Please Pray for Japan

March 12, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

The fact is I am devastated by so much death and destruction, fearing as well for the release of nuclear material. The last two shakes were huge. They have reissued Tsunami warnings. Geologists now wondering if this mother earthquake was only a pre-shock!! This clearly demonstrates, in Japan, the fragile preciousness of this life, and just how impermanent it is. I wish more folks would pay attention.

As we see this disaster in Japan will we notice and apply this to our own lives? Will we finally see that all is impermanent? Will we learn to care about our planet and our fellow human beings? And to be proactive about these issues? Will we wait until the nuclear cloud poisons our own shores? I pray we will wake up and participate in the healing of our precious and only planet and all her inhabitants before it is too late. If you have a Stupa near you please make offerings, prayers, circumambulations, mantra. If you have any place to pray please pray for Japan.

Earlier 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/

Losar

March 12, 2011 by Holly

The Tibetan Buddhist New Year celebration called LOSAR is a day of joyfully welcoming in the New Year.

The celebration begins two days prior with GUTOR, a day where one reflects back on the past year and any mistakes that have been made. Practice is done to avert the negativity of the past year.

On the eve of the New Year, time is spent cleaning the home and Temple. This represents joyfully sweeping away the past negative karma and preparing for the many blessings that the New Year will bring.

LOSAR is a time of happiness, joyful effort and celebration. The first month of the New Year is regarded as very auspicious and is referred to as “the month of display of Enlightened Activities” or miracles of the Buddha. In particular, on the first 15 days Lord Buddha Shakyamuni performed a miracle each day to increase the merit and devotion of future disciples. Below is an account of one such miracle as described by the Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche:

At one time the Buddha was invited to share in a festival. It was then traditional (as it still is in India) for people to brush their teeth with a piece of twig. This was considered very healthy for your gums and teeth. So the Buddha was brushing his teeth with a twig. It was the custom to keep it in your mouth a long time and then to brush with it. When the Buddha took the twig out of his mouth, he put it into the ground like planting a tree, and with that action, some 500 miles were covered by fruit trees in an instant. Those who had no food could partake of some. The Buddha was making connections through this act. A number of people who were overwhelmed by the power of ego fixation, pride and arrogance could not appreciate the teachings. They were very critical, so when the teachings were being presented (just as they are being presented now), all they could offer were a lot criticisms. They said that the Buddha could not stand being a king, so he went wandering, and that as a meditator he could not keep up with that, so he came back into the world. They said he knew how to say all of these things because he was prince, a king. And on and on they criticized. These people could not hear or appreciate the teachings; therefore, the Buddha had another style in which the teachings could manifest: the planting of this twig and the miracle that resulted. This got their attention.

On each of the fifteen days the virtue or non-virtuous activity is multiplied by 100,000 times with the exception of the 15^th day, Chotrul Duchen, on which it multiplies by 10 Million times.

This year Losar took place on March 5th.

Astrology

March 12, 2011 by Norma

3/12/2011 Saturday

Change today! One era has ended and another has begun. Don’t bother looking backward. You’ll need all your attention focused on the present. A stimulating environment is here, and there’s no getting away from it. Surprising things can happen, shocking even. The planet of sudden, unexpected action has entered the sign of forward motion and aggression. If you find yourself in a tight situation, act quickly. S/he who hesitates is lost. A bracing, exciting energy is present, and how this affects you depends on your personal horoscope. If people ask you for help, they really need it. Right now you don’t have the leisure to think things over or procrastinate. Events can suddenly be in your favor, or not in your favor. Either way, stay awake! Exciting times. John Ruskin said, “What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.”

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!

Astrology

March 11, 2011 by Norma

3/11/2011 Friday

An important communication or negotiation is in the works. Keep talking with people. Call that person; reach out to those who matter to you. Connections count, and they ride on calls, emails and conversations. Read instructions; learn what’s going on. Stay “on line” so you know what is happening. This is not the time to sequester yourself, although that is what you really prefer to do. When important information comes, you want to be in the loop. Unusual friends, people who really care for you, are in your corner. Talk things over with them; strategize. All mechanical devices are friendly. Be up and about your business early today. The best energy happens until mid-day, and then obstacles that are confusing and difficult to understand start popping up. If you notice that you are having problems, stop what you are doing, call it a day, and wait for the situation to change. Joseph de Maistre said, “To know how to wait is the great secret of success.”

