Before the New Year, January 1st 2025 arrives, here is a general review of just a selection (not all) of the Dharma activities of myself (aka Dakini Translations) in terms of writing, music, podcasts, travel/pilgrimage, e-books, transcripts, videos, singing and more! In particular, visited some of the most spectacular famous (and not so famous) pilgrimage sites in SE Asia. Experiences that last a lifetime, never mind a year!
In particular, I would like to thank anyone who supported the work and website with their words, encouragement, inspirational comments, and who generously made personal donations, whose amazing generosity made it all possible this year for sure. One donor in particular, has been like a blessing from Guru Rinpoche himself (you know who you are)!
Music? Time Traveller by MIA.
Website research and translations: Top Ten articles viewed
Over 150 articles were published, not as prolific as previous years, but at least 2 per week on average, still going strong!
The top viewed articles on the website were the more ‘scandalous’ ones it seems (such is samsara ha ha ha). Number 1 was again my personal experience and testimony as the ‘love/sex interest’ of a Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche and how it all went terribly sour (like his previous relations) due to a lack of respect, genuine consent and love for myself and other women. As well as my article about the ongoing public absence of the 17th Karmapa.
These were closely followed in popularity by ones about Dakini Script, Kurukulle, Vietnam Lady of Compassion statue, Achi Chokyi Drolma and Naropa’s Vajrayogini.
- TANTRIC BUDDHISM, VOWS, SEX AND WOMEN – the importance of love, respect and consent and what happens when a woman speaks out about lama misconduct
- SEEKING THE 17TH KARMAPA: 17th Karmapa’s recent ‘private’ meeting with Tsewang Rinpoche, the ‘quiet’ relics gift in Malaysia, and an exploration of reasons for the Karmapa’s ongoing public ‘disappearance’
- DAKINI SCRIPT (Khandro Da-yig): Mysterious Symbolic Key to Hidden Treasures
- LADY BUDDHA OF COMPASSION AND THE MARBLE MOUNTAINS: The Tallest Lady Avalokiteshvara statue in Indo-China and the nearby Marble Mountains, pagodas and caves (Vietnam Pilgrimage I)
- MAGNETISING RED QUEEN, KURUKULLA: “Outshining the perceptions of others and bringing afflictive emotions under control” teaching of 8th Garchen Rinpoche
- Court case filed to remove a resident ‘celibate monk’ teacher for alleged sexual misconduct and deception at a Kalu Rinpoche centre in Maui, Hawai
- VICTORIOUS CROWN QUEEN, USHNISHA VIJAYA: DHARANI MANTRA THAT LENGTHENS LIFE-SPAN AND PROTECTS FROM ENTERING LOWER REALMS (8th Garchen Rinpoche teaching 2016)
- The categories and meaning of the hundred syllable Heruka Vajrasattva mantra: according to Tāranātha and Bamda Gelek Gyatso
- GODDESS QUEEN OF SPACE: ACHI CHOKYI DROLMA. Life-Story, Texts, Depictions, ‘Praise to Achi’ by Jigten Sumgon and Teaching by 8th Garchen Rinpoche
- NĀROPA’S ‘VAJRAYOGINI FOR BEGINNERS’ (TRANSLATED BY MARPA) AND DRIGUNG KAGYU VAJRAYOGINI CATALOGUE OF TEXTS: New translation of Nāropā’s ‘Innate Vajrayogini for Beginners’, ‘Eight Praises to Vajravārāhī’, catalogue of Drigung Kagyu Vajrayogini texts and lineage, and new sadhana text by Drupon Rinchen Dorje Rinpoche (June 2022)
The top website sections visited, were Vajrayogini and Lion-Faced Dakini, still very popular even though I have not written on them at all this year!
Podcasts: Kālacakra, Indian Buddhism and Xuanzang and Animal Liberation and Rights
Due to pilgrimage travel (and a serious health issue that required surgery) there were three Dakini Conversations podcasts ( in 2024, two with a focus on Indian scholarship and research with Niraj Kumar (Kālacakra and Nāropa) and Deepak Anand, who traced the Buddha’s footsteps in India, via the works of Chinese monk scholar, Xuanzang.
