The strange, brilliant life of a billionaire scientist living between two worlds
(Lei's Looking Glass) From child prodigy to billionaire scientist, Dr. John D. Young lived a life most people can only imagine—college at 13, dual doctorate degrees (PhDs) by 21, Nobel recognition before 30. But behind his extraordinary success was an even stranger story: visions of light, encounters with divine beings, out-of-body experiences, and a search for the truth behind consciousness. In this episode, we explore the brilliant and mysterious life of a man who walked between science and spirit, between wealth and awakening, between this world and another. Was he simply a prodigy—or something more? Discover the story of a genius who may have been chosen for a higher purpose.
(Lei's Looking Glass) The child prince who remembered a past life - and the Karmapa controversy
Dr. Ian Stevenson, MD, American academic and scientific rebirth/reincarnation researcher, founder and director of the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, professor and a founder of the Society for Scientific Exploration
How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart — when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain?
The answer, American Buddhist nun AniPema Chödrön suggests, might be just the opposite of what one expects.
Here, in her most famous and beloved work, Pema shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined.
Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, she offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy. shambhala.com.
Things don't fall apart; it's all just an illusion, right?
What does Pema know?
American Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Chodron
Ani Pema Chödrön was born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in 1936, in New York City.
She attended Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California.
The venerable nun was once a hot young hippie
Pema has two children and three grandchildren. While in her mid-30s, Ani Pema traveled to the French Alps and encountered Lama Chime Rinpoche, with whom she studied for several years. She became a novice nun in 1974 while studying with Lama Chime in London.
His Holiness the 16th Karmapa came to Scotland at that time, and Ani Pema received her ordination from him.
Why Welcome the Unwelcome? That's crazy
Pema first met her root guru, [sex scandal ridden cult leader] Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. Lama Chime encouraged her to work with Rinpoche, and it was with him that she ultimately made her most profound connection, studying with him from 1974 until his death in 1987.
At the request of the 16th Karmapa, she received the full bhikshuni (Buddhist nun) ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong.
(Kino Lorber) Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey tells the story of Hannah Nydahl and her adventure bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West.
From her wild and idealistic roots as a hippie in Copenhagen, the film follows Hannah and her husband Ole to the hedonistic [Buddhist but officially Hindu] city of Kathmandu, Nepal.
This is where in 1968 they became two of the first Western students of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa (Rangjung Rigpe Dorje) -- the first consciously reincarnated (tulku) lama of Tibet, and the man who would change their lives forever.
At the heart of the film lies the unique and inspiring love story of Hannah and Ole and their unwavering dedication to bring Buddhism to the West.
From Europe and North America, through the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and Russia, to being kidnapped by guerrillas in South America, the film portrays the path of a great woman at the forefront of a turbulent, ever-changing world.
This documentary is about the life, teachings, and passing of the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. Narrated by James Coburn, we enter the world of this Tibetan spiritual master, who heads the Kagyu Order of Vajrayana Buddhism and explore the rituals and religious significance of his work.
Tibetan monastics (aljazeera.com)
"The Lion's Roar" takes us to northern India to see where the Tibetan leader fled and other locales of his various travels. There are interviews with high lamas of this esoteric school of Buddhism who speak of the 16th Karmapa's works and influence in Tibet and beyond. We also learn through his life some of the basic beliefs and principles of this form of Buddhism.
(IAH) "The Lion's Roar" (full-length documentary feature on the 16th Karmapa)
"Karmapa -- Two Ways of Divinity" is a unique, award-winning documentary on the current Karmapa and how China has used this Tibetan institution as a springboard for its politics leading to a peoples' violation of religious rights. The 17th Karmapa is not without controversy in Tibetan Buddhism also known as Lamaism, Esotericism, Tantrayana, Mantrayana, Bon, and even "Tibetanism" as distinct from Tibetan-Buddhism.
Four-storey-high Thangka of the Buddha on display at Mela ground (Kalimpong News)
NEW DELHI, India - Spiritual leader His Holiness 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorge of Sikkim called on Buddhist scholars to undertake research on the doctrines of Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism and introduce a uniform set of Buddhist teachings, values, and principles for the betterment of the world.
