Guru Yoga

Where is the Heart?

by

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Neurotic Interaction to Guru Yoga”

You need to determine for yourself, “Did I choose this to be what it is?  And have I gone through the entire process?  And do I know what I’m thinking?  Or not.”  It is not about being true to the guru.  It’s not like you’re married and can’t go out with anybody else.  It’s not like that.  Being true to yourself: you have this opportunity.  Let this be the one arena in which you do not do the little neurotic dance.  Let this be the one area in which you accept the responsibility of watching the relationship with one’s teacher as though one were watching a display of one’s own mind on an external projection thing, like a TV.  Able to learn about oneself, able to determine.

And so this experience, then, the relationship with one’s teacher, becomes extremely useful and extremely pure.  There is no exerting of one will over the other.  That’s not what’s happening here.  It is the development of a pure understanding, free of the usual habitual tendency and contrivance that we engage in.  We all do this.  We all do this.  I even find myself doing this.  Sometimes I’ll think, “Oh, god, it’s been too long since I’ve called my teacher.  I’ve gotta call him.”  That’s so ridiculous, so ridiculous to think like that.  And then also to think, “Oh, maybe he’ll be mad at me when I call him.  Maybe it’s been too long.”  It’s so ridiculous.  Completely ridiculous.  Because instead you should be asking yourself, “In my continuum, in my mindstream, where is my teacher?  What is that?  Where is the light of my heart?  Is it there?  Is it free to be exactly what it can be?  Or have I superimposed all of my ideas about relationships on it?  Is it time now, in a natural way, do I need to hear the voice of my teacher?  Do I need to feel that connection again?  Do I need to tell him that his efforts with me have not been wasteful, that I am carrying on his wishes, that I’m doing my best to please him by benefiting sentient beings?”  Something like that.  Where is the light of my life?  That’s the true relationship in there.  It doesn’t matter what you do on the outside.

As a teacher, the thing I hate worst in the world is the student that does a whole lot of this, and none of this.  It’s not in there.  It’s not happening.  I mean, boys and girls, I hate to tell you, most of the teachers and myself included, were not born under a rock.  They know the difference.  So where is the heart?  That’s what it’s really about, isn’t it?  Where is the heart?

In that way, if you practice purely in that way–and I found this to be truth for me–I know that this is true personally on a deep level.  If I practice like that, then my teacher teaches me constantly, whether he is here or not.  My teacher teaches me through you, constantly.  Don’t even go there!  Thinking that now you’re going to be a teacher!  Don’t even think it!  I saw that little “Oh, yeah, I can do that!”  No, it’s true, my teacher teaches me through you.  I get to see, I learn so much, through you.  I watch how your minds play with things.  I watch how you respond to things.  I watch how you let go, how you get caught up, and I learn about myself, of course.  Of course.  And I also learn about the power of the Three Precious Jewels.  I have watched them transform lives–unbelievable.  Unbelievable!

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Back to Basics

by

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

In Vajrayana, Guru Yoga is a preliminary stage practice from Ngondro. And without it there will be little benefit in later practice, as we depend on a pure transmission from a Lama with good qualities, without delusion, having wisdom. We must mix our minds with the Guru and avoid making up our own stuff. The Guru provides the “Door to Liberation.”

Blah blah blah does not, just more smoke and mirrors. Fear and rage.

The thing to do is go back and do Guru Yoga like your spiritual life depended on it. Like you care and have eyes, mind, heart…A human.

© Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo

Keeping Heart Samaya: Full Length Video Teaching

by

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.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo.  All rights reserved

The Root of Accomplishment

by

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Always walk in the footsteps of Lord Buddha, Guru Padmasambhava. And of course, never break root samaya with Tsewei Lama, it’s the greatest downfall. Breaking samaya with one’s root Guru leads to the utter incapability to truly accomplish, and one is forced to play “Guru” on a path self-made. Useless.

If one puts oneself as high as the Tsawei Lama, or feels oneself superior, one will lose their way and practice as a demon. Bad result. Otherwise, if one mixes one’s mindstream with the Guru’s, all accomplishment and qualities of Guru Padmasambhava, through pure practice and devotion, can be attained in this life.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Young Throne Holder

by

KPC HH VISIT

Prince of power this is the hour
This is the time when you must shine
I see it on your face, in your mind
You awaken right on time
To honor our Guru, our Lord Sublime.

You alone are well prepared
This time would come, you were  aware
He gave you his essence with such care
I would have known Him anywhere.
You mixed your minds like water and wine

I hear His song in your mind.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

I Will Follow

by

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

How comes this one?
He speaks no truth to me.
Nor to the visions I do see, he has nothing.
And if only he could see it so-
Maybe time will let him go.

I do grieve, not for hurtful misdeeds,
But, for flowers and hours of beauty, relentless bliss at the fiery tent.
I can’t resent
I’ll always follow…

OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Blessings of the Tsawei Lama

by

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

An incense offering to be made first thing every morning with the purest intention and incense.

“This pure supreme incense, which bears the scent of pure moral self-discipline, by the blessings of mantra, mudra and samadhi.
Is offered to the realms of the buddhas. May this fragrant incense completely please and satisfy the ocean-like assembly of buddhas!

NAMA SARWA TATHAGATA BENZA DUPE PRATITSA PUDZA MEGHA SAMUDRA SA PHA RA NA SAMAYE AH HUNG”

This is a sacred way to begin the practice or start one’s day. One can also offer morning tea or coffee with ring finger on right hand, flicking the substance with finger in all directions with mindfulness.

