On the morning of Chokhor Duchen these were some of the butter lamps at Palyul Retreat Center in upstate New York. These inspire me!

Sorry for the long delay in posts, working on some life stuff. Funny how life seems to always get in the way. Anyway a couple weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity of attending teachings by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche in Bozeman Montana. And it was one of the best experiences of my life.

First, I have never been to Montana and really didn’t know what to expect. I did wiki Bozeman and found out the town had less then 40K people. Small town compared to the Denver area but it didn’t seem small at all. In fact Bozeman reminded me of Boulder (minus the Republic). A friend and I flew in together Saturday morning and were greeted by Khonchog Norbu who was kind enough to show us some of the town before the afternoon teachings.

The teaching schedule was great, Saturday afternoon was the Bodhisattva vow as well as teachings on them, followed by refuge vows for the new Sangha members (congrats to them). Sunday was an outer and inner 21 Tara empowerment, and the following teachings were on Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche’s  “Extracting the Essence of Accomplishment” (see Wisdom Nectar) Absolutely wonderful teachings and Khenchen Tsewang is so wonderful to hear teach. Now this would normally be enough for a great weekend retreat but Montana would surprise me even more.

When I first spoke to Konchog about coming for the teachings he recommended that I might want to stay in the retreat apartment at the center as I wouldn’t need to rent a car and all the other hassles that go with visiting places. And this was the first big Montana surprise, the retreat apartment is amazing. Fully furnished kitchen, bathroom, a room with a shrine and views of the mountains which were spectacular (that is a picture from my window). When I saw the apartment I was shocked that it did not have a year long waiting list! Everything you need for a nice week to many months long retreat is right there. It really felt like stepping into a comfortable, familiar home and at $60 per night, complete quiet, and a beautiful view, if heaven is a place then I was there. But wait it gets better, the Montana Sangha has to be one of the nicest groups of people I have ever met. Everything and everyone was calm and relaxed and they made me feel at home. No stress in the Big Sky country.

This was simply one of the best weekends I have had in a very long time. Words here don’t really do justice to describe the experiences that I had.  I really feel like I have made some great new friends in Montana and I would suggest that if you want a great solitary retreat space, that is the place to go.  But if there are teachings and I will be going then I call dibs on the apartment, okay just kidding (maybe). I  want to say thanks to Konchog for the great recommendation, lunch, for showing me the mountains and thanks to Linda, Rebecca, Beth, and everyone else in the Montana sangha. Thanks for a great weekend!

Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche and myself at Namdroling Montana, May 3, 2010. Photo by Konchog Norbu

This sutra was emailed to me from Jim who is a fellow Palyul student. This comes from the Karandavyuha Sutra (Sublime Treasure King Sutra) and is considered a Mahayana Sutra. This is an amazing sutra and I have added an additional section from this sutra at the end which I think is very important. Thanks Jim!

“Virtuous man, even the name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mahasattva is difficult to encounter. Why? Because he donates to all sentient beings like their great parent, gives fearlessness to all the frightened sentient beings, and acts as a great virtuous friend of all sentient beings to enlighten and lead them.”

“Virtuous man, that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mahasattva has a Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani, which is difficult to encounter. If anyone can recite or be mindful of the name of it, he will be reborn in the hair pores of the Bodhisattva instead of sinking into transmigration, and, when he leaves a hair pore, he will then proceed to another hair pore and live within it. He will go on in such a manner, till he attained the stage of the perfect quiescence.”
Eliminate-Obstructions Bodhisattva then asked the Bhagavan: “Bhagavan, where is this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani gained from?”

The Buddha said: “Virtuous man, this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani is difficult to encounter, even the Tathagatas also do not know where it is gained from, how can the Bodhisattvas in Cause-Stage know that?”

Eliminate-Obstructions Bodhisattva said to the Bhagavan: “For such a Dharani, how come the Buddhas, the Tathagatas, Arhats, Samyak-sambuddhas do not know that?”

The Buddha said: “Virtuous man, this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani is the delicate and marvelous essential heart of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mahasattva, if anyone knows this delicate and marvelous essential heart, it is the same as knowing the liberation.”

