearly the best form of self-interest. Interdependence, of course, is a fundamental law of nature. Not only myriad forms of life, but the subtlest level of material phenomena, as well, is governed by interdependence. We need to appreciate this fact of nature far more than we have in the past. Our ignorance of it is directly responsible for many of the problems we face. For instance, tapping the limited resources of our world-particularly those of the developing nations -simply to fuel consumerism, is disastrous. If it continues unchecked, eventually we will all suffer. We must respect the delicate matrix of life and allow it to replenish itself." Dalai Lama from www.dalailama.com . About GlacierWorks Founded by acclaimed mountaineer, photographer, and filmmaker David Breashears, GlacierWorks is a non-profit organization that vividly illustrates the changes to Himalayan glaciers through art, science, and adventure. Since 2007, GlacierWorks has undertaken twelve expeditions to document the current state of the glaciers, retracing the steps of pioneering mountain photographers in order to capture new images that precisely match the early photographic records. Over the past five years, they have recorded losses and changes to glaciers that are inaccessible to all but the most skilled climbers. To learn more about this imp

Exploring the history of the "Lam Rim: Stages of The Path" a collection of mind training teachings preserved in Tibet, Professor Thurman provides an introduction to these cherished practices as refined + passed down by Tsongkhapa &amp; the Dalai Lama lineage. Podcast includes a discussion of Gendün Druppa the First Dalai Lama, the centrality of the awareness of the possibility of infinite past + future lives, The Three Kinds of Suffering as presented in Tsongkhapa's Lam Rim teachings &amp; how these teachings provide a systematized path to prepare one for the study of Buddhist Tantras. Concludes with a guided meditation on the exchange of Self + Other, Mother Kindness Recognition &amp; the Causal Steps used in Tsongkhapa's Lam Rim teachings. This podcast was recorded at the "Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Sources: Madhyamaka – Lam Rim" Session of the Force For Good Series at Tibet House US in 2016 in New York City. The oral teachings of the tradition coming from Atisha had been passed to Atisha's chief disciple, the layman Dromtonpa. He in turn passed on the lineage and emphasized the need for a thorough comprehension of the meaning of the Buddha's actual words in their entirety, not omitting even a single word or syllable. The Lam Rim Lineage was given to Gampopa and places reliance on Atisha's Light on the Path to Enlightenment, The Guideline Instruction Lineage and Shantideva's A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, that Atisha had travelled to an island near Java in order to receive.” Robert AF Thurman from Life &amp; Teachings of Tsongkhapa &nbsp; To watch the full video recording of this &amp; other Force For Good Teachings at Tibet House US please consider becoming a member. All past teachings from this on-going course are available as apart of the Tibet House US Member Archives. Full Access begins at $2 a month. To learn more about the benefits of Tibet House US Memberships please visit: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studiesand Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Religion-Ethics-Whole-World-

Using Tsong Khapa’s Tengyur text, Essence of True Eloquence Professor Robert Thurman discusses the Buddha's central teachings &amp; concepts as preparation for the 2014 Beacon Theater teachings given by the H.H. the Dalai Lama. Podcast includes a discussion of Robin Williams' "What Dreams May Come" and an introduction to non-dualism found at the heart of all of the Buddha's teachings: overtly or through implication. H. H. the Dalai Lama gave an historic discourse on Nov. 3 &amp; 4 2014 in New York City at the request of Tibet House US on “Essence Of True Eloquence”, and the masterpiece text by Jey Lama Tsong Khapa (1357-1419) that is considered a classic presentation of the profound view of reality that is foundational for opening the floodgates of universal compassion. The text is known as the Essence Of True Eloquence: Distinguishing the Interpretable from the Definitive Meanings of the Buddha’s Sutra Discourses (Tibetan– Drang nges legs bshad snying po), which is lucid and detailed expansion of the Short Essence of True Eloquence, the poem Jey Tsong Khapa wrote on the morning of the dawning of his full enlightenment in 1398. From the course description listing: “We are offering a preparatory course which will go over some of the main points of the text, with a view to providing a basic familiarity with the territory of the realistic worldview—first branch of the eightfold path of the fourth noble truth—as understood and taught by the Indo-Tibetan Nagarjuna–Chandrakirti–Tsong Khapa–Dalai Lama tradition. The point of preparing for the Dalai Lama’s own discourse is to be familiar with the main concepts about and outlines of the most important insights, so that when His Holiness, the living transmitter of the authentic tradition, gives his discourse, the prepared recipient can listen with a better understanding. The essence of this realistic worldview is the nonduality of nirvana and samsara, wisdom and compassion, emptiness and relativity. As long as the slightest trace of separation of these two levels remains in one’s mind, wisdom of emptiness does not reach the ultimate depth, and great compassion cannot spring forth from the wholehearted commitment to the amelioration of the condition of suffering beings in the emptiness/relativity nondual reality of their world, blocked by some version of an escapist concept of some sort of absolute release. The text delves deeply into this essential focus, first briefly from the perspective of the seemingly dualistic Individual Vehicle Realist schools, then in more detail from that of the Idealist (“Mind-only”) schools, and then finally from the perspectives of the Dogmaticist (Svatantrika) and Dialecticist (Prasangika) Centrist (Madhyamika) schools. The course will proceed with lecture, Q &amp; A, and some contemplative sessions, with a final day-long retreat on Oct. 11. Recommended reading for this course is in R. Thurman, Central Philosophy of Tibet, (Princeton paperback), especially the Introduction, but one can come to the course without having done so, as a summary pamphlet will be made available during the course. It is also recommended that one attend the entire course; but, space permitting, walk-in attendance might also be possible.” From www.tibethouse.us. "True Eloquence: Pretas, Puppies + Dreams" is an audio excerpt from the Tibet House US Member Archive Video "True Eloquence: Profound Wisdom + Vast Compassion Introduction with Robert AF Thurman". Recorded at Tibet House US Septe

Using Thomas Cleary's translation of the "Flower Ornament Scripture: The Avatamsaka Sutra"  &amp; Wilhelm Reich's "The Function of the Orgasm: Discovery of the Orgone" Professor Thurman discusses the place of reincarnated Tibetan Tulkus within the Buddha's teaching of the Three Bodies. "Being a Buddha is the juiciest experience possible. Robert AF Thurman Defining Buddha-hood as as permanent orgasmic state Professor Thurman explains the need for a vivid imagination when understanding the wisdom contained in Buddhist visualization practices focused on transforming the subtle energies of the body &amp; mind. This podcast is an excerpt from the 2017 "Tibetan Secrets of Longevity Retreat" with Dr Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Robert Thurman recorded at Menla in Phoenicia, New York. To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert AF Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses the concept of the Wheel of Dharma and the historical Buddha's role as the founder of a world philosophy within the complex religious landscape of India at the time of his teaching. Opening with a humorous story on the Buddha's view on Theism including his meeting with Brahma &amp; other Gods at the time of his Enlightenment, podcast provides an early history of the establishment of the Buddhist Monastic community &amp; the reluctant acceptance of women within the Sangha. Concludes with an overview of the Buddha's core discovery of the nature of reality as Bliss &amp; his radical statement declaring the potential of all beings to end suffering through wisdom &amp; compassion as he did. Wheel of Dharma &amp; Buddhism as Philosophy : Buddhist History 101 - Ep. 138 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Amaryllis Liampoti on Unsplash. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist History 101 Series presenting seminal teachings drawn from archives of Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Tibet House US &amp; is intended for those looking to deepen their historical understanding of Buddhism from a general perspective. "Lectures can be liberating!" Robert A.F. Thurman To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Opening this podcast Professor Thurman lays out the history of the Three Vehicles of Buddhism comparing + contrasting the Individual (Hinayana), Universal (Mahayana), &amp; Vajra vehicles or traditions, tracing their origins, spread across Asia &amp; modern manifestations. Podcast concludes with a detailed telling of the Buddha’s birth, early life &amp; process of enlightenment from various accounts. In regard to the founding of the fourfold community, the Sangha, he says: "It was as if the Buddha created holes in the cheese of society- he "Swiss-chessed' the society. And the holes were the Sangha, the community, the renunciate institution, where people would go for lifelong free lunch. Around four hundred years after the Buddha had left his body, the Sangha institution had produced many, many free people. And these free people, in a social feedback loop, had begun to make possible more freedom for the lay people as well as the monastics. So, the Sangha institution could intervene more actively in society, in the routine lives of Indians. At that point, the less individualistic and more social teachings, which the Buddha had quietly planted earlier with a few disciples, became more useful, and people began to spread them as a kind of social gospel— called the Mahayana, the universal vehicle, or the vehicle of society. Those monastic institutions began to reach out and actually change the routine way of living in society. They unfolded the social dimension of the Buddha’s teaching and began to change the social ethic of India." Robert A.F. Thurman This podcast is apart of the Buddhist History 101 Series presenting seminal teachings drawn from archives of Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Tibet House US &amp; is intended for those looking to deepen their historical understanding of Buddhism from a general perspective. Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses the modern relevance of the Buddha's Enlightenment, the key place of wisdom in choosing meditation practices and the centrality of understanding emptiness as the logical gateway to selflessness, compassion &amp; generosity. Using The Padmakara Group's Translation of Shantideva's 'Way of the Bodhisattva' Fourth &amp; Fifth Chapters on Generosity and Justice Transcendences Robert AF Thurman leads an examination of the basic concepts underlying the Buddhist understanding of justice, patience &amp; generosity. "According to legend, when Shantideva was a student at Nalanda, he was not well liked. The officials and students thought he was lazy and no-good. All he did was sleep and eat and use the toilet (later revealed to be Shantideva’s “three Perfections”), while everyone else was busy studying and practicing. In fact, they wanted to kick him out. However, they decided that Shantideva should at least give one teaching before they expelled him. So one day they came up and demanded that he give a teaching, and Shantideva had never given one before so he was hesitant, but eventually he said okay, let’s do it. They gathered a large group of monks together and erected a very high throne for Shantideva to sit in. They actually planned to embarrass Shantideva because they figured that he wouldn’t know how to get up into the throne. But when Shantideva merely touched the throne, it shrank to normal size. He sat down and they requested he present a teaching that had never been given by anyone before. Shantideva then recited the Bodhicharyavatara or “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.” The legend has it that when he got to the 34th verse of the ninth chapter he rose into the sky and finished the rest of the teaching from atop a cloud." Robert A.F. Thurman via SF Zen Center   This podcast is an excerpt from the March 15, 2017 HH Dalai Lama’s A Force for Good: Buddhist Science Sources for Practices Beyond Religion Talk 'Generosity and Justice Transcendences' by Robert A.F. Thurman recorded at Tibet House US in New York City. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind &amp; Life Institute science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monk

