The First Step on the Vajrayana Path

Rinpoche begins the Vajrayana path with appreciation of simply being alive. He tells of people who say they hate themselves and finds self-care in their coming to learn, and uses seeing his hand to show awareness, wisdom as recognising and love and compassion as the felt reaction, present even in sleep.

He retells Buddha’s boyhood memory of resting under a rose-apple tree as an early taste of his true nature, then explains Buddha nature as covered by ignorance, aversion and craving, like sun behind cloud. A short practice follows, feeling the body and noticing these three qualities at work. He ends on the wish to be happy as a call from our nature.