All schools of esoteric spirituality including Vajrayana Buddhism. Writing - both fiction and non-fiction; Healing; Fine Arts; Animals & Nature; Meditation; Teaching; Walking (especially in nature); Swimming (especially in the Ocean); Family & Friends; Attaining Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Others committed to the Bodhisattva's path... including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche & His Holiness Chungtsang Rinpoche.
.. Sacred music of all cultures; Jazz; Classical; Experimental; Rock; Folk; Blues & anything that has the power to transform us.
Kundun; The Wizard of Oz; 7 Yrs in Tibet; Himalaya; Tibetan Book of the Dead; The Matrix; The Cup; Ulysses; Hamlet; Easy Rider; Frank Capra Movies; What Dreams May Come; Defending Your Life; Field of Dreams; Last Temptation of Christ, Whale Rider, Education of Little Tree; Life of Brian & Dogma.
HUNG! ORGYEN YUL GYI NUB CHANG TSAM PEMA KESAR DONGPO LA YATSEN CHOK GI NGÖ DRUP NYE PEMA JUNGNE SHYE SU DRAK KHOR DU KHANDRO MANGPÖ KOR KHYE KYI JE SU DAK DRUP KYI CHIN GYI LAP CHIR SHEK SU SOL GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG --- HUNG! In the northwest of the land of Orgyen, In the heart of a lotus flower, Endowed with the most marvellous attainments, You are renowned as the "Lotus-born", Surrounded by many hosts of dakinis, Following in your footsteps, I pray to you to come and bless me with your grace, GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNGYou should know that the master is more important than the buddhas of a hundred thousand aeons, Because all the buddhas of the aeons appeared through following masters. There will never be any buddhas Who have not followed a master.The master is the Buddha, the master is the Dharma. Likewise the master is also the Sangha. He is the embodiment of all the buddhas. He is the nature of Vajradhara. He is the root of the Three Jewels.- Padmasambhava--
Buddhist Books - Easiest to Read: The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying; Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life; The Words of My Perfect Teacher; Old Path, White Clouds; Transformation of Suffering; The Life of Milarepa; All books by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama;Intermediate: The Jewel Ornament of Liberation; The Guide to The Words of My Perfect Teacher; The Wish Fulfilling Jewel; Diamond Armor; Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light;Tougher to read but worth the effort: All Books by Thinley Norbu; The Practice of Mahamudra; The Tibetan Book of the Dead; The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa;Non-Vajrayana Books: The Holy Bible; Autobiography of a Yogi; All books by Aryeh Kaplan;Fiction: Ulysses; all books by Henry Miller & all writings of Samuel BeckettWork Books: Reminiscenses of a Stock Operator; Market Wizards & Mechanical Trading Systems.The Trading Book I Wrote
Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche; His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche; His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche; Naropa; Lord Jigten Sumgon; His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama; His Holiness Chungstang Rinpoche; Guru Rinpoche; Sogyal Rinpoche; Terton Sogyal; Trungpa Rinpoche; Kalu Rinpoche; Patrul Rinpoche; His Holiness the 16th Karmapa; Jetsun Milarepa; Marpa; Tilopa; Gampopa; Phagmodrupa; Shantideva; Atisha; Nagarjuna; Shakyamuni Buddha; Thich Nhat Hanh; St. Francis of Assisi; Jesus Christ; Gurdjieff; James Joyce; Gandhi; Aryeh Kaplan; William Blake; William Shakespeare; D. Lho Ontul Rinpoche; Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche & Pamela Nations-Weissman.The Mustard Seed: The reputation of the Buddha had spread far & wide. Not only was he renowned as a great, compassionate and fully enlightened human being, but also as a skilled teacher & a miraculous healer who could even bring the dead back to life. One day, a woman approached him after a teaching begging that he do something to restore her dead child to her. The Buddha listened patiently to her plea & saw how great was her despair. He said to her, "Mother, if you bring me just one mustard seed from any household in which no person has died, then I shall revive your child." The woman was greatly encouraged by the Teacher's words. She traveled from door to door throughout her own village, but could not find even a single residence in which no one had died. She went out of town, wandering to this hamlet and that in search of the tiny seed that the Buddha had requested. Days later, muddy & footsore, she returned to the place where the Buddha & his followers were passing the rainy season. She was ushered into the Teacher's presence worn out, but not discouraged. "Master, try as I might, I could not locate the token you requested as an offering. But I have come to understand that death visits every household & eventually, every single one of us. I would like now, to 'enter the stream' & work towards the liberation that the teachings provide."