The Double Dorje: Modern Vajrayana Buddhism.

Confession is a big thing in Buddhist practice. But there is no priest to forgive your sins on God's behalf. It is more nuanced than that. 

Shop like a Buddhist! Majnu Ka Tilla is the wellspring of Buddhist art for the Tibetan world.

Horror, violence and disgusting soup in Tibetan-style Buddhism. Why don't they get as much attention as sex? Why is it obvious that these things are not for performance "as written", but some people assume that the sexual aspects are? Something to think about! #Buddhism #Tibet #Vajrayana #Horror

If you do Vajrayana, you will say these syllables again and again. And again. What do they look like? What do they mean? Why does it matter?

Dos, don'ts, and who cares (some do) about wearing the red-and-white striped "Ngagpa shawl".

A crucial text for the mahamudra tradition of, in particular, the Kagyu traditions descended from Marpa the Translator

Season 2 is coming soon

Final episode of Season One! Groping towards the dharma in the midlands of England in the 1960s. Bookworm paradise: Birmingham Central Library as it was then: Words or phrases you might want to look up (in no particular order, and some best forgotten!): Man, Myth and Magic (magazine) Gurdjieff PD Ouspensky Paul Brunton Anagarika Govinda Edward Conze Alexandra David-Neel Evans-Wentz Christmas Humphreys Marco Pallis Waddel’s “Lamaism: Buddhism of Tibet” Lobsang Rampa H P Blavatsky   #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma

Note: the next episode, no 44, will be the last of Season 1. Season 2 is in the works! Buddhism is all about simplicity, isn’t it? Well, no, at least not when it comes to Tibetan style Buddhism. The very essence may be simple, but typical practice makes use of an enormous amount of kit - malas, dorjes, bells, hand-drums large and small, trumpets, vases, conch shells... As beginners, we may well be tempted to start collecting some of those magical bits and pieces, but if we’re not careful we end up with a lot of clutter on our table, and little idea of what to do with it. Is any of this necessary, and how much of it is even useful?   Mala with counters, dorje and bell And more: Words or phrases you might want to look up: Mala Mala counter strings and clips Mandala plate with/without rings Dorje and bell Damaru Kangling   #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma #Dorje

Termas and tertons – spiritual treasures and their finders – are an inescapable feature of some branches of Tibetan Buddhism. Come along for the magical ride! A phurbu   A ngagpa, undoubtedly a practitioner of termas. Note the phurbu tucked into his belt. Words or phrases you might want to look up: Terma Terton Nyingma Dudjom Jamyang Khyentse Jamgon Kongtrul The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, its Fundamentals and History by Dudjom Rinpoche Hidden Teachings of Tibet by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche The Life and Teaching of Chokgyur Lingpa #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma #Terma #Terton #Dudjom    

Most traditions of Buddhist practice have nothing that resembles the tulku tradition. In the Tibetan traditions, you can’t get away from them. What are they? And what are they good for? Karma Pakshi, one of the first tulkus.   Words or phrases you might want to look up: Tulku, emanation body, transformation body Three bodies of the Buddha (kusum, trikaya) Karmapa Karma Pakshi The Second Karmapa Karma Pakshi: Tibetan Mahasiddha Jamgon Kongtrul   #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Mahamudra #Dzogchen

Come with me over the plains of Amdo in a little blue and white bus 30 years ago. We have a couple of dozen pilgrims, two Chinese drivers and a supply of diamox. Should be fine! Stupa at Benchen   Words or phrases you might want to look up: Amdo Kham Benchen Tsurphu Lhasa #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Mahamudra #Dzogchen

Some verses you'll hear again and again. Not a definitive list – there ain’t no such thing. But if you know these by heart and can join the recitation at the drop of a hat, you will achieve one great thing: you will look good! The "Three Jewels" (I don't know who to credit - it's all over the 'net) The Refuge formula: Lama la kyab su chi o ‘I go for refuge to the lama.’ Sangye la kyab su chi o ‘I go for refuge to the Buddha.’ Chö la kyab su chi o ‘I go for refuge to the Dharma.’ Gendün la kyab su chi o ‘I go for refuge to the Sangha.’ Some words or phrases you might want to look up: Bodhicaryāvatāra Śāntideva #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Refuge #Bodhicitta

Q: Is the lama your boss? Big daddy? Friend? Mate? Therapist? A: Mostly not Then what?   Words or phrases you might want to look up: Jamgon Kongtrul Treasury of Knowledge Longchen Rabjampa   #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Lama Longchen Rabjampa, one of the most famous Nyingma Lamas.  

Empowerments – what happens? You’ve been to a Buddhist ceremony. Perhaps you knew it was an empowerment. Whatever does that mean? Are you cooked? Words or phrases you might want to look up: Einweihung Ermaechtigung, Ermächtigungsgesetz Wang Lung Tri Khata The seed-syllable HRIH

Or are you a vajrayana practitioner? Is it a question of rites and rituals and pictures and mantras? Or is it something deeper? Empowerment card showing a vajra   Words or phrases you might want to look up: Vajrayana Samaya Dorje Sempa Tsog (or tsok) Guru Rinpoche Dakini   #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Samaya

Namo Buddha - the smallest, but perhaps most beautiful, of the three stupas of the Kathmandu valley: Where the Buddha is said to have sacrificed himself to a tigress: And where this temple, study and retreat centre now stands: Words you might like to look up: Namo Buddha Thrangu Rinpoche Bon (form of Buddhism, sort of) #Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #NamoBuddha #Tigress

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: Dzogchen Mahamudra Chagchen Arhat Naropa Marpa the Translator Maitripa, Maitripada Rushen Sakya Pandita, Sapan Gampopa Trekchod (many spellings!) Togyal (also many spellings) David Jackson, “Enlightenment by a Single Means” #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: Guru Rinpoche Seven Line Prayer Mani mantra Tara Guru Chowang 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: Perfection of Wisdom Shunyata (spellings in English vary) Prajnaparamita (spellings in English vary) Skandhas William Dalrymple - “From the Holy Mountain” Tetralemma Vajra slivers Prajñaparamita (sutras) Tathagata Edward Conze Manjushri 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