Teachers | Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Awakening

April 1, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

A poem by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

AWAKENING

I am Love.
I pour myself out
on the waters…and the
Earth.
Over time and space
I pour, I am,
never ending.
I encompass all
Unto Myself.
I am pregnant with
Creation.
I penetrate all.
I am fulfilled–
Love.

I am Light–
The Light of the One;
of the All..
Radiant, life-giving.
I am…
To BE.
I declare my Self
in all things
And it is so.
I find my Self
in Creation
and bear my Self
forth
triumphant!
And all is perfect
because I am.
Light

I am Spirit.
I am the song and the
Breathe
of the Infinite.
The sound and essence
of the most subtle
One
I bring to you your birthright
on silent, soaring
wings.
Behold, I come quickly.

Look within–
I am here.
I speak to you,
from deep within you.
And now you hear me.
You let me heal you.
You let me radiate from you.
You let me claim you as
My own.

Let us make a pact,
You, who I am.
To know our oneness.
To renounce duality.
To know only Truth
For I speak to you
even as you call
to Me.
“Awaken…Awaken..
This is the beginning.”

Compassion Like the Rays of the Sun

March 31, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

One of the saddest things to see is an ordinary Buddhist student, having read many books, presuming to correct a Lineage Lama. The arrogance is extraordinary when we consider these Rinpoches who were in monastery since childhood, trained well by Lineage Masters, and have benefitted all sentient beings for so many lifetimes. American pridefulness is a disease among Buddhists here. One can surely not understand the teachings and question. One can surely disagree and say so respectfully. No true Lama has a problem with that. At monastery young Lamas are taught to debate as a way to truly internalize and absorb the teachings, so debate is an excellent learning tool. But there is a difference between such debate and insisting one is more correct than the Lama, which is a real downfall, and a sure way to lose the path.

When we have an argument with our root Guru we are fighting with our own true face. Our own awakening. Being ignorant most westerners think, with their ego and pride, along with a dash (or a bucket) of amazing self cherishing, that my concept is the right one because I said it! So ridiculous, to think that because we have heard Lamas and done some practice (and can pronounce those funny foreign words) we then become experts. It is sad and funny.

Any Lama will tell you one must first have good intention (hurt no one, help everyone) and give rise to Bodhicitta. Most westerners forget that. It is better to learn from a kind Saint than a rude, curmudgeon of a “scholar.” You will never taste the sweetness of Dharma from a mean spirited, ridged thinking person like that. No one needs more of that.

We do need, however, to learn kindness, tolerance, view, how to put the needs of other beings before one’s own, generosity, willingness to walk in another’s shoes to understand them better. Before every teaching or Puja we are asked to do as we do for all beings. We are asked to gather pure intention. And we are always told that giving rise to Bodhicitta is the method to awaken as it is the very display of our own Buddhahood, like the sun’s rays are of the sun. So, pride or no pride, arrogance or not – Bodhicitta or compassion must be accomplished in the beginning, at the end (especially with Dzogchen) and everywhere in between. This is, essentially, the path, and it does not need changing. Sure, the dress may change, the words may change, but the nectar of Bodhicitta never does, as it is our nature, always was and will be. Our face.

Why Do You Practice Dharma?

December 23, 2011March 31, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Stabilizing the Mind”

If you’re only approaching Dharma by riding on the surface of your mind, you will not stick with it. You shouldn’t practice Dharma because you like Dharma. If you do that, there will be a day when you don’t like Dharma. Dharma is not like listening to music: You like it, you listen to it; you don’t like it, you don’t listen to it. It’s not that kind of thing. You should follow the Dharma from a place of spaciousness in your mind, initially because the Buddha says so — and the Buddha is supremely enlightened — and then ultimately from your own knowing, from your own sense of your own nature, from the spaciousness in your mind, and with the dignity that is inherently yours as part of that mind. From that place of stability, you should choose Dharma, and you should choose it for good reasons.

It is necessary to stabilize the mind so that you can even think about practicing Dharma. It is important to be stable in your practice. Being stable in your practice is a step that you need to take before you even commit to stabilizing your mind in your ordinary life.

Look at the mind and see how much stuff you make up all the time. Why do you practice Dharma? How much stuff have you made up about Dharma already? One of you likes to talk about being an old yogi. Another one of you likes to talk about caves. You want to talk about the romanticism of practicing Dharma. Your practice is not going to last if you approach Dharma in that way. You have to approach Dharma in a solid way because you know that sentient beings are suffering, because you know that you are suffering, because you know that nothing you have tried to date has ended that suffering, and because you know that according to the Buddha’s teaching, there is an end to suffering, and that end is enlightenment. You should practice from a place of space in your mind where you’re not just following yourself down the garden path, making up all these crazy stories about Dharma in the same way that you make up everything about everything.

