Showing posts with label vajrayana buddhism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vajrayana buddhism. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2026

Narrow is a Fragile Heart: Western nun


Episode 62: A Narrow Heart is a Fragile Heart | How to Stop Feeling So Alone
 
(Handful OfLeavesHandful of Leaves Podcast. Support British Bhutanese Vajrayana Buddhist nun Ani Pema Deki's charity fundraiser: openingyourhearttobhutan.com.
"Opening Your Heart to Bhutan" is a registered UK charity, whose work is providing education, medicine, and shelter to children facing the greatest challenges in Bhutan.

In this episode, Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade) — a former London investment banker who left after a near-death experience in Jakarta (Indonesia) to ordain as a Buddhist nun high in the Himalayas of Bhutan — explores what it means to widen the heart and become truly unbreakable.

She contrasts fleeting, manufactured happiness with the effortless joy that arises from practice, explains how small acts of kindness build resilience, and reflects on faith, karma, and why some people in Bhutan seem less vulnerable to life's ups and downs.

Perfect for listeners curious about practical spirituality, courage, and living with greater purpose.

Key Takeaways:
  • 🧭 Choose Liberation, Not Comfort — Why training the mind matters, and how practice aims for freedom from samsara rather than temporary ease.
  • 💫 Real Joy vs. Manufactured Bliss — The difference between practice-born joy (stable, effortless) and short-lived worldly pleasures.
  • 🤝 Small Acts, Big Heart — Two-minute kindnesses, widening our circle of care, and the role of faith/teacher in sustaining practice.
⏱Timestamps:
  • (00:00) – Introduction to Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade), former banker turned Buddhist nun
  • (01:00) – The challenge of practicing Dharma in a busy modern life
  • (02:31) – Are we seeking comfort in samsara or liberation?
  • (02:51) – What happiness really means from a Buddhist perspective
  • (03:40) – Joy and bliss: natural results of Dharma practice vs. worldly joy
  • (05:28) – Reflections on Bhutan and why happiness can’t be measured easily
  • (06:20) – Mental resilience and faith in Bhutanese life
  • (07:17) – Small daily acts of kindness in a busy life
  • (07:53) – Expanding motivation beyond yourself and loved ones
  • (08:52) – Why bother about anyone else besides your loved ones?
  • (09:20) – Why widening your heart supports resilience
  • (10:24) – The Bodhisattva path: stretching beyond your comfort zone
  • (11:14) – How British Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade) became a Buddhist and later a Buddhist nun
  • (11:40) – Meeting her teacher in Bhutan
  • (12:24) – Moments of clarity and deep spiritual connection
  • (14:27) – Karma and how Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Ven. Emma Slade)’s path ripened in Bhutan
  • (15:18) – Sneak preview of Part 2
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: 👤 Lopen Ani Pema Deki (Venerable Emma Slade) was born in Kent, England, and was educated at Cambridge University and the University of London, where she gained a First-Class degree. She is a qualified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and worked in Fund Management in London, New York, and Hong Kong. A deep-seated yearning to enquire into the deeper aspects of humanity arose following a life-changing business trip to Jakarta, where she was held hostage at gunpoint. She resigned from her financial career and began exploring yoga and meditation and methods of wellbeing with the ultimate aim of turning a traumatic episode into wisdom and conditions for thriving. She qualified as a British Wheel of Yoga teacher in 2003 and, over the last 19 years, has run numerous yoga workshops and retreats. ​ Her interest in Buddhism as a science of the mind strengthened after meeting a Buddhist lama (teacher) on her first visit to Bhutan in 2011.

