#jonang

[talonabraxas]

Kalachakra Tantra (Wheel of Time)

Story of Shambhala

Though the story of the mythic land Shambhala as related from the Kālachakra Tantra is well known, I thought to recount a portion of the legend here. What follows is an edited excerpt taken from my translation of the introduction to the Kālachakra empowerment, as it was conferred in Italy a few weeks ago.

Bestowal of the Kālachakra:

The Buddha Shakyamuni taught this [Kālachakra] system on the 15th day of the black-star month [2nd month according to Kālachakra astrology] at the great and glorious Danyakataka Stupa in South India. At that time, he was surrounded by an unfathomable retinue of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas and dakinis, the 12 great gods and other gods, as well as countless assemblies of naga serpents, yasksha spirits and elemental spirits.

[…] In the northern kingdom of Shambhala, having reached the age of 99, was the emanation of Vajrapani, the Dharma King Suchandra. In a city with the human population of ten million and ninety six, amidst an unfathomable fortunate age, he used his magical powers to transport himself by wheel… then appearing in front of the stupa, King Suchandra made his request.

Inside the stupa, within the space the size of a vase — was the speech mandala of phenomena’s expanse as the base, in the center was the mandala of the vajra expanse, and above was the actual manifestation of the mandala of the glorious lunar mansion. Within this perfect vessel, both the worldly and trans-worldly empowerments were conferred and the the Kālachakra Tantra was delivered…

Prophecy in Shambhala:

King Suchandra then brought these tantras [the Kālachakra as well as others taught on that occasion] back to Shambhala where he later composed an explanatory commentary on the root tantra of the Kalachakra… The root tantra was then taught twice a year in Shambhala’s Malaya Pleasure Grove where a magical display of the enlightened body, speech, and mind mandala of the Kālachakra made of variegated precious jewels was raised 4oo cubits high. This is the Kālachakra palace temple in the capital city of Kalapa.

[Including Suchandra, there were 7 Dharma Kings of Shambhala from the time of the reception of the tantra, and they each reigned for 100 years…] After this period, the son of the Dharma King Sureshana was the first kalkin. He was an emanation of Manjugosha, King Yashas -– who taught the dharma for 100 years. During midnight on his 100th year, he understood the prophesy from the root tantra:

[King Yashas said,] I think that it is time for the 35,000,000 rishi minorities of Brahmin descent who live throughout the 96 districts in the land of Shambhala to now be tamed through the fortune of mantra. If these [rishis] are not subdued, then in the future, I know that their descendants will inevitably become barbarians. However, if they proceed along the path of mantra now, everyone within the 96 districts [of Shambhala] will enter onto the path of mantra. Even through intimidation or expulsion, I know how to retain these rishis.

Later, in the Kālachakra palace temple within the Malaya Pleasure Grove during the 15th day of the 2nd Tibetan month, all of the rishis of the 6 ranks arrived in the district of [the rishi leader] Suryaratha. Then, during the following month, on the 15th day of the black-star month [King Yashas said,] “I will teach the vajrayana to all of you.” He then asked Suryaratha to describe to him the different habits that his people enjoyed.

All of the rishis then heard what he said, and they thought: “Some of us eat out of a skull-cup, some of us eat cow meat. All of us rishis enjoy different experiences. To engage in the vajrayana, we will have to abandon what we like and we will each share the same enjoyments.” So, all of the rishis were in disagreement and felt displeased, some even collapsed…

Then, King Yashas thought: “All of these rishis are not in agreement about entering the vajrayana.”

He then said to them, “I will bestow the empowerment of the Kālachakra so that you can enter this mandala. However, if you don’t listen to me, you can’t stay in these 96 districts [of Shambhala] but instead need to flee elsewhere. If you don’t leave to another land, then after 800 years all of your children and grandchildren will become barbarians. This is when the teachings of the barbarians will be diffused to the 96 districts.” As the king said this, the rishis were struck with lightning on their heads.

Suryaratha asked the rishis, “Since we don’t want to enter the vajrayana as King Yashas suggests, isn’t it best that we go to the land of the Aryas [India]?” Likewise, Suryartha then asked this to King Yashas. King Yashas replied, “Yes, you should all quickly leave the land of Shambhala! When you leave, the various ethnicities of the 96 districts will then be able to realize the perfect path.” The king then sternly expelled the rishis from the capital city of Kalapa.

They headed in the southern direction for 10 nights, and on the 10th night, they arrived in an enormous dark jungle. They all found it difficult to sleep as they were under the pressure from the blessings [being pressed by King Yashas]. Then through his command to the non-human beings, the non-humans carried the rishis while they were still asleep until they arrived in front of the mandala palace in the Malaya Pleasure Grove where they were awoken. They then saw King Yashas there in the Malaya Pleasure Grove and thought, “How wondrous!” and they said to him, “We have arrived.”

The king’s minister Sagaramati then heard what they said, and he replied to all the rishis, “Suryaratha and all of you rishis, you did not make this amazing act happen. For the sake of accepting all of you, this occurred through King Yashas’ inconceivable enlightened qualities. Since you are of the same nature as the emanation of the Buddha, please make supplications to the king so that he may confer the empowerment of the Kalachakra.”

The rishis then awoken their devotion in the dharma teachings of the vajrayana. The Brahmin rishis along with Suryaratha then made mandala offerings of precious gems, and prostrated with devotion towards King Yashas. They then said, “Even though we have committed the five inexpiable acts, in this one lifetime, may we realize the great symbolic seal – mahamudra – and be showed the way to primordial buddhahood. Please teach us the root tantra as it is condensed into its abbreviated form…”

Then on the 15th day of the black-star month, the ruler Yashas bestowed the empowerment of the primordial Buddha [Kālachakra] for all of the rishi minorities of Brahmin descent for them to enter the mandala of pristine wisdom.

[…] Then, the entire dimension [of Shambhala], and everyone in the 96 districts including the Brahmins, made offerings and embraced the dharma. The four ethnicities who had embraced the outsider [non-Buddhist] philosophical systems then belonged to the numerous ethnicities who embraced the dharma’s definitive expression, as these various minority groups along with their associated retinues became wisdom-holders of the vajrayana. Without delay, the Dharma Kings then took on the name “rigs ldan” meaning, “the one endowed with the family lineage.” Having tamed the four ethnic minorities including the Brahmins, the ruler Yashas had harmonized everyone into the one family of the vajrayana, the adamantine vehicle. By unifying [everyone in Shambhala] into one family of [spiritual] relatives, this inaugurated the Kalkin [“rigs ldan“] lineage, the first of the successive 25 to weild the “wheel of force.”

[lingshanhermit]

Ling Shan Hermit: How The Self Hinders Your Progress

We all possess a powerful self, a self so strong that it can make all our selfish behaviors seem reasonable (at least, convincing us to believe our motivations are impeccable), and can even interpret it to be in perfect accordance with Buddhist teachings - if your self is smart enough and you are proficient in Buddhist theory.

The self gives rise to numerous problems, including war, and there's no issue that is irrelevant to the self. All our problems originate from our clinging to a non-existent self. If we truly understand that the self is only our illusion, then our problems will disappear or diminish significantly.

I don't want to say too much today. I just want to talk about how the self hinders our practice. How it prevents us from becoming better.

You may have heard of the Rime (non-sectarian) movement. It was a movement initiated in the 19th century by Tibetan Buddhist masters such as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. It promotes the equal treatment of all teachings. In that era, it was said that many people were unwilling to learn others' teachings. As a result, many precious teachings faced the risk of extinction.

Here, I speculate about those who were unwilling to learn from others' teachings. I believe that for most, it was due to a strong sense of self. For someone of high status, seeking teachings from others may seem like a loss of face. He must have had such concerns: If I seek teachings from someone, what will my disciples think? He may also feel, due to his self, that he does not need any other teachings. Thus, we have the situation where everyone was reluctant to learn from others' teachings. Worse still, some would deny each other, rejecting that the other's teachings originated from Buddha, or believed that their own teachings were superior to all others.

Because of the self, we tend to categorize teachings, believing that these teachings belong to our sect and are therefore good. While other teachings that do not belong to our sect, we can disregard. Those who think this way seem to forget that all teachings originate from Buddha and were not originally owned by any sect. The emergence of teachings predates the formation of sects.

When we mention Dzogchen, you might think it belongs to the Nyingma school; when we talk about Kalachakra, you might believe it's a Jonang tradition; mentioning Lamdre, many people might assume it's a Sakya thing. When Zen is mentioned, you might regard it as a teaching of the Han region. If you think this way, you've made a serious mistake. Dzogchen is not exclusive to the Nyingma school, and Kalachakra is not merely a Jonang tradition - they are both part of Buddhism. When Buddha Shakyamuni taught the Kalachakra Tantra, there was no sect called Jonang in existence.

