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Lam Rim Intro 12: Meditation on the first steps Updated: 2011-11-04 15:15:54 Description: Lama Marut takes us through a short meditation on the beginnings of the path to happiness. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-podcasts.html Visit Lama Marut's Blog a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 11: Refuge in Karma and Buddha Nature Updated: 2011-10-20 21:46:32 Description: The fear of a consequences of our bad actions and the faith that there is something which can help us, drive us to seek refuge in things. But often we seek our refuge in the wrong things. Here Lama Marut describes two ways of thinking about somethi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 10: Refuge and the Anti-Whining Law Updated: 2011-10-10 19:16:34 Description: We love cause and effect as a system when it seems to be working in our favor, but as soon as we experience something negative we sometimes tend to loose our faith in cause and effect. But as Lama Marut says in this talk, there's no need to whine ab...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 09: Karma Dissected Updated: 2011-09-27 20:26:25 Description: If you want to make things better, you have to understand how and why they are working the way they are. This leads us to the often misunderstood concept of Karma. More than good luck or some kind of spiritual accounting. Karma describes an underl...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 08: Three Problems of the Mind Updated: 2011-09-21 15:27:49 Description: This episode of our series is a powerful exposition of how our minds are almost always currently wired in exactly the wrong way. Lama Marut brings insight to the way we mess ourselves up, but also, in a very honest and wisely compassionate moment, h...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 07: Watch What You Say Updated: 2011-09-14 05:06:50 Description: Nothing goes for naught. Being mindful of the way you speak, and the intention behind it is a vital part of beginning to manage the thoughts which motivate that speech, and the karma which motivates those thoughts. Here Lama Marut is delving deeply...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 06: Stealing, Lying, and Sex, Oh My. Updated: 2011-09-06 15:06:19 Description: In this world we are always committing actions which will have consequences. Because these "consequences" become our reality, it is vital then to know which actions we should be careful about and which we should strive to avoid entirely. This is a k...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 05: Karma and what no killing means Updated: 2011-08-25 16:43:08 Description: We live in a broken realm where we have the Karma to constantly be harming others, and that's not good for us because the results of our karma are definite. But we can strive to do less harm. Perhaps we can even perfect that practice. Here Lama Ma...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 04: Death Awareness Updated: 2011-08-14 18:22:32 Description: As the man said, "Nobody gets out alive". To get really serious about a spiritual life there's no escaping an examination of what happens when the experience of this life is over, and how you are both preparing for that, and making the most of the t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 03: Leisure and Fortune Updated: 2011-08-07 03:43:29 Description: Just the fact that you are reading these words, almost guarantees that you are living a life of blessing far beyond what most humans who ever lived could have imagined. Understanding that deeply is the beginning of getting serious about a spiritual ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 02: The Teacher, Fast Track to Bliss Updated: 2011-08-01 02:56:04 Description: How can you learn anything except from a teacher? Your teacher is responsible for everything you now know, or hope to know. But who and where is your teacher? That is a question best left to someone like Lama Marut to explain. Write to us at: pod...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lam Rim Intro 01: Mapquest to Bliss Updated: 2011-07-18 14:48:32 Description: The Lam Rim is an extremely powerful method for understanding and embodying the teachings of Buddhism. It's an "A-Z" guide to enlightenment. This is the first of a 12 part series which will introduce the major concepts of this amazing teaching. Wr...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Meditation on Challenges of Spiritual Life Updated: 2011-07-05 21:47:21 Description: If you've been practicing for any period of time you know that challenges arise. But with the right understanding we see that these are generally not inhibitions to our practice so much as vital objects of our practice itself. Here Lama Marut gives ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Find a teacher and hang on tight Updated: 2011-06-24 04:24:52 Description: The relationship between teacher and student is potentially the most transformative experience of one's life. But that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Reconciling Your Religious Heritage Updated: 2011-06-15 18:21:37 Description: Even for those facing disillusionment with the spiritual tradition they group up with, there is still room to look at it in a new light, to find the essential truths which made it valuable enough to be passed down to you in the first place. Write to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Escaping Death, A true Budhist POV Updated: 2011-06-08 14:21:15 Description: As ancient teachings such as Buddhism adapt to the modern world some interpretations tend to soften their more radical assertions, such as the elimination of ALL types of suffering. But here Lama Marut argues that to do so misses the true power these...