The Anthropology of Tibetan Buddhism

Jigten Sumgön Guru Yoga & Tsok Offering

2011-04-08T15:18:00.004+03:00

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

***
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:

***
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.

***
Drupon Sangyas:

"Jigten Sumgön attained enlightenment at an early age. He had great compassion already as a small boy. He always tried to help people and animals. Later when he became a high lama, he had many different schools and the most disciples.
It is said that the sky turned red when he gave teachings. He was very interested in meditation and went to retreat at Kailash mountain. He spent many years meditating in different places.

So this Tsok offering is for Jigten Sumgön. We're also offering to demons, hungry ghosts and spirits.
When we recite the mantra, we must forget our problems and have a pure mind so that we can receive blessings."

***
*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 Empowerment

2011-04-05T16:58:00.002+03:00

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."

Drupon Sangyas then showed us his prayer wheel.

"In the mountains we have all kinds of prayer wheels: in the water so that the water becomes purified and flows into the ocean, and also prayer wheels that move by wind and fire. Those who make these prayer wheels automatically receive good karma. The sound of the prayer wheel attracts demons and spirits. Even just hearing the sound of it will purify you and create good karma. Every spin brings good merit.

Just hearing the name of Avalokiteshvara will purify your karma (and you don't even need to be a buddhist or know anything about Buddhism).

If you want to help a dying animal, you should chant the mantra of Avalokiteshvara for them so that they won't take rebirth in the animal realm again. Also reading the syllables is of great benefit for yourself and may protect you from being reborn in Samsara. It's a very powerful practice for us, it can help us develop our bodhicitta.

When you do tantric practice like H.E. Garchen Rinpoche, then your mind will become more balanced, there will be less anger within you. Anger is the most destructive emotion.
Your skills improve through practice. Your speech becomes more powerful.

The best practice for a beginner is Avalokiteshvara. So when we receive the empowerment, we have a huge amount of good merit. Body, mind and speech is considered to be very important in Buddhism. If you never purify your mind, it becomes spoiled, corrupt and dirty. When we meditate we should observe ourselves, what we've done and said, our activities and our thoughts. You need to confess bad deeds and you need good balance in order to reach the pure land."

***
*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.

Medicine Buddha Empowerment

2011-01-23T14:17:00.014+02:00

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.

ORIGIN
Bhaiṣajyaguru is described in the eponymous Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra, commonly called the Medicine Buddha Sutra, as a bodhisattva who made 12 great vows. On achieving Buddhahood, he became the Buddha of the eastern realm of Vaidūryanirbhāsa, or "Pure Lapis Lazuli". There, he is attended to by two bodhisattvas symbolizing the sun and moon respectively: Suryaprabha and Candraprabha.

THE 12 VOWS
The Twelve Vows of the Medicine Buddha upon attaining Enlightenment, according to the Medicine Buddha Sutra are:

1. To illuminate countless realms with his radiance, enabling anyone to become a Buddha just like him.
2. To awaken the minds of sentient beings through his light of lapis lazuli.
3. To provide the sentient beings with whatever material needs they require.
4. To correct heretical views and inspire beings toward the path of the Bodhisattva.
5. To help beings follow the Moral Precepts, even if they failed before.
6. To heal beings born with deformities, illness or other physical sufferings.
7. To help relieve the destitute and the sick.
8. To help women who wish to be reborn as men achieve their desired rebirth.
9. To help heal mental afflictions and delusions.
10. To help the oppressed be free from suffering.
11. To relieve those who suffer from terrible hunger and thirst.
12. To help clothe those who are destitute and suffering from cold and mosquitoes.

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Drupon Sangyas:

"2500 years ago, during the time of Buddha, Medicine Buddha was already giving teachings. There were many bodhisattvas."

***
Drupon Sangyas stated that once a lama has received the Medicine Buddha empowerment, they have the permission to give this empowerment to his own disciples (the tradition was started by the Medicine Buddha himself).
*I guess it's kind of like passing down an inheritance from the older generation to the younger, except in their case, the inheritance is not a material thing, but instead something spiritual - or, in other words, a 'blessing'.

***
"Buddha Shakyamuni could travel with his mind to all the lands of different buddhas and receive their teachings while he was meditating.

There are 8 different manifestations of the Medicine Buddha. Just visualize him in the sky.

When you recite the mantra of the Medicine Buddha, visualize the syllable HUNG in the centre of the forehead or in the core of your heart. The mantra moves like a clock. This is the Medicine Buddha's symbolic nectar.

To receive his blessing we need to make offerings."

***
The following is a step-by-step description (this is not an instruction) of the Medicine Buddha empowerment ritual process (done under the guidance of Drupon Sangyas):

1. Recite the Vajrasattva mantra altogether.
2. Contemplate on becoming closer and closer to Buddha-nature (rigpa).
3. Visualize the healing energy of the Medicine Buddha destroying all obstacles.
4. Repeat the mudra demonstrated by Drupon Sangyas in the eastern direction (an offering for the 4 different worlds, a symbol of the universe).
5. Pray, "Vajra lama, please give us the Medicine Buddha initiation."
6. Develop your bodhicitta.
7. Repeat the lotus mudra demonstrated by the lama (symbolizes giving flowers to the Medicine Buddha).
8. Repeat the words of the lama.
9. Repeat again and then say, "I want to reach enlightenment, and when I do, I, as a bodhisattva, will benefit all sentient beings," while the lama holds a vase in his hands. There are lapis lazuli stones, Aruna fruit and Medicine Buddha's nectar inside the vase. Visualize that the light from the vase is spreading in 10 different directions.
10. Visualize the syllable OM as a clear, white colour in the middle of your forehead;
the syllable AH as a red colour at your throat;
the syllable HUNG as a blue colour in your heart.
Remember that your motivation needs to be pure in order for the meditation to work.
11. Meditate while the lama chants the necessary mantras and prayers.
12. Once again, repeat the words after him.
13. Meditate on the white light coming from the Medicine Buddha, purifying all bad karma.
14. Visualize that the water in the vase is purifying and healing your body. Meditate while the lama continues chanting.
15. Receive the blessing of the vajra (a ritual object shown by the lama), and the light from the sun that dissolves in your mantra as you purify your speech karma (the red light at your throat).
16. Visualize the blue light from the sky going to your heart (for another purification).
17. Meditate on being in the (Medicine Buddha's) pure land of lapis lazuli and all the colours from that place going to the naval level of your body and healing it (this opens up the wind channels)
18. Visualize the blue Medicine Buddha holding the Aruna fruit in his right hand.
19. Receive the blessings from 8 different buddhas and meditate.
20. Repeat the Medicine Buddha mantra 2-4 times:
TADJATHA OM BHEKHAZE BHEKHAZE MAHA BHEKHAZE BHEKHAZE RAZA SAMUNGATE SVAHA
Visualize this mantra repeating within yourself and everywhere else.
21. Count with the mala (if you have one) 7 times to purify karma, so that your next rebirth won't take place in Samsara.

***
The most important part of the ritual is going one by one to the lama to receive the Medicine Buddha empowerment. It consists of the lama pouring a few drops for you to sip from your palm and then rub your hand over your forehead, your hair or the tip of the head to dry the hand and complete the process. All this is done while slowly and peacefully chanting a mantra at the same time.

***
Medicine Buddha Mantra by Khenpo Pema Chopel Rinpoche

***
*Important side note 1: 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.
*Important side note 2: Please do not attempt to perform this ritual on your own, or any other empowerment/initiation rituals that require the permission and the guidance of a qualified lama or guru. That is their tradition, and as such, it should be respected.
What I have shared here are merely descriptions of Tibetan Buddhist rituals, they are not all meant to be instructions for disciples.

The Dalai Lama on Countering Stress and Depression

2011-01-06T17:59:00.008+02:00

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.)

***
"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.

Today, there is increasing recognition, as well as a growing body of scientific evidence, that confirms the close connection between our own states of mind and our happiness. On the one hand, many of us live in societies that are very developed materially, yet among us are many people who are not very happy. Just underneath the beautiful surface of affluence there is a kind of mental unrest, leading to frustration, unnecessary quarrels, reliance on drugs or alcohol, and in the worst case, suicide. There is no guarantee that wealth alone can give you the joy or fulfilment that you seek. The same can be said of your friends too. When you are in an intense state of anger or hatred, even a very close friend appears to you as somehow frosty, or cold, distant, and annoying.

However, as human beings we are gifted with this wonderful human intelligence. Besides that, all human beings have the capacity to be very determined and to direct that strong sense of determination in whatever direction they like. So long as we remember that we have this marvellous gift of human intelligence and a capacity to develop determination and use it in positive ways, we will preserve our underlying mental health. Realizing we have this great human potential gives us a fundamental strength. This recognition can act as a mechanism that enables us to deal with any difficulty, no matter what situation we are facing, without losing hope or sinking into feelings of low self-esteem.

I write this as someone who lost his freedom at the age of 16, then lost his country at the age of 24. Consequently, I have lived in exile for more than 50 years during which we Tibetans have dedicated ourselves to keeping the Tibetan identity alive and preserving our culture and values. On most days the news from Tibet is heartbreaking, and yet none of these challenges gives grounds for giving up. One of the approaches that I personally find useful is to cultivate the thought: If the situation or problem is such that it can be remedied, then there is no need to worry about it. In other words, if there is a solution or a way out of the difficulty, you do not need to be overwhelmed by it. The appropriate action is to seek its solution. Then it is clearly more sensible to spend your energy focussing on the solution rather than worrying about the problem. Alternatively, if there is no solution, no possibility of resolution, then there is also no point in being worried about it, because you cannot do anything about it anyway. In that case, the sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be for you. This formula, of course, implies directly confronting the problem and taking a realistic view. Otherwise you will be unable to find out whether or not there is a resolution to the problem

Taking a realistic view and cultivating a proper motivation can also shield you against feelings of fear and anxiety. If you develop a pure and sincere motivation, if you are motivated by a wish to help on the basis of kindness, compassion, and respect, then you can carry on any kind of work, in any field, and function more effectively with less fear or worry, not being afraid of what others think or whether you ultimately will be successful in reaching your goal. Even if you fail to achieve your goal, you can feel good about having made the effort. But with a bad motivation, people can praise you or you can achieve goals, but you still will not be happy.

Again, we may sometimes feel that our whole lives are unsatisfactory, we feel on the point of being overwhelmed by the difficulties that confront us. This happens to us all in varying degrees from time to time. When this occurs, it is vital that we make every effort to find a way of lifting our spirits. We can do this by recollecting our good fortune. We may, for example, be loved by someone; we may have certain talents; we may have received a good education; we may have our basic needs provided for - food to eat, clothes to wear, somewhere to live - we may have performed certain altruistic deeds in the past. We must take into consideration even the slightest positive aspect of our lives. For if we fail to find some way of uplifting ourselves, there is every danger of sinking further into our sense of powerlessness. This can lead us to believe that we have no capacity for doing good whatsoever. Thus we create the conditions of despair itself.

As a Buddhist monk I have learned that what principally upsets our inner peace is what we call disturbing emotions. All those thoughts, emotions, and mental events which reflect a negative or uncompassionate state of mind inevitably undermine our experience of inner peace. All our negative thoughts and emotions - such as hatred, anger, pride, lust, greed, envy, and so on - are considered to be sources of difficulty, to be disturbing. Negative thoughts and emotions are what obstruct our most basic aspiration - to be happy and to avoid suffering. When we act under their influence, we become oblivious to the impact our actions have on others: they are thus the cause of our destructive behaviour both toward others and to ourselves. Murder, scandal, and deceit all have their origin in disturbing emotions.

This inevitably gives rise to the question - can we train the mind? There are many methods by which to do this. Among these, in the Buddhist tradition, is a special instruction called mind training, which focuses on cultivating concern for others and turning adversity to advantage. It is this pattern of thought, transforming problems into happiness that has enabled the Tibetan people to maintain their dignity and spirit in the face of great difficulties. Indeed I have found this advice of great practical benefit in my own life.

