Jigten Sumgön Guru Yoga & Tsok Offering

This is the 43rd entry in my fieldwork diary. The original date is the 9th of November, 2010.

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OM AH NAMO GURU BAZRA DRHIK TRE LOKYA NATHA RATNA SHRI
MULA GURU MAHA MUDRA SIDDHI PHALA HUNG

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The meaning of Tsok:
http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Tsok

A brief biography of Jigten Sumgön:
http://www.drikung.org/index.php/drikung-kagyu-lineage/lord-jigten-sumgon

The Tsok Offering Mantra by Lama Gyurme:


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The Sangha's dharma practitioners brought all kinds of food. The meat was, of course, excluded, and only simple things were allowed to be put on the table: nuts, cookies, candies, vegetables etc.

The candles were lit and guru yoga began with the Prayer for the Kagyu Lineage Masters.

Avalokiteshvara Empowerment

This is the 42nd entry in my fieldwork diary. The original date is 07.11.2010.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"Our minds are always looking for a better life. Avalokiteshvara protects the sentient beings of the 6 realms from suffering.

There are many pure land buddhas, but the best one for us is Buddha Amitabha, the heart son of Avalokiteshvara. Amitabha was sent to the human realm and manifested in a human body.
Avalokiteshvara has had many reincarnations, even in this time and age (e.g. as Dalai Lama) and other high lamas, including animals.

Buddha Shakyamuni never went to Tibet, so he told Avalokiteshvara that he had to be reborn in the Tibetan area for the benefit it would bring to the Himalayan people."

Medicine Buddha Empowerment

This is the 41st entry in my fieldwork diary. The original date is 06.11.2010.

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Wikipedia:
Sangye Menla (in Tibetan), Bhaiṣajyaguru (Sanskrit), more formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja ("Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"), is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahayana Buddhism. In the English language, he is commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha". The use of the analogy of a Buddha being depicted as a doctor who cures the illness of suffering using the medicine of his teachings appears widely in Buddhist scriptures.

The practice of Medicine Buddha, the Supreme Healer, is not only a very powerful method for healing and increasing healing powers both for oneself and others, but also for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, and ignorance, thus to meditate on the Medicine Buddha can help decrease physical and mental illness and suffering.

The Medicine Buddha mantra is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negative karma. One form of practice based on the Medicine Buddha is done when one is stricken by disease. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glass of water. The water is now believed to be blessed by the power of the mantra and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha himself, and the patient is to drink the water. This practice is then repeated each day until the illness is cured.

The Dalai Lama on Countering Stress and Depression

An article written by the Dalai Lama. It's worth a read.

(We are all familiar with the subject discussed in this paper, which is depression and stress.
I myself have also felt, known and seen close people to me suffer due to mental unhappiness. So this blog post is for those who have experienced or are currently going through a period of much distress.
It seems to be more common in the West, so, to me, a Buddhist's view on depression and stress (and how to deal with it) is interesting and rather enlightening.)

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"At a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people's attention to what as members of the human family we have in common and the deeply interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.