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Why Fit In? Accept What Comes With Bodhichita. Updated: 2011-05-25 20:43:49 Description: In this short and to the point podcast from a great Q&A session, Lama Marut uses his wit and wisdom to clarify what is required to really practice Bodhicitta Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please g...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Where are good and bad coming from? Updated: 2011-05-13 02:47:47 Description: If good and bad were self existent, we'd all see them the same way. But we don't. How is that possible? Here Lama Marut will begin to unravel how that is happening. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Highest Form of Love Updated: 2011-04-24 04:29:09 Description: Lama Marut explains how the many different expressions of love which we we experience are actually rooted in love for the Divine. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-po...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD If it's not deep seated it wont last Updated: 2011-04-05 03:06:25 Description: Good intentions will only get us so far. In the face of repeated challenges, we need a deep understanding of how things are working and why we should be careful about our intentional actions. Here Lama Marut discusses the value and importance of a ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Virtues 4: Ultimate Devotion Updated: 2011-03-23 07:34:33 Description: In this final installment of the four part posting on Buddhist Virtues, Lama Marut sums it all up with an explanation of the highest practice of devotion. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Virtues 3: Remove doubt, Show devotion, Practice perfection Updated: 2011-03-07 17:09:44 Description: More of Lama Marut's exposition of Buddhist Virtues. This is the third of four parts. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-podcasts.html Visit Lama Marut's Blog at: ht...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Virtues 2: Compassion and Right World View Updated: 2011-02-28 16:21:16 Description: Here Lama Marut continues his very clear and fresh explanation of Buddhist Virtues. This is the second of four parts. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-podcasts.html...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Virtues 1: Dont harm, Dont lie, Keep pure Updated: 2011-02-21 21:52:32 Description: Here Lama Marut gives a very clear and fresh explanation of Buddhist Virtues which will we share with you in four parts. This is Part 1. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Giving up the wacky self to discover a Divine self Part 2 Updated: 2011-02-10 21:17:17 Description: One of the most primary sources of our discontent is our flawed sense of self. But what if we could redefine that sense closer to perfection? Lama Marut discusses rediscovering the divine within ourselves in the second half of a two part podcast. Wr...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Giving up the wacky self to discover a Divine self Part 1 Updated: 2011-02-10 04:15:36 Description: One of the most primary sources of our discontent is our flawed sense of self. But what if we could redefine that sense closer to perfection? Lama Marut discusses rediscovering the divine within ourselves in the first of a two part podcast. Write to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Where is YOUR Lama? Updated: 2011-01-19 17:00:45 Description: The beginning of the path is finding a teacher. But who IS your teacher. WHERE is your teacher? Here Lama Marut gives us a lesson in one way to find our teacher, by looking at the people closest to us. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscr...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Who REALLY Makes You Unhappy? Updated: 2011-01-02 08:18:00 Description: If we analyze the true source of our unhappiness we will find that the point of origin is much closer than we tend to suspect. Which is good news, because with wisdom we can actually do something about it. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To s...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Most Sacred Truth Updated: 2010-12-15 09:41:55 Description: In characteristic style, Lama Marut distills the complexity and mystery of life down to one simple truth. At once so simple, yet at the same time not so easy. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts ple...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Here are the Rules Pt 2 Updated: 2010-12-07 02:35:12 Description: In Part two of this three part podcast Lama Marut takes us deeper into the "simple" rules for living a good life. Simple, but not necessarily easy. Thankfully we have an excellent teacher to guide us through. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Here are the Rules Pt 1 Updated: 2010-11-30 20:58:46 Description: In the first of a three part podcast trifecta, Lama Marut goes over the rules to live by if you want a happy life. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-podcasts.html Vi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Thanksgiving Meditation Updated: 2010-11-17 05:11:05 Description: In this very special extended podcast Lama Marut takes us through a beautiful meditation on giving thanks. Great for ANY season. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-pod...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Graceful Teacher Updated: 2010-11-04 22:01:54 Description: Lama Marut often says that your teacher is "The cypher to the sacred, for you". Here he beautifully explains why that is so. And why it is so important. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Working Towards Larger Goals Updated: 2010-10-28 13:23:49 Description: It's not that we don't know how to work hard. Mostly though the things we are working towards will not bring us lasting happiness. Here Lama Marut tells us how to realign our daily efforts with a larger goal in mind. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Dealing With Demons Updated: 2010-10-20 14:13:27 Description: Often misunderstood, Lama Marut here explains the parts of ourselves which persistently keep us from being happy. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-podcasts.html Vi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Why Be Good? Updated: 2010-10-12 14:11:44 Description: It's a good question. What is the basis for maintaining your morality? Lama Marut discusses the very reasons why it is in your self interest to do so. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: ht...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Bodhicitta Juggernaut Updated: 2010-09-28 21:58:05 Description: Lama Marut explains how "Bodhicitta" can be used to create nearly unstoppable spiritual momentum. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-la.org/mg-podcasts.html Visit Lama Marut's ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Snowball Effect of Happiness Updated: 2010-09-03 07:42:39 Description: Lama Marut discusses the way our actions create a momentum based on our choices. If we choose wisely, our spiritual momentum can lead us towards happiness. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD True Happiness Updated: 2010-08-18 20:33:49 Description: We seek happiness but all too often we seek it in exactly the wrong places. Here Lama Marut discusses the true nature of lasting happiness. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please go to: http://aci-l...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ultimate Reality, Part 2 Updated: 2010-08-10 20:17:28 Description: We are deceived by reality because we think it exists in ways that it simply cannot exist. In part two of this teaching Lama Marut explains how this keeps us suffering, and how to break out of this incorrect way of looking at our reality. Write to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ultimate Reality, Part 1 Updated: 2010-08-03 22:09:36 Description: We are deceived by reality because we think it exists in ways that it simply cannot exist. In part one of this teaching Lama Marut explains how this keeps us suffering, and how to break out of this incorrect way of looking at our reality. Write to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Don't wait to get started Updated: 2010-07-21 19:21:51 Description: Sometimes we are too occupied with the busy-ness of our life to think about the meaning of our life. In this podcast Lama Marut challenges us to escape the mindless parts of our life that are keeping us unhappy Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Constituting the Guru Updated: 2010-07-09 04:49:16 Description: Here Lama Marut explains where the guru in your life will actually come from, and what it will take to begin to see them. This videocast is taken from a retreat teaching given in Lake Tahoe in 2008. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Making Your Life Miraculous Updated: 2010-06-10 21:57:24 Description: Lama Marut explains how and why to try to see the miraculous in your daily life. This videocast is taken from a retreat teaching given in Lake Tahoe in 2008. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to Lama Marut’s audio podcasts please ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Be a Rebel, Be a Yogi Updated: 2010-06-04 04:06:52 Description: Lama Marut explains how the practice of real yoga is counter-culture and goes against the grain of ignorance, selfishness and unhappiness. This videocast is taken from a teaching given Mahasukha Los Angeles, in April 2010. Write to us at: podcast@...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Don’t Waste Your Suffering Updated: 2010-05-18 03:52:43 Description: Lama Marut describes how recognizing your own suffering is essential for generating compassion for other people’s suffering. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Reno, January 2009. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Relax into Reality Updated: 2010-05-06 16:38:42 Description: Lama Marut brings to light how accepting change relieves you of the unrealistic expectations of life and exercises your only option for happiness. This videocast is taken from a teaching given Mahasukha Los Angeles, in April 2010. Write to us at: p...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Religion: Armed and Dangerous Updated: 2010-04-02 05:05:32 Description: Lama Marut explains how the best way to live a peaceful life is to make your spirituality armed and dangerous to your unhappiness. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Lake Tahoe, 2008. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Overcome jealousy and envy Updated: 2010-03-21 00:39:13 Description: Lama Marut relates how feeling joy for other people’s happiness and compassion for their unhappiness transforms envious and jealous tendencies. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Lake Tahoe, 2009. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Acts of Compassion Updated: 2010-03-04 17:27:03 Description: Lama Marut lists several simple ways you can act with compassion towards others such as not repaying criticisms and happily living a spiritual practice for the benefit of all. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Los Angeles, 2007. Writ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Advice On How To Die Well Updated: 2010-01-27 23:40:31 Description: Lama Marut reveals how to prepare yourself and others for death with compassion, forgiveness and generosity. