Bob Thurman Podcast: Buddhas Have More Fun!

The Heart Sutra is one of the most profound and widely studied texts in the Buddhist canon. In this episode, Professor Thurman reads the Heart Sutra, and explains the meaning as he goes along. This is the first of a two-part episode on the Heart Sutra. This episode was recorded on July 27, 2015 at the "Buddha and the Yogis" retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell...

In this episode, Professor Thurman explains how to use analysis to realize non-duality . Deconstructing our habitual understanding of body, mind- everything you think of as solid and real dissolves under this analysis, and brings you into a state of samadhi . This is a powerful practice for deeply understanding the nature of things as they are. “Vimalakīrti’s Verses : Deconstructing the Self...

In this episode, Professor Thurman reads the first chapter of Vimalakirti, which he translated and has been teaching for nearly forty years. Thurman illuminates the meaning of the text, the historical context , and the various possible translations of important words and concepts that elucidate the Mahayana teaching. Meeting Vimalakīrti- Episode Twenty Nine of the Bob Thurman Podcast via Wikimedia...

In this podcast Robert A.F. Thurman discussed the Buddhist perspective on the health and happiness of all beings. One of the unique aspects of Tibetan culture is that for hundreds of years, thousands of people have been meditating on the thought "every single being has been my mother." This means that through countless lives, you have been every possible animal and being, and every single being al...

In this episode, Professor Thurman points out the unspoken rule in our culture that it isn't OK to be happy for no apparent reason. He explains that in fact, reality is bliss and joyfulness. When we understand the nature of reality, it makes perfect sense to be happy. We just don't experience our life that way because we think we are separate from everything else. This, he explains, was the Buddha...

All of us have knots in our energetic system from our conditioning and emotional trauma that need to be uncoiled through spiritual practice. However, if we try to pierce them or muscle our way through them, they just get tighter. In this episode, Professor Thurman, Richard Freeman, and John Campbell discuss how to flow through the knots, based on teachings from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Buddhis...

Yuthok Nyingthig is the most important practice for Tibetan medicine healing practitioners. The practice of Yuthok Nyingthig helps reveal the rainbow body that is each person's natural state. Professor Thurman discusses the meaning of empowerment, tantra, and why the rainbow body of natural bliss and happiness is such an important teaching for our modern world. This podcast was recorded on July 2,...

In this episode, Professor Thurman discusses Buddhist ethics, which he translates as the ten-fold path of skillful and unskillful action. Instead of right and wrong, Professor Thurman urges us to consider ethical behavior as any action that helps us evolve on the path toward enlightenment . Helping others is the heart of skillful action, but it’s also in our best interest. When we realize we...

One of the Dalai Lama’s slogans is: “If you want to be happy, be compassionate.” In this lecture, Professor Thurman discusses how to do this by opening our hearts to others, especially our enemies. Our enemies aren’t just other people, but within ourselves. By transforming anger towards all our enemies we can find true happiness and also help others do the same. This podcas...

The Buddha’s Wheel of Dependent Origination describes the cycle of existence—the endless wheel of samsara and suffering. The first link on this wheel is ignorance, or mis-knowing. Specifically, the idea that we are separate from others. Professor Thurman explains how this fundamental misunderstanding of separateness creates the whole universe of suffering. It is also the key to putting an en...

In this episode, Professor Robert A.F. Thurman responds to the question: “Does Buddhism believe in a soul?” Buddhism teaches that we have no inherent self, so how can there be life after death and reincarnation ? In a concise and humorous way, Professor Thurman explains the Buddhist understanding of existence, non-existence , and what is reborn. This episode was recorded in Bhutan as part of the G...

In this lecture, Professor Thurman explains the concept of non-duality , and that emptiness doesn’t mean we don’t have a mind. Emptiness means we have an uncreated mind—it has always been there and it can never be destroyed. What this means is that we’re already in nirvana , we’ve always been in nirvana, and we can’t leave nirvana. But we can fail to enjoy it for a re...

Professor Thurman discusses the potential dangers of cultivating an empty mind without also developing proper understanding of what emptiness is. Just meditating with our default understanding of reality can temporarily dampen our worries, but it won’t completely overcome them. The danger is that we’ll think we’re already enlightened , and lose the motivation to completely transform our whole expe...

