Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo | Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Bird Stew: Compassion in Action

August 23, 2012August 23, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo started the Garuda Aviary in 1999 after she adopted Tashi bird, a Moluccan Cockatoo who was driving her former owner crazy with her screaming. Jetsunma soon discovered there are countless parrots suffering from neglect and abuse due to owners ill prepared for their needs.

Jetsunma was so moved by the awareness of the suffering of these intelligent, long lived beings, that one bird quickly grew to 36, and the Garuda Aviary was founded to provide life long sanctuary to abused and neglected birds.

Now Garuda Aviary, a non-profit organization with one paid caretaker and a small staff of volunteers, cares for more than 50 birds, committed to caring for each of them for the duration of their lives.

Jetsunma continues to support the birds by preparing large pots of fresh food, “Bird Stew”, for the birds on a regular basis. Parrots enjoy fresh, healthy and nutritious foods, and Rigdzin, the primary caretaker of the birds, reports they have come to love her stew.

Wishing that others may share in this joyful practice, Jetsunma has asked that this simple recipe be offered so others may feed their birds a nutritious, healthy treat.

This recipe produces a large amount of food, enough to feed 50 birds as a supplement to their diet for several days, so amounts may be adjusted for those with fewer birds. Jetsunma also suggested the stew can be portioned into ice cube trays or empty margarine containers and frozen. These smaller portions can then be warmed in a pan for those with smaller birds.

Supplies:

Large pot

2 bags of dried beans (pinto, red, black, navy, white, or a combo)

1 bag of lentils

1 package of frozen vegetables (mixed vegetables, butter beans, peas, carrots, corn, a variety)

Any left over vegetables from family dinners, but do not feed avocados or white potatoes.

2 lbs of pasta (elbow, spaghetti or penne)

seasoning: Mrs. Dash italian flavor, spicy flavor, hot peppers

Process:

Put two bags of beans in 6 quarts of water and bring to a boil for 20 minutes then turn off heat.

Allow beans and water to sit until completely cooled for an hour.

Bring pot back to a boil and add lentils, vegetables, pasta and seasoning and cook until pasta is Al Dente.

Immediately remove mixture from heat, drain, and run under cold water to stop the cooking process (birds prefer beans and pasta Al Dente rather than mushy.)

May every being be free of suffering!

Offered for the Benefit of All Beings

August 22, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Western Chod”

My teachers have instructed me that that practice is actually called ‘chöd’ (and there is an umlaut above the o). Actually there is no text to go with it so you couldn’t say it was the practice of chöd as it is written in the text. It has been called by my teachers the essence or essential nectar of chöd. So I have been given permission to continue to practice that way and also to teach others to practice in that way. My experience has been that it has made my life a lot easier.

Now how is that? Well, I’ll tell you. It came to pass that there were many sacrifices that needed to be made. I’m not saying this so that you’ll say “Oh, isn’t she a good girl!” Save it. I don’t care. But there were sacrifices that needed to be made. If I’d had my druthers, I would still be on a farm in North Carolina. By now I would not only know how to put up beans, but I would have the best darn garden you’d ever seen, and all the farmers around would be impressed. And I would have a dairy cow to boot. I would still be there. I would still be there, much isolated. I prefer a lot of privacy. Even though I seem to be good at this (I don’t know why but I seem to be good at this), I have to tell you that everyone who knows me well knows that to get me out of the house so that I’ll come and do my job, it takes oh, spraying with Pam and loosening her up with a crowbar. It’s not my natural tendency to want to come out and do this. I really don’t like this kind of thing.

Not only did privacy have to be given up (and that seems to be getting worse and worse), but also personal freedom. Now I am in the position where if I decide that I want to go somewhere and just not think about whether I look like a dharma teacher or not, just sort of be myself, I find that it’s a little tricky. It happens pretty often that people will come up to me and they will say “Are you that Buddha lady?” It really happens on a regular basis. In fact one time at the airport somebody came running up to me, “Are you that Jetsa Jetsa Buddha lady?” That Jetsa Jetsa Buddha lady, that’s me! So I have that kind of going on. And you know, I was not brought up as a Tibetan. I was not groomed for this job; I just got this job. So I found that many sacrifices had to take place, including watching my children have to give up their own privacy.

