A Rapid Outline of Buddhist Teachings – How to Awaken.
Doug Sensei rapidly outlines the Buddhist teachings — how to awaken — giving life to them with direct commentary suited for people today.
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“You’re not looking at suffering clearly enough. You’re drugging it out. You’re in a dream state. Instead, you have to see the true nature of what you’re attached to — that it’s impermanent, that it’s subject to loss, that you can’t ever own it, and that which owns it is itself a dream.” Continuing with another talk from Dec. 2009 retreat, Doug Sensei rapidly outlines the Buddhist teachings — how to awaken — giving life to them with direct commentary suited for people today. An overview of the teachings from the book, “Gems of Dharma, Jewels of Freedom,” the classic handbook of Buddhism by Gampopa, considered the 12th century forefather of the Kagyu traditions of Tibet. Translated by Ken and Katia Holmes in 1994, “according to the detailed explanations traditional to the Karma Kagyu Lineage”.
See: https://www.samyeling.org/
Part 1: The Prime Cause — The Enlightened Essence (having the awakened potential — you have Buddha nature)
Part 2: The Basis — A Precious Human Existence
Part 3: The Condition — The Good Mentor
Part 4: The Means, The Mentors’ Instruction Part
5: The Kaya of Perfect Buddhahood
Part 6: Non-Conceptual Enlightened Activity to Benefit Beings
Sensei starts out: “We’re talking about samsara and nirvana. Samsara and nirvana are the same insofar as their actual nature is spaciousness. The form it takes is different according to the delusion. Insofar as you’re subject to delusion you’re in samsara. Insofar as you’re not subject to delusion you’re in nirvana. The nature of samsara is that it’s repetitive — it just keeps going round and round. The key characteristic is that in samsara because of the delusion you’re subject to suffering. In nirvana you’re not subject to suffering because you’re not subject to the delusion. So then how do you get free from the delusion?” “The nature of the guru, the lama, the Buddha, is to point out blind spots. You don’t need the lama to practice, to study, to reflect or contemplate on the Dharma. That you can do on your own. But what you can’t do is see your blind spots.” “Ignorance doesn’t mean you’re stupid. It means you’re just not looking. From that POV, your neurosis is simply that you don’t look past what you already know. It’s the nature of the ego.”
