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A bodhisattva is one who wishes to become fully enlightened in order to be of greatest benefit to all living beings. Bodhisattvas are "awakened warriors" who train in the "six perfections," the practices of generosity, ethical discipline, patience, joyous effort, concentration, and wisdom. These practices are bodhicitta in action, where the emphasis is on cherishing all beings more than oneself. Dr. Nick Ribush will explore how we can cultivate these practices in our everyday lives.
Our teacher, Dr. Nick Ribush, first encountered Buddhism at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 1972, when he attended the third one-month course given there. It was taught by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, two of the lamas most instrumental in the transmission of Buddhism to the West and founders of not only Kurukulla Center but also the FPMT, the international organization of which Kurukulla is part. One of the main things that impressed Nick was the way Tibetan Buddhism distills the complexity of the vast Buddhist teachings into a clear path that can be understood and practiced by anybody, a roadmap to enlightenment (in Tibetan: lam-rim, the stages of the path). Another was that nobody was expected to accept what was taught unchallenged...everything is up for analysis and debate, following true scientific method.
Dr. Nick has been directing the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive since founding it in 1996. Before that he founded and directed Wisdom Publications, Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre and Kurukulla Center, and in general has worked full-time for the FPMT for more than forty years.
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