In this podcast Professor Thurman is joined by Foundation of the Sacred Stream's Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. in exploring the symbolism used in traditional Buddhist Tara visualizations &amp; in shamanistic practices. Includes a discussion of the use of sound, light, movement &amp; dreams in rituals, an explanation of the practice of working with the unconscious and a short overview of the indigenous Bön tradition found in Tibet before the wide spread adoption Buddhism. Concludes with an introduction to the practice of Tibetan Dream Yoga &amp; dialog with retreat participants. © Green Tara Photo by Sam Scoggins via www.flickr.com. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This recording is an except from the Tibet House US Retreat “Shamans &amp; Siddhas: Meeting at the Crossroads of Shamanism &amp; Tantrism" with Robert Thurman, Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. recorded at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York October 2016. Full video recordings of this program are apart of the Tibet House US Member Archive. To listen to more recordings from this &amp; other past programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. To learn more about the work of Isa Gucciardi &amp; Robert Thurman and their annual Menla Retreat programs please visit www.menla.us +  www.sacredstream.org. About Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., holds degrees and certificates in trans-personal psychology, cultural and linguistic anthropology, comparative religion, hypnotherapy, and transformational healing. She has spent over 30 years studying spiritual, therapeutic, and meditative techniques from around the world. Isa is the creator of the ground-breaking therapeutic model, Depth Hypnosis, and the Founding Director of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream. Suggested Books by Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. Coming to Peace: Resolving Conflict Within Ourselves And With Others | Return to the Great Mother Connect with Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. Website | Twitter | Fa

Using Marilyn Waring's book The Labor of Women: Counting For Nothing as a starting point, in this podcast Professor Thurman discusses the history of Labor Day, the need for a deeper appreciation of the role of women in society and how Feminists and their supporters can support the on-going efforts begun at the Washington DC Women's March. Includes a deconstruction of the Radical Right's branding of themselves as Conservatives in the Republican Party, a call to action for a re-defining of the role of the American Vice-President &amp; personal reflections on The Pussy Hat Project. This podcast is a part of the on-going series 'American Buddhism' exploring current events from a modern Buddhist Centralist perspective with Professor Robert AF Thurman. Special thanks to this week's podcast sponsor Sacred Stream Foundation. To learn more about their work &amp; their 'Man Of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet's Dalai Lama' Graphic Novel West Coast book tour with Robert Thurman this September please visit: www.sacredstream.org. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert AF Thurman please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. Full Access starts at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this extended podcast Professor Thurman begins with an explanation of the Four Noble Truths teaching &amp; then details the systematic process of enlightenment as laid out by the historical Buddha known as the The Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path, breaks down into what's known as the three educations. Of those three educations you have the ethical, the meditational &amp; the intellectual: the wisdom education, all three. They all three have to work together. They're like three corners of a tripod. If you try to put Buddhism on just one of those three it won't work.. Robert AF Thurman This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This an excerpted from the talk "Eight-fold Path" given by Robert AF Thurman at InsightLA in November 2013 in Los Angeles, California. To listen to the entire 3 Hour Talk please visit: www.insightla.org. Photo by 和 平 on Unsplash The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert AF Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

In this podcast Professor Robert AF Thurman discusses the classic British Sci-Fi Series 'Dr. Who' drawing parallels to the Buddhist text 'The Vimalakirti Sutra'. Includes an in depth exploration of the Buddhist perspective of selflessness &amp; non-dualism. This talk was recorded during the 2016 Force For Good Class #6 at Tibet House US in New York City in February 2016. 'A Force For Good' is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives, from His Holiness’ American Institute of Buddhist Studies and Mind and Life science dialogues (Universe in a Single Atom) and His creation of Abhidharma 2.0 through the “Science for Monks” programs, his “secular ethics” (Ethics for the New Millennium and Beyond Religion), His nonviolent approach to conflict resolution, including His Nobel Peace Laureate activities to seek dialogue and a win-win reconciliation with China in the face of the ongoing ethnicidal policies in Tibet (Freedom in Exile and Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story) &amp; along with his emphasis on positive activism (A New Reality: Charter of Universal Responsibility). I think it is such a great sūtra, so beloved for thousands of years by millions of people, introducing them to Prajñāpāramitā sūtra teachings, Buddha-Avatamsaka sūtra teachings, Pure Land teachings, Jewel Heap sūtra collection teachings, and even, tangentially, to the esoteric teachings. I am delighted that more people around the world will get to meet Vimalakīrti and Mañjuśrī in dialogue. Robert AF Thurman on the release of the 8400 Online Edition of The Vimalakīrti Sūtra To read Professor Thurman's translation online please visit: www.read.84000.co. Watch a video preview of this week's Bob Thurman Podcast on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel: To watch the complete videos from past 'Force for Good' programs please visit the Tibet House US Member Archive, available to monthly supporters. To join the on-going #ForceForGood series please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains the Buddha's enlightenment &amp; the philosophical clarity that Je Tsongkhapa brought to the mind training systems disseminated through monastic &amp; meditative traditions of Tibet. Includes an overview of British biologist Rupert Sheldrake's Morphic resonance theory, the history of Tsongkhapa and the annual days cerebrating the founder of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, his parinirvana &amp; enlightenment. Episode concludes with a discussion on selflessness, power loss &amp; Tibetan Buddhist meditative symbolism with Dr Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. It is generally accepted that the three greatest contributors in the annals of Tibet were Guru Padmasambhava, Atisha and Tsongkhapa, all of whom appeared when a great teacher was needed. Today we should strive to emulate Tsongkhapa’s peerless progress along the path. To hear as many teachings as possible and never to be satisfied with less than ultimate knowledge as the most important lessons that can be applied in life. It is imperative to appreciate and work towards the peerless goal of wishing to achieve enlightenment in order to help every other sentient being do exactly the same. Je Rinpoche’s example of scriptural learning and meditative application taken as a unified path show the essence of Buddha’s intent and the truly quick method of achieving enlightenment." Robert AF Thurman from Wisdom Academy. This is an except from the Tibet House US Retreat "Shamans &amp; Siddhas: Meeting at the Crossroads of Shamanism &amp; Tantrism with Robert Thurman, Isa Gucciardi Ph.D. &amp; Dr Nida Chenagtsang, recorded at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York December 2015. To listen to more recordings from this &amp; other past programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. To learn more about the work of Isa Gucciardi &amp; Robert Thurman join them in 2017 at Menla Retreat or visit: www.sacredstream.org.

In Buddhism, the most popular mandala is that of the Wheel of Life, a visual representation of the Six Realms of Existence. Traditionally the six realms into which a sentient being can reincarnate in its endless succession of lives. In this podcast Mark Epstein + Professor Thurman detail the Six Realms in Buddhist Cosmology and how to work with them as metaphors for the different psychological states of the human mind. Using Pali, Sanskrit &amp; Tibetan sources Mark Epstein connects the ancient Buddhist mind training system with modern Psychology, Psychotherapy &amp; Mental Health insights. Concludes with two guided meditations by Robert AF Thurman on selflessness &amp; the three keys of self-analysis. Tibetan Wheel of Existence Photo © Manfred Sommer, All rights reserved. Recorded at the 2016 Tibet House US program "Addiction, Depression &amp; Recovery" with Robert AF Thurman &amp; Mark Epstein at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York. "The Six Realms are the Human, Animal, Hell, Heaven, Hungry Ghost and Jealous God Realms. While some people take these realms literally, it is also possible to work with them metaphorically, as metaphors for the different states of mind through which we all pass in a given day. Hell realms are times of emotional torment; Heaven realms are times of happiness. Hungry Ghost realms are times of yearning or craving in which we feel like we can never be satisfied. The trick, from a Buddhist perspective, is to learn how to be in each realm without holding on and without pushing away, accepting things just as they are. This is best learned in the Human realm, where we have the intelligence and the will to attempt such things." Mark Epstein M.D. To listen to more recordings from this &amp; other past programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. To learn more about the work of Mark Epstein M.D. join him &amp; Bob at Menla in 2017 or please visit his website: www.markepsteinmd.com. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

This podcast explores what happens at the moment of death and beyond according to Buddhist wisdom found in the 'Bardo Thodol' known in English as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Explaining the different stages of existence: life, death and the in-between Professor Thurman provides practical meditation methods for living more fully in our daily lives and to help one prepare for the moment of death. Includes a detailed explanation of Vipassana (Insight Meditation), Shamatha (Calm Abiding Meditation) and their context within the Tibetan Buddhist Mind Training &amp; Inner Sciences Tradition. Image by Mathew Macquarrie via www.unsplash.com. To listen to more recordings from this &amp; other past programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Excerpted from a lecture given on October 29, 2015 at Menla Retreat Center, as part of a retreat called “Death &amp; Deathlessness: Buddhist Insights and Practices for Life, Death, and the In-Between” with Dale Borglum &amp; Robert A.F. Thurman.

