#Trijang Rinpoche

[kadampalife]

Exploring the mind-body connection

Strolling on Hampstead Heath recently, an old schoolfriend was telling me how he and his wife have been trying to get out of England for five years now, trying unsuccessfully to get a place in France. The other old schoolfriend we were with was nurturing fantasies of buying a sailing boat, learning to sail, and sailing off around the world with his wife and severely autistic son – again, just to…

[rationalsanskar]

Chittamani Tara (Cittamani)- the “Mind Jewel” Green Tara, an approachable and appealing Highest Yoga Anuttara practice – one of the main practices of many great Gelug teachers – Buddha Weekly: Buddhist Practices, Mindfulness, Meditation

Green Tara Buddha is almost certainly one of the most popular Yidams in Vajrayana Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism especially, Green Tara is accessible to all, Mother of all the Buddhas, and virtually a “universal” symbol of Active Compassionate Wisdom. Green Tara, who is also a Savior Goddess, is as accessible to the prisoner in jail as to the most benevolent of monks — she is Universal and open to all. With her right leg outstretched, ready to leap to our aid, she is among the most approachable of Buddhist deities.

But many people don’t realize she has a “Highest Yoga Tantra” aspect called Chittamani Tara (translates as “Mind Jewel Tara”) — a profound “two stages” practice.

Green Tara (left) is similar to Chittamani Tara (right). In fact they are the same being, but differ in visualization and practice (with Chittamani Tara being a Highest Yoga Tantra practice). Green Tara normally has one lotus (day lotus normally) in her left hand, blooming over her shoulder, while Chittamani Tara is distinguished by TWO uptala (blue night lotus) flowers, one over each shoulder. Often, online, the two are confused, and the two-flower Chittamani Tara is labeled as Green Tara. (Which, of course, is fine by Tara, since Tara is Tara.) Chittamani Tara Thangka was bought from wonderful thangka artist Marianna Rydvald at Dakini Unlimited and is framed on the author’s shrine wall>> 

There is a saying in Tibet, “All men are Chenrezig, and all women are Tara.” This isn’t a light turn of phrase. The Oneness of phenomenon is expressed in this phrase, together with many other profound concepts.

H.E. Zasep Rinpoche, spiritual director of several Buddhist meditation centres in Canada, U.S. and Australia. Photo: Skycave.

During Chittamani Retreat teachings H.E. Zasep Rinpoche explained the concept of Tara teaching universally to all levels of student:

“Tara is everywhere. Tara is in the pure lands. Tara is here also. Why is Tara in the pure lands? Tara is in the pure lands to teach to the Bodhisattvas, the highly realized beings… Then, Tara comes down to us, many aspects of Tara — 21 Taras and so on — and there are other aspects of Tara, like Vajrayogini, Palden Lhamo, and so on and so on. Tara comes to us as deities, as Dharma protectors — so Tara is here, now.” [1]

Tara for all levels of practice

She also appeals to all needs and levels of practice. No initiation is needed to chant her mantra — even the most casual of admirers can benefit from her practice:

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

Yet Tara also has a Highest Yoga Tantra aspect known as Chittamani Tara (sometimes spelled Cittamani, but pronounced ‘ch’.) Visually, aside from two blue uptala (night lotus) flowers in full bloom, she appears to be Green Tara. (Green Tara typically has one fully open uptala in left hand (also called blue night lotus) flower  — and, in some visualizations, one which is “about to open”. Cittamani Tara has two fully open blue uptala flowers. (Sometimes, as in Khadiravani Tara — Tara of the Khadira Forest — she also has two uptala flowers.) She is described as:

“Chittamani Tara, the transcendental deity of emerald colour, with her right hand in the gesture of supreme generosity, and her left, at her heart, in the gesture of bestowing refuge in the three jewels. Each hand holds the stem of an utpala flower. She is beautifully adorned with silks and precious ornaments, seated in the centre of an aura of light with right leg extended and left drawn in. In her heart a green TAM radiates light.”

Photo of a Chittamani Tara thangka by Marianna Rydvald. On Chittamani Tara’s crown is Amitabha Buddha, her “spiritual father” — she is part of the Compassion Lotus family of Amitabha. She is also green, associating her with Buddha Amoghisiddi, and “action.” Chittamani Tara is distinguished by two night lotus (Uptala) flowers over her shoulders. She still has her right leg outstretched, as with Green Tara, ready to leap to the aid of her followers. Chittamani Tara Thangka was bought from wonderful thangka artist Marianna Rydvald at Dakini Unlimited and is framed on the author’s shrine wall>> 

All Taras are one — even though some of the 21 Taras have multiple arms, attributes, gestures, and colours. Gelek Rimpoche, in his “Cittamani Tara Extensive Commentary” said:

The late Gelek Rinpoche of Jewel Heart often laughs during teachings.

“I want you to remember the two legs of the Vajrayana, the relative and the absolute. Whether white, green, yellow, red, dark blue or multicolored, all Taras are Tara, yet each different manifestation does have some particular responsibilities, some special thing. In absolute reality, however, they are all one Tara: the activities of the enlightened beings… In that way Tara is said to be the total activity of the enlightened beings. Their activities have become a being, and that being pops up as the physical form of Tara. In the same way Avalokitesvara is the compassion of all enlightened beings and Manjushri is their wisdom. ” [2]

Tara’s forms are endless. Where there is a need, there is her emanation. Gelek Rinpoche continues:

“To make a long story short, by about this time Tara manifested so many manifestations everywhere, particularly the Twenty-One Taras and the One hundred thousand Taras. The Twenty-One Tara manifestation is very meaningful. When Tara came out of Avalokitesvara’s heart as a helper, a handy-person to all the Buddhas, this handy-person then created another handy-person, who again created another handyperson. All these big manifestations came about at that moment, particularly the White Tara for longevity. Also Rigjema, used for power. Then there is Yangchenma, who is Saraswati in Sanskrit. She is special for literature and language. All these are manifestations of Tara. Even the wrathful protector, Palden Lhamo, is a manifestation of Tara. In that case she is not a yidam but a protector. Palden Lhamo also manifested at that time.”

Chittamani Tara, distinguished by her two blue uptala flowers.

Chittamani Tara Highest Tantra emanation

The well-known Lama H.H. Zong Rinpoche taught and transmitted Chittamani Tara. His Holiness was H.E. Zasep Rinpoche’s guru.

Chittamani Tara is a Highest Yoga Tantra practice (maha anu yoga) of Tara. This does not mean She is a “higher deity” — the Boss Tara. She is still Tara. Tara is always Tara. The Enlightened Mind has no limitations in terms of form. Here, with Chittamani Tara, the form is similar to regular Green Tara — the main difference is only in the practice, and the twin blue uptabla flowers visualized (instead of the single with Green Tara). There are 21 Taras, and 108 Taras for a reason — there are that many ways to practice, and more. There are even other Higher Tantric forms of Tara, including Vajrayogini.

Yet, Chittamani Tara is the “Highest Yoga” Tara from the point of view of Tantric practice as Green Tara. (Not to be confused with Cintamani Tara “Wish-fulfilling” golden Tara.)

Gelek Rimpoche quotes the root text: ” In the root text Tara herself says,

‘According to your wish I will explain how to practice the Tara tantra in the system of maha anu yoga tantra��. Although normally Tara belongs to kriya tantra, this tantra is made into maha anu yoga by Tara herself. And of course, in this particular case, there are many continuing activities through teachings, initiations, and oral transmissions.” [2] Here, Tara was speaking to the great Gelugpa Yogi Takpuwa Dorje Chang.

Maha Anu Yoga Tantra

Chakrasamvara Heruka and Vajrayogini are also Highest Yoga Tantra practices. Vajrayogini is an emanation of Tara.

All schools of Tantric Buddhism have forms of higher yogic practices. In the newer schools (such as Gelug) the highest tantras are Annuttaratantra (or Maha Anu Yoga) — which is associated also with Mahamudra. Highest Yoga Deity Practices in Gelugpa include:

What is Highest Yoga Tantra? Maha Anu Yoga includes both development and completion practices, and are a “full path” to enlightenment, meant for senior practitioners — and only given by permission and empowerment. Translated Annuttarayoga means “Unexcelled Union Continuity.” These practices include subtle body yogas, with a much more involved practice aiming at complete personal transformation and realizations. They also carry a heavier commitment. It is assumed that anyone taking on Highest Yoga Tantric practices is very experienced and focused on serious progress on the path to realizations.

