Hidden Buddhist monasteries of Mongolia

The hidden monasteries of Mongolia: How Buddhism shaped Mongolia’s nomadic soul | SLICE

(SLICE) In the heart of Central Asia, Mongolia’s vast, untouched landscapes have shaped a unique form of Buddhism, where spirituality and nature exist in perfect harmony.

Introduced in the 16th century, Buddhism spread across the endless steppes, carried by merchant caravans alongside silk and spices. Monasteries rose like mirages in the wilderness, blending seamlessly with the land’s raw power.

Through centuries of resilience, Mongolian Buddhism has evolved, influenced by Tibetan traditions yet deeply rooted in nomadic life.

• Buddhism in Mongolia

From sacred rituals to the revival of monasteries after Soviet repression, this is the story of a faith (saddha) that has withstood time, exile, and change.

Documentary: Sacred Spaces – Asian temples. Humans, Nature, and Gods. Directed by: Véronique Legendre. Production: ZED, ARTE FRANCE, CuriosityStream. SLICE fully owns the rights to the use of the published content. Any illegal reproduction of this content will result in immediate legal action. SLICE wants to fill up viewers' curiosity! Accessible to anyone from anywhere at any time, this channel is a weekly dose of short docs about curious facts, discoveries, astounding info, unusual stories, weird, fun, and instructive. Be smart, have a slice! Subscribe now ► @slicedocumentary Become a fan: @slicedocumentary. Follow: 👇 In French: slicefr. Facebook: slicedocs. Instagram: slicedocs. #documentary #slice #fulldocumentary #freedocumentary #mongolia #buddha #buddhism #history #religion #sacred #temple #amazing #spirituality #spiritual #monl #prayer #pray

• SLICE, Feb. 13, 2025; CC Liu, Crystal Q., Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Monkey Mind w/Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

(A Joyful Mind) Rinpoche is subject of Western research by American professor: Impact on the brain

Understanding the Monkey Mind

This gear measures meditating brain.

(Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche) Tibetan Buddhist teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche discusses how [bare] awareness is central to [Buddhist] meditation. He elaborates on how the recognition of awareness is the very foundation for one’s meditation practice.

Reflection question: What do you do in your daily life that helps you remember to recognize awareness?

• 'Bird brain' is a compliment? Crows perform yet another skill once thought distinctively human

Recognizing Awareness

Who is Ven. Yongey?

This rinpoche is a Tibetan teacher from Nepal and a master of the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. He is a star in the West because he is or was neurotic (a worry wart) and is very user-friendly and has written five books on the subject of meditation.

He oversees the Tergar Meditation Community (tergar.org), an international network of Buddhist meditation centers.

Royal family line

Who's Tibet's Guru Rinpoche? Padmasambhava

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was born in Nepal in 1975 [1] as the youngest of four brothers. His mother, Sönam Chödrön, is a descendant of Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo and King Trisong Deutsen. His brothers are Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and his nephews are Phakchok Rinpoche and the reincarnation (tulku) of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, known popularly as Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche.

From the age of nine [1], his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche [1], taught him Buddhist meditation [1], passing on to him the most essential instructions of the Dzogchen and Mahamudra traditions. More

Join Vajrayana Online, a virtual space with courses and resources to explore Vajrayana (Esoteric) Buddhism with practical guidance from Mingyur Rinpoche with online webinars and recorded teachings. Learn more at learning.tergar.org

• Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche books
• Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, tergar.org, ajoyfulmind.com; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Revival of Buddhism in EU and Siberia

There's a piece of Asia in Europe, with indigenously Buddhist people?

Kalmykia: Europe's only Buddhist region | Europe To The Maxx

(DW Euromaxx) DW is a German public broadcast service. July 12, 2019: ELISTA, Europe - Welcome to Europe's only Buddhist Region, Kalmykia, over the last four centuries. Some 160,000 Buddhists live here now. Kalmykia is an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation, located between the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian Sea.

For the series "Europe to The Maxx," Euromaxx reporter Hendrik Welling has made his way to the southeasternmost part of Europe. Join him on his tour to see the highest statue of Buddha in Europe, to hear the sound of overtone singing, sleep in yurts, and to learn more about the rich culture of this special place in Europe. #EuropeToTheMaxx.