The self can hinder many things. You might miss out on obtaining a precious lineage because of the self, simply because you can't let go of the so-called face of the self. You think you're superb, capable of teaching anyone without needing any instruction. You believe that no one can teach you anything - this is the result of severe self-inflation.

When you think this way, you will miss many opportunities. You might bury questions you want to ask because of the self, as you are unwilling to be seen as someone in need of guidance. Your ego cannot admit that you are such a person. Of course, what I am saying is not necessarily for the average Buddhist practitioner. For the average practitioner, their ego has not inflated to the point where they believe they no longer need any guidance, though their ego is also powerful. I'm primarily addressing those with a very strong ego and high status. I know some people are very high in status and have many disciples. But because of this, they cannot seek teachings like an average person. They have too many concerns and fears.

In fact, there's no need for us to fear. The leader of Tibetan Buddhism frequently seeks teachings from masters of other sects, assuming a humble position when doing so. I once saw a video where this leader and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche were exchanging initiations. Throughout the entire process, I didn't notice any embarrassment or discomfort on the leader's part - he is the highest authority in Tibetan Buddhism. You know, this master has many teachers. Yet, no one has ever disrespected him because he has sought teachings from others.

In the history of Buddhism, many people have given up a lot for the sake of the teachings, and yet we give up so easily over matters of face. I think we should feel ashamed. This shows that you value the self much more than seeking the teachings.

But I also know very well that this is the most difficult obstacle to overcome. There is nothing more difficult than overcoming the self. You can easily overcome obstacles set up by others, but you will fall into the trap of the self.

I know that when some people come to see me, they come with many questions, but in the end, they almost never ask. I guess it's because I look younger than their sons. This makes them feel uncomfortable seeking Buddhist teachings from someone who looks younger than their own child. If I were older, it might be better. I hope such situations will not continue to happen. After all, giving up the questions you need to ask just because I look young is a very unwise move. These are just some of the many problems caused by the self. If you don't have such problems, congratulations to you. If you do have similar issues, you must overcome them. Otherwise, your ego will hold you back.

Written by Ling Shan Hermit on December 2, 2009.

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灵山��士：自我是这样阻碍你的进步

[mahayanapilgrim]

Dharma Protectors of Tibetan Buddhism

The practice of Six-armed Mahakala was brought to Tibet by Khedrup Khyungpo Naljor, who founded the Shanga Kagyu tradition. It has also become popular in other Kagyu lineages, as well as the Sakya, Jonang, and Gelug traditions. He is considered to be an emanation of Avalokiteshvara.

His practice was originally taught by Hayagriva, who is a wrathful emanation of Avalokiteshvara in the form of a tantric yidam (meditational deity). The form of this Mahakala differs according to the various traditions, including body colour, implements, and the addition of a consort and retinue figures. The most popular of these variations is Six-Armed White Mahakala, who is popular among all traditions as a wealth-deity.

Jagchen Jampa Pal, a lineage holder of the Shangpa Kagyu, passed this practice on to his student Lama Tsongkhapa, who founded the Gelugpa tradition. In this tradition, Six-Armed Mahakala came to prominence as the special protector of the Great Scope of the Lam Rim teachings. Within the Gelugpa tradition, he is portrayed in his most wrathful form, with legs apart in the ancient Indian warrior pose. This contrasts his form in other traditions, in which he stands up straight with both legs together.

[a-chuffed-floating-panda]

A love in the eye of the hurricane ch 3 (unedited)

(Slightly better edited chapter. The chapter was originally posted on 15 may 2022)

Aden was wide-eyed as he and Abbot Dorji were given a guide by Sister Chomden around the temple; Abbot Dorji knew his way around the temple, he’d been there plenty of times before she'd been told, but he joined in for the semantics.

He made sure to stop and compliment the dölma thangka that Sister Gyalwo had painted that hung in one of the prayer halls.

“I was 16!” She replied in a manner that suggested it was habitual, she smiled. “You always compliment that one! My thangkas are better now, you know that.” Abbot Dorji laughed gently. “Your paintings have indeed improved.” She’d recently finished a large beautiful Dzambala thangka that was currently on display at one of the walls facing the canyon. 

“But on that journey of improvement,” He turned to her and gave one of his kind smiles. “I find this thangka to be one of your best.”

“This is my first time at one of the big temples!” Aden said he was so excited for the trip that he might’ve ended up dozing off, like eight times, while flying on his bison, Bao, due to not being able to sleep. That got Jaya to ask about that one time he was allowed to tag along with Abbot Dorji to the Eastern Air Temple. 

“Does it count though?” He asked as they walked to one of the classrooms. “Abbot Dorji had me stay by his bison the whole time we were there.” Aden was never told why. Jamyang suspected it was because of Elder Tashi, not Sister Tashi, who could be rather…opinionated on the other temples. She doesn’t get that though, Elder Tashi is Gelug and Gelug was started by a wandering monk that was born at one of the other temples; The Jonang choeling monastery, if she was remembering correctly.

A remote temple based in a mountain forest, famous for the Gelugpa founder, philosophical books, soup dumplings and staff techniques. Some of them would also be coming to the festival.

“I’ve never been in one of the big temples before, how’s that?” He corrected and glanced at Jaya over his shoulder. Jaya pursed her lips, and after mulling over it for a bit she shrugged her shoulders. “Hm, I guess. It’s a good thing that this is the first one because we live here and we can show you what we do!” Aden shared her excitement. 

Ever since the class trip in January, they’ve been allowed to visit him and he’d shown them around and shown them what usually does. He hiked a lot at the nearby mountains, travelled to the nearby towns with bulks of special incense, he swims with the big golden koi fish at an open lake that had the purest water that she’d ever seen; Swimming with the koi fish was one of his favourite things to do. And he visited the other temples by the sea and up in the mountains, and he visited the temples that are on ‘the islands’. 

Jamyang had never been to ‘the islands’ before, it was apparently a synonym for five big island kingdoms. People on two of the bison, Hayma and Sanoh’s bison, were from ‘the islands’.

And he liked to train. He was vague on that topic. Jamyang knew that he currently trained with a wooden sword, spears, wooden staffs and a three-section staff, or as it’s called there, a sanjiegun. And he trained in two other airbending styles, the third being the one that she’s being trained in.

“Ah, welcome.” Abbot Dorji greeted them kindly as they walked in. She blinked confused, she was expecting Sister Tsering or Sister Gyalwo. Maybe Sister Pema.

“We’re not late are we?” Jaya asked and he shook his head. “No, no. Just in time.” He ushered them to their seats. They weren’t late, there were a couple of students that came in after them. Jamyang took her seat by the window, Jaya took the seat beside her and Aden took the seat in front of her.

“Who are you?” Was the main question of many of them. Abbot Dorji hummed thoughtfully. “Hm, I guess I am the substitute for today.” He chuckled, looking sheepish. “I didn’t quite think this through.” He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard. “My name is Dorji, children. You may use my titles as monk or Abbot while referring to me, but you can also use my name alone.” Some of the other students gasped quietly at that.

Jamyang remembered feeling the same shock at the informality between students and teachers when they first visited them. The visiting Brothers and Sisters shared the same informality, insisting on only using their names. Titles weren’t necessary for them.

“I am the Abbot of Yonggunsa Temple and the Zixiao temple in the Wudang mountains.” He told them. “If you remember, you met me while on a class trip to the Yonggunsa temple.” There’s a long ‘Aahh’ of recollection from the other students and an ‘Oh, I remember you!’ from Ema in the front. He looked at her and smiled. “I remember you too, you were quite good at surfing if my memory is correct.” Ema ducked her head at the compliment. It was a deserved compliment in her opinion, Ema was good at surfing. She impressed the older students and masters with how good she was.

“Me and my student, Aden,” Being the only boy in the room besides Abbot Dorji, he shrunk under the weight of the other students' curious glances. “Are here because we have been invited to the upcoming smoke festival.” He told them and then his expression turned somewhat apologetic. “But I do have to admit some ignorance,” That, got Jamyang to eye him out of the corner of her eye, “What do you do at the smoke festival? I didn’t get to read that much about it?” He caught her gaze, held it, smirked and looked at the other students as they start mulling on their thoughts

Oh you liar, Jamyang covered her mouth to hide her smile. He was familiar with all of the Sisters and Elders. Of course, he knows.

“Wouldn’t anyone please tell me?” He pleaded 

“I heard that it’s different from how it’s done at the temples I teach at. There, it’s something done when celebrating Losar and the dragon festival. The airbenders bring firebenders with them on their bison and they ride high up in the sky.” She could see why Aden always wrote that Abbot Dorji told the best stories. “And while they’re flying, the firebenders create large plumes of smoke and then, an airbender or two jumps off the bison and they shape the smoke so that it takes the form of a mighty dragon.” The others gasp, wrapped up in his storytelling.

