Anam Thubten

[clyde]

Anam Thubten ‘virtually visited’ a local sangha this weekend. I was not familiar with him; so in preparation for his visit, I viewed two YouTube videos of talks he gave at Naropa University. I was deeply impressed.

The True You of Being Human (2016):

Do we really want to wake up? (2018):

[karmanyingpo]

Anam Thubten ‘virtually visited’ a local sangha this weekend. I was not familiar with him; so in preparation for his visit, I viewed two YouTube videos of talks he gave at Naropa University. I was deeply impressed.

The True You of Being Human (2016):

Do we really want to wake up? (2018):

I've heard nothing but good things about this humble but AMAZING teacher. I am happy that you were visited by him. What sangha did he visit?

KN

[clyde]

He led the meditation and gave a Dharma talk on the Four Immeasurables at the Sacramento Buddhist Mediation Group, a peer-led non-denomination sangha.

And did I get the name of the first video above wrong! It is: The True Joy of Being Human. It is an intense meditation and talk (sprinkled with humor).

[amanitamusc]

He led the meditation and gave a Dharma talk on the Four Immeasurables at the Sacramento Buddhist Mediation Group, a peer-led non-denomination sangha.

And did I get the name of the first video above wrong! It is: The True Joy of Being Human. It is an intense meditation and talk (sprinkled with humor).

Anam seems to always teach in a very simplistic way. There is a natural build up to his story's and then "This"

[clyde]

Dharma -lite always will be popular..

No doubt that the same was said of the Buddha’s teachings.
But Anam Thubten has a sense of humor, something that is missing from the suttas,

[karmanyingpo]

Dharma -lite always will be popular..

No doubt that the same was said of the Buddha’s teachings.
But Anam Thubten has a sense of humor, something that is missing from the suttas,

The messages above are a bit ambiguous. I hope they mean to say: Anam Thubten teaches in a simple style that builds up to something profound ("and then This")
and Anam Thubten skillfully presents his Dharma teachings to appeal to those with a taste for "Dharma -lite"

rather than a more negative meaning. Garchen Rinpoche recently reminded his students that indulging in fault finding tendencies with Dharma teachers is really one's own loss. Especially when it comes to the Vajrayana, pure perception is important.

KN

[muni]

His Dharma Brother Mingyur Rinpoche Talking here:

The tantric path of Buddhism is complex and arduous, but its surprising culmination is the practice of spaciousness, ease, and simplicity known as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection.


One of the first things I learned as a Buddhist was that the fundamental nature of the mind is so vast that it completely transcends intellectual understanding. It can’t be described in words or reduced to tidy concepts. For someone like me, who likes words and feels very comfortable with conceptual explanations, this was a problem.

Garchen Rinpoche recently reminded his students that indulging in fault finding tendencies with Dharma teachers is really one's own loss. Especially when it comes to the Vajrayana, pure perception is important

Yes indeed, careful.

[Aryjna]

His Dharma Brother Mingyur Rinpoche Talking here:

The tantric path of Buddhism is complex and arduous, but its surprising culmination is the practice of spaciousness, ease, and simplicity known as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection.


One of the first things I learned as a Buddhist was that the fundamental nature of the mind is so vast that it completely transcends intellectual understanding. It can’t be described in words or reduced to tidy concepts. For someone like me, who likes words and feels very comfortable with conceptual explanations, this was a problem.

Garchen Rinpoche recently reminded his students that indulging in fault finding tendencies with Dharma teachers is really one's own loss. Especially when it comes to the Vajrayana, pure perception is important

Yes indeed, careful.

One should examine potential teachers, so the above does not apply in this context.

Edit: I've never read or heard anything by Anam Thubten so I don't have an opinion, only answering to the above post.

[muni]

One should examine potential teachers, so the above does not apply in this context.

Sure.

Garchen Rinpoche speaks about Pure Perception, what is not teachers only ( however very important), but is including all and everything.

[Tata1]

His Dharma Brother Mingyur Rinpoche Talking here:

The tantric path of Buddhism is complex and arduous, but its surprising culmination is the practice of spaciousness, ease, and simplicity known as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection.


One of the first things I learned as a Buddhist was that the fundamental nature of the mind is so vast that it completely transcends intellectual understanding. It can’t be described in words or reduced to tidy concepts. For someone like me, who likes words and feels very comfortable with conceptual explanations, this was a problem.

Garchen Rinpoche recently reminded his students that indulging in fault finding tendencies with Dharma teachers is really one's own loss. Especially when it comes to the Vajrayana, pure perception is important

Yes indeed, careful.

One should examine potential teachers, so the above does not apply in this context.

Edit: I've never read or heard anything by Anam Thubten so I don't have an opinion, only answering to the above post.