Come to love the Dharma for what it is, for what it can do, for the rich potential of it. Love it because it is a practice that, if practiced sincerely, can awaken pure compassion in the mind. Love it because awakening pure compassion in the mind can be the end of war and of famine and of all kinds of problems that we have on the earth that we haven’t been able to solve. Love Dharma for the right reasons, from a stable place, not in the same way that you fall in and out of love with everything else. And in order to do that you must approach Dharma and see and understand it from the place of having a stable mind, from a place of spaciousness.

You are not immune from falling out of love with Dharma until you achieve realization. The potential is there. The way to remove that potential is by practicing Dharma in a stable way and for stable reasons. I don’t think that you’ve thought enough about why you practice. You say, “Oh, it’s not my nature to do that. I just become excited about things, and I go into them. I’m spontaneous. That’s my nature.” No, that’s wrong. It doesn’t work. You can’t do it that way. You have to think about it, even if you’ve never thought about anything else before. You have to think, “Why Dharma? Why me? What does this mean?” If you don’t consider all of these things, if you just do it because it feels right, believe me when I tell you, your feelings are so unstable that one day Dharma will feel wrong.

Please build this fortress carefully with careful consideration and careful thinking. Even if it’s not your nature to think about anything, anytime, for any length of time, start now. This is a good reason to start, and it’s very important.

Embracing Change for a Better World

March 29, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

I wonder if it is the aspect between Jupiter opposite Saturn that is giving me the brain drain. I suspect it may be. It is a generational aspect, every 20 years. And it also seems there is a tug between old, crystallized ways and new, more radical ways.

I hope so. Maybe government and corporate people will show transparency for a change! I feel strongly that is the way to go. Old institutions and “old thinking” people definitely hold us in a zone, and feel entitled to do so. When I see something or someone who refuses to listen or change it boggles my mind and angers me too (sadly.) When new ideas and ways of thinking develop they should never be smashed down. And the new thinking folks should never be bullied or called names. We are free to speak and share ideas as new ideas are needed! The world has so many problems.

Bullies, tend to try to keep those around them unchanging, sheep-like and safely mum. So it turns out bullies are the weaker as their emotional lives are maintained by putting others down. That is weak. And cruel. Especially to those trying to learn, and formulate their own ideas. We must be encouraging, not suffocating new ideas by blowing them down. No one has the right to do that, corporations or governments as well. We have the right to evolve as thoughtful people. The world requires it. The times require it. The nuclear crisis in Japan is a prime example. To save face Japan will not tell us the truth, and we have the right to know. Similarly our own government, here in the USA, does the same. To what extent we may never know.

No, I am not a rabid conspiracy nut. But I see something is very wrong with this picture. We should have full disclosure, especially about those things which affect our health and our thinking. I hope this Jupiter (expanding) and Saturn (crystalizing, unchanging) duke it out (it is us of course) and we come up with new ways. Respect, tolerance, compassion, spiritual depth, open mindedness, these ways that lead us forward and do not support secretiveness and bullying, harmful domination of others, etc; may these things, having had their day, allow the rest of us to have ours!

Prayer Works:Pray for Japan and the Earth

December 23, 2011March 27, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Asking all people to have faith in prayer and not feel hopeless. If everything, every effort in Japan is hopeless, even then prayer works!

Please don’t forget that, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in their great compassion hear our cries. All faiths, call upon your faith and help. Each of us has our own beliefs. Doesn’t matter. Call on your faith to see us through. We all need each other to do the right thing for the earth.

Blessings and love to my brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers in Japan. Pray for Japan. Pray for the earth, for Libya. We are one people.

https://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/2010/06/21-homages-to-tara-pdf-download/

https://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/2009/12/the-seven-line-prayer/

Today is the Day to Renew Prayers for Japan, the Earth and Humankind

December 16, 2011March 27, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Today is the day to renew our commitment to pray for Japan, for the earth, for human kind. I feel the Japan nuclear situation is growing more dangerous every day, that Tepco and Japanese government are trying to save face by not admitting how bad it is, and how little they know about getting it to stop. When the reactors are cracked and leaking, it is catastrophic. So I ask my students and followers to pray, to go to the stupas and pray, recite mantra, etc. We must all, every faith, park the dogma and join in prayer round the globe as one family.

