The Double Dorje: Modern Vajrayana Buddhism.

SXE04 Guru devotion and scandals

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

There have been a depressing number of scandals in major Tibetan Buddhist organizations, particularly (though not only) in the West.

It clearly has systemic roots - can the disease be identified?

PS. How unprofessional! I uploaded the sound file without the delightful music. This is now the correct one.

Tsopema Nuns

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0100

The podcast will have to take a back seat for some months as I work on a project aimed at publishing biographies of a few of the nuns, and the sometimes heroic journeys they undertook to arrive at the caves above Tsopema (Rewalsar) to live and practise.

A Tsopema Nuns blog gives a few details. It should help to find missing pieces in the jigsaw of names and places.

Buddhist retreat - but why?

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 13:45:49 +0100

"To get enlightened" is such a watery explanation. Mindfulness largely misses the point. This was a retreat about a specific deity. Whatever that is!

#Tibetan #Buddhism #Vajrayana #Retreat

Vajrayana is like Mormonism???

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 12:48:01 +0100

Really intended as a brief video on YouTube.

Is the Vajrayana "just" a clever technique within conventional Mahayana, or is it really something different.

Tarra for now!

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Goodbye to Series 2 - and what of the future?

Buddhism - A Starter Kit!

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0100

You've been looking at Tibetan Buddhism? You want to start? But you still don't know how? This might help.

Actual Magic - And Dirt!

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Like it or not, magic is interwoven with Tibetan Buddhism. Is it symbolic? Or is it real?

Devotion - how and why?

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Devotion (mögü) - another Tibetan word that doesn't quite correspond to its English usage.

Empowerments again

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0200

How do empowerments actually work?

Mind Your Language!

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Should we read our texts in Tibetan? In English? Using phonetics? Does it make any sense to read phonetics without understanding the Tibetan?

Questions, questions...

Buddhist confession

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Confession is a big thing in Buddhist practice. But there is no priest to forgive your sins on God's behalf. It is more nuanced than that.

Majnu Ka Tilla

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Shop like a Buddhist! Majnu Ka Tilla is the wellspring of Buddhist art for the Tibetan world.

Horror and Disgust

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Horror, violence and disgusting soup in Tibetan-style Buddhism. Why don't they get as much attention as sex? Why is it obvious that these things are not for performance "as written", but some people assume that the sexual aspects are? Something to think about!

#Buddhism #Tibet #Vajrayana #Horror

OM AH HUM - in detail!

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0200

If you do Vajrayana, you will say these syllables again and again. And again. What do they look like? What do they mean? Why does it matter?

The Wearing of the Zentra.

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Dos, don'ts, and who cares (some do) about wearing the red-and-white striped "Ngagpa shawl".

The Ganges Upadesha - Mahamudra Instructions

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0200

A crucial text for the mahamudra tradition of, in particular, the Kagyu traditions descended from Marpa the Translator

Double Dorje Series 2 is coming

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0200

Season 2 is coming soon

Wayback in the 1960s

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Final episode of Season One!

Groping towards the dharma in the midlands of England in the 1960s.

Bookworm paradise: Birmingham Central Library as it was then:

Words or phrases you might want to look up (in no particular order, and some best forgotten!):

Man, Myth and Magic (magazine)

Gurdjieff

PD Ouspensky

Paul Brunton

Anagarika Govinda

Edward Conze

Alexandra David-Neel

Evans-Wentz

Christmas Humphreys

Marco Pallis

Waddel’s “Lamaism: Buddhism of Tibet”

Lobsang Rampa

H P Blavatsky

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma

Paraphernalia - Bits and Bobs

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Note: the next episode, no 44, will be the last of Season 1. Season 2 is in the works!

Buddhism is all about simplicity, isn’t it? Well, no, at least not when it comes to Tibetan style Buddhism. The very essence may be simple, but typical practice makes use of an enormous amount of kit - malas, dorjes, bells, hand-drums large and small, trumpets, vases, conch shells...

As beginners, we may well be tempted to start collecting some of those magical bits and pieces, but if we’re not careful we end up with a lot of clutter on our table, and little idea of what to do with it. Is any of this necessary, and how much of it is even useful?

Mala with counters, dorje and bell

And more:

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Mala
Mala counter strings and clips
Mandala plate with/without rings
Dorje and bell
Damaru
Kangling

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma #Dorje

Termas and Tertons - Treasures from Out There!

