Tayview 12th March

Awoke this morning to this, last week when the toads emerged I thought winter was away. The sayings are, "February fill dyke" they are full. "March,in like a lion and out like a lamb" It is rather extreme the now so maybe April showers will come our way bringing flowers that ...... It's all a wee bit piffling compared to the quakes and tsunamis happening in New Zealand and Japan. I am in awe at the power of our climate and evolution of the earth, we are impermanent dwellers, fragile, dependant yet abusive and rapacious of the earth resources.
We live on the edge, I imagine we will reach tipping point and for millions, even billions that will be the end.

Tayview 12th March.

Akong Rinpoche Losar Celebrations Samye Ling.

Akong Rinpoche.


Akong Rinpoche Losar Celebrations Samye Ling.
A wonderful day, a catch up with many friends and a delightful time was had by all.

Losar ROKPA and Tibet day

Losar celebrations at Samye Ling Tibetan Centre.


Eskdalemuir village hall ROKPA fund raising.


Traditional Tibetan Dance.



Drawing the raffle.

Dolkar, A Dakini if ever I saw one.

Akong Rinpoche with family members.

Gateway to Samye Ling.

Stupa at Samye Ling.
The Samye Ling Victory Stupa for World Peace

The first authentic Stupa in Britain was consecrated in Scotland on August 3rd 2000 on Dharmachakra Day by Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche. It had been planned to mark the New Millenium and to celebrate the 60th Birthday of Akong Tulku Rinpoche, the founder and Tulku of Samye Ling Monastery on the Scottish Borders. Constructed, filled and decorated according to ancient lineage instructions, it was dedicated to Healing the Environment and overcoming obstacles to World Peace.

A Stupa (or 'Cho-ten' - Tibetan for 'basis of offerings') is a 2,500 year old spiritual technology introduced and taught by Buddha Sakyamuni to help transform and purify pollution and imbalance. The measurements of the outer form have to be extremely precise and the inner contents specific and properly placed and consecrated. Much of the building process demands that those involved if not ordained should maintain vows of ethical conduct and for some parts of the process repeat prayers continuously. All the specific instructions were observed.
Fulfilling the instructions creates an energy field that purifies and balances the internal and external five elements that compose the universe. These are Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Space.

A BRIDGE FOR UNDERSTANDING

The Stupa Project is inspired by and run under the guidance of Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, the founder of Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre in Scotland. Akong Rinpoche is a Doctor of Tibetan medicine and a meditation master and tulku of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He is one of the few Tibetan teachers who has permission from the Chinese government to travel within areas of China where, through ROKPA charity, he helps with the education and living conditions of some of the least materially well-off people on this planet. Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche is also a founder of many dharma centres and charity projects throughout Europe and Africa as well as the Holy Island Interfaith Centre just off the West coast of Scotland. He has worked closely for many years with Western psychologists and therapists so he is well placed to act as a bridge for the understanding of diverse groups.

THE INNER AMITABHA SHRINE

The inner shrine is open to visitors during the weekends. It can be used for private meditation and also offers space for the remains and ashes of those who wish to be laid to rest either within it or in the prayer wheel house. A high lama visits regularly to consecrate ashes placed in the Stupa during that year and conduct a blessing ceremony.

For more information about Buddhist funeral ceremonies and the Ashes Project please email Marilyn Harris on mh@sashworks.co.uk


Nagarjuna Statue at Samye Ling Tibetan Centre.

Nagarjuna stands second only to the Buddha in his importance in Buddhist thought. The concept of "emptiness (shunyata)" became the central ontological concept in Mahayana Buddhism thanks to his effort. Not only did he found the Madhyamaka tradition in India, understanding his philosophy is needed to understand the Zen tradition and the Dalai Lama's Tibetan tradition.
Included here are translations from the Sanskrit of his most important philosophical works into plain English, so that the general educated public interested in Buddhism or philosophy can understand his thought. Also included are separate commentaries and a bibliography of further readings.
The works presented here collectively constitute what the Tibetans call Nagarjuna's "analytic corpus." Translated from the original Sanskrit are the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way (the Mula-madhyamaka-karikas), Overturning the Objections (the Vigraha- vyavartani) with Nagarjuna's own commentary, and the philosophical portions of the Jewel Garland of Advice (the Ratnavali). Three works that are no longer extant in Sanskrit are summarized here: Seventy Verses on Emptiness (Shunyata-saptati-karikas), Sixty Verses on Argument (Yukti-shashtikas), and Pulverizing the Categories (Vaidalya-prakarana).


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Sunset Flisk 4th March

Sunset Flisk March 4th. Sun rises are pretty spectacular too though I'm a pm person rather than am.

Eskdalemuir Seismological Recording Station 2011

Eskdalemuir Seismological Recording Station 2011 on Saturday last, it forms part of Eskdalemuir Observatory which lies 2 miles south. Operatives, surrounded by sheep wait for the earth to move.
The station is operated by Güralp Systems Ltd on behalf of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Blacknest Seismological Group, which analyses the recordings from seismometers, including Eskdalemuir, as part of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) international monitoring system. The station monitors and records seismological signals arriving at the site, together with their time of arrival. This data is then analysed in conjunction with similar records obtained from similar stations around the world, and used to determine the source of those signals. Unlike naturally occurring seismological events, those originating from artificial sources, such as nuclear explosions, have a different pattern, or signature, and can be identified, together their general point of origin. Seismologists are able to discriminate between earthquakes and the large number of other signals such as quarry blasts, explosions, sonic booms, and collapses, which are recorded in addition to earthquakes.