Prayer is amazingly powerful especially when many people pray together with pure intention to heal others, and the planet. And we may find ourselves relying exclusively on prayer as nothing else seems to be working. I beg Japan to reveal the exact situation so we the people can know what to do and what not to do. It is our right to know, as I’ve said – and who knows? We may actually figure something out for ourselves! I think of Dr. Michio Kaku, who feels the only thing to do is bury it all with concrete, gravel, antidotal chemicals, sand, more concrete as was done with Chernobyl. They cannot save the reactors- they are only poison now.

Jetsunma recommended the following prayers for Japan and for the earth:

https://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/2011/01/21-homages-to-tara/

https://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/amitaba/

One World: Let the People Speak

March 26, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Today I have a down mood. Watching what is happening worldwide is hard to take. Japan hiding info we need, in the Middle East giving more than we can use. Everywhere there are terrible events and dramas.

One theme I see is secretiveness by those in power. Any info we get is from regular people. I sincerely hope our government is asking questions, someone has to. So I guess I am worrying a lot. Worry is useless unless it spurs one to action. As in praying, or offering some relief. I work at Prayer, but I wish I could stop the wars, leaking nukes etc. One person cannot manage very much. But governments and groups of people can. That is why it is so hard to hear about these issues. They are fixable, but we refuse to change ourselves, our views, and so then government will not change. Government is us. Even if we feel impotent, we are the people and government should be serving our interests. We have lost our way, governments now work for themselves and are therefore hard to trust. We aren’t getting news. We are getting propaganda from hierarchies who are in self- protection mode. We are playing games with our planet and the sentient beings who live here. This is wrong, unethical and immoral. Government is a good example, but not the only one. For business and institutions to keep secrets and do wrong without consequence is not acceptable.

We must speak out and demand information about everything that affects planet earth. Especially things like ecological disasters which eventually affect us all. We are world citizens and we have the right to know! Secrets lead to disaffected people, disempowered. So nothing changes and the people never get to speak. This does not work for planet earth and her people. We have ideas that should be allowed to see the light of day! We aren’t stupid, we actually think and create. And so we must think of a way through this habit. What are we thinking?! Let the people in! Let us speak!

Prayers for Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche

March 26, 2011 by anisonam

We received the following communication from the sangha of Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche, one of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo’s root teachers. At Jetsunma’s request we are sharing this information with you:

Dear Students and Friends of Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche,

While Ven. Yangthang Rinpoche was at ODD, he was consulted about what practices would be best to enhance and extend Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche’s life and general state of health. He indicated that if 10 million Vajrakilaya mantras were accumulated in the next year that that effort may have a significant effect on Rinpoche’s life span, removing obstacles to his health and well-being. Surely this is an outcome we all wish for and here is a proposed method that we can contribute to and help make it happen.

While 10 million seems like a big number, if at least 40 people can accomplish 1000 mantras per day that would yield more than 25,000 per month, per person…or 1,000,000 per month for the group….and then in 10 months, 10 million can be accomplished. If one uses the short Dudjom Tersar daily practice of Vajrakilaya accumulation of 1000 mantras may require just 20-30 minutes per day. So consider that! But you can also do more or less according to your time.

Additionally, our sanghas can gather as a group at the centers, and prayers will be requested from monks & nuns in monasteries in Tibet, Nepal & India. But if we, the students, can collectively accomplish this, then we can be certain that we have fulfilled Yangthang Rinpoche’s guidance and anything more will serve to bolster our accumulation.

Gyatrul Rinpoche gave this outreach effort his support as it will involve many of the sangha and will help him as well as remove obstacles to all of our lives and practice. He said “Excellent. Go for it. This clears everyones obstacles–it’s a collective karma anyway, so go ahead and begin”.

Please reply to this email indicating what you can commit to accomplishing. If many of us can do 1000 per day that would result in a minimum of 25,000 per month. If you feel like you can do more, that is also fine, and of course, if you prefer to commit to a lower number, that is fine as well. Once a month we will send a reminder email out to which you can send in your monthly totals so we can keep track and keep you posted.

Please feel free to forward to other practitioners.

Orgyen Dorje Den

2244 Santa Clara Ave

Alameda, CA 94501

Email: [email protected]

For those who do not have the Vajrakilaya Empowerment but wish to offer prayers in support of the long life of Gyaltrul Rinpoche, Jetsunma has said the 7 Line Prayer may be accumulated. You may also see the Long Life Prayer for Gyaltrul Rinpoche.

