The Middle Way Initiative is an educational nonprofit Buddhist organization that supports and encourages spirited conversation around the Buddha’s most essential teachings.
Live Stream & In-Person at Phuntsok Choling in Ward, CO
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dungse Jampal Norbu & Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel. Special Guest: Pema Chödrön.
In this nine-day annual summer seminar, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dungse Jampal Norbu, and Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel teach the Three Yanas of Tibetan Buddhism. The Three Yanas – Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana – encompass the entire Buddhist path from the Four Noble Truths to the Sacred World of the Vajrayana.
This gathering is a precious opportunity to deepen our connection with the beloved Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, who will guide us through the wisdom of Bodhicitta — the intelligent and compassionate heart at the core of the Mahayana path.
Este encontro é uma preciosa oportunidade de aprofundamento com a querida Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, que nos guiará pela sabedoria da Bodhicitta — o coração inteligente e compassivo que está no cerne do caminho Mahayana.
In this episode, Elizabeth opens up the topic of ‘engaged’ bodhicitta focusing on generosity. She weaves her experience of her recent trip to India with the story of Sujata, the young woman remembered for reviving Prince Siddhartha after his six years of austerities. Sujata offered him a bowl of sweet milk-rice, reviving his body with energy, enabling him to make his way to the Bodhi Tree, to attain enlightenment and become the Buddha. What happens when we conspire together to release generosity into life?
In episode 601, Across the Valley, Elizabeth uses the analogy of two communities situated on opposite sides of the valley where she lives to consider our tendencies towards fundamentalism and rightness. “What happens” she asks, “when everyone feels absolutely right?” The Bodhisattva Vow is a commitment to create connection with others, without bias, by looking inward at the mechanisms of reification, and then applying the Buddha’s Middle Way Beyond The Extremes.
In this episode Elizabeth reflects upon the provocative poem composed by the renowned contemporary teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, entitled, “Looking Into the World.”
“It’s not a cozy poem,” says Elizabeth, “It’s a reflection on loneliness. It is an incantation to distrust. It is a tribute to the freedom and confidence that comes from standing on our own two feet.” Put your familiar and conventional views aside for this wonderful exploration.
What can we do when the suffering of the world gets overwhelming? In this weekend program, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel will explore the inspiring story of Avalokiteshvara, a great being who realized the essence of the Buddhist path, called the Way of the Bodhisattva.
Elizabeth will use Avalokiteshvara’s story as a basis for personalizing the methods and liberating insight of the bodhisattva path. Does bringing inquisitiveness to our own impediments necessarily have to be painful? Could it be freeing instead? How does this path help us create grace in our lives?
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Bodhisattvas understand the human predicament. While striving to relieve the suffering of all beings, they know that our dynamic world can never be brought to a static state of peaceful equilibrium. As aspiring bodhisattvas, how can we develop a big enough heart and mind to embrace this paradox? How can we engage with both the pain and beauty of life in a healthy way? We will have a weekend to ponder these questions with Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel.
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Recordings available for the OQ Live Conversation: “The Perfection of Wisdom” with Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo.
Making an early entrance into Vajrayana Buddhism as a nun, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo has paved the way for modern Western yoginis and yogins alike. As a teacher, she encourages us, both through her example and teachings, that if we engage dharma training full-heartedly, accomplishment is sure to take hold in us. I am looking forward to joining Jetsuma in conversation and ask her about her life and the teachings on the Perfection of Wisdom.
“The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind Toward the Dharma” from “Walking the Path of the Six Paramitas” Talk 1. May 29-30, 2021. Osel Ling, Crestone, CO.
“Os Quatro Pensamentos que Direcionam a Mente para o Dharma” de “Trilhando o Caminho das Seis Paramitas” Palestra 1. 29 a 30 de maio de 2021. Osel Ling, Crestone, CO.
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