Buddhist Teachings By Ven. Robina Courtin

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)

If you look honestly at your mind, you will see anger, irritation, or craving. These negative mental states are called disturbing emotions because they do just that, disturb our well-being and get in the way of real practice. How does Buddha address this?  He laid out four simple steps to purify negative karma. The four stages are Regret, Refuge, Remediation and Resolve. Take care of your own karma first, then you can open your potential for a much larger sense of compassion.  23:39 | 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 6)

Attending to the little things throughout the day, we can be aware of our subtle mental disturbances. That way we can deal with things as they come up. We identify what they are, and we talk ourselves through it. We get used to working with adversity.  So when the big things come, we will suffer, but we won’t lose our direction. 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 5)

Be careful about what you expect from meditation. It’s not a magic pill that will suddenly make you happy. We learn meditation to familiarize ourselves with our own minds. To clear out the trash. It takes exertion and diligence to learn proper stability meditation technique.  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 4)

The Buddha asks us to take responsibility for our own situation. That’s tough when it comes to suffering. It’s easy to slip into a victim mentality, blaming everyone but ourselves. Rather, muster the courage to make our own decisions based on a solid understanding of reality, so you can increase your virtuous qualities. That’s what we learn in Junior School. 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 4)

We feel a sense of entitlement about “deserving” happiness. But it’s more practical to look at our own craving and learn from it. Self-pity can impair our ability to access that information and use it to grow the true causes of happiness.  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 3)

When we cultivate habits of awareness, we discover the causes of our deepest hurt.  The regular, worldly awareness mostly ruminates about the past and frets about the future. Check your own mind. These are the habits of ego-clinging, seeing yourself as distinctly separate from all others. However, awareness of the present reveals this impoverished and lonely “I” as a mere conceptualization, part of an interdependent and dynamic process, mostly created by habit. 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.

Our deeply-ingrained mental habits help feed a profound sense of dissatisfaction. That’s what Buddha calls suffering, or samsara. This emotional hunger, or craving, we call attachment. When attachment doesn’t get what it wants, then we experience anger. If we break down the karmic steps in the situation, we can see how our mental precursors can be reversed. This is part of a series of talks given at the Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 5-7, 2019.

Buddha observes a simple moral framework of non-harming. The way we relate to others really creates the kind of person we become. It shapes how we experience the future in very particular ways. If the mind is habituated or oriented toward morality, then disturbing emotions won’t arise. If it is habituated in non-virtue, then we suffer a great deal. Everything we experience is stored, ripens, and helps shape how we experience the present. Therefore, logically, I should sow the seeds of happiness, (benefit others), and avoid sowing the seeds of suffering, (harming others). This is part of a series of talks given at the Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 5-7, 2019.

Everything we experience and everything we become, stems from our previous actions. It’s not just random. There is some structure and consistency to the law of cause and effect. Check with your own experience. That’s karma. This is part of a series of talks given at the Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 5-7, 2019.