Buddhist monastics gather under Thangka, Sikkim state, India (Kalimpong News)
Addressing the celebrations of Saga Dawa (Buddha Purnima, "Buddhist full moon observance day celebration") of Sikkhim Buddhists on Poson full moon day (June 15) at the National Museum in New Delhi, HH Karmapa said that a common Buddhist doctrine would be immensely beneficial to humankind living in today’s conflict-ridden world.
The spiritual head of Sikkhim monastery said that Buddhist scholars from India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, and other Buddhist countries should undertake research on Buddhist principles of different sects to incorporate common values in a uniform doctrine acceptable to all.
Buddha purnima celebrated in Diwakar, June 2011 (Kalimpong News)
“It will benefit the people all over the world who seek answers, clarifications, and solutions,” he said. His Holiness said that the germination of positive and good motivations leads to ultimate bliss and enlightenment. He added that the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha is as relevant today as it was when initially preached by the Sage of the Sakyas about 2600 years ago in India. More
The Lion's Roar: His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa
(Ikhamo) This is a masterful portrait of the late 16th Gyalwang Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the great Tibetan Buddhist master, a Black Hat Lama. The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, one of the four great lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.
His line of successive reincarnations has its origins in the 13th century, when it was the first to identify tulkus, consciously reborn Buddhist teachers. He is recognized as the embodiment of the teachings of his lineage, one that traces its source from teacher to disciple through Tibet's great teachers Milarepa and Marpa to India's Naropa and Tilopa claiming to go all the way back to Shakyamuni Buddha.
The Lion's Roar (Part 5)
Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, was born in Dege, Kham, East Tibet in 1924. During the 1959 invasion by China, the Karmapa left Tibet and settled in Rumtek, Sikkim, India. The construction of his new Rumtek monastery was completed in 1966.
In 1974, the Karmapa set out on his first world tour. He undertook a second tour in 1977. While traveling in 1981, he died in Zion, Illinois, north of Chicago. He was returned to Rumtek for cremation.
This film journeys with him in North America where he visited the Hopi Nation, offered teachings, and performed the Black Crown Ceremony (Vajra Makut), enjoyed everything from zoos to video arcades. He also initiated the construction of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York, the seat of his lineage in North America. His cremation in Rumtek is vividly documented.
The narration script was written by the late Rick Fields, the well-known author of How the Swans Came to the Lake (documenting Buddhism's earliest arrival in America 1,000 years ago) and a founding editor of Tricycle and The Vajradhatu Sun.
It is narrated by late actor James Coburn and features rare interviews with the late renowned Tibetan Buddhist lamas Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Filming took place on location in India (Sikkim) and North America, with archival footage from France.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has wrapped up a series public lectures in New York. For the past four days, thousands have gathered at Radio City Music Hall to hear him present Buddhist teachings. On Sunday, the 74-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine before a crowd of 2,000. Democracy Now's Amy Goodman asked the Dalai Lama about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the struggle for independence from China in Tibet. Source (Web exclusive) Thursday, March 10 Headlines
Rejecting allegations that he is a “Chinese agent,” the Tibetan government-in-exile on Friday strongly backed the Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorji, from whose monastery there was a huge foreign currency haul recently, saying he has the absolute faith of spiritual leader [and CIA operative] the Dalai Lama.
The Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, said from the beginning that the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan community knew that he was not a “Chinese agent” and termed the entire controversy a “media judgment without any trial.”
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama has 100 per cent faith in the Karmapa. He is not a Chinese agent. We know from the beginning. He has been allowed by the Indian government to move freely across India except to two monasteries due to some problems,” he told a select group of Indian journalists.
The Rinpoche said the Karmapa is a “free individual” that had nothing to do with the financial irregularities that were the reason for the whole controversy. More>>
Tibetan Buddhism celebrates 900 years of the Karmapa Lama
Both Tibetans and the Chinese government recognize Trinley Thaye Dorje, 17th Karmapa. He occupies the third highest post in Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or "lightning vehicle") after the Dalai and the Panchen Lama. He lives under Indian “protection.”
A two-day celebration will be in Bodh Gaya, India (the place thought to be where the Buddha gained enlightenment, but it is not certain even if people take it for granted and a related Bodhi tree has been planted there now), starting this Wednesday.
DHARAMSALA, India (AsiaNews) – “The 17th Karmapa is the oldest and the most revered reincarnate lineage in Tibetan Buddhism,” Samdhong Rinpoche told AsiaNews. The Kalon Tripa or prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile spoke a few days before the 900th anniversary of the Karmapa, the third highest spiritual office in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.
