Posts
1. Read the Golden Light Sutra everyday until the 15th day continuously... even if it is just one sentence per day.
2. To read the Arya Sanghata Sutra and try to complete 3 rounds.
3. Upgrade by one notch my vegetarian commitment to be completely meatless for breakfast and lunch.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
'Days of Miracles' Tashi Delek
At yesterday's dharma sharing with Sister Lim Pao Yen, I find it interesting that Sister Pao Yen repeated a point made by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche in early February. The fact that this point was made only weeks after Rinpoche said it, makes the point even more important. At least it seems that way to me, because normally when points are stressed again and again, it indicates its importance. Sister Pao Yen clearly did not know that Rinpoche already made that point during his teaching earlier, so it was by mere coincidence (and it’s auspiciousness) that the same points were stressed. Moreoever, Sister Pao Yen is not of the Gelugpa lineage. She is a devout student of Jamgong Kontrul (Karma Kagyu lineage). She had spent the last 20 years visiting and serving at Pullahari Temple, Jamgong Kontrul's monastery.
The point was: Other than the gross or outer gurus that we have, our ultimate guru is none other than our own holy mind.
Sister Pao Yen said that the real guru is within our mind. She’s basically saying the same thing. Rinpoche urged us to find our ultimate guru and realize our Buddha nature. Rinpoche said that if we can constantly see the Buddhas everywhere on every single atom (even in dirty places such as toilet), just like it is mentioned in the King of Prayers, then we have realized our Ultimate Guru. Sister Pao Yen said if we can actually perceive (the word is “perceive”, not just “believe” or “visualize”) our conventional guru as a Buddha for every single moment, then we have realized Buddhahood. She also urged us to check ourselves whether we are merely attached to our guru devotion or do we have genuine guru devotion. It’s the first time I have heard of someone say these words publicly: attachment to guru devotion. It’s something to think about and check ourselves. It’s something like what I said earlier about merits – i.e. the more we try to grasp water, the less we will scoop up water.
Another interesting point she mentioned was that sometimes the guru may purposely create klesas (afflictions) for his students as a test and/or to drive home a learning point, or to clear other klesas. Using poison to fight poison, so to speak.
Since the same message (and other messages) had been driven home to us, then it is up to us to make good out of it.
The fact that the message of both Sister Pao Yen and Rinpoche is the same, demonstrated what she was trying to say that "the View is only one". She was referring to "view" as in the Kagyu's teachings on "View, Meditation and Action". "View, Meditation and Action" are common in the Kagyu school and not so much taught within Gelug. She said that but I wonder whether she realised that within the different systems of schools, when you study the deeper teachings on Emptiness, there are subtle differences between them. For us, it may be subtle differences only. But for the great masters of the past, even though it seems subtle to us, these had resulted in intense debates over the centuries. That's why you have "The two truths debate" and other similar debates between different masters of different schools.
If you ask me, it is because of this ultimate interpretation of "Emptiness", that we should choose which school or lineage we should stay in. In other words, it is not so much the lineage/schools, or which lineage our guru comes from, rather finally we have to choose which ultimate view of Emptiness that we subscribe to. For me, there is no need to stick to one guru just to maintain the purity of the lineage. After all, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche also had gurus from other lineages. And so does Lama Tsongkhapa, he had many teachers even though in the Lam Rim Chen Mo he thought that in the present age people should have limited teachers. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had also received teachings from other lineages as well. Purity of lineage is not as important as purity of your mind. Remember that the Ultimate Guru comes from your own Holy Mind. That was the message by Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche and since I was receptive to now the same message again from Sister Pao Yen, I take it that I am getting a lot of guidance from this Ultimate Guru of mine. And all my previous gurus and Root Guru ultimately all comes from my Ultimate Guru in my mind. But I cannot ever publicly disagree with anyone who urges people to listen to only their own guru and stick to their lineages. How could I? If I were them, that's perhaps what I would say too. But if you know my previous karma, and where my spiritual background came from, you would not think I had been unfaithfully and like a "monkey" jumping from lineage tree to lineage tree. Listening to one guru to the next. People generally advise others to be devoted to one guru because then they can ripen the fruits of devotion and practice. I am a different "ballgame" altogether. I listen to teachings of the Buddha since I was young and I had formal education in all schools of Buddhism. I had authentic Masters and teachers who taught me different aspects of the path. For me, I feel I had a spiritual purpose to fulfill. I am learning all these different schools of Buddhism so that I can benefit sentient beings more extensively and so that I can become as wise as Sakyamuni Buddha was in devising different teachings for different types of sentient beings. If you donot know teachings from other schools, how are you going to be a qualified spiritual liaison for Sakyamuni Buddha, for example? I had taken this vow a long time ago: " No matter how many dharma doors are, I vow to learn them all". I donot purposely seek to learn all "dharma doors". No, instead it was my karma that enabled me to learn all these dharma doors previously without any conflict of teachings or reduced devotion to a previous teacher. For example, even though I subscribe to Tsongkhapa's Lam Rim path and his emptiness view, I am no less devoted to my Drikung Kagyu teacher. Otherwise, how would I be able to write him a long life prayer? It's very difficult for me to explain and that's why generally I donot explain at all. I will leave it to my Ultimate Guru to judge. Bottom line is I know what I am doing and I know where I am heading. If you donot, you cannot follow my path and example. Better stick to one guru and one lineage.
All of the three Masters I mentioned were able to take the best spiritual practices from all lineages and syntesize these into their own teachings and combine different lineages. As a result, they were able to benefit sentient beings extensively. I come from the corporate world and I know very much about "best practices". I belong to this category of people. So, in this respect, I beg to differ from the view of Sister Pao Yen... but I will never say she is wrong. And she is not. It's just that my spirtual history" is kinda unique.
I dedicate this sharing to all of us in this forum for all our temporal and ultimate happiness and I join you in rejoicing over the Buddha’s deeds of miracles in this Auspicious Losar 2009!
The point was: Other than the gross or outer gurus that we have, our ultimate guru is none other than our own holy mind.
