Lighting the inner fire: subtle body as the path to Enlightenment — the five chakras, three channels and two drops of Tantric Buddhism and their practice
Buddhist Practices, Tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
"In my teaching I emphasize that Enlightenment is found in the body. This draws on Dzogchen, where you are told that when you put your awareness in the body in the right way, you encounter your awakened state. ...
Mo Dice and Mala, Bamboo Sticks, Tarot, and other “divinations” — insightful self-guided Buddhist practice or superstition?
Buddhist Practices, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
Although Mo is a common Tibetan Buddhist practice, not every Buddhist may be comfortable with Mo Dice or Mo Mala Divination — either because of a lingering prejudice, or as a rational mind rejecting non-objectively observable phenomenon. However, ...
When you recognize the nature of mind, fabrication and effort are naturally freed — Guru Rinpoche. Happy Guru Rinpoche Day!
Buddhist Practices, Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
Quotes from Padmasambhava, the Lotus Born, Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava, the Lotus Born Guru Rinpoche. Adorn yourself with the eminent virtues of the Victorious Ones! You may speak like the Lion of Speech [Manjushri], but unless you take to ...
Painter and digital Thangka artist Jampay Dorje aims to bring “Thangka painting into a modern era” with spectacular art, lessons for students, and a life-long project to illustrate all of the 11 Yogas of Naropa
Buddhist Practices, Interview with the Teachers, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
Jampay Dorje, also known as Ben Christian, has a mission in life. Dividing his time between retreat, teaching digital art, and creating Thangkas for Buddhist practitioners, he has become well known on the internet for his spectacular images. ...
Deity Yoga: Science or Superstition? Vajrayana Deity Meditation Proves Invaluable in Preventing Cognitive Disorders. In What Other Ways is Vajrayana Buddhist Deity Practice More Science than Religion?
Deities, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices, What the Buddhist Teachers Say
Deity Yoga in Tibetan Buddhism is very often misunderstood. In apparent contradiction to the implied meaning of "deity" — which is really a mistranslation of the Sanskrit "deva" — there might, in fact, be more science than superstition ...
Three Principal Paths of Lama Tsongkhapa: from the land of snows, the peerless path of Renunciation, Bodhichitta, Shunyata
Buddhist Practices, Mahayana, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
In the land of snows, it could be argued that the peerless Lama Tsongkhapa was the greatest of philosophers, writers, teachers. He wrote over 10,000 pages of commentary and instruction on Buddha’s teachings. This vast library or writings ...
Long life prayers for His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his birthday
Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices, What the Teachers Say
The Dalai Lama arrived today — July 5, one day before his 84th birthday — for a traditional long life puja and prayers at Thekchen Choling in Dharmasala, India. The elaborate prayers were offered by 300 retired staff ...
Miracles of Great Black Mahakala: three Men in Black, the Mahakala brothers, the Dalai Lama, and a crow
Deities, Tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
"You come from your tree... You, the Great Black One, the Great Crow. Glorious Six-Armed One, homage and praise to you! Sternly protect the doctrine of the Buddha!" [1] Crows and the Men in Black are recurring themes ...
In Praise of the Vajrayana – A Brief Introduction to Buddhist Tantra
Buddhist Practices, Tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices, Weekly Features
A feature article introducing profound Buddhist Tantra, from Jason Espada author of the book A Belief in the Miraculous. I. The Skillful Means of the Mahayana The Stages of the Path teachings [Note 1] cover the entire range ...
Tantra is esoteric rather than exotic: embracing Samsara and Nirvana, and transforming our cravings
Tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices, Weekly Features
The inspiration for this feature is a reader who wrote in to ask: "What does Buddhist Tantra have to do with love-making?" The short answer is, it doesn't. In Buddhist Tantra, sex is no more important than any ...
Chod Practice: the Visceral Imagery of Offering Your Own Chopped-Up Body to All Sentient Beings is Perhaps the Most Misunderstood of Profound Buddhist Practices. Chod Represents the Ultimate Expression of Bodhichitta and”Cuts Your Attachment.”
Buddhist Practices, Dakini, Enlightened Feminine in Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices, What the Buddhist Teachers Say
The vivid and visceral imagery of Chod Practice — where you visualize offering your own body to all sentient beings, chopped up into grisly bits, and presented in a human skull — can lead to extreme misunderstanding. Teachings ...
Purify Karma and Accumulate Merit with Mandala
Buddhist Practices, Karma, Lamrim Graduated Path to Enlightenment, Meditation, Vajrayana Buddhism and Practices
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 ...