A great Tibetan teacher of mind training once remarked that one of the mind’s most marvellous qualities is that it can be transformed. I have no doubt that those who attempt to transform their minds, overcome their disturbing emotions and achieve a sense of inner peace, will, over a period of time, notice a change in their mental attitudes and responses to people and events. Their minds will become more disciplined and positive. And I am sure they will find their own sense of happiness grow as they contribute to the greater happiness of others. I offer my prayers that everyone who makes this their goal will be blessed with success."

The Dalai Lama

December 31, 2010

***
Source: Originally published in the Hindustan Times, India, on January 3rd, 2011.

The Meaning of the Tibetan Prayer Wheel

2010-12-23T20:19:00.009+02:00

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.)

***
"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.

Before, during and after the practitioner turns the wheel, it is best to focus the mind and repeat the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra, as this increases the merit earned by the wheel's use. Intoning the mani mantra with mindfullness and the “Bodhicitta” motivation dramatically enhances the effects of the Tibetan Prayer Wheel. However, it is said that even turning it while distracted has benefits and merits and it states in the lineage text that even insects that cross a prayer wheel’s shadow will get some benefit.

Each revolution is as meritorious as reading the inscription aloud as many times as it is written on the scroll, and this means that the more Om Mani Padme Hum mantras that are inside a prayer wheel then the more powerful it is. The wheel must not be spun too fast or frantically, but held upright (if a hand-held wheel) and turned smoothly with the motivation and spirit of compassion and bodhichitta (the noble mind that aspires to full enlightenment for the benefit of all beings). Which, it’s been stated, are some of the benefits attributed to the practice of turning the wheel. It helps wisdom, compassion and bodhichitta arise in the practitioner.

The practitioner should also repeat the mantra as many times as possible during the turning of the wheel, and keep a calm meditative mind. Also, there’s a Tibetan Buddhist tradition of asking the Buddhas and bodhisattvas to dedicate any accumulated merits that you may have gathered during practice to all sentient beings. This is standard with Tibetans completing any Buddhist practice including the practice of the prayer wheel."

***
Source: http://www.tibetan-prayer-wheel.com/index.php/buddhist-practice/

Green Tara Practice

2010-12-20T21:16:00.006+02:00

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."

***
We opened up our little yellow booklets, the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, to read a few verses and contemplate on them.

***

Verse 30 in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva:

"Since five perfections without wisdom
Cannot bring perfect enlightenment,
Along with skillful means cultivate the wisdom
which does not conceive the three spheres [as real] -
This is the practice of a Bodhisattva."

***

Verse 31 in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva:

"If you do not examine your errors,
You may look like a practitioner but not act as one.
Therefore, always examining your own errors,
Rid yourself of them -
This is the practice of a Bodhisattva."

***

Verse 32 in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva:

"If through the influence of disturbing emotions
You point out the faults of another Bodhisattva,
You yourself are diminished, so do not mention the faults
Of those who have entered the Great Vehicle -
This is the practice of a Bodhisattva."

***
*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 Practice

2010-12-20T17:52:00.008+02:00

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.

If we compare ourselves to animals, we can see that we understand things that they don't. We have a lot of ignorance during the first stages of practice but then step-by-step the loving kindness and compassion increases.

We suffer and become depressed because we don't have a balanced mind. We create negative karma every day without even realizing it, we look for selfish ways on how to become happy. We only think of ourselves, not of other people. But we need to think of how we can help others.

How to destroy bad karma? The antidote, amongst other things, could be Avalokiteshvara practice. It's the most beneficial one for removing anger and desire.

If someone makes you suffer, you need to meditate immediately. Don't become upset. Avoid dwelling on it. Don't let it get to you.
H.E. Garchen Rinpoche has said that even a person who has been unfriendly towards you could've been your kind mother in a previous life. So therefore you need to repay their kindness and, instead of becoming upset, pray for them and their well-being.

If we go into a shop full of all kinds of nice material things, we need to remind ourselves that these things are just impermanent. Everything is.
There are 4 elements that did not exist in the beginning. They were created by our minds.

We have a tendency to become attached to beautiful people. Shantideva said that we need to meditate on the fact that their beauty is only temporary, it is empty. He asked, "If you like the person, then why not like them when they are also dead?" And if you still like them beyond death, perhaps you liked not only for their physical beauty, but also their consciousness?

Most yogis of the past became enlightened on their own. And even though some yogis were married, they could still achieve enlightenment with their partners because they practiced together (for example, Marpa).

So visualize the 4-armed Avalokiteshvara and his fountain for the whole universe."

***
*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.

Chöd

2010-12-01T19:09:00.007+02:00

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.

The Chöd, as an internalization of an outer ritual, involves a form of self-sacrific: the practitioner visualizes their own body as the offering at a ganachakra or tantric feast. The purpose of the practice is to engender a sense of victory and fearlessness. These two qualities are represented iconographically by the dhvaja, or victory banner and the kartika, or ritual knife. The banner symbolizes overcoming obstacles and the knife, cutting through the ego. Since fearful or painful situations help the practitioner's work of cutting through attachment to the self, such situations may be cultivated. Machig Labdrön said: "To consider adversity as a friend is the instruction of Chöd".

Chandra Das equates the Chöd practitioner with avadhūta:

"ཀུ་སུ་ལུ་པ ku-su-lu-pa is a word of Tantrik mysticism, its proper Tibetan equivalent being གཅོད་པ gcod-pa, the art of exorcism. The mystic Tantrik rites of the Avadhauts, called Avadhūtipa in Tibet, exist in India."

Chöd practitioners (chödpas) are a type of avadhūta particularly respected, detested, feared or held in awe due to their role as denizens of the charnel field. Edou says they were often associated with the role of shaman and exorcist.

Chöd literally means "cutting through". It cuts through hindrances and obscuration, sometimes called 'demons' or 'gods'. Examples of demons are ignorance, anger and, in particular, the dualism of perceiving the self as inherently meaningful, contrary to the Buddhist doctrine of no-self.

***
Drupon Sangyas:

"This is a very sacred tantric practice. It may seem a little strange for a beginner because it's a very unusual and powerful practice. We cut the root of our ignorance through this.

The meaning of Chöd is offering our negative parts to demons and the positive things, like good virtues and good merit, for bodhisattvas and buddhas.
We're going to offer for the lowest realms because the beings in these realms need this the most.

During Chöd practice your mind reaches a higher mental level. You need to visualize that your mind is pure. It is necessary to destroy past life karma. We are in Samsara because we are not yet enlightened, and we have a lot of debt towards our parents and other people.

So during Chöd the mind resembles that of a bodhisattva. A bodhisattva is kind towards those who are suffering. To become a bodhisattva you need to wish that you can offer your body, good deeds, ignorance and everything. Chöd means that we cut the root of our ignorance.

If you do this with good motivation, it's very powerful. If you do this thousand times, yet without any good motivation, then it is useless.

Chöd can be helpful if you have nightmares and fears. But during the Chöd, you must not show any fear, or else the demons cannot come because this fear would upset them. But if you're compassionate they will come to you, and they may even become your protectors if you're a really good person. That kind of protection is very special.

Chöd brings a lot of joy to your mental state. It also makes the mind smarter and brighter.

So visualize that you are offering your body, mind and speech to these beings. For the lower realms - offering everything that you have. They need it the most. Why? Because they are suffering. In previous lives they could've been our mothers and that is why we must help them. If we don't give that kindness back then they will continue to suffer. We must wish that they can become liberated.

When I say "PHET!" then visualize yourself having a very pure mind. It is very important."

***
*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.

Lha Bab Düchen

2010-11-23T15:54:00.006+02:00

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.

***
Drupon Sangyas:

"Today is a special day for Buddha Shakyamuni. He had promised that if he reached enlightenment he'd benefit the human realm by being reborn here. He had also decided to spread the dharma to the sentient beings in all the 6 realms of existence.
The beings in the realm of gods needed to receive Buddha's teachings so he left the human world and entered another realm.

Before he reincarnated on earth he was looking for good parents and a home. He chose the best mother, dissolved into pure light and was born in the biggest town of Shakya lineage. Buddha's mother was like Tara, her name was Maya and she was the most compassionate and the kindest wife of the king. The king had many wives but she was the only one who had a special dream of Buddha Shakyamuni going into her womb. On the next day, she discovered that she was pregnant and was very joyful. The Shakya family was one of the best families in India at that time. Shakyamuni was the 4th Buddha. There's a prophecy that a new one will come someday.
Maya gave birth to the baby and after one week she passed away. So Buddha had many stepmothers during his childhood and early adulthood.

We're going to celebrate Buddha's return from the pure land today. His teachings are very powerful. When we listen to his teachings we need to do so carefully.
Before he gave us these teachings he prayed for a very long time and practiced mudras.

So today we're offering butter lamps, flowers and food to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (it's important to understand the meaning of the 3 Jewels).

Dharma - the teachings of all the buddhas that have ever existed.
Sangha - when we practice the dharma and meditate we become the Sangha. But if you have negative thoughts then it's not a Sangha.

The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha helps us to become enlightened. We need to accumulate good merit. How and where can we find this? It comes from our own compassion and practices that make us more loving and kind, when we truly wish that others can be happy - then all the negativity dissipates in our minds and Buddha-nature can emerge from our compassion. Good virtues and good merit can help relieve other people from suffering.

Buddha gave thousands of teachings on how to develop love and compassion. We suffer when we don't share this love and compassion.
There exist many translations of Buddha's teachings in many different countries. Tibetans translated those texts much later but their work was more profound because they translated all of his teachings. Tibetan Buddhism is very deep. Every village and town has monasteries.

The 6 Paramitas of Buddha:
1. How we can be generous towards other people.
2. How to keep the samayas.
3. How to be patient with our own mind.
4. How to practice with effort.
5. How to analyze (samadhi meditation) and how to attain buddhahood.
6. Sherab (wisdom).

When we meditate and study texts with deep concentration the mind becomes clear."

***
After his speech we did the butter lamp practice and sang the Buddha Shakyamuni mantra:

***

TAYATHA OM
MUNI MUNI MAHA MUNI
SHAKYAMUNI SVAHA

***
There was a table with food offerings to Buddha Shakyamuni, and lots of lit candles and butter lamps. Everyone took something from the table, and then we all sat, ate food and drank tea.

I, being the newbie that I am, did not realize that you had to leave at least one piece of food or offering left on the plate. I only discovered this after we had all eaten. A little mistake there on my part. :)

I could not help but wonder afterwards whether Buddha Shakyamuni really was present or not on this holiday. But it felt special, in a way, to think of the possibility that he might actually still exist somewhere, and that our thoughts and actions become multiplied ten million times. So I tried to be more mindful. But the truth is that we should always be mindful in every action and thought, not just for one day, right?

***
*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.

Vajrasattva Practice

2010-11-23T13:10:00.005+02:00

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

***
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.

Buddha also said that if you trust yourself you can attain buddhahood. For example, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche said that we have different realms of existence. Yet only humans can see the human land because they have done good deeds. When we take a look at a river we can see its clear water but hungry ghosts see dirt and muddy water, and hellbeings see flowing lava. Gods and demi-gods see the water as golden nectar.
A person whose mind is highly developed (bodhicitta mind) can see the water as nectar. H.E. Garchen Rinpoche and other high yogis and lamas see people in the same way.
But we are not able to see other people that way because we haven't achieved that state of mind yet. We haven't purified ourselves ,and that is why we choose and pick the people we like, that is why we have such preferences.

So Vajrasattva makes your mind pure and peaceful. We accumulate karma through the body, mind and speech. If we have no control over ourselves, it's easy to accumulate negative karma. Thinking or having thoughts such as "I don't like that person" already makes you suffer. That is how the mind accumulates negative karma. The mind acts like a king and the body like its servant.
Speech can have even worse results if it's negative because it comes back to you, the karma that speech can create is twice as bad.
For an instance, if your mind tells you "I want to eat meat" and your physical body goes into the forest to hunt for an animal, you are creating negative karma.

When the mind is ignorant, unbalanced and uncontrolled, it makes us suffer. But if you had a pure mind you'd still be happy, even if you were poor.
When I was in retreat I had no material things compared to some of my friends but I was still happy.