There are just a lot of issues. When we first came to this temple, none of the doors that you see were here. There were hardly any doors on the inside of the temple. Everything was very open and this room was divided in half. We used to live upstairs, but there were no doors between the upstairs and the lower, and so basically I was not separate from the temple whatsoever. And the only coffee pot, get this!, the only coffee pot in the whole place was downstairs where the kitchen room is downstairs now, and I slept upstairs. , Because this place was open 24 hours a day, I would have to wade through students to get to my first cup of coffee in the morning. If that’s not love, what is? ? Then my students would say to me, “You never smile at me in the morning.” Smile in the morning!! The weight of the bags under my eyes keep my cheeks from going up, what can I tell you! So anyway, smiling was not forthcoming before the coffee, I’m sorry. There’s not that much compassion in the world!

I eventually came to draw a lot of strength and a great deal of comfort from that early practice because I found out that I never actually had to make another decision. And that’s what we struggle with all the time. Should I spare this time to do my practice? Should I spare this time to practice compassion toward others? Should I spend the effort to go over here and help that person? Should I do that? It’s that thinking—should I, should I, should I? You burn more calories doing that than any of the good works that you actually do in your life. So I found out that that head thing that we do when we can’t decide and we always go through the dilemma of being a samsaric being, that was alleviated, and I never really had to make another decision ever again. I felt that from that point on, everything in my life had already been decided because I didn’t own my feet, I didn’t own my ankles, didn’t own my body, didn’t own my speech, didn’t own my hearing, didn’t own anything. Anything! I had already decided that I owned nothing. None of it was mine.

So then whenever I was called upon, well will you do this, will you do that, will you do that? Now the ultimate test, the moving! Will you do that? Yeah, I’ll do that. You know why I’ll do that? Because it’s already decided. None of this really belongs to me. My job now is to protect every capability that I have or any effort that I’ve made in order to benefit beings. That I will protect, with fangs out and nails extended. That’s when you’ll see the meanness in me. That I will protect, but regarding anything personal, it’s no big deal because it’s already gone. I don’t own it. So I take good care of it. I feed it well. I exercise it, but ultimately I realize that I’m doing that in order to maintain its strength in order to benefit sentient beings. I don’t feel that I own it. I’ve already given it up.

What Are You Looking For?

August 21, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Longing for the Guru”

In order for you to be with your Teacher, however good or bad that Teacher may be, if you are in a situation where you are close to your Teacher and consistently so and have a great deal of relatively intimate guidance, you must have spent a great deal of time longing for the Teacher. It must be that you have spent a great deal of time making wishing prayers that you would never be separate from your Teacher. There had to be a great deal of time spent in that consideration and with that intention. It’s the only karma that will allow for this situation.

Each of us, then, as we grew up, must have experienced the seeds of that longing. If we look back at our earlier lives, we may not understand that. It’s very difficult to understand how we ended up practicing Vajrayana. We certainly weren’t brought up this way. We certainly had no idea in our younger lives that we were going to be Buddhists, that’s for sure.

Yet, if we were to look in a penetrating way, we would discover that somewhere in our childhood there was a longing. That is the seed or the residue of something that we experienced in a previous incarnation. Because it is not consistent with our culture, because it is not sympathetic with what our culture views as proper, probably when we grew up, we never heard of a Teacher. We never heard of a Guru. We may have diverted into different paths. We may have felt the longing as a need to find ourselves or we may have felt a sense of waiting to be told or to find something that we knew we would find.

For instance, it is possible that you felt a sense of searching and perhaps went from relationship to relationship, searching for someone who would be intimate with you, a certain searching for a fullness that was never found. It could be that you even went from a self-help group to insight situation to church to different kinds of situations that you thought would bring you the answer and you had no idea that it was a spiritual search.
But now, in retrospect, if you examine that, do you think that perhaps you were looking for something you didn’t find because you did not understand exactly what you were looking for? Surely, if you examine your life, you will find something of that longing in your past.

Gaining Strength!

August 20, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Just back from Phys Therapy. Worked hard and making great progress! Even one session made a difference. Proud of myself and happy with the clinic.

My physical therapist is awesome! She totally gets how I got there. A kind lady. I trust her.

OM TARE TU TARE TU TURE YE SOHA!

When you’re gaining strength you are alive!

Practical Advice for IBS

August 19, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is extracted from an exchange with one of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo’s twitter followers:

Follower: Ah, I thought you had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which I have.

Jetsunma: I do have both. Today was tough. Half and half.

Follower: Very sorry! Do you have any advice for others with IBS?

Jetsunma: Gentle fiber, small frequent meals, fresh aloe juice, Green Superfood. Fluids. No ibuprofen or aspirin. That is just what works for me. Who knows? Just know what makes me bleed, and stop.