The Eskdalemuir Seismological Recording Station is located in southern Scotland and has been in operation since 1962, making it the longest-operating steerable seismic array in the world. It is situated on the eastern side of the Langholm-Innerleithen road (B709) about 18 miles north of Langholm and two miles north of the Eskdalemuir meteorological observatory.
It comprises a recording laboratory, a seismological vault and an array of seismometers installed in pits spaced over an area 10 km square.
The seismological vault is about a quarter of a mile east south east of the laboratory, and the array lies to the east in the form of a cross, its centre, about 1½ miles from the laboratory. The latitude of the point of intersection of the two lines of the array is 55° 20' north and the longitude is 03° 09½' west.
- Quotation from Güralp Systems web site.

The group's seismologists solved the mystery of the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk. Claims had been made by the Russians that the initial damage to the submarine had been caused by a collision with a Royal Navy submarine. By analysing the recordings from seismometers, including the one operated at Eskdalemuir, the AWE team was able to prove that there was no collision. Instead there had been a small initial explosion, followed by a much larger one.

First Toad of the Year

First Toad of the year, it's been a long winter and only now are my wee friends beginning to show themselves. I have noticed over the years that toads remain in the same territory, even if you move them, they come back. This wee chap hangs around the house entrance. The breeding pond lies about 15 metres away and soon it will be heaving with copulating toads, croaking away soon to be followed by the frogs and newts. When this happens you know it's spring.

Losar Tibetan New Year 2011

Tomorrow I will be visiting Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre to celebrate Losar, Tibetan New Year. A joyous occasion.

Losar Greetings Card by Lama Thubten Kunsal, from a monastery in Derge, Eastern Tibet.


The Tibetan New Year of 2011 bounds in with the Female Iron Hare or Rabbit, which is said to be a particularly joyful and prosperous year ahead. Calligraphy by Tashi Mannox

The yearly Mahakala practice culminates with a ceremonial 'cham' dance to symbolically chase out and repel the demons of the old year, called the black hat dance. The main character of the dance is usually performed by a high Lama who is particularly adapt at the visualization of the sadhana called dorje lopon.

Gyaltsap Rimpoche as Dorje Lopon.

Steam cooked Mo Mos. Losar Celebration. Each New year of the Tibetan and Chinese Calendar for the last thirty plus I have Celebrated in the traditional way. Always at any festive moment people eat. We do our practice, resolve to be happy and wish all auspiciousness for the benefit of all sentient beings. Anyway, traditionally Tibetans cook Mo mos, steamed, lamb or beef filled, spiced pastry wraps, very tasty morsels. I was shown the process in Rumtek Monastery Sikkim in the late nineteen seventies and have cooked them each year since, many times actually because they are so nice. You would be amazed to how many you could eat. Often eaten with a thin meat broth sprinkled with fresh coriander.

You Can be as Young as You Think: Six Steps to Staying Younger and Feeling Sharper

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Snowdrops Newburgh North Fife

Snowdrops Newburgh North Fife, they are almost everywhere, these by the roadside. Amazingly I learned today that the bulbs are a basis for a medicine to halt the development of Alzheimer's disease. To help you remember, this is the site.
So, caught early that could be a huge relief for a huge proportion of our ageing population, myself included.

Starling Dundee

A Starling in Dundee, I find them to be really beautiful birds, they are great imitators and their song can be changed if near, one can whistle and elaborate sound and sure enough the bird will follow. I had great fun as a younger being playing with them.
Wikipedia has this to say about them.
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Starlings occur naturally in the Old World, from Europe, Asia and Africa, to northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas as well as North America, Hawaii and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitat with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the European Starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific the Common Myna is indeed common.

Starlings have strong feet, their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Several species live around human habitation, and are effectively omnivores. Many species search for prey such as grubs by "open-bill probing", that is, forcefully opening the bill after inserting it into a crevice, thus expanding the hole and exposing the prey.

Plumage of many species is typically dark with a metallic sheen. Most species nest in holes, laying blue or white eggs.

Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage.

Starlings have diverse and complex vocalizations, and have been known to embed sounds from their surroundings into their own calls, including car alarms, and human speech patterns. The birds can recognize particular individuals by their calls, and are currently the subject of research into the evolution of human language.

HM Frigate Unicorn Dundee

A wee trip to Dundee yesterday and a visit to the docks. Access is not as open as it used to be but there is still much to see.


His Majesty’s Frigate UNICORN, of 46 guns, was built for the Royal Navy in Chatham dockyard, and she was launched in 1824.
The classic sailing frigate was a fast and powerful warship, and was one of the most successful and charismatic ship designs of the age.
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Ships are essentially nomadic and rarely have ‘homes’; indeed their whole purpose is to travel. So when the time comes for a working ship to retire there may be no obvious final site for her.
Unicorn, on the other hand, is most unusual amongst big ships in having a ‘home’. She spent her entire working life in one port, Dundee, has now been here 136 years, and is now firmly embedded in Dundee’s social and maritime history.

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Unicorn Dundee at berth in Victoria Dock.