Source of the Chittamani teaching

Pabongkha Rinpoche’s famous and authoritative commentary on Chittamani Tara is the main text referred by teachers. To read requires Empowerment from a teacher of lineage. It is available, translated by David Gonzalez, from Dechen Ling Press>>

Tara Herself gave the practice of Chittamani Tara to Mahasiddha Takpuwa Dorje Chang. The practice is the best known of the rarely taught “13 initiations from the Clear Vision of Gelugpa Yogi Takpuwa Dorje Chang” in the 19th century. Is this the same Tara we know and love? Yes, she’s still Green Tara, albeit a Tara who gifted us with a complete Highest Yoga Tantra practice cycle.

Chittamani Tara is a main practice of many of history’s great Gelug teachers, including Pabongkha Rinpoche (who wrote the most authoritative and widely-respected commentary: see inset photo), H.H. Trijang Rinpoche (tutor of the current Dalai Lama), and H.H. Zong Rinpoche. Today, relatively few Lamas transmit the precious empowerments and teachings.

For serious practitioners, who adore Green Tara, Chittamani Tara is a much sought-after teaching and practice — although the practice commitment is at a higher level in terms of time and sincerity. As a Highest Yoga Tantra practice, it includes all stages of practice: Development and Completion. It includes a unique and profound “body mandala.”

It is not acceptable to practice Chittamani Tara practice, despite her otherwise famous accessibility to all, without permission, teaching and empowerment of a qualified Guru of lineage. This is because the practices should not be attempted by those who have not received teachings.

For those not yet ready for Higher Yogic practices, Green Tara is ready in many other forms — especially 21 Taras. Chanting the 21 Praise of Tara daily is for everyone — and helps bring Her energy and blessings into your life.

[1] Cittamani Tara 2011, Nelson Gaden for the West retreat with H.E. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche

[2] Cittamani Tara Extensive Commentary, Gelek Rimpoche of Jewel Heart

This content was originally published here.

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[garywonghc]

The Eight Auspicious Signs Explained

by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Probably many of us do not know how important these eight auspicious signs are and how they affect our lives. They can be used externally to help with one’s own success as well as with the FPMT organisation to be successful in benefiting others and working for the [dissemination of the] teachings of the Buddha. Putting these eight auspicious signs around everywhere, outside and also inside the rooms, makes things very auspicious. It is not necessary to put all eight together, and they don’t all need to be in the same place. They can be placed separately at different locations, but you should have all of them.

The eight auspicious signs are the umbrella, yellow fish, vase, lotus, white conch shell, glorious peu, banner and Dharma chakra.

Here is the meaning of these eight auspicious signs according to my root guru, His Holiness Trijang Dorje Chang’s explanation.

1. The precious umbrella saves us from all this life’s obstacles – such as sicknesses, contagious diseases, spirit possessions, interferers and so forth – and also from the next life’s obstacles – the sufferings of the three evil-gone-ones, 3 of the devas, human beings and so forth. It saves us completely from being tormented by the heat of both temporary and long-term sufferings. It has the dependent arising of giving the extended joy of a cooling shadow of peace and happiness.

2. The yellow fish. Fish swim as they like without fear in the ocean. Like that [the yellow fish] is a dependent arising for oneself and others to run and enjoy freely with no resistance from happiness to happiness without fear of drowning in the oceans of suffering.

3. The vase of great treasure is a dependent arising that brings unceasingly all desired things, the fortune of a glorious life, enjoyments and so forth in the three realms of existence (the desire, form and formless realms) and peace (liberation from samsara).

4. The lotus is a dependent arising that frees us from all the stains of mistakes – the non-virtues of body, speech and mind. The abundant blossoming of a hundred petals of white virtue brings an abundance of the good essence of honey – everlasting happiness, definite goodness (liberation and the state of omniscient mind).

5. The white conch shell swirling clockwise is a dependent arising announcing the sweet melody of the profound and extensive Dharma that fits the elements, level of mind and wishes of sentient beings who are the objects to be subdued. It awakens transmigratory beings from the ignorant sleep of unknowing and persuades them to accomplish works for the benefit and happiness of themselves and others.

6. The glorious peu is a dependent arising for Dharma and politics to utilise and support each other in one continuous connection. Like that, at the time of the path, method and wisdom connect by being unified with each other; emptiness and dependent arising are connected in one without contradiction. At the time of the resultant state of buddha, omniscience and compassion are unified.

7. The banner is a dependent arising for the activities of one’s own three doors and those of others not be stepped upon by obstacles or disharmonious conditions but to be victorious and for the precious teachings of the Buddha to be victorious in the war over the black side, the types of maras.

8. The golden Dharmachakra is a dependent arising for the precious wheel of the holy Dharma, the scriptures and realisations of the Victorious One, to turn unceasingly in the whole universe. In dependence upon that, all those who are reborn and degenerating (samsaric beings who are continually being reborn and dying under the control of karma and delusion) apply themselves to the most glorious virtue, total liberation.

Wherever these eight auspicious signs exist, there will be the dependent arising of increasing the virtue of auspiciousness.

[buddhasaves]

Gaden Shartse Monastery, India (till 1983) "For many decades, the Dorje Shugden statue above resided in the protector chapel within Gaden Shartse Monastery‘s large prayer hall, also known as the Lachi. The protector chapel also housed various statues and images of other Dharma protectors such as Mahakala, Kalarupa, Shidak Gyenye, Yamantaka and Vaisravana. Installed by HH Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, HH Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, and 2,000 sangha members of Gaden Monastery, this sacred statue was worshipped by thousands of pilgrims, sangha members and lay people who made daily offerings and prayers to Dorje Shugden." Continue reading here: http://bit.ly/2K6l5Zv #buddhism #buddha #tibetans #spiritual #wisdom #TsemRinpoche #Manjushri #bhodrangzen #compassion #dharma #sangha #devotion #inspiration #news #FreeTibet #TibetCause #TheLieLama #DalaiLama #humanrights #Tibetan #bhodrangzen #JaiHind #India #Tibet #FreeTibet #Lhasa #mumbai #bangalore #TwoPanchenLamas

[wheelofgreatbliss]

KYABJE TRIJANG DORJECHANG RINPOCHE

[vajranam]

