Teachers

Homage to the Three Jewels: From “The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”

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The following is respectfully quoted from “The Jewel Ornament of Liberation” by Gampopa as translated by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche:

Homage to the Three Jewels

The Three jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the rarest and most sublime objects in the universe. Therefore, from now until he attains enlightenment, the author of the treatise pays heartfelt respect to them in thought, word, and deed, his aim being to protect beings who wander in samsara, afflicted by many evils.

The Three Jewels may be explained according to their essential characteristics, the etymology of the Tibetan term, their various subsidiary aspects, and an explanation of the Sanskrit term. Essentially, buddhahood is the perfection of all the qualities of “elimination” and ‘realization.” According to the Tibetan expression snags rgyas, a Buddha is one who has awoken (sangs) from the deep sleep of ignorance and whose mind has blossomed (rgyas) like a lotus flower with the knowledge of all things. Buddhahood in turn has three aspects: (a) the kayas, which act like containers for (b) the wisdom contained therein, together with (c) the enlightened activities that flow from these. Finally, the Sanskrit word Buddha means “one who perfectly comprehends,” one whose mind encompasses all objects of cognition and thoroughly understands them.

Essentially, the Dharma is characterized by the elimination of one or both of the twin veils of defiled emotion and cognitive obscurations, or the means to this elimination. The Tibetan word chos is so used because the Dharma purges (‘chos) the mind of negative emotion in the same way that medicine cures someone who is sick. As to its aspects, the Dharma may be classified in two ways: one the one hand, as the Dharma of transmission and the Dharma of realization, and on the other, as the third and forth of the four noble truths, the truth of cessation and the truth of the path. In Sanskrit, the word dharma means “to hold.” in other words, the Dharma is what holds beings to the perfect path and keeps them from the ways of samsara and the lower realms.

Essentially, the Jewel of the Sangha is characterized by the possession of two qualities: knowledge of the truth and freedom from defilements. The Tibetan term dge ‘dun refers to those who have a keen interest (‘dun) in the path of perfect virtue (dge). Such practitioners may be divided into those belonging to the Hinayana Sangha of Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas, and those belonging to the Mahayana Sangha of Bodhisattvas. The Sanskrit word has the meaning of “assembly” and refers to the community of those who are not distracted from the path by anyone, even gods.

The words “I prostrate” express a perfect salutation to the Three Jewels. This may be made on three levels: first, by realizing the view; then, by proficiency in meditation; and finally, by an act of devout veneration.

The “Precious Three” of the root verse is a reference to the Three Jewels and indicates that the Body, Speech, Mind, Qualities, and Activities of the Buddha are renowned throughout the three worlds. Jigme Lingpa gives an elegant illustration of this by referring to the story of how the Buddha once sent a message to the princess Vine-of-Pearls in the form of a picture of himself together with some verses, printed on a piece of white cloth. When the girl saw the image, the joy she experienced was so intense that it was like a samadhi devoid of even the subtlest kind of discursive thought. And as she reflected on the meaning of the message, the one hundred and twelve obscurations that are hinderances to liberation, and which are discarded on the path of seeing, fell away. The root text compares these obscurations to the deceitful faces of Mara’s daughters, which are like lilies of the night, opening in darkness and blasted by the sun of wisdom cultivated on the path of seeing. As a result, Vine-of-Pearls was prepared for the dissipation of what is to be eliminated on the path of meditation. And all this came about through the power of the Buddha’s compassion. All such religious stories that tell of the effects of the Three Jewels are worthy of universal consideration, for they powerfully counteract the mental distraction and defiled emotions that are the very nature of samsaric existence.

Commitment to Compose the Text

The boundless collections of sutra and tantra teachings were propounded by the Buddha, master of the supreme wisdom of omniscience, who set them forth by means of the five excellences. His followers, the noble Bodhisattvas, composed commentaries beautiful in word and meaning, on the basis of the system of five major elements, compiling them according to the “fourfold interrelated purpose.” These scriptures and commentaries are vast and profound as a great ocean; they are a veritable treasure of purifying waters. Thanks to them the Doctrine of the Conqueror has remained for a long time. Maitreya has said:

All Dharma is contained in Word and Commentary,
The perfectly expressed and its interpretation.
These two ensure that Shakyamuni’s Doctrine
Will remain for long within the world.

