The Seen and the Hidden

Everybody has their own way of doing things, and this just happens to be the system I like.



 For more ideas about how to DYI an Earth Treasure Vase, the Digital Tibetan Buddhist offers some practical guidance.  My sense is that repurposing pre-loved vases purchased inexpensively from Thrift Stores would be most acceptable.  The less farting about with vanities of ritual; the better.


The Seen and the Hidden: (Dis)covering the Veil - Islam, West and Identity: the Veil is sitting at the crossroads: it is provocative, as it let you discover that they belong to an alien (presumably hostile) culture while covering what that culture really is. It is viewed by us as a symbol of oppression; for them it is a symbol of identity: you are not from nowhere; you came from a place; you are not nameless; you have your own name; you came to the West as an equal. [Above image of a clever beehive storage design for scarves, veils and knickers]

Her Majesty the Druk Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuk,

Queen of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

On Protecting Nyingma: On May fifteenth this year, during the course of a spontaneous teaching at Half Moon Bay, California, Gyatrul Rinpoche made the following observation:

"We are trying to help sentient beings. At the same time we need to protect ourselves, protect the center. What does that mean? It means that we need to guard our merit. That is how we protect ourselves. And we need to protect the center from waste and carelessness. You shouldn't think, 'This belongs to the center, let's use it now, use it up.' Instead, you should think, 'I need to protect the center. I need to guard my merit. We need to keep, protect, save, use everything carefully.' Everybody needs to take care of the center. Young or old, smart or dumb, scholar or non-scholar, rich or poor, pretty or handsome or ugly like me, it doesn't matter... ." [saddle up]