The current incarnation (since each person who fills the post is thought to be the same person reborn and returning on purpose to continue the work) has lived in India since 2000, free from Chinese control. He is viewed as the “natural” successor to the Dalai Lama.
Born in 1983, the current Karmapa Lama (Trinley Thaye Dorje) fled from Tsurphu Temple in central Tibet. And after an overland winter trek across the Himalayas, he reached India where he was given asylum.
He has lived in Dharamsala (the seat of the government in exile) since he went into exile. He is free to travel but requires official permission to receive visitors.
For Rinpoche, 900 years “of Karma tradition are significant because it is an occasion to strengthen and reinforce the Tibetan religious and cultural identity.” Here is the interview Samdhong Rinpoche gave AsiaNews. More>>
Dalai Lama really does post to Twitter The 14thDalai Lama, the highest holy man in Tibetan Buddhism, now has a Twitter account with 109,049 followers after 13...
"World's NEXT top lama" to visit Europe With his rare combination of humour, gentleness, and charisma, the Dalai Lama remains, at 75, the undisputed Western poster boy for both Buddhism and Tibet. (The Guardian)
Why no Hindu or Buddhist representation? Of 32 religious leaders, academics, and consultants that made the cut, not a single one belongs to a Dharma tradition -- Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, or Jainism... (On Faith)
Goldie Hawn wants to teach Buddhism to British kids Goldie Hawn is in talks to set up a Buddhist school in the United Kingdom. The actress' Hawn Foundation already teaches kids Buddhist techniques in schools... (SF Chronicle)
When religious zeal displaces the truth in history books To his credit, Davis delicately tried to explain that Buddhism dates to between the 6th and 4th century BC, as in before Christ, so obviously it was a... (Sacramento Bee)
Fighter pilot and the monk But, seriously, a Buddhist monk and a fighter pilot? If Buddhism's reputation for pacifism seems an odd fit for the death-from-above set...
Tibetans, Han ignore politics to build uneasy ties The two peoples share a long historical attachment to Buddhism which years of Communist rule has never managed to kill. China's economic boom has also...
Monumental revelations As a site of historic significance for Buddhism, too, Borobudur deserves respect. If it soon becomes impossible to wander up this hulking mass in the grey... (The Australian)
Obama-Dalai Lama meeting pleases critics (Oregon Faith Report) resident Obama finally met with Tibet's Dalai Lama in a face off that seemed more snub to China than pledge to help human rights in Taiwan, Uighur country, or Tibet -- all restive portions of the Chinese empire. But the perceived insult seems to have pleased many critics.
Tsechu Buddhist fair begins at Rewalsar Mandi: The famous Tsechu Buddhist began on the banks of sacred Rewalsar Lake on Wednesday. Thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from home and abroad converged at...
Diamond Way group practices ancient methods of Buddhism Buddha's highest methods have been practiced in Tibet and India for centuries and are carried out through UW-Whitewater's Diamond Way Buddhist group. (Royal Purple)
What would Sid do on a snow day like today? How would he combine Buddhism and dating? How would he handle stress in the workplace? "What would Sid do?" is devoted to taking an honest look... (Beliefnet)
Seokguram: Korea's Supreme Grotto As Buddhism flowed into the early Korean kingdoms, however, they only carved the holy images on cliffs and boulders on their craggy granite mountains... (Korea Times)
People & Events Explore Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, and Buddhism by looking at art in the exhibition, “Illuminating: Spiritual Symbols and Stories.” (Community Journal)
The Toyota name is all about good luck The kanji symbol for eight widens at the bottom, suggesting that a more prosperous future awaits. Eight is also the number of auspicious symbols in Buddhism.
Tibet House US benefit ...ancient bastion of Himalayan tranquility known as West 15th Street, where the cultural center operates a gallery space, Buddhist shrine and library.
Bristol lays siege to TV "Whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that's important," he said. "Self-discipline with awareness of consequences."