The Revival of the Buddhist Faith in Siberia

(Journeyman Pictures) Buryatian Buddhists (Oct. 1995) After decades of Russian/Soviet repression, Buddhism is flowering again in South-Eastern Siberia. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the revival has been going from strength to strength.

Once more the Buryat people wake to the sound of Buddhist conch shells and ritual chanting by lamas. The colored robes of Tibetan monks and gold topped temples are a common sight in this isolated land that has been Russia's cultural center of Buddhism for 300 years.

The Buddhist monastery's head lama is a pillar of the community, and locals seek his advice on just about everything from marriage to medical problems.

On a typical morning his office is full of peasants awaiting his wise words. At the turn of the century this part of Siberia boasted 46 Buddhist temples. Most were destroyed under communism, when it was decided religious faith was not necessary to a good life [for the state].

Now the ordinary people are rebuilding that spiritual practice all over the former Soviet Republic [or USSR, even recognizing that Russian Dictator Vladimir Lenin's grandparents (Lenins/Ulyanov were Mongolian from Buddhist Kalmykia, and his mother was half Jewish)].

Find out more at: journeyman.tv/film/164. Like on Facebook: journeymanpictures. Follow on Twitter: journeymannews/journeymanvod and Instagram: journeymanpictures. Produced by ABC Australia: Ref. 164. Distributed by Journeyman Pictures. Subscribe. 

• Journeyman, March 20, 2008; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Was Keanu ever the Buddha? 'Colorism'

The Hollywood sign, Los Angeles

There is a Hollywood legend that actor Keanu Reeves, that guy from The Matrix, Neo the Neophyte, starred in an earlier life in the role of the Buddha Shakyamuni. What was Hollywood thinking? Reeves can hardly speak his lines, which he must have gotten in writing and been given lots of time to memorize. Anyone who saw him in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure will have to wonder how such a skilled thespian would be chosen for the role of a lifetime.

A search of the archives reveals a film from 1993, Little Buddha, about an American tulku (important reincarnation of a rinpoche in Tibetan Hinduism/Mahayana Buddhism). Would Tibetan Vajrayana elites really choose to be reborn in the West (perhaps an interpretation of Amitabha's "Western Paradise") among whites?

They might. There is a long and harsh history (thanks, England) of colorism in and around India (Bharat), which was violently occupied, exploited, and colonized, forced to be a part of Rome II (the United Kingdom of the British colonial power) that set up a Raj (King) System and left behind a lot of DNA.

Suck it, boy, suck my tongue good. I'm Pope.

And the current Dalai Lama (#14), who is thought to be a or the reincarnation of Kwan Yin/Kwannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara), has said that next time he may choose to be reborn as a woman outside of Tibet, in which case he says he wants to be "hot," presumably so more little boys will be willing to suck his tongue in a totally consensual and not at all creepy or perverted act of child grooming. The pontiff in the Vatican probably does the same thing must be the rationalization, and everyone knows the history of the imperial Holy Roman Catholic Church with little boys and erotic priests in sheep's clothing, so there's nothing weird going on.

The History of Colorism in India

(The Emissary) Oct. 1, 2024: Explore the fascinating journey of skin color (shade-ism) perception in India from ancient times to the modern day. This video delves into the genetic migrations that shaped Proto-India's diverse skin tones, ancient Indian (Maha Bharat) scriptures, and their positive views on dark skin, depictions of dark-skinned gods and heroes in Indian mythology, the impact of Islamic imperialism on beauty standards, European (mainly but not exclusively British) colonialism and its role in shaping colorism, the modern Indian perspective on skin color, and the push for change. Let's uncover how a culture that once worshipped dark-skinned (blue black) gods came to idolize fair skin and the ongoing journey toward embracing all shades of beauty in India.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction
• 02:24 Genetic migrations
• 06:16 Skin color in scriptures and ancient India
• 13:40 Islamic India's new beauty standards
• 21:02 The impact of European colonization
• 27:08 Modern India's struggle with skin color

📝 The Emissary articles referenced:

• The Bhāratāyan: How the idea of “India” came to be: theemissary.co/the-bharatayan...
• Critical Caste Theory: A Dubious Discourse: theemissary.co/critical-caste...
• The Dravidaryan Invasion Theory: https://theemissary.co/the-dravidarya...
• The Confluence of Two Seas: India and Arabia: https://theemissary.co/the-confluence...
• The India They Saw: When Socrates Met the Sindhu: https://theemissary.co/the-india-they...

