Rigpa Brussels organised a Question and Answer session with Rinpoche on various topics. The questions asked were as follows:

1. How a Buddhist practitioner can help alleviate the suffering of the victims of major international conflicts, such as the one in Gaza? Tonglen, phowa?
2. Why do you gather the sangha together to do practices like tsok?
3. Briefly explain the 4 Noble Truths and the benefit of meditation? Explain what emptiness is?
4. Why is Buddha nature beyond any gender?
5. Why in the sutra of Vimalakirti the goddess transforms Shariputra into a woman?
6. Do you think we need to implement a specific welcome for young LGBTQIA+ people in our sanghas
7. Question about the 4th seal. Why isn’t nirvana an addiction?
8. How can we fully embody a personality and progress along the path of transcendence?
9. How can we prevent ourselves from falling into the trap of ”avoidance”?
10. How can we be sure that our practices are transforming us, because we can develop an egoistic power to transform ourselves to be a better person, to be a good Buddhist?
11. In Lojong we ’take the blame on ourselves’ – but there is only an illusory person?
12. What is the importance of being present to the body and perception on the path, especially for Westerners of the modern world?

Photo thanks to Karma Kunpen.