Wheel of Sharp Weapons
with Venerable Lozang Yönten

This deeply personal, poetic, and provocative text invites us to “be the peacock in the poison grove” with the bodhicitta attitude that takes hardships as the path to awakening. 

The radical, reframing ideas of Dharmarakshita will be shared in experiential lojong (thought transformation) sessions with Ven. Yönten—currently a Lecturer in Buddhist Studies and Chaplain of Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon.

These sessions will open us up to our inner work of looking at karma more deeply, as well as our outer work in the world seeking to benefit the planet—and all the beings we share it with.

Additional Materials

Wheel of Sharp Weapons (PDF)

Wheel of Sharp Weapons Session 1 Slides (PDF)

Wheel of Sharp Weapons Session 2 Slides (PDF)

Wheel of Sharp Weapons Session 3 Slides (PDF)

Wheel of Sharp Weapons Session 4 Slides (PDF) 

Recordings

This is a playlist. To jump to a particular session, click the playlist icon (near the top-right corner) of the video frame to select video.

About the Teacher

Bhikshuni Lozang Yönten (Chaplain and Lecturer of Buddhist Studies at Maitripa College in Portland, Oregon USA) has been a nun since 2003.  

Buddhist since her teenage years, Ven. Yönten moved to Australia and studied extensively under Gyurmé Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Tashi Tsering (at Chenrezig Institute, AU) from 2002-2009 before moving to India to study at Thosamling Institute 2010-2011. With the permission of her Abbott, she took higher ordination as a Siksamana in 2009 and as a Bhikshuni/Gelongma in 2011. In 2012, she became an accredited In-Depth Registered Teacher with FPMT and was requested to become the Resident Teacher at Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre in New South Wales, Australia where she remained for three years and frequently visited up until the pandemic. 

From 2015 onwards, Ven. Yönten was mainly based in New Zealand at Mahamudra Centre. During that period, she divided her time between leading retreats in New Zealand and teaching Philosophy at Human Spirit: Buddhist Psychoanalytic Training Program in Israel, as well as offering classes and retreats in various parts of Europe, until she moved back to the USA in 2021. 

Prior to joining Maitripa College, Yönten-la offered retreats and courses at Vajrapani Institute and Land of Medicine Buddha – both in California. She also has experience in hospice work and palliative care, as well as a deep commitment to social justice and a love of animals.