Hello! The Khyentse Foundation, founded by the renowned Bhutanese lama, filmmaker, and writer Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, has announced the undertaking of an ambitious new initiative to translate the Tibetan Buddhist canon of sutras and shastras into the Chinese language over the next 100 years—a task that Rinpoche views as the next major translation undertaking following his […]
Vajrayana
Reading Chinese Buddhist Texts and Honouring Different Traditions
Leshan Buddha. From chinaclickgo.com I have recently co-authored a reader in Chinese Buddhist texts (Lock and Linebarger 2018) . The reader is intended for students who have basic literacy in Chinese but need a lot of help in reading and understanding the difficult language in which most Chinese Buddhist texts are written. I would of […]
The Sakya Family and Vocation: Ratna Vajra Rinpoche’s Life of Joy and Responsibility
The responsibilities of Ratna Vajra Rinpoche are considerable, but the House of Sakya bears its historical responsibilities with joy
The Primordial, Noble Life with Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche
Lower Palyul Monastery, Tibet. From wikipedia.org The story of the Palyul Dzogchen lineage begins, institutionally, at Palyul Monastery, one of the six “mother monasteries” of the Nyingma school. The house of Nyingma is the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism that dates back to Padmasambhava in 8th century Tibet. Palyul Dzogchen has held an esteemed place in […]
The Union of Daka and Dakini
Maithuna figures and Tantric deities in union. Drawing by the author In Vajrayana Buddhism, the male equivalent of a dakini, a female emanation of wisdom (Tib. khandroma), is known as daka in Sanskrit and pawo in Tibetan. Pawo literally means “hero” and it is accepted as the tantric equivalent of a bodhisattva. In tantric practice, daka embodies the process […]
The Beauty of Buddhist Tradition: Celebrating Vesak with Hongkongers
On 27 May, I was in the Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong (BDCHK), Hong Kong, to celebrate Vesak. It was the weekend, with lay Buddhists from diverse backgrounds: including local Hongkongers, Mainland Chinese, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, and Thais. Devotees who came to BDCHK on this special day were dressed in white clothing. Twelve Buddhist monks […]
Dharma Dispatch, 26-30 March 2018: Bhutan, Xuanzang’s Translations, and Celebrations in Kolkata
Good morning! The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is hosting the second international Vajrayana Conference in the capital Thimphu. The three-day Buddhist conference opened on Tuesday and ran from 28–30 March. The event offered practitioners, researchers, and academics from around the world a platform upon which to share and exchange their research, findings, and experiences related to Vajrayana […]
Love for Vajra Guru
Vajra Guru I present you my love Uncontrived, pure and deathless All that is perceived by my body Is my offering to your Vajra body All that sounds is my song to your heart My breath and my mind is manifested only for your joy I have no desires of my own No memories nor […]
Black Sun
Black sun of my core The agonies of ruined loves belong to you The loss of my only child Is the shadow that falls Since there is light I do not deny you For I know you are a deft master No one can avoid you Or hide from you You are the lord at […]
Khamtrul Rinpoche: Living a Blessed Life
A religious teacher might not necessarily have much to share, unlike those of us (journalists, theologians, academics, and other guilty parties) who enjoy writing about them. That is the perspective of His Holiness Dokhampa Shedrub Nyima, the 9th Khamtrul Rinpoche (whose tulku lineage is affiliated with the Kagyu and Nyingma schools). He carries the message of […]