Holly | Tibetan Buddhist Altar

How Buddhists Think

May 31, 2018 by Holly

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By Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

An excerpt from a teaching called “How Buddhists Think”

Some years ago, His Holiness the Dalai Lama took part in an interfaith discussion at a cathedral in Washington, D.C. The Episcopalian ministers and Catholic priests repeatedly stressed the sameness at the core of all religions. His Holiness stood up and said that in some respects we are all the same: we all wish for peace on Earth, we wish for the benefit of beings, we wish for the end of suffering, we wish to attain a level of consciousness in which we are unified with our optimum goal, whatever that might be. “But,” he said, “between your religion and my religion there are fundamental differences. And that has to be okay. There has to be unity in diversity.”

Although I would certainly never speak for the Dalai Lama, I assume that the “fundamental differences” to which he referred have to do with Buddhism’s lack of an external God. This is generally not understood by Westerners. The Buddha’s teachings do not advocate the attainment of oneness with a God, with anything external. Instead, the Buddha teaches the essential sameness of all phenomena, pointing out that in the beginning there was no distinction. The Buddha tells us that such a distinction exists only in our mind, which is fixated on self-nature as being inherently real.

In truth, our Nature is all-pervasive. There is no separation. There is no distinction. When Realization is achieved, it is a non-specific awareness, a luminosity, an innate wakefulness. The process of fixation, of contrivance and distinction, is pacified. That is not the same as attaining oneness with anything external. The Buddha leads us to pacify the delusion that causes fixation on duality.

There is no optimum state one has to create, no supreme being towards whom to move. For a Buddhist, the goal is awakening. It is an awakening to the Nature that cannot be nearer, or stronger, or better than it is now. It can never be tainted, pushed away, destroyed. It remains stable and unchanging. It is simply “Suchness.”

The Bodhisattva Vow – A Commentary

March 24, 2018 by Holly

[Adapted from an oral commentary given by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche in conjunction with a ceremony wherein he bestowed the bodhisattva vow upon a gathering of disciples at Namdroling in Bozeman, Montana, November 1999. —Ed.]

In general, dharma consists of many divisions and distinctions of spiritual teachings, while at the same time the nature of all dharma is that it has the potential to liberate beings, both temporarily and ultimately, from the suffering of cyclic existence. The main cause or seed for that [liberation] is the cultivation of bodhicitta. Various traditions exist for the bodhisattva vow ritual and training. The lineage for these particular teachings, which was passed from Nagarjuna to Shantideva, is known as the tradition of the Middle Way as well as the lineage of the bodhisattvas.

There are four aspects related to receiving the bodhisattva vow: receiving the vow itself, ensuring that the vow does not degenerate, repairing the vow if it is damaged, and methods for continuing to cultivate and maintain the vow.

The first aspect of receiving the vow itself has three aspects: the individual from whom one receives the vow, oneself as a qualified recipient, and the ritual for receiving the vow.

First, the individual from whom one receives the vow must have strong faith in the Mahayana vehicle and must be a true upholder of the vow. He or she must be someone within whom the vow abides and should also be someone who is very learned concerning the vehicles, particularly concerning bodhisattva training. Such a person must never abandon bodhicitta and must always keep the vows pure, even at the cost of his or her own life. That individual must also be a practitioner of the six paramitas of generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and prajna, and must never engage in any activity that contradicts them.

According to the tradition of Nagarjuna, the way to receive the vow for the first time is from a spiritual guide. Later, if an individual’s vows[1] degenerate, and if a spiritual guide is then absent, that person can restore the vows in the presence of an image of the Buddha. It is not necessary that they be restored in the presence of a spiritual guide.

The second aspect for receiving the vow itself concerns the individual who qualifies to receive it. According to the tradition of Nagarjuna, all sentient beings who desire to receive the bodhisattva vow qualify to receive it. The only exception is types of gods in the formless realm, called gods devoid of recognition, which are gods that lack cognitive abilities. With this one exception, basically all sentient beings qualify to receive the vow. But those who qualify in particular are those who have supreme knowledge, which refers to those who know what the bodhisattva vow is and what the benefits of receiving and maintaining it are. Such individuals are particularly worthy recipients because they have profound compassion and are able to use that compassion to bring both temporal and ultimate benefit to other beings. In short, any individual who has an altruistic attitude and wishes to take the bodhisattva vow qualifies to receive it.

The ritual [which is the third aspect of receiving the vow itself] also has three parts: the preliminaries, the actual ritual, and the concluding dedication. The preliminaries have four parts: adjusting one’s own intention, supplicating the objects that confer the vow, taking the support of refuge, and practicing the method of accumulating merit.

First [during the preliminaries] one adjusts one’s intention [in order] to be in harmony with the special feature of this instruction. There are three ways to do so: by developing repulsion or weariness toward the suffering of samsara, by developing an attraction to enlightenment, and by transcending the two extremes of samsara and enlightenment through vowing to maintain the middle way.

When considering the first step to adjust the mind, one cultivates repulsion and weariness toward samsara as antidotes for strong attraction to worldliness, to ordinary phenomena, to one’s own life, wealth and endowments, and to one’s friends and loved ones. Through cultivating weariness toward the suffering of samsara, we learn about impermanence and come to understand the impermanence of all worldly phenomena.

[The second way to adjust one’s intention in order to be in harmony with the special feature of this instruction is through] developing attraction to enlightenment. According to this tradition, what leads one to develop an attraction to enlightenment is the cultivation of love for all beings, which one begins by contemplating the suffering of cyclic existence and then cultivating repulsion and weariness [toward that existence].