The Gelug Lineage

The Gelug Lineage The Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism was founded by Lama Tsongkhapa in the early 14th century. This tradition strongly emphasized the monastic system as a basis for the study and practice of Lord ShakyaMuni Buddha’s teachings of Sutra and Tantra. Lama Tsongkhapa founded the Gelug tradition not too long after Acharya Dipamkara Shrijnana or Palden Atisha, the great Indian Buddhist master visited Tibet in the early 11th century. Atisha went to Tibet at the invitation of Lha-Lama Yeshi Woe and his nephew Jangchub Woe. He was invited to Tibet to restore the purity of Buddha’s teachings because there was some confusion and corruption in the teachings and practices of Tibetan Buddhism there. Atisha was believed to have lived in Tibet for 17 years. For three years he lived in Ngari of western Tibet, fpr nine years he lived in Nyethang, and fpr five years he lived in the central part of Tibet. He gave extensive teachings on Sutra and Tantra and refined Buddha’s teachings during his stay there. While in Tibet, Atisha wrote a famous book called A Lamp On The Path To Enlightenment as a formal response to the questions raised by the Tibetan masters and scholars. The purpose of the book was in to clarify misinterpretations of the Dharma that were spreading throughout Tibet. A Lamp On The Path To Enlightenment solidifies the very essence of Buddha’s teachings of Sutra and Tantra. Atisha founded the so-called KADAM TRADITION which provided the basis for the reforms of Lama Tsongkhapa in the early 14th century. Atisha had hundreds of disciples in Tibet, but of all of them the most important was Lama Drom Tonpa, who is often said to have been an early incarnation of the Dalai Lamas. It was to Lama Drom that Atisha left most of his lineages, including the Lam Rim lineage that is the subject of the Lam Rim Chenmo, The Great Exposition On The Stages Of The Path To Enlightenment by Lama Tsongkhapa. Lama Drom Tonpa divided the tradition into three lines of transmission, and these were not to be reunited for three hundred years. Then in the 14th century Lama Tsongkhapa, root Guru of the First Dalai Lama, united the fragmented lineages. Since then, the complete tradition has always been passed on intact. Using Kadam as the foundation, Lama Tsongkhapa established the Gaden Namper Gyal wey Ling, the monastic based university for the study of Buddha’s teachings of Sutra and Tantra. Later, two of his chief disciples founded two other monastic universities: Drepung and Sera. Drepung and Sera monasteries ended up becoming more popular and reknown than Gaden because of their academic study, and because they produced a greater number of scholars than Gaden Monastery. Gaden, Drepung, and Sera monasteries were the most important academic seats for the study and practice of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet and are also the most important academic seats in India today. The Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism can be traced back to Atisha, and Atisha’s teaching lineage can be traced back to Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The Gelug tradition stresses the importance of the observation of the Vinaya as a primary base for the practices of Sutra and Tantra. For this reason, the Gelug put a lot of emphasis on monasticism where monks and nuns strictly observe the Vinaya ethical codes. The Gelug tradition addresses the importance of a strong monastic-based academic study of the five major Buddhist philosophies. They emphasize this in order to gain a full and complete understanding of the Sutric and Tantric teachings of Buddha before putting them into actual practice, or before sitting in the JADREL, which is the life-long solitude retreat. The Gelug tradition also stresses the importance of having a strong Sutric foundation in order to study and practice Tantra. Practicing Tantric without having a strong Sutric foundation would be as if someone were flying a plane and attempting to take-off without an available run-way: it would only end in disaster. In the Gelug tradition, Lama Tsongkhapa is regarded as the central figure of Guru Yoga practice, which is the root of the path and the source of blessings to succeed in one’s spiritual training. Lama Tsongkhapa’s text called Foundation of All Perfection, is a formal petition to the lineage gurus for the instant realization of the stages on the spiritual path. He states: Joyfully and humbly following a kind Guru, the foundation of all perfections, Is the very root and source of the path and of blessings. Empower me to realize this very clearly And to make a mindful effort in every moment to follow him well with the irreversible feeling of devotion, trust, respect and humility. Gaden Tripa is the supreme head of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism since he is the throne holder of Lama Tsongkhapa. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is regarded as the spiritual head of all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug. His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself holds the Gelug tradition of teachings and practice. *** During Lama Tsongkhapa’s time, there was no one master or school versed in all the practices and Lama Tsongkhapa studied with many great masters in all the three schools, Sakya, Nyingma and Kagyu. In time, Tsongkhapa combined these teachings into a new approach to Buddhism which is the Gelug lineage, which soon became the most prevalent school of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Following the foundation of the first Gelugpa monastery, Ganden in 1409 by Lama Tsongkapa, the Gelugpa strongly expanded with the building of many more monastic strongholds including Drepung and Sera monasteries. Some of the greatest masters of the Gelug Lineage are: Pabongka Rinpoche Trijang Kyabje Rinpoche The Dalai Lama Zong Rinpoche Pabongka Rinpoche Pabongka Rinpoche was born in 1878, at a town called Tsawa Li in the Yeru Shang district of the state of Tsang, north of Lhasa in Tibet. His full name was Kyabje Pabongkapa Jetsun Jampa Tenzin Trinley Gyatso Pel Sangpo, which translates as the “Lord Protector, the one from Pabongka, the venerable and glorious Master whose name is the Loving One, Keeper of the Buddha’s Teachings, Ocean of the Mighty Deeds of the Buddha.” He is also popularly known as “Dechen Nyingpo,” which means “Essence of Great Bliss” and refers to his mastery of the secret teachings of Buddhism. As a child Pabongka Rinpoche already exhibited unusual qualities and in his seventh year was taken before Sharpa Chuje Lobsang Dargye, one of the leading religious figures of the day, who foretold that if the child were placed in the Gyalrong House of Sera Mey Monastery, something “wonderful would happen with him in the future.” Later on, he was found to be a reincarnation of the Changkya line, which included the well-known scholar Changkya Rolpay Dorje (1717-1786 AD). The Lamas of this line had done much teaching in the regions of Mongolia and China, including in the court of the Chinese emperor himself. Pabongka studied with Jaba Sonpo Rinpoche; however his root Guru or Spiritual Guide was Dagpo Lama Rinpoche. Je Phabongkhapa was a keen meditator and emphasized Lamrim, Lojong and Mahamudra. When he had finished his studies at Sera Monastery, he visited Dagpo Lama Rinpoche in his cave and was sent into a Lamrim retreat nearby. According to Ribur Rinpoche: “Dagpo Lama Rinpoche would teach him a Lam-rim topic and then Pabongka Rinpoche would go away and meditate on it. Later he would return to explain what he’d understood: if he had gained some realization, Dagpo Lama Rinpoche would teach him some more and Pabongka Rinpoche would go back and meditate on that. It went on like this for ten years.” Pabongka Rinpoche is best known for his classic introductory text, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, which is based on a 24 day teaching he gave in 1921 at Chuzang Hermitage near Lhasa to a mass gathering of monks, nuns and lay people, and his commentaries on various books by Je Tsongkhapa. He was also the root Lama of both Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, the two tutors of the present Dalai Lama, and the teacher of most of the other Gelug Lamas who have been bringing the Dharma to the West since they fled Tibet in 1959. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche His Holiness Trijang Kyabje was the Junior Tutor to H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama. Coming from a devout family, Trijang Rinpoche’s father Tserin Dondrub, descended from the uncle of the 7th Dalai Lama, Losang Kelsang Gyatso, and was knowledgeable in religion. His mother, Tsering Drolma, came from the village of Gungtang Nanggong. Considered an emanation of Vajrayogini, Trijang Rinpoche’s first incarnation was that of chariot driver Chandra. It was Chandra who escorted Buddha Shakyamuni out of the palace for the final time, to renounce his worldly position to become a Buddha. Chandra exchanged his clothes with Shakyamuni before bidding him goodbye, thus leaving him to begin his spiritual path. Trijang Rinpoche’s early life follows that of many other reincarnated great beings. Miracles were witnessed at the time of Trijang Rinpoche’s birth in Gungtang in the winter of 1901 – it is said that an apricot tree flowered and bore 30 apricots at his birth even though it was deep winter. Before he could walk, he showed great interest in religious paintings, statues, and Tantric ritual implements; and would make as if he was reciting prayers. News of his precocious actions reached Ngarampa Losang Tendar and Geshe Gendun Dragpa Chen. They were responsible for finding the reincarnation of Losang Tsultrim Palden, who was the Ganden Tripa and former Trijang Rinpoche. Upon hearing of the child, they travelled to his birth place of Gungtang – on seeing them, he yelled out: “Gendun Dragpa!” and later asked him to wash his feet. Gendun Dragpa used to wash the feet of Losang Tsultrim Palden when he had rheumatism. The child also correctly identified the former Trijang Rinpoche’s private Buddha statue, rosary and bowl from among a selection. This and other signs led the search party to conclude that they had probably found the correct incarnation. At the age of 5, Trijang Rinpoche met Pabongka Rinpoche and received his first teaching, set of Initiations into Manjushri from the Secret Lineage of Tsongkhapa. Pabongka Rinpoche took great delight in caring for the young child. Their strong connection was to last a lifetime and he became Pabongka Rinpoche’s closest disciple. Trijang Rinpoche received many profound teachings from Pabongka Rinpoche, including the oral instructions of many secret Gelugpa lineages; and he also engaged in Tantric retreats. In 1967 Trijang Rinpoche taught Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land (Gaden Lhagyama) to hundreds of students in Dharamsala, and in 1970 he gave similar teachings in Bodhgaya. In 1932 he gave more extensive teachings at Ganden Shartse and Jangste monasteries. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was the root lama of many Gelug Lamas who teach in the West including Zong Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten, Lama Yeshe, Lama Gangchen Rinpoche and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of Gendun Drupa (1391-1474), who was a direct pupil of Lama Tsongkhapa. Gendun Drupa founded the great monasteries of Drepung and Tashillhunpo, and during his life he was among the most respected scholars in Tibet. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are believed to be enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th reincarnation. He was born in 1935, two years after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama. When he was three years old, signs and visions led senior monks to find the little boy who was named Lhamo Dhondup at that time, living with his farming family in northeastern Tibet, and declared him to be the 14th Dalai Lama. His Holiness began his monastic education at the age of six. His tutors were H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and H.H. Kyabje Ling Rinpoche. The curriculum consisted of five major and five minor subjects. This is the same primary education that applies to all monks pursuing a doctorate in Buddhist studies. The major subjects included logic, Tibetan art and culture, Sanskrit, medicine, and Buddhist philosophy. The last, the most important and the most difficult was subdivided into further five categories: Prajnaparamita, the perfection of wisdom; Madhyamika, the philosophy of the Middle Way; Vinaya, the canon of monastic discipline; Abidharma, metaphysics; and Pramana, logic and epistemology. The five minor subjects included poetry, music and drama, astrology and phrasing, and synonyms. At the age of 11, His Holiness met the Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer, having spotted him in Lhasa through his telescope. Harrer effectively became one of the young Dalai Lama’s tutors, and taught him about the outside world. The two remained friends until Harrer’s death in 2006. In 1950, His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power, which he did, including going to Beijing in 1954 for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, including Deng Xiaoping. However in 1959, His Holiness eventually escaped from Tibet to go into exile in India. It was on 17 March 1959 during a consultation with Nechung Oracle that His Holiness was given an explicit instruction to leave the country. The Oracle’s decision was further confirmed when a divination performed by His Holiness produced the same answer. The odds against making a successful break seemed terrifyingly high. However, for the sake of his people and the continuance of Tibet, His Holiness decided to make that 14-day harrowing journey through the Himalayas. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a man of peace. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. He has consistently advocated policies of non-violence, even in the face of extreme aggression. He also became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental problems. 

