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AID BEGINS TO ARRIVE IN DISASTER AREA
Information compiled by Thubten Palzang:
WHILE OLD TENSIONS SURFACE
Some relief supplies have begun to arrive in the earthquake-stricken areas of Yushu County, Qinhai Province, China (Tibet). The first truck along with a group of volunteers from the Tibetan Village Project (TVP) arrived in Yushu on April 17. The TVP has set up a website for those wishing to donate to relief efforts, http://www.yushuearthquakeresponse.org/. The TVP is an NGO (non-governmental organization) working to promote sustainable development in Tibet while preserving their cultural heritage.
The home monastery of Thrangu Rinpoche in Tibet was devastated by the earthquake. The learning center collapsed, killing as many as 30 monks and students. Donations to assist the monastery rebuild can be made at the Himalayan Children’s Fund http://www.rinpoche.com/hcfindex.htm.
One side effect of the earthquake has been to further polarize the national identities of those affected. The Chinese are reporting 1,400 dead while Tibetan sources claim the total is closer to 10,000, and the Chinese are taking credit for the relief efforts while in fact much of the rescue work was done by Tibetan monks until the Chinese arrived several days later. Meanwhile the Dalai Lama has requested permission to visit the area. Tibetan inhabitants of the area, who far outnumber Han Chinese, have also request permission for him to visit. The Chinese government, however, is unlikely to grant such a request. The area around Kyegundo has been an epicenter for anti-Chinese activism since the Chinese army invaded Tibet in 1959. For further background on this volatile situation, go here.
Earthquake Update-How To Help
Before and After Image of Jyekundo City
Article compiled by Thubten Palzang:
The severe earthquake that struck Yushu County in Northeast Kham (now China) on April 14, 2010, destroyed or severely damaged towns and monasteries in the area. Jyekundo Dondrubling Monastery, located in Jyekundo City near the epicenter, was severely damaged. At the time of the earthquake, 44 monks at the monastery who were in the midst of sojong (ordained confession practice) inside the monastery were killed. Monks at nearby Chekyeku Monastery, which is larger than Jyekundo, were also in the midst of sojong when the earthquake hit, but they were practicing on the veranda and were able to escape injury except for two young monks, not old enough to take full vows, who were inside the temple and were killed. In the city of Jyekundo itself, which has about 80,000 inhabitants, as of April 17 there were 1,484 reported dead, 417 missing, 1,394 severely injured, another 12,088 injured, and 80% of the residents are homeless. A school there collapsed during the earthquake killing all 115 students and teachers inside. The county hospital in Jyekundo was also destroyed.
The birthplace and monastery of Ayang Rinpoche, of the Amitabha Foundation and a good friend of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche (His Holiness performed the Kalachakra in Rochester for the Amitabha Foundation in 1970) is also located in Rima, the actual epicenter of the quake. A new clinic and boarding school sponsored by the Amitabha Foundation are also located in Rima. There are no reports yet on damage and casualties in Rima.
Yushu is located in the Northwest corner of Sichuan Province, several hundred miles northeast of the main Palyul monastery. The nearest Palyul branch monastery is Tarthang Monastery, home to Tarthang Tulku, about 211 miles to the west of Jyekundo. No reports of damage or injuries have been heard from there as yet.
The remoteness of the affected area has impeded aid reaching the victims. The airport as Jyekundo has reopened, allowing aid to be flown in. Much of what aid is available is coming from monastery stores in the area, particularly food and medical assistance.
As of today (April 21), the number of known dead is approaching 2,000. The International Campaign for Tibet is supporting earthquake relief efforts. Contributions can be made at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6063/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=3457
News and Links: Earthquake in Tibet Updates
From the Palyul.org website:
“His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche and all Palyul tulkus, khenpos, lamas, nuns, and students offer their strong heart-felt prayers for the victims of the recent earthquake.
This quake occurred in North Eastern Kham in an area historically called Gapa (once known as the Nangchen Kingdom). The Chinese name for the area is the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous region of Qinghai Province. This is very close to Amdo; Tharthang Monastery (also called Palyul Monastery) is close to the epicenter. The worst hit areas are Kye-ku-do of Qinghai and Dza Chu Kha of Sichuan Province. His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s close friend, His Eminence Choeje Ayang Rinpoche, is from the area. His Eminence’s South Indian monastery is in the same area as Namdroling.
There was no damage at all in Palyul Monastery although the quake was felt there. We will update this page if and when we learn more.” from http://www.palyul.org
Resources for more information:
News on Phalyul.com A Personal Account of Yushu Earthquake
News on Campaign for Tibet Website Quake Sees Tibetan Buddhist Monks Assert Roles
News on Free Tibet Website Latest News from Free Tibet: A collection of stories
The Power of Lineage
Precious Guru,
During this time of celebrating the anniversary of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche I thought you might appreciate this image. It is a photo from 2006 when His Holiness visited KPC, and he is offering you empowerment with the Long Life Arrow.
