Buddhism for Beginners

Episodet

• Make a Habit of Compassion 20.03.2026 44min

  Most of our day involves one habit after another. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo teaches us how to make compassion a stronger and stronger habit, so we will experience happiness, and eventually liberation. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• How to Recognize a Qualified Teacher 13.03.2026 44min

  You must have a qualified teacher to practice Vajrayana Buddhism. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo clarifies the qualities to look for and how to avoid making a mistake. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Conceptual Proliferation 06.03.2026 47min

  Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo encourages us to unravel the many concepts we have, because they stand between us and having pure view. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• The Guru is the Light in Samsara 27.02.2026 47min

  Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo takes us on a journey through samsara, emphasizing the light (Guru) that guides our path. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• You Need Patience & Courage on the Path 20.02.2026 57min

  Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains the many ways it's important to have patience and courage as we begin a path to change our habits. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Dispelling Dharma's Bad Rap 13.02.2026 51min

  Buddhism often gets a bad rap for talking about suffering. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains why it is totally unfounded. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Perception is a Squirrel Cage of Reaction 21.11.2025 46min

  Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo takes the concept of perception and describes just what it is like for us in samsara. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Don't Wait to Feel Devotion 14.11.2025 52min

  Devotion is often thought of as a "feeling". Actually, in Buddhism, it is based on logic. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains how if we wait for the "feeling" we will still be waiting when we die, without having achieved any result. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Hold Pure View of All Buddha's Paths 11.11.2025 53min

  The Buddha taught many paths to reach enlightenment. They build on each other, and each one is perfect for a certain karma. Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains these paths and how each one is a pure path by itself, as well as linking to the next. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Emptiness and Compassion are Inseparable 24.10.2025 38min

  The teachings tell us that "just as the rays of the sun cannot be separated from the sun itself, emptiness and Bodhicitta are joined in a similar way" Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains how this is true. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• The Hook of Compassion 17.10.2025 51min

  The Guru appears to us as a display of our own nature - Bodhicitta. To show us our own face, they often display "the hook of compassion". Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo explains this process and what blessings it can bring. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Meditation in Action 03.10.2025 26min

  Compassion spans both samsara and nirvana. Bodhicitta is the essence of our nature. How to determine what kinds of compassion are lasting is the subject of this talk by Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Temporary & Ultimate Compassion 26.09.2025 54min

  Compassion spans both samsara and nirvana. Bodhicitta is the essence of our nature. How to determine what kinds of compassion are lasting is the subject of this talk by Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Your Motivation for Kindness 19.09.2025 43min

  Bodhicitta (Compassion) is the basic core of our true nature. As we reach for enlightenment, we come closer to that nature. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo helps us understand why kindness is just logical and how to develop it. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Use Devotion for Personal Change 12.09.2025 38min

  Change isn't easy. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gives us some useful tools to use to help with those hard choices. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• How to Have Pure View of Your Guru 05.09.2025 38min

  "Pure View" can be confusing to new students. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo takes the mystery out of "view" and gives solid advice on the steps to take. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Find the True Guru 29.08.2025 41min

  The right guru can guide you to enlightenment. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo shows us how we can identify that teacher. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Personal Ethics in Buddhism 23.08.2025 49min

  To be a true Buddhist, a personal ethical standard is a must. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo defines what that might look like and how we arrive at our goal. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org
• Experience Holidays with a Calm Mind 06.12.2023 1h 9min

  Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gave this teaching Christmas eve 1995. In it she describes the hope and fear that is magnified during the holiday season, using it as a way to understand the habits of our minds. During the holiday season our minds become even more unstable than usual, according to Jetsunma. Our hopes and fears increase. "The more we grasp outwardly and try to secure what we want...the less happy we will be." Jetsunma discusses a compassionate way of life as a way to true and lasting happ...
• Marrying Your Spiritual Life with Western Culture 29.11.2023 1h 13min

  Our spiritual life can be a precious living truth inside of us if we develop a deep and ultimate connection with our spiritual path. Jetsunma explains to us that this is not easy to do because our society is materialistic and removed from the natural current of life. Support the show For more resources, teachings and practices, visit www.tara.org