September, 2014 | Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Astrology for 9/20/2014

September 20, 2014 by Norma

9/20/2014 Saturday by Norma

An early rebuff comes, and once it’s over things go really well. The problem is that you were too confident and irritated the wrong person. Being a showoff is unsuccessful, but careful work
is goes very well today. Absolutely keep your nose to the grindstone because you can wrap up a project, one that you’ve worked on for a long time. You did it! Have a celebratory cup of tea and a cracker and high five your friends. Small is beautiful! Winston Churchill described “A modest little person.” Be that person. Tiptoe around performing your tasks, not bothering a soul, and watch yourself succeed. Once you win the prize, it’s ok to shine.

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 family or children, some in work, and so forth. There are many departments of life. Look to see where the dynamic affects you!

Astrology for 9/19/2014

September 19, 2014 by Norma

9/19/2014 Friday by Norma

A happy event comes early in the day. Women and children are feeling good and they are fun to be around. A confident beginning guarantees a job well done. Give compliments to those who deserve them, and there are many. At the same time, it is possible to be misled or tricked about someone’s agenda. Warren Buffett said, “Never ask the barber if you need a haircut.” Beware of scams, traps and cons. If you take a mood altering substance or medication be careful; mistakes and mis-dosages are possible. Be careful swimming and in water. Once you are proceeding with caution, today has many possibilities. Love is in the picture, healing remedies are successful, happiness comes through activity, and a debt is being paid off!

Astrology for 9/28/2014

September 18, 2014 by Norma

9/28/2014 Sunday by Norma

Deep love appears today. People do each other thoughtful favors that have long term results. Step in and help those you care for, they won’t forget it. Little things mean the most: offer toothpaste to one who needs it, feed the dog, wash the car. A small gesture brings big happiness. As the day progresses, people are ready to get moving! Travel, activity, philosophical discussions, all these bring happiness. Lin Yutang said, “A good traveler is one who does not know where he is going. A perfect traveler does not know where he came from.” The only way to spoil the energy is to sit in front of the television all day without budging. You will miss a great time!

Astrology for 9/18/2014

September 18, 2014 by Norma

9/18/2014 Thursday by Norma

Confusion continues to be a problem. An ebullient Mars wants to rush off and do something, anything, and urges you to leap into action mindlessly. Tripping, falling and getting stuck
are possible. As the day progresses, clear instructions come and you can move forward with confidence. Men and women are in harmony; the man does the work and the woman provides the support, or dinner! Food plays an enormous role in outcomes today. Elizabeth Taylor said, “He met me at the airport with an hors d’oeuves tray and won my heart,” which is a good strategy for today! Offer food wherever you go. Work projects are succeeding, piece by piece. Slow and steady wins the race. Avoid drawing attention to yourself, you won’t like to response. What’s good? Work, health, small things, and long-term projects that are coming to fruition. And confidence!

Unconditional Love

September 17, 2014 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Keeping Heart Samaya”

When we consider the student’s relationship with the teacher on this path, we are talking about very high stakes. We are not talking about a student-teacher relationship in order to get through a six week course. We are not talking about a student-teacher relationship with which to graduate with so many credits from college. We are talking about a student-teacher relationship wherein the end result is the ultimate fruit or jewel, the crown of cyclic existence, that is, the potential or capacity to enter into the door of liberation and be free of suffering at last. These are enormous stakes.

So both parties in the student-teacher relationship have to take that relationship very seriously, very seriously. I know for a fact that the teachers regard the students with great seriousness. Their love for the students is unconditional. Once that student-teacher relationship has taken place, the teacher has become, for the student, Guru Rinpoche’s appearance in the world, Lord Buddha’s appearance in the world. Once that happens, there is a love there or a bonding that cannot be undone by anything in the world. There is nothing in the world that can take Lord Buddha’s blessing, Guru Rinpoche’s blessing out of your heart. Nothing can do that.

Even if the students themselves were to act in a very inappropriate way, breaking the samaya bond, acting out of accordance with what the teacher has taught, even committing really negative actions like harming the teacher in some way, it is always the truth that if the student were to make restitution, were to turn their face towards Dharma again and truly wish to accomplish Dharma, and wish to separate themselves from their previous non-virtuous acts, the teacher would immediately respond to that. There is no question.

