Author: Awakened Heart Sangha

Sticky post
Lama Shenpen Quote

What is Mandala Principle? How can it help us connect to and understand the world we live in?

Mandala Principle is about the pattern and structure of everything that happens. The basic pattern is a centre or a central point from which everything else emanates. In Tibetan, the Sanskrit term ‘mandala’ is translated as kyilkor, which literally means a centre and a periphery. Every experience has this structure. Continue reading What is Mandala Principle? How can it help us connect to and understand the world we live in?

Awakened Heart Sangha2 Comments
mandala principle, boundaries, Tibetan Buddhism, Lama Shenpen Hookham UK Buddhist Teacher
Student's Question

Mandala Principle & Boundaries: Boundaries feel threatening to me, what aren’t I getting?

Mandalas are a way of describing the world of our experience in which everything is appearing and yet is ungraspable. The only reason we experience anything is because we can distinguish it from anything else. If it were all uniform with no differentiation it would not be experience would it? It wouldn’t be anything. Continue reading Mandala Principle & Boundaries: Boundaries feel threatening to me, what aren’t I getting?

Awakened Heart Sangha
Article, Lama Shenpen Teaching, Student's Question

Why do we recite long life prayers for teachers & why do we need to repeat them?

We pray for our personal teachers in particular to live long and for us to keep up as close a connection as possible with them by every means at our disposal, through this and through all our lifetimes working together forever to bring all beings to Awakening. This is about Mandala Principle. Continue reading Why do we recite long life prayers for teachers & why do we need to repeat them?

Awakened Heart Sangha
person sitting on bench under tree
Student's Question

Why might someone feel lonely after taking the Refuge or Bodhisattva vow?

We are facing the aloneness of a journey only we can make for ourselves, also an alone-ness where there is nobody looking on and saying we are doing well, we are our own leader and follower – Guru and disciple – we have to do it ourselves, like growing up but on a cosmic scale.  Continue reading Why might someone feel lonely after taking the Refuge or Bodhisattva vow?

Awakened Heart Sangha1 Comment
Lama Shenpen Teaching

How best to set up a regular meditation practice?

The winter months can be a good time to set up a regular meditation practice or to realign with your intentions if your regular practice has drifted. We revisit this article by Lama Shenpen on how to set up a regular practice, which is an excerpt from the booklet Heart of Meditation that given to all new members of the Awakened Heart Sangha when they … Continue reading How best to set up a regular meditation practice?

Awakened Heart Sangha
Lama Shenpen Quote, Lama Shenpen Teaching

How can we increase our sense of sacredness & transmission with online Dharma teachings & downloaded texts?

These days we surf the net and find a likely looking Dharma website and feel that parting with our money is to take a risk, since who knows who the people are and what they’re are up to. So often it is with suspicion and scepticism that we embark on a course and the practice, hardly knowing what to expect and wondering if this is yet another internet scam.
Hardly the best way to approach the holy Dharma teachings! Continue reading How can we increase our sense of sacredness & transmission with online Dharma teachings & downloaded texts?

Awakened Heart Sangha