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Essex, Massachusetts February 2009. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subscribe to La...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Noblesse Oblige: The Cause of The Good Life Updated: 2010-01-21 19:15:24 Description: Lama Marut explains how those of us who believe we're leading a good life must help others because our past generosity is the exact cause of the life we enjoy today. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Essex, Massachusetts February 200...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Equalizing Self and Others Updated: 2009-12-30 00:36:31 Description: Lama Marut teaches one of the great classics of the “lojong” tradition, instructions on how to “develop the good heart.” Breaking down our selfishness begins with the recognition that everyone’s claim to happiness is equal, and yours is no...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Overcoming Obstacles to Happiness Updated: 2009-12-21 20:30:54 Description: We need to work hard for our spiritual goals but we are hindered by our laziness – in the form either of indolence or excessive business – our attraction to bad things, and our low self esteem. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Lo...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Changing the Past Updated: 2009-12-11 01:08:48 Description: The only past that exists is a part of our present mind, and that can certainly be changed. To live a happier present, we must change our idea of the past by practicing the virtue of forgiveness. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Jun...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Compassion for Those Who Harm Updated: 2009-11-25 02:58:47 Description: Lama Marut here explains why the proper, human response to people who hurt you is not anger or the desire for vengeance but rather compassion. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in June 2009 at the Three Jewels in Tucson, Arizona. Write ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Practicing Forgiveness and Patience Updated: 2009-11-03 02:21:21 Description: In order to achieve perfect patience – the opposite of anger -- and forgiveness, we have to practice these virtues in little ways all day long. And since praise and fame can be major distractions, could we say that those who defame us are really ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How Happy Are You? Updated: 2009-10-10 05:39:30 Description: Your relative happiness is the real gauge of spiritual progress. The first steps to perfect happiness are to recognize the unhappiness we presently live with and have become inured to. And when we begin to see the results of even a little practice,...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Contentment is Being Happy, Here and Now Updated: 2009-09-10 03:51:45 Description: For most of us most of the time, things are actually alright. So why aren’t we content with the present? Instead, we are spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about the imaginary future or cultivating resentment about a past which is don...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Happiness Revolution Updated: 2009-07-30 02:59:31 Description: Which part of you doesn’t want to be happy? Lama Marut here reviews the forces – internal and external – that are keeping us from true happiness. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in June, 2009, at the Three Jewels in Tucson, Ariz...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ignorance: Public Enemy #1 Updated: 2009-07-05 04:28:49 Description: Ignorance is the root of all our mental afflictions, leading us to believe that other people can make us either unhappy or happy. Lama Marut here encourages us to take back the power over our own happiness and to realize that it is never in our real...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Learning to be a Spiritual Warrior Updated: 2009-06-22 22:45:12 Description: Lama Marut here discusses several of the qualities of a spiritual warrior – learning to live an ethical life so as to change your conception of the kind of person you are, and developing patience in the face of provocation. This videocast is taken...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Meditation and Wisdom Updated: 2009-06-12 05:34:51 Description: Learning how to meditate and developing wisdom about how the world is really working are, according to the Buddhist texts, altruistic and compassionate activities. If you want to change the world you have to understand that the only way to do it is ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Relax into the Insecurity Updated: 2009-06-01 06:36:19 Description: Real renunciation means giving up suffering and its causes. We can start by not continually putting our eggs in the wrong baskets and, realizing there is no certainty in secular things, relaxing about change itself. This videocast is taken from a t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Wake Up and Turn it Off Updated: 2009-05-26 20:45:37 Description: Lama Marut here urges us to stop being diverted (through watching television, for example, over four hours a day on average) and remember our real purpose and mission. This videocast is taken from a teaching given at the annual Windhover retreat in ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD What Goes Around, Comes Around Updated: 2009-05-18 15:36:14 Description: Why do things happen the way they do to us? Lama Marut here goes through specific correlations between karmic cause and effect and the general principles behind them, and then urges us to learn to take responsibility for everything that occurs in ou...