One Hundred and Eight Verses Praising Great Compassion: Part 1
by Venerable Thubten Chodron©
Cloud Mountain Retreat Center, Washington, USA
10-15 June 2006

At the summer Chenresig retreat Venerable Chodron gave teachings on the One Hundred and Eight Verses Praising Great Compassion called A Precious Crystal Rosary by Bhikshu Lobsang Tayang. The retreat talks covered verses 1 through 9. Further teachings on One Hundred and Eight Verses will take place at future retreats: see below for a list of teachings that will be updated as they are given.

Verses 1-6
10 June 2006
[66 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verses 1-6 Q&A
10 June 2006
   - If an arhat decides to become enlightened
      do they have to start the path all over?
   - How can you ensure that you will not fall
      back into the lower realms?
   - What are the cognitive obscurations?
[9 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 7, part 1
11 June 2006
[66 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 7, part 1 Q&A
11 June 2006
   - What is the difference between loving kindness
      and great loving kindness, ordinary compassion
      and great compassion?
   - What is the relationship between emptiness
      and great compassion?
[7 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Guided Meditation on Verse 7
12 June 2006
Venerable Chodron leads a guided meditation, based on Verse 7, comparing our situation in cyclic existence to a bucket in a well. The meditation goes through the six ways that beings are like a bucket in a well.
[37 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 7 part 2
12 June 2006
[57 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 7 part 2 Q&A
12 June 2006
   - Insurance does not solve problems.
   - How can you explain to abused teenagers that
      their enemy can be a teacher?
[5 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Discussion and questions following the meditation on the kindness of others.
12 June 2006
   - Learning to grow old and die gracefully
   - What happens when we label something "mine"
   - Creating personal identities in a pluralistic society
   - Having the leisure to be self-absorbed
[29 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 8
13 July 2006
[38 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 9 Part 1
15 June 2006
[38 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 9 Q&A on Emptiness
15 June 06
   - Does "real" mean inherent existence?
   - Can you explain "emptiness is form"?
   - What does emptiness depend on?
   - Can you talk about the mindstream that transmigrates?
   - Is being attentive to the body and mind a way to lead you to emptiness?
   - In karma, what carries on to the future, what makes it ripen?
   - What is the antidote for negative karma?
[32 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 9 part 2
15 June 2006
[39 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 9 part 2 Q&A
15 June 2006
   - Does wisdom destroy duality?
   - If everything is perfect because it is empty, why eliminate suffering?
   - What does it mean to say the Buddhas are in happiness and bliss?
   - How do the Buddhas influence sentient beings?
   - Modest disciples and sharp faculty disciples.
   - Does the bliss of realizing emptiness distract you from thinking about other sentient beings?
[23 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Verse 9 Meditating on the three types of compassion.
15 June 2006
Venerable Chodron explains how to meditate on the 2nd and 3rd types of compassion from the 108 Verses, compassion qualified by impermanence and compassion qualified by emptiness.
[50 minutes] : Download mp3 file

Part 2: Click here to access a review of verses 1-9 given at the June 2007 Chenresig retreat at Cloud Mountain, Washington, USA.

Part 3: Click here to access teachings on Verses 10-21, which were given at the Fall 2008 Chenresig retreat at Cloud Mountain, Washington, USA.