(By Tsem Rinpoche and Joy Kam) Gal Vihara, also known as Gal Viharaya, means stone or rock temple in Sinhalese. It is a Buddhist temple situated in the second largest ancient city of Sri Lanka, in the Northern Central Province of Polonnaruwa. The Buddha images at Gal Vihara are known to be very sacred...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Guest Contributors, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 13 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Sri Lanka is a beautiful country where the majority (70%) of the population are Buddhists of Theravadan tradition. However, Sri Lankan Buddhism is unique because, in addition to focusing on the practice of attaining self-liberation through one’s own effort, they adopt the practice of Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara. Within the Sri...
Posted in Asia, Downloads, Travel | 10 Comments »
Dear respected friends around the world, I have read several inspirational accounts of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche from various high lamas and somehow this one always seems to stick out the most. Needless to say, this is one of my favourite accounts of this great lama. It is warm, intimate, inviting and it draws you...
Posted in Downloads, Great Lamas & Masters, H.H. Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 25 Comments »
The great Master Shantideva (who expounded on Lord Buddha’s teachings on Compassion in his famous book on the development of Bodhicitta – a text called “Bodhicharyavatara”) said: “All worldly happiness to be found Comes from wishing others to be happy” In “Compassion Conquers All”, Tsem Rinpoche shows how through the practice of “The Eight...
Posted in Books & Poetry, Guest Contributors, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 4 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, I am very happy to share some thoughts I had with you. Sometimes when I am doing my mantras, walking, speaking, sharing dharma, eating or just having tea, different thoughts arise. These have been placed into wonderful picture memes by our team here. Picture memes help people to remember...
Posted in Inspiration & Worthy Words | 11 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Early Years Bill Porter was born on 3 October 1943 in Los Angeles, California. His father, William A. Porter, was a convicted bank robber who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Michigan in the 1920s. During this unfavourable time, William’s sisters Pearlie and Pauline moved to Michigan to be...
Posted in Books & Poetry, Celebrities & People, China, China 中国, Explorers | 40 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Dear friends around the world, It is with great sadness that I have learned of the passing of such a learned master and close friend of mine, His Eminence Kensur Konchok Tsering Rinpoche. We had been friends for many years and it was truly my honour. He was not my teacher...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Great Lamas & Masters, Inspiration & Worthy Words, Prayers and Sadhanas | 29 Comments »
I have always admired Chenrezig (Tibetan) or Guan Yin in all her manifestations in Buddhism because of what she represents. When I was younger, I meditated a lot on compassion and recited a lot of mantras, and I can say that Chenrezig is one of the few Buddhas that I always prayed to and...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Asia, Malaysia, Travel | 36 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, I have lived in Malaysia for over 20 years. During this time, I have developed a great appreciation for the cultures and customs that exist in Malaysia, which has inspired me to write more about the aspects of Malaysia that enrich its culture. Here is another interesting post to...
Posted in Asia, Celebrities & People, Malaysia, Travel | 6 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) I am writing a series of articles on various holy sites such as Mount Wutai in China, the Temple of the Tooth in the city of Kandi, Sri Lanka and several holy places in India such as Bodhgaya, Lumbini, Varanasi and Kushinagar. The objective of writing these articles is to provide...
Posted in Asia, Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Guest Contributors, Inspiration & Worthy Words, Travel | 17 Comments »
Dear friends, The Lantern Festival, more widely known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, with a full moon at night. During the Lantern Festival, children celebrate with processions of paper lanterns while the adults enjoy mooncakes with their friends and families. In ancient times, the festival celebrated...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Current Affairs & News, Guest Contributors, Kechara - 13 Depts | 10 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, We are very honoured to have been given this opportunity to write on His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche’s blog. We wanted to get this information out to create more awareness on basic human rights that are denied to ‘minorities’ within society, such as widows. We wanted to educate...
Posted in Celebrities & People, Current Affairs & News, Guest Contributors, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 41 Comments »
I was online when day when I came across a book about the 5th Noyon Hutagt, Danzan Ravjaa (1803 – 1856). Titled Lama of the Gobi: How Mongolia’s Mystic Monk Spread Tibetan Buddhism in the World’s Harshest Desert, it is authored by Michael Kohn and when I read it, I found Danzan Ravjaa’s personality...
Posted in Explorers, Great Lamas & Masters | 20 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Dear friends, Before Tibetan Buddhism became very big in the West, there were many great explorers, scholars and spiritualists who connected to Tibet. They were fascinated by the Eastern religions and stories about mystical powers and lamas, and travelled there to explore these stories for themselves. Some travelled there and became...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Celebrities & People, Explorers, Great Lamas & Masters, Guest Contributors, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 17 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Dear friends around the world, People like Roshi Jiyu Kennett are truly inspiring, they would abandon their worldly concerns and attachment in determination of practicing the Buddha’s teachings completely. With all due respect, for a woman like her who comes from a western country, it’s very hard to integrate into the Asian-Zen...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Great Lamas & Masters, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 8 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Dear friends around the world, Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh has always been an inspiration of mine, he is such a holy and compassionate sangha who has held his vows very very well and has been working for others most of his life. He has truly practised the dharma taught by Lord...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 23 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Dear spiritual friends around the world, Reading the deeds and life stories of great masters, mahasiddhas and teachers are really something that is necessary on a regular basis. We have everything surrounding us that beckons us to fail in our spiritual practice and therefore we need every bit of blessings and...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Great Lamas & Masters, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 25 Comments »
We all have excuses, reasons, justifications and thoughts why we can’t do this and that. We like to sometimes use these excuses and explain to others until we think they think it is valid. They may or may not believe the validity of our reasons, but one thing is for sure, if we believe...
Posted in Inspiration & Worthy Words, 中文 | 87 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Jean Ai) A short synopsis on the life of Alexandra David-Néel Alexandra David-Néel was a woman with the “wind beneath her feet”. She was a Buddhist, Orientalist and writer born in France and dedicated her whole life to studying Asian culture and religion, and sharing it with the Western...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Downloads, Explorers, Guest Contributors | 30 Comments »
Not many truly understand or empathize with the suffering of hunger… and even fewer feel for the sufferings of hunger that plague street dogs around the world. It takes a very special person to recognize this suffering, and one such person was Gyani Deula. I was very sad to hear about the passing of...
Posted in Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 24 Comments »