Second Follower: boil chia seeds in water & drink immediately

Jetsunma: And center in your body. Commune with it. You’re in charge and yet are one.

The Guru Above the Crown of My Head

August 19, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

I’m doing much better with my treatment. I’ve had, honestly, fear (from stalker) and stagnation locked up in my body. I’m working it hard so I can be strong for Pema Kod. I’m determined.

We have so much power once we decide to change things. And I have, being the only one after all, who can. I am much stronger now, and grateful to the Bliss Gone Guru for answering prayers. Eh Ma Ho!

I’m not gonna stop. The Guru above the top of my head is my strength and safety. Who can doubt it?

Om Ah Hung Benzar Guru Pema Siddhi Hung!

Heart Teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo at KPC MD

August 15, 2012August 15, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a video of a live teaching recorded at Kunzang Palyul Choling on 8-14-2012

Video streaming by Ustream

Have Confidence in this Precious Opportunity

August 7, 2012 by anisonam

An excerpt from a teaching called “The Importance of Shakyamuni” by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

All of the blessings of the Buddhist path are available to us because of the supreme compassion of Lord Buddha. If he had not chosen to stay and forego his parinirvana for some time, forego his entry into the state of nirvana in order to teach sentient beings, it would not be possible for us to be on this path. At the time of his teaching, there was no path that could lead to supreme enlightenment. Again I say there were paths that could lead to spiritual progress, but none of them truly overcame all of the six realms.

Therefore follow this path with great enthusiasm because you have a set of fortunate circumstances that very few other beings on this planet have, very few human beings and far fewer beings of any other realm of cyclic existence. If you think about how many humans there are compared to the other five realms of beings, just having that human condition is extremely rare and is over too quickly. What proportion of those beings that have incarnated in the fortunate human condition have been offered the true path of Lord Buddha? Such a small portion.

You should think about these incredibly auspicious circumstances, and when you do your practice, think that you are doing this to achieve the ultimate goal possible for humankind. Think and believe that there is every reason that you can succeed. Think and believe that there is every reason that even if you don’t succeed now, you absolutely without fail can create the causes by which you will succeed quickly. If not immediately after this life, then you will soon, very soon.

Your moment is now. Are you creating the causes by which you yourself might someday appear as a Nirmanakaya Buddha to guide all beings? This practice that you do now creates the causes. Practice sincerely. If you practice sincerely with the intention of guiding beings, with the intention of breaking through samsaric existence as a true renunciate, if you really renounce cyclic existence with all its betrayal and take refuge sincerely, you are creating the causes, and someday your face will be known as the face of a Nirmanakaya Buddha, and your nature will be known both by you and by all sentient beings to be the Dharmakaya.

Blessings Near and Far

August 5, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Today we had about 60 volunteers to clean up the Stupa land from earlier big storms. These are dedicated hikers who use the land and Stupas for meditation, fitness and recreation. The blessings are theirs to enjoy. We barbecued too. They love the land.

Speaking of land I’ve been invited to go to Yang Sang Pemakod on the border of Tibet/China and India in January.

This is on top of the world. This is the only image I have so far, will get more. It is truly Shangrila. Many great Lamas go for pilgrimage and it is a place of power and mystery. It is a place of power especially due to Guru Padmasambhava’s unfathomable blessing. At the level of The journey to Maritika Cave years ago. Worth it to see the Guru’s blessing so long ago. And now. Uninterrupted. We’ll have to find sponsors!

Now it is up to me to get strong and prepare. I don’t think I can turn this down. Soon the documentary will be up but the format must be changed I feel so blessed!

And here are the workers chowing down after a full day’s work. Way to go! Thank you all!

Hope for All

August 2, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

It is going well here, I’m still in NY, happy and meditating. It is so lovely here. The Lamas are teaching, so the students are doing well.

Here we try not to gossip or make bad feelings, or divide the Palyul sangha. When His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was here, he set the precedent for not allowing gossip and we try hard to maintain. I’ve been around a while and seen for myself the glory of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s pure and kind leadership, and how He kept expanding and growing, even when he was sick.

I am sure His Holiness Karma Kuchen will carry on with the highest Bodhicitta. So there is confidence in the future.

Remember, if there is no heart in one’s practice there is no Bodhicitta and no result. Remember, in Tibet many pure practitioners without formal training would accumulate mantra with great heart all day and night and achieve the rainbow body. So we need not fear! There is hope and realization for all. And room for all types of practitioners, just do your Dharma!