commitment | Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Words of Honor: Advice from HH Penor Rinpoche

November 26, 2017 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Kyabje His Holiness Penor Rinpoche offered at Palyul Ling Retreat:

When I was in Tibet I studied all this Dharma with my teacher, Khenpo Nuden. He was a great Dzogchen master. We received the transmission on the four volume text called Duba Do, which he has composed. There were five of us receiving this Dharma. We all tried to maintain the disciplines of being very humble and respectful, and not disturbing the lama’s mind.

We also had another Khenpo with us. This Khenpo always had coughing fits. He was always coughing. To announce the start of class each morning, a gong would ring. But one morning nobody rang the gong. We went to the lama’s place anyway, and asked, “Why was there no gong?” The lama was really angry and told us that there was no need to ring the gong. I went to him, and said, “It is time now. May I ring the gong?” He said, “No.” Then I asked, “Are you sick or something?” And he said, “No, I’m not sick.” Then I asked, “Did you have a disturbing dream?” He said, “No.” After asking a few questions, he said, “You guys are not really respecting me.” Then I said, “We all do respect you. We are just trying to maintain good discipline.” Then the lama said, “Well, you know Khenpo clears his throat a lot, coughing up stuff.” What to do? He had an illness. It was natural, but we told him not to be too loud. We made a commitment to maintain discipline, and then later the lama started the teaching. No one dared to cough loudly in front of the lama. Talking to each other or making noise or getting up and down in front of the lama never happened when we visited the lama. One should be careful when visiting the lama. There is a whole book that gives lessons on how to relate with the master.

Disturbing the lama’s mind a little bit obscures one’s path and bhumis. Once one actualizes these stages of realization and the path, then one can do whatever one wants to do. Until achieving the ultimate fruition, the Buddhahood, enlightenment, until then we must relate to and rely on a master. One should respect and follow, and through that one can receive the blessing. Then there is benefit. Even with millions of dollars, there is no way to buy the Dharma teaching through which one can attain complete enlightenment. Because if there is even a tiny breakage of samaya, then it obscures one’s own power or realization. The life force of the Dharma is the words of honor, the samaya. Even though you guys are very good, it is still good to understand how these things should be done.

Compassion? Maybe Later?

August 19, 2017 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is an excerpt from a teaching called “The Antidote to Suffering” by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

The basic beliefs are the foundational viewpoint that will encourage you to keep practicing, most especially the idea of compassion. I don’t think that there is ever a time on your path when this becomes no longer necessary. In fact I think that as you go on, further and further, on whatever path you choose, and specifically on the Buddhist path, you will meet with challenges that will cause you to want to get into your stuff. Invariably you will meet up with obstacles that will make you feel tired, unwilling to go on. You will feel the pressures that one feels living here in the material world, specifically living here in the West where we are so busy. Here it is really a push, a stretch to be a Buddhist and to be a person committed to a spiritual path, whether it is the Buddhist path or not. It is a stretch because most of us have to earn a living. Most of us have to raise our families. Most of us have to do all those things that are very time consuming.

So it is very easy to sort of fall back and say, ‘I will wait till later. I will wait till I’m older.’ I just turned 39. I can’t say that too much longer. But we do say that. We say, ‘I’ll wait till I am older, more settled. Or when things are less busy.’ And I find that here at 39, things are more busy than they ever were at any time ever, ever, ever. So I think that it is kind of fruitless to wait for that. Or you might say, ‘I’ll wait. I’ll just wait.’ You don’t even have any reason. You just say, ‘Later I’ll do this.’

So it is good to have these foundational teachings. It’s good to think in the ways that we are going to think in this class. And you shouldn’t think that because you’ve been a long-time Dharma student that you are beyond all this. If you think that, really, I tell you from my heart, you have a problem because I don’t think that. I don’t know of any teacher who thinks that. Every teacher that I have ever spoken to has said to me, ‘Teach first compassion. Teach first the foundational teachings and keep on that and on that throughout your whole involvement with the Buddhist path.’

So I feel that that is important. I feel that it is important to beginners and I feel that it is important to long-time Dharma students. So for that reason it is important for you to come. It is important for new people to come. It is important for us to come together in this common ground, and this common ground has to be based on commitment and recommitment. It is a very important aspect of what we have to do together.

We Were Born to Do This

July 24, 2017 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a message recorded on June 1, 2013 as a message from Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo to her students (audio file below):

This really has been the hardest time of our lives as a sangha, because we don’t know what the future is going to be. We don’t know whether we will stay together.

A sangha is a precious thing. It has to stay together. It’s like a family. When it is broken something precious is lost. It is tragic.

I just want to speak to my sangha, because right now we don’t have a building that we can use the way we normally would, but I want to remind you that we still have the land. So, don’t abandon it. We are coming back online pretty darn soon. Not soon tomorrow, not even soon next year, but soon. And it will be progressively better and better and better. So don’t give up. I haven’t. I would live in a tent if I had to, as long as I had a fence for my dogs.

I just want to say that we have to make this the best effort of our lives. We cannot say, “Oh I pay this much every month, and so I shouldn’t have to pay any more.” Or I pay this much every year, or whatever. You can’t say that and think that’s enough. It’s not. Not right now. That was enough before, and we counted on you. If you didn’t help us in the way that we’d agreed on way back in the past, then we wouldn’t have anything.

This was a group of people that stuck together for a long time; learned to love each other. Then of course because they are sentient beings, they learned to argue with each other. And as usual, we don’t even realize that we are doing it.

I hope to get your attention. I have had a hard time getting your attention lately. It is like trying to herd cats. And of course we all know that is impossible, because cats are cats. Could you not be a cat for a while, and learn how to work for the larger group, for the group of sentient beings that we are and the group of sentient beings that we serve? To work for all sentient beings ultimately. If we could just get back there, everything would come back. It is cause and effect.