Aden had written to her about what he and his friends did at the dragon festival and Losar. He’d even sent her a wooden dragon figurine, painted by himself after meticulously studying multiple druk murals, and special prayer flags of the lungta horse and Dölma Karmo that now hung in her room.

“On Losar however, the celebrations are a lot calmer in comparison. There are contests to draw pictures in the sky that convey a new beginning. Something to leave behind. Or it could be something personal, like what you want to achieve.” He finished observing the wide-eyed expressions the class had. “I guess, it isn’t the same here... is it?”

In her opinion, the smoke festival, Losar (they celebrated Losar too, but differently) and the dragon festival were all evolved regional variants of a smoke puja. She liked offering smoke pujas, so it’s all good.

“Uhm.” Pema in the mid-row raised her hand.

“Yes?” Abbot Dorji permitted.

“The festivals are similar, but like, not at the same time?” There are some positive murmurs from the girls around her. Abbot Dorji looked intrigued by her answer. “Oh? How so?” And Pema hesitated. “Well, I heard that the dragon festival and Losar can be seen as a show of the friendship between the airbenders and firebenders. And for us, it’s uh…” She paused to find the right way to word herself.

“A show of our friendship with you and the other temples.” There are a bit louder positive murmurs from the girls around her.

“Oh, so is it only for airbenders?” Nyima, who sat next to Pema looked mortally offended by that thought.

“Of course not! Everybody can come!” He was startled at her intensity. The murmurs were louder. “People from the nearby Villages always come to celebrate the smoke festival with us. Even the nomadic Brothers and Sisters from the Eastern and Northern Temples come too. But because most of us only know other airbenders, there aren’t that many other benders that come.”

“Oh, so you celebrate the friendships you have?” He asked and they nod. Pema was hesitant, but added. “It doesn’t have to only be friendship, if you love someone, you celebrate that too.” 

“Oh, how interesting. What else do you do?” He asked and Norbu who sat two rows behind Pema and Nyima raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“There’s music and dancing too.”

“So like the spring festival?” He questioned and Norbu made a face.

“Hmm, not really.” She put a finger to her chin. “The spring festival is more about spring, and feelings and getting together- there’s a focus on that at least, but at the smoke festival it’s isn’t as much of a focus on it. Like you can, but you don’t have to. The music and dancing are more about…what’s the word? Togetherness?”

“Ah! So, the music and dancing serves as a way to bring new people together?” Norbu nodded. “Yeah, you can dance and sing with someone you don’t know and still have fun.” Ngawang agreed loudly besides Norbu, Jaya too. 

Jamyang caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. It’s outside. In the courtyard.

“Yes?”

“We also light a big bonfire too.” She thinks that’s Ghamo, but not too sure.

“A big bonfire? What does that entail?”

“Uhm, now to explain that…”

Jamyang tried to pay attention, she really did, honestly. But what was going on outside was way more interesting.

It looked like Sister Tsering and Hayma were practising something to perform at the festival, or… they were just having fun. It looked like the latter when Sister Tsering did a loop-de-loop and flew right into Hayma's arms and kissed her. Some of Amanthi’s words from the other day echoed in her head.

“Tsering is very brave, you know.” Amanthi started, and there was admiration in her voice. “When the elders disagreed and didn’t approve of them being together, she packed her necessities, left a note for Gyalwo and flew to the Agari temple and stayed for one year and six months until they relented.” 

“We have performances too, but they’re not the same as yours. It’s similar to your Losar celebrations, yet not at the same time.” That was Dolkar, they exchange opinions on books they've read. “How are they different?”

“They’re more focused on airbending itself, or more airbending related if that makes sense. Like flying loops and doing tricks with the bison and cool gliding tricks, it isn't limited to that, but that’s what I remember seeing the most off. I heard that it’s more focused on the artistic side at your performances.”

Jamyang wondered if the older students were seeing this, she remembered always hearing them bothering Sister Tsering if she had a partner or not, they’d gotten more insistent ever since they’d asked Sister Gyalwo and she’d answered with ‘I have boyfriends’. They are in the classroom directly above hers, so probably?

Sister Tsering is thrown high up in the air with Haymas airbending, and there’s a joyful expression on her face that’s waydifferent from the joyful expression she gets when Sister Gyalwo says that she needed a hug right now.

Sister Gyalwo had a hug-o-meter, a rare condition in which the person could get sick when they don’t get enough hugs, her words, not Jamyangs.

Hayma is unabashed in showing her affections for Sister Tsering, even now. Daily, ever since arriving, Tomoe, the spoiled panda that has to sit on her shoulders all the time, comes floating through the classroom window carrying letters that she tried her best not to smile at. 

She failed every time.

She heard from Jaya that heard it from Amala, who was in the classroom when it happened, that Sister Tsering had given in to their inquiries about her relationship status.

“Oh?” Amala looked up from her almost finished written essay to see Choda, in the row in front of her, leaning over her desk with a smirk and an arched brow. Amala looked in the direction she was looking at to see Sister Tsering at the teacher's desk smiling at a note in her hand and a red panda, getting what looked like to be a really good belly rub.

“Is it a secret admirer perhaps?” She teased and Sister Tsering glanced at her and there was a gentle look in her eyes. She put the note down and Sister Gyalwo snuck a peek at it and broke out in a grin. “It’s an admirer, yes, just not a secret one.” Amala's eyes widened at the admission, she had rumors of course, and Jaya had mentioned this nun that had called her 'Nyingdu-la', but Sister Tsering had never talked about it nor mentioned anything. There were murmurs of disbelief and surprise from her classmates.  

“Wait, really?”

“You’re not joking?”

“Gyalwo,” She said and leaned onto her with a sigh, uncaring of the chaos she threw into the class. “Help me, I don’t know how to respond.”

Hayma caught Sister Tsering with a weird airbending move she’d never seen before, it looked like a pouch almost, or like, one of the hollow earth pits that Aden fell in while they were out hiking that one time. She swirled Sister Tsering around gently and Jamyang can see tiny silver dots, which she guessed are bells, in her hair. 

She’s so familiar with the sound of the bells that she can practically hear them chime as Haymas airbending wooshed around her. She has spent a lot of time around the Brothers and Sisters visiting recently. Partly because of Jaya, another part because of Aden knowing them, and the last part was because they find her interesting; she doesn’t know what they mean by that yet, but they keep her company sometimes as she reads.

Just sitting with her as she reads, and often they read too- Fuji and Zoho were currently working on blueprints for a hobby of theirs- which then divulged into a conversation she’d not foresee herself having. She doesn’t mind that at all. 

Sanoh was very happy to braid Jaya’s hair if anyone was wondering. It’s a regular thing now. She gets dragged along too, and Jaya had said this the first time she dragged her along. “I chose her as a volunteer!” That made Sanoh and her two friends laugh loudly.

“Ah~.” Abbot Dorji sighed dreamily when he noticed what she was staring at so intently. He went over to the window to see better, other students tried to look as well. “True love is a wonderful thing, don't you think so Jamyang?” She finds herself nodding absently, still intently watching Sister Tsering and Hayma. 

“I’ve never experienced it, but,” Hayma removed the walls of the air pouch(?) and directed it towards Sister Tsering, twirling the air around her in a controlled manner layer by layer. She’s never seen such pristine control before. 

It’s years until she can become a master, but maybe…? She has an idea on a move to create now at least.

“It looks like a wonderful thing, yeah.” She’s unsure of her words. Abbot Dorji turned to her, the midday rays of Agni hit his blue-grey arrow, his expression was calm as he smiled, and there’s an underlying something there that she couldn’t pinpoint. The black hilt of his sword peeked out of his big robe, there were odd pieces of colourful cloth attached to the hilt with bronze-gold bells and one singular red bead sewn in them. The hilt itself was painted with shimmering golden foxes. She had seen his sword a total of two times ever since she’d met him, but she’d never taken notice of those bells before. Ever. Who was he grieving? 

“It is.” 

She people watched a lot when she didn't have a book in her hands. She noticed a lot of things before people noticed them themselves. That included Choekyi and her sneaky, not so sneaky, glances at a friend of hers.

Jamyang sees the way Choekyi blushes when Aden smiles. Aden is nice and he’s also kind. He even made sure to hold her hand tightly when they hiked up the Shi li river to the Wuzhoushan grottoes. She knows how kind he is. 

She imagined that he’s someone that people could fall in love with easily.

She quietly walked up to some of the older students that sat by the temple staircases that she and Jaya were familiar with. Her adoring friend just so happened to be there as well. “Jamyang!” She greeted and hugged her. She hugged back, Jaya’s hugs were nice and comforting. They did ease her mind off the difficult question she was about to ask. How does she ask a difficult question in the first place? Is there a certain way she should do it without appearing rude? Or…Should she just say it?

