The story of one of the first western female lamas in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. From a young woman praying to find her teacher, to founding the Sukhasiddhi Foundation, Lama Palden shares highlights from the journey she traveled to become a Buddhist teacher. She is the resident lama of Sukhasiddhi Foundation and a pioneer in [...]]]>

The story of one of the first western female lamas in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. From a young woman praying to find her teacher, to founding the Sukhasiddhi Foundation, Lama Palden shares highlights from the journey she traveled to become a Buddhist teacher. She is the resident lama of Sukhasiddhi Foundation and a pioneer in helping to make the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism accessible for Westerners. See part 2. To view the entire video in HD: www.sukhasiddhi.org

Kwan Yin is one of the most universally beloved of deities in the Buddhist tradition. Also known as Kuan Yin, Quan Yin, Quan’Am (Vietnam), Kannon (Japan), and Kanin (Bali), She is the embodiment of compassionate loving kindness. As the Bodhisattva of Compassion, She hears the cries of all beings. For more Information visit: sunshineofthesoul.com

www.thaiamuletsales.com At www.ThaiAmuletSales.com we purchase every amulet, necklace, bracelet, yant cloth, t-shirt, and sticker directly from Buddhist temples close to our home. All of our items are 100% authentic because there is no middle man – we buy direct, and give 10% back to the temple after a sale. Free Shipping and a Free necklace [...]]]>

www.thaiamuletsales.com At www.ThaiAmuletSales.com we purchase every amulet, necklace, bracelet, yant cloth, t-shirt, and sticker directly from Buddhist temples close to our home. All of our items are 100% authentic because there is no middle man – we buy direct, and give 10% back to the temple after a sale. Free Shipping and a Free necklace and 2 blessed Buddhist bracelets with each order. Kwan Yin is the goddess of compassion. This is the 1000 hand posture that she is typically shown in. The gold on this case is dazzling – it is 18-22K – and the detail in the amulet is quite nice – so we bought a few of these gold, and 1 of the white – the only one they had. Kwan Yin is also known as Gwan Yin, Gwan Im, Kwan Im, Quan Yin, and other spellings. We do not have these Kwan Yin amulets on the site yet – but we will shortly.

Recited by Lama Kunga Choedak. Tilopa’s Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa in twenty Eight Verses was transmitted by the Great Guru and Mahasiddha Tilopa to the Kashmiri Pandit, Sage and Siddha, Naropa, near the banks of the River Ganga upon the completion of his Twelve Austerities. Naropa transmitted the teaching in Sanskrit in the form of [...]]]>

Recited by Lama Kunga Choedak. Tilopa’s Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa in twenty Eight Verses was transmitted by the Great Guru and Mahasiddha Tilopa to the Kashmiri Pandit, Sage and Siddha, Naropa, near the banks of the River Ganga upon the completion of his Twelve Austerities. Naropa transmitted the teaching in Sanskrit in the form of twenty eight verses to the great Tibetan translator Mar pa Chos kyi blos gros, who made a free translation of it at his village of Pulahari on the Tibet – Bhutan border. This text is contained in the collection of Mahamudra instruction called the Do ha mdzod brgyad ces bya ba Phyag rgya chen po’i man ngag gsal bar ston pa’i gzhung, which is printed at the Gyalwa Karmapa’s monastery at Rumtek, Sikkim. The Tibetan title is Phyag rgya chen po’i man ngag, or Phyag rgya chen po rdo rje’i tsig rkang nyi shu rtsa brgyad pa. Tilopa (Prakrit; Sanskrit: Talika or Tilopada) (988–1069) was born in either Chativavo (Chittagong), Bengal or Jagora, Bengal in India.[1] He was a tantric practitioner and mahasiddha. He developed the mahamudra (Tibetan: phyag rgya chen po) method, a set of spiritual practices that greatly accelerates the process of attaining bodhi (enlightenment). He is regarded as the human founder of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.[2] Tilopa was born into the brahmin (priestly) caste[1] — according to some sources, a royal family — but he adopted the monastic life upon receiving orders from a dakini[2] (female buddha whose …

ANCHOR: What follows is a day at a Japanese Zen temple. Buddhist monks and nuns from all over the globe get up at dawn for early morning sutra reading. Let’s take a look. STORY: The Bukkokuji Zen Temple lies in the mountains of western Japan. Foreigners account for half of the monks and nuns boarding [...]]]>

ANCHOR: What follows is a day at a Japanese Zen temple. Buddhist monks and nuns from all over the globe get up at dawn for early morning sutra reading. Let’s take a look. STORY: The Bukkokuji Zen Temple lies in the mountains of western Japan. Foreigners account for half of the monks and nuns boarding at the temple. After chanting scriptures, the Buddhist monks have breakfast together in complete silence. The temple’s Zen Master was a kamikaze pilot before he entered the world of Zen. [Rev. Tangen Harada, Japanese Zen Master]: (male, japanese) “No matter whether you’re a Japanese or a foreigner, such differences are something superficial. We don’t even care here about where people come from.” Shirley Helvey is from the United States. She became a Buddhist nun after she lost her husband ten years ago. She’s been living at this Zen temple for four years now, under her new name of ‘Somyo.’ [Shirley Helvey-Somyo, American Buddhist Nun]: (female, english) “It’s very much of a routine. Every day is like the day before. We have certain days that are celebrations and things, but other than that, each day is very, very routine.” Tzeela Irwin is a Buddhist nun from Israel. [Tzeela Irwin-Jishin, Israeli Buddhist Nun]: (female, english) “Before, I was getting homesick sometimes and would miss my friends, the foods and the weather, but now, no. This is my home now.”