Recorded on July 4th Independence Day Robert Thurman discusses the history of the American Holiday, Spiritual Evolution, Constitutional Monarchies, Mass incarceration, Thomas Jefferson's Second Inaugural Address, Summer &amp; the tradition of going on retreat within Buddhism. In this podcast Professor Thurman calls on the listener to re-examine the concept of a spiritual retreat by understanding it's context within a modern materialistic language of advancement. "Becoming Enlightened is like graduating but the school, it is the school of reality, the different kinds of reality: the illusionary reality that is not really what it seems to be then there is the real reality which luckily we were been told by those who claimed to have attained it, attain knowledge of it, direct experience it of is blissful, is happiness or freedom from suffering.” Robert AF Thurman To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert AF Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. To read the article 'Happy Birthday America. One Small Suggestion by Stephen Fry' referenced in this podcast by Robert Thurman please visit www.newyorktimes.com. Pride Flag Evolution by Peter Hershey via www.unsplash.com The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. &nbsp;

In this podcast Professor Thurman provides the context of the Buddha's Enlightenment before launching into a succinct explanation of The Four Noble Truths. Opening this week's episode with a discussion of the historical and spiritual setting in which the Buddha attained enlightenment, Robert A.F. Thurman gives an introduction to his discoveries and how they are applicable to modern society. “A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, the ‘universe,’ - a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Albert Einstein Podcast includes an overview of each of the Four Noble Truths and their relationship to compassion, emptiness and the blissful nature of reality. Buddhism 101 : The Four Noble Truths Image by Joao Silas via www.unsplash.com. "Buddhism 101 : The Four Noble Truths - Episode 124 of the Bob Thurman podcast was recorded at the 2016 Anxiety, Depression &amp; Addiction Retreat at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York with Mark Epstein M.D. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from the Robert Thurman archive to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. is apart of the Buddhism 101 series using classic teachings from the archives of Robert AF Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. To learn more about the work of Mark + Bob join them for a Tibet House US Retreat in the heart of the Catskill Mountains please visit www.menla.org. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. &nbsp;

Saka Dawa, named for the star prominent during the fourth month in the Tibetan calendar, like the Theravadin observance of Vesak is considered the most sacred month in which the Buddha displayed the deeds of birth, enlightenment &amp; Parinirvana. In this Podcast Professor Thurman gives an overview of the Buddhist holiday, a detailed accounting of the details of the Buddha’s Enlightenment as explained in the Buddhist cannon and illustrates the connections to the Kalacharkra Tantra as revealed by Tibet’s yogic tradition &amp; taught by the 14th Dalai Lama. Saka Dawa Strawberry Moon Image © Jenny Waters via Flickr.com To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert A.F. Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Traditional Tibetan Medicine as preserved in Tibet with it's practical synthesis of Ayurvedic, Chinese &amp; Greek diagnosis systems is widely regarded as one of the greatest gems of Tibetan Culture. Opening this special podcast with recitation of the mantras of Avalokiteśvara, Tara &amp; The Medicine Buddha Professor Thurman provides a detailed history of Traditional Tibetan Medicine and his own Buddhist studies with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Wangyal, Yeshi Dhonden &amp; Dr Nida Chenagtsang. Image © Gaby Altenberger via www.flickr.com. To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert AF Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses how Buddha Nature can be understood as being a form of Loving Activism found through the realization of Emptiness. Includes a reading from the introduction to the AIBS Publication "Sublime Continuum Treatise Commentary" by Bo Jiang. Emptiness, or selflessness, is a foundation in all forms of Buddhist thought &amp; education. In contemporary scholarship, its critical, negational impact is widely misunderstood as a form of nihilism. Revealing the radically life affirming call to action to all sensitive beings found in the Buddha's teachings through the recent works by the Wachowski sisters (The Sense8 Netflix Television Series &amp; The Cloud Atlas) Professor Thurman unpacks the Buddhist Centrist notion of Buddha Nature in humorous language even today's binge watching seekers can understand. © Image by Just1of7billion via Flickr. To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert A.F. Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Examining the form Buddhist traditions have taken in America in terms of the Eight Fold Path &amp; the services they provide Professor Thurman suggests American Buddhism can be best defined as a Buddhism without Buddhism. Recorded at the Awakened Leadership Conference hosted by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation in 2009. To learn more about their work please visit: www.fredericklenzfoundation.org. This podcast is a part of the on-going series 'American Buddhism' exploring current events from a modern Buddhist Centralist perspective with Professor Robert AF Thurman. "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Buddha" Image from www.thetattooedbuddha.com. To listen to more recordings from this &amp; other past programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Using the Guhyasamāja Tantra as a jumping off point Professor Thurman leads a discussion with Richard Freeman on the value of studying Esoteric philosophy within the context of experiential yoga practices. In this podcast Professor Thurman guides an investigation of the Buddhist understanding of Interdependence &amp; explains how the concept of morphic resonance suggests a revolutionary energetic exchange between the self and the other, both on and off the yoga mat or meditation cushion. This podcast was recorded at Menla's Nalanada Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York during the 2011 'Buddha &amp; The Yogis' Retreat with Richard Freeman + Robert Thurman. Learn more about the connections between practical yoga, daily meditation &amp; esoteric study at this year's 'Buddha &amp; The Yogi/nis: The Divine Feminine Retreat' with Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman &amp; Robert Thurman please visit: www.menla.us. Green Ganesha image from Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor Yoga: www.richardfreemanyoga.com. To read more about this year’s Buddha and the Yogis Retreat with Robert AF Thurman at Menla please visit: www.bobthurman.com. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert AF Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

In this dialog with Don George Professor Robert AF Thurman discusses the psychological &amp; spiritual value of performing pilgrimages both in the modern day as well as in the life of Prince Siddhartha and his original group of followers. Podcast includes dialog with Don George and a short guided meditation for those performing pilgrimages to Buddhist sites. Excerpted from the Geo Ex talk "Every Journey Is a Pilgrimage" given at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, CA, on November 10, 2013. “Pilgrimage: Inner and Outer Pilgrimages - Ep. 114 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert AF Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Don George is Editor in Chief of Wanderlust: Literary Journeys for the Discerning Traveler. He has been Travel Editor for Salon.com and the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, as well as Global Travel Editor for Lonely Planet Publications. Don is the author of "The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George" and of "Lonely Planet's Guide to Travel Writing." He has also edited eleven anthologies, including A Moveable Feast, The Kindness of Strangers, and An Innocent Abroad. To learn about upcoming Geo Ex Trips with Robert AF Thurman please visit: www.geoex.com Norbulingka Museum photo by Nevil Zaveri via Flickr.com

Tibet's Dalai Lama is one of the world's most respected, influential &amp; beloved yet little understood refugees. In this podcast Professor Thurman gives an overview of the life of the Buddha, The Four Noble Truths &amp; their connection to the modern reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. This podcast is a part of the Buddhism 101 Series using classic teachings from the Robert Thurman Archives to elucidate basic concepts + key figures from the tradition. Excerpted from the talk "The Dalai Lama's Millennial Ethic of Intelligent Nonviolence: Sources in Tibetan Buddhism and Prospects for Our Troubled World." Recorded at the University of Vermont as apart of their Asian Studies program in 2002. Alex Grey Image from 'Man Of Peace: The Illustrated Life of Tibet's Fourteenth Dalai Lama' Graphic Novel by Robert Thurman, William Meyers &amp; Michael G. Burbank, Published by Tibet House US + Hay House. To learn more about + get your copy of the ‘Man of Peace’ Graphic novel please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Robert AF Thurman discusses the history of the Tibet House US publication graphic novel "Man of Peace" and his long time personal relationship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After more than a decade in the works Professor Thurman discusses the 'Man of Peace: Illustrated Life of the Dalai Lama' Graphic Novel publication + provides an introduction to the history of Tibet, Buddhism &amp; the 14th Dalai Lama. "Why the “life story” of the Dalai Lama? It is a story of one man taking on an empire, calling for truth, peace, and justice for his Tibetan people. Here, in full color for the first time, people can come to know the whole drama of his lifelong struggle. Since the age of 15, the Dalai Lama has defended his people against one of the last great empires, the People’s Republic of China. Under its “dictatorship of the proletariat,” China began to invade Tibet in 1950, decimating and then continually oppressing its people. Since colonialism cannot be practiced in our era of self-determined nations, China always maintains that the Tibetans are a type of Chinese, using propaganda and military power to crush Tibet’s unique culture and identity. Yet the Dalai Lama resists by using only the weapon of truth—along with resolute nonviolence—even worrying some of his own people by seeking dialogue and reconciliation based on his more realistic vision. The great 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has become the first global Dalai Lama, a prominent transnational leader of all who want to make the dramatic changes actually necessary for life on earth to thrive for centuries to come. Considered the incarnation of the Buddhist savior Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara—archangel of universal compassion—he is believed to appear in many forms, at many different times, whenever and wherever beings suffer. Representing the plight of his beloved Tibetan people to the world, he has also engaged with all people who suffer oppression and injustice, as recognized in 1989 by his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Most importantly, the Dalai Lama walks his talk throughout these pages, as he has throughout his life, and he radiates a powerful hope that we can and will prevail. Man of Peace presents the inside story of his amazing life and vision, in the high tension of the military occupation of Tibet and the ongoing genocide of its people—a moving work of political and historical nonfiction brought to life in the graphic novel form—here for all to see." From Man Of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of Tibet's Dalai Lama To learn more about + get your copy of the 'Man of Peace' Graphic novel please visit: www.amazon.com. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman leads a reading of the early Pali Suttas known as the Digha Nikaya or The Long Discourses of the Buddha on the four foundations of Mindfulness. Includes a guided meditation using the Buddha's instructions to bhikkhus &amp; bhikkhunis. Recorded at the 2009 Tibet House US weekend retreat "Stress" with Sharon Salzberg at Menla in Phoenicia, New York. Image by Matjaz Krivic from the Tibet House US Exhibition “Silent Spaces” on Display through March 2017.

In this podcast Professor Thurman gives a brief history of the Western discovery of Buddhism and how there have often been misrepresentations of its central ideas—Dharma (or Dhamma), nirvana, karma—confusions some times brought over from the Asian sources countries, some imposed in attempts to modernize or Westernize Buddha's expressions of how he sees the world. The podcast includes questions from retreat participants about nonviolence and the definition of what makes a society Buddhist. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from the Robert Thurman archive to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. Recorded at the 2008 Hiking in the Catskills Retreat at Menla, Phoenicia, New York. Image by Matjaz Krivic from the Tibet House US Exhibition “Silent Spaces” on Display through March 2017.

