On attaining Buddhahood, One ceases to be born into the physical realm and then enters into Nirvahna, and no longer has to live upon tbe material plane with all its sufferings and karma. If, however, I have had an already infinite number of incarnations, I must owing to the laws of infinite possibility have been enlightened in one of those lives. How come I'm still here. I can only conclude that enlightenment is temporary and is as transient as any other state. Most Buddhists maintain that enlightenment is for keeps, however. How can this be so?

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 19 replies

This facility enables one to identify the Chinese, Tibetan, and Sanskrit "parallels" or "counterparts" to the suttas of the four main Pali Nikayas - or vice versa. It is designed for those whose interest in the Early Buddhist discourses extends beyond the limits of the Pali Sutta-piṭaka to include the extensive corresponding materials found elsewhere: the Agamas and individual sutras preserved in Chinese, the occasional sutra translations contained in the Tibetan Kanjur, and the numerous published fragments of sutras in Sanskrit and related languages. It is an up-dated and revised successor to Akanuma's Comparative Catalogue of Chinese Agamas & Pali Nikayas (1929), and is the natural starting point in navigating around this vast mass of textual material.

http://www.suttacentral.net/

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

VAJRASATTVA KARMA MANTRA, with teaching and references ( repost )
repost from tribe: teaching yoga


Vajrasattva Buddhology. . . .


Namaste. Om svasti.

I have uploaded a Sanskrit language text image for Vajrasattva mantra recitation at my tribe home ( "k t" ).

If you do not know about Sanskrit or Buddhist Sanskrit practices, an excellent book is
"Sacred Calligraphy of the East" by John Stevens.

There are online resources for Buddhist mantra in Sanskrit, including
<http://visiblemantra.org/>

Anyway, here is a short, casual teaching on Vajrasattva. I know, I know, it is woefully incomplete. But to actually study this teaching one needs a complete empowerment, a lot of practice, and real instruction from an authentic tantric Buddhist guru, such as commonly come from Tibet and teach in different parts of the West.

This is quite doable. I have received sixty full Vajrasattva empowerments in all different schools. I have not been to India.

Scroll down quite a bit further for several pages of classical tantric teaching. Somebody has to know how this stuff works. Back in India, this is known as "yoga", specifically "guhyamantra yoga".

As one of my many many teachers from Asia once said,
"In the final analysis, all talk is worthless. It is only the exact practice that gives a result."
He also said,
"Dharma eliminates the karma." ( You know, Dharrrrmahhh Heeeleeemeenaaates teee karrrrmmaahhh. )

All my relations! May this benefit all!

K T


Translation of the VAJRASATTVA KARMA MANTRA
( Diamond Being Action Recitation Which Is All-Accomplishing )

". . . Identical to Vajrasattva, the supreme siddhis ( powers ) are perfected in him; he attains the blissful pure land, supreme wisdom becomes his display, and he is an exemplar to gods and men; he is empowered in body speech and mind and whatever he imagines is actualized."
- - from the Thirty First Chapter of the Guhyagarbha tantra, The Chapter on Direct Perception of Vajrasattva

This mantra is quintessential to the foundational practices of Buddhist tantra ( i.e. mystical yoga ), and also is broadly and extensively used at the highest levels of Tantra, up to and including Mahamudra / Great Seal and Atiyoga/ Great Perfection.

The following text and teaching is most sacred.

Vajrasattva is the quintessence of ( all ) the Hundred Families of Buddhist tantra. It is a universal key to all the esoteric Buddhist tantric traditions of India, Tibet, China, and Japan. Vajrasattva practice distinguishes Inner Mahayana / Great Vehicle Buddhism from Outer Mahayana / Great Vehicle Buddhism, for in the latter it is either not found or very hidden.

Vajra has the sense of "indestructible, infinite, immovable, all-encompassing, timeless", ultimate awareness ( jnana ) and skillful means ( prajna ). As one of the Buddha Families it refers either to the Buddha Family of the East, or to the All Encompassing Six Families, i.e. Vajrasattva, the Five Buddha Families plus Vajrasattva.

As a ritual scepter vajra also has the sense of ultimate nobility and royal power, and the union of the Five Buddha Families and the great sacred circles ( mandala ). There are many different kinds of vajra scepters, with one, three, five, or nine prongs, and the vajra is usually part of other tantric implements such as the knife handle and bell handle. It is not realistic to practice Buddhist tantra without both a good vajra scepter and vajra bell: these are required and to be used as part of the tantric commitments.

From a practical perspective, Vajrasattva is one of the most important methods in Buddhist tantra for healing and purification on all levels of Body speech and Mind. ( Of course, no promises can be made for any specific medical condition. ) This includes purification of the practitioner to effectively practice tantra, and also to purify continuing minor infractions and even severely dangerous transgressions of the tantric commitments, which would otherwise be worse than fatal. It also includes psychic heat yoga ( Tibetan: tummo ) and in the Great Perfection full transmission, includes the quintessential precepts of Breakthrough ( dzogchen trekcho mannakde ) for direct liberation of awareness into primordial freedom and purity.

Vajrasattva is also an "All Accomplishing" ( Sanskrit: sarva siddhi ) mantra, as you can see in the translation that follows. Thus, Vajrasattva accomplishes the outer sacred circle magical activities of Purification ( Vajra Family ) , Enrichment ( Ratna Family ), Magnetization ( Padma Family ), and Eliminating Negativity and Obstacles ( Karma Family ). It also accomplishes the primary Great Work of Buddhahood ( Buddha Family or alternatively the Six Great Families, the Five plus Vajrasattva.

The most basic forms of Vajrasattva recitation are these
1) OM VAJRASATTVA AH
2) OM VAJRASATTVA HUM

There is also a basic wrathful form of Vajrasattva known as Vajrapani ( Scepter in Hand ). If one has any major Vajrasattva empowerment, this includes Vajrapani, for which the basic mantra is
HUM VAJRA PHAT
There are also variations of Vajrapani mantra, as Vajrapani is one of the principal angelic guardians ( dharmapalas ) of all the schools of Buddhist tantra across Asia, and also the Shaolin School of Ch'an Buddhist Kung-fu.

There are many images and forms of Vajrasattva, both peaceful and wrathful, and both with and without consort. The consort is for example Vajragarvi ( peaceful ) or Diptacakra ( wrathful consort of Vajrakilaya-Vajrasattva ).

Typically, the Peaceful Vajrasattva is brilliant shimmering transparent clear-white, holding a vajra ( diamond scepter ) in the right hand at the heart, and holding a ghanta ( diamond bell ) in the left hand at the left waist ( bowl up ). This peaceful Vajrasattva may then appear in union with the peaceful consort, or in the heart center of the Ultimate Wrathful Vajrasattva known as Vajrakilaya ( Diamond Dagger ).

As a ritual practice, the seed syllable ( bij mantra ) may be either HUM or AH, and there are other variants as well. The deity is visualized as oneself / an ideal being, atop one's head, and in different forms. So for example, a woman may well see herself as a female Vajrasattva, or as "Reversed Vajrasattva", i.e. as Vajragarvi in tantric union with the masculine aspect Vajrasattva.

Vajrasattva is the source deity of the Great Kalacakra mandala ( sacred circle ), and also the source deity of the Great Perfection ( Atiyoga or "dzogchen" teachings of primordial purity, the most profound, essential, and powerful awareness-yogas of the Early Translation ( Nyingma ) school.

For example, the first human teacher of Atiyoga was Joyous Vajra ( Tibetan : Garab Dorje ), a direct emanation of Vajrasattva. According to the Great Perfection / Atiyoga tradition sourced through Garb Dorje, there are six million four hundred thousand verses of teaching of Vajrasattva and the Great Perfection, of which a worthwhile fraction have been transmitted down to the present day. See for example the following
1) "The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation" ( i.e. the Gyurme Dorje translation and commentary ISBN-10: 0143104942 )
2) "Wellsprings of the Great Perfection", Erik Kunsang
3) many online texts, such as those available from Keith Dowman at
<http://www.keithdowman.net/dzogchen/>
These include
3a) Direct Perception of Vajrasattva ( The text that gave King Dza his enlightenment vision )
3b) The Exalted Spaciousness of Vajrasattva ( Garab Dorje's Source of all Dzogchen Precepts ).

Also, every key empowerment of Great Perfection Break Through ( dzogchen trekcho ), such as the renowned Patrul Rinbochay Tsik Sum Ne Dek ( Striking the Essence in Three Words ) includes the Vajrasattva Hundred Syllable mantra as a key practice. Finally, a greatly wrathful Vajrasattva practice is one of the Three Roots ( primary deity yoga practices of the Nyingma school ), either as Vajrakilaya or as Mahasri Heruka ( the wrathful Samantabhadra-Vajrasattva ).

In addition to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a crucial and comprehensive teaching with many Great Perfection mantras including Vajrasattva as a primary practice , there is also a rare transmission of Guru Padmasambhava as Vajrasattva. This is the Red ( Padma ) Vajrasattva, which would look superficially similar to other Vajrasattva practices but which has a very different structure and orientation. It is a quintessential restricted practice and requires a specific Red Vajrasattva empowerment. Apart from this, all major Nyingma Great Perfection transmissions, such as Padmasambhava, Yeshe Tsogyel, Tara, Vajrakilaya, Troma, Bardo, etc. include a full Vajrasattva.

In the New Schools of Indo-Tibetan Vajrayana ( i.e. the Sarma, including Gelugpa, Sakya, and Kagyu ), the ultimate Buddha realization is embodied in the Dharmakaya ( Primordial Dimension ) Vajradhara ( Diamond Bearer ). This Buddha Vajradhara is the fully realized Vajrasattva, just as Vajrasattva is the ( sambhogakaya / angelic ) Buddha of the Tantric Path. They are two aspects of the same ultimate teaching, which is known as Mahamudra, the Great Seal.

So for example the great renunciate yogi Milarepa, who was Vajra Family in the Five Buddha, accomplished Buddhahood as Vajradhara. Accomplishing the deity Kalacakra-Vajrasattva also brings one to the level of Vajradhara. ( Accomplishing the deity Yamantaka or Hevajra brings one to this same level. There are many tantric paths to universal awareness. This is known as polytheism. )

There are also many variants of the Hundred syllable mantra, as for Tara Karma Mantra, Mahakala Karma Mantra, Yamantaka Karma Mantra the different Heruka Karma Mantra and so forth. I know directly from having received all these transmissions and the corresponding texts. Thus the Hundred Syllable mantra, like the Hindu Gayatri mantra, serves as a core for many or most other practices.

There are also different extensions to this mantra, including that for "Purifying the Six Realms", and other versions. Most of these are sealed by the oath of tantric secrecy, which must be upheld by all initiates. The many variants of the basic mantra can be summarized in these categories:

a) with and without the optional ending seed syllables HUM and PHAT;

b) with different ordering of phrases, such as SUTOSNYO, SUPOSNYO, and ANURAKTO BE BHAVA;

c) via substitutions of different deities ( angels ) in place of Vajrasattva ( N.B.: not a simple substitution );

d) using basic substitutions for different Buddha families ( i.e. replacing each instance of VAJRA with PADMA to focus more on Lotus Family deities such as Avalokita, Hayagriva, etc. );

e) using the Tibetanization of the original Sanskrit recitation, by substituting for example BENZA for VAJRA. This is also effective as mantra. There is a close Chinese variant of the Tibetan form which is in use by four or five million practitioners.

These different permutations and combinations are all classical and valid, not mistakes in the various publications or traditions you may encounter. Nevertheless, the basic form accomplishes all aspects of spiritual purification and realization.

It is typical for committed practitioners of Buddhatantra to complete a commitment of 100,000 recitations of this long Vajrasattva mantra as a basic daily purification ( 21 x daily or 100x daily ) and as a preliminary to major empowerments and to complete many deity practice sessions ( usually 3x per session to mend mistakes ). Some people do basic Vajrasattva purification practice each full moon, others do extensive retreat entirely focused on this deity, such as for Red Vajrasattva.

Once the basic 100,000 long recitations have been completed, it is possible to go further and perform basic mandala activities ( enrichment, etc. ) or perhaps psychic heat practice or Great Perfection practice ( at some point ). Typically the advanced practices will not even begin to work without completing the long recitations first. I have completed 250,000 long Vajrasattva recitations and intend to do more. It is said that in Tibet good tantric practitioners of different schools quite commonly completed 200,000 long recitations, so this is a major practice for basically every serious tantric yogi.

An excellent text on Vajrasattva in New School Indo-Tibetan Vajrayana is
"The Tantric Path of Purification: The Yoga Method of Heruka Vajrasattva"
by Lama Thubten Yeshe, ISBN-10: 0861710207
This specific mantra authorization ( as well as the one given here ) is included in essentially all major New School Tantric empowerments, such as Kalacakra, Cakrasamvara, Hevajra, Vajrayogini, Yamantaka, Milarepa, Mahakala and so forth. However, the Heruka forms also vary between deity yoga lineages, and the Nyingma versions of Vajra Heruka vary as well.

This translation is partially based on that of the great Nyingma scholar / Dzogchen master Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay, and also that of the great Dzogchen master Terton Sogyal Tulku Rinbochay. Khetsun Sangpo has provided an excellent commentary which brilliantly summarizes Vajrasattva practice and all the esoteric preliminary practices from the standpoint of the Old School ( Nyingma ) tradition: see
"Tantric Practice in Nying-ma"
by Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche, ISBN-10: 0937938149

Because Vajrasattva is so important in all schools and all levels of Buddhist tantra, it is quite helpful to have both these books.

The Sanskrit phonetic text following is broken out on a phrase by phrase basis without punctuation. The English interpretation follows between each phrase.

I have provided some clarification and elucidation, mostly within the parenthesized parts.

Translation follows:

> > > Begin Translation > > >

Om vajrasattva samayam anupalaya
Om Vajrasattva ( Diamond Being )! Protect the sacred commitment.

Vajrasattva tvenopatistha
Vajrasattva abide in me.

dridho me bhava
Make me firm.

sutosnyo me bhava
Grant me complete satisfaction.

suposnyo me bhava
Fulfill me ( increase the positive within me ).

anurakto me bhava
Make me compassionate ( or: be loving towards me ).

sarva siddhim me prayaccha
Grant me all siddhi ( powers and attainments, both relative and transcendent ).

sarva-karma su ca me chittam sriyam kuru
Manifest for me all ( noble ) actions. Make my mind wholly virtuous.

"hum"
"hum" ( the bijmantra, the essential vibratory wave-particle of Vajrasattva )

"ha ha ha ha"
"ha ha ha ha" ( the Four Joys, Four Immeasurables, Four Levels of Tantric Empowerment, the Four Dimensions of Sacred Being - Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya, Svabhavivakaya )

"ho"
"ho" ( exclamation of joy at accomplishing these sets of four )

bhagavan sarva-tathagata-vajra
Transcendent Lord who embodies ( or: who is together with ) all the Indestructible Realized Buddhas !

ma me munca
Do not abandon me.

vajri bhava maha-samaya-sattva
Make me indivisible, Great and All Encompassing Pledge Being ( great angel of angels ).

"ah"
"ah" ( release into vast primordial pure wisdom-dimension beyond all limitations and obscurations )

(optional : hum phat! )
(hum phat!) Hum here means manifest great diamond power! Phat! has the sense of strike / cut through all confusion, grasping and negativity! I.e. by prajnopaya, the Union of Wisdom and Skillful Means.

< < < End Translation < < &lt;

Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu.

In partial fulfillment of my received responsibilities as vajrayana guru, this was set down one as casual chatter by the inner medical tantrika and dagger priest K T, who is of the Vajrasattva ( Sixth of the Fivefold ) family.

AHHH AHHH

Tistha vajra! Samaya ho!

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

Namaste.

Some book references given here. This was posted as an even listing to, ohhhh, between twenty and thirty thousand people.


Sarva mangalam!

K T



Title: "major empowerment cycle for Great Perfection / dzogchen awareness yoga in November - Great Perfection references provided here"


Keywords: Buddhist Tantra, deity yoga and tantric empowerment, San Francisco, November 2007, Nyingma lineage, Great Perfection / Atiyoga / dzogchen, Orgyen Dorje Den, teachers Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, Dudjom Tersar [ Revealed Treasure cycle of HH Dudjom ] empowerments.

Om svasti. May it be auspicious!

Namo guru sri padmasambhavaye. Namo guru sri dakini jnanasagaraye.

"Kye! To all the Buddhas of the Three Times
Inseparable from the great absolute space,
Great intrinsic nature of phenomena,
Space of awareness uncontrived and ever free,
The primordial Buddha Samantabhadra -
We bow in order to realize our self-nature,
And vow from now not to separate from it. . .

The primordial space of the Ground, Dharmakaya,
is the Adi Buddha among all Buddhas . . .
The great space beyond conceptualized views.
May we realize the nature as it is.

All-pervasiveness beyond all partiality and limitations,
Expanse free from attributes and labels,
Great confidence that there is nothing to give up and nothing to gain:
May we realize the nature as it is. . ."

from "A Prayer From the Sang Ti Kagyama - Secret Esoteric Instruction",
by Dudjom Lingpa
page 9 of "The Lamp of Liberation: A Collection of Prayers, Advice and Aspirations"
by Dudjom Rinbochay, translated by the late Dr. Terry Clifford

I am posting ( here and elsewhere ) an email sent from Scott Globus, an official representative of Orgyen Dorje Den in the San Francisco Bay area. I do not represent this fellowship nor these teachers, although I share these connections and am glad to help spread word of their wonderful and great spiritual works.

In mid-November a major and profound cycle of tantric Buddhist empowerments, the Dudjom Tersar [ Treasure Cycles of Dudjom ], will be given in San Francisco. Complete details follow, and I am adding this preface to provide some introduction.

The Tibetan Buddhist center Orgyen Dorje Den [ www.orgyendorjeden.org ] is for North America one of the most important tantric fellowships and venues for tantric Buddhist transmissions, focusing on the Nyingma [ Early Translation school ] cycles, and in particular the Dudjom Tersar. It is ably led by Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche, and I have received there a major cycle of transmissions, the Fourfold Essence, over fifteen years back, and rely on their practice texts.

The Khenpo Brothers will be giving these empowerments. These two, Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche & Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, are both tantric abbots [ Tibetan: khenpo ], which corresponds to a very high level of tantric scholarship and realization. They have a major center in New York state [ see www.padmasambhava.org ] and lead numerous fellowships on the Easters seaboard. I have and use a number of their practice texts, which are excellent.

The Dudjom Tersar is a powerful and complete cycle of tantric transmissions deriving from Dudjom Lingpa and his reincarnation Dudjom Yeshe Dorje [ 1904 - 1987 ]. It focuses on Three Roots [ guru, tutelary deity, and goddess ] deity yogas and associated primordial awareness yogas that derive from the teachings of Guru Padmasambhava of India and his close student, the Princess Yeshe Tsogyelma. Dudjom Lingpa and Dudjom Yeshe Dorje are no other than Guru Sakyamuni's own student Sariputra, and also the Great Adept / Mahasiddha Saraha.

Guru Padmasambhava is a principal channel for the tantras that were established in Tibet and a principal connection for tantric practitioners, and his direct student Dakini Yeshe Tsogyel was a principal codifier and transmitter of these teachings. Both Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyel achieved the Body of Light, complete dissolution of the human body into pure rainbow light.

Thirteen of the students of Dudjom Lingpa realized the Body of Light, and his reincarnation HH Dudjom Yeshe Dorje was one of a small number of key teachers who fled Tibet and who kept the primary teachings alive in great depth and breadth. HH Dudjom gave the Rinchen Terdzod transmissions ten times, and each Rinchen Terzod cycle contains over one thousand empowerments and requires up to six months to bestow.

The empowerment cycle to be given at Orgyen Dorje Den is sufficent for a lifetime of tantric practice, and it is sufficient for a tantric Buddhist abbot or lineage holder to study, practice, master, and uphold as a complete practice cycle of the Great Perfection, the primary and innermost class of teachings for Gurus Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyel, and for the Nyingma School.

A detailed list of empowerments to be given follows. Please note that it is not necessary [ or possible ] for most people to attend the complete cycle. To attend even one or two of these transmissions is of profound value. Very few people can effectively manage to make a serious practice of more than a small number of such practices. These are very sophisticated, powerful, and encompassing practices.

