A sacred space for everyone
Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo 
Prince of power this is the hour
This is the time when you must shine
I see it on your face, in your mind
You awaken right on time
To honor our Guru, our Lord Sublime.
You alone are well prepared
This time would come, you were aware
He gave you his essence with such care
I would have known Him anywhere.
You mixed your minds like water and wine
I hear His song in your mind.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. All rights reserved
The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
How comes this one?
He speaks no truth to me.
Nor to the visions I do see, he has nothing.
And if only he could see it so-
Maybe time will let him go.
I do grieve, not for hurtful misdeeds,
But, for flowers and hours of beauty, relentless bliss at the fiery tent.
I can’t resent
I’ll always follow…
OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. All rights reserved
The following is from the Nam Cho Daily Practice Book from Palyul Ling
Seven-Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche
HUNG In the northwest country of Uddiyana,
Born in the pollen heart of a lotus,
Endowed with the most marvelous spiritual attainments,
You are renowned as the “Lotus Born.”
Surrounded by a retinue of many Dakinis
Following in your footsteps,
I pray to you, please come forth and grand your blessings!
GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG
The Mountain of Burnt Offerings is Herein Contained
OM SWATI
“The Mountain of Burnt Offerings” is an instruction taken from Lhatsun’s “Vidyadhara-Achievers of Life Force.” To do this practice, prepare some auspicious things such as good quality wood, incense, medicine, and three white and three sweet substances, flour etc. Place them inside a clean container or hearth; light a fire and sprinkle them with clean water.
First Refuge
OM AH HUNG
Of all the refuges in samsara and nirvana present throughout space, the quintessence
Is the power and wrathful vidyadhara, Pema To Treng Tsal.
The phenomenal world is totally perfected within his body as a Buddha mandala.
We take refuge so all beings may cross over unenlightened existence.
(Repeat three times)
Bodhicitta
We generate Bodhicitta on the ground (alaya) of the sphere (bindhu),
The supremely secret, clear light and ultimate wisdom.
So all beings may purify the three obscurations,
And attain the spontaneously self-perfected bindu of body, speech and mind, and through the four spontaneous visions, attain liberation in the youthful vase body.
(Repeat three times)
Seven Part Suppliation
I pay homage to the continuously present and unmodified nature of pure presence (rigpa.)
I offer the clear light, freedom from depths and limits.
I confess within the vast expanse, the equality of samsara and nirvana.
I rejoice in the great wearing out of reality, freedom from conception.
I ask you to always turn the wheel of dharma, the great perfection,
And to churn up the depths of samsara.
Free from the limiting three conceptions, I dedicate this to reaching the far limit.
Self-Visualization
From the dimension of primordial ultimate reality and the unceasing potency,
In Pema To Treng: white-reddish body, youthful and handsome.
The brightness of his noble symbols and marks are blazing, holding vajra and kapala,
Perfectly adorned with majestic ornaments and garments.
Imagined form and wisdom are not separate; the form embodies all enlightened beings,
The great splendor of everything within samsara and nirvana.
OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG
(Recite mantra many times)
RAM YAM KAM
Based on emptiness, the burnt substances are transformed into inexhaustible amrita
That emanates throughout space massive clouds of vast desirable qualities.
(Bless with the three syllables, the repeat the treasury mantra three times:)
NAMA SARWA TATHAGATE BHAYO BISHO MU KHE BHE SARWA THA KHAM UTGA TE SAPHA RANA E MAM GA GA NA KHAM SOHA
Inside a vast container made from the essence of vajra jewels,
Objects pleasing to the senses of mundane existence, the samaya substances,
Blessed by the three syllables become wisdom amrita.
Offering clouds pleasing to the senses swirl throughout the phenomenal world.
