04 Monday Feb 2013
Posted in Videos
Mahayana Buddhism often says “everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering.” Even though this is the case, as Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche states in this video, people still don’t get the result they want. This leads to a simple question, like “what impedes happiness?” In this video, Khandro Rinpoche explores this topic.
12 Sunday Feb 2012
Posted in Ajahn Brahm & Bodhinaya, Videos
Since Buddhism doesn’t pray to a creator God, some people equate Buddhism with atheism. Here’s an interesting video with Ajahn Braham, and he address this question. He also runs interesting parallels with Buddhism and early gnostic Christianity.
Related Posts:
More Ajahn Braham & Bodhinaya Videos…
15 Sunday Jan 2012
Posted in Buddhist Documentaries, Theravada, Videos
Tags
ajahn chan, being still, buddhism, buddhist practice, happiness, letting go, mindfulness, thai forest tradition, the mindful way, theravada
Here is an interesting video about living a mindful life. It deals mainly with the beautiful Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada.
The topic is about mindfulness, an important foundational practice of buddhism. Ajahn Chah makes an apperance in this short documentary, who was a teacher to many influential western teachers of buddhism. He speaks about happiness and buddhist practice that help’s life not be so confusing. This is a classic film on mindfulness. Continue reading »
01 Thursday Dec 2011
Posted in Buddhist Documentaries, Videos
Tags
buddhism, buddhist meditation, doing time doing vipassana, vipassana documentary, vipassana meditation prison
Doing Time, Doing Vipassana is a classic documentary made from within an overcrowded prison in India. To help rehabilitate the prison population instead of merely “housing” them, they started doing 10 day silent sit vipassana courses within the prison walls. Continue reading »
23 Friday Sep 2011
Posted in Buddhist Documentaries, Tibetan Buddhism, Videos
Tags
2pac, bardo, buddhism, death and impermanence, intermeditate state, lsd trip drugs, rebirth, reincarnation, tantric enlightenment, the great liberation, the psychadelic experience, the tibetan book of the dead, tibetan buddhism, timothy leary, tupac shakur reincarnation, what happens after death
The Tibetan Book of the Dead has made been an interesting appearance in popular culture over the past couple years. I think many people fear death because of not understanding it. People want to know what happens after death, so a book like the Tibetan Book of the Dead naturally becomes a source of curiosity. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is well known for describing in detail the sometimes pleasant and other times horrifying visions that are described during the transition time between death and the next life, know as the bardo. Continue reading »
15 Thursday Sep 2011
Posted in rime, Tibetan Buddhism
Tags
buddhism, diglo khyentse life story, dilgo khyentse rinpoche, dilgo kyentse documentary, documentary, rime, tibetan buddhism, western buddhism
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was a well-known buddhist teacher and yogi, and was at one point the head of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. I had heard about his larger than life reputation, but when I read his autobiography Brilliant Moon: The Autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse
18 Thursday Aug 2011
Posted in Other, Uncategorized, Videos
Tags
auxillary bodhisattva vows, bodhisattva vows, buddhism, refuge vows, root bodhisattva vows, thubten chodron, tibetan buddhism, tsem tulku
After one has taken the refuge vows, someone can proceed to take the bodhisattva vows. The bodhisattva vows differ accordingly to traditions, so I’ll explain what I know and my experience from within the Tibetan buddhist tradition. Continue reading »
18 Monday Jul 2011
Tags
buddhism, daily practice, dhamra in the west, her eminence mindrolling jetsun khandro rinpoche, tibetan buddhism, western buddhist practice
Here is an interesting short clip with Her Eminence Mindrolling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, one of the few high-ranking female incarnate lamas. She talks about buddhism and its relationship to the modern being, or western Buddhist practitioners. She also addresses the issue of being “selective” when it comes to the issue of “westernization of Buddhism.” Overall a lot of good dharma insights and things to contemplate during our daily life
More Western Buddhist Practice Videos…
10 Sunday Jul 2011
Posted in Buddhist Vows and Precepts, Daily Life, Other, Videos
Tags
bodhisattva vows, buddhism, dharma daily life, happiness, lay precepts, peace, refuge vows, relationships, tibetan buddhism, trust, western buddhist practice
Why Keep Ethics?