Sadly it is often the case that practitioners perform a session every day, then forget to carry it forward, to bear it always. One way to antidote that is making morning offerings, and placing the Tsawei Lama above the crown of one’s head. Carrying that samaya is beautiful. Every moment think the Lama lights your way, protective and enlightening all.

To ready for sleep , the Lama descends through the central channel into the heart chakra where the Lama is enthroned on the lotus throne in the heart. From there, Tsawei Lama radiates compassion and wisdom all through the night. Upon awakening move Lama up to above the head, and there Tsawei Lama remains and blesses us all.

One may recite mantra before placing Tsawei Lama above head and on heart. And signs may occur. Like: auspicious dreams or other miraculous visions!

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

The Importance of a Qualified Teacher

by

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche on Meditation, reprinted here with permission from Palyul Ling International:

Emptiness is not something like just remaining there without having thoughts or anything at all. It has been said in the texts that if one does not know how to meditate properly on emptiness, then one can fall into the wrong pot. So one has to investigate the true nature of the mind in order to really establish its absolute nature as emptiness, and this must be maintained through the practice of meditation.

Emptiness which is merely emptiness, and the emptiness which is the nature of mind, are two different things. The one emptiness is kind of like nothingness. This kind of nothingness emptiness in the Dharma teachings is explained by the example of the rabbit’s horn – something which does not exist at all. But the emptiness of the mind, which does not have any form or colors or shape, is in certain ways non-existing, but at the same time this mind is everything. It is that which creates all these samsaric phenomena and all the nirvana phenomena.

When you do meditation practice, it is good to cut through all these conceptual thoughts. To be without any such thoughts and then to remain in meditation is very beneficial. This is what is known as samatha or tranquility meditation. If one carries through with such meditation practice for awhile, one begins to have some stability of the mind, and then it is easier to achieve the vipassana or insight meditation practices.

All Dharma teachings and practices have to follow through the proper lineage. That is to say, the lama, the master, must be really qualified to give these teachings. Then the disciple, the practitioner, if he or she has really strong devotion or faith, can understand through his or her actual practice. There is no other way to give and receive these teachings.

So the lama, the master, must have that quality by which he can “read” the disciple’s mind. When the lama has that quality – the knowledge by which he realizes the mind-stream of the practitioner – then according to that knowledge he can give the right introduction of the nature of the mind. For example, when the lama examines a practitioner, he can directly experience whether or not the practitioner has the actual recognition of the nature of the mind.³

Other than that kind of direct mind-to-mind interaction, there is no way to explain, “Oh, the nature of mind is something like this.” There are no words to handle it. If there was any kind of expressway diagram about the nature of the mind, then we could just draw it and then explain, “Here! This is the nature of mind!” So it is important to carry through all the practices, constantly watching through the samatha meditation practice, getting used to that kind of concentration of mind, so that there can be a way for one to have the true recognition of mind.

The Tibetan word, “lama,” means the Unsurpassable Teacher. The “la” is based on the quality of the realization and the “ma” symbolizes the mother, the loving-kindness and affection that one needs to have, just like a mother gives to her children. All the past, present and future Buddhas obtained Enlightenment by relying upon the lama². There is not any Buddha who just by him or herself attained Enlightenment.

The lama, the master, means someone that has complete knowledge about all these practices. So all who just have a red cloth are not lamas. Those also who wear yellow clothes, they are not necessarily lamas! Someone who has true purification and realization internally is who is known as the lama³. And the lama’s mind-stream must have the genuine Bodhicitta to benefit all sentient beings.

Qualities of the Lama

by

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche called “Guru Yoga” reprinted here with permission from Palyul Ling International

The teachings we know of as Buddhism were first taught by the Buddha Sakyamuni. These teachings have been maintained by a lineage of living transmission up to the present day by those who have been inspired to follow the example of the Buddha and to study that path and transmit it to others. In any of the various Buddhist traditions we find that there are countless numbers of people who through their study and contemplation have become extremely learned and gifted with spiritual power and realization. But the reason why they teach and the reason why these individuals undertake to become learned in the dharma should not be to indulge in self-aggrandizement. One does not become learned in dharma in order to think of oneself as learned and to gain some special status. One does not teach others from a sense of personal pride, either. Dharma is maintained because it brings benefit to those who hear the teachings. That is the motivation behind teaching.

In order to become an authentic teacher of the tradition, it is not sufficient to simply read enough books to become very clever at the teachings and then set oneself up as a teacher. Rather, it is the case that one’s own teacher, a particularly realized individual, must give one permission to teach. It may also be the case that one will be graced with a vision of one’s chosen deity during which experience the deity will confer upon one the blessing and authority to teach.

So it isn’t simply a question of ordinary people developing enough cleverness to be able to talk well about the dharma. The true benefit of the teachings doesn’t come about through an ordinary approach, because that more ordinary approach tends only to feed one’s own pride and conflicting emotions. No benefit that can come out of that. It is only when the teaching is a selfless gesture to benefit others based upon an authentic transmission that we really have the benefit that is necessary for the dharma to be maintained.

If we take into account all of the teachings of the Buddha, including all of the commentaries on those teachings by the great mahasiddhas – the learned pundits of the Indian, Tibetan and other traditions of Buddhism – it would be impossible for a single individual to try and put all of that into practice. This does not mean that there is any aspect of those teachings that are useless and have no function. The Buddha Sakyamuni turned the wheel of the dharma in three successive transmissions during his time in the world. In vajrayana when we consider the thousands of volumes that collectively known as the buddha dharma, including the 84,000 collections of the Buddha’s teachings and the 6,400,000 texts of tantra, it is obvious that no single person could absorb and practice all of that.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com