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Why We Should Do Good Things

It’s one thing to do good actions like giving because someone told you to do it or because you think it would be nice to. It’s quite another thing to give because you understand why. Lama Marut in this podcast goes into the emptiness of the “three spheres” of giving – and therefore why such an action works in beneficial ways to yourself. Understanding how things are really working can magnify the benefits of one’s good deeds. This is the way to enlightenment – knowing that karma itself is empty and just a projection like everything else.

This podcast comes from a “Dharma Essentials” course on the Diamond Cutter Sutra taught in Los Angeles in April, 2007

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

Why We See Things The Way We Do

Using the example of a pen, Lama Marut shows how it is empty -- there’s something not there we thought was there. There’s no “pen-ness” to a pen, that is, no essence. It can’t exist “out there,” objectively or inherently, as a pen. It is not a pen until we conceptualise and label it as a pen. And all things exist only like that. But what causes us to label the things in the world the way we do? And how can we change those causes such that we would be forced to conceptualise our world and everything in it as perfect?

This podcast comes from a “Dharma Essentials” course on the Diamond Cutter Sutra taught in Los Angeles in April, 2007.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

Suffering Beings Aren't 'Out There'

The highest form of compassion or “bodhicitta” is divided into its “deceptive” and “ultimate” forms. The former is the wish to help alleviate the suffering of the beings who appear in our world. But ultimate bodhicitta is a transformative mystical experience that allows us to understand that there are no suffering beings who exist in any other way than as projections coming from us. This is the “good news” or “gospel” of emptiness: all things can be changed because all things are empty of having any nature of their own.

This podcast comes from a “Dharma Essentials” course on the Diamond Cutter Sutra taught in Los Angeles in April, 2007.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

There's Something Missing Here

Understanding emptiness is the key to changing our lives quickly. But what does it mean? Something you thought was there isn’t there. This is the essence of wisdom: things don’t exist the way they seem to. Lama Marut in this segment explores the example of an irritating person – someone we think exists as such from their own side, intrinsically or inherently – and shows that an essentially irritating person is impossible.

This podcast comes from a “Dharma Essentials” course on the Diamond Cutter Sutra taught in Los Angeles in April, 2007.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

Riding the Tiger of Guru Yoga and Getting in Touch with Your Inner Sadhu

Finding and learning how to think about the spiritual teacher is one of the high practices of yoga which are designed to work very fast. . . because it is so dangerous. Lama Marut here urges us not to domesticate the tiger that is your practice by making it safe. The purpose of one’s spiritual life is not to try to fit into samsara better. Rather, we must think of ourselves as alienated rebels, like the sadhus of traditional India.

This podcast comes from teachings on the philosophy of yoga given in Vancouver, Canada, in March, 2008.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

Guided Meditation: Seven Steps to Achieving Ultimate Compassion

In this culmination of the last several podcasts on the seven steps for generating the highest form of compassion, “bodhicitta” or the determination to reach perfection so that you can bring all other beings to that state, Lama Marut leads a guided meditation through all the steps.

This podcast was extracted from a set of teachings on compassion given at a retreat in South Lake Tahoe, California, over Thanksgiving weekend, 2007.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

Part 2: Seven Steps to Achieving Ultimate Compassion

This podcast concludes the overview of the classic seven-step cause and effect method for generating bodhicitta (“spiritual O.C.D.”). After a review of “step zero” (equalizing all beings) and step one (thinking of all beings as your mother), we continue to steps two (recollecting what your mother in this life has done for you), three (feeling deep indebtedness to your mother and all mother beings and the wish to repay them), four (the wish that all your mothers be happy), five (compassion for their suffering), six (taking personal responsibility for their welfare), and finally step seven, which is the determination to get enlightened as soon as possible in order to save all mother sentient beings.

This podcast was extracted from a set of teachings on compassion given at a retreat in South Lake Tahoe, California, over Thanksgiving weekend, 2007

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

Part 1: Seven Steps to Achieving Ultimate Compassion

The classic seven-step cause and effect method for achieving true compassion begins with “step zero.” We first try to gain equanimity, thinking that all beings (those I like, those I dislike, and those I’m neutral about) are equally worthy of my love and compassion. We’re then ready to begin with the first step proper, which is to consider all beings as having been your mother in past lives. To do this step, we also have to prove to ourselves that there have been countless past lives, without beginning. We have to reject the illogical idea that there could be a first cause that wasn’t itself caused and therefore everything is just unfolding randomly.

