Chitta Chat with Lama John Podcast: Recent Episodes
Lama John Buchanan
Join acclaimed yoga and Tibtean Buddhist teacher John Buchanan in this lighthearted conversational podcast series.
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In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
Continuing with the Non-associated compositional factors started in the previous episode, Lama J…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
Lama John begins by talking about how when we first begin meditating it’s hard to see results, t…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
Lama John spends the first few minutes describing the essence of the effortless path of Mahamudr…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
Lama John first talks about his recent revelation and decision to begin labeling himself as a Ma…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
He continues talking about the fourth aggregate, that of Compositional Factors, also known as me…
In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
First he talks about his recent two-week retreat, where he discovered the new approach that he will take moving forward with his teaching. He then talks about the fourth aggregate, that of Compositional Factors, also known as mental formations (sankharas), that are considered willful mental actions, triggered by some object, that produce karma.
There are 51 psychic factors, which are further delineated into omnipresent factors, determining factors, virtuous factors, six root afflictions, secondary afflictions, and changeable factors (the first two are discussed in this episode). We all experience these factors differently, based on our karma, and the nature of our belief system makes it so that we see only what we believe. He then describes how mindfulness can be for good or bad and similarly our knowledge can be correct or incorrect.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, Lama John continues discussing the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
He dives into the second and third aggregates, feeling and recognition, and describes the role they play in our happiness and the perception of our reality. As always, karma plays a big role in everything. He describes the three feelings (happiness, suffering, neutral) and how we experience each of the three realms of recognition (desire, form, and formless).
He further explains how stability of awareness leads to greater serenity and how, in the formless realm, we can disappear entirely from our concept of self.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this inaugural episode of Season 03, Lama John discusses the first topic, “The Five Aggregates,” from the classic text “A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms: Categorization of Buddhist Terminologies With Commentary” by Kawa Paltsek. (Click here for an overview of the text.)
The first of the five aggregates (a.k.a., the five skandhas, the five conditions, the five heaps, or the five collections) is the 15 form aggregates, which consists of the four elements and the eleven physical manifestations stemming from those elements. (Buddhism loves its lists and taxonomies, to be sure.) Lama John explains how the four elements can, to a varying degree, be found in everything, and that the interaction between the elements and the physical manifestations creates our reality and our sense of self. The result is our own personal magical display of the elements in space, which is wholly based on our karma.
A deep understanding of these interactions will eventually lead us to break down the conceptual barrier of “outside me” and “inside me,” to see that this ignorance of our true nature is, at the end of the day, just an idea in our mind.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, Lama John concludes reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation,” the final chapter in the text. He begins by talking about how you can gauge progress in your meditation by noticing the cessation of mental afflictions in your mind that had been there before. He then goes on to describe how difficult it is to let go of our samsaric tendencies due to our propensity to get ensnared, virtually non-stop, in the net of our conceptual elaborations. As the text comes to a close, he tells us to never give up, to keep going forward on this path toward the ocean of omniscience, toward Bodhisattvahood, toward Buddhahood. We can do this!
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In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” Before he dives into the text, he looks back at his relationship with Lama Marut, who passed away four years ago this month, and how Lama Marut revealed the true purpose of the lama to him. Taking a moment to acknowledge t…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” He gives an example of how we can find a deep understanding of karma and compassion in every moment of life, no matter how small, by cracking the case of The Stolen Cookie. This is all part of the magical world of receivin…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” In this freewheelin’ wide-ranging discussion, he talks about how it’s important to maintain joyous effort when you feel stuck in your practice; how seeing the results of the path in a teacher is inspirational; and how we’r…
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John continues reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” Emphasis is placed on how the unification of the six perfections (method) and emptiness (wisdom) is absolutely essential on the road to enlightenment. He also explains how it’s important to truly understand what the Buddha…
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In this episode, Lama John begins reading from the “Unifying Method and Wisdom” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” The importance of seeing emptiness under the influence of bodhicitta is emphasized, and how we need to get on the loving-kindness train if we ever hope to dissolve our delusional sense of self.
