Free Video Teachings from Prajna Studios, a Division of Shambhala Publications

Welcome! We have assembled a collection of five teachings to give you a taste of the wealth of wisdom and knowledge available through our online courses.

Our courses are designed to bring you the best teachings from the best teachers in high-quality video recordings supported by well-designed practices, reflections, reading lists, and additional resources to help you integrate the teachings into your daily life and practice. The self-study format of our courses allows you even greater flexibility in choosing the courses best suited for your needs so that you may learn at your own pace wherever and whenever works best for you.

Igniting the Heart

Awakening Compassion to Transform Your World
Taught by Pema Chödrön with Tim Olmsted

In this excerpt, Pema Chödron talks about the depths of human experience including the "experiential sense of our sameness" which can ignite warmth and compassion in your heart. Igniting the Heart explores the range of our human emotion using the Buddhist teachings of the six realms as a framework for understanding common psychological states such as anger, craving, ignorance, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and obliviousness.

The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma Course Series

A Comprehensive Training in Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Paths
Taught by Judith L. Lief

In this excerpt from Glimpses of Vajrayana, the third course in the series, Judy discusses the essential foundation of the entire Buddhist path and its relevance in our everyday life. This journey affects how we work with our mind and our emotions, and how we perceive the bigger picture of what it means to be alive. She describes how we can reach a point where there is no longer any separation between the dharma and our very being—where the teachings become “a part of your bones . . . coming directly from your experience”—through dedicated study and practice.

Making Friends with Yourself

Exploring Self, Selflessness, and the Roots of Attachment
Taught by Pema Chödrön

In this excerpt from a retreat Pema led at her home monastery, Gampo Abbey, she approaches the Buddhist teachings on selflessness in her inquisitive way by exploring our very real feeling of a “sense of self” that is there with us all the time. She explores how the tendency of our mind to solidify and fix things leads to the development of fixed identities, which lead to emotional reactivity. But when we really look closely, we can’t find a permanent self. We are just fluid works in progress.

Discovering the Relaxed Mind

An Immersion in a Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation Practice
Taught by Dza Kilung Rinpoche

In this talk on shi-ne, or calm-abiding meditation, Rinpoche discusses how we become habituated to hurrying in our busy Western lifestyle. He talks about a form of meditation where we set aside hurrying and bring body and mind together to practice relaxation while simultaneously practicing a focus that can support us in our busy lives.

Love with a Healthy Ego

Find Balance, Release Resentment, and Love Generously
Taught by David Richo

Here, Dave investigates our primitive tendency to retaliate when hurt and lash out at even the ones we love. He asks the question, "Is this tendency compatible with the commitment we make to love another through good times and bad" and then explores making a vow to choose a different path than retaliation when we feel hurt.