Blog –

Mumbai High Water, Lama D’s US Visa Denied

A disappointing week in Mumbai, with record rainfall and flooding due to rising sea levels. And Lama D’s US visa application rejected in a 10-second interview, no reason given. So I’m coming to Santa Fe alone, and he is staying in Asia. I’m here until November 6th. My USA number for this period is 505-930-2745. We dressed for breakfast on my departure day in our Bhutanese dress. We are both fine. Mumbai recorded “extremely heavy” rain this monsoon, when over 200mm of downpour lashed the city within a 24-hour span and disrupted daily life. The numbers are worthy of Swedish…

We visit Bhagawan Nityananda in Ganeshpuri, India

Lama D and I are relaxing for a few days in Ganeshpuri, India at the beautiful Fire Mountain Retreat Center. I’m doing my best to keep up the weekly blog, however internet is spotty here, so please be patient. Ganeshpuri is the city of Ganesh, and home of my root guru, Swami Bhagawan Nityananda. This beautiful video shows the history and beauty of Fire Mountain Retreat Center where stayin. This very unusual sadguru (enlightened saint) wandered in India and the Himalayas, eventually settling in a jungle hot springs of Ganeshpuri until his passing in 1961. Everywhere he went, followers gathered…

Riwo Sangchöd, Mountain Smoke Offering

Called the ‘Mountain Smoke Offering’. Lama Dungtsho does the Puja for Riwo Sangchöd. Riwo Sangchöd means ‘An unceasing offering to the mountain gods’, but it is much more than that. It is a ceremony, a puja or practice of generosity and offering that frees your heart and inspires generosity to others. It is a practice of prosperity that also brings confidence. It is a practice of healing through which we repay all our karmic debts and heal our relationships. Riwo Sangchöd is also a practice of purification in which all our obscurations are purified and burned away in the sweet…

Living in the moment is precious

For years I planned to write a memoir of my life. Maybe it would be interesting for others. But now I can’t. Life is too fast, precious, and interconnected. When we live in the moment with awareness, our lives are full of amazing synchronicities. How can we even begin to comprehend, let alone alone write them down? Not sure it’s possible any more. Lama D and I are in Mumbai working on his visa to the US. By a stoke of luck we found a cyber cafe at the US embassy staffed by brilliant Indians who teamed up to help…

In Orbit this week, I’ll be in touch soon.

Hi everybody, I didn’t want to miss the blog this week. But I’m not sure what to say. I am fine, that is sure. I am in an undisclosed location, working on an undisclosed project. All pieces are in the air. Maybe they’re permanently in orbit, I’m not sure. Details will follow. Please don’t worry. My temporary mental shift is indicated by the images below as best I can explain. I repeat – I am quite fine. I send you my warmest regards, and promise to be in touch when the moving pieces come to rest in somewhat recognizable positions.…

Bhutan’s Tshechu Festivals: Masked Dancers Enact Ancient Legends

This is an excerpt from my book proposal “Footprints of the Enlightened Ones”. Sending warm greetings. All is well here. I’m grateful for lovely summer weather in the forests of Paro. There are secrets in the mountains of Bhutan. And deep memories in flesh and blood. Not sure where to begin my story. But before I can tell you about the Tshechu dancers, we have to go back to the 8th century to meet the famous Guru Rinpoche. Even his name conjures a link between Indian “Guru” and Tibetan “Rinpoche” traditions. Yes, he was both. Padmasambhava traveled far and wide, meditating…

I Finish My Book Proposals and Learn to Do Laundry

Well, today I finally finished ALL my book proposals. The last proposal was for the Bhutan Travel Cookbook, which I decided to call “Walking in the Footprints of the Enlightened Ones”. This one was a challenge, including sample chapters and 75 MB of 90 pages in Word. I believe it will be a lovely book, like a multi-media portal into the Soul of Bhutan through memoir, stories, photos, and food flavors. All is well and I’m feeling a bit tired. Now I’m actively looking for an agent and publisher. All my book proposals are online here. Buddha Speaks, Channeled Conversations…

Exploring Threads in Time, Roots of Tibetan Chöd Practice

Who is Padmasambhava? The energy of Padmasambhava is very strong in Bhutan. His special vibration is one of the main reasons I’m here, since he’s been present in my meditations for a long time. Padmasambhava is said to have been born about 700 years after Christ in the NW Indian province of Oḍḍiyāna. He traveled and studied with many great Indian masters, and was able to purify negative obstacles in Tibet and Bhutan to make way for the great tantric schools of Tibetan Buddhism. This was part of a shift away from Bön Buddhism that lasted many centuries. Statues of Padmasambhava can…

We Visit Paro Dzong and Spend Time with Family

Whew! English summer school with my extended family is over, and all projects are finished. To celebrate, we visited temples, museums, gathered with family and ate lots of Bhutanese food. I’m saying good-bye to my friend Baby, whose English has improved vastly in the three weeks we held our home school. Here we’re at the National Museum in Paro overlooking the town and valley. The National Museum of Paro sits on the hill overlooking the city. It contains a wealth of rare information about Bhutan’s history, traditions, and natural beauty. This is the Rinpung Dzong, the largest Dzong and fortress…

Bhutan Greeting Cards with Buddha Quotes from the Kangyur

These art greeting cards illustrate some of the cultural beauty of Bhutan. I designed the cards from many of my photographs with other added elements. Each card contains a Buddha quote from the Tibetan Kangyur, the sacred book of the Bhutan Drukpa Lineage, translated into English by the Khyentse Foundation.