Buddhism for Beginners

Most of our day involves one habit after another. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo teaches us how to make compassion a stronger and stronger habit, so we will experience happiness, and eventually liberation.

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 You must have a qualified teacher to practice Vajrayana Buddhism. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo clarifies the qualities to look for and how to avoid making a mistake.

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Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo encourages us to unravel the many concepts we have, because they stand between us and having pure view.

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Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo takes us on a journey through samsara, emphasizing the light (Guru) that guides our path.

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Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains the many ways it's important to have patience and courage as we begin a path to change our habits.

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Buddhism often gets a bad rap for talking about suffering. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains why it is totally unfounded.

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Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo takes the concept of perception and describes just what it is like for us in samsara.

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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 result.

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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 linking to the next.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Change isn't easy. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gives us some useful tools to use to help with those hard choices.

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"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.

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The right guru can guide you to enlightenment. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo shows us how we can identify that teacher.

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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.

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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 season our minds become even more unstable than usual, according to Jetsunma. Our hopes and fears increase. "The more we grasp outwardly and try to secure what we want...the less happy we will be." Jetsunma discusses a compassionate way of life as a way to true and lasting happiness.

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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 materialistic and removed from the natural current of life.

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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 cessation of suffering does not come about when everything external gets alright." The answer to the question, "How in the world am I going to fix this?" is: you’re not...in the world. We have to move beyond the realm of cyclic existence to get the answer. In a less than perfect world we decide to reach for something perfect that we can’t see yet. Only then can we bring comfort to others.

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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 misconceptions: "Every moment is something that you have a sacred relationship with, because you move into the awareness that there is nothing that you can do that is separate from your own nature." We must realize that we are not doing anything or anybody a favor by living a spiritual life. We are simply expressing that which is true.

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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, "Because we are practicing the mantra of separation constantly, on five different levels at once!" Ngündro, a preliminary foundational Buddhist practice, is the support for all other practices that follow. It is designed to pry our minds loose from the conceptualization, delusion and over-intellectualization that our five senses have been reporting to us for aeons.

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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 keep everything in a neat, controlled place. Jetsunma calls us to give rise to the phenomenal flame of compassion as the only thing that will truly keep us safe. If our feeling of safety comes from having control over our experiences, we are the least safe of all.

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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 natural, luminous state that is free of contrivance, she would cry, realizing that this primordial nature is free of all causes of suffering yet none of us have awakened to it. This practice, clearly outlined in detail, gives rise to a breadth and depth of compassion that makes the rest of one’s life very simple. Accomplishing this, there is no longer any decision to be made. All of one’s life becomes a vehicle to benefit all beings. Later Jetsunma learned that this practice is called Chöd in Tibet.

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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 our situation and we are literally paralyzed on the Path. We are trapped by the narcotic of samsaric living, seduced into a feeling of safety. Jetsunma brings us the Buddha’s heart teaching on how to wake up to what must be done in order to prepare for our next life. If we don’t, our next life will not be what we want it to be.

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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 reality. The Buddha teaches that this "self" into whose pockets you are putting things, is an erroneous concept. Instead, Jetsunma advises how, through the practice of devotion on the Vajrayana Path, one can stop developing the ego through all this collecting. Discriminating between what is ordinary and what is precious, one can look at one’s teacher and say, "This is the face of Truth", and thereby enter the door to liberation.

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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. 

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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 is to motivate us on the path. 

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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 how we can begin to pacify this thirst in our minds.

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The basis for understanding your true nature is Bodhicitta - the compassionate intent to benefit all beings. Kindness then becomes the essence of your practice. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo guides us in understanding how this works. 

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Since all of us have the Buddha nature intact within us, we are all equal. How we can practice that is addressed by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo in this teaching on the reality of who we are.

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How does one fight desire in our minds? In this teaching, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo teaches the way of the compassionate warrior.

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What is karma? In this teaching, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo explains how the interdependence of cause and effect affects our lives.

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It takes extraordinary effort to lift out of suffering and reach enlightenment. On the way, you rely on the lineage, the Guru, and the knowledge of cause and result. Then step by step, you will reach your goal.

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In this teaching, focusing on the supports of Dharma, and the treasure they represent, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo explains that in truth, the Lama never leaves you.

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In this teaching, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo takes us through the steps that will support and lead to our own enlightenment as well as those who have hopes of us.

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One of the few successful programs in treating substance abuse has been AA. Jetsunma explains how the AA method can be applied to our addiction to samsara. 

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In this live teaching from 1991, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, following His Holiness Penor Rinpoche,  opens the doors to the sphere of truth; sharing with us the qualities of activity expressed by the Dakini.

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In this teaching, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gives us an in-depth understanding of the Buddhist concept of merit and how it works in our lives. Through lucid explanation and example, Jetsunma shows us how meritorious intention and activity can lead us swiftly on the path to Buddhahood.

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There is a whole world outside of our concepts. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gives us the keys to unlocking it. 

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Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo not only explains the logic of the equality of all beings, she takes us through various ways to experience our sameness. 

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The "Four Noble Truths" was the first teaching given by the Buddha. In it he describes the truth of suffering, the end of suffering and the path out of suffering. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo shows us that applying these teachings in our lives will bring good results and increase our happiness. 

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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 reality. The Buddha teaches that this "self" into whose pockets you are putting things, is an erroneous concept. Instead, Jetsunma advises how, through the practice of devotion on the Vajrayana Path, one can stop developing the ego through all this collecting.  Discriminating between what is ordinary and what is precious, one can look at  one’s teacher and say, "This is the face of Truth", and thereby enter the door to liberation.

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In traditionally Buddhist countries in the East, concepts like emptiness and Bodhicitta are common knowledge. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo explains how the fact that we did not grow up with this mind-set gives us a disadvantage, and how to work through it.

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Awakening to enlightenment involves breaking habits we have had since "time out of mind". Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gives us some methods using the Buddha's teachings that will help us accomplish our goal.

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Have you ever wondered what makes up those "voices in your head"? They arise from discursive thought and Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo takes us through the process of identifying their cause, and applying their antidote.

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Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo explains clearly what it means to be a Buddhist and take refuge in the 3 jewels. Contrasting that is how we actually live our lives. This leads us to decision time.

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Ever wonder why Buddhists talk so much about "merit" or "virtue"? Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo answers these questions and explains what merit is, why you need it, and what to do to get it and keep it.

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Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo takes us through the steps that will support and lead to our own enlightenment as well as those who have hopes of us. 

This teaching was originally given on 4/27/1999

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