Diamond Heart Dharma

We are nothing without our teachers. Here are some sites to visit to hear authentic teachings.

• Lama Sumati Marut lamamarut.org/ lamamarut.org/ Website for our direct lineage teacher who is a simply ASTOUNDING example of the Dharma alive in the modern world. Funny, Wise, Brilliant, Fiery, You cannot go wrong exposing yourself to his teachings.

• Lama Marut Video Podcasts itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-lama-marut-video-podcast/id261249111 itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-lama-marut-video-podcast/id261249111 A fantastic resource for people at all levels. Lama Marut is a fun and engaging teacher who makes very complex subjects understandable and enjoyable.

• Lama Marut Audio Podcasts itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-lama-sumati-marut-podcast/id213342390 itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-lama-sumati-marut-podcast/id213342390 If you are looking for something to listen to on your jog, or your way to work besides the "Morning Zoo", or the latest pop sensation, try this. Lama Marut tackles deep subjects with humor and passion.

• Lama Marut on YouTube www.youtube.com/lamamarut www.youtube.com/lamamarut Most of the available podcasts are also available on Lama Marut's YouTube channel. A great and simple resource. Subscribe to it if you want to keep track. Also you can use this to embed some of his videos on your own site or Facebook page.

• Siddha Songs siddha-songs.com/ siddha-songs.com/ This site simply rocks. Cindy Lee is Co-Teacher with Lama Marut. A brilliant and beautifully honest being with a wealth of wisdom and joy to offer. A truly astounding Dharma practitioner. Lama Marut occasionally makes a cameo as well. Bookmark this one for sure!

• The Knowledge Base www.theknowledgebase.com/ www.theknowledgebase.com/ An amazing new site dedicated to archiving the life work of Geshe Michael Roach. The first westerner to earn the 20 year long Geshe degree in Buddhism. Our teacher's teacher.

• ACI Formal Study Courses www.acidharma.org/aci/online/onlinefr.html www.acidharma.org/aci/online/onlinefr.html Want to get serious? Diamond mountain university has kindly made the entire ACI formal study course available online. This is a condensation of the 20 years of coursework a monk would undertake to become a "Geshe". Great stuff. Taught seriously, but with humor and love as well.

• Awakening Journal www.awakeningjournal.org/ www.awakeningjournal.org/ This site is a fantastic resource for authentic teachings, and has also graciously offered to be a gathering point for those of us who had been following Lama Marut's website, but who are now "jonesing" for updates since he has gone into retreat. A great place to explore.

• Yoga Studies Institute www.yogastudiesinstitute.org/ www.yogastudiesinstitute.org/ Ever wonder WHY you are attracted to yoga? Believe it or not it's probably not just pursuit of a great body. You can get that from any workout. If you are interested in yoga you are probably interested in something higher, something wordless. Yoga is about MUCH more than pretzel poses. Check out this site to learn more.

• World View world-view.org/ world-view.org/ Quote from their site: "WorldView is a growing international fellowship of people dedicated to serving others in the highest way by teaching the ancient wisdom with which we all may find perfect happiness and ultimate meaning in life."

• Diamond Mountain Electronic Sangha www.dmes.org www.dmes.org If you are looking to educate yourself and improve your life based on teachings from authentic Tibetan Buddhism, this is an OUTSTANDING resource. Everything from Emptiness, to meditation, to spiritual partnerships, yoga, dance, healing, and enlightened business. It's all here with new material all the time.

• HH The Dalai Lama www.dalailama.com/ www.dalailama.com/ The ocean of wisdom and the embodiment of compassion. We are so fortunate to have this particular Dalai Lama right now. He has been an amazing ambassador for these fantastic teachings on the way things work and how to live and perfect ourselves in the midst of it all. May he live long.

The lineage we are representing starts with the amazing Asian Classics Institute. There are ACI groups all over the nation, and new ones all the time. Here are a few.

• Retreat For Peace retreat4peace.org/ retreat4peace.org/ This is one of the most amazing experiments we've ever seen done in the west. A group of over 30 people cloistered away for 3 years 3 months and 3 days in silence. Why? Well you've just got to read about it.

• Asian Classics Institute (L.A. Branch) aci-la.org/ aci-la.org/ One of several thriving communities founded by Lama Marut. This site is chock full of downloadable Dharma teachings. An amazing resource.