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Termas and tertons – spiritual treasures and their finders – are an inescapable feature of some branches of Tibetan Buddhism. Come along for the magical ride!

A phurbu

A ngagpa, undoubtedly a practitioner of termas.
Note the phurbu tucked into his belt.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Terma
Terton
Nyingma
Dudjom
Jamyang Khyentse
Jamgon Kongtrul
The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, its Fundamentals and History by Dudjom Rinpoche
Hidden Teachings of Tibet by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
The Life and Teaching of Chokgyur Lingpa

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma #Terma #Terton #Dudjom

Tulkus – what’s THAT about?

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Most traditions of Buddhist practice have nothing that resembles the tulku tradition. In the Tibetan traditions, you can’t get away from them. What are they? And what are they good for?

Karma Pakshi, one of the first tulkus.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Tulku, emanation body, transformation body
Three bodies of the Buddha (kusum, trikaya)
Karmapa
Karma Pakshi
The Second Karmapa Karma Pakshi: Tibetan Mahasiddha
Jamgon Kongtrul

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Mahamudra #Dzogchen

Bitten by the Ghosts of the Stones

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Come with me over the plains of Amdo in a little blue and white bus 30 years ago.

We have a couple of dozen pilgrims, two Chinese drivers and a supply of diamox. Should be fine!

Stupa at Benchen

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Amdo
Kham
Benchen
Tsurphu
Lhasa

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Mahamudra #Dzogchen

Bread and Butter Verses

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Some verses you'll hear again and again.

Not a definitive list – there ain’t no such thing. But if you know these by heart and can join the recitation at the drop of a hat, you will achieve one great thing: you will look good!

The "Three Jewels"
(I don't know who to credit - it's all over the 'net)

The Refuge formula:

Lama la kyab su chi o
‘I go for refuge to the lama.’

Sangye la kyab su chi o
‘I go for refuge to the Buddha.’

Chö la kyab su chi o
‘I go for refuge to the Dharma.’

Gendün la kyab su chi o
‘I go for refuge to the Sangha.’

Some words or phrases you might want to look up:

Bodhicaryāvatāra
Śāntideva

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Refuge #Bodhicitta

What is the Lama for? Actually?

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Q: Is the lama your boss? Big daddy? Friend? Mate? Therapist?

A: Mostly not

Then what?

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Jamgon Kongtrul
Treasury of Knowledge
Longchen Rabjampa

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Lama

Longchen Rabjampa, one of the most famous Nyingma Lamas.

Empowerments

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Empowerments – what happens?

You’ve been to a Buddhist ceremony. Perhaps you knew it was an empowerment. Whatever does that mean? Are you cooked?

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Einweihung
Ermaechtigung, Ermächtigungsgesetz
Wang
Lung
Tri
Khata

The seed-syllable HRIH

Am I a vajrayana practitioner?

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Or are you a vajrayana practitioner?

Is it a question of rites and rituals and pictures and mantras? Or is it something deeper?

Empowerment card showing a vajra

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Vajrayana
Samaya
Dorje Sempa
Tsog (or tsok)
Guru Rinpoche
Dakini

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Samaya

Namo Buddha - best of three?

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Namo Buddha - the smallest, but perhaps most beautiful, of the three stupas of the Kathmandu valley:

Where the Buddha is said to have sacrificed himself to a tigress:

And where this temple, study and retreat centre now stands:

Words you might like to look up:

Namo Buddha
Thrangu Rinpoche
Bon (form of Buddhism, sort of)

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #NamoBuddha #Tigress

Ultimate Practices? Mahamudra and Dzogchen

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Mahamudra and dzogchen are often spoken of as the “highest” practices of Tibetan Buddhism. How very exciting! Are they really? What does “highest” mean anyway? And what is the difference between mahamudra and dzogchen?

Milarepa, who received Mahamudra teachings from Marpa the Translator

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Dzogchen
Mahamudra
Chagchen
Arhat
Naropa
Marpa the Translator
Maitripa, Maitripada
Rushen
Sakya Pandita, Sapan
Gampopa
Trekchod (many spellings!)
Togyal (also many spellings)
David Jackson, “Enlightenment by a Single Means”

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Mahamudra

The Seven line prayer to Guru Rinpoche

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0100

Beside the best-known mantras used in popular Tibetan-style Buddhism – the famous “Mani”, Tara and Guru Rinpoche for example – there are a number of prayers which are also very widely known and used. The “Seven Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche” is one of these.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Guru Rinpoche
Seven Line Prayer
Mani mantra
Tara
Guru Chowang

The link to the prayer at Lotsawa House:

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/guru-chowang/seven-line-prayer

Nangsid Zilnon - a form of Guru Rinpoche

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #SevenLines #GuruRinpoche

Emptiness. Or nothing?

