Buddhist Teachings By Ven. Robina Courtin

Let’s look at the mechanics behind the natural law of cause and effect: karma. Everything we think, do, or say, is the process of programming ourselves, sowing seeds that will produce our future experiences. 12:57 | Extracted from teachings given at Buddhist Society of Victoria on Aug 18, 2018. Full teaching here.

14:38 | Extracted from teachings given at Ocean of Compassion (Gyalwa Gyatso) Buddhist Center August 18, 2017. Full teaching here.

The Buddha taught in ancient India when many great masters developed various disciplines of mental awareness. As we practice awareness in meditation, we observe how the sensory consciousness and cognitive process unfolds to the inner experiencer. This opens up a deeper familiarity with the mind, thus allowing us to step out of our self-imposed mundane storyline and imagine different ways of being. 16:36 | Extracted from "Taste of Buddhism - Be Your Own Therapist with Ven. Robina Courtin" teachings given at Tse Chen Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies. Full teaching here.

Everything that appears “out there” can be considered our own projection, or karmic appearance. That is, how we view the Covid-19 will largely depend on our attachments, our mental habits and expectations. One practice that His Holiness the Dalai Lama recommends during this time of pandemic, is the Green Tara practice and mantra recitation. 12:22 | Extracted from “Buddhist perspective on how to think about the outbreak” teachings given at Jamyang Buddhist Centre London. Full teaching here.

One practice that His Holiness the Dalai Lama recommends during this time of pandemic, is the Green Tara practice and mantra recitation. 6:39 | Extracted from “Buddhist perspective on how to think about the outbreak” teachings given at Jamyang Buddhist Centre London. Full teaching here.

On the deepest level, attachment and ego-grasping make us miserable. They leave us wanting and craving approval from the outside world. We believe we are nothing unless someone notices us, talks to us, praises us, etc. Look beneath one’s sadness and you might see some internalized anger projecting a broad feeling of hollow neediness. Look carefully at those dynamics and challenge these default thought patterns. Instead, consider your own, sublime potential. Identify with those amazing qualities and you are on the path! 9:24 | Extracted from "How To Approach Our Fear of Missing Out" teachings given at Buddhist Society of Western Australia. Full teaching here.

Mindfulness is merely the skill to place one’s attention without wavering. It is only one part of the whole package of skills we develop along the path. Buddhist psychology requires curiosity into thoughts, consciousness and the whole system of suffering and happiness. For that, we need to get the teachings on the mind. Then we can use mindfulness to verify those findings. 19:36 | Extracted from "How to love your problems January 2017" teachings given at Yeshe Norbu Mind Training Center. Full teaching here.

Following these instructions will purify how you relate to the world through your ability to speak. This brief ceremony protects us from creating an awful mess by saying fooling and harmful things. Practicing this profound aspect of Buddha’s perfect conduct imbues us with new abilities to always speak truthfully, skillfully and carefully. 12:16 | Extracted from "Deconstructing Emotions Retreat" teachings given at Thubten Norbu Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center January 29-31. Full teaching here.

Buddha taught this topic in a way that breaks through our usual attitudes about death. We have so much fear, regret and terror about death. We can overcome these by contemplating the certainty of death, that the time of death is uncertain and that at the time of death, nothing can be of benefit except for the imprints for ethical living. 11:28 | Extracted from "Deconstructing Emotions Retreat" teachings given at Thubten Norbu Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center January 29-31. Full teaching here.

When we are talking, joking and caring for each other, that’s love. We are interdependent beings and when we act within that worldview, our natural default is peace, love and compassion.  When we get irritated, however, a separate sense of an “I” stands out, and the “we” is split in half. This worldview contradicts the reality of interdependence and  results in conflict and despair. 3:53 | Extracted from "Deconstruction Emotions Retreat" teachings given at Thubten Norbu Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center January 29-31. Full teaching here.

By understanding emptiness - that there's nothing intrinsic in anything - we can slowly loosen the grip of ego-grasping and begin to develop our marvellous potential for clarity, contentment, love and the other qualities that Lord Buddha says are innate within us. 17:40 | Extracted from teachings given at Jamyang Buddhist Group March 2017. Full teaching here.

To understand the whole purpose of Buddha’s teachings, we can learn and internalize the Four Noble Truths.  The Buddha challenges us to consider that suffering can indeed end.  The implications are huge. 17:32 | Extracted from teachings given at Chenrezig Institute, April 4, 2013. Full teaching here.

The Buddhist approach to anger is to understand these feelings in their widest context. We get angry when we don’t get what we want. So, first, we use patience, not in a passive-aggressive way, but to create some space and avoid acting out. We use that time to break down the causes for our own particular anger. New understanding can drain the power out of those toxic emotions.   24:43 | Full teaching here

There are special skills we develop on the path. Rather than focusing on the external world, we learn to pay attention to the internal landscapes of our mind. At first, it might seem these crazy thoughts are unworkable. But slowly, with skill and work, we learn how to see, and eventually change our minds. 23:01 | Full teaching here

There are subtle levels of cognition that help us understand who we are in vivid detail.  But we have to get familiar with what we mean by “mind,” or “mind stream.” Buddha says “mind” is an experienced result from previous moments going back in time. And he challenges us to explore the mind, to ascertain how our senses and thoughts create positive, negative, and neutral experiences, habits and propensities. This is a radical discovery.  25:58 | Extracted from teachings given by Ven. Robina on the 2017 Lawudo Trek - Stillness Beyond Samsara, April 04, 2017.  Full teaching here

The Buddhist path is primarily concerned with working with one’s own mind. Why? Because that’s the source of all our suffering. 2:44 | Extracted from "When the Chocolate Runs Out" teachings given at Ocean of Compassion (Gyalwa Gyatso) Buddhist Center, August 18, 2017. Full teaching here

On a deep level, we all have an intuitive craving or attachment. This frantic junkie mind gets reinforced with fear and hunger and drives us to suffering. We can learn to identify it and work with it over time to reduce it. This is the job of the Buddhist. 11:19 | Extracted from teachings given at Vajrayana Institute, September 22, 2017. Full teaching here.

“Know your own mind,” sums up the Buddhist view. Consider the Buddha’s view that the mind is the root cause for both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. We might not be able to change difficult external things, but we can change how we internally process things in the present. Rather than blame the outside world for our troubles, look at what we can change. That’s the Buddha’s cognitive therapy.   20:52| Extracted from teachings given at Vajrayana Institute, September 22, 2017. Full teaching here.

At the base of many disturbing emotions lies fear.  Just look at an angry person’s face. We must learn the mechanics of these emotions – their causes and effects. 3:41| Extracted from teachings given at Vajrayana Institute, September 22, 2017. Full teaching here.

These steps lead through a counter-intuitive, courageous and altruistic state of mind. By contemplating these eight stanzas, we expand our capacity to understand a new perspective on suffering. We replace narrow selfishness with love for countless others. 20:16 | This is part of a series of talks given at the Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 5-7, 2019. Full teaching here (Session 7)