Buddhism for Beginners

Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo takes the concept of perception and describes just what it is like for us in samsara. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org

Devotion is often thought of as a "feeling". Actually, in Buddhism, it is based on logic. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains how if we wait for the "feeling" we will still be waiting when we die, without having achieved any...

The Buddha taught many paths to reach enlightenment. They build on each other, and each one is perfect for a certain karma. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains these paths and how each one is a pure path by itself, as well as...

The teachings tell us that "just as the rays of the sun cannot be separated from the sun itself, emptiness and Bodhicitta are joined in a similar way" Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains how this is true. Support the show For...

The Guru appears to us as a display of our own nature - Bodhicitta. To show us our own face, they often display "the hook of compassion". Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains this process and what blessings it can bring...

Compassion spans both samsara and nirvana. Bodhicitta is the essence of our nature. How to determine what kinds of compassion are lasting is the subject of this talk by Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo. Support the show For more...

Compassion spans both samsara and nirvana. Bodhicitta is the essence of our nature. How to determine what kinds of compassion are lasting is the subject of this talk by Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo. Support the show For more...

Bodhicitta (Compassion) is the basic core of our true nature. As we reach for enlightenment, we come closer to that nature. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo helps us understand why kindness is just logical and how to develop it...

Change isn't easy. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gives us some useful tools to use to help with those hard choices. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org

"Pure View" can be confusing to new students. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo takes the mystery out of "view" and gives solid advice on the steps to take. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit...

The right guru can guide you to enlightenment. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo shows us how we can identify that teacher. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org

To be a true Buddhist, a personal ethical standard is a must. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo defines what that might look like and how we arrive at our goal. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit...

Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gave this teaching Christmas eve 1995. In it she describes the hope and fear that is magnified during the holiday season, using it as a way to understand the habits of our minds. During the holiday...

Our spiritual life can be a precious living truth inside of us if we develop a deep and ultimate connection with our spiritual path. Jetsunma explains to us that this is not easy to do because our society is...

Jetsunma takes us to a deeper understanding of the interdependence of the practices of Refuge and Bodhicitta. Leading us through the mental equations that will result in the cessation of suffering, she points out, "The...

The ideas of competition and materialism are taught to us as virtues during our childhood. Collecting things and going somewhere are pivotal ways of viewing our life’s progress. Jetsunma steers us away from these...

The five senses are about distinction - the idea of self-nature being inherently real. They are extensions of our ego. Why is the understanding of our own true nature so difficult for human beings? Jetsunma answers...

We are taught to never truly surrender our heart, to never risk in order to experience great passion, to always keep something aside for ourselves. Our quest for safety leads us to compartmentalize our experiences and...

When Jetsunma was in her early 20’s she practiced examining all aspects of life: physical, mental, emotional. What she found in the things of samsara: "There’s no future in this." At the same time, meditating upon the...

There is a deep prejudice in the West that has become almost invisible to us: the idea that one’s spiritual life is somehow separate from the rest of one’s life. This results in the habit of denial about the truth of...

There is a deep prejudice in the West that has become almost invisible to us: the idea that one’s spiritual life is somehow separate from the rest of one’s life. This results in the habit of denial about the truth of...

Growing up in a materialistic culture, being taught to "be all that you can be", actually produces obstacles to the path to enlightenment. The definition of neurotic is acting in a way that is inappropriate according to...

Each of us has our own "perceptual bubble", describes Jesunma Ahkon Lhamo, as she unveils for us the dynamics of how we perceive, and react to, everything around us. Support the show For more resources, teachings and...

One of the first things we hear about in Buddhism is "turning the mind to Dharma". This is a study of the first teachings of the Buddha. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo walks us through this process, and explains how necessary it...

The Buddha teaches us that the root of all suffering is desire. We've all had the experience of fulfilling one desire only to be overcome with the next. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo helps us unravel this endless loop to look at...