For the Benefit of All

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

I haven’t been on twitter so much in a teaching or connecting capacity, as I am required to testify in this upcoming case between the US Government and William Cassidy, with others involved. I would prefer not to testify but there is no choice. I am the main victim, and my Ordained Sangha. It is sad it has come to this. But this is a criminal case, and laws have been broken. As well as hearts and even spirits. Many of us have suffered greatly. And grieved for Buddhism here in the west. We have done our part, screen shots, every bit of cruelty, every single threat. All these three horrible years. Now the FBI has taken this as criminal and due process is underway.

My motivation is not punitive, but a hope that hate-filled people will think before harassing women or anyone for whatever reason. I hope Buddhist Sanghas everywhere see they need not accept such abuse. Nor will I, nor should any other woman. Cyber stalking and threats, all forms of it should be eradicated from Buddhism, Dharma, and any true spiritual path.

OM MANI PEDME HUNG

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA

May virtue and compassion prevail!

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

United States v. William Cassidy 8:11-cr-00091

Dialogue and critical thinking are valuable gifts we share as sentient beings. Freedom of belief and freedom of expression are valuable rights we cherish in our democracy. Hatred and violent threats, however, are neither valuable nor right. In recent years, Jetsunma and KPC have been threatened repeatedly and made the target of hateful, homophobic and misogynistic epithets.These threats were reported to law enforcement and, following a full investigation conducted by FBI and U.S. Department of Justice, federal criminal charges were filed in the case of United States v. William Cassidy, 8:11-cr-00091 and he has been charged with cyberstalking.

We understand from law enforcement that, as part of that criminal investigation, search warrants were executed upon the residences of both William Cassidy and an individual named Andrew Wilson. KPC has no comment on these matters and possesses no authority over the ultimate outcome of this criminal case. The matter now is up to the courts and our criminal justice system. KPC has cooperated fully with law enforcement requests and will continue to do so.

What matters remain in our hands and in the hands of all responsible, peace-seeking and law abiding citizens is our own behavior. Persons seeking the path of truth do not taunt and seek to hurt others through hateful and demeaning epithets directed at women and sexual orientation.  That is not an esoteric concept but common decency. Hatred and fear wear many masks in our world but their true face is eventually revealed. We call upon all to engage in healthy dialogue  and critical thinking free of hatred and fear. Love, forgiveness and acceptance are the way of  peace and enlightenment.

Overcoming Life’s Obstacles

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called Turning Adversity Into Felicity

Ours is not a religion that believes you can get through a room full of obstacles—which life basically is—without turning on the lights and seeing where the things are that you might trip over.  Our religion is one where we turn on the light, we look with our eyes, we do not absent ourselves from the responsibility of clear thought, of the reality of cause and effect relationships, of engaging in those practices that will clear the obstacles.

In our lives, perhaps, we might suffer from the loss of fortune.  Let’s say that we have a certain situation where we were very wealthy, we had everything that we needed, and suddenly bam! Misfortune hits.  It happens, doesn’t it?  It happens a lot.  Misfortune hits and suddenly we are no longer wealthy.  Perhaps it isn’t about money.  Perhaps it’s about relationships.  At one point, for the women, the prince rides up on the white horse and everything looks like it’s going to be happily-ever-after, you know, the Dream.  For men, the Queen of Sheba has landed in our lap somehow, and here she is with all her blazing glory.

So maybe that kind of thing has happened.  But eventually we will find that the cloud definitely has another side to it.  It has a silver lining, yes, but it has a little rain in it as well.  For many of us, we would experience some loss.  Perhaps we might think that we have everything we need, and then simply it is lost.  That might occur with our health.  Many of us, we don’t plan to die, we don’t plan to get sick, but suddenly, perhaps even at a point where we thought we were young enough and sturdy enough to have been healthy, we find that our health slips and we can no longer rely on our health.  And then, for others of us that survive all these other things without too many disasters, eventually we will get old and we will die.  So there are these situations that must be dealt with.

Now when we deal with them, should we just paste some sort of unthinking, syrupy, positive statement on top of it and therefore make it acceptable?  Should we say, “Ah, well, you know I’ve lost the great love of my life, but hey, it’s not so bad.  What’s the big deal?  I can do this!”  Or, “Once I was rich and now I’m poor, but hey, I’m a positive thinker and wealth will come to me soon, I’m sure.”  Do we think like that?  I don’t think so.

