It was in the early ’90s I first heard of Gedun Chopel. I was immediately fascinated by him and tried to learn all I could about him, especially after I learned that he had spent time in Sri Lanka and actually translated the Dhammapada into Tibetan from Pali, and that his life ended so tragically after the Tibetan government had jailed him.
What is the difference between an enlightenment experience and enlightenment? When after intensive meditation, or unexpectedly, you experience a totally naked state of mind, how do you proceed? What is real progress and what is its main catalyst? You will find the answers to all these questions in the following teachings by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.
Please, develop compassion boundlessly. This is what my teacher told me once in a private and intimate audience, please, my dear, develop loving kindness and compassion, not only ordinary restricted compassion, please, develop compassion boundlessly for each and every single being.
Each time I try to grasp the past, present or future, they slip through my fingers as if trying to grasp air. Try it for yourself. Can you find the now? Can you find the present moment? If we really investigate and look closer, we start to see that both the now and the present moment can not be found.
The shadow holds the wounded and broken parts of ourselves, the failed ideals, the fateful consequences of poor choices. It is the inferior, unprocessed, or undeveloped aspects of our personality that our social mask hides.
When I was growing up in New Zealand there was a motorcycle advertisement that used to be played a lot on the radio. It was before the days of compulsory helmets for motorbikes and bicycles. I can still remember the tune so clearly and the feeling which it used to evoke.
Our states of mind and actions are what drive systems. If we wish to have economic, political and social systems that reflect love, compassion, care for our environment and overall well-being, we must embody and train in those qualities ourselves. We must begin to shift the focus within our individual lives.
Philosophy and the Philosopher, Confusion and the Confuser, Words of wisdom, breaths of energy.
Oh! The Philosopher lost within his Philosophy.
I have used the iconic image of the Buddha as a way to represent both the vast view of ultimate truth and as the container of relative truth along with the inherent qualities of the effect of oil on paper. The paper will age, become fragile.
Mindfulness and meditation is a practice, resting on time-tested three pillars for anything we want to do: patience, persistence and perseverance. It’s about empowerment for ourselves so we no longer will say, I cannot do this because I don’t have it. This in turn will empower our kids. Because we cannot give others something that we do not have. Empowerment ignites empowerment.
How is death experienced on a personal level? What can we do? Is there a set of methods we can familiarize with to such an extent that we are unafraid, confident or at least, without regrets? How do we handle losing everything we know? How can we deal with the intense and vast unfolding of the primal energies of consciousness?
The basic virtue of Superman is his altruism. He uses his powers to save people from their own follies. His actions are shocking because he is willing to take risks the rest of us can no longer contemplate. Superman has empathy for the suffering of others. His compassion, care and willingness to put his life on the line for another person make him a worthy hero to admire.
We long for resolution. We long for life to wrap itself in the pretty package of a happy ending. Sometimes we seek fulfillment from material things, sometimes spiritual, sometimes from life itself: falling in love, finalizing the divorce, having a baby, finishing the degree, finding the perfect job, retiring.
The power of bhakti is a swift path for those who are able to harness this energy in their spiritual awakening. The power of love, the power of the heart, can unlock an incredible force within us which cuts through all our conceptual thoughts.
Whenever we call for Guru, The sun expands itself, The flowers blossom, The birds sing harmoniously, As a whisper of a sweet voice, Flowing from the heart of a beautiful princess, sleeping in the mountains of Northern India.
Often in our normal daily life, we find it very hard to be compassionate to ourselves, let alone others. One of the reasons we find this so hard to do is because our mind, body and energy are like frozen water, frozen with jealousy, fear, worry, anger and ignorance.
To soar effortlessly, the mighty eagle needs two wings. One is just not enough. My teacher Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche often said this to illustrate, that a sublime balance of mind is needed when facing challenges, both from outside and from inside oneself. In good times and bad times, a much coveted secret is how to maintain an even keel, no matter what happens.
In collaboration with a video developer, musician and composer, the movements allows for the transforming, dissolving of forms and ground creating a spacious reflecting mandala that attempts to mirror the motivation of the original intent of Martha’s paintings and textures.
Windhorse is the energy of the present moment, which contains this force because it is the only time we can feel basic goodness. —Sakyong Mipham.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 41. To say this experience changed my life would be a great understatement. To say this experience was extremely difficult would show a bit more candor. To say that my spiritual practice was absolutely transformed and strengthened and that I learned the true healing power of meditation – that I can say with certainty.
There are old, soulful musicians. Their music has soul and is alive in a way that has a tinge of magic attached to it. By that token, they have been considered to be at least one step closer to the divine. Such a man was Ustad Sabri Khan.