A selection of single talks that Dr. Lye has given in the past at various locations often with a general audience having some interest in Buddhist practice and spirituality more generally. Some of the talks in this section were also given at Urban Dharma North Carolina temple during its Saturday afternoon service.

“Mahayana Lojong in Seven Points” is a set of instructions collected by the Tibetan master Geshe Chekawa in the early 12th century. The heart of lojong is the training in bodhicitta (“awakened-mind”) that embodies wisdom and compassion. This series was offered by Dr. Lye at the start of the Covid19 pandemic of 2020, taking 16 sessions over 4 months. Each session began with a period of guided-meditation as taught in this text followed by Dr. Lye’s unpacking of the text. In particular, Dr. Lye’s approach to this text calls attention to the power of the structure of this text-something that most if not all other teachers of lojong do not focus on.

Another core-text of the mind-training tradition, it is said that Geshe Chekawa himself read this text and was inspired to seek out Geshe Langri Tangpa (1054-1123) who composed this pithy-text but only to learn that by then the geshe had already passed away. This mind-training text, therefore, preceded Geshe Chekawa’s text and is a succinct summary of the essentials of the mind-training tradition.

Over four sessions, Dr. Lye presents the basics of meditation as taught by the Buddha. Cultivation of the heart-mind (Sanskrit: citta-bhāvana) lies at the core of Buddhist meditation. It is an easy and natural method that works simultaneously with practices of openness of heart (dāna/ generosity) and non-harming (śīla/ ethical conduct), forming a triad of mutually reinforcing and supporting factors. This series consists of teachings and guided meditations.