Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Astrology

April 4, 2011 by Norma

Explosive action is still in the environment. Your response depends on how this affects your personal horoscope. If the connection is favorable to you, you will rocket forward toward the fulfillment of your dreams. If unfavorable, you have work to do to avoid trouble. Stay alert! A change occurred overnight, and water is an important component of the day… rain, oceans, rivers, baths, drinking water! A situation can be improved by looking into the water system. A method of lubricating action can be found, if you look. Water under the house, plumbing systems, swimming pools! Water is both the problem and the solution! A hunch or rapid action puts you in tune with the times. And still, you’re re-working things. Assertive speech is present, but take unpleasing words with the proverbial “grain of salt.” People are stressed and may say things they don’t mean. If that’s you, apologize.

The daily astrology post affects everyone. Because individual charts vary, the circumstances outlined in the post will affect people differently. Some will feel this energy in the personal arena, some in finances, some with children or family, some in work and so forth. There are many departments of life. Look to see where the dynamic affects you!

Whether a Positive or Negative Connection

April 3, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Oooo boy, today I have an awful toothache, one tooth is abscessing, another one with temporary filling fallen out, so I had to take pain meds and still hurting. I have…have to see a dentist tomorrow if someone will fit me in. I hate to go but must. On top of that my lower back has kicked in. It is pretty hard to do anything.

It’s my own fault, I let medical things go way too long. I’m good with taking care of others, and I care very much. My pack gets only the best care. Just ask the book keeper at the Vet’s office. . And that is with Dr. Pema’s help for free. I really don’t know why I resist taking care of myself. I know I feel whiny and foolish when I go. It isn’t reasonable – I know. Childish even, but there you are.

I know people who love going to Doctor. Over the littlest things! Medical people joking say they are “frequent flyers” (kinda funny) but who knows? Maybe they’ll live forever, and I’ll plotz from a dental abscess or ingrown toenail. And sadly I’m so stubborn, ask my family. Can’t make me do anything, sadly. Ani Ariana is often gently trying to urge me on, then she tries another tactic. I am clearly the bane of her existence, poor thing. Too late Ani! Bwahahaha!

I remember Kyabje His Holiness Penor Rinpoche telling me I should take better care because he needs me to live a long time. Yikes, haven’t taken that instruction to heart. Not good. And His Eminence Gyaltrul Rinpoche says I must live another 50 years. Oy. For the sake of Dharma in the west.

I never understood those instructions, had a “who, me?” attitude. The last three years or so I’ve come to understand what was meant. I’ve had, with the help of my Sangha, to physically protect our Stupas from defilement and wrong use, had to protect Palyul from vicious slander, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche too. I’ve had to fight vicious lies about me, my family, my sangha, my Lineage. I’ve been threatened as has KPC. I guess it is all good, as the light at the end of the tunnel is visible.

All Long Life prayers for me include the declaration that whether good or bad circumstance every sentient being will benefit be connecting with me. Therefore whatever happens will make the world better somehow, and Dharma safer too. For that I am truly happy and feel it is all worthwhile. I don’t want to talk to haters and don’t like thinking so many exist. But they do, and in numbers; I want to help, and I’m happy I can, whatever method. KYE HO!

OM AH MI DEWA HRI!

OM MANI PEDME HUNG!

The Longevity Supplication of Lhacham Ahkön Lhamo

called

A Garland of Utpala Flowers

EH MA HO ORGYEN DU MA THA LA’I ZHING KHAM NE

EH MA HO In the pure realm, Dumatala’i of Orgyen,

KHA CHÖD KHANDRO’I TSO MO DRÖL MA KAR

White Tara is the principal Dakini of Khachöd

DAKI LHACHAM MANDARAWA NYID

Whose nature is the Dakini Lhacham Mandarawa

BÖD YÜL AHKÖN LHAMO CHANG CHUB DRÖN

Appearing in the land of Tibet as Ahkön Lhamo Changchub Drön,

KU SUM ZHING NA TRO DU DZED PA’I GAR

Performing the dance of radiating and reabsorbing from the realm of the three Kayas.

AH KAR ÖD DZE LHAMO ME TOG DRÖN

Beautiful light of the white AH, Lhamo Metog Drön (Goddess Flower Light),

CHI LING KYE U DREN LA SÖL WA DEB

I supplicate you to save beings in the Western realm.

