DAKINI DAY OFFERING: Making the invisible female roots and flowers visible, full-colour Kagyu female-inclusive lineage thangka artwork

"A solitary body is not solitude. Being [mentally] solitary, away from the mental references and concepts: this is the supreme solitude. Even though you were settled in a meditative trance for twelve years , you cannot sever this crude reference, the concept of radishes, so what good will come of going to the mountains?”—-Radish-Curry Cook… Continue reading DAKINI DAY OFFERING: Making the invisible female roots and flowers visible, full-colour Kagyu female-inclusive lineage thangka artwork

THE TRANSLATOR’S HOMAGE TO VAJRASATTVA AND ‘SECRET MUDRAS UNDER THE ROBES’: opening stanza, homage to and meaning of the word ‘Vajrasattva’, reason for composing the texts, and the importance of secrecy in secret mantra practice and the meaning of ‘bowing down to the lotus feet of the guru’ (Fifty Verses on the Guru, Day 3, 17th Karmapa)

"The source for the Tibetan word ‘lama’ seems to be the Sanskrit word 'guru'. There are many different explanations we can give of the word ‘guru’, one that we often say is 'heaviness'. Heavy normally means, a heavy thing/object, here it means someone who is 'heavy' with great qualities. That is what guru should mean.… Continue reading THE ‘HEAVY’ GURU FULL OF WEIGHTY QUALITIES: Meaning of the word ‘guru’ and introduction to the editions, translations and commentaries on the crucial Vajrayāna text on how to correctly follow a guru, ‘Fifty Verses of the Guru’ (17th Karmapa, Day 1)

For the Tibetan Losar New Year on 3rd March 2022, HE 8th Garchen Rinpoche generously bestowed the Medicine Buddha empowerment (video here), which I was also fortunate to be able to take online. I have written about the Medicine Buddha before in connection with the Sutra of Medicine Buddha (see here). The teachings Garchen Rinpoche… Continue reading LIBERATING ONE’S BUDDHA NATURE AND FOUR WAYS OF SEEING A TORMA: Garchen Rinpoche Medicine Buddha teachings 2022

"Secret Mantra is like a treasury of ancient Indian culture. Normally, when we say Secret Mantra, we think about it as a religious thing done out of faith and devotion, yet we don’t think about in terms of its value relating to Indian sub-continental culture, history and knowledge. This is also a quality of… Continue reading ORIGINS OF SECRET MANTRA (DAY 2): ARRIVAL OF THE ARYANS, MOTHER OF INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGES. Ancient Indus Valley civilisation, Aryan migration and language, the indigenous Dravidians and cultural mixing (by 17th Karmapa)

'Only the united beat of sex and heart together can create ecstasy.'-Anais Nin Introduction This article is an attempt to clarify some of the information and misunderstandings surrounding monasticism, sex, women, consorts in Vajrayana (or Tantric) Buddhism. The first half discusses the monastic vows and rules on sexual relations, the role and meaning of a consort,… Continue reading TANTRIC BUDDHISM, VOWS, SEX AND WOMEN – the importance of love, respect and consent and what happens when a woman speaks out about lama misconduct