The Meaning of the Tibetan Prayer Wheel

I found this interesting post about the prayer wheel and I thought I'd share it on the blog.

(I think I started liking the use of prayer wheels ever since I had observed H.E. Garchen Rinpoche spinning it in such a serene, blissful manner.)

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"It is said that prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and merit or good karma and to purify negativities such as bad karma. The idea of spinning mantras comes from numerous Tantric practices where the Tantric practitioner visualizes mantras revolving around the nadis and especially around the meridian chakras such as the heart and crown.

Therefore Tibetan Prayer Wheels are a visual aid for developing one's capacity for these types of Tantric visualizations. The spiritual method for those practicing with a prayer wheel is very specific (with slight variations according to different Buddhist sects). The practitioner most often spins the wheel clockwise, for the direction the mantras are written is that of the movement of the sun across the sky. However, on rare occasions advanced Tantric practitioners such as Senge Dongma, the Lion-Faced Dakini spin prayer wheels counterclockwise to manifest a more wrathful protective energy.

Green Tara Practice

This is the 40th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 04.11.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Green Tara practice is beneficial during periods of having obstacles in your life. The Green Tara always helps when you suffer mentally or physically, for she has love and compassion for all sentient beings.

Our health depends on how strong our belief is. If we show strong devotion, we receive strong support. How does it work? It manifests from a pure Bodhicitta mind and from love for all beings, including the beings of the six lower realms.

Unhappiness is rooted in the ego, desire and jealousy. Our suffering is not real - it is an illusion, and so is attachment."

Avalokiteshvara Practice

This is the 39th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 02.11.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Avalokiteshvara is the heart of Buddha Amitabha. Avalokiteshvara has many manifestations. Even some animals can be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara. He has great compassion for all the beings in the six lower realms. If you want to help them then Avalokiteshvara practice is the one with the most benefit.

How can we increase love and compassion? With a deep devotion in the heart for our practices and meditation. That way it can increase. When we practice we become closer to the Buddha-nature mind. The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva is a good guide on how to increase your love and compassion.

Great yogis are happy because they are close to Buddha-nature. It isn't always easy to be that way but if we practice a lot we can achieve this, even when there are difficulties.

Chöd

This is the 38th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 31.10.2010.

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Wikipedia:
Chöd is a spiritual practice primarily found in Tibetan Buddhism. Also known as "Cutting Through the Ego", the practice is based on the Prajñāpāramitā sutra. It combines prajñāpāramitā philosophy with specific meditation methods and a tantric ritual.

A form of Chöd was practiced in India by Buddhist mahāsiddhas, prior to the 10th century. However, Chöd as practised today developed from the entwined traditions of the early Indian tantric practices transmitted to Tibet and the Bonpo and Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayāna lineages. Besides the Bonpo, there are two main Tibetan Buddhist Chöd traditions, the "Mother" and "Father" lineages. In Tibetan tradition, Dampa Sangye is known as the Father of Chöd and Machig Labdron, founder of the Mahāmudra Chöd lineages, as the Mother of Chöd. Chöd developed outside the monastic system. It was subsequently adopted by the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Lha Bab Düchen

This is the 37th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 29.10.2010.

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Wikipedia:
Lhabab Düchen is one of the four festivals commemorating four events in the life of the Buddha, according to Tibetan traditions. Lhabab Düchen occurs on the 22nd day of the ninth month on a Tibetan calendar.

This is a Buddhist festival celebrated to observe the descent of Buddha from heaven back to earth. Buddha had left for heaven at the age of 41, having ascended to The Heaven of Thirty-Three (Trayastrimsa) in order to give teachings to benefit the gods in the desire realms and to repay the kindness of his mother by liberating her from Samsara. He was exhorted by his follower and representative Maugalyayana to return, and after a long debate managed to return. This is considered to be one of the eight great deeds of the Buddha. He returned to earth by a special triple ladder prepared by Viswakarma, the god of machines. On Lhabab Duchen, the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied ten million times. It is part of Tibetan Buddhist tradition to engage in virtuous activities and prayer on this day.

Vajrasattva Practice

This is the 36th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 28.10.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"There are hundreds of different practices and all of these practices give different results. Vajrasattva is a very powerful and profound practice. Everyone needs this, even those who have no knowledge on dharma. Even the Dalai Lama does this practice on a daily basis.

