The Double Dorje: Modern Vajrayana Buddhism.

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 …

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…

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 …

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 pract…

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,…

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

Wo…

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…

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

#Buddh…

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:

• Einweihu…

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 l…

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 a…

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 maha…

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.…

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 so…