In addition, the Australian philosopher-scholar and founder of the Animal Rights movement, Prof. Peter Singer, who among other things, stated that is was ‘absurd’ that the 14th Dalai Lama actively chooses to eat meat for health reasons when there are so many alternatives:
- THE AUTHENTIC ROOTS AND FRUITS OF THE KĀLACAKRA TANTRA AND ITS AUTHOR MAHASIDDHA NĀROPA: Interview with Niraj Kumar (Dakini Conversations, Ep.7)
- ANIMAL LIBERATION, SAVING LIVES. ETHICS AND CONTROVERSIES: A conversation with ‘dangerous philosopher’ and author of the groundbreaking and influential book ‘Animal Liberation’ Prof. Peter Singer (Dakini Conversations podcast (Ep. 8))
- RETRACING THE FOOTSTEPS OF BUDDHA AND XUANZANG: Walking and mapping by foot the (2000 km) route of Xuanzang on the Indo-Gangetic plains: Interview with Deepak Anand (Dakini Coversations, Ep.9 )
Pilgrimage/Travel
One of the other main activities of 2024, was a series of pilgrimage articles, which can be read in the Places section of the website here. In order to reduce the carbon footprint (and as requested by a donor/supporter) I did not take many flights, and tried to travel overland as much as possible. In addition, my vegetarian/vegan diet was maintained, sometimes going hungry even, due to a lack of meatless options in more remote places I visited, or on trains. Major highlights were the visit to Java, Indonesia for the activities of the 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche and to ‘reveal’ the lake of Oddiyana in Java said to be the actual lake that Guru Padmasambhava arose from and stayed. Countries visited were:
Thailand
Highlights in Thailand this year, included a visit to the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya and my ‘dream come true’ of seeing the Buddha Face in the tree BEAUTIFUL BUDDHA ‘FACE’ THRIVING IN THE ROOTS OF RUINS AND THE COSMOLOGICAL SIGHTS AT ‘MOUNT MERU MANDALA’ OF THAILAND: The historic ruined city of the ‘Venice of the East’, Ayutthaya, towers, statues and Buddha’s head in the root trunk of an ancient Bodhi tree (Thailand Pilgrimage V)
Vietnam
Indonesia
Malaysia
Visiting Kuala Lumpur and Malacca Buddhist (and Hindu) temples was a stunning example of how different religious traditions can live in harmony together:
Sri Lanka
THE PLACES BUDDHA VISITED IN SRI LANKA: KELANIYA (Sri Lanka pilgrimage I)
The Buddha’s Footprint Mountain (Sri Pada) and Elephant Rock (Athugala) (Sri Lanka Pilgrimage V)
Taiwan
Music/Songs
The creative juices were still flowing in 2024 too, with musical compositions and audio poems, including the first of a new set of Yeshe Tsogyel Songs (translated and sung by yours truly!):
The Infinite Womb of Love and Loss: Meditational Poem by Adele Tomlin
Longing for Meaning:Yeshe Tsogyal Song (1/4) དོན་གཉེར་གྱི་འདུན་པ། ཡེ་ཤེས་མཚོ་རྒྱལ་གྱི་མགུར། (༡/༤)
Infidelity to the External World : Poem (Tales from the Yoni Stone)
A Lone Songbird’s Warbling Lament. Poem composed for the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa’s Birthday
E-book
Videos of 17th Karmapa
One of my main activities during 2024, was producing video clips (in the original Tibetan, with English subtitles based on my own translations) of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa’s teachings in 2024. These were very popular and helped people (often who lacked time or inclination to watch the whole teaching video) to hear some of the key points with the oral transmission of the Karmapa (without being dubbed over with the interpreter’s voice). There is great blessing in the sound of a great master’s voice. The most popular video was of the Karmapa speaking about the mass destruction and ruin of all the Karma Kagyu monasteries in Tibet during the 17th Century Mongolian invasion, that led to the religious institution and dictatorship of the Dalai Lama and Gelugpas.
After the 17th Karmapa’s summer teachings, were sadly interrupted mid-way through never to continue, I produced some videos from other teachings he has given on vegetarianism, his taking a life-time vow not to eat slaughtered animals, and his not having monastic vows.
The Youtube playlist, of all the 17th Karmapa videos posted is here. Here are a selection below.