Professor Thurman begins this podcast with a detailed exploration of the concepts of absolute + relative realities as taught through the Buddhist Inner Sciences with commentary by Mark Epstein M.D.. This recording is apart of the Tibet House US Member Archive. To listen to more from this &amp; other past programs please consider becoming a member. Recorded at the 2009 Tibet House US Self &amp; Selflessness Retreat at Menla in Phoenicia, New York. Image by Matjaz Krivic from the Tibet House US Exhibition “Silent Spaces” on Display through March 2017.

This podcast begins with an introduction to the Buddhist wisdom nagas by Professor Thurman through recounting a story from HH Dalai Lama's visit to Menla Mountain &amp; concludes with a reading from the AIBS Publication 'Universal Vehicle Discourse Literature'. Includes dialog with co-presenter Mark Epstein Ph.D &amp; retreat participants. To listen to more recordings from this &amp; other past programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. This podcast was recorded at the 2008 Tibet House US weekend Retreat with Mark Epstein at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, NY. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. To learn more about this year’s program with Robert A.F. Thurman and Dr. Nida at Menla please visit: www.menla.us The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

The historical Buddha taught that human life is precious and in this podcast Professor Thurman defines &amp; elaborates this theme as taught by the Buddhists of Tibet. This podcast is apart of the 'Buddhism 101' Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This recording is an excerpt from the ‘Pathways to the Spirit’ Series Talk given to Trinity College in 1998. Image by Matjaz Krivic from the Tibet House US Exhibition "Silent Spaces" on Display through March 2017.

The discovery of the historical Buddha not only posited the nature of reality but put forth a systematic method for individuals &amp; society to transform themselves through enlightenment. In this podcast Professor Thurman introduces &amp; elaborates the idea of enlightenment using Tibetan History as a lens. This podcast is apart of the 'Buddhism 101' Series using classic teachings from the Robert Thurman archive to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This recording is an excerpt from the ‘Pathways to the Spirit’ Series Talk given to Trinity College in 1998.

Professor Thurman guides a close reading of the ‘Six Session Guru Yoga’ it’s commitments for initiates of the Yoga and Highest Yoga tantras, explaining the bodhisattva and tantric vows taken when practicing the Kalachakra and concludes with an overview of the teachings for those with a general interest in Mahayana and esoteric practice. Recorded in Ladakh during Robert Thurman’s 2014 Kalachakra Trip with GeoEx Adventure Travel.

The Kalachakra Tantra or "The Wheel of Time" teachings as preserved within the Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana tradition are considered some of the most esoteric &amp; significant series of initiations transmitted by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. In this podcast Professor Thurman gives an introduction to the twelve days of the Kalachakra initiation providing the historical &amp; symbolic context. Recorded in Ladakh during Robert Thurman's 2014 Kalachakra Trip with GeoEx Adventure Travel. Kalachakra Photo © Christopher Michel via Flickr.com. Used with permission, All Rights Reserved. To listen to more recordings from past programs with Robert AF Thurman at Tibet House US in New York City + Menla in Phoenicia, New York in the Catskills please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Sharon Salzberg &amp; Robert Thurman lead a dialog on the concept of skillful means &amp; answer questions about Buddhist reincarnation through story telling &amp; explanation of current empirical evidence found in modern scientific journals. Recorded at the 2009 Tibet House US Retreat "Working With Your Enemies" at Menla Retreat · Resort · Spa in Phoenicia, New York.

In this podcast Professor Thurman &amp; Sharon Salzberg discuss the practice of lovingkindness meditation and it's power to change one's relationship with difficult people, emotions &amp; situations. Includes a brief introduction to lovingkindness practice &amp; dialog with retreat participants. Recorded at the 2009 Tibet House US Retreat "Working With Your Enemies" at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York. Photo by James Pond on Unsplash "Normally, we don’t want to love someone we’re in an adverse relationship with. We may feel it means giving in, surrendering, or giving up our values. But real love means loving them too. Over the years that I’ve taught lovingkindness, I’ve encountered many people who are skeptical about the whole thing. “If I were to develop a more loving heart,” they think, “I’d have to give more money, I wouldn’t take a stand, I wouldn’t protect myself, I’d just sort of smile.” If we think that’s what love means, what a degraded notion of love we’ve come to! There’s something empowering in recapturing the word “love” as something strong and unafraid." Sharon Salzberg from www.lionsroar.com.

In this podcast Professor Thurman leads a recitation from his translation of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between" of the final section for those journeying through the final stages of the Bardo. Recorded at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York, 2009. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert AF Thurman please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. Full Access starts at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. Photo by Arthur Miranda on Unsplash

In this podcast Professor Thurman explores the concept of fierce protector deities used in Buddhist practices found in the traditional "Tibetan Book of The Dead" teachings and end of life meditations. Using his translation of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding in the Between" Professor Thurman provides a detailed explanation of the mantra &amp; visualization practices before concluding with a guided meditation. Recorded at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York, 2009.

In this podcast Professor Thurman examines the historical Buddha's exploration of the nature of reality &amp; dispels the common misunderstanding of his core discovery. Includes a detailed explanation of the Buddhist &amp; Hindu concepts of causality &amp; how they relate to everyday life. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture given during the "Wisdom of Devotion &amp; Love" Retreat with Krishna Das at Menla Retreat in Phoenicia, New York, November 2016.

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses how to use the practice for the post-election result. This podcast was recorded on November 11, 2016 by Professor Thurman at his residence in Catskills, Woodstock, NY.

Conventional terms for different types of Buddhism (Japanese, Chinese, American, etc) seem to imply that Buddhism was made in these countries, and that it is a product of Japan or other places. But even "Indian Buddhism" — Professor Thurman explains — is a wrong term, because in Buddha's time there was no India. . . In this podcast Professor Thurman talks about origination and development of Buddhism through the centuries, about its three vehicles. He calls them "different styles of education/teaching of Buddhism" and coins new translation terms for Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture given at Tibet House US in New York City, September 4, 2013, as part of a Tibetan Buddhism Series. &nbsp;

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains that Buddhism is not only a religion, but it is even more a science and a philosophy. He uses as an example the Buddhist concept of "emptiness" and draws parallels with discoveries of quantum physics. He then explains that emptiness should not be confused with the nihilistic concept of "nothingness." This episode was recorded on April 5, 2016. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Different actions bring about different results. Depending on these results, actions may be called skillful or unskillful, right or wrong, realistic or unrealistic. Positive types of actions (physical, verbal or mental) may be called realistic because they improve the quality of one's life. They also happen to improve the quality of lives of others. In this podcast Professor Thurman explains why some types of actions may be called skillful and realistic, while others may not. This episode was recorded on June 8, 2016 at Menla Mountain Retreat.

This episode is a continuation of last week's episode on Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. In this episode, Professor Thurman reads from Shantideva's verses, dedicated to anger and patience (or tolerance), and explains the meaning as he goes along. This episode was recorded on October 20, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman.

Shantideva is the author of one of the most studied texts in the Buddhist canon — A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. In this episode, Professor Thurman reads from this text the verses dedicated to anger and patience or tolerance, and explains the meaning as he goes along. This is the first of a two-part episode on the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. This episode was recorded on October 20, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains that a Buddhist concept of "emptiness" or "voidness" doesn't mean a "no state" apart from everything, or "nothingness". Emptiness means that everything is empty of any non-relational isolated component. Emptiness is relativity, and we are totally interconnected (mentally and physically) beings. This podcast was recorded on July 1, 2015 at Menla Mountain Retreat Center as part of a retreat called "Shakyamuni Buddha's Inner Sciences &amp; His Medicine Buddha Healing Science" with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses a famous Buddhist concept of the "four transcendences," or the "four thoughts that change the mind": 1. The preciousness of the human life of liberty and opportunity; 2. Realization of immediacy of death, empowering one to live one's best in the moment; 3. The inexorability of the effects of one's actions; and 4. The suffering of the "wheel of samsara" or "the ignorance-dominated life form." This episode was recorded in Bhutan as part of the Geographic Expedition called “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon” led by Professor Thurman in April, 2014. “Pilgrimage : The Four Transcendences - Ep. 83 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert A.F. Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. “Pilgrimage : The Four Transcendences - Ep. 83 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” Photo by Christopher Michel, Used with permission. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains how we can apply the tenfold path of positive/skillful evolutionary actions to shape our lives in a positive direction and improve our evolutionary conditions. This tenfold path is comprised of three physical skills, four verbal skills and three mental skills. In Dalai Lama's book Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World they are referred to as secular ethics of body, speech and mind. This episode was recorded in Bhutan as part of the Geographic Expedition called “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon” led by Professor Thurman in April, 2014. “Pilgrimage : Ten Skillful Actions - Ep. 82” is a part of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert A.F. Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Pilgrimage : Ten Skillful Actions - Ep. 82 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Christopher Michel, Used with permission. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com. &nbsp; &nbsp;

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains how freedom in our choices depends on whether we are living consciously or unconsciously. There is no such thing as "meant to be", however, each action brings about a particular result. For example, being a victim of circumstances — Professor Thurman continues — can be seen as a result of an action performed in the past and can be empowering when we take its blame upon ourselves. Also, Professor Thurman explains how we can not only live, but die consciously so to be reborn in the place we like. This episode was recorded on July 27, 2014 at the "Hiking in the Catskills" Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Robert Thurman.

