Temporary spiritual experiences, such as flashes of bliss or clarity, can be helpful signs of progress if you know how to handle them, says Andrew Holecek. But if you don't, beware. They can be traps. Sooner or later it’s going to happen— it might be the very first time you meditate or only after years of dedicated practice, but someday you’re going to have a spiritual [...]
Forum: What Is Enlightenment?
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Ayya Tathaaloka, Setsuan Gaelyn Godwin, and David Matsumoto explore their traditions' different perspectives on awakening. Introduction by Josh Bartok For me, one of the great bait and switches of dharma practice was this: I came to the dharma wanting enlightenment, and what I found was awakening. I think I imagined that enlightenment was a thing I [...]
Why We Take Refuge
There are two kinds of refuge, says Mingyur Rinpoche—outer and inner. The reason we take refuge in the outer forms of enlightenment is so that we may find the buddha within. Everyone takes refuge in something. Often it’s in relationships, locations, or activities that offer the body or mind a sense of security and protection. Even neurotic or unhealthy habits—like eating [...]
Tibetan Buddhist temple under construction in Nashville, Tennessee
The temple will offer traditional teachings for Tibetan students as well as secular mindfulness training for non-Buddhist Nashvillians. The Padmasambhava Buddhist Center of Tennessee is building a new Tibetan Buddhist temple near downtown Nashville. The 600-square-foot temple will be called the Yeshe Tsogyal Temple. It will serve as a meditation hall, and the [...]
The Four Healing Powers Of Mind
The key to health and happiness, says Tulku Thondup, is a mind that is peaceful and positive. This respected Buddhist teacher and author offers insights and meditations to help us access the natural healing power of mind. To find true well-being, the best place to look is close to home. We could travel around the globe a hundred times, turning over every stone on earth in the [...]
The Mahayana Motivation
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche on the Mahayana Buddhist path of the bodhisattva. The great tradition of Buddhism begins with the simple experience of looking at our minds and seeing that we want some kind of contentment. In a way, it is no more abstract than that. We look at our mind and we see the turmoil and we say, “How am I going to get out of this situation?” In the Buddhist [...]
Karmapa gives longevity empowerment in New York
The Gyalwang Karmapa gave a longevity empowerment to more than 2,000 people from the Tibetan and Himalayan communities in New York and New Jersey, at Queens College in Flushing, New York. The Karmapa is the head of the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the 17th in the lineage. The empowerment was [...]
Study suggests Tibetan Buddhist monastics have an above-average fear of death
In a study, researchers were surprised to find that Tibetan monks and nuns in showed much more fear of death than other participants. On January 22, the journal Cognitive Science published a paper comparing attitudes toward self and the fear of death between different groups. Participants in the studies included non-religious Westerners, Hindus, Christians, lay Tibetans, [...]
Kathok Getse Rinpoche appointed as 7th Nyingma head
During a recent meeting, representatives from the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism appointed Kathok Getse Rinpoche as the new supreme head of the tradition. The announcement was made online by the Nyingma Representatives of Tibetan Parliament in Exile, which states Nyingma representatives unanimously decided to appoint Getse for a three-year term. Five other Nyingma [...]
Ireland’s first Tibetan Buddhist temple to open in 2019
Ireland’s first Tibetan Buddhist temple will open in 2019 in rural West Cork at an estimated total cost of €3.5 million. In 2008, the Dzogchen Beara Buddhist Meditation Centre began plans to build a temple in the traditional Tibetan style. The community hopes it will be a place to cultivate peace and happiness. The temple will measure 14 1/2 meters in height, with the [...]
