If you do Vajrayana, you will say these syllables again and again. And again. What do they look like? What do they mean? Why does it matter?

Dos, don'ts, and who cares (some do) about wearing the red-and-white striped "Ngagpa shawl".

A crucial text for the mahamudra tradition of, in particular, the Kagyu traditions descended from Marpa the Translator

Season 2 is coming soon

Final episode of Season One!

Groping towards the dharma in the midlands of England in the 1960s.

Bookworm paradise: Birmingham Central Library as it was then:

Words or phrases you might want to look up (in no particular order, and some best forgotten!):

Man, Myth and Magic (magazine)

Gurdjieff

PD Ouspensky

Paul Brunton

Anagarika Govinda

Edward Conze

Alexandra David-Neel

Evans-Wentz

Christmas Humphreys

Marco Pallis

Waddel’s “Lamaism: Buddhism of Tibet”

Lobsang Rampa

H P Blavatsky

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma

Note: the next episode, no 44, will be the last of Season 1. Season 2 is in the works!

Buddhism is all about simplicity, isn’t it? Well, no, at least not when it comes to Tibetan style Buddhism. The very essence may be simple, but typical practice makes use of an enormous amount of kit - malas, dorjes, bells, hand-drums large and small, trumpets, vases, conch shells...

As beginners, we may well be tempted to start collecting some of those magical bits and pieces, but if we’re not careful we end up with a lot of clutter on our table, and little idea of what to do with it. Is any of this necessary, and how much of it is even useful?

Mala with counters, dorje and bell

And more:

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• Mala
• Mala counter strings and clips
• Mandala plate with/without rings
• Dorje and bell
• Damaru
• Kangling

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma #Dorje

Termas and tertons – spiritual treasures and their finders – are an inescapable feature of some branches of Tibetan Buddhism. Come along for the magical ride!

A phurbu

A ngagpa, undoubtedly a practitioner of termas. Note the phurbu tucked into his belt.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• Terma
• Terton
• Nyingma
• Dudjom
• Jamyang Khyentse
• Jamgon Kongtrul
• The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, its Fundamentals and History by Dudjom Rinpoche
• Hidden Teachings of Tibet by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
• The Life and Teaching of Chokgyur Lingpa

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Dzogchen #Nyingma #Terma #Terton #Dudjom

Most traditions of Buddhist practice have nothing that resembles the tulku tradition. In the Tibetan traditions, you can’t get away from them. What are they? And what are they good for?

Karma Pakshi, one of the first tulkus.

Words or phrases you might want to look up:

• Tulku, emanation body, transformation body
• Three bodies of the Buddha (kusum, trikaya)
• Karmapa
• Karma Pakshi
• The Second Karmapa Karma Pakshi: Tibetan Mahasiddha
• Jamgon Kongtrul

#Buddhism #Vajrayana #DoubleDorje #Mahamudra #Dzogchen