In many Buddhist disciplines we are taught to value the meritorious practice of reciting sutras. Often this is done from memory, in a mantra-like chant, which begs the question why do we recite sutras? A Buddha Weekly Special Feature Sutras are the teachings of the Buddha. To speak them is to put us in...
The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha – those are the three Jewels of Buddhism. For most people who just started discovering Buddhism, the Buddha and the Dharma immediately make sense. But what about the Sangha? That’s the community of practitioners, which was originally limited to the monastic order. Today, the term...
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>> Part 3, "Finding your niche: advice for those in recovery who seek employment, is here>> By Adam Cook Addiction...
The great Lama Thubten Yeshe, one of the pioneer teachers who brought Vajrayana and Tantric Buddhism to the West, defined initiation this way: The much revered Guru Lama Yeshe. Initiation or Empowerment: what is it, why it is important in Vajrayana, how it helps, when you need it, how to receive it 1 "What is initiation? It is the beginning of the experience of meditation and concentration, of penetration into the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. Drawing on many decades of teaching experience in the west, he distils volumes of knowledge on Mahamudra — the...
Zasep Tulku Rinpoche.Video Buddhist Advice 9: How Can Advanced Vajrayana Students Simplify and Manage Commitments and Practice? Answered by Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche 2 In the ninth in a Buddhist practice video series, “Advice from the Teachers”, the Venerable Acharya Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, Spiritual Head of Gaden for the West Centers, answers a student’s question [play video below]: What advice do you have for advanced students for their daily practice...
The much revered Guru Lama Yeshe.Tantra Helps "Stop Ordinary Perception", and is the Fast Path to Enlightenment. But How Do Modern Buddhists Relate to Deities? 3 The great teacher Lama Yeshe once asked: "Why are there so many different deities in tantra?" [1] On one hand, Mahayana Buddhism speaks to universality, emptiness, oneness and the illusion of "I" or interdependent nature. On the other, Vajrayana Buddhism — often...
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.
