Nagarjuna Cultural Center

The Avalokiteshvara Mantra, also known as the Six-Syllable Mantra, embodies the boundless compassion of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.

The Lion’s Roar: Exposition of Buddha-Nature New Course Launch.

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Master's Teachings (Los Angeles Time)

Fri Immeasurable Life Sutra Sat The Lion’s Roar: Exposition of Buddha-Nature

Senior Practitioners’ Teachings (Thailand Time)

Mon Eight Verses for Training the Mind Tue Treasury of Valid Cognition Wed Four Hundred Stanzas on the Middle Way (Catuḥśataka) Thu The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra) Fri Ngöndro / Immeasurable Life (C)

May 2026 Chiang Mai Thailand

May 1–21, 2026: Three-week meditation retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Chinese New Year 2026 San Diego USA

March Spring Festival Chan Retreat in Nagarjuna Cultural Center's San Diego Retreat Center.

October 2025 Chiang Mai Thailand

October 2025 Meditation retreat，the main venue in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Los Angeles Headquarters: Panoramic View

The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice

Buddhist theory encompasses both teachings and practices.

Buddhist Worldview and Modern Life

To understand the world around us, we rely on our worldview - how we perceive and make sense of things.

Cognition and Expression Part One

Beyond logical arguments, Buddhists offer meditation as a powerful avenue for exploring the non-computational nature of cognition.

Cognition and Expression Part Two

One prominent distinction between Eastern and Western philosophy lies in the approach to cognition: while Western philosophy relies on the senses, Eastern philosophy emphasizes the cessation of the senses for transcendent cognition.

Does Buddhism Permit Seeking Human and Heavenly Blessings?

Does Buddhism permit the seeking of human and heavenly blessings? The answer is yes. However, Buddhism also points out that this orientation is neither complete nor ultimate. Why? Because no matter how perfect such blessings may seem, from the perspective of impermanence, their final outcome is still suffering.

Four Stages of Madhyamaka Practice

The First Stage: Consider All Phenomena are Empty in Nature The Second Stage: Consider Emptiness is Phenomena The Third Stage: Considers Dependent Origination as the Absence of Mental Fabrications The Fourth Stage: Consider Free of Mental Fabrications as Equipoise-nature

How Can One Obtain Human and Heavenly Blessings Through Buddhism?

Seeking human and heavenly blessings is not especially difficult. One needs only a certain degree of devotion, the keeping of basic ethical precepts, the arising of sincere faith, and the making of offerings within one’s capacity—for example, supporting temples, monastics, and accomplished teachers; making offerings above and giving charity below; releasing animals, practicing generosity, or serving as a volunteer.

Is Enlightenment Meaningful?

Enlightenment is an extraordinarily remarkable attainment. Particularly within Tibetan Buddhism, it signifies the possibility of attaining Buddhahood during the intermediate state (bardo) and becoming forever liberated from saṃsāra. Today, people tend to regard billionaires or presidents as extraordinarily successful, yet from a Buddhist perspective, such achievements are not especially significant.

Bodhicitta in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Why does bodhicitta have such power? Because it not only accumulates merit and purifies obscurations, but also directly counteracts self-grasping, reducing it substantially. What is self-grasping? For example, suppose a cup of water is placed here , and both of us are thirsty. Without bodhicitta, my first thought would be, “I should drink it first.” That is self-grasping.

The Correct View of Emptiness in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path

If lay practitioners continually orient their efforts around the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, awakening may become possible within the span of a single lifetime. In other words, once renunciation and bodhicitta have arisen, and one repeatedly engages in study, contemplation, and practice concerning the correct view of emptiness, there is a genuine possibility of attaining awakening in this very life.

How Should We Study and Contemplate Renunciation and Bodhicitta (Part One)?

The purpose of discussing The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice is precisely to bring our conceptual understanding into alignment with the actual behavior of our minds. If the two are not aligned, a split arises between what we know and how we actually behave. Therefore, we must diligently study and contemplate the texts just mentioned, allowing genuine renunciation and authentic bodhicitta to arise within our minds.

The Reasons Why Genuine Renunciation Fails to Arise (Part one)

There are several levels from which we can examine why genuine renunciation (nekkhamma) fails to arise. The most obvious and superficial reason is that our perception of suffering is insufficient—that is, the suffering doesn’t feel intense enough.