The Vajrayana Art of Joie de Vivre (Link #765)

Speaker: Michael Velasco. Michael recounts the early days of becoming a student of Mangala Shri Bhuti, and a series of auspicious coincidences he encountered before meeting his teacher. Unsuspecting of what was to come, Michael shares how he has been the beneficiary of myriad opportunities to fully enter the path including pilgrimages, living in India and spending his life in service. He expresses deep gratitude for how fully the Dharma has transformed his life through the extraordinary generosity of his teacher's efforts to "increase his capacity" over the years. Having been given these gifts, including the gift of self-reflection, he realizes he can now relax into the tremendous opportunity to transform his mind on this noble path of the Bodhisattva.

Speaker: Joey Waxman. Joey reflects on Rinpoche's book, It's Up to You, asking why we resist seeing ourselves as ordinary. We cling to self-importance seeking comfort, resources, and reputation while fearing loss, discomfort, or criticism. This clinging arises from the belief in a fixed self. If dismantled, we uncover our Buddha-nature, which is the same as the Buddha's, and see our connection to all beings, even insects, without hierarchy. When obscurations fall away, we gain the freedom to benefit others with creativity and joy. The path begins with self-reflection: look deeply in the mirror and you may discover you are gazing at the body of a Buddha.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse Jampal Norbu examines how we let go of holding onto principles and concepts in order to enter into an authentic relationship with how things appear, and therefore act from a place of harmony. Investment in our personal principles and ideas can become neurotic, preventing us from relating with a flexible frame of mind to the interdependent nature of our experience. For example, in valuing generosity, we might expect it to be reflected in the world around us in a particular way. Dungse-la encourages us to be uncompromising with our ego attachments and value bodhicitta as a basic principle, which provides us with a skillful means to respond to life's specific situations.

Speaker: Polly Banerjee-Gallagher. Polly explores how deeply-rooted habits can block our ability to appreciate the blessings of practice. Drawing from Rinpoche's book Diligence and teachings from the 2023 Shedra, Polly discusses the four key factors shaping positive and negative habits. She explains their fluid and dynamic nature and our power to change them. The Dharma offers tools like Lojong slogans, prayer and mantras to support this work. Polly concludes the talk with a reflection on the Four Reliances of the Kadampa tradition, highlighting their guidance in cultivating habits that support our Dharmic journey.

Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. In this LINK, originally given on February 5, 2017 from Crestone, Colorado, Rinpoche explains how we can cultivate happiness though the practice of bodhicitta and serving others.

Speaker: Scott Gallagher. Scott describes how he accommodates the powerful imagery and energy of a space like Tara Dzong, where he was recently in retreat. He shares how he normally thinks of himself as a solitary being on the path with a small view, but his experiences have revealed a much larger world that is available to him. In retreat, Scott recognized the many different forces at play in his life, leaving him with a valuable reminder that, even if he cannot see them, these forces can have a significant impact on his life moving forward.

Speaker: Jennifer Shippee. Jennifer expounds on how all sentient beings, without exception, are connected in their desire to be happy and to avoid the pain of suffering. Jennifer invites us to contemplate equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy on a daily basis. By establishing a deep familiarity with the bodhisattva vow and the four immeasurables contemplation, how we relate to the world will naturally shift.

Speaker: Sarah Ellsworth. Sarah shares how the Dharma informs and enriches her work as a nurse and midwife. Although shift work and long hours can make it challenging to maintain a consistent meditation practice, her professional life offers profound opportunities for spiritual growth. She reflects on how her contemplations of the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind Towards the Dharma are vividly present in her daily work. Sarah describes how the Dharma softens and ripens the heart and mind, which has lead to a deep sense of contentment and happiness in her personal relationships. The inner shift that Dharma brings not only transforms one's own experience but also creates space for those around us to change and grow as well.

Speaker: Katherine Teahen. Katherine recounts the sights and sounds of a pilgrimage she made to Tibet thirty years ago, reflecting on how the journey profoundly transformed her relationship with the Dharma. Drawing from her journal entries written during the trip, she offers a vivid portrayal of the sacred sites she visited. Her time spent in caves and shrines associated with great masters such as Vimalamitra, Guru Rinpoche, and Longchenpa became moments of deep connection with the lineage and teachings. By retracing her steps to Lhasa and sharing these reflections, Katherine hopes to inspire other practitioners to embark on their own pilgrimages and deepen their spiritual practice.

Speaker: Dungse Jampal Norbu. Dungse-la shares open questions he is exploring on how to develop genuine confidence in our own direct experience of life in a world full of contrasting information. He describes the complexity of making a commitment to the path amidst contemporary discourses overloaded with opinions. Rather than providing answers, he offers a few questions for reflection including, (1) How do we reconcile the universal insights of Dharma with our culturally conditioned narratives, including those shaped by culture, family, and personal identity? (2) How can we have genuine confidence in our experience in an age dominated by relativism, where our experience is constantly questioned by cultural trends and competing worldviews? (3) How do we cultivate a healthy sense of self that is not rooted in ego clinging?