This podcast was extracted from a set of teachings on compassion given at a retreat in South Lake Tahoe, California, over Thanksgiving weekend, 2007.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

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Forgive Your Enemies:

Until we look at the fact that we actually don’t like some people – people who really irritate us or who have really hurt us – we can’t get rid of these wholly unhealthy feelings. Once we have admitted our anger, hatred, and hurt, we can then analyze whether or not they are in our best self-interest. To forgive others is hard, but we can’t wait for them to come groveling to us, begging us to forgive them. We must do it unilaterally and preemptively, because forgiveness isn’t for them, it’s for you.

This podcast was extracted from a set of teachings on compassion given at a retreat in South Lake Tahoe, California, over Thanksgiving weekend, 2007.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

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Going Against the Grain:

Every day is another opportunity to start anew, to begin to seriously try to live a happy life dedicated to the service of others. But to do this we have to go “against the grain” of our own bad habits. We must say “no” to our addiction to suffering. To reverse our negative tendencies, we must first stop being complacent. We must stop being inured to our suffering, living in our little bubbles, and recognize it for what it is -- like the Buddha himself did when he finally left his pampered life and saw what this life really has in store for us.

This podcast was extracted from a set of teachings on compassion given at a retreat in South Lake Tahoe, California, over Thanksgiving weekend, 2007

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

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An Interview With Lama Marut, Part 2:

Lama Marut here challenges some of the current Western understandings of Buddhism. As Buddhism comes to our culture we must be careful not to just extract what we find comfortable in Buddhism and ignore what might be difficult. Buddhism is not just a psychological tool for managing samsara. It is a method for overcoming all limitations (including death itself) and achieving total enlightenment in this very lifetime. Because everything is empty of self-existence, everything is possible.

Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org

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Getting Off Planet Absurdo:

We live in a society where our own science encourages us to believe that things happen just randomly and that life is meaningless. If we are to ground our morality in an understanding of real causality, we must rebel against the official worldview of our culture and the idea that the ultimate good is just shopping, entertaining ourselves, and the obsession with trivia. A real spiritual practitioner has to get off of “Planet Absurdo” and retreat to “Planet Sanity” in order to rehabilitate and get in a position to truly help others.

This podcast is taken from a “Dharma Essentials” class taught in Los Angeles in December of 2007.

Fighting The Power:

In order to live a happy life, we must resist the diversions of the secular life. Consumer capitalism cannot bring the happiness it promises, and we are living testimonials to this. We obtained everything consumer capitalism promised and we’re still unhappy. If we are going to be happy, we must be consumer capitalist drop-outs and revolutionaries and resist the power of insatiable desire and dissatisfaction.

This podcast is taken from a class taught in Tucson, Arizona, in January of 2008.

An Interview With Lama Marut:

Lama Marut talks informally about Buddhism as a radical alternative to the “shopping mall culture” of modern West, and how the Buddha’s dharma should appeal especially to young people looking for an alternative to conformity, commodification, and consumer capitalism.

There is a Method to Achieve Total Happiness:
The Four Arya Truths, Part Four, 3

In this final podcast on working on a daily basis for our highest happiness,  Lama Marut urges us to check on our morality every few hours, do something for someone else every day, practice the “couch potato contemplation,” and end the day with study of a spiritual text.

This podcast is taken from a series of teachings given at the Windhover Performing Arts Center in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August of 2007.

This podcast is taken from a series of teachings given at the Windhover Performing Arts Center in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August of 2007.

There is a Method to Achieve Total Happiness:
The Four Arya Truths, Part Four, 2

In this second segment on how to develop a daily practice, Lama Marut picks up with the daily “morning loll” in which, before getting out of bed, we remember that each day could be the last one we have to live so we stop taking things for granted.  We need to also learn to be “unbusy,” spending time quiet and alone every morning contemplating the meaning of our lives, practice daily meditation, and some kind of physical practice like yoga with the proper motivation.