We have been too selfish. I have broken it up the best I could by just giving everything away. Have you noticed? Many of you don’t even know. I hope you will pay attention. I hope you will wake up.

I am glad that people are having weddings and family things. I’m glad for all of you. I don’t have any of those things in my life at this point, but I am glad for all of you.

At this part of my life I feel like I have got to keep moving forward or it’s all on me. The truth of the matter is that no one person can do it, and it’s not all on me. So you have to help me figure this out. I am actually working hard every day. Not just sitting here trying to think it out. But talking to people who might be able to help us. So help me. I have helped you over the years. Why can’t you help me? Amen.

I hope you hear me. We were made to do this. I hope you hear me. We were born to do this, and it is hard, but I hope you hear me.

You can hear the message here: Messsage From Jetsunna

Unconditional Love

September 17, 2014 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Keeping Heart Samaya”

When we consider the student’s relationship with the teacher on this path, we are talking about very high stakes. We are not talking about a student-teacher relationship in order to get through a six week course. We are not talking about a student-teacher relationship with which to graduate with so many credits from college. We are talking about a student-teacher relationship wherein the end result is the ultimate fruit or jewel, the crown of cyclic existence, that is, the potential or capacity to enter into the door of liberation and be free of suffering at last. These are enormous stakes.

So both parties in the student-teacher relationship have to take that relationship very seriously, very seriously. I know for a fact that the teachers regard the students with great seriousness. Their love for the students is unconditional. Once that student-teacher relationship has taken place, the teacher has become, for the student, Guru Rinpoche’s appearance in the world, Lord Buddha’s appearance in the world. Once that happens, there is a love there or a bonding that cannot be undone by anything in the world. There is nothing in the world that can take Lord Buddha’s blessing, Guru Rinpoche’s blessing out of your heart. Nothing can do that.

Even if the students themselves were to act in a very inappropriate way, breaking the samaya bond, acting out of accordance with what the teacher has taught, even committing really negative actions like harming the teacher in some way, it is always the truth that if the student were to make restitution, were to turn their face towards Dharma again and truly wish to accomplish Dharma, and wish to separate themselves from their previous non-virtuous acts, the teacher would immediately respond to that. There is no question.

As parents we do that with our children, don’t we? Sometimes children will do pretty bad things, throw baseballs through windows, knock the cookie jars over, and really much worse things. So even though these acts may occur, the parent will always accept the child again. The parent will not stop loving the child. It may be true that there is a difficulty there, a burden, a strain, a suffering, but that is your child. A good parent would never turn their face away from their child just because their child made a mistake. Parents know that children are immature with very little discrimination. They are learning, and it’s the parents’ job to teach them. Exactly the same with the student and the teacher.

The teacher knows that students are sentient beings. According to the Buddha’s teaching, all sentient beings are suffering. They all wish to be happy, but they do not know how to make the causes of happiness occur. They don’t understand cause-and-effect relationships. So isn’t it to be expected that mistakes will be made? Of course mistakes will be made. It’s only reasonable and logical. So the teacher would never hold it against the student. That relationship is like the Buddha’s compassion, all pervasive, beginningless, conditionless, without end. That is the nature of that love.

So when we look to the student’s commitment, or samaya, to the teacher, we should look to see the same depth, the same bonding, the same beauty in that commitment as well. And that commitment should be a joy on both parts. Less the flavor of duty and responsibility than the flavor of love. The love between the student and teacher is like the Buddha’s compassion.

Facing Facts

January 19, 2012 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Commitment to the Path”

Buddhism is not the kind of religion that necessarily comforts us, although once you get the big picture, it’s the only thing that comforts you, the only thing that makes sense. That’s my experience. Other religions will tell you, “Don’t worry. Have faith. Everything is going to be OK,” but Buddhism says,” Well, you know, maybe not.” The first thing we hear in Buddhism is, “We’re all going to die.” And so sometimes because of our cultural habits, we think, “That’s kind of a downer. I don’t want to hear that. Don’t give me any down stuff. Just give me the up stuff. I want the feel good religion. That’s what I want.” So you think, “Well, I don’t want to hear about how I’m going to die. I don’t want to hear about how everything is impermanent. I don’t want to hear about everybody suffering and I have to make it better. I want to hear some good news.”

But Dharma actually tells you the truth. Dharma is like that kind of perfect parent that doesn’t speak in a condescending way to their children, a parent that tells them the truth directly, maybe in child language, but tells them the truth, speaks clearly, respects their dignity enough to tell them what is up. And that is what Dharma does. Dharma says to us that everything is impermanent. We are all wandering in cyclic existence. We do not know how to get out of cyclic existence because we don’t know how to create the causes for liberation. We don’t know how to create the causes for happiness. So it’s a roll of the dice: Which of our karma is going to ripen? According to the Buddha’s teaching, it’s all there. We have been existing as sentient beings since time out of mind. We have had time to create the causes for everything from living in a god realm to living in a hell realm.

Once we see that our lives are kind of like a wild locomotive careening down a track, down a mountain with no brakes, and we just really can’t tell when it’s going to derail, we begin to ask ourselves, “How can I prepare? What can I do?” That’s when Dharma becomes to us a sensible religion, a make-sense kind of thing, because it shows us cause and effect relationships. It shows us what we’ve got to deal with and it gives us a way to recognize a path out, a path through, a path under and over, and there is always something that we can do to prepare our minds.

Keeping Heart Samaya: Full Length Video Teaching

December 1, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a full length video teaching called “Keeping Heart Samaya” offered by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

Ending the Guru Yoga retreat, Jetsunma talks of the responsibilities on the part of the student and the teacher to continue the connection between them.