To drill down a bit on emptiness and mere appearance, both of which are invaluable contemplations during mandala offerings and life in general … some months before he passed away, Venerable Geshe Kelsang said: All phenomena their own emptiness appears as themselves. Otherwise all phenomena do not exist at all. In The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra, Venerable Geshe Kelsang’s most recent instructions on how to do a retreat on mandala…
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What is a day really for? I’ve seen four clips these past few days that illustrate the need to think about this if I want my life to have a deeper meaning. The first, and simplest, clip…
Fairly dicey times here on Planet Earth. What direction are we headed in? In the introduction to Prayers for World Peace, which Geshe Kelsang gave us way back in 2001, he says: World peace is very important;…
If we get into the habit of making mandala offerings, we swiftly purify our mind and start to see the world in a purer way. For example, we may notice that we can still love people even…
A very handsome man, to my eyes, just walked into this London café on what looked to be a date with a woman sitting here. “Lucky her,” I was half-thinking; but in the time it took for…
Lately I’ve had no time to develop a full blown article from up my sleeve, so I thought I’d share some gentle musings instead. Gratitude Simon from Eritrea told me he is in a good mood because…
Guest appearance by the author of this popular article: Chronic pain & fatigue and the quiet power of Dharma. Rushing to hospital recently with severe pain and other never-before-experienced symptoms, I was admitted for same-day emergency surgery.…
I met with a delightful Professor recently here in Denver, Dr. Don Maloney, who is both the eastern and world religions teacher at Metro State…
We all need to be able to let go of our unhappiness. This, to put it mildly, is a Very Useful Skill – unless of…
PREVIEW CLIP Here is a gift for you all for the holidays! If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the external activity and chit chat, or…
Do you fancy some Buddhist meditation retreat? January 2026 is nearly upon us and – although retreats are offered throughout the year – January means…
This morning I felt mildly irritated at an “official” person because they have a different idea about something than I do, and naturally that means…
What is criticism? According to Buddha’s teachings on karma, pointing out a truth motivated by kindness and skill is a positive action that leads to…
There are two complementary ways to approach this subject of emptiness (carrying on from here). One is understanding that things don’t exist from their own…