This crucial chance meeting led to her studying Buddhism with this lama and, eventually, led to her becoming the first and only Western woman to be ordained in the last Himalayan [Buddhist] Kingdom of Bhutan as a Buddhist nun. #OpeningYourHeart #BuddhistWisdom #MindfulLiving #FaithAndPractice
Resources:
Special thanks to sponsors:
Buddhist Youth Network, Lim Soon Kiat, Alvin Chan, Tan Key Seng, Soh Hwee Hoon, Geraldine Tay, Venerable You Guang, Wilson Ng, Diga, Joyce, Tan Jia Yee, Joanne, Suñña, Shuo Mei, Arif, Bernice, Wee Teck, Andrew Yam, Kan Rong Hui, Wei Li Quek, Shirley Shen, Ezra, Joanne Chan, Hsien Li Siaw, Gillian Ang, Wang Shiow Mei, Ong Chye Chye, Melvin, Yoke Kuen, Nai Kai Lee, Amelia Toh, Hannah Law, Shin Hui Chong, Dennis Lee
🎬 Editor: Hong Jiayi ✍️ Transcribers: Cheryl Cheah, Tan Si Jing, Bernice Bay 🎨 Visuals and Sound: Anton Thorne, Tan Pei Shan, Ang You Shan 📱 Get connected: Telegram: bit.ly/hol-telegram. Instagram: bit.ly/hol-instagram-podcast. Facebook bit.ly/hol-facebook-podcast. Spotify spoti.fi/3w2jfQ1.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

'Wheel of Time' (Werner Herzog)


Wheel of Time (film)
Wheel of Time
is a documentary film about Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism by German Director Werner Herzog. The title refers to the Kalachakra sand mandala that provides a recurring image for the film [1].

CONTENT
The film documents the two Kalachakra initiations of 2002, presided over by the 14th Dalai Lama. The first, in Bodhgaya ("Enlightenment Grove"), India, was disrupted by the Dalai Lama's illness. Later that same year, the event was held again, this time without disruption, in Graz, Austria.

The film's first location is the Bodhgaya, the site of the Mahabodhi ("Great Enlightenment") Temple and the Bodhi ("Enlightenment") tree.

Director Herzog then turns to the pilgrimage at [synthetic] Mount Kailash, after which the film focuses on the second gathering in Graz.

Herzog includes a personal interview with the Dalai Lama [2], as well as Tibetan former political prisoner Takna Jigme Zangpo, who served 37 years in a Chinese prison for his support of the International Tibet Independence Movement. More

Friday, December 19, 2025

A Wish Fulfilled: Vairochana Rinpoche


What is a tulku in Tibetan Buddhism?

Look, everyone! I'm a tulku!
A tulku (Tibetan སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་, Wylie sprul sku, ZWPY Zhügu, also tülku, trulku) is an individual recognized as the "reincarnation" [human rebirth] of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to rearise in a particular location or region after death.

The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, embodying the concept of "enlightened beings" taking corporeal forms to continue the lineage of specific teachings.

The term "tulku" is a loanword from Tibetan སྤྲུལ་སྐུ (sprul sku), which originally referred to an emperor or ruler taking human form on Earth, signifying a divine incarnation.

Over time, it evolved within Tibetan Buddhism to denote the corporeal existence of certain highly accomplished Buddhist masters whose purpose was to ensure the preservation and transmission of a particular competing lineage.


The tulku system originated in Tibet, particularly associated with the recognition of the second Karmapa in the 13th century. Since then, numerous tulku lineages have been established, with each tulku having a distinctive role in preserving and propagating specific teachings.

Other high-profile examples of tulkus include the fourteen Dalai Lamas, the Panchen Lamas, the Samding Dorje Phagmos, Khyentses, the Zhabdrung Rinpoches, and the Kongtruls.

The process of recognizing tulkus involves a combination of traditional and supernatural methods. When a tulku passes away, a committee of senior lamas convenes to identify the reincarnation.

They may look for signs left by the departed tulku, consult psychic oracles, rely on dreams or visions, and sometimes even observe natural phenomena like rainbows. [Somewhere over the rainbow...]

This process combines mysticism and tradition to pinpoint the successor who will carry forward the teachings of their predecessor. More

UPDATE: Vairochana Rinpoche's message

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

The Most Peaceful Place on Earth


Namo Buddha: The Most Peaceful Place on Earth (documentary)
(Isha lifestyle) Dec. 12, 2025: This documentary is a dedicated tribute to the Buddhist monks of Namo Buddha Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery in Nepal.

Where is peace? [Home?] How do we find it?
High in the Himalayas, this sacred place is not just a destination—it is a spiritual home where ancient [Vajrayana] traditions are kept alive.

I created this film to honor their way of life and share the profound peace of this holy site.

🙏 SUPPORT THE MONASTERY AND SPONSOR A BUDDHIST MONK/NUN: This video was made to support the community at Namo Buddha. If this journey touched you, please consider supporting them either by visiting the monastery or directly right now. Sponsorship helps provide food, education, and healthcare for kids, monks, and nuns.
The Legend of Namo Buddha
I'm so hungry that I can't feed my cubs.
Located in the Kathmandu Valley, Namo Buddha is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in Nepal. It is the place where, according to legend, the historical Buddha [as the Bodhisattva] in a previous life sacrificed [parts of] his body to feed a starving tigress and her cubs [Mankiala]. This [unlikely but legendary] act of supreme compassion (karuṇā) echoes through the monastery to this day.
  • Isha lifestyle, YouTube, Dec. 12, 2025; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Reincarnated Lama: Many Westerners ordain


The reincarnated Lama: The true story that defies logic
(Lei's Looking Glass) Nov. 27, 2025: Some stories challenge everything we think we know about life, death, and what comes after. Across Tibet and beyond, for over a thousand years, people have reported children who remember past lives, masters who choose their next rebirth, and signs that seem too specific to ignore. This episode explores one of the most astonishing cases in modern times — and the ancient system behind it. Whether you're skeptical or simply curious, this journey into reincarnation, destiny, and the mysteries of the human mind will stay with you long after the story ends. #reincarnation #leislookingglass

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Bhutan building Mindfulness City, eating

  • What is "mindfulness" (sati)?
Sati (Pali sati [1], Sanskrit स्मृति, smṛti), literally "memory" [2] or "retention" [3] [previously rendered "vigilance," "bare awareness," "wakefulness," "presence of mind," "presence," "to bear in mind"] is commonly translated as mindfulness, "to remember to observe" [4].

It is an essential part of Buddhist practice [occurring 14 times in the list of the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment].

It has the related meanings of calling to mind the wholesome Teachings (Dhamma) such as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthanas), the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the attainment of insight [5].

What is there to mindfully eat?
(South China Morning Post) What people eat in Bhutan? Cheese

Moreover, it means observing and remaining aware of mental and physical phenomena (dhammas), which is the actual practice of maintaining lucid heightened-awareness of these dhammas [6].

The bodily and mental phenomena one practices to remain aware/mindful of are these processes/"things." This is done in order to counter the arising of unwholesome states, the removal of unwholesome states [7][8], to develop wholesome states, and to sustain wholesome states to attainment of insight (vipassana).

It is the first factor of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. "Right" or "correct" mindfulness (Pali sammā-sati, Sanskrit samyak-smṛti) is the seventh factor (limb or element) of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Definition
The Buddhist term translated into English as "mindfulness," "to remember to observe" [4], "to remember to remain observant," originates in the Pali term sati and in its Sanskrit counterpart smṛti.

According to Robert Sharf, the meaning of these terms has been the topic of extensive debate and discussion [8].
  • Ven. Analayo strives for an academic definition from the ancient texts.
Smṛti originally meant "to remember," "to recollect," "to bear in mind," as in the Vedic tradition of remembering [memorizing slokas of] sacred texts.

The Pali term sati also means "to remember" the phenomena being observed in Sattipatthana, that is literally "the fourfold setting up of mindfulness," as well more generally remember the Teachings of Tipitaka ("Three Baskets" or collections of the) texts.

In the "Discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness" (Satipațțhāna Sutta), the term sati means "to maintain awareness of reality," where sense-perceptions are understood to be illusory and misleading so that the true nature of phenomena can be directly seen [8] and penetrated.
  • [What is their true nature? It is tilakkhana, marked by the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence, which are impermanent, disappointing, and impersonal, a lakkhana being a "mark" or "characteristic" of all phenomena, all dhammas, all "things."]
Sharf refers to the Questions of King Milinda (Milindapanha), King Menander I, which explains that the arising of sati calls to mind the wholesome phenomena (dhammas) such as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness...and the attainment of insight [5]. More
  • 60 Minutes, Jan. 2025; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wikipedia Wiki edit

Befriending Emotions: Joy Retreat (10/25)

Are personal emotions and vibes infectious? - What is Buddhist meditation?

