The Workshop is in the Mind
By: Ven. Robina Courtin
Language: en-us
Categories: Religion, Spirituality, Buddhism
Venerable Robina Courtin weaves a tapestry of modern Buddhist commentary as she illuminates this ancient spiritual path with humor, wit and intensity. This Buddhist program aims to give every listener an opportunity to ponder some of life's deepest questions such as: "Why do bad and good things happen? Is it karma? How can I overcome insecurity and start to care deeply for other beings? Can I lessen my depression and fears? Is reincarnation real? What is the mind? Exactly what is enlightenment? A Buddhist nun since the late 1970s, Robina Courtin has worked since then with the Foundation for the...
Episodes
We need others' approval because we don't have it for ourselves (STTA 277)
Dec 14, 2025Something To Think About Series #277
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:21Why do we hunger to be liked? (STTA 276)
Dec 13, 2025Something To Think About Series #276
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:21Be brave when things go wrong (STTA 275)
Dec 12, 2025Something To Think About Series #275
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:30Self-compassion (STTA 274)
Dec 11, 2025Something To Think About Series #274
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:30How to Deal with Procrastination (teaching)
Dec 11, 2025You've got to know the reasons for something. If you can't identify the problem, then you can't identify the cause of it, how can you ever find the solution? Once you understand the cause of it, it's clear. The quality called enthusiasm or enthusiastic perseverance, or joyful effort, is the fourth of the six perfections on the bodhisattva path of the Lamrim. They all say that it's the most important. Each of the perfections is more difficult than the last.
The first four of the six perfections are generosity, morality, patience, and enthusiastic perseverance. They seem these...
Duration: 01:15:55Point out our good qualities (STTA 273)
Dec 09, 2025Something To Think About Series #273
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:15We need to do the inner work before dealing with others (STTA 272)
Dec 08, 2025Something To Think About Series #272
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:39How can you help others if you can't help yourself (STTA271)
Dec 07, 2025Something To Think About Series #271
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:57Pay attention before thoughts rise to the surface as feelings (STTA 270)
Dec 06, 2025Something To Think About Series #270
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:50When the world is too much for us (STTA 269)
Dec 06, 2025Something To Think About Series #269
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:33Paths of Practice (discussion)
Dec 06, 2025Discussion with Vincent Moore - Aug 12, 2025
We talked about opinions and the impact of negative thoughts, prison chaplaincy and the doors that open when you adjust your attitude, activism and changing the world by exploring your self, the need to abstain in order to perceive the nature of your attachments, and the importance of recognizing your enormous potential.
Duration: 00:49:34We need to become our own person (STTA 268)
Dec 04, 2025Something To Think About Series #268
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:41Start by greeting the small problems (STTA 267)
Dec 03, 2025Something To Think About Series #267
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Read More Duration: 00:01:45
The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind: Drawbacks of Samsara (teaching)
Dec 02, 2025We explore why suffering is baked into samsara, the hidden cost of attachment, and how the Four Noble Truths can become a living, breathing guide.
Ven. Robina Courtin discusses "The Drawbacks of Samsara". We dive into the nature of suffering in Samsara, the subtle role of attachment, and the practical meaning of the Four Noble Truths. Robina speaks to the balance between devotion and clear-eyed reasoning, showing how both can deepen and stabilize our practice. Our conversation explores the six realms of existence, the workings of karma, and how understanding the nature of Samsara inspires personal responsibility...
Duration: 00:59:35More about Attachment & Having an Open Heart - Lawudo Trek (Part 2 of 2)
Sep 12, 2025This session with Ven. Robina follows on to explore attachment in more detail, as well as renunciation, dependent arising and having an open heart. She says, attachment is very primordial and can manifest as as possessiveness, manipulation, controlling, expectations, addictions. We need to start to work with attachment and aversion by controlling our body, speech and mind.
"Attachment doesn't like when we see our own crazy mind. We need to learn to counteract that, and be glad to see our crazy minds. And learn to live wiht it and be kind to ourselves about it. Rather than...