Sister Pao Yen said that the real guru is within our mind. She’s basically saying the same thing. Rinpoche urged us to find our ultimate guru and realize our Buddha nature. Rinpoche said that if we can constantly see the Buddhas everywhere on every single atom (even in dirty places such as toilet), just like it is mentioned in the King of Prayers, then we have realized our Ultimate Guru. Sister Pao Yen said if we can actually perceive (the word is “perceive”, not just “believe” or “visualize”) our conventional guru as a Buddha for every single moment, then we have realized Buddhahood. She also urged us to check ourselves whether we are merely attached to our guru devotion or do we have genuine guru devotion. It’s the first time I have heard of someone say these words publicly: attachment to guru devotion. It’s something to think about and check ourselves. It’s something like what I said earlier about merits – i.e. the more we try to grasp water, the less we will scoop up water.
Another interesting point she mentioned was that sometimes the guru may purposely create klesas (afflictions) for his students as a test and/or to drive home a learning point, or to clear other klesas. Using poison to fight poison, so to speak.
Since the same message (and other messages) had been driven home to us, then it is up to us to make good out of it.
The fact that the message of both Sister Pao Yen and Rinpoche is the same, demonstrated what she was trying to say that "the View is only one". She was referring to "view" as in the Kagyu's teachings on "View, Meditation and Action". "View, Meditation and Action" are common in the Kagyu school and not so much taught within Gelug. She said that but I wonder whether she realised that within the different systems of schools, when you study the deeper teachings on Emptiness, there are subtle differences between them. For us, it may be subtle differences only. But for the great masters of the past, even though it seems subtle to us, these had resulted in intense debates over the centuries. That's why you have "The two truths debate" and other similar debates between different masters of different schools.
If you ask me, it is because of this ultimate interpretation of "Emptiness", that we should choose which school or lineage we should stay in. In other words, it is not so much the lineage/schools, or which lineage our guru comes from, rather finally we have to choose which ultimate view of Emptiness that we subscribe to. For me, there is no need to stick to one guru just to maintain the purity of the lineage. After all, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche also had gurus from other lineages. And so does Lama Tsongkhapa, he had many teachers even though in the Lam Rim Chen Mo he thought that in the present age people should have limited teachers. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had also received teachings from other lineages as well. Purity of lineage is not as important as purity of your mind. Remember that the Ultimate Guru comes from your own Holy Mind. That was the message by Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche and since I was receptive to now the same message again from Sister Pao Yen, I take it that I am getting a lot of guidance from this Ultimate Guru of mine. And all my previous gurus and Root Guru ultimately all comes from my Ultimate Guru in my mind. But I cannot ever publicly disagree with anyone who urges people to listen to only their own guru and stick to their lineages. How could I? If I were them, that's perhaps what I would say too. But if you know my previous karma, and where my spiritual background came from, you would not think I had been unfaithfully and like a "monkey" jumping from lineage tree to lineage tree. Listening to one guru to the next. People generally advise others to be devoted to one guru because then they can ripen the fruits of devotion and practice. I am a different "ballgame" altogether. I listen to teachings of the Buddha since I was young and I had formal education in all schools of Buddhism. I had authentic Masters and teachers who taught me different aspects of the path. For me, I feel I had a spiritual purpose to fulfill. I am learning all these different schools of Buddhism so that I can benefit sentient beings more extensively and so that I can become as wise as Sakyamuni Buddha was in devising different teachings for different types of sentient beings. If you donot know teachings from other schools, how are you going to be a qualified spiritual liaison for Sakyamuni Buddha, for example? I had taken this vow a long time ago: " No matter how many dharma doors are, I vow to learn them all". I donot purposely seek to learn all "dharma doors". No, instead it was my karma that enabled me to learn all these dharma doors previously without any conflict of teachings or reduced devotion to a previous teacher. For example, even though I subscribe to Tsongkhapa's Lam Rim path and his emptiness view, I am no less devoted to my Drikung Kagyu teacher. Otherwise, how would I be able to write him a long life prayer? It's very difficult for me to explain and that's why generally I donot explain at all. I will leave it to my Ultimate Guru to judge. Bottom line is I know what I am doing and I know where I am heading. If you donot, you cannot follow my path and example. Better stick to one guru and one lineage.
All of the three Masters I mentioned were able to take the best spiritual practices from all lineages and syntesize these into their own teachings and combine different lineages. As a result, they were able to benefit sentient beings extensively. I come from the corporate world and I know very much about "best practices". I belong to this category of people. So, in this respect, I beg to differ from the view of Sister Pao Yen... but I will never say she is wrong. And she is not. It's just that my spirtual history" is kinda unique.
I dedicate this sharing to all of us in this forum for all our temporal and ultimate happiness and I join you in rejoicing over the Buddha’s deeds of miracles in this Auspicious Losar 2009!
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Global Ecological Crisis : An Aspirational Prayer by HH Sakya Trizin
Even though this may seem like a poem, in reality, it contains many teachings. I hope we will take note of them.
For instance, paragraph 4. It is because of human greed, that we have caused the ecological imbalances to happen and hence, affects the abodes of spirits, nagas, and other beings. That's why there is also so much diseases such as cancer. Most nagas do not simply spread diseases. If we just dispel the nagas, but donot curb our human greed, and if we donot take care of the environment, do you seriously think our diseases will be cured?
Look at our own actions. Have we thrown rubbish indiscriminately? I honestly admit that I may have done that in the past. Hence I am sorry. I am sure we all have done that. Have we split our saliva indiscriminately or urinate where we should not? Or have we pulled out/chop down a plant/tree without inviting the spirit to go out first? Ask questions like these to know what have we done. Have we been unkind to the environment?
Our lamas are very good to us. Because we request for practices, they still give us the practices, even though they know we will not be able to cure our diseases or benefit much from it at least in this life. Even though our disease will not be cured, or benefit much from it now, they still give us the practices because of the karmic imprint for our future lives. So, our lamas are very kind. They think of our benefit in the future. It is we who have been unkind.
