Buddhaverse Podcast

This episode is about motherhood in general and my mother in particular, and the sacred nature of the mother and child relationship. At the end I recite the Sutra on About the Deep Kindness of Parents and the Difficulty of Repaying It 

Dogen Zenji is a dual patriarch of both Rinzai and Soto Zen  and his writing a Dharma activity changed Japan and the world forever .  To celebrate his life a work I'll be doing a reading of chapters of his Shobogenzo intermitently.  I do a a brief bio of his life and enlightenment story, and then read a chapter entitled Space or Koku in Japanese, and I finish with the Prayer in Praise of the 16 Arhats for the well fare of all Dharma teachers and the flourishing of the Dharma. buddhaversepodcast.comFor my updates follow me  here: instgram.com/harddrive

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Parinirvana of His Holiness Rangjung Rigpe Dorje the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, I decided to do the first Modern Meditation Master Monday profile on this King of Kings, the NIrmanakaya emanation of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion, head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.  He was called the Miraculous 16th because of his tremendous and seemingly effortless spiritual power that he playfully and majestically transformed millions of lives with.  He was a Buddha in the flesh and this was clearly evident to those who entered his mandala. Karmapa Khyenno! Karmapa Khyenno! Karmapa Khyenno!Buddhaversepodcast.com

One of the most concise and straight forward exposition of reality known to man. The Vajraccedika Sutra falls into the category of Prajna Paramita, or Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, the discourses where Buddha teaches the definitive meaning of Ultimate Reality. Translation by Venerable Yifa; Buddha's LIght Publications

For this investigation of the question, "what is a Buddha?" we will look into the Sutras and Shastras, or the words of the Buddha and the commentaries from his disciples, to find definitive answers for our own well-fare and the well-fare of others.  We look into the Avatamsaka Sutra with commentary by Master Hsuan Hua, the Vimalakirit Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra, Master Nagarjuna's Prajanaparamita Shastra and Dharmadhatu stava with commentary by Ranjung Dorje, The Uttaratantra Shastra by Maitreya with commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Dignaga's Pramanasamuccaya with commentary by Geshe Kelsang Wangmo, Bodhidharma's Bloodstream Sermon, the Platform Sutra with commentary by Master Hsuan Hua, Kobodaishi Kukai's The Meaning of Becoming Buddha in This Very Body, Dogen's Shobogenzo, the 100,000 Songs of Milarepa, and Longchenpa's Finding Rest in the Nature of Mind with his own auto-commentary. Buddhaversepodcast.cominstagram.com/harddrive

The Buddha may be the single most influential figure in human history, and also the most misunderstood, or misinterpreted. When he attained "Buddhahood," the course of history changed forever, but what did it mean when he announced to the world, "I Am Awake?" The legacy he left in his wake is one of the major religions of the world, know today as "Buddhism" but he did not teach a belief system, nor a philosophy, and not exactly a science.  What he taught was how to deliver one's self and others from suffering through education, reflection, and meditation. Let's take a look at this magnanimous artist formerly known as Siddhartha, and what is means to be a Buddha. In part 2 we'll answer this question from the Mahayana Buddhist perspective.

Buddhists for thousands of years have put mantra, Sutras, and prayers to rhythm as a mnemonic tool, so I decided to put this difficult-to-memorize mantra to an instrumental as an aid for myself and anyone else who strives to do what is most difficult.  Available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIhaaQ3x9WQand Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/harddrive916/hard-drive-shurangama-mantraInstgram.com/harddriveBuddhaversepodcast.com

The Shurangama Mantra also called the "Great White Canopy of Light Dharani Mantra"  It is also called "Brilliant Buddha's Crown, Great White Canopy of Light, Unsurpassed Spiritual Mantra." This Highly revered and widely practiced Mantra comes from the Shurangama Sutra, and is one of the central Sutras of the Chinese Buddhist Traditions, especially the Ch'an school.  In this podcast I will cover a bit about what a mantra is and why this mantra is given such praise and is so essential to the survival of Buddhism itself. This episode is dedicated to the memory and legacy of Michael Brooks, may he continue his Bodhisattva activity wherever he is. 