Vajrasattva purifies the mind, sins, previous life karma and negative emotions or thoughts. We have negative karma due to the fact that we are not yet enlightened. So we need to meditate and practice. The aim is to become more compassionate, like a bodhisattva, arhat or yogi.

Buddha said that everybody has Buddha-nature mind. For example, if there are ten people here in this room, then there are like ten different buddhas.
If you're hostile towards another person you create negative karma for yourself. And if you're jealous of someone, it's like being jealous of a buddha. Likewise, if you hurt a sentient being, you are hurting a buddha because everyone has Buddha-nature.

Medicine Buddha Practice

This is the 35th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 24.10.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"All these practices are meant to cure our mind. We can destroy our 5 poisons through the Medicine Buddha practice. It is beneifical for both your physical well-being and mental.

You can visualize that you are offering water to the Medicine Buddha. You can also visualize that you are offering other things, such as food, lotus flowers, incense etc. Even music. Anything can be offered.

We need to practice every day because life is impermanent. We never know when we're going to pass away. We need to understand the law of cause and effect. We need to have a profound understanding of Samsara and its 6 realms. Nirvana is like the pure land of the enlightened ones - the Green Tara, Buddha Amitabha and other great buddhas and bodhisattvas. The pure land of the Medicine Buddha is the best one for us. It has a blue colour (sapphires scattered everywhere across the pure land).

Medicine Buddha Practice

This is the 34th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 22.10.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Medicine Buddha reached enlightenment by doing good deeds. How can we become enlightened? You need to contemplate on how you can help other people. However, it depends on your own mind. The Medicine Buddha helped other people. He found himself through meditation.

The best enlightened teacher gives information on how to become enlightened. Gampopa said that we all have Buddha-nature mind.
Human life is precious. It is easier for a human to reach enlightenment than it is for other sentient beings. But we need good motivation.

We are reborn in the six lower realms if we're very aggressive, greedy and too attached.
The lower realms have hellbeings, demons, hungry ghosts, animals etc. The higher realms - humans, gods and demi-gods.

We mustn't think "one day I will become enlightened". We should not have any expectations.

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's Lecture on Samatha Meditation

This is the 33rd entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 17.10.2010.

*Although I had written around 33 pages in total by hand (by the end of H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's lectures), there were still a few things that I had missed out on during his speech. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't write quick enough to catch everything that he had said, for which I am sorry.
I should also mention that the English translation of every speech was done by Ari-Ma, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's American disciple and personal translator.

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Samatha ("calm abiding"), comprises a suite, type or style of Buddhist meditation or concentration practices designed to enhance sustained voluntary attention, and culminates in an attention that can be sustained effortlessly for hours on end. Samatha is a subset of the broader family of samādhi ("concentration") meditation practices.

Vajrasattva Empowerment and Refuge

This is the 32nd entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 17.10.2010.

*Although I had written around 33 pages in total by hand (by the end of H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's lectures), there were still a few things that I had missed out on during his speech. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't write quick enough to catch everything that he had said, for which I am sorry.
I should also mention that the English translation of every speech was done by Ari-Ma, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's American disciple and personal translator.

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"All buddhas are of the same essence, it is a union of compassion. The mind of the Buddha is like free flowing water. One attains temporary benefit through accomplishments.

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's 2nd Lecture on the Heart Sutra

This is the 31st entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 16.10.2010.

*Although I had written around 33 pages in total by hand (by the end of H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's lectures), there were still a few things that I had missed out on during his speech. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't write quick enough to catch everything that he had said, for which I am sorry.
I should also mention that the English translation of every speech was done by Ari-Ma, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's American disciple and personal translator.

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"Any material phenomena is merely comprised of particles. The mind at its basis is vast and empty like the sky.
There's much to be said about the 18 elements but they all come down to one thing - emptiness. Those who do not recognize the innate nature of mind give rise to ignorance. Through primordial awareness we may realize this. The cause of self-grasping and ignorance is not knowing how to look at the mind with the mind.

There is no ignorance in primordial awareness, the mind is beyond birth and death - all phenomena are recognized as illusory.
When we turn inward, this knowing aspect becomes vast like space - that is the only difference in recognition and non-recognition of the natural state of mind.

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's 1st Lecture on the Heart Sutra

This is the 30th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 16.10.2010.