Ghost Stories and Understanding Karma

December 16, 2011March 24, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets between Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo and two of her followers, Michelle9647 and Seedsdown:

Michelle asked Jetsunma about ghosts after sharing a video of a “ghostly image” she had seen online. She asked Jetsunma if she had ever had an encounter.

Jetsunma: Yes. Some seem to be repetitive emotional “bodies”. Others seem to be temporary thinning of other dimensional systems.

Seedsdown: Demons you mean? There are those too!

Jetsunma: There are demons. But they aren’t ghosts.

Michelle: Are some of the classes of demons subject to the thinning dimensional systems?

Jetsunma: Maybe, but I think hell-beings are there due to Karma. The heinous crimes especially – cause and effect. Not a god punishing us. If that doesn’t fly, think about this: do we have nightmares? They are our own emotions being worked through in a display. In that way at time of death all emotions, concepts appear outwardly, jumbled in time. If we are haters, that is one hellish appearance. If greedy, another hell. We are drawn to repeat our own habitual tendencies. Like draws like. So we are attracted to what we know in the Bardo. As many hell-dreams as there are “dreamers” to “dream” them. That is why it is so precious to awaken. As Buddha did.

Michelle: Just a thought. If mankind was to wake up one day and live a life of love and the karma is purified, what then happens to the demons?

Jetsunma: Very good question. It is very difficult to change habits in a hell realm, but it can be done, must be done. In the same way it is so difficult to let go of the addiction to samsara when living. Or to wake up from a dream. We must accumulate a storehouse of merit and virtue to draw from. It is like money in the bank, simply stated.

Was that clear enough for twitter? Any more questions?

Michelle: I’ve heard stories of great beings taming the demons. How is this done if merit is needed, because I do believe these stories to be true.

Jetsunma: Those stories are true. The merit of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is so great it can transform all through Bodhicitta, thereby transforming the habit and non-virtue of hell beings. That is the power of many lifetimes living compassion and love. So don’t waste time.

Sometimes, demons (hell beings) can affect the world we know. They are powerful in their laser like focus on hate. Some remain in one habitual place, like a haunting. Some want to return to their old ways desperately. I once knew an alcoholic (raging!) and three pitiful demons possessed him, trying to get their mouths and noses where his were. They were trying to smell and drink the liquor he always stank of. So the poor gent’s craving was magnified three times! So disgusting to see!

Another time a little girl had cerebral palsy and I saw a bag like thing sucking from her lower brain. She had a mild case. When I removed it the doctors were amazed, said she had “grown out of it.” Easier to take I guess! It seemed they had a karmic bond, hurting each other life after life. When it came off it tried to go to me and was transformed, able to take a higher rebirth. Some are easy to deal with, others extremely difficult.

But we should never fear if we can help it. They love that. One can visualize oneself in a sphere of light to protect. Buddhists have more options, puja, smoke offering, mantra, deity generation. Eventually we get strong and naturally repel them.

Michelle: It makes one wonder how many of these conditions are more “beings” based than medical.

Jetsunma: Many more than we can imagine.

Michelle: What you just said was heartbreaking and for some reason it was also very freeing.

Jetsunma: Goes to show. We live in our own karmic stream, and our own awareness and view is the door to samsara and enlightenment both.

Message in a Banana

March 23, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

We are about to get heavy thunderstorms and lots of rain. Delightful! They should be fun. Which is good, I’ve been kinda down. Ho hum. So I asked for a sign, you know. And right on time there it is. In a banana. It may be Jesus, or blessed Mary:

But wow! As all things are impermanent I offer you this image. Too bad it is not long for this world. Well who is? I’m over ripe too, turning brown. And squishy. So how do we preserve this precious bit of fruity dogma? Eat it. Let it be one with your universe. That’s the ticket. Soon it will be brown anyway, no matter what. Oh well. I guess letting go is real. As is laughing till you fall down! Working on both now. I love to laugh, and don’t know what to do when people take themselves too seriously. Tickle? I don’t think I could do that, I’d bust out laughing.

It’s not that life is a joke, far from it. It is hard work and takes courage. But when you stop having fun and laughing you are a cooked goose and clowns will eat you. Or zombies. Now don’t go crazy like Batman’s Joker. (OMG just look at his lipstick!) Ladies, who can take advice from him! And oy, what’s with the hair? (Wash it homie!)

So once again the middle way is best. Not so puffed up, not so deflated. Have some fun! But don’t get so lost in it you forget who and what you are, and why you are here. We are here to help and to awaken. You can laugh or cry during either but never forget the suffering of all beings, or your true capacity.

EH MA HO!

OM MANI PEDME HUNG!

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SO HA!