The Ordination of Tibetan Nuns, reviving the tradition

Because it takes a nun to ordain a nun and given that some lineages and traditions no longer have living nuns, how does the Sangha expand to include women? How do we jumpstart nuns without nuns? Well, here's a peek into what's going on to bring back nuns, our Precious Jewels.

Beijing, where is the Panchen Lama?

China kidnapped the Panchen Lama years ago. For those of you who don't know about him, he's one of the three leaders of Tibetan Buddhism along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Karmapa.

Please take a minute and support the campaign to wrestle the truth out of Beijing: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5380/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10436

The Next Dalai Lama, HHDL's Official Statement

Blinded by their own ignorance borne of samsara, Beijing would love to manipulate the recognition of the next Dalai Lama. This is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's take on all this. It's a great read both for its historical background and the clarity of His position and intentions. http://dalailama.com/messages/tibet/reincarnation-statement

Sand Mandala Video

Done by the monks from Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca NY at Seattle's Tibet Fest.

Mom and the book that got me started

This is the book my mom gave me for Christmas that got me started on the path to Buddhism. We laugh now because she swears she doesn't know what made her choose it.

It's a book/DVD set and I lost the DVD before I had a chance to read it. I re-read the book while I was visiting her in Cleveland and laughed to myself because on the surface, there's nothing special about the book. Timing.

3 Jewels & how life works

I go downtown to order custom license plates for my new Smart Car. The clerk glances at my application and says "Three jewels. Isn't that something to do with Tibetan Buddhism?" Turns out her sister was an organizer for Seeds of Compassion when His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in town.

When I walk back to the my car, what do I see on the south side of Smith Tower? Our favorite mantra!

DIY Altoids Prayer Wheels

DIY Tibetan prayer wheel made from an Altoids tin. Hey, I'm a Buddhist and a nerd. Put the two together and you get...

Fitting that I finished this today: I heard HHDL as part of Seeds of Compassion. Secular but still the Dalai Lama.

Vows Taken

The part of my trip to Bloomington I haven't talked about was taking refuge. Sorta like getting baptised by the Pope. The funny thing is that I've watched the video a couple of times and I swear I hear something else. Guess that's what they mean by direct transmission.

Ben says I'm a card carrying Buddhist now.

Pilgrimage to India(na)

This is my third time hearing His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak (Vancouver & San Francisco, now Bloomington) and the second teaching. This one is on The Lamp For the Path to Enlightenment. First time I'm seeing him w/o Lisa.

I quickly realized that the two previous trips were easy. This one has been a true pilgrimage, not a vacation. How so?

For starters I had a list of work and domestic things I really wanted to get done before I left. Oh I got the list done and then some. Missed my flight thanks to a security checker who thought she was a docent. Chatty don't cut it when you're trying to make a plane. The happy ending was an American Airlines staff member who got me on a redeye without a change fee (as in one hundred dollars plus the difference in airfare). She'd read about the Dalai Lama's visit and cut me major slack.

I'm changing planes in Dallas-Fort Worth, snag chai at Starbucks, and what's my barista's name? Om. Yep, I asked just to make sure. Land at DFW and the brother at Thrifty and I strike up a conversation and before I know it I have a free upgrade.

Bloomington is in Indiana. And Indiana appears to be white. Quite white. Beautiful campus though. I missed the morning session the first day and found the afternoon session lacking in focus. Or perhaps it was me, having not slept much en route. Then again I heard others mumbling about "not getting it" too. All was saved when Robert Thurmon spoke in the evening. a.) he's Uma's dad b.) he's a reknown Buddhist scholar c.) he's been haning with HHDL for years and d.) he was a wicked sense of humor.

Today's sessions were great. In many ways they picked up where the San Francisco teachings left off (In Praise of Dependent Origination). Did I mention I'm in love with Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama's translator? For many of us he's the voice of His Holiness.

Sidenote: I met the development person from the Tibetan Nun Project here. The funny thing is that I had to come to IN to meet someone who lives and works in Seattle.

One more day and then back to Skeedattle for this one. The good news is that I feel more focused about resuming an active practice than I have in months.

Om mani padme hum.

HHDL in SF

Lisa & I came to SF to hear HHDL teach. Deep stuff. And as an added bonus I finally got to hear the Gyuto Monks perform.

Whoa...