"Now Departing on Track Number . . ."

"Now Departing on Track Number . . ."

Author: chenrezigproject January 16, 2025 Duration: 9:47
Visualize a vast railroad terminal resembling New York's Grand Central Station, with freshly deceased people entering all the time, mulling around, eventually trudging from the station waiting room toward the track on which their departure train sits, ready to take them on the journey through the Bardo of Becoming to their next rebirth. Consider: While we will all be there one day, the specific train for which each of us is ticketed differs, and the experiences of our time upon it -- as well as the individual conditions awaiting at our destination -- are not randomly assigned or determined. Rather, they are earned by us -- moment-by-moment. It's classic, big picture, end-of-life Cause-and-Effect . . . based upon the Why's and How's of what we've done in days past. (Length: 10 minutes) The Elegant Mind is written and shared here by Mark Winwood, a member of the teaching faculty at Naropa University (Boulder, CO), with accompanying music composed and performed by the San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega. Read by Kathy Ambrose. contact: mwinwood@gmail.com

Nestled within the broader conversations around spirituality, Tibetan Buddhism: The Elegant Mind offers a grounded space for exploring Himalayan Buddhist thought. This podcast emerges from the Chenrezig Project, a study group based in Boulder County, Colorado, and features a series of discussions and interviews that feel both timely and timeless. The focus here is on practical notions and methodologies, making the often profound teachings accessible to anyone-whether you're simply curious, have a budding interest, or are a long-time practitioner. You'll hear voices and perspectives primarily from the Pacific Northwest, though the insights resonate universally. The conversations avoid dense academic theory, instead aiming to illuminate how these ancient principles can inform a modern life. Tuning into this podcast is like joining a thoughtful, ongoing dialogue where complex ideas are unpacked with clarity and relevance. Host Mark Winwood and the Chenrezig Project facilitate these exchanges, ensuring each episode provides tangible reflections for daily contemplation and practice. It’s a resource for those seeking to understand the elegance and practicality of the Tibetan Buddhist mind, without requiring any prior expertise.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Tibetan Buddhism: The Elegant Mind
Podcast Episodes
Teachers Are Everywhere . . . Including in Your Mirror [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:12
'TEACHERS' (aka those we learn from) . . . are everywhere, and always have been. Consider the people you've encountered while traveling along the path(s) of your life -- both in your past and those who are here now. Try…
Lojong/Compassion Meditation: An Anti-Inflammatory for Mind and Body [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:48
Can cultivating genuine kindness and compassion actually make/keep us physically healthier? Stress-created/supported chronic inflammation is a stubborn low-level attack on our body, it causes significant wear-and-tear ov…
Compassion/Forgiveness: "I See It All Wisely" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:42
A brief, accessible and practical discussion on Forgiveness: Compassion's unsung -- and often misunderstood -- hero. Far from being a sign of weakness or acceptance of wrongdoing (which is often how so many people instin…
The Skeptical Buddhist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:10
Disbelief, Wariness, Incredulity . . . There are many Mahayana Buddhist perceptions and perspectives, notions and insights, practices and methodologies that on the (worldly/samsaric) surface initially might not make sens…
'DeepSeek'ing Dharma -- and the Human Touch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:51
Ongoing advances in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), most recently -- and explosively -- led by China's DeepSeek scientists, have stunned the tech/financial world in ways splashed about as pivotal 'wake-up' or 'Sputnik' m…
Thangka, Buddha and a Meditative Journey . . . [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:19
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 Years ago, a Tibetan craftsman created the Thangka for her, presenting a luminous Gautama Buddha surrounded by empowering deities and Dharma protectors. She's spent abundant meditative hours…
"What Is Enlightenment?  Is it for Me?" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:01
Call it what you will: enlightenment, realization, awakening, illumination, profound maturity, sageness, bliss . . . noble and empowering . . . brilliant and humble . . . courageous and practical . . . the 'stuff' of poe…
Some Thoughts on Mindfulness Practice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:25
We often cannot change our external environment. We certainly cannot change many (or most) of the people we encounter. But Mindfulness practice can lead us to clearly 'see' -- and help us to genuinely understand -- what…
Dharma in the ”Wild Place” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:20
From a divine 17th century French Canadian cathedral . . . to a young couple presenting Medicine Buddha-oriented offerings in the midst of northern Colorado's 'Rawah Wilderness' -- a tale of bountiful faith and practice…
Turn Suffering Into Compassion -- A Tonglen Meditation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:27
"Tonglen" is a Tibetan term that implies 'exchanging oneself with others’. It refers to a meditation practice found in Himalayan/Mahayana Buddhism which allows the awakening of genuine compassion. "Tong" translates as 'g…