The following is a video Children’s Story written by Woody Rowe and compiled as a video by students of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
Month: August 2013
Astrology
This is wonderful day for a picnic, a get together or family brunch. Emotions are expansive and food is your best friend. Keep your feelings at home, however, because an excess of emotion will get you into trouble in the world at large. Avoid making promises you can’t keep, and this is exactly what you feel like doing! Promise others the moon and you’ll be sneaking out the back door by the end of the day. If you’re feeling indecisive about a matter, postpone a decision until you’re certain. Be aware that an urge to engage in a wrongheaded action is steadily growing. Again, try to postpone activity until the coast is clear. What’s good about this day is the possibility of renewal, of the resurrection of something that seemed dead and gone. Something comes back to life as a direct result of hard work and attention to detail. “Madeleine L’Engle said, “That’s the way things become
clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they’ve been all along.”
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!
Astrology
Use the emotions arising today to improve your work. Do your best not to express how you really feel to a public official. Don’t explain how hard your life is to the clerk at the DMV or to the bus driver. Be respectful of other people’s time and be aware of the job others are doing. Today you must be aware of what is and isn’t appropriate behavior. Crying about your problems at job interviews, complaining about your spouse to a cop…these things don’t work! However, an emotional appeal to the right person in a private setting can solve a major problem. It’s tricky, but the job of the day is to let your hair down in a discriminating way. Joseph Campbell said, “The ultimate aim of the quest…must be neither release nor ecstasy for oneself, but wisdom and power to serve others.”
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!
Astrology
Chatterbox! That’s you and everybody else. The news is interesting, distracting and a time waster. Today, the longer you talk the less you know. Wrap it up and get back to work. The details of your project, whatever it is, are most important. A stable agreement is possible, today, if you can stop talking long enough to notice. Take it and move on. An unassuming man moves into a position of power. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring him, he understands the situation completely. Avoid the push to make a big splash or to attract notice. You will overspend and underperform. If you keep in mind that you are being watched and evaluated, you will do the right thing. Paul Eluard said, “There is another world, but it is in this one.” Maintain a posture of humility at all times and things work out well.
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!
Astrology
Emotional stability is here at last. If you’ve been riled up about things, if emotional touchiness has characterized your relationships, the situation is over. A new fire and stability enters your affairs. A leader steps up to lead, and this person is impressive and stable. Support this person and good things happen. Robert Johnson said, “A sense of reverence is necessary for psychological health, a sense of awe.” If you look up to and admire someone else, your life goes better. A discussion is good for relationship harmony but unsuccessful in work matters. Be careful about over-talking everything and wasting people’s time. There is plenty of work to do. Good news comes from a governmental agency or an older person. It’s a wonderful day to hire people and solve health issues. Love is grand.
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!
Astrology
Work is rolling along successfully! Organization, lists, and classifying what’s what is taking up people’s time. Clean up and clear things out! Now is the best time ever to tackle messes of all sorts. Arrange, organize and file your life to perfection. Details have never been so satisfying. As you work through things, you solve things. Cleaning up clutter gives insight into problems. Avoid becoming captured by something that pulls you into a reverie. Set it aside for later! Follow the rules today. Don’t be like Alan Bennett who said, “We started off trying to set up a small anarchist community, but people wouldn’t obey the rules.” Don’t be an anarchist in your own life. Elsewhere, relationships are improving and a last ditch emotional appeal is very helpful.
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!
Astrology
Escape! This is what most draws you today and it is a direct result of all the work you’ve done recently. Escape away, but be sure to do it in an off/on manner. Work, and then take a break. Work, and then take a break. Do your best to balance both, or else you’ll find yourself lost or feeling ill. Balance is needed all day: love and friendship, work and escape, home and the world. Stay too long in any area and trouble arises. A sudden magnetic attraction flares up and it’s fun but won’t last. Emotional volatility is a problem. People with mood swings should be monitored carefully under the current aspects. If someone you know (or you!) is suddenly much more emotional, pay attention! Mary Waldrip said, “It’s important that people know what you stand for. It’s equally important that they know what you won’t stand for.” Be firm about your own boundaries, and speak up if someone is behaving wildly. A specific comment can change people’s behavior and stabilize a situation. (“You just drank my coffee, were rude to a customer”, etc., “Oh sorry, I didn’t notice.”)
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!
Following a Teacher: from “Treasury of Precious Qualities”
The following is respectfully quoted from “Treasury of Precious Qualities” by Longchen Yeshe Dorje and Jigme Lingpa as translated by Padmakara Translation Group:
The characteristics of good disciples
By contrast, good disciples don the armor of devotion like Nagabodhi, who realized the Truth. They have steadfast minds and like Pelgyi Yeshe serve the teacher and the Doctrine without a care for life and limb. Like Jetsun Mila, they do whatever their teacher tells them, without regard for their own comfort. Disciples like this are liberated merely by their devotion.
Disciples should have faith, the source of all spiritual qualities, and a clear, lucid intelligence unafflicted by doubt. They should have acquired the knowledge that enables them to distinguish virtue from non-virtue. They should have the great compassion of Mahayana and a deep respect for vows and samayas. They should be serene and disciplined in thought, word, and deed. They should be broad-minded and on friendly terms with their neighborhood as well as with their Dharma kindred. They should act with generosity toward the pure fields and should have pure perception with a sense of propriety toward others.
