A 'Holiday' Dharma Tale (aka 'There's Nothing the Mind Can't be Trained to Do')

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: 17 minutes) Written and shared here 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]

Ignorance, Anger, Confusion, Greed, Jealousy, Arrogance, Cynical close-mindedness, Laziness, Disturbances, Wrong views, Low self-esteem, Fear . . .  *** In Buddhism they are known as Kleshas, mental hindrances that cloud our mind, setting the stage for unwholesome (i.e., self-grasping sourced) intentions and actions. Unwelcome stimulants, they are persistent -- sneaky, lurking, powerful -- like highway robbers, always ready to pounce . . . contaminating our perspectives while bringing about unfavorable moods, motivations and vulnerabilities. But, while cunningly virulent, their nature is impermanently transient . . . they're just thoughts; fleeting, here one moment then gone the next, at times stubborn but neither fruitful or necessary. Significantly, each of us holds the means of disempowering our Kleshas' destructive effects: embark on the path of Lojong, the contemplative and empoweringly practical 12th century Tibetan/Mahayana mind trainings. All are welcome. (Length: 12 minutes) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Written and shared here by Mark Winwood, a member of the teaching faculty of Naropa University in Boulder, CO ([email protected]), with musical accompaniment by San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega. Note: Naropa is not involved with these Elegant Mind podcasts.

"Omniscience" -- defined by Merriam-Webster as "having infinite awareness, understanding and insight; possessed of universal or complete knowledge." Otherwise known in our Mahayana perspectives as perfectly evolved wisdom, compassion and a  complete understanding of everything that could ever be understood in order to fully awaken; to become a brilliantly pure 'helper' of other beings . . . aka Buddhahood. Fact or fiction?  Fairy tale, wishful thinking or Buddhist contemplative mind-science?  Is this each sentient beings' (yes, including yours) attainable potential, our embryonic "True Nature" . . . or an imaginatively egoistic dream-scape?   Some are doubtful, others skeptical or cynical, and then there's those who simply knee-jerk into ridiculing the notion. But perhaps -- for the thoughtful -- doubt serves as a prolific gateway along the path . . .  (Length: 13 minutes) The Elegant Mind is shared here by Mark Winwood, a member of the teaching faculty at Naropa University in Boulder, CO with accompanying music composed and performed by the San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.  (contact: [email protected])  

Direct Experiential Realization, often identified in Buddhist thought as requisite 'kin' to the Awakening Mind; slippery to describe with words alone . . . not referring to intellectual understandings or belief systems, perhaps best understood as authentic, unmediated experience(s) of reality. Join us in an accessible discussion of Direct (and Indirect) Realizations; we unpack 'wisdom' notions from the Heart Sutra; the non-dual perspectives reflected within the Avatamsaka (aka Flower Garland) Sutra's allegory of Indra's vast, multi-dimensional jeweled Net, the role of intellect and related practical how-to's included-in and emerging-from Shamatha (calm abiding) and Vipassana (insight) meditation practices. (Length: 25 minutes) The Elegant Mind is 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])  

For your consideration: core Buddhist philosophy, primarily focusing on the Four Noble Truths (including the Eightfold Path) and the authentic learning/empowerment(s) of direct experience. -- Includes a discussion on the Dukkha-provoking, mistaken-views/notions of ‘Self', practical thoughts on karmic inclinations, Nirvana and the 'Sixteen Aspects of the Four Noble Truths', a teaching said to have been shared by Asanga, the influential Buddhist philosopher in the 4th century CE. (Length: 25 minutes) The Elegant Mind is presented by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega. Please send along comments, questions, etc. to [email protected].  Thank you.   

'TEACHERS' (aka those we learn from) . . . are everywhere, and always have been. Consider the people you've encountered while traveling along the path(s) of your life -- both in your past and those who are here now. Try to clear your mind of feelings of attachment and/or aversion and ask yourself, with an openly honest heart: “What has this person and/or situation taught me? How have they influenced me, enabling me to be the best person I am today?" Be patient with this, allow contemplation . . . perhaps you will experience an expanding clarity through which you see and appreciate your teachers (and yourself) with increasing -- and profoundly empowering -- understanding(s). (Length: 13 minutes) The Elegant Mind is presented by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega. Please send along comments, questions, etc. to [email protected].  Thank you.   

Can cultivating genuine kindness and compassion actually make/keep us physically healthier? Stress-created/supported  chronic inflammation is a stubborn low-level attack on our body, it causes significant wear-and-tear over time and is linked to many diseases (i.e., heart disease, diabetes, etc.) as well as some neuro-degenerative conditions. But what if a collection of consistent Tibetan Buddhist mind-training contemplative/meditative methodologies  ('Lojong') could actually lower our oft-automatic inflammatory responses to various everyday stressors . . . cultivating and maintaining authentically greater, deeper physical health? Ancient Wisdom practices > Modern Psychology > Physiological Medicine . . .  Interconnectedly powerful?  For your consideration . . .  (Length: 14 minutes) The Elegant Mind is 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])  

A brief, accessible and practical discussion on Forgiveness: Compassion's unsung -- and often misunderstood -- hero. Far from being a sign of weakness or acceptance of wrongdoing (which is often how so many people instinctively view it), forgiveness isn't about ignoring suffering or condoning harmful misdeeds, nor is it weak or powerless. Forgiveness is a courageous, sometimes difficult mind/heart-felt activity that enables us to let go of stubbornly abiding fear, anger and resentment . . . and here's the 'thing': we don't forgive for any other person's sake, but profoundly for our own Benefit, our own Freedom, our own Well-being, our own best 'Is-ness'. (Length: 16 minutes) The Elegant Mind is 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]

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) The Elegant Mind is 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) The Elegant Mind is 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]