Jamyang bowed in greetings to the older girls, they thought she was adorable. 

“What’s up?” Jaya asked. She turned and gestured in the direction where Aden and Choekyi and a bunch of other kids and adults were setting up poles and drawing ‘take off’ squares with chalk for the festival that officially started in three days.

It already felt like it had lasted way longer.

Jaya followed her gesture confused, the same confusion was echoed in the older girls.

“What?” So Jamyang gestured again, a bit more aggressively than her previous attempt, she made sure to gesture at Choekyi this time.

“What?”

“Is that what a crush looks like?” Jaya looked over at them again with the silliest wide-eyed expression she’d seen. “A crush?!” She sputtered. “Choekyi?” She questioned while erratically gesturing towards them while Jamyang nodded still ever so calmly.

She ignored how the older girls looked at Aden and Choekyi in a similar way to how the visiting Brothers and Sisters looked at her and the red pandas. Or any of their other animals for that matter, their bison, their lemurs and this red small fire sprouting bird that she’s never heard of, seemed to like her a lot. She liked them too and she would often wake up surrounded by a dozen pandas or so, which was comforting (She had only woken up two times in the middle of the night due to how warm it would get.) But they also mentioned Gawa- who she had nothing against and sounded like a very nice person that Jaya would surely get along with- every single time so…she ignored the way the older girls looked at Aden and Choekyi.

“I’ve noticed that she stares at him like that a lot, so I wanted to ask if that was what a crush looked like.” She’s read about it and she’s seen it on a few teachers and older students, but this was Choekyi. 

Who was an extremely expressive individual, happy often, a good airball player, struggles a bit with throwing balls the right way due to flexible fingers and gives great hugs, but a bit slow when it comes to picking up others' feelings and her own. She forgets herself sometimes and she doesn’t have that hug-o-meter that Sister Gyalwo has. 

And then there’s Aden, who thinks everybody is just really nice.

“Puppy love.” Choda sighed and dramatically fell onto Tashi beside her, nice and openminded Tashi, aged 15 from the Western Air Temple. “I wonder when I’ll experience that.” There’s something, at least it looked like something, in Tashi’s gaze as she caught Choda that had Jamyang wondering…

“Maybe it’s right in front of you and you’re looking too hard?” She offered, reciting a line she read from one of the books in her collection. 

“Yeah!” Jaya agreed while grinning. “Maybe you’ll trip over them during the festival?” She laughed.

“You do tend to be a little clumsy at festivals.” Amala nudged Choda teasingly. Choda scoffed and shoved at her while smiling. “Maybe…” Hmm, and there’s something more in Tashi’s gaze again.

“But still,” Jaya turned to her with her hands on her hips. “On Aden? The one that thinks everybody is nice?” There are sympathetic expressions from the older girls and a sympathetic ‘ooh!’ From Ceba. “That’s why I came asking, I don’t know Choekyi as well as you do. What I do know about her is general, maybe a little more, but not much. So,” She turned and gestured to them, Aden was currently helping Choekyi with stabilising one of the poles; in the late afternoon, after dinner, they’ll decorate them with prayer flags.

“Is that normal for her to do?” Choekyi blushed a thin layer of pink, and not so sneakily looked at Aden while he helped her stabilize the pole. 

“…No,” Jaya answered, still watching them. “That’s not normal for her at all.” Choda followed up on that, still laying on Tashi. “Choekyi is also slow at noticing her feelings, so this is going to be fun.”

“We’re going to witness her being confused as to why she’s jealous, aren’t we?”

“Totally.”

“We’re going to be subjected to confused feelings, rants and those conversations, aren’t we?”

“Most likely.” Choda laughed.

There’s an eerie feeling that climbed its way up Jamyang’s back as she waited for the tea to brew in the kitchen.

The Brothers from the Southern Temple arrived when they were putting up the prayer flags, while the rest of the Brothers and Sisters from the other temples arrived later towards dusk when most of the children were either finished with supper or getting ready for bed.

She knows because she heard them. Stopping at chapter 10 in the Sea Dragon Chronicles, lighting a candle for meditation and mid-dzogchen session she was disrupted when she heard one bison roar and multiple bison groans in response.

Peeking out of her window, she spotted outlines of dozens of bison and many people. She recognised Sister Tsering’s light night garment as she talked with a nun and a monk. They similarly presented themselves to how Hayma did when she greeted them last week. 

Jamyang didn’t bother spying more on them, knowing well that they would be introduced tomorrow. And she was right. They were joined at meditation before breakfast and properly introduced during breakfast. 

Abbots and two Abbesses and their disciples from the forests, they…also had the saffron socks, different shades of them too. Abbots and Abbesses with their disciples in grey, orange and brown robes from high up in the mountains. Monks and nuns with grey, black and white robes, she didn’t know where they came from. And then there were those with the red robes or any variations of those robes, they were in a majority by a smaller margin now than before.

There were more of them of course, she didn’t catch the rest because she was busy eating.

And now, as she’s preparing a bamboo bottle of tea, with a dozen pandas, one fire breathing bird and one black ringed lemur, there’s an eerie feeling that shivered its way up her back. Tomoe twittered at her shoulders; Hayma told her at breakfast that when Tomoe twitters, she is actually laughing at you. 

So why was she laughing?

Jamyang stopped briefly and looked around for who or what it could be, before pouring the finished brewed tea into her bottle. She picked up the snacks she’d packed for her companions under her arm, put her book under the other arm and took the bottle in her hand and headed outside for some reading.

She chose one of the grassy fields down by the Chenrezig forest, enjoying the view and basking in the golden rays of Agni. 

…‘What will you choose , Feng?’ The mad king laughs maniacally, gripping the holy sabre in his hand. Feng cradles the injured baby dragon in his arms, a pressure builds in his chest. He feels an immense rage course through him, how dare he? How dare he?! The dragon in his arms whimpered. ‘Don’t worry,’ He said and picked up his spear. ‘I got you.’ He turned his back and ran. ‘I will prot-’ 

Her shoulders shuddered and that eerie feeling was back. What was going on? She bookmarked and closed her book, taking a swing of her tea- a refreshing earthy taste-, she picked up the nearest panda, Niji, and cuddled them close.

“You wouldn’t happen to know why I’m feeling this way, would you?” She asked and Niji quacked at her, chirped and squeaked. It was probably a response, it sounded like one, too bad she couldn’t understand it.

“Phwee, fweet!” Quick flapping was accompanied by the chirping. Smiling, recognising the specific chirp, she held her hand out and called to the bird. “Assam!” He answered her call. “Phwee, fweet!” There’s another familiar chirp right after Assam. A livelier chirp. Jamyang gasped, spirits to Vayu, she hadn’t seen him in a while. “Oolong!” Her yell was answered with a cheerful, husky tonal trill. 

Assam barely greeted her, landing in her palm for some pets before hurrying over to Gohan. She side-eyed him as he happily jumped around Gohan. “Rude…” Her mood lifted when Oolong quickly took his place. “Hi.” She held him up close to her face, rubbing the back of his head with a finger. “I haven’t seen you in a while, where have you been?” Oolong puffed his pine coloured feathers, he answered with a series of quick chirps and a second long upsweeping zreeeeeeet. 

He chirped and he chirped.

“I, I don’t understand what you’re saying.” She had to say when he kept chirping and tweeting at her. He clacked his beak at her words, looking annoyed that she couldn’t understand.

Which... fair.

She’s annoyed that she couldn’t understand them either. The conversations between them always sounded so interesting, it was truly a shame. “Do you want to sit with me, or do you want to introduce yourself?” She gestured to the animals around them, Kannon seemed curious about him, perking up when she noticed him sitting in Jamyangs palm, she took slow steps up to them. Oolong shifted uneasily in her palm. “Fwo.” He squeaked and she hurried to reassure him. “I knowit’s scary, but Kannon is a polite panda, right?” She chose to forget that one time Kannon and Chuusei stole her snack. 

“Don’t startle him okay? Careful movements and no overly loud sounds.” She glared at Kannon in warning, who shrunk under the intensity of her glare. Her attention turned back to Oolong. “I will be putting you down now, okay?” She slowly lowered her hand down. “Feel free to peck if your boundaries are overstepped.” Oolong shifted uneasily again, jumping out of her hand eventually. Kannon laid herself flat on the grass as Oolong warily approached her.

“Zret zret?” Oolong jumped towards Kannon, who made sure to look as flat as possible. It looked like she struggled not to move. Her tail would swish, then stop and then start swishing again. “Mrp?” Jamyang observed their interactions for a few minutes before deciding to follow Kannon’s example and lay down too. 

She made sure to spread her arms and feet wide so that animals could come and lay with her if they choose to do so; she once woke up with five baby bison who had escaped the stables. Her Sister namesake and temple's bison herder had been so lost for words when she’d come back to the temple followed by five baby bison.