This leads to the third stage concerning the aspect of adjusting one’s intention [which is the first of four aspects of the preliminaries to the ritual for receiving the vow]; transcending the two extremes of samsara and enlightenment by vowing to maintain the middle way. The practice of the enlightened mind, bodhicitta, involves two levels, the aspirational and the practical. Maybe now you’re thinking, “If we reject the suffering of the three realms of existence and avoid attraction to the quiescence of the hearers and solitary realizers, what is there for us to obtain? What we are to obtain is the state of bodhisattvahood, which is dependent on bodhicitta cultivated for the sake of self and others. It is only bodhicitta that leads beings from the suffering of existence to the state of fully enlightened buddhahood. We must avoid the two extremes: the quiescence of ordinary nirvana and the endless cycle of samsara. It is only through cultivating bodhicitta that we can truly follow the middle way.

Through cultivating bodhicitta you will purify all nonvirtue accumulated in the past, present, and future, and compassion and all noble qualities, including the ability to meditate in Samadhi, will blossom in your mind. As you dedicate yourself to the welfare of others, the [strength of your] vow will increase to the point where you are truly able to help sentient beings as limitless as space. You will be able to bring limitless beings to enlightenment, until the ocean of existence is emptied. The Buddha taught that without the cultivation of the precious bodhicitta, there is no chance to achieve the state of fully enlightened buddhahood. Therefore, for the purpose of all other living beings, with great enthusiastic joy you should give rise to the precious bodhicitta and engage in the actual practice.

Having adjusted your intention [in order] to begin the actual practice, supplicate the objects from which you will receive the vow. Recognizing the spiritual teacher to be the Buddha, first offer the mandala to receive the bodhisattva vow. Then repeat the supplication to the spiritual teacher and request to be a recipient suited to receive the vow and to accomplish the training for the benefit and welfare of all living beings.

Next, go for refuge in the sublime supports: the Buddha as the embodiment of the three kayas, the dharma as the representation of all scriptural transmissions and realization, and the Sangha as those who have attained the irreversible path of the sublime ones. From this moment until enlightenment, in order to liberate all parent sentient beings from their suffering, develop compassion. Realize that [in order] to accomplish your goal, aside from reliance on the Three Jewels of Refuge, there is no other support for refuge. It would be impossible for you to bring all beings to liberation without the buddha, dharma, and sangha. With irreversible faith and devotion, repeat the vows of refuge.

According to the Mahayana path, we take refuge in the teacher who shows us the path to liberation: that is the buddha. We engage on the path of Mahayana practice by cultivating the precious bodhicitta until we realize buddhahood: that is the dharma. The sangha is the spiritual community that is on the same path as we are on, assisting in the accomplishment of our mutual goals.

Next is the method for accumulating merit. Visualize in the space in front a magnificent throne supported by eight lions, where your teacher sits, indivisible with Lord Buddha Shakyamuni. The eight arhats and a vast assembly of buddhas and bodhisattvas surround him like masses of clouds that fill the ten directions. Imagine countless emanations of yourself filling the entire pure realm of your environment, which includes the entire universe. You and countless emanations of yourself and all parent sentient beings join together to fill [all of] space. With humility, reverence, and faith, you and they all bow down and pay homage to the objects of refuge in the space in front. [Here you] prostrate by touching the five places of your body to the ground. This is the branch of prostration, a powerful antidote for pride. Having pride means having the attitude of cherishing yourself by thinking you are so great and special. Performing prostrations purifies that egotistic attitude.

Now visualize that you and innumerable emanations of yourself present boundless offerings. Offer all of your wealth and endowments, including the root of all virtue in this lifetime, in all your past lifetimes, and in future lifetimes. Offer objects that are of this world and those that are transcendent. Imagine them to be inconceivable vast clouds of outer, inner, and secret offerings that completely fill space. In addition, offer the essential nature of reality.

The next branch involves [making] confession.

The next branch concerns rejoicing.

The next branch is that of requesting the buddhas to turn the dharma wheel.

Next is the branch of requesting the buddhas and bodhisattvas not to pass into nirvana.

The final branch of the seven entails the dedicating of merit. Amass all merit, especially the merit of reciting these seven, as well as all virtue and merit of the three times, and offer it for the welfare and liberation of all parent sentient beings. [The practice of] dedicating merit is the antidote for having many degrees or levels of doubt.

The second aspect related to the ritual is that of bestowing the vow, which has two parts: training the mind and receiving the vow. To train the mind, one begins by thinking of all parent sentient beings that have remained in cyclic existence from time immemorial until now and that have been extremely kind as one’s own parents in the past. Consider how they suffer unceasingly. Then think, “In order to alleviate the suffering of all these beings, I will give myself, my life, my wealth, and my endowments, and without ever giving up, I will work unceasingly to free sentient beings from suffering. I will happily take upon myself whatever suffering they are enduring.”

The actual bestowal of the vow follows.

Begin the stages of training by establishing the three moralities. The first morality, which is the basic morality of bodhisattva training, is to abstain from harming others. The second morality is to practice to amass great virtue, which means constantly practicing the six paramitas of generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and the wisdom of knowing the nature of emptiness. The third morality is to accomplish the purpose of others, which means directing all effort and actions toward the sole purpose of repaying the kindness of parent sentient beings and establishing them in the state of fully perfected buddhahood. Keeping all this in mind, you take the vow.

When you recite the verses of the vow, you should be in the state of the three recognitions. The first recognition is to have strong faith and devotion in the gurus, buddhas, and bodhisattvas because of knowing their noble qualities. The buddhas and bodhisattvas possess omniscient knowledge concerning the details of the relative lives of all sentient beings. Not an instant goes by where they do not simultaneously know the nature of all phenomena. The second recognition is to have tremendous compassion for all parent sentient beings, to feel completely responsible for repaying their kindness, based on all the reasons explained earlier. The third recognition is to work unceasingly and tirelessly to establish all parent sentient beings in the state of fully perfected buddhahood.

