Sogyal Rinpoche spoke at UBC’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on December 15, 2009, a cool and crisp Vancouver evening. In the first clip, Sogyal compares Christianity and Buddhism via the topic of “prayer,” and similarities in both the nature of God and the nature of ultimate reality and the Buddha nature within ourselves. He explains Buddhist “prayer” through the example of the vows of Vajrasattva, who through the fulfillment of his vows is an enlightened being available to assist us:
In the second clip, Sogyal discusses the nature of mind in Tibetan Buddhism. Aspects of mind relate to this world of suffering (samsara), the world of awakening (nirvana), appearance and essence. “Samsara is mind turned outwards, lost in its projections; nirvana is mind turned inwardly, recognizing nature”:
Sogyal Rinpoche has had tremendous impact on popular knowledge of Buddhism around the world, especially through his influential book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, published in 1992.