Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

Kindness is Universal

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An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series

To truly understand the mind of compassion is to understand suffering. To be willing to cultivate aspirational compassion and act in accordance with those aspirations, so that you fully intend to liberate your mind from the causes of suffering and fully intend to return in whatever form necessary in order to benefit beings.  In so doing, you’re on your way. Whether you call yourself a Buddhist or not, kindness is a universal term. No one’s got a corner on it. Compassion is not a word that the Buddha invented.

I am a Buddhist because I found this religion is the most useful way to benefit beings. This is my own determination. If you also determine this for yourself, then continue to do what you’re doing. Perhaps you’re heading towards studying Buddhism, or perhaps you are already studying it. But if you don’t want to become a Buddhist, that doesn’t let you off the hook! You still have to live a life of compassion.  No matter what path you’re following, compassion is the only way to realization. No matter whom you’re listening to, hatred, greed and ignorance are the causes for suffering. There is universality about all this. Whether you call yourself Buddhist or not, you still have a job to do. I suggest doing it by first cultivating the firm foundation of fervent aspiration to be of ultimate benefit, and by having the courage to look at the content and meaning of suffering and determining how best to overcome it.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

The Power of Choice

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Ani Kunzang with Rosie from Taras Babies Animal Rescue

From a series of tweets by @ahkonlhamo:

I am now a #Vegan, but how can I rejoice when animals are still slaughtered and tortured for their flesh and skin every day?

I #rescue animals, but how can I be happy when dogs, puppies, cats and others are killed every day because they are inconvenient?

I wonder if we can ever overcome the hatred, callousness, lack of empathy, bigotry that have become so common, and invisible?

We treat the poor, those that disagree with us, animals, different ethnicity, or religion with no respect or dignity. And ACT pious.

If we are so callous, unloving, mean-spirited and cruel- what god do we serve besides the god of ego and habitual tendency? We are blind!

One should never preach without compassion for all. Or pontificate from ego or hate. It does no good and is a disservice to the world.

It’s not for me to tell people how to eat or how to live. But it IS for me to beg that all beings be loved and cherished, given dignity.

We can commit to adding love, joy, compassion and healing to the world every day. That’s a good day. A bad day is when we hurt thru hate.

We have the extraordinary capacity for choice, mindfulness, and LOVE. To use them is mastery of life! To ignore is to wallow in ignorance.

Please, for the sake of all sentient beings, choose well! #stopthehate #bringthelove #feedthepoor

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Tough Love

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Singdolma

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series

Now, when we talk about practical compassion, it actually occurs on two levels. There’s a universal level, in the sense you care so much for all sentient beings that your goal is to do whatever is necessary to eliminate suffering for them all. But does that mean that if you see a hungry child you shouldn’t feed him? Or does that mean you shouldn’t be kind in an ordinary, human way? Ordinary compassion, ordinary human kindness is very important. But in understanding the Buddha’s teaching, it shouldn’t be the only thing you do. You have to live an ordinary, virtuous life, but you have to live an extraordinary life as well. The activity of kindness and compassion should have both a universal and an ordinary level.

On the other hand, I don’t believe in ‘idiot compassion.’  Have you ever heard of idiot compassion?  It is when you look at people who are needy and you see them going through their stuff, and you try to be so kind to them and give them what they need, or what they say they need. You actually don’t help them because you increase their dependency. You increase their willingness to tell you how much they need. You’re just helping them along; you’re playing with them. So I don’t believe in idiot compassion because it doesn’t help them. I believe that sometimes, real compassion has to be harsh.

In Buddhism, you see as many wrathful deities as you do peaceful deities. Why is that? Is it because the Buddha is half mean and half nice? I don’t think so. It’s because sometimes compassionate activity has to be a little wrathful. Sometimes it has to be a little aggressive. It depends. If you really are pure and your determination is to really be of benefit, and not just to be a nice guy, after training yourself in this way, you’ll know what to do. You won’t get hooked on idiot compassion. Everybody likes ‘feel-good’ stuff, but that doesn’t always help. You should, however, be a human being of virtue. You should be kind. You should be honest.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