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The short version of the Heart Sutra mantra:

GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
"Gone, gone, gone to the other shore;
Gone completely to the other shore (gone fully over).
Awakened, so be it!"
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According to Wikipedia:
The Heart Sutra is a well-known Mahayana Buddhist sutra that is very popular among Mahayana Buddhists both for its brevity and depth of meaning. Its Sanskrit name Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya literally translates to the "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom."

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Here is a nice version of the Heart Sutra mantra that I really enjoy listening to:

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's Lecture (Samatha and Vipassana Meditation Practice)

This is the 29th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 15.10.2010.

*Although I had written around 33 pages in total by hand (by the end of H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's lectures), there were still a few things that I had missed out on during his speech. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't write quick enough to catch everything that he had said, for which I am sorry.
I should also mention that the English translation of every speech was done by Ari-Ma, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's American disciple and personal translator.

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"I will give an introduction to these practices.

Vipassana in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the nature of reality.
Samatha (calm abiding) comprises a suite, type or style of Buddhist meditation or concentration practices designed to enhance sustained voluntary attention, and culminates in an attention that can be sustained effortlessly for hours on end.

To you dharma friends, I have no great scholarship or studied texts but I have experience with suffering. The Buddha's dharma has methods on how to eliminate this suffering.

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's Public Lecture at the National Library of Estonia

This is the 28th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 14.10.2010.

*Although I had written around 33 pages in total by hand (by the end of H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's lectures), there were still a few things that I had missed out on during his speech. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't write quick enough to catch everything that he had said, for which I am sorry.
I should also mention that the English translation of every speech was done by Ari-Ma, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's American disciple and personal translator.

***
"We have taken countless bodies yet the mind has not died. There is not one sentient being who has not been our kind mother. All of us who have a physical body, all have one wish - to become free of suffering and find happines. All sentient beings seek for methods to find happiness. Even after death when we have a new body we still wish for it.

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's Lecture at the Sangha

This is the 27th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 14.10.2010.

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H.E. Garchen Rinpoche arrived in Estonia to give us lectures. The first lecture that I attended was at the center.
Khenpo Tamphel translated Rinpoche's Tibetan speech into English for us and I wrote it down as fast and as much as I could.

***
"Rejoice in your devotion and aspiration to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. You are lucky to have lama Sangyas. It's kind of him to teach you here. You are very blessed.

As soon as we become human beings our basic wish is to become free of suffering. In order to be happy we need to realize the causes of suffering. There is mundane wisdom and wisdom that's beyond the world.

We engage in all kinds of methods to be happy (mundane wisdom). Our mind experiences all kinds of emotions during sleep and when we're awake.

Phowa

This is the 26th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 05.10.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"This is the direct teaching from Buddha Amithabha. There are many different buddhas and every buddha has its own pure land. Amithabha's is the best one. We have the Phowa practice to reach his pure land and someday it will be very useful for you (at the time of death). We can become free from Samsara through this practice. It was founded during the time of Padmasambhava.

Phowa - the transference of consciousness. It's like pouring water from one cup (our body) into another cup (a different body or form). The body is only temporary. So Phowa is a teaching on how to transfer the consciousness from this body to the pure land.

The consciousness leaves the body directly through the top of the head (if you're an enlightened person). For gods and demi-gods - through the nose. And for animals - it's all over the place.
The center channel of the body is blue on the outside and red on the inside. At the heart level there's a lotus with our seeds (the essence from our parents) and the consciousness is formless.

Avalokiteshvara (Compassion & Purification Practice; A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

This is the 25th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 04.10.2010.

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*I was unable to go so my mother wrote instead of me.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"You can recite this mantra whenever you want. It's one of the best buddhist methods - all sentient beings need help. We all need someone with an open heart. When you are loved and cared for, you also become more loving and caring towards other people - you become happier. We need to reach that state of love and become free of suffering spontaneously. Our mind would suffer without this practice.

The mantras can help one see things more clearly. All beings need love. If we don't help ourselves it's more difficult to get help from elsewhere. The mind is constantly thinking something but through meditation and practice we become more open and the mind is more loving and calm.

So this mantra is necessary. It brings blessings for the whole family-tree. It also increases your compassion and wisdom.
Material wealth and beauty will not make us happy if we have no compassion.

White Tara Practice

This is the 24th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 29.09.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"The White Tara mantra is for long life.