Dal, Uzume, Tomoe, Niji, Cintsha and Jannu, and some she hadn't learned the names of cuddled up around her and… they did something. She could tell because it got really warm all of a sudden. It wasn’t an uncomfortable warmth, just…it got warmer than usual from the other times they’d used her as a pillow.

Amanthi had said that the pandas could use chi, and they would use their chi to heal damaged nature or to warm those that they saw as their own.

Gohan splooted in a way so that he was laying both on Amanthi and on her. His paws started to glow in a similar shade to Agnis rays. She gasped at the feeling, it was warm and nice.

"What is he doing?" She asked and watched the golden glow around Gohans paws in rapid fascination. Amanthi petted his head and Gohan purred. "He’s warming us." She answered.

"Why?"

"He thinks we’re cold because we don’t have any fur. The pandas only does it to people they see as their own."

Jamyang wasn’t completely sure if that was what was happening, but…

It was nice. Comfy. Jamyang could feel their breathing slow. Oh well, she might as well join them if they’re going to take a nap. Focusing on their low purrs, closing her eyes and slowing her breathing, it didn’t take too long before fell asleep.  

Jamyang woke up some hours later to someone standing over her. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she sees that it’s a girl. Half of her face was covered in a mask and her eyes were uniquely coloured, they were really pretty. Her eyes are narrow and there’s suspicion there. She didn’t do anything, did she?

“Are you a Jizo spirit?” Jamyang’s eyes squinted, she didn't know what a Jizo spirit was and she certainly hoped that she wasn’t one. Well, she had always wondered what being a spirit was like, but she would likely experience that later in life on her deathbed.

“No. I don't think so at least.” She answered sluggishly, rubbing the stubborn sleep out of her eyes. Blinking multiple times so that her blurry vision cleared. What beautiful colours, she thought, a unique combination of the grey she’s used to seeing and waterbender blue. 

“Your eyes are pretty, very pretty.”

---

Some words:

Woo, an update! This might be a long note, brace yourself. I couldn't chose just one of the summaries, so I just went with all three of them. I edited the best I could, but there are chances I might've missed something. So we met another one of Jamyangs bird friends, Oolong. I'm unsure if I want to say what he is now or later… but we'll see;) We've been introduced to Abbot Dorji and gotten a look at the view some of the nuns of the Eastern temple have on the other temples, and Jamyang doesn't understand them. Sister Tsering gave into the inquires of her love life and there's a possibility that Choekyi has a crush. Who could be the girl that was standing over Jamyang when she woke up? Uhm, I have a Tumblr for updates, reblogs and noob attempts at moodboards.

Some words: Thangka: in simple words a religious painting, often used for meditation Dzambala: A God of Fortune and Wealth Gelug: A school within Tibetan buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa, who studied under various masters of different lineages including Sakya, Kagyu and Jonang. Yonggunsa Temple: A korean temple in busan Zixiao temple: Also called purple cloud temple is a taoist temple standing on zhanqi in the Wudang mountains Wudang mountains: A mountain range in northwestern China. They are famous for a complex of taoist temples and monasteries associated with Xuantian Shangdi Losar: Known as Tibetan new year, is a festival celebrated in Tibetan Buddhism. Its celebrated in Bhutan, Tibet, India and Sikkim Druk: A thunder dragon from Tibetan and Bhutanese mythology, he is a bit more than just a thunder dragon in this… Lungta horse: A wind horse. Was predominantly a feature of folk culture with no relation to buddhism. During the rime movement in the 19th century the wind horse was increasingly given more Buddhist undertones and used in Buddhist context Drölma Karmo: White tara. Dolkar also means white tara Smoke puja: A purification practice to remove impurities of the practitioners mind and all sentient beings Dzogchen: Is a form of meditation. I recommend this video on it What is Dzogchen with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

[casualflowerglitter]

FACTS ABOUT SHIMLA ( INDIA)

1. Shimla is One Of The Youngest Cities in The Country

55% of the population is in the 16- 55 age group. And 28% of the rest is below the age of 15

2. Before the British, Shimla Region Was Ruled by the Nepalese. Shimla Was A Part Of The Kingdom Of Prithvi Narayan Shah Of Nepal Before The British. It was declared the summer capital of India in 1864.

3. Nathuram Godse’s Trial Took Place at (Now) Peterhoff Hotel. The building was the residence for seven Viceroys and the location for the Punjab High Court.

4. Indian Institute Of Advanced Studies – IIAS Had Power Supply Way Back in 1888. It was built as a residence for Lord Dufferin in 1884 and now houses the IIAS.

5. Shimla is Located On 7 Hills. Prospect Hill , Observatory Hill, Summer Hill, Inverarm Hill, Bantony Hill, Jakhoo Hill and Elysium Hill.

6. Shimla Hosts The MTB Himalaya, The Biggest Mountain Biking Race In South East Asia.

7. The Kalka-Shimla Railway Is Recognized As A World Heritage Site By UNESCO.

8. Shimla Has The Only Natural Ice Skating Rink In South Asia.

9. The Durand Football Tournament Was Held at Annandale Ground In 1888.

10. Lord Combermere Was The First Commander-In–Chief Of The Indian Army To Visit Shimla In 1828.

11. The Founder of Indian National Congress Lived at ‘Rothney Castle’ in Shimla

12. The Town Hall Was Built In 1888. It Is An Earthquake Proof Building.

13. Gandhi first came to Shimla on 11th May, 1921.

14. Shimla is the Birth Place Of Anupam Kher, Prem Chopra, Balraj Sahni, Priya Rajvansh

15. The Jakhoo Temple Shrine, Believers Say, Holds the Foot Prints Of Lord Hanuman.

16. The Houlme Is The Birth Place Of Amrita Shergill, One Of India’s Most Well Known Artists.

The house also has a studio that her father very lovingly constructed for her.

17. Shimla had its first newspaper – Simla Akhbaar in 1848.

It was run by the Muslim Community but was soon shut down by the British

18. The first shop opened in Shimla was a butchery run by Messers Barret & Co.

19. Auckland House School Is The Only Girl School In India To Introduce Scuba Diving.

20. The Jonang Takten Phuntsok Choeling Monastery In Sanjauli Is One Of Its Kind In India.

There is only one other in Tibet that teaches the practice of ‘ Kalachakra. ‘

21. BCS Shimla Is One Of The Oldest Boarding Schools In Asia.

The school has been operational since 1863. They actually have a closed door in the building from where 100 Muslims students left at partition.

22. The First Road Of Shimla Was Constructed In 1828.

The Mall was actually called the ‘Thandi Sarak’ in the British Era.

23. Shimla Falls In Seismic Zone IV.

According to officials, even 2% of the buildings will not able to withstand an earthquake of high intensity. Shimla is bursting on the seams with residents, as it was only planned for 16000 residents.

24. The northern slope of Ridge is sinking.

The Grand Hotel west, Lakkar Bazaar are going down. Alarmingly Shimla has 187 buildings with more than five floors.

25. The Shimla Convention Is A Century Old. Tibetans Are Still In Exile.

26. From the North Side of Ridge the Rain water drains into Sutlej River and is carried into Arabian Sea, South side drains into Yamuna and flows to Bay of Bengal.

Unknown

[magictransistor]

Mandala of Kalachakra. Tibet. 1800s.

[garywonghc]

The 1st Jonang Kalachakra Empowerment in Karmarong, Nepal 2016 

Karmarong is one of the homelands of littlelamas of Nepal Jonang Buddhist Institute. Located in deep mountains and valleys of Mugu in Nepalese Himalayas, Karmarong has preserved one of the cultural branches of west Tibet. Students from Karmarong in Littlelama Family long for a teaching and initiation of Kalachakra for the people of their homeland. Their wish has been fulfilled by a historical visit of H.H. Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche in November 2016. In this video, the journey begins with a welcoming touch and access to Karmarong, featuring the mosaics of its nature, rural environment, life and people. The following part is an elaborate record of Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche's visit to local people and the first Jonang Kalachakra Empowerment Ceremony in Karmarong, accomplished together by Rinpoche, Jonang students and the local people.

[panatmansam]

Pure Buddhism?

Can such a thing even exist? Certainly no one religion is better than any other. Zen is not better than Pure Land. Gelug is not better than Jonang. Joudo-shin is not better than Nichiren. Theravada is not better than Mahayana which is not better than Vajrayāna. Secular is not better than any of these religious traditions except in one way. No cultural baggage irrelevant to our history.

You see Buddhism crawled across Asia like ink spilled on a map. Slowly and organically. If the legends are true, and most legends have a kernel of truth, many cultures heard of Buddhism and sent emissaries to obtain the Pali Canon, the teachings, the dhamma often at great personal risk passing over the Himalaya, suffering starvation, disease, bandits, and imprisonment. Quite different from the way Christianity was transmitted eh?