Buddha gave teachings on how to eliminate our ignorance, anger etc. He also said that it's very important to practice patience. If you get upset too easily then you're being impatient. People expect miracles in meditation and practice but the best method is not to expect anything. All miracles come spontaneously.

If we let negative things take control over us we are not able to understand even the simplest things. So enjoy and appreciate the practices in order to make them powerful. If you practice with doubt in your mind it won't work.
If you recite even just one Vajrasattva mantra deeply from the heart and the mind, it destroys all negative karma, including the karma accumulated in past lives.

VAJRA - invincible
SATTVA - to become enlightened

Everyone has their own sinful secret, something that they do not wish to tell other people. So through the Vajrasattva practice we can confess and purify ourselves. Sometimes during a practice you may even cry or feel pain - this is due to purification of the karma, it is a sign that it is working.

When you meditate without thoughts in your mind and chant the mantra of Vajrasattva, you receive its blessing.
Visualize that you have a pure mind. With this blessing and this pure mind you can make an offering to Vajrasattva or pray for other sentient beings.
It's also important to share this positive feeling that you get from these practices. Sharing makes it even more powerful, especially if you do it with an aim to free all beings from suffering."

***
*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.

Medicine Buddha Practice

2010-11-23T12:26:00.004+02:00

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

***
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).

Dharma is the antidote to suffering, and you can receive all of this information from your own Buddha-nature mind. Your mind can become pure through Buddhist practice."

***
*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.

Medicine Buddha Practice

2010-11-12T20:29:00.006+02:00

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

***
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."

***
*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.

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

2010-11-12T16:38:00.004+02:00

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.

***
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.

***
"The meaning of the Heart Sutra has a great connection with Samatha meditation.

Appearance and existence, all has a single ground. The fruition of buddhahood is bliss. All phenomena are composites and lack any inherent existence.

Whoever sees the nature of mind is a buddha, whoever does not is a sentient being. Those who experience the natural state of mind are bodhisattvas. All sentient beings will realize that through the prayer of his aspiration.

The basic ground is uncompounded and rigpa (pure awareness) is self-arisen. The non-recognition does not affect the state of the mind. If one abides in the natural state of the mind, the mind is free from attachment to objects.

Samantabhadra abides in every mind."

***
According to Wikipedia:
Samantabhadra (Küntuzangpo, meaning "Universal Worthy") is a Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with Buddhist practice and meditation. Together with Shakyamuni Buddha and fellow bodhisattva Manjusri he forms the Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism. He is the patron of the Lotus Sutra and, according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva.
In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana, Samantabhadra is considered a primordial Buddha in indivisible yab-yum union with his consort Samantabhadri.
Samantabhadra is usually presented with colour black.

***
"The basis of the mind itself is beyond death. It is the non-dual clarity of the mind and emptiness. The wisdom of equalizing - no distinction of phenomena as good or bad.

Ordinary sentient beings are obscured by negative thoughts. There is no grasping or fixation nor aversion in ultimate buddhahood.
All buddhas of the five families can be divided, they transform into the deities. Countless forms of buddha manifest.

Those who cannot perceive arise ceaselessly and continously. The Buddha-nature is unceasing. Different buddhas manifest as spiritual guides and assist those who are in need of training.

Fears are rooted in self-grasping and aversion of others. There arises a separation of the self. The great unconsciousness takes place at the moment of death and many beings lust for a physical body. Non-recognition of the clarity of the mind - unconsciousness. May you recognize your own intrinsic awareness.

Dualistic thoughts create doubt. Doubt is the most harmful. When we have doubt we give rise to grasping and fixation. We look at desire as the basis for taking rebirth in the human realm. If it's recognized immediately then it dissipates.
Within the natural state of the mind there is no grasping.

Anger in the mindstream creates much suffering and gives rise to the experience of the hell realm. Perceiving phenomena as harmful is the actual experience of the hell realm. It's important to liberate this negative emotion. Relax in the natural state of the mind.

If one looks in the face of anger, it dissipates. In this way the mind will become purified. Wisdom of clarity is achieved.
One should contemplate the suffering of these hellbeings and transform it into loving kindness. When negative emotions arise one should give rise to clarity. Awareness increases if you liberate these emotions (transforming them through your compassion). This brings about great benefit and good karma.

Pride gives rise to quarrels and abuse. If you purify this you'll give rise to faith in the teachings.
Jealousy and competitiveness give rise to a rebirth in the god realm. Jealousy manifests as feeling satisfied and delighted in others' suffering. The best method is to liberate jealousy through the power of the view that all sentient beings have been your kind mother.

Ignorance manifests in those who use alcohol or drugs like animals (they will wander helplessly in the animal realm).
Recognition and awareness in one's own mind is the greatest refuge. When the mind doesn't grasp at emotions and thoughts as real and true - that is the wisdom of clarity.

All sentient beings are identical to buddhas, they have the same basis of the mind. The minds of all sentient beings is one in nature.

Negativity is only a temporary obscuration so there's no need to give rise to anger and hatred. Every being has the same kind of attachment and aversion, they all wish to be free of suffering and they all want happiness.
By not recognizing the natural state of the mind one gives rise to the six lower realms of existence.

All sentient beings of the three spheres have the same nature of mind - we need to recognize this. How do they manifest? You can look at it in your own mind, you will find the seeds (jealousy, ignorance etc) of these realms there. Even excessive sleep is harmful, it can reinforce the habits of ignorance and laziness.

Negative emotions abide in the mind and give rise to negative karma. One the basis of understanding one should give rise to a natural state of mind."

***
*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.

Vajrasattva Empowerment and Refuge

2010-11-12T14:21:00.007+02:00

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.

***
"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.

VAJRA refers to the empty nature of mind.

Without birth there is no death. Everything is of one nature, and if one realizes this one is a buddha. The defining line between Buddha and a sentient being is very fine.

It is important for the practitioners not to be deceived by outer forms. All sentient beings have the cause of buddhahood.

Visualize the form of Vajrasattva in vast space and how all sentient beings are taking refuge. Self-grasping must be purified. You must wish to help others. Meditate and visualize the seed syllable HUNG in a flame."

***
Everyone lined up in a queue to receive the Vajrasattva Empowerment and to take refuge in The Three Jewels.

***
"I take refuge in transcendent awareness, the heart essence of Buddha.
I take refuge in compassion, the heart essence of Dharma.
I take refuge in spiritual friends, the heart essence of companions."

"When harm to others and its cause are abandoned, the individual liberation vows are complete.
When help to others and its cause are accomplished, the bodhisattvas' vows are complete.
When one is adept at the pure perception of the vessel and contents, the mantric vows are complete."
***
According to Wikipedia:
Buddhists are said to "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels (aka the "Three Refuges"). This is often done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.

The general signification of Three Jewels is:　

the Buddha;
the Dharma, the teachings;
the Sangha, the community of (at least partially) enlightened beings, often approximated to community of monks and nuns (Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis).

***
It was my first time taking refuge under H.E. Garchen Rinpoche. We took our vows and from every person a piece of hair was cut, which then was put into a small pouch that would go to a monastery in Eastern Tibet. It was somewhat fascinating to realize that a piece of your hair would later be kept at such a special and holy place somewhere far away, somewhere you've never been before.

The whole experience of taking part in that ritual was interesting - the kneeling in front of a great enlightened master to receive his blessing; being in the presence of a living buddha; the dharma pills that need to be taken for five days; the exchange of white scarves; the candlelit butterlamps, the smoke from the incense and the smiling people. The inner peace and the feeling of gratitude.

***
Everyone received a *Dharma name on a card.

Wikipedia says:
A Dharma name is a new name acquired during a Buddhist initiation ritual in Mahayana Buddhism and monk ordination in Theravada Buddhism. The name is traditionally given by a Buddhist monastic, but is also given to newly ordained monks, nuns and laity.

If the student doesn't have a relationship with the monastic teacher and the ceremony is a public one with a congregation present, their new name will tend to reflect the lineage/tradition rather than the individual person. When it is given by a monastic who knows the disciple, however, the name is often tailor-made.

Dharma names are generally given in the language of the particular sangha where the name is bestowed. People in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism are often given the name Karma.

***
The name I received was Konchög Dagme Zangmo, which apparently means something like "Excellent Lady of the Selflessness of the Triple Gem". I think I chuckled a bit when I first read that. :)

***
"Do not commit any wrong.
Perfectly practice virtue.
Completely tame your own mind.
This is the Buddha's teaching."
***
*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.

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

2010-11-11T15:13:00.005+02:00

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.

***
"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.

In brief, it is the natural abiding of the mind which has been free of ignorance and has been pure from the beginning.
Although the natural state of mind is empty we give rise to suffering, yet it only manifests temporarily in Samsara.

There are around 84000 different types of negative emotions. Our thoughts are like waves that arise in the ocean and dissolve back into the ocean. When there is no suffering, there is no origin of suffering and no sensation. This is the meaning of these words (the Heart Sutra).

There are actions and there are results. When we give rise to negative emotions negative karma is accumulated. In the words of lord Gampopa, all phenomena are without any inherent existence.
Yet even when we give rise to a mind of fixation we can still go and reach buddhahood until we are purified. Buddha is free of grasping and fixation. The minds of sentient beings all have the same essence as long as there is no fixation.

"I must cultivate transcendent awareness" is also faulty thinking. The mind should be pure. There is no exalted wisdom in the natural state of the mind. For a bodhisattva, there is no such concept as "I have attained enlightenment" in the mind. Samsara and Nirvana are the root of all phenomena yet they are also empty. There is no Nirvana and Samsara. All qualities of the buddhas manifest from awareness.

Minds without obscuration are without fear. There is no grasping at phenomena as real or true. When we engage in meditation practice with the Heart Sutra, all happiness of Samsara and Nirvana will be recognized as they truly are.

When the mind is free of obscuration it gives rise to samadhi, a state of courage and no fear. The mind abides in its own place and is unshaken. It is free of birth and sensation. The error lies in grasping and in the fixation of phenomena as real.
When this delusion is destroyed there is no grasping or fixation. One follows an unmistaken path by doing so. One is not deceived by the phenomena of existence.

All buddhas have relied on the perfection of transcendent awareness.

The essence can be:
1. Conventional - cause and effect, karma (giving rise to bodhicitta).
2. Ultimate - the nature of mind is realized.

The Heart Sutra elaborates on the ultimate truth which is change. It carries great knowledge. The words are deep and profound. The entire meaning of the Heart Sutra is contained in this mantra GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA (state of enlightenment).

The 5 paths (the words of the mantra) are:
1. Accumulation
2. Application
3. Seeing (the first bodhisattva blooming)
4. Meditation
5. No further reversal/return/learning

This mantra unites transcendent awareness and it is possible to subdue negative emotions. Negative emotions are powerful enough to create all 6 realms of existence. When negative emotions meet transcendent awareness they are transformed into primordial awareness. In Buddhism, one is taught to abandon all negative emotions towards all sentient beings. Through the power of awareness one can see the true nature of mind and the emptiness of things.

Practice the liberation of negative emotions. The mind's primordial awareness perceives phenomena as free of perception through practices of this mantra.
When one has experienced liberating these negative emotions then one truly understands primordial awareness. All negative emotions can be subdued by primordial awareness. That is one of the qualities of this mantra.

Equality is the dharmakaya of the Buddha. Within this all phenomena are equal, likewise the mind of the buddhas are unprevading.
Negative emotions are the root of all samsaric suffering. Negative emotions give rise to self-grasping. The primordial buddhavajradhara - great bliss untainted by suffering.
When we engage in meditation it's possible for us to realize the ultimate benefits of the three jewels.

The ultimate enemy in mantra practice is doubt. All qualities of buddhas arise in this truth if we are free from doubt.
This mantra is the essence of Buddhist teachings. It is difficult to accomplish yet it's extremely meaningful."