Several of these specific Dudjom Tersar practices, such as Diamond Dagger / Vajrakilaya and Black Wrathful Mother /Troma Nakmo [ i.e. Khrodha Krsna Kali Devi ], are central to my own practice. These two deity yogas have been disseminated among different fellowships [ such as Chagdud Gonpa Fellowships throughout the Americas and the fellowships of HH Kusum Lingpa ] and are of major importance to many tantric practitioners throughout the West.

These are serious transmissions, and although in principle open to all, definitely presume that participants will take up and uphold the outer, inner, and secret vows [ Buddhist refuge, Universal Service, tantric deity yoga practice ]. The fellowship hall is finite and will not support large crowds, thus those who wish to attend should first contact the center to make reservations if possible, prior to making any personal arrangements for travel and so forth.

For those who cannot attend you have still benefitted *greatly* by becoming informed of Orgyen Dorje Den in San Francisco and the Padmasambhava Buddhist Centers in New York and other states. This this letter serves many people throughout North America.

I will now introduce these teachings by listing a Nyingma / Dzogchen practitioners library, a short prayer of dedication from the Guru Yoga of HH Dudjom Rinbochay, followed by the actual email from Scott Globus which gives event details.

1) The core of these teachings is Atiyoga, the Great Perfection, and a short, very accessible introductory summary is given in the book
"The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen" by Namkhai Norbu.

2) A basic introduction to the establishment of these teachings in Tibet and the Nyingma school is found in the book
"Sky Dancer: The Secret Life and Songs of the Dakini Yeshe Tsogyel", by Keith Dowman. This is a two part book which (a) focuses on the life story of Yeshe Tsogyel and (b) provides a book length introduction to this kind of teaching.

3) A core and indispensible summary on approaching and practicing the Buddhist outer and inner deity yogas [ Buddhist refuge, Bodhisattva and Bodhicitta commitment, tantric perspective ] is the book
"Dakini Teachings : Padmasambhava's Oral Teachings to Lady Tsogyal", by Padmasambhava.

4) The central theme of Great Perfection is the primordial awareness yoga [ dzogchen trekcho mannakde ], as for example in the "Patrul Rinbochay Tsik Sum Ne Dek", or Hitting The Essence In Three Points. The Khenpo brothers have published a book on this, which is
"Lion's Gaze : A Summary of Tsig Sum Nedek", by Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche & Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche.

5) The philosophical perspective of this treasure transmission and the Great Perfection is given in the following several books -
5a-b) "The Light of Wisdom" Volume 1 and Volume 2, by Padmasambhava and Jamgon Kongtrul
5c) "Buddhahood Without Meditation : A Visionary Account Known as Refining Apparent Phenomena ( Nang-jang )" by Dudjom Lingpa

6) Discussion concerning the practices of Great Perfection Breakthrough and Leap Over are given in the book
"Naked Awareness : Practical Instructions on the Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen", by Karma Chagme, Gyatrul Rinpoche, and Dr. B. Alan Wallace.

Prayer to HH Dudjom Rinbochay

"Drubnye Drogben lotsai kuyi gar
Yingchuk Dechen Tsogyal sungi od
Gyalwang Pemai thugkyi gyutrul che
Jigdrel Yeshe Dorjer solwa deb
Gonkye khorwa jisi shendon du
Gangdul trulpai trinle kabyewar
Dagkyang denye khorgyi thogma ru
Kyene sangwa zinpai thiutob sho."

"Bodily display of the accomplished Drogben Lotsawa,
Radiance of the speech of Tsogyal, Great Bliss Queen of Space,
Great magical wisdom mind emanation of the powerful conqueror Padmasambhava,
Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje, I pray to you:
Protector, wherever I for the sake of others,
Unofold the Nirmanakaya activity of caring for beings to be trained,
May I be born in your foremost retinue,
And be able to hold your secret abilities."
page 19, "The Lamp of Liberation", by Dudjom Rinbochay

Sarva mangalam! May all beings benefit!
Siddhi rastu! May there be accomplishment.

In partial fulfillment of teaching responsibilities, and wishes for great success in everything by the Khenpo Brothers and Ven. Lama Gyatrul Rinbochay, their fellowships and all their students, and the full propagation of the Great Perfection to all worthy students throughout the West.

K T




"Scott Globus" &lt;sglobus@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: @ODD: Nang Jang Teachings, Lha Bab Duchen & Dudjom Tersar Wangs
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:23:28 -0700

The following events will all be at:
Orgyen Dorje Den
2244 Santa Clara Ave
Alameda , CA 94501
http://www.orgyendorjeden.org/


Coming soon….at ODD…only TWO WEEKS AWAY

Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche & Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche (the “Khenpo Brothers”) will offer the Complete Cycle of the Dudjom Tersar Empowerments

Saturday, Nov. 10th to Sunday, Nov. 18th, 2007

Hello Sangha Friends,

Thank you for your inquiries into the Dudjom Tersar Empowerments that The Khenpo Rinpoches will be bestowing at Orgyen Dorje Den, November 10 to 18th.

Hopefully the information contained below will help answer your questions. It’s ok to forward this email to other interested sangha.

The Dudjom Lineage

HH Dudjom Rinpoche (1904-1987) was an accomplished master who revealed many termas, or hidden treasures, propagated the terma tradition of his predecessor Dudjom Lingpa and other tertons, wrote many treatises and was the first named Head of the Nyingmapa Tradition following the exile of many of the great teachers of Tibet. The Dudjom Tersar is the main practice lineage we follow at Orgyen Dorje Den and, as recent termas, the practices are particularly appropriate for our times. This tradition is a short and direct lineage from Guru Rinpoche to HH Dudjom Rinpoche and directly to Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, who received the transmission from His Holiness several times. Since the lineage is pure and not degraded by broken samaya, we can be sure that by receiving the empowerments & practicing purely spiritual results will come swiftly. For more biographical information: http://www.rangjung.com/authors/Dudjom_Rinpoche.htm

Teachers

Accepting the request from the Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche and students, the Dudjom Tersar Empowerments will be offered by “The Khenpo Rinpoches”—Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. The Khenpo Rinpoches have received these transmissions from HH Dudjom Rinpoche several times and Gyatrul Rinpoche has consistently emphasized the sincerity of their practice and purity of their samaya. We are all encouraged to take to heart this excellent chance to receive the Dudjom Tersar transmissions from these wonderful holders of the Lineage. For more background on the Khenpo Rinpoches, please visit their website: http://www.padmasambhava.org/ and click on “Our Teachers” for a detailed biography.

The Students

All sincere dharma students are welcome to attend. The empowerments are open to practitioners of all levels and from all backgrounds—from beginners to people with years of experience.

Samaya

Please note that in accordance with the tradition one will be taking Refuge & Bodhisattva vows and accepting Vajrayana Samaya with every empowerment. Please be or become familiar with these topics as they essential on every step of the path to enlightenment. People have asked what will be the “commitment”—that is a difficult question to address in a quick email—in an empowerment, we are vowing to have pure perception and deep faith in the teacher and the teachings, promising to transform our negative habits and passions and awaken to our inherent Buddha nature as quickly as possible with the motivation to benefit all beings.


Place

The Empowerments will be held at Orgyen Dorje Den, which is located at 2244 Santa Clara Ave , in Alameda , CA , 94501 .

http://www.orgyendorjeden.org/

http://www.orgyendorjeden.org/maps.html

We have been having problems with the calendar at the website and will update it soon. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Transportation

If you are flying in, the closest airport is Oakland Airport (OAK), however, San Francisco Int’l Airport (SFO) is only about 45 minutes away by car or shuttle. San Jose Airport is about an hour drive.

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is our subway like system. AC Transit is bus service. Many shuttle services operate at each airport.

http://transit.511.org/tripplanner/index.asp

http://www.actransit.org/maps/

http://www.bart.gov/index.asp


The Schedule

The empowerments will be every day starting on Saturday, Nov 10th and will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 18th.

Every day will be a full combination of empowerments and practice—like in a retreat with continuous activities of preparation, empowerment, practice and cleaning.

It is likely that there will be 2 sessions per day—one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It is possible that some evening sessions could occur.

We will probably start each day at 9am or 9:30am and take a lunch break at noon or 12:30. After lunch, we will start again at 2:30 or 3pm and stop around dinner time at 6pm or 6:30pm. The Rinpoches have not yet established a strict schedule for each day, so please try to attend the entire program or as much as you are able. While it is acceptable to come on a daily basis, in some cases a “ta-gon” or a preliminary to the actual empowerment may be given the day before.


The Wangs [ empowerments ]

The Rinpoches have said that the sequence of empowerments may unfold according to Lama, Yidam & Dakini cycles. Below is a list of some of the empowerments and a possible order. The list may not be complete and is not known which day each wang will be bestowed. Basically the list is shown to start giving an idea of the scope of what is being offered. Some wangs are very long and detailed with many sections and some are more concise. There will be more information available during the empowerments.
Lama Cycle [ Padmasambhava empowerments ]

· Tsokye Thug-Thig The Lake Born Vajra - Peaceful Form

· Thug Drup Terkha Dun Du Guru Accomplishment That Embodies Seven Terma Treasures

· Duddul Wangdrag Drolo The Crazy Wisdom Vajra of Power and Wrath That Subdues Demonic Force

· Drolo Padmai Sog-Drup Trakthung Dudjom's Practice of the Life Force of Padma


Yidam Meditational Deity Cycle

· Dorsem Lama Chödpa Worshiping the Lama as Vajrasattva

· Duddul Namkhai Gyalpo King Of Space, 1,000 Armed Chenrezig & 1,000 Buddhas Empowerment

· Vajrakilaya Pudri Reg-Phung Razor that Destroys at a Touch

· Vajrakilaya Namchag Pudri Vajrakilaya Meteoric Razor - Phurba

· Black Hayagriva Yangtrö Nagpo Extremely Wrathful Black Wrathful Hayagriva

· Ta Chag Khyung Sum Hayagriva, Vajrapani & Garuda

· Terkha Gu Du Embodiment of Nine Treasures of the Dharma Class of the Khagyad, the Eight-Command Accomplishment Practices of the Sugatas


Dakini Cycle [ Goddess empowerments ]

· Khandro Thugthik Heart Essence of the Dakini

· Dudjom Tröma Nagmo Extremely Black Wrathful Dakini

· Duddul Drölkar Duddul Lingpa's White Tara

· Dudjom Drölma Dudjom's Green Tara

· Chime Srogthig The Heart Essence of Immortality


Taten Poti Lung Textual Empowerment [ reading transmissions ]

If you can’t attend everything, please come when you can.

Please do not email asking for more details; when and if we have a more detailed schedule it they will be sent out. Promise.

Lodging

Unfortunately, we do not have accommodation on site at Orgyen Dorje Den.

We will make an announcement and can try to match people up once you are here. Some local sangha may be able to help a little, but please try to find a place to stay with your friends who live nearby or crash at a motel. If you have friends that you can lodge with in Oakland , Berkeley , San Francisco , Fremont , even San Jose and Marin County —all these places are within daily driving distances, that is under 1 hour. Please be creative and once we are all assembled we may be able to help match people up for carpooling or lodging. For a general map of the area, try Google Maps.

http://maps.google.com/maps?tab=wl&hl=en


Motels

There are a number of reasonably priced Motels nearby and perhaps people can share.

Here are links to some that we are familiar with:

List of Alameda hotels

http://www.alamedainfo.com/Lodging.htm

The Coral Reef is a major favorite. About 1 mile from ODD, close to shops, restaurants, Safeway & Trader Joes. Good value & kitchenettes in the rooms.

http://www.coralreefinn.com/

The Marina Inn has small rooms right on the water in a very quiet area overlooking a yacht harbor facing Oakland

http://www.marinavillageinn.com/
Webster House B&B—kind of pricey, but very quaint and nice.

http://websterhouse2.home.comcast.net/

Islander Lodge Motel 2428 Central Ave , Alameda , CA 94501 (510) 865-2121

Kind of funky, but less expensive and very close.

Food

We do not have the facility to provide food for students during the program. We will have a microwave available for use, and a means to make hot water for tea, etc.

Within walking distance of the center, on Park Street , there are many excellent and reasonably priced restaurants. And Peets Coffee and Starbucks are only 5 minutes away! http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/6/500/SF-Bay/Alameda.html



Costs, Sponsorship & Work Study

Full Program $450.

Daily Basis $60/ day

Session $35/ session


The requested program fees cover our expenses as well as a group offering to the Rinpoches and we encourage you to attend the entire program. If we can set up an online registration process, we will send that in a future email—otherwise, we will probably start registration Friday afternoon and bright and early on Saturday, Nov. 10th.


If you have the capacity to offer sponsorship support, please contact us as soon as possible—that will enable more work-study offerings and greater offerings!


We ask that all participants work during our events in whatever way they are able—cleaning, ritual support, errands, etc. We find that that helps the smooth flow of the program. That being the general case we can offer some work study in exchange for a reduction in the fee.


Things to bring

If you have Dudjom Tersar practices and a bell & dorje, please bring them. Most likely we will do some practice as part of the program, possibly on a daily basis. The focus will especially be on: Khandro Thuk Thik (Yeshe Tsogyal), Tso Kye Thuk Thik (Guru Rinpoche), Dor Sem Lama Chodpa (Vajrasattva), Pudri Rek Phung (Vajrakilaya). These and other practices will be available for purchase on site through our bookstore, Mirror of Wisdom. They can also be ordered online: www.mirrorofwisdom.org

Of course you can also bring your own cushion, bottle of water and notebook. We are expecting a large turnout so we ask that you not bring a lot of extra stuff.


We really feel quite happy and fortunate that the Khenpo Rinpoches are going to bestow the Dudjom Tersar Empowerments at Orgyen Dorje Den. We will try our best to help make it a meaningful and auspicious event and want to extend a warm welcome to all of you who share the aspiration to practice the Dudjom Tradition. We hope you can join us!

PLEASE HELP!!

We need to clean and prepare the center before the Dudjom Tersar Wangs!

This Saturday, October 27th—all day. Polishing ritual items and moving furniture during the lunch break.

Next Saturday & Sunday, November 3 & 4—from 9:30am to 6pm both days.
Come on people, don’t be lazy, please support the center so we can all benefit.


Best regards,


Orgyen Dorje Den
2244 Santa Clara Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
www.orgyendorjeden.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

When the Taliban destroyed two Buddhist statues in Afghanistan in the spring of 2001, there was an international outcry. But similar incidents are now occurring in northwest Pakistan, where radical Islamists recently blew up a sculpture of Buddha in broad daylight.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,515958,00.html

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

Although the site is still under construction, I thought I'd invite you all to look around a little bit. If you would like to see this site continue to be maintained and developed please let me know...

The Vajrayana Research Resource: http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/

It is meant to be a resource for researchers and scholars interested in the Vajrayana tradition. There will be an archive of digital documents consisting primarily of scholarly articles, dissertations, and (to a limited extent) practice materials. These articles have been archived for private study, scholarship, or research and shouldn't be used for other purposes

What is on the site?

You can find materials containing substantial translations from the Mahakala-Tantra, Chakrasamvara-Tantra, Chandamaharosana-Tantra, Samputa-Tantra, Abhidhanottara-Tantra, Kalachakra-Tantra and Pundarika's Vimalaprabha. Wedemeyer's work has English translations of many of the works of Aryadeva on the Guhyasamaja Tradition. These include Aryadeva's Caryamelapaka-pradipa, Cittavisuddhiprakarana, Svadhisthana-prabheda, and the Abhibodhikramopadesa. There is also material on the Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Tattvasamgraha-Tantra and the Samaja-Vidya-Sutra. Additionally, there is material on the use of medicinal substances in Indo-Tibetan tantra and an article on the Indo-Tibetan model of psychopharmocology etc

In addition to materials on Vajrayana it will also feature information on closely related traditions such as the Natha sampradaya and non-dual Saivism.

http://vajrayana.faithweb.com/

Any and all feedback or advice is appreciated.

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

For details and application forms, please refer to: http://www.lifemission.org/ and under "New" go to item #4 and click on "World Open Yogasan Championships".

Please note, to optimize your India trip and your experience of Lakulish Yoga you could attend or participate in the Yogasan Championships and also take in the 3 week Certificate Yoga Training Course being offered at Swami Rajarshi Muni's Malav Ashram from January 30 -February 20th. For details on the training go to http://www.lifemission.org/ and under "New" click on item # 5 " "Overseas Students Annual Yoga Certificate Training Program"

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 1 reply

Title: Drikung Kagyu Global Resources / Tantric Buddhism and Mahamudra Book References /
Vajrasattva Retreat in North Carolina -- Repost from "Tribe : Teaching Yoga"

Keywords: Deity Yoga, global resources for Kagyu lineage Tantric Buddhism and Mahamudra practice, book: "Pearl Rosary The Path of Purification", inner healing yoga, interfaith retreat center, North Carolina, Southern Dharma Retreat Center, Drikung Kagyu lineage, Vajrasattva empowerment and retreat January 2008.


NAMO GURU SRI HASYAVAJRAYE

Homage to Mila Joyous Vajra, King of the Mountain Yogis. For the ordeals you endured, for the sweetness of this profound transmission, and for "a few cotton threads" we thank you from our innermost hearts.

"Knots of the right and left channels [ of the human energy body ] are loosened to their natural state
By Vajrasattva mantra which draws currents in and out of the central channel.
Don't rely on any mental support other than Vajrasattva mantra repetition."
Milarepa to Rechungpa,
quoted in "Drinking the Mountain Stream: New Stories and Songs by Milarepa"

A vast amount of effective Buddhist / yogic teaching is available through the web site for Vajra Publications, specifically for Kagyu lineage tantric Buddhism and Mahamudra practice. See the web site at
http://www.vajrapub.org/

The Drikung lineage is not yet well known in the West( and that WILL change, I promise you ), but it is powerful and available in different parts of the world. See
http://www.dkinstitute.org/
This lineage offers a serious and direct path to inner yogic discipline and primordial awareness yoga ( i.e. Mahamudra ). The Drikung lineage descends from great yogic masters such as Tilopa and Naropa of India, and Marpa and Milarepa of Tibet.

The Drikung lineage is, I will state from personal and professional experience as a yogi and vajrayana guru, entirely authentic, classical, and effective: I personally received two major rounds of empowerment from His Holiness Chetsang Tulku Rinbochay, once in Seattle and again in Hawaii ( Big Island ).

During one of these, a Heruka Vajrasattva in 1987, I experienced energy pouring down through my crown center as though a gallon of milk was literally being poured through the top of my head. How many yoga teachers do you know that can do that? ( I was outwardly and inwardly sick and exhausted at the time from several years of severe difficulty, so that was very much a necessary healing for my magnetic field. Reason enough to receive Vajrasattva empowerment and do the 100,000 recitations, although of course your mileage may vary. )

Understand therefore that HH Chetsang Tulku is a New School guru and a Kagyu guru of the first rank, someone to be respected as much as Vajradhara Kalu Rinbochay and Kyabgon Khentin Tai Situpa ( these being some of my other Kagyu teachers ). He is a very gentle, quiet, generous man, very warm and approachable. I would certainly trust anyone he names vajrayana guru.

I have many primary practice texts of the Drikung Kagyu, which are excellent, and indeed these were among the first key practice texts for Kagyu devayoga sadhana to be published. Since they keep producing more great study and practice materials, I needs must make more ( debit card ) offerings to receive the precious dharma ( although my dharma and yoga book stacks are more than overflowing ). It must be emphasized that these practice texts are generically useful for all New School tantric Buddhists, where New School refers to the Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelugpa Orders of Tibetan Buddhism.

Beyond this, be aware that the Drikung school, like the Karma Kagyu school of vajrayana, incorporates a substantial amount of Old School ( Nyingma and Great Perfection ) teaching and practice. For example, their Phowa ( Consciousness Transference At Time Of Death ) does not derive from the Kagyu lineage Six Yogas of Naropa, but rather from an Old School Treasure Teaching ( terma ).

As this letter goes out to a diverse and broad set of audiences, I will say a few words on the Kagyu lineage, on deity yoga, and Mahamudra. In short, here are some truly wonderful books for you:
Book 1) "Drinking the Mountain Stream: New Stories and Songs by Milarepa", by Lama Kunga Rimpoche and Brian Cutillo. This book is extraodinarily good as an introduction and in providing key teaching/ precept songs which are both poetic and intuitive.