A Brief Summary of the Benefits of Building, Circumambulating, Prostrating to, and Making Aspirations Prayers at a Stupa

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The following is respectfully quoted from “Compassionate Action” by Chatral Rinpoche:

Homage to the Three Jewels!

I will briefly explain the benefits of building a Buddha stupa and the advantages for the faithful ones who prostrate before, make offerings to, and circumambulate it. By establishing here the perfect scriptures as witnesses, may those fortunate ones who can understand this teaching accept it with joy!

In the sutra The way of Distinguishing it is said:

The Buddha told the young Brahmin Naytso,
“There are eighteen benefits of building a Tathagata stupa.
What are those eighteen?
One will be born as the child of a great king.
One will have an excellent body.
One will become very beautiful and attractive.
one will develop a very sharp intellectual capacity.
One will become renowned.
One will have a great entourage of servants.
One will become a leader of people.
One will be a support to others.
[One’s greatness] will be expounded in the ten directions.
One will be able to extensively express whatever one wishes in word and verse.
One will be worshipped by gods.
One will posses many riches.
One will obtain the kingdom of a universal monarch.
One will have a long life.
One’s body will be like a collection of vajras.
One’s body will be endowed with major and minor marks [of a Buddha].
One will take rebirth in the three higher realms.
One will swiftly achieve Nirvana.

These are the eighteen benefits of building a Tathagata stupa.”

In the Manjushri Root Tantra it is said:

If you make a stupa with your own hands,
You will be able to purify your body even if you have committed the five inexpiable sins.”

If you build one hundred thousand stupas,
You will be transformed into a universal monarch of the knowledge-holders.
Completely understand all treatises
And be endowed with skillful means.
FOr the duration of an eon, when you die you will always be reborn as a king and never again go to the lower realms.
Like the sun rising in a central land,
You will be endowed with all your sense faculties.
You will be able to retain all that you learn and remember your past lives.

In the sutra called Chest of Secret Relics it is said:

The Bhagavan proclaimed,
“Vajrapani, when you write down Dharma teachings and place them inside a stupa, that stupa will become a relic of the vajra essence of all Tathagatas.
That stupa will be consecrated by the secret essence of all the mantras of the Tathagatas.
It will become a stupa of ninety-nine Tathagatas, as many as a heap of mustard seeds.
That stupa will be blessed as if it contained the yes and ushnishas of all Tathagatas.
Whoever places images of the Buddha inside a Stupa will definitely be blessed by those Tathagata images with the nature of the seven royal treatises of a universal monarch. Whoever pays reverence and honors that stupa will definitely become a non-returner and will eventually achieve the unexcelled and completely perfect state of enlightenment–actual, full Buddhahood.
Even if one offers only one prostration or makes a single circumambulation, one will be altogether freed from reaching various hell realms such as the Hell of Incessant Torture.
One will never fall back on the path to unexcelled completely perfect Enlightenment.
All Tathagatas will bless the entire area that surrounds the place the stupa has been built in.

In the Sutra of the White Lotus of the Sacred Dharma, it says:

Walls ar emade from mud and bricks
And a stupa of the Victorious One is made likewise.
Therefore, even if made by a simple heap of dust in a remote place of despair, or if a child playing games makes one from a mound of sand,
Whomever simply builds one on the account of the Victorious One
All of them will attain enlightenment.

The benefits of making offerings to a stupa are stated in the Sutra Requested by King Prasenajit:

If one applies whitewash to a Buddha stupa,
One will have a long life in the worlds of gods or humans,
One will be free of mental and physical ailments,
All suffering will be completely removed and
One will always be happy and will become wealthy with worldly riches.

By ringing a bell in front of a Buddha stupa,
One will speak with authority and have great fame,
One will have the pleasant voice of Brahma,
Be able to remember one’s past lives,
And obtain all kinds of adornments.

If a learned person silently recites prayers on their rosary with a faithful mind at a Buddha stupa,
They will have many golden rosaries adorned with beautiful precious jewels,
And will be foremost among the meritorious and fortunate ones.

Whoever makes a melodic music offering at a Buddha stupa
Will have an abundance of courageous eloquence in profundity and knowledge,
Their physical body will be perfect and their mind and speech pure.
Their voices will fill the world.

