Category: Features

  • Happy New Year – 2017 from Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

    Circumambulating the freshly renovated Boudhanath stupa I observed thousands of people from all over the world walking around it peacefully with their prayers in heart. This world heritage pilgrimage place was not built by a powerful king, a wealthy sponsor or a teacher with many followers. It was built by a poor and ordinary village…

  • NEPALESE CULTURAL BELIEFS

    MAINLY ABOUT FLORA   The first harvest of paddy is received into the house with due ceremony, with rice, curd and a lighted wick. Fruits and flowers may be stolen but whoever steals a pumpkin will grow a goiter. Don’t point at the fruit in a tree with your finger; the fruit will go bad.…

  • Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s Travel Schedule

        https://bodhicharya.org/ringu-tulku/schedule/

  • Faith and Doubt: Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel

    The path begins with an investigation of the unreliability of things. Sometimes when we contemplate impermanence and the unreliability of things we feel afraid or insecure.   Question: In my mind my primary deity, Guru Rinpoche, is the only reliable refuge. Is there any difference between Guru Rinpoche and the outer refuge you describe in…

  • Calm Abiding Instructions

    A first practice: meditation – training the mind Introductory notes Our minds will naturally find peace, compassion and wisdom if we give them the opportunity. Living with these qualities present leads to a very good life – a content, happy – even an enlightened life. However, due to the way we’ve lived our lives and…

  • What the Buddha Said About Eating Meat

    Ajahn Brahmavamso Since the very beginning of Buddhism over 2500 years ago, Buddhist monks and nuns have depended on almsfood. They were, and still are, prohibited from growing their own food, storing their own provisions or cooking their own meals. Instead, every morning they would make their day’s meal out of whatever was freely given…

  • Green Sweet Cicely Seed Sweets

    How to make sweet cicely seed brittle, a form of boiled sweet, and mukhwas, a foraged wild take on Indian sugar coated fennel seeds.   Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) is found growing wild in the parts of the British Isles that have a cold enough winter for the seed to set. This is mainly north…

  • Mixed Vegetable Pulao – Nepali: तरकारीको पुलाउ – नेपाली

    This type of mixed vegetable pulao is occasionally prepared, especially for feasts and in picnics.  It is a very rich dish. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of rice (basmati or masino/fine) 3 tablespoons of ghiu (clarified butter) 1 cup of cauliflower pieces 1/2 a cup of peas 1 carrot thinly sliced 1 onion finely chopped 1 teaspoon cumin…

  • Meditation

    Because of the complexity of various forms of meditation, the text is broken up into two main areas, although it could be broken down much further. Judeo/Christian Buddhist JUDEO/CHRISTIAN MEDITATION Christian meditation takes the form of prayer in order to appreciate the revelations of god.  This can be done by concentrating on a passage in the bible and…

  • News Update on fundraising for car/ambulance for Dr. Chuga

    Latest news on the fundraising campaign to get a car/ambulance for Dr. Chuga. Just £3,000 needed to reach the target! Great news! We have now raised about £7,000 (still £3,000 to go) for the vehicle thanks to the many very generous donations given so far. If you are still considering donating to this very worthy…

  • Fermented Wild Garlic

    The bright green shoots of wild garlic are one of the most heart-lifting aspects of an early Spring. I eat it fresh, in salads, in cooked dishes, as pesto, or soup. By the summer, it is gone again. I love having wild garlic later in the year but I can’t dry it like most other…

  • Renewable Energy

    The plan to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Devon, in the light of the recent developments of power sources in the world, seems to be an anomaly.  While many countries in Europe are turning to renewable energy in order to cut emissions, the UK seems to be determined to build this…

  • Mushroom Curry च्याउको कढी

    Mushroom or chyau, Agaricus conpestris, family Solanaceae, is a summer vegetable grown in Nepal, especially in the high mountains. Ingredients 1 cup of mushrooms 4 teaspoons of mustard oil 1 medium onion 2 garlic cloves 2.5 cm of ginger 1/2 teaspoon of chilli (optional) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds salt to taste. Process (The following…

  • Depression

    Question: My question is about practice & how, when doing one’s ngondro for example, many difficult things can come up. Recently I remembered your description of being on retreat, and not being able to move because of depression (how something was expressing itself at the time). How possible is it to lead a daily life…

  • Nut Roast

    This is a warming recipe for the winter season. Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 15g butter 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 200g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped 1 red pepper, halved, deseeded and finely diced 1 large carrot, grated 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp smoked…

  • The Sangha: Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel

    Looking for a Spiritual Community Jun 7th 2014 Elizabeth responds to a friend who is looking for a practice community or “sangha.” She suggests that searching for a spiritual community is similar to looking for romance: you can’t avoid the challenges, and yet there has to be chemistry too.   Question: Dear Elizabeth, I have…

  • Bodhicharya Publications becomes a CIC

      After many years in formation and development, we are happy to announce that Bodhicharya Publications has this year registered as a Community Interest Company, in the UK. A CIC means we have the aim to benefit the community, and this is not just a Buddhist community, but anyone generally – helping people deal with…