***
*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.

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

2010-10-29T16:50:00.034+03:00

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

***
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!"
***
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."

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

***
"Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, meditating deeply on Perfection of Wisdom, saw clearly that the five aspects of human existence are empty, and so released himself from suffering. Answering the monk Sariputra, he said this: Body is nothing more than emptiness, emptiness is nothing more than body. The body is exactly empty, and emptiness is exactly body. The other four aspects of human existence -- feeling, thought, will, and consciousness -- are likewise nothing more than emptiness, and emptiness nothing more than they. All things are empty: Nothing is born, nothing dies, nothing is pure, nothing is stained, nothing increases and nothing decreases. So, in emptiness, there is no body, no feeling, no thought, no will, no consciousness. There are no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. There is no seeing, no hearing, no smelling, no tasting, no touching, no imagining. There is nothing seen, nor heard, nor smelled, nor tasted, nor touched, nor imagined. There is no ignorance, and no end to ignorance. There is no old age and death, and no end to old age and death. There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no end to suffering, no path to follow. There is no attainment of wisdom, and no wisdom to attain. The Bodhisattvas rely on the Perfection of Wisdom, and so with no delusions, they feel no fear, and have Nirvana here and now. All the Buddhas, past, present, and future, rely on the Perfection of Wisdom, and live in full enlightenment. The Perfection of Wisdom is the greatest mantra. It is the clearest mantra, the highest mantra, the mantra that removes all suffering. This is truth that cannot be doubted. Say it so: Gaté, gaté, paragaté, parasamgaté. Bodhi! Svaha!"

***
Emptiness is the usual translation for the Buddhist term Sunyata (or Shunyata). It refers to the fact that no thing - including human existence - has ultimate substantiality, which in turn means that no thing is permanent and no thing is totally independent of everything else. In other words, everything in this world is interconnected and in constant flux. A deep appreciation of this idea of emptiness thus saves us from the suffering caused by our egos, our attachments, and our resistance to change and loss.

***
*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.

***
"The Heart Sutra is exceedingly profound. I will give you an introduction to the views of buddhas and investigate the ultimate meanings of these teachings. The Heart Sutra is otherworldly in nature. The ultimate nature of mind is truly without beginning, like space. The mind should be seen by the mind. Everything is of one and the same essence and it can be perceived by the inward mind. This nature of mind is nearly empty, it is clear awareness. It has no object to grasp. The mind is inconceivable and expressable in nature (if we investigate the mind with the mind). The aim is to see all beings by the perspective of the ultimate view that phenomena is empty.

Through transcendent awareness we destroy our grasping at phenomena as real. The mind is the creator of Samsara and Nirvana. Buddha saw the very nature of mind. All phenomena and appreances come under one's own power through this awareness.

Prajna Paramita - mother of the Buddhas, perfection of transcendent awareness. The natural state of mind is empty, the mind is the source in which Nirvana and Samsara manifest. One should strive to realize the natural state of mind through transcendent awareness.

One gives rise to awareness to this through listening and contemplation. The essence of those teachings arose in the mindstreams of the buddhas, and the people gathered those teachings of the Buddha later in written form. Buddha himself was abiding in the state of samadhi meditation - that's where he received the message of dharma.
Buddha gave rise to the appropriateness of teaching. His experience was the ultimate nature of mind. If one looks outward, it's difficult to realize the nature of phenomena. If one looks inward, it becomes easier. The Buddha recognized the nature of mind and the natural state of Nirvana and Samsara through samadhi meditation. Chenrezig's mind is inseparable from Buddha. Avalokiteshvara contemplated on the meaning of everything. Through meditation we may understand this.
Those who have not realized the natural state of mind give rise to the notion of ignorance and self-grasping.

The body is made of five different elements that are not inherently existent. The individual's body is empty because it turns into dust at the time of death, and we are reborn into the 6 lower realms due to self-grasping. Without any real existence, we let go of self-grasping. If one does not realize the empty essence of the mind one will be suffering. On the basis of our body we give rise to feelings, discrimination etc. It is called grasping to the "I", e.g. "this is water for me to drink", "this is my cup", "this isn't yours, it's mine" and so on. We grasp to every object we regard as "ours", and when it isn't ours then we suffer so much that it is as if they hurt out very body.

There is a union of clarity and emptiness when we recognize the natural state of mind. On the basis of form we give rise to the five senses, we experience delusion and suffering. But the five senses are without any inherent existence.
Consciousness alone is the seed of these senses. This consciousness is transformed into awareness if we recognize the natural state of mind. The empty nature of consciousness is the like the empty nature of phenomena (read the 22nd verse of the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva). There is no meaning at all to samsaric phenomena. All phenomena are without any inherent existence."

***
*Important side note 1: 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.

*Important side note 2: I realize that I have not updated in a while and I apologize for that. I'm trying to balance the time between the daily homework that I get from my university and the fieldwork. I may become busy sometimes so please bare with me.
I do try to update whenever I can and I still have a lot of entries in my diary that need to be written in this blog. So keep checking, there will be more to read! The second lecture on the Heart Sutra will be up soon.

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

2010-10-27T19:26:00.007+03:00

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.

***
"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.

In general, senior students have some knowledge on calm abiding. We must know their basic foundation - the mind has numerous thoughts. If we engage in these practices we can see the true essence of things.
When we cause the mind to abide we see that which we had not seen before. It's special insight from meditation. If one realizes the natural state of mind one attains buddhahood. There are many different buddhas.

Birth and death are both illusions. The natural state of mind is like still water, and vast and expansive like the sky. These qualities can be achieved. In the teachings of the Buddha it is said that all sentient beings are the essence of Buddha. They take various physical forms in the six different realms. This shows that Buddha-nature is temporarily covered by obscurations. It's important that we understand that the natural state of mind is the Buddha-nature. It is the nature of great bliss.

If we practice calm abiding we accomplish bliss and buddhahood. The mind is like the sky, the emotions are like the clouds and transcendent awareness is like sunlight. One will not recognize the basic nature of mind so one should practice. If we don't remove these clouds, we don't recognize our own Buddha-nature. So when we learn about calm abiding it's important to understand why these negative emotions have not cleared away. They've become vast and deep - grasping at phenomena as real. They have transformed the mind like water transforming into a block of ice. We make distinctions between Samsara, Nirvana and other sentient beings. We grasp to these things so they become real to us.

When we engage in the practice of calm abiding it's important to understand this. In the teachings of the Buddha, it is taught that all phenomena are manifestations of the mind, and all Samsaric phenomena is created by the mind. We turn our attention inward - to the creator of these phenomena. Read the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, it explains the nature of the mind.

If we try to practice calm abiding directly during meditation the mind will abide. Without understanding this we are lost. So if we understand the ultimate truth, we realize that the creator of Samsara and Nirvana is in the grasping of the mind. Self-grasping is the cause of all suffering. From this manifests Samsara and from the altruistic mind manifests Nirvana. Our mind creates all phenomena (the Samsara comes from self-grasping and buddhahood comes from an altruistic mind).

We can practice calm abiding with this realization. Lord Jigten Sumgön truly understood the nature of phenomena and mind. Phenomena isn't real, it is just an illusion. So if we recognize this as illusory and that the inner mind is the creator of such phenomena then we lose that self-grasping. If one does not see the natural state of mind one gives rise to the negative emotions (Samsara).

Although the mind is empty in nature, if one does not truly understand the cause of law and effect, it'll be impossible to understand phenomena as they truly appear. Negative emotions accumulate negative karma. To stop this we must see the natural state of mind. If the mind is not recognized one gives rise to ignorance.

We need to distinguish ordinary consciousness from primordial awareness. How do we do this? There is benefit when negative emotions are eliminated. So we should turn inward and investigate the mind. This is why we should practice. Look at the natural state of mind - it abides in the mind. Look at the mind with the mind.
When these negative thoughts are removed, one clearly recognizes the mind. If one cultivates this the mind becomes stable. Through repetitive practice we reach stability, even though in the beginning it may come and go.

There are various spiritual traditions and methods on how the mind can abide. Buddha gave rise to loving kindness and compassion. The mind is the union of emptiness and compassion. In meditation one is no longer bound by self-grasping. It's important to give rise to love and compassion (cultivation of compassion is one of the preliminary practices). We establish a stable foundation through practice. We should recall the kindness of all sentient beings and think of them as our mothers (expanded loving kindness and compassion). If we cultivate this even towards enemies it'll be of extreme benefit and help. We must give rise to this mind if we wish to practice meditation. If we don't train our minds we are stuck in self-grasping. We must wish that even enemies become free from suffering. It should be merged with all our conduct.

Those who do harm to us - it come from a cause, a past connection to these harmdoers. Instead of repaying their kindness in the past we had given rise to negative emotions in them (negative results, karma). Calm abiding helps to protect from negative emotions. They are the worst.
Wherever we go we can cause the mind to abide. Through loving kindness we can eliminate these negative emotions.

All beings have been our kind mother in one life or another. When we first begin this practice we can use an object before us and get support from it. With regard to calm abiding - familiarize yourself with that support. You can manipulate the size of the object through the power of the mind in visualization. Hold that image in your mind's eye (even though the image is not stable, it may change). Yet however it may change, it is important not to follow it or become distracted. A candleflame is an excellent support, its natural radiance is helpful in meditation.
You can also do this with your eyes closed. For example, Milarepa meditated with his eyes closed. In that way, he had the wisdom to recognize the thoughts of his disciples.
We simply need to focus and we should suspend all thoughts of the past, the present and the future. There is no need to make plans for the future. Without following thoughts they spontaneously dissipate. Being free of thoughts will be of great help in the practice of calm abiding.

At the time of death the body perishes but not our mind (the transcendence of consciousness). If we have not cleansed the mind through practice we will be reborn in the six lower realms. The most important activity in this life is to practice calm abiding. We have obtained a precious human birth and the time of death is uncertain, and it is difficult to obtain a human birth again. So even if it is hard to achieve a state of calm abiding, if we practice we will succeed through that effort.

If calm abiding becomes stabilized you should investigate your errors. It is important not to become attached to experiences in meditation. In the past practitioners couldn't abandon their faults, they had to investigate a lot. So we should become aware of our quality of calm abiding - a clear knowing aspect of the mind. When it is present transcendet awareness becomes greater. It's like a sprout of a flower - the seed is planted and you cannot stop its growth.
In that way, we can recognize thoughts when they arise and whether they abide or not - this, too, is a good sign of practice in calm abiding.

When we understand the qualities of calm abiding we give rise to a powerful wish to practice. We must work with stable thoughts. Smaller thoughts are not so powerful and are easier to dissipate. When the mind is stable enough we can even eliminate the greater thoughts.
If we have a strong motivation to practice special insight, once calm abiding has become stabilized transcendent awareness increases. It's not necessary to force the meditation because the mind naturally abides and spontanously manifests. Knowing these qualities will help to give rise to the experience of special insight, it is a self-clarifying awareness.

There is an aspect of clarity in meditation - that aspect before a new thought arises, the moment of silence.
Jigten Sumgön gave the following examples on this:
1. The mind is like an ocean and thoughts are like waves that dissolve back into that ocean. In this way, thoughts and emotions cannot do any harm.
2. A crystal clear mind that is luminous and free of taint, it reflects outer objects and abides in one place. All forms, objects and outer appearances are reflected within. The mind should be that way - undisturbed.
3. Like a lotus - it merges out of the mud yet it is untainted by the mud. It is the same with our emotions - when they arise their nature is recognized and clarity increases, and negative emotions disappear. This is the transformation of negative emotions into transcendent awareness.

Through recognition we reach primordial awareness (Vipassana practice). Disturbing emotions can be eliminated by special insight.
The purpose is to stabilize special insight. By the power of the mind negative thoughts can be dissipated.
In that way there is:
1. Recognition of negative emotions and flaws, and that our own emotions and errors create the six lower realms.
2. Cultivation of loving kindness towards other sentient beings.
3. The recognition of the nature of negative emotions. If we understand that the cause is empty by nature there is no need to accumulate negative karma.

If we're able to cultivate these practices of calm abiding we can recognize the natural state of mind. Mental experiences of self-grasping are diverse. Contemplate well on the truth. Cultivate a mind of awareness and mindfulness. We can abandon the causes of suffering and benefit others."

***
*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.

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

2010-10-26T21:31:00.008+03:00

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.