Pride and Ego: Dangers on the Path

March 10, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

All karma is the culmination of various activities. Therefore sentient beings possess various types of karma. Whosoever believes that one’s actions do not produce specific causes and results maintains a nihilistic, atheistic view. At the moment of death rebirth will be taken in the lowest hell realm. Such a view is self-destructive and detrimental to others. ~ The Great Perfection: Buddha in the Palm of the Hand – Nam Cho Ngondro

In this view, one is unable to discern what to accept or what to reject, which is a necessity in practicing the path purely and with comprehension.

It is never possible for the maturation of karma to be deceptive. Whatever negative karma one accumulates does not ripen instantaneously like being pierced by a weapon. When the time of death arrives one’s negative karma will produce the result of whatever was caused. ~ The Great Perfection: Buddha in the Palm of the Hand – Nam Cho Ngondro

What is amazing in these times is that no one believes in cause and result. Not really. Even some Dharma students don’t grasp it. We all continue to revolve in the cycle of birth and death, yet do not ask why we cannot be free from this endless wandering. We think, I suppose, that enlightenment is instant, a piece of cake. And therefore one is no longer susceptible to these irrefutable laws. One is above it all. So it is the ego and pride that defeat one’s efforts. One simply does not have the power to walk the path of Dharma as it is.

Having failed that, then one makes up one’s own path and cannot see that there is a difference. Therefore, without the proper path one fails to attain, and lives under the delusion that one has already attained. This is the method for the destruction of the Dharma. And this is the destruction of purity and method. This will end the potency of the method eventually.

Do not abandon wholesome, pure Dharma! If one abandons pure Dharma, one will harm oneself, and be of no benefit whatsoever.

Mantra-thon!

December 16, 2011March 10, 2011 by Holly

Now is a wonderful time to benefit beings, and one way we can do that is through the recitation of mantra. From now until Chotrul Duchen on March 19, we will be accumulating mantra for the benefit of the world and all beings. The time between Tibetan New Year, called Losar, and Chotrul Duchen is considered to be very auspicious. Meritorious activity is said to be multiplied 100,000 times.

The mantra we are accumulating is the Mani mantra:

Om Mani Pedme Hung

To learn more about the Mani mantra, click here.

How to participate in the Mantra-thon:

1. Set your intention to benefit beings

2. Accumulate the mantra – Om Mani Pedme Hung as many times as possible

3. Dedicate the merit you have accumulated, and

4. Send your accumulations to [email protected]!

On Chotrul Duchen we will announce the grand total accumulated!

The following is a dedication prayer written by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo that can be used to dedicate the merit:

By this effort may all sentient beings be free of suffering.

May their minds be filled with the nectar of virtue.

In this way may all causes resulting in suffering be extinguished

And only the light of compassion shine throughout all realms.

by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

Astrology

March 10, 2011 by Norma

3/10/11 Thursday

An impulse purchase makes you happy. You can suddenly see “the thing” that is needed, and if you act quickly it’s a winner! Sudden inspiration is really helpful today, so pay attention to new ideas that pop up. Today you don’t need to stay on assignment; it’s better to let new things into your life. Your mind is sharp and incisive, and you’ve pulled out of uncertainty. Decide, and act! You know what you think. Inspiring conversations or discussions are possible today, and someone can tell you exactly what you need to know. A new path appears, and a new direction is present. Take it! John Cage said, “I don’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

The Power of Om Mani Padme Hung

March 9, 2011 by Holly

Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) is the embodiment of the Compassion of all the Buddhas.

Every aspect of the eighty-four thousand sections of the Buddha’s teachings are contained in Chenrezig’s six syllable mantra “Om Mani Padme Hung.” Repeating the mantra (prayer), out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevelent blessings of Chenrezig.

The mantra is endowed with the capacity to purify our mind from the veils that obscure it. The six syllables correspond to the six perfections, helping one to achieve perfection in the practice of generosity, pure ethics, tolerance, patience, perserverance, concentration and wisdom.

The mantra opens the mind to love and compassion and leads it toward awakening.
Any being who hears the sound of the mantra is blessed and it is particularly beneficial to animals and those who are suffering.

