Dharma Sunday

Tonglen, or the practice of Taking and Sending, is one of the seven points of mind training that was developed by the Tibetan Kadampa master Chekhawa Yeshe Dorje in the 12th century.
The purpose of this practice is two-fold. It gives us practical means to take on our experiences on the path so our suffering can become a source of compassion, wisdom, patience, and understanding for ourselves and others. This is relative bodhicitta. And In doing so, we can recognize the nature of our minds, or ultimate bodhicitta.
Relative bodhicitta is how we learn to love ourselves and each other. Ultimate bodhicitta is the fundamental pristine awareness, or non judgmental, naturally open, loving spaciousness undivided by self and other.
Through the practice of tonglen, we are cultivating relative bodhicitta, and in doing so, we cultivate the ability to recognize the very awareness that allows us to love and hold space infinitely—which is Ultimate Bodhicitta.

What can we do when it feels as if not only our personal sense of opening on the path but also the circumstances unfolding in the seemingly outer world have brought us to a place of anxiety, depression, rage, or another challenging emotional experience? How do we find a way forward into clarity, openness, trust, and liberation? On this Dharma Sunday, we will explore the notion of an “open question” and the state of not-knowing as a productive process of inquiry that invites the energies of curiosity, clarity, and insight into the larger context of wakefulness that encompasses our day-to-day experiences.

Initially a guided meditation that turns formless, loosening the bonds of the “ghost cave” of discursive thought. And then exploring an ancient Zen skit: stopping, looking, tasting the cake of what some call “just this.” No longer running about looking for what is our “birthright.” Free to act as we are. “I sleep when I’m tired and I eat when I am hungry.” “Our struggle becomes our pleasure.”

Dharma Sundays with Natural Dharma Fellowship take place most Sundays. These sessions, led by highly trained NDF Dharma and guest teachers, include guided meditation, teachings, and time for discussions. A wide range of topics are offered at the discretion of the teacher.

Dharma Sundays with Natural Dharma Fellowship take place most Sundays. These sessions, led by highly trained NDF Dharma and guest teachers, include guided meditation, teachings, and time for discussions. A wide range of topics are offered at the discretion of the teacher.

Bodhichitta, or the wish to awaken the Buddha Nature of oneself and all beings, is the foundation of Mahayana Buddhist theory and practice. How does this translate into the context of Buddhist Yoga, and how can we discover the body as bodhichitta itself? We will explore the various dimensions of bodhichitta as presented in the Mahayana context, and experience through various gentle breath and movement practices how bodhichitta is known in the Vajrayana context of inner yoga.

Within each of us resides “an ancient wilderness that does not change.” Occasionally, we wander into this untrammeled brilliance of our being, amazed with wonder, humbled with love. Join Lama Liz as we explore how cultivating this bright field of inner being can bring us into contact with who we really are and why we are here. Another way to describe this journey is “manifesting our mandala.” What would it mean to discover the radiating energies of yourself as a ceaseless manifestation of generosity, care, and boundless ease?

Dharma Sundays with Natural Dharma Fellowship take place most Sundays. These sessions, led by highly trained NDF Dharma and guest teachers, include guided meditation, teachings, and time for discussions. A wide range of topics are offered at the discretion of the teacher.