In this world, wherever we go, we can find those who are into scientific progress and who seek to find the causes of these things. We find that we do experience suffering and happiness. Yet if we look at various spiritual traditions, Buddhists seek to abandon the causes of suffering and happiness (the vehicle that is reliable on causes and results). Scientists try to improve our lives with scientific discoveries. Buddhists try to enlighten us and enlighten the causes of suffering and happiness. If we investigate the causes we may find that causes of suffering are many and happiness are few. What is first experienced as happiness later becomes suffering.

There are methods whereby beings can become free of these causes. They can be in tune with the views of some scholars. For example, Buddha in his lifetime investigated these causes - he realized that it is all in the mind, one finds the causes there. When we know the causes we have the means to become free of them, we have methods.

These teachings of the Buddha refer to cleansing of the mind. All of these appearances arise from transcendent awareness. The mind becomes attracted to outer objects in Samsara. It becomes contaminated with a dualistic mind like tainted water.
We give rise to ignorance which does not recognize the true causes.

If we look inward and investigate the natural state of mind we can ask ourselves what are the causes of suffering and happiness. Ignorance is not knowing how to look inward into the mind. It is called giving rise to the "I" or the self. Among beings this self-grasping is not obvious so it may be difficult to identify. The antidote is loving kindness, even during a moment of a small degree of love we are not self-grasping. It's important to train bodhicitta, it is the method to eliminate suffering.

Although the Buddhist views are numerous, the essence comes down to one point - it is taught in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Suffering comes from wishing for your own happiness. If we experience altruistic kindness we can benefit others. We're praying that beings are free from self-grasping. Through the mind liberation is attained. We must cultivate this mind. We can look at the love shared by a mother and a child as an example. But this is narrow. So if we cultivate the understanding that all sentient beings have been our mothers in past lives, we can expand this love.

Buddhas come from the altruistic mind. You must cultivate bodhicitta throughout future lives. Suffering comes from self-grasping. Bad emotions are like seeds in our mind. So we need to realize that so we can love all beings equally.

If we wish to meditate we need to look at the natural state of the mind. If we practice meditation on the basis of love, the mind will become vast. When you have a mind of love it becomes naturally expansive like the warmth of the sun.
Self-grasping is the opposite of the mind of love. It's like a frozen block of ice. Love resembles a sun melting that block of ice.

When this mind is cultivated lifetime after lifetime we can attain buddhahood. But temporary benefit will only help us to be reborn in the higher realms. First we must cultivate love if we wish to follow the Buddhist path.

Calm abiding/special insight - what we see at first is that many emotions arise in the mind like particles of dust in sunlight. We recognize something of the mind we hadn't seen before - this is called special insight. It's the nature of self-awareness. It's like when we have a glass full of muddy water - if we let the mud settle to the bottom of the glass we may see the clear water.

There are some who will say that on the basis of calm abiding, special insight arises. This may or may not be true in some cases.
There is worldly and spiritual wisdom. It's not necessary to separate beings on the basis of this as Buddhists or laypeople for we all have Buddha-nature.

If we recognize the transcendent awareness of the mind, we realize the causes of suffering and happiness. For example, hatred is a negative emotion, it may even murder others. It's the negative emotions that poison the mind. What could cause someone to wish for suicide? A person whose mind is overcome with hatred.
Our birth is very precious. It's a gift that we are born into the human world.

With regard to this transcendent awareness, if we look at a glass of water and think of it as "my glass" then it is self-grasping. Within transcendent awareness we are able to see all buddhas. It is possible to cultivate this.

A beginner may have some experience of emptiness. It is through cultivating loving kindness that we give rise to empty awareness, it becomes stable. For transcendent awareness we need loving kindness. For a person who has accumulated loving kindness in past lives, he will immediately experience it naturally and recognize it in his current life. Such a person has transcendent awareness.

We can look at many countries in the world that have independence. Yet if we look at the people in these countries, their minds are not independent. If people do not recognize the causes of suffering and happiness, their minds are dependent. So we should maintain a continuity of mindful awareness. It needs to be cultivated without interruption.

If transcendent awareness becomes clear, the nature of cause and effect also becomes clear. One recognizes the negative emotions that arise in the mind. What we refer to as hell-beings have many seeds of negative emotions in the mind. If others do harm to us, the actual cause is something we have created in the past through our actions. Thus in this way we don't need to have any anger for that person. There will be limitless benefit if we recognize the causes of negative emotions.

In brief, everyone needs loving kindness. Without the kindness of our mothers we couldn't have this present body.
There are worldly educators who instruct us in our culture and society. Then there are spiritual teachers who give about benefit for us for many future lives. We should contemplate the kindness of our teachers and leaders, they have in the past endured many difficulties to establish a good quality of life for us. This way we give rise to a vast loving kindness and we will be happy wherever we go. This will be beneficial for everyone for many lifetimes.

There is not one single sentient being who has not been in one life or another our mother. Love is like a wish-fulfilling jewel."

***
*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.

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

2010-10-26T20:19:00.012+03:00

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

***
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.

There are many religions in the world but it is generally believed that Buddhism is one of the best because we give maximum importance to the mind. Buddha established teachings on karma and effect, and we wish to become free of suffering. We can get rid off suffering and put an end to the causes of suffering. It consists of self-grasping and the emotions that arise from that.

There are countles teachings of the Buddha. A person with devotion can easily put them into practice. If you're able to recognize the causes of suffering then that is good enough to practice. If you look back into your mind you will see that the causes of happiness and suffering are right there. When we are loving and compassionate we can also make others happy. When we're angry we cause others to suffer. So the causes lie in the mind.

When bad emotions arise in our mind - it's because we're not happy and that is due to self-grasping. Grasping to the self is the root of all suffering. Loving kindness and compassion are causes of joy. When we develop kind thoughts about others it brings a lot of hapiness to everyone, it is the power of kindness."

***
Khenpo Tamphel said that when Rinpoche meets other people he treats them like his own family. He has genuine love and compassion for everyone and that is why people feel happy in his presence.

***
"Loving kindness and compassion is the cause of happiness and self-grasping is the cause of suffering. Everything negative that we experience in this life is due to self-grasping. When we understand that we have realized the root wisdom of things. If you're able to understand the root you can practice and have trust in karma.

In reality, what we need is loving kindness. It decreases our self-grasping and the mind becomes naturally expansive. If you have loving kindness you have understood the essence of the dharma (regardless of whether you have a deep intellect or not). It is worth more than wealth. It gives you the joy of liberation and lasts throughout your future lives until you are able to achieve enlightenment.

The Buddha has taught that your mother is the kindness of this world and that any other sentient being could've also been that kind mother in another life. So whoever the person is you should generate loving kindness for that person and in your mind you should recognize this as the cause of happiness. Make an effort to increase that and if you contemplate that further then all beings seem kind to you.

At that stage, self-grasping diminishes naturally. When you develop loving kindness for others then in reality you are the one who benefits from it. Your mother has given birth to you but without wisdom and knowledge you're like an animal. After the mother, the second kindest person is our teacher. With the teacher we become educated. The teacher is the person from whom we receive the precious dharma teachings. The more faith and devotion one has in the teacher the more we can receive great attainment. Therefore a spiritual teacher is more precious than our own body because our body is very limited.

We meet our spiritual teacher according to our karma. It is difficult to find a teacher who is absolutely perfect. It's important to focus on the good parts of the teacher. So whatever teachings lama Sangyas gives it comes from the Buddha. Lama Sangyas is a good teacher so you should listen to his teachings carefully.

We need to have loving kindness towards our mother, teacher and thirdly for our country/homeland. You (and the government) should make sure your citizens live in harmony.

So when we have developed loving kindness we have achieved the priceless. If you develop it in your mindstream you are the richest person. Money and wealth are not reliable because it can collapse at any moment.

Loving kindness is the essence of the dharma. If you have developed it in your heart it gives you a lot of happiness. This is how I survived in prison. Loving kindness is the most precious thing.

There are 4 schools of thought in Buddhism, like 4 different boxes with labels but on the inside you'll find that they all have the same message which is bodhicitta (the essence of dharma). Read the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva.

One should emphasize the deities mentioned in sutras and tantras. However, the most important thing, the key factor, is to develop compassion and loving kindness. If you have developed this you've become like a bird with wings - you're free.

The Sangha is very precious. Therefore you should come here as much as you can and help the Sangha with your prayers in every way. It'll serve as a place for people to learn about the dharma. It's spiritually beneficial and productive to support the Sangha. Rather than going somewhere far away you should first practice in your own country. Practicing here will accumulate a great deal of merit.

It's important to feel the meaning of the words during the practice, and most importantly, do it with loving kindness. If you do it in a group it's best to do it in the Tibetan language. But individually you can do it in your own language."

After his speech we recited OM MANI PADME HUNG and everyone in the Sangha got blessed by H.E. Garchen Rinpoche. We stood in a line with white scarves and each person got a special moment with Rinpoche.
When it was my turn he held my hands in his own and looked intensely into my eyes as if to say something. And I thought to myself, "I am in the presence of a Buddha. I am so thankful."

***
*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.

Phowa

2010-10-26T18:40:00.007+03:00

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

***
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.

When you visualize you need to have a pure Buddha-mind. You can, for example, visualize your guru. Don't become affected, distracted or disturbed by your surroundings, you must meditate regardless of anything."

***
*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)

2010-10-20T13:41:00.006+03:00

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

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

***
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.

We will pray for the universe and for all sentient beings. Visualize the HRI syllable and its light upon your heart."

***
*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.

White Tara Practice

2010-10-19T22:54:00.008+03:00

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

***
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."

***
The short version of the White Tara mantra:

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE MAMA
AYUR JNANA PUNYE PUSHTIM KURU SVAHA

***
MAMA means 'mine' and indicates that you'd like to possess these qualities of long life, merit, wisdom, happiness, etc. You can of course choose to wish these qualities for someone else — perhaps for a teacher or for a loved one who is ill.

AYUR is long life (as in Ayurvedic medicine).

PUNYE means the merit that comes from living life ethically, and this merit is said to help one to live long and happily.

JNANA is wisdom.

Punye and Jnana are known as the Two Accumulations. In order to become enlightened we need to accumulate merit (that is, to develop positive qualities through living ethically and meditating) but we also need to develop wisdom through deep reflection. Wisdom cannot arise without a basis of merit, but merit alone is not enough for us to become enlightened, meaning that becoming a nicer person isn’t enough — we have also to look deeply into ourselves and the world around us and to see the impermanent and insubstantial nature of all things.

PUSHTIM means wealth, abundance, or increase.

KURU is a mythical land to the north of the Himalayas, which was said to be a land of long life and happiness. It's also a verb form meaning "do it!" or "make it so!" The "make it so!" refers back to an increase in wisdom, merit, and long life (for the practitioner). We're imploring White Tara for these things so that we can gain enlightenment and help all sentient beings.

SVAHA is an exclamation meaning 'hail' or 'may blessings be upon' and is a common ending to Buddhist mantras. So after making the rather bold request of White Tara above, we end with an equally emphatic salutation.

***
*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.

Green Tara Practice

2010-10-19T22:48:00.007+03:00

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

***
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."

***
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA
***
*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)

2010-10-19T22:35:00.008+03:00

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

***
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.

Through this practice you can benefit all beings. You mustn't choose whom to do this for, you must do it for everyone.

In Ladakh and Tibet, people chant OM MANI PADME HUNG the minute they wake up in the morning and when they go to sleep."

***
Then Drupon Sangyas showed us his prayer wheel.

***
"Inside the prayer wheel is a small scroll with this mantra (endlessly repeated). So when you move it, the mantra is recited a thousand times and it spreads everywhere.

If you have bad eyesight you should recite this mantra and visualize Avalokiteshvara, and imagine that he is giving you a new eye that can see everything. My father did this and it helped him.

If we have no love and compassion we have lost our way. To increase this we need to practice and meditate. It is good for your own self and for others. The good karma will carry on to your next lives."

***
*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.

An Introductory Lecture to Buddhism (Meditation Practice)

2010-10-19T22:12:00.006+03:00

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

***
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.

Don't say harsh/bad words to other people, don't argue and try not to become upset because it destroys your mind and body. You need to meditate and not respond to people who try to harm you with their speech. Just imagine that their speech is music and remain calm, do not become angry. We must exercise self-control.