This podcast is taken from a series of teachings given at the Windhover Performing Arts Center in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August of 2007.

There is a Method to Achieve Total Happiness:
The Four Arya Truths, Part Four, 1

In order to achieve the goal of a spiritual life – total and complete happiness – we have to retrain ourselves on a daily basis.  In this first of three podcasts on how to develop a good daily practice, Lama Marut recommends that we get a good night sleep every night and wake up slowly and naturally every morning.  And before getting out of bed recall what a miracle your life is.

This podcast is taken from a series of teachings given at the Windhover Performing Arts Center in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August of 2007.

There is an alternative to Suffering:
The Four Arya Truths, Part Three

The Buddha said that suffering is not inevitable. Buddhism, like all religions, holds out the promise of perfect happiness in the future. But we must work toward this goal in part by practicing being happy all the time. Lama Marut here points out that there is never a time where it makes sense to be anything other than happy.

This podcast is taken from a series of teachings given at the Windhover Performing Arts Center in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August of 2007.

Suffering Has a Cause:
The Four Arya Truths, Part Two

The second of the Buddha’s fundamental teachings is that suffering is caused.  If we can stop the causes for unhappiness which we ourselves are perpetuating, we can stop our pain.  To do this, however, we must first learn to stop blaming others for our suffering and take responsibility for ourselves and learn the real causes for our unhappiness.

This podcast is taken from a series of teachings given at the Windhover Performing Arts Center in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August of 2007.

The Truth of Suffering:
The Four Arya Truths, Part One

The Buddha’s first teachings were organized around what are called the "Four Noble Truths."  The first of these is "The Truth of Suffering.”  By understanding, as the Buddha did, the truth of the suffering of birth, sickness, old age, and death, we can begin our attempt to get to the real causes of ultimate happiness and the end of suffering.

This podcast is taken from a series of teachings given at the Windhover Performing Arts Center in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August of 2007.

Guided Meditation on the Emptiness of Problems and Feelings

This series of podcasts on the six “flavours” of emptiness concludes with a guided meditation on the feelings that arise when we think about our problems. These feelings are impermanent, out of our control in the present moment, not just random but caused by karma, empty of having the qualities we impute on them, exist only as interpretations, and ultimately are entirely projected from us due to how we have treated others in the past. 

This podcast is taken from a retreat held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006, in South Lake Tahoe, California.

Everything is Coming From Me, Not At Me: The Emptiness of Self-Existence

While the Buddha taught all the other of the lower worldviews we’ve reviewed in the past five podcasts, it is only the sixth and highest version of emptiness that is fully correct. The sixth “flavour” of emptiness is the contention that nothing is coming from “out there.” Everything is a projection or imputation coming from our minds, forced on us by how we have treated others in the past. And it is only this understanding of emptiness is that explains why our own Buddhahood and the transformation of our world into a paradise is really possible.

This podcast is taken from a retreat held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006, in South Lake Tahoe, California.

Turning Problems into Opportunities: The Emptiness of Things Coming from Their Own Side

The fifth of the six flavours of emptiness argues that things are coming half from the object and half from the subject or perceiver. Lama Marut explains the benefits of cultivating this worldview in order to transform apparent problems into opportunities.

This podcast is taken from a retreat held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006, in South Lake Tahoe, California.

Different Strokes for Different Folks: The Emptiness of Judgments.

Lama Marut’s teachings on the mahamudra emptiness meditation continue with “worldview four” – things are empty of having the qualities we attribute to them from their own side. The judgments we make about things and people are coming from us, then projected onto those things and people, and then mistaken for qualities they inherently have. While this does not mean we shouldn’t judge others’ actions, we cannot legitimately go on to judge persons. Since we can never really know who another person is, we always have two unconfirmable possibilities: he or she is just an ordinary being, or that person is an enlightened angel sent to teach us. Which of these two possibilities would be more useful?

This podcast is taken from a retreat held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006, in South Lake Tahoe, California.

There Are No Accidents: The Emptiness of Randomness.

