(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai) Dear friends, I was given a book called ‘Niguma, the Lady of Illusion’ recently. Although I have read bits and pieces about this dakini’s life online in the past, I did not really know much about her. Hence, reading this book was to be my first serious...

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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...

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(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) The great Lopon Sonam Tsemo (1142-1182 CE) was the 2nd of the five founding fathers of the Sakya tradition and the 9th in Naropa’s lineage of Vajrayogini practice. He was the eldest of the three great sons of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, the 1st founding father of the Sakya...

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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...

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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...

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(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...

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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...

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(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,...

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(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...

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(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...

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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...

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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,...

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(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...

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(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) According to The Clear Mirror of the Royal Genealogies (Gyalrab Salwai Melong) attributed to Sakyapa Sonam Gyaltsen (1312-1375 CE), the great Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo (617-47 CE) decided that he had to make various statues of his yidam (tutelary deity) to be of benefit to sentient beings within...

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(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...

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In the language of the Karuk natives, Mt Shasta is known as Úytaahkoo or ‘White Mountain’. It is an active volcano located at the southern tip of the Cascade Range in the Siskiyou County of Northern California. With an elevation of 14,179 feet (4321.8 m), this mountain is the second highest peak in the...

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(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) Dear friends around the world, I first heard of Lama Ole Nydahl while browsing through a random Buddhist article online many years ago. He did not stand out at that time because he seemed to be just another self-proclaimed Western lama. Recently, I revisited his story when my...

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(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) The practice of the 35 Confessional Buddhas is one of the most long lasting purification practices that has been propagated since the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. The practice itself was derived from the Mahayana Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps, which in Sanskrit is known as Triskandhadharmasutra. This...

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（詹杜固仁波切与黎国圆讲法师） 至尊第十一世班禅额尔德尼·确吉坚赞不久前在其位于中国西藏自治区西南部日喀则扎什伦布寺附近的新夏宫授予时轮金刚灌顶。 这是中国西藏地区50年来首次公开举办大规模时轮金刚灌顶...

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(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) His Holiness the 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu recently bestowed the Kalachakra initiation at his New Palace near Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Xigaze (Shigatse), southwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This is the first Kalachakra initiation to be held publicly in Tibet/China in the last...

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