Conversations on Buddha-Nature

Regular live interviews with Buddhist practitioners, scholars, and thinkers. This is a space for stimulating and inspiring conversations on Buddha-Nature and related subjects. As a part of the Buddha-Nature Project of the Tsadra Foundation, Karma Phuntsho will host conversations with a Buddhist leader, influencer or expert each month on the theories and practices of Buddha-Nature, which will be live on Facebook. An exercise of mindful listening, right speech, and wholesome exploration of meaning and nature of life, these conversations aim to enhance the understanding and awareness of Buddha-Nature and promote the ethos of innate goodness and positive perception.

May 29, 2021 · Klaus-Dieter Mathes: Buddha-Nature Theories from Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century Tibet

Event

Buddha-Nature Theories from Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century Tibet

Professor Klaus-Dieter Mathes, one of the world’s most learned and published specialists on the topic of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism, spoke with Lopen Karma Phuntsho about the various interpretations of tathāgatagarbha teachings in Tibet, including those of the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, Longchenpa, Gö Lotsawa, Dölpopa, Butön, and Tsongkhapa.

Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Mathes is the Head of the Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria. Dr. Mathes has published widely on Mahāmudrā, Tibetan Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, and the interpretations of Buddha-nature in Tibet. Many of his books can be found on this website, including the recent The Other Emptiness: Rethinking the Zhentong Buddhist Discourse in Tibet and A Direct Path to the Buddha Within. Klaus-Dieter also hosted the Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia Symposium in 2019. From 1980-1984 he lived in the Himalayas and studied Buddhism, later obtaining a master's degree in Tibetology from the University of Bonn and then a Doctorate from Marburg in 1994 with a study of the Yogācāra text Dharmadharmatāvibhāga (published in 1996 in the series Indica et Tibetica). He served as the director of the Nepal Research Centre and the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project in Kathmandu from 1993 to 2001.

April 24, 2021 · Judy Lief: Tenderness and the Awakening of Buddha-Nature

Event

Tenderness and the Awakening of Buddha-Nature

::“Before any kind of perception occurs, wakefulness is already there—beyond concept, beyond limitation, beyond anything measurable. We can all awaken—that is the hope and the potential.”—Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Judith L. Lief is a Buddhist teacher, writer, and editor. She was a close student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who empowered her as a teacher, and she has edited many of his books including The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma volumes and Milarepa. She has been a teacher and practitioner for over 35 years and continues to teach and lead retreats throughout the world. Lief is also active in the field of death and dying and is the author of Making Friends with Death.

March 27, 2021 · Karma Lekshe Tsomo: Buddha-Nature and Social Justice

Event

Karma Lekshe Tsomo: Buddha-Nature and Social Justice

Venerable Tsomo is an inspiration to all Buddhists interested in living a socially conscious life and is known around the world for her warmth, knowledge, and clear approach to teaching and speaking about life, Buddhism, and social activism. She co-founded Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, which hosts the Sakyadhita Conference, the largest and most important meeting of Buddhist women in the world.

October 24, 2020 · Conversations on Buddha-Nature: Matthieu Ricard - Buddha-Nature, Happiness and Altruism

Event

Matthieu Ricard: Buddha-Nature, Happiness and Altruism

Can we be happy and compassionate without Buddha-Nature? Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho will discuss themes of buddha-nature, happiness, and altruism with world-renowned Buddhist monk, photographer, writer, and activist Matthieu Ricard.

Can we be happy and compassionate without Buddha-Nature? Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho will discuss themes of buddha-nature, happiness, and altruism with world-renowned Buddhist monk, photographer, writer, and activist Matthieu Ricard. Learn more about Matthieu's work at Karuna-Shechen or MatthieuRicard.org.

Watch his wonderful TED talk here or listen to this fascinating interview at the On Being program on NPR.

November 28, 2020 · Robert Thurman: Conversations on Buddha-Nature 11-28-2020 - Buddha-Nature as the Foundation of Freedom

Event

Robert Thurman: Buddha-Nature as the Foundation of Freedom

Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho discussed themes of freedom, spirituality, and buddha-nature with world-renowned Buddhist scholar, translator, writer, and activist Robert Thurman.

Tsadra was live on Zoom and Facebook on Saturday, November 28th at 10 AM Eastern Standard Time with Karma Phuntsho and Doctor Robert Thurman, who discussed themes of freedom, spirituality, and buddha-nature as well as his own practice life and understandings of Buddha-Nature texts.

February 27, 2021 · Geshe Lhakdor: Conversations on Buddha-Nature 02-27-2021 - The Human Capacity to Flourish

Event

Geshe Lhakdor: Buddha-Nature as the Foundation of Freedom

What is our capacity for compassion? Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho discussed themes of buddha-nature and human flourishing with renowned Buddhist monk and Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, Venerable Geshe Lhakdor.