In this podcast professor Thurman introduces great Buddhist masters Vasubandhu and Dignaga. Vasubandhu was a brother of the famous Asangha, who met with the future Buddha Maitreya. Vasubandhu wrote a famous work of the Abhidharmakosha (The Treasury of the Clear Science), which is the third of the "three baskets" of the Buddhist teachings (vinaya, sutra and abhidharma - are the three baskets). The Abhidharma brings out the Buddhist psychology in the most systematic fashion. Dignaga (who was Vasubandhu's teacher) explains the notion of "bare attention." He says that the only way to "get" reality is through "bare awareness", and that "we all are knowing ultimate reality all the time with that awareness, which is underneath and obscured by our discursive, conceptualizing awareness." The goal is to escape from entanglement in conceptualized reality and recover bare awareness. However, Dignaga continues, since we have to acknowledge that we are trapped in this web of conceptuality, it is critical reasoning within the web of conceptuality that liberates us from the conceptuality. So, one should not demonize conceptuality. Professor Thurman goes on to explain the famous "four mindfulnesses." He says that the Buddhist psychology is based on the idea that the more awareness touches reality, the more realistic a person becomes, the more well they become. This episode was recorded in August, 2009 at a retreat co-led by Robert Thurman and Mark Epstein, M.D. at Menla Mountain Retreat.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains three steps to re-create the world of suffering as the world of bliss. The first step is seeing true selflessness or emptiness — the negational freedom from all fixation to non-relative structures or non-relative core that we assume things and ourselves have. By following this insight deeply through the practice of critical analysis, one can reach an experience, in which everything, including oneself, disappears into a vast, luminous, deeply-releasing state. The second step is seeing that the reality of that “disappearing state” does not destroy the “appearing state.” Instead, the appearing state reappears like a reflection in a mirror. One realizes non-duality of the absolute and relative: the absolute emptiness is the relativity; nirvana is this relative conventional “samsaric” world. The world is samsaric (meaning “bearing suffering”) only for those who do not know that it is also the absolute, for those who think that each and every little thing in the world is an absolute, conflicting against the other absolutes. The third step is the realization of non-duality of relative and relative (thing and thing), resulting in “magnificent activities path” or "creativity path." Based on the knowledge of the absolute being relative, relative and relative are mutually non-obstructive and into-transformable. Therefore magic and miracles are possible. Re-creating the World of Suffering as the World of Bliss – Ep. 74 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash. This episode was recorded on March 10, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains why, according to the Buddha, the human life is precious. Being able to change oneself by opening to a new insight; having intelligence, which animals do not have; expanding one’s empathy and sensitivity – these are just a few of the freedoms which make human life so precious. Professor Thurman also clarifies that the Buddhist concept of “emptiness” is not to be confused with the concept of “nothingness” espoused by some modern scientists. This episode was recorded on March 10, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman. &nbsp; &nbsp;

In this podcast Professor Thurman explores different stages of Buddhist meditation. When the 'space-like equipoise samadhi' disappears, what is there [left]? - Professor Thurman asks the audience and proceeds to answer: everything that was there before is there. But the meditator now sees appearances with the realization that they are like a reflection of the moon in water, like a magician's trick, like magic, like illusion. This experience is called 'the illusion-like aftermath samadhi'. The episode was recorded on March 17, 2016 at the "Vimalakirti, Prajnaparamita &amp; Avatamsaka Sutras" workshop at Tibet House India. Photo by Yogesh Kumar on Unsplash This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Tibet House Delhi. Free Online Book + Suggested Reading:  “The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti” Translated by Robert A.F. Thurman available via www.84000.co. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Robert A.F. Thurman talks about anger, patience and compassion. Explaining that the fuel for anger and intolerance is frustration and mental discomfort, Professor Thurman advises us not to let this build up, and instead learn how to use this energy skillfully. Podcast includes an introduction to the history of Atisha, Shantideva &amp; to Professor Thurman's teaching on Creative + Humorous Rudeness. This podcast was recorded during the Tibet House US + GeoEx Trip Indonesia trip "Spiritual Journey to Bali &amp; Borobudur with Dr. Robert Thurman &amp; The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi" on March 27, 2016. “Pilgrimage : Tolerant Patience - What is it? - Episode 70 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert A.F. Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. “Pilgrimage : Tolerant Patience - What is it? - Episode 70 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” Photos by Christopher Michel, Used with permission. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com. &nbsp;

In this podcast Professor Thurman reads and comments on an excerpt from The Avataṃsaka Sutra, which describes a cosmos of realms enfolding realms, infinite world systems mutually containing one another. Professor Thurman teaches that this infinite cosmos is governed by a principle called “the emptiness [shunyata] of everything.” When you realize that, then your life becomes your work of art: everything you say, all your gestures, how you hand somebody a tea cup, the way you walk and your posture — everything is an art-form within. . . The cosmos and the individual experience of the world in which we live is empty of any absolute solidity and is relative, and therefore you can shape it. It's your choice: to be happy, or miserable, to be angry or peaceful, and so on. This episode was recorded on December 31, 2015 at the “New Year’s Yoga &amp; Meditation Retreat” at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, &amp; Brooke Myers.

In this podcast Professor Thurman talks about causes and conditions which brought about Buddha’s teaching in Tibet, and how Buddhism transformed society. This episode was recorded on November 11, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains the cornerstone teachings of the Buddha: the teaching about the Four Noble Truths, and the teaching about the Eightfold Path. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture given at Tibet House US in New York City, January 6, 2016, as part of a course called "Force for Good: Buddhist Sources and Practices Beyond Religion."

Should we abandon traditional Buddhist views unproven by scientific materialism, labeling them antiquated and irrelevant? What would be the implications of doing so for our study and practice? This episode is an excerpt from the thought-provoking and lively lecture “Past &amp; Future Lives: Is Enlightenment Possible Without Them?” with Robert Thurman, given at Maitripa College in Portland, OR on April 8, 2016. Do We Need to Believe in Past &amp; Future Lives to Become Enlightened? - Ep. 66 Photo by Maitripa College. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains the concept of "intrinsic reality" and how it is different from the concept of "relational reality." He continues by explaining "emptiness," how it has often been misunderstood for nothingness, and how emptiness is the quality of the relationality of everything, the fact that everything is empty of any non-relational component. By internalizing our understanding of emptiness we realize what is called transcendent wisdom. Out of transcendent wisdom, transcendent love grows, powerful and skillful. This podcast was recorded on December 30, 2015 at the “New Year’s Yoga &amp; Meditation Retreat” at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, &amp; Brooke Myers.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains what are Buddhalands and talks about different Buddhalands, based on the Vimalakirti Sutra, which he translated and has been teaching for nearly forty years. "Vimalakīrti’s Verses : Buddhalands - Ep. 64" was recorded on March 17, 2016 at the "Vimalakirti, Prajnaparamita &amp; Avatamsaka Sutras"&nbsp;workshop at Tibet House India. Photo by Benjamin Balázs on Unsplash This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Tibet House Delhi. &nbsp; Free Online Book + Suggested Reading:&nbsp; “The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti” Translated by Robert A.F. Thurman available via www.84000.co. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

According to Tibetan Buddhism, when we lose consciousness and faint, or fall asleep, we go through the same eight stages, but we don't normally notice this process. In this podcast Professor Thurman explains what these stages are, and how they are experienced by us. This episode was recorded on February 28, 2016. Eight Stages of Dissolution into Death - Ep. 63 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Yamantanka image via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman gives a brilliant compelling account of Buddha's birth and path to Enlightenment. The account is enriched by his wide-ranging scholarship and familiarity with so many different sources of Buddha Shakyamuni's life story. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture given at Tibet House US in New York City, January 6, 2016, as part of a course called "Force for Good: Buddhist Sources and Practices Beyond Religion." Life of Shakyamuni Buddha : Buddhist History 101 - Ep. 62 of the Bob Thurman Podcast image by Thangka Painting School, Used with permission, All Rights Reserved via www.traditionalartofnepal.com. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist History 101 Series presenting seminal teachings drawn from archives of Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Tibet House US &amp; is intended for those looking to deepen their historical understanding of Buddhism from a general perspective. To watch the complete videos from past ‘Force for Good’ programs please visit the Tibet House US Member Archive, available to monthly supporters. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In Professor Thurman's view, men in our society are socialized to express their anger more readily than women and are expected to be generally more dominating. Women are socialized to be more patient and accepting. Some say, they should find their way to equality through expressing more anger. However, Professor Thurman continues, we would be wrong to think that aggressiveness is a strength; rather it is a weakness. This episode was recorded on March 12, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.   Anger Management for Women - Ep. 59 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Illustration by Viv Tanner, All rights reserved. This episode was recorded on March 11, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman shares some secrets of a long marriage, talks about the relationship between sacred feminine and sacred masculine, and about the balance of the feminine and masculine energies in the world and inside of oneself. Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine : Buddhism 101 - Ep. 58 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Digital Image by Adam Martinakis, All Rights Reserved. This episode a part of the Buddhism 101 series using classic teachings from the archives of Robert A.F. Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This episode was recorded on March 11, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

The reason why we sometimes think that the goal of Buddhism is just to become nobody is because we don't understand the concept of selflessness. Selflessness does not mean that we are nobody, it does not mean that we cease to exist. There is no way you can ever not exist, just as you cannot become nothing. In this podcast Professor Thurman continues to discuss the concept of selflessness. Podcast includes a short introduction to the Buddhist perspective of emptiness and it's relationship with physics, a discussion of Nirvana and an explanation of the Buddha's non-dual relationship to suffering. This episode was recorded on February 27, 2016. Is the Goal of Buddhism to Become Nobody? - Ep. 57 of the Bob Thurman Podcast photo by David Gabriel Fischer via Zen Diary. "Is the Goal of Buddhism to Become Nobody? - Ep. 57 of the Bob Thurman Podcast is a part of the Buddhism 101 series using classic teachings from the archives of Robert A.F. Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses how the ideas of Darwin, Marx and Freud, although brilliant, are based on a rather despondent bottom line assessment: that we as humans are a bunch of helpless robots. But is it true that we can never understand our unconscious? Are we helpless victims of our genes? Are we the victims of our social settings? By contrast, Buddhist ideas incite human beings to take responsibility for their own minds by fully understanding the inter-relatedness in the world, which in turn produces a natural ethical behavior. Professor Thurman then engages his listeners into an interesting discussion of whether there is evidence or lack thereof for former and future lives. Darwin, Marx, Freud &amp; Buddha - Ep. 56 of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded was recorded on February 26, 2016. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Robert A.F. Thurman discusses the meditation practices of the mindful revolution from a Buddhist perspective. He discusses its influence on the mind and some different ways it can be practiced: you can count your breath or you can say your mantra. When your mind wanders, you bring it back to the main focus and you disassociate yourself from distracting thoughts. In this way, you gain more control over your reactions and learn to develop a higher concentration. "Why Be Mindful" Episode 54 of the Bob Thurman podcast is an excerpt from the lecture “Igniting the Bliss Within,” given at Jivamukti Yoga Tribe Gathering in New York City, on January 4, 2016. Frank Lipman M.D., Robert A.F. Thurman and Sharon Gannon at Menla photo by Frank Lipman. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives. Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

