Pray for Animals Being Sacrificed

Sacrificed Animals
Sacrificed Animals

On Tuesday, November 24th the Gadimai animal sacrifice festival will take place in southern Nepal.  It is said that 500,000 animals including buffaloes, chickens, goats, pigs, rats, and birds will be tortured and slaughtered during this Hindu festival.

This horrible event is being protested by numerous animal rights groups in Nepal and around the world.  Buddhists are also practicing for the benefit of these animals, and their auspicious rebirth. Please pray for these animals.  As the Buddha instructs, these beings once were our own kind mothers

How to Offer Prayers for the benefit of beings:

Set your intention – Begin your prayers or mantra recitation with the sincere intention to benefit these beings.

Recite prayers and mantras with focus and concentration.  Try not to let your mind wander.  If it does, bring it back.  You can recite the Mani mantra:  Om Mani Pedme Hung.  You can also recite the Du Sum Sangye prayer.

Dedicate the merit – Finish your efforts by dedicating the merit of having said prayers and mantra to the benefit of these beings.

Here is a dedication prayer by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

By this effort, may all sentient beings be free of suffering.  May their minds be filled with the nectar of virtue.  In this way may all causes resulting in suffering be extinguished.  And only the light of compassion shine throughout all realms.

Wildlife, Quiet Mind

Jetsunma's Wildlife Habitat sign
Jetsunma's Wildlife Habitat sign

The following are tweets by Jetsunma about caring for wildlife.  Her home is a designated wildlife sanctuary.

I am creating a sacred grove as an animal refuge. We put in fruits, berries, wildflowers for the critters.

I have bee plants and bees, butterfly plants and bird plants. Also water, birdfeeders. My offering.

Wherever I am the wild ones are well cared for. Including bird houses for nesting.

I collect wildflower seeds. How the butterflys love wild nettle! Finches too. I am an official wildlife sanctuary!

We plant forage for deer and offer corn n apples. When I see animal friends I sing OM MANI PADME HUM for them.

How lovely to see the critters happy. Don’t forget p’nut butter for squirrels n Jays! Esp when cold.

Om Mani Padme Hum. Try to give the heart some room to LOVE. Chant OM MANI PADME HUM every day.

Today I saw a praying mantis stalk, capture and eat his pray. Never doubt that samsara is filled with suffering

In the future the hunter will be hunted. The pray will be the hunter. Karma is exacting

How fortunate the being who strives to do no harm and gather virtue. This is the cause of happiness.

How pitiful that the cycle of cause and result continue, and we are ignorant of the equation.

But the real Karma here is I always provide habitat, food, forage and housing for all wild beings.

I believe that is the cause of this kind result. I am never without a lovely home and my family is fed.

How could I accept these gifts if I did not pay it forward with kindness toward all beings? I bow down to the Buddha in all.

It’s really fall! The air is sweet and crisp. I notice salt blocks for deer and other critters need changing up- down to the nubs now.

The deer know me and allow me to sing Mantra to them. We also have a great blue heron who hangs out here. Magnificent wingspan! And posture.

Took a long walk today. The colors and fall sunlight- like precious jewels. I offer all to my Root Guru for the sake of sentient beings.

I feel grateful to live with such splendor. Wildflowers, giant trees, lush fields, fruit bearing trees and bushes for the animals! Very cool

I am watching local birdies set up roosting for the winter cold. Cute- and busy. We have dozens of bird houses. Always getting more.

Pith Dharma

Jetsunma visiting rescue dogs at Tara's Babies
Jetsunma visiting rescue dogs at Tara's Babies
The following Dharma nuggets represent tweets Jetsunma sent on October 29, 2009
  • I worry when I see a Buddhist who shows no sign of compassion or is full of judgment. I know that person hasn’t heard the teachings truly.
  • Compassion or Bodhicitta is the very basis of Mahayana Buddhism, the first
thing we are taught. And we are reminded at every teaching.
  • If the practitioner cannot be kind, they have not tamed the mind. Haven’t learned the first thing about Dharma. Hateful speech is not Dharma.
  • There R methods 2 correct lack of compassion. Contemplation on suffering; equality of ALL that lives, striving 2 B happy, praying 4 others.
  • Some just feed the ego by studying about Dharma but not practicing it. What a waste! Like eating crumbs under the table of a banquet.
  • Liberation is possible! We can climb that hill! So why waste time drawing yet another map? It has been done by the Buddhas+ Bodhisattvas!
  • This life is short. No time 2 waste. We must walk our talk, or it’s not worth much. Pontificators not needed. Practioners much needed. Much!
  • Bottom line- you can’t change Dharma to suit you. You gotta change yourself to accomplish Dharma. That is the way and the truth.
  • If you practice Dharma but say U have nothing to give- wrong. U have shoes, food, clothes, arms to hold, heart to love, eyes to guide, etc.
  • May your feet move willingly, and your heart open wide! May U always be a healing presence, a friend. Walk that talk, please or we R lost!
  • If you have everything and brag, what is that? If you have nothing and brag, what is that?  So be humble in spirit- not arrogant.
  • If you have or have not- doesn’t matter. Have a good heart and offer charity and strength to those less fortunate. True Dharma.