🔬 Book References

• Black Avatar: amazon.com/Black-Avatar-E...
• The India They Saw Part 1: x.com/TheEmissaryCo/status/14...
• The India They Saw Part 2: x.com/TheEmissaryCo/status/14...
• The India They Saw Part 3: https://x.com/TheEmissaryCo/status/15...
• The India They Saw Part 4: https://x.com/TheEmissaryCo/status/16...
•  #ColorismInIndia #IndianHistory #BeautyStandards #CulturalEvolution ⏳
• Follow on X (Twitter) for commentary: x.com/TheEmissaryCo
• WhatsApp for updates: whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaeS..
• HINDI SUBTITLES AVAILABLE 😊 🇮🇳
• 🗣️ Socials: 🕸️ Website: theemissary.co

White Tibetan monastics Los Angeles (10/5)

There's an amusing anti-Dalai Lama sect of Buddhism in Los Angeles. It seems impossible. Could anyone not love the puppy eyes and playful laugh of the Laughing Monk, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso?

Yes, lots. The New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) movement is not mad at him lately from the States. It's mad at him from old Tibet and it's been going on a while. See the Dorje Shugden controversy.

As the "pope" of at least one sect of Vajrayana Buddhism, the Dalai Lama has incurred the anger of the other colored hats in Tibet/China. The Dalai Lama blames them for worship of an entity, the result of which was invasion by China and the loss of His throne as "pope-king," the spiritual and temporal leader of the massive former Tibetan Empire (the land area of which amounts to 25% of modern China).

What they do is very bad. Suck my tongue, Boy.

The NKT founder, His Holiness Kelsang Gyatso (1931-2022), was a nice monk we got to see, whom followers are sure was fully enlightened and for decades never got angry. They deny anything they did or anything (Dorje Shugden) they worshiped brought on the Chinese onslaught and loss of Tibet as a sovereign nation.

The NKT used to have a nice nunnery/monastery near Dodger Stadium, which is in Chavez Ravine to the west of DTLA, close to Glassell Park. They have their main center in Hollywood on Franklin. But there may now be a satellite temple in Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Catalina Island.

• One criticism we have of this feelgood sect (possible "cult") in Los Angeles is its capitalist (spiritual materialism) inclination with its tendency to angle its message as if spirituality were an ordinary Western consumer item to buy.

NKT's new Occidental (white) leader is going to give a talk at A Noise Within Playhouse ("Peace is Possible," a public talk with Buddhist monk Gen Rigpa Kelsang on Oct. 5, 2024) on the eastern edge of Pasadena on Foothill, next to the 10 Freeway.

• Kadampa Meditation Center Los Angeles - Home (meditateinla.org)

"Peace is Possible," Oct. 5, 2024

Each one of us has the potential to experience true peace, happiness, and fulfillment in our life. Yet, in a world of distraction and stimulation, societal chaos and conflict, many people are struggling with their mental health and feel spiritually lost, without purpose or meaning.

In this inspiring talk, Gen Rigpa will share practical tools for generating peace, both within our own hearts and also as a contribution to peace in society at large. Everyone is welcome. Learn:

• The true causes of inner peace
• How to create both inner and outer peace
• Why meditation is good for everyone.

Ticket Prices: Zone 1- $35 ($28 through Sept. 25th) | Zone 2 & 3- $25 ($20 through Sept. 25th). Special 20% discount extended through Sept. 25th! See seating chart below for zone details. Seating assigned within zone in order of purchase. Seat will be assigned after registration. To sit next to someone, please inform at time of purchase. Each ticket includes free admission to the new Monday night Pasadena Meditation Class on Oct. 14th at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena. Peace is Possible - Public Talk

• NKT monk Gen Rigpa Kelsan (meditateinla.org); CC Liu, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Journey to Tibet: meditation caves (video)

Drak Yerpa Meditation Caves: A great day trip from Lhasa, Tibet

(Ben Cubbage) April 16, 2023: LHASA. The Yerpa Meditation Cave Complex is located a 40-minute drive (30 km) northeast of Tibet's capital Lhasa.