To take the vow, kneel, press your palms together, and feel certain that the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions abide in the space in front of you. Give rise to the three recognitions. With strong, fervent regard and the aspiration to accomplish your vow, recite the verses of the vow. When you complete the third recitation, feel certain that you have received the bodhisattva vow.

Upon receiving the vow, you should rejoice. Consider that you have taken countless rebirths with innumerable bodies, and that not until now, in this present rebirth, have you had the opportunity to really cultivate the enlightened mind with the vow to guide all beings to liberation. With that in mind, rejoice in taking this vow, and feel you have finally extracted the purpose of your human life.

The following are the concluding stages of dedication [the third and final aspect of the ritual itself]: To begin, consider the benefits of taking the bodhisattva vow. Although the benefits are so vast they cannot be enumerated, a few of them will be mentioned here. When cultivating bodhicitta and taking the bodhisattva vow, you are elevated from the rank of an ordinary individual to become a son or a daughter of the bodhisattvas. Now you are an object of homage for gods and ordinary human beings.

Even though you [may] lose mindfulness, if you never lose the bodhisattva vow, the force of bodhicitta will always bring you back to your original vow. The more you become accustomed to the bodhisattva vow, [the more] your negative tendencies and habits will be transformed and absorbed into the continuum of bodhisattva training.

The four stages involved in receiving the bodhisattva vow include receiving the vow, maintaining the vow, practicing the six paramitas, and achieving equanimity, which means purifying the mind from partiality or attachment and aversion. With these four stages [complete], the noble qualities and benefits are ineffable.

These few points provide a very brief, highly synthesized enumeration of the benefits of the bodhisattva vow, benefits that are otherwise inconceivable and inexpressible. If we tried to express any form these benefits could be likened to, even the sky would be unable to contain that.

Keeping all that in mind, recite the verses of rejoicing in your personal good fortune, followed by the verses of others rejoicing with you. Invite all beings to be present, including all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and ask them to bear witness as your guests on this occasion of receiving the bodhisattva vow. As you recite the verses, think that all beings rejoice along with you.

Once you receive the vow, you must know how to guard it from deteriorating. This brings us to the teaching on how to ensure that the vow does not degenerate, which involves the three things to know—namely, how to keep the vow, how to train, and how to stop external forces and circumstances that may hinder you in your ability to keep the vow.

First, the instruction on how to keep the vow concerns the cultivation of aspirational bodhicitta and the training in practical bodhicitta.

The second part concerning how to keep the vow involves the training in practical bodhicitta. Here you must reject the two categories of downfalls, which are the root and branch downfalls. Those are downfalls that can occur within the context of the various categories of vows one takes. For example, there are five root downfalls that pertain to rulers, five to ministers, and five to beginners. There are also vows for those who practice on a common level. Any individual who has taken the bodhisattva vow is capable of committing a downfall. However, these instructions do not pertain to any individuals who had a mental impairment or deficiency or were unconscious and therefore didn’t know what they were doing when they took the vow.

Next is the discussion on how to repair the vow if it degenerates and how to continuously cultivate and maintain the vow. [This is the third of the four main aspects related to receiving the vow.] The three ways that a vow deteriorates are by losing the foundation for the aspirational mind, through rejecting the vows by returning them, and by allowing a root downfall to occur. In the first and second cases, the vow is completely lost and must be taken again in order to be restored. In the third case, if you commit a root downfall, you must confess it immediately. If you postpone [your] confession of a downfall, that downfall will become more and more difficult to purify. Apply the four powers, and in the presence of the Three Jewels of refuge, confess your downfall. Pray to purify any negativity accumulated through the downfall, and then perform purification practices.

Once you have received the bodhisattva vow, you may take it again either if you have lost it or [in order] to ensure that it does not diminish. To retake the vow on your own, consider that you are in the presence of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. With strong faith and devotion, feeling they are present, take the bodhisattva vow directly from them. Otherwise, you can use a support of the Buddha, such as a statue for enlightened form, a scripture for enlightened speech, or a stupa for enlightened mind. If you do not have any of these supports, you can use the power of your own mind in order to take the vow.

The reason we retake the bodhisattva vow is because we are habituated with the five passions. We always do the opposite of what should be done. We always turn things into negativity. The little bud of our buddha nature, which is just beginning to open, should blossom when exposed to the blessings of the sun and the refreshing showers of dharma. Instead, it dries and closes due to [our] negative habits that obscure the circumstantial blessings that come through the dharma. If we encourage ourselves by continuously reaffirming pure intentions and by taking the bodhisattva vow over and over again, that will give us the power and strength to rise up despite all the difficulties imposed by the influence of our passions. Then, by focusing on the vow and training, we will obtain the confidence to abandon self-concerned fixations. Emphasis shifts from the self to the needs of others. Once our bodhisattva vows become strong, accomplishing whatever prayers or aspirations we hold in our hearts will be very easy.

The three dharmas to adopt are to rely on a spiritual teacher, to make offerings to the Three Jewels, and to never abandon compassion for any sentient being. The first of the four recognitions to accept is to examine yourself to see whether you have the potential to uphold the vow and to maintain the training. The second is to examine to see whether an action is virtuous or not. If you determine it to be virtuous and fail to accomplish it, or if you contradict it or remain indifferent, then in all three of these cases there will be a downfall.

[Third,] in order to constantly guard the vow, you must be learned in the teachings on bodhisattva practice as found in the scriptures, particularly those [teachings] that discuss the subject of cultivating bodhicitta. [Fourth,] you must know how to be conscientious and mindful, so that [your] bodhisattva training will not deteriorate. If your training is free from deterioration, that indicates you are practicing mindfulness.

