In this podcast Professor Thurman teaches that enlightenment is not defined as awareness of space of light, which is somewhere else, not here, in some imagined opposition to this place of light and dark that is filled with all the world’s problems, from which one should escape. That is not the Mahayana definition of enlightenment. In the Mahayana, and therefore in the Buddha’s definition, enlightenment is expanding your sense of identification, in particular, of identifying oneself with others. Among animals, humans have a particular ability to identify with one another through love (mother and child, lovers or teams are good examples of that). The Buddha’s sense of identification expands to all beings, all life.
This episode was recorded on March 10, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.
In this two part podcast, Professor Thurman discusses the Buddha’s advice on love and marriage and the Buddhist perspective on love, generosity and compassionate...
In this episode Professor Thurman talks about the Seventeen Great Scholars of Nalanda. They taught at Nalanda, which was a renowned Buddhist University, which...
Using the “Esoteric Community” (Guhyasamāja), by Tsongkhapa Professor Thurman discusses the fractal nature of Buddhist writings and how with proper study and meditation upon...