If any person who has a heart and body,
Hangs various banners from the stupa
Which is a stainless source of merit,
It will become a field of offerings and an object of worship for the three worlds.

If one affixes a silken crown to a Buddha stupa,
One will become a glorious ruler of gods,
Will experience great bliss, and in particular,
Will attain the crown of complete liberation.

If one cleans a Buddha stupa,
One will become very attractive and beautiful to look at,
One will have an excellent face
With the complexion of a lotus,
And one will be completely devoid
of the defects of Samsara.

Whoever cleans off the dust around a stupa
In the springtime with clean water
Will be joyfully fanned by ladies
Holding golden-handled fans.

Regarding the benefits of prostrating and circumambulating a stupa, it is said in the Avalokiteshvara Sutra:

If one respectfully prostrates before a Buddha stupa,
One will become a heroic and powerful world monarch.
Protected by the armor of gold-colored symbols
One will become an authoritative teacher who will delight the Buddhas.

In the Sutra of the White Lotus of the Sacred Dharma it is said:

Whoever joins their palms together before a stupa,
Whether with both hands or just one,
Whoever briefly bows their head
Or bows their body just once,

Whoever prostrates or merely says “Buddha” even with a distracted mind,
Whether once or a few times
Before a stupa where relics are kept,
Will attain supreme Enlightenment.

In the Decisive Verses on Circumambulating a Stupa it is said:

The excellent qualities of circumambulating
A Stupa of the Buddha, Protector of the World,
Cannot be sufficiently described with mere words.

These and other quotations from the sutra and tantra scriptures should produce great joy and confidence. I encourage all those who aspire to happiness to make the most of their human existence. Strive as much as you can to accumulate merit and purify obscurations by paying homage and making offerings, circumambulating, making prayers of aspiration and so on with a noble bodhicitta motivation, to the excellent supreme foundation (stupas), which grant very meaningful benefits through seeing, hearing and remembering them.

This was composed by the renunciant Buddha Vajra, who in this time of the rampant five degenerations gives the appearance of guiding beings through the physical embodiment of the Buddha body, speech and mind.”

Composed in the Male Fire Horse Year of the sixteenth Cycle (1966) in the ninth month on the twenty-second day. May it be auspicious!

Please Vote

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

I voted today! And Ireally hope it works. We need the best man. And I like the man with more experience to lead us. Vote please!

We need the President to finish his vision, not change course. The man who has skill abroad. Who cares about “We the People.”

Whoever you vote for, do it. Use your rights as a citizen, let your voice be heard! Many nations have trouble with voting – vote without fear!

I think this debate will bevery important to us all.

The Bug That Will Be a Buddha

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The following is an account as told by an eye witness to the event:

Offering prostrations and praise to the Wisdom Dakini, may your life be long, and may all your aspirations for the benefit of beings be fulfilled!

This simple, but miraculous event occurred this very evening in the home of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.

While Jetsunma was sitting in her kitchen, a stink bug began flying around the room. The weather was warmer today, so the stink bugs, once again, became active.

Jetsunma and her attendants watched the bug fly, waiting for it to land so it could be relocated outside. The bug kept flying in circles over the kitchen table where Jetsunma was sitting, and would not land.

Jetsunma looked up, also watching it fly, saying, “OM MANI PEDME HUNG!”. As Jetsunma spoke the mantra, the bug suddenly dropped out of the air, landing on her glasses. Jetsunma noted it was on her glasses, and said “OM MANI PEDME HUNG” again, at which time the bug dropped from her glasses to the floor under her foot. Jetsunma had lifted her foot and the bug was not harmed.

An attendant picked up the stink bug, and before taking it outside Jetsunma offered it one more blessing, “OM MANI PEDMA HUNG” and blew a blessing over it.

Filled with faith, this witness offered to share the story so others may know miracles happen every day around Jetsunma. This tiny creature fell at the feet of a Wisdom Dakini, as if to receive the blessing she offered. There is no doubt that in some future life, when this blessing ripens, this little being will become a Buddha

 

Enthronement Anniversary Offerings to Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

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The following was filmed live at Kunzang Palyul Choling on Sept. 23, 2012 during a Long Life Ceremony offered in celebration of the 24th anniversary of the Enthronement of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche:

 Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved

The Joy of Generosity

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The following was a spontaneous comment by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo upon hearing that the birds at Garuda Aviary have come to love her “bird stew.” She refers to some birds who came from a terrible situation and have healed under the care of the aviary’s caretaker Rigdzin Zeoli to the point where they not only enjoy freshly prepared food, but now enjoy the freedom of the aviary’s outdoor flight cage.

