Dharma Conversations Podcast

 

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Dharma Conversations is produced by the Younge Drodul Ling Sangha and aims to connect new and experienced practitioners for mutual inspiration, growth and support. Dharma conversations are some of the greatest gifts that we can offer to ourselves and others, drawing out questions that are often unanswered and unexplored. They create wellsprings of reflection and insight in our own life and practice. The conversations that we have shape how we understand ourselves, how we interpret the world, and how we treat each other. They honor the difficulty that we all face and the complexity of what it means to carry the practice into our everyday life. By listening, asking questions and sharing our own experience and struggles, we can open a doorway to meaningful friendship and a supportive community.

Join us for Dharma Conversations, where we pursue wisdom and compassion to awaken inner life, outer life, and life together.

Subscribe and listen to Dharma Conversations now with Apple Podcasts or on whatever podcast player you use.  

Here's one of our recent conversations:

March Meditation Workshop

Meditation Workshop:
Distinguishing Mind and Awareness 

***Remember this Sunday March 8 is also Daylight Savings Time***

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:  Sunday, March 8, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT) Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

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Join us for a weekend workshop on the foundations of the Dzogchen view and meditation. Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection, is the heart essence of all of the Buddha's teachings. These teachings reveal our own true nature in a simple but direct way. Be introduced to the unique Dzogchen view Learn how to recognize and rest in the nature of mind Learn how the practice of resting unfolds to reveal awareness Understand how we stray in the practice and how to eliminate errors in our meditation Share this event on Facebook and Twitter. See you on the cushion!

A metaphor for timeless freedom.

ཡེ་གྲོལ་
Tibetan: ye-drol
English: timeless freedom, liberated since the beginning, eternally free, already free

In Tibetan, there is a common metaphor for understanding the spacious awareness of rigpa, which is that of a thief entering an empty house. The meaning of the metaphor is that the thief has nothing to gain by entering an empty house, and the house has nothing to lose. When we have a decisive experience of resting in rigpa, or open presence, we experience the timeless freedom of that state and understand the significance of the metaphor.

Another way we can understand the metaphor for yedrol or timeless freedom is to imagine a room. The room accommodates everything that is taking place in the room, you might change the furniture around, make a mess, clean up, have fun with your family, or get in a vicious fight. The room accommodates it all. The spaciousness of the room is unchanging and ever-present. Recognize that for a moment, it's also your nature.

From the perspective of open presence, many things happen in our day. We are busy, dealing with problems and challenges. We are interacting with our families, friends, neighbors and community. We sit alone, we sit among others. We are silent, we are talking. We are awake, we are tired, we rest, we move. All of our day plays out in the spacious awareness of rigpa.

This awareness is timelessly free. It has never known bondage and yet within that space we have been tied up in knots and untied ourselves countless times. Distinguishing between mind and rigpa, we can see how this is possible. Mind goes through endless manifestation and fluctuation. Rigpa is beyond mind, it is the open presence in which mind plays itself out endlessly.

Getting caught up in mind, we struggle with ourselves and with the world around us. Recognizing rigpa, we recognize we are already free.

Upcoming Meditation Workshop

Meditation Workshop:
Exploring the Mind

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Sunday, January 12, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PST)  Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

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Join us for a weekend workshop on the practice of vipashyana or insight. Learn how to meditate, ask questions, engage in dialogue with other practitioners. Learn the foundational practices for exploring the inner landscape of your mind, recognizing your own true nature, and setting yourself on a journey of self-discovery and awakening. No prior meditation experience necessary, all students welcome. Be introduced to the key points of exploring the nature of mind Learn how to explore the nature of mind using various techniques Learn how recognize the innate qualities of the nature of mind Understand how we stray in the practice and how to eliminate errors in our meditation Share this event on Facebook and Twitter. See you on the cushion!

Hallmark of the Buddha's teachings.

There are many benefits to meditation- increased attention and self-awareness, decreased reactivity to negative thoughts and emotions, the ability to manage and self-regulate strong emotions, and the ability to work with difficult situations in our life. Each of these benefits is significant and important for developing a healthy mind and for being self-reliant in a challenging world.

The Buddha's teachings rely heavily on meditation, but it is insight into the true nature of your mind that is really the hallmark of the wisdom of the Buddha. The Buddha saw that the key to changing our minds and living a life of great purpose was tied to realizing emptiness or selflessness, or the interconnectedness of all things. This insight into selflessness fundamentally changes our perspective of who we are and the nature of the world around us.

