Introduction "It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance." - Marcus Aurelius For the third episode of Dakini Conversations, I speak with British journalist and writer, Mick Brown about his life and writings, mainly about his important investigative report/book The Dance of… Continue reading ‘DANCE OF 17 LIVES: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF TIBET’S 17TH KARMAPA’. New Video/podcast interview with writer/journalist, Mick Brown (Dakini Conversations: Ep.3) and accompanying book review
Author: Dakini Translations
LIKE A ROSE BLOOMING IN WINTER: CHERISHING AND PROTECTING THE JEWEL OF 8TH KARMAPA’S FOUR GREAT COMMENTARIES AND OTHER WORKS. Background and overview of 8th Karmapa’s influential and great commentaries on the four texts of Madhyamaka, Prajnaparamita, Vinaya and Abhidharma; 17th Karmapa’s project of a new Collected Works with critical editions of these texts; and the final two verses of 8th Karmapa’s autobiographical praises, ‘He Searched Thoroughly’ with summary (17th Karmapa, Day 13 (Part II) Spring 2023 teaching)
"These days, of course, everything has become more relaxed and people are now allowed to look at texts from other traditions. However, even before 1959 when it was very strict, forget about even other traditions, you could not follow the texts of your own tradition and had to follow the Gelug texts. However, this was… Continue reading LIKE A ROSE BLOOMING IN WINTER: CHERISHING AND PROTECTING THE JEWEL OF 8TH KARMAPA’S FOUR GREAT COMMENTARIES AND OTHER WORKS. Background and overview of 8th Karmapa’s influential and great commentaries on the four texts of Madhyamaka, Prajnaparamita, Vinaya and Abhidharma; 17th Karmapa’s project of a new Collected Works with critical editions of these texts; and the final two verses of 8th Karmapa’s autobiographical praises, ‘He Searched Thoroughly’ with summary (17th Karmapa, Day 13 (Part II) Spring 2023 teaching)
CREATING AMAZING SANDCASTLES WITH THE DIVINE EAR AND EYE: The vast activities and clairvoyances of the 8th Karmapa and the 7th autobiographical verse of ‘He Searched Thoroughly’ on wisdom and the definitive meaning (17th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teaching, Day 13, part 1)
"Usually, most people would say Mikyo Dorje was playing games like a child. All his attendants said he did things like a child, he did not seem like an adult, like a child playing a game. He would be doing things that looked like playing around but people would not actually see what he was… Continue reading CREATING AMAZING SANDCASTLES WITH THE DIVINE EAR AND EYE: The vast activities and clairvoyances of the 8th Karmapa and the 7th autobiographical verse of ‘He Searched Thoroughly’ on wisdom and the definitive meaning (17th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teaching, Day 13, part 1)
New Video: Short Meditation on the Two Views of Emptiness and their relevance to daily life(from Tricycle Dharma Talk: May 2023)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7wGBV9s7VI Here is a short meditation on the two views of emptiness developed in Tibetan Buddhism, Empty-of-Self (Rangtong) and Empty-of-Other (Zhentong) which concluded a longer Dharma Talk on the topic for Tricycle Magazine. For the full Dharma Talk, see here. Moving away from the philosophical explanations to a more practical way to experience the… Continue reading New Video: Short Meditation on the Two Views of Emptiness and their relevance to daily life(from Tricycle Dharma Talk: May 2023)
A SHINING MASS OF DHARMA: The Extraordinary and Vast Collected Works of Jetsun Tāranātha. New website and translation on his Life and Works
Introduction For the New Moon today, the first day of the sacred month of Saga Dawa tomorrow,and the recent commemoration of Jetsun Tāranātha's passing (May 17th), I am happy to launch and announce a brand-new website and first ever published English translation of the outline/contents of Tāranātha’s Collected Works, see https://taranathascollectedworks.com. To accompany the launch,… Continue reading A SHINING MASS OF DHARMA: The Extraordinary and Vast Collected Works of Jetsun Tāranātha. New website and translation on his Life and Works
