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Sarah Harding discusses the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Severance (chöd) and, in particular, The Big General Guide to Severance by Jamyang Gönpo (b. 1208), which is possibly the earliest extant commentary on Severance. The author received the instructions of Machik Lapdrön from her son Gyalwa Döndrup, as well as from visionary experiences of her. He is thus considered one of the main sources of Severance, as well as being a lineage holder of the Lower Drukpa Kagyu tradition. This early system does not place much emphasis on the rituals, but rather goes straight to the heart of Severance, which is the Buddha's teachings on the Perfection of Wisdom. The unique approach of Severance is to arrive at that wisdom by examining and facing our deep-seated fears.
Sarah completed the first three-year retreat for westerners at Kagyu Ling, France, 1976–1980 and later served as a translator at Kagyu Shenpen Kunkyab, Santa Fe, 1980–1992. She was a founding member of Kalu Rinpoche’s International Translation Group in 1987 and has taught the Tibetan language to hundreds of students over the years, including creating a popular Tibetan language correspondence course. She retired from Naropa University in 2018 after twenty-six years of service. She continues her written translation work from her home in Boulder, Colorado. She has been a Tsadra Foundation Fellow since 2000.About the media
| Featuring | Sarah Harding |
|---|---|
| Creator | Tsadra Foundation |
| Producer | Tsadra Foundation |
| Event | Severance: The Early Practice of Chö by Sarah Harding (10 November 2024, Boulder, CO) |
| Related Website | Buddha-Nature |
| Creation Date | 10 November 2024 |
| Citation | Harding, Sarah. "Severance: The Early Practice of Chö, The Heart Essence of Profound Meaning." Salon Tibétain. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Nov 10, 2024. Video, 1:37:53. https://youtu.be/AvqJxocTxlg. |
