Buddha Weekly's Latest Features
Purify Karma and Accumulate Merit with Mandala
Modern life affords us so little time to practice accumulating of merit and purification—and so many excuses to postpone for today. Who has time for daily offerings? It's all most of us can do to fit in ten minutes of meditation. Isn't it better to attend the next Vajrasattva Retreat or Empowerment than...
Samatha meditation teaching: “Resting the mind in the natural state,” video of session 1 of a Mahamudra weekend retreat
The first session of a teaching and meditation retreat on advanced Mahamudra, taught by H.E. Zasep Rinpoche, the author of Gelug Mahamudra: Enlightened Speech of Manjushri. In session one, Rinpoche introduces Mahamudra, then speaks about the nature of mind and its obstructions. He then gives detailed, and often humorous instructions on Samatha...
The forgotten nuns of Zanskar: 9 Buddhist nunneries in “one of the coldest inhabited places” have limited electricity, water and healthcare
As you might expect of 185 devoted Buddhist nuns, they ask for very little, but here in Zanskar Valley — one of the most isolated valleys in the Himalayas — many live without heat, water and electricity. Some of the nuns are children, as young as four years old — and the...
Tara, the Saviour, and Vajrayogini the Sarvabuddhadakini: how are they different, and how are they the one? The importance of Female Buddhas: Wisdom personified
Vajrayogini “is the original and prototypical female Buddha of the Tantric pantheon… compassionate, all-knowing, and supremely blissful… Vajrayogini reigns supreme as the Sarvabuddhadakini, ‘Dakini Whose Essence is That of All Buddhas.’” [2] On the other hand, Tara appears as the Divine Mother, the Female Buddha who can save sentient beings — who...
Seventh Supplication of Guru Rinpoche: “Repeat this prayer continuously” for the granting of wishes
Guru Rinpoche's supplications in Seven Chapters are recited daily at "Monasteries, retreat centers, and homes where Guru Rinpoche's presence is invoked ring daily with the sounds of these supplications." [1] They remain a vital and living spiritual legacy from the great Padmasambhava, the Lotus Born. Perhaps the best known of the Seven...
Book Excerpt: Gelug Mahamudra, Eloquent Speech of Manjushri, a commentary and practice guide on Sutra and Tantra Mahamudra by H.E. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche
On November 24, Gelug Mahamudra: Eloquent Speech of Manjushri, will release with a book signing launch event in Toronto, Canada. The beautiful book, by H.E. Zasep Rinpoche, is lavishly illustrated in colour by well-known Tangkha artist Ben Christian. [1000 word excerpt from Chapter 1 below.] The book, Gelug Mahamudra Eloquent Speech of...
5 Ways Vegetarianism Could Save the World; 5 Buddhist Teachings and Teachers Recommending a Vegetarian Lifestyle; 5 Reasons it’s the Ethical Thing to Do
Not all Buddhists are vegetarians. Did the Buddha actually suggest a vegan lifestyle? And, putting aside Buddhists, why is the meat industry growing when the science says it's hurting our planet? These are the questions that frame our special feature focusing on Vegetarianism: five ways it could save the world, five Buddhist...
Visualization Activates the Mind; Mindfulness Stills the Mind — Which is Right for Your Buddhist Practice?
The great Lama Yeshe said: "Our problem is that inside us there is a mind going, 'Impossible, impossible, impossible. I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't' ... Human beings have great potential; they can do anything. The power of the mind is limitless." To subdue this "I can't" mind, many Buddhists...
Scientific Buddhist: Peer Reviewed Studies Demonstrate Buddhist Metta Loving Kindness Meditation Can Slow Aging, Increase Brain Matter, and Decrease PTSD and Schizophrenia —Ten Benefits of Compassion
Zasep Rinpoche strongly recommends Metta practice. In two recent Buddha Weekly advice videos, teacher Zasep Tulku Rinpoche explained that mindfulness meditation and loving kindness meditations were among the best therapies for bereavement, stress, cognitive issues, memory loss and even Alzheimer's. (Bereavement Video>> and Cognitive Video>>) Perhaps not surprisingly,...
The effects of stress on your body: how meditation and 8 other lifestyle changes can help you stay healthy
Feeling stressed? Read on for more information about symptoms, effects and how to fix it.
What is stress? By Chloe Bennet Stress is the way humans respond to danger or harm whether it’s real or just in their mind. We feel threatened and then a chemical reaction causes us to act in...
Sems dpa, the Buddhist Spiritual Warrior, the Hero, the fearless Buddhist: overcoming self-ignorance and our maras
The term Spiritual Warrior (Tibetan "sems dpa") may hint at more than a whiff of bravado and violence — until it is understood that the enemy of the Spiritual Warrior is "avidya" or self-ignorance. Overcoming avidya is at the root of Buddha's teachings, and so is the conduct of the warrior spirit...
Tsa Lung Trul Khor, Yantra Yoga and Qigong — supercharging Buddhist meditation (8 videos)
The subtle body. Tsa Lung Trul Khor is an ancient practice with a 4,000-year lineage that works with the “breath” and the energy subtle body. With similar benefits to health as Chi Gong (Qigong) — the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Trul Khor is profound — in a spiritual...
Part 3 of recovery series: finding your niche; advice for those in recovery who seek employment
Adam Cook returns with Part 3 in his series on addiction and recovery. Part 1, “Reclaim your mental well-being” from addiction is here>> Part 2, "Thriving post-rehab: achieving long-lasting addiction recovery" is here>> Editor’s Intro Buddhists emphasize meditation and mind in many practices, in part, to help us overcome attachments. Whether it’s...
The many faces of Avalokiteshvara’s compassion: sometimes we need a father or mother, sometimes a friend, sometimes a warrior
Sometimes we need the gentle mother or father to guide us. We often need a best friend to console us, pat our back, pick us back up and inspire us to work harder. Or, we might need the strength of a warrior to help us. Other times we are best helped by...
Review: Gelug Mahamudra Eloquent Speech of Manjushri by Zasep Tulku Rinpoche; making the profound and complex meditation method concise and clear
In a new book, Gelug Mahamudra, Eloquent Speech of Manjushri, Zasep Rinpoche unpacks the profound subject of Mahamudra meditation — the "very heart of Buddha's teachings" — for the modern western Buddhist student. (Available on Amazon>>) Drawing on many decades of teaching experience in the west, he distils volumes of knowledge on...
Buddha: How to protect wealth, associate with virtuous friends and relate to your spouse, employer, children: guidance for lay practitioners in Sigalovada Sutta
It may seem hard to imagine the Peerless One, Shakyamuni Buddha, teaching the more mundane aspects of lay life conduct. Imagine the Buddha teachings us "financial planning" (really!) — and to relate to our children, employers and spouse! In the Sigalovada, the Conquerer did exactly that, and much more. [caption id="attachment_8841"...