Book 2) "The Garland of Mahamudra Practices", by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen and Katherine Rogers. This is a short summary of Cakrasamvara / Vajrayogini deity yoga and Mahamudra awareness yoga translated by a Drikung abbot from the writings of Kunga Rinchen, the Fifteen Lineage Holder of the Drikung Kagyu transmission. It is remarkably clear teaching on the essentials of New School vajrayana practice.

Book 3) "Clarifying the Natural State", by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal ( translation by the priceless western scholar Eric Pema Kunsang ). This practice summary for the primordial awareness yoga of Mahamudra is held to be "preeminent" and "indispensible" by the great modern scholar-yogi Khenchen Thrangu Rinbochay. 'Nuff said.

Book 4) "Becoming Vajrasattva; the Tantric Path of Purification", by [ Lama ] Thubten Yeshe, 2nd edition. A remarkably useful retreat and teaching manual on Vajrasattva. With this and Vajrasattva empowerment one can practice the indispensible deity of Purification, Vajrasattva / Diamond Being.

Now, there is going to be, in early January, a Vajrasattva empowerment and retreat to be given by a Drikung abbot ( Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche ) in North Carolina ( Southern Dharma Retreat Center ). Being given by an abbot, it could possibly be a major empowerment (i.e. a "four-banger", a four level catur-abhisekha empowerment ) for Vajrasattva, although I do not know. Even a medium level "three banger" Vajrasattva empowerment is really quite good.

If you live near there, farther from the world-class vajrayana empowerment venues, this is a truly great opportunity. Vajrasattva is the ultimate swiss army knife of tantric practice.
- If you are a healer, or someone in need of deep healing, this is for you.
- If you are someone oriented towards "higher consciousness", you can take this as a primary practice.
- If you have chronic psychic or mental or environmental discord, then Vajrasattva and the included Vajrapani ( Thunderbolt Holder ) are ofgreat importance for inner cleansing.
- If you are a western witch who wants to do goddess practice, you can take this transmission and thereby fully engage all the Twenty One Taras.
- If you wish to practice any of the standard Buddhist deities, such as Manjusri, Avalokitesvara, Amitabha, Vajrapani and so forth, you can do so on the basis of this one empowerment and a compendium of deity yogas, which is

Book 5) "Pearl Rosary The Path of Purification ( Sadhanas and Commentaries )" available from Vajra Publications. See
http://shop.vajrapub.org/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=79

From that web page:
"Pearl Rosary The Path of Purification
"The content of this text is primarily meant for people who are far away and don’t have the opportunity to engage in Dharma practice in the presence of the teacher. The book itself is a representation of the teacher, and therefore is meant to help one’s Dharma practice. The text describes the methods of visualization and how to incorporate practice into our day to day life experience. .... The visualization of these deities is mainly concerned with the practices of tantrayana and mantrayana, which are the highest forms of practice. The path of visualization is very powerful and if properly engaged in, it is capable of transforming our life within a single moment.
"By engaging in this kind of practice, infinite clarity of mind is achieved, and through such power, we are able to purify our ordinary body and manifest the body of the deity. Likewise, we are able to purify ordinary speech, and manifest wisdom speech. Furthermore, we are able to purify the deluded ordinary mind, and realize the wisdom mind.
From the foreword by His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche"

The point is that it is much more direct and useful to take a single encompassing empowerment, such as the Vajrasattva, than to go here and there for smaller blessing empowerments. The Vajrasattva is of crucial importance in all schools of Indo-Tibetan vajrayana, AND at all levels, up through and including Great Seal and Great Perfection practice. I have therefore placed a short basic teaching ( under tribe member "k t" photo "Hundred Syllable mantra" ) for you.

This practice is really pervasive. You can get full Vajrasattva through many differently named transmissions, such as Cakrasamvara, Hevajra, Kalacakra, Padmasambhava, Tsik Sum Ne Dek/ Hitting The Three Essential Points, Vajrakilaya and so forth. I myself have received sixty one full Vajrasattva empowerments, often through primary lineage holders, and have completed a quarter million of the long Vajrasattva mantra. . . and intend to do more, because of the great purifying and empowering effects of this mantra and sadhana.

A story: some twelve years ago I was in Vancouver taking Native American yogic teachings from a Tsalagi ( Cherokee ) teacher named Ven. Dhyani Ywahoo. In addition to being a Tsalagi teacher of family lineage, she is also a Tibetan lama of the Nyingma lineage through HH Dudjom Rinbochay, and a Drikung Kagyu lama through HH Chetsang Tulku Rinbochay. Her young son decided to run through the teaching hall, so she called out to him, "Hey, wouldn't you like to DO SOME VAJRASATTVA PRACTICE? That was her way of telling him to settle down. So parents, this is a good practice for the kids. It's really one of the best gifts one could give a child or children, for their entire life.

I thank the Drikung lineage and Vajra Publications, HH Chetsang Tulku Rinbochay, Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche, and so forth. With abiding gratitude I dedicate the merit of sharing this teaching on Kagyu dharma to the Drikung teachers, all the Kagyu teachers, and those who take up these quintessential liberating practices for the benefit of all our relations.

May the Mahamudra transmission remain wide open like the sky!
May the Mahamudra transmission remain pervasive like the earth!
May the Mahamudra practitioners remain unshakeable like mountains!
May awareness remain shining like a flame!
May wakefulness remain lucid like a crystal!

OM AH NAMO GURU VAJRA DHRIKA MAHAMUDRA SIDDHI PHALA HUM
OM AH NAMO GURU PRAJNABHADRA MAHAMUDRA SIDDHI PHALA HUM
OM AH NAMO GURU JNANASIDDHI MAHAMUDRA SIDDHI PHALA HUM
OM AH NAMO GURU DHARMAMATI MAHAMUDRA SIDDHI PHALA HUM
OM AH NAMO GURU VAJRA DHVAJA MAHAMUDRA SIDDHI PHALA HUM. . . . .
NAMO NAMAHA

With best wishes to all at Southern Dharma Retreat Center, and best wishes to all of you who are willing to go forward in authentic yogic bodhisattva practice, this brief note is written quite unofficially, yet in partial fulfillment of serious formal teaching responsibilities.

Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu! Samaya . . .

K T, inner medical tantrika and dagger priest

Original event notice etc. follows:


" Southern Dharma Retreat Center is an interfaith retreat center which hosts meditation retreats representing the world's various spiritual traditions. Retreat teachers are experienced and recognized in their own traditions. All retreats have meditation, contemplation, and silence as underlying threads. Between teacher-led retreats, individual private retreats may be arranged.

Located part way up one of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina, isolated and forested, Southern Dharma provides a comfortable, secluded gathering place removed from everyday distractions. Retreats create an atmosphere of quiet reflection, peace, and opening to the truths within the heart. "

Contact information for SDRC:


Southern Dharma Retreat Center
1661 West Road
Hot Springs NC 28743
828-622-7112

southerndharma@earthlink.net

www.southerndharma.org

Registration Information at
http://www.southerndharma.org/RegistrationInformation.htm


-- In Drikung-Sangha@yahoogroups.com, Hun Lye &lt;HLye@...> wrote:

Southern Dharma Retreat Center
Hot Springs, North Carolina

Presents

"Vajrasattva Retreat: Empowerment, Teachings and Practice"
January 1-4, 2008
Cost: $180 (includes meals and housing, offering to teacher is
according to one's abilities)
For registration info:
http://www.southerndharma.org/RetreatSchedule2007.htm or contact
Michael Campbell at 828-622-7112 or southerndharma@earthlink.net


*Retreat Description*
For four days of the retreat Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche,
co-spiritual director of the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick,
MD will lead us in Vajrasattva meditation, a purification practice
from the Vajrayana path of Buddhism, as practiced in Tibet. The main
meditation practice in the Vajrayana path is deity yoga. With this
technique one first visualizes a being with a perfect form of a
deity. Then one creates a perfect auditory note, for example "OM,"
then one imagines a perfectly clear luminous mind. In the practice one
is empowered to first imagine all of these as a mentally "created"
being - outside oneself, then one merges with that being and imagines
oneself to have those physical qualities of perfection. Then one chants the
appropriate mantra and acquires "perfect speech." Finally one
dissolves the visualization into emptiness, thus realizing the
"perfect mind."

In doing this practice one comes to see that one's very nature is now
and always has been the same as the Buddha's - that is,
pure,uncontaminated - uncreated emptiness and luminosity. It has just
been tarnished by one's unskillful actions in the past. The
Vajrasattva practice can help to remove the tarnish so that our true
nature comes into focus. Khenpo Rinpoche will explain this further
during the first session on the evening of the 1st. On the following
morning he will give the empowerment that allows you to do this
practice on your own. For the rest of the retreat we will alternate
between doing the Vajrasattva practice, doing silent meditation and
receiving dharma talks about the Path to Enlightenment as embodied in
the Six Perfections or Paramitas.


*Khenpo Rinpoche's Bio*
Khenpo Rinpoche was born in southeastern Tibet 1970. At the age of 14
he took his monk's vows and soon after began his Buddhist Studies at
Samye Monastery, the first monastery ever built in Tibet.
He was an outstanding student from the start and excelled in all of
his subjects. In 1987, he traveled to India to enroll in the Drikung
Kagyu Institute at Jangchub Ling in Dehra Dun.

After finishing his course work he spent three years teaching lower
classes in the monastic college. He was awarded the title "Khenpo" in
1998 and then spent another three years teaching Buddhist philosophy
at the Institute. He has completed the Ngondro, Chakrasamvara and
other deity-yoga practices in retreat. Khenpo arrived at the Tibetan
Meditation Center in April 2001 to become one of the Spiritual
Co-directors of the Center. He also began his study of English at that
time and is now
quite fluent in it. He has been teaching at the Tibetan Meditation
Center, The Garchen Institute and at other Drikung Kagyu centers in
the US since then.


*Southern Dharma Retreat Center*

Southern Dharma Retreat Center is an interfaith retreat center which
hosts meditation retreats representing the world's various spiritual
traditions. Retreat teachers are experienced and recognized in their
own traditions. All retreats have meditation, contemplation, and
silence as underlying threads. Between teacher-led retreats,
individual private retreats may be arranged.

Located part way up one of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North
Carolina, isolated and forested, Southern Dharma provides a
comfortable, secluded gathering place removed from everyday
distractions. Retreats create an atmosphere of quiet reflection,
peace, and opening to the truths within the heart.

Facilities include the meditation hall, lodge, and tent platforms.
The lodge, which can accommodate twenty-three, has a dining room,
kitchen, small library, double bedrooms on the second floor, and a
dormitory room on the uppermost floor. All retreatants are housed on
the premises. Four tent platforms are located adjacent to a small
mountain stream with many waterfalls. Tent platforms may be reserved
but we are unable to take reservations for rooms in the lodge although
any preference indicated on the registration form will be taken into
consideration. Rooms are assigned first on the basis of gender, then
for any special medical reasons, and finally in the order of
registration. Only for retreats with small enrollment is a single room
available.

There are several trails -- along the stream, affording mountain
views, and one to the top of the mountain.

Dana is a Pali word (the language spoken in India during the time of
the Buddha about 400 BCE) meaning generosity. Teachers are
reimbursed by Southern Dharma only for their travel. At the end of a
retreat, retreatants are offered the opportunity to offer
contributions (anonymous if they prefer) to the teacher. Southern
Dharma Retreat Center also relies on financial support through
charitable contributions.

--- End forwarded message ---

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

Chattha Sangayana Tipitaka 4.0 is a desktop client for browsing and searching the Pali Canon. It is the successor to the Chattha Sangayana CD 3.0. CST4 is under development and is available for download from this site in a pre-release version.

CST4 is currently available only for Windows XP or Windows Vista. A native Mac client is planned for early 2008.

Click the "Installation" link on the right to download and install the program.

http://www.tipitaka.org/cst/blog/about/

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 1 reply

Mahabodhisattva Manjusri ( & Wrathful Manjusri / Yamantaka ) resources : scripture and commentaries
( repost from tribe buddhism )

Om Svasti!

AH

Since this has been brought up ( by Ron in tribe buddhism ), and there is interest, I will say a little about Manjusri. This is a great bodhisattva, whose name means "Smooth and Glorious". He is the archetype of Bodhisattva wisdom ( prajna ) and his consort is the Hindu / Buddhist Sarasvati.

The basic mantra is
OM A RA PA CA NA DHI
and the seed syllable is
DHI

Here is the meaning of this mantra:
"The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom sets out the following meanings for the first syllables:
A is a door to the insight that all dharmas are unproduced from the very beginning (adya-anutpannatvad);
RA is a door to the insight that all dharmas are without dirt (rajas);
PA is a door to the insight that all dharmas have been expounded in the ultimate sense (paramartha);
CA is a door to the insight that the decrease (cyavana) or rebirth of any dharma cannot be apprehended, because all dharmas do not decrease, nor are they reborn;
NA is a door to the insight that the Names [i.e. nama]" of all dharmas have vanished; the essential nature behind names cannot be gained or lost."

The mantra in Sanskrit letters is given at
www.visiblemantra.org/manju.html

This mantra is pervasive in the Mahayana world. It is used equally by "Chinese" Buddhists and "Japanese" Buddhists. I have a practice commentary and the hand mudras from Chinese lineage.

The primary source text for Manjusri is the Manjusri Namasamgiti. It is possible to recite this text in Sanskrit. I have Dr. Alex Wayman's commentary and translation back in 1986 or so, under the title
"Chanting the Names of Manjusri"
and should be available in inexpensive paperback form. The text in Sanskrit is a long mantra. It also includes a number of Manjusri mantras that are very valuable but little known or used.

Translations and commentaries are available for free ( without the Sanskrit ). They can be found at
kalachakranet.org/resources_english.html

At that page scroll down to the following line items, which are associated with clickable downloads. See
a) "Manjushri Namasamghiti, translated by Ronald M. Davidson."
b) "Study Guide to the Namasamgiti, With Reference to the Vimalaprabha, edited and tabulated by Phillip Lecso"

There is a specific empowerment for the Namasamgiti, which I have in the Sakya tradition. However, there are many ways to obtain a Manjusri initiation, and also many ways to obtain a wrathful Manjusri / Yamantaka initiation. I also have received the grand two day Yamantaka initiation ( Ra Lotsawa lineage ) in the Sakya school. This is a central transmission in Sakya lineage, and absolutely primary in the Gelugpa school.

Many wrathful Padmasambhava initiations include a full Yamantaka. Also, all Vajrakilaya initiations include a full Yamantaka. From these alone I have received about thirty full Yamantaka initiations. The Fivefold Cakrasamvara initiation of the Shangpa Kagyu school includes a full New School ( Sarma ) Yamantaka.

However, I have never seen a Kagyu practice text for Yamantaka. Only last year was I able to get a good Nyingma text for Manjusri + Yamantaka.

There is a comprehensive web site for Yamantaka practice texts and commentaries. See
www.vajrabhairava.com

These many practice texts and commentaries are absolutely wonderful and can serve as primary materials.

The site is restricted to those who can say they have received a full Yamantaka empowerment, by which is meant full Yamantaka in the New School, not the Old School ( Nyingma ). Technically, I do not see that the Old School Yamantaka would work differently from New School Yamantaka, but I do not have detailed Old School commentaries or teachings. It may be similar or the same in practice, but I cannot aver this based on lack of evidence.

What follows is a copyrighted text for Manjusri Namasamgiti which includes some Sanskrit accomplishment mantras for Manjusri. It is provided for personal use only.

Sarva mangalam. Siddhi rastu.

In partial fulfillment of my vajrayana teaching responsibilities,

K T

( In Sanskrit, from Manjusri Namasamgiti )

"A a: sarvatathagata hrdayam
hara hara om hum hri:
bhagavan jnanamurti
vagishvara mahapacha
sarvadharma gaganamala
suparishuddha dharmadhatu
jnanagarbha a:"

( The same, translated. )

"A a: – the heart of all the Thusly Gone,
Take out, take out – om hum hri:
Vanquishing master surpassing all, embodied deep awareness,
Powerful lord of speech, the great one who ripens,
The complete total purity of all the existents, stainless like space,
Womb of deep awareness of the sphere of reality – a:"


www.berzinarchives.com/web/en...ri.html

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Donations to the Berzin Archives can be made. See
www.berzinarchives.com/web/en...ns.html

A Concert of Names of Manjushri
('Jam-dpal mtshan-brjod, Skt. Manjushri-namasamgiti)

translated from the Tibetan, as clarified by the Sanskrit
Alexander Berzin, 2004

Homage to Manjushri in youthful form.
Sixteen Verses on Requesting Instruction

(1) Then the glorious Holder of the Vajra,
The most superb tamer of those difficult to tame,
The hero, triumphant over the world’s three planes,
The powerful lord of the thunderbolt, ruler of the hidden,

(2) With awakened white-lotus eye,
Fully bloomed pink-lotus face,
Brandishing over and again
The supreme vajra with his hand –

(3) Together with countless Vajrapanis,
With features such as brows furrowed in fury,
Heroes, tamers of those difficult to tame,
Fearsome and heroic in form,

(4) Brandishing blazing-tipped vajras in their hands,
Superb in fulfilling the aims of wandering beings,
Through great compassion, discriminating awareness,
And skillful means,

(5) Having happy, joyful, and delighted dispositions,
Yet endowed with ferocious bodily forms,
Guardians to further the Buddhas’ enlightening influence,
Their bodies bowed – together with them

(6) Prostrated to the Guardian, the Vanquishing Master Surpassing All,
The Thusly Gone One, the Fully Enlightened,
And standing in front, his palms pressed together,
Addressed these words:

(7) “O Master of the All-Pervasive,
For my benefit, my purpose, from affection toward me,
So that I may obtain
Manifest enlightenment from illusion’s net

(8) For the welfare and attainment
Of the peerless fruit for all limited beings
Sunk in the swamp of unawareness,
Their minds upset by disturbing emotions,

(9) O Fully Enlightened, Vanquishing Master, Guru of Wanderers,
Indicator, Knower of the Great Close Bond and Reality,
Foremost Knower of Powers and Intents,
Elucidate, please,

(10) Regarding the enlightening body of deep awareness
of the Vanquishing Master,
The Great Crown Protrusion, the Master of Words,
The embodied deep awareness that is self-produced,
The deep awareness being, Manjushri,

(11) The superlative Concert of His Names,
With profound meaning, with extensive meaning,
with great meaning,
Unequaled, and supremely pacifying,
Constructive in the beginning, middle, and end,

(12) Which was proclaimed by previous Buddhas,
Will be proclaimed by future ones,
And which the Fully Enlightened of the present
Proclaim over and again,

(13) And which, in The Illusion’s Net
Great Tantra,
Was magnificently chanted
By countless delighted great holders of the vajras,
Holders of the hidden mantras.

(14) O Guardian, so that I (too) may be a holder
Of the hidden (teachings) of all the Fully Enlightened,
I shall preserve it with steadfast intention
Till my definite deliverance,

(15) And shall elucidate it to limited beings,
In accord with their individual intents,
For dispelling disturbing emotions, barring none,
And destroying unawareness, barring none."

(16) Having requested the Thusly Gone One with these words,
The lord of the hidden, Vajrapani,
Pressed his palms together
And, bowing his body, stood in front.
Six Verses in Reply

(17) Then the Vanquishing Master Surpassing All,
Shakyamuni, the Able Sage,
The Fully Enlightened, the Ultimate Biped,
Extending from his mouth
His beautiful tongue, long and wide,

(18) Illuminating the world’s three planes
And taming the four (mara) demonic foes,
And displaying a smile, cleansing
The three worse rebirths for limited beings,

(19) And filling the world’s three planes
With his sweet Brahma-voice,
Replied to Vajrapani, the magnificently strong,
The lord of the hidden:

(20) “Excellent, O glorious Holder of the Vajra,
(I say) excellent to you, Vajrapani,
You who possess great compassion
For the sake of the welfare of wandering beings.

(21) Rise to the occasion to hear from me, now,
A Concert of Names of the enlightening body of deep awareness,
Manjushri, the great aim,
Purifying and eliminating negative force.

(22) Because of that, Overlord of the Hidden,
It’s excellent that I’m revealing it to you;
(So) listen with single-pointed mind.”