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Chain of Pain Updated: 2009-05-12 06:31:21 Description: Lama Marut reviews the cause and effect “chain of pain.” It starts with the ignorant seeds we carry into this life from previous lives which then ripen and forces us to think of things ignorantly and react to them ignorantly – which causes us ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Learn to Float Updated: 2009-05-04 02:56:03 Description: Lama Marut here advises us to “relax into the insecurity” of life. Everything is changing and impermanent, and a little bit of wisdom about this goes a long way in aid of a happier life. This videocast is taken from a teaching given at the ann...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Working Hard for True Happiness Updated: 2009-04-28 05:10:04 Description: Lama Marut here advises us to work at least as hard for our spiritual goals as we do for our professional advancement, money, or relationships. He reviews the three obstacles that stand in our way: laziness, attraction to bad things, and low self-e...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Karmic Correlations Updated: 2009-04-21 03:16:09 Description: Lama Marut here reviews the various kinds of karmic consequences of our actions, providing specific correlations between causes and effects. This videocast is taken from a teaching given at The Waldorf School, Los Angeles, in December of 2007. Writ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD CD’s and the 1st Arya Truth Updated: 2009-04-16 03:08:16 Description: The Buddha’s very first teaching is that life is suffering. When we are in the midst of a disaster, we know this. But it’s in between disasters that we have to remember that every good thing we obtain – ranging from our new CD or pair of shoe...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Truth is Paradoxical Updated: 2009-04-09 08:17:59 Description: A religious practitioner must have a high degree of tolerance for cognitive dissonance, for the truth often seems to us (ignorant ones) as paradoxical. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Los Angeles, in November 2007. Write to us at: ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Working Hard (Happily) for Your Spiritual Goals Updated: 2009-03-30 03:21:40 Description: One of the biggest obstacles to a spiritual life is laziness. Lama Marut here relays advice on how to overcome the inertia that keeps us from working hard, and with “joyful effort,” for our spiritual goals. This videocast is taken from a teachi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Eliminating An Irritating Person Updated: 2009-03-24 23:49:00 Description: Lama Marut reviews the three steps of breaking the cycle of responding with irritation to an irritating person. This videocast is taken from a teaching given in Rockport, Massachusetts, in August of 2008. Write to us at: podcast@aci-la.org To subs...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Daily Practice Updated: 2009-03-19 18:14:57 Description: What are the components of a good daily practice? Lama Marut reviews the basics, including meditation every morning, checking your morality all day long, doing something for others, and daily study of a sacred text. This videocast is taken from a t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Re-Identity Yourself Updated: 2009-03-11 03:04:50 Description: A very important spiritual practice is to simply re-identify ourselves – as a kind, compassionate, happy person instead of a suffering schmuck. Additionally, when we encounter others we have a choice between two unconfirmable assumptions. The oth...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Three Problems of the Starbuck Cup Updated: 2009-02-28 04:34:50 Description: Lama Marut talks about how to be a good student by avoiding three typical problems: thinking you have nothing to learn, improper motivation, and having the teaching go in one ear and out the other. This videocast is taken from a teaching given at ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Practicing for Showtime Updated: 2009-02-15 00:20:55 Description: All our life is practice for death. At death we will lose everything, so practicing for it is a matter of detaching from the things and people we can’t keep. This videocast is taken from from the annual Windhover retreat in Rockport, Massachuset...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Learning to Be a Spiritual Warrior Updated: 2009-02-11 05:23:44 Description: Stop playing footsies with samsara! Practice the bodhisattva’s way of life instead. Be a “saint in training” and train yourself in the perfection of giving -- especially in the form of the gift of love, protection from fear, and the gift of t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Creator Gods in the Making Updated: 2009-02-02 16:59:15 Description: Because all things, without exception, are empty of self-nature, the world around us exists only as a projection. In this videocast, Lama Marut proves that things can’t exist “out there” at all. Because things are coming from us and not at us...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Happiness is Freedom Updated: 2009-01-27 05:05:39 Description: We are enchained by our things, our possessions, our plans. Freedom comes from living happily in the present and letting go of the attachments that are causing us to suffer – especially our present sense of who we think we are. This videocast is...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Slouching Towards Happiness Updated: 2009-01-20 02:51:38 Description: When religions talk about the need for "renunciation," what's meant is renouncing pain and suffering. Religion should be fun, and should lead to the "funnest." Lama Marut here argues that good spiritual practitioners "slouching toward happiness." ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Filtering the World Through Our Subjective Apparatus Updated: 2009-01-12 17:13:26 Description: The appearance of things as if they existed apart from our perception of them is an illusion. Wisdom begins with honesty. We must admit that we are not and cannot be objective. Everything is filtered through our subjective perceptual apparatus, w...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Abortion, Euthanasia, and the Impossibility of Living Without Killing Updated: 2009-01-06 05:54:22 Description: While the Buddhist text state that both abortion and euthanasia involve negative karma, the intention is critical. If one truly believes that a foetus is not a living being, for example, the karma of abortion is less serious than otherwise. Lama Ma...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Specialists in Happiness Updated: 2008-12-18 08:01:34 Description: The authentic, time-tested spiritual traditions are the only real specialists in happiness. If you’re not getting happier practicing your spiritual life, you’re not doing it right. This videocast is taken from the annual Windhover retreat in Ro...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Road to Bliss Updated: 2008-11-20 05:07:59 Description: Consumer capitalism will not bring the happiness we are seeking in it. It is only the spiritual traditions that are teaching the true road to bliss: learning to live a life of compassion and altruism toward others. But in order to get to the goal, ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Be Happy, Be Grateful Updated: 2008-11-20 04:32:27 Description: Lama Marut advises us here to cultivate gratitude in order to live a happier life. If we just pay attention a bit, we’ll see how much others are doing for us all the time. And feeling grateful is a very potent method for combating low self-esteem...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Eliminating an Irritating Person Updated: 2008-11-20 04:20:24 Description: We can get rid of the irritating people in our lives. In this videocast, Lama Marut goes through the three steps for doing so: run away, just take it without retaliation, and finally, feel nothing but love and feel compassion for the (formally) irr...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Your Real Enemies Updated: 2008-10-27 02:24:52 Description: Your real enemies are not external. They are the “mental afflictions,” and disturbing your peace of mind is their very nature. In this videocast Lama Marut talks about the top three mental afflictions – ignorance, ignorant liking, and ignoran...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD “The Big ‘False Causality’” Updated: 2008-10-19 22:47:51 Description: While we embrace causality as the explanation for why things happen, the causality we believe in is false. The principal way we mistake false causality for the true causes of things is thinking that the way we achieve our own happiness is worrying a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Things Exist Only When They Are Known Updated: 2008-10-13 01:27:25 Description: The great Buddhist philosophy Arya Nagarjuna proved that things aren’t “out there” waiting to be discovered. Things exist when they are known – and not until. And, conversely, we don’t exist until and unless we interact with the world. S...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Emptiness of the Cup, Part Two Updated: 2008-10-04 05:33:31 Description: Objects in the world have to be projections of wholes on the basis of parts. But that process of projection can’t exist the way it seems to either – we would never finish projecting even one cup. Projections themselves are projections! Wisdom ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Emptiness of the Cup, Part One Updated: 2008-09-27 14:04:26 Description: The world can be divided into subjects, objects, and the relationship between them. None of them has any self-existence; they are all empty. If objects like a cup existed the way they seemed to, they would be “out there,” on their own, with som...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Overcoming the Blockage of Pride Updated: 2008-09-21 19:50:22 Description: One of the most powerful motivations to overcome our pride and take ourselves to a spiritual teacher is when we have a personal disaster, when it becomes clear that life is indeed suffering and that we actually need help. There is no refuge or prote...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Waking Up To Reality Updated: 2008-09-10 18:45:55 Description: Most modern people aren’t actually interested in what is real; we’re too busy with our entertainment and games. We’re addicted to our own unhappiness and ignorance and resist the very things that would overthrow them. To counter these tendenc...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Recognizing Suffering in Order to Be Happy Updated: 2008-09-09 17:16:35 Description: Our experience of the world is only an interpretation, but why do I interpret the world the way I do? Interpretations are forced upon us by karma, by how we’ve treated others in the past, and because we have been selfish instead of compassionate w...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Is There Anything Good About Suffering? Updated: 2008-08-21 22:02:34 Description: Are there any advantages to suffering? All experiences – bad and good – that have happened to us in the past were necessary to makes us the people we are now. We can begin to have a healthier attitude toward past and present suffering by cultiv...