About Altars

What is an Altar?

In Buddhism, an Altar is a physical display and support for one’s practice. The Altar is a sacred space dedicated to images representing one’s faith, devotion, and respect.  It is also a place to make offerings of gratitude for our precious opportunity: for the Path which can lead us out of suffering, for the method which can lead us to Enlightenment.

On a deeper level, the Altar is a representation of the goal of the Path.  The images of the Buddha are reminders that it is possible to accomplish the Method and achieve Enlightenment.  Each of the Buddhas started out just as we are now, as ordinary beings with a sincere wish to seek Enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.  As we view the Altar, we are reminded that this goal is attainable.

The Altar also helps us to train in mindfulness.  The Path is about waking up from our deep sleep of non-recognition.  As we view the altar with faith and devotion, we recognize what is truly extraordinary and what is merely ordinary.  Increasing our awareness helps us to cultivate our pure intention to be of benefit to all sentient beings.

How to set up an Altar

There are many types of Altars.  They can be elaborate or simple, but most important is pure motivation.  Otherwise, the benefit is minimal.

An Altar has at least two levels.  The images of the Buddha––pictures, statues, etc.––are placed on the highest level.  The lowest level is for offerings.  Traditionally, eight offerings are placed on an altar: water for drinking, water for bathing, flowers, incense, light, scent or perfume, food, and music.  They represent what one traditionally offered to guests in one’s home.  In the days before motels and inns, travelers would rely on the kindness of strangers in their homes to provide shelter and food.  This is still the case in many remote areas of Tibet.
OfferingBowlscrop

Offering 1 – A bowl filled with water representing clean water for drinking is offered to the Buddha.  It symbolizes all auspicious, positive causes and conditions.

Offering 2 – A bowl filled with water represents clean water for bathing the Buddha’s feet.  It symbolizes purification.

Offering 3 – A bowl filled with flowers represents the beauty of the Buddha’s Enlightenment.  It symbolizes an open heart and the practice of generosity.  (The bowl can be filled with rice and topped with a silk flower. If fresh flowers are used, the bowl is filled with water.)

Offering 4 – A bowl of rice with incense placed on top symbolizes moral ethics and discipline.

Offering 5 – Light of some kind, a candle or butter lamp, is offered to the Buddha’s eyes and is symbolic of patience and a stable mind that dispels ignorance.

Offering 6 – A bowl of scented water symbolizes joyful, enthusiastic effort and perseverance.  (Or a bottle of fragrance can be placed on top of a bowl of rice.)

Offering 7 – A bowl filled with rice with delicious food on top represents the precious nectar of the Path that leads to Enlightenment.

Offering 8 – A bowl filled with rice and topped with a representation of music (such as a conch shell, cymbals, or bells) is offered to the Buddha’s ears and symbolizes the nature of Wisdom.

Please Note: One can simply offer a light and seven bowls of water in place of the above offerings.

How to Open and Close an Altar

An altar is opened and closed in a specific way.  One opens the altar by pouring water into the bowls in a steady, even way, beginning at the far left and moving to the right.  The bowls should be lined up very straight and evenly spaced, about the width of a grain of rice apart.

When the Altar is closed, it is done in reverse:  the water bowls are emptied starting from the right.  The bowls are dried and turned over, as one meditates on impermanence.  Then the merit is dedicated to all sentient beings.

The bowls that contain substances may be left untouched.  But make sure the offerings remain fresh.  For example, if offering fruit, remove it when it shows the first sign of deterioration.

The offering water may be disposed of outside in a clean place, or it may be used to water a plant.  The food offerings may be eaten after they are removed from the Altar.  Since this is blessed food, it should be treated with mindfulness and respect.