“O Vanquishing Master, that’s excellent,” he replied.
Two Verses of Beholding the Six Buddha-Families

(23) Then the Vanquishing Master Surpassing All,
Shakyamuni, the Able Sage,
Beholding in detail the entire family of great hidden mantra:
The family of holders of hidden mantras
and of mantras of pure awareness,
The family of the three,

(24) The family of the world and beyond the world,
The family, the great one, illuminating the world,
(That) family supreme, of (mahamudra) the great seal,
And the great family of the grand crown protrusion,
Three Verses on the Steps of Manifest Enlightenment by Means of Illusion?s Net

(25) Proclaimed the verse of the Master of Words,
Endowed with the sixfold mantra king,
(Concerning) the nondual source
With a nature of non-arising:

(26) “ A a, i i, u u, e ai, o au, am a:.
Situated in the heart, I’m deep awareness embodied,
The Buddha of the Buddhas
Occurring in the three times.

(27) Om – Vajra Sharp,
Cutter of Suffering,
Embodied Discriminating Deep Awareness,
Enlightening Body of Deep Awareness,
Powerful Lord of Speech,
And Ripener of Wandering Beings (Ara-pachana) – homage to you.”
Fourteen Verses on the Great Mandala of the Vajra Sphere

(28) Like this is the Buddha (Manjushri),
the Vanquishing Master Surpassing All,
the Fully Enlightened:
He’s born from the syllable a,
The foremost of all phonemes, the syllable a,
Of great meaning, the syllable that’s deepest,

(29) The great breath of life, non-arising,
Rid of being uttered in a word,
Foremost cause of everything spoken,
Maker of every word perfectly clear.

(30) In his great offering festival, great longing desire’s
The provider of joy to limited beings;
In his great offering festival, great anger’s
The great foe of all disturbing emotion.

(31) In his great offering festival, great naivety’s
The dispeller of the naivety of the naïve mind;
In his great offering festival, great fury’s
The great foe of great fury.

(32) In his great offering festival, great greed’s
The dispeller of all greed;
He’s the one with great desire, great happiness,
Great joy, and great delight.

(33) He’s the one with great form, great enlightening body,
Great color, great physique,
Great name, great grandeur,
And a great and extensive mandala circle.

(34) He’s the great bearer of the sword of discriminating awareness,
The foremost great elephant-hook for disturbing emotions;
He’s the one with great renown, great fame,
Great luster, and great illumination.

(35) He’s the learned one, the bearer of great illusion,
The fulfiller of aims with great illusion,
The delighter with delight through great illusion,
The conjurer of an Indra’s net of great illusion.

(36) He’s the most preeminent master of great generous giving,
The foremost holder of great ethical discipline,
The steadfast holder of great patience,
The courageous one with great perseverance,

(37) The one abiding in the absorbed concentration
of great mental stability,
The holder of a body of great discriminating awareness,
The one with great strength, great skill in means,
Aspirational prayer, and a sea of deep awareness.

(38) He’s the immeasurable one, composed of great love,
He’s the foremost mind of great compassion,
Great discrimination, great intelligence,
Great skill in means, and great implementation.

(39) Endowed with the strength of great extraphysical powers,
He’s the one with great might, great speed,
Great extraphysical power, great (lordly) renown,
Great courage of strength.

(40) He’s the crusher of the great mountain of compulsive existence,
The firm holder of the great vajra;
The one with great fierceness and great ferociousness,
He’s the great terrifier of the terrifying.

(41) He’s the superlative guardian with great pure awareness,
The superlative guru with great hidden mantra;
Stepped up to the Great Vehicle’s mode of travel,
He’s superlative in the Great Vehicle’s mode of travel.
Twenty-five Verses, Less a Quarter, on the Deep Awareness of the Totally Pure Sphere of Reality

(42) He’s the Buddha (Vairochana), the great illuminator,
The great able sage, having great sagely (stillness);
He’s the one produced through great mantra’s mode of travel,
And, by identity-nature, he (himself) is great mantra’s mode of travel.

(43) He has attainment of the ten far-reaching attitudes,
Support on the ten far-reaching attitudes,
The purity of the ten far-reaching attitudes,
The mode of travel of the ten far-reaching attitudes.

(44) He’s the guardian, the powerful lord
of the ten (bhumi) levels of mind,
The one established through the ten (bhumi) levels of mind;
By identity-nature, he’s the purified ten sets of knowledge,
And the holder of the purified ten sets of knowledge.

(45) He’s the one with ten aspects, the ten points as his aim,
Chief of the able sages, the one with ten forces,
the master of the all-pervasive;
He’s the fulfiller of the various aims, barring none,
The powerful one with ten aspects, the great one.

(46) He’s beginningless and, by identity-nature,
parted from mental fabrication,
By identity-nature, the accordant state; by identity-nature,
the pure one;
He’s the speaker of what’s actual, with speech of no other,
The one who, just as he speaks, just so does he act.

(47) Non-dual, the speaker of nonduality,
Settled at the endpoint of what’s perfectly so;
With a lion’s roar of the lack of a true identity-nature,
He’s the frightener of the deer of the deficient extremists.

(48) Coursing everywhere, with his coursing meaningful,
(never in vain),
He has the speed of the mind of a Thusly Gone One;
He’s the conqueror, the full conqueror, with enemies conquered,
A (chakravartin) emperor of the universe, one that has great strength.

(49) He’s the teacher of hosts, the head of hosts,
The (Ganesha) lord of hosts, the master of hosts, the powerful one;
He’s the one with great strength, the one that’s keen (to carry the load),
The one that has the great mode of travel,
with no need for travel by another mode.

(50) He’s the lord of speech, the master of speech,
eloquent in speech,
The one with mastery over speech, the one with limitless words,
Having true speech, the speaker of truth,
The one that indicates the four truths.

(51) He’s irreversible, non-returning,
The guide for the mode of travel
of the self-evolving rhino pratyekas;
Definitely delivered through various (means)
of definite deliverance,
He’s the singular cause of the great elemental states.

(52) He’s a (bhiksu) full monk, (an arhat) with enemies destroyed,
Defilements depleted, with desire departed, senses tamed;
Having attained ease of mind, having attained a state of no fear,
He’s the one with (elements) cooled down, no longer muddied.

(53) Endowed to the full with pure awareness and movement,
He’s the Blissfully Gone, superb in his knowledge of the world;
He’s the one not grasping for “mine,” not grasping for a “me,”
Abiding in the mode of travel of the two truths.

(54) He’s the one that’s standing at the far shore,
beyond recurring samsara,
With what needs to be done having been done, settled on dry land,
His cleaving sword of discriminating awareness
Having drawn out the deep awareness of what’s unique.

(55) He’s the hallowed Dharma, the ruler of the Dharma,
the shining one,
The superb illuminator of the world;
He’s the powerful lord of Dharma, the king of the Dharma,
The one who shows the most excellent pathway of mind.

(56) With his aim accomplished, his thought accomplished,
And rid of all conceptual thought,
He’s the nonconceptual, inexhaustible sphere,
The superb, imperishable sphere of reality.

(57) He’s the one possessing positive force, a network of positive force,
And deep awareness, the great source of deep awareness,
Possessing deep awareness, having deep awareness
of what exists and what doesn’t exist,
The one with the built-up pair of networks networked together.

(58) Eternal, the ruler of all, he’s the (yogi) yoked to the authentic;
He’s stability of mind, the one to be made mentally stable,
the master of intelligence,
The one to be individually reflexively known, the immovable one,
The primordial one who’s the highest,
the one possessing three enlightening bodies.

(59) With an identity-nature of five enlightening bodies, he’s a Buddha;
With an identity-nature of five types of deep awareness,
a master of the all-pervasive,
Having a crown in the identity-nature of the five Buddhas,
Bearing, unhindered, the five enlightening eyes.

(60) He’s the progenitor of all Buddhas,
The superlative, supreme Buddhas’ spiritual son,
The womb giving rise to the existence of discriminating awareness,
The womb of the Dharma, bringing an end to compulsive existence.

(61) With a singular innermost essence of firmness,
by identity-nature, he’s a diamond-strong vajra;
As soon as he’s born, he’s master of the wandering world.
Arisen from the sky, he’s the self-arisen:
The great fire of discriminating deep awareness;

(62) The great-light (Vairochana,) Illuminator of All,
luminary of deep awareness, illuminating all;
The lamp for the world of the wanderers;
The torch of deep awareness;
The great brilliance, the clear light;

(63) Lord of the foremost mantras, king of the pure awareness;
King of the hidden mantras, the one that fulfills the great aim;
He’s the great crown protrusion, the wondrous crown protrusion,
The master of space, the one indicating in various ways.

(64) He’s the foremost one, an enlightening body
with the identity-nature of all the Buddhas,
The one with an eye for the joy of the entire wandering world,
The creator of diverse bodily forms,
The great (rishi) muse, worthy of offerings, worthy of honor.

(65) He’s the bearer of the three family traits,
the possessor of the hidden mantra,
He’s the upholder of the great close bond
and of the hidden mantra;
He’s the most preeminent holder of the three precious gems,
Indicator of the ultimate of the three vehicles of mind.

(66) He’s the totally triumphant, with an unfailing grappling-rope,
The great apprehender with a vajra grappling-rope,
With a vajra elephant-hook and a great grappling-rope.
Ten Verses, Plus a Quarter, Praising Mirror-like Deep Awareness

He's Vajrabhairava, the terrifying vajra terrifier:

(67) Ruler of the furious, six-faced and terrifying,
Six-eyed, six-armed, and full of force,
The skeleton having bared fangs,
Halahala, with a hundred heads.

(68) He’s the destroyer of death (Yamantaka),
king of the obstructors,
(Vajravega,) vajra might, the terrifying one;
He’s vajra devastation, vajra heart,
Vajra illusion, the great bellied one.

(69) Born from the vajra (womb), he’s the vajra lord,
Vajra essence, equal to the sky;
Immovable (Achala), (with matted hair) twisted
into a single topknot,
Wearer of garments of moist elephant hide.

(70) Great horrific one, shouting “ha ha,”
Creator of terror, shouting “hi hi,”
With enormous laughter, (booming) long laughter,
Vajra laughter, great roar.

(71) He’s the vajra-minded (Vajrasattva),
the great-minded (mahasattva),
Vajra king, great bliss;
Vajra fierce, great delight,
Vajra Humkara, the one shouting “hum.”

(72) He’s the holder of a vajra arrow as his weapon,
The slasher of everything with his vajra sword;
He’s the holder of a crossed vajra, possessor of a vajra,
Possessor of a unique vajra, the terminator of battles.

(73) His dreadful eyes with vajra flames,
Hair on his head, vajra flames too,
Vajra cascade, great cascade,
Having a hundred eyes, vajra eyes.

(74) His body with bristles of vajra hair,
A unique body with vajra hair,
With a growth of nails tipped with vajras,
And tough, (firm) skin, vajras in essence.

(75) Holder of a garland of vajras, having glory,
He’s adorned with jewelry of vajras,
And has long (booming) laughter “ha ha,” with loud sound,
The vajra sound of the six syllables.

(76) He’s (Manjughosha,) with a lovely voice,
enormous volume,
A tremendous sound unique in the world’s three planes,
A voice resounding to the ends of space,
The best of those possessing a voice.
Forty-two Verses on Individualizing Deep Awareness

(77) He’s what’s perfectly so, the lack of identity-nature,
the actual state,
The endpoint of that which is perfectly so, that which isn’t a syllable;
He’s the proclaimer of voidness, the best of bulls
Bellowing a roar, profound and extensive.

(78) He’s the conch of Dharma, with a mighty sound,
The gong of Dharma, with a mighty crash,
The one in a state of non-abiding nirvana,
Kettledrum of Dharma in the ten directions.

(79) He’s the formless one, with an excellent form, the foremost one,
Having varied forms, made from the mind;
He’s a glory of appearances in every form,
The bearer of reflections, leaving out none.

(80) He’s the impervious one, with great (lordly) renown,
The great powerful lord of the world’s three planes;
Abiding with a lofty arya pathway of mind,
He’s the one raised on high, the crown banner of Dharma.

(81) He’s the body of youth unique in the world’s three planes,
The stable elder, the ancient one, the master of all that lives;
He’s the bearer of the thirty-two bodily signs, the beloved,
Beautiful throughout the world’s three planes.

(82) He’s the teacher of knowledge and good qualities to the world,
The teacher of the world without any fears,
The guardian, the rescuer, trusted throughout the world’s three planes,
The refuge, the protector, unsurpassed.

(83) The experiencer (of experiences) to the ends of space,
He’s the ocean of the deep awareness of the omniscient mind,
The splitter of the eggshell of unawareness,
The tearer of the web of compulsive existence.

(84) He’s the one with disturbing emotions stilled, without an exception,
The one crossed over the sea of recurring samsara;
He’s the wearer of the crown of the deep awareness empowerment,
Bearer of the Fully Enlightened as adornment.

(85) He’s the one stilled of the suffering of the three kinds of suffering,
The one with an endless ending of the three,
having gone to the liberation of the three;
He’s the one definitely freed from all obscurations,
The one who abides in space-like equality.

(86) He’s the one past the stains of all disturbing emotions,
The one understanding the three times as non-time;
He’s the great (naga) chief for all limited beings,
The crown of those wearing the crown of good qualities.

(87) Definitely freed from all (residue) bodies,
He’s the one well established in the track of the sky;
Bearer of a great wish-fulfilling gem,
He’s master of the all-pervasive, ultimate of all jewels.

(88) He’s the great and bounteous wish-granting tree,
The superlative great vase of excellence;
The agent fulfilling the aims of all limited beings,
the wisher of benefit,
He’s the one with parental affection toward limited beings.

(89) He’s the knower of what’s wholesome and what’s unwholesome,
the knower of timing,
The knower of the close bond, the keeper of the close bond,
the master of the all-pervasive;
He’s the knower of the faculties of limited beings,
the knower of the occasion,
The one skilled in the three (kinds of) liberation.

(90) He’s the possessor of good qualities, the knower of good qualities,
the knower of the Dharma,
The auspicious one, the source of what’s auspicious,
He’s the auspiciousness of everything auspicious,
The one with the auspicious sign of renown,
the famous, constructive one.

(91) He’s the great breath, the great festival,
The great joy, the great pleasure,
The show of respect, the one showing respect, the prosperous one,
The supremely joyous, the master of fame, the glorious one.

(92) Possessor of the best, he’s the provider of the best,
the most preeminent,
Suitable for refuge, he’s the superlative refuge,
The very best foe of the great frightful things,
The eliminator of what’s frightful, without an exception.

(93) Wearing his hair in a bun, he’s the one with a bun of hair,
Wearing his hair in mats, he’s the one having matted locks,
He’s the one draped with a munja-grass sacred cord,
the one wearing a crown,
The one with five faces, five buns of hair,
And five knotted locks, (each) crowned with a bloom.

(94) He’s the one maintaining great taming behavior,
the one with shaved head,
The one with celibate Brahma(-like) conduct,
the one with superlative taming behavior,
The one with great trials, the one who’s completed the trials,
The one who’s taken ablution, the foremost, Gautama.

(95) He’s a brahmin, a Brahma, the knower of Brahma,
The possessor of a Brahma-nirvana attainment;
The liberated one, he’s liberation,
the one with the body of full liberation,
The fully liberated one, the peaceful one, the state of peace.

(96) He’s nirvana release, the one with peace,
the one released in nirvana,
He’s the one most definitely delivered and nearly (brought to an end),
The one who’s completed bringing to an end pleasure and pain,
The one with detachment, the one with (residue) body consumed.

(97) He’s the invincible one, the incomparable one,
The unmanifest one, the one not appearing,
the one with no sign that would make him seen,
The unchanging, the all-going, the all-pervasive,
The subtle, the untainted, the seedless.

(98) He’s the one without a speck of dust, dustless, stainless,
With faults disgorged, the one without sickness;
He’s the wide-awake one, by identity-nature, the Fully Enlightened,
The Omniscient One, the superb knower of all.

(99) Beyond the nature of partitioning primary consciousness,
He’s deep awareness, bearer of the form of nonduality;
He’s the one without conceptual thought,
spontaneously accomplishing (without any effort),
The one enacting the enlightening deeds of the Buddhas
throughout the three times.

(100) He’s the Buddha, the one without a beginning or end,
The (beginning) primordial Adibuddha, the one without precedent;
The singular eye of deep awareness, the one with no stains,
Deep awareness embodied, he’s the One Thusly Gone.

(101) He’s the powerful lord of speech, the magnificent speaker,
The supreme being among speakers, the ruler of speakers,
The best of those speaking, the very best one,
The lion of speakers, inconquerable by others.

(102) Seeing all around, he’s supreme joy itself,
With a garland of brilliance, beautiful to behold;
He’s the magnificent light, the blazing one (Vishnu, beloved of Shri,)
the curl at the heart,
The illuminator with hands (that are rays) of blazing light.

(103) The best of the great physicians, he’s the most preeminent one,
The unsurpassed remover of (thorny) pains;
He’s the celestial tree of all medications, with none left out,
The great nemesis of the sicknesses ­of disturbing emotions.

(104) He’s the beauty mark of the world’s three planes, the lovely one,
The glorious one, with a mandala of lunar and zodiac constellation stars;
He’s the one extending to the ends of space in the ten directions,
The great ascending of the banner of Dharma.

(105) He’s the unique extension of an umbrella
over the wandering world,
With his mandala circle of love and compassion;
He’s the glorious one, the Powerful Lord of the Lotus Dance,
Great master of the all-pervasive, the one with an umbrella of precious gems.

(106) He’s the great king of all the Buddhas,
Holder of the embodiments of all the Buddhas,
Great yoga of all the Buddhas,
Unique teaching of all the Buddhas.

(107) He’s the glory of the empowerment of the vajra jewel,
Powerful lord of the sovereigns of all jewels;
Master of all (Lokeshvaras,) the powerful lords of the world,
He’s the sovereign of all (Vajradharas,) the holders of the vajra.

(108) He’s the great mind of all Buddhas,
The one that is present in the mind of all Buddhas;
He’s the great enlightening body of all Buddhas,
He’s the beautiful speech (Sarasvati) of all Buddhas.

(109) He’s the vajra sun, the great illuminator,
The vajra moon, the stainless light;
He’s great desire, the one that begins with non-desire,
Blazing light of various colors.

(110) He’s the vajra posture of the Fully Enlightened,
The bearer of the Dharma, the concert of the Buddhas;
He’s the glorious one, the one that’s born from the lotus of the Buddhas,
The keeper of the treasure of omniscient deep awareness.

(111) He's the bearer of diverse illusions, he's the king;
He's the bearer of Buddhas' pure awareness mantras,
he's the great one;
He's the vajra sharp, the great sword,
The supreme syllable, totally pure.

(112) He’s the Great Vehicle (Mahayana), the cutter of suffering,
He’s the great weapon, Vajra Dharma;
He’s (Jinajik,) the triumph of the triumphant, vajra profound,
He’s vajra intelligence, the knower of things and how they exist.

(113) He’s the perfected state of every far-reaching attitude,
The wearer of all (bhumi) levels of mind as adornment;
He’s the lack of a true identity-nature of totally pure existent things,
He’s correct deep awareness, the core light of the moon.

(114) He’s great diligence (applied), Illusion’s Net,
Sovereign of all tantras, the one that’s superb;
He’s the possessor of vajra (postures and) seats, without an exception,
He’s the bearer of enlightening bodies of deep awareness,
without an exception.

(115) He’s the all-around excellent (Samanta-bhadra),
he’s excellent intelligence,
He’s the womb of the earth (Kshiti-garbha),
the support of the wandering world;
He’s the great womb of all of the Buddhas,
The bearer of a circle of assorted emanations.

(116) He’s the supreme self-nature of all functional phenomena,
The bearer of the self-nature of all functional phenomena;
He’s the non-arising existent, with purposes diverse,
The bearer of the nature of all existent things.

(117) Great discriminating awareness in a single moment,
He’s the bearer of comprehension of all existent things;
The clear realization of all existent things,
He’s the able sage, with foremost intelligence,
the endpoint of that which is perfectly so.

(118) He’s the immovable one, extremely pure, by identity-nature,
The bearer of the purified state of the Perfect, Fully Enlightened Ones;
He’s the one having bare cognition of all Buddhas,
The flame of deep awareness, the excellent clear light.
Twenty-four Verses on Equalizing Deep Awareness

(119) He’s the fulfiller of wished-for aims, he’s superb,
The one totally purifying all of the worse rebirth states;
He’s the ultimate of all limited beings, the guardian,
The complete liberator of all limited beings.