Another friendly reminder: I hope we donot do all those good deeds during Losar because of the multiplication of our merits by 100 million times alone. Donot think so much of how much merits to be gained. Just do it sincerely and think of benefiting sentient beings instead of the 100 million times multiplication factor for our ownselves. To think like this will only inflate our ego and caused self-grasping to multiply by 100 million times too. "My" merits. "My" good karma. So much "me", "my", "I" . Recite Sutras even if there is no merits. Prostrate even if there is no merits whatsoever.
Reminds me of the story of the emperor of China who had been doing good deeds for a long period. So, when he had the opportunity to ask Bodhidharma how much merits he had obtained, Bodhidharma answered, "None whatsoever!" Merits is like water, the more we grasped it, the less we will hold. If we just let go, be natural and sincere, our hand will scoop up much water.
===============================================
When I pray one-pointedly, with fervent faith and devotion,
To the master Padmakara, to Padmapani, venerable Tara and other deities
In whom the Three Precious Jewels are all gathered,
I beseech you to direct your enlightened intention compassionately toward us
From the invisible expanse of reality!
All aeons of time that are illustrious in lifespan and merits are destroyed
By ill-intentioned thoughts and deeds, and by evil barbarity.
Will you not therefore direct your enlightened intention compassionately
Toward living beings who, lacking positive opportunities,
Commit an enormous mass of degenerate actions, embodying the five degradations?
Due to rapacious greed that covets the world’s resources
Trees and forests are cut down and so forth,
Causing an imbalance of the rain water element.
May you swiftly and compassionately protect
Living beings who fall into such disastrous circumstances!
In order that countless diverse machines might be brought into service
There is unlimited excavation of mines, and through these actions
The abodes of celestial, aquatic and terrestrial spirits are imbalanced.
Grant your blessings therefore that afflictions associated with the elements might be assuaged!
The air is being polluted by billowing clouds of smoke from countless factories,
And through this primary cause,
The whole world trembles due to unprecedented diseases.
Grant your blessings that it may be protected from such states of misery!
In particular, due to insatiable desires and cravings,
Coarse human behaviour pulverizes the physical world and its organisms,
Giving rise to an imbalance of the four naturally occurring elements.
Grant your blessings therefore, that the mundane aggregates
Might be pacified right where they are, without causing harm!
The poison of global warming due to the harnessing of machines in all places and times,
Is causing the existing snow mountains to melt, And the oceans will consequently bring the world within reach of theaeon’s end.
Grant your blessings that it may be protected from these conditions!
Moreover, there are incurable skin diseases that arise
From the breaching of the natural ozone canopy
Which inhibits the intolerable and terrifying poisonous radiation of the sun.
Grant you blessings that these may be pacified, remaining behind in name alone!
In brief, dependent on strong desire and craving,
This world generated by ordinary past actions
Is beginning to be swiftly transformed into a desert.
Grant your blessings that the negative past actions which are responsible
Might cease, right where they are!
Although the entire mass of defects that afflict the physical world and its living organisms
Has been engendered by the dissonant mental states associated with past actions,
Comprising all primary and secondary dissonant mental states,
Even so, through the unfailing power of truth, of the Three PreciousJewels,
I pray that all the points of this aspirational prayer may be fulfilled!
This prayer was composed by Ngawang Kunga of the Dolma Palace, throneholder of Sakya, in accordance with the repeated exhortations of Dr JohnStanley, conveyed with the great clarity of higher aspiration, withregard to the impending catastrophe that now confronts the environmentand living organisms in all parts of the world. May its aspirations beaccordingly fulfilled! Translated by Dr Gyurme Dorje
For instance, paragraph 4. It is because of human greed, that we have caused the ecological imbalances to happen and hence, affects the abodes of spirits, nagas, and other beings. That's why there is also so much diseases such as cancer. Most nagas do not simply spread diseases. If we just dispel the nagas, but donot curb our human greed, and if we donot take care of the environment, do you seriously think our diseases will be cured?
Look at our own actions. Have we thrown rubbish indiscriminately? I honestly admit that I may have done that in the past. Hence I am sorry. I am sure we all have done that. Have we split our saliva indiscriminately or urinate where we should not? Or have we pulled out/chop down a plant/tree without inviting the spirit to go out first? Ask questions like these to know what have we done. Have we been unkind to the environment?
Our lamas are very good to us. Because we request for practices, they still give us the practices, even though they know we will not be able to cure our diseases or benefit much from it at least in this life. Even though our disease will not be cured, or benefit much from it now, they still give us the practices because of the karmic imprint for our future lives. So, our lamas are very kind. They think of our benefit in the future. It is we who have been unkind.
Another friendly reminder: I hope we donot do all those good deeds during Losar because of the multiplication of our merits by 100 million times alone. Donot think so much of how much merits to be gained. Just do it sincerely and think of benefiting sentient beings instead of the 100 million times multiplication factor for our ownselves. To think like this will only inflate our ego and caused self-grasping to multiply by 100 million times too. "My" merits. "My" good karma. So much "me", "my", "I" . Recite Sutras even if there is no merits. Prostrate even if there is no merits whatsoever.
Reminds me of the story of the emperor of China who had been doing good deeds for a long period. So, when he had the opportunity to ask Bodhidharma how much merits he had obtained, Bodhidharma answered, "None whatsoever!" Merits is like water, the more we grasped it, the less we will hold. If we just let go, be natural and sincere, our hand will scoop up much water.
===============================================
When I pray one-pointedly, with fervent faith and devotion,
To the master Padmakara, to Padmapani, venerable Tara and other deities
In whom the Three Precious Jewels are all gathered,
I beseech you to direct your enlightened intention compassionately toward us
From the invisible expanse of reality!
All aeons of time that are illustrious in lifespan and merits are destroyed
By ill-intentioned thoughts and deeds, and by evil barbarity.
Will you not therefore direct your enlightened intention compassionately
Toward living beings who, lacking positive opportunities,
Commit an enormous mass of degenerate actions, embodying the five degradations?