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0100

Emptiness (shunyata, or tongpa in Tibetan) is an utterly core theme in Buddhist teaching. When we first hear about it, we usually don’t have much idea what it’s about at all. We may mistake it for some kind of void, or a teaching that nothing matters because “everything is empty”. Can we get a handle on it without years of study?

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Perfection of Wisdom
Shunyata (spellings in English vary)
Prajnaparamita (spellings in English vary)
Skandhas
William Dalrymple - “From the Holy Mountain”
Tetralemma
Vajra slivers
Prajñaparamita (sutras)
Tathagata
Edward Conze
Manjushri

I noticed that the language of Conze's translations that I quoted is gendered in a way we would probably not be comfortable with these days. Do remember that he was working on these materials in the middle of the last century.

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Emptiness #Shunyata #Prajnaparamita

Prajnaparamita as the Mother of all the Buddhas

And I forgot to mention in the podcast itself, none other than...

Nagarjuna

Ngondro: Do I really have to?

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0100

When you start to get “serious” (whatever that is and however you try to define it) about your vajrayana practice you will face the question of the “preliminaries” or “foundation practices”. Best to be warned about what’s involved. And it would be good to have an idea of what this ngondro is good for.

Prostrating - again and again!

Offering mandalas

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

“Words of my Perfect Teacher” (book)
Dorje Chang
Dudjom Tersar
Gampopa
Guru Rinpoche
Jamgon Kongtrul
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kamtsang
Longchen Nyingtig
Mala
Mandala
Meru
Milarepa
Naropa
Ngondro
Nyingma
Shakyamuni
Torch of Certainty
Vajrasattva
Yuthok

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Ngondro #FoundationPractices #PreliminaryPractices

Pharping - Can I go back?

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0100

A powerful Vajrayogini shrine, Guru Rinpoche caves, and much, much more. Pharping is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Kathmandu valley.

A shorter episode, but with a nice bit of a flute tune!

The Vajrayogini Temple at Pharping and the fairy-cake stupa

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Pharping
Vajrayogini
Asura cave
Sheshnarayan
Guru Rinpoche
Kudung

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Vajrayogini #Nepal #DoubleDorje #Pharping #GuruRinpoche

Bardos: Are you dead yet?

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0100

What does the “Tibetan Book of the Dead” tell us about being dead? Will we see the Peaceful and Wrathful deities?

Bardo
Tibetan Book of the Dead
Bardo Thodol

The 42 Peaceful Deities of the Bardo

The 58 Wrathful Deities of the Bardo

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #Bardo #TibetanBookOfTheDead

Karma - it's not fate!

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0100

The fruit of our actions – our karma – is said to be unavoidable. Sooner or later, every action comes back to us. But that does not mean that everything that happens to us is predetermined.

Bonus speculation on the fundamental nature of reality!

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Karma

Jewel Ornament of Liberation

Words of my Perfect Teacher

A Lamp Illuminating the Path to Liberation / Khenpo Gyaltsen

Kepler

Newton

“The Sage, the Lady and the Fish”

The Wheel of Becoming, driven by karma

The book!

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #Karma

Sankhu and the Princess

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0100

She was a new bride, but for the help she gave I call her a princess! The pilgrimage trip to the Vajrayogini shrine at Sankhu could have been a LOT, LOT worse.

The Welcome Gate at Sankhu town

The damaged main temple at the top

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Vajrayogini
Vajravarahi
Boudha
Swyambhu
Sankhu
Kathmandu

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #Boudha #Sankhu #Kathmandu #Vajrayogini

Dakinis - what the **** are they?

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0100

In dreams, in the wild, dark woods where reality starts to break apart and become entangled in vision, where fear and ecstasy dance and sing, you may meet the dakini. Is she your mother, your lover, your friend? Will she cast you out or invite you to join the dance?

