I heard thus: At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anaathapindika in Jeta’s grove in Saavatthi. The Blessed One addressed the Bhikkhus from there. The Buddha teaching his monks.Baalapandita Sutta: Buddha Teaches How to Recognize the Fool and the Wise One — English 1 The three marks of the fool ‘Bhikkhus, these three are the marks,...
The book, Gelug Mahamudra Eloquent Speech of Manjushri, is a rare commentary and practice guide in English, written for Western Buddhist students. Why is Mahamudra an advanced and special practice? Rinpoche explains: "Mahamudra meditation is awareness and understanding of the true nature of mind; it is spacious, without beginning or end. It...
I saw a sparkling moment of real Doggy Dharma last weekend. At a Medicine Buddha retreat, a nice couple brought along their beloved 15 month-old pup. My kind teacher, Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, smiled as they lifted the pup for a blessing after the teachings. I had brought along my bell and vajra...
Can dogs walk with us on the path to enlightenment? In 2018, about 85 million families in the U.S. owned a pet, 60.2% of which were dogs. Faithful, kind, forgiving; compassionate words associated with dogs. They are the true embodiment of unconditional love — man’s best friend. However, Buddhists believe dogs also...
One of the main obstacles to discussing phenomena such as ghosts, demons, gods, nagas, or any other supernatural thing is that our current secular rationalist paradigm only understands or allows for one analytical framework of explanation. It positions internal hallucinations or projections, a.k.a. fantasies, or conversely materially measurable phenomenon a.k.a "reality" as...
Of all the Buddhist meditational deities — and, of all the Bodhisattvas we meet in the sutras — the overwhelming feeling with Manjushri is “gentle wisdom” and “gentle friend.” We feel warm, comforted, and supported in the youthful arms of Manjushri. More importantly, we receive the gentle wisdom we need to progress...
By Venerable Zasep Tulku Losang Tenzin Gyatsen Commentary and Translation of Sadhana Translated July 2021 The highly respected Gelug master, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, (1619-1657) — an incarnation of Manjushri and Mahasiddha Virupa — advised that we should all practice the sadhanas of Vajrapani, Hayagriva, and King Garuda and make offerings to the...
Premise: Buddhism, Vajrayana Tantra and Zen have as much in common with martial arts as it does with religion. Second Premise: Martial arts skills are helpful to meditators and helps develop practice discipline. That may seem like an absurd or frivolous statement, but there's a core truth in there. Buddha himself focused...
" The eightfold path is often represented as a wheel with eight spokes. Pick a wheel with just one or two and it won't take you very far." — Mark Vernon [13] "Some traditional Buddhist teachers tend to serve "Dharma-Lite" like "Coca-Cola Lite," rather than "the Real Thing" Dharma," said Alexander Berzin...
Sitting in the lotus position, focused on breath and not thinking about anything — that's true Buddhist serenity. For those times when you need a break from practice, these six profound films are sure to distract you from your worries and help you tune into serenity. By Carrie Duncan [Bio below.] ...
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, peer-reviewed medical studies may corroborate this claim made by Buddhists for...
In this age of "fake news" it's interesting to note that "fake teachings" are a recurring theme in the Buddhist Sutras, especially in the Sutras featuring a Bhikshu named Arittha. A better word, might be "misinterpreted" teachings. Today, the viral nature of social media propigates various interpretations of the Buddha's teaching — especially with regard...
Tara, like any Mother, is ready to jump to our aid, even in mundane areas of life. She is the “practical Buddha” — the “Karma Mother” — the Buddha most active in our lives. Her Sanskrit name translates as “a star by which to navigate” — and like a star, she is always with us whenever we look for her.
An entire playlist of every one of the mantras for the 21 Taras. Don't miss the amazing Tara mantra chanting of Yoko Dharma for the each Tara of the 21 Taras according to Surya Gupta lineage. One video with many repetitions and visualized images for each Tara. The final video is the English-translated 21 Praises to Tara sung in English.