Due to rapacious greed that covets the world’s resources
Trees and forests are cut down and so forth,
Causing an imbalance of the rain water element.
May you swiftly and compassionately protect
Living beings who fall into such disastrous circumstances!
In order that countless diverse machines might be brought into service
There is unlimited excavation of mines, and through these actions
The abodes of celestial, aquatic and terrestrial spirits are imbalanced.
Grant your blessings therefore that afflictions associated with the elements might be assuaged!
The air is being polluted by billowing clouds of smoke from countless factories,
And through this primary cause,
The whole world trembles due to unprecedented diseases.
Grant your blessings that it may be protected from such states of misery!
In particular, due to insatiable desires and cravings,
Coarse human behaviour pulverizes the physical world and its organisms,
Giving rise to an imbalance of the four naturally occurring elements.
Grant your blessings therefore, that the mundane aggregates
Might be pacified right where they are, without causing harm!
The poison of global warming due to the harnessing of machines in all places and times,
Is causing the existing snow mountains to melt, And the oceans will consequently bring the world within reach of theaeon’s end.
Grant your blessings that it may be protected from these conditions!
Moreover, there are incurable skin diseases that arise
From the breaching of the natural ozone canopy
Which inhibits the intolerable and terrifying poisonous radiation of the sun.
Grant you blessings that these may be pacified, remaining behind in name alone!
In brief, dependent on strong desire and craving,
This world generated by ordinary past actions
Is beginning to be swiftly transformed into a desert.
Grant your blessings that the negative past actions which are responsible
Might cease, right where they are!
Although the entire mass of defects that afflict the physical world and its living organisms
Has been engendered by the dissonant mental states associated with past actions,
Comprising all primary and secondary dissonant mental states,
Even so, through the unfailing power of truth, of the Three PreciousJewels,
I pray that all the points of this aspirational prayer may be fulfilled!
This prayer was composed by Ngawang Kunga of the Dolma Palace, throneholder of Sakya, in accordance with the repeated exhortations of Dr JohnStanley, conveyed with the great clarity of higher aspiration, withregard to the impending catastrophe that now confronts the environmentand living organisms in all parts of the world. May its aspirations beaccordingly fulfilled! Translated by Dr Gyurme Dorje
Where does the holiness come from?
I’d like to post a few questions. We all know Losar is coming and merits are supposed to multiply by 100 million times. It is only in the Tibetan tradition that we find people talking about how many specific times are merits multiplied. And even within the Tibetan tradition, only certain groups seem to …for very good reasons…speak about it more than others. This is to encourage people to make more merits for themselves.
However, many people seem to have the incorrect motivation when doing these good deeds on such holy days. Therefore, please allow me to point out a few things.
First, some people wait for holy days to come, then only make offerings, recite sutras, doing other good deeds. But someone argued that doing such good deeds on holy days indicates that you still have attachment to ego. Why? He argued that the reason is because you still think about “your merit” and “my merits”. As our merits multiply by 100 million times, so does our ego. So, how do we prevent this from happening? I think the person who said and pointed this to me has a point. It started me to think these questions: -
- Can you count or measure merits, eg. 1 merit, 2 merits, etc?
- How much is 1 unit, 2 units, 3 units of merits? 1 gram, 2 grams, … 1kg, 2 kg…?
- How much is 1 merit multiply by 1 time? 2 times? 3 times?
- Does the holiness of the holy day come from the sun? the moon? The calendar?
- Which calendar is more accurate? Tibetan, Chinese, Gregorian? For example, the day the Buddha achieved enlightenment is different according to different calendar.
- Does it really matter which calendar?
- Is it possible, then, to do these activities on a consistent basis regardless of what day, and still do them on holy days too? And thereby, in this way, we do not do these good deeds specifically only on holy days?
- Ultimately, where does the holiness of any holy day come from?
- Ultimately, what is merit?
So, this “guru” who taught this subtle point out to me on the correct way to make merits on holy days is really incredible. He is saying that once we find out the answer to the last 2 questions above, then only will we truly make incredible merits multiple on both holy and non-holy days. But for ordinary sentient beings, who have not found out the answer, I think it is still good to do offerings, recite sutras, etc on holy days even though it will be stained by ego-centric attachment to merits. It is only sentient beings that need merits, Buddhas do not. So, try not to think so much of how many times it will multiply and JUST DO IT. REJOICE in the Buddha’s miracles and virtues every single day. Not just on holy days. And the main point I am trying to share is: If it is a holy day, do not ignore it. Rejoice and do good deeds with a “let go” attitude.
However, many people seem to have the incorrect motivation when doing these good deeds on such holy days. Therefore, please allow me to point out a few things.
First, some people wait for holy days to come, then only make offerings, recite sutras, doing other good deeds. But someone argued that doing such good deeds on holy days indicates that you still have attachment to ego. Why? He argued that the reason is because you still think about “your merit” and “my merits”. As our merits multiply by 100 million times, so does our ego. So, how do we prevent this from happening? I think the person who said and pointed this to me has a point. It started me to think these questions: -
- Can you count or measure merits, eg. 1 merit, 2 merits, etc?
- How much is 1 unit, 2 units, 3 units of merits? 1 gram, 2 grams, … 1kg, 2 kg…?
- How much is 1 merit multiply by 1 time? 2 times? 3 times?
- Does the holiness of the holy day come from the sun? the moon? The calendar?
- Which calendar is more accurate? Tibetan, Chinese, Gregorian? For example, the day the Buddha achieved enlightenment is different according to different calendar.
- Does it really matter which calendar?
- Is it possible, then, to do these activities on a consistent basis regardless of what day, and still do them on holy days too? And thereby, in this way, we do not do these good deeds specifically only on holy days?
- Ultimately, where does the holiness of any holy day come from?
- Ultimately, what is merit?