Although there are countless ways of knowing how to guard the vow to ensure that it will not be lost, they can be synthesized into three. First, the bodhisattva training must be internalized as much as possible. Second, the internal training must be expressed externally to meet the needs of beings by bringing them the gift of dharma. Finally, there must be the pure view of the pure lands of the buddhas. From now on, at all times and in all situations, with loving-kindness and compassion, you must do your best to always be of benefit to all sentient beings equally. No matter what, you must never abandon any living being for any reason. In addition, you must never be biased towards some and against others. From this time forward you must consider all beings impartially and with loving-kindness and compassion, and you must do your best to always increase your virtuous deeds, which you dedicate to the service and benefit of others. This is how you will be able to keep your bodhisattva vow.

It is especially important to always cultivate mindfulness. Once you have taken the bodhisattva vow, if you are mindful of it, then you won’t forget to direct your every effort toward the practice of dharma. It is also important to cultivate conscientiousness, which will stabilize your ability to be mindful. Finally, it is important to be careful in all the different circumstances of life. Mindfulness, conscientiousness, and care are extremely important.

[Once you have taken it] you will have the bodhisattva vow in your mind. You will no longer be an ordinary world individual, as you will have entered the path of the bodhisattvas to become a son or daughter of the buddhas. If you keep your bodhisattva vow, without allowing it to degenerate, then you are truly a bodhisattva. If you drink a cup of water from the ocean, you can say that you drank the ocean; likewise, if you enter the path of the bodhisattvas, you can say that you are a bodhisattva. With faith and devotion, please do your best to keep this vow.

The Bodhisattva Vow

Dedication Prayers

[1] [While the word in the term bodhisattva vow is commonly used in its singular form, it is also often used in its plural form, bodhisattva vows. Both the singular and plural forms of the term in fact represent a series of vows. Readers will find both forms used throughout the commentary.—Ed.]

From “THE PATH of the Bodhisattva: A Collection of the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva and Related Prayers” with a commentary by Kyabje Pema Norbu Rinpoche on the Prayer for Excellent Conduct

Compiled under the direction of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche Vimala Publishing 2008

Root Downfalls

March 23, 2018 by Holly

As the ancient literature states, there are five vows that pertain to rulers or kings, and those vows concern the ways a ruler, or really anyone in a position of authority, exercises power. Rulers who take the vow to train in bodhisattva conduct take the five special vows to ensure that they will not misuse power. The first of the root downfalls [associated with kings or rulers] is to embezzle or steal the wealth of the Three Jewels of refuge for personal gain. The second root downfall is to not allow others to practice or study the dharma. The third is to take the possessions of the ordained. The fourth is to cause harm to dharma practitioners in general. The fifth root downfall is to engage in any of the heinous nonvirtues, such as killing one’s own father or mother, killing a buddha, shedding the blood of a bodhisattva or an arhat (or engaging anyone else to perform this deed on one’s own behalf), or with deceitful intentions trying to influence others to engage in nonvirtue through body, speech, or mind. Those are the five root downfalls that pertain to kings or rulers. There are also five vows that pertain to ministers. The first four are the same as those for rulers, and the fifth concerns destroying villages or towns and harming lay people.

For beginners, there are usually eight root downfalls. The first of those root downfalls is to teach the dharma to people without being aware of the level of their spiritual development or capacity to receive teachings. For instance, if one teaches about the nature of emptiness to individuals who do not have the capacity to understand that level of teaching, those individuals may misinterpret and develop an incorrect view. Because [teaching in] that [context] is inappropriate, it is [considered] a root downfall. The second root downfall is to discourage someone from entering the path of bodhisattva training. The third is to disparage the path of the lesser vehicle of Hinayana and the followers who are the hearers and solitary realizers. That would involve, for example, saying to someone, “Your tradition is not really the true lineage of the Buddha.” The fourth is to claim that the Hinayana path is inadequate—for example, to make statements such as, “The dharma practice of the hearers and solitary realizers will not eliminate the passions.” The fifth is to put down others through slander or to speak ill of others out of jealousy in order to build up or boast about oneself. The sixth is to claim to have realization about the nature of emptiness when that is not true; that would be to speak an unsurpassed lie. The seventh is to embezzle or [otherwise] take the wealth of the upholders of virtue (those who dedicate their lives to the path of virtue). The eighth is to steal the wealth or possessions of ordained sangha (renunciants) and give that to ordinary, worldly individuals.

All those [eight root] downfalls pertain to beginners. As a beginner, if you commit any of those root downfalls, you will fall to the lower realms.

From a common point of view, a downfall involves giving up aspirational bodhicitta and abandoning the intent to work for the welfare of others because of being motivated by personal concern.

The first branch downfall is to act in a nonvirtuous manner [to be] crude and disrespectful, with wild and erratic behavior, which is exactly the opposite of how a bodhisattva should behave: a bodhisattva should always be peaceful and subdued. The second downfall is to be impolite, to behave inappropriately in the presence of others. As a practitioner in training, you must be concerned about others, which means that your conduct should reflect your mental training: your conduct, speech, demeanor, and so forth should always be in harmony with love and compassion. Those who have not rejected and have not even considered eliminating their attachment and aversion are always engaged in endless conversation and gossip based on attachment and aversion. If you are cultivating bodhicitta, you should not be like that. Instead, you should always think about love and compassion for all beings and speak in a way that reflects your training.

If you commit a root downfall, you must confess it immediately. If you postpone [your] confession of a downfall, that downfall will become more and more difficult to purify. Apply the four powers, and in the presence of the Three Jewels of refuge, confess your downfall. Pray to purify any negativity accumulated through the downfall, and then perform purification practices.

Compiled under the direction of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche Vimala Publishing 2008

What You Must See

October 20, 2017 by Holly

From The Spiritual Path: a Collection of Teachings by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

How do you cultivate compassion? The first step is to open your eyes and look at the nature of suffering. In our culture, we keep ourselves removed from this. The deformed, severely handicapped, or terminally ill are often hidden from view.

