Way of Compassion Dharma Center

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna covers one of the meditation methods for cultivating Bodhicitta known as Equalizing oneself with others. He offers approachable steps for engaging in the brief and extensive versions of this meditation that encourage the core motivation of the Mahayana path. This episode was recorded on December 17th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Cent...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues his commentary on the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path” by Kathleen McDonald. The focus of this talk is on how self-centeredness is a basis of our suffering and how recognizing the interdependent nature of our lives leads us closer to liberation This episode was recorded on December 10th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna comes to the culminating phase of the seven-point cause and result for cultivating bodhicitta. This seventh and final point, which is developing the motivation of bodhicitta, is the result of the previous 6 points that were covered in detail over the past several dharma talks. Bodhicitta is the aspiration and engagement in the path to become a fully e...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna introduces a variety of graduated steps that will lead us to the great resolve of bodhicitta, in which one takes on the personal responsibility of removing the suffering of every sentient being. He invites us to keep this vision in our minds while offering practical practices that meet us where we are in our journey. This episode was recorded on Novem...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna teaches us some valuable techniques for cultivating love. He suggests meditation methods that can aid in our cultivation of loving kindness for ourselves, our loved ones, strangers, and people who challenge us. This episode was recorded on November 12th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna offers commentary on how we can cultivate great compassion known as bodhicitta by repaying the kindness of others. He speaks about how the urge to repay the kindness of others arises naturally when we reflect on the kindness we have received. This episode was recorded on November 5th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Locat...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues to discuss how we can develop the foundation and motivation of the Mahayana path: Great Compassion. He speaks about how Bodhicitta begins with equanimity and then moves to seeing all beings as having been our kind mothers. John gives a variety of entry points to this challenging task and offers practical guidance suited for our Western minds...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues to give commentary on the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path”. He unpacks the first two points in the seven-fold cause and effect, focused on the cultivation of bodhicitta. Various perspectives are offered on the methods to develop compassion for all beings and to explore our connection to one another. This episode was recorded...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna gives guidance on how we can train in the skill of equanimity. He gives many valuable perspective shifts that help us engage with people who harm us or harm others. Equanimity is the baseline for cultivating Bodhicitta, which is the only motivation that will lead us to the Enlightenment of a Buddha. This episode was recorded on October 15th, 2025. Wel...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna offers a variety of techniques for developing equanimity for three different categories of people: friends, enemies, and strangers. He describes how to meet ourselves where we are. and encourages us to expand our circle of loving care to those who are strangers or who have harmed us. This episode was recorded on October 8th, 2025. Welcome to the Way o...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna talks about how bodhicitta is the foundation of the Mahayana path of Buddhism. He spends time during this teaching speaking about the benefits of great compassion that engages in actions to free all sentient beings from samsara. This episode was recorded on October 1st, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondal...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues his commentary on the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path.” He discusses how renunciation is a gateway to great compassion, also known as "bodhicitta" in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This episode was recorded on September 24th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Color...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues to give his commentary on the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path.” John discusses the subject of Bodhicitta, also known as Great Compassion in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.  He takes us step by step along the journey of generating an aspiration for Bodhicitta, which is the underlying motivation for enlightenment. This episode...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues to give his commentary on the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path.” The section of the text that he discusses is focused on the four doors to downfalls which are: not knowing, carelessness, lack of respect, and delusions. This episode was recorded on September 10th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Lo...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna offers a clarifying commentary on the benefits of ethics in our lives and specifically on the path to Enlightenment. He describes how ethics paves the way for deeper states of concentration and eventual realization of emptiness that will free us from Samsara. This episode was recorded on September 3rd, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Cen...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna speaks about the relationship between ethics, concentration, and wisdom within the Buddhist context of the three higher trainings. He spends much of this session helping us understand how to begin to view things as they really exist without undermining the valid view of our conventional reality. This episode was recorded on August 27th, 2025. Welcome...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna focuses in on the antidotes to suffering. He presents a commentary that invites us to bring practical practices into our daily lives to slowly yet consistently erode misperceptions that lie at the root of our dissatisfaction and stresses. This episode was recorded on August 20th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna offers commentary on the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path.” This talk focuses on the third noble truth, which is the reality that samsara can be healed from the root through the medicine of wisdom. True cessation is the Buddhist promise of complete freedom from suffering and is achieved through the path of awakening. This episode was re...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna discusses what it means to have a meaningful death. He includes a description of the 8 phases of dissolution as taught in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and also describes his personal experience of attending to his teacher Geshe Gyeltsen’s transition and some of the signs of high accomplishment he witnessed at his time of death. This episode was reco...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues to comment on the Text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path” by offering clear guidance and commentary on the Six factors that cause delusions to arise. This episode was recorded on July 30th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primar...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna gives a talk on how Impermanence is a remedy for attachment. He offers practices we can engage in to take the sting out of the pain caused by attachment without developing feelings of dissociation or disconnection. This episode was recorded on July 23rd, 2025. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna offers a dharma talk on the antidotes to attachment by thoroughly illustrating how we misperceive the source of our happiness in the things and people that are outside of ourselves and create the causes for suffering by pursuing these things that can never offer us lasting happiness. This episode was recorded on July 16th, 2025. Welcome to the Way of...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues his commentary on the text, "How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path". He explores the topic of how other people are mirrors, showing us our own mental afflictions. John skillfully guides us to understand that our interactions and perceptions of others are actually showing us our own mind. This episode was recorded on July 9th, 2...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna gives a dharma teaching on the importance of reflecting on karma and clarifies many misconceptions that arise from the complex web of actions and their consequences. He folds in an important dynamic of how mental afflictions and karma interrelate and how we can make wise decisions about our actions in response to the events of life.  This episode was...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues his commentary on the text “How to Meditate on the Stages of the Path” by offering guidance on the antidotes to anger. He helps us come to a clear understanding about the common misconceptions of justified anger based on the Buddhist understanding of anger as one of the three root poisons that harm ourselves and others. This episode was reco...