Offering Verses

One may recite offering verses when an Altar is opened.  Jetsunma has suggested that RAM YAM KAM may be used when the offering is made, followed by OM AH HUNG.  RAM YAM KAM represents the ordinary elements, and OM AH HUNG represents the transformation of the ordinary into the extraordinary.

How to Maintain an Altar

The inner posture of maintaining an Altar is the same as if one were caring directly for the Buddha or one’s Root Guru. Treat the Altar with great respect and love, for it represents the precious vehicle by which it is possible to end suffering and achieve the awakened state of Enlightenment.  Keep the Altar and everything on it clean, orderly, and fresh.

Miscellaneous Information Regarding Offerings

We make offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas not because they need them, but for our own benefit, to accumulate merit and wisdom. Offerings are a simple, beautiful way to do what will eventually lead to our awakening.

Traditionally, one does not offer anything sour such as lemons or limes on the Altar, or any of the foods considered “dark,” such as garlic.

If a mala is offered on the Altar, it is usually placed on the foot of the Deity or at the base of the statue. Once a mala has been offered, it is no longer appropriate for personal use.

How to use a Mala

 

Mala
Mala

About Malas

The meaning of the Sanskrit word “Mala” is “garland.”  The word for Mala in Tibetan is Akshamala.  For Buddhist practitioners a mala is considered an essential tool.  Below is a brief explanation about Malas, their purpose, meaning, and use.

What is a Mala?

From a practical and outer point of view, a mala can simply be understood as a method for counting Mantra recitation.  There are typically 108 beads on a Mala string.  Traditionally, when counting mantras, only 100 of the 108 are recorded in the accumulation.  The extra 8 are not counted because of errors that may have occurred during the recitation.  However, a Mala can be a great deal more than just a counting device.

Symbology of a Mala

On a deeper level, the Mala represents the Form and Speech of the Deity.  It can be viewed as the Root Deity and the entire assembly or mandala of that Deity.  For example, if you are doing a Chenrezig practice, the large bead on the Mala represents Chenrezig and the other beads represent the entourage of the Deity.  In this view, the Mala is a support for one’s practice and can become an object of refuge for the practitioner.

Before using a Mala, it is essential to ask a Lama to bless it.  After that, it must be treated with reverence and not touched by other people or animals.

How to Use a Mala

Traditionally one holds the mala in one’s left hand.  With each recitation a bead is pulled forward. Symbolically, this represents the “Vajra Hook” which brings forth blessings and virtue.  The basic instruction is to use the thumb to move the bead forward.

While reciting mantra, it is auspicious to hold the mala to one’s heart.  This is symbolic of “protecting one’s heart” with meritorious and virtuous activity.

The large bead on the Mala is called the Guru Bead or Mother Bead. One never crosses over this bead, just as one would never step over something precious and rare.  Out of respect and gratitude, one reverses direction after 108 recitations.

Types of Malas

A variety of materials may be used to make a mala:  wood or metal beads, seeds, raksha beads (the dried fruit of the raksha tree), as well as precious gemstones or jewels.

Guru Rinpoche gave specific instructions on various types of malas and their use.  For example, he said that a mala made of iron or steel multiplies the virtue of accumulating mantra recitations in a general way. With a copper mala, the virtue increases four times.  A Raksha mala increases it 20 million times.  A pearl or ruby mala increases it 100 million times.  The virtue is multiplied by 100,000 if one uses a silver mala.  The potential benefit from using a Bodhi seed mala is limitless for any form of practice.

Mantra Recitation

To understand the meaning and purpose of Malas, one should also understand Mantra recitation.  The Sanskrit word “Mantra” literally means “protection of the mind.”  For each practice that is dedicated to a Meditational Deity, there is a mantra specific to that Deity.  A Mantra is a collection of precious seed syllables representing the condensed essence of all the pure qualities and attributes of a Deity.  Reciting a Mantra in this profound, virtuous way helps our own pure qualities to come forth.  These qualities are ultimately non-dual with the Deity’s.  For example, Chenrezig’s mantra is “Om Mani Padme Hung.”  If a practitioner recites this mantra with a pure heart and proper motivation, seeking to be of benefit to sentient beings, with faith, devotion, and proper understanding of the method, then only benefit will arise in the mind.  One’s natural compassionate nature will be cultivated and nurtured.  Over time, transformation of one’s negative qualities will be replaced by virtuous, pure qualities that are inherent within us all.  This method of recitation helps us to awaken to our true nature.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com