Buddha
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Meditation
Practising meditation is essentially a way of getting to know ourselves better through familiarizing ourselves with our own minds. From the Buddhist point of view, the human mind is already awake and liberated. Its nature is compassionate and fully present. No matter what kinds of meditation we practise, all of them are aimed at increasing our mindfulness and presence, facilitating inner peace, and enabling us to deal with our emotions in a healthy way. Weiter -
Buddhism
Are you interested in “personally encountering the Buddha” and following the spiritual path described by him? If you are, then there are a few things you should know before you begin your journey. Buddhism is primarily a path on which you study, get to know, and train your own mind. It is a spiritual and not a religious path. The goal is self-knowledge rather than salvation, and freedom rather than a heavenly kingdom. Buddha’s path is based on rational thinking and analysis and on contemplation and meditation, the goal being to transform mere knowledge “about things” into knowledge that transcends … Weiter -
German Karma Kagyu Association
Kamalashila Institute for Buddhist Studies and Meditation is a part of and is simultaneously the main centre of the Karma Kagyü Gemeinschaft Deutschland e.V., a German association that functions as the official representative of the Karma Kagyu lineage and of the activities of H.H. the Karmapa in Germany. In the 1970s, prestigious teachers of the Karma Kagyu tradition, such as Kalu Rinpoche and the 16th Karmapa, began travelling to Europe and North America. In the wake of these visits, several Kagyu centres were also established in Germany, which necessitated the founding of an association for the organization and administration of … Weiter -
Our Sangha
The Pali or Sanskrit word “sangha” means something like “community” or “gathering”. In very general terms, the sangha means the community of all Buddhist practitioners who follow the Buddha’s path and the Buddha’s teachings (dharma). But often students of a particular master or institution will also refer to themselves as a sangha, which is then a more narrow meaning. In spiritual terms, the sangha is one of the so-called “three jewels” consisting of the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. Buddhist practitioners take refuge in these, which means they place themselves under the protection of them. One often hears of … Weiter -
The Peace Stupa
Stupas are prevalent building structures with a long tradition in the Buddhist world. They were originally grave mounds in pre-Buddhist times containing the remains of Indian rulers and from which a rod protruded that supposedly collected energy. The dome shape also symbolized the balance between all energies in the universe. The word stupa is derived from the Sanskrit word “stup”, which means something like “accumulating” or “collecting”. Buddha is said to have recommended the building of stupas, which is why there are so many of them in Tibet and in the rest of the Buddhist world. Since early Buddhist times, … Weiter -
The Karma Kagyu Lineage
Over the centuries, Tibetan Buddhism has been developed and passed on directly from the teacher to the student through the so-called transmission lineages. One of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism is the Kagyu tradition, which in turn is subdivided into several main and secondary lineages. Kamalashila Institute belongs to the Karma Kagyu school, which is headed by the Karmapa. Tradition holds that the transmission of the Kagyu lineage began with the Original Buddha, Dorje Chang. Dorje Chang is a so-called transcendent buddha who is seen as an embodiment of absolute truth. From him the typology of the five … Weiter -
Buddhism and Meditation
At the beginning, everyone who becomes involved with Buddhism and meditation in a serious and intensive way not only has a lot of questions but also gets a lot of different answers – especially in the West. This is because of the wide array of Buddhist traditions and schools that have established themselves in the West in the last decades. The following information is meant to provide you with a short and understandable idea about Buddhism. Weiter
