Friday, November 12, 2010

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.



We need the best guru/lama. You become a lama through years of experience. The guru should have good qualities and the right information, an unbroken oral transmission of Buddha's teachings.

When you practice at home you musn't practice only for your own benefit, but also for everyone else. The greatest benefit comes from helping other people. If we make others suffer we become unhealthy. During practice you can visualize someone who is sick and pray for them. Visualize the formless Medicine Buddha in the sick body part.

All these teachings come from all the past buddhas and bodhisattvas."

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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.

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