Details and Classes
Each class recording is 2 hours and includes an introduction, guided meditation, teaching, Q & A, and concluding remarks.
Purchase Master Class III, All 8 Sessions Here
Session #1 ~ The Radical Joy Cry of the Natural Great Perfection
Emaho! Nothing’s wrong! There is no real problem. If you think there is, think again. Together, let’s take up the joy cry of the Natural Great Perfection - finding ourselves, awakening and being more transparent to our true Selves, to pre- and spontaneous process. Coming home at last, seekers become finders. Just being, nothing doing, at ease and in harmony. Seeing through and being through. Observing the ‘whole great catastrophe’, as Zorba said, while participating in the divine dance. This is the great Way, the truth, and the life.
Session #2 ~ What is BuddhaNature?
What does it mean to be more transparent to and live out our innate BuddhaNature, our original goodness, our best Self? Neither the absolute reality, emptiness, sunyata, nor the relative reality of compassionate manifestations and karma - neither is complete without the other. These are the two facets of bodhicitta, the heart of the bodhisattva, the heart of the Buddha, the engine of the great vehicle, Mahayana. BuddhaNature as potential and BuddhaNature as innate or immanent, ever present and accessible: the oak tree within the acorn.
Session #3 ~ Remaining Balanced in a Topsy-Turvy World: Equanimity (upeksha) and Empathic Joy (mudita) The Four Faces of Buddha’s Love – the divine heartitudes or brahmaviharas - are recognized as boundless, indispensable, and co-creative. Equanimity, loving kindness, compassion and empathic joy make up the heart engine of BuddhaDharma. As informed by prajna wisdom, each undergirds the others. Equanimity - balance, dynamic presence, rather than sluggishness - informs loving kindness. Equanimity or upeksha, not reactive karmic activity, is stabilized, affirmed through empathic joy or mudita. Empathic joy, mudita, is the oft-overlooked brahmavihara – and yet, powerful and ever-present as we look into the essence. In this session we will explore equanimity and empathic joy, in the context of the four heartitudes, Buddha’s love in action, and find our own ways of enlightened activity.
Session #4 ~ Opening the Third Ear - Five Obscurations and Transcendental WisdomIn the Buddha mandala of the five Dhyani Buddhas, the five senses and the five kleshas are recognized as the five gnoses or transcendental wisdoms. The basic obscurations of greed, hatred, delusion, pride and jealousy: how is it that they arise as the five wisdoms - dharmadhatu, mirrorlike wisdom, wisdom of equality, wisdom of discernment, all accomplishing wisdom? The five kleshas serve as intelligence agents, teaching and informing us all along the path, guiding us toward greater clarity, discernment, self-understanding and wisdom. How to see beyond karmic reactivity, toward a way of enlightened living and being? Exploring the five transcendental wisdoms helps us move beyond stuckness, beyond karmic trappings, seeing that shadows are nothing but light, upholding the shining torch of lightbearers in this benighted world.
Session #5 ~ Devotion and Wisdom – Bhakti and Jnana: Two Paths To and Through the Light How do devotional practice and wisdom cultivation work together? The Bhakti (devotion) Path and Jnana (wisdom) Path work in tandem, bringing heart and mind to our practice in body and soul and community. What does devotion ‘look like’, on and off the cushion, in the heart as well as in selfless service? How do devotion and wisdom ‘dance’ together in this precious human life? Let’s explore the dynamic nature of bhakti and jnana, discovering their reciprocity and essence in our avid practice of the Natural Great Perfection.
Due to technical difficulties, this is an audio recording.
Session #6 ~ Buddhist Mysticism – Visions, Epiphanies, Siddhis, Insights and RealizationBuddha said there are eight kinds of siddhis or superpowers that come with spiritual realization. Our tradition emphasizes that these are special effects and not the main story line. Psychic powers and abilities, clairvoyance and healing do arise and take place today, not just in ancient times. In this session, we will explore this rarely understood subject in the context of our lineage and traditions, rich with entertaining and edifying Tibetan teaching tales, moral lessons, Himalayan lore and Buddhist Law.
Session #7 ~ Stepping Up and Stepping Out – Bogdon - Integration and Enhancement
After the ecstasy, comes the laundry, as Buddhist pioneer Jack Kornfield says. Let’s unfurl the victory banner of advanced practice, beyond practice and even meditation, exploring and applying non-meditation, un-meditation, interbeing, and step out as SkyDancers and LightBeings. At that horizon dawns the red sun of crazy wisdom and a higher form of sanity.
Session #8 ~ Living up to Death
We are all going to die, but who is going to truly live? Who dies? What, if anything, is reborn or reincarnated? Here we will get deeper into, not just who dies, but who’s alive? Who are we right now; who do we think we are? What are our own mind-forged manacles, ruts, and self-limitations? Innate BuddhaNature, original goodness, is the secret hidden in plain sight, the Diamond Beyond Price. In the clear light of Reality, nothing happens, everything Is. Dig it, grok it, live it, and be free and well-favored. Emaho!
