Archive for November, 2010

17th Karmapa on Impermanence

Monday, November 29th, 2010

These questions and answers were taken from H.H. 17th Karmapa‘s ‘Black Hat Lama’ MySpace blog:  

17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje

17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje

Q: What is Buddhist meditation, and what are the benefits of it?

H.H. Karmapa: Buddhist meditation is a way to relate to death, but the term we use is known as impermanence. So it is possible to see the beauty of impermanence finally through meditation. Before meditation we have to focus on learning and contemplating on impermanence. 

Q: How do you relate to death? 

H.H. Karmapa: Often one relates to death mainly by fear, and also by hope. So the Buddhist approach is to approach it without the two. 

Q: Are Buddhists afraid of death? 

H.H. Karmapa: Sentient beings are not born as Buddhists, so due to that it becomes a very difficult question to answer. (more…)

Scientists glimpse universe before the Big Bang

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

A very interesting article recently appeared on the Physorg.com science news website which supports the Buddha’s observation that Samsara or “cyclic existence” is beginningless…   

Scientists glimpse universe before the Big Bang 

November 23, 2010 by Lisa Zyga

Black hole encounters would have repeated themselves several times, with the center of each event remaining at almost exactly the same point in the CMB sky, even when occurring in different aeons. The huge amounts of energy released would appear as spherical, low-variance radiation bursts in the CMB. Image credit: Gurzadyan and Penrose

In general, asking what happened before the Big Bang is not really considered a science question. According to Big Bang theory, time did not even exist before this point roughly 13.7 billion years ago. But now, Oxford University physicist Roger Penrose and Vahe Gurzadyan from the Yerevan Physics Institute in Armenia have found an effect in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) that allows them to “see through” the Big Bang into what came before.  

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May the mandala of the Karmapa be fully established

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
The mandala of the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi

The mandala of the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi

“Although beyond samsara and nirvana, you accomplish the vast activities of the Buddhas of the three times. May the mandala of the Karmapa, who embodies the Three Roots, be fully established.” – Karma Pakshi Guru Yoga

New Diamond Way Buddhism UK website launched today

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

New website www.buddhism.org.uk

Today we launched our new national website for Diamond Way Buddhism UK. The site has been updated with a more contemporary feel and offers some new content, as well as an events calendar and a new system of publicising upcoming activities in our centres.

On top of that, we have changed the domain to something more memorable than http://www.dwbuk.org/ – the new domain is http://www.buddhism.org.uk/.

We hope you enjoy the new layout!

Opening the Buddhas’ eyes in the London Centre

Sunday, November 21st, 2010
Intense concentration is needed to paint the fine details of the Buddha's eyes

Intense concentration is needed to paint the fine details of the Buddha's eyes

When Lama Ole Nydahl visited London in September 2010 and blessed the newly-filled Buddha statues (see this blog entry) he recommended that we “open their eyes”. So earlier in November 2010, our London Buddhist Centre was transformed into a workshop, where a group of friends spent a long weekend working with these centre statues as well as a collection of smaller statues belonging to individuals. This delicate “eye-opening” process involves painting the heads and faces of the statues with gold and specially prepared paint, as well as adding precious stones in places such as the crowns and ornaments of certain forms. Leo Grzyb was invited from Slovakia to London to guide the workshop. Leo has spent several years studying traditional Kagyu Buddhist art under the close tutelage of Denzong Norbu, probably the greatest living master of the Karma Gardri style of thangka painting who received its transmission directly from the 16th Karmapa. We’d like to share some impressions from the workshop, click on the thumbnails below to enlarge.

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Interview with Dr. Jim Tucker on past life memories

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Earlier this week our blog entry about the documentary “The Boy Who Lived Before” and the work of Dr. Jim Tucker of the University of Virginia attracted a lot of interest. As a follow-up we’re posting this video of an interview with Dr. Tucker in which he explains the characteristics of studies being carried out into past life memories. This is very interesting from the point of view of Buddhism as many of these cases strongly support the possibility of reincarnation.

The Boy Who Lived Before

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

This thought-provoking documentary first screened in 2005 was part of the television series “Extraordinary People” broadcast on Channel Five in the UK. The programme, entitled “The Boy Who Lived Before” featured the investigation of the case of Cameron Macaulay by Dr. Jim Tucker, medical director of the Child and Family Psychiatry Clinic, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. It raises an interesting challenge to common Western scientific notions of consciousness.

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Long Life Wishes for Lama Ole Nydahl by Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche

Monday, November 15th, 2010
Lama Ole Nydahl

Lama Ole Nydahl

Long Life Wishes for Lama Ole Nydahl

Composed by Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche (1918-2003)

Om Svasti,

You, incomparable in expanding the Karma Kagyu teachings in all directions,

You, the follower of Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje who is the embodiment of all Buddhas of the three times,

Ole, may You live long!