This week, we listen to a talk Reggie gave on the relationship between mahamudra meditation and the bodhicitta practice of awakening the heart. Mahamudra practice allows us to explore the vast space of reality as the ground of our basic nature. Practitioners of mahamudra sometimes think that the experience of unconditioned space is the endpoint of the spiritual journey, and that the circumstances of everyday life are irrelevant. Reggie counters that such attitudes are examples of spiritual bypassing: ways of avoiding the painful realities of one’s personal life. Actually, when we rest in the vast space of the heart, we discover an experience of profound warmth. This love, at the core of our being, compels us to connect with the sacredness of our world and care for it in immediate and specific ways. In this way, mahamudra practice allows us to fulfill our bodhisattva vow.

This talk was given at the 2011 Winter Dathun—a month-long retreat held at the Blazing Mountain Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado. To download more of Reggie’s teachings and to explore a variety of recorded talks and practices to assist you on your spiritual journey, please visit our store.