Way of Compassion Dharma Center

In this session, John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, offers a helpful modern perspective on the Eight Verses of Mind Training as presented in the Tibetan Buddhist lineages.  He specifically speaks about how recognizing other sentient beings as precious is essential for our journey to spiritual awakening. This episode was recorded on April 5th, 2023. Welcome t...

John Bruna, spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, offers practical and powerful guidance on Buddhist mind training. He describes how our suffering doesn't so much come from the events of life, but rather from how we relate to the events in our lives. John introduces many ways that we can cultivate the awakened mind by transforming both felicity and adversity into the path...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Foundation, talks about the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice of great compassion. In this session, he describes many benefits of altruism and introduces many wisdom perspectives that will help us live with less suffering. He describes how traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings on compassion have been adjusted to suit a western min...

In this episode, John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, offers commentary and guidance on the text "Approaching the Buddhist Path" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John unpacks a section of text devoted to bodhicitta known in Tibetan Buddhism as the great compassion. He gives helpful advice on cultivating compassion in dail...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna goes in depth on the importance of our motivation in Dharma practice. He outlines four different motivations of practitioners and offers a variety of different entry points into the Buddhist path. John then gives practical and powerful instruction on how we can transform our daily activities into the treasure of genuine happiness through our motivatio...

 In this episode, John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, gives commentary and guidance for entering the Buddhist Path through the doors of kindness and compassion. He also speaks about the dynamic of creating a healthy sense of self while engaging in activities that don’t enhance self-importance. John describes how self-centered behavior is the root of suffering...

In this episode John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Foundation, offers commentary on the text "Approaching Buddhism" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron. John gives clarity on what the four authenticities are and how to practically gain faith in the path of Buddha Dharma. This episode was recorded on February 15th, 2023. Welcome to the Way of Compas...

John Bruna, spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, continues to give commentary on the text "Approaching the Buddhist Path" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John discusses the roots of Buddhism by giving a history of the Buddhas life and teachings. He discusses the importance and interrelationship between different lineages of Buddhism and...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, continues the discussion in the text "Approaching Buddhism" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. In this session, John focuses in on interdependence and the countless causes and conditions that give us the life we have. He discusses how successful civilizations have worked cooperatively an...

The Way of Compassion Dharma Center's spiritual director, John Bruna, engages in conversation and guidance around cultivating a good state of mind.  John begins by answering questions about karma and the realms of existence as described from the Buddhist perspective. He then unpacks the teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron on growing a good state of mind. H...

John Bruna, the Spiritual Director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, provides practical guidance and methods to cultivate constructive actions. He speaks about how we can strengthen our ability to engage in actions with compassion and wisdom through familiarity. John also points out how our own self-critical attitude is a manifestation of our mental afflictions which are not our true nature....

John Bruna, the Spiritual Director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, continues to offer his commentary on the text "Approaching the Buddhist Path" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödron. In this episode, John taps into the heart of love and compassion, that from a Buddhist perspective are at the very core of who we are. John offers clear guidance on how to cul...

John Bruna, the Spiritual Director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, continues to offer his commentary on the text "Approaching Buddhism" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödron. John is known for translating the Dharma to make it practical and accessible for the daily life of a westerner. In this session, John gives simple and powerful instructions on how to c...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion, continues his commentary on the text Approaching the Buddhist Path, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödron. John is known for clearly translating the Dharma into practical and accessible teachings for individuals with a western mind. In this session, John offers clarity on analytical meditation and in particular med...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna offers a variety of perspectives based in wisdom that act as antidotes to our mentally afflicted states. He also speaks about how important context and integration are in relation to the various practices, rituals, and teachings that we receive. This episode was recorded on December 14th, 2022. Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. L...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Foundation continues to offer guidance and clarity around more subtle afflictions of the mind. He offers a variety of antidotes to our afflictive states and also explains the importance of the four opponent powers of purification and the relationship that practice has to the cultivation of wisdom. This episode was recorded on December 7th...

John Bruna, Spiritual Director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, continues to offer commentary and guidance on the text "Approaching the Buddhist Path" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John brings the teachings of training the mind right into our daily lives in this session focused on working with afflictions in our minds. This episode was recorded Nove...

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna continues commentary on the theme of emotional intelligence, referencing the text Approaching the Buddhist Path by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron. John offers clear, practical guidance on training the mind by recognizing and applying antidotes to mental afflictions, while cultivating wisdom and compassion. This episode...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, discusses emotions from modern psychological and Buddhist perspectives . He discusses how emotions can be helpful and even save our lives. On the other hand, emotions rooted in exaggeration and projection can be quite harmful to ourselves and others. John offers clear examples of destructive and constructive emotions and me...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Foundation, continues to offer commentary and guidance on the text "Approaching Buddhism" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödron. In this session, John gives guidance around disillusionment stemming from unrealistic expectations. This episode was recorded on November 9th, 2022.  Welcome to the Way of Compas...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna continues teaching about anger. He offers commentary on different perspectives of anger and how the different paths in Buddhism approach this emotion in a variety of ways. John brings in the wisdom of dependent origination as a powerful antidote to our habitual tendency to point outward at the cause of our anger. He also offers a variety of additional...

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna discusses the different aspects of fear and anger as mentally afflictive states and wisdom. He offers clarity and guidance on the tendency to exaggerate situations as an important aspect of identifying afflictive fear and anger. John also gives practical guidance on how to respond to the events of our lives through compassion that can also be powerful...

John Bruna, spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, gives guidance around the Buddhist view of emotional intelligence. Positive emotions lead to positive future circumstances and negative emotions lead to negative future circumstances. Join us as John gives practical advice on how to bring these teachings into your daily life. This episode was recorded on October 12th, 2022. Wel...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Foundation, continues the discussion of the path to awakening as presented in the book "Approaching Buddhism" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödron. In this episode, John presents important findings on wellbeing from the perspectives of both modern science and Buddhism. John brings clarity to the mind and...

John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Foundation, continues the discussion of the path to awakening as presented in the book "Approaching Buddhism" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödron. John discusses how the Buddhist path offers the potential for completely removing suffering from one's experience. He speaks about the different levels o...