We need lots of meditation and practice to become free of Samsara. We need a long life for this so we need the White Tara's blessing.

Our lives become shorter every day. When we eat meat or kill an insect, our lives become shorter. We need the White Tara practice to increase the longevity of life. Through this compassion also increases and obstacles are removed.

When you do this practice visualize that you are making an offering to the White Tara. You can offer anything - light, water, flowers etc."

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The short version of the White Tara mantra:

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE MAMA
AYUR JNANA PUNYE PUSHTIM KURU SVAHA

Green Tara Practice

This is the 23rd entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 28.09.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"If someone is in hospital you can recite this mantra for them.

Visualize the Green Tara during this practice. If you have a health problem you need to visualize that a part of the Green Tara is at the sick part of your body and imagine that it is healing you."

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OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA
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*Important side note: These diary entries do not reflect every word the teacher said, and there may be some mistakes or misunderstandings, for which I am sorry and accept responsibility. In a few instances, I have interjected my own interpretation or explanation.

Avalokiteshvara (Compassion & Purification Practice; A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

This is the 22nd entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 27.09.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"It is more powerful to do practices and mantras together than it is to do them alone.

When you do practices you must carefully watch yourself and make sure that your heart is open. When you have bad dreams you need help.

The Chenrezig practice is not only meant for your own good, it is also a very good way of helping other sentient beings. We must devote ourselves to other people to give rise to good merit. When we do this practice we decrease everything negative.

Buddhists view every sentient being as their kind mother. It is easier for animals to create negative karma because they hunt for other sentient beings for food. They may end up in hell that way. There is a thousand times more hunger and heat in hell.

An Introductory Lecture to Buddhism (Meditation Practice)

This is the 21st entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 25.09.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Meditation is about bringing order to your mind and increasing bodhicitta - a loving and compassionate mind. It benefits us in this life and the next lives.

Do we have a bodhicitta mind? Yes, but we hardly ever practice it. We try to find happiness from other things and people. We have preferences (such as 'I don't like these clothes' and 'I don't like this type of food' etc). Thus the mind has too much freedom.

Tibetan yogis have meditation techniques to make the mind calm and peaceful. Meditation helps the mind remain stable and balanced. Meditation is the best cure.

If we think of someone in a negative way, we receive negative energy which in turn affects the channels of the body and these channels become blocked as a result. We can always change our unhappiness and become joyful.

Medicine Buddha

This is the 20th entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 23.09.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Arhat - an enlightened being on Earth, spreading the dharma to others. There was more than just one Buddha.
The 5 poisons are pride, jealousy, arrogance, ignorance, stupidity.

Visualize the light of a precious stone (for example, a blue crystal) going to the sick bodypart and recite the Medicine Buddha mantra at the same time. Thoughts can be very powerful so we need to think that it helps.

The Medicine Buddha teachings come from Buddha Shakyamuni. During the time of Buddha there was only one stupa. He offered his hair to that stupa to defy vanity. He also wore a yellow cloth. Yellow was the colour of the homeless people at that time in India."

Vajrasattva Meditation Practice (For Purification of Karma)

This is the nineteenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 22.09.2010.

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*I was unable to go so my mother wrote instead of me this time.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Vajrasattva is a very powerful mantra. It purifies our past life karma.

If all we know are the teachings of the dharma and we do not practice then there is no benefit. So we must practice every day. Visualize the root lamas - they gives us their blessings.

We accumulate good merit when we meditate on loving kindness and compassion. Gewa - sharing the joy with other people.

In this life we have difficulties in our daily lives so reciting a mantra will purify all negative emotions and thoughts. A person with a strong ego destroys their Buddha-nature by letting the ego rule them. Through three "doors" - body, mind and speech - we can purify ourselves. Even just chanting one mantra can destroy all the negative karma from past lives.

An Introductory Lecture to Buddhism Part 2 (Avalokiteshvara)

This is the eighteenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 19.09.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Every Tibetan person has a small mala and a prayerwheel (when you roll it, you accumulate good karma; the wheel has hundreds of mantras inside of it).

Avalokiteshvara practice is necessary for reaching Buddha-nature and to increase our purity mind. You can recite this mantra wherever you wish (to become a better person).

Avalokiteshvara is one of the most compassionate bodhisattvas. He has compassion for every sentient being in the universe. Chenrezig also helps against fear. If you practice a lot you have less fears.