Eliminate-Obstructions Bodhisattva then asked the Bhagavan: “Bhagavan, are there any sentient beings able to know this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani?”

The Buddha said: “There is no one who can know it. Virtuous man, even innumerable corresponding Tathagatas can hardly know, how can the Bodhisattvas know this delicate and marvelous essential heart of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

Mahasattva? I had been to many worlds of other directions, but no one in those worlds knows this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani. If anyone can constantly accepts and holds this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani, whenever he holds and recites it, 99 Ganges-river-sands Tathagatas gets together, the Bodhisattvas as many as atoms of universe also gets together, 32 gods also gets together, and the four heavenly kings guards in the four directions for him. Innumerable hundreds of thousands of ten thousands of kotis of nayutas of dragon kings, such as Sagara dragon king, No-affliction-of-hot dragon king, Techaga dragon king, Vasuki dragon king, and so on, also comes and guards this person; and the Yaksas inside the earth, the deities in the space, and so on, also guards this person.” ~ Sublime Treasure King Sutra

Additional: “At that time, Lotus-Supremacy Tathagata, Arhat, Samyak-sambuddha said to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva: ‘Virtuous man, please tell me this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-King-Dharani, I request it for the sake of innumerable hundreds of thousands of millions of kotis of nayutas of sentient beings, to make them escape from the sufferings of transmigrations and attain Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi quickly.’ Thereupon, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva told this Six-Words-Great-Enlightening-Dharani to Lotus-Supremacy Tathagata: Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum”
Source click here

This one comes from my Rigpa Sangha friend. Julie. I met Julie in San Francisco during the Rigpa City Retreat in 2001, and she has been a great friend since. Thank you Julie for sharing this…

With your compassion inspire us with your blessings
With your love guide us and others along the path
With your realization grant us siddhis
With your power dispel the obstacles facing us all
Outer obstacles dispel them externally
Inner obstacles dispel them internally
Secret obstacles dispel them into space
In devotion I pay… homage and take refuge in you
Om ah hung vajra guru pema siddhi hung

Here is the best explanation: Barché Lamsel (Wyl. bar chad lam sel) – The outer practice of prayer from Lamé Tukdrup Barché Kunsel (The Heart Practice of the Lama: Averting All Obstacles on the Path), which was revealed by Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa together with Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.

See A Great Treasure of Blessings: A Book of Prayers to Guru Rinpoche.

Retrieved from “http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Barch%C3%A9_Lamsel”

Sogyal Rinpoche asked us to recite the long version a few years ago to help avert obstacles now we include this short version in our concluding practices–mostly in the Ngondro. For me it’s “home” or ground.

I hope everyone will tune into PBS tonight to see the “The Buddha”. A film about his life, narrated by Richard Gere. For more information and the trailer click here.

Muni Sutta: The Sage

Danger is born from intimacy,1 society gives birth to dust.2 Free from intimacy, free from society: such is the vision of the sage. Who, destroying what’s born wouldn’t plant again or nourish what will arise: They call him the wandering, singular sage. He has seen the state of peace. Considering the ground, crushing the seed, he wouldn’t nourish the sap3 — truly a sage — seer of the ending of birth, abandoning conjecture, he cannot be classified. Knowing all dwellings,4 not longing for any one anywhere — truly a sage — with no coveting, without greed, he does not build,5 for he has gone beyond. Overcoming all knowing all, wise. With regard to all things: unsmeared. Abandoning all, in the ending of craving, released: The enlightened call him a sage. Strong in discernment, virtuous in his practices, centered, delighting in jhana, mindful, freed from attachments, no constraints :: no fermentations:6 The enlightened call him a sage. The wandering solitary sage, uncomplacent, unshaken by praise or blame. Unstartled, like a lion at sounds. Unsnared, like the wind in a net. Unsmeared, like a lotus in water. Leader of others, by others unled: The enlightened call him a sage. Like the pillar at a bathing ford,7 when others speak in extremes. He, without passion, his senses well-centered: The enlightened call him a sage. Truly poised, straight as a shuttle,8 he loathes evil actions. Pondering what is on-pitch and off:9 The enlightened call him a sage. Self-restrained, he does no evil. Young and middle-aged, the sage self-controlled, never angered, he angers none: The enlightened call him a sage. From the best the middling the leftovers he receives alms. Sustaining himself on what others give, neither flattering nor speaking disparagement: The enlightened call him a sage. The wandering sage abstaining from sex, in youth bound by no one, abstaining from intoxication10 complacency totally apart: The enlightened call him a sage. Knowing the world, seeing the highest goal, crossing the ocean,11 the flood,12 — Such — 13 his chains broken, unattached without fermentation: The enlightened call him a sage. These two are different, they dwell far apart: the householder supporting a wife and the unselfish one, of good practices. Slaying other beings, the householder is unrestrained. Constantly the sage protects other beings, is controlled. As the crested, blue-necked peacock, when flying, never matches the wild goose in speed: Even so the householder never keeps up with the monk, the sage secluded, doing jhana in the forest.