His Holiness has travelled to more than 67 countries spanning 6 continents. He has received over 150 awards, honorary doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. He has also authored or co-authored more than 110 books. Zong Rinpoche Zongtrul Jetsun Losang Tsondru Thubten Gyaltsen or Venerable Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, as he is known to countless ordained and lay disciples, was a great scholar and tantra master of the Gelugpa lineage born in Kham in 1905. Following various unusual observations accompanying his birth, he was declared as the rebirth of Tenpa Püntsok, a local monk and tulku. It is said that already in an early stage of his childhood he performed various magical miracles and was able to invoke a female naga goddess (mystical serpent being) in a nearby lake. In 1916 he went to Lhasa to study the dharma at Shartse college, where he studied the sutras of the Prajnaparamita, Madhyamika, the Abidharma and the Vinaya. Zong Rinpoche received his full ordination from the Thirteenth Dalai Lama at the Potala Palace, and soon after that, during even his first year at the monastery, his teachers began to see in the young lama the makings of a talented debater. During an all-night debating session on Pramana between Ganden’s twin colleges of Shartse and Jangtse, he surprised the senior Jangtse scholars with the depth of his debating skills. Some months following his studies, Zong Rinpoche was appointed abbot of Ganden Shartse Monastery, the seat of which he held for nine years. His abbotship is still remembered for many remarkable achievements, among others, Ganden Shartse gained new heights of exemplary monastic discipline (which he held closest to his heart) and scholarship. Also noteworthy was the definite improvement in the administrative structure of the monastery. Stung early by the difficulties the poorest members faced, he successfully introduced reforms that went a long way to improve their lot. After resigning from the seat of Abbot after serving the monastery for more than nine years, Rinpoche went on a long pilgrimage to Tsari, one of the places where Tsongkhapa went for penance. Zong Rinpoche first came to teach in the West in 1978, at the request of Lama Thubten Yeshe. He had been asked by him twice before, but had refused. Altogether he travelled to the West three times, the last two times staying extensive periods in America and Europe. Zong Rinpoche had many disciples in Tibet, India and the West. He was the teacher and root Guru of H.E Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, as well as a teacher of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of the FPMT. He was also one of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s teachers. Zong Rinpoche passed away at 9:30 in the morning, Thursday November 15, 1984 at his monastery Ganden Shartse, in Mundgod, South India without without manifesting any signs of illness. The most interesting thing is that Rinpoche had marked the date of his death and the date of cremation in his personal dairy prior to his death. His new incarnation was born in the Kullu valley (place in Northern India), later on duly recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and enthroned at Ganden Shartse monastery in India. Like his previous incarnation he also shows many heart moving signs confirming that he is the real Zong Rinpoche and has only changed his physical outlook. It is remarkable that one of the things the previous Zong Rinpoche did during his last visit to the United States was to buy a bag of children’s toys. Source: charlestontibetansociety.org and Lama-Tsongkhapa.com

[andreafarinet1]

Questa notte Rimpoche Lama Gangchen ha lasciato il corpo. 🙏

Io circa venti anni fa ho avuto la possibilità di conoscerlo e di diventarne amico. Straordinario maestro di vita spirituale e di sensibilità ambientale. Una grande gioia ed un grande onore incontrarlo ed ogni volta riscoprire la bellezza dei suoi insegnamenti. « Seguire un sentiero spirituale non vuol dire abbandonare il mondo, ma lavorare per migliorarlo. » (Tratto da «Oracolo di folle saggezza», di Lama Gangchen)

Lama Gangchen Tulku Rinpoche(Dakshu, 7 luglio 1941 - Verbania 18 aprile 2020) è stato un monaco buddhista tibetano.

Nato in una famiglia di contadini di Dakshu, un minuscolo villaggio dello Tsang, in Tibet occidentale, fu chiamato Wangdu Gyelpo.

All'età di tre anni fu riconosciuto come la reincarnazione di Kacen Sapenla, celebre lama guaritore appartenente a un antico lignaggio di maestri reincarnati iniziato con Darikapa, uno degli ottantaquattro maggiori Mahasiddha venerati in Tibet, e in cui figurano Zango Tashi, uno degli abati del Monastero di Tashilhunpo, residenza dei Panchen Lama, e molti lama che in vita ebbero rapporti stretti con gli stessi Grandi Eruditi. A cinque anni, Wangdu Gyelpo entrò dunque come novizio di scuola Gelug nel Monastero di Gangchen, distante dodici chilometri dal villaggio natio, ove fu ribattezzato Thinley Yarpel Lama Shresta. Negli anni, i suoi principali maestri furono lama eminenti quali Song Rinpoce e, soprattutto, il XVII Trijang Rinpoce, personalità molto potente e rispettata in quanto insegnante del XIV Dalai Lama, da cui ricevette l'iniziazione di Dorje Shugden, spirito protettore dei Gelug. Tra le maggiori iniziazioni che ricevette figurano quelle di Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja, Heruka, Vajrayogini, e, soprattutto, quella di Bhaiṣajyaguru, il Bodhisattva della Medicina, in conformità alla sua preparazione quale futuro lama guaritore.

Ci mancherà molto la tua saggezza ed il tuo sorriso,

Anima nobile e pura......

Grazie per il tuo esempio di vita e di compassione.

🙏❤🙏

#lamagangchen #lamamichel

#ahmc

[kadampalife]

A light in the darkness

A light in the darkness

7 mins read.

In this last article, When the student is ready the teacher appears, I was in the middle of talking about Venerable Geshe-la — there are just so many things to say about him, but I had to stop in order to give you time to eat your supper and scream at the TV.

Joking of course. But having said that, I do hope you’re finding time to tune into Dharma books and Buddhist TV…

[garywonghc]

Buddhist Traditions

by Kalu Rinpoche

The Buddha said that many hundreds of Dharma traditions would come into this world. All traditions would arise from the perfect action of awakened buddhas and would be their means of helping sentient beings. What would these means be like? Entrusting ourselves to some religious traditions would enable us to take birth in the elevated planes of those religions: as human beings or as desire realm celestial beings. Through entrusting ourselves to others, we could be born into the seventeen planes of the form realm or in the four states of the formless realm. Moreover, they reveal ways of blocking the access to ill-gone states (as animals, etc.) and gaining elevated planes of existence. All give us strength and transforming powers.

Some practices are meant to give us the capability of attaining Lesser Vehicle levels of the Enemy Conqueror and the Solitary Realiser (Hinayana arhat and pratyekabuddha) and others give the ability to reach the Greater Vehicle (bodhisattva and Buddha). They do this, and so I believe in all religious traditions. All derive from the perfect actions of the Buddha and give sentient beings release from cyclic existence in both temporary and ultimate senses. Accordingly, these are the subjects I teach my disciples.

While I was in Tibet there were eight major Buddhist traditions, but nowadays in India, the Land of Superiors, only four have been able to flourish. These are Sakya, Gelug, Nyingma and Kagyü. Again, each conveys the stainless word of the Buddha above all and has produced successions of expert scholars and realised saints (pandit and siddhalabdha) to further it.

Thus each is like pure gold, authentic Dharma untainted by anything vile, a thing most people don’t find even when they search, something that can lead to liberation from cyclic existence and to omniscience. This is Dharma in all its profundity and vastness.

If they are all the Dharma of the Buddha, why are there all these different systems? Generally speaking, the variety is produced according to the inclinations of different people. Each particular system is distinctly for the aptitudes of particular people whose minds are ready to be cultivated by such a system.