With Every Breath

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Ven. Gyaltrul Rinpoche

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series

Everything that you do should have meaning. It’s important that your life be understood as a vehicle for practice. It’s the only thing that is meaningful: to make this life, which is so rich in opportunity, a vehicle by which you can come to benefit beings. This is the development of aspirational Bodhicitta. Every time you do something good, use that opportunity to dedicate it to the liberation of all beings. If you pat a little child on the head and it makes them smile, that’s a good thing. So you must think, “I dedicate the virtue of this action to the liberation and salvation of all sentient beings.” If you give money to somebody, pray, “I dedicate the virtue of this act to the liberation and salvation of all sentient beings.” You should continue like that in everything that you do. Make up your own prayer. You don’t have to use mine. Dedicate everything that you do so that it might go on, and grow, and be of use to benefit beings. Wean yourself from empty activity, activity that is useless and meaningless. Wean yourself from the need for ‘feel-good’ junk. Learn how to live a life in which your only concern is to liberate beings from the causes of suffering, because doing this is the only thing you can really feel good about. You aspire constantly through these prayers. You really train yourself to do this, and it should never stop.

After you are stable on the path of aspirational compassion, you have to think about concrete or practical compassion. You don’t forget aspirational compassion, saying, “Oh, I did that for a little while when I was a younger practitioner.” You should never stop. Never. I will never stop, and you should never stop. That’s not baby stuff. That’s the real stuff. Then you expand this to include practical compassion.

First you have to decide that the Buddha was right. You look at the Buddha’s teachings and you say, “If he’s right, then I have to think of some practical way to eliminate hatred, greed and ignorance from the world and from the mindstreams of myself and all sentient beings.”

Based on that you begin, and your practice should be deep and true. If you choose to be a Buddhist, the path is laid out, and the path is secure. It goes all the way to supreme realization. If you choose not to be a Buddhist, you still have to find a way to live a life of practical compassion, based on the goal of rooting hatred, greed and ignorance out of the mindstreams of yourself and all sentient beings. You should think that reciting many prayers on a regular basis for others could be of use. You should think activities that cause you to realize the emptiness of self-nature and therefore eliminate desire from your own mindstream would be of benefit. And that, finally, free of desire, when you are truly awake, as the Buddha said, you can go on to benefit others. You should be determined to liberate your own mind, and you should pray every day that you will return in whatever form necessary in order to liberate the minds of all sentient beings.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Remembering His Holiness Penor Rinpoche and Palyul

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His Holiness Penor Rinopoche

It has been a year since HH Kyabje Penor Rinpoche’s Parinirvana, and we will be remembering Him while praying for His return.

Most Palyul centers worldwide will be gathering at the same times for Puja, Ceremony, etc. HHPR is so widely, deeply revered and cherished.

It would be my great joy and wish that every accomplishment in Palyul brought by HHPR be left exactly as it is, waiting for His return.

Sadly, that may not come to pass. Even though every blessing we all enjoy came from HHPR’s own vision, heart and precious hands.

Many things are being changed around. It will not be the same if it is not as HHPR envisioned. But Palyul is ancient, strong and powerful.

The Sacred visions of the Peerless Master Tulkus of Palyul will re-assert itself. Like a river too mighty to be thwarted it will remain.

I have learned well since the Parinirvana the strength and consummate skill of my Root Guru, what He had to deal with. I am awed by Him.

I remember so many times hearing “if you follow HHPR’s instructions perfectly all will be perfect”. In my mind that has not changed.

Therefore with sadness and joy I await His Incarnation, when all I have and have worked for for over 20yrs I will place in His Beloved hands

May I always be reborn in His Entourage, life after life, for the sake of all sentient beings. May all be Liberated by this Great Buddha!

Liberating Mind

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An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series

What form will your compassion take? Making compassion your root commitment to sentient beings must take some form. How can you begin to do that? First, I recommend again that you be courageous enough to study the nature of suffering: how it has evolved, what it means, where it exists. See for yourself. Go through a logical thought process. What will bring about the end of suffering? If I did this and this and this and this, will suffering really end? What can the possible results be? Allow yourself to really go through an examination of suffering. Come to your own understanding of suffering so that you can decide what your next action must be. Allow yourself to think, “Well, if I did this good thing for somebody, or if I fed the world and got everybody out of poverty, what would the result be?” Follow this line of reasoning to its logical end, and see if there’s any specific action that you could take that would truly end suffering completely.

Then, think of the Buddha’s logic and try to understand what that might mean. What if what the Buddha says is true? What if hatred, greed and ignorance are the root causes for suffering? What if you could completely remove the seeds of suffering from the fabric of reality? What if it were possible, through the extensive practices given by the Buddha, to accomplish that for yourself first, and then reincarnate in a form by which you could benefit others by offering that same method again and again? Might that be a solution? It’s a slow one, but it’s a big universe. Is it possible that might work? According to the Buddha’s teaching, when you take a vow as a Bodhisattva, you vow to liberate your own mind from hatred, greed and ignorance. You vow to liberate your mind from the very idea of self-nature as being truly valid. You agree to liberate yourself from any form of desire, and you do that specifically so that you can return again and again, in whatever form necessary, in order to be of benefit to sentient beings. You agree to propagate the Dharma. It doesn’t mean that you become a born-again evangelist. It means that you reincarnate and allow yourself to return in whatever form necessary in order to bring teachings to beings that will finally help them out of the sea of delusion that comes from the belief in self.

