Mahamudra and dzogchen are often spoken of as the “highest” practices of Tibetan Buddhism. How very exciting! Are they really? What does “highest” mean anyway? And what is the difference between mahamudra and dzogchen?

Milarepa, who received Mahamudra teachings from Marpa the Translator

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Mahamudra

Beside the best-known mantras used in popular Tibetan-style Buddhism – the famous “Mani”, Tara and Guru Rinpoche for example – there are a number of prayers which are also very widely known and used. The “Seven Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche” is one of these.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

The link to the prayer at Lotsawa House:

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/guru-chowang/seven-line-prayer

Nangsid Zilnon - a form of Guru Rinpoche

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #SevenLines #GuruRinpoche

Emptiness (shunyata, or tongpa in Tibetan) is an utterly core theme in Buddhist teaching. When we first hear about it, we usually don’t have much idea what it’s about at all. We may mistake it for some kind of void, or a teaching that nothing matters because “everything is empty”. Can we get a handle on it without years of study?

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

I noticed that the language of Conze's translations that I quoted is gendered in a way we would probably not be comfortable with these days. Do remember that he was working on these materials in the middle of the last century.

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Emptiness #Shunyata #Prajnaparamita

Prajnaparamita as the Mother of all the Buddhas

And I forgot to mention in the podcast itself, none other than...

Nagarjuna

When you start to get “serious” (whatever that is and however you try to define it) about your vajrayana practice you will face the question of the “preliminaries” or “foundation practices”. Best to be warned about what’s involved. And it would be good to have an idea of what this ngondro is good for.

Prostrating - again and again!

Offering mandalas

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• “Words of my Perfect Teacher” (book)

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Ngondro #FoundationPractices #PreliminaryPractices

A powerful Vajrayogini shrine, Guru Rinpoche caves, and much, much more. Pharping is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Kathmandu valley.

A shorter episode, but with a nice bit of a flute tune!

The Vajrayogini Temple at Pharping and the fairy-cake stupa

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• Pharping

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Vajrayogini #Nepal #DoubleDorje #Pharping #GuruRinpoche

What does the “Tibetan Book of the Dead” tell us about being dead? Will we see the Peaceful and Wrathful deities?

• Bardo

The 42 Peaceful Deities of the Bardo

The 58 Wrathful Deities of the Bardo

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #Bardo #TibetanBookOfTheDead

The fruit of our actions – our karma – is said to be unavoidable. Sooner or later, every action comes back to us. But that does not mean that everything that happens to us is predetermined.

Bonus speculation on the fundamental nature of reality!

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

Karma

Jewel Ornament of Liberation

Words of my Perfect Teacher

A Lamp Illuminating the Path to Liberation / Khenpo Gyaltsen

Kepler

Newton

“The Sage, the Lady and the Fish”

The Wheel of Becoming, driven by karma

The book!

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #Karma

She was a new bride, but for the help she gave I call her a princess! The pilgrimage trip to the Vajrayogini shrine at Sankhu could have been a LOT, LOT worse.

The Welcome Gate at Sankhu town

The damaged main temple at the top

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• Vajrayogini

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #Boudha #Sankhu #Kathmandu #Vajrayogini

In dreams, in the wild, dark woods where reality starts to break apart and become entangled in vision, where fear and ecstasy dance and sing, you may meet the dakini. Is she your mother, your lover, your friend? Will she cast you out or invite you to join the dance?

Yeshe Tsogyal

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• Dakini

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #dakini #Khandroma #Nyingma

From monster practice cycles that need a whole Dharma Centre to work through in a year to the handful of practices an individual carries out daily. What are practice cycles for?

Is 550 pages enough?

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• Dudjom Lingpa

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #terma #Dudjom