There is a way to seal inspiration in our minds, to multiply its effect, to deepen the insight we feel and to make sure that its benefit will be manifested in our thoughts, words and actions. The Indian master Padmasambhava sang it so that we, the people in future generations, will be able to put words to our innermost.
To understand Bhutan, you must know Padmasambhava, affectionately known as Guru Rinpoche, who brought Buddhism here in the eighth century. He is the backbone of Bhutanese culture.
The Tibetans have a saying; You will have to stand for a very long time with your mouth wide open before a roasted partridge will fly into it. It is a rather droll way of expressing high levels of improbability.
it’s july. and i can see my breath. i look out from the window where across a puddle of mud are several single story buildings… Read More »THE 4TH OF JULY
A poem about experiences from a three year retreat: Lonely cabin in the pines in front, the boundless sky empty-clarity vast as mind behind, the rising ridge a fortress of fearless confidence vast and held, here I dwell.
Beyond admiration and spiritual yearning lies a much deeper respect, deeper and wider. Its opens up the meditator’s mind when discovering the timeless value of… Read More »WORDS OF APPRECIATION
Michael Ash, artist and visionary, presenting a photo exhibition and poetry from his journey to White Skull Mountain Hermitage, Gangri Tokar, the spectacular retreat where Tibet’s greatest mystic-philosopher Longchenpa, wrote the wonderful Seven Treasuries about the deepest topics in human civilization.
The 84 mahasiddhas are connected to a extremely broadminded world view that every situation in life is workable and can be utilized and transformed into total freedom. Looking through their biographies and life examples, they came from various background, from beggars to kings.
The supreme place of blessing, the spring of Awakening, Chumig Changchub, is located half way between Kathmandu and Pokhara in the Mahabharata range, overlooking Daman in the Noble Land of Nepal. The importance of the site to Vajrayana Buddhists cannot be overstated. Padmasambhava, the second Buddha meditated there on the way to Tibet.
It took 300 million man-hours to carve 300.000 stones to create the entire 100 acre complex in only five years. Millions of hours of dedication and hard work by 11.000 sadhus, volunteers and artisans have gone into the work. What a an incredible feat of management!
A documentary on the impact of the recent earthquakes on Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery and Nagi Gompa in Nepal. These monasteries have served thousands of local and international students of all types over many decades.
Introducing Michael Ash, artist and visionary, with a photo exhibition and poetry from his journey to Mount Kailash, the most important pilgrimage site on Earth.
In the old Tibetan manuscript from the 12th century, we find this story about Tso Pema, the Lotus Lake, and why the tantric master Padmasambhava allowed himself to be burned alive and then transformed the blazing fire into a lake.
The night was pitch-black, the empty sky littered with countless stars. I lay silently in bed, my mind churning with thoughts. I was at the end of three-year retreat in solitude, meditating alone in a cabin in the woods.
Walking on the soil of Mother Earth is a way for me to feel a deep connection to myself. Taking this precious moment to really connect to the earth step by step, moment by moment, breath by breath immediately transforms my inner and outer landscape.
Tonight, or this morning early hours, I felt compelled to revisit the memory of a retreat. I share a poem, which is inspired by my stay at Nagi Gompa, Nepal.
Take the breath as an example of daily awareness. We breathe all day long without hardly ever noticing. Unless we are being physically active or if our body is under stress we rarely recognize the breath. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our awareness to the present moment intentionally and without judgment.
This is also the place where you cannot avoid meeting a Buddhist teacher or a master, one after the other. Some masters with famous names and easy to recognize, some are hidden yogis and some simple meditators on the verge of realization, perhaps looking like a poor beggar.
It is from here as well that the Buddha’s teachings flow to the rest of the planet, the wonderful teachings on respecting all living beings, on uncovering our humanity and finding the deepest insight possible, the awakened state that is the nature of our minds.
Each step can turn into an act of giving, making room for compassionate awareness. This is how to make trekking into a sacred journey, this is a walking meditation. A sense of humor should be brought along as well.
Darkness retreat is for the yogi who come to a point in life of readiness to go beyond the normal pattern of experience that is shaped by habitual concepts of the known. The darkness is merciless, the open sphere of experience is the playground for confusion or liberation.