These are offered to the lamas, yidams, dakinis and Dharma protectors;
To however many Buddha mandalas there are in the ten directions;
To our other guests, the Dzambuling lords of the land, the six kinds of beings and those to whom we owe karmic debts;
Particularly to those who steal life and life force,
Those who send illness, elemental spirits who stir up obstacles,
Those who send bad signs and indications in our dreams and send all kinds of bad omens,
The eight types of demons who are masters of malevolent magical projections,
Those to whom we owe karmic debts of food, housing and wealth,
Demons who are masters of obscurations, demons who cause insanity, male and female ghosts,
Demons who cause fatal accidents, demons who take the essence of health and wealth, other demons who live in cities, all male and female demons.
As the red flames burn, karmic debts are paid back.
Whatever is desired arises as desirable qualities.
As long as there is a sky,
We form the intention that these desirable qualities be inexhaustible!
The negativities and obscuration we have accumulated in the three times
And our incorrect use of offerings to the three jewels or for the benefit of the dead,
Are purified by the flames offered in this burnt generosity.
Each flame is an atom containing the entire phenomenal world.
Inexhaustible masses of Kuntuzangpo offering clouds.
Thoroughly permeate the pure realms of all Buddhas.
Flames radiate offering clouds of five-colored wisdom lights,
Pervading the six realms of existence, even the worst hell realm (Avici,)
The three planes of samsara are liberated in the luminous form of the rainbow body.
May all beings awaken to the very heart of enlightenment.
OM AH HUNG
(Recite the three syllables 100 or 1000 times etc, and then:)
In an immeasurable container, the three dimensions of existence (kayas,)
The ultimate, blissful and manifest form aggregates of the phenomenal world
Melts into amrita, filling space with rainbow lights.
This inexhaustible, quintessential amrita of samsara and nirvana,
Since forever and until now,
Is totally dedicated to our guests in the phenomenal world.
Having perfected the levels, paths and fruition qualities,
And having completely dispelled the obstacles to view, meditation and action,
Within the dynamic space-like dimension of Kuntuzangpo’s realization,
May we attain the immortality of the youthful vase body.
When the great ocean of samsara is empty,
May we awaken in Akanishta, land of the lotus nets.
Aggregates and elements are burnt substances blazing radiantly and brilliantly.
White and red bodhicitta are burnt substances blazing blissfully yet non-substantially.
Emptiness and compassion are burnt substances pervading the dimension of real existence (dharmadhatu.)
Within the phenomenal world, in the ground of the five vajra lights of samsara and nirvana,
We offer the burnt substances of spontaneously self perfected and complete enlightenment.
May all previous karmic debts be purified.
May they not remain in our present stream of being; we openly admit our errors.
In the future, may we not experience cyclic obscurations.
As to the vows and trainings of the pratimoksha, bodhisattva and vidyadhara paths,
And the many kinds of secret mantra commitments (samayas,)
We openly admit all breeches committed consciously or unconsciously.
May all illness, demons, obscurations and impurities be purified.
May the times of plague, famines, and weapons be pacified.
May the times of foreigners invading the central land be averted.
May the obstacle of the guru being invited to manifest Dharma elsewhere be averted.
May inauspicious bad omens for the country of Tibet be averted.
May the planetary forces, nagas and king-like spirits who take away our life force be repelled.
May the eight great fears and sixteen lesser ones be averted.
Where ever we live, may all inauspiciousness be averted.
May the power, strength and energy of demonic forces be repelled.
OM AH HUNG
When accumulating, start again from “Drung”
At the End:
May all the Buddhas be pleased with these offerings.
May the minds of the oath-bound ones be satisfied.
May the desires of the six kinds of beings be satisfied.
May our karmic debts and debts of the flesh be purified.
May the two accumulations be completed.
May the karmic traces of the two obscurations be purified.
May the two sacred dimensions be attained.
Through the power of this vast and great generosity,
May we become self arisen Buddhas for the benefit of beings.
May all beings who were not liberated by previous Buddhas,
Be liberated through this generosity.
May the elemental spirits who are living here or visiting,
Living on earth, under it, in the sky or wherever,
Always be loving towards beings,
And practice Dharma day and night.
