A sacred space for everyone
The following is a full length video teaching offered by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo at Kunzang Palyul Choling:
Every little bit of virtue counts these days – remember to dedicate everything to all beings – that their liberation will be swift and complete.
© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo All Rights Reserved
The following is a full length video teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered at Kunzang Palyul Choling:
The narcotic of samsara encourages us to believe that we will stay the same forever. Self-honesty tells us differently. Jetsunma helps us see the reality of impermanence and karma in our lives. Living a life of virtue will bring us ultimate happiness.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo. All rights reserved
Thupten Shedrub Gyatso, who was a Tulku in one of the Palyul Monasteries, wrote this commentary. His present incarnation, Rago Chogtrul currently lives in Tibet.
Translation by Khenpo Tenzin Norgey ~ Spring, 2004,
Palyul Retreat Center, Mc Donough, NY USA ~Wood Monkey Year 2131
Homage to you, who is blissful, virtuous and tranquil,
And enjoys the domain of peaceful nirvana
With (mantra) endowed perfectly with SVAHA and OM
You destroy all awful non-virtuous karma.
The fifteenth homage is to Rabtu Zhima,Tib the “Perfect Pacifier”, who pacifies the obscuration of negative karma[i]. She sits on blue lotus, and is peaceful. Her color is white like a crystal moon and she holds an anointing vase. She is free from the fruition of suffering, and as a result, she is blissful She has eliminated non-virtue, and as a result, she is virtuous. Her afflictions have ended, and as a result, she is tranquil. She has gone beyond the sufferings of the two obscurations and she enjoys and abides in the sphere of sublime tranquility. By her power of compassion, and power of reciting perfectly in accordance with the sadhana[ii] her twenty-three or eighteen syllable mantras, the five heinous negative karmas[iii]that make beings fall into the lower realms, and other karma that generates great sufferings are uprooted and purified. The mantra includes the additional syllables,OMat the beginning and SVAHA at the end. The ultimate meaning is that her blissfulness and other qualities are connected to the five wisdom minds: the wisdom of absolute space, mirror-like wisdom, the wisdom of equality, discriminating wisdom, and all-accomplishing wisdom.
[i] karma skt ~ The doctrine of actions and there causal consequences, the law of cause and effect.
[ii] sadhana skt ~ Translated as “means of accomplishment” Usually is a complete set of tantric liturgies on the practice of a deity, starting from the lineage prayers to dedication of the merit to all the sentient beings.
[iii] five heinous negative karmas ~ Patricide, matricide, killing an arhat, drawing blood from the body of a Buddha with evil intent, and causing a schism in the sangha.
The following is from a teaching given by Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche at Kunzang Palyul Choling:
We must take care not to fall prey to actually disbelieving the infallible truth of the law of cause and result, not to hold incorrect or wrong view, which would be again, thinking that there is no truth to this law. If I practice Dharma, for example, there will be no good result, so why should I bother, these types of attitudes. If I accumulate non-virtue, if I just do whatever I want, if I engage in negativity, there is no lower rebirth, it doesn’t matter. And so, thinking in this way is definitely the wrong direction. All of us must know this and focus on the Buddha’s teachings, initially, the Four Noble Truths, the truth of suffering, that there is non-virtue. We all know that there is suffering, because we are experiencing that and knowing the truth of the cause, that there is the cause to the result of our suffering and so Buddha taught the truth of the cause of suffering and the truth of suffering is the result of that cause and so now, while we are free to do something about accepting and rejecting, that’s precisely what we should do. If we have intelligence, we would figure out that is the way we would lead our life.
Believing in the laws of cause and result is virtuous. Not believing in the law of cause of cause and result is non-virtuous and so that marks the difference between being noble and a wholesome individual on the path of wholesome conduct or being ignoble or going into the wrong direction. So when we are going into the wrong direction, because of not acknowledging the law of cause and result and engaging always in non-virtue then that’s why we get left behind so to speak. There’s not much progress in our life. When we notice everyone else is going along and having some positive directions and some progress and we’re not, this is the reason.