So, this “guru” who taught this subtle point out to me on the correct way to make merits on holy days is really incredible. He is saying that once we find out the answer to the last 2 questions above, then only will we truly make incredible merits multiple on both holy and non-holy days. But for ordinary sentient beings, who have not found out the answer, I think it is still good to do offerings, recite sutras, etc on holy days even though it will be stained by ego-centric attachment to merits. It is only sentient beings that need merits, Buddhas do not. So, try not to think so much of how many times it will multiply and JUST DO IT. REJOICE in the Buddha’s miracles and virtues every single day. Not just on holy days. And the main point I am trying to share is: If it is a holy day, do not ignore it. Rejoice and do good deeds with a “let go” attitude.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Lama Zopa's Advice for Cancer Patients
This is my advice regarding another method to deal with cancer, as well as the normal way involving operations and medicine. This method is to deal with the cancer through Dharma.
Even if Dharma doesn’t help or heal the cancer right away, Dharma purifies the negative karma and defilements, which are the cause of cancer, and plants the seed of the path and liberation from samsara. The more you practice Dharma, the more you meditate on emptiness and the more you meditate on bodhichitta, the closer to liberation and enlightenment you become. No question if you practice on the basis of the three principal aspects of the path, the lam.rim, and tantra (method and wisdom). This brings you closer to liberation, and closer to liberating numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bringing them to enlightenment. If you practice like this, even if your present cancer is not healed, in the future you will not experience it again, or you will have a very short experience, instead of experiencing the cancer again and again in so many lifetimes.
According to my observations the Tibetan medicine called Khung Na is especially good for cancer. You can take three pills in the morning and three pills in the evening for two weeks. You can get these medicines from Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, Kopan Monastery or any Tibetan doctor.
Doing Medicine Buddha practice, as well as Naga King practice comes out very good for people with cancer.
Naga King
Mantra:
tadya tha / om tathagata bhagavan naga raja shora / ah ti tina / ah ti tita / svaha
It also comes out very good if you can recite the Naga King name mantra at least 21 times a day.
chom den de / deshin shegpa da chompa / yangdakpar zogpa sangye / rinchen okyi gyalpo me o rabtu salwa la / chag tsal lo
Recite this mantra with strong visualization. Visualize beams emitted from the Naga King entering one’s own body and mind, like washing a glass tube, washing away all the negativities. Think that the four things are purified (disease, spirit harm, negative karma and defilements).
Also you can think that the nectar purifies all sentient beings, particularly the naga, as well as the numberless other beings who have cancer; think they are all purified.
For one part of the mala focus on purifying all sentient beings, particularly the nagas; then the second part of the mala focus on purifying numberless sentient beings, particularly those who have cancer, including yourself. Particularly focus on purifying the cause of sickness, which is karma and delusion.
These practices are very important, a billion times more important than medicine itself because these practices purify your karma. Your heavy negative karma, which you are experiencing this life, gets purified just by reciting this mantra 21 times; it can stop you from experiencing this negative karma. By reciting 100,000 times it is able to cure leprosy.
It also comes out very good to liberate animals each month. If you are near a Center , the center can help you, or you can invite friends to attend. Please use the advice that I have given on animal liberation (you can get booklet from FPMT Education Department: http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=39).
First, put a table that is full of holy objects such as tsa tsas, texts, statues, scriptures etc. Then take the animals around this table, carrying them in bags or boxes. Other people can help you carry, have many people carrying, circumambulating the table full of holy objects, as many times as possible. As you circumambulate chant mantras loudly.
Then you can bless water by blowing mantras into it and then sprinkle the blessed water on the animals. Recite whatever mantras you know but especially om mani padme hum and Medicine Buddha mantra: TADYATA OM BHEKHANDZYE BHEKHANDZYE MAHA BHEKHANDZYE (BHEKHANDZYE) RAJA SAMUDGATE SVAHA.
When you sprinkle the blessed water on the animals think it completely purifies them of all their negative karma and defilements, and from the causes of being born in the lower realms, so they can have a good rebirth. Also, you can pour the blessed water into the sea, if you have animals to release into the sea.
Each time you circumambulate with the animals and insects you are bringing them closer to enlightenment, besides freeing them from samsara, so do this practice each month.
Also other people can participate, especially other people who have cancer, or even the family of people who have cancer. Even if the person is in hospital still the family can do this practice for them and dedicate for them. This is an extremely good practice because, by the way, the people who circumambulate the animals also get liberated from samsara and brought to enlightenment. So in this way the animals are helping the people to create merit and purify their negative karma, to be liberated from samsara and achieve enlightenment.
The other thing that came out very beneficial is to print the Long Life Sutra. (You can get this from the Education Department: http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?Product_ID=1189).
It is very good for you to continue to print this Sutra a few times each week, or once a month. Printing this Sutra creates limitless skies of merit, good karma; mountains of negative karma get purified, purifying the causes of sicknesses, such as cancer etc.
After you print it you can keep it in your house, in high respectful places, because it is a holy object. You can put it on your altar so that you can make offerings and prostrations to it. Also you can give copies of the Sutra to other people, to keep on their altars or put inside statues or stupas.
It is also very good to think in this way: “Primarily, this cancer and sickness is due to my past karma.” Having this sickness is the result of past karma that one has done, so it is something that has to come out. Either one needs to purify it before it is experienced or by experiencing it you finish the karma. Here, in your case, it is finishing the karma by experiencing it now. So think this is good, don’t think of it as bad, look at it as positive.
It is mentioned by one great holy being, the Tibetan meditator, Geshe Khara Gomchen:
Even just this small suffering
Finishes past bad karma and causes happiness in future lives.
Don’t look at the suffering as negative.
Rejoice; be happy at the suffering.
Therefore, be happy with the problem that you have now; think of it as a good sign. This is how you can transform these problems, which you are experiencing now, in your case cancer, into happiness.
Also, you can use what you are experiencing now to practice bodhichitta. This is the special, brave-hearted practice of taking other sentient beings’ suffering and the causes onto oneself and giving one’s own happiness and all one’s merits to others.
