A one-night course by Geshe Michael Roach at the Open Center in New York City on December 7, 1998. This teaching is on the lojong text called the Wheel of Knives. This extraordinary work was written down by the Indian master Dharma Rakshita and presented to Lord Atisha (982-1052) as a teaching. Lojong is a style of teaching popularized by the Kadampas, the early Buddhists of Tibet around 1000 years ago, which emphasizes practical advice for developing great compassion.
The text of the Wheel of Knives describes how bodhisattvas in the vicious circle of life are like peacocks who actually find poisonous plants more nutritious than medicinal ones. The idea is that the bodhisattvas can transform inner afflictions and outer difficult situations into precious opportunities for personal practice and helping others.
According to the text, each unpleasant thing or event that ever happens to us is a result of “what goes around comes around”: the things we have done to others are returning back to us like a wheel of knives. This text is a great source for karmic correlations, and below in the course materials we’ve included a chart of all the karmic correlations listed in this text. It’s a great resource and provided the foundation for many of the karmic correlations found in Geshe Michael’s best-selling book The Diamond Cutter.
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Course Materials
Wheel of Knives Karmic Correlation Chart
Lecture Audio
Options for Further Study
To deepen your study on the information introduced in this course, please refer to the following courses on The Knowledge Base:
ACI Course 14: Lojong, Developing the Good Heart (1998, New York, Geshe Michael Roach)
ACI Course 14: Lojong, Developing the Good Heart (1998, New York, Geshe Michael Roach)
This Course presents classical advices on how to be a good person, and is based upon A Compendium of Texts on Developing the Good Heart (Lojong Gyatsa) by Muchen Konchok Gyeltsen (1300 AD). Lojong texts from the Compendium include: The…
Daily Practice Series Course 04: The Seven-Point Practice for Developing a Good Heart (1999, Gallway, Geshe Michael Roach)
Daily Practice Series Course 04: The Seven-Point Practice for Developing a Good Heart (1999, Gallway, Geshe Michael Roach)
Developing a good heart (Lojong) is the cornerstone of spiritual practice. These teachings and meditations provide concise, efficient methods to develop heartfelt love and compassion for all those around us. Lojong is an inspiring practice that trains you to make…
Daily Practice Series Course 04: The Seven-Point Practice for Developing a Good Heart (1999, Goa, Geshe Michael Roach)
Developing a good heart (Lojong) is the cornerstone of spiritual practice. These teachings and meditations provide concise, efficient methods to develop heartfelt love and compassion for all those around us. Lojong is an inspiring practice that trains you to make…
Eight Verses for Developing the Good Heart (2012, Bowie, Geshe Michael Roach)
Eight Verses for Developing the Good Heart (2012, Bowie, Geshe Michael Roach)
Dorje Senge (Diamond Lion) lived from (1054-1123) and is the author of one of the most famous buddhist texts for developing a good heart (lojong) called the Eight Verses. It’s full of very practical advice for being a kinder and…