As parents we do that with our children, don’t we? Sometimes children will do pretty bad things, throw baseballs through windows, knock the cookie jars over, and really much worse things. So even though these acts may occur, the parent will always accept the child again. The parent will not stop loving the child. It may be true that there is a difficulty there, a burden, a strain, a suffering, but that is your child. A good parent would never turn their face away from their child just because their child made a mistake. Parents know that children are immature with very little discrimination. They are learning, and it’s the parents’ job to teach them. Exactly the same with the student and the teacher.

The teacher knows that students are sentient beings. According to the Buddha’s teaching, all sentient beings are suffering. They all wish to be happy, but they do not know how to make the causes of happiness occur. They don’t understand cause-and-effect relationships. So isn’t it to be expected that mistakes will be made? Of course mistakes will be made. It’s only reasonable and logical. So the teacher would never hold it against the student. That relationship is like the Buddha’s compassion, all pervasive, beginningless, conditionless, without end. That is the nature of that love.

So when we look to the student’s commitment, or samaya, to the teacher, we should look to see the same depth, the same bonding, the same beauty in that commitment as well. And that commitment should be a joy on both parts. Less the flavor of duty and responsibility than the flavor of love. The love between the student and teacher is like the Buddha’s compassion.

Astrology for 9/17/2014

September 17, 2014 by Norma

9/17/2014 Wednesday by Norma

A day with more potential for emotional upset cannot be fathomed, nor a day with more opportunity! Tread carefully because emotions drive action; get a grip on yours. How you handle things makes all the difference. A shock is best solved by working on the problem rather than venting. A tactless comment is best solved by saying, “That’s not what he/she meant.” A negative response to a request is best solved by asking, “How can I make this work?” Humility opens doors. Think, and things work out well, emote and problems multiply! Confucius said, “Ask yourself constantly, ‘What is the right thing to do?'” What’s good today? Generosity of spirit, happiness that transcends emotion, excellent cures and simple pleasures. Garden, take a walk, balance your checkbook, brush your teeth and feel virtuous!

Flower of Gods: From “Sutra of the Wise and Foolish”

September 16, 2014 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is respectfully quoted from “Sutra of the Wise and Foolish” by Stanley Frye

Flower of the Gods

Thus have I heard at one time: the Enlightened One was residing in the sity of Śrāvastī at Jetavana monastery in Añathapindika’s park together with an assembly of one-thousand two-hundred and fifty monks. At that time, in that country, when a handsome and comely son was born to the wife of a householder of the highest caste, a shower of flowers of the gods fell from the sky and filled the house, and the boy was named Flower of the Gods. When he had come of age, he went to the Buddha, and seeing the Lord’s body endowed with the incomparable signs, rejoiced greatly and thought: “I have been born into this world where I have met the Supreme Among the Noble Ones, I shall invite the Lord and his assembly”, and said: “Lord, tomorrow I shall prepare alms-food in my home. In order to lay the foundation for Enligthenment, I beseech the Lord and his Sangha to deign to come”. The Buddha, seeing the boy’s pure and firm intention, said: “We accept your invitation”.

Thereupon the boy called Flower of the Gods returned to his home and in his mansion caused a great throne of jewels to magically appear along with many other seats, and adorned the dwelling with various kinds of decorations.

Upon the morrow the Enlightened One and his Sangha came, and when each had taken his seat according to seniority, the boy though: “Now I shall offer various kinds of food,” and, because of his virtue many different kinds of food appeared by themselves and these he offered to the Lord and Sangha.

When the Buddha had taught the boy the Dharma, the house became filled with flowers of the gods and the boy requested permission of his parents to become a monk. When his parents consented, he went to the Buddha, bowed his head at his feet, and said: “Lord, I request ordination”, and when the Buddha said: “Welcome, monk”, his hair and beard fell away by themselves and he was dressed in the red robes. Exerting himself in the word of the Buddha, he became an arhat.

When Ānanda saw what had taken place, he knelt and said: “Lord, this monk Flower of the Gods–by reason of performing what former good deeds did a shower of flowers descend and jeweled thrones and various kinds of good appear? I beg the Lord to explain the reason for this.”