You do the meditation of receiving all sentient beings’ sufferings and the causes (karma and delusion), as well as the negative imprints. Receive all of this in the form of pollution. This absorbs on to one’s own ego, the self-cherishing thought, totally destroying it; it becomes non-existent. At the same time, the I that exists is merely labeled by the mind; the I that appears to oneself as not merely labeled by the mind is a complete hallucination. In reality the real (self-existent) I does not exist at all, even an atom; so that emotional I, the real appearance, becomes totally non-existent, as it is non-existent. Think that you are seeing it this way. This is the very nature of the I. Stay in that.
Then do the giving—giving all one’s happiness and merits. Or you can just repeat the taking—taking all the suffering and the causes—over and over again. It is very good if you can do this meditation a few times each day.
The rest of the time, if you can, think, “I am experiencing this cancer on behalf of all sentient beings.” Keep the mind in this. Whenever you think, “I have cancer,” whenever that thought arises then, without delaying even a second, think, “I am experiencing this cancer on behalf of all sentient beings.”
This is the way suffering is transformed into happiness. Every time you think, “I am experiencing this cancer for all living beings,” because living beings are numberless you collect limitless skies of merit and purify so many eons of negative karma. So each time you have this thought you become closer to enlightenment. That means you become closer to liberating numberless sentient beings from samsara. It means each time you have this thought you become closer to enlightening all sentient beings. So there is no happier life in this world than this; this is the best life. Your cancer makes you have the best life, the happiest life, more satisfaction, more fulfillment and most beneficial life for all other living beings and for yourself. Happy life now and, like the sun shining in the sky, best life in the future. Of course, then there is enlightenment.
Thank you very much. If you can keep this as your main practice then your cancer becomes medicine, it becomes the most powerful healer, purifying all negative karma. This way you don’t experience the resultant sickness and other problems; you collect limitless skies of merit, to accomplish complete bodhicitta—your unbelievable happiness and happiness of all the numberless sentient beings. Therefore, your cancer becomes wish-fulfilling to you. You transform your cancer to a wish-fulfilling jewel.
Even if Dharma doesn’t help or heal the cancer right away, Dharma purifies the negative karma and defilements, which are the cause of cancer, and plants the seed of the path and liberation from samsara. The more you practice Dharma, the more you meditate on emptiness and the more you meditate on bodhichitta, the closer to liberation and enlightenment you become. No question if you practice on the basis of the three principal aspects of the path, the lam.rim, and tantra (method and wisdom). This brings you closer to liberation, and closer to liberating numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bringing them to enlightenment. If you practice like this, even if your present cancer is not healed, in the future you will not experience it again, or you will have a very short experience, instead of experiencing the cancer again and again in so many lifetimes.
According to my observations the Tibetan medicine called Khung Na is especially good for cancer. You can take three pills in the morning and three pills in the evening for two weeks. You can get these medicines from Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, Kopan Monastery or any Tibetan doctor.
Doing Medicine Buddha practice, as well as Naga King practice comes out very good for people with cancer.
Naga King
Mantra:
tadya tha / om tathagata bhagavan naga raja shora / ah ti tina / ah ti tita / svaha
It also comes out very good if you can recite the Naga King name mantra at least 21 times a day.
chom den de / deshin shegpa da chompa / yangdakpar zogpa sangye / rinchen okyi gyalpo me o rabtu salwa la / chag tsal lo
Recite this mantra with strong visualization. Visualize beams emitted from the Naga King entering one’s own body and mind, like washing a glass tube, washing away all the negativities. Think that the four things are purified (disease, spirit harm, negative karma and defilements).
Also you can think that the nectar purifies all sentient beings, particularly the naga, as well as the numberless other beings who have cancer; think they are all purified.
For one part of the mala focus on purifying all sentient beings, particularly the nagas; then the second part of the mala focus on purifying numberless sentient beings, particularly those who have cancer, including yourself. Particularly focus on purifying the cause of sickness, which is karma and delusion.
These practices are very important, a billion times more important than medicine itself because these practices purify your karma. Your heavy negative karma, which you are experiencing this life, gets purified just by reciting this mantra 21 times; it can stop you from experiencing this negative karma. By reciting 100,000 times it is able to cure leprosy.
It also comes out very good to liberate animals each month. If you are near a Center , the center can help you, or you can invite friends to attend. Please use the advice that I have given on animal liberation (you can get booklet from FPMT Education Department: http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=39).
First, put a table that is full of holy objects such as tsa tsas, texts, statues, scriptures etc. Then take the animals around this table, carrying them in bags or boxes. Other people can help you carry, have many people carrying, circumambulating the table full of holy objects, as many times as possible. As you circumambulate chant mantras loudly.
Then you can bless water by blowing mantras into it and then sprinkle the blessed water on the animals. Recite whatever mantras you know but especially om mani padme hum and Medicine Buddha mantra: TADYATA OM BHEKHANDZYE BHEKHANDZYE MAHA BHEKHANDZYE (BHEKHANDZYE) RAJA SAMUDGATE SVAHA.
When you sprinkle the blessed water on the animals think it completely purifies them of all their negative karma and defilements, and from the causes of being born in the lower realms, so they can have a good rebirth. Also, you can pour the blessed water into the sea, if you have animals to release into the sea.
Each time you circumambulate with the animals and insects you are bringing them closer to enlightenment, besides freeing them from samsara, so do this practice each month.
Also other people can participate, especially other people who have cancer, or even the family of people who have cancer. Even if the person is in hospital still the family can do this practice for them and dedicate for them. This is an extremely good practice because, by the way, the people who circumambulate the animals also get liberated from samsara and brought to enlightenment. So in this way the animals are helping the people to create merit and purify their negative karma, to be liberated from samsara and achieve enlightenment.
The other thing that came out very beneficial is to print the Long Life Sutra. (You can get this from the Education Department: http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?Product_ID=1189).
It is very good for you to continue to print this Sutra a few times each week, or once a month. Printing this Sutra creates limitless skies of merit, good karma; mountains of negative karma get purified, purifying the causes of sicknesses, such as cancer etc.
