The Double Dorje: Modern Vajrayana Buddhism.

Interpreting done well. Or not.

When Buddhist teachers give teachings to westerners, live interpreting into the main language of the locale is often crucial. It can be done well. But sometimes it is don

Farewell to Lama Lodro

After a masterpiece of a life, Lama Lodro finally left us at the age of 100. #Lama #Lodro #eulogy #Tibetan #Buddhism #Edgbaston

SXE04 Guru devotion and scandals

There have been a depressing number of scandals in major Tibetan Buddhist organizations, particularly (though not only) in the West. It clearly has systemic roots - can

Tsopema Nuns

The podcast will have to take a back seat for some months as I work on a project aimed at publishing biographies of a few of the nuns, and the sometimes heroic journeys t

Buddhist retreat - but why?

"To get enlightened" is such a watery explanation. Mindfulness largely misses the point. This was a retreat about a specific deity. Whatever that is! #Tibetan #Buddhism

Vajrayana is like Mormonism???

Really intended as a brief video on YouTube. Is the Vajrayana "just" a clever technique within conventional Mahayana, or is it really something different.

Tarra for now!

Goodbye to Series 2 - and what of the future?

Buddhism - A Starter Kit!

You've been looking at Tibetan Buddhism? You want to start? But you still don't know how? This might help.

Actual Magic - And Dirt!

Like it or not, magic is interwoven with Tibetan Buddhism. Is it symbolic? Or is it real?

Devotion - how and why?

Devotion (mögü) - another Tibetan word that doesn't quite correspond to its English usage.

Empowerments again

How do empowerments actually work?

Mind Your Language!

Should we read our texts in Tibetan? In English? Using phonetics? Does it make any sense to read phonetics without understanding the Tibetan? Questions, questions...

Buddhist confession

Confession is a big thing in Buddhist practice. But there is no priest to forgive your sins on God's behalf. It is more nuanced than that. 

Majnu Ka Tilla

Shop like a Buddhist! Majnu Ka Tilla is the wellspring of Buddhist art for the Tibetan world.

Horror and Disgust

Horror, violence and disgusting soup in Tibetan-style Buddhism. Why don't they get as much attention as sex? Why is it obvious that these things are not for performance "

OM AH HUM - in detail!

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?

The Wearing of the Zentra.

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

The Ganges Upadesha - Mahamudra Instructions

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

Double Dorje Series 2 is coming

Season 2 is coming soon

Wayback in the 1960s

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