The Buddha said: “Ānanda, if you wish to hear this, listen carefully. In aeons long past, when the Buddha Kāśyapa was in the world and was visiting the cities for the weal of beings, a householder of the highest caste honored and made offerings to the Sangha. When a poverty-stricken beggar saw the Noble Sangha, great faith was born in him and he thought: ‘I have nothing with which to make an offering to the Sangha’. He gathered various kinds of grasses and flowers and with a mind of faith showered them on the monks, bowed, and venerated the Sangha. Ānanda, this monk Flower of the Gods was that beggar who at the time made offerings of flowers. Because he sought Enlightenment with a mind of firm faith and gathered flowers and showered the Sangha with them, for sixty aeons, wherever he was born he was always handsome and comely and endowed with whatever he wished to eat and drink. As a result of that merit he has attained bliss. Therefore, Ānanda, one must not think that there is no merit when one gives, even if it is very little. As was the case with the boy Flower of the Gods, the fruits will come by themselves.”

Thereupon Ānanda and the assembly believed what the Lord had taught and rejoiced.

Astrology for 9/16/2014

September 16, 2014 by Norma

9/16/2014 Tuesday by Norma

A hunch or emotion gives a hint about what you should do today, follow it! Intuition is strong, and so is the comfort received from food. What you eat makes a difference today, and who you dine with also matters. Health issues are directly affected by emotions right now. A partner offers a suggestion that pulls you in the right direction. An old love still draws you, and a siren call is affecting your work. Pay attention! Distraction is an issue, and it is possible to misunderstand and rush off to solve the wrong problem! A sudden benevolent gesture corrects something. The Bible says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men.” You could be the one to offer the benevolent gesture.

Why Enlightenment Matters

September 15, 2014 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

After practicing Aspirational Bodhicitta, you will move into Practical Bodhicitta. Practical Bodhicitta is where one actually attempts and begins actually to develop the technology or method by which the cessation of suffering can be brought about.

Again, back to the foundational teachings of the Buddha: The Buddha teaches us that the sufferings that we see and think we understand the causes for are only symptomatic of a deeper suffering; and that deeper suffering is actually the faults of cyclic existence. These are the real sufferings: Impermanence; the fact that cyclic existence has nothing inherent within it that leads to the end of suffering. These things are the faults of cyclic existence.

Having understood the faults of cyclic existence, we must then think what the Buddha has told us: Only enlightenment brings about the cessation of suffering. And to carry that further, only an enlightened being, and ultimately a supremely realized being, can truly bring about the end of suffering. So you have to consider Practical Bodhicitta in more than one way. You must actually consider that you wish to accomplish whatever means will bring about the cessation of suffering for all sentient beings: whatever practices will bring about the end of suffering; whatever methods. You have to employ these methods; but you must also think that your own enlightenment then becomes significant. Even if you are thinking only of sentient beings—and that is the proper motivation—even if you are thinking only of motherly sentient beings and their suffering and not thinking of your own suffering so much, if you have come to that profound level of Aspiration Bodhicitta because of entering into the phase of Practical Bodhicitta and the need for you to accomplish enlightenment in order to lead other beings to enlightenment, then one’s own enlightenment becomes significant. And that is the real reason why one’s own enlightenment becomes significant. Yes, it’s true that each of us wishes to be free of suffering. But from the point of view of Bodhicitta, the proper motivation for practice then is the cessation of suffering for all sentient beings.

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Bodhicitta”

Astrology for 9/15/2014

September 15, 2014 by Norma

9/15/2014 Monday by Norma

A message or conversation tells you what you need to know. A partner’s input is valuable. Take prompt action and you’ll be happy, wait around and you will be buried in criticism or distracted by other work. Men and women see things differently today, so stick with those who agree with you. Clive James said, “You can never get a woman to sit down and listen to a drum solo.” What are you trying to get someone to do? Tread carefully; they don’t want to do it. An inspiring project runs into lack of funding, or you need the money for something else. What goes well today? A partner’s suggestion is right on! Work is satisfying, health matters go well, small projects are successful, and people are happy.