Duration: 00:30:45Rejoicing (STTA 266)
Sep 06, 2025Something To Think About Series #266
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:17Attachment & Training Ourselves to Have Happy Minds - Lawudo Trek
Sep 05, 2025In this Q&A session at the end of one of the hardest sections of the trek, Ven. Robina discusses the different between pleasure and happiness. She speaks about how we can be more flexible with physical difficulty or outer challenges and how we can train and strengthen the mind through practice.
Lawudo Trek | March 25, 2019 | Namche Bazaar, Solu Khumbu
Duration: 00:33:39Staying steady no matter what happens (STTA 265)
Sep 04, 2025Something To Think About Series #265
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:53Satisfaction is not a sensory experience it's a mental one (STTA 264)
Sep 04, 2025Something To Think About Series #264
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:59Afternoon Questions & Teaching on Purification & Emptiness - Lawudo Trek
Sep 04, 2025Venerable Robina answers questions from students and part of a teaching on purification and emptiness, one afternoon during the Lawudo Trek in Nepal.
Questions - about karma and rebirth, can an animal be born as human, the Manjushri mantra, and is a guru-disciple relationship relevant in the modern world?
Lawudo Trek, Nepal, 28th March 2019.
Duration: 00:49:08Attachment harms our ability to help (STTA 263)
Sep 04, 2025Something To Think About Series #263
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:33Make a decision (STTA 262)
Aug 31, 2025Something To Think About Series #262
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:34The mind is the main player (STTA 261)
Aug 30, 2025Something To Think About Series #261
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:27The Types of Meditation (Express Meditation)
Aug 29, 2025Start the day with your mind pointed in positive direction.
Duration: 00:29:45The outside world is secondary (STTA 260)
Aug 28, 2025Something To Think About Series #260
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:46The irony of ego (STTA 259)
Aug 27, 2025Something To Think About Series #259
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:10Our Thoughts Create Us Teaching
Aug 26, 2025This is such an interesting point, it sounds nice - oh yeah our minds play a role. Rinpoche said one time, and I'm quoting him exactly I promise, it's very shocking when we hear it, I've quoted it a lot, Rinpoche said - "The vast majority of all human beings on the planet have absolutely no idea that their mind plays any role at all in their lives."
Now this sounds almost impossible to believe doesn't it. I'll qualify it, we clearly know that our mind plays a big role when it comes to learning mathematics, learning...
Duration: 01:24:20Were all cut from the same cloth (STTA 258)
Aug 25, 2025Something To Think About Series #258
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:04We have to be disciplined (STTA 257)
Aug 24, 2025Something To Think About Series #257
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:50Were in charge (STTA 256)
Aug 23, 2025Something To Think About Series #256
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:23Express Meditation
Aug 22, 2025Start the day with your mind pointed in positive direction.
Duration: 00:26:38Kind people (STTA 255)
Aug 21, 2025Something To Think About Series #255
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:36We have to know that we can change our mind (STTA 254)
Aug 20, 2025Something To Think About Series #254
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:41Understanding Karma (Part 2 of 2 teaching)
Aug 19, 2025Why is living in vows is so powerful? In order to get another decent human body, in a condition of a reasonable human life, we need many conditions for that. We are in charge of our life but we're not used to believing it, we somehow feel that someone out there will take care of us, but Buddhism doesn't talk like that. It's up to us. We have to decide what kind of rebirth we want. We have to decide, intention is - I will.
To get another decent human mother we need bucket loads of rich...
Duration: 01:01:28Compassion is not enough (STTA 253)
Aug 18, 2025Something To Think About Series #253
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:41We cant tell facts from fiction (STTA 252)
Aug 17, 2025Something To Think About Series #252
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:06Understanding others (STTA 251)
Aug 16, 2025Something To Think About Series #251
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:29Meditation on the Guru Buddha - Express Meditation
Aug 15, 2025Start the day with your mind pointed in positive direction.
