Dharma Talk — Path to Fearlessness

The sense of fear is a useful tool for staying alive; recognizing danger we avoid harm and are able to survive. Living in fear for fear's sake, however, undermines quality of life.  In the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism fear manifests from three negative emotions that stem from ego to create suffering: attachment, aversion, and ignorance.

By recognizing the origin of fear and the role it plays in our past, present and future, Buddhism offers a path toward fearlessness by confronting fear with fierce compassion.

Dungse Jampal Norbu explored this contemplation on our sense of time and fear, and offered guidance on how we can deepen our practice of compassion and gratitude to cultivate the antidote to these fears. 

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Dungse Jampal Norbu is Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s son and Dharma Heir. Dungse la has lived and traveled extensively in Asia, but spent much of his youth in Colorado. If you were to ask Dungse la how long he has been studying the Buddhist path, he would say, “Since I was born.” 

Under his father’s wing he received many teachings and transmissions, sometimes while the two were walking in the mountains of Crestone or riding a train in India. In 2012, Dungse la completed the five-year Translator’s Degree Program in Bir, India, which supplied him with a rigorous and traditional shedra education focused on the Classical Indian texts of Nalanda, along with skills to translate written works from Tibetan to English. 

When Dungse la was still an infant, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche instructed Kongtrul Rinpoche to train Dungse la to uphold and continue Kongtrul Rinpoche’s lineage, particularly that of Mangala Shri Bhuti. With the foundation of his life-long guidance and education from Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dungse la also teaches widely and engages in an annual 100-day retreat at Longchen Jigme Samten Ling. Dungse la’s anecdotal style and first-hand curiosity about how Buddhism relates to actual experience imbue his teaching with a fresh perspective, and reveal a natural wisdom and humor.

Dungse la started a podcast in 2020 called EveryBodhi, focusing on classical Mahayana Buddhism for the modern meditator. Dungse la draws on the celebrated Lojong or Mind Training teachings to examine how we can find solidarity and friendship with our own mind.