However, with each new culture Buddhism morphed and took on new features. Like cooking with tofu it took on the flavor of its surroundings.In India the sangha was based on the Indian extended family and was open. In China it was more of a master/servant relationship with a lot of bowing and debasing oneself in acts of humility which came from the Taoist tradition already in place in China. Also, we get the "Ch'an Paradox" which is are the conflicting statements of duality like "if you are to go up you must first go down" which are famously lampooned in the West as humorous and the famous nonsense "koans" which sound like riddles but have no logical answer.

These cultures each found answers in Buddhism. Now it's our turn.

[robertoguillermogomes]

Jonang

El Jonang ( tibetano : ཇོ་ ནང་ , Wylie : Jo-nang ) es una de las escuelas del budismo tibetano . Sus orígenes en el Tíbet se remontan al maestro de principios del siglo XII, Yumo Mikyo Dorje , pero se hizo mucho más conocido con la ayuda de Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen , un monje originalmente formado en la escuela Sakya . Se pensaba ampliamente que la escuela Jonang se había extinguido a fines del…

[ming-ta]

2019年4月5日

華盛頓時報：世界佛教總部聲明

The Washington Times: Statement by World Buddhism Association Headquarters

網路鏈接： https://www.washingtontimes.com/sponsored/statement-world-buddhism-association-headquarters/?cacheup

(請見下方和附件)

The Washington Times- Statement By World Buddhism Association Headquarters 4-5-2019.jpg

Statement by World Buddhism Association Headquarters

In order that the public truly understands World Buddhism Association Headquarters and H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, World Buddhism Association Headquarters specially states the following:

1. We at World Buddhism Association Headquarters will assume all legal liability for the veracity of this statement.

2. H. H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the supreme world leader of Buddhism. Such a status is not self-investiture! The status of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III as a Buddha did not result merely from Buddhists calling Him that out of respect. Rather, in accordance with the Buddhist system of status-recognition that is more than 1,000 years old, such status was recognized by those Dharma kings, regent Dharma kings, and eminent monastics who have status-recognition authority within Buddhism. They include Dharma King Dodrupchen, who is the sole lineage-holder of the highest Rainbow-Body Accomplishment Dharma; Dharma King Penor, who was the third supreme world-leader of the Nyingma sect; Dharma King Achuk, who was the foremost monastic of great virtue in modern Tibet; Dharma King Gongbao Dumu Quji, who is the Yidam-Dharma Initiation Master of the 17th Karmapa; Dharma King Jigme Dorje, who is the supreme world-leader of the Jonang sect; Sleep Yoga Dharma King Mindrolling Trichen, who was a master of the Dalai Lama; Dharma King Trulshik, Dharma King Taklung Tsetul, and Dharma King Chogye Trichen, all three of whom were masters of the Dalai Lama; Dharma King Jigdal Dagchen Sakya, who is the supreme leader of the Sakya sect; Regent Dharma King Shamarpa, who was a master of the 17th Karmapa; Regent Dharma King and National Master Goshir Gyaltsab, who is the Sutra-Master of the 17th Karmapa; and others. These leaders are all publicly known in current Buddhist circles to be first-rate eminent monastics and people of great virtue from various Buddhist sects. All of them have individually issued an official document of recognition or corroboration to affirm the status of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. All such documents carry recognition authority according to Buddhism.

Because H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has received so many recognition and corroboration certificates, which total more than any leader, patriarch, or rinpoche in the history of Buddhism has received, we are unable to list here all them one by one. We invite all of you to go online to read the following website: https://ibsahq.org/buddha-data-en?id=162. Many of the Dharma kings not only issued a recognition or corroboration in writing, they also recorded their recognition or corroboration through photo or video.

According to the Buddhist system of status-recognition, as long as two people with recognition authority who are Dharma kings, rinpoches, or lamas recognize the status of someone, then the status of the person recognized is established. However, as history evolved, the statuses of many people were established in Buddhist circles after they were recognized by just one rinpoche with recognition authority. For example, the popularly known 14th Dalai Lama only received one recognition from one person, Reting Rinpoche V. The 17th Karmapa likewise only received two recognitions. Moreover, the one or two recognitions they received came from within their own sects.

However, with respect to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, the situation is completely different. His Holiness the Buddha has received over 100 recognitions and corroborations, making Him the first person in the entire history of Buddhism to have received such a large number of recognitions. Furthermore, those recognitions and corroborations did not come from just a single Buddhist sect. Rather, they were recognition documents written and issued by the top leaders of all of Buddhism and each of the major Buddhist sects. The status recognized was not the status of a rinpoche; rather, it was the status of a Buddha (Buddha Vajradhara), which is the highest holy being in the entirety of Buddhism. A Buddha is the highest leader of all of Buddhism.

3. The accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III in the Five Vidyas are the highest in the history of Buddhism. Shakyamuni Buddha, the supreme leader of Buddhism in our Saha world, prescribed in the sutras that “Bodhisattvas must possess the Five Vidyas.” Since Bodhisattvas must possess the Five Vidyas, a Buddha must all the more be a champion in the Five Vidyas.

Perusing historical records, one finds that in the history of human civilization, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III has been the only one who has reached the pinnacle of accomplishment in the Five Vidyas, whether in terms of worldly or transcendental accomplishments. His Holiness is the pre-eminent, tremendously holy one within Buddhism who truly meets the criteria of “perfect mastery of exoteric and esoteric Buddhism, and perfect accomplishments in the Five Vidyas” as prescribed by Shakyamuni Buddha!

The accomplishments of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III are too numerous to mention and too exceptional to describe. From poetry, iambic verses, odes and songs, to calligraphy and writing, to medicine and healing, to paintings and sculptures, to science, technology, and craftsmanship, to the teachings and principles of the Buddhist scriptures, to the absolute truth of the Dharma, and to the intrinsic reality of all phenomena, His Holiness has unimpeded proficiency and wondrous excellence in all of these fields without exception. No other person in history can be found who is comparable.

With respect to the Craftsmanship Vidya alone, there has been for many years an open offer with huge reward money for anyone who can duplicate certain sculptures or the painting “Dragon-Carp Playing in a Lotus Pond,” all of which were created by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The reward is still being offered to this day, but no one has yet been able to reproduce such artworks through their own sculpting knife or painting brush! If you cannot duplicate it, you can ask someone else to attempt a successful duplication. If anyone is successful, we will admit right away that these were not the products of the enlightenment and wisdom of a Buddha!

Based on the real accomplishments mentioned above and the recognition and corroboration certificates that accord with the Buddhist system of recognition, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is a true Buddha. A Buddha is the original entity that all Buddhists take refuge in and learn from. The appellation of “Buddha” indicates one with the greatest and highest state of enlightenment in all of Buddhism. No patriarch or Dharma king within any sect of Buddhism is qualified to have a status above that of a Buddha! At present, in this world, there is only one Buddha who is the highest leader of Buddhism—H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. There is no other!

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is inherently a Buddha. A Buddha is relied upon by all Buddhists as the one from whom they learn and receive teachings. Not only is His Holiness the Buddha the model that we at World Buddhism Association Headquarters follow and learn from, numerous other Buddhist organizations also rely on, follow, and learn from Him. Buddhists learn from the words of as well as the personal example set by His Holiness the Buddha. They have set up Dharma-listening centers to listen to and learn from the audio-recorded Dharma imparted by His Holiness the Buddha. Furthermore, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the only tremendously holy being in the history of Buddhism who does not accept any offerings but simply serves all people voluntarily.

4. Even though H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is an authentic Buddha, His point of view regarding His status has remained consistent. His Holiness the Buddha clearly expressed His attitude through His words that were published alongside the two contrasting photos showing the reversal of His appearance from old age to youthfulness. Which of those words carry the slightest element of self-boasting? H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said, “Although the title of Buddha has been legally affirmed in my name, the name Dorje Chang Buddha III means nothing to me. I am not a Bodhisattva, not an Arhat, not a venerable one, not a Dharma king, and not a rinpoche. I am not a holy person. I am one with a heart of humility.”

5. When H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was still living in China, because He propagated Buddhism and upheld justice and morality, He was persecuted by some people in the Chinese public security system. On August 1, 1999, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III came to the United States with a valid visa and subsequently settled down here. During the almost twenty years since then, His Holiness the Buddha has never returned to China even once. However, on June 20, 2002, the Chinese public security bureau in Shenzhen went so far as to groundlessly fabricate the allegation that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III “in April of 2000 in Shenzhen, sold a building to Liu Juan, defrauding Liu Juan out of RMB150 million.” They used this pretext to establish a case and started to persecute H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and some of His disciples.