By going to school nicely and being wholesome and having dignity, careful in what we do, then we will come to know this truth, we will see how this works in our life by observing, by listening, by checking. We will see the truth of the law of cause and result. If we don’t come to know that and see that in our lives, then we’ll always be overwhelmed by the passions and poisons of the 10 non-virtuous results, which includes desire and jealousy, anger, delusion, based on those passions, killing, stealing, adultery, lying, slander, gossip, ill will, craving, incorrect view, all of these non-virtues will proliferate, based on delusion because of not knowing the law of cause and result. And so by not knowing this, then we are always accumulating causes for lower rebirth especially in the three lower realms of the hell beings, the deprived spirit beings and the animals, where there is inconceivable suffering. These are the real places of samsara, the places of rebirth in samsara, these lowest realms, where there is no happiness.
Like for example, in this life, if one takes the life of others, then it shortens one’s own life and it also brings about many different illnesses and diseases. The reason that we have a short lifespan or we acquire some disease or illness is because of having taken the life of others in the past as well so that affects us in this life. From having stolen, then in this life, no matter how hard one tries, one is always poor, lacking endowments, lacking abundance, never quite being able to get it together financially. So this is the ripening, the fruit of the cause. These things don’t come about for any other reason.
So that’s why now it’s so important to listen to one’s parents and to follow the guidelines of whatever religious tradition one believes in. Certainly there is good in all spiritual paths, so whatever one is able to believe in, learning that, contemplating, thinking carefully and following the guidelines of knowing, coming to know what to accept and what to reject so that qualities can develop in your own stream of mind to become a decent person and to have a happy life, otherwise, not following any guidelines, not believing in anything, having no discipline, just doing whatever you want, being careless, it’s really worse than an animal. Even an animals don’t do that. And so it may seem, if you are still young, that that is OK, you can get away with that, because temporarily you are still under your parent’s wings so parents are taking care of you and feeding you and giving you shelter and you are still young so you not sick yet and in fact you don’t even think about it or worry about it, you have no fear of death. Even if the Lord of Death came before you, you would be fearless because you are still young and everything is great. But sooner or later, when all of that shifts and changes, because it will, then sickness comes, poverty comes and everything turns upside down if you haven’t learned how to be a decent human being who knows how to follow rules and practice what to accept and reject. Everything turns upside down and everything becomes like your enemy and when you die and go to lower realms, it’s also even worse and so that’s why it’s so important to think about these things now while you can, while you are able to.
From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
When an ordinary person decides they are Enlightened but hate, gossip and bad qualities show they absolutely are not. Be careful and watch. If one believes in a person who self proclaims Enlightenment and follows them in lying, hate, gossip they too will fall to a lower rebirth. If a person proclaims themselves Enlightened and has nothing to show for it their lives bear no extraordinary fruit and they should be abandoned. To hide one’s flaws and preach to others is a waste of time. Most people aren’t blind. And flaws will never be pacified.
How excellent, how wonderful to abandon pride, hatred, gossip, etc and attend to a pure practice given by a pure master from a pure source!
How sad when one does not know what to abandon and what to accept. Anyone can talk. Dogs bark, cats meow. Compassion and courage to get out and benefit beings and our planet – this is what counts.
OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG!
From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
Whoever believes that one’s actions do not create specific cause and result, has an atheistic, nihilistic view. At death rebirth will be taken in the lowest hell realm.
Such a view is destructive towards oneself and is harmful to others. It is never the case that the result of karma is less than exacting. Karma will produce the exact result of whatever was causal. This is interdependent origination. Cause and result are created at the same time.
There are ten activities that create a great storehouse of merit; composition, offering, generosity, attentiveness; recitation of Dharma, memorization and teaching Dharma, as well as praying, contemplation and meditation. These are virtuous and produce an auspicious rebirth.
When deeply committed and accomplished in Dharma, one is like a traveler who has their storehouse stocked and fully prepared for anything. If for the three jewels one offers a flower, incense, or a simple butter lamp/candle consistently rebirth is taken in perfect Samadhi.