Robert A.F. Thurman gives advice to a group of students who have been learning the Mahamudra (great seal) meditation. This episode is an extract from a lecture given to students of the Nalanda Institute  on April 16th. Advice on Mahamudra Meditation : Buddhist Inner Sciences 101 Episode 18 the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo of Robert A.F. Thurman at Tibet House US via Nalanda Institute . “Advice on Mah...

In this episode Professor Thurman, Richard Freeman, and John Campbell compare and contrast the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp of the Five Stages. Bob and Richard discuss the opening verses of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika . Podcast includes a discussion of atman , raja yoga, mahasiddhas , bliss, and the channels /nadis of the body. Buddha and Yoga : Buddhist Yoga is an...

Robert A.F. Thurman leads a prayer for those who died in the Nepal earthquakes from The Tibetan Book of the Dead . In the Tibetan view of the dying process, death is a gateway into a journey through a dream-like landscape (the bardo), that can take up to 49 days, and sometimes much longer, if the person has strong amount of unfinished business from the previous life. They are said to be aware of w...

Professor Thurman introduces the Essence of True Eloquence (drang nges legs bshad snying po) , discussing his own personal experience encountering and translating the Tsongkhapa's great work, and also Tsongkhapa's own experience and doubts about composing the work. He elaborates on the role of Manjushri in influencing Tsongkhapa to eventually compose it, and in influencing those who would wish to...

Professor Robert A,F, Thurman draws from his book, Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp of the Five Stages for a discussion on the distinctions between Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, delving into a discussion of Tantra, the creation stage and perfection stage; the extraordinary-ordinary mergers pertaining to basis, path and fruition; and the five stages of the Glorious Esoteric Community (Shri G...

Introducing the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśha Sūtra , Gelek Rimpoche and Professor Thurman discuss mistaken relationships with Buddhist gurus and books, particularly in the West. They offer guidance for identifying a good guru and for maintaining a healthy relationship with the guru . In monastic Buddhism, the abbot is not a big boss and obedience is not a big virtue for the Buddhist monk or mendicant. In...

Buddhism’s Heart Sutra is recited at the start of teachings, events & as a blessing. In this podcast Robert AF Thurman leads a recitation of The Heart Sutra and gives an introduction to it’s history. Podcast concludes with Professor Thurman explaining how the practice of reciting The Heart Sutra is the key to understanding it’s teaching as a tool for mind transformation. &#82...

Professor Thurman speaks one on one to a student about meditation practices, quiescence (pali: samatha, sanskrit: śhamatha), insight (pali: vipassanā, sanskrit: vipaśhyanā) and meditative realization (bhāvanā). Includes a discussion of the common misunderstandings of the three, and how to use them on the path to enlightenment . “All phenomena of samsara and nirvana come about through cause a...

Introduction to the asceticism as created by the historical Buddha in the original mendicant community of male & female followers of his teachings. Robert A.F. Thurman discusses the difference between Theravada and Universal Vehicle (Mahayana) Buddhism, comparing the Nirvana aspiring mendicants and Enlightenment aspiring Bodhisattvas — the variances in their ways of thinking and the impacts th...

Professor Thurman discusses the experiential and physical parallels between the process of sleep and the process of dying . He explains also the similarity between this experience and enlightenment, and how sleep yoga and death yoga can be used therefore on the path to enlightenment . This episode is an excerpt from recordings of a weekend retreat that Professor Thurman led at Kripalu Center for Y...

In this podcast Robert Thurman discusses the motivational and inspirational value of examining rebirth stories first hand on the spiritual path no matter what one’s background is.  Providing examples from Non-Buddhist communities Professor Thurman details the process of dying , death and rebirth , and the contraindications found within our modern relationship with it. Podcast concludes with...

In this podcast Robert A.F. Thurman discusses the significance of March 10th in Tibetan history & in the context of the English translation of Sofia Stril-Rever’s book, “ My Appeal to the World” , which is a collection of transcripts of 50 speeches given by His Holiness The Dalai Lama on March 10th between 1961 and 2011, with commentary by Robert Thurman, published by Tibet H...