All four major traditions have in common the four ways of converting frames of thought, going for refuge, generating the two precious gems of relative and absolute enlightenment mentalities, and evolution and perfection phases. It is not for anyone to call one good and others bad. All are only good.

Nonetheless, each individual tradition has its own records of profound gracious advice from the personal experience (gDams ngag) of particular gurus and from the oral tradition techniques for efficiency (man-ngag) transferred from one vessel (i.e. disciple) to another. It is while someone is involved in the practice of his religious system that he is given detailed essential pith instructions by the noblest lamas.

It seems to me that each tradition must benefit someone who has the inclination and prior associations and so I have no partiality to any of the Dharma traditions. Call them systems of gracious advice or Dharma; all are what I teach.

In addition, all traditions stress good practice of the principle of cause and effect and in this every one of them maintains above all the four ways of converting of thought — the turning about in our patterns of thought regarding this cyclic existence — as the means of a basis for being able to aim for liberation and buddhahood.

As for a general account of my lamas: in Tibet the lord of all doctrine is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Everyone knows that. As such, out of his great compassion he puts into operation the means for all presentations of doctrine without distinction enabling them to flourish more and more and for helping particular sentient beings and migrating beings in general. Consequently, he is also an exceptional lord of exposition in each doctrine.

At present the lord of Kagyü doctrine is His Holiness Karmapa, whose name is well renowned, the lord of Nyingma doctrine is Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, and the lord of Sakya doctrine is Sakya Dagchen Rinpoche. While acting as the heads of doctrine, these four provide (spiritual needs) with great kindness and, due to this, in places like India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim, the Buddha’s teachings are flourishing and radiating like a shining sun.

As far as I’m concerned, I have been fortunate enough to gain many empowerments, transmissions and discourses from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his two tutors, Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. I have also received many from my root guru, His Holiness Karmapa and from both Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche and Sakya Trizin Rinpoche. By entrusting myself to many lamas of all four traditions I am creating good associations and a great sense of belief. Furthermore, within my group of disciples, there are many monks and lamas of the four traditions and I feel that I serve their doctrine without discrimination in tenets.

However, I must be really fortunate to have Sakyapas, Nyingmapas, Kagyüpas, and Gelugpas all in my monastery. Subsequently, through bearing all tenets of the religious traditions as my crown, and revering them, I hope to be a practitioner of them all and similarly intend the recipients of my teaching to have great belief in all doctrine.

When someone has an association with some system of Dharma and a lama, it is permissible that he mainly practices that particular doctrine. Such tendencies are the result of the force of his individual activities in prior lifetimes. Apart from this, I feel that to be a believer without distinction in all tenets is authentic evidence of a noble being. It is an outcome of having accomplishments of expertise, sincerity and goodness, that the lamas, abbots, masters and tulkus can explain, debate and compose, bringing about the welfare of sentient beings; and all have great belief without distinction.

So it is that the teachings of Buddha are spreading through the West for the first time. In this pioneering context you might think yourself a practitioner merely through having heard some scanty pieces of Dharma.

On the other hand, not remaining content with a limited understanding of the Dharma, you might make a proper study of it and from the outset with the motivation of benefiting sentient beings, you could put into practice all of the teachings about the opportunities so hard to achieve (precious human body), death and impermanence, cause and result and the faults of cyclic existence, followed by the ten grounds and five paths up to the ultimate: buddhahood.

Thus, to whichever lama you might entrust yourself — Sakyapa, Gelugpa or Nyingmapa — if with belief you combine your mind with the aim for perfection of the practices by every means, then doing them will be worthwhile.

Otherwise, by pursuing diverse aspects of Dharma in meager ways, learning a few phrases here and there, and acting out the semblance of being a practitioner, it will be difficult to derive much benefit. Is it not better to practice perfection without cheating yourself?

[buddhasaves]

„After Domo Geshe Rinpoche Ngawang Kalsang the founder passed away in 1936, the Dungkar Monastery’s administration requested the central Tibetan government for permission to embalm his body. Although only the bodies of the Dalai Lamas and the Panchen Lamas were customarily embalmed and sealed in large stupas, the request was granted. The Regent Reting Rinpoche’s decree read, “In Southern Tibet, including Sikkim, etc., Domo Geshe Rinpoche’s activities were exactly like those of Je Tsong Khapa. In accordance, we will allow Rinpoche’s body to be preserved.” The holy stupa was consecrated in 1938 by Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche Dorje Chang and remained an object of veneration until it, along with the entire Dungkar Monastery, was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution.“ Continue reading here: The 14th Dalai Lama’s prayer to Dorje Shugden http://bit.ly/2Kpto1M #buddhism #buddha #tibetans #spiritual #wisdom #TsemRinpoche #Manjushri #bhodrangzen #compassion #dharma #sangha #devotion #inspiration #FreeTibet #TibetCause #TheLieLama #DalaiLama #humanrights #bhodrangzen #JaiHind #India #Tibet #FreeTibet #Lhasa #mumbai #bangalore #TwoPanchenLamas #buddhists #zen #DorjeShugden

[ngakpakonchokdorjetsondonmystic]

Prayer wheel

Benefits of Making Prayer Wheels

by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

 The Source of the Practice of the Mani Wheel

As the great master Nagarjuna was predicted by the Great Compassionate One: “In the naga’s country in the palace of the King of Nagas, the bodhisattva possesses one very powerful Dharma wheel. Just by seeing, hearing, touching, or remembering the Dharma wheel, you will quickly be liberated from the suffering of the lower realms. With this you will produce extensive works for sentient beings.”

The Limitless Light Buddha Amitabha said: “For the benefit of sentient beings of the degenerate age, I have explained the benefits of the mani wheel. The one who practices while turning equals the fortune of the thousand buddhas.”

The Founder Savior, the unequalled Shakya King, told the bodhisattva Dripa Namsil: “It is more beneficial to turn the Dharma wheel one time than [to be] a meditator of highest capacity who engages in one-year retreat on the essence meaning of mantra. It is more beneficial than [to be] a middle capacity meditator who does retreat for seven years or a lower capacity meditator who does a nine-year retreat.”

Manjushri said: “The four protectors and the ten direction guardians will protect you from all obstacles, from all directions and corners. The negative karma of the lower realms, the five uninterrupted actions, and the ten non-virtuous actions are purified. You will travel to all the pure lands of the buddhas, and in the Blissful Pure Land. You will be reborn on the lion’s throne in the lotus heart of the Blissful Pure Land. You will perform the actions of all the buddhas in all directions.”

Manjushri said: “This great Dharma wheel protects you from all the harm-givers, devas, spirit possessions, from the nagas down below, from Steno in the middle, and from the multitude of yakshas.”

From The Peerless Wish-Granting Jewel Tantra: “The person who turns this wheel which possesses OM MANI PADME HUM will be blessed by all the gurus, the deities will grant realizations, those gone to bliss will pay attention to him or her, and the Dharma protectors will eliminate all obstacles.”

From The Will of the Action of the Compassionate Eye Loving One: “Each time you turn this OM MANI PADME HUM Dharma wheel equals the number (of the mantra) of the approximation retreat.”

The benefits of establishing the Dharma wheel in earth, water, fire, and wind: “When you put this great wheel OM MANI PADME HUM up in the wind, all those sentient beings who are touched by the wind and all those migrators abiding in the direction of the wind will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms. When you place the Dharma wheel in the fire, any sentient being who smells the smoke and all those migrators who see the light of the fire will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms. If you place the Dharma wheel in the ground, all those migrator beings who receive the dust and the sentient beings abiding in that ground will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms. If you place the Dharma wheel in water, all those sentient beings abiding and drinking the water will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms.”

Therefore, the fortunate capable beings turn the great Dharma wheel upright: the highest intelligent person will achieve enlightenment and work for sentient beings; the middle capable being will achieve fortunate rebirth and join the holy Dharma; and the lowest capable being will achieve good rebirth, separate from the ten non-virtuous actions.

If you place the Dharma wheel at home and turn it, the migrator beings abiding in that house will be liberated, and the home will become similar to the Potala (Pure Land of Chenrezig). At the time of death, if you place the Dharma wheel with OM MANI PADME HUM next to your head and make requests with intense devotional mind, without need of practicing powa (transference of consciousness) your consciousness will be transferred in one instant to the heart of the Compassionate One. Therefore, without qualms of a two-pointed mind in this profound supreme Dharma wheel, one should cherish it, build the Dharma wheel with perseverance, and turn it with an intense wish.