Yeshe Tsogyal

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Dakini
Daka
Khandroma
Phawo
Chenrezi
Amitabha
Samantabhadra / Samantabhadri
Thomas Traherne
Samantabhadra
Samantabhadri
Vajravarahi
Yeshe Tsogyal
Guru Rinpoche

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #dakini #Khandroma #Nyingma

Big cycles, little cycles

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0100

From monster practice cycles that need a whole Dharma Centre to work through in a year to the handful of practices an individual carries out daily. What are practice cycles for?

Is 550 pages enough?

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Dudjom Lingpa
Dudjom Rinpoche
Terma, terton
Vajrayogini
Yamantaka
Hevajra
Cakrasamvara
Shiné

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #terma #Dudjom

When dear ones die

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200

The two certain things in life are, famously, death and taxes. If you are rich enough, you may be able to mitigate your tax liability, but death cannot be bought off.

How do Buddhists handle it?

Episode includes the Prayer for Rebirth in Dewachen.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Pashupatinath
Naropa
Tilopa
Dewachen
Amitabha
Dzogchen

Link to that file: Link to the Dewachen Prayer (pdf)

Burning ghats at Pashupatinath

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #death

What the tsok? What to expect.

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Tsok pujas are a big feature of Tibetan-style Buddhism as it is actually practiced, but newcomers often don't have a blind clue what's going on - explanations are hard to find. So here is a rundown with a bit of background and a few tips.

Now there's a fancy torma!

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Tsok, tsogs, tshog etc.
Ganacakra, ganapuja, tsok puja
ཚོགས (transliterated tshogs)
Sangha
Guru Rinpoche
Torma
Benchen
Jigme Lingpa

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #torma #tsok #tsog #tshogs #JigmeLingpa

Secret Teachings in Tibetan Buddhism

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200

When secret teachings are spoken of in Tibetan Buddhism, the word "secret" is much closer in meaning to "sacred" or "holy" than it is to the meaning of "unknown to outsiders".

When the 15th Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje, refers to the Mani, the most famous mantra of all, as a "secret" mantra, we know the word has meanings quite different from what we might expect.

A dorje and bell with an unusual design

Here are some words or phrases you might want to look up:

Dorje
Vajrayana
Mahamudra
Dzogchen
Mala
Dudjom Rinpoche
Ekajati

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #secret #secrecy

Note that other distribution platforms do not usually pass the transcript on, and if you want to read it you may need to listen on podbean. YouTube has been making its own transcript, which was an unholy mess. I think I have now deleted all of these "auto-generated" scripts, but it will not be possible to retrospectively add properly edited transcripts to episodes prior to September 2024.

Pilgrimage. And did those feet...

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200

How does pilgrimage fit into the Buddhist way of doing things?

Plus the Guru Rinpoche mantra sung to a tune you might not have expected.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Walsingham
Hajj
Kumbh Mela
Lumbini
Bodh Gaya
Sarnath
Kuśinagara
Vajrayana
Dorje Sempa (Vajrasattva)
Kailash
Jokhang
Guru Rinpoche

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #pilgrimage #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu

Chöd - a vast stream of Buddhist practice! Here is a taste.

Chöd

Chödpa - (images of)

Jamgön Kongtrül

Treasury of Knowledge

Rimé

Sakya

Kadampa

Kagyu (Marpa and Shangpa)

Nyingma

Kalachakra

Machig Labdrön - Machik’s Complete Explanation

Phadampa Sangye

Dakini

Damaru

Karma Kagyu

Dudjom Tersar

Yeshe Dorje (Rainmaker)

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #chöd #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu

In the early weeks of this podcast I included an approximate script, not particularly well edited, on a blog page. For the episode dropped on 4 September entitled “Bad gurus, tosh gurus and good gurus” and for episodes due to be dropped from 18 September onwards, starting with “Jyekundo / Yushu: travelling in East Tibet” there is a transcript file which is much closer to the actual words used.

Note that other distribution platforms do not necessarily pass this on, and if you want to read it you may need to listen on podbean. YouTube has been making its own transcript, which was an unholy mess. I think I have now deleted all of these "auto-generated" scripts, but it will not be possible to retrospectively add properly edited transcripts to episodes prior to September 2024.

Cut and chop, cut and chop! Yes, it's Chöd.

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Chöd - a vast stream of Buddhist practice! Here is a taste.