LIKE SHOOTING AN ARROW IN THE DARK: “WITHOUT TELEPATHY AND CLAIRVOYANCES DO NOT GATHER OR TEACH STUDENTS”: 8th Karmapa on the crucial importance of the six clairvoyances as a teacher and practitioner (17th Karmapa Spring 2023, Day 12)
"Atisha told Dromtonpa, until you have clairvoyances you should not nurture a group. A group here means you shouldn’t have students or gather monks and so on. It is like an archer with no eyes/blind. Someone who is blind, shoots an arrow, it is really dangerous because they have no idea where they are shooting… Continue reading LIKE SHOOTING AN ARROW IN THE DARK: “WITHOUT TELEPATHY AND CLAIRVOYANCES DO NOT GATHER OR TEACH STUDENTS”: 8th Karmapa on the crucial importance of the six clairvoyances as a teacher and practitioner (17th Karmapa Spring 2023, Day 12)
New Video: Long-life Aspiration for Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, composed and chanted by 17th Gyalwang Karmapa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ev-AmxBQjI On 13th May 2023, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa chanted this prayer due to the ill-health of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, which he wrote "so that Kyabje Thrangu Rinpoche may be cured of illness as it came to mind, without changing anything. Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, May 6, 2023." Here is the sampled audio and a… Continue reading New Video: Long-life Aspiration for Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, composed and chanted by 17th Gyalwang Karmapa
THE ORIGINAL ‘MOTHER’ OF THE KARMA KAGYU FOUR-SESSION GURU YOGA: Lama Zhang’s four-session guru yoga, the vajra words of the dakinis, pure visions of 8th Karmapa and his students, and Karma Chagme’s texts on its practice and origin (17th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teachings, Day 11, part 2)
""The root Guru, Mikyo Dorje is thought to be in nature truly Avalokiteshvara, and one in essence with the eight forms of the guru, the eight Zhangs; and the embodiment of the eight Karmapas, From a sealed text of the Collected Works of Zhang Even though a little is added to it, Mikyo Dorje wrote… Continue reading THE ORIGINAL ‘MOTHER’ OF THE KARMA KAGYU FOUR-SESSION GURU YOGA: Lama Zhang’s four-session guru yoga, the vajra words of the dakinis, pure visions of 8th Karmapa and his students, and Karma Chagme’s texts on its practice and origin (17th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teachings, Day 11, part 2)
Entering the Space of Dakinis: Interview with Prof. Janet Gyatso (Dakini Conversations: Ep.2)
For Dakini Day today, am delighted to announce the second episode of the Dakini Conversations podcast with Prof. Janet Gyatso, the first and current Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies at the Divinity School of Harvard University. The Youtube video can be watched here: https://youtu.be/exI_XboQxFQ The audio-only podcast can also be downloaded and listened to on… Continue reading Entering the Space of Dakinis: Interview with Prof. Janet Gyatso (Dakini Conversations: Ep.2)
‘HIDDEN’ TIBETAN HEROES: PURE VISIONS OF MIKYO DORJE AND THE HISTORY AND HEROIC SAVIOUR OF THE “SILVER SPACE STATUE” OF TSURPHU: 8th Karmapa’s conduct around his many bad followers, the origin of the silver statue of Sangye Nyenpa, miraculous pure visions during its consecration and the ‘hidden hero’ who saved it from destruction (17th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teachings, Day 11, part I)
"So as soon as the 8th Karmapa dreamt that and woke up, he remembered the melody of the woman's flute and he remembered Sangye Nyenpa in particular, and had an unbearable feeling of devotion to him. So he immediately began practising guru yoga. While 8th Karmapa was practising guru yoga, he had a pure vision.… Continue reading ‘HIDDEN’ TIBETAN HEROES: PURE VISIONS OF MIKYO DORJE AND THE HISTORY AND HEROIC SAVIOUR OF THE “SILVER SPACE STATUE” OF TSURPHU: 8th Karmapa’s conduct around his many bad followers, the origin of the silver statue of Sangye Nyenpa, miraculous pure visions during its consecration and the ‘hidden hero’ who saved it from destruction (17th Karmapa, Spring 2023 teachings, Day 11, part I)
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