Tibetan Buddhist Altar

The Sixth Throne Holder – Karma Gyurmed

February 19, 2011 by Holly

The Sixth Throne Holder
The Second Karma Kuchen Rinpoche,
Gyurmed Ngedon Tenzin Palzangpo
(1794 – 1851)

Karma Gyurmed was born at the foothills of Me Chu Gang in Me Shod in the thirteenth rabjung year of the Wood Tiger (1794). His birth was prophesied by Duddul Lingpa’s Terma revelation. Acting in accordance with the advice of the thirteenth Karmapa Duddul Dorje, the monks of the Palyul Monastery were able to identify the reincarnation of Karma Tashi, the First Karma Kuchen Rinpoche. After Karma Gyurmed was enthroned at Tai Situ Rinpoche’s Palpung Monastery, he started his study of Buddha Doctrine in earnest. The range of transmissions Karma Gyurmed received included those of the kama and terma of the Palyul tradition, the Kham tradition, the Longchen Nyingtig tradition, the Kathog tradition, the Dzogchen tradition, the Jigme Lingpa tradition, the Duddul Lingpa revelation, and many others. Karma Gyurmed went on to incorporate the Longchen Nyingtig’s Three Roots practice of Lama, Yidam, and Khandro into the Palyul tradition.

Similar to his root guru Karma Lhawang, Karma Gyurmed preferred to spend his time in solitary retreat. His principle Yidam in his Three Root practice was Vajrakilaya and he had frequent visions of the full assembly of all seventy-five deities of his Yidam. In one pure vision, he received a visit by Guru Rinpoche who instructed him to introduce the Mendrub Accomplishment Ceremony (the tantric ritual of making dharma medicine) into the Palyul Monastery. Karma Gyurmed also started the tradition of performing the Lama Cham of the Eight Manifestation of Guru Rinpoche, on the tenth day of each Losar, in accordance with the pure vision of Guru Chowang (1212-1270).

Karma Gyurmed’s accomplishment in the Dzogpa Chenpo enabled his disciples to heighten their insight simply by hearing his voice. He sometimes performed miraculous activities for the purpose of removing the mental defilements from sentient beings, such as reading the thoughts of their minds, and in one case left a foot print indentation in a rock by the hot spring of Tilung.

On the twelfth day of the fifth month of his fifty-eighth year, Karma Gyurmed instructed his disciples to prepare a host of offerings when he became aware of the presence of the Buddhas of the three times around him in every direction. The following day, Karma Gyurmed dissolved his mind into the pure realm of truth. His life-like body shrank to the size of mere eighteen inches in height while the sky was filled with extraordinary cloud formations and rainbows. Gyatrul Rinpoche built for his root guru a temple and a two-story Stupa of gold and copper into which the body of Karma Gyurmed, the second Karma Kuchen Rinpoche was placed.

Reference: Pathgate Institute of Buddhist Studies

Astrology

February 19, 2011 by Norma

2/19/2011 Saturday

The desire to escape is very strong today, as is your creativity. You could choose a creative escape. Do something for someone you love. Help someone who needs it. Your mind is fast, accurate and extremely perceptive. Act on the hunches you get! Your thinking is in tune with others’, and if you ask people what they are thinking, you will find that this is true. Call or communicate with others, reach out and make a connection. Be aware of a tendency to be too critical of yourself and your accomplishments. You might find fault with something that others appreciate. Leonardo da Vinci said, “I have offended God and mankind because my work didn’t reach the quality it should have.” Most people think they could do better, but that’s no reason to give up.

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!

The Fifth Throneholder – Karma Lhawang

February 18, 2011 by Holly

Karma Lhawang was the nephew of Kunzang Sherab. He exhibited signs of recognizing the true nature of mind and demonstrated adept attainment in Dharma practice since childhood. His early years were spent at his uncle’s former quarters atop the Dzong-nang Mountain where his root guru Karma Tashi transmitted to him all the teachings and essential practices of the Palyul tradition.

