way of compassion

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna unpacks the analytical meditations on the three marks of existence, which are impermanence, unsatisfactory conditions, and selflessness. He also shows how they interrelate and how the more that we live in alignment with these realities, the less we will suffer. This episode was recorded on January 3rd, 2024. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna discusses the importance of integrating the Lam Rim topics into our lives. He gives advice on how to go through the 3 levels of learning with the variety of analytical meditations that are found in the stages of the path to Enlightenment. This episode was recorded on December 27th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna discusses how to structure a meditation session to have it be an effective practice that can transform our Dharma practice into the entirety of our life. This episode was recorded on December 6th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna illuminates important distinctions between conventional reality and ultimate reality known as the "Two Truths". He describes these two truths in detail and shows how they are not separate, thus steering us away from a nihilistic view and towards the middle way view of dependent origination. This episode was recorded on October 25th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna gives a teaching on the third and fourth seals of Buddhism. He gives clarity on the wisdom that realizes all phenomena as "selfless" and lacking inherent identity. John discusses how our misperception of our self as being inherently existent leads to anger and attachment. These three together are the three poisons that turn the wheel of samsara. This episode was recorded on October 18th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna gives commentary on the second seal of Buddhism. He describes how we experience unsatisfactoriness in life due to karma and mental afflictions. John also discusses how misperception leads to attachment and aversion which turns the wheel of suffering. This episode was recorded on October 11th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna begins commentary on a new text. This text is "Foundation of Buddhist Practice" and is composed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. In this first section, John unpacks the portion of the text that is focused on the Four Seals which are a framework for determining if a teaching is an authentic Buddhist teaching. This episode was recorded on October 4th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna describes multiple ways that we can see signs of progress on the path to awakening. He gives examples about how our analytical meditations will take root and change our experience of life. John also illuminates how we can engage with life so that all of our experiences become Dharma instructions and how we will naturally move through different motivations if we are practicing authentically. This was recorded on September 27th, 2023. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this episode, John Bruna unpacks teachings from the book, The Foundation of Buddhist Practice, about evaluating our meditative experiences. John illuminates the pitfalls of exalting ecstatic meditative experiences and discusses how the greatest signs of progress are taming the mind and not being prone to engaging in unethical behavior. He finishes with guidance on checking the effectiveness of our meditation practice by ensuring that ethics, kindness and compassion are increasing in our daily lives. This episode was recorded on September 20th, 20232.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this episode, John Bruna, Spiritual Director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, speaks about the importance of creating a strong foundation in the Four Noble Truths, ethics, and the four thoughts that turn the mind to Dharma before engaging in more advanced practices. He gives clear guidance on developing a sustainable practice to truly transform the mind, which is the essence of Dharma practice. This episode was recorded on September 13th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna offers a Dharma talk on how we develop sustainably along the path of awakening. He discusses how steady effort and adopting a spacious view will serve us on the journey. John also discusses how we can engage with the worldview of multiple lives and continued consciousness at a variety of levels which can help alleviate constrictions around making unrealistic progress in our practice. This episode was recorded on September 6th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna gives a talk on some healthy expectations for our Dharma practice and how a balanced practice maintains an enthusiastic effort coupled with relaxation and patience. He also talks about how meditation is a process of becoming familiar with our minds and how slow and consistent meditation practice leads to taming and training the mind. This episode was recorded on August 30th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

Spiritual director John Bruna offers commentary and clarity on how we can evaluate our practice in a realistic way and gives useful tools for us to make sustainable progress on the path. This episode was recorded on August 23rd, 2023. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna gives guidance on the three levels of learning that bring about irreversible faith and confidence in the Buddha's teachings. He discusses the importance of studying the Buddhist scriptures, then reflecting on and analyzing the teachings, and finally meditating upon the understanding to gain realization. This episode was recorded on August 16th, 2023. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna unpacks teachings on prayers and rituals by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. John gives guidance that prayers alone won't lead us further on the path to awakening. He describes the interplay and importance of prayer with our virtuous actions and gives clarity on how prayers act as nurturing conditions for the seed of awakening to grow in our hearts and minds. This episode was recorded on August 9th, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

The Way of Compassion Dharma Center's spiritual director, John Bruna, discusses the topic of blessings in Tibetan Buddhism. He speaks about how blessings are received through the dependent origination of teachings of Holy beings and our practice. John tells some stories of his teachers and how they have guided him to understand that one main way we receive blessings is through the teachings of the Buddhas that lead to release from suffering. This episode was recorded on July 26th, 2023. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

The Way of Compassion Dharma Center's spiritual director, John Bruna, gives commentary on wisdom and faith as presented in the text Approaching the Buddhist Path by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron. He discusses how the three types of faith in Tibetan Buddhism build upon each other and lead us to a deep experience of trusting and having confidence in the teachings. He also gives a rich and meaningful discussion on bringing these teachings into our daily lives so that we can develop confidence in our own capabilities to actualize the teachings. This episode was recorded on July 19th, 2023. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

The Way of Compassion Dharma Center's spiritual director, John Bruna, offers practical guidance on the mental tools that one uses to engage in Dharma practice. He gives guidance on how to find balance between our formal practice and being engaged in daily life. He also explains how we can integrate Dharma practice into all of our daily activities. This episode was recorded on July 12th, 2023. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, spiritual director John Bruna clarifies the technical aspects of the two aims and four reliances as described in the Tibetan Buddhist Lam Rim teachings. He also answers questions about dependent arising and causal dependency as presented in the text. This episode was recorded on July 5th, 2023. 

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

In this session, John Bruna, the spiritual director of the Way of Compassion Dharma Center, gives a powerful teaching on the different motivations for different levels of practitioners. His commentary specifically focuses on how the four noble truths and conduct relate to the three levels of motivations outlined for Buddhist practitioners. This episode was recorded on June 21st, 2023.

Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  

May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.