When I think about vows and precepts, it reminds me of one time when Jhado Rinpoche came to Seattle. 2 other monks came with him: Geshe Tashi (his interpreter), and a younger monk that was his attendent. They were staying in a flat with a familiy of 3. Jhado Rinpoche once remarked, how amazingly kind the family was. They opened up their entire home to them and never locked any of their doors or cabinets. He said that the family trusted them because the monks were living in their vows.
I think what he meant by this, is that people who live in ethics, give others the gift of fearlessness or a feeling of safety. Continue reading »
01 Friday Jul 2011
Posted in Daily Life
Tags
buddhism, buddhist ethics morality, buddhist practice, dharma daily life, lay precepts, refuge vows
Taking refuge in the Buddhist teachings. Formal refuge includes refuge vows and precepts
I think one interesting aspects of Buddhist practice is the voluntary acceptance of precepts and vows, both within the monastic and lay community. I think for someone who isn’t familiar with this practice, it seems like something very restrictive and unwanted. However from an experiential standpoint, I’ve noticed that taking precepts and vows have actually brought freedom and mental space. Continue reading »
19 Sunday Jun 2011
Posted in Buddhist Prayers and Practices, Daily Life, Lama Tsong Khapa
Tags
buddhism, buddhist daily, buddhist prayer, foundation of all good qualities, gelug, lama tsongkhapa, tibetan buddhism
The Foundation of All Good Qualities was the first text I ever memorized.
My teacher had recommended memorizing it, and reciting it everyday. I didn’t really get an explanation on why, but I trusted him enough to do it immediately without thinking twice, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
The Foundation of All Good Qualties was a text composed by Lama Tsongkhapa, which goes through the entire path to enlightenment and condenses it into a few short phrases, and going through it daily allows someone to get a glance of the whole path. Continue reading »
23 Saturday Apr 2011
Posted in Buddhist Documentaries, Videos, Zen
Tags
amongst white clouds, buddhism, buddhist documentnary, chan buddhism, china, chinese zen buddhism, hermit, mountainside, retreat, yogi, zen buddhism
This is an interesting documentary of a young american director, who at 19, bought a book of Chinese Buddhist poems from a bookstore in Portland for 2 dollars. He was so inspired by this, that he eventually later in life ended up in China studying with a Chinese Zen Buddhist monk who stays in a forest hermitage on a mountainside. Continue reading »
20 Sunday Feb 2011
Posted in Buddha Relics
The Heart Shrine Relic Tour will be making its way around the world again in 2011. For those unfamiliar with the Buddha Relics tour, here is something from the website:
Most of the relics — those found among the cremation ashes of Buddhist masters — resemble beautiful pearl-like crystals. Buddhists believe these relics are produced as a result of the master’s spiritual qualities of compassion and wisdom. Since we can all develop these qualities, the relics are a reminder of our own essential nature of purity and our inner potential to manifest that. Continue reading »
16 Wednesday Feb 2011
Posted in Ajahn Brahm & Bodhinaya, Daily Life, Theravada, Videos
Tags
ajahn brahm, buddhism, faith buddhism, realization religion revealed religion, theravada, unique features buddhism, western buddhist, what makes buddhism unique
Here’s an interesting video I saw the other day, that explains some of the unique features of Buddhism. Its main topic is the difference between realizational religions and revealed religions. Continue reading »
11 Friday Feb 2011
Posted in Daily Life, Other, Tibetan Buddhism, Videos
Tags
accepting struggles, buddhism, buddhist daily, daily life, enlightenment, gelug, how to deal with life's problems, practice advice, suffering, tibetan buddhism
An interesting video by Za Choeje Rinpoche, also known as Za Rinpoche. He talks about learning how to accept life’s struggles. I think learning how to deal with life’s problems is what usually brings most people to buddhism and what keeps them there.
I like short clips like this because I can take it and put it into daily practice very quickly. Very practical advice, concise, easy to digest. The First noble Truth in under 4 minutes =D