The mind constantly travels everywhere. It is uncontrolled. We need to switch from daily activities to peaceful meditation for at least a few minutes.

When monks study texts they are not allowed to listen to music or do any other activity at the same time (multi-tasking). They need to have full concentration, it is very important. The best method is to just listen and focus, and not allow yourself to become distract by anything.

So just relax your mind and don't expect any miracles when you meditate. Recite or visualize the syllable OM so that the mind won't run anywhere. Buddhists visualize OM in the heart or as a rainbow-coloured syllable on the forehead.

To become enlightened you need to have a pure mind. A bodhisattva (an enlightened being) is not affected by someone's harsh speech. A bodhisattva does not suffer due to such things.

Read the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva if you wish to know how to become a bodhisattva. You don't need to leave your homeland and travel to different countries to learn meditation. You can do it on your own."

***
*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.

Medicine Buddha

2010-10-19T21:47:00.006+03:00

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

***
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."

***
The short version of the Medicine Buddha mantra:

TAYATHA
OM BHEKHAZE BHEKHAZE
MAHA BHEKHAZE
RADZA SAMUNGATE SVAHA

***

The mantra means:
"May the many sentient beings
who are sick,
quickly be freed from sickness.
And may all the sicknesses of beings
never arise again."

***
*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.

Vajrasattva Meditation Practice (For Purification of Karma)

2010-10-19T21:30:00.005+03:00

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

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

***
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.

You must wish for it and have motivation to become pure through meditation. Milarepa also did this. Vajrasattva is a high and secret tantra practice. The mantra is very long but the short version is simply OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. Chant this, confess and visualize the Vajrasattva to purify yourself if you've made a mistake."

***
*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.

An Introductory Lecture to Buddhism Part 2 (Avalokiteshvara)

2010-10-19T21:15:00.006+03:00

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

***
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.

There is a total number of six realms. Humans are in a better condition than the sentient beings in other realms. If you don't share your food and you are greedy you become a hungry ghost. If you kill other sentient beings you become a hell-being. So we must help other beings, not only ourselves. We must confess our sins and make good deeds."

***
OM MANI PADME HUNG

***
*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.

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

2010-10-19T17:17:00.021+03:00

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

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

***
"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 channels of the body become blocked when we have negative emotions. Buddha said that we have a lot of mental sicknesses (jealousy, hatred etc). Buddha tried to become free from that by meditating for a very long time. He tried to explain this to people at that time but not everyone understood. Most people expected miracles from him.

Later on he decided to teach everyone, not just monks or the royal family because he came to the conclusion that everyone has the potential to be compassionate and kind. He opened his heart and so should we. If we open our hearts we can practice compassion.

Buddha's family was the richest in the country yet he said that we cannot help people just by sharing our material wealth, we need to share our kindness and compassion with them."

***
MEDITATION PRACTICE
Drupon Sangyas showed us how to meditate and told us that there are around seven different kinds of meditation poses. The most well-known one is the lotus position. However, as Drupon Sangyas mentioned that day, you are not required to sit in a full lotus position, you can also meditate in a half-lotus position - either way is fine.

1. The spine should be as straight as an arrow.
2. The eyes can be closed or half-opened.
3. If you decide to have your eyes open then you should look down your nose.
4. Close the mouth softly (the teeth should not be clenched together).
5. The tongue should touch the top of the throat behind the upper teeth.
6. The left hand should be under the right hand and the thumbs should be pressed together (resembling a half moon; see the picture above of the position of the hands).

***
"When we have negative thoughts while breathing in the air becomes dirty and it goes straight to your channels. So you need to close your fingers (to remove ignorance).

In the next meditative pose you keep your thumbs under your fingers and the index fingers point down to open the channels of the body (see the picture below)."

"You shouldn't have any thoughts. The mind should be absolutely pure."

***
1. Then you make a circular motion with your right arm and the left hand goes under the elbow of your right arm.
2. Close the left nostril of your nose with the index finger of your right hand. It connects you to the central channel.
3. Inhale pure air (visualize this) through the right (open nostril) and when you exhale then you must imagine that you are breathing out all the dirtyness. This is called purifying.
4. Repeat this three times on both sides of the nose.

***

"This was taught by the great master Naropa in the 12th century," said Drupon Sangyas, "it is a great technique. We don't need to be Buddhists to do this. Everyone can meditate. It is very good for the health. Everyone in India meditate, even the prisoners (Vipassana meditation)."

***
He told us a story about one of the biggest businessmen in India. He had been suffering from a very bad sickness and he sought for help from Western doctors but nothing worked. So finally, he decided to try Buddhist meditation and through a lot of effort he became healthy again.

***
"So if you have a sickness then you must visualize that this pure air goes to the sick bodypart during meditation.

You don't need any items, clothes etc to look like a Buddhist. The most important thing is to be kind and compassionate towards other sentient beings, and practice meditation. Meditation is very powerful. Not even your enemies can cause mental suffering for you if you meditate daily.

At the age of 14-16 I didn't know how to meditate properly. When I was in the monastery there were a lot of little monks who kept talking during meditation practice, and some elder monks were snoring. But the teachers were undisturbed and completely focused. I myself used to fall asleep sometimes. I thought this was a bad thing but when I asked my teacher he replied that it was a good sign.

I also asked my teacher how I can reach such a pure state of mind and he explained to me that it is like a glass of water with dirty sand or mud. If you want to see the pure water you must not shake it. If you just let the sand settle slowly to the bottom of the glass then you are able to see the pure water."

***
*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.

The Empowerment of Vajrasattva

2010-10-19T14:51:00.010+03:00

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

***
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.

***
"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).

Anger, jealousy and ego give rise to negative karma. For example, when you gossip you hurt other people. If the person you are gossipping about finds out then they will suffer and you will receive bad karma in return. In that way you can never become free of Samsara.

Buddha founded these teachings through his wisdom. He received them from the past buddhas when he became enlightened.
We can achieve enlightenment through meditation. There are all kinds of different buddhas for many different purposes. Green Tara is for good luck. If you wish to have a good and powerful speech you must pray to Mahakala. But never expect any miracles during practice. Just have a very pure mind.

Milarepa used the kapala to remind himself of the impermanence of life. In our monasteries we have paintings on the walls of skeletons to remind ourselves of this.

My job is to show you the dharma, it's my responsibility. We are here at the center for the dharma. And the dharma text is the path through which I can help liberate other sentient beings and guide them towards enlightenment.

Now we will begin with the blessing empowerment. During this ritual you should relax and try not to have any thoughts."

***
The following is the description that I wrote down of the whole ritual:

OM (white light; the body)
AH (red light; the mind)
HUNG (blue light; the heart & speech)
*These 3 lights go to your body."

1. Recite the Vajrasattva.
2. Meditate.
3. Recite the mantra again.
4. The light of Vajrasattva appears in the sacred vase from the pictures and statues of the Buddha Vajrasattva and the lineage masters.
5. Visualize that this light goes to your head and then down to the rest of your body.
6. Speech transmission (from the mala's light; it goes to your head, your ear, your neck etc and finally to your heart).
7. Recite OM VAJRASATTVA HUNG.
8. Purify your heart and speech. You need powerful light from the vajra (Lama Sangyas held a diamond-shaped Buddhist ritual object up in the air for all to see). So visualize the light from the five corners of the vajra.
9. Repeat the samaya after the teacher (a set of vows or precepts given to initiates of an esoteric Vajrayana Buddhist order as part of the empowerment or initiation ceremony that creates a bond between the guru and disciple).
10. Receive the dharma pills/drops (the sacred water from the vase).

***
Then we all lined up to receive the blessing empowerment of Vajrasattva. When it was my turn, I kneeled and he blessed me by touching the top of my head with the vase and giving me a few drops of the sacred water into my palm. I sipped the water from my hand and rubbed it over my head and hair.
After that we recited the Vajrasattva mantra. It was important not to miss any words of the mantra.

***

HOW TO DO A RICE MANDALA OFFERING
*Individual Tibetan Buddhist practitioners make a symbolic mandala offering of rice or other grain as part of the preliminary Vajrayana practices or Ngöndro. A round 3-tiered metal plate [triya] is used for this purpose.

***
Drupon Sangyas told us that this was something he did every morning. He used about 8 kilos of rice.

***
"Doing this will purify your body, mind and speech," he said.

***
You need:
1. About 3 jars of white rice
2. Small container (a vase) of saffron water
3. A clean metal mandala plate (triya)
4. Optional jewels placed inside
5. A cloth or a long and large apron
6. Small plate or container for old rice

***

THE PROCEDURE
1. Wash hands before you begin your session.
2. Pick up the mandala in the left hand. Scoop up a handful of rice in the right
hand and make a fist. Using the pulse point of the right wrist, clean the mandala plate (going clockwise) as you recite the Vajrasattva.
3. At sarwa siddhi change direction and wipe counter-clockwise. At the end of the mantra, put the rice down on the cloth.
4. Dip the ring finger of the right hand in saffron water. Sprinkle a little water onto the mandala plate and then press the fingertip in a wide circle clockwise. This represents the moisture of bodhicitta. As soon as it touches the plate, the mandala becomes a wide and spacious golden ground with plains and ocean.
5. Drop rice along the mandala rim going counter-clockwise to represent the ring of iron mountains.
6. Place a pile of rice in the center of the mandala plate for Mount Meru. Add the 3rd ring.
7. Place a pile of rice at each direction, starting from your left side in front of you and recite the Vajrasattva as you do this.
8. Repeat the same with the 4th ring.
9. As you say this mantra, slightly rotate the mandala clockwise once horizontally as an offering mudra.
10. Then place the mandala plate down on the cloth, letting the rice spill off.
11. Pick up any rice spilled beyond your cloth and offer outside.
12. Take your mala in your left hand and count. Put your palms together like when you are praying and then bow down (prostrations).
13. Gather all that rice and put it around the vase. Recite the mantra again (repeat it for as long as you can - this will guarantee purity of your body and mind).
14. After you have begun your mandala practice, you will need to replenish or freshen the rice each day. Spread the cloth with the rice on your lap.
Remove a handful of rice, pick out any jewels, and place this old rice in the small plate or container for disposal outside in a clean place (a river is ideal). Add in a handful of fresh, new rice from the reserve jar to replenish the mandala rice.

***
Drupon Sangyas said, "In the ancient times they did this offering with stone plates. Their hands were bleeding after a while.
When you do this you must be aware of the fact that you are holding the universe in your hands so it is very important to have a pure mind."

***
*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.

Green Tara Practice

2010-10-18T23:16:00.006+03:00

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

***
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.

Unlike animals, we have more chances to become enlightened because we are able to tell the difference between what is good and what is bad.

Happiness is temporary and we are not yet free of suffering. If you want to become a buddhist your mind needs to have order: less anger, jealousy etc. You must be humble and not develop your ego and your pride, and you should solve whatever problems you have immediately instead of letting it get worse. Buddhists live in the present moment.

Confession is the most important Buddhist virtue. If we don't have loving kindness we will never be free from Samsara. Thoughts can be very powerful. For example, if you want to go to India you must think of it and wish for it a lot, and pray to Tara.

Milarepa reached enlightenment due to a hard life and lots of practice. But here in the West we are too comfortable. We have everything yet we are still unhappy. To create good karma we must have good thoughts. We should have compassion for everyone."

***
I asked Drupon Sangyas what is the best mantra for eliminating emotional pain and he replied, "The Green Tara".

***
*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.

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

2010-10-18T22:15:00.006+03:00

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

***
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.

***

And the following is the story of Achi (taken from Wikipedia):

PROPHECY
According to prophecy in the Chakrasamvara tantra it is said, "The head of the Karma Dakinis will come to the area of Tidro cave in Drikung. This will be a nirmanakaya manifestation of Vajrayogini.

BIRTH
Around the eleventh century in Shoto, in the area of Drikung (central Tibet), there lived a family who could not conceive a child. In order to bear a child they made a pilgrimage to Swayambhu in Nepal. They prayed fervently for a child and one night the woman, Driza Dharzam, had a dream that a brightly shining sun appeared in the east and radiated light in the ten directions and the sun then dissolved into her womb and radiated light which filled the whole universe, especially illuminating the country of her birth. In the same night, her husband Nanam Chowopal had a dream that a rosary of clear white light emanated from the eastern Buddha field and entered the womb of his wife. In the morning they discussed their dreams and he said, 'a special son will be born to us and we should take much care until this child is born.' They performed a tsog offering; made strong prayers for the fulfillment of their wishes and then returned to their native land in Drikung.

