Uttaratantra Shastra

The Uttaratantra Shastra is one of the Five Treatises of Lord Maitreya (jamchö dé nga). It is a treatise explaining the vast meaning of the teachings taught by the Buddha when he turned the third wheel of the Dharma. This treatise mainly expounds on buddha nature—the unchanging pure innate nature of all sentient beings present from beginningless time. It can…

Jarung Khashor Stupa

The Jarung Khashor stupa is a famous Buddhist stupa located about 11 km from the centre of Kathmandu in its north-eastern outskirts. It is a sacred stupa related to the profound deeds of Lord Avalokiteshvara and Khen-Lop-Choe Sum of Tibet. The narrative goes like this: Many eons ago, Lord Avalokiteshvara promised in front of Buddha Amitabha to liberate all the sentient beings…

Interview with His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche

Palyul Times: Your Holiness, would you please tell us about the conditions necessary for practising the Dharma through your experience? H.H. Karma Kuchen Rinpoche (KKR): In order to practise the Dharma, the first condition necessary is that one should have the compassionate mind of bodhichitta. This is because if we don’t have compassion, there is no other ways to practise…

Interview with Khenpo Tashi Tsering

Palyul Times (PT): Tashi delek! Venerable Khenpo, firstly, would you please give us a brief introduction about yourself?  Khenpo Tashi Tsering (KTT): To say something about myself, my birthplace is in one of the four sacred places concealed by the “Lotus-Born” (Guru Padmasambhava) that is situated near a place called Kimlung, North Nepal. I was born there in 1958. I…

Intoxicating Lady

Once the Bodhisattva was born as a king in a village called Shevi. He ruled his country with love, protecting people from harm, both from inside and outside, and treated them with justice. He let his people follow good religion and never humiliated other religions. In that village, there was a beautiful lady, who had a glorious body and a…

The Girl Who Brought the King Back from the Dead

The Girl Who Brought the King Back from the Dead The Story of a Zombie is a fascinating tale said to have been written by Nagarjuna. In the previous issue of Palyul Times was the prologue where a young beggar was given the name Decho Sangpo and was prince by a spiritual master, who saw in him certain good qualities. The master…

Six Transcendent Perfections

Transcendent perfection in Sanskrit is paramita.  Para means “beyond” and mita, “to go”. Together it means to go beyond worldly merit, and that of the shravakas and patyekabuddhas. The transcendent perfections are generally defined as a means of attaining enlightenment and are endowed with four distinctive attributes. The four distinctive attributes are as follows: 1. They are free from their…

The Ninth Throne Holder of the Palyul Tradition: Drubwang Palchen Dupa

The ninth throne holder of the Palyul lineage, Drubwang Palchen Dupa, also known as Pema Kunzang Tenzin Norbu, was considered to be an incarnation of Panchen Vimalamitra. He was born in the Fire Female Pig year, 1887. He was recognized by the great Khenpo Ngawang Palzang as a direct incarnation of the second Dodrupchen, Kunzang Shenphen, and also as an…

The Lineage of Do Gongpa Dupa

When Lord Buddha was asked about why he had not given teachings on the ultimate vehicle, he prophesied that in the near future they would come into existence. Accordingly, twenty-eight years after his demise, five beings of supreme nobility—the god Yashasvi Varapala, the naga king Takshaka, the yaksha Ulkamukha, the rakshasa Matyaupayika, and the human being Licchavi Vimalakirti—gathered on Mount Mayala in Sri Lanka. They were grief stricken…

Master Chandragomin

Chandragomin was one of the eight great philologists of the “Land of Aryas” (India). He is also one of those who are popularly known as the “two marvellous masters”, with the other being Shantideva. He was born as the son of the pandit Vishsakha in the eastern part of India, known as Varendra. Right after his birth, he respectfully bowed…