A recitation of The Sutra of the Medicine Buddha, also titled, The Sutra on the Merits of the Fundamental Vows of the Master of Healing, Sapphire Radiance Tathagatha, or The Sutra of Sacred Formula of the Binding Vows of the Twelve Deva Generals to Enrich all Sentient Beings.  The Medicine Buddha has vowed to heal all sentient beings and the power of his mantra Bhaishajya Bhaishajya Maha Bhaishajya Bhaishjyaraje Samudgate Svaha has the power to activate the healing energy with each of us.  I give a brief explanation of the Sutra and give a recitation.  This ancient text is more relevant than ever to bring well-being and harmony to Earth. May the virtue of this Buddhacast benefit all!  Namo Medicine Buddha. https://buddhaversepodcast.com/podcasts/sutra-of-the-medicine-buddha-recitationMedicine Buddha Sutra PDF: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/medbudsutra.pdfRobert Thurman's teachings on Medicine Buddha: https://www.youtube.com/user/tibethouseMaster Hua's commentary on the Medicine Buddha Sutra: https://youtu.be/H1jXtRRLWscSorig Academy by Dr. Nida Chenatsanghttps://sorigacademy.org/Pure Land Farms Tibetan Medicine Meditation and Rejuvenation: https://www.purelandfarms.org/ 

This week's Episode is about the King of Tibet, the leader of world leaders, the teacher of teachers, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. This "simple monk" may be one of the greatest human bings to ever walk the Earth, and Earth is undoubtedly a better place with this being amongst us, so it's only proper to give an introduction and praise to one of, if not the most, central living figures in Buddhism. It should be a source of Vajra Pride that we can call the Dalai Lama our own, as he represents the greatest aspects of the human heart: tireless compassion, humble grace, shining intellectual brilliance, and patient forbearance. I cover a brief biography and history of the lineage of the Dalai Lamas and then discuss his duties and main aspirations as the greatest representative of Tibetan Buddhism... Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Humhttps://Dalailama.comOcean of Wisdom - The Life of the Dalai Lama : https://youtu.be/WFSQKVm-et8The Lost World of Tibet Documentary: https://youtu.be/A-BOWf5C1CoTibet: Beyond Fear Documentary : https://youtu.be/EhQ0WGfBixQKundun Movie by Martin Scorsese: https://youtu.be/43nxsDxQprQMan of Peace link: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Peace-Illustrated-Story-Dalai/dp/1941312047Tukdam News Report Pt.1 link: https://youtu.be/gtA7BVLD5l8pt.2: https://youtu.be/6ndLv8VkUjobuddhaversepodcast.com  

Few, if any, Dharma practitioners have synthesized indigenous shamanic cultures with Buddhism the way Anil Thapa has. Staying true to his native Nepali identity and deep love for Dharma, Anil has embraced the First Nations People's respect for Mother Nature and the elements.  He has made it his life's work to encourage other's to reconnect with our planet, and discover the beauty in life that he has found. At a time when Mother Earth has taken a backseat to modernity, and our alienation from nature and each other is at it's peak, Anil is leading the way back to heart and truth. Buddhism has a tendency to be very cerebral and the simple practice of being in nature, that has played such a large role in the awakenings of the ancient masters, must make a comeback to benefit our minds and Mother Earth. Anil and I discuss his life, the art of Thanka painting, how he came to embrace native flute, the state of the planet, and how we can reconnect to the source! You can follow him on Inst at @thankapainting purchase his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Honoring-Land-Anil-Thapa/dp/1631320823/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=honoring+the+land&qid=1579752453&sr=8-1 and hear his music here: https://www.amazon.com/Honoring-Land-Anil-Thapa/dp/B07Q47MKCR/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=anil+thapa&qid=1579752494&sr=8-3

This first episode will feature a self-inflicted interview from the host, Pema Dechen, about the purpose and goal of this podcast. Beginning with a brief introduction to his background in life and in Buddhism, Pema gives the reason for starting a podcast, whether he feels the need to contribute to the ever-piling heap of information about Buddhism, and concludes with a Mission Statement about his desire to promote and preserve the Dharma  for the benefit of all sentient beings.