Through this virtue may all beings
Perfectly accumulate merit and wisdom,
And from this merit and wisdom,
May they attain two sacred dimensions.
Not clothed with exertion and effort,
May it happen auspiciously that the wish fulfilling tree,
Fulfill the hopes of beings,
and accomplish their intention.
(Thus recite the words of auspiciousness and dedication.)
This practice is known as the diamond practice. It can prolong life and remove obstacles, particularly those with unpaid karmic debts. This was revealed in Sikkim, the secret hidden land, to Namkha Jigmed by the dakinis who revealed it to him as the practice which opens the gate to the secret land.
The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
An incense offering to be made first thing every morning with the purest intention and incense.
“This pure supreme incense, which bears the scent of pure moral self-discipline, by the blessings of mantra, mudra and samadhi.
Is offered to the realms of the buddhas. May this fragrant incense completely please and satisfy the ocean-like assembly of buddhas!
NAMA SARWA TATHAGATA BENZA DUPE PRATITSA PUDZA MEGHA SAMUDRA SA PHA RA NA SAMAYE AH HUNG”
This is a sacred way to begin the practice or start one’s day. One can also offer morning tea or coffee with ring finger on right hand, flicking the substance with finger in all directions with mindfulness.
Sadly it is often the case that practitioners perform a session every day, then forget to carry it forward, to bear it always. One way to antidote that is making morning offerings, and placing the Tsawei Lama above the crown of one’s head. Carrying that samaya is beautiful. Every moment think the Lama lights your way, protective and enlightening all.
To ready for sleep , the Lama descends through the central channel into the heart chakra where the Lama is enthroned on the lotus throne in the heart. From there, Tsawei Lama radiates compassion and wisdom all through the night. Upon awakening move Lama up to above the head, and there Tsawei Lama remains and blesses us all.
One may recite mantra before placing Tsawei Lama above head and on heart. And signs may occur. Like: auspicious dreams or other miraculous visions!
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. All rights reserved
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche on “Meditation”
The mind – does it need to be something which we can see? If we think that what has pain, suffering, problems and so forth, that this is what is called the mind, in this way we have to perceive the mind as something like a round ball. When we investigate into the mind itself there is not anyone who can really perceive a mind.
At the same time, this mind does not really die. From beginningless lifetimes until now, the mind of Samsara has just been getting rebirth over and over. The mind which has been conceptualized by having that thought of subject and object is that which binds oneself here. It is that which projects the external world and then one’s body and so forth. But no matter how much we investigate, there is no way anyone can perceive this mind.
All the past Buddhas have explained that there is no way one can perceive the mind in the past, present and future. If it is self-existing, then we could see it, like a round pill or something! So why do we think that it has to be perceived as some “thing?” All these “things” are created by the mind. All the experiences of happiness and suffering of Samsara and nirvana – everything is just created by the mind itself.
So we will find if we think over the absolute nature of the mind, it is definitely emptiness. Some people might say, “Oh, my mind is very active and multicolored! Maybe it is possible somebody might have it!” Or maybe somebody might say, “My mind is something like a white light!” But it does not really exist in that way.
When we don’t control the mind and just let it be free, then it starts to create all these negative actions and thoughts. That is why in these practices which we call meditation, although there are many levels of meditations, whatever the Dharma teachings that have been taught by all the Enlightened Buddhas, it is mainly to subdue this mind and to tame this mind. It is to recognize the fault of the mind is conceptual thought, which is a very dualistic thing where there is always subject and object, and this binds us into Samsara or cyclic existence. At the same time we try to realize its absolute nature, to realize or recognize this, and that is the most important part of our practice.
When lama gives all these teachings, the practitioner receives them and tries to put them into practice and then they say, “Oh! I recognize the nature of the mind!” But by just recognizing the conceptual mind, it is very difficult that one could attain Enlightenment. That which creates all these emotions and conceptual thoughts – that is called the mind. But the actual practice is of something which is beyond that kind of conceptual mind, which is known as wisdom. It is that which we need to realize. So we cannot achieve the ultimate happiness just by recognizing the conceptual mind.