The time came for the birth and an extraordinary daughter was born in the place called Kyetrag Thang. There were numerous auspicious signs and her body was of purest white and radiating rays of light. As a small child she was always reciting the mantra of Tara and at the age of three she was teaching the mantra to others (OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA). She grew quickly and was incredibly beautiful. Her parents died when she was quite young and she then stayed with her uncle.

YOUNG ADULTHOOD
In her childhood, she had no samsaric desires. And in her adulthood, her family tried to push her into marrying someone. Many wanted to marry her but she refused all stating, 'I will go to Kham (eastern Tibet) and there lives a great yogi who is descended from the noble clan of the Kyura race. This yogi I will marry and our sons and daughters and future generations will be extraordinary persons who will benefit all sentient beings by spreading the essence of the Buddha's teachings.' Then accompanying a merchant, she traveled to Kham. She said she'd find her real husband.

They arrived at a place called Dentod Tsonrur and she said to her companion, 'This is the place I have to stay.' She departed and went to meet the great saint Ame Tsultrim Gyatso to whom she said, 'Although I have no attachment to the worldly life, if we join together our descendants will bear many enlightened beings who will do great benefit for the teachings of the Buddha.' The man was older than her and people were shocked.

On their marriage day, Ame Tsultrim Gyatso did not have any possessions to arrange for the ceremony. Drolma said, 'Do not worry, I will take care of it.' So saying she miraculously pulled a damaru from her right pocket and a kapala from her left. Then beating the damaru and holding the kapala in her hand she made a mystic dance while gazing into the sky. Immediately the house was filled with the finest food and drink and the richest garments with which to clothe themselves - thus giving great satisfaction and pleasure to all the guests.

They lived together and in time she gave birth to four sons: Namkhe Wangchuk, Pekar Wangyal, Sonam Pal and Kathung Trushi. These sons were exceptionally intelligent and became scholars on both the temporal and spiritual levels.

Of her four sons, Pekar Wangyal fathered four sons. They were Khenpo Dharma, Konchog Rinchen, Tsunpo Bar and Naljor Dorje - of these four, Naljor Dorje became the father of the great Ratnashri Jigten Sumgon, the great Drikungpa, who was the reincarnation of Nagarjuna.

DEATH
At a later time Drolma said, 'I have knowingly taken birth into samsara in order to fulfill my aspirations to protect the teachings of the Buddha and for the welfare of all sentient beings. Because of this, I will grant the ordinary and supreme siddhis to my followers. She led her followers to a huge cave called Tingring. The cave was very sacred, containing many precious termas and many self-created statues of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Yidams, Dakinis, and Dharma Protectors on the rocks inside the cave. A human corpse was brought and she transformed that corpse into a great tsog offering. Those who could partake of that tsog were granted the ordinary and supreme siddhis. Then she composed a text containing a sadhana of herself and promised to look after the teachings of the Buddha in general and to protect the essence of the Buddha's teaching that will appear in the future.

With that she said, 'My activities through this body have come to an end,' and she flew up to the Buddha Field on her blue horse without leaving her body.

***
Drupon Sangyas said, "If you have a picture of Achi you can pray to her for success and chant her mantra. All lamas of every lineage pray to Achi and do the practice."

***
*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.

Medicine Buddha Practice

2010-10-18T21:43:00.006+03:00

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

***
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.

This mantra can be recited aloud or in silence. Visualize the Medicine Buddha's light going to your heart. It can be bluish or rainbow-coloured.

Devotion, faith and trust bring miracles. So we need to have a pure mind during practice. When you have doubts you can confess by purifying yourself through a mantra.

Tibetans recite mantras even after drinking butter tea because this comes from the animals. If a high yogi drinks alcohol he'll offer it to the rest of the village.

Alcohol destroys our Buddha-nature. It's the most unvirtuous thing because it brings confusion. It can make you vicious, it's like the devil's poison because it gives rise to many desires. Alcoholics are not able to tell the good from the bad and vice versa. Alcohol also damages the practice of dharma."

***
Then Drupon Sangyas told us an interesting short story. He said that at one time during his retreat he met a group of hippies who used drugs. These hippies thought that they were liberating themselves through these drugs and that the experience of "getting high" was a state of reaching true happiness. They believed that this was the path towards enlightenment and maintaining a good feeling.

Drupon Sangyas pointed out that they both (the yogis and the hippies) seemed to have the same goal yet their methods reaching that goal were vastly different. Tibetan yogis are able to reach a sense of true joy and enlightenment without the use of drugs - instead of consuming something that could be harmful they have profound techniques of meditation (such as the Six Yogas of Naropa).

***
"These hippies did not realize that they were destroying their own Buddha-nature by using drugs," said Drupon Sangyas.

***
*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)

2010-10-18T21:08:00.005+03:00

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

***
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.

***
"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.

We must help ourselves and we should pray, purify our karma and our sins. Yogis became enlightened because of the dharma. So we should practice every week at least once or twice. We are all looking for happiness but we don't realize what true happiness is.

Day by day we get closer to our own death. We are not approaching youth, we are moving away from it and have been since birth. Life is impermanent. You need to understand there is nothing, everything is empty.

Then you ask yourself, "Do I exist?"
Where is Nirvana? Where is Samsara? Where is consciousness?
Where is my mind? Is it in the brain or the heart? Where does it live? Who was the 'designer' of the mind?

Great yogis are able to know what other people are thinking.

Basic meditation consists of purifying everything, developing loving kindness and compassion. The dharma teaches us how to live peacefully.
The Dalai Lama once said that you become different during practice and you stop having samsaric thoughts.

We need to get back here to the present. If we lose control we are in Samsara again."

***
*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)

2010-10-15T17:25:00.006+03:00

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

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

***
"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.

1. Visualize yourself as Chenrezig, meditate and pray to Milarepa. We should do everything mindfully - not just here at the center but also everywhere else. We all have Buddha-nature and therefore we have the right to think of ourselves as Chenrezig. When we do so we feel more love and compassion for other sentient beings."

***
So we all meditated and tried to visualize ourselves as Chenrezig.

***
Khenpo Tamphel then continued:

"The mind is like a monkey, it doesn't stay in one place. But reciting this mantra will help us focus and not become distracted.

HRIH - visualize a light spinning in your heart, spreading everywhere. Then this light is received by other sentient beings in the universe.

2. You can even use a small object and just observe it in front of you. Don't study it. Just be conscious of it.
You can reach a state of deeper wisdom by realizing the fact that your mind is always with you.

3. Before Guru Yoga we should pray to Milarepa.

Focus on your breath. There shouldn't be an aim to achieve something during meditation. Let go of any such thoughts. Ambition is only an obstacle in meditation. It keeps coming in the way if you hope to achieve something. So do not hope for anything and don't have any fears of not achieving anything either. Just focus on your breath.

The more you try to concentrate the more you think and your mind beings to wander everywhere. The mind is then like a monkey. But if you know how to just observe your own thoughts you are doing well. The Buddha also used that method.

It's beneficial to have a balanced mind in meditation. You should also practice this at home. In this way the mind will become naturally gentle and calm.

It isn't good to meditate for too long the first time. You should start slowly and take this step by step. If you become tired then just take a pause. You do not need to accomplish anything, such kind of thinking is an obstacle.

It's easy to become distracted so you should practice often. You can meditate anywhere, even while walking. A lot of joy can come from just walking mindfully. The same goes for eating or any other activity. Let us not act like robots. We should be mindful of everything.

Don't become discouraged by distractions. With effort you become better and after some time you will feel some power within you. Stay continuously in the present and don't dwell on the past or think too much of the future. When your mind is as clear as the sky you can attain enlightenment without selflessness."

***
*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.

Medicine Buddha Meditation

2010-10-15T17:02:00.009+03:00

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

***
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.

You can even do a one-day Medicine Buddha retreat at your countryside. Drink water, eat vegetables but don't have any meat. Meditation helps us to have a better understanding and to improve our memory."

***
That was on the day before he went on his summer vacation. We were all a bit sad that he was leaving but he replied, "You should be happy for me. I am going on holiday." :)

***
*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.

Vajrasattva Meditation Practice (For Purification of Karma)

2010-10-15T15:26:00.008+03:00

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

***
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.

The opposite of compassion is anger. Anger is poison. It is dangerous for ourselves and others because anger kill.
If you have strong desires and strong attachments you become angry when problems and obstacles arise. We need to replace anger and desire with love and compassion. When we meditate well, our love and compassion opens up and brings us wisdom.

Buddha became more and more compassionate by practicing meditation. He was not interested in power or fame.

Don't say meaningless things and don't gossip. Develop the mind to have a meaningful life."

***
*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)

2010-10-14T16:24:00.009+03:00

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.

Your faith should be good and without hesitation. Buddha is compassionate, he is inside our minds. 5 poisons: desire, anger, ego, pride and jealousy. When we meditate these 5 negative emotions can become the opposite. During meditation we should try to calm down and cast away these negative thoughts and emotions. If you do it the right way, you will succeed.

During this practice visualize yourself as Avalokiteshvara. All sentient beings need love and compassion. We must wish that for them."

***
*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.

Medicine Buddha

2010-10-14T00:48:00.009+03:00

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."

***
Khenpo Tamphel:

"We get sick because we are ignorant. So we need to practice to become healthy.

Happiness is the state of liberation. We need to understand the meaning behind liberation. It is not a place. Liberation comes from our own habits and control of our negative thoughts.

We act out of anger and think with anger - we are not liberated, it's like our enemies control us. We are under the control of desire. When we are jealous, we only speak negatively and that leads to suffering. If we are slaves to our own negative emotions, we are not liberated.

How do we liberate ourselves from this? Through meditation, mindfulness and awareness. Love becomes natural through this. But it's difficult to be compassionate when you have negative emotions.

When we meditate we are plagued by various thoughts. When you are thinking, you are not meditating, even if on the outside you appear to be meditating. Focus on your breath. Witness each breath but don't keep any record. Do not become distracted. Do not expect any results either. Through meditation you'll discover that love and compassion is already there.

A thought is like a person that comes to you. So you just look at it, observe and then it dissolves. You are like a mountain and thoughts are like clouds. You can watch it but it cannot rule you anymore. The thought loses its power. That is the idea of liberation.

Anger comes in but we are not controlled by it. We need to get rid of our negative emotions. In every activity you must maintain mindfulness. You have to watch your mind. If you speak right words you will have good results. If you go into the world with negative thoughts you're harming others.
But we need to benefit others by being loving, kind and compassionate. If you are kind to people they will be happy.

We must develop good thoughts because these thoughts have great power that we do not see but they have influence. To benefit others - be peaceful and kind. This is the meaning of Buddha-nature.
We don't have to give material things, all that matters is giving love and compassion. When you meditate, negative thoughts disappear and compassion comes out to the surface.

We mustn't support our desires, it would be selfish. Other people make profit by our cravings. People take advantage but not intentionally - it is just the nature of an unenlightened mind. Attachment - aversion - ignorance.
If you want to know what true nature is - meditate every day, not just once a month. We need to follow a discipline. You need to become your own master and rule your own self, otherwise you will only spoil yourself.

Nirvana demands a certain sacrifice - the release from Samsara. But releasing oneself from Samsara is difficult. So try to lean to Nirvana's side at least 4 times a day and try to avoid being caught up in going back and forth between Samsara and Nirvana.
Going out of samsaric life can be frightening because we like security and safety.

MAN (mind) and TRA (protect). So the meaning of the word MANTRA is "to protect the mind from distraction".
During meditation you must think of everyone is like Chenrezig because everyone has Buddha-nature.
When everyone chant together it creates power."