• Asian Classics Institute (North East) www.aci-capeann.org/ www.aci-capeann.org/ A phenomenal community. Also under the spiritual direction of Lama Marut, and actively producing some amazing teachers.

• Asian Classics Institute (Reno) aci-reno.org/ aci-reno.org/ Something's going on out there in the desert. This is a beautiful site with a very active membership. Check out the great resources.

• Asian Classics Institute (Davis) aci-davis.org/ aci-davis.org/ Another site in the ACI family. Some really wonderful content and a lovely presentation. Check them out if you are on the west coast.

• Asian Classics Institute (San Diego) aci-sd.org/ aci-sd.org/ If you are in California you are covered up with ACI opportunities. Here's another great one. Check them out.

• Asian Classics Institute (Lake Tahoe) www.aci-laketahoe.org/ www.aci-laketahoe.org/ This fantastic natural wonder has been the site of several ACI retreats. It's not surprising that they have an ongoing following there, virtually represented by this website.

• Asian Classics Institute (New York) www.aciny.org/ www.aciny.org/ A good touchstone for connecting to the ACI family in the Big Apple.

• ACI Phoenix aciphoenix.org/ aciphoenix.org/ The family just keeps growing. If you are in the Phoenix area and are looking to be born again from your ashes, check them out.

• ACI Sacremento www.aci-sacdavis.org/ www.aci-sacdavis.org/ More Dharma from some amazing teachers.

• ACI Greater Toronto Area aci-gta.com aci-gta.com The Dharma lives in the great white north, eh? YES it does. Under the Guidance of Shadi Mogadime, one of Lama Marut's high students, this group is offering some great things if you are in that area.

The highest path. If you are fortunate enough to feel like helping, do yourself a favor, and follow that inclination. We receive NO benefit from any of these organizations, except feeling good to have helped them out a bit.

• Seva Foundation www.seva.org/site/PageServer www.seva.org/site/PageServer Let's see. Another new pair of shoes, or restore sight to a blind child. Hmmm. OK, Let's be honest. Few of us have reached the point of donating all our worldly goods, but at the same time, few of us reading this are in a position NOT to be able to spare a few dollars to help someone. Since you can still see, take a look at this site. They are amazing.

• Hands On Nashville www.hon.org/HomePage/index.php/home.html www.hon.org/HomePage/index.php/home.html You don't have to go around the world to lend a hand. This fantastic organization proves this every day.

• Gilda's Club Nashville www.gildasclubnashville.org/ www.gildasclubnashville.org/ Such an remarkable organization, dealing with difficult situations with love, compassion, and a healthy dose of humor. There are lots of ways to get involved.

• Smile Train www.smiletrain.org www.smiletrain.org How beautiful is a smile? How wonderful to give someone the gift of being able to smile. Some children are born with a very fixable problem, and you can be the one to help them smile again. A great organization doing one simple thing to make the world better for some special children.

• Kiva.org www.kiva.org/ www.kiva.org/ So many sites just ask us to give, and that's fine. But this sometimes gives us the wrong impression of the people we are helping, as "helpless". This is rarely the case. Most people just need a hand to get back on their feet. This site is dedicated to letting you help happy hardworking people through micro-loans. An amazing resource and a great way to be of service.

• Charity Watch www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html Want to help but have that nagging worry that none of your donations ever get to those sweet faces you see on the commercials or brochures? Well this site can help either assuage those fears, or eliminate that excuse. Find a trusted charity of your choice and share a little bit of the blessings that have flown your way.

• If We Ran the World ifwerantheworld.com/ ifwerantheworld.com/ "Get off your intentions and microact". This is a really intriguing platform. The idea is to state something you'd like to see happen and then do something about it. Perhaps even join with others. Really a compassionate action 2.0 kind of thing. Pretty cool.

Thankfully there are MANY people out there working hard to share the Dharma and help others. Here are a few sites we like.

• Tricycle www.tricycle.com/ www.tricycle.com/ A great site for all sorts of news about happenings in Buddhism world.

• Blogisattva www.blogisattva.org/ www.blogisattva.org/ One stop shopping for all the best English language blogs on and about Buddhism.

• TinyBuddha.com tinybuddha.com/ tinybuddha.com/ A wonderful site with lots of great articles, ideas, and resources. Though not necessarily pure Dharma, it is often quite inspiring, and always well intentioned.

• The Worst Horse theworsthorse.com/ theworsthorse.com/ A fun and funny website which looks at the perceptions and misperceptions of Dharma in the modern world. Sometimes irreverent. Always worth a look.