Since H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was in the United States throughout the month of April 2000, how could He possibly have gone to Shenzhen to sell any building? On the contrary, it was some public security agents who bulldozed the only residence that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III had in China, without giving any compensation at all. Public security personnel took away more than 700 paintings and calligraphic works that were painstakingly created by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. As of today, there is no trace of the whereabouts of those artworks. Public security agents also arrested some disciples of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, changed their names, and secretly incarcerated them.

Meanwhile, since those public security personnel were afraid that the truth would come out about their embezzlement of paintings and calligraphic works by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, they made use of certain news media that were under their control. The day before the case against disciples of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was to be heard in court, newspaper media were already spreading rumors that the trial resulted in a guilty verdict and were defaming H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and His disciples as being bad people who defraud others. The public security personnel went even further by requesting INTERPOL to issue warrants for the arrest of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and some of His disciples.

However, after conducting an investigation into the case, INTERPOL found that the details of the case provided by the Chinese public security bureau were not true and that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and His disciples did not commit any fraud. On such basis, between October 30-31, 2008, during the 72nd Session of The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files held in Leon, France, INTERPOL reached the decision to cancel the arrest warrant against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Also, during the time INTERPOL was investigating this case, China likewise found out through investigation that the facts are that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III did not commit any fraud or crime. Therefore, on June 11, 2008, on its own initiative, China requested that INTERPOL withdrawal the arrest warrant against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. His Holiness the Buddha underwent thorough investigation by INTERPOL and was found not to have committed any crime. China requested the withdrawal of the arrest warrant. This clearly demonstrates how law-abiding H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is and how morally pure His conduct is. That is why He was found to be innocent of any crime or offense!

However, such a holy and pure person was not commended for this. On the contrary, a small number of people who do not understand the truth have assisted evildoers in defaming H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Does this kind of conduct have any morality to speak of? What kind of lowly character do such people have? Does this kind of news media have any credibility? Although the arrest warrant for H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was canceled a long time ago, those who embezzled paintings and calligraphic works of His Holiness the Buddha continue to circulate the cancelled, nulled arrest warrant on the internet and in newspapers to delude the public and prevent the case from being re-opened for investigation.

To minimize the likelihood of people being duped, an inquiry was made to INTERPOL through legal channels. In response to that inquiry, on November 19, 2009, INTERPOL specially issued a letter to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The letter clearly states that China requested that the arrest warrant against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III be cancelled and that such arrest warrant no longer exists. INTERPOL also notified all of its member countries that they cannot use this arrest warrant as a pretext to detain H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.

Attached hereto is the official letter issued by INTERPOL. It must be clearly stated that this letter from INTERPOL uses the name Yungao Yi. Spelled according to the Pinyin transliteration system, this is the secular name that was used by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III more than twenty years ago while He was in China. Also, the lower-left corner of this letter from INPERPOL originally contained the residential address of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. For the sake of security and privacy, the address has been omitted. However, every other part of the entire letter is the identical copy of the original. Not even one word was altered.

This is the truth about the INTERPOL arrest warrant against H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III! We ask all of you to think about something—Is H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III a person of noble morality or a villain who has committed a crime? Additionally, multiple times over the past many years, the so-called victims in this fabricated case—Liu Juan and Lau Pak Hun—have separately written statements or held press conferences proving that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III not only never swindled them, He instead selflessly helped them. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is a good person who selflessly benefits the public.

6. With respect to the recognitions of the status of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, the letter from INTERPOL, evidence that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was persecuted, and other information, please go online to the website https://ibsahq.org/buddha-en. Just as we did in the past, we at World Buddhism Association Headquarters will take the teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and Namo Shakyamuni Buddha as our foundation and will guide Buddhists all over the world to learn and practice the Buddha Dharma so that they will become good people who are unselfish, benevolent, and law-abiding, who contribute to society and have happy family lives, who eventually realize the true suchness of Dharma-nature, and who attain liberation.

World Buddhism Association Headquarters

【以下是世界佛教總部聲明的中文翻譯】

世界佛教總部聲明

為了讓大眾真正地了解我們世界佛教總部和南無第三世多杰羌佛，世界佛教總部特聲明如下：

第一，我們世界佛教總部對本聲明的真實性，承擔一切法律責任。

第二，南無第三世多杰羌佛是世界佛教最高領袖，不是自封的！南無第三世多杰羌佛的佛陀身份，不是佛教徒為了尊敬才稱呼的，而是佛教中那些具有認證權的法王、攝政王、高僧們根據一千多年來佛教的認證制度認證出來的，如最高虹身成就法獨掌人多珠欽法王、世界第三任寧瑪巴總教主貝諾法王、當今西藏第一大德阿秋法王、十七世噶瑪巴的本尊法灌頂上師公保·都穆曲吉法王、世界覺囊派總教主吉美多吉法王、達賴喇嘛的上師敏林赤欽睡夢法王、達賴喇嘛的三位上師楚西法王、達龍哲珠法王和秋吉崔欽法王、薩迦派總教主薩迦達欽法王、十七世噶瑪巴的上師夏瑪巴攝政王、十七世噶瑪巴的經教上師嘉察攝政國師等等，這些都是當今世界上佛教界公認的各教派第一流的高僧大德，他們都分別為南無第三世多杰羌佛寫下了具備佛教認證效力的認證、附議公函。由於南無第三世多杰羌佛獲得的認證、附議證書太多，超過佛教史上任何領袖、祖師、活佛的認證，在此無法一一列舉，請大家上網閱讀：https://ibsahq.org/buddha-data?id=131。這些法王們的認證附議不光有文字，很多還拍���照片、錄像記錄下來了。根據佛教的認證制度，只要有兩個具有認證權的法王、活佛或喇嘛認證以後，被認證的人的身份就確立了，但是，隨著歷史的演變，很多人只是被一個具有認證權的活佛認證，在佛教界就成立了，例如現在人們所熟知的第十四世達賴喇嘛，只是獲得了五世熱振活佛一個人的認證，第十七世噶瑪巴也只獲得了兩個認證，而且都是在自己的教派中得到的一兩份認證，但是，南無第三世多杰羌佛完全不是這樣，羌佛獲得的認證附議超過了一百個，成了整個佛教史上獲得最多認證附議的第一人，而且不是單一教派的認證附議，而是整個佛教及各大教派首腦出具的以文字寫成的認證附議書，被認證的身份不是活佛地位，而是佛陀（金剛總持），也就是整個佛教的最高聖者，佛陀就是整個佛教的最高領袖。

第三，南無第三世多杰羌佛的五明成就也是佛教史上第一，無有前聖可比的。我們娑婆世界的佛教教主釋迦牟尼佛在經書中規定：“菩薩在五明中得”，菩薩必須具備五明，那佛陀更要五明之冠。翻開歷史典籍，自人類有文明史以來，世出世間，唯有南無第三世多杰羌佛達到了五明成就的頂峰圓滿，是真正符合佛陀規定的“顯密圓通，五明完滿”的佛教第一巨聖！羌佛的成就太多太高，從詩詞歌賦、書法文論、醫藥治病、繪畫雕塑、科技工巧，到經教理趣，法義真諦、諸法實相，無不通達無礙，精妙高絕，歷史上找不到第二人可以比肩。就是一個工巧明雕塑和一張“龍鯉鬧蓮池”畫，公開懸賞高額獎金很多年了，至今照常懸賞，但沒有一個人能刀工手筆複製得了！你複製不了，可以請一個人去複製成功，那我們當下承認這不是佛陀覺量智慧的產物！基於上述實際的成就和依佛教制度的認證附議證書，南無第三世多杰羌佛是真正的佛陀，佛陀是所有佛教徒皈依和學習的本體，而佛陀這一稱號是整個佛教中最大最高的覺位，佛教沒有任何一個教派的祖師、法王能有資格在佛陀之上的地位！目前，在我們這個世界上，只有南無第三世多杰羌佛一位佛教最高領袖佛陀，沒有第二位！由於本質是佛陀，而佛陀是所有佛教徒學習受教的依怙，並不僅僅是我們世界佛教總部依學的典範，而且是眾多佛教機構依學的依怙，佛教徒們學佛陀的言傳身教、辦聞法點聞學佛陀的法音。而且，羌佛也是歷史上唯一的一位不收任何供養、只義務為大眾服務的佛教巨聖。

第四，儘管南無第三世多杰羌佛是真正的佛陀，但是，南無第三世多杰羌佛的觀點卻始終如一，祂在返老回春對比照上的講話明文公佈，表明了態度，哪一點有絲毫自吹？羌佛說：“雖然法定了佛陀稱號為我的名字，我卻是擁有虛名的第三世多杰羌佛，我不是菩薩，不是羅漢，不是尊者，不是法王，不是活佛，我不是聖人，是慚愧者。”