An Introductory Lecture to Buddhism (The 6 Yogas of Naropa & Meditation Practice)

This is the seventeenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 19.09.2010.

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A lot of new people showed up to listen to Drupon Sangyas' introductory lecture to Buddhism on that Sunday.

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"Tibetan Buddhism has a lot of information on how to meditate. We become more peaceful through meditation.
Having too many thoughts makes us lose our connection. So meditation helps to focus and calm your mind.

2500 years ago Buddha taught monks how to meditate. During Buddha's time, monks had to be calm and move carefully. Their speech had to be slow and gentle, and not loud. Monks had to control themselves constantly.

The great yogi Milarepa meditated all the time - during sleep, eating etc. So we must follow his example and meditate as often as possible. If you wish to improve in meditation you need to keep your mind stable. It is disturbing for the mind to desire too much.

We are connected to our past through Samsara. We have karma from past lives, which is why we are still here.
Negative thoughts give rise to suffering. We are too focused on negative things in our daily lives. Buddha said, "You must focus and control your body, mind and speech."

The Empowerment of Vajrasattva

This is the sixteenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 29.08.2010.

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When we arrived Drupon Sangyas was already chanting a long mantra silently on his own. He told us that first he had to do this by himself in order to receive the blessings from the lineage masters.

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"They also did this in Ancient India. An Indian guru would go to his disciple and bless him near a river. Vajrasattva is the most powerful practice.

If we don't eliminate our previous karma we will suffer. So the Vajrasattva practice helps in purifying oneself. And through Vajrasattva you will destroy your negative karma from past lives.

The reason why we are reborn again and again is due to our karma. For example, hunting animals as a hobby gives rise to negative karma. In India, such activity is prohibited but in the West it is normal. Everyone has Buddha-nature so killing an animal is sinful. If you kill others you will be reborn in one of the 6 lower realms (as a hell-being).

Green Tara Practice

This is the fifteenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 28.08.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"There are 21 different Taras. In Tibetan, they do not distinguish them as 'white' or 'green', they simply call the deity 'Tara'.

Ten years ago I asked H.H. Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche what kind of practices we need to do in Estonia and he answered, "Green Tara".

The Green Tara will always be there when you pray. We must visualize that the room we are in is the dharma room during practice.

We need to forget all the good and the bad people, and accumulate good karma. You must have trust in Tara and be devoted when praying to her.
A female bodhisattva has twice the compassion of a male. A bodhisattva's mind is more peaceful.

Achi Chokyi Drolma (A Short Prayer to the Dharma Protectors)

This is the fourteenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 27.08.2010.

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The Achi practice was something new that we had not done before. I was very excited about this. Drupon Sangyas told us the intriguing story of Achi.
Something about her story deeply touched me. I don't know why but I felt some sort of familiarity with it.

***
*I decided to use Wikipedia this time to re-tell Achi's story because it's quite long and I may have missed a few of the things that Drupon Sangyas had said. I will, of course, complete the story by adding what I wrote down from Drupon Sangyas' speech because the Wiki text on Achi also has a few things missing that I think should be mentioned.

So according to Wikipedia, Achi Chokyi Drolma is the Dharma Protecter of the Drikung Kagyu.
Unusually, for a Dharma protector, Achi Chökyi Drolma's aspect is not wrathful, but peaceful.

Medicine Buddha Practice

This is the thirteenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 26.08.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"If you are able to visualize the Medicine Buddha very clearly you do not even need to chant the mantra. It's even better when you do this together with other people because it brings about a good atmosphere.

When you breathe it (the blessing from the Medicine Buddha) will go to all the channels of the body and the wind will open these channels. But when you're upset these channels become narrow. So we need to forget about samsaric life and bad thoughts during the Medicine Buddha practice.

The Medicine Buddha practice is good for stress or unhappiness. It's also a cure for mental sicknesses. But mental sicknesses are difficult to handle, they're more damaging than physical sicknesses.

High masters who practice the dharma immediately visualize the Medicine Buddha. They are aware of the 5 poisons which cause suffering and mental sicknesses. When we have negative thoughts we have a lot of mental garbage. You need the Medicine Buddha's blessing to become free of this. When we have good motivations we receive good merit.

Avalokiteshvara (Compassion & Purification Practice; A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

This is the twelth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 25.08.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas returned from his holiday to continue teaching at the Estonian center again. It was great to have him back.