There is a difference between analyzing the teacher according to what the tantras say about the qualities of the teacher and being pedantic or simply not appreciating the "lower" teachings

[Aryjna]

His Dharma Brother Mingyur Rinpoche Talking here:



Yes indeed, careful.

One should examine potential teachers, so the above does not apply in this context.

Edit: I've never read or heard anything by Anam Thubten so I don't have an opinion, only answering to the above post.

There is a difference between analyzing the teacher according to what the tantras say about the qualities of the teacher and being pedantic or simply not appreciating the "lower" teachings

Yes, but it is not bad to also have reasonable negative opinions on various teachers on the forum, I think. Provides some more information that people can look into, in order to decide for themselves.

[muni]

Perhaps right now during the pandemic... The Importance of Fearlessness, Anam Thubten together with Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche

[Dune]

Regarding the comment that Anam Thubten’s teachings are “dharma lite” (with which I wouldn’t agree actually, since some of his points are quite profound, even if simply presented), please also be aware that all these comments pertain only to Anam Thubten’s public teachings. He teaches a year-long free meditation program for deepening one’s practice and understanding of the Mahayana (it’s called Dharma Leadership Program). In addition, he teaches Vajrayana practices to students who have received a ngondro transmission and completed the ngondro. He gives Vajrayogini empowerments and teaches Dzogchen. I don’t think anyone would call any of this “dharma lite.” People also go into solitary retreat under his guidance. Even as far as public teachings are concerned, he’s taught retreats on Chod and Lojong open to the public just in the last year. My Mahamudra teacher, who did a three-year retreat under Kalu Rinpoche in the 1980s, described Anam Thubten as “the real deal”, but complained that Anam Thubten doesn’t teach concrete meditation methods very much in his public presentations. In my experience, this is somewhat true - his teachings come though more through the very powerful (for me, at least) and spacious presence that he brings than through very detailed meditation instructions. But fir me the strength of the inspiration in strong enough that when he just says something simple, very palpable shifts in consciousness can result nevertheless. He has a very strong feeling of bodhicitta, I think, and a very deep devotion to Tara and other female deities (Yumka, Yum Chenmo) and in general an ecstatic, heart-centered energy. If one resonates with these, he’s a very powerful teacher. That is my experience.

[treehuggingoctopus]

There is a difference between analyzing the teacher according to what the tantras say about the qualities of the teacher and being pedantic or simply not appreciating the "lower" teachings

And, one could add, the failure to appreciate lower teachings is a sure sign one is hardly prepared for the higher ones.

He has a very strong feeling of bodhicitta, I think, and a very deep devotion to Tara and other female deities (Yumka, Yum Chenmo) and in general an ecstatic, heart-centered energy. If one resonates with these, he’s a very powerful teacher

Thank you, Dune. A strong recommendation as far as I am concerned.

[Giovanni]

Dharma -lite always will be popular..

No doubt that the same was said of the Buddha’s teachings.
But Anam Thubten has a sense of humor, something that is missing from the suttas,

Unfair. My remark was taken out of context which does not now exist. I didn’t respond before because the thread had paused and maybe stopped so I let it go.

[Johnny Dangerous]

General talk on "Dharma-Lite" split to here:

https://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=36665

[muni]

his teachings come though more through the very powerful (for me, at least) and spacious presence that he brings than through very detailed meditation instructions.

By meditation he guides towards resting in the nature of mind and then for recognition of the inner and outer phenomena as merely display of mind. He does that so, I cannot explain that, spacious, could be the word.

"Outwardly and inwardly, things proliferating and resolving are the dynamic energy of awakened mind.
Because this is nothing whatsoever yet arises as anything at all,
it is a marvellous and magical expression, amazing and superb."

I posted the event calender in Dharma events as last post in Meditation by Anam Thubten, in case there is a connection. His talks supports to not fall into ego-consciousness in daily life, like yesterday to see minds' grasping re-activity on phenomena, seen as pushing our buttons. And to be able to show gratitude for these, because they are an opportunity to look inside and see what happens in own mind.

Like you said Dune; Bodhicitta, Tara...

[muni]

Anam Thubten’s new book, The Citadel of Awareness: A Commentary on Jigme Lingpa’s Dzogchen Aspiration Prayer, is available in print and ebook forms. We are happy to share these links with you, some of which will support good causes when you purchase through them. Please note some shipping times may be delayed due to global issues out of our control.

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Amazon Print and ebook available

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Cita ... gJC1PD_BwE

[Malcolm]

But Anam Thubten has a sense of humor, something that is missing from the suttas,

Not if you know how to read them.

[clyde]

But Anam Thubten has a sense of humor, something that is missing from the suttas,

Not if you know how to read them.

Perhaps, but nowhere, at least as far as I know and no search of the AccessToInsight website, does one find in the suttas “the Buddha laughed”.