Mahamudra
Tara and Machig Labdron
At the age of fourty-one, Machig Labdron stayed in a retreat cave in Chipug which was blessed for practice. On the fourth day of the last month of spring, in the middle of the night, the majestic Lady Tara appeared, surrounded by numerous dakinis. She bestowed on Machig the four initiations of the five primordial
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Dzogchen
Prayer of Compassion following London Bombing
May the lives of ailing sentient beings be extended and made meaningful.May those who are suffering from hunger or thirst obtain sustenance,Those who are afflicted by external fears become fearless,And everything that beings desire be granted exactly as they wish.May all sentient beings do good and swiftly attain enlightenment.May those in power rule with justice,Governments
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Mahamudra Mahayana Theravada Vajrayana
How Mantras Work
I thought I’d post on the nature of mantras and how they work, as I’ve recently responded to a question asking this on a Dharma list …. Firstly though, I’d like to say that I wholeheartedly agree with the suggestions already made that the way to truly find out what mantras are and how they
General Buddhism
Live 8 and Dharma
The most powerful moment of the concerts for me was when Madonna brought on the Ethiopian woman who had last been seen as a blighted, starving child in a video shown at the Live Aid concerts 20 years ago. It seemed inconceivable that the terrible wretch in the video was now the radiant and stunningly
Mahamudra
Meditation on Mind
I thought I’d share some experiences in meditation ….. The Ocean and the Waves …. thoughts are like gossamer ripples on the surface of the ocean. Waves are not something other than the ocean. They are just an aspect of it, not different in nature. Thoughts kinda ripple on the surface of it. Really fragile
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Mahamudra
Flickering in the Wind
It is said that trying to see the nature of mind without first training the mind in resting (or Shamatha) is like trying to see around an old dark room which is only lit by a candle which is flickering wildly in the wind. How hard is it to see things, and even when we
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Mahamudra
Mind Moving and Mind Still
If both the moving and the calm aspects of the mind are the same, then why should we meditate and learn to reach the calm aspect? Responses on a Dharma list In an important sense, both aspects are not the same. From the relative point of view, are they the same? Do they both appear
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Mahayana
Hospital Dharma
Hi there, just a quick post (and unusually personal post) to say that I’ve been in hospital for a week due to a slipped disc. It’s been a painful time, to say the least, but at least one which gave me much time for reflection. It was very sad being in the hospital – there
Zen
Reflections on Ryokan – At Night, Deep in the Mountains
At night, deep in the mountains I sit in zazen. The affairs of men never reach me here. In the stillness I sit on a cushion across from the empty window. The incense has been swallowed up by the endless night; My robe has become a garment of white dew. Unable to sleep, I walk
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