eB 144 - The Buck Stops Here
EveryBodhi Podcast
We're quick to point a finger at another when anything’s wrong. Sometimes the accusation might even be reasonable, but the point is, we have a tendency to blame others. Passing the buck, though, has a gradual weakening effect on our own mind. In the service of integrity and resilience we must reach the point of exclaiming,“The buck stops here.” Jampal Norbu considers lawsuits, livestock, scapegoats and onion rings in the examination of Lojong verse 34, Do not transfer the dzo’s load onto the ox.
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eB 143 - A Question of Integrity
EveryBodhi Podcast
On the surface, many Lojong verses seem like do-this-don’t-do-that dictates restricting and prohibiting our freedom. These verses are actually friendly cautions alerting us to subtle attitudes that act against our well being. The integrity of our spiritual path depends upon a willingness to leave counterproductive habits behind in the name of true freedom. Jampal Norbu examines integrity in the context of aspiration bodhicitta through verse 33: Do Not Pounce Upon Vulnerability.
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eB 142 - The Best Revenge
EveryBodhi Podcast
We are full of stories. Our whole relative experience can be seen as such, just stories. Stories are helpful in comprehending experience, but stories also confuse our very perceptions. When our sense of self importance writes the narrative, we typically arrive at stories that are corrosive to positive agency, confidence and contentment. Through Lojong we’re encouraged to be aware of who from within is telling the story. Jampal Norbu examines Lojong verse 32: Do Not Wait In Ambush.
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EB 141 - What A Life
EveryBodhi Podcast
There are 59 verses in the root text of Lojong that function as pithy mind training slogans. Each verse is dialed into a specific way that we struggle with our self importance. Through the years on this podcast, we’ve contemplated the verses one-by-one because each verse is worth considering. Sometimes we take a step back to view the bigger picture of how the spiritual path and the practice of Lojong expands relationships. During a trip to New Zealand, Jampal Norbu reflected on that deep appreciation.
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eB 140 - The Great Debate
EveryBodhi Podcast
Humans have used debate for millennia because it effectively exposes assumption, bias and misunderstanding. Most debates these days, though, are undertaken not for the sake of clarity and understanding, but for the sake of argument. In the spirit of argument, the main objective is to win, not to learn or clarify. Argument is ego's conquest in its relentless campaign of self validation. In the spirit of debating argument, Jampal Norbu explores Lojong verse 31-Do Not Be Contentious.
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eB 139 - A Question of Loyalty
EveryBodhi Podcast
Loyalty is a charged concept these days. For some, loyalty is a noble quality. For others, loyalty provokes dismissive disdain, as if it were just another outdated notion. But all of us demonstrate loyalty more often than we might be willing to admit. In this episode, Jampal Norbu reflects on the care and wisdom required to apply loyalty where loyalty is due. This is part 2 of a 2-part examination of Lojong verse 30 - Do not be a loyalist.
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eB 138 - I AM NOT PREDICTABLE
EveryBodhi Podcast
Each of Lojong’s 59 slogans are composed of carefully selected words that can become powerful and reliable resources on the spiritual path. One's own words. Years ago, when Jampal Norbu worked on a Tibetan to English translation of the Lojong verses he was surprised to learn that Trungpa Rinpoche’s well-know translation of Verse 30, “Don’t be so predictable,” was not quite direct or literal. In this episode, Jampal Norbu begins his two part examination of Lojong’s most provocative verse.
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eB 137 - The Thought That Counts
EveryBodhi Podcast
Ego loves attention. It loves to call the shots. Ego even inserts itself into otherwise positive, altruistic actions. The Buddhist tradition of Lojong enables us to refine our practice of self-reflection so that we might observe and remedy ego’s sneakier tactics. In this episode, Jampal Norbu encourages us to find and face the source of true happiness as he examines Lojong Verse 29: Abstain From Toxic Food.
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eB 136 - Adventurous Mindset
EveryBodhi Podcast
Jampal Norbu considers the examined, meaningful life beyond self indulgence and impulse. Our impulsive behavior is dictated by the self important rascal called ego, whose every action results in the five afflictive emotions. The Buddhist practice of Lojong trains us to spot and acknowledge those patterns. Seeing beyond those patterns we discover and appreciate new aspects and abilities within our very own mind. Understanding the verses, “Work with the strongest emotions first,” and “Abandon expectation of fruition,” can lead us there.
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eB 135 - The Land of Dragons
EveryBodhi Podcast
Sit by a riverside in The Kingdom of Bhutan with Jampal Norbu as he reflects on the value of our Buddhist heritage and history. The people, places and surprises encountered along a pilgrim’s trail can illuminate many aspects of study, practice and experience. Lojong too connects us to the genuine heart of the spiritual path and the blessings of all those great aspirants that came before us.
info_outlineJampal Norbu gives a brief introduction to the four kayas, and the significance of emptiness as guardian against samsara’s influence. The fourteenth verse of lojong, “Meditate upon illusory appearance as the four kayas. This is the unsurpassable protection of emptiness” takes the relative understanding of bodhichitta and opens it to the greater implications of just how far this practice can take us. Theme music by Matt Quentin.