As the fifth Throne Holder of the Palyul lineage, Karma Lhawang had little interest in the running of the monastery. Instead he preferred to immerse himself in the pure nature practices and spend most of his time in solitary retreat. The day-to-day administrative side of the monastery was left to his disciples Ah Sam and Lama Wangchug, while Karma Dondam, a heart disciple of Karma Tashi was tasked with the maintaining of the lineage of empowerment and transmission.

Karma Lhawang exhibited many signs of pure mind accomplishment consistently throughout his life until it was time for him to depart for the pure realm.

Reference: Pathgate Institute for Buddhist Studies

Astrology

February 18, 2011 by Norma

2/18/2011 Friday

A policy change is made that puts you in tune with the times. Today is a great day to organize things, tidy up, balance your checkbook, rearrange your pantry, and do other work. Work is fun, and you intuitively do the right thing. During the day a change occurs, and you become less group oriented and more sensitive to the suffering of others. Something captures your attention, and you feel sympathy for others. Sadness is in the air. The drive to pull in, to spend time alone, is very strong. Music, art, and all things associated with mysticism and emotion come to the fore. Someone may ask for help; do your best. You intuitively know what is needed in the situation. Pay attention to your diet today, your insides are more sensitive than usual. If you’re cooking, make a conscious effort to be cheerful, and give yourself and others a “happy meal.”

This Precious Opportunity – What Causes Are You Creating?

February 17, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Sometimes I surf twitter to see what’s up, who is where and what is going on. It is really interesting to find new friends, people with similar interests or those with news.

There is one thing I have noticed and is fairly common. Here I see people who are amazingly rude or cruel, abusive. Then after that they turn around and whine about how people are mean to them. There seems to be no awareness of cause and effect. No thinking in full equations, or understanding “if this then that.”

Then, of course there are so many who “get it” but don’t live it and swear therefore that compassion and simple kindness is not helpful to them. It reminds me of people who practice Dharma and re-work the methods Buddha taught, and then cry when Dharma does not “work” for them. Or they remain unchanged, their minds hard as stone. I often wish to reach out and help them understand or show them how to apply method correctly. It doesn’t work though – most that practice like that have so much pride they cannot hear. So much ego-cherishing they don’t want to transform one bit. Yet they suffer due to their habit and qualities.

You see, if one is kind and generous, compassionate toward others, develops empathy, is humble – that will work if practiced long and well. Then the same kinds of good people are attracted to the kind practitioner. On the other hand if one has the habit of self-serving meanness with the intention to harm and hurt others you can bet your life that karma will play out in an exacting way. One will draw the same kind of people, mean spirited and self- serving. That is why people remain, then, unhappy with what they end up with in life. If one is harmful to others the karma ripens in the next life rather than this one; it is almost impossible to recognize the truth when someone is cruel to you. You earned it. Maybe this life, maybe in a future life it will appear with no warning or apparent reason. So it is necessary to practice Dharma correctly and to purify the defilements of mind, heart, and body. If not done there is no result, no true recognition of awakening as opposed to dream walking within one’s own mindstream, or karmic bubble, if you like. Still an ordinary sentient being caught in the net of Samsara.

Some think developing Bodhicitta is for beginners. Ridiculous and ignorant. Some think purifying inner poisons is only for those “less evolved” just Dharma nobodys – so beneath your “highness!” Could not be more wrong than that. It is a trap to avoid completely.

Compassion, or Bodhicitta, and Wisdom, or recognition and view are the two legs upon which Dharma stand. If one does not accomplish both there will be no precious awakening any time soon. These are the hallmarks of success in Dharma; this is recognition. This is what Buddha taught. And the Buddhas are those who have crossed the ocean of Samsara, and went to that other shore. At that time they return for our sake. EH MA HO!

