Way of Compassion Dharma Center

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues teaching on the 16 attributes of the Four Noble Truths, as presented in the text “Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature,'' by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John summarizes the attributes of true dukkha by explaining how we misperceive ourselves, things and events. He offers everyday examples of using ethi...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues teaching on the 16 attributes of the Four Noble Truths, as presented in the Text “Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. This episode focuses on the second attribute of the First Noble Truth; the unsatisfactoriness of conditioned existence. John makes important distinctions between t...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna begins teaching on the 16 attributes of the Four Noble Truths, as presented in the Text “Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. He discusses the truth of impermanence and explains how understanding and accepting impermanence can relieve much suffering in our lives. This episode was recorded on...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna speaks on 4 different methods of cessation as presented in the text “Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. Additionally, John talks about the 5 hindrances and how they obstruct our progress on the path to awakening.  This episode was recorded on April 10th, 2024. Welcome to the Way of C...

In this session, The Way of Compassion Dharma Center spiritual director John Bruna, continues his commentary on the text "Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature" with a discussion on the Buddhist view of Duhkha which is translated as suffering. He offers practical advice on engaging with a path that leads to the removal of this suffering by first helping us identify our misperceptions of wh...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna takes us deeper into the Buddhist truth of Duhkha or suffering, and the true causes of suffering that all sentient beings experience. He speaks about our fundamental misperception that leads to our Attachment and aversion. John also gives needed clarity around the term Attachment as it is used in Buddhism versus modern psychology. This episode was rec...

In this session, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, John Bruna, goes right to the heart of the Buddha's first teaching on the four truths. John gives commentary and a practical understanding of these truths and illustrates how the Buddha's teachings are designed to free us from the fundamental misperception of ourselves and others that will awaken us to our Bu...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna begins his commentary on a new text that was written as a collaborative effort by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John offers helpful ways to understand the Buddhist view on the Self by investigating these two questions: Does the Self exist, and is there a beginning to the Self? This episode was recorded on March 6th, 2024. ...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna gives clear guidance on how to engage with the Buddhist teachings on karma, or actions and their consequences, in healthy and practical ways. He offers ways to avoid obvious pitfalls by simplifying the laws of karma. This episode was recorded on February 28th, 2024.  Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colora...

In this episode, John gives clear guidance on how to engage with the Buddhist teachings on Karma. He specifically talks about 2 characteristics of Karma, giving guidance on how we need to plant the seeds of wholesome actions to experience their results and how we can mitigate previous unwholesome actions by applying the 4 opponent powers of purification. This episode was recorded on February 21st,...

In this session, John Bruna unpacks the commentary by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron on the characteristics of Karma. John takes time to clarify how karma is definite and expandable. He also talks about how we will not experience the effect of an action that we have not done and how karma that is created will have a result. This episode was recorded on February 14th, 202...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues his commentary on the teachings of the law of karma which are presented in the book "Foundations of Buddhist Practice" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John gives a comprehensive explanation of what role our actions play in the creation of karma, and he pays particular attention to the importance of int...

In this session, spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, John Bruna, gives clear instructions on how to relate to karma in a helpful and productive way. This episode was recorded on January 24th, 2024.  Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Bu...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna continues to offer commentary on the text, "Foundations of Buddhist Practice" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John gives a clarifying teaching on the Buddhist view of the nature of mind. He offers clear guidance on experiencing the nature of the mind as luminous and cognizant through incremental steps of practic...

In this session, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, John Bruna, offers commentary on the primary causes and secondary conditions for Enlightenment. He offers a helpful perspective for Westerners on receiving blessings, gaining confidence in the Buddhist teachings through personal practice, and explains that as our minds develop along the path, we will become more open t...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna unpacks the analytical meditations on the three marks of existence, which are impermanence, unsatisfactory conditions, and selflessness. He also shows how they interrelate and how the more that we live in alignment with these realities, the less we will suffer. This episode was recorded on January 3rd, 2024.  Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Ce...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna discusses the importance of integrating the Lam Rim topics into our lives. He gives advice on how to go through the 3 levels of learning with the variety of analytical meditations that are found in the stages of the path to Enlightenment. This episode was recorded on December 27th, 2023. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna continues on the theme of meditation, teaching how to structure a meditation session by first engaging in the 6 preparatory practices. He also answers questions about how we can cultivate good habits and avoid bad habits in our meditation practice. This episode was recorded on December 20th, 2023. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna discusses three different types of meditation as discussed in the book "Foundations of Buddhist Practice" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John describes how we can practice objective wisdom meditations, mind transforming subjective meditations, and touches lightly on visualization meditations. This episode was r...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna discusses how to structure a meditation session to have it be an effective practice that can transform our Dharma practice into the entirety of our life. This episode was recorded on December 6th, 2023. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, begins this Dharma talk by answering many questions from students. He then continues teaching on the qualities of a student that bring us into healthy relationships with our teachers to derive the most benefit from our spiritual friends. This episode was recorded on November 29th, 2023. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dhar...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, offers a teaching about becoming a qualified disciple so that our practice and teacher/disciple relationship will bear fruit. He speaks about how one needs to be unprejudiced, intelligent, and interested when listening to and studying the Buddha's teachings. John also speaks about the need to be open-minded not only to...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, centers a discussion around how important it is for us to choose our spiritual mentors wisely. He gives clarity on what qualities we need to look for when choosing to follow a spiritual mentor and what a healthy Guru/Disciple relationship looks like. This episode was recorded on November 15th, 2023. Welcome to the Way of Co...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, unpacks the buddhist wisdom of evident objects, obscured objects, and very obscured objects. He gives practical guidance on how we can relate to these philosophical teachings wherever we might be on the path to awakening. This episode was recorded on November 8th, 2023. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna illuminates important distinctions between conventional reality and ultimate reality known as the "Two Truths". He describes these two truths in detail and shows how they are not separate, thus steering us away from a nihilistic view and towards the middle way view of dependent origination. This episode was recorded on October 25th, 2023. We...