There are countries where this is not so. During my trip to India, I was shocked by the poverty, the leprosy, the filth. Every time my cab stopped, someone with stubs where arms had been would stick one in the window. I started to give out all the money I had with me. Soon the driver pulled over and said, “Lady, please stop that. My cab will be mobbed. Besides, you’ll lose all your money, and they’ll still be sick and poor. Even if you buy each of them a meal, they’ll be just as hungry tomorrow.”

His words were a vivid reminder that this type of compassion, though well-meaning, is not the ultimate answer. Hunger and sickness are only two kinds of suffering. Philanthropic compassion may temporarily relieve hunger pangs, but it does not begin to address the causes.

What did the Buddha think when he saw the poor, the decrepit, and the sick? Not merely that they were suffering from poverty, old age, or sickness. With His great wisdom and compassion, He understood that all this suffering results from karma created by desire.

Where does desire come from? From the belief that self-nature is inherently real. From the compulsive tendency of the self to perpetuate itself and to see others as separate and real. This begins a process of attraction and repulsion, action and reaction. A sentient being’s every thought is built around attraction and repulsion. Desire becomes stronger and stronger, reinforcing the belief in “self” and “other” as separate—and in all phenomena as inherently real. From this, karma arises. The process continues for eons and eons of cyclic existence.

Have you ever suffered from loneliness or depression? Have you experienced violence or poverty? A pro-longed illness? The heartbreak of divorce? Have you seen deliberately deformed children? Lepers? Have you visited a slaughterhouse? According to the Buddha, there are states, or realms, in which beings suffer much more horribly.

The forms we take in these realms result from the qualities of our minds. If we are filled with hatred or anger, we are born in a hell realm. How can this happen? It is not difficult to understand. When you are filled with hate, are you not in your own private hell? We have all gone through periods of intense anger or hatred in which we found excuses to get more angry. Each of us has had moments in such private hells. If your mind is capable of producing a nightmare, rebirth in a hell realm is a possibility.

There also exists a state or realm populated by what the Buddha called “hungry ghosts.” Have you ever gone through a period of feeling terribly needy? You needed love, approval, or nourishment so badly that you were in a state of constant, restless despair. Yet when people reached out to you, they were unable to get through. It is the hungry ghost realm in which similar needy states of mind congregate.

According to the Buddha, when beings die, they experience the intermediate state between incarnations and are then reborn in a form appropriate to the qualities or the karma of their minds. If they had a great deal of hatred, that hatred will clearly manifest itself and influence their next rebirth. If they were greedy, that greed will influence their rebirth. If they had the karma of ignorance, that ignorance will determine their rebirth.

Even if you had every good intention and all the material means by which to support beings throughout their lives, you could not do anything about the process of rebirth. You cannot change what is inevitable. You cannot influence future lives because you cannot permanently change minds and hearts. Thus continues the cycle of suffering. And that is why we embrace, with all our hearts, a pure path to bring about the ultimate end of suffering.

An Ocean of Blessings

September 21, 2017 by Holly

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The Stanzas of Offering Water from the Pure Vision, An Ocean of Blessings

By His Holiness Dudjom Lingpa

HUNG YAN LAG GYED DAN DUD TSI DZING BU DI

HUNG Offering a lake of nectar possessing the eight qualities of pure water

CHOM DAN KHOR DANG CHE LA BUL WAR GYI

To all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

ZHE NE DAG DAG SEM CHAN THAM CHAD KYI

By acceptance of this offering, may I and all sentient beings

TSOG DZOG DRIB TAG KHOR WA TONG TRUK SHOG

Accumulate merit and wisdom, purify all obscurations and liberate all beings.

Mantra:

OM SARVA TATHAGATA SAPARIWARA ARGHAM PRATI TSA PUJA MEGHA SAMUDRA SAPA RANA SAMAYA AH HUNG

One night in a dream a white Dakini appeared to Dudjom Lingpa. She said that she was Sukha Siddhi and proceeded to recite the above offering stanzas for the sake of all sentient beings. She said that this wishing prayer included everything. This vision arose in the dream of Dudjom Lingpa after a prayer for water offering was requested of him by Lama Tsultim Dorje. It was recorded by Dudjom Lingpa’s secretary, Phuntsog Tashi.

Faults of Cyclic Existence

July 10, 2017 by Holly

Of all worldly phenomena, whether great or small, nothing is permanent and nothing endures. Therefore, when you find yourself attracted to or attached to the happiness of existence, you must bring to mind the faults of existence. Consider that not even a single phenomenon is permanent, no matter how great, wonderful, or powerful it may seem. Consider especially how once that phenomenon [you associate with a happy existence] changes, you will experience nothing but suffering as the result. That way you can move your mind away from having strong attachment to impermanent phenomena and begin to change your habit of always following apparent phenomena based on [experiencing] temporary pleasure and attachment.

Think, for instance, about sentient beings that, due to anger and aggression, have accumulated the negative karma to fall to the hell realm. Those beings have accumulated tremendous negative karma that will keep them in the hell realm indefinitely. In that realm, unable to establish any positive causes at all, they will experience nothing but intense suffering. Think about the eight hot hells, the eight cold hells, as well as the peripheral hells surrounding them. Although it is inconceivable, think about the suffering that sentient beings in those hells must endure.

Then consider the deprived spirit realm. Think about the beings that accumulate an abundance of negative karma through the passions of avarice and strong desire. The result of such accumulation is rebirth as a deprived spirit. There are different categories of deprived spirits, such as outer and inner ones, but essentially they all endure inconceivable hunger and thirst that is insatiable. Furthermore, they never die from that; they just continue to suffer indefinitely, without ever being satisfied.