Tibetan idol Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava, at Yerpa

It is a large complex of Buddhist temples, monasteries, and meditation caves nestled on a mountain, the meditation site for some of Tibetan Buddhism's greatest lamas and masters. Some of these Buddhist meditation masters sat for up to three years with very little food or water.

Visiting Drak (Druk, Brag) Yerpa is a great day trip outside of Lhasa. It combines with a visit to Ganden Gompa, a famous Buddhist monastery, in the afternoon.

As one of the holiest centers of Vajrayana Buddhist thought, Drakyerpa Monastery is of particular interest to those interested in Buddhist meditation and to visitors preparing to trek through Tibet.

The elevation of the caves is at 4,400 meters, which makes it a great acclimatization trip when getting ready to make it to Everest Base Camp. It also makes for nice "down time" during a recovery day after a long drive to Mt. Everest.

King Songtsen Gampo and his two foreign queens are said to have meditated here in the Peu Marsergyi Lhakhang. This cave was the site of their discovery of self-arising symbols of Buddha-body, speech, and mind.

Later, Padmasambhava (aka Guru Rinpoche) concealed many holy Buddhist objects around the Yerpa Valley, including the celebrated ritual dagger of Sera (aka Sera Phurzhal). This dagger was eventually found by the treasureseeker Darcharuba at Sewalung.

Padmasambhava spent several months in retreat in the Dawa Puk. The cave is one of the three most significant places of spiritual attainment in all of Tibet (drub-ne).

In the ninth century, Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje stayed at Drak Yerpa in solitary meditation, prior to and after his assassination of the apostate anti-Buddhist King Langdarma.

#Lhasa #Tibet #Drakyerpa #Buddhism 🏜️ Subscribe to YouTube channel for more adventure: bit.ly/youtube_tibet 🏜️

Follow Ben and Rose Cubbage into the wild: Travel website: elevatedtrips.com. Instagram: elevated_trips. Facebook: elevatedtrips. Twitter: elevatedtrips. LinkedIN: ben-and-rose-cubbage. 🏜️ See the wildest places on the Tibetan Plateau with us in these videos:

• 🐏 Walking with Buddhist Pilgrims: the Labrang Monastery Kora • Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, Gansu 夏河
• The World’s 11 Most Remote Monasteries (MSN)
• Archaeologists stumble upon the tomb of a [pre-Roman] ancient Italian prince that's full of treasures
• The Buddhist Karla Caves: enlightenment in living rock

• Ben and Rose Cubbage, YouTube, April 16, 2023; Pat Macpherson, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Asking Tibetan Buddhist monks questions

Real Buddhist monks share their BIGGEST mistakes

(Sprouht) July 21, 2024: I asked the Dalai Lama's Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist monks (lamas) and a nun about their biggest regrets and advice for their younger selves at the Dalai Lama's monastery in Northern India at Dharamshala, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, high in the Himalayas. Here's what I learned.

Where's the Panchen Lama? He's leader No. 2

[Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism is unlike other forms of Buddhism because it is part Esoteric Mahayana Buddhism, which is a form of Hinduism, and part Bon shamanism, which is full of black magic and witchcraft indigenous to the Himalayan region. Tibet was once a great empire reaching from Bangladesh to Mongolia to Hunza Land in Pakistan, encompassing parts of China, Bhutan, Nepal, Ladakh/India, Kashmir, abutting Central Asia.

Mao Zedong mocks the God-King Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan Empire grew rich, had its Vatican at Potala Palace in Lhasa. This angered Communist China, which invaded to depose the Tibetan Empire and "free" its serfs from religion and subservience to state-worship and communism, during the Cultural Revolution of Mao Zedong.]