You should contemplate this and think, “Is this solution really useful?” You have a couple of different options at that point. If you decide that the Buddha’s teaching is valid and useful, you can begin to develop aspirational compassion. Right now, if I were to say to you, “Do you want to help people? Do you want to help the world?” You’d say, “Yeah, I’m on! Look at what I’ve done. I’ve done a lot!” But I tell you, until we reach supreme enlightenment – and I’m talking about bona fide, rainbow-body, walk-on-the-water, supreme enlightenment – we must continue courageously to develop the mind of compassion in every moment. Until we can liberate the minds of others just through a breath, just through a glance, just through a moment of being with them, just through a prayer, we have not truly attained the liberating mind of compassion.

We must continue with this effort throughout all of our lives. Even though we may have the idea of compassion, we must develop aspirational compassion. We must aspire to be anything that would bring true and lasting benefit to beings. We must offer ourselves and our minds again and again and again. I think of one prayer of a Western Bodhisattva that touched me very much as a child, “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.” That’s the kind of thought that we as Westerners must have within our minds. As we begin to become more comfortable with Eastern terminology, then we can think, “Let me be born in whatever form necessary, under any conditions in order that beings should not suffer. If there is the need for food, let me return as food. If there is the need for drink, let me return as drink. If there is a need for a teacher, let me return as the teacher. If there is a need for shade, let me return as the tree. If there is the need for love, let me return as arms.” You must continue to develop this idea in such a selfless way that it doesn’t matter to you in what form you can give this love.

Your job would be to liberate your mind to such an extent that you achieve realization through strenuous activity. Yes, the Dharma is difficult. Any path that promises to lead to enlightenment has to be difficult because it’s a long way from here. Let’s face it, any path that leads to bona fide, no-kidding, walk-on-the-water, rainbow-body enlightenment – I’m not talking about a psychological “a ha!,” I’m talking about the real juice – must be very involved, very profound.

So your first thought must be, “Let me then liberate my mind to such an extent that I achieve some realization, and then I wish to return in whatever form is necessary. May I be able to emanate in many bodies. May these emanations fill the earth, and, if necessary, one-on-one, through those emanations, let suffering be ended. Or if it can be done in some other way, I don’t care. It has no meaning to me. Only that suffering should end. What is important is that all sentient beings should themselves achieve liberation and go on to benefit others as well, until there are no more, until all six realms of cyclic existence are free and empty.”

When you get up in the morning, think, “As I rise from this bed, may all sentient beings rise from the state of ignorance and may they be liberated until there is no more suffering.” When you brush your teeth, think, “As I brush my teeth, may the suffering of all sentient beings be washed away.” When you take your shower, think, “As I take this shower, may all sentient beings be showered with a pure and virtuous path by which they themselves can be liberated.” When you walk through your door, think, “May all sentient beings walk through the door of liberation.”

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Be the Hope of the World

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An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series

I have listened to some of the teachings on Buddhist cosmology, and heard the prophecy that there will be a time when there is no Buddha in this world – no teaching, no help, and no light. When things will be so dark there will be nothing, no hope. As a Buddhist I am supposed to believe this teaching, and I try. But I refuse to accept it, I won’t accept it, and if that makes me a bad Buddhist, then I am. But rather than think in a prideful way that I refuse to accept this teaching, I hope instead to cultivate an endless amount of energy to continue to practice for the benefit of others, no matter what the odds are. To consider that it is worthwhile if even one person can be benefited.

I wish we would all think in this way – that nothing will stop us. I find it necessary to believe that compassion is the strongest power anywhere, that love is stronger than prophecy. Believing this, we must continue as we are. Every day we must be stronger and continue in a more determined way.

When I see those of you who have taken ordination, I think you are the hope of the world. If you can remain emanating in the world always, even after attaining supreme realization, if your love is that strong that you change the prophecies, we have hope.

I also think of those who are newly starting, and those of you who are intermediate, and those of you who are choosing whatever particular path you choose. If you use the Buddha’s understanding, and come to a point of profound commitment and practice – if you consider love is your life, so that it will increase throughout every future incarnation – then you, too, are the hope of the world.