When I see the suffering, the faults of cyclic existence, I feel deep sorrow. I have long ago abandoned the jail of the realms of samsara. I abandon non- virtue, and persist always in the effort to teach and help to liberate beings! This is the promise, life after life!
© Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo
An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love series
You only have to consider the suffering of sentient beings long enough to help you create within yourself a virtuous mindstream. Once you have created a virtuous mindstream, you no longer need consider suffering. It is not useful to suffer considering suffering. It is only useful if it compels you on a path that ends suffering. That is the point.
Having heard this teaching, I hope you never become weary hearing your teachers talk about suffering. You will only hear about suffering long enough for you to soften your mind and change the way you live. You will only hear about it long enough to fill your life with virtuous and compassionate acts. If you are not completely convinced that all sentient beings are suffering, you can’t help them. You won’t help them. You won’t have the strength or the fortitude to persevere. But once your mind is stable in the practice of compassion, once you are moved by compassion to where it is a fire in your heart and you can’t do anything except that which will end suffering, that which will bring enlightenment to all sentient beings, you don’t need to meditate on suffering anymore. You are already on fire. Once you are convinced of the infallibility of cause and effect, to the extent that there is no more non-virtue in your mindstream, you don’t need to think about suffering anymore. There is no point. You are already doing what is necessary to end suffering. However, once you are so filled with compassion that your whole life is virtuous, your whole life is a vehicle for nothing but compassionate activity, and once you are convinced of the infallibility of cause and effect to the extent that there is no more non-virtue in your mindstream, you are also enlightened!
The point is this. You are receiving this teaching for a certain reason. You might think you are just curious, or interested in Buddhism and would like to explore it a little further. Or you may think you would like to deepen, or you would like to learn all things from all places. Or you may be interested in becoming a Buddhist. Whatever your particular format, you do have a reason, and I bet that reason is based upon the fact that you want to find a way out of suffering not only for yourself, but for all sentient beings as well. When I say ‘out’, I don’t mean that you want to get enlightened and then leave. I mean that you want to find a way out of the kind of mindstream, the kind of phenomena that causes suffering in both you and in all sentient beings. You want to see if there is another option.
Even if you haven’t faced that fact exactly in your heart, you are looking for something, and you are a good person. You wouldn’t be receiving this teaching if you were not a good person. You must be interested; you must have karma with the idea of compassion. Because of the infallible way that karma works, you could not receive this teaching if you didn’t have the karma of compassionate activity. You must have a tremendous amount of virtue squirreled away somewhere. I am not claiming I am such a virtuous teacher that you have to be particularly virtuous to hear me. That is not what I am saying. I am saying that in order to hear the word ‘compassion,’ in order to hear the word ‘Bodhicitta’, in order to even hear these ideas from any source, you have to have a tremendous amount of virtue, because that is the Buddha’s teaching.
© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo
The following teaching is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
Happiness is a habit to be cultivated from within. Our minds are habitual but like a rider on a horse you must direct it.
Like a gardener we must cultivate good qualities. Why follow anyone with poor habits and bad qualities?
Good qualities and habits: attitude of gratitude, generosity, compassion, selflessness, right thinking, understanding of cause and result…
Don’t get caught in the trap of judgment – criticism, whining, neediness, selfishness, sloth, greed, and mindless unhelpful chatter.
What is your work? Is it in line with your morality, beliefs, conscience, does it help others? Is it honest work? These things really matter
The mind really is like a muscle to be used and developed. But so is the heart. Ethics are extremely important!
We make peace within ourselves, it does not visit, we cannot catch it. When our elements are in balance we are peaceful.
Anger, violence, grasping, fearfulness, ignorance, hatred, constant desire- these are some habits that keep us unbalanced.
If we have poor habits and qualities we also have no self esteem. And we go further into the chaos of falsity and lies. Crazy!
In short; be a proper gardener! Pull the weeds of bad habit and quality and plant the seeds of loving kindness! You will BLOOM!
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