Came across it while looking for photos for TBA and was so moved by it I decided to send it along.
This Great Master, Throneholder of this ancient Lineage, who offered so many immeasurable blessings to the world, offered the most precious and inconceivable blessing for your students when he recognized you and enthroned you to teach.
For the benefit of countless beings, may your life be long, health strong and may all your aspirations be swiftly fulfilled!
May this Great Master, who held this stainless Lineage together during these degenerating times, be swiftly reborn!
The Power of Choice
Ani Kunzang with Rosie from Taras Babies Animal Rescue
From a series of tweets by @ahkonlhamo:
I am now a #Vegan, but how can I rejoice when animals are still slaughtered and tortured for their flesh and skin every day?
I #rescue animals, but how can I be happy when dogs, puppies, cats and others are killed every day because they are inconvenient?
I wonder if we can ever overcome the hatred, callousness, lack of empathy, bigotry that have become so common, and invisible?
We treat the poor, those that disagree with us, animals, different ethnicity, or religion with no respect or dignity. And ACT pious.
If we are so callous, unloving, mean-spirited and cruel- what god do we serve besides the god of ego and habitual tendency? We are blind!
One should never preach without compassion for all. Or pontificate from ego or hate. It does no good and is a disservice to the world.
It’s not for me to tell people how to eat or how to live. But it IS for me to beg that all beings be loved and cherished, given dignity.
We can commit to adding love, joy, compassion and healing to the world every day. That’s a good day. A bad day is when we hurt thru hate.
We have the extraordinary capacity for choice, mindfulness, and LOVE. To use them is mastery of life! To ignore is to wallow in ignorance.
Please, for the sake of all sentient beings, choose well! #stopthehate #bringthelove #feedthepoor
Tough Love
An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series
Now, when we talk about practical compassion, it actually occurs on two levels. There’s a universal level, in the sense you care so much for all sentient beings that your goal is to do whatever is necessary to eliminate suffering for them all. But does that mean that if you see a hungry child you shouldn’t feed him? Or does that mean you shouldn’t be kind in an ordinary, human way? Ordinary compassion, ordinary human kindness is very important. But in understanding the Buddha’s teaching, it shouldn’t be the only thing you do. You have to live an ordinary, virtuous life, but you have to live an extraordinary life as well. The activity of kindness and compassion should have both a universal and an ordinary level.
On the other hand, I don’t believe in ‘idiot compassion.’ Have you ever heard of idiot compassion? It is when you look at people who are needy and you see them going through their stuff, and you try to be so kind to them and give them what they need, or what they say they need. You actually don’t help them because you increase their dependency. You increase their willingness to tell you how much they need. You’re just helping them along; you’re playing with them. So I don’t believe in idiot compassion because it doesn’t help them. I believe that sometimes, real compassion has to be harsh.
In Buddhism, you see as many wrathful deities as you do peaceful deities. Why is that? Is it because the Buddha is half mean and half nice? I don’t think so. It’s because sometimes compassionate activity has to be a little wrathful. Sometimes it has to be a little aggressive. It depends. If you really are pure and your determination is to really be of benefit, and not just to be a nice guy, after training yourself in this way, you’ll know what to do. You won’t get hooked on idiot compassion. Everybody likes ‘feel-good’ stuff, but that doesn’t always help. You should, however, be a human being of virtue. You should be kind. You should be honest.
© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo
With Every Breath
An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series
Everything that you do should have meaning. It’s important that your life be understood as a vehicle for practice. It’s the only thing that is meaningful: to make this life, which is so rich in opportunity, a vehicle by which you can come to benefit beings. This is the development of aspirational Bodhicitta. Every time you do something good, use that opportunity to dedicate it to the liberation of all beings. If you pat a little child on the head and it makes them smile, that’s a good thing. So you must think, “I dedicate the virtue of this action to the liberation and salvation of all sentient beings.” If you give money to somebody, pray, “I dedicate the virtue of this act to the liberation and salvation of all sentient beings.” You should continue like that in everything that you do. Make up your own prayer. You don’t have to use mine. Dedicate everything that you do so that it might go on, and grow, and be of use to benefit beings. Wean yourself from empty activity, activity that is useless and meaningless. Wean yourself from the need for ‘feel-good’ junk. Learn how to live a life in which your only concern is to liberate beings from the causes of suffering, because doing this is the only thing you can really feel good about. You aspire constantly through these prayers. You really train yourself to do this, and it should never stop.