Duration: 00:28:56We need courage (STTA 250)
Aug 14, 2025Something To Think About Series #250
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:41Observe the inside world (STTA 249)
Aug 13, 2025Something To Think About Series #249
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:27Understanding Karma (Part 1 of 2 teaching)
Aug 12, 2025Many people all over the world don't like karma, Buddhists included. It's seen in a really cliched, hippy kind of way. So serious people don't like to talk about it. But actually, if we look at the big picture of Buddha's view of the universe, it's a coherent world view actually. The thing is, if the law of karma were not relevant to Buddhism, if it were not something valid, the whole of Buddhism would collapse into a heap of complete absurdity.
The whole of Buddhism is rooted in the view of karma, so it's crucial to...
Duration: 01:38:35We need to persevere (STTA 248)
Aug 11, 2025Something To Think About Series #248
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:54Our minds are not set in stone (STTA 247)
Aug 10, 2025Something To Think About Series #247
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:39How to help someone who is dying (STTA 246)
Aug 09, 2025Something To Think About Series #246
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:30Recognizing the Central Fact of Equanimity - Express Meditation
Aug 08, 2025Start the day with your mind pointed in positive direction. We appreciate your support for our online classes.
Duration: 00:26:38Let's aspire to have confidence this year (STTA 245)
Aug 07, 2025Something To Think About Series #245
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:05Habits (STTA 244)
Aug 06, 2025Something To Think About Series #244
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:44Stress, Stress, Stress! (teaching)
Aug 05, 2025I think the typical way we live our lives, and the thing we think about most, from the moment we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep, is the outside world, what's out there, the people, the things. I think we pay very little attention to what goes on in the mind. We pay a lot of attention to our mind when we study something, it's all about the mind learning all these new thoughts, new concepts. So there we really do concentrate on the contents of the mind. But when it comes to our emotions...
Duration: 01:46:56An antidote to jealousy (STTA 243)
Aug 04, 2025Something To Think About Series #243
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:43Steady yourself (STTA 242)
Aug 03, 2025Something To Think About Series #242
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:16We're a work in progress (STTA 241)
Aug 02, 2025Something To Think About Series #241
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:15The Four Opponent Powers - Lawudo Trek (teaching)
Aug 01, 2025Ven. Robina leads the purification practice of the Four Opponent Powers.
Lawudo Trek | March 30, 2019 | Lawudo Main Gompa, Solu Khumbu
Duration: 00:37:00Help where you can (STTA 240)
Jul 31, 2025Something To Think About Series #240
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:31What can I do to help (STTA 239)
Jul 30, 2025Something To Think About Series #239
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:05How to Develop the Unparalleled Levels of Love & Compassion of the Bodhisattva (Part 3 of 3 teaching)
Jul 29, 2025All sentient beings are caught in the trap of suffering in the realms of existence. Bodhicitta is a mind that wishes to free beings from suffering and bring them to the state of enlightenment. A bodhisattva is a person who has that bodhicitta mind, is a practitioner of the enlightenment thought which is the aspiration to achieve complete enlightenment as a perfect Buddha for the benefit of oneself and all other sentient beings. Love and compassion are the forces that motivated all activities of Bodhisattvas. Love is a strong wish that aspires to attain happiness for all sentient beings...
Duration: 01:27:39No matter how hard things get we can handle it (STTA 238)
Jul 28, 2025Something To Think About Series #238
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:39Behave nicely (STTA 237)
Jul 27, 2025Something To Think About Series #237
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:50Get out there and do something for others (STTA 236)
Jul 26, 2025Something To Think About Series #236
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:36Happiness when the chocolate runs out. Happiness & Its Causes (teaching)
Jul 25, 2025Getting what we want, like delicious chocolate, a great job or a new partner, is our main method for achieving happiness, and we certainly work hard at it! But what if we lose it? Or what if we can't find it? What then?
