Eight Kinds of Mastery (MP3CD)

Description

The closer we examine our lives, the more we realize we are driven by mental habitual patterns of all kinds. Some are healthy and helpful while others are negative and destructive. The fundamental cause of unhappiness is the ignorance or “mistaken view” that something we think is a cause for happiness is actually a cause for unhappiness. Being mentally uncomfortable, we habitually seek comfort from thoughts, words and activities that ultimately only make matters worse. In these two talks Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche discusses the spiritual path as a process of working to transform habitual patterns in a positive way via five actions: (1) Seeing all of our experiences as resulting from our mental habits, (2) Recognizing everything is changeable, (3) Maintaining a sense of humor, (4) Seeking support in making and keeping changes in habits, and (5) Maintaining a strong motivation to understand and let go of patterns that appear to provide comfort but ultimately don't help and maybe even harm. While the spiritual path can begin in this way, it must go further and find a deeper truth: The true nature of our experience is without inherent solidity. It is dream-like. We are what we project. Rinpoche elaborates upon this truth by teaching on Milarepa’s short doha (song of realization) called the Eight Kinds of Mastery, which describes eight actions that ultimately overcome habitual patterns and lead to the full realization of the unfabricated true nature of mind. Taught in English. Two talks on on MP3 CD.

Features

MP3CD Recordings
MP3CDs look like ordinary CDs, but contain compressed audio files. While a regular audio CD holds a maximum of only 80 minutes of recorded audio, an identical-looking MP3CD can easily hold the audio files from an entire weekend or even week-long teaching. MP3CDs can be played in a computer and/or the audio files can be downloaded into an iPod or similar device. MP3CDs may also be played on a portable MP3CD player. Most ordinary CD players, such as the CD player in most older cars (roughly 2005 and earlier), will not play MP3CDs. Many but not all cars 2006 or later do have MP3-capable CD players. Any car or home stereo CD player that is capable of playing an MP3CD will have “MP3” or “MP3-WMA” clearly marked on the front of it.
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