Along most temples in Asia, you will find strong animals to protect the site. Sometimes there is one on each corner of the building, but more common there is a pair guarding the entrance, and in some cases snaking along the sides of the stairs. They can be out of stone or metal, and can be…
Tag: Nepal
A Buddhist Sunday – Pharping Vajrayoginī
Pharping is a town south of Kathmandu. It goes by a few different names: The Nepali call it Pharping (sometimes pronounced Farping); The Tibetans call it Yangleshö (ཡང་ལེ་ཤོད་); and it was also called Phamting, because some say it is the birthplace of Phamtingpa (11th century CE), who together with his brothers was a close disciple…
A Buddhist Sunday – Everybody Dance Now…
For special occasions, usually for Losar (ལོ་གསར་ – Tibetan New Year) or the Tshechu festival in Bhutan (ཚེས་བཅུ་ – Tshechu – literally Day Ten, celebrated on the tenth day of a lunar month), the lamas (བླ་མ་ bla ma – Tibetan Buddhist teachers or Gurus) perform a set of sacred dances. The monks dance dressed in…
A Buddhist Sunday – Sankhu Vajrayoginī temple
In the area near Sankhu according to legend there used to be a huge lake where Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and great masters came to meditate. Sankhu was also the home of Śakya Demma. Unwanted and discarded by her family she had to fend for herself in the wild with the monkeys in the jungle. Still…
A Buddhist Sunday – Chusya Bahal
Chusya Bahal is a Buddhist temple not too far from the busy tourist area of Kathmandu (around the corner from Chhetrapati Chowk), but once inside the inner courtyard you enter in an oasis of peace and tranquility. The entrance is guarded by two formidable lions and Prajñāpāramitā (Prajña: Wisdom and Pāramitā: Perfection) is displayed above the…
A Buddhist Sunday – Punakha Dzong and Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche
Punakha Dzong was built in the early 17th century, making it the one of the oldest Dzongs in Bhutan. As with any other Dzong (རྫོང་) it houses government administrative offices and a monastery. A Dzong is shaped as a fortress with a very high wall surrounding it and a tower in the middle of the courtyard….
A Buddhist Sunday – Earthquake Aftermath in Nepal
Since 2012 I have made regular visits to Nepal. Sometimes we stayed for a month and sometimes just for a week. Our last visit in March was only 5 days long. Every time we go we have to visit at least two different places. We go see Svayambhū stūpa and Boudhanāth stūpa. I have written…
Nepal earthquake
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Patrick de Vries (@schererdevries) Last month we visited Kathmandu, as we have done several times before. I have the blue and yellow visa stickers in my passport to proof it. Then Saturday the devastating news reached us. Nepal was hit by an earthquake of 7.9 on…
A Buddhist Sunday – The Shamarpa
The Shamarpa (Zhwa dmar pa – The one with the red hat/crown) is the second highest lama in the Karma Kagyu (Bka’ brgyud) lineage and is generally seen as another emanation of the Karmapa. The first Shamar Rinpoche Khedrup Drakpa Senge (1283–1349) was recognised by the third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (Rang ‘byung rdo rje). Khedrup Dragpa Senge…
Alphabet Cities – K is for Kathmandu
As I have travelled a bit I am going to try and see if I have one city for each letter in the alphabet. Today it is K is for Kathmandu
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