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Course on Tsongkhapa’s Letter of Practical Advice on Sutra and Tantra (lower quality version, smaller files)

Here we present the recordings of a continuing weekly course given by Dr. Alexander Berzin in Berlin, Germany, on practical advice concerning Tibetan Buddhist meditation methods for practicing the graded sutra path (lam-rim) and tantra. Special emphasis is on how to visualize oneself as a Buddha-figure and how to meditate on voidness (emptiness).

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Course Recordings

All files are in MP3 format. To listen to or download one of the recordings, choose one of the dates below:

• Tue 20. November 2007 Reliance on a Qualified Spiritual Teacher (9.1 MB)
• Tue 27. November 2007 Reliance on a Qualified Spiritual Teacher (continued) (10.1 MB)
• Tue 4. December 2007 Reliance on a Qualified Spiritual Teacher (continued) (9.4 MB)
• Tue 11. December 2007 The Motivating Mental Framework (7.7 MB)
• Tue 18. December 2007 The Motivating Mental Framework (The Initial Level Motivation) (6.8 MB)
• Tue 8. January 2008 The Motivating Mental Framework (The Intermediate Level Motivation) (9.3 MB)
• Tue 15. January 2008 The Motivating Mental Framework (The Advanced Level Motivation) (9.8 MB)
• Tue 22. January 2008 Developing the Motivating Mental Frameworks in an Uncontrived Manner (10.4 MB)
• Tue 29. January 2008 Rational and Emotional Approaches to Developing Bodhichitta (10.4 MB)
• Tue 5. February 2008 How to Meditate (9.1 MB)
• Tue 12. February 2008 The Preliminary Practices and How to Meditate on Compassion and Bodhichitta (10.1 MB)
• Tue 19. February 2008 How to Meditate on Compassion and Bodhichitta (10.5 MB)
• Tue 26. February 2008 Maintaining Motivation Throughout Our Meditation Sessions (10.5 MB)
• Tue 4. March 2008 The Five Lay Vows (Part One Killing, Stealing, and Lying) (10.7 MB)
• Tue 1. April 2008 The Five Lay Vows (Part Two Contrary Sexual Behavior and Taking Intoxicants) (9.1 MB)
• Tue 8. April 2008 The Five Trainings for the Development of a Bodhichitta Aim (9.3 MB)
• Tue 15. April 2008 The Root Bodhisattva Vows (Vows One to Six) (10.1 MB)
• Tue 22. April 2008 The Root Bodhisattva Vows (Vows Seven to Fourteen) (9.4 MB)
• Tue 6. May 2008 The Root Bodhisattva Vows (Vows Fifteen to Eighteen) (10.3 MB)
• Tue 13. May 2008 The Secondary Bodhisattva Vows, Part One (Actions Detrimental to Training in Far-Reaching Generosity and Ethical Self-Discipline) (9.1 MB)
• Tue 20. May 2008 The Secondary Bodhisattva Vows, Part Two (Actions Detrimental to Training in Far-Reaching Ethical Self-Discipline, Patience, and Joyful Persaverence) (9.2 MB)
• Tue 3. June 2008 The Secondary Bodhisattva Vows, Part Three (Actions Detrimental to Training in Far-Reaching Mental Stability and Discriminating Awareness) (10.4 MB)
• Tue 10. June 2008 The Secondary Bodhisattva Vows, Part Four (Actions Detrimental to Training in Far-Reaching Discriminating Awareness) (9.6 MB)
• Tue 17. June 2008 The Secondary Bodhisattva Vows, Part Five (Twelve Faulty Actions That Contradict Working to Benefit Others) (10.1 MB)
• Tue 24. June 2008 The Secondary Bodhisattva Vows, Part Six (Twelve Faulty Actions That Contradict Working to Benefit Others) (9.6 MB)
• Tue 1. July 2008 The First of the Common Root Tantric Vows (10.2 MB)
• Tue 8. July 2008 Vows Two to Four of the Common Root Tantric Vows (9.7 MB)
• Tue 15. July 2008 Vows Five to Seven of the Common Root Tantric Vows (9.4 MB)
• Tue 29. July 2008 Vows Eight to Ten of the Common Root Tantric Vows (9.2 MB)
• Tue 5. August 2008 Vows Eleven to Thirteen of the Common Root Tantric Vows (11.1 MB)
• Tue 26. August 2008 The Fourteenth Common Root Tantric Vow (4.6 MB)
• Tue 9. September 2008 Close-Bonding Practices for the Five Buddha-Families (8.8 MB)
• Tue 16. September 2008 Factors Involved in Transgressing Tantric Vows (9.2 MB)
• Tue 23. September 2008 Factors Involved in Transgressing Tantric Vows, Empowerments (9.3 MB)
• Tue 7. October 2008 The Importance of the Praktimoksha and Bodhisattva Vows When Following the Tantra Path (9.4 MB)
• Tue 14. October 2008 The Importance of the Praktimoksha and Bodhisattva Vows When Following the Mahayana Path (9.6 MB)
• Tue 21. October 2008 Purifying Death, Bardo, and Rebirth in Anuttarayoga Tantra2008-11- (9.8 MB)
• Tue 18. November 2008 Explanation of the Anuttarayoga Method in Structural Form (11 MB)
• Tue 2. December 2008 The Benefits of Generation-Stage Practice (10.2 MB)
• Tue 9. December 2008 How To Visualize in Tantra Practice (10.2 MB)
• Tue 16. December 2008 Questions and Answers about the Dissolution Process (11.3 MB)
• Tue 6. January 2009 How To Visualize in Tantra Practice (continued) (8.9 MB)
• Tue 13. January 2009 How To Visualize in Tantra Practice (continued) (11.3 MB)
• Tue 20. January 2009 Achieving Shamatha (10 MB)
• Tue 27. January 2009 Achieving Shamatha (continued) (10 MB)
• Tue 3. February 2009 Questions and Answers about Concentration, Meditation, Karmic Connections, Etc. (10.6 MB)
• Tue 10. February 2009 Achieving Shamatha (continued) (8.9 MB)
• Tue 17. February 2009 Achieving Shamatha (continued) and Discussion of the Nonconceptual Cognition of Voidness (9.4 MB)
• Tue 24. February 2009 Voidness Being the Same in Sutra and Tantra (Self-Voidness and Other-Voidness) (8.8 MB)
• Tue 3. March 2009 Discussion of Neither One nor Many (9.5 MB)
• Tue 31. March 2009 Discussion of Neither One nor Many (continued) (9.2 MB)
• Tue 7. April 2009 The Voidness of Cause and Effect (10.8 MB)
• Tue 14. April 2009 The Voidness of Cause and Effect (continued) (9.7 MB)
• Tue 21. April 2009 The Two Truths (10.2 MB)
• Tue 5. May 2009 Mental Labeling (10.4 MB)
• Tue 12. May 2009 Mental Labeling (continued) (10.7 MB)
• Tue 19. May 2009 Mental Labeling (continued) (8.8 MB)
• Tue 26. May 2009 Misunderstanding Voidness (9.1 MB)
• Tue 2. June 2009 Further Discussion of Cause and Effect (9.4 MB)
• Tue 9. June 2009 The Correct View of Voidness and the Two Truths (7.9 MB)
• Tue 16. June 2009 The Correct View of Voidness (continued) and Closing Remarks (8.3 MB)