These are the six syllables of the mantra written in the Tibetan alphabet:

Reading from left to right the syllables are:

Om
(ohm)

Ma
(mah)

Ni
(nee)

Pad
(pahd)

Me
(may)

Hum
(hum)

Chenrezigs’ mantra, is chanted constantly around the world to produce peace on earth.

Dedication Prayer by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

By this effort, may all sentient beings be free of suffering. May their minds be filled with the nectar of virtue. In this way may all causes resulting in suffering be extinguished and only the light of compassion shine throughout all realms.

Astrology

March 9, 2011 by Norma

3/9/2011 Wednesday

Early in the day a problem can be solved, and money is the solution. It’s possible to buy your way out of trouble, so don’t hesitate to do so. During the course of the day business matters will go quite well. A negotiation can be signed, sealed and delivered. You can close an important deal today. Friendship is satisfying, and you will have fun spending time with others. Still, the dominant energy pulls you inward, and you’d rather not get involved with outside matters. Something has reminded you of your losses, sorrows and suffering. Be aware of, but don’t wallow in your remembrances. You need to stay strong for others, rather than succumbing to grief or depression. It’s “serve or suffer” time. Be discriminating. Sydney Harris said, “Never take the advice of someone who has not had your kind of trouble.” (And don’t give advice if you haven’t had their kind of trouble).

The Eleventh Throne Holder

March 8, 2011 by Holly

The Third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche,
Thubten Leshed Chokyi Drayang, also known as
Do-Ngag Shedrub Tenzin Chog-Lei Namgyal
(1932 – 2009)

The third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche was born in the year of the Water Monkey (1932) in the Powo region of Kham, in South-Eastern Tibet. Details of his birth were exactly as described in the prophecy of Thubten Chokyi, the fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche. The incarnation of the second Drubwang Pema Norbu was recognized by Khenpo Ngaga Rinpoche. At the age of four, the small child was enthroned by Thubten Chökyi Dawa and Karma Thekchok Nyingpo at the Palyul Monastery. There he began his study in sutra and tantra from a full range of Nyingma lineages and received all the transmissions and empowerments from Khenpo Ngaga Rinpoche, the second Chogtrul Rinpoche, the fourth Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, Khenpo Legshed Jordan, Khenpo Lodrö, Pema Jigmed, and other eminent Masters at the time.

The third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche applied himself diligently in dharma practice. It took a mere seventeen days for him to complete one hundred thousand accumulations of prostrations in the Ngondro preliminary practices of Nam Chö Dzogchen’s Liberation in the Palm of the Hand. Under the guidance of his root guru, he went into a four-year retreat and attained accomplishment in all the stages of the practices he received. By the time they came out of the retreat, Chogtrul Rinpoche proclaimed that the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche was the only lama at the time who held the entire lineage of Terton Migyur Dorje’s Nam Chö and Ratna Lingpa’s revelations.

During the 1950s, the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche made numerous pilgrimages across Tibet to all the major holy sites to which he made generous offerings. He continued to propagate Buddha Doctrine far and wide through the sponsoring and supporting of a diversified range of compassionate activities. In 1959, the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche decided to relocate to India for the sake of preserving Buddha Doctrine for the sake of all sentient beings. Accompanied by a small group of monks, he settled in the region of Bylakuppe in Mysore, South India.

In the year of the Water Rabbit (1963), under the personal supervision of the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche, the Thekchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargye Ling (Namdroling monastery) commenced its first phase of construction. Since its beginning as a small bamboo temple with a handful of monks in 1963, the main seat of the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche in India now includes numerous temples, Stupas, primary schools, dratsang, shedras, a retreat center, nunnery, guest house, old people’s home and hospital. It has evolved to become the largest Tibetan monastery in India with an ordained sangha of over six thousand monks and over one thousand nuns. Apart from propagating Buddha Doctrine in India and in Tibet, to where he has made return visits since 1982, the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche established many dharma centers around the world, including the USA, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, Bhutan, United Kingdom, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and Portugal.

On the evening of 27th March 2009 (the first day of the second Tibetan month), the third Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche departed from this world and entered the meditative state of thugdam. After spending six and a half days in the meditative state of luminosity, on the morning of Friday 3rd April 2009, he released his body from meditation and entered Parinirvana. His body is currently enshrined in the Zangdokpelri Temple at Namdroling Monastery.

References: Pathgate Institute of Buddhist Studies

A Garland of Wish-Fulfilling Trees by Ven. Tsering Lama Jampal Zangpo