A Benedictine’s view
A Catholic nun’s perspective on world monastic traditions and her own spiritual journey.
A Buddha’s body and speech
Knowing about the qualities and skills of a Buddha’s body and speech can aid us in our daily practice.
Qualities of a Buddha
The Buddha’s teachings are a reliable guide for our spiritual path.
Objects of refuge
Why take refuge? The meaning of refuge, the objects of refuge, and the relevance of taking refuge.
The lower realms
An in-depth look at the lower realms, the causes for rebirth there, and the benefits of contemplating them.
Meditations on impermanence and death
Explanation of the gross and subtle impermanence, and followed by detailed instruction on how to meditate on our own and others’ deaths.
Meditation on death
Understanding the importance of contemplating death for the Buddhist practitioner, using the nine-step meditation on death.
Detaching from the eight worldly concerns
Learning to counter attachment to the eight worldly concerns by examining the 10 innermost jewels of the Kadam tradition.
Disadvantages of not thinking of death
Considering the disadvantages of not thinking about death motivates us to make use of this precious human life and not waste our potential on worldly concerns.
Cultivating our motivation
The three levels of motivation as a key to understanding the Buddhist path.