Wisdom and Compassion Lama Lekshe

Challenging times can be the best times to practice. Suffering is compelling, so you might find that resting awareness on your experience is easier than when things are going well. This episode has a longish riff on how to find a teacher and how you know when you've met a true teacher. 

This is a brief guided meditation on the stages of dying or 'bardos.' In Buddhism, the term 'bardo' typically refers to the intermediate state between death and rebirth; though it can refer to any transition. The most well-known and elaborated upon teachings on the bardo come from texts like the Tibetan Book of the Dead (also known as the Bardo Thodol), which is a key text in the Nyingma tradition.
The Bardo teachings often outline various stages or phases that the consciousness of a deceased person passes through, providing guidance on how to navigate these states and ultimately attain a favorable rebirth or liberation from the cycle of existence (samsara). The meditations on the Bardo are designed to help practitioners prepare for death, navigate the intermediate state, and possibly attain enlightenment. This particular meditation is quite short and has just a few such details on each stage. 

Why would I experiment of holding a view if I am not sure it's true? This experiment can cause you to learn something beyond your current knowing—through direct experience. No belief is required. Just hold a new view, and see how it impacts your thoughts, speech and actions. If you like the effects, continue holding the view. If not, you can always try it again later—or not! 

You know those rumors you heard about Tibetan Buddhism? Listen and see if they are true. Any time we adopt a custom, philosophy or tradition from another culture, we're bound to misinterpret a few things. This talk unravels a few of the veils of misunderstanding surrounding Tibetan Buddhism, shedding light on misconceptions that sometimes obscure its profound teachings. 

The mindful recitation of Seven-Branch Prayer, which is often done inside another practice—like Green Tara, for example— epitomizes all the practices of gathering the accumulations as well as the purification of harmful deeds, thoughts, or speech and also of obscurations. All the major points of practice are present in the Seven Branches. Each of the branches antidotes a specific obstacle in practice. There is a reference in this episode to the Four Powers, also, which is a framework for confession, since confession is one of the Seven Branches. 

Step into a space of introspection and compassionate inquiry as you embark on a contemplative journey through the landscape of global conflict. 
If you are an experienced practitioner of Tonglen, you already understand its profound power to use suffering as a springboard for compassion; to allow fear to be a foundation for courage, and for contemplation of conflict to blossom into a wider and deeper understanding. Today, we'll practice beyond the boundaries of our personal experiences and into the expansive realm of global discord.
Together, in quiet reflection, acknowledging the complexities and pain woven into the fabric of our world, we breathe in suffering with the compassionate wish to take it on. With each mindful breath, we will draw in the collective suffering of those embroiled in conflicts near and far, feeling the weight of their struggles, their hopes, and their fears as they mingle with our own breath.
And then, as we exhale, we us offer boundless compassion and healing energy to all beings affected by strife and discord, visualizing rays of light emanating from your body, reaching out to touch the lives of those caught in the throes of conflict. With each exhale, offer whatever is needed to heal and soothe. if you have peace, send it all, without any exclusion. 

As you navigate through this contemplative session, stay grounded in the present moment, noticing whatever arises in your experience, allowing sensations to arise and pass without judgement or commentary. Trust in the innate wisdom of your heart to guide you through this journey of profound interconnectedness and the learning of direct experience, free from storyline.
As usual, after using this guided audio a few times, move to Tonglen without any audio so you can rest all attention on your direct experience, unimpeded by words.
The music for this episode is “Starlight” - by Podington Bear of Portland, Oregon - Thanks to composer Chad Crouch. Support Chad here.