(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai) On the upper Yadong Hill, just 13 kilometres from Yadong County in Tibet, lies a historic monastery by the name of Dungkar. The surrounding area goes by many names, commonly Upper Tromo but also Tomo, Dromo or Chumbi. This monastery, whose name in Tibetan literally means ‘white conch shell’, was...

Read more »

14

(by Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai)   The Founding of Ratsag Monastery According to an inscription, Ra Bende Yonten Gyalpo founded Ratsag Monastery in the Yab Valley of Tolung, near Lhasa in the early half of the 11th century. It was built through the generous patronage of the noble Sego family. However, Go...

Read more »

27

The sixty-four yogini temple in Hirapur sits on an ancient piece of land once ruled by the old Kalinga kingdom. Buddhism and Tantric practice flourished here, and the cult of the yogini evolved as Tantra took hold in these lands...

Read more »

33

The wrathful goddess Drashi Lhamo is considered one of the minor forms of Palden Lhamo. She is worshipped mainly at Drashi Gon Temple in Lhasa, Tibet...

Read more »

17

The great Mahasiddha Naropa was born the prince of an ancient kingdom in East India. Descended from a notable and respected royal family, Naropa’s father was the great King Santivarman and his mother was the glorious Queen Srimati...

Read more »

31

(By Pastor David Lai) On February 23, 2018 at the Hotel Tibet in Dharamsala, a monk by the name of Gen Thupten Choephel held a press conference to express his grievances regarding his observations of the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) dealings. According to Gen Thupten Choephel who hails from Sera Jey Monastery, the CTA...

Read more »

43

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai) The supreme goddess Vajrayogini is highly revered as the heart practice of many high lamas and mahasiddhas of India, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia and China. The founder of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, Lama Tsongkhapa, was famous for advocating the Yamantaka, Heruka and Guhyasamaja practices, but after...

Read more »

31

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai) Ven. Dr. Walpola Rahula Maha Thera is widely acclaimed to have been one of the greatest luminaries amongst Sri Lankan scholars of the 20th century. He was a fully ordained monk of the Theravada tradition, an erudite scholar and author of a number of important books on...

Read more »

5

The legendary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was a mountain climber and an explorer of the Antarctic. He was born on 20 July 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand and lived until the ripe old age of 88. Together with the Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay...

Read more »

22

Christianity has long associated animal-headed divinities with pagan religions. Consequently, these divinities are denounced and declared as anti-Christ or as manifestations of the devil. Certain Christians quote passages of the Bible that refer to God’s displeasure at the worship of a bull-headed pagan god to validate their viewpoint. However, if one were to delve...

Read more »

7

Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (1502 – 1566 CE) was a famous master and the founder of the Tsarpa lineage of the Sakya tradition centred at Dar Drangmoche Monastery in the central Tsang province of Tibet. The great Tsarchen Losal Gyatso is the 21st lineage holder of the Vajrayogini tantric tradition stemming from the Mahasiddha Naropa...

Read more »

62

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz was an American explorer, anthropologist, writer, and, most famously, a pioneer in the field of Tibetan Buddhist studies. His writings were pivotal in the early transmission of Tibetan Buddhism to the west, especially his iconic early translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead published...

Read more »

10

The Chinese Buddhist scholar Professor Garma C. C. Chang (1920-1988) was one of the few pioneering scholars who introduced Buddhism to the West primarily through the publication of books and his illustrious teaching career as a professor. He was an authority on Buddhist philosophy and was best known as an editor and translator of...

Read more »

32

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) Japan, called Nihon-koku in its native Japanese, literally means the ‘State of Japan’. It is an East Asian island nation in the fringes of the Pacific Ocean, right on the eastern coast of the Asian mainland and the Korean Peninsular. To the north is the Sea of Okhotsk,...

Read more »

8

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) Vietnam is a thin strip of land that borders with China up in the North, and Laos and Cambodia to the West. It was once a lesser-known travel destination but Vietnam has since become widely popular in recent years. In fact, Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi is consistently ranked among...

Read more »

18

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) Introduction Since the time of the Buddha, the Dharma that he taught has spread to many countries beyond India. This has resulted in Buddhism adapting and becoming entrenched in many parts of Asia. Each country that Buddhism has spread to have developed their own unique flavour while retaining...

Read more »

12

The popes are heads of the Roman Catholic Church and according to Catholic doctrine, the tradition of having popes began with St Peter, the apostle of Jesus Christ, and has continued into the modern era. This article is by no means a criticism of the Catholic Church or its belief system, but a truthful account of...

Read more »

16

Throughout history there have been scientific finds that defy imagination. Here we have some of those that really change the way we think about the world, to encompass a broader perspective and make us realise that we are not alone in the world. There exists a phenomenal body of eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot sightings,...

Read more »

40

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) The word ‘Zen’ is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word ‘Chan’. This in turn is derived from the Indian Sanskrit word ‘Dhyana’, which means ‘mental absorption’ or ‘meditation’. The modern Zen tradition of today is based on a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, and was known as Chan Buddhism. Some...

Read more »

10

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) The 11th Century Chinese monk Daoji is commonly known by the name Ji Gong. He was a Chan Buddhist monk of the Southern Song Dynasty in ancient China. He was born with the name of Li Xiuyuan. Daoji was also known by the name Hu Yin which meant...

Read more »

46