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Resuscitating the God We Have Killed Updated: 2008-07-19 18:50:34 Description: We are living in a radically secular time and place, where nothing is special. Within a world where nothing is sacred, we must rediscover the possibility of the miraculous, especially in the form of our teachers. But we can only see what we have the...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Pride in Intelligence Updated: 2008-07-13 21:40:26 Description: While our intellect is a great gift, we must be careful to avoid pride in our intelligence which, like our money or good looks, we will inevitably lose sooner or later. Pride blocks us from learning in general, and in our spiritual life it is one of...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Disturbing Your Worldview Updated: 2008-07-13 21:33:50 Description: Does cigarette smoking cause lung cancer? Does exercise bring health and longevity? Does medicine cure disease? In this videocast, Lama Marut points out that a cause is something that brings about its effect all the time, for everyone. The real c...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD What if God was One of Us Updated: 2008-07-13 21:33:36 Description: There are enlightened beings all around us, trying to help us. But the way they help us is to teach us how to help ourselves. And so one of the most obvious manifestations of the divine in our lives is in the form of our teachers who are doing the ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Freedom from Karma Updated: 2008-07-06 20:24:26 Description: Can we ever be freed from karma? In Eastern texts, “freedom” often means freedom from the illusion of a concrete entity we call “ourselves.” Karma is stored in our present conceptualisation of ourselves. If we could learn how to change our...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Committing Karmic Suicide Updated: 2008-06-16 04:30:34 Description: When we don’t have enough karma to get what we want without depriving others, we should commit “karmic suicide.” Instead of pushing the karmic envelope, let it ride; let others go first or have what you wanted. Sacrificing what you want creat...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Being in the World But Not of It Updated: 2008-06-08 19:33:23 Description: The Bhagavad Gita teaches us how to act properly in a messy, imperfect world. First and foremost, we must understand the real principles of causality – which is one element of what the Gita calls “karma yoga.” Everything is in the nexus of ca...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Selfless Action Updated: 2008-05-26 05:59:10 Description: Karma yoga in the Bhagavad Gita means, among other things, “selfless action” – learning how to act in the world without creating negative karmic consequences or repercussions. How do we do this? Primarily through selfless action – compassio...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Enlightened Self-Interest Updated: 2008-05-18 06:09:32 Description: Doing something for others – preferably anonymously – everyday is one of the secrets of happiness. Helping others is actually the best thing we can do for ourselves. Altruistic behavioir is the cause of our own happiness and is therefore in our...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Smackdown With Anger Updated: 2008-05-11 05:20:19 Description: It is possible to eradicate anger entirely. But it’s not easy. We need to have a “smackdown with anger” to overcome it. Lama Marut here tells us how to do this in three steps: 1) at first, you’ll need to just “run away,” that is, get y...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Ten Commandments of Karma Yoga Updated: 2008-05-04 23:30:37 Description: At the very foundation of what the Bhagavad Gita calls “karma yoga” is understanding the grossest level of karmic management: don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, etc. We must become masters of morality; we can’t practice more...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Our Infinite Potential Updated: 2008-04-27 03:33:18 Description: Because things are “empty” of self-nature, both the perception of ourselves and that of the world around us are infinitely perfectible. Our sense of ourselves (that little inner voice we are forced to listen to) and of the world around us are bo...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Finding Your Teacher Updated: 2008-04-22 17:13:13 Description: What qualities should you look for in a spiritual teacher? Lama Marut reviews the list: You should have a strong attraction to them and they should be happy (since that’s what you want them to teach you!). They should be ethical, good at meditat...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD What Forgiving Is and Isn’t Updated: 2008-04-12 02:56:41 Description: We cannot be happy while carrying grudges and resentments about what others have done to us in the past. We must forgive them – unilaterally and pre-emptively. In order to do this, we have to understand what forgiveness is and isn’t. It isn’...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Reaching Ecstasy Updated: 2008-04-05 06:53:55 Description: Many people in the Western world seem to have forgotten that true goal of every spiritual tradition is the highest happiness – bliss or ecstasy. Every authentic spiritual path leads to this goal, and on the way to that goal the practitioner should...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Is It a Pen or a Chew Toy? Updated: 2008-03-25 15:51:17 Description: Reality can be divided into how things appear and how things really are. Things exist “deceptively” in that they appear differently from how they really are. It seems that things are “out there,” independently and objectively. But actually...