“Donning the armor of loving-ki…
In this episode, Lama John concludes reading from the “Actualising Special Insight” chapter of Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” After a brief introduction on the idea of non-conceptuality, Lama John explains how the practice of effortless perception can lead us to the point where we see the empty nature of the meditative object of the self. From this perspective, our meditation can then drop into cruise control — not too tight, not too loose — that allows the miracle of meditation transcendence to take place, effortlessly.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com
In this episode, Lama John begins reading from the “Actualising Special Insight” chapter of Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” After first talking about how it’s beneficial to practice shamatha and vipassana together, on a parallel track, he then talks about the meaning of the Tibetan word gak-cha, which refers to finding the object to be negated in e…
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In this episode, Lama John concludes reading from “The Practice of Calm Abiding” chapter from Kamalaśīla’s “Stages of Meditation.” After a short preamble about the nature of awareness in the here-and-now, Lama John continues reading the text, which describes how all Buddhist scripture is pointing to the importance of suchness (a.k.a., emptiness), and ho…
In this episode, Lama John goes through section four of Kamalaśīla’s Stages of Meditation — “Developing Equanimity, the Root of Loving Kindness.” He describes how everyone is equal in that they want to be free from suffering. He then provides the classic friend-neutral-foe meditation that’s specifically designed to help develop a mind of equanimity towards all sentient beings.
“Chitta Chat” is part of the Sukhavati Studios podcast community and is supported by you, our listening audience. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber today!
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, Lama John talks about holiday stress and how it can be a good time to practice our response to negative karma. He dives into the importance of the collection of merit and insight, how compassion must be the root cause of everything we do, and why it’s best to learn to cherish others more than our selves. He suggests a possible New Years resolution, of listening more than speaking, so we can hear when our hearts are closing off to others.
“Chitta Chat” is part of the Sukhavati Studios podcast community and is supported by you, our listening audience. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber today!
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this inaugural episode to Season 02, Lama John gives some background on the classic Tibetan text by Kamalaśīla, Stages of Meditation. He describes The Great Debate between Kamalaśila and Moheyan that influenced the origins of Buddhism in Tibet, and then talks about some of the high-level concepts in the text, including the idea of omniscience. He ends with a reading of the Four Immeasurables from the text. “A healthy mind creates a healthy environment.”
“Chitta Chat” is part of the Sukhavati Studios podcast community and is supported by you, our listening audience. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber today!
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this final episode of season one, Lama John talks briefly about the existential ideas found in the Peanuts comic strip, and the nature of karma and family. He then dives deeper into the idea of karma and how it’s an important turning point in your studies, how it will propel you into the decision to take refuge and become a card-carrying Buddhist. The importance of keeping your vows, maintaining your ethics, and having a teacher will keep your refuge strong through the vicissitudes of life. The ten unwholesome deeds, the four remedial powers, and the four themes of practice close out the episode.
“Chitta Chat” will return with season two on December 16, where we’ll be talking about Kamalaśīla’s classic meditation text, “Stages of Meditation.” In the meantime, please enjoy some of the other podcast offerings that Sukhavati Studios has and consider becoming a paid member.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, Lama John explores the expansiveness and spaciousness of the mind as we gradually evolve from “meat puppet to glowing orb” in our practice and our lives. Bodhichitta is, as always, the gateway to the spontaneous compassion we need to be able to see with the eyes of the heart.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, Lama John describes how our relationships with others are central to our making progress on the path, and how we can use the challenges we have with others to help open our hearts and ensure we exempt no one from our love.
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In this episode, Lama John takes a deep dive into bodhichitta, describing how we can cultivate its spontaneous fire power so that it becomes the mesh of our reality. He also recounts his first meditation experiences and working with the subtle body energy of the chakras and channels.
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Visualize a golden ball of energy at your heart.
Decide that that is your seat of your compassion, your love for other beings, this desire that nobody suffers.
And that with this wish that, by our efforts here, by our motivation, by our wish to see a brighter world full of awakened beings, give away the goodness and dedicate our time together to all sentient beings.
Then visualize galaxies full of sentient beings as far as your mind can imagine, really go supernova. And let this light explode out of your heart, and imagine that it's striking the hearts of all these sentient beings, and that our motivation, our dedication, our very path is benefiting not only ourselves but all these sentient beings.
And imagine, just imagine, that clarity dawns. Ahhh! True refuge — refuge that will actually bring true well-being, true enlightenment — arises in the minds of all these sentient beings, and rejoice in this end of pain and confusion. See it happen and be happy.
And then let that light withdraw back into your body, back into your heart.
And just sit for a second in non-elaboration feeling the beauty of compassion.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe
In this inaugural episode, Lama John recounts his early years, moving about with his family throughout Canada before finally settling in Vancouver. He remembers his first meetings with Mira Shani and Lama Marut and the influence they had on his journey. And there’s lots of great information on refuge as well.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lamajohnbuchanan.substack.com/subscribe