TSHE DAG RIG NGA TSHE YI PHO NYA DANG

The five classes of the owners of life and the messengers of longevity,

PEMA KA RA GYA GAR RIG DZIN GYED

Padmasambhava and the eight Vidhyadharas of India

NE YÜL ZHING KYE PA WO PA MO’I TSHOG

And the assembly of Dakas and Dakinis of the realms of the sacred places and countries,

CHI DAG PUNG JOM KHYED NAM DEN TOB KYI

By your power of Truth, overcome and defeat the Lord of Death.

AH KAR ÖD DZE LHAMO ME TOG DRÖN

Beautiful white light of AH, Lhamo Metog Drön,

KU TSHE’I GAL KYEN BAR CHED YING SU SÖL

May the conflicting circumstances and obstacles to your life expectancy dissolve in the sphere of Truth.

DÜL CHA’I KHAM LA DÜ SUM TAG ZHUG SÖL

Throughout the Three Times, pray, remain firm in the realms of beings to be tamed,

GYAL TEN DZIN KYONG PEL LA NÜ TOB GYE

Ever increasing your strength to hold, maintain and increase the Buddha’s Doctrine.

ZHAL JAL SUNG THÖ ZANG NGEN GANG DREL CHE

May whoever sees you, meets you or hears your speech,

MED JUNG KU ZHI’I LING DU WANG JOR SHOG

Be it a positive or negative connection, become a sovereign of the unsurpassed realm of the Four Kayas!

Samaya ku sung tug kyi gya

This supplication prayer was revealed by the well-known incarnation of the Indian Mahasiddha Trilwupa, Tertön Pedma Tumpo.
May virtue prevail!

Astrology

April 3, 2011 by Norma

A powerful force that arrives with explosive intensity characterizes today, or perhaps it already happened just recently! A palpable energy associated with activity and forward drive is what’s happening. A protector is present, providing an umbrella of strength for those who are vulnerable. An opposing force continues to be the “hold out”, somehow attempting to stop the forward flow. Keep pushing! In another area, a profitable business or financial venture previously considered presents itself again. Take advantage of a good thing, and continue to clean up matters from the past. Be careful that you don’t sign contracts or enter into brand new business or partnerships that suddenly appear. Sound confusing? Welcome to the times! Vincent Van Gough said “If you hear a voice within you say ‘You cannot paint’, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” This sums things up.

Astrology

April 2, 2011 by Norma

All forward forces are in alignment today. An overwhelming majority favors one thing, and only one holdout is present. That holdout is very powerful but cannot succeed against the sheer numbers of the others. An appeal to love, friendship and goodwill is the winning combination today. If you have something favorable to say to someone, this is the day to say it. The smallest kind gesture brightens someone’s day today. And still, you are on the go! Time is of the essence and speed is crucial. If “slow and steady” has been your mode, you could be driving someone crazy. Snap it up! John Nuveen said “You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea.” Be open to the new, and willing to adjust yourself and things from the past.

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.”

Astrology

April 1, 2011 by Norma

A lucky break comes today as the direct result of something you put in play previously. This is a peculiar day, one where you are simultaneously rocketing forward and cleaning up the past as you go. Kind of like running a race and sweeping the track of things you dropped on your last round. Move forward, and clean up the past. You can do it! You may learn the solution to a problem, discover the reason you’ve been unable to act. Secrets are revealed, and you may become aware of a problem you were oblivious to.. “Problem revealed is problem solved” says anonymous. If you’re unable to solve a problem, it’s likely that you didn’t know what the obstacle was until now. Spend all your energy cleaning up, spend zero energy feeling upset about the mess. You will succeed now that things are tidy.

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.

Astrology

March 31, 2011 by Norma

Joy day, happy day! The right approach, one that recognizes the circumstances someone is working with, can seal a deal. An odd combination of sensitivity and power is the winning combination today. You need to be assertive in a way that recognizes the other side as the same as you. Don’t do to anyone something you wouldn’t want done to yourself. And yet….you must advance your position. Do your best to be kind. You’ll need to back up and re-do things from the past. You will meet yourself, meet things you’ve done in the past, in the form of something that needs re-working. If you messed up, be forthright, admit it promptly, and do better this time. For the next couple of weeks, you’ll be re-configuring the past, which can feel frustrating. Gloria Pitzer said “About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.” Hang in there.

Traditional Bodhisattva Vow Ceremony

March 30, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

Traditional Bodhisattva Vow Ceremony

The King of Noble Prayers Aspiring to the Deeds of Excellent Conduct

Homage to the ever-youthful Arya Mañjushri!