After you print it you can keep it in your house, in high respectful places, because it is a holy object. You can put it on your altar so that you can make offerings and prostrations to it. Also you can give copies of the Sutra to other people, to keep on their altars or put inside statues or stupas.
It is also very good to think in this way: “Primarily, this cancer and sickness is due to my past karma.” Having this sickness is the result of past karma that one has done, so it is something that has to come out. Either one needs to purify it before it is experienced or by experiencing it you finish the karma. Here, in your case, it is finishing the karma by experiencing it now. So think this is good, don’t think of it as bad, look at it as positive.
It is mentioned by one great holy being, the Tibetan meditator, Geshe Khara Gomchen:
Even just this small suffering
Finishes past bad karma and causes happiness in future lives.
Don’t look at the suffering as negative.
Rejoice; be happy at the suffering.
Therefore, be happy with the problem that you have now; think of it as a good sign. This is how you can transform these problems, which you are experiencing now, in your case cancer, into happiness.
Also, you can use what you are experiencing now to practice bodhichitta. This is the special, brave-hearted practice of taking other sentient beings’ suffering and the causes onto oneself and giving one’s own happiness and all one’s merits to others.
You do the meditation of receiving all sentient beings’ sufferings and the causes (karma and delusion), as well as the negative imprints. Receive all of this in the form of pollution. This absorbs on to one’s own ego, the self-cherishing thought, totally destroying it; it becomes non-existent. At the same time, the I that exists is merely labeled by the mind; the I that appears to oneself as not merely labeled by the mind is a complete hallucination. In reality the real (self-existent) I does not exist at all, even an atom; so that emotional I, the real appearance, becomes totally non-existent, as it is non-existent. Think that you are seeing it this way. This is the very nature of the I. Stay in that.
Then do the giving—giving all one’s happiness and merits. Or you can just repeat the taking—taking all the suffering and the causes—over and over again. It is very good if you can do this meditation a few times each day.
The rest of the time, if you can, think, “I am experiencing this cancer on behalf of all sentient beings.” Keep the mind in this. Whenever you think, “I have cancer,” whenever that thought arises then, without delaying even a second, think, “I am experiencing this cancer on behalf of all sentient beings.”
This is the way suffering is transformed into happiness. Every time you think, “I am experiencing this cancer for all living beings,” because living beings are numberless you collect limitless skies of merit and purify so many eons of negative karma. So each time you have this thought you become closer to enlightenment. That means you become closer to liberating numberless sentient beings from samsara. It means each time you have this thought you become closer to enlightening all sentient beings. So there is no happier life in this world than this; this is the best life. Your cancer makes you have the best life, the happiest life, more satisfaction, more fulfillment and most beneficial life for all other living beings and for yourself. Happy life now and, like the sun shining in the sky, best life in the future. Of course, then there is enlightenment.
Thank you very much. If you can keep this as your main practice then your cancer becomes medicine, it becomes the most powerful healer, purifying all negative karma. This way you don’t experience the resultant sickness and other problems; you collect limitless skies of merit, to accomplish complete bodhicitta—your unbelievable happiness and happiness of all the numberless sentient beings. Therefore, your cancer becomes wish-fulfilling to you. You transform your cancer to a wish-fulfilling jewel.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Visited by Vajrapani
At last I have found out the name of this red-coloured deity who “visited” me recently. He looks the statues in the above pics.
In the past, I have been “visited” by many deities before, but he is by far the most wrathful I have seen. My initial thoughts were that this is a yaksha/raksha and a protector. My hunch was right. I had dreamt in early January 2009 of going to a Chinese temple. At the temple entrance was a Ni'o – the East Asian version of Vajrapani – statue with a big urn for putting joss-sticks. Ni'o is often placed at entrances to temples and found in many temples in Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China. In Malaysia, you can find them in the version of the Generals Heng Ha Er Jiang at Kek Lok Si temple (the 2 guardians in front of the large Kuan Yin statue).
I think I lit up a few joss-sticks and offered to this fierce-looking deity. Then I left, partly because it was too wrathful for me to look at for too long. But the terrifying look of his red-hot face stucked in my mind. I will never forget that look. I have no idea why I dreamt of him or which one of him. Is it the one iwth the open mouth or the closed mouth? Maybe it is the closed-mouth one but I am not sure. I dreamt of only one of them. And it is definitely much redder in colour than the above, and has no facial hair on his face unlike the 2 images above. Yup - no moustache or eyebrows.
I was not reading about Vajrapani or any such fierce Chinese deity anytime before that night. No, I was not reading of ghost or any horror stories either. I am familiar with the Tibetan version, but not this East Asian version of Vajrapani. So, why did he appear to me in that manner? Maybe he came to warn me of something? Maybe I did something wrong? I have no idea. But I now know that he is probably one of my spiritual protectors.
Sometimes, strange deities that I have not seen before would appear to me in dreams/visions, only later to find out that there is indeed such a deity. Sometimes if I am lucky I get to find out who the deity is, but if not lucky, remains unknown till today. I had not seen this red deity before, but yet, at the same time feel like I had. Very difficult to explain, you know what I mean…?? prehaps these deities came about due to my past life connections??
For further info on Ni'o, refer these links:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nio
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/nio.shtml
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A Tribute to Shinran Daishonin
Shinran Shonin's Spiritual Quotations
(these are good sayings to ponder and reflect)
“Although my eyes, blinded by passions, do not see the brilliant light which embraces me, the Great Compassion never tires, always casting its light upon me.”
“Being grasped by Unhindered Light is felt, but is beyond conceptual understanding; to be free of any form of self-centered calculation is to have realized Other Power.”
“We should know that Amida’s Primal Vow does not discriminate whether one is young or old, good or evil, and that true entrusting alone is needed, for it is the Vow that seeks to deliver sentient beings burdened with foolishness and blind passions.”
“If I were capable of realizing Buddhahood by other religious practices and yet fall into hell for saying the nembutsu, I might have dire regrets for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any religious practice, hell is my only home.”