You must work the path, as we never know when the opportunity will be taken away. Soon I’ll be offering Phowa for a young man who just died of a heart attack at age 20. 20 yrs old. So take this life, turn it around, practice Buddha Dharma well! It is your precious life, and the brass ring, the gold ring is the awakening. You have been given the teaching. Work out your Liberation for all our sakes!

Astrology

February 17, 2011 by Norma

2/17/2011 Thursday

A solid emotional decision, or an action pertaining to your children or loved ones, appears early in the day. You make a good choice, one that you’ll be happy about in the future. Later in the day it seems that a group opposes you. Your pride is pricked, and you may feel sulky, but give it up, you can’t win. Don’t stand on your pride; it only makes things worse. Authority figures need to bow to the wishes of the group. In this instance the group is stronger. On a different front, be quite careful in investments and matters of the heart. A hurt or a loss can come from an unexpected source. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “If you board the wrong train, it’s no use running along the corridor in the other direction.” If you find yourself on the wrong train, get off.

Walking the Talk When Times are Tough

February 16, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Want to let you know my new rescue Barrymore is – um – making progress. I have never seen such panic and abandonment issue in my life. Pitiful boy, barks constantly unless he has company, whines the rest of the time. He fears being left alone in a box. He does not understand houses or stairs. He is out of control. I can see why they wanted him put down. We are working him. Dr “Vet” gives Valium and another new anxiety med.

He doesn’t rest unless every light is out. His poor body is frazzled. We are also doing holistic care, homeopathy, pulsatilla and aconite. My heart bleeds for this guy. I want all you rescue people to know I will not give up or abandon him.

He cannot blend with my pekingese’s at all. No dog issues; he just can’t see them, steps on everything. Not blind or deaf, I tested him myself.

Here is a question for you veterinary experts out there: If Barry were human I’d feel he has ADD and bi-polar rapid cycle. Any one seen this in dogs? At any rate, he is exercised, I have a farm with good fences and plenty of room, he Tesla and Ricco run for hours and have adventures in the grove.

He will not be a quick fix. But with such fear I am even more dogged (pun) to help him. I feel that way about the neediest ones. Gotta fix them, then let them go to forever homes. I’m wondering- he is happiest with other larger dogs. When he bonds with the pack I don’t know if he can tolerate another abandonment. We will see. Riggs is committed totally. This dog is gorgeous, great lines, sleek and postures very well. A hunter would love this one. But many hunters don’t treat their dogs well. Like- if they don’t catch animals they don’t eat.

Compassion is not easy. When we see something like this it would be so pleasant to walk away. Let someone else handle it. I can’t do that. How could I live with myself? Anyone else would have him put down. But I won’t. I will stick with him. As will Riggs. Sometimes it is hard to do the right thing. But there are so many suffering sentient beings, we just have to start now! There are plenty of needy beings and no reason to wait. So it is work. Duh, so is life! Anyone’s! So dig in and help. Dear Barrymore has decimated his bachelor pad. That’s OK. Stuff can be fixed, or bought. Barrymore is one cherished life, not replaceable. He will die and be reborn, like us all. Meanwhile, he is one precious life. I love life, and compassion. This is a no quitting zone!

www.tarasbabies.org

OM MANI PEDME HUNG!

Who Will Captain Your Ship?

December 16, 2011February 16, 2011 by anisonam

When Vajrayana teachers point out the importance of Guru Yoga and View, these teachings arise from their clear understanding of the nature of samsara. The nature of how we, ordinary beings, are seduced by our habits of mind, how we are each ensnared in our own dream, unable to recognize the truth, ceaselessly creating our own world of suffering. The teachers see this clearly, while we ordinary beings, for the most part, are totally clueless. We fall for the deception so completely we mistake our habitual concepts for “reality.”