Chanting by Kunze Mongolian

Gankar Tulku Rinpoche is a celebrated Tibetan spiritual leader and head of the Dzidugon Monastery in Eastern Tibet. At the age of four he was formally recognized as the third incarnation of Gankar Tulku, the great master of the Dzidugon Monastery, whose second incarnation was killed in the atrocities committed by the Chinese after they [...]]]>

Gankar Tulku Rinpoche is a celebrated Tibetan spiritual leader and head of the Dzidugon Monastery in Eastern Tibet. At the age of four he was formally recognized as the third incarnation of Gankar Tulku, the great master of the Dzidugon Monastery, whose second incarnation was killed in the atrocities committed by the Chinese after they invaded Tibet in 1950. At five, Gankar Tulku Rinpoche was ordained a novice monk, and his care and education were entrusted to a great Buddhist master, Tara Tulku Rinpoche. At ten, he entered Drepung Loseling, the largest Buddhist monastery in the world, where many of the greatest Buddhist scholars have been trained. When he was twenty-one, he was ordained by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. In 1996 he was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest academic honor attainable in Buddhism. He has completed his advanced studies at the Gyuto Tantric University, graduating with the highest honors, and now continues studying directly under His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Rinpoche is presently based in India at the Drepung Loseling University but travels extensively throughout Asia, Europe, and North America and has lead tours with both the Drepung Loseling Monks and Gyuto Monks. He is the founder and director of Khacholing Center in Minnesota and Tardo Ling Center in San Francisco, he serves as an advisor for the Manjushri Institute Of Buddhist Studies and continues to work for the rebuilding of the Dzindu Monastery in Tibet. Spreading messages of …

Green Tara & White Tara are the most important female Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism. See here how to draw and paint the beautiful Tara according to the Tibetan Buddhist thangka paintings (traditional scroll paintings). For more information on Thangka courses go to www.tibetanthangkapainting.com

www.nomadicsamuel.com Monasticism is one of the most fundamental institutions of Buddhism. Monks and nuns are responsible for preserving and spreading Buddhist teachings, as well as educating and guiding Buddhist lay followers. Collectively, the ordained male and female Buddhist monastics constitute the Buddhist sangha. Monastic institutions and missions became vehicles for the spread of literacy and [...]]]>

www.nomadicsamuel.com Monasticism is one of the most fundamental institutions of Buddhism. Monks and nuns are responsible for preserving and spreading Buddhist teachings, as well as educating and guiding Buddhist lay followers. Collectively, the ordained male and female Buddhist monastics constitute the Buddhist sangha. Monastic institutions and missions became vehicles for the spread of literacy and culture throughout the ancient world and held an important place in promoting charitable causes, building libraries, hospitals, schools, and universities. We see this in the Mauryan, where Emperor Ashoka builds rest houses for weary travelers, free hospitals for both people and animals, and wells and helped monasteries become institutions of learning such as Nalanda University and Vikramshila. During the Tang Dynasty the monasteries fostered artistic creativity, cared for the sick, old, and orphaned, and ran community development projects such as developing roads and building bridges and wells. Even today, in Southeast Asia, many monasteries serve as free accommodations, retirement homes, and homes for the homeless or chronically ill. Poor families frequently use monasteries as hostels. They serve as village libraries and centers of news and information, and the surplus money is used to make schools. The Buddhist monastic order is theoretically divided into two assemblies, the male bhikkhu (Pali, Skt. bhikshu) assembly, and the female bhikkhuni (Skt. bhikshuni) assembly …

We had the great honor of having Shundo Aoyama personally perform our wedding ceremony in 2004. Here is a descripton of her book. It can be found quite easily on line just google “Zen Seeds” Buddhist weddings are not that common in Japan today. They are usually Shinto, western style or Jinzen which means no [...]]]>

We had the great honor of having Shundo Aoyama personally perform our wedding ceremony in 2004. Here is a descripton of her book. It can be found quite easily on line just google “Zen Seeds” Buddhist weddings are not that common in Japan today. They are usually Shinto, western style or Jinzen which means no religion style. Shundo Aoyama is well known in Japan as a writer and lecturer on Buddhism. She is the chief priest of the temple Muryo-ji and of a training temple for female Soto Zen priests. Zen Seeds Shundo Aoyama has written may books in Japanese however this is the only translated book I know of. Shundo Aoyama a female Soto Zen priest writes in plain words about the seeds of enlightenment to be found in everyday life. In this fascinating collection of essays she explains in a clear, engaging style the nature of true happiness, beauty that springs naturally from a compassionate heart, and the joy we can find in life. Combining personal experiences and a knowledge of Buddhist sacred texts, the author makes Buddhist philosophy accessible to everyone. The result is a truly practical and illuminating guide. Publisher: Kosei Publishing Company Pub. Date: March 1991 ISBN-13: 9784333014781 168pp