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This podcast site shares thoughts and perspectives concerning practical notions and methodologies for all -- regardless of level of experience or knowledge -- who are curious, interested or an ongoing student/practitioner of Himalayan (aka Tibetan) Buddhism.
These Elegant Mind podcasts are products of The Chenrezig Project, a Buddhist study/discussion group located in the USA with an international reach. Mark Winwood, a member of the undergraduate Contemplative Psychology teaching faculty at Naropa University in Boulder, is the Chenrezig Project’s founder, resident Dharma sharer and host of these broadcasts. We are involved in an ongoing variety of teachings, writings, community events, etc. Contact Mark at mwinwood@gmail.com.
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Our podcasts feature music composed and performed by Bobby Vega. Bobby has been playing and creating music for more than four decades. He began his professional career as a bass player in 1973 (at the age of 16) on Sly Stones’ single “I Get High on You.” A Bay Area musician’s musician, Bobby has played with artists ranging from Joan Baez and Etta James to Santana and the Jefferson Starship and was included on Bass Player Magazine’s list of ”Top 100 Bassists of All Time” in 2017.
An accomplished composer, Bobby has collaborated on the soundtracks for the TV documentary Vietnam: A Television History, the Francis Ford Coppola film One from the Heart, and the Sega video game Sonic The Hedgehog. Four decades and nearly 5,000 gigs after he first began playing bass, Bobby Vega continues to develop his complex and heady blend of rhythm & blues, rock, funk, technique, and tone, “laying it down” with incredible feeling and groove. More about Bobby and his music may be found at www.bobbyvega.com.
Elegant Mind Podcasts.
© 2018-2026, Mark Winwood.
All Rights Reserved.
Contact:
mwinwood@gmail.com
Episodes
Jul 6, 2021
Jul 6, 2021
11 min
(Written and inspired by the joy of HH Dalai Lama's 86th birthday.)
An excerpt: "Things are going well for me, Mother. I am in good health and enthusiastic in my work. Intellectual, imaginative, stimulating, virtuous and joyous is this path; I am profoundly appreciative to you for providing me with the life force that has enabled me to journey upon it.
Always I am reminded of the precious foundations of well-being and confidence your love and compassion birthed in me, and which have continued to blossom with purpose and clarity in the years since. For you, dear one, my enduring gratitude . . . " (Length: 12 minutes)
Written by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project. Accompanied by music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.
Jun 29, 2021
Jun 29, 2021
10 min
Most Westerners equate Mind with thinking, but in Buddhism it is acknowledged to be vastly more . . . Mind is the entire spectrum of our inner experiences: thoughts, feelings, perceptions, consciousness, subconsciousness, unconsciousness. It is our perceiver, translator, reflector and mirror.
Without it there is nothing . . . within it is everything.
To begin a meditation practice is to embark on a journey, an adventure of sorts, during which we learn how to observe -- and best 'use' -- our Mind. (Length: 10 minutes)
Written by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, accompanied by music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.
Jun 4, 2021
Jun 4, 2021
9 min
Buddhist practice leads us to see that our mind is beyond precious and teaches us how to tend to it, learning to discern those states of mind that are unwholesome or harmful and those that are beneficial. Once identified, we choose -- hopefully wisely -- which to let pass and which to nourish.
This is the animated structure of beneficial Karmic activity. To understand, embrace and engage with its workings will, in both the short- and long-terms, transform one's life. (Length: 10 minutes)
Presented by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, accompanied by music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega (joined by the Turtle Island String Quartet).
May 25, 2021
May 25, 2021
14 min
On the eve of Saka Dawa, the full moon day on which Siddhartha's birth, enlightenment and passing into Parinirvana upon his death are joyously celebrated in Tibetan Buddhist communities and among practitioners world-wide, here is a heartfelt dispatch to him . . . along with a request. (Length: 14 minutes)
Presented by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, accompanied by music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.
May 16, 2021
May 16, 2021
9 min
The Dharma path is one of grace; teachings are everywhere. Be curious, remain humble. Read, watch and listen carefully . . . learn from everyone and everything and continue doing so while maintaining your sense of humor.
You already have all you'll ever need -- lace up your traveling shoes and get on with it . . . in short order you'll be walking differently upon the Earth. (Length: 9 minutes)
Presented by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, accompanied by music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.
May 3, 2021
May 3, 2021
6 min
She is within each and every step you take . . . She guides you toward moments of clarity and wisdom, helping to free you when you are confused and distracted. She is safety . . . She is brilliance . . . She is fearlessness . . . She is your wisest self, your very best mind, your kindest heart . . . She is Awakening . . . She is Precious . . . She is You. (Length: 7 minutes)
Written by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project; with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega in collaboration with Chris Rossbach.
Apr 22, 2021
Apr 22, 2021
12 min
They are the Coastal Redwoods, aka Sequoia Sempervirens -- native to the American West, living among the clouds and foggy canyons of the Pacific coastal mountains. Bunyan-esque and virtually indestructible (except by human loggers and their saw mills), they are perhaps our most noble Dharma teachers. (Length: 13 minutes)
Shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.
Apr 9, 2021
Apr 9, 2021
11 min
For your consideration: If you would receive great wealth to forget all the Dharma you've ever learned and/or experienced . . . your insights and understandings, knowledge and practices . . . all of it, every bit . . . and by so doing slip back into the mind you had before first encountering the Dharma . . . might you do it? (Length: 12 minutes)
Written and presented by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.
Mar 29, 2021
Mar 29, 2021
10 min
We live in a world of often-forgettable sound bites: advertising jingles, political slogans, song verses, news headlines, tweets, jargon, etc. Here is a message we believe is significantly worth remembering, it comes from the 8th century Indian master, Shantideva . . . (Length: 10 minutes)
Written and presented by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project, with music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.
Mar 23, 2021
Mar 23, 2021
10 min
Change -- sometimes wanted, often unwanted -- is a central feature of life. It can be both subtle and obvious; exhilarating, confusing, exhausting and relieving. It will often spark deep sadness or relief, resistance or grasping . . . and it rarely comes in a form we prefer. Here is a story of Charlie and Olivia . . . and change. (Length: 11 minutes)
Written by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project; background music composed and performed by the renowned SF Bay-area musician Bobby Vega.