Mahayana Sutra Principles - Commentary

This page contains materials on Mahayana Sutra Principles by Rigdzin Shikpo and recorded audio commentary by Lama Shenpen for the 2023 Vaster Vision year.

From Lama Shenpen:

I want everyone to give a lot of time and attention to Mahayana sutra principles. It is the obvious next step after DHB and THB and puts them in the context of the vaster vision and the Mahayana path as a whole. The next text to study is Gampopa's The Jewel Ornament of Liberation this will help to place the Discovering the Heart of Buddhism, Trusting the Heart of Buddhism and Mahayana Sutra Principle in their traditional context as laid out in Lamrim texts…stages of the path. I think you will appreciate how the grounding in DHB, THB and MSP prepares you for the world view thats assumed as a given in that kind of text.  Then I suggest reading the Torch of True Meaning explaining the preliminary practices for Mahamudra to see how the vaster vision underlies all the assumptions that such a text takes as given.   I am not expecting everyone to do this reading but I notice there is a tendency for people to want to focus on books and run book club style discussion groups once they have finished DHB and THB ….so this is the suggestion I am making for the order in which to approach further study on this years theme of Vaster Vision. 

I should add I recommend that everyone read Mahayana Sutras as much as they can just to enjoy reading them and entering into the drama of them and of the bodhisattva path.