Pavarana: Marking the End of the Rains Retreat
BD Dipananda
6 November 2015
Pavarana marks the end of the three-month Vassavasa, the rainy season retreat observed by Theravada monastic communities. Commonly falling on the full moon of the
The Honey-offering Festival: Commemorating the Service of Animals to the Buddha
BD Dipananda
11 September 2015
The Honey-offering Festival is a Buddhist religious ceremony that commemorates the service and sustenance provided by animals to the Buddha during his 10th rains retreat
Fifteen Good Years
Joseph Houseal
11 September 2015
I first traveled to Ladakh in the western Himalaya 15 years ago, after being invited by a lama I met on the beach in front
Dancers in High Places
Joseph Houseal
14 August 2015
The dancing mind is another mind. In Vajrayana Buddhist Cham, dance is yoga, the dancing mind the whole point—the center of the experience. Monk-dancers are
Hong Kong Tulku—A Little-known Side of Jonangpa
Elbe Lau
31 July 2015
Undertaking a pilgrimage is much like gazing into a mirror to get a clearer view of oneself . . . Last year, Hong Kong’s Buddhist
Losar around Dharamsala
Dominique Butet
10 April 2015
On 19 February, my partner Olivier Adam and I took part in the ceremonies for the Tibetan New Year, or Losar, at Geden Choeling Nunnery
The Magha Puja Festival: A Time to Make Merit for Southeast Asian Buddhists
BD Dipananda
27 March 2015
The Southeast Asian countries Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are known for their many colorful and enjoyable festivals. One of the most popular is Magha
Attending the Kalachakra
Dominique Butet
3 October 2014
It was 3 July 2014. I was in transit at Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi when a stormy weather announcement was made for the
One Hundred Million Blessings: Happy Saka Dawa!
Tinley Fynn
21 May 2014
To the uninitiated, Vajrayana’s ritualistic and esoteric appearance can make some observances seem heavy and difficult to comprehend. Tantric texts are laden with difficult religious
Celebrating the Dream of Religious Plurality: The Buddha Purnima Festival in Bangladesh
BD Dipananda
1 May 2014
When my elders retold to me Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, I was regaled with the fundamental principles that make an independent nation-state worth living in.
“May this image win me virtue”: The Courtauld Institute of Art’s Proceedings of the Buddhist Art Forum 2012
Cathy Ziengs
1 March 2014
Buddhistdoor International would like to thank Professor David Park, Director of the Courtauld Institute of Art’s Conservation of Wall Painting Department, for kindly hosting us
The Significance of the Kathina Robe Offering Ceremony
BD Dipananda
1 November 2013
The three-month rains-retreat seclusion of Buddhist Saṅgha concludes with the pavāraṇā (invitation) ceremony, which is in turn followed by Kaṭhina robe offering festival. It is a traditional