Befriending Emotions: A Special Retreat for Joy of Living Students with Tergar Guides
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche studied
"We don't need to look outside of the present moment to find inner peace and contentment; when experienced with awareness, everything becomes a source of joy." — Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

At the heart of the Tergar meditation tradition lies the retreat experience, which embodies an immersive, experiential approach to learning.

This Joy of Living retreat offers a unique opportunity to create a dedicated personal practice container, while also connecting you with a global community of meditators.

WHY SHOULD I ATTEND?
My bot is training me on how to feel emotions
Gain practical tools to befriend difficult emotions, leading to greater inner peace and compassion for self and others. Participating in these retreats is essential for completing the necessary homework and progressing through the levels of the Joy of Living program. By fully engaging in the retreat experience, one can deepen one's understanding and one's meditation practice in ways that simply can't be achieved through intellectual study alone.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Silly, robots can't feel (yet).
In this program, participants will:
  • learn about the core principles of doing a retreat
  • receive live teachings from Tergar Guides on awareness, compassion, and wisdom 
  • get familiar with meditation techniques to help recognize innate awareness, love and compassion, and wisdom
  • learn how to integrate the teachings in daily life
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS PROGRAM?
  • Live teachings with Tergar guides
  • Group meditation practice
  • Self-guided practice
  • Gentle movement practice
  • Q&A with Tergar guides
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION:
  • This program is open to everyone
Optional Personal Retreat Format:
Can I let my ChatGPT bot sit and feel for me?
Some participants may wish to use this retreat as part of a self-guided personal retreat, with a focus on extended daily meditation. For those aiming to complete six or more hours of sitting practice per day, the guided sessions will form part of this total, and one will add one's own independent sitting practice between, before, or after sessions to meet retreat hour goals. During these self-guided periods, one will be on one's own and responsible for structuring practice time.
  • Can I get access to a recording of this event?
Recordings of teaching sessions will be posted within one week after the end of the last session and will be available for two months.

IMPORTANT DETAILS
  • Date/Time: October 25-26, 2025. Please note that this retreat will start an hour earlier than usual. Please see full schedule. View local times
  • Registration will close one hour before the event. Full refunds will be given for cancellation requests up to one hour in advance of the event.
  • Who can attend this event? This program is open to everyone [who has completed the Joy of Living Level 1].
  • Translation from English will be offered into Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, and Russian.

Monday, October 6, 2025

The Dalai Lama and Tibetan wisdom



Tibet, the path to Wisdom | SLICE | full documentary

Why do Tibetan monastics wear red robes?
(SLICE) TIBET. Ani Rigsang has chosen a nomadic lifestyle in the land of white clouds.

The Buddhist nun felt confined in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, so today she has taken to the road to reconnect with her country’s spiritual traditions, which are now threatened by rapid modernization and the reinforcement of Chinese control over the region.

From snowy mountains to green valleys, from nunnery to nunnery, this documentary accompanies Ani Rigsang as she makes her way through Tibet.

A moving testimony that brings together age-old traditions and legends, this film takes us through stunning landscapes, revealing to us a contrasting Tibet, jostled by modernization and the upheavals of its holy geography.
  • Documentary: “Tibet, the path to wisdom”
  • Direction: Hamid Sardar
  • Production: DreamCatcherMotionProductions, les gens bien productions for France Télévisions & Ushuaïa TV
ABOUT: SLICE wants to fill up 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. Follow 👇 in French: slicefr. Facebook: slicedocs. Instagram: slicedocs.

WION: The Dalai Lama at 90, Legacy of Peace | The Story of the 14th Dalai Lama
  • WION, Summer 2025; SLICE, May 29, 2022; CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Milarepa: Climbing Mt. Kailash (Pt. 5)

 
100,000 Songs of Milarepa
Jetsun Milarepa
(རྗེ་བཙུན་མི་ལ་རས་པ་) was a Tibetan siddha, who was famously known as a mass murderer when he was a young man before turning to Buddhism and allegedly becoming a highly accomplished Tibetan Buddhist (Bon-infused Vajrayana) disciple.

