A close-up of a large golden Buddha statue with a serene expression is set against a pale, overcast sky.

Lama Yeshe House Study Group

IN PERSON

ONLINE ONLY

The current state of the world&mdash;marked by runaway individualism, identity grasping, and environmental destruction&mdash;suggests that something in the way we perceive reality has gone seriously wrong. The mind, left to its own habits, tends to experience self and phenomena as solid, fixed, and independent. This sense of inherent existence feels utterly convincing, yet it cannot survive careful examination. Emptiness, śūnyatā, is not a void or an absence, but the recognition that phenomena lack this kind of isolated, self-established being&mdash;that they exist, rather, embedded in the web of mutual dependence. Seeing this&mdash;even partially, even conceptually&mdash;begins to loosen the mental habits that drive suffering, dissatisfaction, and disempowerment. Meditating on emptiness is less about achieving a dramatic experience and more about learning to look. When we investigate our most familiar object&mdash;the self&mdash;we find no solid, fixed, or separate identity to locate. This absence, noticed quietly and without alarm, is the first taste of emptiness. It is not nothing. It is the beginning of seeing things as they actually are. Though the inquiry can feel unsettling at first, it tends to bring rapid relief from the burdens of guilt, judgment, and alienation. Having tasted this freedom ourselves, we naturally find ourselves extending it to others and to the world on which we all depend. This practice day will offer practical guidance for approaching this investigation&mdash;how to set up the inquiry, what to look for, and how to work with what arises. Classical framings will be explored alongside direct guided practice, with generous time for questions. No prior familiarity with Madhyamaka philosophy is assumed&mdash;only a genuine interest in looking closely at experience.

Dear <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(42, 42, 196); overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for&nbsp;Playfully Exploring Emptiness with Ven. Losang Gendun. Sunday, Oct 11, 9:30am - 3:30pm586 Brook Rd, Boulder, CO 80302 Please park on the road down below the house if possible and not in the driveway. For those who are joining online, the Zoom link will be sent to you closer to the event date. Please reach out with any questions! Lama Yeshe Houseinfo@lamayeshehouse.org

The current state of the world—marked by runaway individualism, identity grasping, and environmental destruction—suggests that something in the way we perceive reality has gone seriously wrong. The mind, left to its own habits, tends to experience self and phenomena as solid, fixed, and independent. This sense of inherent existence feels utterly convincing, yet it cannot survive careful examination. Emptiness, śūnyatā, is not a void or an absence, but the recognition that phenomena lack this kind of isolated, self-established being—that they exist, rather, embedded in the web of mutual dependence. Seeing this—even partially, even conceptually—begins to loosen the mental habits that drive suffering, dissatisfaction, and disempowerment. Meditating on emptiness is less about achieving a dramatic experience and more about learning to look. When we investigate our most familiar object—the self—we find no solid, fixed, or separate identity to locate. This absence, noticed quietly and without alarm, is the first taste of emptiness. It is not nothing. It is the beginning of seeing things as they actually are. Though the inquiry can feel unsettling at first, it tends to bring rapid relief from the burdens of guilt, judgment, and alienation. Having tasted this freedom ourselves, we naturally find ourselves extending it to others and to the world on which we all depend. This practice day will offer practical guidance for approaching this investigation—how to set up the inquiry, what to look for, and how to work with what arises. Classical framings will be explored alongside direct guided practice, with generous time for questions. No prior familiarity with Madhyamaka philosophy is assumed—only a genuine interest in looking closely at experience.

Lama Yeshe House Study Group

Playfully Exploring Emptiness, with Ven. Losang Gendun

IN PERSON

ONLINE ONLY