3rd copy of Sangahata Sutra Dharmaprayaya has been completed

1. My 3rd copy of writing out the Sanghata Sutra has been completed on the 2 August 2022. 2 more to go. Since there is no Sutra writer that can be found within the flesh and bone body and there is "sutra" that can be found in the paper nor the ink, there is no merits or good karma to make out of writing out this Sutra. Be it as it is, nevertheless MAY ALL BE AUSPICIOUS! I have a short video of it, but I will not upload it here as the size is too big. 

2. Yesterday I marked Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's birthday on the last day of the lunar 7th month. Previously I had also recited the entire Ksitigarbha Sutra and dedicated to the accomplishment of the bodhisattva's wishes and aims. 

3. I rejoice over the Singapore Government's repeal of Sec377A. Refer this news link - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62545577

However, the Prime Minister stressed that they will retain the meaning of the word "marriage" as between that of a man and a woman. In a blog post long time ago, I did write to state my view on this "marriage" definition too (refer the post in the link below), as in it should be confined to that of a man and a woman. It is, in fact, meaningless for same gender couples to marry as they cannot bear children. If it is just recognition and ceremony the couples want, they can still get those, without being regarded as "marriage". Perhaps, other words or terms may be more appropriate, whatever that word/term is.  

#SanghataSutra #Ksitigarbha #samesexmarriage

You may refer to my past blog post here to read more :  https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/search/label/Homosexuality 

Meditation Practice Must Result in Uprooting of Defllements

Today I realised something about Vajrayana’s deity practice. Although I have practiced it for many years, the method that I have been taught all these years was perhaps wrong. Mostly people are taught to visualise themselves as a deity. We are told to visualise ourselves as emptiness and the deity illusory-like. And then they are to visualise the actual deity come down to them and merge with their own mind. Then you continue with the meditation of generation of deity practices. Because of these wrongly taught practices, I felt that the visualisations did not help me at all in overcoming defilements. I felt that visualisation as deity is a kind of haux, or self-hypnotism. In other words, I believed that the process involve directly or indirectly you are hypnotising yourself into a deity, which is like “brain-washing”. I have brought up this issue with Tibetan teachers but none of them gave me a satisfying answer. I noted that even though we are visualising all the beings around us as Enlightened Beings, we are in fact cheating ourselves, i.e. by adding more delusions and illusions on top of delusions and illusions. How can merely visualising ourselves and others as Enlightened effectively eliminate our deeply rooted greed, anger and ignorance? IT CANNOT AND NEVER WILL. Do you seriously think just by visualising ourselves as Avalokiteshvara we will be able to transform into Avalokiteshvara? Fat hope. Whoever tells you that is lying. The way I see it is visualisation is only a spiritual tool to enable us to treat others better. It is never meant to transform us into somebody we are not. That is not the way to achieve the path and fruition to Nirvana. Keep our focus on that, instead of focusing on becoming a deity, or achieving some particular state (Jhana, Mahamudra, Dzogchen, breaking of Zen kung-an gates, etc). These latter states are only "means" to an "end", they are not the "end" itself.  STOP fantasizing yourself merging your mind with Cakrasamvara, Yamantaka, etc. Without a correct view on these Yidams, you could possibly go towards insanity. There is a warning I have read in a Sadhana text that many tantric practitioners have been reborn into the animal realm by wrongly visualising themselves as wrathful  deities. By visualising yourself with many hands and legs and with a wrathful head, or many heads, it is even possibly, to be reborn as a strange looking demon! Then you will lose whatever Buddhist cultivation you had done before. That will be your greatest regret! 

That explains why perhaps a number of Tibetan teachers still find themselves mired in sexual desires. As a result, we hear of sexual scandals from time to time. To be fair, not just Tibetan Buddhist teachers, but teachers of all traditions. In fact, not just teachers, even normal lay Buddhists are not yet able to effectively uproot the defilements even after many years of “practice”. At most, what Buddhists do are merely “sweeping” these defilements “under the carpet”. Or, merely trimming down, but in all seriousness, the main trunk and roots are still underneath the mind “ground”. Most methods that you hear are only good at “filtering” out these defilements. Even though it is better “filtering” than doing nothing at all, nevertheless we are not pulling out all the roots and ridding of them altogether. It is not so easy to uproot them. Following the Buddha’s teachings is the only way. If we have some knowledge of Abhidhamma, we will know of the workings of consciousnesses, the relationship (or inter-relationship) between nama and rupa (mentality and materiality) and the path of purification that will eventually lead to attainment of fruition (phala and magha).    

