Selected Talks on Buddhism and Meditation by the Karmapa

The Heart Sutra (Sanskrit Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya or Chinese 心經 Xīnjīng) is one of the most popular and important texts for understanding the Buddha's view of reality, especially throughout East Asia, Tibet, and now the Western world. In 2016, the Gyalwang Karmapa traveled to New Delhi and gave an extensive teaching on the Heart Sutra at the request of disciples from around the world. This was the first time that the Karmapa had taught directly on a sutra as opposed to a commentary. These profound and very detailed teachings auspiciously began on India's Independence Day and lasted for several days, covering topics such as history, line-by-line explanations, meditations, and even sessions where the Prajñāpāramitā Sutra was written out on paper in a calligraphy style. A copy of the Heart Sutra written out by the Gyalwang Karmapa in calligraphy style. Today's podcast episode is the complete teachings on the Heart Sutra given by the Karmapa in New Delhi. At almost seven hours long, it is an inspiring and detailed look at how to truly understand this wonderful and essential text outlining the view of the Buddha for those on the Bodhisattva path. You can download the episode in iTunes or directly using the link below. Please ensure you are subscribed in iTunes to be notified of new episodes and releases.

This very special episode comes from the Gyalwang Karmapa's recent trip to Canada where he participated in a dialogue between the three major traditions of the Buddha Dharma - the Theravada, Mahayana, and the Vajrayana. The topic was on how to transform disturbing emotions, and the discussion involved a 'question and answer' format, as well as a short teaching by the Karmapa himself on how meditation and Buddhist philosophy can be used to overcome difficult situations in life. This episode has English, Chinese and Tibetan translations. You can listen to the podcast episode below or subscribe in iTunes to be notified of future releases.

Today's podcast episode is a very special two-part teaching from the Gyalwang Karmapa on the famous text known as the 8 Verses of Mind Training by the the renowned historical master, Geshe Langri Tangpa. This particular text contains just eight verses on how we can live a meaningful life that is beneficial to both ourselves and others. For example, the Karmapa explains why we should consider other sentient beings as being more important than ourselves: “Why are sentient beings so valuable? Because in order to achieve awakening we need bodhicitta, and in order to generate bodhicitta we need compassion. And because compassion must be generated with respect to sentient beings, sentient beings are infinitely precious and necessary for our awakening.” This teaching contains many simple and practical tips for how to live a purposeful life, and how to deal with suffering and hardship in a way that transforms our being without weighing us down. You can get the podcast here on iTunes or simply download the episode right here. Please make sure you subscribe in iTunes to be notified of new episodes.

Today's podcast episode comes from the Gyalwang Karmapa's first visit to Paris, France, and is a beautiful teaching on the Four Noble Truths. This was the very first teaching that the historical Buddha gave and as such it is essential to Buddhists of all traditions, and practitioners of every level. The Karmapa teaches on all of the Noble Truths and discusses how we can overcome different types of suffering. This episode is two sessions combined into one audio track and thus there is also two question and answer portions where students in the audience ask His Holiness about the refugee crisis in Europe, developing renunciation, and much more. You can get the podcast here on iTunes or simply download the episode right here. Please make sure you subscribe in iTunes to be notified of new episodes. Karmapa speaks in Tibetan with and English translator.

Thursday the 14th of July, 2016, is a special day of Padmasambhava - one of the most important masters in history of Tibetan Buddhism. Also known as Guru Rinpoche, he is regularly referred to as 'the second Buddha' such is his importance to buddhists around the world. According to the Tibetan calendar, today is particularly important as it is the Monkey Year - one that only occurs every 12 years and is strongly associated with Guru Rinpoche. To celebrate this occasion we have created a special two-part podcast episode. First is a recording of the Gyalwang Karmapa chanting the Seven Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche. After that we bring you a teaching that His Holiness gave on the importance of the Seven Line Prayer and his own particular experience learning and reciting it. You can get the podcast here on iTunes or simply download the episode right here. Please make sure you subscribe in iTunes to be notified of new episodes. Tibetan with English Translation. Painting of Guru Rinpoche by the Gyalwang Karmapa.

This Sunday is Mother's Day in many countries around the world. In order to celebrate this occasion we have a very special teaching that the Karmapa gave in Berlin where he talks about his experiences with his mother and father in Tibet. During this wonderful talk His Holiness describes how his mother's kindness acted as an extremely important teacher for him growing up, and how this natural loving kindness is actually very important to cultivate as a Buddhist practitioner. He also touches on his decision to give up eating meat and how we can all train our minds by tapping into the compassion and kindness that arises quite naturally when we see sentient beings suffering. You can get the podcast here on iTunes or simply download the episode right here. Please make sure you subscribe in iTunes to be notified of new episodes.

Today is the first day of 2016 and as such we are very happy to present you with a new Podcast episode where His Holiness gives a brief but powerful teaching on breathing (shamatha) meditation. This particular recording comes from a recent trip to Europe where His Holiness began talking about how dissatisfaction often creeps into our lives because we are so focused on outer forms of "happiness" and entertainment. These may seem like they bring happiness but actually just lead to more and more wants. His Holiness then spoke about how breathing meditation can serve to "bring us home" because it is very natural and resting by its nature. The simple act of breathing meditation can help us to realize the mind's amazing qualities. You can get the podcast here on iTunes or simply download the episode right here. Please make sure you subscribe in iTunes to be notified of new episodes.

Today we are delighted to bring you the third episode in our new Podcast series. This selected talk comes from the Karmapa's recent trip to the USA where he was invited to give a talk at the famous Princeton University. The topic was gender equality and His Holiness spoke at length about his own role in this cause, and about how we can all be more effective activists by using patience and compassion. This wonderful lecture is an inspiring reminder about how each individual can make a difference to larger causes. You can get the podcast here on iTunes or simply download the episode right here. Please make sure you subscribe in iTunes to be notified of new episodes.

It is with great pleasure that we bring to you a new Podcast called Karmapa - Selected Talks and Teachings. We're launching with the wonderful talk that His Holiness gave at Stanford University while visiting the USA in 2015. Why a new podcast? The Karmapa and the Kagyu Office use many new media such as live webcasts and social networking to make Karmapa's teachings more accessible. This new podcast was created especially for those busy students around the world that would like to listen to His Holiness's Dharma teachings but often struggle to find the time. Now you will be able to listen to a selection of Buddhist talks on your iPhone as you go about your work or home life. How do I listen to each episode? The best way to access this podcast is to get the Podcasts app on your iPhone or iPad and then subscribe to the podcast. This way you will be automatically notified on your phone when a new episode is released and available for download. We will aim to release a new episode at regular intervals. You can also download the episode right here.