Next, consider the animal realm. Negative karma accumulated through the passion of delusion produces the result of animal rebirth. Animals suffer from basic delusion and ignorance, mistreatment by humans, and being preyed upon by one another. From the largest to the smallest, those who are as large as mountains to those smaller than the tip of a needle, all suffer from basic stupidity and ignorance, so they are unable to escape and are unable to do much more than just endure the karma in that rebirth until it is eventually exhausted.

Then consider the rebirth that is so difficult to obtain: that of a human being. Compared with the three lower realms of existence, human life seems very blissful; nevertheless, there is great suffering in the human realm. Human beings suffer from confinement in the womb and from the processes of birth, illness, disease, and growing old and the decline in their faculties, until eventually they experience the suffering of death and of leaving everything behind. Humans are subject to all kinds of indefinite circumstances and situations throughout the course of their life. Some die at birth, some die as infants, some as adolescents, and some as adults. Some die alone and unwanted or in an untimely manner.

In addition to the four great rivers of suffering, human beings experience—birth, old age, sickness, and death—humans experience compounded suffering. For example, humans suffer mistreatment at the hands of their enemies, and they suffer when they lose their loved ones. In fact, they suffer from fear that precedes the actual events themselves. Humans also suffer from not getting what they want and from having to accept what is not desired. They even suffer from acquiring what is desired, because then they have the fear of losing that. Against their will, humans endure all these unexpected consequences.

Many people think that after they die and leave this life they will easily return as a human being. Many believe they will just be able to return to a happy state of existence, such as the one they might now be accustomed to. That is a mistake. I can guarantee that unless you have the specific karma to do so, you will not take another rebirth as a human being. Without the karma that creates the causes for it, the result of human rebirth is impossible. Make no mistake about it.

Next, consider the god realm. Gods remain in their realm where they experience immeasurable bliss and happiness for long periods of time. They all have their own palace and gardens, wish-granting trees, and celestial food; everything in their external environment is inconceivably wonderful. Internally they experience only happiness and bliss throughout the entire course of their life. Eventually they exhaust their karma for that rebirth. Prior to that, the dying clairvoyant gods see the place of their future rebirth, which in most cases happens in the hell realm. They take such a rebirth due to having exhausted all tainted virtue that brought them rebirth in the god realm, and then nothing remains for them except an abundance of weighty negative karma. The vast storehouse of merit they once possessed is spent, and they have nowhere to go but to the lowest hell realm. Seeing the irreversible fate that awaits them, and knowing it is too late to reverse that, they experience tremendous suffering. They are powerless to reverse their karma of having to fall from the celestial realm of the gods to the lowest realms in existence.

Buddha therefore taught that there is not even a needle point’s worth of true happiness in samsara. Now you can understand the meaning of that teaching. Even if there is happiness, it always changes because it is impermanent. Happiness in samsara occurs as the result of the karma produced to cause it. Once that cause and result are exhausted, that happiness becomes something else, which is why the term cyclic existence is used to express the nature of life in the six realms. Sentient beings pass from rebirth to rebirth, revolving on this endless wheel of changing realms in dependence on their own karmic accumulations.

If your hair were to suddenly catch fire, you would immediately, without hesitation, try to put out that fire. Likewise, by understanding that cyclic existence is by nature permeated with suffering, and by understanding that it can never be anything other than that, you should immediately, without hesitation, focus on putting out the fire of cyclic existence. Focus totally on effort to extract yourself from this endless suffering of cyclic existence, so that you can achieve the state of permanent bliss and happiness, the state of fully enlightened buddhahood.

Thus it is taught that in order to be successful in reversing strong attraction and attachment to cyclic existence, we must practice dharma. Through the practice of dharma we can reverse attachment to existence and gain more momentum toward liberation, to the point where we realize the state of permanent bliss and cease to return to samsara.

Compiled under the direction of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche Vimala Publishing 2008

Love For All Beings

February 25, 2017 by Holly

Think about all living beings that at some time or another, throughout the course of innumerable past lifetimes, have been your own kind father or mother. Consider how a mother will do anything for her child—even give her own life, without hesitation. Consider how all living beings have been that kind to you at some time in the past—not just once, but countless times, in countless different circumstances and situations over the course of countless lifetimes since beginningless time. Consider also that to not think carefully about repaying kindness, and thereby to go through your life without the intention to truly benefit parent sentient beings, and so to actually ignore them, is truly shameless.

Many people in the West may think, “Wait a minute! My parents were not very kind to me. In fact, we are not even close, and I don’t even like them, so why should I feel that I need to repay their kindness now?” If that is what you think, then take a moment to think about how you acquired your body. Is it not due to the kindness of your parents that you have your precious human body? From the time your consciousness entered the union of your father’s seed and your mother’s egg, your mother carried you in her own body. Her body nurtured you as you grew within it. Then with pain and difficulty she gave birth to you. Her kindness did not just stop there: for many years she cared for you and lovingly fed, cleaned, clothed, and wiped you; she provided shelter and cared for you when you were sick, and then she protected you and looked out for you constantly. If you think you don’t need to repay the kindness of your parents, just remind yourself of those events, which you were the recipient of time and time again.

If that still does not change your attitude, so that you still do not understand the kindness your parents showed you, then think about your body, the gift of your body, which is who you are; your parents gave you that. Because your parents showed you the great kindness of giving you your body, your precious life, here you are. Sure you had the causes for your precious human rebirth, but without parents you wouldn’t have your body. And you didn’t have your body, you wouldn’t be able to receive these vows.

In our present state of ignorance, we have an inability to recognize that all beings have been our parents in the past, and we certainly don’t know what the particular situations and circumstances of those lifetimes were. Nonetheless, it is certain that we have had countless sentient beings as our parents over and over again in countless past lives. The truth is, at the present time we just do not recognize that.

