(By Tsem Rinpoche) His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is known for being the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetans. However, among Tibetan Buddhists, he is much more than that. His Holiness is treasured for being an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion and has been in an unbroken lineage of almost...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Great Lamas & Masters | 6 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) A tunnel is a passage, usually through the mountains or somewhere underground, with access from one end to the other. Some tunnels created by nature just lead to nowhere or end in caves. Many people understandably find tunnels to be inherently unsettling and claustrophobic. After all, a long, dark passage with...
Posted in Ghosts and Hauntings, Paranormal | 9 Comments »
The “green” school is a non-profit, private and international school with a future-orientated concept, built sustainably from bamboo. Sustainability, conservation, education, community support and promoting the children’s individual talents...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Current Affairs & News | 13 Comments »
For hikers with lofty ambitions, Tibet is sure to satisfy any kind of craving for an adrenaline rush. Often dubbed the ‘Roof of the World’, Tibet is home to some of the world’s tallest mountains. Geography in Tibet is on a humbling scale – dramatic mountains topped with colorful prayer flags loom over vast...
Posted in Asia, China, Travel | 9 Comments »
The Russian Federation, or Russia in short, is the largest country in the world, covering 17 million square kilometres and boasting an extensive coastline. Its capital, Moscow, is also the most populous city. Like the country’s two other major cities, St. Petersburg and Novgorod, it is located in Western Russia. Russia stretches for 4,000...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Travel | 10 Comments »
By Pastor Shin Tan and Tsem Rinpoche At one of the highest points on the eastern seaboard, rural fieldstone buildings that resemble a Tibetan mountain monastery sit atop Lighthouse Hill. Founded in 1945, this “Jewel on a Hillside” is home to one of America’s most extensive collections of Himalayan artefacts and was “the only...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Explorers, Travel | 6 Comments »
In Tibetan lore, Shambhala is a magical, beautiful and mythical kingdom, although many Buddhists believe that it really exists because it is described within the Kalachakra Tantra as elucidated by His Holiness the great Panchen Rinpoche in the book he composed called Shambhala Lam Yig. In it, His Holiness the Panchen Rinpoche describes clearly how to...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Current Affairs & News | 14 Comments »
Dear Rinpoche, I came across this article today which features The Summit of Bodhisattva, Pusa-Ding Monastery – Wutaishan. According to the article, Emperor Kangxi visited this monastery...
Posted in Asia, China, China 中国, Guest Contributors, Travel | 9 Comments »
नेपालको काठमाडौँमा दोर्जे शुग्देनको हाम्रो पहिलो भित्तेचित्र तपाईंहरुसामु प्रस्तुत गर्न पाउँदा म धेरै उत्साहित छु! डिल्लीबजारको चारखाल सडकमा अवस्थित भित्तेचित्र पुतलीसडक र चाबहिलमा...
Posted in Dorje Shugden, नेपाली | 28 Comments »
The connection between Vajra Yogini and the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal began with Mahasiddha Naropa and the Pamthingpa brothers. Her practice eventually became immensely popular across the country...
Posted in Asia, Travel, Vajra Yogini | 23 Comments »
Kedah is a state in northwest Malaysia comprising the world famous Langkawi Island and the mainland. Famous for its endless paddy fields, Kedah is fondly known as the “rice bowl” of Malaysia...
Posted in Asia, Malaysia, Travel | 15 Comments »
The sixty-four yogini temple in Hirapur sits on an ancient piece of land once ruled by the old Kalinga kingdom. Buddhism and Tantric practice flourished here, and the cult of the yogini evolved as Tantra took hold in these lands...
Posted in Asia, Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Travel, Vajra Yogini | 33 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche, originally published Jan 21, 2013) My Bodhgaya Vajrayogini (17 inches) Over a decade and a half ago – Bodhgaya as everybody knows is the place where Lord Buddha chose to become enlightened where he sat under a tree. And his tree or offspring of it is still alive in Bodhgaya which...
Posted in Asia, Travel, Vajra Yogini | 94 Comments »
One of the four largest sacred lakes of Tibet, Yamdrok Yumtso is believed to be the physical manifestation of the goddess known as Dorje Geg Kyi Tso...
Posted in Asia, Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Travel | 18 Comments »
(by Tsem Rinpoche and Stella Cheang) I am part Kalmyk. The Kalmyks are Mongolians who have their own republic in the Russian Federation called Kalmykia. My adoptive parents, along with hundreds of other Kalmyks, migrated to the USA between the 1950s and 1960s. At the time, America’s immigration policies did not favour Asians, but the...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Asia, Travel | 13 Comments »
As the country with the largest majority of Buddhists in the world, Cambodia is a nation rich with spirituality. Buddhist temples can be found everywhere and one cannot walk down a street without passing a saffron-robed monk...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Asia, Travel | 10 Comments »
The Potala Palace, named after the mountain home of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, looms high above the city of Lhasa on Marpori to the northwest of the Jokhang...
Posted in Asia, External Article, Travel | 7 Comments »
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is considered one of the world’s most extraordinary female spiritualists, occultist, spirit medium, and author of the most influential occult book to date...
Posted in Celebrities & People, Explorers, Travel | 15 Comments »
About 20% of the world’s animal species can be found in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, including 300 mammal species, 400 reptile species, 80 species of lizards, 800 bird species, 100 species of snakes and 200 amphibian species...
Posted in Animals, Vegetarianism & Environment, Malaysia, Travel | 16 Comments »
Hong Kong. The name conjures up images of gleaming skyscrapers, long stretches of heavenly street food, endless shopping options and a vibrant nightlife. In short, carefree indulgence...
Posted in Asia, China, China 中国, Travel | 11 Comments »