The spirit of the matter Since Buddhism had come out of India, he said, "I always describe myself as a messenger of India, because I am a Buddhist." Speaking of the Buddha... (Times of India)
Petals from the Sky Yip deviates from the expected with her injection of Buddhism throughout the novel, which not only enhances the plot, but adds elements of poetry and art... (UPI Asia)
Shechen Monastery centennial The monastery was founded by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991) who was a luminary of Buddhism, respected throughout the world for his teachings. (Nepali Times)
The Buddha at Bamiyan was destroyed by the Taliban. It was the largest in the world because Afghanistan was once an important center of learning on the western frontiers of greater-India (Bharat). Which is to scale and which has been photographed to seem smaller? (See men at bottom for size).
"Taliban's conversion rider stalled Japan's Bamiyan bid" He said that an official delegation from Japan, along with a Buddhist group from Sri Lanka, offered to remove the statues piece by piece and reassemble them... (Times of India)
Worshipping money, China won't gain trust Long under the influence of Buddhism, the most secular among the dominant religions, local culture lacks power in restraining the desire for money.
...festival led to the destruction of a historical structure in north China's Zhengding County, known as the birthplace of several schools of Zen Buddhism. (Times of India)
Australian elephant blessed by Buddhist monks MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Mali the baby elephant played with a red rubber ball as three Buddhist monks splashed her face with water Thursday in blessing ceremony for the Melbourne Zoo's newest star. The baby was born six weeks ago to mother Dokkoon after a naming ceremony performed by Buddhist monks in Melbourne, Australia. Mali is Thai for jasmine and was chosen out of five possibilities derived from her Thai lineage in a public vote held by the zoo.
(TIME.com) The lowdown on the new arrival had been that he was brilliant but austere. "He's not jolly like the [old] Dalai Lama," warned an American devotee. "He's a bit stiff." But the baby-faced 22-year-old who may be Tibet's next great hope seemed perfectly relaxed in his room at New York City's Waldorf Towers hotel... More>>
Shambhala Times Review “Recalling a Buddha” is a 97-minute documentary on the life and activity of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa and features commentary from thirteen Tibetan Buddhist teachers.
The World’s Lorne Matalon visits a touring display of ancient Tibetan relics in Mexico City and tells us how Buddhism is gaining popularity in mostly-Catholic Mexico.
"If there is a lake, the swans would go there." So said the 16th Karmapa when asked why he visited America in 1976. Of course, the Karmapa wasn't the first swan to go to the lake. In a BOOK of immense scope, Rick Fields surveys the history of Buddhism in America.
From the quasi-legendary Fu-sang in the 6th Century, to Asian immigrant communities, to the latest trends in American Buddhism, Fields goes in depth. Writing as a storyteller as much as a historian, he takes us back to the earliest European contacts with Buddhism.
Most notably, he covers Sir William Jones, who was about to go to America on the recommendation of Ben Franklin when at the last minute he fortunately chose to visit India instead. His work would influence the American Transcendentalists and eventually the great Theosophist and first American convert to Buddhism, Henry Steel Olcott.
A sympathetic writer, Fields is also meticulously inclusive. Besides the obvious transmitters, like Zen pioneers D.T. Suzuki and Roshi Philip Kapleau, Fields traces the forgotten influences of Paul Carus, Ernest Fenollosa, and Dharmapala. One memorable story is of the ex-Navy submarine mechanic Heng Ju, who walked (three steps then a kowtow) from San Francisco all the way to Seattle for a berry pie. Fields has countless stories that make How the Swans Came to the Lake a priceless contribution not only to Buddhism in America but to Buddhism itself. Source
Tibetans living in exile in Dharamshala, India celebrated the 24th birthday of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa on Friday.
Born on June 26, 1985 in Kham region of eastern Tibet, Ogyen Trinley Dorje is heir to the Tibetan's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. He is considered the third most important leader after the Dalai Lama, and his authority is recognized by both Beijing and the renowned 14th Dalai Lama.
Buddhist monks and nuns assembled at the Gyuto monastery in Dharamsala to pray for the well-being and long life of the Karmapa. However, this year, no singing and dancing program were organized because of the demise of Penor Rinpoche, head of the Nyingma sect, and also due to the mass killings of Tibetans in Tibet last year.
"It is because of the demise of the head of the Nyingma sect, Penor Rinpoche and so many Tibetans have lost their lives in Tibet, so they didn't perform any sort of cultural events and they don't have big ceremony. Just to mark the birthday celebration, we have this prayer and puja [i.e., devotional] ceremony only," said Tashi Wangchuk, a Tibetan youth. Followers of Karmpa from far-flung places also came to take part in the celebration. More>>
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