Audio Teachings by Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche
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The Meaning of The Twenty-One Homages to Tara New
Four days of teaching on the Meaning of The Twenty-One Homages to Tara, the saviouress who brings freedom from the Eight Great Fears and from the suffering of samsara.
Seven Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche New
Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche gives teaching on the practice of Padmasambhava, through the accumulation of the Seven Line Supplication Prayer to Guru Rinpoche, the embodiment of all the buddhas, whose coming was prophesied by Shakyamuni Buddha and who is renowned for bringing Buddhism to Tibet.
Namcho Ngondro New
Teaching by Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche of the Preliminary Practices of Ngondro from the Namcho cycle of teachings entitled 'Liberation in the Palm of your Hand'.
Gems of Wisdom New
Commentary on the first of Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche's 'Gems of Wisdom for Daily Meditation': “Compassion is not an expression of ordinary love tainted by the attachment to emotion. It is the energy of loving kindness that comes about as one’s mind awakens to the recognition that life we deemed as normal is impermanent and the lack of our recognition of its true nature is the cause of suffering.”
Heart Sutra New
This commentary on the Heart Essence of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, often known as the Heart Sutra was given to Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche over four teachings from 2006 - 2007.
Eight Verses of Lojong (Mind Training) New
Given by Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche in Athens during 2013 & 2014 on the Mahayana teaching on Lojong. The eight verses of Lojong describe eight steps in training the mind and were composed by Geshe Langri Thangpa, born 1054.
View, Meditation & Action
An extract from the instruction that Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche gave to students when teaching ‘Thog tha bar sum du ge wai tam’, the teaching by Patrul Rinpoche known as ‘The Instruction that is good in the beginning, middle and end – the Heart Jewel of sacred practice of the View, Meditation and Action.
How to practice the Buddhadharma
Reminding students that the greatest of all acts of virtue is to care for our parents, Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche explained that when we have the strong motivation to care for those who genuinely care for us, then both heaven and earth will support us.
Abandon Opinions to Bring Peace to the Mind
Watching with mindfulness over our body, speech and mind, we can abandon unhelpful habits and stop the mind from wandering into having opinions.
See the Truth with a Quiet Mind
A quiet mind can keep our mind safe from the affective distraction of attachment, aversion and obscuration, and in so doing, eliminate tens of thousands of obstacles from our life.
How to Become a Living Dharma Treasure
In ‘How to Become a Living Dharma Treasure’, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje describes four steps to improve our conduct and in so doing bring about the stability of a mind that is free from disturbance.
The Path of How to Attain Liberation
‘The Path of How to Attain Liberation’ describes the way in which we need to follow the example of Lord Shakyamuni Buddha if we wish to depart from the cycle of birth and death...
Living a Meaningful Life
When the focus of our mind is on Buddha, we can in time awaken the qualities of the Buddha nature from within, and in those around us.
Buddha’s Prescription to End Suffering
By understanding suffering we understand the prescription to bring that suffering to an end.
Stable, Lasting Happiness - Part 2
If you let go of the conceptual mind, the mind that grasps to all kinds of so-called knowledge, and go back to the original mind; this is the beginning of enlightenment.
Stable, Lasting Happiness - Part 1
To have a happy life is to be flexible, to have less indulgence and to recognise the nature of impermanence of all things...
Freedom from Fixation - Part 4
In the final part of Freedom from Fixation, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje continues to explain the suffering caused by our fixations with gain and loss, and with afflictive emotions such as anger, encouraging us to let go of our obsessions and win a life of peace and harmony.
Freedom from Fixation - Part 3
Continuing the teaching on Freedom from Fixation, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains our obsession with winning and losing and the suffering it causes through insecurity, resentment and conflict.
Freedom from Fixation - Part 2
While our day to day existence is not free from the presence of emotions, there is no reason to let them overwhelm us. We can transform this emotion instead into the higher and far more noble expression of loving-kindness and compassion.
Freedom from Fixation
Fixation is the cause of all the suffering we come to experience in life and being Buddhist is about freeing ourselves from the attachment of all fixation and obsession.
Abandoning Delusion
Letting go of our delusions requires motivation, effort and a clear method to follow. In the Audio Teaching ‘Abandoning Delusion’, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje describes how we fixate on a self-image which simply isn’t real.
