What are the right questions? How do we properly hold the answers, and when do we look to others or to the world altogether for confirmation?
Join author Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Andrew on a tour of “the power of an open question” and the importance of openness and inquiry altogether. The Buddha (sometimes translated as “the Opened One”) in the East, and Socrates in the West, were more interested in questioning answers than in answering questions. What are the rules for proper engagement in the process of inquiry? What are the right questions? How do we properly hold the answers, and when do we look to others or to the world altogether (symbolic guru) for confirmation? Elizabeth is an authority on the “middle way” teachings, and elegantly shows us how “everything leans,” or arises in dependence on everything else. The conversation explores how seemingly esoteric teachings have tremendous application in daily life. What are the near enemies of openness, and how does openness relate to emptiness? Where does fear fit into all this, and can we bring fear onto the path? The discussion also explores how to work with and digest unwanted experiences (like political and social unrest or COVID 19), and the principle of “authentic consumerism.” Her passion and enthusiasm are on display in this lively conversation, and reveal why Elizabeth is one of the most beloved and sought-after teachers of Buddhism in the West.
More about Elizabeth:
Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel has studied and practiced the Buddhadharma for 35 years under the guidance of her teacher and husband Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. She is the retreat master of Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado and has spent over six years in retreat. She holds a degree in anthropology and an M.A. in Buddhist Studies. She teaches throughout the U.S., Australia, and Europe. She is the author of The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha’s Path to Freedom and The Logic of Faith: the Buddhist Path to Finding Certainty Beyond Belief and Doubt.
*Pro Tip: Take the interview with you! All our interviews can be downloaded to your smartphone or computer to listen offline and on the go. Click the downward pointing arrow on the Audio track to download.
Take these podcasts with you!
You can find these podcasts at the following podcast partners:
