Recordings and Past Events

Recordings are available for event registrants in English and Portuguese simulcast translation. The free access code has been sent via email to everyone who registered for the live event. Please check your email.

Open Question LIVE Conversation, "Faith: Seeking Refuge" Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Traleg Khandro.

Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel invites you to engage with her in the liberating practice of looking and not finding. Elizabeth has said, ”If one were to ask: “What did the Buddha teach?” It would be accurate to reply: “The Middle Way.” Middle Way wisdom challenges the unexamined assumptions we have about things, what the Buddha called ‘extreme views.’ She will continue on themes of Madhyamaka reasoning and analysis which are often misunderstood as ‘intellectual’ and hard to apply to our own experience. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The purpose of analysis is to free our minds from confusion – to liberate us.

Learn more about this online program >>

Recordings are available for event registrants in English and Portuguese simulcast translation. The free access code has been sent to you via email.

During this intimate and precious time with Rinpoche, Elizabeth engaged her root teacher in a conversation about Bodhicitta and how we can cultivate healthy interdependence with our world. In particular, she asked Rinpoche to talk about ‘lhenchak,’ or karmic debt, which refers to the often unexplainable, sticky relationships in which we find ourselves caught.

Recordings are available for event registrants in English and Portuguese simulcast translation. The free access code has been sent to you via email.

“The Two Truths”  is one of the most essential topics of the Middle Way tradition. Jakob Leschly returns as Elizabeth’s guest on OQ LIVE to help illuminate this subject with his characteristic lightness and humor.

Com tradução simultânea para o português, feita pela querida professora Denise Kato.

Lama Elizabeth nos conduzirá por uma exploração sobre a natureza do vazio por meio de ensinamentos, contemplações e diálogos calorosos.z

Por favor, junte-se a nós! Toda a renda desse evento será 100% destinada a Lama Elizabeth e seus projetos.

This event is hosted from Brazil with Portuguese as the primary language.    Elizabeth’s teaching will be available to listen to in English.

Lama Elizabeth will engage us in an exploration of the nature of emptiness through teaching, contemplation and lively dialogue.

Recordings
Recordings are available for event registrants in English and Portuguese simulcast translation. The free access code has been sent to you via email. Andy Karr is our next guest.  Andy has a special gift for diving into challenging topics and making them clear, without watering down their meaning.  We are looking forward to talking with him about the meaning of views, his upcoming book, and the historical evolution of the Middle Way Path.

With unflinching candor, deep appreciation, and the passion of bodhicitta, Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dungse Jampal Norbu, and Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel each present different aspects of the three-yana path during this nine day program. Learn more >>

If someone were to ask you, “What did the Buddha teach?” it would be accurate to say, “The Middle Way.” But what is that, exactly? We may assume “Middle Way” refers to moderation or maintaining a neutral position on an issue. But there is nothing neutral about the practice of the Middle Way. It is a way of being that is awake, responsive, and discerning.

Registration Open for The Middle Way – Opening the World of Creative Possibilities. Online June 10-11, 2023.

Khyentse Vision Project is delighted to present a special upcoming event to celebrate the Birth of the Buddha on 26 May: APPROACHING THE VIEW – a Conversation between Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel & Jakob Leschly.

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Did you miss registering for the live event? You can purchase access to the recording.

Recordings are posted to The Middle Initiative website at:
https://www.middlewayinitiative.org/recording-confronted-by-wisdom

The relationship we have with our self is arguably the most intimate relationship in our life, and one most of us grapple with. In the Buddha’s Middle Way tradition, the practice of looking and not finding the self is one of the most liberating and surprising aspects of the path. Curiously, the clarity that emerges from searching for a self guides our understanding of “what it truly means to be our self!”

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Did you miss registering for the live event? You can purchase access to the recording.

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Watch the recording of an Open Question Conversation “Haunted Ground? Sacred World?” with Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Anam Thubten Rinpoche. This event is a 2 hour Zoom that includes audience discussion and Q&A. The program is in English with Portuguese simulcast translation.

When people talk about the world as sacred, it often sounds like they are living in a deep state of denial. War, destruction, and natural disaster seem integral to human experience. Even when we sit in meditation, we sometimes feel pummeled by our own thoughts and emotions. What is sacred about that? And yet, we have the capacity to experience the world with tremendous depth, compassion, and courage.

Sacred world, in the context of buddhadharma, comes from broadening our capacity to go beyond our dualistic tendencies – the tendencies to brace against suffering and try to manufacture happiness. The teachings on sacred world begin with the Buddha’s most foundational teachings and run through every aspect of Buddhist wisdom.

Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel invites you to the next Open Question Conversation with artist and practitioner Cynthia Moku.

Registration is open >>

This event is the fourth of The Middle Way Initiative's 2022 live series, "Open Question Conversations: Sacred World- Through the Eyes of Prajnaparamita." Each event is a 2 hour Zoom event with audience discussion plus Q&A. The program is in English with Portuguese simulcast translation.

