Dear friends around the world, I really like various types of art. I especially like art that has meaning and conveys a purpose or a goal. In the case of this person’s art, I very much like her creations because they convey a message to respect the environment, and to take care and be...
Posted in Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment | 6 Comments »
Having had the fortune of meeting Rinpoche when she was just 11 years old, the ‘Growing up with Rinpoche’ series captures Pastor Jean Ai’s growth under Rinpoche’s guidance. In this series, she recounts some of Rinpoche’s myriad Dharma activities to benefit sentient beings. First of all, what is tsok (Sanskrit: ganachakra)? According...
Posted in Behind The Scenes, Guest Contributors | 3 Comments »
Pastor David has been a student of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche for over 15 years and within the ‘Tales With My Lama’ series of articles, he explores his spiritual relationship with Rinpoche, sharing anecdotes, stories, observations and little Dharma nuggets. It is all told to inspire others for their own spiritual relationship with their...
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Having had the fortune of meeting Rinpoche when she was just 11 years old, the ‘Growing up with Rinpoche’ series captures Pastor Jean Ai’s growth under Rinpoche’s guidance. In this series, she recounts some of Rinpoche’s myriad Dharma activities to benefit sentient beings. I still remember when this photograph was taken. Our...
Posted in Behind The Scenes, Guest Contributors | 1 Comment »
(译文请往下看) What is a Kappa? There are many mysterious creatures or beings in Japanese folklore. One of the popular ones is the Kappa which dwells in freshwater areas such as in ponds, rivers and lakes. The Kappa (河童 river child) is sometimes called Kawataro (河太郎 river boy), Kawako (河伯 river earl or 河子 river child), Kawaranbe (河ランベ), Gatarō (がたろう) or Enko (猿猴), among many other names. There are no less than 80 names for the Kappa. Even though Kappa sightings are rare, the Japanese strongly believe in its existence. It is believed that Kappa...
Posted in Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment, Creatures and Monsters, Mythology and Mysteries, Paranormal | 2 Comments »
Kandarohi (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Vajra Yogini, Kandarohi and Dorje Shugden. Deity: Kandarohi (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Dumkyema (Tibetan) Kandarohi is red in colour and is one of the Four Heroines of the Cardinal Directions within Vajra Yogini’s mandala. She is associated with the western direction. The Four Heroines are part of the 36...
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Brahma (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Brahma and Dorje Shugden Deity: Brahma Alternative name: Tsangpa (Tibetan) Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and hence, he is the first god in the triumvirate or Trimurti. The Trimurti consists of Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. In Hindu cosmology, these three...
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Hevajra (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Hevajra and Dorje Shugden Deity: Hevajra Alternative name: Kye Dorje (Tibetan) Hevajra is one of the main Anuttarayoga Tantra meditational deities of Tibetan Buddhism, especially within the Sakya tradition in which his practice is given great importance. Within Anuttarayoga Tantra, his practice belongs to the set of Mother...
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Mahakala Bernagchen (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Mahakala Bernagchen and Dorje Shugden Deity: Mahakala Bernagchen (Sanskrit / Tibetan) Alternative name: Black Cloak Mahakala (English) This form of Mahakala is called Bernagchen and he is the personal protector of the Karmapas, the heads of the Karma Kagyu tradition. His name literally means ‘The Black Cloak’...
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Heruka Vajrasattva (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Heruka Vajrasattva and Dorje Shugden Deity: Heruka Vajrasattva (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Dorje Sempa Yab Yum (Tibetan) Vajrasattva, depicted in sacred union with his consort, is a Tantric meditational deity. His practice, particularly utilised in Anuttarayoga Tantric cycles such as Guhyasamaja, Hevajra and Chakrasamvara, is used specifically for...
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Mahasiddha Krsnacharya (Main figure) Deity: Heruka Chakrasamvara (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Khorlo Demchog (Tibetan) Heruka is the principal deity of the Chakrasmavara Tantras. He is a meditational Buddha of the Highest Yoga Tantra classification, which means that his practice has the potential to bring us directly towards enlightenment within one lifetime. Heruka’s practice uniquely utilises...
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Sengdongma (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Sengdongma and Dorje Shugden Deity: Sengdongma (Tibetan) Alternative names: Simhamukha (Sanskrit); Lion-Faced Dakini (English) The great ferocious dakini Sengdongma is an impressive female meditational deity. Within the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug traditions, Sengdongma arises from the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras and is considered to be one of the...
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Mahasiddha Tantipa (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Uddhapada Vajra Yogini, Mahasiddha Tantipa and Dorje Shugden Deity: Uddhapada Vajra Yogini (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Maitri Kachari (Sanskrit) This form of Vajrayogini extends all the way back to the great Indian Mahasiddha Maitripa. She is known as Uddhapada Vajra Yogini or ‘One Leg Up’ Vajra Yogini. Her...
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Vajradaka (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Vajradaka and Dorje Shugden Deity: Vajradaka (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Dorje Kandro (Tibetan) Vajradaka is a deity of purification and his practice originates from the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras. His ritual involves the use of a brazier in the shape of the deity and several specific meditations involving purification...
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Tathagata God of the Water Deities (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Tathagata God of the Water Deities and Dorje Shugden Deity: Tathagata God of the Water Deities (English) Alternative name: Varunadeva (Sanskrit), Chu Lha Yi Lha (Tibetan) The Tathagata God of the Water Deities is mentioned in the Mahayana Sutra of the Three Superior...
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Prajnaparamita (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Prajnaparamita and Dorje Shugden Deity: Prajnaparamita (Sanskrit) Alternative names: Yum Chenmo; Sherab Ki Pharol Tu Trin Pa (Tibetan) Prajnaparamita literally means ’Perfection of Wisdom’ in Sanskrit and this refers to perfect non-conceptual wisdom, the last of the Six Perfections; the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, with its central theme...
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Nairatmya (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Nairatmya and Dorje Shugden Deity: Nairatmya (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Damema (Tibetan) Nairatmya is the yogini consort of Hevajra as described within the Hevajra Tantra. The name in Sanskrit literally means “she who has no self (atman)”. Therefore, she is the embodiment of the Buddhist philosophical concept of anatman...
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Vajra Yogini (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Vajra Yogini and Dorje Shugden Deity: Naro Kechari Vajra Yogini (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Dorje Neljorma (Tibetan) This form of Vajra Yogini arose from a pure vision beheld by the Indian Mahasiddha Naropa, hence her name Naro Kechari (or Naropa’s Dakini). This form of Vajra Yogini and her...
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Mahasiddha Naropa and Niguma (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Niguma, Mahasiddha Naropa, Vajra Yogini and Dorje Shugden. Deity: Mahasiddha Naropa (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Panchen Naropa (Tibetan) The Mahasiddha Naropa was, in his time, one of the highest Buddhist scholars in the land of India and was made one of the Gatekeepers of Nalanda Monastery,...
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Janguli (Main figure) (Top to bottom): Janguli and Dorje Shugden Deity: Janguli (Sanskrit) Alternative name: Dugselma (Tibetan) The historical Buddha Shakyamuni was the first to reveal the mantra of Janguli, a goddess who protects against snake bites and all manner of poison. Snakes like other wild and dangerous animals can be overcome by the...
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