SANGYE - means 'Buddha' in the Tibetan language.

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"Avalokiteshvara is the most compassionate deity.

We need to realize that we are our own buddha. We need to improve our wisdom and our minds. What is reality? We're in the dark but when our minds become free of ignorance we have a better understanding of everything.

Texts are more important than the statue of Buddha. Dharma is the light, the support and the guide. It's like having a torch in the dark - you can see everything clearly.
So we need the dharma (a good teaching) to wake up and Tibetan Buddhism is one of the deepest philosophies. It is very popular in the world and many people find that Buddhism has the answers to their questions.

All sentient beings have been our kind mother in one life or another. So we should not think that these are Estonians and they are Tibetans. We should just think that they are all sentient beings. There is no need to separate ourselves that way because we all have Buddha-nature.

Avalokiteshvara (Compassion & Purification Practice; A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

This is the eleventh entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 11.07.2010.

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Due to Drupon Sangyas' absence, Khenpo Tamphel gave us a lecture.

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"Gampopa said, "If we do not practice the dharma correctly we are imprionsed."

We need to take refuge in order to practice the dharma. It protects us from taking the wrong path. We can generate bodhicitta for all sentient beings. When we take refuge under Buddha we should remember that Buddha is already in our minds. Buddha was not just a person, he was an enlightened being. We all have this potential. We all have Buddha-nature.

We need to understand that compassion is the living dharma, a teaching that already exists within ourselves. Compassion is the highest dharma. However, taking refuge is only a temporary reminder that we have this within us.

The 1st stage is Visualization.
The 2nd stage is Meditation (Mahamudra).
The 3rd stage is Guru Yoga.

Medicine Buddha Meditation

This is the tenth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 04.06.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Medicine Buddha protects living beings from physical and mental sickness. He is dark blue and has a vase with nectar (healing herbs) in his left hand. When we recite the Medicine Buddha mantra we receive the healing energy of these herbs.

You must visualize the sick bodypart as dark blue and formless, and chant this mantra so that the healing energy of these herbs will go to the sick bodypart.

The 3 poisons come from our ignorance. Ignorance is like darkness. If you feed these poisons you become ill. The cause of various sicknesses is ignorance, anger, desire etc (the 5 poisons). If you want a long life you should help other sentient beings. Read and meditate on the meaning of the mantra. This mantra should be sent out to all sentient beings in the universe.

Vajrasattva Meditation Practice (For Purification of Karma)

This is the ninth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 03.06.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Vajrasattva is for the purification of karma. What is karma? When you recite a mantra you are creating good karma. But when, for example, you have a bad attitude towards other people you're creating bad karma. If you keep doing it it'll eventually come back to you. Even just a thought of harming another person will create bad karma. Arguing with family members also creates painful karma for everyone involved. So we create karma every day with our actions and thoughts.

Why do we hurt other people? It is due to a strong ego. We have problems within ourselves so we need to fix these problems. It's best to remain humble, polite and respectful towards other people. We shouldn't pass judgement on how others appear to us and we mustn't choose whom we like according to what they look like. Instead, we should have equal compassion for everyone, regardless of their looks, and we should feel compassion for those who don't appear attractive to others. When we judge someone's appearance we are destroying our goodness.

Avalokiteshvara (Compassion & Purification Practice; A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

This is the eigth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 01.06.2010.

***
Drupon Sangyas:

"Everybody needs this practice. It's very important to do the compassion and purification practice every day. It's the easiest one for reaching Nirvana. We shouldn't just listen, we need to follow it so that through this practice we can move away from Samsara.

True happiness does not come from power or material things. What we truly need is love and compassion. We all have kindness but we tend to gossip, keep secrets, close our own hearts etc. So we need to purify ourselves.

It isn't right to lie or steal. It is better to confess our deeds than to hide. That way, people will appreciate your honesty more and they will understand. Buddhists say you must tell the truth. Confessing is important.

If you're angry or jealous over other people you are only hurting yourself, you are creating more suffering for yourself.
So we need to try and calm down immediately when we become too emotional. Ignorance comes from the ego.

Medicine Buddha

This is the seventh entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 29.05.2010.

***
This time Drupon Sangyas' childhood friend, Khenpo Tamphel, joined in on our evening practice. Everyone read the 37 Practices of Bodhisattva together from the center's little yellow booklets.