Well… the process of how visualisation is done is wrong. If done correctly, it can also effectively uproot defilements. In this respect, I find the Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Maha Satipatthana) very essential as a basis for the generating and arising of the Pure Deity. In this case, I realise that the Pure Deity is NOT some external deity. The Deity is our own true essential nature.  When we have successfully purified our body, feeling and mind through the methods of Body contemplation, Feeling contemplation and Mind contemplation, then our innate “deity” is ready to arise. That is the only TRUE DEITY. Not some deity that comes from outside. There is no deity from outside. If the deity is from outside, do you think the deity’s mind and your mind can merge? Do you want your mind to be taken over by any external deity (such as like in the case of a person in trance)? Finally, by doing the Mental Factors Contemplation, we will be able to start the process of uprooting the defilements and preventing fresh ones from taking root. The ultimate aim of Buddhist meditations is never to attain some fanciful state of consciousness, nor attaining immortality.  

This post is my short take on what I understand from the Vajrayana practice of Generation of Deity (or, yidam practice) and how to generate the TRUE DEITY. There is no true yidam apart from your pure and original mind. If you like this post, try read this one, which to my own surprise, I think it is one of my best book review. This is something on Pema Chodron's revered book – https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-review-places-that-scare-you.html

#yidam #satipatthana #deitymeditation

Dagri Rinpoche committed sexual misconduct?

I was not aware of this until today. Apparently this "news" was 2 years old already and I discovered it only now. How outdated I am! So, here goes an article published in "Phayul" website. And if you google, there are many others. I will re-produce it in full, without any editing on my part. 

https://www.phayul.com/2020/11/19/44802/

Dagri Rinpoche committed “intentional and inappropriate sexual behaviour”, says FPMT

By Tenzin Dharpo

DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 19: “Dagri Rinpoche did engage in a pattern of intentional and inappropriate sexual behaviour that persisted over many years towards women who were in his company due to his position as a trusted incarnate lama and teacher,” the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) said in a statement released on November 13.

Dagri Rinpoche was as a senior spiritual teacher at FPMT, a Buddhist establishment founded by two well known Buddhist teachers Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.

The statement from the leading Buddhist foundation in the west comes after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the Tibetan Buddhist teacher. FPMT said that “witness interviews, statements and corroborating evidence” from an independent investigation led to the determination.  

“Despite multiple requests, Dagri Rinpoche did not meaningfully engage with FaithTrust Institute’s investigation. However, when he received a detailed summary of multiple victim statements from FaithTrust Institute, he emailed a written response asking for forgiveness,” FPMT’s statement read. The foundation said it has unanimously decided to permanently remove Dagri Rinpoche from the list of registered FPMT teachers and consequently FPMT centers, projects, and services, cannot invite the Tibetan teacher to give Dharma teachings at the center.

The foundation added that the allegations against Dagri Rinpoche dated as far back as 2008 including complaints from women of “groping, sexual harassment and sexual assault, both within FPMT centers and elsewhere. Some women reported they were assaulted for years. Some were ordained nun”.

On May 3, 2019, an Indian woman alleged that the 66-year-old Tibetan religious leader groped her during a flight from Delhi Airport to Gagal Airport. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against him at the Gagal Police station near Dharamshala.

Days later a Spanish woman posted a video where she said that in 2008, Dagri Rinpoche molested her on the pretext of giving her blessings when she was a nun studying Buddhism in Dharamshala. Jakaira Perez Valdivia claimed that when she visited Dagri Rinpoche’s apartment near Namgyal monastery for advice and blessing for her back problem (herniated disk), the Tibetan Lama molested her.

Valdivia in her statutory declaration stated that the Tibetan lama asked her to remove her robe, touched her breasts and sat on her buttocks while she laid face down on the floor. The former nun said that the whole incident took place while Dagri Rinpoche chanted mantras and continuously drank and applied an alcoholic drink over her belly which he claimed was a “very holy substance”. She said that she sent copies of the declaration to the private office of the Dalai Lama and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), where Dagri Rinpoche is one of the senior religious teachers.

In her video posted on YouTube, she said that an apology from Dagri Rinpoche during a meeting set up by the private office of the Dalai Lama, prevented her from reporting the case to police.

Dagri Rinpoche released a statement in May 2019 where he denied any wrongdoing in both the incidents. The Tibetan lama also said years after he helped Jakaira who he claimed was “physically and mentally troubled” with blessings, she had accused him of molestation and consequently sat down for a meeting with witnesses. Dagri Rinpoche made no reference whether the meeting was set up by the Dalai Lama’s private office other than that the meeting helped “clarify the truth”.

Dagri Rinpoche belongs to Sera Jey’s Tsawa khangtsen based in Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement in South India, one of the largest monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism. He is the 5th reincarnation of Dagri Kyenchen Gyatso Thaye, a highly respected yogi and scholar. He is a holder of Geshe Lharampa, the highest order of the Gelukpa’s scholastic hierarchy.

The Buddhist world’s encounter with incidents of sexual misconduct by spiritual teachers towards students is not new; high profile cases like that of the late Sogyal Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche have come to light in the recent past.   

- end of article

#DagriRinpoche #FPMT #sexualaccusation 

Since it is still the Month of the Hungry Ghost, I am sharing again this previous post - https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-destination-of-killers-and-murderers.html