The Skeptical Buddhist

Disbelief, Wariness, Incredulity . . .  There are many Mahayana Buddhist perceptions and perspectives, notions and insights, practices and methodologies that on the (worldly/samsaric) surface initially might not make sense . . . ideas requiring an open mind in order to penetrate and allow the practical understandings that arouse our curiosity and interest sufficient to lean-in abit and engage -- bringing deeper learning, more penetrating contemplative experiences . . . and progressively awakening moments. For your consideration . . . a questioning mind is an essential catalyst for both intellectual alertness and developing confidence in one's spiritually innate qualities.   (Length: 18 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood, a member of the teaching faculty at Naropa University (Boulder, CO) with accompanying music composed and performed by the San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.  contact: [email protected]

Ongoing advances in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), most recently -- and explosively -- led by China's DeepSeek scientists, have stunned the tech/financial world in ways splashed about as pivotal 'wake-up' or 'Sputnik' moments. Certainly, we live in rapidly shifting times . . . but perhaps there ARE things more practically meaningful than global/political/market cyber-tech developments. For your consideration: here's a brief discussion of what -- beyond the epochal A.I. algorithms -- authentically engaged, high-performance 'DeepSeek'ing Dharma can awaken/manifest in each of us . . . compliments of our very own human Mind. (Length: 14 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood, a member of the teaching faculty at Naropa University (Boulder, CO), with accompanying music composed and performed by the San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.  contact: [email protected]

Visualize a vast railroad terminal resembling New York's Grand Central Station, with freshly deceased people entering all the time, mulling around, eventually trudging from the station waiting room toward the track on which their departure train sits, ready to take them on the journey through the Bardo of Becoming to their next rebirth. Consider: While we will all be there one day, the specific train for which each of us is ticketed differs, and the experiences of our time upon it -- as well as the individual conditions awaiting at our destination -- are not randomly assigned or determined. Rather, they are earned by us -- moment-by-moment. It's classic, big picture, end-of-life Cause-and-Effect . . . based upon the Why's and How's of what we've done in days past. (Length: 10 minutes) Written by Mark Winwood, a member of the teaching faculty at Naropa University (Boulder, CO), with accompanying music composed and performed by the San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega. Read by Kathy Ambrose. contact: [email protected]

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]).