There are many kinds of practices which aim to pacify all these kinds of negative thoughts and to control the afflicted mind, to purify and abandon them. When we do these practices and achieve some tranquility through which we can concentrate our mind and make it very stable, then we can perhaps concentrate our minds on the emptiness through which we may achieve some realization. So when we practice meditation and manage to get kind of settled and stable, even having just a little bit of experience of emptiness is really beneficial and can accumulate lots of merit.
The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
Of course, all sentient beings are equal in nature. I pick my battles by what I can do! Those that argue this usually do nothing at all!
I wish I could save every sentient being instantly. I do my part, do for pets and parrots, give to National Wildlife Society regularly, and work hard to re-build my clear-cut land to wholesome habitat. What can you do? Yes, chickens, parrots, and gossips full of hate are the same, and I love and pray for all. Worms too.
Do what you can! Benefit through compassion, stop cruelty, give to charity and get a job so you can.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. All rights reserved
The following is an excerpt from a teaching given by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso at Kunzang Palyul Choling on Ngondro:
Precious human birth does not mean everyone who is born as a human being. It doesn’t mean that. There is precious human birth and ordinary human birth. Those who don’t do any kind of practice, those who don’t even try to go to church on weekends, those involved in New Age groups or modern ways of belief, or those who enter into some kind of entertainment and waste their lives in that manner—that is just an ordinary human birth. You really must have accumulated some merit in your previous lifetime. You must have done some kind of purification in your previous lifetime. You must have made some kind of connection with the Dharma and your lamas. That is why you are here. Otherwise there is no possibility. That would never, ever happen. So since you have a precious human rebirth, you must immediately think, “I should not waste it. I have to get some advantage from this opportunity.”
Then how can one do it? You must then think that all phenomena which are composed of cause and condition are impermanent. Impermanence does not just mean that everything comes to an end. Impermanence means that each and every moment is impermanent. Each and every moment of our lives we are becoming older and older; we are getting nearer and nearer to death. If you waste even one hour, you are one hour closer to death. If you spend your weekend enjoying yourself, still you are getting nearer to death. Whenever you sit idle, still you are getting nearer to death. Even if you do practice, still you are getting nearer to death. Even if you don’t do anything, still you are getting nearer to death. You are always getting nearer and nearer and nearer. Every sentient being who is born is subject to death.
At the same time, death is uncertain. You can see many examples. Someone will say, “Just yesterday he was talking with me, and then last night he had an accident.” Or somebody shot him or killed him or whatever. There are so many conditions that may bring death. If I cannot do actual practice and if I do not have something I can carry with me, then tonight if something happens, what can I do? What are you really going to carry with you? You cannot pack up like when you get divorced or when you get mad at your friends and you say you’re going to leave and you take your suitcase and pack all your clothes and everything and whatever money and credit cards you have and you leave and go some other place. When death comes, you cannot do that. There is no way that one could do that. Up until now in this world, even the great popes, even Milarepa, even Shakyamuni Buddha, even His Holiness Karmapa and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, they left all their belongings behind. Even His Holiness Karmapa left his black hat behind, even his body. Never mind about an ordinary sentient being who cannot carry all those things. Even the great Christian popes who passed away, could not carry anything. All the great ones and not so great ones—when death came, nobody could pack anything, nobody could carry anything along. You could not even make a phone call. “I’m coming very soon, so could you please reserve a place for me?” There is no way that one can do that. You say, “Oh please, you save a better place for me since I am coming very soon.” Or you want to make a phone call to heaven. “Oh God, please save a place for me.” So you have to realize that life is like that.