Retreating from Wrong View
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains the importance of genuine confession, showing how all things begin with a thought in the mind and emphasising the need for discipline in purifying the mind.
Retreat from Our Own Fixations
Teaching given by Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje during the Pathgate Summer School 2012; encouraging students to retreat from the fixations of their own minds, from opinions and habitual tendencies.
Joyful Parenthood - Part Two
Continuing the Teaching about Joyful Parenthood, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje gives advice about how to have a proper relationship with our children, and explains the importance of taking refuge in those who know.
Joyful Parenthood - Part One
In the first of two Audio Teachings about Joyful Parenthood, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains the role of the parent is to protect well-being and to nurture the proper development of their children.
Beginning with Right Motivation
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains common signs of misplaced motivation, encouraging students to develop respect for all things and to apply themselves to practice Dharma in every moment of the day.
Success in Dharma Practice
Success in Dharma practice does not come from the overpowering of others, but rather by removing the fixation of false view we have of ourselves and by the elimination of obscurations we have of the nature of reality.
Being with what you do
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje gives further explanation of mindfulness, explaining that the key practice is about being with what you do when you are doing it. When you look at something, let your mind connect to what you see. When you listen, let your mind connect to what you hear...
Beginnings of Mindfulness
Stability of mind comes from discipline in our practice of Dharma, which requires the presence of mindfulness in everything we do. Using examples from his own practise, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje encourages students to start cultivating mindfulness in daily activities.
Mindfulness in Everyday Life
The mindfulness of Buddhadharma is not the conceptualised logic we use to define that which we encounter in the world, but the direct experience of both the relative truth and the ultimate truth while remaining in a state of equanimity.
The Power of Guru Devotion
In this excerpt from a two-day teaching on Guru Panchashika - Fifty Stanzas of Guru Devotion, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje emphasises the importance of right motivation, and explains the essential qualities of faith and devotion as the most important factors in the practice of Buddhism.
Replacing Anger with Gratitude
True understanding only comes from direct experience of putting the instruction into practice. Encouraging students to apply themselves in basic practice, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje shows the benefits of approaching all situations with an attitude of repeated gratitude...
Right Motivation in the Beginning, the Middle and the End
'Every single suffering that we experience in this world all begins with our mind not starting with the right motivation'. Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje goes on to describe the motivation and practice that leads to win-win situations, benefiting both ourselves and others.
Seeing Obstacles as Blessings on the Path
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje describes the essential qualities and correct attitude of one who wishes to learn Dharma. The determination should be strong; the application of energy should be soft; the aspiration should be big...
Taking Joy in Correcting Mistakes
Beginning by describing the obstacles that are common for those wishing to learn Dharma; Ven Lama Dondrup Dorje emphasises that we should have joy in uncovering and fixing mistakes, as this is the only way to free ourselves from suffering.
Freedom from Guilt
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje encourages his students to take a proactive role to purify the stagnated afflictive emotion trapped within us due to the continuous presence of guilt.
Farewell to Anger
Filling our minds with distractions and wrong views, the more we find that these fail to deliver the result we desire, the more cynical, unhappy and angry we become. Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains the need to liberate ourselves from attachment to distraction and emotional turmoil.
How To Become The Same As Buddha
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje emphasises that Buddhist practice is not about asking Buddha to rescue us, but rather it is about rescuing ourselves through following the teachings of Buddha. It is only through purifying our minds.
Return to the Path of the Truth
Continuing from the Audio Teaching ‘Cultivating the Seed of Dharma amidst a Forest of Wrong View’, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains the benefit of returning to the right view by taking refuge in the time-proven guidance of the Three Jewels - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
Cultivating the Seed of Dharma amidst a Forest of Wrong View
Continuing from the Audio Teaching ‘Attaining Two-Fold Fulfilment Through Right Action’, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje describes the unsatisfactoriness and impermanence of all worldly phenomena, and that Dharma teachings provide the seed that can ripen into Buddhahood.
Attaining Two-Fold Fulfilment Through Right Action
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje reminds students of the impermanence of all things and the importance of establishing the right view that is not separate from the true state of reality, instead of relying on wrong view which is influenced by worldly concerns and offers no lasting benefit...