📗 Watch Sprouht U (free for a limited time): SprouhtU.com. Grab a GOAL SETTING JOURNAL to develop the structure and clarity to change life this year: bit.ly/3HqecgP ✉️ For business inquiries contact business@sprouht.com

One Sprouht product is tagged. Learn more Goal Setting Journal ($33.30) sprouht.com/products/365-day-journal

May the 4th be with you (Star Wars Day)

Who said it: Yoda or the Buddha? (tricycle.org)

May the 4th be with you | Star Wars and Buddhism

.

The connections are real.

(Claire Villarreal) May 4, 2022: Buddhist Wisdom Modern Life. Happy May the 4th, fellow Star Wars nerds! 🤓 If, like me, you've ever wondered, "Is the Force real?" then this video is perfect for you!

Let's look at a few impressions and thoughts on ideas from Buddhism and Asian martial arts about the literal animating principle or "life force" energy (qi, ki, chi, prana, etc.) that circulates through the body and throughout the living world around us.

Lucas was naming real things.

Did you know that when the creator George Lucas came up with the Jedi, he was inspired in part by Zen Buddhism? Yoda looks like a Buddha statue and speaks in the bad syntax of the 14th Dalai Lama.

The coincidences are real because Asia seemed exotic but close enough to us in a shared reality. Yep. So nerd out with me, and if you have other Star Wars/Buddhism questions, please drop them in the comments! "May all living beings be well and happy," as the Buddha used to say. 🙏

#MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWars #Buddhism #TheForce #Jedi #Yoda #DalaiLama #Sith #Scyth

What? Me no try, me inspire Lucas. He not hide it. He looking for inspiration (elmundo.es)

I'm a messianic figure based on...Apollonius, Mithra?

We were found on the surface of Mars (Hoagland)

Bigfoot or Sasquatch is based on a Buddhist Yakkha (Rakshasa) from space on this prison planet

We are all monastic meditators developing inner wisdom and the Force (invisible energy)

An Asuran princess can be so beautiful that Sakka, King of the Devas, marries her.

The Asuras or Titans are beings in space that often attack the Devas ("Shining Ones")

How can Lucas teach spiritual lessons and give a rite of passage to young American nerds?

The creatures in space have been introduced to us through Hollywood movies.

It's not an accident, it's not a coincidence. Lucas was modeling his characters on people

It makes sense Buddhists would like it because the Buddha was a Scythian

warrior as were many of his earliest disciples in Shakya Land (Gandhara)

Why Buddhism is True (Robert Wright)

(Doug's Dharma) Positives, negatives, does it fit well with secular Buddhism?

• Explore the podcast 171 episodes Buddhist Wisdom Modern Life Claire Villarreal (YouTube); Who Said It: Yoda or The Buddha? (tricycle.org); Doug's Dharma (video Buddhist book review); enhanced and expanded by Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven, Sheldon S., Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly, 2024

The Dakini Code: Himalayan expedition

Laurence Brahm, Dakini Code, 12/24/21; Pat Macpherson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Dakini Code: Lotus-Born Master and the Event Horizon (Guru Padmasambhava)

What in the world is a dakini?

(Shambhala Studio - Himalayan Extreme Expeditions) shambhalastudio.com THE DAKINI CODE focuses on concepts in astrophysics related to the dark hole and wave theory connected to things like dark matter.

The expedition seeks to explore how ancient traditional philosophies understood these concepts and the interaction of science and early technologies.

Laurence Brahm with lamas in Himalayas

Laurence Brahm believes, “The Lotus-Born Master (Guru Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche) was an important historical figure having embraced many different cultures across the Himalayan region while merging philosophy and science.

“He was also a goodwill ambassador of peace. His ideas reflected a common shared destiny and interconnected cultural heritage of [hu]mankind."

The book is out now at ShambhalaStudio.com

The Dakini Code the third film in Laurence Brahm’s Lotus-Born Master series. His earlier works Searching for the Lotus-Born Master (2018) and Return of the Lotus-Born Master (2019) have won multiple international film festival awards.

New course series and new book, The Lotus-Born Master Eight Manifestations of Quantum Energy DECODED: Ancient Science Backed by Modern Day Research

©Shambhala Studio and Laurence Brahm all rights reserved (shambhalastudio.com)