In one sense, life is very long. You can experience lots of things. In another sense, life is gone like that. When death comes, what one can carry is just whatever accumulation of merit or whatever negativity one has done. That is the only thing that comes with you. Even if you don’t want it, it is stuck there and will be coming with you. So you have to realize that life is uncertain and death is uncertain. At any moment it can come. When you really consider that, you really get scared, goose bumpy. Then you really get motivated to do practice. Then your sleepy way of thinking and laziness and everything is gone just like that. You cannot feel so tired if death is coming like that. Then you can make yourself so alert. You can generate so much courage in yourself. “Why can’t I do 100,000 prostrations in a month? Why can’t I do that?” Then you can have that kind of courage within yourself. Otherwise you say, “Other people are out enjoying the weekend and going here and there and I am stuck here doing prostrations. I get pain in my legs and my knees and pain there. When can all this be finished?” Then it feels really difficult. When you really see that death is coming, then you can bear it. If you think about that, then that will really help you to apply yourself into practice with full energy and with full courage.
The following are some teachings from other Lineages:
Terton Sogyal Rinpoche: On Ignorance
Surely one of the most heart-breaking aspects of our lives is that we cannot recognize the fundamental cause of our suffering. Isn’t it curious how we can not detect ignorance at work? But, you see, this lack of awareness is exactly what ignorance, ‘ma rigpa’ in Tibetan, is.
For full teaching go to: http://www.rigpa.org/en/teachings/extracts-of-articles-and-publications/more-articles-and-publications-/view-and-wrong-view.html
From Khenchen Palden Sherab: Cause and Effect
Now we shall explore the third attitude, the cause and effect system. This is also known as the understanding of the system of the cause and effect. Everything really depends upon the cause and effect system. The law of cause and effect is always working. If a cause and condition are present, there will definitely be a result. Results must come from their causes and conditions. Right causes and conditions produce right results or effects. This never alters. This always operates. If we don’t have the right causes and conditions, there will not be right results no matter how much we hope or expect them. If we have the right causes and conditions, definitely the right results will come. It is inevitable. Even if we say we don’t want them, the results will definitely show up. Inwardly everything is like this also. Positive inward causes and conditions bring positive inward results. Negative inward causes and conditions bring negative inward results. Mixed positive and negative inward causes and conditions bring mixed inward results or effects. Knowledge of the cause and effect system is very important in Buddhism. Karma is the name of this system. You are the one who gets the results of your own causes and conditions. You are the producer of your own causes and conditions; you are therefore the producer of your own effects. Whatever you do, the results will come to you. By understanding this system, we can learn the importance of having more positive attitudes. Reduce your negative activities, and learn more positive activities. This is the lesson of this line of the text.Cause and effect are inevitable.
For the full teaching go to: http://pbc-tn.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/NgondroCommentary.pdf
From Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche: Cause and Effect
The third ordinary foundation practice is the truth of karma, cause and effect. Unfortunately, many deluded people believe that although death may be a very harrowing experience, after it has occurred, one is then completely free. Some believe that once you’re dead, things are all taken care of for you, as if somebody picks you up and puts you in a very enjoyable place where there are all kinds of pleasant entertainments. Other people believe that after death there is nothing, all experience just abruptly ends. There’s no good or evil, it’s just ashes to ashes and that’s that. Of course, such attitudes are the epitome of ignorance, and reveal a total lack of wisdom. It is utter delusion to believe that there will be no suffering, only pure enjoyment awaiting you after death. It is grievous that people do not realize that we are experiencing this life and its various conditions because of our conduct in previous lives.
Sometimes we think that once we are dead we will experience a very magical realm, and that even if we face suffering we’ll have the ability to immediately transform it. But how could this possibly be done? We should use our intelligence and other abilities now, while we have time, to see through our delusions. For instance, if it’s winter and you want it to be summer, no matter how much you long for the seasons to change, you are powerless to do anything about it. And if you are sick and want to be healthy again, you can’t just miraculously cure yourself. All suffering and experiences of the phenomenal world are caused by our habitual patterns and our karmic accumulations, and these are the materials with which you must work.
