8/8/2019 Lama Yeshe Becoming Your Own Therapist

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Becoming Your Own TherapistBy Lama Thubten Yeshe at Australia and New Zealand (Archive # 329, Last Updated Dec 16, 2008)

Editor's IntroductionChapter One: Finding Ourselves Through BuddhismChapter Two: Religion: The Path Of InquiryChapter Three: A Glimpse of Buddhist PsychologyTranslations

Editor's Introduction

First published in 1998, this booklet contains three public talks by Lama Yeshe on the general topic ofBuddhism. Each lecture is followed by a question and answer session. Lama and his audiences alwaysenjoyed the give and take of these lively exchanges, and pretty much anything went. Although these talkswere called lectures, Lama would have each of us use them as a mirror for our minds and look beyond thewords, find ourselves, and become our own psychologist. Now published in a combined edition with Lama'sMake Your Mind an Ocean .

Lama Yeshe’s teachings are unique. Nobody taught like Lama. Spontaneous, from the heart, in the moment,direct; every word an instruction to be practiced. Lama’s English was unique. Nobody spoke like Lama.Highly creative, Lama expressed himself not only verbally, but physically and facially as well. How to conveythis miraculous transmission on paper? As I have noted elsewhere, those of us presented with this challengedo the best we can.

As Lama frequently liked to point out, his teachings were not dry, academic, philosophical discourses butpractical, down-to-earth methods for looking within and understanding the mind. Lama always challenged usto find out who we are, what we are. In his inimitable, provocative style, he would dare us to examine ourpreconceptions fearlessly, in the hope that we would see for ourselves how everything comes from the mind;that we create our own suffering and happiness; that we must take personal responsibility for whatever weexperience, good or bad.

In this section we offer three talks by Lama Yeshe on the general topic of Buddhism. They were publiclectures given almost thirty years ago to mainly Western audiences. Nevertheless, as Lama also liked to pointout, Lord Buddha’s timeless teachings are as universally relevant today as they were when they were firstgiven, over 2,500 years ago. Therefore, there is no doubt that now, a mere three decades down the road,Lama Yeshe’s teachings are as globally applicable as they were back in the seventies.

Each lecture is followed by a question and answer session. Lama and his audiences always enjoyed the giveand take of these lively exchanges, and pretty much anything went. For most people, it was their first ever

encounter with a Tibetan lama, and they brought along several years’ worth of questions. As is apparent,Lama handled everything with great compassion, humor and aplomb.

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