Good disciples should be (1) like well-behaved children, knowing how to please their teacher and how to avoid displeasing him or her. (2) Even if their teacher scolds them severely and often, as need arises, the students should behave like intelligent horses and restrain their anger. (3) In order to accomplish their teacher’s purpose, disciples should be like boats, sailing back and forth without weariness. (4) Like a bridge, they should be able to withstand any circumstance–good or bad, happiness or suffering, praise or blame. (5) Disciples should be like servants, they should be obedient and meticulous in carrying out their teachers’ instructions. (7) They should be respectful toward their teachers and spiritual community, with the humility of a street sweeper. (8) They should reflect upon their own shortcomings and avoid all arrogance, like the old bull whose horns are broken and who takes the last place in the herd. In the Bodhisattva pitaka it is said that if disciples act in this way, they will be relying on their teacher correctly.
How to serve and follow the teacher
Spiritual teachers are embodiments of the Three Jewels; indeed, the Guru is the Fourth Jewel. As the Sarvabuddhasamaya-yoga-tantra says: “Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha: added to these, the teacher is the Fourth Jewel.” And Guru Rinpoche says, “The teacher is Buddha, the teacher is Dharma, the teacher is likewise Sangha. The peerless all-accomplisher, the teacher is the glorious heruka.” In view of this, there are said to be three ways of pleasing the teacher.
First, if one possesses material wealth, it is extremely important to make offerings. Second, in order to serve the teacher and to show respect, one should perform any necessary physical action, from house-hold chores and practical tasks of stitching and preparing a seat, to making gestures of reverence with your hands joined. One should speak up for whatever the teacher requires and, in relation with his or her teaching of the Dharma, one should do whatever is necessary, by way of explanation and so forth. The merit of all such actions is never wasted. These two kinds of action pleasing to the teacher–material offerings and physical and verbal service–are considered of the lowest and medium importance respectively. The third and best way of serving the teacher is to put the teachings into practice.
Spiritual masters have already accomplished their own aim. It is now their task to labor for the sake of others. It is important to understand that their various activities are displayed as appropriate to the inclinations and feelings of different beings and are the inconceivable operation of enlightened activities. Bearing this in mind, one should refrain from misinterpreting them. The siddhas of India like Saraha appeared for the most part as social outcasts. They adopted the way of life that was conventionally disreputable and lived without concern for purity or impurity, getting their livelihood as menials of the lowest caste or as “sinful” hunters and fishermen–living in the humblest way possible. But since their minds were undeluded, their actions were never wrong. We, by contrast, are as deluded as if we were under the power of hallucinogenic drugs. If we have not gained freedom through the three doors of perfect liberation, and have not realized the infinite purity of all phenomena, ascribe defects to our teacher, we commit an immeasurable fault. Bhikshu Sunakshatra committed to memory the entire twelve collections of the teachings, but, overpowered by his wrong views, he regarded as perfidious and underhand the actions of Buddha Shakyamuni himself, who was utterly without fault and possessed of every excellence. We should take all this to mind and confess and repair the slightest fluctuation in our faith. As it is said in the text, ‘khor lo chub pa rol pa:
If in the visions of your dreams,
The teacher seems to have fault,
As soon as you awake, confess!
For if you fail, the fault will grow
And lead to the Hell of Torment Unsurpassed.
If spiritual masters become apparently angry and scold their disciples, chiding them and behaving fiercely, the latter should understand that some fault has been perceived in them, a wrong thought perhaps, or negative behavior, and that the moment to practice discipline has come. They themselves vow never to commit the mistake again. They should never consider that the teacher is at fault. Intelligent disciples, who thus understand the underlying wisdom and purpose behind the master’s behavior, will not fall under the power of demonic forces.
Astrology
Emotional stability characterizes this day. Impulsive ideas are replaced by solid knowledge of what will and won’t work. This is a good financial day, so go out and work on a solution to your monetary issues. Be careful to focus on your own activities and finances rather than on income from others. Disappointment lies in that area. The ball is in your court now. Think of what you can do to improve your finances and forget what others will give you. Anne Morrow Lindberg said, “When one is out of touch with oneself, one cannot touch others.” This “can-do” attitude is favorably noticed by those who are watching your progress. On another front, you are able to relax and have fun today. Creativity is highlighted, and inspiration buoys you. A simple gesture bears amazing fruit.
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!
Astrology
Affection is not returned early in the day, so avoid reaching out. It’s a poor day to make a proposal, but it’s a great day for work and health matters. Emotional volatility is still a problem. Do your best to focus on the details of the job at hand and remain quiet and humble in your interactions with others. Try not to join groups or protests. Of course, this is harder than it sounds. Emotions are volatile. Write what you think and file it away for later, but don’t send it. What’s good today is that pride is less of an issue and people are able to work out problems in a detailed manner. Something can be pieced together now, using careful and realistic thinking. A solution is coming together in small steps. C.D. Jackson said, “Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.”
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!