How to Loosen the Grip of Ego-Grasping by Understanding Dependent Arising, The Best Method for Realizing Emptiness with Venerable Robina Courtin
You can participate through Zoom (see below) or in person.
Lama Tsongkhapa writes lyrically about Lord Buddha’s teachings on dependent arising – the “king of logics” to prove emptiness, as Lama Yeshe puts it. With this perfect view, Je Rinpoche says, we can never “fall into the abyss of the great mistake” of nihilism, one of the commonest misconceptions about emptiness.
We will investigate how in his gradual path literature he skillfully leads us to the eradication of ego-grasping, the primordial assumption of a fear-driven, bereft, separate self, which simply doesn’t exist.
We start by applying the law of karma – an example of the first level of dependent arising: cause and effect -which gradually counteracts our pervasive feelings of hopelessness and self-pity, causing us to realize that we are the source of our own happiness and suffering.
Next, we get to the root of the problem by becoming our own therapists: delving deep into our mind and identifying our delusions – attachment, aversion, jealousy and the rest – and recognizing that they are fabrications rooted in ego-grasping.
Now, combining our practice with bodhichitta, we are equipped to understand the subtler levels of dependent arising and to use this logic to uproot ego-grasping itself.
Ordained since the late 1970s, Ven. Robina has worked full time since then for the FPMT. Over the years, she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her life and work with prisoners have been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
To join the Zoom Meeting:Join the meeting now. (Or use Meeting ID 867 0184 7793 and passcode 071140 if dialing in.)
To reveal the Zoom call details:
You can also dial in on any phone:
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
If you’re asked for a Participant ID, just press #
____________________________________________
________________________________________________ DONATIONS for VEN. ROBINA
Participants - if you would like to make an offering to Venerable Robina in appreciation of her teachings, you can do so here.
DONATIONS for KURUKULLA CENTER
Participants - if you have enjoyed participating in the teachings and meditations online or in person, please consider making an offering of financial support for our programs. Even a small offering can make a big difference. To donate, please click here.