(120) He’s the hero in the battle with disturbing emotions,
the unique one,
The slayer of the insolent arrogance of the enemy “unawareness”;
He’s intelligence, bearer of an enamored tone, the one with glory,
Bearer of forms with heroic and disdainful tones.

(121) He’s the one pounding with a hundred clubs in his hands,
He’s the dancer with a pounding-down of his feet;
He’s the one with glory, the user of a hundred (user) hands,
The dancer across (the sectors used in) the expanse of the sky.

(122) He’s the one standing on the surface of the mandala of the earth,
Pressing down on the surface with a single foot;
He’s the one standing on the nail of his large toe,
Pressing down on the tip of Brahma’s (egg-like) world.

(123) He’s the singular item,
the item regarding phenomena that’s nondual,
He’s the deepest (truth) item, (the imperishable powerful lord,)
the one that lacks what’s fearful;
He’s the item with a variety of revealing forms,
The one that has a continuity
of mind and of partitioning consciousness.

(124) He’s joyful awareness of existent things, without an exception,
He’s joyful awareness of voidness, the highest intelligence;
The one gone beyond the longing desires, and the likes,
of compulsive existence,
He’s great joyful awareness regarding the three (planes of)
compulsive existence.

(125) He’s the pure white one – a brilliant white cloud,
With beautiful light – beams of the autumn moon,
With an exquisite (face) – the mandala orb of a (youthful) sun,
With light from his nails – a great (passionate) red.

(126) With sapphire-blue hair knotted on top,
And wearing a great sapphire on top of his locks,
He’s the glorious one with the radiant luster of a magnificent gem,
Having as jewelry emanations of Buddha.

(127) He’s the shaker of spheres of hundreds of worlds,
The one with great force with his extraphysical powerful legs;
He’s the holder of the great (state of) mindfulness
as well as the facts of reality,
He’s the ruler of the absorbed concentrations
of the four types of mindfulness states.

(128) He’s the fragrance of the love-blossoms on the branches
(leading) to a purified state,
(The cream atop) the ocean of good qualities of the Thusly Gone Ones;
He’s the one knowing the mode of travel
with the eightfold pathway minds,
The one knowing the pathway mind of the Perfect, Fully Enlightened.

(129) He’s the one having great adherence to all limited beings,
But without having adherence, like the sky;
He’s the one entering the minds of all limited beings,
Having speed in accord with the minds of all limited beings.

(130) He’s the one with awareness of the powers
and objects of all limited beings,
The one who captures the hearts of all limited beings;
He’s the one with awareness of the items and reality
of the five aggregate factors,
The one who holds the full purity of the five aggregate factors.

(131) He’s the one standing at the end of every definite deliverance,
The one who’s skilled in that which brings every definite deliverance;
He’s the one standing on the path for every definite deliverance,
The one who’s indicating every definite deliverance.

(132) He’s the one who’s uprooted compulsive existence
with its twelvefold links,
The holder of their purification having twelvefold aspects;
Having the aspect of the mode of travel of the fourfold truths,
He’s the holder of the realization of the eightfold awareness.

(133) He’s the points of truth in twelvefold aspects,
The knower of reality in sixteen aspects,
The Fully Enlightened through twenty aspects,
The Enlightened Buddha, the superb knower of all.

(134) He’s the one making knowable millions
Of enlightening emanation bodies of innumerable Buddhas;
He’s the clear realization of everything in a moment,
The knower of the objects of all moments of mind.

(135) He’s the skillful means of the modes of travel
of the various vehicles of mind,
The one who makes knowable the aims of the wandering world;
He’s the one who’s definitely delivered threefold,
through the vehicles of mind,
The one who’s established as the fruit of (Ekayana,)
the single vehicle of mind.

(136) He’s the identity-nature totally pure of the spheres
of disturbing emotions,
He’s the depleter of the spheres of karma;
He’s the one who has fully crossed over the ocean of currents,
The one who’s emerged from the wilderness by means of the yogas.

(137) He’s the one fully rid of the disturbing emotions,
the auxiliary disturbing emotions,
And the general disturbing emotions, together with (all) their habits;
He’s discriminating awareness and great compassion as skillful means,
The one fulfilling the aims of the wandering world,
meaningfully (without fail).

(138) He’s the one with objects of all conceptual discernment
gotten rid of,
The one with objects of partitioning consciousness brought to a halt;
He’s the cognitive object (in reference to) the minds of all limited beings,
The one that abides in the minds of all limited beings.

(139) He’s the innermost stand of the minds of all limited beings,
The one who’s passing as the equality of their minds;
He’s the one bringing satisfaction to the minds of all limited beings,
He’s the joy of the mind of all limited beings.

(140) He’s the culminating point of actualization,
the one with confusion departed,
He’s the one with every mistake dispelled;
He’s intelligence not indecisively wavering, the one that is threefold,
The one (fulfilling) everyone’s aims,
with an identity-nature of three constituents.

(141) He’s the object (in reference to) the five aggregate factors,
the one throughout the three times,
The one that makes things individually knowable in every instant;
He’s the one with manifest total enlightenment in an instant,
The bearer of all the Buddhas’ self-nature.

(142) He’s the one with an enlightening body that’s incorporeal,
the foremost of enlightening bodies,
The one that makes knowable millions of enlightening bodies;
He’s the one exhibiting everywhere a variety of forms,
He’s the great gem, (Ratnaketu,) the crowning jewel.
Fifteen Verses on the Accomplishing Deep Awareness

(143) He’s the one to be realized by all the Fully Enlightened,
He’s the purified state of a Buddha, the peerless;
He’s the one that isn’t a syllable, the one comes forth
from hidden mantra’s womb,
The triad of families of great hidden mantra.

(144) He’s the creator of every significance of hidden mantra,
He’s the great creative energy-drop, that which isn’t a syllable;
He’s the great void, having five syllables,
And the creative-drop void, having six syllables.

(145) He’s the possessor of all aspects, that which hasn’t an aspect,
He’s the bearer of the sixteen creative drops, and half of their half;
He’s the one without phases, beyond count,
Holder of the peak of the fourth level of mental stability.

(146) He’s the advanced awareness of the phases of all levels
of mental stability,
The knower of the families and castes of absorbed concentration;
He’s the one with the enlightening body of absorbed concentration,
the foremost of the enlightening bodies,
The ruler of all (Sambhogakaya,) Enlightening Bodies of Full Use.

(147) He’s the one with a (Nirmanakaya,)
Enlightening Body of Emanations,
the foremost of the enlightening bodies,
Holder of the lineage of Buddha’s emanations;
He’s the one issuing forth various emanations in the ten directions,
The one fulfilling the aims of the wandering world,
whatever they may be.

(148) He’s the chief of the deities, the deity over the deities,
The chief of the gods, the overlord of the (devilish) non-gods,
The chief of the immortals, the guru of the gods,
The destroyer, and the powerful lord of the destroyers.

(149) He’s the one with the wilderness of compulsive existence
crossed over,
The unique indicator, the guru for the wandering world;
He’s renowned throughout the world’s ten directions,
The master of generous giving of the Dharma, the great one.

(150) Armored with the armor of love,
Coated with a coat-of-mail of compassion,
Wielder of a sword of discriminating awareness and a bow and arrow,
He’s the one who finishes the battle against disturbing emotions
and unawareness.

(151) He’s the heroic one, enemy of the (mara) demonic forces,
subduer of the maras,
The one who brings fear of the four maras to an end;
Defeater of the military forces of all maras,
He’s the Fully Enlightened, the leader of the world.

(152) He’s the one worthy of offerings, worthy of praise,
the one for prostration,
Worthy of (being honored) forever in paintings,
Worthy of shows of respect, most worthy of veneration,
Worthy for homage, the highest guru.

(153) He’s the one traversing the world’s three planes in a single stride,
The one striding forth endlessly, just like space;
He’s the one with triple knowledge, (proficiency in the sacred,)
clean and pure,
Possessor of the six types of heightened awareness
and the six types of close mindfulness.

(154) He’s a bodhisattva, a great-minded (mahasattva),
The one with great extraphysical powers,
the one gone beyond the world;
(Situated) at the endpoint of far-reaching discriminating awareness
(prajnaparamita),
He’s the one who’s come to reality through discriminating awareness.

(155) He’s the one with all knowledge of self
and knowledge of others,
Helpful to all, the foremost person (of all);
He’s the one who’s gone beyond all comparison,
The superb sovereign of knowing and what’s to be known.

(156) He’s the master of generous giving of Dharma,
the most preeminent,
The one who shows the meaning of the fourfold (mudra) seals;
He’s the one most fitting to be helped and shown respect by the worldly
And by those traversing the three (pathways of) definite deliverance.

(157) He’s the purity and glory of the deepest truth,
The portion of excellence of the world’s three planes, the great one;
The one bringing all enrichments, the one having glory,
He’s Manjushri, (the lovely and glorious,)
supreme among those possessing glory.
Five Verses on the Deep Awareness of the Five Thusly Gone Ones

(158) Homage to you, granter of the best (boon), the foremost vajra;
Homage to you, the endpoint of what’s perfectly so;
Homage to you, the womb of voidness;
Homage to you, the Buddhas’ purified state.

(159) Homage to you, the Buddhas’ attachment;
Homage to you, the Buddha’s desire;
Homage to you, the Buddhas’ enjoyment;
Homage to you, the Buddhas’ play.

(160) Homage to you, the Buddhas’ smile;
Homage to you, the Buddhas’ (shining) laugh;
Homage to you, the Buddha’s speech;
Homage to you, the Buddha’s (state of) mind.

(161) Homage to you, rising from non-true existence;
Homage to you, arising from the Buddhas;
Homage to you, rising from space;
Homage to you, arising from deep awareness.

(162) Homage to you, illusion’s net;
Homage to you, the Buddhas’ dancer;
Homage to you, everything for everyone;
Homage to you, enlightening body of deep awareness.
The Mantras

Om sarva dharma ‘bhava svabhava,
vishuddha vajra chakshu, a a am a:

Om – the total purity of all existents,
By self-nature, non-truly existent,
Through the vajra eye – a a am a:

Prakrti parishuddha:
sarvadharma yad uta
sarvatathagata jnanakaya
manjushri parishuddhitam
upadayeti

That which is the completely pure nature
Of all existents takes the form, indeed,
Of the completely purified Manjushri,
The enlightening body of deep awareness
of all Thusly Gone

A a: sarvatathagata hrdayam
hara hara om hum hri:
bhagavan jnanamurti
vagishvara mahapacha
sarvadharma gaganamala
suparishuddha dharmadhatu
jnanagarbha a:

A a: – the heart of all the Thusly Gone,
Take out, take out – om hum hri:
Vanquishing master surpassing all, embodied deep awareness,
Powerful lord of speech, the great one who ripens,
The complete total purity of all the existents, stainless like space,
Womb of deep awareness of the sphere of reality – a:

Five Verses as an Epilogue

(163) Then the glorious Holder of the Vajra,
Joyful and delighted, with palms pressed together,
Bowing to the Guardian, the Vanquishing Master Surpassing All,
The Thusly Gone One, the Fully Enlightened,

(164) Together with the other guardians of many (varied) sorts,
Lords of the hidden, Vajrapanis,
Kings of the furious,
Loudly proclaimed these words of praise,

(165) “We rejoice, O Guardian,
Excellent, excellent, well said.
For us, the great (guardian) aim has (now) been fulfilled,
The attainment of a perfect, full enlightenment state;

(166) And for the wandering world also, lacking a guardian,
Wishing for the fruit of complete liberation,
This excellent and pure pathway mind has been shown,
The mode of travel of Illusion’s Net.

(167) This cognitive object indeed of the Buddhas,
Having a profound and extensive broad scope,
The great aim, fulfilling the aims of the wandering world,
Has been expounded by the Perfect, Fully Enlightened One.”

A Concert of the Deepest Truth Names of the Vanquishing Master Surpassing All, the Deep Awareness Being Manjushri, expounded by the Vanquishing Master, the Thusly Gone One, Shakyamuni, is hereby completed.

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

HH Phakchok Rinpoche and the Chokling Tersar Lineage of the Great Perfection : An Introduction and 2008 Tour Notes


Keywords: Esoteric Buddhist yoga ( buddhatantra ), Great Perfection / AtiYoga / dzogchen i.e. primordial awareness yoga, tantric Buddhist empowerment, non-sectarian tantric Buddhist practice ( Rimay ), HH Phakchok Rinpoche Tendzin Jigmey Drakpa, Orgyen Dorje Den Center ( San Francisco ), Chokling Tersar lineage ( Nyingma / Ancient School transmission of Indo-Tibetan vajrayana ).


NAMO GURU SRI PADMAKARAYE
Homage to Guru Padmasambhava.

This summer ( 2008 ) His Holiness Phakchok Rinpoche, a primary tantric Buddhist lineage holder, is on a major tour ( see below for events ), giving tantric Buddhist transmissions and teachings in the USA, Canada, and Europe. He is a younger major teacher in the Chokling Tersar tradition of Nyingma and Dzogchen ( see below ).

This lineage derives directly from Guru Padmasambhava, a most extraordinary Indian guru and a principal cofounder of the Buddhist tradition in Tibet. Today six million or more people practice teaching deriving from from Guru Padmasambhava, in for example the Tibetan traditions such as Sakya, Kagyu and Nyingma, including some millions of East Asians ( Chinese Buddhists of esoteric Buddhist lineage ).

This is a very magical, very powerful, and very yogic style of transmission, especially in terms of the inner practices. It is well supported by many independent practice lineages, of which the Chokling Tersar Foundation is an important example both in the USA and Europe. It is well established in California and Denmark, and several major teachers of this tradition give teaching tours.

This sangha ( spiritual fellowship ) is of major importance because Chokling Tersar Foundation has a translation / publishing organization called Rangjung Yeshe. This is one of the main sources worldwide for core Nyingma and dzogchen publications. I have and use quite a few Rangjung Yeshe practice and teaching texts. They are highest quality and indispensible for all Nyingma and dzogchen practitioners in particular, and broadly useful.

One of the most important books ever published for tantric Buddhists is
"Dakini Teachings", by Padmasambhava, and this is from Rangjung Yeshe.
Another key example, from the same source, is
"Light of Wisdom", by Padmasambhava and Jamgon Kongtrul.

For a general background on dzogchen, or "primordial awareness yoga", it is well worthwhile to obtain the book
"The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen", written by another important master of a parallel Nyingma lineage, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. This is about the best place to start for a book introduction to the inner teachings, but is descriptive only, and not sadhana or formal practice per se.

Esoteric Buddhist yoga ( buddhatantra ) and Great Perfection ( dzogchen awareness yoga ) depend fundamentally on transmission, and so it is necessary to see a real teacher. Without a major transmission from an authentic guru, much or most of the teaching - and all of the yoga sadhana - does not work. Therefore I take this opportunity to make an important introduction.

( Please note that I DO NOT have any authority to represent Chokling Tersar Foundation, HH Phakchok Rinpoche, or any activity associated with this line of transmission. I am simple conveying what I know in a clear and definite way, to support this lineage and those who may benefit from it. I cannot make any promises that any of what is said here, or this kind of transmission, will solve any particular problem or give any particular result. The results are very personal and individualized. )

HH Phakchok Rinpoche Tendzin Jigmey Drakpa is not yet well known to the public, but is already having a great influence in transmitting key innermost teachings of tantra and dzogchen. Therefore it is auspicious and appropriate to make known this teacher and the availability of these teachings.

The qualifications of HH Phakchok Rinpoche are vast and profound ( see below for his autobiography ). He has highest-level authorization to give primary transmissions in both the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages, and is one of the few people who has a complete cycle of Sakya School tantric empowerments.

Two years ago I received a major dzogchen empowerment from this teacher, from within the Chokling Tersar, and personally confirm that his transmission is powerful and effective, not only as a tantric blessing / psychic cleansing, but also as a functional teaching / practice transmission. He is very direct and engaging and extraordinarily generous in his teaching. He is here to teach core precepts, not just bestow blessings. That means actual, whole person practice.

HH Phakchok Rinpoche gave me his card at the one time I was able to attend his transmission, so he is willing to personally engage students in a longer term sense. At that time he did lay on those present the general but significant requirement to Do A Daily Tantric Buddhist Practice, which is in fact the requirement of Guru Padmasambhava.

A daily practice typically means mantra recitation, as well as upholding ethical precepts of the Mahayana and Tantra. ( See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva_vows or better yet, the above book "Dakini Teachings" for teaching on outer and inner Buddhist ethics. ) A primary example of mantra discipline is Vajrasattva deity yoga, for which a short teaching is given at my tribe.net home under the Sanskrit picture for Hundred Syllable mantra.

A specific event listing for the Yangdak Heruka transmission and teaching to be given August 16, 17 & 18 follows. Orgyen Dorje Den can host at least 200 participants. This is a remarkably important group, and a "home fellowship" for me, though I have not seen them in many years. Their center teacher, Ven. Gyaltrul Rinpoche, is a great gift to the West. I have and use and recommend his books.

Basically, it is from the Eight Herukas Cycle which is associated with the Guhyagarbha Tantra, which was propagated as one of the primary practices of Guru Padmasambhava. This fully confers Vajrasattva, a key basic and continung practice, and *may* fully confer Great Perfection / Breakthrough as well ( no guarantee ).

Significant mantra teaching on the Eight Herukas is given in the remarkable book
"The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Paperback)", Publisher: Penguin Classics; Deluxe edition (January 30, 2007 ),# ISBN-10: 0143104942.

This is written in partial fulfillment of mahayana and tantric Buddhist teaching responsibilities, in support of His Holiness Phakchok Rinpoche, Orgyen Dorje Den and Ven. Gyaltrul Rinpoche, the Chokling Tersar lineage, and the benefit of as many people as possible.

Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu!

Acarya KT




http://www.phakchokrinpoche.org/events.htm
Events
H.H. Phakchok Rinpoche's 2008 Teaching Calendar
For more information on any of the below programs, please e-mail us at office@phakchokrinpoche.org.

San Francisco, California: Aug 15-19
Empowerments: Yangdak Heruka & Sangtik Korsum (Teaching and Advice)
Teachings: Advice and teaching on general Development Stage
Meditation Training - at Orgyen Dorje Den, Directions to Orgyen Dorje Den
Public Talks: The Great “I” (Berkeley Shambhala Center)
Great Longchenpa
E-mail: office@phakchokrinpoche.org

Toronto: August 27-Sept 1 – with H.E. Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche
Empowerment: Sangye Won
Teachings: Jewel Ornament of Liberation
Taklung Thangpa
Public Talk: The Great “I”

H.E. Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche
Empowerments: Vajrakilaya & Tara
Prosperity Vase Blessing & Tsok
Visit: Riwoche Society, riwoche.com
E-mail: pema@riwoche.com

Vancouver: September 5-7
Teaching: VajraYogini Program [ this is restricted to those who have the empowerment ]
Public Talks: The Great “I”
Meditation and Happiness
E-mail: Mara Shnay, mshnay@telus.net

Salt Springs Island: September 7-9
Empowerment: Medicine Buddha
Meditation Retreat
E-mail: Matthew, matthewphyllis@telus.net

Europe: Poland & Germany

Hamburg, Germany: Sept 20-21
Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo (Light of Wisdom)
E-mail: Arne Schelling, arne.schellingatgmx.de

Menz, Germany: Sept 22
Public Talk on The Great “I”
E-mail: Arne Schelling, arne.schellingatgmx.de

Berlin, Germany: Sept 23-24
Life Stories of Yeshe Tsogyal and Machig Labdron
The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra
E-mail: Anne Siml, annesiml@yahoo.de

Greifswald, Germany: Sept 25-27
Public Talk on Compassion
Mind Training
E-mail: Anne Siml, annesiml@yahoo.de

Rangjung Yeshe Gomde – Denmark: Sept 29-30
Lotus Essence Tantra
Heart Sutra
Questions and Answers for Meditators
Website: www.gomde.dk
E-mail: Erik Pema Kunsang, erik@gomde.dk

Warsaw, Poland: October 2-5
Kunzang Thuktig Preliminary Practice
Mind Training
E-mail: Julia E. Wahl, karmayeshetsomo@gmail.com
Mobile: +48 608 079 909



The following events will be at:
Orgyen Dorje Den
2244 Santa Clara Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
http://www.orgyendorjeden.org/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming this weekend, August 16, 17 & 18:
H.H. Phakchok Rinpoche, head of the Taklung Kagyu lineage and son of H.E. Chokling Rinpoche, nephew of H.E. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and grandson of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, is coming to the San Francisco Bay Area from August 15-19 to give teachings and empowerments. Please plan to attend and spread the word regarding these precious teachings.
See phakchokrinpoche.org.
And for biographical info: http://phakchokrinpoche.org/lineage.htm
http://phakchokrinpoche.org/historyofpresentPK.htm

HH Phakchok Rinpoche will be giving the following empowerments and teachings at ODD.
Yangdak Heruka empowerment and teachings.
August 16 from 10 am to 12 pm and 2 to 4 pm.
When asked for some brief info about Yangdak Heruka, Rinpoche, translating from a text, replied the following in a phone call:
"Yangdak Heruka is the secret heart essence practice of Mahapandita Vimalamitra & Guru Padmasambhava. As a method to repair mistakes, purify broken samaya and reverse bad karma it is greater than even Vajrasattva. According to Ratna Lingpa, it is a supreme method for yogis to fulfill the root & branch samaya of vinaya, mahayana & vajrayana precepts & it will enable the practitioner to receive the 2 siddhis and have a long life. It requires accumulated merit from past lives to meet with these teachings and through practice you will see how fast the siddhis will be received. This terma is a revelation of Chogyur Lingpa--it is a short lineage--he revealed it on Guru Rinpoche Day from a Big Boulder. It is part of the Sangtik Korsum, which is a cycle of practice which also includes Vajrasattva & Vajrakilaya." This is the first time Rinpoche is giving the Yangdak Heruka empowerment in the USA.