• The Three Jewels (NYC) www.threejewels.org/ www.threejewels.org/ A fantastic center for Dharma in Manhattan. Lots of the ACI family seem to have roots that run through this organization.

• Padmasambhava Center pbc-tn.org/ pbc-tn.org/ We have no affiliation with them but this organization does a great job of sharing authentic Tibetan Buddhism with the local Nashville community.

• The Interdependence Project www.theidproject.org/ www.theidproject.org/ A good site with a lot of very sincere and serious practitioners.

• Dharma Web www.dharmaweb.org/ www.dharmaweb.org/ A great wikipedia style site for almost all things Buddhism related. You can also do a search for your state name to find local Buddhist resources and groups.

In the old days exposure to the Dharma was limited to a chosen few. Exposure to the Dalai Lama was a once in a lifetime event. Now you can get both in a mobile tweet. Try setting up to stay connected with these modern Dharma fountains.

• Lama Marut on Twitter twitter.com/lamamarut twitter.com/lamamarut Always witty and incisive, often miraculously apropos. Our dear teacher has a way of making even the most complex concepts seem simple yet still powerful, even within 140 characters.

• Dalai Lama on Twitter twitter.com/DalaiLama twitter.com/DalaiLama This Dalai Lama is really amazing. Rarely can someone be so thoroughly rooted in ancient culture, and yet be able to really engage the modern world on its own terms. He always has something useful and helpful to say.

• NDDG on Facebook www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001727841069 www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001727841069 Stay informed about updates and happenings with Nashville Dharma Discussion Group.

• The Vow Project thevowproject.com/ thevowproject.com/ So Cool. The perfect union of ancient and modern. If you are keeping vows, you can have them texted to you throughout the day.

• Tiny Buddha on Twitter twitter.com/tinybuddha twitter.com/tinybuddha A fun resource for daily tips and quotes.

• Tiny Buddha on Facebook www.facebook.com/tinybuddha www.facebook.com/tinybuddha Another way to stay connected to daily Dharma.

In the modern west we have largely separated the practices meant for perfecting the body and the mind. In the ancient world and in some parts of the world today, they are united. Here are some great resources to help you get back into inner and outer balance.

• Yoga Society Nashville www.yogasocietynashville.org www.yogasocietynashville.org A fantastic organization promoting the benefits of Yoga throughout the Nashville community.

Here are some fun and intriguing places to wonder at the amazing things we are capable of thinking, saying, and doing.

• Global Rich List globalrichlist.com/ globalrichlist.com/ Feeling frustrated about money? Care to see how you stack up against the rest of the humans in your world? For most of us this is a great way to get a sense for our amazing leisure and fortune. Then think what you are doing with it, and ask yourself if perhaps you could do something better.

• Our Book Store astore.amazon.com/nashdhardiscg-20 astore.amazon.com/nashdhardiscg-20 Here is a selection of good Dharma resources for you to peruse. Any proceeds from sale of these books goes directly to the support of those in deep retreat.

• TED www.ted.com/ www.ted.com/ Not specifically related to Dharma. In fact, sometimes in direct conflict with it. But still a collection of AMAZING minds, generally focussed on the advancement of humanity. Probably better for you than sit-com reruns.

• Karma Tube www.karmatube.org/ www.karmatube.org/ My lovely wife pointed this site out to me. Great videos daily which show how much good is actually going on in the world. Consider this a direct antidote to the nightly news. Definitely worth a look.

• Project Neighbor projectneighbor.tumblr.com/ projectneighbor.tumblr.com/ This site is REALLY interesting. My brother pointed it out to me. It's kind of like a subversive secret mission team, except the subversive idea is to be good and "do well" for eachother. Truly revolutionary.

• Holy Rascals wisdomkeepersproject.org/ wisdomkeepersproject.org/ When asked about why religious people always seemed to be fighting, the Dalai Lama said (paraphrase) that Religion is not divided Vertically, Christian, Jew, Muslim, etc. But rather it is divided horizontally, Those who are practicing kindness to others above, and those who are not, below. This website epitomizes this sentiment.

• Nicholas Roerich Online Museum www.roerich.org/ www.roerich.org/ Roerich was a remarkable artist who created mythical and mystical scenes based on his trips to the east. He was transformed by his journey and his work is a travelogue from a rare and precious experience.