Whoever dwells in the ten directions of this world, Jambhudvipa,

The Sugatas of the three times who are the lions among men,

To all of them without exception,

I bow down with devotion from my body, speech and mind.

By the strength of this prayer for excellent conduct,

And with a direct perception of all the Victorious Ones,

Wherever they dwell, with bodies as numberless as atomic particles,

I prostrate with reverence to each and every one of them.

Upon each atom there exists as many Buddhas as atoms are present,

With the Bodhisattvas seated in the middle of them all.

In this way the entire sphere of absolute reality, without exception,

Is imagined to be completely consumed by all the Victorious Ones.

Rendering praise to this inexhaustible ocean-like assembly,

With oceans of the sound of melodious voices,

The noble enlightened qualities of all the Conquerors are acknowledged.

I render praise to all the Sugatas.

Excellent garlands of magnificent flowers,

Instrumentation, potions and the best of parasols,

Splendid butter lamps and sacred incense,

All of this is offered to the Victors.

The finest of garments and superior perfumes,

And bundles of powders that equal Sumeru,

This magnificent array of the finest and best of them all

Is presented to and offered to all of those who are Victorious.

Whatever is offered is unsurpassed in vastness

And directed with utmost devotion for all the Buddhas,

As well as the strength and faith of this prayer for excellent conduct,

Paying homage to all the Buddhas, these offerings are made.

Overpowered by desire, anger and delusion,

With my body, my speech and similarly with my mind,

Whatever negativity that I have amassed

I confess individually and entirely.

All the Victoious Ones of the ten directions and their heirs,

The Solitary Realizers and those on the Path of Learning and No More Learning,

As well of the merit of each and every sentient being without exception,

I fully rejoice in all such accumulations.

All those who illuminate the world systems of the ten directions,

Who have attained Buddhahood and freedom from attachment through the stages of Enlightenment,

I implore all those Protectors

To turn the peerless wheel of the Dharma.

All those who intend to enter Nirvana

For the purpose of bringing benefit and bliss to all beings,

For as many aeons as there are particles of dust on earth,

With palms pressed together I beseech you to remain in the world.

By paying homage, making offerings, confession and

Rejoicing, requesting and beseeching,

Whatever virtue I have gained through these efforts,

I dedicate it all to the Enlightenment of all beings.

Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, all the Buddhas and

All the Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth bhumi,

All the great Vajra Master Spiritual Mentors,

Please turn your attention towards me.

REFUGE VOWS:

Until the heart of Enlightenment is realized,

I take Refuge in all the Buddhas.

In the Dharma and the Bodhisattvas,

As well as their assemblies, similarly I go for Refuge.

(Repeat refuge vows above 3X)

BODHISATTVA VOWS

Just as the Sugatas of the past

Have aroused the Awakened Mind Bodhicitta

And trained in the way of the Bodhisattvas

To gradually accomplish the stages of development,

Similarly for the benefit and purpose of beings,

By awakening the Bodhicitta

And training in the conduct of the Bodhisattvas,

I shall gradually develop the levels of training.

(Repeat Bodhicitta vows above 3X)

Today I have picked the fruit of this lifetime;

The meaning of this human existence is now realized.

Today I am reborn in the family of the Buddhas,

And have become an heir of the Enlightened Ones!

Now no matter what occurs hereafter,

My activities will be in conscientious accordance with the family,

And I shall never engage in conduct that could

Possibly sully this faultless family.

Like a blind man in a heap of refuse

Suddenly by chance finding a precious jewel,

Similarly, this occasion is such

That today I have given rise to the Awakened Mind.

Today before all of my objects of Refuge,

All beings and all those who have Gone Beyond,

I call to bear witness as the guests of this occasion,

Where all Devas, Titans and others join together to rejoice.

The precious Bodhicitta,

If unborn, may it arise,

If generated, may it never diminish,

And may it remain ever-increasing.

Never apart from the Bodhicitta,

Absorbed in the conduct of the Awakened Ones,

And being held fast by all the Buddhas,

May all demonic activities be fully abandoned.

May all the Bodhisattvas

Accomplish their altruistic intention to fulfill the needs of beings.

Whatever intention these Protectors may have,

May it occur for the purpose of those beings it is directed towards.

May all sentient beings know authentic bliss.

May all the lower realms be permanently emptied.

And may all the Bodhisattvas on whatever stage they remain

Fully accomplish all of their aspirations!