Teachings on Sangtik Korsum cycle of empowerments, instruction on general development stage, and meditation training:
August 17 from 10 am to 12 pm and 2 to 4 pm
August 18 from 10 am to 12 pm and 2 to 4 pm
These teachings will relate to the specific cycle, Sangtik Korsum, but will also be applicable to whatever sadhana practice one is engaging.

The suggested donation is $100 for the three days, $35/ day & $20 per session.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Orgyen Dorje Den
2244 Santa Clara Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
www.orgyendorjeden.org


From
http://www.riwoche.com/phakchok_rinpoche.html

Phakchok Rinpoche's emanation-basis is the Lord of Secrets Dharmevajra, the compiler of the teachings of the Great Secrets (Vajrayana) of all buddhas; the arhat Ananda, the foremost disciple of our teacher (Buddha Shakyamuni); Lhalung Palgyi Dorje, the direct disciple of the Second Buddha of Uddiyana (Padmasambhava); (Rechung) Dorje Drakpa, the lord of siddhas; and many others.
. . .
The reincarnation of this sublime master was the seventh Phakchok Rinpoche, Tendzin Jigmey Drakpa, born in the Year of the Iron Bird, 1981, of the seventeenth year cycle. The family he was born into is, among the six original clans, the Nangchen Tsangsar of the Khepaga line which were chiefly holders of the Barom Kagyü Dharma lineage, a family line who maintained an unbroken tradition of combining Kagyü and Nyingma.
. . .


Due to his outstanding brightness and inherent qualities from former training, he comprehended reading and writing, and when he later studied the topics of knowledge with Kungo Kalzang, Karma Urgyen Rinpoche's younger brother, he gained effortless understanding by simply hearing what was said.

Here is a description of the ripening empowerments and liberating instructions Phakchok Rinpoche has received from masters of the Sarma and Nyingma schools of all traditions:

From Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche he has received longevity empowerments, the Six Volumes of Jatsön Nyingpo, Gyachen Kadzö (of Jamgön Kongtrül).

From Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche he has received the empowerments of longevity.

From Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche he has received the empowerments for the Rinchen Terdzö, the complete empowerments and reading trans-missions for the Chokling Tersar, the Dzogchen Desum, the empowerments, reading transmissions and instructions for the Kunzang Tuktig, the empowerment of awareness-display and mind-instruction for Dzogchen, the complete empowerments and reading transmissions for the Root Volumes of Nyingtig, the Hundred Chö Empowerments, and the Namkha Gojey.

From Kyabje Taklung Shabdrung Rinpoche he has received the complete empowerments and reading transmissions of the Taklung Kagyü, and the complete empowerments and reading transmissions for the collected works and terma teachings of Jedrung Rinpoche.

From Kyabje Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche he has received the empowerments and reading transmissions for the Gyüdey Kündü.

From Sakya Dagtri Drölma Podrang he has received the complete Drubtab Kündü.

From his father, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, he has received the complete empowerments and reading transmissions for the Chokling Tersar.

From Dzongsar Khenchen Kunga Wangchuk he has received the reading transmission for the collected works of the Five Sakya Forefathers, the Prajñamula, Madhyamikavatara, and the 400 Verses, Sakya Pandita's Tsema Rigter, Tsema Namdrel, the Higher and Lower Abhidharma and other works.

From Kyabje Tenga Rinpoche he has received the reading transmission for the Tenngyur, the Great Collection of the Translated Treatises.

From Kyabje Penor Rinpoche he has received the complete empowerments for the Rinchen Terdzö.

From Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche he has received the complete reading transmissions for the Rinchen Terdzö.

From Arik Khenchen Petse Rinpoche he has received explanation to the Guhyagarbha Tantra and the Manjushri Nama Sangirti, as well as mind-instruction.

From Kyabje Trülshik Rinpoche he has received the complete empowerments for the Collected Works of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

From Kyabje Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche he has received the Tögal Cycle of Khenpo Ngakchung's Hearing Lineage, as well as mind-instruction.

. . .

This was translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery, February, 2000.

www.choklingtersar.org


http://www.rangjung.com/gl/Chokling_Tersar.htm
Chokling Tersar, the New Treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa ( copyrighted )
During the ninth century, Buddhism was introduced from India into Tibet and its literature and culture has since been preserved in a way that has been unique in accuracy and truthfulness to tradition. Four decades ago, the occupation of Tibet by Communist China began an era of repression and systematic destruction of this thousand year old Buddhist culture. Shreds of this tradition reached the countries on the southern slopes of the Himalaya ranges - India, Nepal and Bhutan - in the hands of the few refugees who managed to escape alive. During the following years these areas have been the meeting-point and a forum of exchange between a large number of people from all countries of the world.

In response to the heart-wish of Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, the Chokling Tersar Foundation was established. It is in the spirit of wishing to protect and preserve one of the important contributions to the world's cultural heritage, as well as responding to a growing demand within North America, that the members of Chokling Tersar Foundation support the foundation through donations of effort, money and prayers.

Chokling Tersar literally means the 'new treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa' and owes it name to the great Tibetan Buddhist master of the 19th century. Chokgyur Lingpa lived from (1829-1870) and was regarded by the most reputable living masters of his time as one of the major tertons (revealer of hidden treasures) in Tibetan history. His teachings are widely practiced by both the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

The collection of treasures revealed by Chokgyur Lingpa together with its connected teachings are contained in the Chokling Tersar, a body of literature filling more than forty large volumes. In English translation each of these volumes would be between seven and eight hundred pages and the total would amount to approximately 30,000 pages. The connected teachings included in these forty volumes were written over the last 150 years, chiefly by his contemporaries Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamgon Kongtrul, as well as by the subsequent upholders of the lineage down until today.

Kangyur - the TripitakaThe Chokling Tersar literature is meant to be studied and practiced as an addition to the traditional canonical scriptures of Tibetan Buddhism. These traditional scriptures are found in the Kangyur and Tengyur, the written words of Buddha Shakyamuni and their commentaries by learned Indian Masters. These two collections occupy respectively 104 and 273 large volumes.

In these scriptures are found detailed instructions on how to take full advantage of and imbue human life with its fullest meaning. These revealed scriptures were concealed by the 9th century Buddhist saint Padmasambhava with the expressed wish to be uncovered at specific times in the future. Many of them contain predictions for those times and which particular spiritual practices would be most beneficial for the people of those times.

Centers practicing the New Treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa:

Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery, Boudha, Nepal.
Lamas: Tsikey Chokling, Gyurme Dewey Dorje; Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche; Phakchok Rinpoche

Pema Ewam Chogar in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Lamas: Neten Chokling and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche.

Tsikey Gompa in East Tibet.
Lamas: Chokling of Tsikey, Tsang-Yang Gyamtso; Tersey Tulku

Chokling Tersar Foundation, USA.

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

September 9, 2008
Compiled by JULIE BLOOM

Archaeologists have unearthed a 62-foot Buddha statue along with other relics in central Afghanistan, Reuters reported. The discovery was made in the central province of Bamiyan, near the ruins of giant statues that were destroyed by the Taliban seven years ago. The statue of the Buddha in a sleeping position dates to the third century. “In total, 89 relics such as coins, ceramics and a 19 meters statue have been unearthed,” Mohammad Zia Afshar, an adviser in the information and culture ministry, told Reuters. He also said the statue was badly damaged. The other relics date back to the Bactrian era and from Islamic and Buddhist civilizations. Bamiyan was once a thriving center of Buddhism.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/arts/09arts-ANCIENTBUDDH_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=arts&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

Hello Just arrived here, I'm Simon from Belgium in europe nice to meet you!

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 1 reply

Buddhist Deity of Compassion Avalokitesvara/ Tara / Kuanyin : References and resources ( and an event with Sandy Boucher In Seattle 15 April )

Here I provide a deep and broad set of book and audio references, including classical practice texts and mantras, for the Buddhist deity Avalokitesvara, known under many names throughout the Buddhist world, and also practiced by some Hindus and Taoists and pagans generally.

Some of the names ( or manifestations ) of Avalokitesvara are Tara, Kuanyin ( Chinese ), Chenresig ( Tibetan ), Kwannon ( Japanese ), Kuan Um ( Korean ) and so forth. There are many many traditions and practices of Avalokitesvara and Tara throughout Northern Asian Buddhism. All are from the Mahayana ( Universal Service / Universal Enlightenment ) schools of Buddhism. One of the most famous and most important of all Mahayana scriptures and practices is that of the Heart Sutra, which comes from Avalokitesvara.

Kuanyin ( or Kwannon or Tara ) is one of the primary goddess practices worldwide, among several hundred million Chinese and Japanese Buddhists, and also among millions of western Buddhists both male and female, in the Americas, Europe and so forth.

I am ( under tantric teaching vows ) required to propagate Avalokitesvara teaching and practice, and have now done so.

You have been helped.
Sarva mangalam. Siddhi rastu!

KT




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalokite%C5%9Bvara
Avalokitesvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism. In China and its sphere of cultural influence, Avalokitesvara is often depicted in a female form known as Guan Yin.

Bodhisattva from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva
:
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( means either "enlightened (bodhi) existence (sattva)" or "enlightenment-being" or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one (satva) for enlightenment (bodhi)." Another translation is "Wisdom-Being." It is the name given to anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all living beings.[2]


http://www.eastwestbookshop.com/


Thursday, April 15 at East West Seattle
Experience the Compassion of Kwan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess
7-8:30 p.m. Free!

SANDY BOUCHER will evoke the luminous spirit of Kwan Yin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, will invite us to share our own encounters with this powerful goddess, and will lead a guided full-moon meditation to connect us all with Kwan Yin’s compassionate energy.

Sandy has been leading retreats in the Northwest for ten years, working with women’s energy to break down our self-destructive patterns. Her books include Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism; Opening the Lotus, A Woman’s Guide to Buddhism; Hidden Spring: A Buddhist Woman Confronts Cancer; and Dancing in the Dharma: The Life and Teachings of Ruth Denison.
Website: http://www.sandyboucher.net


East West Bookshop of Seattle
6500 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98125
206-523-3726 or 800-587-6002

View map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=6500+roosevelt+way+ne+98115&z=12


Email: info@eastwestbookshop.com


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana

Mahayana ( mahayana literally 'Great Vehicle') is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice. It was founded in India. The name "Mahayana" is used in three main senses:

1. As a living tradition, Mahayana is the larger of the two major traditions of Buddhism existing today, the other being Theravada. This classification is largely undisputed by all Buddhist schools.
2. According to the Mahayana method of classification of Buddhist philosophies, "Mahayana" refers to a level of spiritual motivation[1] (also known as "Bodhisattvayana"[2]). According to this classification, the alternative approach is called "Hinayana", or "Sravakayana". It is also recognized by Theravada Buddhism, but is not considered very relevant for practice.[3]
3. According to the Vajrayana scheme of classification of practice paths, Mahayana refers to one of the three routes to enlightenment, the other two being Hinayana and Vajrayana. This classification is the teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism, and is not recognized by Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwan_Yin

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/kuanyin-txt.htm

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/heartstr.htm

The Heart Sutra
Prajna Paramita Hrydaya Sutra


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalokite%C5%9Bvara

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Compassion_Mantra

Nilakantha Dharani (The Blue Necked Dharani)

Namo ratna-trayaya
(Adoration of the triple Gem)

I. Initial Salutation

Nama aryavalokite-svaraya bodhisattvaya maha-sattvaya maha-karunikaya
(Adoration to the noble Lord who looks down, the enlightened sentient being, the great being, the merciful one!)

II. Name of Avalokitesvara

Om sarva-bhaya-sodhanaya tasya namaskrtva imu Arya-valokite-svara tava namo Nilakantha 2
(Om! Having paid adoration to One who dispels all fears, the noble Avalokitesvara, adoration to the blue-necked one!)

III. sloka enunciation of the merit of the hrdaya-dharani

Hrdayam vartayisyami sarvartha-sadhanam subham 3 ajeyam sarva-bhutanam bhava-marga-visodhakam 4
(I shall enunciate the heart dharani which ensures all purpose, is pure and invincible for all beings, and which purifies the path of existence.)

IV. Dharani

Tadyatha: Om Alokadhipati lokatikranta
(Like this: Om! Lord of Effulgence, the World-Transcending One.

Ehy maha-bodhisattva sarpa-sarpa smara smara hrdayam
(Come, great bodhisattva, descend, descend. Please remember (smara) my heart dharani.

Kuru-kuru karma dhuru-dhuru vijayate maha-vijayate
(Do, do the work. Hold fast, hold fast, Victor, the great Victor)

Dhara-dhara dharini-raja cala-cala mama vimala-murtte
(Hold on, hold on, King of the Dharani. Move, move onto my spotless image.)

Ehi ehi chinda chinda aras pracali vasa-vasam pranasaya
(Come, come, the vow, the vow of the admantine king, destroy, destroy every poison.)

Hulu-hulu smara hulu-hulu sara-sara siri-siri suru-suru
(Quick-quick, please remember, quick-quick. Descend-descend, descend-descend, descend-descend)

Bodhiya-bodhiya bodhaya-bodhaya maitriya Nilakantha [dehi me] darsanam
(Being enlightened, being enlightened; enlighten me, enlighten me. Merciful Blue-necked One appear [unto me].)

Praharayamanaya svaha siddhaya svaha maha-siddhaya svaha siddhayogisvaraya svaha
(To you who sees us, hail! To the Successful one hail! To the Great Successful one hail! To the Successful Lord of the yogis, hail!)

Nilakanthaya svaha varaha-mukhaya svaha narasimha-mukhaya svaha
(To the Blue-necked one (Nilakantha) hail! To the Boar-faced One hail! To Man-Lion faced One hail!)

Gada-hastaya svaha cakra-hastaya svaha padma-hastaya svaha
(To one who bears the mace (gada) in his hand, hail! To the holder of discus in his hand, hail! To One who sports a lotus (padma) in his hand, hail!)

Nilakantha-pandaraya svaha Mahatali Sankaraya svaha
(To Blue-necked One smeared (with holy ashes), hail! To the mighty auspicious one, hail!)

V. Final Salutation

Namo ratna-trayaya Nama aryavalokite-svaraya bodhisattvaya svaha
(Adoration to the Triple Gem, adoration to the noble Avalokitesvara (Lord who looks down), the enlightened being, hail!)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Book References:

http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_7204.html

Trainings in Compassion
with translation by Tyler Dewar under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

The manuals included in this book were authored by the great Tibetan siddha Thangtong Gyalpo, the renowned nineteenth century master Jamgon Kongtrul, and the Fifteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje.

This work includes translations of key Kagyu lineage meditation manuals for the practice of the deity of compassion Avalokiteshvara, one of the main introductory meditation practices presented in scores of Tibetan Buddhist centers across North America and Europe. The book also includes teachings on the nature of compassion by the highly regarded teacher Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, praises to Avalokiteshvara by the Indian master Chandrakirti, and a fresh translation of the famed Mahayana text The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva.

Excerpt at
http://www.snowlionpub.com/pages/N65_3.html

"The following is an excerpt from a chapter of the book by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.

Entering the Trainings in Compassion

"When looking at the notion of enlightenment, the possibility of becoming completely awake, the only method that can lead us to that state of total wakefulness is the practice of loving-kindness and compassion.

"In the sâtras, the Buddha said that in the beginning, compassion is like the seed without which we cannot have any fruit; in the middle, compassion is like water to nourish the seed we have planted; in the end, compassion is like the warmth of the sun that brings the fruit to ripening. Thus, without compassion, there is no seed of enlightenment, no path to enlightenment, and no fruition of enlightenment. The genuine heart of loving-kindness and compassion is crucial in achieving one's own freedom from suffering, and in achieving freedom for all sentient beings.

"In Tibetan, the word for compassion is nying-je (Tib. snying rje), which literally means "noble heart." Compassion is the most dignified, noble, and profound treasure of our heart. There is nothing more profound or precious than this heart of compassion. What is this heart of compassion? It is a genuine concern, a genuine willingness to give anything of ourselves that is necessary to alleviate the sufferings of sentient beings. Compassion also has a quality of being passionate-a genuine, innocent desire and willingness, as well as a sense of openness and bravery. Bravery here refers to not being afraid of seeing and being with suffering, and to not being afraid of where you are or who you are in any given moment.

The Vast and the Profound

"The path of training in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition that focuses on the development of loving-kindness and compassion is called MahÏyÏna-the "great vehicle." All of the many MahÏyÏna teachings are included within two categories: the vast and the profound. These two qualities correlate to the two types of bodhichitta, absolute bodhichitta and relative bodhichitta. Absolute bodhichitta is the profound reality, and relative bodhichitta is the vast methods for connecting to that reality. . . ."


http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_9868.html

THE HEALING POWER OF LOVING-KINDNESS: A Guided Buddhist Meditation
by Tulku Thondup

"A remarkable lucid distillation of Tibetan Buddhist teachings on how the state of our minds in life affects the nature and quality of our experiences in death." The result is a provocative and surpisingly compelling work that will appeal to beginners and advanced practitioners alike."--Publishers Weekly

This book-and-CD set presents Buddhist instructions for changing our negative thoughts and feelings to a positive, loving attitude toward everyone. By bringing images and thoughts of the Buddhist deity of loving-kindness to mind, our hearts connect with the Buddha’s and our activities become beneficial and helpful.The CDs present Tulku Thondup guiding an extended meditation practice, which is a traditional ritual of visualizing and invoking the blessings of the Buddha of Loving-Kindness. The book includes teachings on the Buddhist view of lovingkindness, the philosophy behind Tibetan Buddhist visualization and prayer practices, and basics of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The package includes a full-color illustration of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Loving-Kindness, for help with the visualization.

Tulku Thondup came to the United States as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. He currently teaches programs throughout the world and is the author of many books.

118 pp., 3 audio CDs (3 hours) with meditation card and slipcase.
# HEPOLO - $ 24.95


http://www.namsebangdzo.com/Thousand_Armed_Avalokitesvara_p/12549.htm

Thousand Armed Avalokitesvara
By: Lokesh Chandra

A fundamental work based on original Sanskrit, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and the lost Iranian language Sogdian and Tibetan works-on the origin of Avalokitesvara. It indentifies the several prevalent folk-deities, which were assimilated into the iconographical form. The worship of Avalokitesvara was accompanied by a dharani (recited hymn). This work describes five versions of thedharani. The dharani is an essential part of the Zen repertoire of sutras.


http://www.amazon.com/Nyung-Achievement-Eleven-Faced-Compassionate-Avalokiteshvara/dp/0861712501/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269803419&sr=1-1

Nyung Na: The Means of Achievement of the Eleven-Faced Great Compassionate One, Avalokiteshvara of the (Bhikshuni) Lakshmi Tradition

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Wisdom Publications (March 25, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0861712501
ISBN-13: 978-0861712502

Product Description
An intensive Buddhist practice for purification and the accumulation of positive energy.

