Tea House: Interviews, Commentary, Reviews, Poetry
About Animals
Animals are sentient beings other than humans. The Buddha classified animals as being either born from eggs, from the womb, from water or spontaneously born.
Thubten Norbu Ling - Santa Fe
Buddhistdoor Global (BDG)
108 Verses Praising Great Compassion By Lama Lobsang Tayang
This translation of 108 Verses Praising is of the renowned Mongolian Lama Lobsang Tayang's work. He was a highly esteemed interpreter of the Gelugpa tradition, and his writings cover a wide range of Tibetan literature, Tantra, logic and philosophy.
About Lama Lobsang Tayang
Geshe Lobsang Tayang was born in 1867 in the Gobi desert, was renowned for his vast knowledge of Buddhism. He was compared to the Indian pandit Ashvagosha, author of the “50 Verses .
The Spiritual Athlete’s Path to Enlightenment
Throughout this world, there are many mysterious and amazing feats that can be found. People are capable of doing most incredible things that we have never deemed possible.
Only by truly believing in ourselves can we accomplish what were thought as impossible goals.
Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei
In Mount Hiei of Japan, there can be found a small group of monks who live in a monastery and can accomplish many remarkable challenges. This mountain had .
The Ancient Town of Panauti and its Heritage
Panauti is one of the oldest towns in Nepal situated at the confluence of the two rivers Punyamata and Rosi. Legend has it that a third invisible river also meets with the two rivers, making it a Triveni (a scared place where three rivers meet). Many believe Panauti was named after the Punyamata river. Moreover, Panauti has been called by different names throughout history like Punyawati, Punyamatinagar, Panchal desh, Punanti and Palaati.
The Ancient Town
The .
13th Karmapa Dudul Dorje
Dudul Dorje is known as 13th Karmapa. Dudul Dorje is able to teach the word of the Buddha to both humans and animals. He was the head of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism.
Dudul Dorje was born in Champa Drongsar and recognized by Gyaltsab Rinpoche at the age of four. He received an education in the monastery from the age of eight by both the Kagyu and the Nyingma schools. Dudul Dorje became head of .
The Legend of Manjushree and the Mystical Paleo Kathmandu Lake
Manjushree meaning “gentle glory” is often perceived as a divine being who brought order to the Kathmandu valley when it was a Paleo Kathmandu Lake, by cutting down the Chobhar gorge, draining out the water and making the land suitable for life.
Even more intriguing is the way he did it, by using a supernatural armament, a sword of godly might, cutting the valley into two. On the historical side of affairs, there are .
Bhavachakra: Wheel of Life in Tibetan Art
The wheel of life has also termed the Wheel of becoming or the Bhava chakra. The wheel of life is the mandala which represents the complex pictures of Buddhist views of the universe. Buddhists believe that the existence of the cycle of our life, death, rebirth, and sufferings seeks to escape together as a whole.
According to Buddhism, the wheel of life is divided into five or six states or realms, into which a soul .
Sitatapatra – Goddess of the White Parasol
Sitatapatra is known as a protector against supernatural danger in Buddhism. She is venerated in both the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. She is also known as Usnisa Sitatapatra.
Sitatapatra is a powerful independent deity emanated by Gautama Buddha from his Usnisa.
Sitatapatra is known as Sanskrit Dug Kar mo in Tibet. and Sitatapatra is also known as The White Parasol, Crown Ornament of the Buddha in English.
Iconography of Sitatapatra
Sitatapatra is white in color with 1000 faces, .
All about Wisdom Protector – Mahakala
Mahakala is a male Buddhist tantric deity. He is the protector deity known as a Dharmapala in Vajrayana Buddhism, especially most Tibetan traditions, in Tangmi and in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism.
Maha literally translates as great and Kala signifies time or death, hence Mahakala means "beyond the time" or "Great Black One".
Mahakala is a protector deity and specifically the primary Wisdom Protector of Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism. In some cases, Mahakala can also be a meditational .
Charity and perfection of giving in Buddhism
The spirit of true charity is to offer something without expecting anything reciprocally for the gift. If a person expects some material benefit to arise from his gift, he/she is only performing an act of bartering and not charity.
A charitable person shouldn't make people feel indebted to him or use charity to control over them. He/she should not even expect others to be grateful, for most people are forgetful though not necessarily ungrateful. The .
All you need to know about 100-knots carpets
Tibetan carpet making is one of the traditional ancient crafts. Those carpets are traditionally made from Tibetan Highland sheep’s wool called changpen. Tibetan carpets, were first used for secular, utilitarian purposes, and therefore allowed for a greater range of artistic expression. For hundreds of years, Tibetans have used carpets for decorative and functional purposes, drawing upon geometric patterns, auspicious symbols, real and mythical animals, and natural imagery to create beautiful, colorful designs and subject .