This online retreat is hosted by the Wilderness Dharma Movement. It will be led by Anam Thubten and Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, who will be teaching a Chöd practice based on their translation of the text “The Roar of the Dakini’s Laughter” by Jigme Lingpa. They will offer the lung (transmission) of the practice during the retreat.

Requirements

To join the retreat, participants must have completed at least one third of a Vajrayana ngondro. You will be asked to give details of your ngondro practice upon registration.

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Recordings of the August 13, 2022 conversation with Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Judith Simmer Brown. In English with Portuguese translation.

We continued our query into the topic of Prajnaparmita with scholar, practitioner and author, Judith Simmer-Brown. Judith introduced us to the phrase, “The Space in Between,” which is how her teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, described the Feminine Principle in Buddhism.

Watch now >>

Recordings for Open Question Conversations: Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Greg Seton. Due to technical issues, the Zoom recordings from the June 18 event are not available. Instead, the session "Unlocking the Meaning of Words” is being offered from the Heart Sutra Retreat (Dec 2021). Free access for those who registered for the event (free code provided in your registration information). For assistance contact Tina: coordinator@middlewayinitiative.org.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/openquestion2

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We often think of the bodhisattva path as a path of increasing compassion and tenderness. This is true. However, it is also a path of cultivating courage, learning how to set healthy boundaries, and developing a fierce determination to serve others that transcends the story of “I am good.” The bodhisattva path trains us to step up with unshakeable confidence and make ourselves big enough for our world.

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Join us online for this unique opportunity to hear Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel teach on what it means to enter a lineage. Lineage is an important part of human existence and culture. In the context of Buddhism, lineage keeps us within the boundary of our intention to connect with our innate wisdom.

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Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel and Dr Ben Isbel will discuss dementia and end of life care for Buddhists based upon Elizabeth’s experience of caring for her mother, a long-term Buddhist practitioner who currently has dementia.

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The Middle Way Initiative is offering recordings in English and Portuguese for the first of the 2022 teaching series, "Sacred World: Through the Eyes of Prajnaparamita." On April 23, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Jakob Leschly (Siddhartha Intent Australia) engaged in a 2 hour conversation entitled "Confidence in the Grace of Openness." RECORDING PRICE: $25 (USD)

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The perfection of wisdom, or prajnaparamita in Sanskrit, refers to the mind poised for insight into the nature of reality. The highest purpose of these teachings is to remind us who we truly are; to point out the magnificence of the world we move about in, and to give us the vital information we need to navigate the beauty and pain of life with compassion and grace.

During this teaching and discussion, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel will invite us into an opportunity to examine our lives gently and wisely through the wisdom of the view.

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Date and time show is in U.S. Mountain Standard Time.

During our lives and especially as we approach transition, faith can be our source of refuge, confidence, and comfort. During this program we will explore how faith offers us support at the end of life, and how it can connect us to a deeper place of strength. This type of faith increases trust, openness, and appreciation, and will help to carry us onward with grace.

Date and time show is in U.S. Mountain Standard Time.

Feminine wisdom or prajnaparamita in Sanskrit is considered the very foundation of all the teachings and practice lineages of the Buddha. You might say that such feminine wisdom is the very heart of awakening, offering us insight into our mind, reality and our relationship to the world around us. But how can the prajnaparamita teachings help us engage the challenges of the modern world? – especially during these times of rapid social change, technological innovation and cultural upheaval? During this presentation and discussion, Elizabeth Namgyal will present how the Buddhist path offers the opportunity to examine our lives gently and wisely and release the liberating insight of prajnaparamita.

Join us for this Zoom event!

When people talk about the world as sacred, it often sounds like they are living in a deep state of denial. War, destruction, and natural disaster seem integral to human experience. Even when we sit in meditation, we sometimes feel pummeled by our own thoughts and emotions. What is sacred about that? And yet, we have the capacity to experience the world with tremendous depth, compassion and courage. Sacred world, in the context of the buddhadharma, comes from broadening our capacity to go beyond our dualistic tendencies – the tendencies to brace against suffering and try to manufacture happiness. The teachings on sacred world begin with the Buddha’s most foundational teachings and run through every aspect of buddhist wisdom.

Register to Livestream >>

Date and time show is in U.S. Mountain Standard Time.

Jakob Leschly talks with Elizabeth about her journey as a seeker, a student and practitioner, her work as a teacher, and her thoughts about bringing the Dharma to the modern world.

Join us for this Zoom event!

The Middle Way Initiative is providing recordings of the four-day retreat, "Opening the Heart Sutra: The Art of Contemplation" held December 9-12, 202. Buddhist teacher and author Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and special guests provided a deep exploration of the Heart Sutra. The video set includes both English and Portuguese translation.

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This online retreat will be led by Anam Thubten Rinpoche and Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, who will be teaching a Chöd practice based on their translation of the text “The Roar of the Dakini’s Laughter” by Jigme Lingpa. They will offer the lung (transmission) of the practice during the retreat.