International Convention Centre, Sydney 2015
Duration: 00:17:25The primordial feeling of not being enough (STTA 235)
Jul 24, 2025Something To Think About Series #235
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:15Putting things off (STTA 234)
Jul 23, 2025Something To Think About Series #234
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:12How to Develop the Unparalleled Levels of Love & Compassion of the Bodhisattva (Part 2 of 3 teaching)
Jul 22, 2025All sentient beings are caught in the trap of suffering in the realms of existence. Bodhichitta is a mind that wishes to free beings from suffering and bring them to the state of enlightenment. A bodhisattva is a person who has that bodhichitta mind, is a practitioner of the enlightenment thought which is the aspiration to achieve complete enlightenment as a perfect Buddha for the benefit of oneself and all other sentient beings. Love and compassion are the forces that motivated all activities of Bodhisattvas. Love is a strong wish that aspires to attain happiness for all sentient beings...
Duration: 01:20:46We can learn to have incredible control of our mind (STTA 233)
Jul 21, 2025Something To Think About Series #233
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:10Taking responsibility (STTA 232)
Jul 20, 2025Something To Think About Series #232
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:06Guilts one of the worst crimes against ourselves (STTA 231)
Jul 19, 2025Something To Think About Series #231
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:30Lam Rim Overview - Express Meditation
Jul 18, 2025Start the day with your mind pointed in a positive direction. No bells or whistles, just bliss.
Duration: 00:29:36What is guilt (STTA 230)
Jul 17, 2025Something To Think About Series #230
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:13We can learn to become happy (STTA 229)
Jul 16, 2025Something To Think About Series #229
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:34How to Develop the Unparalleled Levels of Love & Compassion of the Bodhisattva (Part 1 of 3 teaching)
Jul 15, 2025All sentient beings are caught in the trap of suffering in the realms of existence. Bodhichitta is a mind that wishes to free beings from suffering and bring them to the state of enlightenment. A bodhisattva is a person who has that bodhichitta mind, is a practitioner of the enlightenment thought which is the aspiration to achieve complete enlightenment as a perfect Buddha for the benefit of oneself and all other sentient beings. Love and compassion are the forces that motivate all activities of Bodhisattvas. Love is a strong wish that aspires to attain happiness for all sentient beings...
Duration: 01:21:03Don't believe the story (STTA 228)
Jul 14, 2025Something To Think About Series #228
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:19We can familiarize our mind with being content (STTA 227)
Jul 13, 2025Something To Think About Series #227
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:32We all want to feel content (STTA 226)
Jul 12, 2025Something To Think About Series #226
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:24Purifying Wind Meditation
Jul 11, 2025Start the day with your mind pointed in positive direction.
Duration: 00:27:32Love and attachment (STTA 225)
Jul 10, 2025Something To Think About Series #225
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:46We have the choice to think positive thoughts (STTA 224)
Jul 09, 2025Something To Think About Series #224
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:22Teaching on Attachment & Emptiness
Jul 08, 2025Venerable Robina gives a teaching on Attachment & Emptiness during the Lawudo Trek in Nepal.
One way of presenting these levels of practice which are expressed in this packaging of Tsongkhapa's called the Lamrim, this gradual path, this course, that you graduate from as a Buddha, is in terms of understanding attachment. This is massive for the Buddha, way bigger than we can think because it's assuming even the way the world is, how we're born, the kind of bodies we have, it's got a much bigger framework than we can think of.
So effectively the...
Duration: 01:23:48Learn to be in charge of your own mind (STTA 223)
Jul 07, 2025Something To Think About Series #223
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:50We can become self-confident (STTA 222)
Jul 06, 2025Something To Think About Series #222
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:00:53Emotional hunger (STTA 221)
Jul 05, 2025Something To Think About Series #221
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:55Preparing for Death (teaching)
Jul 04, 2025If we realised impermanence, realised the reality and integrated it into our mind, that impermanence is just the way things are, and we will die, your life is transformed, because you don't waste your life when you realise it's impermanent. Death is definite but the time of death is not certain. Venerable Robina discusses Lama Zopa Rinpoche's book - 'How To Face Death Without Fear' and explains the steps of the death process.
