The 8 Great Bodhisattvas represent the 8 Great Qualities of Buddha; why we need these qualities to help heal the world
Bodhisattvas, Deities, Dharma
The Compassion and Wisdom of the Bodhisattvas are reassuring in times of crisis. Today, with COVID-19 and economic devastation — and the inevitable hunger and suffering that follow such disasters — we take refuge in our compassionate Bodhisattva ...
Healing Parnashavari — Tara’s 20th emanation: specialist in Contagious Disease and COVID-19: How to practice her mantra and sadhana
Bodhisattvas, Buddha, Buddhist Practices, Tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
"Tara dressed in leaves" is Parnashavari, the 20th emanation of Tara in the 21 Taras Praise.[3] Her name literally translates from Sanskrit to English as a "leaf-clad goddess" — a treasured and revered emanation of Tara relied upon ...
Mama Buddha Tara: Compassionate Action; Stories of Tara the Rescuer
Bodhisattvas, Buddha, Buddhist Practices, Dakini, Deities, Enlightened Feminine in Buddhism, Mahayana, Mantra, Tantra, Tara, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
"Tara is without doubt the most beloved female deity in Tibetan Buddhism, revered for her swiftness in helping those who rely on her. She has been described as a Buddha for our modern age, a sublime personification of ...
Manjushri as Father, Mother, Child — and Doctor: the eleven aspects of Manjushri — kind, wrathful, protective, teaching and “beastly”
Bodhisattvas, Buddha, Buddhist Practices, Deities, Dharma, Mahayana, Mantra, Tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
Manjushri is the “master of the Seven Buddhas” and the “mother of the Buddhas” — and also the “child” of the Buddhas — according to Ajatasatruraja Sutra: “Manjushri is the father and mother of the Bodhissatvas, and their ...
Is there room for the supernatural in Western Buddhism? Four sutra views of magic and metaphysical and why a supernatural perspective helps “see beyond ordinary perception”
Bodhisattvas, Buddhist Sutras and Sutta English, Dakini, Deities, Mahayana, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
Does removing the magic from Buddhist practice seem less — magical? Sometimes, with a secular approach to Buddhism, we strip away some of the flair, the near euphoric joy of the Buddha's Dharma. That "bliss" can be an ...
Part 3: 21 Taras of Mahasidda Suryagupta: after curing him of leprosy, Tara taught him Her Twenty-One forms
Bodhisattvas, Deities, Tara
Suryagupta, one of the great Eighty-four Mahasiddas (7th/8th century), had countless visions of glorious Mother Tara. She so cherished the great master — also known as Ravigupta or “Nyi ma be pa” in Tibetan — that she first ...
Four heroic incarnations of Ksitigarbha, the “Earth Store” Bodhisattva — unfailing, never-tiring compassion
Bodhisattvas, Buddhist Sutras and Sutta English, Deities, Dharma, Mahayana
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva revered by millions across East Asia — honoured by the Buddha Himself due to his "untiring limitless compassion" — and his vows to help all sentient beings. He is also popularly known as Lord ...
Bodhidharma’s Breakthrough Teaching: Shastra on Eradicating Appearances
Bodhisattvas, Dharma, Zen and Chan Buddhism
Bodhidharma[1] is one of the most venerated Buddhist masters of the far east. He was an Indian monk known for having brought the Zen[2] teachings to China, which then spread to Japan and other regions. He left behind ...
“The Mind of One Buddha is the Mind of All Buddhas”; How “Jewel Collection Refuge” Can Help You Manage Your Commitments to Multiple Practices and Yidams
Bodhisattvas, Buddha, Dharma, What the Buddhist Teachers Say
"The mind of one Buddha is the mind of all Buddhas," said learned teacher Gelek Rimpoche, in a commentary on Vajrayogini. [1] "The mind of all Buddhas is the mind of a Buddha. It is like a huge ...
Tara, the Saviour, and Vajrayogini the Sarvabuddhadakini: how are they different, and how are they the one? The importance of Female Buddhas: Wisdom personified
Bodhisattvas, Buddhist Practices, Enlightened Feminine in Buddhism, Mahayana, Tantra, Tara, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
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 ...
Sems dpa, the Buddhist Spiritual Warrior, the Hero, the fearless Buddhist: overcoming self-ignorance and our maras
Bodhisattvas, Buddhist Living, Dharma
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 many faces of Avalokiteshvara’s compassion: sometimes we need a father or mother, sometimes a friend, sometimes a warrior
Bodhisattvas, Deities
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 ...