An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series
There is an expression in one of our prayers, that one’s mind becomes ‘hard as horn.’ The minute I first read that particular phrase, it touched me deeply. Every time I have thought about it, it has meant more and more to me. One’s mind becomes hard as horn because of the discrimination, the conceptualization that is involved with the idea of ego, because of the pride and arrogance that arise from our belief in self-nature as being inherently real. We have established in our minds all of the clothing, the dogma, the discrimination of this idea of self as being real. These things become rigid in our minds, and our minds are no longer gentle.
The moment you decide in some subconscious way you have an ego, that you are a self, you have to start gathering the constructs of self-identity around you. You have to determine where self ends and other begins. In order to do that your mind has to be filled with conceptualization. In order to be a self you have to survive as a self. In order to maintain this conceptualization that makes survival possible, your mind has to become rigid. So if I say to you that your mind is rigid, you shouldn’t think I have insulted you. I am talking about a condition all sentient beings have, and it is a condition that is the cause of a great deal of suffering.
Definitely go out for dinner this evening, or else prepare a lavish feast. Being well fed and well rested makes a difference today in terms of your happiness and success. Go shopping. You could buy THE THING that enhances your life. Money is well spent today. Pay your bills and give what you can to others. Someone may repay a loan you never expected to get back. You look particularly good today, and red is now a great color for just about everybody. Artists and musicians are particularly “on” today. An impressive person comes up with the solution to a partnership issue. Someone can break a strike or play a diplomatic role that resolves a standoff. A decision made suddenly is the right one. Quit dithering and take action!
The daily astrology post affects everyone. Because individual charts vary, the circumstances outlined in the post will affect people differently. Some will feel this energy in the personal arena, some in finances, some with children or family, some in work and so forth. There are many departments of life. Look to see where the dynamic affects you!
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche bestows Long Life Empowerment on Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo
Precious Guru,
During this time of celebrating the anniversary of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche I thought you might appreciate this image. It is a photo from 2006 when His Holiness visited KPC, and he is offering you empowerment with the Long Life Arrow.
Came across it while looking for photos for TBA and was so moved by it I decided to send it along.
This Great Master, Throneholder of this ancient Lineage, who offered so many immeasurable blessings to the world, offered the most precious and inconceivable blessing for your students when he recognized you and enthroned you to teach.
For the benefit of countless beings, may your life be long, health strong and may all your aspirations be swiftly fulfilled!
May this Great Master, who held this stainless Lineage together during these degenerating times, be swiftly reborn!
Ogyen Tendzin Jigme Lhundrup, with his teacher. He is considered to be the reincarnation of H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series
The precepts that the Buddha laid down are real and workable for everyone. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to hold to these precepts. One of these is the realization that all sentient beings want to be happy, yet don’t have the skills or knowledge to achieve happiness. Another is the realization that because of our ineptness at capturing that happiness we make ourselves sad. In fact, the Buddha teaches us that all sentient beings are suffering because we don’t know how to attain happiness.
You don’t have to be a Buddhist to notice this is true. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to look around you, if you are willing to look with courageous eyes, and see that this is so, and you don’t have to be a Buddhist to use the antidote. That antidote is purity of conduct. It is purity in practice, whatever your practice might be. The antidote is the realization of compassion, which should be the core of one’s life. Of course, the Buddha’s teaching is more involved than this, but still one does not have to be a Buddhist to hold to these teachings. They are universal.
If you have been studying Buddhism for some time, you may think you have already learned the Buddha’s basic teachings that all sentient beings are suffering, that there is an antidote to suffering, that all sentient beings are trying to be happy, and that one needs to hold a compassionate viewpoint. But this is not true. You still need to hear these things.
No matter how long I teach, and no matter whom I teach, whether they are brand new to anything metaphysical, or whether they’ve gone on 20-year retreats, I will always address first and foremost the root reasons why one should practice. These basic beliefs are the foundational viewpoint that will encourage you to keep practicing, and, most especially, to keep practicing the idea of compassion.
There is never a time on your path when this is no longer necessary. In fact, the further you go on whatever path you choose – and specifically on the Buddhist path – you will meet up with challenges. You will invariably meet obstacles that make you feel tired and unwilling to go on. You will feel the pressures of living in the material world, especially living here in the West where we are so busy. It is a stretch to be a person committed to a spiritual path, whether it is the Buddhist path or not. It is a stretch because most of us have to earn a living and raise our families, and do all those things that are so time consuming. It is easy to fall back and say, “I’ll wait until later. I will wait until I’m older and more settled, or less busy.”