Chöd

Chödpa - (images of)

Jamgön Kongtrül

Treasury of Knowledge

Rimé

Sakya

Kadampa

Kagyu (Marpa and Shangpa)

Nyingma

Kalachakra

Machig Labdrön - Machik’s Complete Explanation

Phadampa Sangye

Dakini

Damaru

Karma Kagyu

Dudjom Tersar

Yeshe Dorje (Rainmaker)

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #chöd #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu

Jyekundo / Yushu: travelling in East Tibet

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200

A traveller's tale from eastern Tibet three decades ago! The great prayer wheel at Mani Dunkhor.

Some words you might like to look up:

Sakya
Mala
Vajra
Yushu
Jyekundo
Mani-Dunkhor
Trisong Detsen
Śāntarakṣita

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #Yushu #Jyekundo #lama #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu #Refuge #Bodhicitta

Transcript, with possible errors, can be read at the blog

Lost and lonely in samsara

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Refuge, the Three Jewels and the Bodhisattva vow...

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Refuge (Buddhist)
Dharma
Sangha
Three Jewels
Bodhisattva
Bodhicitta
Perfect Conduct – Ascertaining the Three Vows (by Dudjom Rinpoche)
Jewel Ornament of Liberation
Words of My Perfect Teacher
Three kayas
Sutras
Bodhicaryāvatāra

And the verse:

Sang gya cho dang tshog kyi chog nam la
Jang chub bar du dag ni kyab su chi
Dag gi jin sog gyi pai so nam gyi
Dro la pan chir sang gye drub par shog

Approximate text at this blog post.

Bad gurus, tosh gurus and good gurus

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200

A heavy criticism of the whole "Shambhala" cult, describing the behaviour of Chogyam Trungpa and his chief defender, Pema Chodron, recently went viral on the net. I had intended to express some thoughts about these issues sometime, so it seemed like the time had come. I reveal nothing new here - this is just stuff to think about.

Trungpa's "wedding" to his Nth wife

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Pema Chodron
Cassidy and Zeoli
Mahasiddha
Lakshminkara
Tilopa
Sogyal Lakar
Robert Spatz
Ole Nydahl
Vajrayana

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #cult #abuse

The Four Revolting Thoughts

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0200

More often called the "Four Thoughts to Turn the Mind": precious human birth, impermanence, karma and suffering.

Something to think about

Approximate text at the Blue Sky blog

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Gampopa
Milarepa
Rechungpa
Kagyu
Vajrayana
Tsong Khapa
Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen
Herbert v. Guenther
Jewel Ornament of Liberation
Lam Rim

The Mantra of Guru Rinpoche - with tunes!

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0200

The Guru Rinpoche (or "Vajra Guru") mantra. Includes four tunes for singing!

Approximate script at my blog

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #tantra #mahamudra #dzogchen #lama #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu #GuruRinpoche #mantra #tune

Tantra - is it all about sex?

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0200

To what degree does sex have anything to do with Buddhist tantra?

Terms you might want to look up:

Tantra
Guru Rinpoche
Milarepa
Niguma
Vajrayogini
Lobsang Rampa
Tummo
Vajrayana
Dakini
Sangyum

Approximate script available at my blog

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #tantra #mahamudra #dzogchen #lama #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu

Going to "take teachings". Eh?

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0200

What do Buddhist practitioners and students mean when they go to "take teachings"? What to expect, how to feel comfortable.

Picture irrelevant - but charming!

Approximate script may be found at this blog post

#Buddhism #Tibet #vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Nyingma

The colours of the mantra go round and round...

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Another look at the mani (OM MANI PEME HUNG). The six syllables, their six colours, and the six worlds.

Plus a description for anyone who might be confused about clockwise, anticlockwise, facing in, facing out...

Approximate script with possible errors at this blog post

Words and names you might like to search for:

six worlds
lung
yidam
seed syllable
Karmapa
Kakhyab Dorje
six worlds
guru yoga

How is a sadhana built?

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0200

What is the structure of a typical sadhana practice? What parts must it have, what can it have, and how do they fit together?

Approximate script with possible variations and errors, is at the Blue Sky, White Clouds blog.

Some words you might like to look up:

Sadhana
Torma
Mahayana
Vajrayana
Bodhicitta
Vajrayana
Vajrasattva
Ngondro (preliminaries)
Mandala
Mount Meru
Samayasattva / damtsigpa
Jnanasattva / yeshepa

Spooky beings - is anybody there?

