Posts Tagged ‘Kagyu’

Shamar Rinpoche – “Dharma is the best”

Friday, March 26th, 2010

This is an excerpt from a teaching by Shamar Rinpoche entitled “Enlightenment is Within You”, originally printed in a 1995 edition of Kagyu Life International.

Shamar Rinpoche

The common problem is that people think, “I must achieve the results quickly, I cannot wait more than 5 or 6 years. Otherwise, I don’t like it.” But otherwise, after 6 years what do you have in life? You have nothing else. You cannot achieve the results of the Dharma practice within 6 years. You simply cannot. But still you are doing something meaningful. After 6 years, if you have another goal which you could achieve, then forget the Dharma and chose the other one. But the sentient beings’ life has no other goal besides enlightenment. I am not trying to discourage you from being human, but there is no other thing to do in life. You can try to get rich, but then what? Suppose you can be a successful politician, become a president or something like that, but then what? The problem is (more…)

17th Karmapa in London: A Retrospective Pt.1, 2005

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

We would like to share some inspiring impressions of H.H. 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje‘s first two visits to the UK, which happened before this blog was established. Gyalwa Karmapa’s first historic visit was in August 2005, when he stayed for four days in London at the invitation of Diamond Way Buddhism UK. He was joined by Lama Jigme Rinpoche, Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl and other distinguished lamas who were part of the travelling entourage of the 16th Karmapa in the UK during the 1970s.

Reports of other visits of the 17th Karmapa to London can be found here (2007) and here (2009).

Flyer 1 for 2005 course (front)

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Interview with Lama Ole Nydahl in Varsity Magazine, 1994

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

This interview with Lama Ole Nydahl is from the very early days of Diamond Way Buddhism in the UK.  It appeared in Varsitiy, the independent student weekly newspaper of the University of Cambridge. Lama Ole Nydahl taught in Cambridge at the invitation of Stephen James, who was a student in Cambridge University at the time.

Rock n’ Roll Buddha

Matthew Arlidge communicates with Ole Nydahl about Spirituality and Motorbikes. Varsity, 28 October 1994

Lama Ole Nydahl in Varsity Magazine 1994

Cast a critical eye over the picture above and what do you see? A debonair-yet-macho top Hollywood actor? A ruthless mercenary hot-foot from a bazooka battle with the forces of SPECTRE? Or perhaps even a well ‘ardbouncer from Fifth Avenue? Well you’re wrong matey, so no nubile young banana for you. (more…)