Imagine you are on the bank of a river with your mother and suddenly she falls in and is being carried away by the rushing water. There you stand on the bank, watching that happened. What would you do? Would you do something to try to save her, such as throw out a rope? Or would you turn your back and walk away rather than risk your own life? Would you be concerned for her, or would your concern be only for yourself? The intention of the hearers and solitary realizers can be likened to this latter case, while the intention of the Mahayana practitioners can be likened to the former. While it is important to develop attraction toward peace, you should never for any reason, be attracted to the quiescence of the hearers and solitary realizers.

Compiled under the direction of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche Vimala Publishing 2008

Who Is Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo?

December 30, 2016 by Holly

His Holiness Khenpo Jigmey Phuntsok gave the following commentary on the recognition of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo on July 30, 1993 at Kunzang Palyul Choling in Poolesville, Maryland

Padma Norbu Rinpoche was discovered by the fifth Kongtrul Thupten Chokyi Dorje. Thubten Chokyi Dorje by indicating who Padma Norbu Rinpoche’s parents would be. When we look at the qualities of such a recognition, we find in someone like His Holiness Padma Norbu Rinpoche has lived up to every aspect of who he has been indicated to be, in terms of being an emanation of the previous Penor Rinpoche, in terms of the qualities of his scholarship, of his honor and morality, of his excellence and of his accomplishment which are all inconceivable. And so in terms of spiritual and secular qualities he is absolutely fully endowed and lives up perfectly to the recognition, which has been bestowed upon him.

It is someone as supreme as Mahasiddha Padma Norbu Rinpoche who with his eye of primordial wisdom awareness has understood that this is an incarnation of the previous Ahkön Lhamo. He has not recognized her just suddenly without basing it on any type of investigation, as though it were something that he just did spontaneously when it came to his mind. The recognition of her occurred as a process that he had been looking into for an extended period of time. He had been checking about who she was with his own heart deities, and he received some visions from his deities giving explanations to him. He also had other experiences in his meditation and experiences in his dreams and in the least, also received indications through divination procedures. And so when he finally made the formal recognition, it was from a point of view of total confidence.

As for Ahkön Lhamo herself, first we have to look at the status of her brother who is Vidyadhara Kunzang Sherab who came from the lower Do-Kham region of Tibet.

242307115_1st-vidyadhara kunzang sherab — Vidyadhara Kunzang Sherab

Secret Mantra Tradition

In terms of establishing the secret mantra tradition in this region of Tibet, there are three principal monasteries that were founded: Kadok, Palyul, and Dzogchen. And of these three, the Palyul mother monastery and its branches came to be, even in its time of origination, the most essential of the three monasteries for the establishment of the vehicle of secret mantra. Vidyadhara Kunzang Sherab was responsible for initially establishing the mother Palyul monastery from which there are now some three hundred branch institutions. His sister was Ahkön Lhamo and she was also very connected with him in these types of activities during their lifetime together. But she was primarily renowned for her ability to practice the Dharma. She was well-known as an accomplished yogini on outer, inner and secret levels who spent her entire life in practice And so this is why, later on, when she passed from that particular life she was well-known for the self-embossed syllable “ah” which appeared in her skull which was a sign of having achieved the highest accomplishment through the practice of that life.

As a symbol of faith and devotion, it’s not an empty symbol. It is a symbol that exists due to scriptural authority and lineage, the lineage that she belongs to, the authority of the lineage as well as the scriptural references to that authority in the lineage. And so it is something that we can have confidence in terms of its validity. And so, therefore, we can also have confidence in her in terms of background, from a point of view of intelligence, and from the point of view of scientific proof.

We can have total confidence then, in terms of proof, that she is an exalted rebirth. Now in one way, in this lifetime, she appears as a common American woman, but in another way she appears very uncommon, because she has faith in the Dharma unlike that of a common person, and she has a very strong wish to be of benefit to others, which is unlike that of common people. She has a tremendous love for her lamas and her spiritual mentors and an ability to make impressions on the minds of others, and to actually control or have some positive influence on the minds of others. And so this sets her apart from the ranks of common folk.

Through her own wishes she traveled to India where the Dharma has existed for thousands of years. And there she had an opportunity to listen to the teachings and receive many teachings directly from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche so as to increase her own noble qualities.

She also had an opportunity to receive the entire transmission for the Rinchen Terdzod directly from His Holiness, all of the empowerments, all of the pith essential pointing out instructions and commentaries that are found in that precious terma treasury, and she received it in a way that an elderly lama would receive it, an elderly Tibetan lama. And so she had this opportunity to completely internalize all of those blessings, which is very extraordinary.

And from the time that the title of Ahkön Lhamo was bestowed upon her, she didn’t succumb to pride and arrogance and go on a separate pursuit, which would be of benefit to her with fame and glory. Instead she used that title to, even more than before, do what she could to accomplish the purpose of sentient beings and the doctrine, which she has been able to establish more extensively since her title has been bestowed upon her.

And I also think that her enlightened activities have been most excellent in terms of what she’s been able to manifest, the establishment of this temple which is filled with many wondrous supports of enlightened body, speech and mind, and all of the many stupas that she has been able to erect, which are found here on the grounds which are also amazing supports for the presence of the doctrine in this world.

Then also here in the dharma center, she has established the ordained sangha in a way, which is unlike any other place, with so many disciples who have taken the vows of ordination. This is a clear sign of her miraculous activities being manifest and her strong intention to accomplish the pure dharma in this land. Not only that, the lay householders in the community also obviously have very strong motivation towards the accumulation of that which is wholesome and that which is virtuous. And this unceasing effort towards prayer and practice carried on in the temple is yet a further display of her miraculous activities manifest.