The experience of emptiness or selflessness is not one of loss. It is not a blank void. It is not an experience of aloneness or meaninglessness. The realization of emptiness is also the realization of interconnectedness, which is the experience of fullness. There are many signs that we may experience upon realizing this wisdom of emptiness, such as awe, connection, love, openness, oneness, ineffability. There wisdom itself is utterly beyond description because it is beyond the confines of 'this' or 'that', and 'it is' or 'it is not'.

Even a glimpse of selflessness gives rise to more openness and empathy. Openness encompasses appreciation and receptivity, creativity and imagination, as well as tolerance of others opinions and values. That openness gives rise to more empathy and compassion for others. It engenders kindness, generosity and love for others as we move about our day.

The benefit of realizing the wisdom of selflessness is that it awakens our heart and mind and gives our life a sense of direction and purpose. We can navigate the world with a broader perspective and find space for reconciliation and resolution. All of the problems in the world, all of the conflict, opposition, contradictions; they all arise from taking rigid and confined positions based on our own perspective. Selflessness opens the door to a more inclusive and integrated understanding of the world around us and our place in it. 

There are many benefits to meditation, but the benefits of insight and wisdom into our true nature are even more significant and impactful. They bring benefit not only to our own life, but to the communities and neighborhoods in which we live.

Valid cognition.

How do we know what is true?

Valid cognition or pramana is a whole branch of study in traditional Buddhist training. Broadly speaking, there are two types of valid cognition: inferential and direct perception.

Inferential valid cognition is based on reason and logic. We can come to an authentic understanding of phenomena through reason and logic. You can study a system like the human body, understand how it works, all of its parts and pieces, and develop a lot of confidence in that understanding based on examination and analysis.

Direct perception (DP) is presented as four categories, but for our purposes understanding two is sufficient: sensory direct perception and yogic direct perception. Sensory DP is valid cognition based on one's sensory experience. You can learn about the differences between cabernet and pinot noir by reading and studying (inferential valid cognition), but this understanding is quite inferior to actually tasting the wine and discovering the differences based on your own experience. Notice however, that sensory and inferential valid cognition can actually serve to deepen and refine your understanding by mutually supporting each other.

Yogic DP is a non-conceptual valid cognition that directly perceives the true nature of phenomena. This type of valid cognition is reserved for practitioners in a deep meditative state that is free from conceptual elaboration or emotional turbulence. This awareness has a lucid clarity and is completely calm. It is with this lucid awareness that we can explore the inner landscape of the mind or the play of dependent origination. Because such a mind is free from limiting perceptions or biased reference points, it is considered the highest form of valid cognition.

As a practitioner traveling on the path of meditation, it is important to understand the significance of these two forms of valid cognition. Logic and reasoning have their place in your practice, as Ju Mipham describes "giving rise to the approximate ultimate." But this is not to be confused for the actual ultimate reality, which is solely the domain of yogic direct perception.

November Meditation Workshop

Meditation Workshop:
Bringing the Mind to Rest

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:  Sunday, November 24, 2019 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM (PST)  Phinney Neighborhood Center Brick Building- Room 32 6532 Phinney Ave N Seattle, WA 98103 View Map

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Join us for a weekend workshop on the stages of meditation. Learn how to meditate, ask questions, engage in dialogue with other practitioners. Learn the foundational practices for calming your mind, recognizing your own nature, and cultivating your own personal practice. No prior meditation experience necessary, all students welcome. Be introduced to the key points of meditation Learn how to bring the mind to rest using various techniques Learn how recognize the innate qualities of the nature of mind Understand how we stray in the practice and how to eliminate errors in our meditation Location details for Phinney Neighborhood Center We are located in the lower Brick building at the Phinney Neigborhood Center. Parking is available for free onsite in both the upper lot by the Blue building, and in the lower lot by the Brick building. Meditation cushions and chairs will be available for use.

