Back to Buddhist Basics Part 1 & 2

In this Dharma Talk, Lama Kathy will review the first two of the three levels (often called the Three Yanas) of the Buddha’s teaching. The initial level of teaching, called Hinayana or “Path of Individual Liberation from Suffering” is where we begin our Buddhist practice, using quiet sitting meditation (called “Shamatha”) to gain familiarity with our minds, and the practice of Buddhist ethics (not harming oneself and others, and benefitting them instead) to change our thoughts from negative to positive. The second level of teaching, called Mahayana or “Path for Liberation of All,” builds on meditation and ethics and adds methods of training the mind in loving-kindness and compassion as a means to reduce selfishness (a root cause of suffering) and increase selflessness (a root cause of happiness.)