Previously we blogged about the Kalachakra Stupa being built in Greece. The construction is almost complete now, ready for the stupa’s inauguration on 21-23 August 2010, which will be attended by people from all over the world including many of us from the UK. Here is a video which captures some of the early stages in its construction.
Construction of the Kalachakra Stupa in Greece (video)
August 8th, 201017th Karmapa – The Four Seals of Dharma (video)
August 4th, 2010This is a teaching on “The Four Seals of Dharma” given by H.H. 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje on 11 March 2010 at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute in New Delhi, India. This and many other films are available from http://www.karmapa-news.org/ in high quality DVD format. Photos documenting the life and activities of Gyalwa Karmapa are also available through this site.
Karmapa Prophecies – website for Sylvia Wong’s new book
August 3rd, 2010Previously we blogged about the new book by Sylvia Wong, “The Karmapa Prophecies“. Now there is a website www.thekarmapaprophecies.com which contains further information about the book.
Kalu Rinpoche on “the essence of the lama”
August 1st, 2010This quote is from one of the final teachings by Kalu Rinpoche, who was one of the first teachers of Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl.
Kalu Rinpoche, one of Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl's first teachers
“What we call the Buddha, or the lama, is not material in the same way as iron, crystal, gold or silver are. You should never think of them with this sort of materialistic attitude. The essence of the Lama or Buddha is emptiness; their nature, clarity; their appearance, the play of unimpeded awareness. Apart from that, they have no real, material form, shape or color whatsoever-like the empty luminosity of space. When we know them to be like that, we can develop faith, merge our minds with theirs, and let our minds rest peacefully. This attitude and practice are most important.”
– Kalu Rinpoche (1905-1989)
From “Dzogchen Essentials: The Path That Clarifies Confusion” Marcia Schmidt (Rangjung Yeshe, 2004)
17th Karmapa on dedication and aspirations
July 28th, 2010The following text, composed by H.H. 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, is from the website of the organising committee of the Kagyu Monlam Chenmo in Bodh Gaya, which will next take place from 27 December 2010 to 3 January 2011. It explains the meaning of the practice of “monlam” or “decication and aspirations”.
17th Karmapa and Shamar Rinpoche in Bodh Gaya, 2007 (photo: Thule Jug)
Europe Center summer course – the “building up phase” begins!
July 27th, 2010Watch this high-speed coverage of the construction of the main tent where the teachings will take place during the Third International Summer Course will at the Europe Center. From 3-15 August, several thousand people will come to the Alps in southern Germany to learn the practice of Phowa and receive Buddhist teachings from Lama Ole Nydahl.
Stupa?
July 25th, 2010
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…
Lama Ole Nydahl – The Bardo of Death and Rebirth
July 21st, 2010This teaching was published in 1999 in edition 6 of the magazine “Buddhism Today”. We reproduce it here as a “taster”, as Lama Ole has chosen to teach on the subject of Death and Rebirth during his forthcoming visit to the UK.
Lama Ole Nydahl