See also
http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=190&Category_ID=8

Nyung Na

The Nyung Nä retreat is a two-day intensive practice that includes taking the 24-hour Mahayana precepts with the addition of complete fasting and silence on the second day.

Doing even one Nyung Nä or "abiding in retreat" for just two days is said to be as effective as three months of other purification practices and is extremely powerful for healing illness, purifying negative karma, and opening the heart to compassion.

Contents Include:
-The Preparatory Ceremony
-Calling the Lama from Afar
-Taking the Restoring and Purifying Ordination
-Requesting the Lineage Gurus
-The Foundation of All Good Qualities
-Request to the Supreme Compassionate One
-Invocation of the Merit Field
-The Bodhisattva's Confession of Moral Downfalls
-How to Meditate on Self-Generation
-Meditation on the Front-Generation
-The Principle Practice of Praise
-Offering the Tormas
-Praises to the Dharma Protectors
-Offering an Ablution
-Verses of Auspiciousness

Appendices:
1: Arranging the Essential Bases
2: Instructions
3: Notes about the Mahayana Ordination
4: Mudras for the Nyung Na Practice
5: Modes of Practice
6: Notes on Mantra Recitation
7: How to Perform the Offering Bath
8: Avalokiteshvara
9: Bhikshuni Lakshmi
10: Notes on the Long Dharani
11: About the Author, Lozang Kalsang Gyatso

-Notes
-His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama's Dedication
-Chenrezig Mandala (removable line drawing)

Spiral bound, 182 pages


http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=105&Category_ID=8

Chenrezig - A Short Practice of Four Arm Chenrezig

This practice develops our ability to have an open heart through meditation on Chenrezig. The mantra of Chenrezig is the most widely recited mantra in Tibetan Buddhism and has great power for developing a good heart.

http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=733&Category_ID=25

Mantras of the Great Compassionate One - CD

On this high quality recording, Lama Zopa Rinpoche beautifully chants OM MANI PADME HUM, followed by the long dharani of Chenrezig, the Great Compassionate One. The chants are preceded by a short commentary on the benefits and instructions for recitation of the long mantra by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

The package includes a written transcript. You will receive an e-mail with your order containing a link to a downloadable PDF file.


http://www.amazon.com/Praise-Tara-Songs-Saviouress/dp/0861711092/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269803568&sr=1-1

In Praise of Tara: Songs to the Saviouress

Product Description
The most dearly loved of all the Buddhist deities is the blissful goddess Tara. She acts with lightning speed to aid those in distress and to fulfill their wishes. In Praise of Tara is a complete guide to understanding this Buddhist goddess, including a history of the Tara Tantra, canonical and practice texts, and lyrical praises.

Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Wisdom Publications (May 25, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0861711092
ISBN-13: 978-0861711093


http://www.amazon.com/Cult-Tara-Hermeneutics-Studies-Religions/dp/0520036352/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269806022&sr=1-1

The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet (Hermeneutics: Studies in the History of Religions) (Paperback)

Product Description
The unique importance of Stephan Beyer's work is that it presents the living ritual of Tibetan Buddhists. The reader is made a witness to cultic proceedings through which the author guides him carefully.(Reprinted)

Product Details

Paperback: 564 pages
Publisher: University of California Press (June 12, 1978)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0520036352
ISBN-13: 978-0520036352



http://www.amazon.com/Skillful-Grace-Tara-Practice-Time/dp/9627341614/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Skillful Grace: Tara Practice for Our Time (Paperback)
Marcia Binder Schmidt (Author), Erik Pema Kunsang (Author)

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books (October 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9627341614
ISBN-13: 978-9627341611

Product Description
Tara is one of the most inspiring of Buddhist deities, embodying the most compelling and vital qualities of the feminine: beauty, grace, and the ability to nurture, care for, and protect. This complex goddess, whose practice transcends sect and class, is also a true warrior, vanquishing fear and ignorance–in a sense the earliest known incarnation of Buddhist feminism. Skillful Grace is an elegant introduction to practice and meditation techniques based on the Vajrayana path.

The book is divided into three main sections. The first contains the basic text of Tara practice, The Essential Instruction on the Threefold Excellence, which connects the seeker to the profound essence of Tara as revealed by Chokgyur Lingpa. The other two sections feature enlightening commentaries on the text by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Jamgön Kongtrül, and Adeu Rinpoche.

Skillful Grace includes all the preliminaries of Tara practice, as well as its main part and the subsequent yogas. Tara Bennett Goleman’s foreword, Marcia Schmidt’s introduction, and various appendixes and footnotes add useful context.
About the Author
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (1921—1996) was among Tibetan Buddhism’s greatest 20th-century masters. Adeu Rinpoche lives at the Tsechu Monastery in Tibet.


http://www.tibetantreasures.com/tthtml/ttsadhanatapes.htm

Red Tara: An Open Door to Bliss and Ultimate Awareness

Red Tara meditations have been used for centuries to attain the recognition of our original, pure buddha nature through many perfect lineages of highly realized Tibetan Buddhist practioners. Based on the treasure discovered by the great Nyingmapa lama, Apong Terton, this practice emphasizes the continual invocation of Tara's blessings to activate our innate buddha nature. This 2 CD set includes both the Concise English Tara practice, with mantras sung by H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche and students, and an audio book recording of Red Tara Commentary: Instructions for the Concise Practice Known as Red Tara: An Open Door to Bliss and Ultimate Awareness, complied and read by his wife, Chagdud Khadro.

2CDs AVSCRTA $24.95


http://www.fpmt.org/shop/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=1290&Category_ID=8&

White Tara - Meditations on White Tara: Revised 2005

The practice of White Tara strengthens and restores good health and life-force energy by gathering all the various elements needed to sustain and nurture health and removing life obstacles. In addition, by relying on White Tara, we are quickly able to gain whatever is needed to accomplish our aims in this life.

This meditation can be done on behalf of oneself or others. It is frequently done to remove the obstacles to our gurus' long lives and health. If one has experienced many health problems, accidents, depression, or a loss of "lust for life," the practice of White Tara can be especially powerful.

Contents Include:
-White Tara Motivation for Long Life
-A Short White Tara Meditation
-White Tara Sadhana (with the mantra of Amitayus)
-The Practice of White Tara with Senghe Dra
-Dedication Prayers


http://www.purifymind.com/UsnisaVijayaDharani.htm

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies

Ganesh ( Ganapati ) the Hindu Buddhist Deity : practices references and transmission

Keywords : Ganapati / Ganesh the Elephant Headed God of Classical India, Mantra and Praise of Ganapati, Deity yoga, Tantric empowerment, Overlapping Hindu / Buddhist mantra culture, Vedacarya Thomas Ashley-Farrand, Sakya Lineage and Sakya Monastery, Seattle Washington.

“To those for whom these village fires still have meaning:
Oh, may your own most beautiful Animal of Light come safely to you!”
from the Last Whole Earth Catalog

On 13 July in Seattle Washington a Ganapati empowerment will be offered at Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. The guru bestowing this empowerment is the tantric master of Sakya Monastery, His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinbochay. See www.sakya.org for more information.

For this reason it is timely and appropriate to provide some basic teaching and perspective on Ganapati, and in particular an esoteric Hindu Ganapati mantra and also a Sanskrit Buddhist praise of Ganapati. Many diverse teachings on this deity in Hindu form are available on the internet ( under both Ganapati and Ganesh ).

An excellent introductory summary for Ganapati / Ganesh is available online at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha

The Buddhist Ganapati is also referenced in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions of the Nyingma ( e.g. Longchen Nyingtik ) and Gelugpa lineages ( see practice texts for www.fpmt.org ). There is also Buddhist practice of Ganapati in the esoteric Buddhist Japanese tradition known as Shingon, which came East via China and not Tibet.

Briefly, Ganapati means Lord of the Troop, and Ganesh basically means Elephant Headed One. Ganapati is known by the title “Remover of Obstacles” or “Lord of Obstacles”. He carries or represents the enormous power of the Elephant. He is often accompanied by two female consorts Riddhi and Siddhi ( Magical Accomplishment and Spiritual Accomplishment ).

Ganapati is very prominent and even central in Hindu practice and is often evoked at the beginning of important engagements or projects, such as making a journey or starting employment, or beginning a meditation practice session. I have seen dance evocation of Ganapati at the beginning of a Hindu temple dance concert. Ganapati is one of the main practices of Hindu business people for success in their commercial ventures.

Ganapati is strongly associated with the “national spirit” or Mother India as well as her earliest roots. In the distant past elephants were used throughout India to clear land for agriculture, and also as war elephants. More recently, public Hindu celebrations were banned by the occupying British and the outlawed Ganapati ceremonies were brought forth, successfully, to rally India against foreign rule.

It is said that the long “History of India” was transcribed by the deity Ganapati as given by Rishi Visvamitra. Many of the key texts of Sanatana Dharma ( Hinduism ) were written down by Ganapati. So, this practice is a primary connection to Vedic Culture. Due to this, Ganapati is also practiced by students to help with their secular school exams.

Ganapati has a very ambivalent status in Buddhist tantra, the esoteric form of Buddhist meditation which relies on yoga, deity recitations and mystic practices in general. On the one hand, Ganapati is often considered unfriendly towards Buddhist practitioners in general, and propitiated or banished or subjugated so as to not cause problems. Thus, a subjugated Ganapati serves as the throne for the deity Mahakala in his Six Armed form. This reflects the fact that some but not all Hindu practice / culture affirms Buddhist teachings.

On the other hand, there are specifically Buddhist practices for Ganapati, as for other Hindu deities such as Shiva, Sarasvati and so forth. The Sakya lineage carries Buddhist deity yogas for the Hindu deities Uma Devi / Parvati and Garuda, as well as Ganapati. ( In Southern Buddhism, such as in Sri Lanka Theravada monasteries, it is common to propitiate the Hindu deity Visnu for outer or worldly benefits. )

More broadly, many Buddhist schools share with the Sanatana Dharma ( i.e. Hindu practice and culture ) a significant focus on Ayurveda, or spiritual medicine. The Buddhist deity Bhaisajyaguru, or Medicine Buddha, is a deity of Buddhist spiritual medicine and Ayurveda in both Hindu and Buddhist forms is more or less identical in practice, not just similar.

In the classical Sakya tradition, this Twelve Arm Ganapati is actually an emanation of Avalokitesvara, the beloved and universal Buddhist deity of liberating compassion. Thus, it is reasonable to view this empowerment as being a definite connection to Avalokitesvara and the general practices of Avalokitesvara.

It is also very important to note that with this ( or any ) tantric Buddhist empowerment comes the general set of universal Buddhist vows, such as the Ten Precepts ( rejection of harmfulness, theft, dishonesty, ill-will and so forth ), and the Bodhisattva vows. The Bodhisattva vows focus on active humanitarian service in the most broad and deep and long term ways, starting with rejection of limiting ideas such as racism, sexism, tribalism, and all cultural divisiveness.

For some basic teachings on Buddhist theory and practice, see the following at Asian Classics:
http://www.asianclassics.org/research_site/webdata/education.html

The Principal Teachings of Buddhism
Buddhist Refuge
The Vows of the Bodhisattva

For an excellent general introduction to Buddhist practice, with a focus on Buddhist tantra, see the following book by Kalu Rinpoche:
The Dharma: That Illuminates All Beings Like the Light of the Sun and the Moon, State University of New York Press, 1986, ISBN 0-88706-157-5

http://www.amazon.com/Dharma-Illuminates-Beings-Impartially-Light/dp/0887061575

This book is short, direct, accessible, classical and effective. It should be. It was transcribed as spoken directly to westerners by one of the greatest Buddhist masters of the last century.

To take the tantric Buddhist empowerment of Ganapati or any other is to take Mahayana Buddhist vows, as well as to become authorized to do magical kinds of practice, such as mantra recitation to develop the power of the deity. The point is that in this case, the Hindu/ Buddhist deity Ganapati is practiced within a classical Buddhist context, not otherwise. Thus the above mentioned Buddhist references are of central importance in this transmission and practice.

As a brilliant red deity aspect, Twelve Armed Ganapati is not only a remover of obstacles and disharmonious circumstances, but also a magnetizing deity, i.e. a deity that “warms up” social situations, and develops strongly positive interpersonal engagement.

On a yogic level, this deity ( in Buddhist deity yoga ) develops strength and power at the level of the navel point of the psychic energy body ( svadhisthana cakra ), although I cannot say more without transgressing tantric vows of secrecy. Note that the Hindu Ganapati is girded by snakes, representing kundalini energy, and is similarly associated with the energy at the base of the spinal column. All tantric transmissions are private, and their contents not to be discussed following initiation.

This is one of many specifically obstacle-removing diety yogas in Buddhist tantra. There are many others, but this one is definitely recommended for those who have a more Hindu-oriented background in culture and/ or personal karma. And as noted earlier, it is a connection to Avalokitesvara practice specifically, and to the outer Mahayana practices in general.

This can also be viewed ( speaking very unofficially ) as a connection to Hindu transmissions. ) For this reason I will now provide a specifically Hindu mantra for Ganapati, which has been confirmed. It is quite reasonable to say that on obtaining a Twelve Arm Ganapati empowerment, one may practice the following Hindu mantra as well.

Maha Ganapati Mantra
"Aum shrim hrim klim glaum gam
ganapataye vara varada sarva
janamme vashamanaya svaha"

Vedacarya Thomas Ashley-Farrand, from whom I have Laxmi transmission, has many introductory and also detailed teachings on Hindu mantra practice. See his website at
http://www.sanskritmantra.com/

The following is not an official representation, but I do have the Sakya lineage Ganapati transmission some twenty years back from HE Luding Khen Rinbochay. This Sakya initiation is for a Twelve Arm Red Ganapati, equivalent in many respects to the Hindu deity Ganesh or Ganapati. Many diverse teachings on this deity in Hindu form are available on the internet ( under both Ganapati and Ganesh ). The Buddhist Ganapati is also referenced in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions of the Nyingma and Gelugpa lineages.


From www.sakya.org :

07/13/2008
GANAPATI INITIATION
Offered by H. H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya
Sunday, July 13
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Shrine Room
Suggested Donation: $30 Public, $25 Members
Translator: Dr. Jeff Schoening
Ganapati made the commitment to help all beings to uphold the 3 trainings—moral behavior, meditation, wisdom— and, in particular, to provide the necessary materials and provisions for practitioners.
He protects one from obstacles at the beginning of any enterprise and also helps to increase wealth and power for the benefit of the Dharma.
His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya, head lama of Sakya Monastery, was born in Tibet in 1929. He continues the great Sakya lineage which began with Khon Konchok Gyalpo (1034—1102). He received teachings of the unbroken Khon lineage, the Sakya Vajrakilaya, the Hevajra and the complete Lamdre Tsogshe, from his father, H.H. Trichen Ngawang Thutop Wangchul, the last Sakya throne holder in Tibet. He also studied with many other great Buddhist teachers, including Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi and Dingo Khyentse Robsal Dawa.
In 1960, H.H. J.D. Sakya was invited to work on a University of Washington research project on Tibetan civilization which was sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. At the request of students, he co-founded with H.E. Dezhung Rinpoche Sakya Tegchen Choling, a center for the study of Tibetan Buddhism and culture. In 1984, the center became the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism.



The following is copyrighted material from The Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon, at
http://www.uwest.edu/sanskritcanon/index.html
specifically
http://www.uwest.edu/sanskritcanon/Stotra/Roman/stotra30.html

The source text is “ Source: Pandey, Janardan Shastri ed. Bauddha strotra Samgrah. Varanasi : Motilal Banarsidass, 1994”.

This is provided as a necessary and specific demonstration that classical Indian Buddhist culture incorporated Ganapati deity yoga as a tantric practice, and not for other purposes.
Ganesastotram

kharvam sthulataram gajendravadanam lambodaram sundaram
vidhnesam madhugandhalubdhamadhupavyalolagandasthalam|
dantodghatavidaritahitajanam sindurasobhakaram
vande sailasutasutam ganapatim siddhipradam kamadam|| 1||

herambah paramo devah karyasiddhividhayakah|
saibhagyarupasampannam dehi me sukhasampadam|| 2||

ekadantam mahakayam lambodaram gajananam|
sarvasiddhipradataram gangaputram namamyaham|| 3||

vande tam gananathamaryamanagham daridrayadavanalam
sundaadandavidhuyamanasamalam samsarasindhostarim|
yam natva surakoyayah prabhuvaram siddhim labhante param
sindurarunavigraham paripataddanambudharahrtam|| 4||

uccairbrahmandakhandadvitayasahacaram kumbhayugmam dadhanah
presannagaripaksapratibhatavikatasrotratalabhiramah |
devah sambhorapatyam bhujagapatitanusparddhivardhisnuhasta-
strailokyascaryamurtirjayati trijagatamisvarah kuñjarasyah|| 5||

ganapatisca herambo vidhnarajo vinayakah |
deviputro mahateja mahabalaparakramah || 6||

mahodaro mahakayascaikadanto gajananah|
svetavastro mahadiptastrinetro gananayakah || 7||

aksamalam ca dantam ca grhnan vai daksine kare|
parasum modakapatram ca vamahaste vidharayan|| 8||

nanapusparato devo nanagandhanulepanah |
nagayajñopavitango nanavidhnavinasanah || 9||

devasuramanusyanam siddhagandharvavanditam|
trailokyavidhnahartaramakhvarudham namamyaham|| 10||

sumukhascaikadantasca kapilo gajakarnakah |
lambodarasca vikato vidhnarajo vinayakah || 11||

dhumraketurganadhyakso bhalacandro gajananah |
vakratundah surpakarno herambah skandapurvajah || 12||

sodasaitani namani yah pathecchunuyadapi|
vidyarambhe vivahe ca pravese nirgame tatha|| 13||

samgrame samkate caiva vidhnastasya na jayate|
vidhnavallikutharaya ganadhipataye namah || 14||

sriganesastotram samaptam|




Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu!

In partial fulfillment of vajrayana teaching responsibilities,

KT

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 13 replies

In Prajna Paramita Ashtasahasrika Lord Buddha calls The Perfection of Wisdom to be Mother of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
In the same text He prophesies about a nun 'Good Flower' by name to come back as the Buddha of the next birth but remarks as, "she will cease to be a woman and will be born as a man" to attain full Enlightenment.

Did Buddha 'metaphorised' Wisdom as Mother and then did not believe that an woman can enlighten?
Is it a controversy in The Buddha?

Please participate with responsibility and support your statements with understandings.

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 3 replies

Mahamudra: A Buddhist awareness yoga of highest yoga tantra ( jnanayoga )

From my response to thread "mahamudra" at
http://kundaliniyoga.tribe.net/thread/98f63370-4ebc-4a39-b6b6-a308b53d5aad

Keywords : primordial awareness yoga, jnana yoga, nondual tantra, Buddhism and prajnaparamita, Heart Sutra, Mahamudra book reference.

Mahamudra has Buddhist and non-Buddhist lineages and techniques.

In some forms of physical yoga mahamudra simply means a certain form of a long physical stretch, e.g. in hatha yoga and 3HO Sikh kundalini yoga. That is far from the profound meaning. ( And anyway, there are many other good stretches in hatha yoga and kundallinie yoga, etc. )

The profound meaning of "Mahamudra", which means "Great Seal" in the innermost esoteric Buddhist yoga, is "primordial awareness yoga", as sealed by the nature of awareness as originally pure and all-encompassing. It is a yogic intruction based on the Guru Sakyamuni's teaching of Prajnaparamita, in particular the core text known as the Heart Sutra, the Prajnaparamita Hrdaya.

So in this short article I will provide a summary introduction to the foundational Heart Sutra/ Prajranparamita and to Mahamudra/ Great Seal teaching based upon it.

Mahamudra means "nondual awareness", originally free and unobstructed and undivided by nature. It corresponds approximately to Jnanayoga in the Hindu tradition.

The Heart Sutra is a most important Buddhist scripture for many millions of Buddhists in China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, and now the Western countries, including Zen Buddhists and tantric Buddhists alike.

See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajnaparamita

See also
"Essence of the Heart Sutra: The Dalai Lama's Heart of Wisdom Teachings" [Paperback]
Dalai Lama (Author), Yeshe Thupten Jinpa (Translator)

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Wisdom Publications (July 7, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0861712846
ISBN-13: 978-0861712847


http://www.amazon.com/Essence-Heart-Sutra-Wisdom-Teachings/dp/0861712846/

"For more than 2,000 years, the Heart Sutra has been of central importance to millions of Buddhists. Whether memorized, chanted, or studied, this sacred text is often looked to for inspiration. Based on talks the Dalai Lama gave in the spring of 2001, Essence of the Heart Sutra is a masterful translation of the Dalai Lama's teachings and reflections on the Heart Sutra, teachings that provide fresh insights on a mainstay of Buddhist practice.