According to Professor Thurman, the only effective institutional opposition to militarism in the history of humanity has been monasticism. He argues that monastic institutions enable the inversion of warriors. The militancy of the warrior is introverted, so that the monk or nun battles with his or her own inner demons of selfishness, anger, greed, and so on. In this podcast Professor Thurman suggests that dharma practitioners can win the inner battle, and when they constitute a large community, create something like a "peace army" for the society. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture "Tibetan Buddhism: Historical and Philosophical Developments," given at Nalanda Institute in New York City, on October 1, 2015. Universal Militarism Versus Demilitarized Society - Ep. 53 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Frank Holleman on Unsplash. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman talks about the history and meaning of the Pureland Sutra and the Lotus Sutra. Sutras are canonical scriptures, regarded as records of the oral teachings of Gautama Buddha. The Pureland Sutra is the main sutra of one of the most widely practiced traditions of Buddhism in East Asia, the Pureland tradition. The Lotus Sutra is one of the most popular and influential Mahayana sutras of all time, and the basis for several schools of Buddhism. This episode was recorded on October 15, 2015 in a Columbia class taught by Professor Thurman. The Pureland and Lotus Sutras - Ep 52 of the Bob Thurman Amitabha/Amitayus Buddha - Pureland (Sukhavati) Image via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Robert A.F. Thurman shares his knowledge of the history of non-violence &amp; Buddhism and their influence on the social and ethical development in the countries where The Buddha's Teachings have taken root. He talks about mainstream Buddhist societies and counter-cultural Buddhist societies, both of which become devoted to non-violence. This episode was recorded on December 8, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert A.F. Thurman please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains the concept of emptiness. Sometimes people think if they have an experience where things seem to melt into empty space, that it is a realization of emptiness. It is a valuable experience — as long as it’s not misinterpreted — however, it’s not a realization of emptiness. It can be called a threshold of realization of emptiness: the things that seem to be solid and differentiated melt into this sort of vast space. But then, the space itself is not there obstructing relative things that we perceive. The space itself is a space wherein all the relative things are, and that emptiness, and that space is empty of itself, which is expressed by saying “emptiness of emptiness.” So, a state of being apart from the world is itself empty, because it’s also a relational state. It’s a state into which you departed through a certain diamond-like concentration. This episode was recorded on December 31, 2015 at the “New Year’s Yoga &amp; Meditation Retreat” at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, &amp; Brooke Myers. To learn about this annual event, please visit: www.menla.us. Emptiness of Emptiness - Ep. 50 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Jesse Sewell on Unsplash The “Force for Good” Course, which Professor Thurman discussed in the end of the podcast, is available as a Livestream Talk Series with Q &amp; A. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives. This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman discusses how to deepen our mental realism about what we are, what our inner world &amp; processes are by applying the famous Buddhist Eightfold Path. There is a great difference between Buddhist psychology and Western psychology (not a religious difference, but a scientific one). Buddhist psychology does not accept that you have to be unconscious, and that you are going to be driven forever by unconsciousness drives and energies. Although the ordinary, habitual, instinctual driven person is driven by a huge unconscious, and Freud made a great discovery about it, yet we can become conscious of our unconscious. That's what mindfulness is about. In this way, the Eightfold Path offers us instruments in how to gain freedom in our inner processes, rather than being driven by the unconscious — in other words, how to be a master of all energies that we are enfolded with. This episode was recorded on January 3, 2015 at the "New Year's Yoga &amp; Meditation Retreat" at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, &amp; Brooke Myers. To learn about this annual event, please visit: www.menla.us. Becoming Conscious of the Unconscious - Ep. 49 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by m wrona on Unsplash The “Force for Good” Course, which Professor Thurman discussed in the end of the podcast, is available as a Livestream Talk Series with Q &amp; A. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives. This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman shares the stories of great sinners transforming into great saints, of work-ability of the human mind and preciousness of human life. The miracle stories will go well with your celebratory New Year dinner! Opening this podcast with an introduction to the Buddhist perspective human nature and on the individual's ability to transform themselves ethically through understanding and selfless compassion. Podcast includes an exploration of the Tibetan saints (Bodhisattvas) Tilopa, Marpa &amp; Milarepa lineage, the Six Yoga of Naropa, the use of channel grounds as meditative tools and a short history of Buddhist oral teaching traditions. Includes a recommendation of the 100,000 Songs of Milarepa which features the mystical, supra-normal and psychic stories of the Tibetan hemit yogi whom Henry Miller called "the St. Francis of Tibet" by Robert A.F. Thurman. Saints and Miracles - Ep. 48 of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded on November 24, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman at Columbia University. &nbsp; Saints and Miracles : Tilopa, Marpa &amp; Milarepa - Ep. 48 of the Bob Thurman Podcast via www.himaylanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Celebrate tonight the welcoming of the Infinite Divine in the form of an innocent child, reaching out not only to humans, but also to non-humans by being born in a manger, and not just to one tribe, but to all of the world, represented by the three wise men. Professor Thurman wishes a Merry Christmas to all of us. This podcast was recorded on December 24, 2015 by Professor Thurman specially for the Christmas Eve at his residence in Catskills, Woodstock, NY. Christmas Podcast: Buddhists Love Jesus Too! Image by Christina Varga, all rights reserved, used with persmission. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains the meaning of the cornerstone Buddhist concept of Bodhichitta, which is of two kinds: love &amp; compassion and wisdom of emptiness. Enlightenment is a complete manifestation of it . . . This episode was recorded on December 5, 2015 at the "Shamans and Siddhas: Meeting at the Crossroads of Shamanism &amp; Tantrism" retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi &amp; Robert Thurman. Two Kinds of Bodhichitta : Shantideva - Episode 47 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org. &nbsp;

Prince Siddhartha was asserting his human right to seek his own flourishing and fulfillment as a human individual rather than serve the community as a king at the wish of his father and of his society. He didn't consider that he was able to really help people who he was supposed to be helping as their ruler. In this episode Professor Thurman discusses the topic of human rights and buddhism, as well as other engaging topics. This episode was recorded on December 10, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman. Human Rights and Buddhism – Episode 46 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman talks about the Seventeen Great Scholars of Nalanda. They taught at Nalanda, which was a renowned Buddhist University, which traditionally is said to have grown out of a monastery established during the Buddha's time. His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says that he is not necessarily a follower of this or that particular school of Tibetan Buddhism. Rather he traces his spiritual ancestry or lineage to the Seventeen Great Pandits of Nalanda. Professor Thurman also explains the three main dispensations of Buddhist teachings, and shares with us a compelling biography of the great master Shantideva, one of the Seventeen Great Pandits. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture given at Tibet House US in New York City, October 21, 2015, as part of a lecture series called “The Infinite Lifestyle: The Nalanda Path of Transcendent Perfections.” Shantideva: Seventeen Great Pandits of Nalanda - Episode 45 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via Wikimedia. To watch the full recordings from this + other past events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

What does it mean to become a Buddha? Does it mean to disappear into space separate from everything? To feel superior? To become a servant of others? In this episode Professor Thurman discusses what it means to be a Buddha, talks about extreme views of absolutism and nihilism and about the necessity of critical and analytical thinking when listening to the teachings. Buddhism 101 : What does Buddha Feel? - Ep. 44 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Amitabha/Amitayus Image via www.tibethouse.us. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture given at Tibet House US in New York City, October 28, 2015, as part of a lecture series called “The Infinite Lifestyle: The Nalanda Path of Transcendent Perfections.” This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

We all know what anger is. When a situation is going wrong for us — when something we wanted to see happening doesn't, or when something we don't want to see happening is happening — we get frustrated. That frustration is a fuel of anger. Some people may advise: "Just swallow your anger," but if you still are feeling angry and are merely not expressing it, your anger can become internalized and make you depressed. Therefore other people choose to express it… But there are also other ways to approach it. In this podcast Professor Thurman talks about anger. Drawing from the Way of the Bodhisattva, the renowned work of the famous Buddhist scholar and saint Shantideva , he explains the ways of preventing anger from overwhelming you. This episode is an excerpt from the lecture given at Tibet House US in New York City, November 4, 2015, as part of a lecture series called “The Infinite Lifestyle: The Nalanda Path of Transcendent Perfections.” Shantideva: Anger Management - Ep. 43 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

"Since I and other beings, both, in wanting happiness are equal and alike, what difference is there to distinguish us, that I should strive to have my happiness alone?" In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses the ideas, advanced by Buddhist teachers, in this case skillfully expressed by saint and scholar Shantideva: it's by abandoning self-preoccupation and by cultivating concern for others, that we can experience happiness, and not by ignoring other beings, as we are much more used to doing. By expanding our field of attention to thinking of how what we do affects others, we can shift our habit of self-concern for "others-concern", and that can make us happier. This episode was recorded on October 27, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman. Shantideva: Exchanging Oneself for Others - Ep. 42 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

When we look at mother-beings and see how they really are—quite unhappy, having a lot of problems, growing old—we naturally wish to relieve their unbearable feelings, and this wish takes a form of unbearable compassion. We are afraid that this will be an unpleasant experience for us, but there is a difference, Professor Thurman explains, between compassion and empathy. Once we feel the suffering of others together with them, we wish to get rid of beings' suffering and think how to make them feel happy in the midst of their frustrations or dis satisfactions. And we make a heroic resolve or determination, that we will help them to be free of suffering. This episode was recorded on October 27, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman. Heroic Resolve: Conceiving the Bodhisattva Spirit - Ep. 41 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

