The Institute of Buddhist Studies provides graduate level education in the entirety of the Buddhist tradition with specialized instruction supporting Jodo Shinshu Buddhist ministry.
Tibetan Buddhism |
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Practices to change your life: What are you waiting for?
The great thing about Ken McLeod's series on the 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva is that these 5-minute videos manage to pack in a complete teaching and include a practice you can begin right now. "What are you waiting for?" Ken asks. They may just change the course of your day if not your life. From Ken's commentary this week on Verse 35: Patterns of emotional reactions are expert at one thing: survival ... They may have been effective coping mechanisms in the immediate circumstances in which they formed, but they are now deeply habituated dysfunctional patterns ... To crush a reaction all you have to do is experience it completely without being consumed by it. Watch Verse 35 below for a fuller explanation of the application of this simple but powerful practice. No promises of immediate enlightenment, however. As Ken points out, these are practices for a lifetime. Still, the pracitce itself is its own reward. More » -
Himalayan Art 101: Meditational Deities of Tibet
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition. This week Jeff explores two images found in the newest Tricycle Gallery, "Wrathful Deities." Visit the gallery and send images to your friends. Meditational Deities of Tibet More » -
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Tricycle Talk: Victress Hitchcock, Director of When the Iron Bird Flies
This year's Tricycle | Buddhafest Online Film Festival features two films by wonderwoman director Victress Hitchcock: Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet and When the Iron Bird Flies. The first opened the film festival by highlighting the practice of the Nangchen nuns within the largely male-dominated history of Buddhism in Tibet. With When the Iron Bird Flies, Hitchcock expands her lens, following the journey of Tibetan Buddhism from its past seclusion in the Land of Snows to its current (almost) mainstream status in the West, focusing especially on the effects of the Dalai Lama's escape from Tibet in 1959. More » -
How to practice right speech
It's not enough to simply resolve to speak only what is "truthful, helpful, kind and timely." After all, we scarcely know which of the hundreds of voices in our head is going to "grab the mic" next. Vajrayana teacher Ken McLeod suggests we begin with a pretty straightforward method in his discussion of verse 34 of the 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva. Here's how it works: When you speak, listen to the sound of your own voice as if you are listening to another person talk. When you do this you hear immediately when what you are saying or how you are saying it is out of sync with the situation. If you are angry but aren't unaware of it, you hear the edge in your voice...you also hear when there's fear...or when you are trying to sell someone an idea, or when you are trying to seduce someone against their will.... There will be a little insistence or insincere charm in your voice. You may be surprised to hear your mother or father speaking..." More » -
Hunger Strikers for Tibet: Photo Essay
Since the 1950 Chinese invasion that ended with the forced integration of Tibet into the People’s Republic of China, Tibet has been simmering. It has boiled over more than once, most notably for the first time in 1959, when uprisings swept through the Tibetan plateau and the current Dalai Lama fled to exile in India, as well as in 2008, when the unrest spread to the Tibetan diaspora. More » -
Wrathful Deities film excerpt by John Bush
A unique aspect of Vajrayana Buddhism is how it actively works with darkness and negativity to transform them into luminous wisdom. My first experience with Tibetan Buddhism’s wrathful deities was in Bodhgaya, India in 1971. After completing two months of intensive meditation with S. N. Goenka, I climbed to a legendary charnel ground outside of town used for sky burial. The monks there welcomed me into a very small temple with a large statue of Maha Kala, The Fierce Dark One. More »
