Articles by Jonathan Schechner

A Terma Dance

“Guru Rinpoche replied: The time for propagating this teaching has not yet arrived, so it should be concealed. When I placed the casket containing the scripture of the Heart Essence on the top of the king’s daughter’s head, princess Pema Sal, I made the aspiration for it to be her […]

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For the Benefit of All Sentient Beings

“Do not scorn the meek; make no distinction between high and low! Do not envy the qualified; adopt their qualities for yourself! Do not ponder the flaws of others; remove your own faults as carefully as hairs on your face! Do not be concerned for your own well-being; worry about […]

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Demons and Dharma

“When you are still the demons are still; when you are pacified the demons are pacified; when you are liberated the demons are liberated; and when you are tamed the demons are also tamed. The demon is your own demon and cutting through it pacifies yourself. Therefore it is greater […]

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Harvest Day

“All pheonomea of samsara and nirvana are your own mind, and do not appear apart from this mind- devoid of a self-nature, beyond thought, word, and description. Don’t accept the pleasant or reject the awful, don’t affirm or deny, make no preferences, but remain vividly awake in the state of […]

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Meditation and Momos

 “Well, you may then ask, ‘What is the difference between buddhas and sentient beings?’ It is nothing other than realizing or not realizing mind. The substance of the awakened state, of buddha, is present within you, but you don’t recognize it.” (Guru Rinpoche Terma Teaching)

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Power Sites

 “Master Padma consecrated these secluded locations to be sacred places for sadhana. He personally visited everywhere in the land of Tibet and concealed innumerable terma treasures for the sake of worthy people in future generations.” (Guru Rinpoche Terma Teaching)

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Yeshe

  “The basis for realizing enlightenment is a human body. Male or female, there is no great difference. But if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment the woman’s body is better.” (Guru Rinpoche Terma Teaching)

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A Bhutanese Festival

  We landed in Paro, Bhutan, and drove a strenuous meandering 12 hours across the country to Bumthang – a broad Himalayan foothill valley filled with pines and oaks, rivers, high ridges and small villages recognizable by the iconic Bhutanese architecture.

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Heart of the World

I’m still in Tibet. Although I’m sitting on the stairs in front of Bodhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal, when I meet Tibetans here it feels like saying hello to relatives. What I know about Tibetan people and culture is close to nothing, but Tibet still felt like home. In the […]

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