Light Stupa
The beautiful picture (click to enlarge) was sent to us from a friend in the London Sangha. It was taken by her friend who was in Great Carrs in the British Lake District at a sunrise at, while searching for a ridge known as Broad Slack, the crash site of a Halifax Bomber which crashed in 1944 on a night exercise from Topcliff in Yorkshire while descending through thick cloud.
We rather fancy it looks like a stupa…
Swayambhu Stupa
Here in the UK we’re always very happy to hear about positive developments in Buddhism back in the lands where it originated. The Swayambhu stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, recently underwent a major renovation under the supervision of many Tibetan Buddhist masters.
Phurba (ritual dagger) at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
This image is of a Phurba, a ritual dagger used in rites of subjugation of hostile forces, associated with certain cycles of tantric teachings. Its three edges symbolise cutting through the three main disturbing emotions of ignorance, anger and attachment. It was made in Tibet in the 13th or 14th century. Its handle is carved from wood and painted, with gilding and ivory details. Further details can be seen here.
Early Karma Kagyu Refuge Tree
This beautiful image, from the superb Himalayan Art Resource, is apparently of the earliest known Karma Kagyu Refuge Tree paintings. (more…)
One Thousand Armed form of Loving Eyes
We’re very excited about this picture! It is the Thousand-Armed Loving Eyes (Skt. Avalokiteshvara; Tib. Chenrezig), the embodiment of the compassion of all Buddhas. (more…)
Sultanganj Buddha
The Sultanganj Buddha is the largest complete bronze figure of its kind in the world. It was found in the North Indian town of Sultanganj, Bhagalpur district, Bihar. The statue has been dated by archaelogists at between 500 to 700 AD. It is 223 centimeters high and 1 meter wide, and weighs about 500kgs. It is a splendid example of the renowned Gupta sculptural style which itself had been shaped by European and Persian influences that came to India through the trade routes with Rome and West Asia. It was cast using the lost wax technique, in which a solid core of clay is overlaid with wax. The sculptor models the fine details in the wax coating. (more…)
We want to share this amazing photo, taken by Jean-Marc Falcombello, which shows a beautiful statue of one of the Shamarpas, probably the 6th, Chökyi Wangchuk (1584-1629). It is in Yangpochen Monastery in Tibet. Yangpochen monastery is more than 400 years old, dating to the time of the 4th Shamarpa. It was (more…)
8th Karmapa
In this blog entry on Karma Kagyu Buddhist iconography, we present a famous Buddha statue of the Eighth Karmapa Mikyo Dorje. The Eighth Karmapa (1507-1554) is of particular significance in Diamond Way Buddhism. An important Karma Kagyu Lineage master, through his spiritual genius and profound understanding of mind, he composed the particularly powerful meditation practice Guru Yoga in Four Sessions (Tib. tun shi lami naljor). Known simply as the 8th Karmapa Meditation, it is commonly practised by Diamond Way Buddhists who have completed the Four Foundational Practices (Tib. Ngondro) of Tibetan Buddhism.
The picture and text below are taken from the book “Karmapa, the Black Hat Lama of Tibet” by Nik Douglas and (more…)
Lama Ole Nydahl will next visit the UK in September, teaching in Brighton and London.
Folowing the request from H.H. 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje this May for each Karma Kagyu centre to accumulate one million repetitions of the mantra of Loving Eyes OM MANI PEME HUNG, our UK Diamond Way Buddhist Centres have been busy meditating to accomplish this wish.
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