After you are stable on the path of aspirational compassion, you have to think about concrete or practical compassion. You don’t forget aspirational compassion, saying, “Oh, I did that for a little while when I was a younger practitioner.” You should never stop. Never. I will never stop, and you should never stop. That’s not baby stuff. That’s the real stuff. Then you expand this to include practical compassion.
First you have to decide that the Buddha was right. You look at the Buddha’s teachings and you say, “If he’s right, then I have to think of some practical way to eliminate hatred, greed and ignorance from the world and from the mindstreams of myself and all sentient beings.”
Based on that you begin, and your practice should be deep and true. If you choose to be a Buddhist, the path is laid out, and the path is secure. It goes all the way to supreme realization. If you choose not to be a Buddhist, you still have to find a way to live a life of practical compassion, based on the goal of rooting hatred, greed and ignorance out of the mindstreams of yourself and all sentient beings. You should think that reciting many prayers on a regular basis for others could be of use. You should think activities that cause you to realize the emptiness of self-nature and therefore eliminate desire from your own mindstream would be of benefit. And that, finally, free of desire, when you are truly awake, as the Buddha said, you can go on to benefit others. You should be determined to liberate your own mind, and you should pray every day that you will return in whatever form necessary in order to liberate the minds of all sentient beings.
© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo
Santa? Zat You
OK, so get this- I wake up from a nap to hear..reindeer on da roof? Santa? No! It’s Buddhists scraping my roof in sideways snow! #LOVE
Says I-“Hey! Buddhists! Whatcha doin on top my house?” Them: “it’s Knee deep on da roof! Gonna cave!” Me: “it’s a BlIZZARD! Ur on a roof!”
Buddhists on roof “you’re gonna be safe!!”. Me: “you’re gonna be DEAD! Didn’t yo Mama learn yus nuttin?” Them “Da Snow is heavy!”
So I sez, “YOU are heavy! Get down from there!!!!” “I don wanna do no Phowa today! GET DOWN!” Buddhists on roof say “5 minutes?”
So I sez “no 5 min! You go home now! You can’t be on this roof on no BLIZZARD! You don have no gud sense!!!”. So they are driving home.
So to end this story, please pray for these sweet devoted souls whom I LOVE but without the brains of a GOOSE!!! LMAO! I love you guys!
Why pay attention to our habits?
For those truly wishing for inspiring effect, it takes willingness for deep contemplation, which can lead to transformation. Transformation is not only for oneself, but for those who witness it. In other words, our transformation can set an example for others through inspiration, thus leading other people to their own transformations. This level of contemplation however requires self honesty and seriousness. Contemplation into our habits allows us to reflect upon our lives mission and self commitment to change, to benefit other. The text indicates that through the power of deep and profound contemplation, looking at habit close up and far away, enables a spiritual “power” to rise in us, “influencing others without their being aware of how it happens.”
This week’s question provoke the following hexagrams:
The original is Wind over Earth; 20
The expansion is Heaven over Fire; 13
The kernel is Earth over Earth; 2 BY WAY OF Mountain over Earth; 23
While we may not have the intention or motivation for our own transformations to impact others, they will. This is important to reflect upon because the laws of karma will place us in various environments, and our influences upon other people becomes critical to our own karma and spiritual practices and Path. Reflection and contemplation upon one’s habits is a transitional time, and can lead one to cultivate new, more beneficial habits. Ideally, we are motivated to always bring benefit in some way. This motivation comes from an inner strength to cultivate beneficial habits.
Something important to note when contemplating upon habits, is that generally speaking, one benefits most by being in fellowship. Why is this? It is through the power of interaction with other that the true test of habit presents itself, thus allowing the space and time to see one’s faults in order to change them. Therefore it really does further one to be engaged with fellowship; developing a perseverance for the Path.
We spend our lives endlessly in search of happiness, becoming tiresome. It is through a perseverance for the Path that we can reach our ultimate goal of enlightenment. A key to reaching this goal is constant evaluation of our habits, so yes, it is important to pay attention to them. Through this process we gain clarity and proper discernment. We need our spiritual friends for interaction and engagement, and we need our Teachers for guidance through troubled waters. Cultivating new habits brings breadth and purity to our character, enabling support and the ability to bear the obstacles that one will encounter along their spiritual journey.
Lastly, the ultimate outcome does not come by running away, rather, one must remain still with devotion. There are times to be active, and times to contemplate, and with the guidance of one’s Teacher, and spiritual friendships and fellowship, one can ride the ebb and flow of a turbulent ocean.
Have a wonderful week, enjoy your practices and contemplate deeply and profoundly upon your habits, because it is important, and it matters.
Learn more about the I Ching on the I Ching page!