What she has been able to accomplish up until now will continue to be accomplished in an even greater way in the future, and will have large effects on this country in general. Not just here in this place but in a widespread way. This will have an effect on many people in this country. And so this is yet a further sign of the wide-reaching effects of her miraculous activity, which will continue to increase.

And as the Buddha said that if there is fire, there will be smoke, as a sign of the fire. And if water; there will be a sign of water birds gathering there. Likewise, if there is a Bodhisattva, there will be a sign of the Bodhisattva’s presence, and that means there will be external signs that are apparent and those signs are signs of bringing benefit to sentient beings. This is something that we can notice and we then know that a Bodhisattva is amongst us.

As her students you should know how to rely upon her purely in the three ways. And you should do your best to accomplish the stages of learning and the stages of accomplishment so that the doctrine can be firmly established in this land, so that it can be of benefit to both self and all other beings.

Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok

Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok (1933 – 2004) was a Nyingma lama from the Dhok region of Kham. At the age of two he was identified as the reincarnation of the Terton Sogyal, Lerab Lingpa (1852–1926). He studied Dzogchen at Nubzor Monastery, received novice ordination at 14, and full ordination at 22 (or 1955). Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok was the most influential lama of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in contemporary Tibet. A Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and renowned teacher of Great Perfection (Dzogchen), he established the Serthar Buddhist Institute in 1980, known locally as Larung Gar, a non-sectarian study center with approximately 10,000 monks, nuns, and lay students at its highest count. He played an important role in revitalizing the teaching of Tibetan Buddhism following the liberalization of religious practice in 1980.

In July 1993, HH visited KPC, ordaining a number of monks & nuns, and giving empowerment and teachings on recent termas he had revealed.

The Foundation

November 27, 2016 by Holly

From The Spiritual Path: a Collection of Teachings by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

To me, compassion is not a feeling at all. It is not an emotion. It is logical. It is meaningful. I find no other excuse for living. If I tried to find another, I would be lost in samsara, a bee buzzing around in a jar.

The format of my life arises from—takes its only meaning from—the fountain of compassionate activity. I can’t think what else one is supposed to do. Anything else is deeply neurotic activity that has no true birth, no foundation, no substance. So I try to give a teaching: If you become a Bodhisattva, you will become happy. But that is just a poor condensation of the truth. A life that is born of compassion—that arises from the breath of compassion, the wind of compassion—is born of the profound essence, knowing itself to be inseparable from the profound essence. The key is to understand yourself as that compassion—your whole life as compassion-ate movement. It is the natural display, the natural order. It is the evidence of Lord Buddha’s blessing. It is YES.

Kindness is universal; it is not a word the Buddha invented. I am a Buddhist because I have found that this is the most useful way to benefit beings. Perhaps you will determine that for yourself. But even if you do not become a Buddhist, you are not off the hook. No matter what religion, path, or teaching you follow, compassion is the way to realization. Whether or not you are a Buddhist, you have a job to do—and that job is to develop a fervent, sincere aspiration to be of true benefit to others. This is the foundation.

Buddhism is based on the ideal of compassion. The Buddha taught that we should cultivate our lives as vehicles to help and benefit all others—not just our own small circle of family and friends. We should increase our compassionate activity until it embraces an ever greater number of beings. We must not be satisfied with concern only for human beings, or even for all the beings we can see in our world.

According to the Buddha’s teaching, there are six realms filled with sentient beings. That which we can see is a relatively small portion of the human and animal realms. But there are non-physical beings of different types who must be seriously considered.

To develop the mind of compassion, you should begin by honestly examining yourself. You may find that your goal is not in fact to benefit all sentient beings, but to be a kind person. There are worlds of difference between these two goals. One is selfless; the other is not. There is still you wishing to be a kind person. You must avoid the trap of using Dharma with the motivation, whether conscious or not, of making yourself a great Bodhisattva, a great helper, a great savior. You need to make the idea of compassion so strong that it becomes a fire consuming your heart.

A Variety of Stupas

August 22, 2016 by Holly

An excerpt from a teaching called Cosmology of a Stupa by Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche

Stupas can be roughly divided into two categories – Theravada or Hinayana stupas, and stupas in the Mahayana tradition. There are further subdivisions of those stupas, with different shapes and designs.

In the Hinayana tradition, there are stupas that are roughly in the shape of the Buddha’s body, some in the shape of his robes, some in the shape of his alms or begging bowl, and some in the shape of his throne or in the shape of a staff. There are different renditions.

BurmeseStupa

In the Mahayana tradition, there are eight principle stupas. At the time after the Buddha was cremated, his relics were divided into eight piles and given to eight different great kings who made stupas for those relics. According to the great teacher, Nagarjuna, there are eight principle stupas that perform eight different functions.

These eight principle stupas in the Mahayana tradition commemorate the great deeds of the Buddha’s life, from the time when he was born till his passing into nirvana. For example, there is a stupa that commemorates his birth, that moment just after his birth when he took seven steps in the four directions. Each time he took a step, a lotus flower blossomed under his foot. And so, there is a stupa that commemorates the birth of the Buddha.

stupa-types-1 stupa-types-2

There is a stupa that commemorates the fact that the Buddha studied a whole variety of topics in his youth and mastered them all. There is another stupa called the auspicious many-gated stupa. The Tashi Gomang stupa celebrates the fact that the Buddha descended back down from Tushita Pure Land, where he was teaching his mother.

In the Vajrayana tradition, the tantric vehicle, there are specific stupas that accomplish particular purposes. For example, there are the four main types of stupas for pacification. Some are to magnetize. Some are to increase, increase prosperity and merit, and others are for more wrathful activities. There are different shapes that the stupa can adopt, but the fundamental meaning is the same – stupas represent the enlightened body, speech and mind of the Buddha. The stupa primarily represents the enlightened mind of the Buddha.