For episode 191 of the Metta Hour, Sharon speaks with scholar, researcher, and writer, Alexander Gardner.

Content material Warning – This interview contains dialog about suicide. In case you are having ideas of suicide – whether or not or not you might be in disaster – you will discover free assist & sources through the: 988 Suicide & Disaster Lifeline 

Alex is the Director and Chief Editor of the Treasury of Lives, a biographical Encyclopedia of Tibet, Internal Asia, and the Himalaya. Alex accomplished his Ph.D. in Buddhist Research on the College of Michigan in 2007. His analysis focuses on the collaborative actions of three nice nineteenth-century Tibetan Buddhist masters. In 2019, he launched the e-book “The Lifetime of Jamgon Kongtrul the Nice” from Shambhala. On this dialog, Alex and Sharon talk about: 

• How Alex was drawn to Jap research • The 2-month retreat Sharon and Alex sat a few years in the past • The significance of Lineage •  What impressed a e-book about Jamgon Kongtrul • How the nice masters in Buddhism had been common folks • The historical past of Bodh Gaya, India • The inspiration for Treasury of Lives • How know-how interfaces with non secular teachings • Alex’s exploration of sexuality in Buddhist Teachings •  An opportunity assembly with a clown nostril 

For extra details about Alex’s work, you may go to treasuryoflives.org or get a replica of his e-book, The Lifetime of Jamgon Kongtrul the Nice, obtainable in hardcover and e book codecs.

Lineage is Key in Buddhism

Sharon welcomes Alex to the Metta Hour they usually discuss how Alex turned drawn to historic figures from Jap philosophy. They talk about the idea of lineage and the way it’s key to Buddhism. Alex brings up how lineage helps us keep in mind that our lecturers are solely a hyperlink in a sequence. It’s okay to query our lecturers, they’re simply as human as we’re.

“The most important vulnerability is admittedly that we turn into, typically, afraid to query and afraid to doubt although it’s so important to every little thing the Buddha himself talked about, you already know. ‘Discover out for your self, put it into observe, test it out.’ And then you definately get afraid of constructing waves and also you don’t need to deliver up the issues which are making you uneasy.” – Sharon Salzberg

Jack Kornfield talks about discovering true lecturers alongside our non secular path in Coronary heart Knowledge Ep. 153

Jambon Kongtrul the Nice (18:40)

Sharon digs into Alex’s e-book, The Lifetime of Jamgon Kongtrul the Nice, which tells the story of an influential Tibetan instructor from the nineteenth century. Alex talks about how Kongtrul was instrumental in gathering up all obtainable teachings and even publishing them. Sharon asks about Alex’s different challenge, The Treasury of Lives, which serves as a biographical encyclopedia of Tibetan traditions and other people. 

“One other factor that I like: Kongtrul, he’s form of paragon of Tibetan ecumenicalism, proper, he simply beloved every little thing. He had this insatiable curiosity for the teachings; nice love and appreciation for all of the teachings that Tibet had created by that time. And so he simply went round and he gathered them. He obtained them and he practiced them.” – Alex Gardner

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Gender Fluidity within the Service of Love (41:00)

Sharon and Alex discuss discovering the silver lining throughout Covid, and the way so most of the Buddhist teachings will help us face super struggling with compassion. They wrap up their dialog by concerning a few articles Alex wrote for Tricycle Journal; one is concerning the significance of girls in Buddhism, and the opposite is about gender fluidity. 

“In a number of condemnations and the worry and the nervousness of this gender fluidity, right here’s an instance of gender fluidity within the service of affection, and I simply beloved that.” – Alex Gardner

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