“Muni Sutta: The Sage” (Snp 1.12), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, June 7, 2009, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.12.than.html.

The recent article in the Winnipeg Free Press, It’s Wrong to Cheapen Great Eastern Religions, talking about using eastern religious iconography for monetary gains got under my skin. Some things should not be used to make a dollar. First, they give a great shout out to Dharma Burgers, then they give the example of Victoria Secret using the Buddha image but their main example was the opening of the Buddha Bar. A bar and the Buddha? So I did what any one would do and decided to see if I had a Buddha type bar in my city; Denver, CO. And we do. Its called the Funky Buddha Lounge, their logo is a smiling Buddha with his thumbs up and they sell alcohol and other things. But one image, for a costume ball, was just too much. It is their smiling Buddha disguised as what appears to be the devil. Wow! The Buddha as the devil? Really? Would anyone think that the Buddha would dress up as what is regarded by many people in the world as the ultimate evil of the universe? Too much for MF1B. What is your take on it?

Grant your blessing so that my mind may turn towards the Dharma.
Grant your blessing so that Dharma may progress along the path.
Grant your blessing so that the path may clarify confusion.
Grant your blessing so that confusion may dawn as wisdom.

The Four Dharmas of Gampopa

Inspiration can be long or short and this one from the great Kagyu teacher Gampopa is precise, and to the point. A favorite prayer of mine for over a decade, Gampopa was a student of the great yogi Milarepa and founder of several monasteries in Tibet. One of his students, Düsum Khyenpa, who studied with him at Daklha Gampo, was the first Gyalwa Karmapa.

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche speaking about this prayer, said that  “The incomparable and world-renowned great master Gampopa condensed all the teachings that have been given and will be given by the one thousand Buddhas in this good aeon into four sentences called the Four Dharmas of Gampopa. These extremely profound sentences are a combination of Sutra and Tantra…If a practitioner receives these instructions and is diligent, he or she will be able to attain complete enlightenment within a single lifetime.”  Source click here

The Berzin Archives has an excellent translation of commentary about these four lines from Longchenpa. He explains that in the first sentence of the prayer, turning the mind towards Dharma; “What anyone who wishes to cross the boundless ocean of recurring samsaric existence first must think is to make full effort, right now in this lifetime, to achieve the stilling and the blissful awareness that are the phenomenon of liberation.” Source click here.

Longchenpa illustrates that the sentence “path may clarify confusion”, includes the highest tantras. “Furthermore, out of the shared, special, and unsurpassable methods for having the pathway minds eliminate confusion, the first is the great Mahayana pathway of mind that is shared in common (by sutra, all classes of tantra, and dzogchen). With its identity-nature of the four immeasurable attitudes, the development of a bodhichitta aim, aspiration prayer, and compassion, and through great waves of bodhisattva behavior, you eliminate confusion.”

Reading these four lines as well as the commentaries inspires me to practice and this prayer I can say over and over again and never tire of it.  His life story and how he came to find Milarepa is amazing, read about it here.

This is my favorite picture of Padmasambhava.  From the Rigpawiki “this is an image of Padmasambhava which was made from life and blessed by him in the eighth century in Tibet. It is believed that on seeing this statue at Samyé, he remarked, “It looks like me,” and then blessed it, saying, “Now it is the same as me!”

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum

HH Penor Rinpoche 2008 ©Anna Hadzi

. For practice advice click here