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Tibetan Buddhist practice refers a lot to beings on "the other side" who might help or hinder. Do we have to believe in them in order to practice?

Gyalpo Losar

Approximate script can be found at this blog

Words you might like to look up:

Machik Labdron
Machik Labdron’s Complete Explanation (book)
Chöd
Milarepa
Mount Kailas
Sadhana
Stupa
Terton
Kāśyapa
Torma
Gugulu
Samadhi
Tendrel
Cittamatra

True Nature of the Mind - a conundrum!

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0200

What is "Direct Introduction" to the true nature of the mind, also known as "pointing out instructions" And why are the things said about it sometimes, well, puzzling?

The syllable "A"

Manis and manis and...

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0200

About THE MOST FAMOUS of Tibetan Buddhist mantras - what it is, reciting it and singing it - with tunes!

Mani walls near Everest

There is an approximate script with errors and variations at https://lunidharma.blogspot.com/2024/06/manis-and-manis-and_01125899265.html

Words you might want to look up:

Vajrayana
Guru Rinpoche
Tara
Chenrezi
Avalokiteshvara
Mahamudra
Dzogchen
Heart Sutra
Mahayana
Kagyu
Boudha

Ato Rinpoche - you will be missed. And what about your two eyes?

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Some memories of Ato Rinpoche who "rested his intent" recently, and what he spoke of as his "two eyes".

Ato Rinpoche

Approximate script with errors at https://lunidharma.blogspot.com/2024/05/ato-rinpoche-will-be-missed-plus-his.html

Things you might want to search for:

tulku
Jeykundo
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Karmapa
Akong Rinpoche
Samye Ling
Chime Rinpoche
Sechen Rabjam Rinpoche
Milarepa
Kagyu
Nyingma Patrul Rinpoche

The Double Dorje - itself!

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0200

What is a double dorje when it is a ritual instrument - a "diamond sceptre". And what is the Double Dorje when it is (or rather was) a restaurant in Kathmandu close to the Great Stupa.

Terms you might like to search for:

dorje or vajra
Indra
Amoghasiddhi

Approximate script with errors at https://lunidharma.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-double-dorje-itself.html

The Lama! What?

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0200

In Tibetan Buddhism, "the Lama" is a many-sided word. It means much more than just a person, even a person sitting on a high throne. This episode looks at some sides of what "Lama" means.

Figurine of Guru Rinpoche

Words you might like to search for:

Vajrasattva
Lamaism
Dalai Lama
Kham
Refuge tree
Nyingma
Sakya
Kagyu
Gelug
Guru Rinpoche
Padma Sambhava
Tsong Khapa
Dorje Chang (Vajradhara)
Tsultrim Gyatso Rinpoche
Naropa
Marpa
Milarepa
Chenrezi
Sadhana
Amitabha
Vajrayogini

Approximate script with errors at https://lunidharma.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-lama-what.html

Who is a Ngagpa?

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0200

A ngagpa is a heavy-duty kind of non-monastic practitioner of the path of mantra in Tibetan Buddhism. This tradition is also entering modern, "western", societies. What does this entail?

My teacher, Ngagpa Karma Lhundup Rinpoche and friend

Approximate script at https://lunidharma.blogspot.com/2024/05/ngagpas-who-are-they.html.

The following terms are used and can be searched for:

ngagpa
mantra
tantra
vajrayana
shiné
ngöndro
mahamudra
dzogchen
Guru Rinpoche
dakinis
yidam
Nyingma
Throma Nagmo
rigdzin / vidyadhara
bodhicitta

Tips for total beginners

Wed, 29 May 2024 12:00:00 +0200

If you have sensed the magic around Tibetan Buddhism but don't know where to start, these tips might help.

A total beginner

Terms you might want to search the net for:

Three jewels / three refuges / refuge vows
Bodhicitta / the Bodhisattva vow / two kinds of bodhicitta
Four noble truths
Five heaps
Five Buddha families
Five wisdoms
Six Perfections
Eightfold path
Shakyamuni
Tara
Chenrezi
Mala

Remembering Thrangu Rinpoche

Wed, 22 May 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Recalling the life and achievements of Thrangu Rinpoche one year since he passed on.

Thrangu Rinpoche

Refers to these links:

Trailer

Wed, 15 May 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Yes, it's a trailer for the Double Dorje