Even in our ordinary perceptions we rarely perceive what is actually happening. In a recent teaching on twitter Jetsunma points this out:

“Even scientists find that once we have seen an object with our eyes, the brain files it away. When we ‘see’ it again we actually fill in, once we ‘decide’ what it is, almost all the detail from memory. We may, in fact, never see the same object twice. Once we identify we fill in the actual ‘seeing’ with our own habitual thinking.” – Waking from the Dream

It takes courage to face this within ourselves, to accept that maybe we really don’t have all the answers, or worse, that maybe we don’t even know how to find them. However, if we, as students on the Vajrayana path, are tempted to deceive ourselves into thinking we can “teach ourselves” the Dharma because sublime and profound teachings have been published in books, we run the risk of “filling in the actual ‘seeing’ with our own habitual thinking.” An example would be the famous Rorschach Inkblot Test, where psychoanalysts have patients report what they see in a series of inkblots. If we were able to perceive what was actually there this test would be useless, everyone would see the same thing, everyone would agree on the meaning. But this is not the case. Simply because something has been printed in words, does not mean we can arrive at a true understanding, even if we agree on the words. The inkblots don’t change from person to person, but the interpretation does.

Yeshe Tsogyal lamented as Guru Rinpoche was leaving Tibet:

“The luckless Tibetans have lost their eyes.

Now who will lead us when we are blind and alone?

Now we can only guess as to the nature of things;

now we must look to books for teachings…

now a grievous time has come!”

From “Mother of Knowledge: The Enlightenment of Ye-shes mTsho-rgyal” by Nam-mkha’I snying-po translated by Tarthang Tulku

Yeshe Tsogyal was already accomplished at the time she called out to Guru Rinpoche, yet she, like all Vajrayana teachers, never ceased to cherish the Root Guru above all else.

If we are sincere in our aspiration to cross the ocean of suffering that is samsara, to attain Enlightenment in order to be of true benefit to beings, we must swallow the bitter pill of acknowledging we don’t know how, that we don’t even have a clue as to how, and learn to rely on a captain that has navigated this ocean many times.

We have the extraordinary fortune to have a teacher such as Jetsunma available to us right here, right now. When she teaches on the supreme importance of the Guru it isn’t for any other purpose than to help us discern the difference between sublime Wisdom, and our ordinary understanding, to guide us to the truth.

For those who visit this blog, or follow her on twitter, you know that Jetsunma offers kindness and practical guidance to everyone, whether you wish to become a serious student of Vajrayana or you just want to understand how to live a happier life. It is my hope in writing this post, however, that if you are serious about the Vajrayana path, that you may gain confidence that Jetsunma is able to nourish everyone, at every level, up to the most sublime.

Whether it is Jetsunma or some other qualified teacher, may you find your true and unwavering guide.

May any merit or virtue generated by this effort be devoted to the liberation of every being lost in confusion.

Ani Sonam

Astrology

February 16, 2011 by Norma

2/16/2011 Wednesday

This is an excellent day for forward motion. You feel good, confidence is on the table, and you are ready to get going with what you need to do. You move forward happily, and the optimism that you bring helps all the rest. As the sun brings light to our world, a leader who shines is an inspiration to others. Put on your best face today. Benjamin Franklin said, “Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” The sun plays a major role today, find some if you can! And continue working with the team. Something wonderful is growing. Group activity is excellent. Stay in the middle of the group, no wandering off on your own.

Astrology

February 15, 2011 by Norma

2/15/2011 Tuesday

A worry in the night may have happened, but unless you’re a very early riser it’s probably over. It’s still group activity time, and someone in the environment is cheerful and upbeat. This person is an inspiration to everyone, and it is important to integrate this one into the team. In “The Seven Samurai” one person made all the others happy with his cheerful disposition. Someone like that is in your environment too. Determine who that person is, and recognize the role that is being played. It’s the reason teams have cheerleaders. W.R.Inge said, “The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular reason for being happy except that they are so.” Are you that person? If not, why not?