The Wisdom Podcast John Makransky: How Compassion Works (#226)
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Mar 20, 2026 
John Makransky, Boston College professor and developer of Sustainable Compassion Training, shares his lifelong journey with Tibetan meditation. He discusses Buddha nature, bodhicitta, and the threefold practice of receptivity, deepening, and inclusive engagement. Conversations explore emptiness, luminosity, and practical ways to cultivate compassion and presence in daily life.
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Finding Teachers In Kathmandu
- Makransky describes meeting Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa at a Lamrim course in Kathmandu as the pivotal entry into living Tibetan Buddhism.
- He felt their presence communicating before speaking, and then saw the dream figure Tara in their courtyard, confirming his sense of homecoming.
Buddhahood As A Resonant Holding Power
- Enlightenment is not only personal liberation but a resonant power that 'holds the world' and awakens capacities in others.
- Makransky frames Buddhahood as a unifying presence that resonates like tuning forks across beings' innate Buddha nature.
Practice In Three Modes To Cultivate Compassion
- Do practice in three modes: receptive (evoke a field of care), deepening (settle into emptiness and luminosity), and inclusive (sense others' depth and uphold them).
- Use benefactors, caring moments, or traditional refuge images to evoke embodied qualities now.
