The Double Dorje: Modern Vajrayana Buddhism.

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

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) Dorje Chang Dudjom Tersar Gampopa Guru Rinpoche Jamgon Kongtrul Karma Kagyu Karma Kamtsang Longchen Nyingtig Mala Mandala Meru Milarepa Naropa Ngondro Nyingma Shakyamuni Torch of Certainty Vajrasattva Yuthok #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 Vajrayogini Asura cave Sheshnarayan Guru Rinpoche Kudung #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 Tibetan Book of the Dead Bardo Thodol 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 Vajravarahi Boudha Swyambhu Sankhu Kathmandu #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 Daka Khandroma Phawo Chenrezi Amitabha Samantabhadra / Samantabhadri Thomas Traherne Samantabhadra Samantabhadri Vajravarahi Yeshe Tsogyal Guru Rinpoche   #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 Dudjom Rinpoche Terma, terton Vajrayogini Yamantaka Hevajra Cakrasamvara Shiné #Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #terma #Dudjom

The two certain things in life are, famously, death and taxes. If you are rich enough, you may be able to mitigate your tax liability, but death cannot be bought off. How do Buddhists handle it? Episode includes the Prayer for Rebirth in Dewachen. Words or phrases you might want to look up: Pashupatinath Naropa Tilopa Dewachen Amitabha Dzogchen Link to that file: Link to the Dewachen Prayer (pdf) Burning ghats at Pashupatinath #Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #death

Tsok pujas are a big feature of Tibetan-style Buddhism as it is actually practiced, but newcomers often don't have a blind clue what's going on - explanations are hard to find. So here is a rundown with a bit of background and a few tips. Now there's a fancy torma!   Words or phrases you might want to look up: Tsok, tsogs, tshog etc. Ganacakra, ganapuja, tsok puja ཚོགས (transliterated tshogs) Sangha Guru Rinpoche Torma Benchen Jigme Lingpa   #Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #torma #tsok #tsog #tshogs #JigmeLingpa

When secret teachings are spoken of in Tibetan Buddhism, the word "secret" is much closer in meaning to "sacred" or "holy" than it is to the meaning of "unknown to outsiders". When the 15th Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje, refers to the Mani, the most famous mantra of all, as a "secret" mantra, we know the word has meanings quite different from what we might expect.   A dorje and bell with an unusual design   Here are some words or phrases you might want to look up: Dorje Vajrayana Mahamudra Dzogchen Mala Dudjom Rinpoche Ekajati   #Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #secret #secrecy Note that other distribution platforms do not usually pass the transcript on, and if you want to read it you may need to listen on podbean. YouTube has been making its own transcript, which was an unholy mess.  I think I have now deleted all of these "auto-generated" scripts, but it will not be possible to retrospectively add properly edited transcripts to episodes prior to September 2024.

How does pilgrimage fit into the Buddhist way of doing things? Plus the Guru Rinpoche mantra sung to a tune you might not have expected. Words or phrases you might want to look up: Walsingham Hajj Kumbh Mela Lumbini Bodh Gaya Sarnath Kuśinagara Vajrayana Dorje Sempa (Vajrasattva) Kailash Jokhang Guru Rinpoche #Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #pilgrimage #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu Chöd - a vast stream of Buddhist practice! Here is a taste.   Chöd Chödpa - (images of) Jamgön Kongtrül Treasury of Knowledge Rimé Sakya Kadampa Kagyu (Marpa and Shangpa) Nyingma Kalachakra Machig Labdrön - Machik’s Complete Explanation Phadampa Sangye Dakini Damaru Karma Kagyu Dudjom Tersar Yeshe Dorje (Rainmaker) #Buddhism #Vajrayana #Tibet #DoubleDorje #chöd #mantra #meditation #nyingma #kagyu In the early weeks of this podcast I included an approximate script, not particularly well edited, on a blog page. For the episode dropped on 4 September entitled “Bad gurus, tosh gurus and good gurus” and for episodes due to be dropped from 18 September onwards, starting with “Jyekundo / Yushu: travelling in East Tibet” there is a transcript file which is much closer to the actual words used. Note that other distribution platforms do not necessarily pass this on, and if you want to read it you may need to listen on podbean. YouTube has been making its own transcript, which was an unholy mess.  I think I have now deleted all of these "auto-generated" scripts, but it will not be possible to retrospectively add properly edited transcripts to episodes prior to September 2024.