The Savior Loving One Maitreya said: “If you offer good divine robes to the profound Dharma wheel, you will receive good clothing for 500 lifetimes. Due to the merits of having offered the hook to the profound Dharma wheel, you will be able to go through all the paths of liberation. By the merits of offering the hanging weight, you will become the savior of all migrator beings. You will accumulate more merits than having recited 100,000 times 10,000,000 mantras. The titans and the harm-givers will prostrate to you. You will control human beings, wealth, and food. All your connections will become meaningful, and sentient beings touched by your shadow will be liberated from the lower realms.”

If you offer various needs – food and so forth – to this Dharma wheel with OM MANI PADME HUM, you will become the thousand wheel–turning Dharma king, enjoying whatever you wish. And at the end you will meet the Superior Compassionate Eye Looking One. For those fortunate beings who reveal this Dharma wheel possessing OM MANI PADME HUM to others, or explain or spread the teachings of this wheel, it is like spreading the teachings of the buddhas.

From The Tantra Possessing the Lotus Garland: “In short, all the accumulation of vices, defeats, downfalls, and so forth will be purified without effort. One is liberated just by seeing and hearing.”

From The Tantra of the Circle of Six Thousand: “Even for the person who turns this precious wheel, any sentient being who sees, hears, remembers, or touches him or her completes the merits, purifies defilements, and achieves enlightenment.”

From The Sutra of the Great Chu Lung: “By the merits generated by offering a golden pinnacle (to the Dharma wheel), one will receive perfect enjoyments for eons. Due to the merits of having offered services, one will possess a good heart and clear mind wisdom. The person who turns the Dharma wheel will become the son of the thousand buddhas, the guide of all migrators. Thus is explained by the Buddha. When death comes, place the Dharma wheel at your crown and you won’t need to practice powa. When you carry the Dharma wheel and meet other sentient beings, even those who have killed their father or mother will be liberated. Even the sentient beings who see the wheel on the bridge will be liberated.”

Dictated to Fabrizio Champa Palgye in Dharamsala March 1998, for Richard Gere who came for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Losar teachings.

 The Mani Wheel

Around Losar 1998, I had a silver prayer wheel that had been ordered by Lama Pasang. Richard Gere was in Dharamsala at that time and did not know about mani prayer wheels, so I mentioned how I had found a prayer wheel text and how important and beneficial prayer wheels were. In the past, in Solu Khumbu, I hadn’t believed that turning a prayer wheel could become Dharma, because Dharma has to do with the mind. But all the Solu Khumbu old people, including my mother, used to turn prayer wheels almost all day, even when crossing mountains by foot.

Then I found a text that had belonged to the Lawudo Lama, who is said to be my past life incarnation and whose name was Lama Yeshe. Most of the texts left in the Lawudo Lama’s very humid cave were handwritten, so I had to dry them out on the roof for a while. While doing this, I noticed one old scripture called Mani Kumbum (The 100,000 Teachings on Mani). There were two or three lines talking about the lineage of prayer wheels. Nagarjuna received it from the land of the nagas, who had originally received it from Chenrezig. Nagarjuna passed the lineage on to Lion-Face Dakini; she passed it to Padmasambhava, and he then brought it to Tibet. These references gave me faith.

Then the text explained the visualization of how different colored beams of light emanate from the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM throughout the six realms of samsara, purifying sentient beings of the five types of delusion and generating the five types of wisdom in their minds. This, too, gave me faith in prayer wheel practice.

When I told Richard about all this, he immediately said that he was fully convinced and also had faith in the practice, so I gave him my silver prayer wheel. Later he had to go to Bombay to raise funds for people with AIDS and took the prayer wheel with him. Many actors came to meet him, and because he was carrying the prayer wheel, they touched it and felt its power. One actress felt so much power that she started to shake.

Anyway, I translated the benefits of prayer wheels for Richard, choosing quotations from a text compiled by the Seventh Panchen Lama, Tempai Nyima, which I had received in Sydney from Kechog Rinpoche, an incarnate lama from Sera-me Monastery. As well as explaining the extensive benefits of prayer wheels, this text also tells you how to make them. The end few quotations are from another text by a Kagyu lama; it might be based on the explanations of Karma Pakshi, the Second Karmapa Lama.

My root guru, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, built the McLeod Ganj prayer wheel that is situated near the many Tibetan restaurants and Indian vegetable shops. It was built for people young and old to turn and circumambulate in order to purify their negative karma and collect extensive merit to quickly get out of samsara and achieve enlightenment. It was also built in memory of one of His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche’s attendants who had taken care of and served Rinpoche since he was very young. This attendant had passed away in India, so the prayer wheel was build for his purification as well, for him to complete the path and achieve enlightenment. That was the immediate cause for building that prayer wheel, but of course, it was to benefit everyone else as well.

When Geshe Rabten Rinpoche lived in Dharamsala, he used to keep a large prayer wheel in front of him and would turn it by pulling a string connected to its bottom. He was my first philosophy teacher in the Buxa refugee camp. He was a great scholar and a highly attained yogi. It is quite rare to see geshes from the three great monasteries Sera, Ganden, or Drepung with prayer wheels, so it was always surprising to see Geshe Rinpoche with one, but that might have been because his root guru was His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, and perhaps when His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche built the prayer wheel in McLeod Ganj, Geshe Rinpoche realized the important benefits of prayer wheels.

Sometimes houses in Tibet and Solu Khumbu would contain large prayer wheels, with smaller prayer wheels near your bed to turn. They often had small bells on them. In Amdo, Lama Tsongkhapa’s Kumbum Monastery has many prayer wheels, as does Tashi Drang Khyil Monastery, which has many prayer wheels all the way around its perimeter. The main temple in Lhasa also has rows of small prayer wheels around it.

Besides the extensive benefits of prayer wheels taught in texts, there’s also my own experience. Some years ago at Chenrezig Institute in Australia, even though I had been there many times, when Geshe Lama Konchog was resident teacher, the place seemed extremely serene, peaceful and very special. I thought it must be due to Geshe Lama Konchog’s realization of bodhichitta. Later, however, it occurred to me that Chenrezig Institute now had a small prayer wheel that had been built by Geshe Lama Konchog, and I realized that the peace must, in fact, be due to that.

After that, I went to Brazil. One lady there, who I call Amala, had been working for Tarthang Tulku’s center for a year, rolling mantras and working on holy objects. In all that time she had never even seen Tarthang Tulku, which she found quite hard. She gave me a book by one of his students, about how at his centers the students work at making holy objects, such as statues, stupas, and prayer wheels. It said that after a prayer wheel has been made, the place completely transforms, becomes very peaceful. That line in the book also increased my faith and confirmed my impression that Chenrezig Institute was serene because of its prayer wheel.

So, in addition to what the texts mention, my own experience is also that prayer wheels transform the environment into a peaceful one and bless all beings nearby, including the insects on the ground, protecting them from rebirth in the lower realms.

Dictated to Ven Holly, Milarepa Center, August 2002. Edited by Nick Ribush. Final editing by Ven. Constance Miller, FPMT Education Services, February 2003.

Source

https://fpmt.org/media/resources/microfilm-for-stupas-and-prayer-wheels/benefits-of-making-prayer-wheels/

[thecrusher007]

The Soul Finds Its Way:

Healing through Adversity

with Jessica Pimentel & Chris Grosso

Saturday, February 9, 2019

1:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location:

CoSM

Chapel of Sacred Mirrors

46 Deer Hill Road

Wappinger, NY

12590

Admission:

$85 online / $95 at the door (dinner included)

What does it mean to accept yourself fully in all of your perfect imperfections; to take an honest, fearless look at your true self and stay there, acknowledging both the frailty and the glory in the same glance? In this workshop, Jessica Pimentel (Maria Ruiz on Orange Is The New Black), and Chris Grosso, best-selling author of Indie Spiritualist, Everything Mind, andDead Set On Living will address this question, guiding participants to use their difficult life experiences as catalysts towards spiritual awakening through various meditations, creative exercises, compassion practices and more.

Jessica and Chris will share their stories of growing up as counter-culturalist youth; finding punk rock/hardcore music and the effect that had on their formative years; as well as finding spirituality and how that continues to play an integral role in their overall wellbeing. Jessica will discuss her career as a musician and actress on Orange Is The New Black (and other shows). Chris will discuss the creative process including writing a book or song, and both will talk about the importance of working with our youth in various capacities to help encourage the expression of their creative passions.

