Updated on September 6, 2016
The more and more you listen, the more and more you hear; the more and more you hear, the deeper and deeper your understanding becomes.” - Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
You may have moments of peace and clarity, but do they last?
Chances are the upheavals of life are constantly sucking you into chaos, confusion, and uncertainty. The small speed bumps you encounter on any given day may also slow you down and tip your mood for the worse.
Most of us would benefit from regular doses of inspiration. Indeed, we need infusions of practical wisdom to maintain a sane perspective, keep an open heart, and see the utter ridiculousness of many of our trials and tribulations.
The Three Wisdom Tools
Meditation is one way to bring your mind home — to relax the stress, release the grasping and find greater ease.
But actually there are Three Wisdom Tools to help you discover and stay aligned to your true self:
- The wisdom of listen and hearing
- The wisdom of contemplation and reflection
- The wisdom of meditation and application
Following are some of the most inspiring video, audio, and written teachings on meditation, compassion, and wisdom you'll find in cyberspace. And, they're free. They represent the first wisdom tool: listening and hearing plus reading.
Whenever you feel lost or overwhelmed, tune in to get back on track. Or, listen daily to inspire a more continual flow of spacious awareness. Although these teachings are from the heart of the Buddhist tradition, they are of universal relevance and can be of help to anyone.
Top Teachings on Meditation, Wisdom and Compassion
The Dalai Lama More than twenty-six public talks on topics like Human Compassion, Be the Change and The Art of Happiness. You can also "like" the Dalai Lama's Facebook Page and see a daily stream of inspiration.
What Meditation Really Is Talks on meditation given by Daniel Goldman, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Khandro Rinpoche, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Sharon Salzberg, Elizabeth Namgyel-Mattis, Robert Thurman and other luminaries from the East and West.
Sogyal Rinpoche A large collection of video teachings on Meditation, The Nature of Mind, Happiness, Compassion, and the Fundamentals of Buddhism.
Pema Chödrön In the top menu of this homepage, click on the "articles" or "videos" for teachings on meditation, addiction, boundaries, compassion, loving kindness, karma, attachment and so on.
Sharon Salzberg Articles and podcasts on happiness, generosity, mindfulness, caregiving, loving-kindness and tons more.
Tsoknyi Rinpoche Click on "Offerings" in the top menu and you'll see a drop-down menu for teachings on meditation, compassion, mind nature, motivation, and an excerpt from Tsokynyi Rinpoche's book, Open Heart/Open Mind.
Dzigar Kongtrul In the left sidebar on this home page, under "teachings," you'll find links for audio and video teachings on meditation, compassion, and related subjects as well as a blog.
Mingyur Rinpoche A large collection of audio and video teachings on meditation, awareness, and living with joy as well as guided meditation and loving-kindness practices.
Shunryu Suzuki Roishi Transcripts and audio recordings of many talks given by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi over the years on topics like Zen meditation (zazen), beginner's mind, buddha nature, selflessness, and enlightenment.
These links represent hundreds of hours of enriching material, a feast to savor over an entire year.
- First, listen to an uplifting teaching to inform and transform your mind.
- Secondly, contemplate and reflect on what you have heard in order to integrate it more deeply into your being.
- Lastly, utilize the instruction in your formal meditation session and apply the essential principles in daily life.
- Then, begin again.
This is how the three wisdom tools work together to help you discover the true freedom of your mind.
Thank you for your presence, I know your time is precious! Don’t forget to sign up for my e-letter and get access to all the free self-development resources (e-books, mini-guides + worksheets) in the Always Well Within Library. May you be happy, well, and safe – always. With love, Sandra