Basic Dharma

"Basic Dharma" comes from the transcript of a lecture given by Lama Ole at the Dharmadhatu Center in Berkeley, California, in February of 1984, before any Diamond Way Buddhist centers had been established in the Americas. As Lama Ole's first publication of teachings in English, this text was translated into nearly a dozen languages and could be found in centers around the world until Lama Ole's main introductory book, "The Way Things Are", was published in 1996. For this new edition, we have lightly copyedited the text but retained the terminology and refreshingly oral style that Lama Ole used at the time. For a deeper look at the historical context when these teachings were given, please see Lama Ole's book "Riding the Tiger", Chapter 12: The Company Grows Worldwide.