An hour with Lok Chitrakar can scarcely pay due respect to the artistic heritage and legacy he embodies. Yet, in that short time, we navigated the essential aspects of Paubhā painting with as much depth as possible.

His humility, kindness, and heartfelt openness reminded us that the artistic expression of Dharmic qualities and awakened beings draws upon a vast and inexhaustible treasury of Buddhist iconography and symbolism, one that continues to inspire and nourish the imagination across generations.

Simrik Atelier: https://www.simrikaterlier.com

https://www.instagram.com/chitrakarlok?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

With Dr B we explore the world of singing bowls and bells …

Find her on FB https://www.facebook.com/buathon

Series 2, Ep 15: In this episode, author Prof.Shiva Rijal, from Tribhuvan University, unpacks some aspects of urban spaces in Kathmandu Valley in general and how the evolution of such spaces could prevent loss of heritage and sacredness.

We sat down together, the day prior to the ceremony that saw the new PM of Nepal being sworn in - Mr Balendra Shah, a structural engineer by profession, former Mayor of Kathmandu and a rapper by hobby. Our conversation closes with a few insights that hopefully will be heard by the new government in place.

Series 2 Episode 14 - Strange and dramatic times require a calm mind but how to keep it???

Here are some impromptu reflections recorded after a conversation with a friend.

Series 2 - Episode 13

Jiryu- full conversation

What does it take to leave a job as a Fintech AI engineer and step into the heart of Zen? What do you think it takes? 


It's not an option in a rational, conventional way. It rather means that something has spurred from the inside, that practice has reached a tipping point, a growing edge, and that some deeper switch is required in the unconventional way, probably for good.

listen 


www.danderan.com

Trailer - Bonus content:

The Heart of Zen -

A conversation with Soto Zen priest Jiryu - after his journeys in Japan.

www.daderan.com

Buddha’s Words on Loving Kindness : closing chant of Maha sangha dana day - Bodhgaya Feb2 2026

Gratitude Chants to receive a meal - Theravada tradition

Bodhgaya February 2026

Gratitude chants to receive a meal in Buddhist traditions of Mahayana and Vajrayana.

Bodhgaya February 2026

Series 2 - Episode 11

A wide-ranging Dharma conversation and a kind of follow up episode, with Josh of Integrating presence we discuss types of identity and self-exploration(e.g., shaved-head practice as a lay 8-precept holder despite no longer living monastically), then pivot to the viral Walk for Peace—a 120-day, ~2,300-mile pilgrimage by ~18–26 Vietnamese/Theravada-aligned Buddhist monastics from Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. (started October 26, 2025; expected end mid-February 2026). Accompanied by rescue dog Aloka, they promote inner peace, compassion, non-harming, and healing through meditative walking (inspired by traditional Tudong with an engaged-Buddhism focus), drawing thousands of supporters, media attention, and occasional challenges (e.g., confrontations with preachers, a traffic accident injuring monastics).

Key themes include:

• Inner peace as the foundation for outer peace (start within via mind training, resolving inner conflict before external action).
• The Brahma Viharas (loving-kindness/metta, compassion/karuna, sympathetic joy/mudita, equanimity/upekkha—sometimes reframed as resilience) as tools for relating to self/others and dissolving the three poisons (or poisonous roots of greed, hatred/ill will, delusion).
• Non-duality as interdependence, seeing self/other reflections, loosening grasping/stickiness to stories and identity (anatta/non-self), while avoiding pitfalls like “idiot compassion” (over-giving without boundaries/dignity) or spiritual bypassing.
• Paradoxes in practice (conventional vs. ultimate reality; restriction vs. freedom; empathy vs. action).
• Practical applications: ethical precepts for merit/wishes fulfilled, spatial/situational awareness, breath-focused meditation (e.g., resting in natural awareness at breath pauses), middle way balance (avoid extremes), contentment/freedom from distractions (including digital ones), compassion even for flawed leaders/politicians by separating person from defilements.
• Modern concerns: AI/delusion risks, generational tech shifts, accelerating change, need for lineage verification, open inquiry (ehipassiko: come and see for yourself), and preserving authentic Dharma amid impermanence.
• Inspirations: Bodhgaya as unifying pilgrimage site across traditions; merit of hearing Dharma; freedom from (vs. freedom to); contentment with little.