The Index Page provides an outline of the topics discussed in each of the lectures. Click on the links below to go directly to a particular lecture.

Please note: As the tapes were not dated, the lecture dates are approximate.

Lecture 1: The Essence of Buddhism is Compassion

• The perfect human rebirth makes the most of this time
• Visualization of the merit field
• Believing the hallucination of I, action and object is the root of suffering
• The essence of Buddhism is compassion
• Universal responsibility
• The least we can do is stop killing
• The need for compassion
• Dedication

Lecture 2: Buddha Nature

• The lineage lama prayer is tantra
• Our delusions are not one with our buddha nature
• We can develop the infinite qualities of a buddha
• Attachment to this life brings dissatisfaction
• With attachment to this life everything is nonvirtue
• Attaining realizations takes a long time
• Karma: The four suffering results of sexual misconduct
• How often each day do we commit the ten nonvirtues?
• Living in the vows we collect merit continuously
• The merit of keeping one vow is greater than making offerings to all the buddhas
• Oral transmission of the Thirty-Five Buddhas and the Seven Medicine Buddhas
• Dedication

Lecture 3: The Thirty-five Buddhas

• Lineage lamas prayer commentary: The Kadampas
• Attachment is expensive
• Helping others materially is not enough
• The best help is to educate in virtue
• Without positive karma there can be no happiness
• Four things needed for success
• The five types of defeats in breaking vows
• The benefits of prostrating to the Thirty-Five Buddhas
• The meaning of the names of the Thirty-Five Buddhas
• What’s more terrifying, hell or creating negative imprints?
• The meaning of the names of the Thirty-Five Buddhas (Back to)
• Rejoicing in nonvirtue and in virtue
• The meaning of the names of the Thirty-Five Buddhas (Back to)

Lecture 4: Actualizing the Complete Path

• The Requesting Prayer to the Lineage Lamas
• Serkong Dorje Chang
• Seeing the guru as a buddha
• For enlightenment we need the whole path
• Atisha brings Dharma to Tibet
• The lamrim shows the entire path
• The importance of motivation: Four people recite Tara prayers with different motivations
• The importance of motivation: The tantric practitioner who becomes a hungry ghost
• We need to renounce all three realms
• As humans we can understand the cause of happiness
• Meditation on mind as creator
• Meditation on emptiness: We label and believe the label
• Dedication

Lecture 5: THe Door to All Happiness

• We are one, others are countless
• The heat of the hells
• Using problems to generate bodhicitta
• We are one, others are countless (Back to)
• Rinpoche and Montana fish
• The dictator of self-cherishing tells us we are the most important
• Working for others is the door to all happiness
• The disadvantages of self-cherishing
• The minute we cherish others there is peace
• Dedication

Lecture 6: Refuge and Bodhicitta

• The five paths
• After nirvana an arhat is awakened to bodhicitta
• The kindness of others
• Resultant refuge depends on causal refuge
• Remember the wheel of life when we recite refuge
• The suffering of change
• Pervasive compounding suffering
• We get enlightened for all sentient beings
• Mahayana refuge has three causes
• Dedication

Lecture 7: Taming the Mind

• Refuge is an inner change
• The significance of the robes: Subtle impermanence
• We hallucinate a permanent, inherent I
• With emptiness we see everything as like a dream
• The significance of robes: We are in the jaws of the Lord of Death
• The unification of emptiness and dependent arising
• The four noble truths and the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha as doctor, medicine and nurse
• The twelve links and the Rice Seedling Sutra
• The twelve links: The three delusions, two actions and seven results
• Everything comes from the mind
• Dedication

Lecture 8: Everything Exists in Mere Name

• Seeing the pillar depends on labeling the pillar
• Even atoms only exist in mere name
• The oral transmission of Shakyamuni practice: The importance of vows
• The oral transmission of Shakyamuni practice: The preciousness of the perfect human rebirth
• The oral transmission of the lamrim prayer: The lamrim is the essence of the Dharma
• Dedication

Lecture 9: The Path to Cessation

• How can we be free from delusions?
• Geshe Jampa Wangdu
• The eight benefits of prostrations
• Prostrating to holy objects
• The benefits of having holy objects at home
• We need all three objects of refuge to be free from samsara
• The importance of vows
• The refuge ceremony

Lecture 10. The Power of the Holy Object

• The power of the object
• The power of the object: The pig who was reborn in a pure realm
• The power of the object: The fly on the dung
• The power of the object (Back to)
• To practice renunciation in the West, reflect on the entire lamrim
• Dedication

Lecture 11: Prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas

• An extensive bodhicitta motivation from the refuge prayer
• The Thirty-five Buddhas and the four powers
• Khunu Lama Rinpoche
• The meaning of the prostration mudra
• Prostrating
• Ways of doing the Thirty-five Buddhas practice
• Dedication