Some people think “love” is most important – “I’ll just cuddle you and love you.” But when I was little I was hungry, and I know what it’s like for a growing body to be hungry, and it’s agony. Your body is screaming for something, and you don’t know what it is.

Just imagine these little birds, watching their flock die all around them. How horrible it must have been to know that they’re dying, they’re all dying, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. How hot it was in there! No clean water.

How they’re healing so well makes you understand how deeply Rigdzin understands birds. He’s never lifted his eyes to them, never scared them, never done a quick motion around them. He knows what he’s doing with the birds. He really is an expert.

Jetsunma prepares fresh “stew” for the birds at least once a week, and aspires to offering it to them twice a week. She said this is the kind of thing that really matters to her…

If you would like to help support the birds of the Garuda Aviary please click here.

 

What is Enthronement Lineage? Lama Nyima Rinpoche at KPC

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The following is a full length video teaching recorded live at Kunzang Palyul Choling on Sept. 23, 2012, in celebration of the 24th Anniversary of the Enthronement of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Video streaming by Ustream

True Confession

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The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Longing for the Guru”

If you feel that you have become deadened to that longing you once felt, if you think that you don’t long for your Teacher or long for the Buddha, if you think that you don’t long with a heartfelt longing for that awakening, then you should try to remember your childhood and the different feelings that you had.

What are some of the things that you did?  Were you promiscuous?  Did you become involved in drugs or alcohol?  Did you become very materialistic in certain ways?  And if you can remember the beginning of that, was it based on longing?  Was it based on something that you could hardly remember, but remember that it was sharp and poignant?  Was it really based on that?

If you can remember a time like that, you should spend time becoming reacquainted with the purity of that urging.  Cultivate that longing.  Not cultivate it in a false way or in a contrived way, but search for what was already there.  Feel what was felt.  Don’t make up a feeling.  That’s important, because then you’ll blame yourself again.  Instead, try to remember that feeling, even if it just numbs you to think that you have gone so far astray, you should not be ashamed because your karma is that you were born into a culture where what you felt was not acceptable and you tried to fit it into ways that were acceptable.  Those ways did not work for you and then you shut down.  You should try to go back to that original feeling and find a way to forgive yourself.  You have to confess in order to be able to fully forgive yourself.  Don’t confess: Oh, I’ve been a bad girl, or I’ve been a bad boy, I’ve done this and I’ve done that.

The confession that you should make to the primordial root Guru is: You were everywhere, and I tried to find you here.  The true confession is the lack of understanding the nature of the Guru.  The true confession is the lack of understanding as to what you are.  That’s the real confession, and that’s the real sin that was committed.  Yes, karma happened.  But that core confession and purification can bring about the end of all the karma that arose from that, truly.  It can bring about the end of all sufferings that came from that point.  You should allow yourself to remember the longing that you felt and learn to live with it.

In learning to live with it and having it be the warmth in your heart, allowing yourself to be with that and to live with that, then that longing will bring the proper result.  So long as it is diverted, so long as you refuse to feel it, so long as you do not allow yourself to be pure and then constantly cover up with feelings of impurity, so long as that condition continues, the longing cannot be satisfied.

That longing, if it’s felt in its pure way and if you can manage to get your ego out of the way, can be the very bread by which you are nurtured to continue in a firm way on your path.  That longing can be the way that provides the actual, undeniable connection with one’s own root Guru.  It perfects that relationship so that one can realize the nature of the primordial Guru and realize that they are the same.  You can understand that what you see in front of you is the miraculous touch of Lord Buddha, that the relationship with the Teacher, the relationship with the path, the relationship with all of the teaching, the relationship with your own practice can only be a result of the miraculous intention of the Buddha.  So long as we continue to understand our teaching and our path as something external, we will never understand the nature of it.  We will never be able to truly drink of the taste of that nature.  Instead, we will continue to feel separate from the mandala.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

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