第五，當年，南無羌佛還在中國的時候，由於弘揚佛教、堅持正義和公理，而被中國公安的一些人所迫害。羌佛1999年8月1日持簽證來到美國定居以後，近20年了，再也沒有回過中國一次，可是，中國深圳公安竟然在2002年6月20日憑空捏造了羌佛“於2000年4月在深圳賣房子給劉娟，詐騙劉娟1.5億元人民幣”，以此為由立案，開始迫害南無第三世多杰羌佛和羌佛的一些弟子。要知道，2000年4月羌佛在美國，怎麼去深圳賣房子呢？反而是公安用推土機推倒了羌佛在中國的唯一一所住房，沒有賠償一分錢，公安拿走了羌佛自己心血創作的書畫七百餘張，至今不見踪影，還抓了羌佛的一些弟子，將他們換了名字，秘密關押。同時，一些公安人員由於私吞了羌佛的書畫，怕被暴露，利用他們控制的媒體，在法院還沒有開庭的前一天就先行在媒體登報造謠定罪，誣衊羌佛及其弟子是詐騙的壞人，並進而向國際刑警申請，對羌佛及其一些弟子發出通緝令。但是，國際刑警進行立案調查後，查出中國公安所所報案情不是事實，羌佛及其弟子沒有任何詐騙行為，為此，在國際刑警文件控制委員會與2008年10月30日至31日在法國里昂舉行的第72屆大會上，通過了撤銷對羌佛的通緝的決定。而在國際刑警調查期間，中國也調查出了事實的真相，羌佛沒有詐騙等犯罪行為，因此中國在2008年6月11日主動請求國際刑警撤銷對羌佛的通緝。對於南無第三世多杰羌佛，經得起國際刑警的立案詳查而無犯罪，中國請求撤銷通緝令，充分說明了羌佛是何等的遵紀守法、純淨道德的行為，才能清白無罪？！可是，這麼聖潔的人，不但沒有受到讚頌，反而受到個別不明真相的人幫著壞人誹謗，這樣的行為還有道德可言嗎？這是什麼樣低劣的人格？這樣的媒體還有任何可信度嗎？儘管對羌佛的通緝令早已撤銷了，但那些貪得羌佛書畫的人，照常把已經撤銷、不存在的通緝令在網上、報上轉發，迷惑民眾，以防翻案。為了少讓人上當受騙，通過法律途徑向國際刑警諮詢，故2009年11月19日，國際刑警專門發函給南無第三世多杰羌佛，說明中國已經請求撤銷了針對羌佛的通緝，通緝令不存在了，並通知了國際刑警的所有成員國，不能以此通緝為藉口留置第三世多杰羌佛。附件即是國際刑警的公函。需要說明的是，在國際刑警的這份公函上，仍然用的是Yungao Yi，這是第三世多杰羌佛二十多年前在中國的世俗名字的漢語拼音。同時，國際刑警公函的左下角原本是羌佛的住址，為了安全及隱私，在公佈的時候特地隱去了，但整個公函的其它部分則是照原件複印，沒有改動一個字符。這就是國際刑警對羌佛通緝令的真相！請大家想一想，羌佛是道德崇高的人呢，還是犯罪的壞人呢？而且，多年來，這個案件裡所謂的受害人劉娟、劉百行二人分別多次寫證明或開記者會證明南無第三世多杰羌佛不僅沒有騙他們，反而是無私地幫助他們，羌佛是無私利益大眾的好人。

第六，關於南無第三世多杰羌佛被認證，以及國際刑警的函件和羌佛被迫害的證據等更多資料，請上網查閱：https://ibsahq.org/buddha。世界佛教總部將一如既往地以南無第三世多杰羌佛和釋迦牟尼佛的教導為根本，指導世界各地的佛教徒们通過修学佛法，讓自己成為一個無私利他、遵紀守法、貢獻社會、家庭幸福的好人，進而悟證法性真如，解脫成就。

世界佛教總部

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說 明

國際刑警公函的左下角原本有南无第三世多杰羌佛的住址，為了安全及隱私，在这次公佈的時候特地隱去了，但整個公函的其它部分則是照原件複印，沒有改動一個字符。此中文翻译也没有翻译南无羌佛的住址。

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[buddhasaves]

The practice of Six-armed Mahakala was brought to Tibet by Khedrup Khyungpo Naljor, who also founded the Shangpa Kagyu tradition and as such considered a special protector of the lineage and its practitioners. This form of Mahakala has become popular not only in the Shangpa Kagyu, but other Kagyu lineages, as well as the Sakya, Jonang and Gelug traditions. He is considered to be an emanation of Avalokiteshvara. Continue reading here: Dharma Protectors of Tibetan Buddhism https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dharma-protectors-of-tibetan-buddhism.html #Buddhist #TsemRinpoche #DorjeShugden #Shugden #DalaiLama #China #Kechara #Tibet #Tibetan #Meditation #Mindfulness #Healing #Wisdom #Protection #Inspiration #Blessings #Buddha #Dharma #Sangha #Zen #Instalife #Instagram #instagood #Instaspiritual https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp9gXxLnX0a/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ea1add3x3yxx

[ani-tsultrim-wangmo]

However many scholars might gather, I never became humbled, and my confidence just grew greater and greater. But when I went to Jonang, and every dedicated male and female meditator had realised the nature of reality through meditation, I was extremely humbled. Toward them, uncontrolled faith and pure vision arose.

~ Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen

無論有多少���者聚在一起，我從來沒有變得謙卑，我的自信只是越來越大。但是當我去到覺囊的時候，每一位虔誠的男女禪修者都通過禪修認識到了實相的本質，我感到非常的謙卑。對着他們，顯現了不受控制的信心與清淨觀。

~ 杜布巴·喜繞堅贊

[abhayam-dada]

Happy Dakini Day!

"The naked state of illusory, self-manifesting appearances,

is luminous awareness without reference point.

there remains the inexpressible sphere;

the vividly, flickering Great Bliss."

---Jetsun Taranatha

HH 14th Dalai Lama's favourite quote from Taranatha, which he cites extensively in his teachings about Jonang masters. See here: https://dakinitranslations.com/kalacakra-2/hh-the-14th-dalai-lama-on-jonang-shentong-and-kalacakra-six-yogas/

Image: Sukhasiddhi. Sukhasiddhi (flourished 11th Century) was an Indian mahasiddha teacher of Vajrayana Buddhism, a yogini and master of meditation. "Sukhasiddhi arrived at tantric Buddhism late in life. She lived as an impoverished housewife and mother of six children until the age of fifty-nine. She was thrown out of her home by her husband and children, who were irate at what they considered her misplaced generosity to a stranger who came begging at their door. She wandered westward to Oddiyana (Swat Valley in modern Pakistan), where she acquired a measure of grain, with which she made alcohol. Her business proved a modest success, and she allowed herself to again be generous, this time to a female adept referred to as Avadhuti-ma, who regularly bought alcohol for her companion, an adept in retreat. Sukhasiddhi’s gift of free alcohol intrigued the adept, Virupa, who asked whether his surprising benefactor wanted to receive Buddhist teaching. She did. Sukhasiddhi’s story relates that she brought as offerings to Virupa two containers of alcohol and some pork. Although this meeting predates the Muslim domination of India, pork and alcohol were far from what would have normally constituted suitable offerings for spiritual teaching, even to tantric masters. Nevertheless, Virupa was no normal master, and Sukhasiddhi would prove an exceptional disciple.

Upon receiving empowerment and instruction from Virupa, Sukhasiddhi, then a sixty-one-year-old, attained full enlightenment that very evening. Like Niguma, her body became rainbowlike. Niguma is remembered as a wrathful, dark-brown woman who wore bone ornaments, whereas Sukhasiddhi is portrayed as a peaceful, light-skinned sixteen-year-old.

Niguma’s teachings make up the bulk of the Shangpa Instruction Lineage’s meditation practices, yet it is Sukhasiddhi who occupies the center of the sacred circle when Kyungpo Naljor’s masters are recalled."

https://sukhasiddhi.org/about/sukhasiddhi-story/

[dashcamtravel]

Bön

Bön Also found in: Dictionary, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia. Bön Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism Schools Nyingma Kagyu Sakya Gelug Bön Jonang Rimé Kadam Key concepts Three marks of existence Skandha Cosmology Saṃsāra Rebirth Bodhisattva Dharma Dependent origination Karma Key figures Gautama Buddha Padmasambhava Je Tsongkhapa Dalai Lama Panchen…

[robertoguillermogomes]

Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen

Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen o Dolpopa (Dolpo, 1292–Jonang, 1361), maestro del budismo tibetano, autor de obras respetadas en esta tradición como el Océano del sentido definitivo (nges don rgya mtsho) y defensor del sentong (gzhan stong). Se le conoce como el fundador de la escuela budista tibetana menor conocida como “Jonang”.

Biografía Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan)…