"In addition to providing the words of the Dalai Lama, this book also brings together an overview of Buddhism, background material, and complete commentaries to elucidate the teachings and place them in their proper context. These bonus materials make Essence of the Heart Sutra a book that can be valued by beginners as well as one that provides seasoned Buddhists with many delightful new facts and ideas. A deeply profound and powerful book, Essence of the Heart Sutra provides precious thoughts on how to appreciate life's endeavor."

This specific commentary, meant for modern and western people by one of the world's great Mahayana and tantric gurus, has been rated at Amazon.com at five stars out of five by fourteen people.

Thios text and commentary a profund key to all the Great Way / Mahayana Buddhist teachings, and a basis for the Mahamudra teachings.

The authorization for Mahamudra, the profound and subtle practice of Prajnaparamita, is yoga sadhana, not just empty talk. It is an accessible transmission and indeed often given in the West as a tantric empowerment through tantric lineage.

This is part of the Fourth Initiation ( fourth step ) of major deity yoga empowerments such as Cakrasamvara, Vajrayogini, Kalacakra, Milarepa, Hevajra and so forth. This is as it has been transmitted for over a thousand years in Tibet ( for example ) and for many centuries earlier in classical Buddhist India.

Mahamudra was practiced as a most profound inner method by mahasiddha / great adepts such as Naropa, Tilopa, Maitripa and other mystics in medieval India, and by Marpa and Milarepa and other great adepts in Tibet. Mahamudra was also a key practice for the founder of Buddhist tantra in Japan, Kobo Daishi. It is a universal teaching throughout all Buddhist schools of northern Asia.

The Buddhist Mahamudra teaching passed from India to Nepal, Tibet, China and Japan. It is now practiced throughout Europe and North America as well as a primary and innermost Buddhist teaching.

The following openly published text, "Straight From the Heart" is a priceless compendium of many different Mahamudra teachings. It is suitable for tantric Buddhist students and aspirants, for university scholars, undergraduates and graduate students, and for Buddhist teachers.

This anthology carries sixty texts by forty authors from the primary traditions of Indian and Indo-Tibetan schools, including some of the greatest Buddhist teachers of India and Tibet.

It is self-contained, because there are many explanatory introductions and some interlineal commentaries.

This is a brilliant and inspiring book, compiled and translated by a major western Buddhist scholar and translator, Dr. Karl Brunnholzl, MD. I wish to express my deepest heartfelt thanks to Dr. Brunnholzl for his extraordinary contribution.

As an individually trained and licensed tantric guru I strongly recommend this text. Of the several hundreds of classical Buddhist texts in my personal collection, this is one of the the most treasured. I find this book to be indispensable for both Buddhist students and teachers. It is a treasure trove of inner spiritual wisdom and one cannot outgrow it.

If one has a major transmission of a high deity yoga, such as Cakrasamvara, Vajrayogini, Kalacakra, Milarepa, Hevajra etc., it is of highest importance to get this book to understand the practice of primordial awareness yoga, which is the inner liberating meaning of the sadhana.


"Straight from the Heart: Buddhist Pith Instructions" [Hardcover]
Karl Brunnholzl (Editor)

See
http://www.amazon.com/Straight-Heart-Buddhist-Pith-Instructions/dp/1559392797

Hardcover: 460 pages
Publisher: Snow Lion Publications (May 11, 2007)
ISBN-10: 1559392797
ISBN-13: 978-1559392792


"Buddhism has a wonderful tradition of enlightened teachers writing a short poem to sum up their experience. In ... the Tibetan tradition it's generally a few pages to elucidate more teaching.

"This amazing collection gathers 500 pages of these pith teachings from the Indian/Tibetan tradition, along with a bit of commentary, some explanation and copious notes. Reading it is a priceless experience. Thanks to Karl Brunnholzl for the work of bringing it to us."



Review
"...unique and rich poems, songs, and pithy treatises...may be repeatedly dipped into for inspiration." -- Buddhadharma Magazine

...magical...it makes one feel as though one were sitting in the presence of all those wonderful masters. -- Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D.

A compendium of profound and witty writings that will delight, inform, and inspire. -- Elizabeth Callahan

Essential teachings...I consider this a great contribution to the study of Buddhism. -- Ringu Tulku

"...well presented...Brunnhölzl is an eminently capable translator and has made his selections from famous teachers like Nagarjuna, Asanga and the Karmapas of Tibet...profound and witty writings that speak straight to the heart." --The Middle Way

From the Back Cover

"Straight from the Heart brings together an inspiring collection of poems, songs of realization, meditation instructions, and philosophical treatises all chosen for their power to speak directly to the student. Drawn from Indian Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, as well as from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, some will impress with their beautiful poetry and powerful imagery; others with their profound power of instruction.

"Still others share personal advice for life that seems to come directly from the mouth of the author, and some serve as immediate and profound practice instructions. Several are just delightfully unconventional, even outrageous, letting in fresh air on petrified views or musty traditions."

"Each of the works is preceded by a brief introduction and a short biography of its author. Many of these are legendary accounts of supernatural feats, edifying examples for students on the same spiritual path meant to expand their limited outlook with mind-blowing stories."


----------------------

This is written in partial fulfilment of my Mahayana Buddhist teaching obligations, and for the benefit of all.

You have been helped.

KT
inner medical tantrika and mahamudra guru in the Mahasiddha Tilopa tradition.


Sarva mangalam. May All Beings Benefit!

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 3 replies

Dear friends,

On the auspicious day of Swayambhujayanti, historical birthday of Lord Padmasambhava the Buddha (Shravanishukladashami, the tenth day of the waxing moon of the month of Shravan), according to the Indian Tantric-Buddhist calendar, I wish you all The Balance of The Paradox in the way of sharing my bliss of translating The Great Guru’s teachings on suchness of equality.

With Love and Friendliness………Kulavadhuta Satpurananda………

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teachings of Padmasambhava assigned as Padmavajrapada, a translated version, excerpted from Advayavivaranaprajnopayasiddhi (The description ensuring accomplishment in oneness of Wisdom and its Means), the completing chapter of Guhyashtasiddhisamgraha (The compilation of the eight secret accomplishments).

[The lines within quotation marks are word-to-word translation from Sanskrit maintaining the original syntax. The lines starting with a dash are the literal translations of the lines within quotation marks. Translated by Kulavadhuta Satpurananda.]





“At present, the two sections as Wisdom and Means are to be judged/analyzed.”

— The two terms Wisdom and Means are to be analyzed here.



“Why is Wisdom so called?”

— What is Wisdom?



“(It is), according to discipline (dharma), marking the eternal flow (of) thoughts derived out of listening [the teachings] one with the analysis of experience. (There are) two types of Wisdom such as:
Probing (analytical)
Non-probing (experiential).”

— When the discipline of Dharma flows spontaneously in the thoughts of one who has listened to the teachings of the Buddhas and analysed one’s own experiences, one gains Wisdom. There are two types of Wisdom – the probing (analytical) Wisdom and the non-probing (experiential) Wisdom.



“To probe each and every (state/thing), to search, to know, to get through infallible observation; ‘she’ (such) is Probing Wisdom. To be as it is without probing; ‘she’ (such) is Non-probing Wisdom. ‘She’ (such) Non-probing gradually clarifies the truth of nothingness of the ‘self’ of all entities of all living beings as such, (through/by) realizing makes the knowledge [understanding] (of) not enjoying [meaningless to probe]; also makes (one) ‘victorious’, makes (one) invincible.”

— Analytical Wisdom is to probe into each and every matter, which is to search, to know, through the practice of infallible observation.
The experiential Wisdom does not need analysis. Experiential Wisdom gradually clarifies the truth of Non-Identity of all identities. Realisation is the understanding of Non-Perception which is beyond just analysis. One can be enlightened by just experiential Wisdom through winning victory over sensual bondages.



“Means are also described as fourfold by infallible realization. (It is to be understood such) so long as illustrated by the infallible Buddha-Mind.”

— A Buddha-Mind realises the fourfold Means, and only a Buddha-Mind can illustrate such.



“First is the rule of service, second is the alternative practice;
Third is the (direct) practice and great practice is the fourth. (1)
[Guhyasamaja. folio 162]

Another inference:

First is the realization of Voidness, second is the assimilation of the indestructible;
Third is completion of the reflections and fourth is the indifference in inequality.
Thus by the indestructible square (Vajra-Square) is said to be the completion of
knowledge.(2)
[Guhyasamaja. folio 163]”

— [literal translation not required]

“So thus:
Marked by no thought/no emotion/non-existence is Wisdom, marked by thought/emotion/existence is Means, so it is.”

— Wisdom is recognised by Non-Perception, immovability of mind, and Voidness. While Means is recognised by pure perception, pure emotions, and Existence as it is.



“So it is also said:
Marked by non-becoming is Wisdom, and marked by becoming is Means, so it is.”

— Wisdom is Being without Becoming, while Means is The Becoming of The Being.



“Out of it, by the applier, the seed of samsara expands;
five enjoyments, the attributes of passion, are for child-awakening thoughts. (3)”

— Samsara is the expansion of the Being in Becoming through the sensual enjoyments regarding physical-vital-mental-intellectual-identity crisis. The sensual enjoyments originate out of passion. Passion of sensation grows perception through recognition, like a newborn passing through sense-experiences grows habits to sensuousness leading to attachment to sensuousness and produces perception.



“That is why the yogis never try again to practice Buddhahood by dharmas;
blissful desire (aspiration) in such case is loving friendship and thus Compassion. (4)”

— The yogis practice Buddhahood through the direct experience of the blissful desire which is the aspiration itself and teach through loving friendliness known as Compassion. The yogis do not follow the doctrinal teachings of the dharmas prescribed for followers.



“Neglect and also acceptance, power and also inspiration;
enlightening, heroic and wrathful, equating character, courage etc. are
Self-same Nature and the other-nature (both) to be equally traversed, by Self-existence.(5)”

— The Self-realised nature of a yogi is marked by the balance between the inner and outer nature equally traversed by Self-existence. The inner nature of the yogi in correspondence to the outer nature or material world works out as a Guru (enlightening) through non-attached love (neglect and acceptance), compassionate Wisdom (power and also inspiration), saving others winning over their ignorance by persuasive Compassion (heroic and wrathful), balancing minds in equality (equating character), and courage to show the right path to people. But the yogi at the same time does not get fixed to the inner character of Wisdom working out Compassion as a Guru. This is how a yogi lives as a compassionate Guru and at the same time as a simple human being in perfect balance of Wisdom and Compassion in Non-Duality.

posted in Buddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 5 replies

“The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels” ( Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha )
As taught by Guru Sakyamuni Buddha : a new translation with commentaries.

This is a reference to a major new translation of a Buddhist classic, a discourse by Guru Sakyamuni Buddha ( sutra ) which has just been published. It is “The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels”, provided in the main Buddhist languages of Pali, Sanskrit, and English.

In this post I will introduce the book, translator Tony Duff, and his Padma Karpo Translation Committee. News of this translation came to my email from Tony Duff’s Committee just yesterday.

The focus of this teaching/ sutra is The Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, i.e. The Awakened One, the Discipline/ Practice of the Awakened One, and the Community of the Awakened One. This set of Three Jewels is the Buddhist Refuge for all Buddhist schools and lineages, be they Theravadin, general Great Way Mahayana, or Vajrayana ( Esoteric Buddhism ).

All Buddhist teaching is based upon the Three Jewels exclusively, and formal Refuge in the Three Jewels is the sole determinant of (1) entry into the Buddhist community, (2) membership in the Buddhist community, and (3) authority of Buddhist teaching. Therefore this is a foundational teaching and guidance which determines the meaning and character of Buddhist practice and community.

There are a vast number of Buddhist sutras, and the general oral teaching of Guru Sakyamuni Buddha comes to about sixteen hundred ( 1600 ) pages in English, as translated from the Pali language. Some amount of scripture is necessary even to begin practicing the Buddhist teaching or to understand Buddhist Refuge, and that begins with knowing the meaning of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Thus, among the many kinds of Buddhist scriptures and teachings, the formal teaching of the Three Refuges is quintessential and of very high priority. It makes sense that every Buddhist fellowship should want a copy of this new translation and that it should be studied in Buddhist fellowships of all kinds.

The scripture “The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels” comes with three commentaries, including two by the master scholars Taranatha and Mipham. Thus, this is a self-contained text and a complete course in scriptural study for a major sutra. The overall book, with commentaries, is over 300 pages. A major Buddhist teacher has called this translation “superb” and is strongly recommending it for shedra ( formal teaching retreat ) studies.

The translator is Tony Duff, one of the most important translators of Buddhist teachings into western languages and a Buddhist spiritual doctor.

The publishing organization for this translation is Padma Karpo Translation Committee, which provides a remarkably useful and profound set of translations for key Buddhist teachings at all levels, some of which are restricted materials for initiates of Mahamudra and Atiyoga / Dzogchen.

Their web site is
http://www.pktc.org/pktc/index.htm
and it gives more detail on Padma Karpo and Tony Duff, as follows:

The committee was established in 1993 by Lotsawa Tony Duff at the request of Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Lotsawa Tony has directed the committee ever since.

The committee provides oral and written translation services for Tsoknyi Rinpoche and other teachers. The committee records and archives the dharma teachings of various teachers.

Lotsawa Tony is a very well known scholar and translator who has spent over thirty-five years of his life fully dedicated to studying, practising, teaching, and translating. He has been a full-time Buddhist practitioner-scholar since 1973. He was Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s personal translator during the 1990’s and has translated orally and in writing for many other great teachers during the years. He has been a member of several translation committees and has published or been involved in the publication of many Tibetan Buddhist texts.

The committee actively pursues textual translations. Many books are available on this site both for purchase and for free. The committee provides the texts of the translations in Tibetan in electronic format where possible.

The committee has a special interest in electronic publications. To this end the committee has developed a suite of software for working with the Tibetan language. Many dictionaries and reference texts are available using the software.

Here is the book description, from
http://www.pktc.org/pktc/transpaper.htm#UnendingAuspiciousness

---------------------

Title Unending Auspiciousness
Sub-Title The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels with Commentaries by Ju Mipham, Taranatha, and Tony Duff
Author Tony Duff
Details 306 pages, 2 colour plates, 6" X 9", US$30, available on paper and in PDF and Kindle e-book formats
ISBN 978-9937-9031-0-3
Texts Tibetan text in Tibetan script: Derge edition of the extended recollections of the Three Jewels, and Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels

The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels is a compilation of the Buddha’s teachings called “the recollections”. The recollections are widely used throughout all Buddhist traditions as a way of remembering the Three Jewels and deepening faith in them. This book is a particularly complete collection of everything needed to study, practice, and even translate the Sutra.

The book starts with three chapters of introduction which explain: the origins of the Sutra; the many translation issues raised by the Sutra; and how to study and practise the Sutra. These chapters contain a wealth of material gathered and arranged in one place by the author after years of study of the Sutra. They contain something for everyone. There are discussions of faith and how to arouse it using the Sutra. There are extensive discussions of translation which are a must-read for anyone doing translation work from Tibetan Buddhist texts; they cover important issues of translation that have not been seen in print to date. Then there is helpful guidance on how to study and understand the Sutra. There is also a section on how to access the magic of fundamental reality using the Sutra.

The second introductory chapter entitled Translation Issues raised by the Sutra contains ground-breaking explanations of the translation process that was followed in Tibet and the process that needs to be established for translating Tibetan texts into English and other languages. Clearly, it will be of great interest to almost anyone seriously involved with Tibetan studies. However, the chapter also contains in-depth explanations of the meanings of terms such as buddha, Three Jewels, arhat, and so on and should be of wide interest, even to non-scholars. It is of such interest that we are providing it for free as an independent document.

The body of the book follows. It starts with all of the source materials needed to understand, study, and translate the Sutra (see below for the list of texts included). The sources are backed with information on them and how they relate to the Sutra in the first introductory chapter. Following that, the Sutra itself in Tibetan and English is provided. The book culminates in three major commentaries to the Sutra.

The first commentary, by the author himself, was written directly in English to make it easy for English speakers to understand all the details of the Sutra and the many issues surrounding it. At the same time, it is very extensive, covering issues that even the Tibetan commentaries do not consider. For example, the author presents a number of insights taught by the vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa when he explained the Sutra in 1982 but which seem to have been lost. It also gathers into one place the many issues surrounding the Sutra raised by the two Tibetan commentaries. The second commentary, by the extremely learned Tibetan Taranatha, has the advantage of being a shorter commentary that it is relatively to understand. The third commentary is the very extensive and rather complicated one by Ju Mipham Namgyal that has become very famous in general these days as the way to study the Sutra. Mipham’s commentary is very technical and can be hard to understand in places unless one is already very well versed in Buddhist philosophy. Therefore, the author has provided extensive notes to make it accessible.

The administration of Gangteng Tulku’s shedra for his Western students has reviewed our book and the translation of Mipham’s commentary in particular and called it "superb". They are strongly recommending it for all the shedra students.

The book contains translations of the following texts:
The recollections of buddha, dharma, and sangha as originally taught by the Buddha, in Pali, Sanskrit, and English
The recollections of buddha, dharma, and sangha as extended by Great Vehicle followers, from the Derge edition of the Tibetan Tangyur, in Tibetan
The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels, edition from Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje’s Collected Works, in Tibetan and English
A Complete Commentary to The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels by Tony Duff, in English
A Little Explanation of The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels by Taranatha, in English
A Complete Commentary to The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels called “A Melody of Unending Auspiciousness” by Ju Mipham Namgyal, in English

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Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu!
May this sutra flourish, may all the work of Padma Karpo flourish and may all the classical Buddhist teachings be strengthened and properly established in the West for the benefit of all beings!

Written in partial fulfillment of my formal responsibilities as a Mahayana Buddhist guru, with deep gratitude for the extraordinary work performed by Padma Karpo.

KT

posted inBuddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 1 reply

"The Wisdom of Manjusri" : Manjusrinamasamgiti and Commentaries

The Manjusrinamasamgiti was spoken by Guru Sakyamuni to Vajrapani.

from
Mahabodhisattva Manjusri ( & Wrathful Manjusri / Yamantaka ) resources : scripture and commentaries and practice resources
at
http://nonsecularbuddhism.tribe.net/thread/f2e1b22c-ed6f-45fc-984c-45fbd9f72914

"The Wisdom of Manjusri" [Perfect Paperback ]
by Vimalamitra (Author) , Rongzom Mahapandita (Author) , Garab Dorje (Lalitavajra) (Author)

Perfect Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Blazing Wisdom Publications; 1st edition (November 30, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0980173048

http://www.amazon.com/The-Wisdom-Manjusri-Vimalamitra/dp/0980173043/

The very first entry in the tantra section of the Buddhist canon translated into Tibetan, right before the Kalacakra root tantra, is the Jampal Tsenjod ( 'jam dpal mtshan yang dag par brjod pa ) Professing The Qualities of Manjusri.

The Indian Buddhist masters who first brought their tantric tradition to Tibet treated this text as fundamental to the view and practice of both Maha Yoga and Ati Yoga (or Dzogchen), the non-dual dharma.

Presented here, alongside a new translation of the root tantra that seeks to convey its poetic brilliance as a classical masterpiece of world literature, are three original commentaries: two by Indian masters, Vimalamitra and Garab Dorje, and one by the renowned 11th century Tibetan master Rongzom Mahapandita.

Together they provide a complete view of the importance of this text within the Nyingma tradition, and for the Vajrayana Buddhist teachings in general.

The book includes a lovely foreword by Venerable Khenpo Sonam Topgyal Rinpoche.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Great Commentaries by Vimalamitra and Rongzom Pandita
By U. Entropy on January 12, 2013

Mañjusrinamasamgiti is certainly a very important tantra and this book contains a new translation of it. What makes this book really helpful is the two commentaries by Vimalamitra and Rongzom. I wish that more works by these great early masters can be translated into English, especially Vimalamitra's commentary on Reverberation of Sound Tantra and Rongzom's commentary on Guhyagarbha Tantra.

posted inBuddhology: A Critical Study of Buddhism - 0 replies