Family, aka Our Holiday 'Dharma Lab'

This time of year can be difficult for many -- obligatory family gatherings, stress, pressure, stale relationships, contrived cheer, awkward communications, discomfort. But consider: perhaps there's no more fertile setting for meaningful Dharma practice -- and the profound rewards that accompany it -- than with and within our own families.   -- Herein, a tale in which a modern day Bodhisattva provides thoughtful perspectives regarding some not-so-uncommon holiday challenges . . .  (Length: 16 minutes) Presented by Mark Winwood, an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University (Boulder, CO) and founder of the Chenrezig Project, with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega in collaboration with Chris Rossbach. contact: [email protected]

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 Years ago, a Tibetan craftsman created the Thangka for her, presenting a luminous Gautama Buddha surrounded by empowering deities and Dharma protectors. She's spent abundant meditative hours in the Thangka's presence; fondly sitting with it, adoring and appreciating it as one would a most precious friend. In all their time together, the Buddha had remained Nobly silent, never audibly speaking to her . . . until today.  (Length: 12 minutes) Written and presented by Mark Winwood, a faculty member at Naropa University in Boulder, CO  and founder of the Chenrezig Project, with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega. contact: [email protected]  

Call it what you will: enlightenment, realization, awakening, illumination, profound maturity, sageness, bliss . . . noble and empowering . . . brilliant and humble . . . courageous and practical . . . the 'stuff' of poetry.   Cultivating the enlightening mind is, for those who venture in its direction with diligence and authenticity, an adventurous journey on the path toward that which is most profoundly -- and exquisitely -- down-to-earth.  (Length: 11 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood, on the teaching faculty at Naropa University (Boulder CO)  and the founder of the Chenrezig Project ([email protected]) with musical accompaniment by San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.  

Ignorance, Anger, Confusion, Greed, Jealousy, Arrogance, Cynical Doubt, Laziness, Wrong Views, Low Self Esteem, Fear. In Buddhism these are known as Kleshas, mental hindrances that cloud our mind, setting the stage for unwholesome (i.e., self-centered) intentional actions. They are stubborn -- sneaky, lurking -- like highway robbers, always ready to pounce . . . contaminating our perspectives while bringing about unfavorable moods and vulnerabilities. But they are transient . . . just thoughts, and so . . . enter Lojong (Tibetan mind training). (Length: 12 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project ([email protected]) with musical accompaniment by San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.

We often cannot change our external environment. We certainly cannot change many (or most) of the people we encounter. But Mindfulness practice can lead us to clearly 'see' -- and help us to genuinely understand -- what is happening in the present moment (i.e., as it is happening) rather than being confused and/or lost in our thoughts, opinions and reactions. Through experiential mindfulness, we can insightfully change in remarkable ways. And consider: once we are changed, everything changes. (Length: 17 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project ([email protected]) with musical accompaniment by San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.

From a divine 17th century French Canadian cathedral . . .  to a young couple presenting Medicine Buddha-oriented offerings in the midst of northern Colorado's 'Rawah Wilderness' -- a tale of bountiful faith and practice touching distant times and realms. (Length: 14 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project ([email protected]), with musical accompaniment by San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega in collaboration with Chris Rossbach.

"Tonglen" is a Tibetan term that implies 'exchanging oneself with others’. It refers to a meditation practice found in Himalayan/Mahayana Buddhism which allows the awakening of genuine compassion. "Tong" translates as 'giving or sending', and "len" as 'receiving or taking.' Tonglen practice is experiential; it gradually wears away our habitually obsessive grasping at a false sense of self (e.g., stubborn ego fixation / relentless identification with the personality). Through meditative visualization(s), Tonglen effectively reverses our familiar pattern of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. As this occurs, we finally liberate ourselves from the deeply rooted  -- and destructive -- prison of selfishness. (Length: 45 minutes. Included herein: Tonglen discussion followed by a guided meditation which begins at approximately 20 minutes.) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project ([email protected]).

Reflections on Buddhist Dharma, Indra’s Jewel Net and the Trees with which we share our planet . . . as metaphor for the vast intra-connectedness of phenomena, ideas and life. Since all things are intimately -- and infinitely -- intertwined with one another, every action is echoed throughout time and space, creating a butterfly effect across the cosmos . . . and practically, within each moment of our experience(s). Let your contemplative imagination take wing . . .  (Length: 14 minutes) Written by Mark Winwood and presented here by Kathy Ambrose, both of the Chenrezig Project.  Accompanying music composed and performed by the renowned San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega, joined by the Turtle Island String Quartet.

For your contemplation: Appreciative thoughts and kindness-empowering visualizations are shared in this gentle meditation. As the River flows . . .  May all beings be happy -- May all beings be safe -- May all beings be well -- May all beings be peaceful and at ease. Sit comfortably, focus, center . . . approach and enter your meditative mind.  Or simply listen.  (Length: 28 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project.

It is auspicious awareness for Dharma practitioners to remain mindful of how each of our lifetime's event/moments present opportunities for empowering wisdom to arise and abide. Then, as insights blossom, long-held perspectives and self-oriented attitudes, no longer useful or relevant, may transform in vastly unexpected ways. Consider: the flourishing of these insights -- and how we engage with them -- depends on no one but ourselves. (Length: 13 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project with accompanying music composed and performed by the San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.