Questions about - the concept that there's no time to waste and the Pali term Saṃvega, the stages of death, what stage does ch...
Duration: 01:35:48If you want to help yourself, practice compassion (STTA 220)
Jul 03, 2025Something To Think About Series #220
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:12Positive thinking (STTA 219)
Jul 02, 2025Something To Think About Series #219
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:24Confronting Death (teaching)
Jul 01, 2025Most people don't like to think about death. Death is a really crucial thing to understand, because according to the Buddha our mind will continue to another life and we've got a long term goal of Buddhahood, which indeed could take us countless lifetimes, so you've got to have a very serious long term plan. Death is an extremely important stage in this development. As Lama Zopa Rinpoche says - actually if you want to help anybody in this life, the time they need you most, is at the time of death.
There are two approaches to...
Duration: 01:08:01Doubt (STTA 218)
Jun 30, 2025Something To Think About Series #218
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:27Compassion for ourselves (STTA 217)
Jun 29, 2025Something To Think About Series #217
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:45Change your mind (STTA 216)
Jun 28, 2025Something To Think About Series #216
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:02:02The Four Opponent Powers and Vajrasattva Meditation
Jun 27, 2025Purification Practice
The Four Rs: Regret, Reliance, Remedy, Resolve Image: Buddha Vajrasattva in the aspect of Lama Yeshe
from the Vajrasattva Gompa at Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala.
Duration: 00:26:02Satisfaction (STTA 215)
Jun 26, 2025Something To Think About Series #215
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:42We feel like were imprisoned by the outside world (STTA 214)
Jun 25, 2025Something To Think About Series #214
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:45Stay Steady (teaching)
Jun 24, 2025Venerable Robina will unpack what it means to "stay steady." We are usually worried about what will happen or what won't happen. A thousand times a day tiny things happen to bother us. Attachment energy is unleashed, anxiety arises, and we usually go to someone else to help us feel better. Ven. Robina will discuss methods, simple and profound, to become our own mother, friend, and therapist. A Q&A session is promised.
The main source of suffering in this life is attachment. The vast majority of all humans on the planet have absolutely no idea that w...
Duration: 01:30:08The mind is like a mirror (STTA 213)
Jun 23, 2025Something To Think About Series #213
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:39Greeting the problem (STTA 212)
Jun 22, 2025Something To Think About Series #212
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:26We conflate physical pain with anger (STTA 211)
Jun 21, 2025Something To Think About Series #211
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:55Lama Tsongkhapa Meditation
Jun 20, 2025Start the day with your mind pointed in positive direction.
Duration: 00:32:56A healthy way to think about death (STTA 210)
Jun 19, 2025Something To Think About Series #210
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:00:56The lack of contentment with who we are (STTA 209)
Jun 18, 2025Something To Think About Series #209
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:00Overcoming Clinging (teaching)
Jun 17, 2025Women of Wisdom series.
According to Buddha, attachment – clinging, grasping, craving – is effectively the main source of our suffering in day-to-day life. Big surprise! We usually confuse it with love, which is necessarily altruistic, and is the source of our own happiness and the capacity to help others.
Buddha's view of the mind describes two distinct categories of states of mind: the deluded, disturbing ones – such as attachment, anger, low self-esteem and the rest – and the virtuous, spacious ones – such as love, compassion, patience, and so on.
A key function of attachment and the other de...
Duration: 01:26:14Impatience (STTA 208)
Jun 16, 2025Something To Think About Series #208
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:16Patience is a brave attitude (STTA 207)
Jun 15, 2025Something To Think About Series #207
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:19A healthy sense of self (STTA 206)
Jun 14, 2025Something To Think About Series #206
Thought of the day from Venerable Robina Courtin
Duration: 00:01:08