Reasons for Learning Dharma
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains that by letting go of our attachment to self-made logic and opinion, and following the instruction of a qualified Spiritual Master, we can attain the direct experience of reality as it is, and in so doing remove ourselves from the repeated cycle of suffering.
The Truth of Cause and Effect
An extract from a two-day teaching Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje gave on the Sutra of Cause and Effect of the Three Times; illustrating the Law of Cause and Effect through stories from Ancient China and from the time of Lord Buddha.
Guru Yoga
To prepare many of his students before they took Refuge Vows with the late Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje compassionately gave this teaching explaining the need for wholehearted commitment to our spiritual master.
Removing Afflictive Emotions
Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains the causes of afflictive emotions as the misguided perceptions of sentient beings; prescribing the remedy of wisdom and discipline, and teaching of the benefits of protecting our vows and cultivating qualities such as bodhicitta and selflessness.
The Difference Between an Ordinary Person and a Dharma Practitioner
Lama Dondrup Dorje recounts the story of the time Lord Buddha was asked about the requirements of an ideal disciple, and explained the need for discipline of conduct and diligence in study and practice.
Freedom from Suffering Through Correct Practice
Through proper practice we can remove suffering and benefit others, while incorrect practice leads only to future suffering.
Reverence, Humility and Gratitude
Embrace each moment in life with reverence, humility and gratitude, as if you are receiving an honoured guest, and always apply yourself mindfully with the enthusiasm of unconditional compassion.
Calming the Mind
To calm the mind and truly remove obscuration we need to practice the method of meditation and bring our full attention to each of our senses.
The Importance of Confession and Correcting Errors
With the courage to confess and correct our errors, a state of natural harmony and simplicity is attained.
The Six Perfections
The practice of these Six Perfections is explained, showing how daily suffering can be removed, and happiness, stability of mind and wisdom can be cultivated.
The Perfect Conduct of a Bodhisattva
In this teaching we hear inspiring stories from the life of Togmay Sangpo, author of the Mahayana text ‘The 37 Practices of the Bodhisattvas’, and also hear how we too can make our lives into a living monuments of joy.
The Value of Life
Within all of us is a priceless treasure, the pure mind, the Buddha nature, which can only be revealed through training of the mind, just as a raw diamond is cut and polished.
Reflection on Death and Impermanence
Lama Dondrup Dorje gives us a nine-pointed meditation on Death and describes the advantages of remembering death and impermanence, and the disadvantages of not remembering them.
Seven Steps to Happiness
From a teaching given by Lord Buddha, describing the seven methods by which one can attain the ultimate tranquil restful happiness and eliminate all defilements and negativity.
The Benefits of Ordination
Lama Dondrup Dorje explains right motivation for taking ordination, the qualities of the ordained and the benefits of protecting vows.
The Truth about Taking Refuge
Lama Dondrup Dorje explains the Reasons for Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha; the powers and qualities of Lord Buddha, and the commitments which one undertakes by going for refuge.
Why Study Dharma
Lama Dondrup Dorje describes the Aspects of the Path, the need to recognise impermanence and emptiness, and the true reason for the and the true reason for the attainment of human life. Read More... .
The Four Obscurations
Of the Three Poisons, the most destructive is Obscuration. Describing the four main types of obscuration, Lama Dondrup Dorje speaks of the need for daily vigilance in watching over the mind.
The Buddhist Perspective on Tobacco
Based on the Terma and predictions of many great masters, this teaching explains the origin of tobacco and other drugs, and their negative influence.
States of Naturalness
Lama Dondrup Dorje describes the Eight Mundane Concerns and explains the States of Naturalness, as described in Buddhist sutras.
The Four Dharma Seals
The Four Dharma Seals explain: all phenomena are impermanent, the non-existence of the notion of the ‘I’, Nirvana is peace, and all conditioned phenomena are in the nature of suffering...
Taking Refuge
By Taking Refuge and relying wholeheartedly on the Three Jewels - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, we can eliminate indecision and confusion, and realise our true potential.
What is the Essence of Buddha Dharma?
To abandon negative action, generate perfect virtue, and subdue our mind, is the essence of Buddha Dharma. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains these actions, and the Principles of the Path we must follow.