We must take this vocation very seriously. I don’t mean we have to walk around like somber people, with a terrible, woeful expression on our faces, or that we never get to have any fun anymore.  It’s not like that. But our sense of joy is the kind of joy that is born of the mind of compassion, the kind of joy that appears in the mind with the commitment to benefit beings at any cost, the kind of joy that knows there is an antidote to suffering. That kind of joy is stronger than human joy and human sadness, because those things come and go, day to day, up and down, in and out.

I suggest you choose to live a lasting life of love, rather than one that is impermanent and superficial. In doing so, come to know something that doesn’t vary. Know something that grows from a tiny seed into a profound sense of bliss, which, as it grows, produces the kind of realization that can let you at last be someone who can truly help sentient beings with the right medicine.

You are at a crossroads in time now. Tremendous opportunities are coming your way. They have come your way. You are at a point very rare in cyclic existence. It is now possible for you to make this choice. It was not possible before. You should take this time very seriously, and consider deeply whether you will cultivate the mind of compassion every moment from now on for the rest of your life, and in all future lives to come, knowing that this is the only end to suffering.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Rebirth of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche

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I wonder where Kyabje Penor Rinpoche will be born. I cheer for US, but I know how horribly American Tulkus are maligned by westerners.

So I would not wish that ugliness on HIM. Oh, I pray HE is born where HE is safe and loved. I was recognized by three Great High Lamas.

Kyabje HHPenor Rinpoche, Kyabje HH Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche in his last incarnation, and H.E. Dzonang Rinpoche and still there is gossip!

I pray that High Lamas come from every corner of the earth to recognize Kyabje Penor’s precious incarnation so all arrogant gossips are Quiet.

Remembering His Holiness Kyabje Penor Rinpoche

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His Holiness Kyabje Penor Rinpoche
His Holiness Kyabje Penor Rinpoche 11th Throneholder of Palyul

From a series of tweets:

Today I’m making prayers to His Holiness Kyabje Penor Rinpoche, and to his publicly appointed Heir to the Throne of Palyul His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche.

May Kyabje Rinpoche’s orders and vision be accomplished without delay. May we remember how He built Namdroling with His own hands.

How Kyabje Penor Rinpoche started with nothing and gave us everything. How he worked HIS entire life creating Palyul Namdroling just as it is.

Due to Kyabje Penor Rinpoche’s unfathomable wisdom and hard work Palyul has grown to be strong as it is today, in the west, as well. HE did this.

We cannot assume our wisdom is greater than His Holiness Kyabje Penor Rinpoche. If we think that we have lost our way, and our View. He built this.

It is for us to follow HIS instruction without fail or deviation or all is lost. It is always the case-we follow His words and get good result

I know His Holiness Karma Kuchin Rinpoche has taken all Kyabje Penor Rinpoche’s advice to heart. It is up to us to do the same. Kyabje Penor Rinpoche’s intent is not gone.

And therefore we must follow perfectly and fervently, without our opinions having any meaning. He built Palyul up, and is the Buddha.

We must remember Kyabje Penor Rinpoche is Guru Rinpoche and not separate from HIM. Therefore we must remain as HE instructed without fail.

To the Wondrous Display of these Great Palyul Buddhas, these accomplishers, I pray send Dakinis and Protectors to preserve unity and perfect purity.

Please keep our great precious Palyul family from selfish desire and harm. For the sake of all beings may Palyul remain firm!

This effort is dedicated to the strength, purity, power, and continuation of Palyul for aeons yet to come. We remain as a light in the dark.

May it always be so for the sake of all motherly sentient beings. Palyul is for their sake – my children.

Homage to His Holiness Penor Rinpoche

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His Holiness Penor Rinpoche

A series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

I woke up today sobbing over the loss of Kyabje HH Penor Rinpoche. How devastating to Palyul, and to me.

Never having seen the loss of the head of a Lineage before I was completely unprepared for it. Seems every day His absence is felt more.

He was the wellspring, the builder, the guardian, font of wisdom and compassion. He was unfailingly kind to me. I could always turn to Him.

Now that things have changed I see His Purity, Power, Intention, Selflessness, Loving Concern and Imperturbable Heart. He is Peerless!

May I follow Him in this and every future lifetime. And always be reborn in His entourage! May my storehouse of Merit in the three times please!

And return Him to us, Palyul swiftly, and His activity be endless. Kye Ho! Beloved Guru return to us for the sake of Palyul and ALL beings.

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