Language: English

Proper meditation posture

Those deeply interested in mastering the proper meditation posture will certainly appreciate the following video. Our dear friend Honza Dlabal from the Sklenářka Сenter generously shares the fundamental principles of correct sitting posture. This lecture was arranged during the meditation course spontaneously, at our request. Honza also added a concise summary for us, available for download here.

The expertise behind this guidance on posture comes from yogi Dr. Jiří Čumpelík.

Everyone keen on delving deeper into the nuances of proper posture is welcome to join courses at Sklenářka or arrange for individual stay and personal consultation.

Finally, we would like to thank Ondra from Buddha Mangala for his excellent video recording work. A big thanks also goes to Zoe from Ilya Bondarenko’s group for flawlessly translating the subtitles into English and Russian.

Four Brahmaviharas

Theme: Four Brahmaviharas
Place: Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre (yarrawarra.com.au), Australia
Date: February 20.-24. 2023

Audio: Download or Archive.org

We thank br. Tenzin and Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Center for their kindness and sharing these lectures.

Awakening Faith in the Mahayana

Theme: Awakening Faith in the Mahayana (Mahāyāna śraddhotpādaśāstra)
Place: Buddha Pada (buddhapada.in), Kalimpong, India
Date: 13th – 22th Jan 2023

Audio: Download or Archive.org
Note: Recording from morning 20th failed.
Text: Mindfulness of Breathing is an extract from Asanga’s Shravakabhumi (Stages of Disciples), translated from Tibetan and Sanskrit by B. Alan Wallace. Please use this text only to supplement listening to the lectures. The text is not intended for free distribution.

We thank Buddha Pada and Br. Tenzin for their kindness and sharing these great lectures.

Retreat with Bhante Dhammadipa: The Study of Mahayana Shraddhotpada Shastra (Attributed to Ashvaghosha)

In the Mahayana tradition, one is encouraged to combine Shamatha and Vipassana even before realizing the Ultimate Reality. In the non-dual tradition, Shamatha is the base for the penetration of the non-dualistic nature of the mind. This penetration is done either on the Alaya tradition, or on the basis of the Buddha-nature tradition. Both are traced back to the teachings of the Bodhisattva Maitreya.

In this course, Bhante Dhammadipa will explore Shamatha practice from the point of view of Buddha-nature (Tathagatagarbha), explained with reference to Alaya or store-consciousness. We will discover meditation as the base for insight into the non-dual nature of mind, the mind which is pure and always present, and the application of this method in understanding not only the Zen tradition, but also Tibetan Vajrayana (Dzogchen / Mahamudra).

The Awakening of Faith in Mahayana is a text attributed to Ashwaghosha, who was clearly a Shravastivada poet and philosopher. In the Chinese tradition this text is widely studied as the philosophical foundation of the Zen tradition, and it is also related to the Pure land tradition.

Samdhinirmocana Sutra

Theme: Samdhinirmocana Sutra
Place: Somaiya Vidyavihar University (somaiya.edu), Mumbai, India
Date: 12th – 24th Nov 2022

Audio: Download or Archive.org
Video: KJ Somaiya Institute of Dharma Studies YouTube Channel

We thank Somaiya University for their kindness and sharing these great lectures.

These twelft lectures of the teachings by Bhante Dhammadipa, starting from 12th November 2022 to 24th November 2022, organized by KJ Somaiya Institute of Dharma Studies, Somaiya Vidyavihar University. These teachings are based on the 6th Chapter of the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra, a foundational text of the Yogācāra school of Buddhism.

Bhante Dhammadipa was instrumental in developing KJ Somaiya Institute outreach project, Jetavan, at Sakarwadi, which is a wonderful collaboration with Godavari Biorefineries Ltd, Bhante Dhammadipa and the Centre for Buddhist Studies at KJSIDS.

His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin in Prague

S obrovskou radostí jsme v úterý 23. 8. přivítali Jeho Svatost 42. Sakya Trizina poprvé v České Republice. Velké díky Siddhártha Centru (siddhartha.cz) za organizaci návštěvy a za poskytnutí záznamu učení Jeho Svatosti 42. Sakya Trizin Rinpočheho v Praze 27. a 28. 8.

On August 23, we welcomed with great joy His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin for the first time in Czech Republic. Big thanks to Siddhartha Centrum (siddhartha.cz) for organization of visit and for providing a records of teaching of His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin Rinpoche’s in Prague August 27 and 28.

Teaching on Four Immeasurables – učení o čtyřech nezměrnostech
Teaching on Four Noble Truths – učení o Čtyřech vznešených pravdách
Teaching on Six Paramitas – učení o šesti páramitách
Teaching on Refuge – učení o útočišti
Teaching on Bodhichitta, Bestowing Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows and Vajrakilaya Blessing – učení o bodhičittě, předání slibu útočiště, slibu bodhisattvy a požehnání Vadžrakílaji

Audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZD3Ekl4nfZxGBqNoPgzjTasZliEvS7v7/view?usp=sharing

Vasubandhu’s “Three Natures”: A Practitioner’s Guide for Liberation

In this book, Ben Connelly shows the power of integrating early Buddhist psychology with the Mahayana emphasis on collective liberation. You’ll discover how wisdom from fourth-century India can be harnessed to heal and transform systems of harm within ourselves and our communities.

The three natures (svabhavas)—the imaginary, dependent, and complete, realized natures—are inherent aspects of all phenomena. The imaginary nature of things is what we think they are. Their dependent nature is that they appear to arise from countless conditions. The complete, realized nature is that they aren’t as we imagine them to be: things that can be grasped or pushed away. The three natures form the backbone of Yogacara philosophy, and by showing us how to see beyond our preconceived notions of ourselves and others, beyond the things that we’re convinced are “true,” they open up a path to personal and communal healing.

Dive into this empowering approach to freedom from suffering, from harmful personal and social patterns, and to finding peace and joyfulness in the present.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vasubandhus-Three-Natures-Practitioners-Liberation/dp/1614297533

Kumarajiva’s Meditation Manual

Online lecture series: Kumarajiva’s Meditation Manual
Place: Somaiya Vidyavihar University (somaiya.edu), Mumbai, India
Date: 02.03. 2021 – 10.20. 2021

Audio: Download or Archive.org
Bhante’s working version of English translation: here
KJ Somaiya Institute of Dharma Studies YouTube Channel

We thank Somaiya University for their kindness and for sharing these great lectures.

This is the series of lectures by Ven. Dhammadipa, starting from 3rd Feb 2021, organized by KJ Somaiya Institute of Dharma Studies, Somaiya Vidyavihar University. These teachings are based on one of the three meditation manuals ascribed to Kumarajiva in Chinese catalogues: the Chanfa yaojie, which Ven. Dhammadipa has translated into English. The special features of the text are the incorporation of bodhisattva ideas into classical Buddhist meditation. He will use selections from the text to explicate the meditation method in comparative light, drawing extensively upon his study of the Abhidharmakosa and his long years of study and practice guided by his teachers of the forest tradition in Sri Lanka and Burma.