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD What is the Real ‘Secret’? Updated: 2008-03-15 12:26:06 Description: The real secret to obtaining true happiness is not just wanting it. We have to create the causes for it. Being happy is not a trivial goal. It is the precondition to being able to be compassionate toward others. And the only way to be happy is to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Taking Advantage of Your Miraculous Life Updated: 2008-03-08 11:24:06 Description: We are living miraculous lives, but what are we doing with them? We are mostly taking them for granted instead of taking full advantage of our amazing opportunity. We have are living the lives that millions of traditional practitioners have prayed ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Religious Teacher, Part 2 Updated: 2008-03-02 06:09:42 Description: Can we prove that our spiritual teacher or guru is an Enlightened Being? Do we really know for sure, somehow, that our teacher is not a Buddha? Our preconceptions about what an Enlightened Being should look like prevent us from seeing our teacher f...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD True Happiness and the Fact of Suffering Updated: 2008-02-24 01:09:24 Description: The spiritual path is meant to lead to “freedom,” liberation from suffering and unhappiness. But until we are enlightened, we don’t really know what true happiness would feel like. We are entrenched in suffering, no matter how materially com...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Why Consumer Capitalism Won’t Make You Happy Updated: 2008-02-19 04:48:36 Description: The purpose of a spiritual path is to lead the practitioner to happiness. The authentic and time-tested traditions work – they deliver the goods. But the false religion of consumer capitalism cannot bring the happiness we seek in it, and we are l...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Religious Teacher, Part 1 Updated: 2008-02-10 06:36:17 Description: God can be understood to be a transcendent figure, outside of us, or as very close, right here in our lives. In the Bhagavad Gita, God is presented as Krishna, the guru and close friend of His devotee, Arjuna. We too can have an intimate relationsh...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Laws of Karma, Part 2 Updated: 2008-02-04 05:23:44 Description: Lama Marut discusses the three worldviews we use to explain how and why things happen to us in life. #1. Things happen for no reason. #2. God is micromanaging the Universe. Or #3. Everything is in the web of causality. We conveniently mix and match t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Laws of Karma, Part 1 Updated: 2008-01-15 21:37:18 Description: The Bhagavad Gita states, “No action in this world goes for naught, or brings about a contrary result.” Actions of selflessness and altruism toward others can bring nothing other than goodness to you, and actions of selfishness and harm to others...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obstacles to Working Hard for Happiness, Part 2 Updated: 2008-01-04 20:31:17 Description: Lama Marut continues the delineation of the main obstacles to working hard, happily, for real and lasting happiness. “Attraction to things that are bad” or bad habits means, among other things, watching TV instead of spending time more profitabl...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Gita’s Three Yogas and Buddhism Updated: 2008-01-01 03:48:45 Description: The Bhagavad Gita is linked to the early texts of the Indian Mahayana Buddhist traditions by its emphasis on the three “yogas” of devotion, compassionate action, wisdom, and devotion or bhakti. In Buddhism, the pan-Indian devotional movement foun...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Three Spiritual Practices Updated: 2007-12-15 02:10:43 Description: In the Bhagavad Gita, one of the classic texts in the history of religions, Lord Krishna teaches us three different but interrelated spiritual practices: the discipline of one’s actions (karma yoga), of wisdom (jnyana yoga), and of devotion (bhakti...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obstacles to Working Hard for Happiness Updated: 2007-12-11 08:04:19 Description: Why aren’t we doing the things in life we know are the most important? What’s preventing us from developing the “joyful effort” we need to progress in our spiritual lives? The main obstacle to working hard, happily, for real and lasting hap...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Running With Scissors Updated: 2007-11-16 10:29:37 Description: We can’t achieve the happiness we all are seeking if we continue to create the causes for suffering. We have to let go of the scissors with which we are cutting ourselves; we have to renounce the idea that our happiness (or unhappiness) comes from...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Learning to be Happy, Part 2 Updated: 2007-08-19 13:27:50 Description: “Problems” do not objectively exist. They are just interpretations of events. In order to be happy we have to learn how to concentrate on the many good things in life, realize that happiness can not come from outside of us but only from within,...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Learning to be Happy, Part 1 Updated: 2007-06-28 20:38:03 Description: In this inaugural videocast, Lama Marut points out that our deepest desire, the only motivator of everything we do, is to be happy. But we often mistake true happiness for something ephemeral and superficial. True happiness cannot be found in money...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD |
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