Continuing his teachings on the different schools’ understanding of emptiness, Lama Marut turns now to “worldview three”: things are empty of coming from any other place than karmic causes. This view, put forward by the “Mind Only” school of Buddhism, states that the object and the subject mind perceiving the object both come from a single karmic cause. This flavor of emptiness helps us take responsibility for ourselves rather than relying on the “magical worldview” adopted by the modern, secular West which allows for things which just happen for no reason.

This podcast is taken from a retreat held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006, in South Lake Tahoe, California.

You Can't Change the Present: The Emptiness of a Controlling Self.

Karma comes in three forms: good, bad, and neutral.  But even good karma, which we experience as something pleasurable, just wears out as we use it up.  We lose every good thing we have unless we recreate the causes that brought us the pleasant experience in the first place.  If we want to maintain a good relationship with our partner, for example, we must think about what we could do to make them happy (the real and only cause for that good relationship in the first place) instead of always being concerned about what they could be doing for us to fill our needs and wants.

This podcast is taken from a retreat held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006, in South Lake Tahoe, California.

This Too Shall Pass: The Emptiness of Permanence

Understanding emptiness is crucial to our spiritual progress, but too often the topic is presented merely theoretically and in complex philosophical language. Lama Marut teaches the different “flavors” of emptiness according to the different schools of Buddhism in easily understandable language and in a way designed to employ this wisdom practically in one’s everyday life. In this first of seven podcasts on the subject, Lama Marut provides an overview and then guides a meditation on the first flavor: Things are empty of permanence.

This podcast is taken from a retreat held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2006, in South Lake Tahoe, California.

Let's Talk About Our Relationship.

Karma comes in three forms: good, bad, and neutral.  But even good karma, which we experience as something pleasurable, just wears out as we use it up.  We lose every good thing we have unless we recreate the causes that brought us the pleasant experience in the first place.  If we want to maintain a good relationship with our partner, for example, we must think about what we could do to make them happy (the real and only cause for that good relationship in the first place) instead of always being concerned about what they could be doing for us to fill our needs and wants.

This podcast is taken from a Diamond Mountain University course on “Karma Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita” taught in Tucson, Arizona, Oct. 9, 2007.

Desiring Happiness.

We worship the things we desire.  In this podcast, Lama Marut urges us to desire and worship happiness – to think of it as the highest goal and really strive to obtain it.  For if we’re leading a happy life, we’re of benefit to others.  If not, we’re a charity case.  To achieve true happiness we must let go of our attachment to a lower, suffering self and desire “ecstasy,” which means to “stand outside” of our old caterpillar selves and become the butterflies we are meant to be.

This podcast is taken from a Diamond Mountain University course on “Killing Anger” taught in Tucson, Arizona, in the spring of 2007.

Reaching the Lord.

In this podcast, Lama Marut concludes His teachings on devotion (bhakti) in the Bhagavad Gita. We must ‘see beyond mere appearances’ and use our best understanding of emptiness to stay firm in our view of who the Guru really is for us. Through this practice, the first stage is that our Guru appears to us as perfect, an enlightened being, and through single-minded yoga they begin to appear to us everywhere and in all beings. The second stage is that we are yoked to, or merge with that being such that we become perfect ourselves. This is considered one of the most supreme esoteric teachings; the one who performs the highest devotion will reach the Lord.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given in South Lake Tahoe, on the 31st of August, 2007

Riding the Tiger.

Once one has taken oneself to a spiritual teacher, there will certainly be challenges and difficulties, confusion and doubt.  In this continuation of “guru yoga” according to the Bhagavad Gita,  Lama Marut reviews some of the main problems one often faces in working with a spiritual teacher and the benefits that come if one perseveres in “riding the tiger.”  At a certain point the guru will reveal themselves to you, just as Krishna does to Arjuna in the climax of the Gita.

This podcast is taken from the Tibetan Heart Yoga, Series V, Teacher Training Course given at Tucson, Arizona, in September of 2006.

Surrendering to the Teacher.

In this podcast, Lama Marut examines the Bhagavad Gita’s verses on single-minded devotion to the Guru.  The devotional tradition discusses various methods such as developing faith, discipline and making offerings as ways in which we may lose our ‘small self’ in service to the teacher.  In surrendering to the Guru, we are surrendering to the highest part of ourselves.  Essentially we try to perfect ourselves by fixing the mind and intellect singularly on the perfection of another.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given in South Lake Tahoe, on the 31st of August, 2007

The Yoga of Devotion.