In this workshop, participants will learn to:

- Create an open space for healing

- Make friends with your past

- How to make your dreams a reality

- Learn practices for listening to your heart

- Realign yourself with greater purpose

- How to create anything your heart calls you to from the ground up

- Understand the principles of listening to your heart’s guidance

- Learn to love yourself, and others, without holding back

- Learn how to discover your authentic self through your heart

Jessica Pimentel

Jessica Pimentel The Brooklyn born and raised native New Yorker is best known as an actress in her role as Maria Ruiz on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, currently filming its 7th season, and received 3 Screen Actors Guild Award wins and 1 nomination. Featured on both stage and screen, Jessica is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where she holds a degree in Theater Arts and The High School of Performing Arts (aka “Fame”) where she also studied music performance, composition, and theory. She began her musical career at a young age and is a trained classical violinist as well as a frontwoman for the metal band Alekhine’s Gun and additional vocals for Brujeria and Black Heart Sutra and former bassist of Desolate and several New York Hardcore bands.

Jessica was first introduced to meditation when she was a child by her mother, a psychologist, but began her formal studies in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, logic, debate and meditation in the Gelugpa Tradition in 1994 and was trained by her root guru, the former abbot of Sera Mey Monastery, H.E. Sermey Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tharchin. She has also received teachings and initiations from many notable teachers such as HH the Dalai Lama, Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa, Kyabje Gelek Rimpoche, HH Kyabje Trijang Choktrul Rinpoche, and Ven. Robina Courtin. Her practice is infused in all things she does, and she uses her art to deepen her practice.

Chris Grosso

Chris Grosso is a youth mental health group facilitator with Newport Academy, public speaker, writer, and best-selling author of Indie Spiritualist, Everything Mind, and Dead Set On Living. He writes for Revolver Magazine, ORIGIN Magazine, and Huffington Post. He is a member of the advisory board for Drugs Over Dinner, hosts The Indie Spiritualist Podcast on Ram Dass’s esteemed Be Here Now and is a member of The Evolutionary Leaders. His work has been endorsed by a diverse mix of celebrated individuals including Jeff Bridges, Ram Dass, Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, Sharon Salzberg, Alex & Allyson Grey, MC Yogi, Tara Brach, Ken Wilber, Jack Kornfield, Krishna Das, Lama Surya Das, Dr. Lissa Rankin, Robert Thurman, Treach (Naughty By Nature), don Miguel Ruiz Jr., and more.

Event Schedule:

Session 1:

1 pm — Introductions

2 pm — Loving Kindness Talk/Practice

2 pm — Tonglen Talk/Practice

3 pm — Group Discussion/Q&A

3:30 pm — Break

Session 2:

4 pm — Unconditional Love and Acceptance Talk/Practice

4:45 pm — Manjushri Talk/Meditation

5:30 pm — Group Discussion/Q&A

6 pm – 7 pm — Dinner

Session 3:

7 pm — Mahassati Hand meditation Talk/Practice

7:30 pm — Live Music Mediation

8 pm — Closing Group Discussion/Q&A

9 pm — End of Event

10 pm — CoSM Closed

Accommodations

Rooms are available for rent in the Grey House, CoSM’s fully renovated Visionary Victorian guest house.

Accommodations for this event must be booked directly through Hospitality. Please call 845-297-2323 ext. 104

[manjushriwisdom]

Prayer wheel

Benefits of Making Prayer Wheels

by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

 The Source of the Practice of the Mani Wheel

As the great master Nagarjuna was predicted by the Great Compassionate One: “In the naga’s country in the palace of the King of Nagas, the bodhisattva possesses one very powerful Dharma wheel. Just by seeing, hearing, touching, or remembering the Dharma wheel, you will quickly be liberated from the suffering of the lower realms. With this you will produce extensive works for sentient beings.”

The Limitless Light Buddha Amitabha said: “For the benefit of sentient beings of the degenerate age, I have explained the benefits of the mani wheel. The one who practices while turning equals the fortune of the thousand buddhas.”

The Founder Savior, the unequalled Shakya King, told the bodhisattva Dripa Namsil: “It is more beneficial to turn the Dharma wheel one time than [to be] a meditator of highest capacity who engages in one-year retreat on the essence meaning of mantra. It is more beneficial than [to be] a middle capacity meditator who does retreat for seven years or a lower capacity meditator who does a nine-year retreat.”

Manjushri said: “The four protectors and the ten direction guardians will protect you from all obstacles, from all directions and corners. The negative karma of the lower realms, the five uninterrupted actions, and the ten non-virtuous actions are purified. You will travel to all the pure lands of the buddhas, and in the Blissful Pure Land. You will be reborn on the lion’s throne in the lotus heart of the Blissful Pure Land. You will perform the actions of all the buddhas in all directions.”

Manjushri said: “This great Dharma wheel protects you from all the harm-givers, devas, spirit possessions, from the nagas down below, from Steno in the middle, and from the multitude of yakshas.”

From The Peerless Wish-Granting Jewel Tantra: “The person who turns this wheel which possesses OM MANI PADME HUM will be blessed by all the gurus, the deities will grant realizations, those gone to bliss will pay attention to him or her, and the Dharma protectors will eliminate all obstacles.”

From The Will of the Action of the Compassionate Eye Loving One: “Each time you turn this OM MANI PADME HUM Dharma wheel equals the number (of the mantra) of the approximation retreat.”

The benefits of establishing the Dharma wheel in earth, water, fire, and wind: “When you put this great wheel OM MANI PADME HUM up in the wind, all those sentient beings who are touched by the wind and all those migrators abiding in the direction of the wind will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms. When you place the Dharma wheel in the fire, any sentient being who smells the smoke and all those migrators who see the light of the fire will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms. If you place the Dharma wheel in the ground, all those migrator beings who receive the dust and the sentient beings abiding in that ground will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms. If you place the Dharma wheel in water, all those sentient beings abiding and drinking the water will be liberated from the sufferings of the lower realms.”

Therefore, the fortunate capable beings turn the great Dharma wheel upright: the highest intelligent person will achieve enlightenment and work for sentient beings; the middle capable being will achieve fortunate rebirth and join the holy Dharma; and the lowest capable being will achieve good rebirth, separate from the ten non-virtuous actions.

If you place the Dharma wheel at home and turn it, the migrator beings abiding in that house will be liberated, and the home will become similar to the Potala (Pure Land of Chenrezig). At the time of death, if you place the Dharma wheel with OM MANI PADME HUM next to your head and make requests with intense devotional mind, without need of practicing powa (transference of consciousness) your consciousness will be transferred in one instant to the heart of the Compassionate One. Therefore, without qualms of a two-pointed mind in this profound supreme Dharma wheel, one should cherish it, build the Dharma wheel with perseverance, and turn it with an intense wish.

The Savior Loving One Maitreya said: “If you offer good divine robes to the profound Dharma wheel, you will receive good clothing for 500 lifetimes. Due to the merits of having offered the hook to the profound Dharma wheel, you will be able to go through all the paths of liberation. By the merits of offering the hanging weight, you will become the savior of all migrator beings. You will accumulate more merits than having recited 100,000 times 10,000,000 mantras. The titans and the harm-givers will prostrate to you. You will control human beings, wealth, and food. All your connections will become meaningful, and sentient beings touched by your shadow will be liberated from the lower realms.”

If you offer various needs – food and so forth – to this Dharma wheel with OM MANI PADME HUM, you will become the thousand wheel–turning Dharma king, enjoying whatever you wish. And at the end you will meet the Superior Compassionate Eye Looking One. For those fortunate beings who reveal this Dharma wheel possessing OM MANI PADME HUM to others, or explain or spread the teachings of this wheel, it is like spreading the teachings of the buddhas.

From The Tantra Possessing the Lotus Garland: “In short, all the accumulation of vices, defeats, downfalls, and so forth will be purified without effort. One is liberated just by seeing and hearing.”

From The Tantra of the Circle of Six Thousand: “Even for the person who turns this precious wheel, any sentient being who sees, hears, remembers, or touches him or her completes the merits, purifies defilements, and achieves enlightenment.”