Upcoming Meditation Workshop: Heart of Awakening

Meditation Workshop:
Heart of Awakening

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:  Sunday, September 22, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT) Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

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Join us for a weekend workshop on giving rise to the heart of awakening, or bodhicitta. Learn how to meditate, ask questions, engage in dialogue with other practitioners. Learn the foundational practices for the practice of compassion and how these practices shape how we move through the world, what inspires and guides us, and how to live a life well lived.   No prior meditation experience necessary, all students welcome. Understand the human predicament and our shared experience of suffering Learn how self-awareness leads to the practice of compassion and love Learn how to practice Tonglen and work with the art of compassion Understand how the practice of bodhicitta guides us on our journey of awakening

September Meditation Workshop

Meditation Workshop:
Heart of Awakening

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:  Sunday, September 22, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT)  Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

Attend Event

Share this event:

Join us for a weekend workshop on giving rise to the heart of awakening, or bodhicitta. Learn how to meditate, ask questions, engage in dialogue with other practitioners. Learn the foundational practices for the practice of compassion and how these practices shape how we move through the world, what inspires and guides us, and how to live a life well lived.  No prior meditation experience necessary, all students welcome. Understand the human predicament and our shared experience of suffering Learn how self-awareness leads to the practice of compassion and love Learn how to practice Tonglen and work with the art of compassion Understand how the practice of bodhicitta guides us on our journey of awakening

Upcoming Meditation Workshop: Exploring the Mind

Meditation Workshop:
Exploring the Mind

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Sunday, August 4, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT) Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

Attend Event

Share this event:

Join us for a weekend workshop on the vipashyana or insight. Learn how to meditate, ask questions, engage in dialogue with other practitioners. Learn the foundational practices for exploring the inner landscape of your mind, recognizing your own true nature, and setting yourself on a journey of self-discovery and awakening. No prior meditation experience necessary, all students welcome. Be introduced to the key points of exploring the nature of mind Learn how to explore the nature of mind using various techniques Learn how recognize the innate qualities of the nature of mind Understand how we stray in the practice and how to eliminate errors in our meditation

Meditation Workshop: Bringing the Mind to Rest

Meditation Workshop:
Bringing the Mind to Rest

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Sunday, July 7, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT) Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

Attend Event

Share this event:

Join us for a weekend workshop on the stages of meditation. Learn how to meditate, ask questions, engage in dialogue with other practitioners. Learn the foundational practices for calming your mind, recognizing your own nature, and cultivating your own personal practice. No prior meditation experience necessary, all students welcome. Be introduced to the key points of meditation Learn how to bring the mind to rest using various techniques Learn how recognize the innate qualities of the nature of mind Understand how we stray in the practice and how to eliminate errors in our meditation

Register Today: Meditation Retreat with Younge Khachab Rinpoche

Dzogchen Introduction and Instruction

Rinpoche will be giving a Dzogchen introduction and teaching his terma text entitled “The Three Ah’s”, which directly introduce our own pure awareness or rigpa. Rinpoche will be presenting these teachings from the point of view of one’s practice based on his own extensive contemplation and experience. This is a rare opportunity to receive teachings and instruction from a true Dzogchen master.

May 4 - 5, 2019

10am to 5pm

Wise Orchid Taijiquan and QiGong

2002 E Union St, Seattle, WA 98122

• $150.00 – Program Price

Register Now

Younge Khachab Rinpoche

Younge Khachab Rinpoche is a highly accomplished Dzogchen master and non-sectarian, or Rime scholar. He was educated at Ganden Jangtse Monastery where he received his Geshe degree. He was also appointed as the Khenpo of the Kagyu Monastery Thagten Nyingje Ling in Boudhnath where he taught for several years. He has studied widely with the top masters in the Kagyu, Nyingma, Gelug, Sakya and Bon traditions. 

Rinpoche’s style of teaching is direct, warm and engaging, extensive yet practical. He is accessible and takes a personal interest in his students’ progress. Rinpoche currently makes his home in the United States.

April Meditation Workshop

Meditation Workshop:
Resting in the Nature of Mind

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:  Sunday, April 14, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PDT)  Wise Orchid Taijiquan & Qigong 2002 East Union Street Seattle, WA 98122 View Map

Attend Event

Share this event:

Join us for a weekend workshop on the foundations of the Dzogchen view and meditation. Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection, is the heart essence of all of the Buddha's teachings. These teachings reveal how we can live more deeply in the world in a simple but direct way. Be introduced to the unique Dzogchen view Learn how to recognize and rest in the nature of mind Learn how the practice of resting unfolds to reveal pure presence Understand how we stray in the practice and how to eliminate errors in our meditation No prior meditation experience necessary, advanced students welcome. See you on the cushion! Greg