In the Bhagavad Gita, the yoga of devotion to your teacher (bhakti yoga) is considered the highest spiritual practice. This podcast examines who the Guru really is and the most beneficial way we can regard this special being in our lives. Because the Guru is "empty" we can usefully see him or her as being a full enlightened being who has come to help us directly on our path. Lama Marut asks, "If you can then expand that view to all beings in your world, what kind of being would that make you?"

This podcast is taken from a teaching given in South Lake Tahoe, on the 31st of August, 2007

The Magic of Empty Teachers.

The guru is empty, a projection or mirror of your own good qualities.  In order to perfect oneself, one must first practice seeing perfection in another – in the first place, in the guru, and eventually in every other being.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given to a small group in Kinvara, Ireland, on

June 14, 2006.

The Qualities of a Good Teacher.

In the Buddhist texts, a number of qualities one should look for in guru or spiritual teacher are enumerated. Before taking a guru, one should check to see if you see some or all of these qualities in a potential teacher. And once we have found a being that we see in this special way, we must learn how to think about him or her in the proper way – as nothing less than a full-fledged Buddha who has come into your life.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given to a small group in Kinvara, Ireland, on
June 14, 2006.

Taking Yourself to a Teacher.

In this survey of the teachings in the Bhagavad Gita on the importance of the spiritual teacher (guru yoga), we learn the necessity of and the prerequisites for finding and taking  yourself to the guru and thus beginning the process of one’s spiritual education.

This podcast is taken from the Tibetan Heart Yoga, Series V, Teacher Training Course given at Tucson, Arizona, in September of 2006.

Guru Yoga: The Alpha and Omega of the Path.

Linking or joining yourself to a guru or spiritual teacher is the beginning (“alpha”), middle, and end (“omega”) of the path to happiness and enlightenment.  The first step is appreciating how important the guru is for us and being grateful for the teachers that have been and are in our lives already.  But even more crucial is understanding where the guru is really coming from.  Gurus don’t exist “out there” in the world as gurus.  They are projections coming from the best part of us.  Gurus, like everything else, are empty.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given to a small group in Kinvara, Ireland, on

June 14, 2006.

Be Here, Now.

We often hear how important it is to live in the present in order to be happy.  But what are the actual methods for doing this?  Paradoxically, we are not in the present when we are overly self-conscious and we are fully present only when we wholly forget and lose ourselves in an activity.  So in order to live in the here and now we must transcend the sense of self that keeps us from being truly present.   In Buddhism, we do this through cultivating wisdom (realizing selflessness) and compassion (learning to care more about others than oneself).

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at Santa Monica, California, on April 25, 2007.

Karmic Correlations.

This podcast is a continuation of a review of the “rules for the good life” and how we can have trust and confidence in our future – and thereby live a happier present --  by attending to the present causes which bring subsequent effects. 
The “karmic correlations” between causes and effects according to Arya Nagarjuna’s “Precious Garland” which link specific moral actions to their results are delineated one by one.  Learn where money, health, addictive behavior, beauty, stress, etc. really come from!

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at Tucson, Arizona, on January 7, 2007.

Faith in the Future, Part 3: The Rules for the Good Life.

The present is a perfect reflection of how we’ve behaved in the past, and our future will be the exact result of the causes we are creating in the present.   In this podcast, Lama Marut reviews the “rules for the good life,’ the moral principles which can guide us in how to live in the present in such as way that we can have confidence in and control of  our future. 

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at Rockport, Massachusetts, on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2007.

Faith in the Future, Part 2.

Many religions urge us to develop faith in the future in order to live a happier life in the present.  The opposite of faith is lazy doubt or irresolution about how life is working – which then results in anxiety.   If we think about how things are really working and develop faith slowly, in stages, we will then be more conscientious about living a good life in the present and will then have certainty that our future will be just fine.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at a public talk in Los Angeles, California, on December 11, 2006.

Faith in the Future, Part 1.