From The Sutra of the Great Chu Lung: “By the merits generated by offering a golden pinnacle (to the Dharma wheel), one will receive perfect enjoyments for eons. Due to the merits of having offered services, one will possess a good heart and clear mind wisdom. The person who turns the Dharma wheel will become the son of the thousand buddhas, the guide of all migrators. Thus is explained by the Buddha. When death comes, place the Dharma wheel at your crown and you won’t need to practice powa. When you carry the Dharma wheel and meet other sentient beings, even those who have killed their father or mother will be liberated. Even the sentient beings who see the wheel on the bridge will be liberated.”

Dictated to Fabrizio Champa Palgye in Dharamsala March 1998, for Richard Gere who came for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Losar teachings.

 The Mani Wheel

Around Losar 1998, I had a silver prayer wheel that had been ordered by Lama Pasang. Richard Gere was in Dharamsala at that time and did not know about mani prayer wheels, so I mentioned how I had found a prayer wheel text and how important and beneficial prayer wheels were. In the past, in Solu Khumbu, I hadn’t believed that turning a prayer wheel could become Dharma, because Dharma has to do with the mind. But all the Solu Khumbu old people, including my mother, used to turn prayer wheels almost all day, even when crossing mountains by foot.

Then I found a text that had belonged to the Lawudo Lama, who is said to be my past life incarnation and whose name was Lama Yeshe. Most of the texts left in the Lawudo Lama’s very humid cave were handwritten, so I had to dry them out on the roof for a while. While doing this, I noticed one old scripture called Mani Kumbum (The 100,000 Teachings on Mani). There were two or three lines talking about the lineage of prayer wheels. Nagarjuna received it from the land of the nagas, who had originally received it from Chenrezig. Nagarjuna passed the lineage on to Lion-Face Dakini; she passed it to Padmasambhava, and he then brought it to Tibet. These references gave me faith.

Then the text explained the visualization of how different colored beams of light emanate from the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM throughout the six realms of samsara, purifying sentient beings of the five types of delusion and generating the five types of wisdom in their minds. This, too, gave me faith in prayer wheel practice.

When I told Richard about all this, he immediately said that he was fully convinced and also had faith in the practice, so I gave him my silver prayer wheel. Later he had to go to Bombay to raise funds for people with AIDS and took the prayer wheel with him. Many actors came to meet him, and because he was carrying the prayer wheel, they touched it and felt its power. One actress felt so much power that she started to shake.

Anyway, I translated the benefits of prayer wheels for Richard, choosing quotations from a text compiled by the Seventh Panchen Lama, Tempai Nyima, which I had received in Sydney from Kechog Rinpoche, an incarnate lama from Sera-me Monastery. As well as explaining the extensive benefits of prayer wheels, this text also tells you how to make them. The end few quotations are from another text by a Kagyu lama; it might be based on the explanations of Karma Pakshi, the Second Karmapa Lama.

My root guru, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, built the McLeod Ganj prayer wheel that is situated near the many Tibetan restaurants and Indian vegetable shops. It was built for people young and old to turn and circumambulate in order to purify their negative karma and collect extensive merit to quickly get out of samsara and achieve enlightenment. It was also built in memory of one of His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche’s attendants who had taken care of and served Rinpoche since he was very young. This attendant had passed away in India, so the prayer wheel was build for his purification as well, for him to complete the path and achieve enlightenment. That was the immediate cause for building that prayer wheel, but of course, it was to benefit everyone else as well.

When Geshe Rabten Rinpoche lived in Dharamsala, he used to keep a large prayer wheel in front of him and would turn it by pulling a string connected to its bottom. He was my first philosophy teacher in the Buxa refugee camp. He was a great scholar and a highly attained yogi. It is quite rare to see geshes from the three great monasteries Sera, Ganden, or Drepung with prayer wheels, so it was always surprising to see Geshe Rinpoche with one, but that might have been because his root guru was His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, and perhaps when His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche built the prayer wheel in McLeod Ganj, Geshe Rinpoche realized the important benefits of prayer wheels.

Sometimes houses in Tibet and Solu Khumbu would contain large prayer wheels, with smaller prayer wheels near your bed to turn. They often had small bells on them. In Amdo, Lama Tsongkhapa’s Kumbum Monastery has many prayer wheels, as does Tashi Drang Khyil Monastery, which has many prayer wheels all the way around its perimeter. The main temple in Lhasa also has rows of small prayer wheels around it.

Besides the extensive benefits of prayer wheels taught in texts, there’s also my own experience. Some years ago at Chenrezig Institute in Australia, even though I had been there many times, when Geshe Lama Konchog was resident teacher, the place seemed extremely serene, peaceful and very special. I thought it must be due to Geshe Lama Konchog’s realization of bodhichitta. Later, however, it occurred to me that Chenrezig Institute now had a small prayer wheel that had been built by Geshe Lama Konchog, and I realized that the peace must, in fact, be due to that.

After that, I went to Brazil. One lady there, who I call Amala, had been working for Tarthang Tulku’s center for a year, rolling mantras and working on holy objects. In all that time she had never even seen Tarthang Tulku, which she found quite hard. She gave me a book by one of his students, about how at his centers the students work at making holy objects, such as statues, stupas, and prayer wheels. It said that after a prayer wheel has been made, the place completely transforms, becomes very peaceful. That line in the book also increased my faith and confirmed my impression that Chenrezig Institute was serene because of its prayer wheel.

So, in addition to what the texts mention, my own experience is also that prayer wheels transform the environment into a peaceful one and bless all beings nearby, including the insects on the ground, protecting them from rebirth in the lower realms.

Dictated to Ven Holly, Milarepa Center, August 2002. Edited by Nick Ribush. Final editing by Ven. Constance Miller, FPMT Education Services, February 2003.

Source

https://fpmt.org/media/resources/microfilm-for-stupas-and-prayer-wheels/benefits-of-making-prayer-wheels/

[mickeypamo]

H.H. Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche visit to Albagnano 2017

[kadampalife]

Who is Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka?

Who is Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka?

Faith is what makes our intellectual knowledge of Buddhism come alive — it lets us put this knowledge into practice and get results. Faith is a naturally positive mind — with faith, we don’t need a good motivation, in itself it makes our mind peaceful, calm, and virtuous. And also with faith, we don’t need to wait – some inspiration comes immediately. Which brings us to who and what exactly are…

[maria-dib]

#afinidadesespirituais #afinidades #espirituais #budismo #versos #transformação #mente Os 8 versos que TRANSFORMAM A MENTE. OITO VERSOS QUE TRANSFORMAM A MENTE... Também conhecido como Lojong – Os 8 Versos para o Treinamento da Mente. Sua Santidade o Dalai Lama deu ensinamentos sobre os 8 versos em maio de 2006, em São Paulo. Sua Santidade diz – “Este texto foi composto por Geshe Langri Tangpa (1054-1123), um bodisatva bastante incomum. Eu próprio o leio todos os dias, tendo recebido a transmissão do comentário de Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche.” Leia abaixo ou leia o texto com comentários no site Dalai Lama Brasil (http://www.dalailama.org.br/ensinamentos/oito.php). Leia mais sobre algumas formas de meditação budista (https://budismopetropolis.wordpress.com/category/meditacao/). Os 8 versos que Transformam a Mente 1. Com a determinação de alcançar O bem supremo em benefício de todos os seres sencientes, Mais preciosos do que uma jóia mágica que realiza desejos, Vou aprender a prezá-los e estimá-los no mais alto grau. 2. Sempre que estiver na companhia de outras pessoas, vou aprender A pensar em minha pessoa como a mais insignificante dentre elas, E, com todo respeito, considerá-las supremas, Do fundo do meu coração. 3. Em todos os meus atos, vou aprender a examinar a minha mente E, sempre que surgir uma emoção negativa, Pondo em risco a mim mesmo e aos outros, Vou, com firmeza, enfrentá-la e evitá-la. 4. Vou prezar os seres que têm natureza perversa E aqueles sobre os quais pesam fortes negatividades e sofrimentos, Como se eu tivesse encontrado um tesouro precioso, Muito difícil de achar. 5. Quando os outros, por inveja, maltratarem a minha pessoa, Ou a insultarem e caluniarem, Vou aprender a aceitar a derrota, E a eles oferecer a vitória. 6. Quando alguém a quem ajudei com grande esperança Magoar ou ferir a minha pessoa, mesmo sem motivo, Vou aprender a ver essa outra pessoa Como um excelente guia espiritual. 7. Em suma, vou aprender a oferecer a todos, sem exceção, Toda a ajuda e felicidade, por meios diretos e indiretos, E a tomar sobre mim, em sigilo, Todos os males e sofrimentos daqueles que foram minhas mães. 8. Vou aprender a manter estas....