The Nondual Heart of the Tibetan Tradition (Lama Palden Drolma)

[singing] Adgure name.

Drukagure name.

Satkure name.

Siri guru deve name

Have you ever wondered how the Tibetan Buddhist tradition incorporates a non-dual perspective? Today, we'll be investigating the differences between Vajrayana, the Tibetan path of using visualization and devotion to bring about spiritual transformation, and the more direct approaches of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, which emphasize recognizing the inherent wakefulness of our own minds.

How do these two different approaches work together in an integrated non-dual path to spiritual awakening, combining both direct and progressive, sudden and gradual perspectives? And what's the importance for students and teachers of every tradition of exploring our unacknowledged shadow parts in order to avoid becoming arrogant and acting out unconscious patterns in the name of realization? Welcome to the Nondual Wisdom and the Pathless Path podcast.

I'm your host, Stephen Bodian.

I'm a spiritual teacher, a licensed psychotherapist, and the author of Meditation for Dummies, Wake Up Now: Beyond Mindfulness, and my new book, Infinite Awakening: A Guide to Nondual Wisdom and the Pathless Path.

Today, I explore these and other questions in conversation with Lama Palden Drolma.

Lama Palden is the founder and director of Suka City Foundation, a Tibetan Buddhist center named after a revered woman teacher, where she trains and mentors students in the teachings and practices of the Kagyu tradition.

Lama Palden worked for years as a licensed psychotherapist and now provides spiritual counseling at the intersection of spirituality and psychology.

Her book, Love on Every Breath, offers instruction and commentary in the practice of Tonglen.