***
Khenpo Tamphel closed his eyes and demonstrated meditation for us. He chanted OM MANI PADME HUM repeatedly and said, "When you say this mantra imagine it spinning inside you, spreading rays of light everywhere. The mind is confined to the circle and doesn't go beyond that. The mind becomes free of thoughts if you do it that way.
The mind is too used to thinking things. It tries to do something because not being occupied by activities leads you to not knowing what to do. The mind should always be in the present moment.
The true power lies in the mind, not in the mantra itself. The mantra is only for help."

***
*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)

2010-10-13T23:57:00.007+03:00

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.

High lamas also do the Avalokiteshvara practice every day. This mantra can be chanted anywhere. When you recite OM MANI PADME HUM/HUNG you can receieve blessings from Avalokiteshvara. And if you have difficulty sleeping (for example when meaningless thoughts come to your mind), just close your eyes and chant this mantra. When you do this you need to have a pure and genuine mind. You need to think, "I want to share this with all sentient beings" and then, through this, you can purify your own karma when these beings become free from suffering."

*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.

Phowa

2010-09-18T18:05:00.011+03:00

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.

***
Drupon Sangyas:

"If you want to become free of Samsara, you must not desire things. Desires are like fire and anger is like a poisonous snake - dangerous and ready to bite. We need to remove these things.

The studying of dharma is endless because there are so many teachings. Now we have technology and we can use computers to learn. One of the best ways to study is to listen and then think and contemplate on the message.

It's important to have a kind heart. People choose who they like based on various things. That's ignorance. We shouldn't choose.

What is the mind and where is it? Lots of activities take place in our dreams, just like when we are awake. A dream is also a reality, not an illusion.
When people pass away their consciousness awakens and they go through the bardo, the stage between life and death. They stay on earth for 49 days."

***
*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.

***
We all received small books that contained the instructions for Phowa practice.

The odd thing is that I had dreams about deceased people and death after my first time doing Phowa.

Vajrasattva Meditation Practice

2010-06-09T19:32:00.009+03:00

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."

***
*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.

Green Tara

2010-06-09T15:57:00.014+03:00

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.

Another example of suffering in the Samsara is when a poor person dreams of becoming rich. One day, his wish becomes true. But then, should he lose all of his money later by some misfortune, he will suffer again. This is like living in a dream that is not real. This is what we call an illusion - the desire, the wish to own better material things. In order to reach enlightenment, one must realize this.

Buddha (Siddharta) was born in a wealthy family. He was a prince and he had all the fortune he could ever wish for. But when he left his palace and discovered that poverty, disease, death, pain and hunger (suffering) exists in the world, he realized that his good life was just an illusion. So he abandoned the life of luxury and chose to meditate in the forest. He shaved his head and wore the clothes of a poor person. After six years, he had almost reached enlightenment.

Demons mask themselves with beautiful appearances. Likewise, people only find certain appearances attractive and pleasant, like a handsome looking man, groomed and polite, or a beautiful woman in a nice dress. But if you dress like a homeless person and look "ugly", people try to avoid you."

***
"The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances." - Atisha

***
One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the messiah?"
"No", answered Buddha.
"Then are you a healer?"
"No", Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No, I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student, exasperated.
"I am awake", Buddha replied.

***
Drupon Sangyas continued:

"It is important to have positive thoughts and not thoughts of jealousy, anger, greed etc.
Ignorance - illusion - intolerance - suffering. To stop this cycle, one needs to find Dharma (a good message or teaching). The path to happiness is to first understand what is an illusion and where it comes from. Buddha gives thousands of messages. If you have a pure and genuine mind, your thoughts are free from suffering. We have the free will to make choices and that is why we must choose wisely. To have harmful thoughts is a bad choice and a hindrance if you want to become happy. So be careful, mindful and conscious of your own thoughts because thoughts carry great influence and power.

The Green Tara is the feminine embodiment of compassion and kindness for all beings. She was the first enlightened female bodhisattva.

People need compassion. And we need to help those in pain. If we don't - we have no compassion. We must develop our compassion."

***
*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.

***
After his speech, everybody did the Green Tara practice with their eyes closed, followed up with the Estonian translation as usual.
I meditated and tried to concentrate. The more I said this mantra, the more I felt spiritually elevated. It felt powerful, and I don't think I had ever felt anything more powerful than this before. My stomach got a warm sensation that slowly spread around and in an upwards direction. It turned from simple warmth to heat inside my chest. All of the sudden, I wasn't hungry or cold anymore. That was the strangest thing ever.

***

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA
TARE means liberating from Samsara. This Samsara means these aggregates: the aggregate of form, or the physical body; of feeling; of recognition; of karmic formations; and of consciousness.

TARE shows that Mother Tara liberates living beings from Samsara, from true suffering, or problems. You can relate this to the particular sufferings of human beings: birth, old age, sickness and death; meeting undesirable objects and experiencing aversion; not finding desirable objects or finding them but gaining no satisfaction. No matter how much pleasure you enjoy, there is no satisfaction. No matter how much you follow desire, there is no satisfaction at all.

TUTTARE liberates you from the eight fears. There are eight fears related to external dangers from fire, water, air, earth, and also from such things as thieves and dangerous animals. However, the main dangers come from ignorance, attachment, anger, pride, jealousy, miserliness, doubt and wrong views. These eight disturbing thoughts that you have in your mind are the main dangers. By taking refuge in Tara and doing Tara practice, you are liberated from these eight internal dangers, these eight disturbing thoughts. In this way, you are also liberated from external dangers, as these external dangers come from the inner disturbing thoughts.

TURE liberates you from disease. Now, of the Four Noble Truths, TURE shows the cessation of suffering, which is the ultimate Dharma. In terms of liberating from disease, the actual disease we have is ignorance not knowing the absolute nature of the I, and all the disturbing thoughts that arise from this ignorance. These are the actual, serious diseases that we have. With cessation of all these diseases of disturbing thoughts, all the true sufferings, all the resultant problems, are also ceased. By liberating us from disease, TURE actually liberates us from the true cause, disturbing thoughts, and also the true sufferings.

The rough meaning of these three words TARE TUTTARE TURE is: "To you, embodiment of all the Buddhas' actions, I prostrate always—whether I am in happy or unhappy circumstances—with my body, speech and mind."

The final word SVAHA means establishing the root of the path within your heart. In other words, by taking refuge in Tara and doing Tara practice, you receive the blessings of Tara in your own heart. This gives you space to establish the root of the path, signified by TARE TUTTARE TURE, in your heart. By establishing the path of the three capable beings within your heart, you purify all impurities of your body, speech and mind, and achieve Tara's pure vajra holy body, holy speech and holy mind, which are signified by OM. Your body, speech and mind are transformed into Tara's holy body, holy speech and holy mind. This is the rough meaning of OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA.

Om is another variation of the romanized spelling for Aum. It is made up of the three syllabus of A, U and Ma, the universal trinity.
Soha, Svaha and Swahah are just variations in Romanized spellings. It also means 'so be it' or 'hail'.

Compassion & Purification Practice (A Short Chenrezig Meditation)

2010-06-07T21:31:00.017+03:00

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.

***
So I wrote down the following:

"Karma means cause and effect. Disbelief in this law will create suffering (when you're ignorant about the impact of the consequences your actions can have). But if you believe in karma and understand the law of cause and effect, it will be easier for you to avoid bad things.

If you do something with good intentions, you will have positive results. When you are kind towards other people, you will receive kindness in return. And likewise, if you are bad towards other people, the negativity will also come back to you.

Compassion is when you help someone in distress. Bad karma is created when you become envious of another's fortune. Patience leads to enlightenment.
You create negative energy by letting anger consume you and make you argue. It's important to stay balanced.

Although the Tibetan people are poor in the material and the financial sense, spiritually they are the richest on Earth.

Everyone has Buddha-nature and the ability to be compassionate. Compassion is the highest virtue.

We need compassion and we need to practice more loving kindness when we suffer mentally. We shouldn't choose and pick people when we give love. And neither should we choose between nations and races. All people need love. Love should be spread universally. One must have love for everybody, not just for your mother, father, sibling, friend or partner, and we should focus on their good traits instead of bad.

Your love should be like the sun - the symbol of universal love in your heart, warm and loving, providing light for everybody on this planet."

***
*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.

***
With that, he finished his speech, and together with the lama everybody did the Compassion & Purification Practice in the Tibetan language. Each verse was followed up with a translation in Estonian, loudly spoken altogether.

***
OM MANI PADME HUM - the mantra of Avalokiteshvara/Chenrezig.

***
I grabbed my fieldwork diary and studied the items on the altar, ready to describe the environment. Drupon Sangyas, as helpful as ever, told me that there are always 5 statues on the altar: Avalokiteshvara, Vadjrasattva, the Medicine Buddha, Green Tara and Buddha Shakyamuni. There was also one Mahakala statue in the room and thangkas of Avalokiteshvara, Padmasambhava, Green Tara, White Tara and Jigten Sumgön hanging on the wall.
The water offerings in vases, the flowers, the incense and candles were for the different buddhas. This tradition has survived for approxmiately 2000-3000 years.

***
*At that time, I didn't understand a lot of it. I had trouble writing all of this down because I wasn't sure how you spell these names and words, so I just had to go back and edit. I have a better understanding of Tibetan Buddhist symbolism now.

First Time At The Sangha

2010-06-07T19:52:00.016+03:00

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.

The minute we walked into the corridor I could smell Tibetan incense coming from one of the doors that had a Drikung Kagyu symbol on it. My mother went ahead of me and I followed with excitement. We went inside.
Then we walked into a spacious candlelit room decorated with Tibetan Buddhist symbols on the walls, an altar with offerings and statues, portraits of lamas, flowers in a vase and more flower pots on the window-sills and so much more. There were people sitting in meditative poses on mats and cushions on the floor behind small desks, almost like in a school. And the lama himself, Drupon Sangyas Rinpoche, sat a little higher than the others, behind something that resembled an altar. It looked some sort of throne. He was wearing these typical kind of maroon-coloured Tibetan Buddhist monk robes. It was a pleasant sight and it made me smile. The red and the yellow colours, and the aura this room radiated, felt very familiar to me. Movies such as Kundun or Seven Years in Tibet instantly came to mind.

A little lost and confused at first on how to behave or what to do, I let my mother show me. She grabbed cushions and mats and chose a spot for us to sit down on the floor. "Make sure that you don't sit with your feet pointing at the lama's direction," she instructed, "it's rude." I nodded and watched her bring us precepts. These precepts had Tibetan writings in them with Estonian translations. They were very long mantras and teachings. It was fascinating to me because I had seen Chinese script, Japanese script, Hindu, Arabic, Cyrillic etc, but I had never seen the Tibetan script before. It looked beautiful, unique and so different.
I don't remember what my first mantra was at the center, but I do remember that I was too shy to chant with the others. So I sat silently and observed, taking it all in at once. I felt a little bit like an outsider or intruder, even though I knew I was as welcome as any other person in there. I guess you could call it being nervous in a new environment.

After it was over and everybody left the room, me and my mother remained. "I want to go and ask him permission to do this fieldwork," I said, "I need to explain why I'm here." Our professors of Anthropology had always advised us to politely ask for permission from the authorities before getting carried away with our fieldworks.
"Are you sure you want to ask him now? Perhaps you should wait and do it the next time," my mother said.
"No-no, I want to do it now. I have already made my decision. I am certain that this is the right choice."

So we approached the lama and I introduced myself to him. I wasn't sure where to begin because I didn't know if he was aware of a social science called "Anthropology". Explaining what it is and what anthropologists do is always a bit frustrating, mainly because I am never sure if I have grasped the true meaning of it all. But nevertheless, I gave it a shot and I hope I did well. I tried to explain it in simple terms. Here is what I essentially said:
"The idea is to create more awareness about this in the academic field. Cultural Anthropologists aim to understand another culture by studying it, doing research and fieldwork on it. So if you don't mind, I'm going to bring my fieldwork diary with me to write down your teachings and describe the environment, the rituals and everything."
I also made sure to let him know that I was not only there for the fieldwork, I also had a personal interest in Tibetan Buddhism, which was true. I had felt a familiarity with Tibetan culture ever since I discovered its existence as a child.
He replied, "Your mind is awakening."

***
I wasn't sure what that implied but it seemed like a good thing.