This episode is a continuation of last week's episode on the fifth chapter of the famous Vimalakirti Sutra. An object of love and inspiration for many lay practitioners, as well as monastics, the Sutra is known for giving an in-depth explanation &amp; analysis of key buddhist concepts, such as emptiness, non-duality, self &amp; non-self, and so on. The 5th chapter relates to Prajnaparamita or Transcendent Wisdom. This episode was recorded on October 8, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman. Relative &amp; Absolute: Conversation between Manjushri &amp; Vimalakirti, Part 2 – Ep. 39 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Vimalakirti Debates Manjushri Dunhuang Mogao Caves image via www.wikimedia.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman expounds the profound teaching, contained in the fifth chapter of the famous Vimalakirti Sutra, which he translated and has been teaching for nearly forty years. An object of love and inspiration for many lay practitioners, as well as monastics, the Sutra is known for giving an in-depth explanation &amp; analysis of key buddhist concepts, such as emptiness, non-duality, self &amp; non-self, and so on. The 5th chapter relates to Prajnaparamita or Transcendent Wisdom. This episode was recorded on October 8, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman. Relative &amp; Absolute: Conversation between Manjushri &amp; Vimalakirti, Part 1 - Ep. 38 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Vimalakirti Debates Manjushri Dunhuang Mogao Caves image via www.wikimedia.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains, why we may call Buddhism Realism. He presents Buddha's teachings on the Four Noble Truths (or Four Noble Realities) and the Eightfold Path (or 8 Steps of Evolutionary Path) in a manner that is fresh and accessible, as it is profound. Recognition of the symptom, diagnosis of the cause, prognosis of the outcome and therapy or education - are four facts that lead us towards recognition of nirvana of reality. &nbsp; Buddhism is Realism : Buddhism 101 - Episode 36 Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash This podcast was recorded on July 1, 2015 at Menla Mountain Retreat Center as part of a retreat called "Shakyamuni Buddha's Inner Sciences &amp; His Medicine Buddha Healing Science" with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Robert Thurman. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

What do we experience when we look inside? Where do we place our confidence? Do we believe that we have mind? In this episode Professor Thurman discusses the power of questioning, the necessity of digging deeper in order to understand mind and its power. The episode is an excerpt from the the "Buddha and Yogis" retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell &amp; Robert Thurman on July 31, 2015. Misplaced Confidence : Buddha &amp; The Yogis - Ep 35 Photo by Vicky Sim on Unsplash. This week’s episode of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

Tantric Buddhism is known as the fast path, meaning that it is possible to become enlightened in one or a few lives, instead of millions. In this podcast, Professor Thurman discusses how we can use our dreams to compress the virtue of many lives into one dream. He also speaks about the role of compassion, ethics and wisdom on the path. This episode was recorded on June 8, 2011 at the "Buddha and Yogis: The Vajra Body" gathering at Menla Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell &amp; Robert Thurman. The Fast Path : Buddha &amp; The Yogis - Episode 34 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image of Gyurme Dorje from the Tibet House US Repatriation Collection via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

In this episode, Professor Thurman discusses visualization practice and meditation. He explains how the context which you assume will determine how much progress you can make. When you create an imagined enlightened universe, you are making vivid to yourself a preferable image, as well as loosen your own sense of yourself as being limited and incapable of change. This episode was recorded on July 31, 2015 at the "Buddha and the Yogis" retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell &amp; Robert Thurman. Visualizing an Enlightened Universe : Buddha &amp; The Yogis - Ep. 33 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

This episode is a continuation of last week's episode on The Heart Sutra. In this episode, Professor Thurman discusses the questions: How does free will work? What does it mean that we are all effected by causes and conditions? He also discusses how shunyata, or voidness, is a scientific discovery, not just a mystic philosophy. This episode was recorded on July 27, 2015 at the "Buddha and the Yogis" retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell &amp; Robert Thurman. Heart Sutra : Part 2 – Episode 32 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image by Miles Neale. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

The Heart Sutra is one of the most profound and widely studied texts in the Buddhist canon. In this episode, Professor Thurman reads the Heart Sutra, and explains the meaning as he goes along. This is the first of a two-part episode on the Heart Sutra. This episode was recorded on July 27, 2015 at the "Buddha and the Yogis" retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell &amp; Robert Thurman. Heart Sutra : Part 1 - Episode 31 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image by Miles Neale. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” &amp; ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode, Professor Thurman explains how to use analysis to realize non-duality. Deconstructing our habitual understanding of body, mind- everything you think of as solid and real dissolves under this analysis, and brings you into a state of samadhi. This is a powerful practice for deeply understanding the nature of things as they are. "Vimalakīrti’s Verses : Deconstructing the Self" - Ep. 30 of the Bob Thurman Podcast was recorded on July 24, 2015 at the "Hiking in the Catskills with Vimalakirti &amp; Friends" retreat held at Menla Retreat. Podcast Photo by dorota dylka on Unsplash   This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Tibet House Delhi.   Free Online Book + Suggested Reading:  “The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti” Translated by Robert A.F. Thurman available via www.84000.co.   Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode, Professor Thurman reads the first chapter of Vimalakirti, which he translated and has been teaching for nearly forty years. Thurman illuminates the meaning of the text, the historical context, and the various possible translations of important words and concepts that elucidate the Mahayana teaching. Meeting Vimalakīrti- Episode Twenty Nine of the Bob Thurman Podcast via Wikimedia. This episode was recorded on July 23, 2015 at the "Hiking in the Catskills with Vimalakirti &amp; Friends" retreat held at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York and Tibet House Delhi. Free Online Book + Suggested Reading:  “The Holy Teachings of Vimalakirti” Translated by Robert A.F. Thurman available via www.84000.co. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this podcast Robert A.F. Thurman discussed the Buddhist perspective on the health and happiness of all beings. One of the unique aspects of Tibetan culture is that for hundreds of years, thousands of people have been meditating on the thought "every single being has been my mother." This means that through countless lives, you have been every possible animal and being, and every single being alive today has been your mother countless times. Even the worst killers shared their body and milk and took care of you. Professor Thurman explains how this thought helps you feel your own infinity as a being, and also creates an altruistic society. This episode is the second of a two-part recording of a lecture given at Tibet House California on June 4, 2015, titled "Tibet's Gift to the World." All Beings Are My Mother : Buddhism 101 - Ep. 28 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via Desktop Nexus. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

In this episode, Professor Thurman points out the unspoken rule in our culture that it isn't OK to be happy for no apparent reason. He explains that in fact, reality is bliss and joyfulness. When we understand the nature of reality, it makes perfect sense to be happy. We just don't experience our life that way because we think we are separate from everything else. This, he explains, was the Buddha's discovery. This episode is the first of a two-part recording of a lecture given at Tibet House California on June 4, 2015, titled "Tibet's Gift to the World." The lecture will conclude in episode 28. Bliss is Legal - Ep. 27 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Ryan McGuire via www.mcguiremade.com. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. For more Dharma teachings and application of Buddha Dharma principles to current events, check out podcasts on www.bobthurman.com.

Yuthok Nyingthig is the most important practice for Tibetan medicine healing practitioners. The practice of Yuthok Nyingthig helps reveal the rainbow body that is each person's natural state. Professor Thurman discusses the meaning of empowerment, tantra, and why the rainbow body of natural bliss and happiness is such an important teaching for our modern world. This podcast was recorded on July 2, 2015 at Menla Mountain Retreat Center as part of a retreat called "Shakyamuni Buddha's Inner Sciences &amp; His Medicine Buddha Healing Science" with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Robert Thurman. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman &amp; Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative &amp; theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews &amp; one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

In this episode, Professor Thurman discusses Buddhist ethics, which he translates as the ten-fold path of skillful and unskillful action. Instead of right and wrong, Professor Thurman urges us to consider ethical behavior as any action that helps us evolve on the path toward enlightenment. Helping others is the heart of skillful action, but it's also in our best interest. When we realize we are all stuck in this universe together, lifetime after lifetime, it is in our enlightened self-interest to help all beings be happy and free from suffering. It is also the path to our own happiness and freedom. This podcast is an excerpt from a lecture given on July 3, 2015 at Menla Retreat Center, as part of a retreat called "Shakyamuni Buddha's Inner Sciences &amp; His Medicine Buddha Healing Science" with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang &amp; Robert A.F. Thurman. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman &amp; Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative &amp; theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews &amp; one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

One of the Dalai Lama's slogans is: "If you want to be happy, be compassionate." In this lecture, Professor Thurman discusses how to do this by opening our hearts to others, especially our enemies. Our enemies aren't just other people, but within ourselves. By transforming anger towards all our enemies we can find true happiness and also help others do the same. This podcast is an excerpt from a lecture hosted by the Kadampa Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 29, 2014. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

The Buddha's Wheel of Dependent Origination describes the cycle of existence—the endless wheel of samsara and suffering. The first link on this wheel is ignorance, or mis-knowing. Specifically, the idea that we are separate from others. Professor Thurman explains how this fundamental misunderstanding of separateness creates the whole universe of suffering. It is also the key to putting an end to the cycle altogether. “Buddhist Inner Sciences: Fundamental Mis-knowing” podcast is an excerpt from a course taught by Robert A.F. Thurman at Columbia University, focusing mainly on his book “The Central Philosophy of Tibet” – a study and translation of Jey Tsong Khapa’s “Essence of True Eloquence” (tib: drang nges legs bshad snying po)’, but also addressing material in Jey Tsong Khapa’s “Ocean of Reasoning” translated by Geshe Ngawang Samten &amp; J Garfield, and in Aryadeva’s “Four Hundred Stanzas” translated by Ruth Sonam. To listen to the full, unedited thirteen class series please visit: www.archive.org. This podcast is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman &amp; Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative &amp; theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews &amp; one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. To listen to more archive recordings from this class please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

In this episode, Professor Robert A.F. Thurman responds to the question: “Does Buddhism believe in a soul?” Buddhism teaches that we have no inherent self, so how can there be life after death and reincarnation? In a concise and humorous way, Professor Thurman explains the Buddhist understanding of existence, non-existence, and what is reborn. This episode was recorded in Bhutan as part of the Geographic Expedition called “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon” led by Professor Thurman on April 23, 2014. “Pilgrimage : Buddhist Soul - Ep. 21 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is apart of the “Buddhist Pilgrimage Series” using field recordings of Robert A.F. Thurman and friends from his global docent tours benefiting the work of Tibet House US. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert AF Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us “Pilgrimage : Buddhist Soul - Ep. 21 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” Photo by Christopher Michel, Used with permission. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn about upcoming Tibet House US trips Robert Thurman + GeoEx please visit: www.bobthurman.com.