He is generally considered one of Tibet's most famous yogis and spiritual poets, whose teachings are known among several schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a student of Marpa Lotsawa and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism [1]. He is also famous for the feat of climbing Mount Kailash. More
It's no mountain but something paranormal with extradimensional/extraterrestrial beings.
Mt. Kailash in background and lakes Manasarovar (right) and Rakshastal in foreground
.
It's hollow with beings inside.
Mount Kailash
(also Kailasa [a], Gang Tise [b], and Gang Rinpoche or Kangrinboqê [c]) is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It lies in the Gangdise Shan Mountain Range of the Trans-Himalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. The peak of Mount Kailash is located at an elevation of 21,778 feet (6,638 m), near the western tri-junction between China, India, and Nepal. More
  • Buddhist Wisdom, Sept. 23, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Friday, August 22, 2025

Tibetan Esoteric: Milarepa, Pt. 2

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Alex Grey's Full Moon Gathering, NY

Full Moon Gathering with Alex and Allyson Grey, Joey Mercedes: Wappinger, New York

Inspiration over perspiration.
Alex Kenton Grey Velzy (born in Colombus, Ohio on Nov. 29th, 1953) is an American visual artist, author, teacher, and Vajrayana Buddhist practitioner.

He known for creating spiritual and psychedelic artwork such as his 21-painting Sacred Mirrors series [1].

He works in multiple forms including performance art, process art, installation art, sculpture, visionary art, and painting.

Sanskrit Vajra (Tibetan dorje): thunderbolt
He is on the board of advisors for the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics and is the Chair of Wisdom University's Sacred Art Department.

He and his wife Allyson Grey are the co-founders of The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM), a non-profit organization in Wappingers Falls, New York [2]. More

Love is a Cosmic Force by Alex Grey (alexgrey.com)
Earth Witness by Alex Grey (See the Buddha's 'earth witness mudra')
.
Vajrayana Buddhism
Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Entheon, 2021 (alexgrey.com)
.
Dissectional art for Tool's Lateralus CD
Vajrayāna (Sanskrit वज्रयान, lit. "vajra vehicle"), is also known as Mantrayāna ("mantra vehicle"), Guhyamantrayāna ("secret mantra vehicle"), Tantrayāna ("tantra vehicle"), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism.

It is a Mahāyāna ("great vehicle") Buddhist tradition that emphasizes esoteric practices and rituals aimed at rapid spiritual awakening [or some deluded facsimile, replacing what the historical Buddha considered liberation for what previous Vedic, Hindu, esoteric teachers called moksha].

Vajrayana artist Alex Grey, 2013
Emerging between the 5th and 7th centuries CE in medieval India [1], Vajrayāna incorporates a range of techniques, including the use of
  • mantras (sacred sounds),
  • dhāraṇīs (mnemonic codes),
  • mudrās (symbolic hand gestures),
  • mandalas (spiritual diagrams), and
  • the visualization of deities and [cosmic] buddhas.
Sakka (Indra) with vajra, lotus
These practices are designed to transform ordinary experiences into paths toward enlightenment, often by engaging with aspects of desire and aversion in a ritualized context.

A distinctive feature of Vajrayāna is its emphasis on esoteric transmission, where teachings are passed directly from teacher (guru "master" or vajrācārya "teacher of vajra") to student (chela) through initiation ceremonies [2].

Tradition asserts that these teachings have been passed down through an unbroken lineage going back to the historical Buddha (circa 5th century BCE)... More

Full Moon Gathering, CoSM, July 12, 2025
CoSM, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (@chapelofsacredmirrors) • Instagram
.
Facebook, July 12, 2025
(AlexGreyCoSM) 🌕 You’re invited to CoSM’s July Full Moon Gathering! Hosted by @alexgreycosm and @allysongreycosm

📍 Where? @chapelofsacredmirrors (CoSM), New York. 🗓 When? July 12, 2025. 🎵 Featuring After Party music by Joey Mercedes 
@joey_mercedes_.

Come early for the full experience of our Full Moon Workshop: Transmuting the Veteran Narrative 
led by @Visionaryveterans @Veronikarose.art and @cp_Flow_ with special guests @burgandyviscosi and @the1sam__juan. See you there! 💕 Secure TICKETS: 🔗 in @chapelofsacredmirrors.