It is good to hear the Buddha’s foundational teachings. You shouldn’t think that if you’ve been a long-time Dharma student you are beyond all this. If you think that, then I have to tell you from my heart that you have a problem. I don’t think that, and I don’t know of any teacher who thinks that. Every teacher I have ever spoken to has told me to teach compassion first. Teach first the foundational teachings, and keep on that throughout your whole involvement with the Buddhist path.
An imaginative breakthrough comes early in the day; a burst of inspiration strikes you. You could be so excited that you behave in a wild or tactless manner. George Washington advised that “Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.” Take the advice of our first president and your ideas are well received and find success. Mind your p’s and q’s today. Someone is paying attention. Later in the day you could feel emotionally volatile. Exercise or write out your feelings rather than venting them to an unfortunate person nearby. Still, this is an exceptional day. Honors can be bestowed, and you might find that someone important considers you a good friend.
The daily astrology post affects everyone. Because individual charts vary, the circumstances outlined in the post will affect people differently. Some will feel this energy in the personal arena, some in finances, some with children or family, some in work and so forth. There are many departments of life. Look to see where the dynamic affects you!
An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series
To truly understand the mind of compassion is to understand suffering. To be willing to cultivate aspirational compassion and act in accordance with those aspirations, so that you fully intend to liberate your mind from the causes of suffering and fully intend to return in whatever form necessary in order to benefit beings. In so doing, you’re on your way. Whether you call yourself a Buddhist or not, kindness is a universal term. No one’s got a corner on it. Compassion is not a word that the Buddha invented.
I am a Buddhist because I found this religion is the most useful way to benefit beings. This is my own determination. If you also determine this for yourself, then continue to do what you’re doing. Perhaps you’re heading towards studying Buddhism, or perhaps you are already studying it. But if you don’t want to become a Buddhist, that doesn’t let you off the hook! You still have to live a life of compassion. No matter what path you’re following, compassion is the only way to realization. No matter whom you’re listening to, hatred, greed and ignorance are the causes for suffering. There is universality about all this. Whether you call yourself Buddhist or not, you still have a job to do. I suggest doing it by first cultivating the firm foundation of fervent aspiration to be of ultimate benefit, and by having the courage to look at the content and meaning of suffering and determining how best to overcome it.
Energy and excitement are in the air today. You’re happy and raring to go! Friends are extremely helpful and can come up with the solution to a problem you haven’t been able to solve. Men are inventive and women are feisty. Children are happy and energetic; take them outside and let them run! If your mind doesn’t want to concentrate, let it drift and it will snap to attention later in the day. You are ready to jump into something new, possibly a romance. You could confuse friendship with love; you could start something that you don’t seriously want long term. Remember Robert Burns’ caution about sudden infatuation, “Had we never loved so kindly, Had we never loved so blindly, Never met – or never parted – We had ne’er been broken hearted.” Be careful.
The daily astrology post affects everyone. Because individual charts vary, the circumstances outlined in the post will affect people differently. Some will feel this energy in the personal arena, some in finances, some with children or family, some in work and so forth. There are many departments of life. Look to see where the dynamic affects you!
An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series
Now, when we talk about practical compassion, it actually occurs on two levels. There’s a universal level, in the sense you care so much for all sentient beings that your goal is to do whatever is necessary to eliminate suffering forthem all. But does that mean that if you see a hungry child you shouldn’t feed him? Or does that mean you shouldn’t be kind in an ordinary, human way? Ordinary compassion, ordinary human kindness is very important. But in understanding the Buddha’s teaching, it shouldn’t be the only thing you do. You have to live an ordinary, virtuous life, but you have to live an extraordinary life as well. The activity of kindness and compassion should have both a universal and an ordinary level.
On the other hand, I don’t believe in ‘idiot compassion.’ Have you ever heard of idiot compassion? It is when you look at people who are needy and you see them going through their stuff, and you try to be so kind to them and give them what they need, or what they say they need. You actually don’t help them because you increase their dependency. You increase their willingness to tell you how much they need. You’re just helping them along; you’re playing with them. So I don’t believe in idiot compassion because it doesn’t help them. I believe that sometimes, real compassion has to be harsh.
In Buddhism, you see as many wrathful deities as you do peaceful deities. Why is that? Is it because the Buddha is half mean and half nice? I don’t think so. It’s because sometimes compassionate activity has to be a little wrathful. Sometimes it has to be a little aggressive. It depends. If you really are pure and your determination is to really be of benefit, and not just to be a nice guy, after training yourself in this way, you’ll know what to do. You won’t get hooked on idiot compassion. Everybody likes ‘feel-good’ stuff, but that doesn’t always help. You should, however, be a human being of virtue. You should be kind. You should be honest.