Furthermore, when somebody says that nothing exists after death, that you are free of suffering because you’re dead and it’s all finished, that is a very ignorant attitude. It’s something like standing before a blazing fire and telling somebody that if they close their eyes and jump into it, it’ll be okay. This will of course just make the situation worse. It’s a simple refusal to acknowledge reality, a wishful desire to escape the order of things. But it doesn’t change anything. It will only make reality that much more difficult to face. It’s also akin to playing around on the edge of a cliff, believing you won’t fall off. But then, once you’ve fallen, and you’re in midair, it’s completely useless to say to yourself, “Oh no, I hope I land softly.” No matter how much wishful thinking you do at that point, it won’t help you at all.
For the full teaching go to: http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/buddhism/dha/dha03.php
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso given at Kunzang Palyul Choling on Ngondro:
The Four Thoughts that turn the mind from samsara are very important. Our minds are distracted by this world. We practice a little bit, and then get distracted, thinking life is good — eating pizza in the restaurant, going to the beach on weekends, and enjoying ourselves. It is really nice. One could have a very happy life with one’s family, and eating, and experiencing all those happy experiences. At the end of life, if one could not have the continuation of that kind of happiness in the next lifetime and many future lifetimes, one may get a little upset and think, “I should have done something. I have just been going to the beach, the mountains, camping, bungee jumping, and all that. I’ve spent my time doing all that, but I really didn’t do anything.” Then all one’s karma ripens. Whether you believe in karma or not, understand it or not, it doesn’t matter. Whether you are a Christian or a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Jew or a Muslim, in cyclic existence, karma is the life process. It is the nature of cyclic existence itself. So that nature ripens to everybody. Everyone experiences that. After death, if one has to bear all different kinds of suffering, then one may experience some regret.
This is how one has a very happy life. You can have entertainment, but at the same time have a kind of entertainment which really makes sense, which you can carry with you. On weekends, you could come here and participate in a tsog offering or a puja or some kind of a practice. While you are doing the practice, you may experience some minor problems with your knees or sitting or doing prostrations, but still you are bearing some karma and having some purification. After all, you could have something you can really carry with you after death. It is as the Buddha, who is fully enlightened, has explained. Jetsunma has also explained all this a number of times. The important thing to realize here is that this precious human birth is one in which one could really become involved in practice, in which one could become involved with the Dharma teachings, in which one could really become involved in Dharma activities. If one could really have some time to apply to practice, then this becomes a precious human birth.
by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo
An excerpt from a Teaching called “How Buddhists Think”
The Buddha’s first teaching dealt with what is now called “The Four Noble Truths.” This is the basis for everything he taught later. If it is not understood, then Buddhism will not be understood.
The Buddha taught that cyclic existence, the entire cycle of death and rebirth with all its phenomena, is pervaded by suffering. If you disagree with that, just look at a newspaper. Most people’s lives are affected by war, by hunger, by old age; we will all experience sickness and death. Other forms of sentient life have similar suffering, and it also pervades their lives.
The Buddha does not deny that some happiness exists. Is there not joy in the drug-like process of falling in love, in loving relationships, in the birth of a child, in acquiring wealth, in seeing and having beautiful things, in enjoying nature and simply feeling good on a good day?
But there is a form of suffering that we all share: every joy has a point of termination. The Buddha taught that all things are impermanent. Short-term loves break our hearts when they fail to endure. Then we revert to our habitual loneliness, anger, and unhappiness. Even life-long loves and marriages end in separation.
The bottom-line cause of suffering, the Buddha taught, is desire. And what causes desire to arise? At a point so unimaginably long ago that it’s called “time out of mind,” there arose the idea of self-nature as inherently real and as separate from “other.” This fixation on the duality of subject and object is the persistent skeletal structure for all experience. Until you achieve realization, all the experiences you have derive from this misperception.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. All rights reserved