In this lecture, Professor Thurman explains the concept of non-duality, and that emptiness doesn't mean we don't have a mind. Emptiness means we have an uncreated mind—it has always been there and it can never be destroyed. What this means is that we're already in nirvana, we've always been in nirvana, and we can't leave nirvana. But we can fail to enjoy it for a really long time! This episode is an extract from a lecture given at Sacred Stream in Berkeley, California, on June 5, 2015. The Uncreated Mind Episode 20 the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Victoria López on Flickr.com. The Uncreated Mind Episode 20 the Bob Thurman Podcast is an excerpt from a teaching at Sacred Stream in Berkeley, California, recorded on June 5th, 2015. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. To learn more about this year’s Tibet House US Programs with Robert A.F. Thurman &amp; Friends at Menla please visit: www.menla.us. “The Uncreated Mind ” is apart of the Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Podcast Series taken from the Bob Thurman &amp; Tibet House US archives which are intended to provide an introduction to the yogic, meditative &amp; theoretical practices of the tradition. These recordings are intended to be general overviews &amp; one should be studying with a qualified teacher before attempting or engaging in the practices. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

Professor Thurman discusses the potential dangers of cultivating an empty mind without also developing proper understanding of what emptiness is. Just meditating with our default understanding of reality can temporarily dampen our worries, but it won’t completely overcome them. The danger is that we’ll think we’re already enlightened, and lose the motivation to completely transform our whole experience into a Buddhaverse. "A true bodhisattva does not develop strong meditative prowess at the wrong time. The abilities you attain with deep contemplation—the abilities to isolate oneself from relationships, to deaden the emotions, to withdraw when encountering obstructions, to palliate suffering with genuine detachment—can make you stick at a level of self-centeredness that stunts your spiritual growth." Robert A.F. Thurman “The Danger of “Just Meditate!” - Episode 19 of the Bob Thurman Podcast” is an excerpt from a lecture given at Jewel Heart in New York City, May 7, 2015, as part of a lecture series called "Vajrayana and Emptiness." The Danger of “Just Meditate!” - Ep. 19 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash   To read more about programs with Robert A.F Thurman with Jewel Heart please visit: www.jewelheart.org. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To listen to more recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman programs please consider becoming a Tibet House US Member.

In this episode Professor Thurman, Richard Freeman, and John Campbell compare and contrast the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp of the Five Stages. Bob and Richard discuss the opening verses of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Podcast includes a discussion of atman, raja yoga, mahasiddhas, bliss, and the channels/nadis of the body. Buddha and Yoga : Buddhist Yoga is an excerpt from "Buddha &amp; the Yogis: The Vajra Body" given by Robert Thurman, Richard Freeman and John Campbell recordings from the Annual Tibet House US retreat “Buddha &amp; the Yogis” recorded at Menla’s Nalanda Conference Center in Phoenicia on July 1, 2013. Buddha and Yoga : Buddhist Yoga - Ep. 17 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo of Hh Dalai Lama with B.K.S Iyengar from www.dalailama.com. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was thanks to Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor and was brought to you in part through the support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives. Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved. To learn more about upcoming programs in the heart of the Catskills with Bob Thurman &amp; Richard Freeman + Mary Taylor please visit: www.menla.us.

Robert A.F. Thurman leads a prayer for those who died in the Nepal earthquakes from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. In the Tibetan view of the dying process, death is a gateway into a journey through a dream-like landscape (the bardo), that can take up to 49 days, and sometimes much longer, if the person has strong amount of unfinished business from the previous life. They are said to be aware of what the people formerly connected are thinking and saying, though they cannot communicate with them. So reading a prayer of or giving re-assurance and instructions is considered very valuable for the between state traveler. This prayer can be similarly used for anybody who has passed away, whether by natural disaster or otherwise at any time, ideally within 49 days of the passing. Recorded May 2015 in Woodstock, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Professor Thurman introduces the Essence of True Eloquence (drang nges legs bshad snying po), discussing his own personal experience encountering and translating the Tsongkhapa's great work, and also Tsongkhapa's own experience and doubts about composing the work. He elaborates on the role of Manjushri in influencing Tsongkhapa to eventually compose it, and in influencing those who would wish to study it, to understand it. Professor Thurman is reading from his own translation of the Essence of True Eloquence (drang nges legs bshad snying po), published as The Central Philosophy of Tibet. This episode is an extract from a lecture given by Professor Thurman at Tibet House US on September 10th, 2014, in a lecture series called Profound Wisdom and Vast Compassion, which was a series of preparatory lectures given to prepare people for an event hosted by Tibet House US in NYC with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, also called Profound Wisdom and Vast Compassion. Tsongkhapa : Father Philo &amp; Mother Sophia - Ep. 15 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Manuel Bauer, All rights reserved from www.dalailama.com. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Introducing the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśha Sūtra, Gelek Rimpoche and Professor Thurman discuss mistaken relationships with Buddhist gurus and books, particularly in the West. They offer guidance for identifying a good guru and for maintaining a healthy relationship with the guru. In monastic Buddhism, the abbot is not a big boss and obedience is not a big virtue for the Buddhist monk or mendicant. In the Mahayana tradition, the spiritual friend is a teacher emphasizing how you have to get out there and do your own bodhisattva deeds and become a Buddha. "In the Tantric and esoteric teachings, the guru figure, which in Tibetan is translated as the “Lama,” is brought back into play. In Tantra you’re dealing with the unconscious; therefore you need someone upon whom to project different things to help you work out new relationships, like you do in psychotherapy. Also, there’s the initiatory practice of seeing the guru as the living embodiment of the Buddha when the teachings are transmitted to you. The Tibetans have a proverb: “The best guru is one who lives at least three valleys away,” which means you receive the teaching and some initiatory consecration—and then you don’t hang out with that person to see how ordinary they are!" Robert A.F. Thurman via www,tricycle.org. Professor Thurman also continues with a reading of a humorous anecdote about Śhāriputra from the Vimalakīrti Sūtra to illustrate some common misconceptions about meditation. Professor Thurman's translation of the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśha Sūtra can be found in his book The Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti  online: www.read.84000.co. Meditation &amp; Mistaken Guru Yoga with Gelek Rimpoche - Ep. 13 of the Bob Thurman Podcast is an excerpt from a retreat led by Gelek Rimpoche and Professor Thurman at the Omega Institute in 1987, called Tibetan Love and Compassion. To listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To Learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. Previews are available on the Tibet House US YouTube Channel + Full Archive Recordings from the 2016 + 2017 Annual Retreat at Menla in the THUS Member Archives.  Tibet House US Member Access starts at $2 a Month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by <a href="http://www.ethnosuperlounge.com/eslshop/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&amp;cPath=62_77&amp;products_id=220" target=

Buddhism's Heart Sutra is recited at the start of teachings, events &amp; as a blessing. In this podcast Robert AF Thurman leads a recitation of The Heart Sutra and gives an introduction to it's history. Podcast concludes with Professor Thurman explaining how the practice of reciting The Heart Sutra is the key to understanding it's teaching as a tool for mind transformation. "The Transcendent Wisdom Heart Sutra, known as The Heart Sutra in all Mahayana Buddhist countries, and The Heart of Wisdom in Tibet, is a concise expression of the profound vision of reality that is the root of liberation from suffering. Tibetan religious all know this by heart and chant is solemnly at the beginning of every ceremony. In addition to a prescription for enlightenment, they consider it the most powerful exorcism, purifier, and developer of merit as well of wisdom." Robert A.F. Thurman from Essential Tibetan Buddhism Professor Thurman's translation of the Heart Sutra can be found in his book, Essential Tibetan Buddhism, on page 171, under the chapter heading, "Practicing the Liberating Wisdom." Buddhism 101: Reciting the Heart Sutra - Episode Twelve of the Bob Thurman Podcast Heart Sutra Puzzle Photo by Yu-Chan Chen via www.flickr.com. This podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This episode is an extract from a lecture that Professor Thurman gave at Tibet House US on April 15th, 2015, as part of a lecture series there titled, Essential Tibetan Buddhism, And its Context in Tibet and the World. To watch + listen to more recordings of past events with Robert AF Thurman please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. Learn about joining the Tibet House US Membership Community with a monthly tax-deductible donation by visiting: www.tibethouse.us. Full Access starts at $2 a month. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

Professor Thurman speaks one on one to a student about meditation practices, quiescence (pali: samatha, sanskrit: śhamatha), insight (pali: vipassanā, sanskrit: vipaśhyanā) and meditative realization (bhāvanā). Includes a discussion of the common misunderstandings of the three, and how to use them on the path to enlightenment. "All phenomena of samsara and nirvana come about through cause and effect. This is never fallacious, never false. When we understand this and, in addition, have the underlying, sustaining support of our aiming at inherent existence fall apart, then we have entered the path pleasing to the Buddhas. When we understand voidness, we will no longer have cognition aimed at inherent existence. In this way, the basis for these mistaken cognitions to arise – their sustaining support, which is our grasping for inherent existence – will have fallen apart or disappeared. When we have gained understanding of renunciation, bodhichitta and voidness, through the power of listening to correct teachings on them and then thinking about and analyzing them until we gain conviction their meaning, we then need to devote ourselves single-pointedly to meditating on and realizing them. We need to do with great joyous perseverance as the famous masters of the past have done, for instance the well-known Milarepa (Mi-la Ras-pa), the great Gyalwa Ensapa (rGyal-ba dBen-sa-pa) and his spiritual sons, Kedrub Sanggye Yeshe (mKhas-grub Sangs-rgyas ye-shes), Tsongkhapa’s close disciple, Ngawang Dragpa, and so on. Then we can reach the immemorial goal of enlightenment." HH Dalai Lama &nbsp; This "Meditation &amp; Realization" podcast is apart of the ‘Buddhism 101’ Series using classic teachings from Robert Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. Buddhism 101 : Meditation + Realization - Ep. 11 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Tim Goedhart on Unsplash.