How shameless and unrepentant a person am I, and without a heart of truth and sincerity; but because the Name is given completely by Amida, its virtue pervades the ten directions.”
“When we entrust ourselves in Amida’s Primal Vow, we who are like broken tiles and bits of pebbles are transmuted into gold.”
“By benefit of Infinite Light, true entrusting is magnificent. The ice of desire is melted to become the water of Nirvana. Our desires are the essence of Nirvana, like the relation of ice and water. The more ice, the more water: the more desire, the more Nirvana.”
“The Primal Vow of Amida is manifested in its entirety in the Name, Namu-Amida-Butsu, and aside from this Name there is no supernatural reality or being. The implications of this simple fact are fathomless.”
“Though we speak of Vow and Name, these are not two different things. There is no Name separate from the Vow; there is no Vow separate from the Name.”
“The Nembutsu is non-practice and non-good for those who practice it. It is non-practice for us, because it is not the practice which we do out of our own contrivance; and it is non-good because it is not the good which we do out of our own contrivance. It is entirely due to Other Power (Natural Power) and is free from self power.”
“Awaken to the life nurturing Primal Vow of Amida; those who only entrust in this universal activity of love and compassion, through the benefit of embraced and never forsaken, all attain Enlightenment.”
“What a joy it is that I place my mind in the soil of the Primal Vow and I let my thoughts flow into the sea of the inconceivable Dharma.”
Note: Shinran was the founder of the Jodo Shinshu school of Pure Land Buddhism.
(these are good sayings to ponder and reflect)
“Although my eyes, blinded by passions, do not see the brilliant light which embraces me, the Great Compassion never tires, always casting its light upon me.”
“Being grasped by Unhindered Light is felt, but is beyond conceptual understanding; to be free of any form of self-centered calculation is to have realized Other Power.”
“We should know that Amida’s Primal Vow does not discriminate whether one is young or old, good or evil, and that true entrusting alone is needed, for it is the Vow that seeks to deliver sentient beings burdened with foolishness and blind passions.”
“If I were capable of realizing Buddhahood by other religious practices and yet fall into hell for saying the nembutsu, I might have dire regrets for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any religious practice, hell is my only home.”
How shameless and unrepentant a person am I, and without a heart of truth and sincerity; but because the Name is given completely by Amida, its virtue pervades the ten directions.”
“When we entrust ourselves in Amida’s Primal Vow, we who are like broken tiles and bits of pebbles are transmuted into gold.”
“By benefit of Infinite Light, true entrusting is magnificent. The ice of desire is melted to become the water of Nirvana. Our desires are the essence of Nirvana, like the relation of ice and water. The more ice, the more water: the more desire, the more Nirvana.”
“The Primal Vow of Amida is manifested in its entirety in the Name, Namu-Amida-Butsu, and aside from this Name there is no supernatural reality or being. The implications of this simple fact are fathomless.”
“Though we speak of Vow and Name, these are not two different things. There is no Name separate from the Vow; there is no Vow separate from the Name.”
“The Nembutsu is non-practice and non-good for those who practice it. It is non-practice for us, because it is not the practice which we do out of our own contrivance; and it is non-good because it is not the good which we do out of our own contrivance. It is entirely due to Other Power (Natural Power) and is free from self power.”
“Awaken to the life nurturing Primal Vow of Amida; those who only entrust in this universal activity of love and compassion, through the benefit of embraced and never forsaken, all attain Enlightenment.”
“What a joy it is that I place my mind in the soil of the Primal Vow and I let my thoughts flow into the sea of the inconceivable Dharma.”
Note: Shinran was the founder of the Jodo Shinshu school of Pure Land Buddhism.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Ultimate Guru
Kyabje Lama Zopa recently said that our ultimate guru is none other than our own Holy Mind. And as I understand from his teaching, this holy mind is no different than the holy mind of the Buddhas. However, conventionally, due to our deluded state of mind, we can only recognise the conventional guru, who is the physical guru that we can see, hear and touch. The moment we can merge our holy mind with the holy mind of the guru, on a consistent basis, then we are considered to have realised or merged with the mind of the holy guru. At that time, we will be able to see Buddhas everywhere, even in the dirtiest of places such as in the toilets.
So, basically, that's the gist of his teachings. And I am very happy with the message he had taught. THANK YOU.
So, basically, that's the gist of his teachings. And I am very happy with the message he had taught. THANK YOU.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Fire at City of 10,000 Buddhas
Fire at the City of 10,000 Buddhas triggered a Zone 2' alarm when Ukiah Valley Fire District firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in the 2600 block of Avatamsaka Way at 3:27 a.m. Tuesday.
Worshipers who arrived for the early morning ceremony found fire in the Long Life Hall, the UVFD reported.
When firefighters arrived, there was smoke but not a lot of flames and the fire looked to have been burning for awhile, Adair said. Damage was mostly to contents of the building rather than to the cinder block building itself.
Prior to firefighters' arrival, four fire extinguishers had been used on the fire, he said.
Long Life Hall was not occupied at the time of the fire and no injuries from the fire were reported, UVFD stated.
Because of the potential for the fire to spread, a second Zone 2' alarm was issued to alert firefighters from other agencies in the area, however UVFD firefighters were able to put out the fire. Concern for a more serious fire was there, Adair said, but UVFD caught it before additional help was needed. A Zone 2' alarm is when the three closest engines are called in.
Arriving at the City of 10,000 Buddhas, but not fighting fire, were firefighters from Ukiah Fire Department, Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department and Hopland Fire Protection District.
The cause of the fire is not suspected to be of suspicious nature, but the exact cause remains under investigation.
The cause of the fire is not suspected to be of suspicious nature, but the exact cause remains under investigation.
My comments:-
What's amazing is that according to residents of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is that the fire didnot even get near to the inside of the Long Life Hall where the Medicine Buddhas are. And all the sacred objects were untouched by the fire. It just shows that the amazing blessings from the late Venerable Master Hsuan Hua is still there.
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