Being happy in the present requires both that we revision our past (through forgiveness and gratitude) and that we overcome our anxieties about the future.  In this podcast, Lama Marut urges us to stop imagining a nightmarish future and instead develop the antidote for anxiety: faith, trust, and confidence in the future.  Grounding the teaching in verses from Arya Nagarjuna’s “Precious Garland,” we learn to rely on our practice and wisdom to gain control over our future by living a good moral life in the present.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at a public talk in Los Angeles, California, on December 11, 2006.

Wisdom and Forgiveness.

Forgiveness helps us generate gratitude, love, and compassion toward others – and vice versa.  If we can understand how much suffering others are going through we can gain a different perspective on why they would hurt us.  If we can generate wisdom about what the real cause of pain in the world is – anger itself – then why would we ever feel anger ourselves?  We must break the cycle and give up anger and resentment, practice forgiveness, and only wish happiness on others if we want to be happy ourselves.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at a public talk in Tucson, Arizona, on November 15, 2006.

Forgiveness and the Advantages of Suffering.

How can we cultivate forbearance, patience, and forgiveness in our daily lives?  One way to do so is to think about the advantages of suffering and be grateful for everything that has ever happened, very much including all the pain others have caused you.  

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at a public talk in Tucson, Arizona, on November 15, 2006.

The Disadvantages of Anger.

In a continuation of a teaching on forgiveness, in this podcast we turn to the problem of anger.  We don’t forgive others because we’re angry at them.  So if we are interested in cultivating forgiveness we must uproot anger through its opposite -- patience.  Reviewing some relevant verses from the sixth chapter of Master Shantideva’s classic, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Lama Marut here lays out some of the advantages of patience and forgiveness and the disadvantages of anger and resentment.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at Rockport, Massachusetts, on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2007.

What Forgiveness Is and Isn't.

In this discussion about forgiveness, Lama Marut urges us to change the past by re-writing it in order to be happier in the present.  In order to reinvent our past in a beneficial way, we need to let go of our resentments and forgive everybody who hurt or offended us.  But we must also be clear on what forgiveness really is, and what it isn’t.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at Rockport, Massachusetts, on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2007.

Change the Past, Control the Future.

Can we change the past?  Can we control the future?  Lama Marut insists not only that we can but that we must do so in order to live a happy life in the present.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given in Tucson, Arizona, on January7, 2007.

The Practice of Gratitude.

How can we maintain constant awareness of all the things we have to be grateful for all day long?  Lama Marut offers some practical advice on how to develop a practice of gratitude in our everyday lives.

This talk was taken from a “Dharma Salon” held right after Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, California.

Death Awareness Meditation.

In this podcast, Lama Marut guides a group of students through the main parts of a death awareness meditation, designed to motivate us and straighten out our priorities in life.

This meditation ended a class taught in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, 2007, as part of a Diamond Mountain University course on “Cultivating Joyful Effort.”

Your Supernormal Powers Part 2.

Lama Marut continues a discussion of our supernormal powers or siddhis with an examination of what we are actually doing with the miraculous technological gadgetry we’ve accumulated here in “designer samsara.”  These powers can be major distractions to our spiritual practice if we don’t use them for what they are really meant for – to get enlightened in this lifetime.

This podcast was taken from a Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course given at the Three Jewels Bookstore in New York City on March 14, 2007.

Your Supernormal Powers Part 1.

In the traditional texts on yoga it is often said that we will develop certain supernormal powers or siddhis at the advanced levels of our practice.  Many, if not most, of these powers we now have. . . and think are just normal and totally take for granted.

This podcast was taken from a Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course given at the Three Jewels Bookstore in New York City on March 14, 2007.

Your Amazing Life Part 2.

Lama Marut continues his two part presentation of “leisure and fortune” – recognizing the fact that our lives are complete miracles and the necessity of not squandering such an amazing opportunity to make serious spiritual progress.

This podcast was taken from a Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course given at the Three Jewels Bookstore in New York City on March 14, 2007.

Your Amazing Life Part 1.

The lam rim or “steps on the path” starts with what is called “leisure and fortune.”  In this podcast, Lama Marut presents the first of a two part discussion of what an amazing opportunity this kind of life affords us . . . if we take advantage of it.

This podcast was taken from a Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course given at the Three Jewels Bookstore in New York City on March 14, 2007.