***

Verse 9 from the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva:
"Like dew on the tip of a blade of grass,
pleasures of the three worlds
last only a while and then vanish.
Aspire to the never-changing supreme state of liberation -
This is the practice of a Bodhisattva."

Avalokiteshvara (Compassion & Purification Practice; A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

This is the sixth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 27.05.2010.

AVALOKITESHVARA - the Sanskrit name.
CHENREZIG - the name of Avalokiteshvara in the Tibetan langauge.

Drupon Sangyas:

"We need to develop our compassion and help those who are suffering. If you do this your life will be meaningful and everything will seem more beautiful.

OM has many meanings. It destroys all of our obstacles. It is a very powerful blessing.
MANI - as precious as the jewels. It is unlimited and priceless. If you have a wish it will grant you fulfillment.
PADME - a blooming lotus flower. Symbol of compassion, enlightenment and purity. The lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. At night the flower closes and sinks underwater, at dawn it rises and opens again. Untouched by the impurity, lotus symbolizes the purity of heart and mind. The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment.
So we need to train our minds so that it can be like the lotus. If we let our minds become corrupt, it would be difficult for us to "bloom". We need to meditate to develop more compassion.

Phowa

This is the fifth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 25.05.2010.

***
PHOWA - transference of consciousness at the time of death. The method can be applied at the moment of death to transfer one's consciousness through the top of the head directly into a Buddha-field of one's choice. By so doing, one bypasses some of the typical experiences that are said to occur after death.
This is the best and deepest practice in Buddhism.

*Phowa is one of the Six Yogas of Naropa. It is said to be the quickest, most direct way to be liberated from samsaric suffering.

Vajrasattva Meditation Practice

This is the fourth entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 19.05.2010.

***
Drupon Sangyas:

"It is unvirtuous to harm other living beings, and to lie and steal. It causes bad karma. Living a virtuous life is a good path towards reaching enlightenment. We must practice, meditate and confess our sins. It is better to be honest than to lie. If we are still stuck in Samsara, we must've done something wrong in a previous life, we have a changing mind. But one must be determined to constantly improve and develop views for the better.
You create negative karma by speaking negative things. Not only thoughts but also words hold a lot of power. And that is why it is important to visualize a calm mind. Overcome ignorance. Practice faith with a peace of mind and silence. Vajrasattva is for purification."

Green Tara

This is the third entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 21.04.2010.

***

Verse 24 from the 37 Practices of Bodhisattva:
"All forms of suffering are like a child's death in a dream.
Holding illusory appearances to be true makes you weary.
Therefore, when you meet with disagreeable circumstances,
See them as illusory -
This is the practice of a Bodhisattva."

***
Drupon Sangyas explains this text:

"We live in Samsara and have not yet reached Nirvana. There are many forms of suffering in Samsara. The suffering begins already at the moment of your birth. As we grow older, it becomes bigger for we are fearful of old age and the loss of outer beauty.

Compassion & Purification Practice (A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

This is the second entry from my fieldwork diary. The original date is 05.03.2010.

***

Verse 18 from the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva:

"Though you lack what you need and are constantly disparaged,
Afflicted by dangerous sickness and spirits,
Without discouragement take on the misdeeds
And the pain of all living beings -
This is the practice of a Bodhisattva."

***
I wrote this verse down into my fieldwork diary the minute I sat down onto a spot on the floor and received the precepts that came along with a small yellow book. According to our lama, this little yellow book containing the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva is an excellent guide for psychological self-help and mental self-improvement. I have yet to read it all and fully comprehend it. But as much as I've read so far, it seems to hold a lot of wisdom and practical advice.

Drupon Sangyas usually makes a speech before we begin our practice. And I feel like I should preserve his teachings and knowledge in my fieldwork diary.

First Time At The Sangha

This is the first entry from my fieldwork diary.

***
We stood in the kitchen when my mother asked me, "Would you like to come along tonight?"
Although I was tired, I agreed to go. After all, I really did wish to see that place with my own eyes. So in a rush I grabbed a random exercise book (which would later become my fieldwork diary) and a pen from the desk in my room, slipped my shoes on and ran out of the front door.
We walked along a path and crossed a few streets until we reached a light yellow house. The center had been there all along, surprisingly quite close to our home.