Kublai Khan and Marco Polo continue their discussion about Mahakala and the tantric deity’s relationship with the Tanguts
tantric buddhism
A Tantric Story: The Visvavajra Presence at Dunhuang and Sino-Tibetan Esotericism
Dr. Shella Li Shen reveals the Sino-Tibetan esoteric heritage of Dunhuang, from its period of Tibetan rule to the Tangut Empire
Niraj Kumar and the Kalachakra Tantra: A Life’s Work
Niraj Kumar’s new translation and commentary on the Kalachakra Tantra offers a new perspective on the origins and nature of the tantra
A New Translation and Commentary of the Kalachakra Tantra by Niraj Kumar
A new translation of the Kalachakra Tantra from Niraj Kumar
Mystery of Dakini’s Skull Cup
According to tantra, the human body is perceived as a sacred temple in which all higher forces and the whole truth about existence are present. One of those truths, fundamental to Vajrayana Buddhism, is impermanence (Skt. anitya, Tib. mitagpa). The visual representation of the transience of the human body, and hence the Buddhist idea of […]
Spontaneous Union
Everything in nature is conditioned by the fundamental principle expressed in the unity of opposites: yin-yang. The fusion of the male and the female is a creative act and the source of life. Even though Buddha Nature is beyond genders, Buddhist iconography uses sexual polarity to symbolize the Mahayana and Vajrayana concept of the union […]
Infinite Guru
Nothing will remain It will be brief Still I want you inside The minutes I serve you In the water mirror I offer you Endless Mandalas Until the meeting of the suns I touch the unreal It makes me smile And sigh The stream goes by I weave my fingers into yours One Last Time […]
Dharmodaya: The Source of Reality
Lyudmila Klasanova The six-pointed geometric star or hexagram is considered one of the most ancient spiritual symbols in the world and has a deep meaning in Tantric Buddhism. In Vajrayana it appears as ritual diagram and symbolic emblem of the female deity Vajrayogini (Tib. Dorje Naljorma) who is emanation of the perfect state of Buddha […]