The Greatest Sin.

In the open teachings of Buddhism, the biggest mistake is to see things as if they had “self-existence” and were not related to your own karma. In the secret teachings, the biggest error is seeing your life as ordinary instead of paying attention to the miracles that are all around us. Just paying attention to the facts of our lives, being mindful and living “here and now,” will help us live a happier life.

This podcast was taken from a Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course given at the Three Jewels Bookstore in New York City on March 14, 2007.

Preliminaries to Meditation.

Before meditating, like before yoga, running, or any other physical exercise, it is important to first warm up and “stretch.”  In this podcast, the basic preliminaries that a good meditator should learn and go through at the start of one’s daily meditation are reviewed.

This podcast was taken from a set of teachings given in Rockport, Massachusetts, on Dec. 19, 2006.

Steps of the Path.

The whole Buddhist path is encapsulated in what is called the “lam rim” or “steps on the path.”  Here Lama Marut reviews in a concise manner the entire lam rim, beginning with finding a teacher and appreciating this precious life, and then going through the steps shared with those of “lesser, medium, and greater scopes.”

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at Rockport, Massachusetts, on Dec. 22, 2006.

Karma: Why Things Happen.

The basis for any spiritual life is morality.  But why should we be kind to others?  In this podcast, Lama Marut goes through the three possible worldviews for explaining why things happen, and points out that the only one that can undergird an ethical life is karma and causality.

This podcast is taken from a teaching given at Rockport, Massachusetts, on Dec. 22, 2006.

Popups in Horrorland.

Lama Marut discusses the real purpose of yoga – to obtain a state of happiness that endures all day long, regardless of the “pop-ups in horrorland.”  Our unhappiness comes from not understanding where the unwanted things of life really come from.  Lama Marut asserts, “There’s never a reason to be anything other than happy.” 

This teaching was part of a longer talk given at the Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course in Tucson, Arizona, in April, 2006.

Four Steps to Happiness, Part 2.

Lama Marut continues his discussion of the four steps for thinking and acting differently in relation to money and things, professions, relationships, entertainment and leisure, and physical health and beauty.  We first learn how to change our thinking and actions about these things.  Then we get unaddicted to these things and re-identify ourselves as spiritual practitioners.  Finally, having done these things we may find it useful – for our spiritual practice – to put the karmic causes into effect for attaining more money, better relationships, etc.

This podcast is taken from a longer teaching given as part of the Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course, April, 2006, in Tucson, Arizona.

Four Steps to Happiness, Part 1.

In an earlier podcast, Lama Marut discussed why our money and things, professions, relationships, entertainment and leisure, and physical health and beauty cannot in and of themselves make us happy.  Here he begins a discussion of the four steps for thinking and acting differently in relation to these things.  We start by gaining some wisdom about their nature and learning how to change our thinking and actions about the five things we think will make us happy.

This podcast is taken from a longer teaching given as part of the Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course, April, 2006, in Tucson, Arizona.

What Won't Make Us Happy.

What kinds of things do we think are going to make us happy in life? Will money and things, success in a career, relationships, entertainment and leisure activities, or physical health and beauty in and of themselves make us happy? And, on the other hand, will simply giving up these things make us happy? Find out in this podcast! 

Extracted from a teaching given in April, 2006, at a Tibetan Heart Yoga Teacher Training course in Tucson, Arizona.

True Happiness.

The real purpose of any authentic spiritual practice, and the real purpose of our lives, is to be happy so you can really help others.  In this podcast, Lama Marut discusses what true happiness is, why we’re not happy, and how to achieve contentment and happiness in your life. 

Recorded in Santa Monica, California, in December, 2006, as part of a talk on learning how to trust in the future.

PART 2: A Daily Practice.

Enjoy the conclusion of Lama Marut’s entertaining teaching on the essential components of any spiritual practice. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep these elements help lay a strong  foundation for a deeper happiness in our lives.

PART 1: A Daily Practice.

The path to true happiness consists of small, positive changes we make to our daily lives. Lama Marut offers insight and inspiration that we can use today to transform our everyday lives into joyful ones.

These teachings were part of Lama Marut's "Dharma Essentials" course, given in Rockport Massachusetts, December 19-22, 2006.