We are taught by our teachers to engage in creating the causes by which our suffering might end.  Clearly if you do not have enough fortune or money in your life, the causes by which that might come to you have not been created, or they haven’t been created in sufficient amounts.  So we turn to the guru, not with an empty prayer of, “Gee, hope you’ll land a few thousand in my box.  Just stick it in the mailbox.  I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”  You don’t pray like that.  You don’t pray to win the lottery.  That isn’t how it goes.  In our religion, the difference is that we actually pray for guidance and we use the teachings that the teacher gives us and we begin to create the causes by which we can overcome the obstacles in our lives.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Willingness and Bodhicitta

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Your Treasure is Heart”

How do you practice this Bodhichitta?  In the beginning, the most important posture is to start from where you are.  That is your time and space grid,   That’s your place, your posture, your “now.”  You have to start there.  Now that may seem like restating the obvious.  “Of course you’re going to start from where you are, oh queen of the department of redundancy.” But most people never start exactly where they are, with that kind of self-honesty, being genuine on their path. No baloney.  No games.  You look and see what your habit patterns are and what your practice has been.  You really look inside yourself and see what your qualities are and face them honestly. It’s not necessarily going to be good news.  Some of it will be good, but not all of it.  Trust me on this.  You look at it the way a child looks at a world it doesn’t have the capacity to conceptualize.

When we look at something, we judge it immediately.  We don’t know how to look at something without judgement. When a child looks at the world, it looks at the world with a sense of wonder.  In a way, it has no idea what it’s looking at.  I read about a perfect example of this in a book.  For instance, a one-year-old child, playing in their yard  might stop dead in their tracks because they can feel a vibration, but they have no idea where it’s coming from. They don’t even know where to look.  And suddenly they just look up and see this thing. They don’t know it’s a plane.  They point, go “uh uh uh” you know. It’s shining and it’s moving; and they remain completely absorbed in it until it reaches the end of the sky.  And then it’s gone and they just go “wow!” in baby talk of course, whatever their particular way of describing that is. Just two years later, by the time the child is three-years-old, they are going to hear the noise, know where to look, look up at the sky and go “airplane,”  and then go back to whatever they were doing.  That wonder, that freedom to reinterpret, to actually see everything, is gone.  Literally, from that point on, they never see another airplane.  It’s like that with all of our ideas and concepts, particularly these subtle concepts about ourselves and about love.

We have very little understanding about how to look at ourselves and to see ourselves fresh and new, so that we can determine how to give rise to the Bodhichitta within our lives.  That takes a great degree of self-honesty.  If you are not willing to see yourself, whatever poop you have produced, and whatever negative habitual tendencies you have, as well as, and equally with your good qualities, there is no way to actually know yourself.  You’ll be like the three-year-old who says, “Oh, airplane.” From the moment that unwillingness occurs, you never see yourself again, not ever.

So here’s the trick.  Be willing, in an honest way, to really look at yourself and see where you are, and from that point, you can freely and honestly begin to practice the Bodhichitta.  That is a very important first step.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

What Will You Give?

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Hammering on sentient beings for their “faults” or for their thoughts and opinions is unacceptable. The first reason is, the hurt it causes, and then because the persons judging and pointing are themselves flawed. Gossip and threats, puffed up judgments are a downfall. We should try to see the situation and indeed the world from other’s eyes. Chances are if we just strike out blindly, before walking in that person’s shoes for a mile or so we will likely be dead wrong on all accounts.

To avoid judging, gossip, hate etc requires a generosity of spirit. We must learn that generosity for ourselves, once we have been taught. We are rarely raised with such pristine ethics. And when we gain this kindness it is through the effort of changing our habitual tendencies. It takes work, work that few attempt, or stick to. We are afraid to be honest, afraid to open up, to care, we would rather step on others. Many think if they open, soften the heart,  they  will be duped, endangered and a total chump for being “vulnerable.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama says that warm heartedness, compassion, kindness are the basis for all spiritual paths.

Further we are encouraged to note and study the condition of samsara, and the actual suffering of beings. This too, takes courage! “Good grief!” we think. It will spoil my mood! Upset me! However if we do not follow this pith instruction we will have entirely missed the boat on the treasure, result and nectar of the Buddha Dharma. Not to mention the joy of a kinder, gentler world. And we all have that responsibility, not just the chosen few, not just His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but all of us.

I wish we could develop the view of being caretakers of the Planet, like the Native Americans and other indigenous tribal people do. They stay in touch with the natural world and in their own mystical way support and hold it. There is no excuse, no reason behind sitting on one’s duff and being of no help, only “tisk tisking” at everything. What will you give? We must all do what we can. Love and respect all equally and totally. Open the heart and mind so compassion truly pours forth, glorious to see. That will not make you weak or vulnerable or soft. It will make you love, and you will be greatly loved and respected as well. Try it!

OM TARE TUTARE TURE SOHA

OM MANI PEDME HUNG

OM AH MI DEWA HRI

OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Letting Go of Concepts

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Your Treasure is Heart”

How are you going to practice Bodhichitta?  That’s the question.  What’s it going to look like for you?  Do not make the mistake that so many people make by trying to adapt a saintly demeanor where everything is love and light and there are no real feelings, only fabricated ones.  As if all of those neurotic little ulcers in our personality are neatly covered with bandaids and we’re not seething underneath them at all!  That’s not the mistake that you want to make.  That’s not even what compassion looks like.  Why should it?  What difference could it possibly make to any other person, really and truly, that you look saintly?  How is that going to help someone else, unless that’s exactly what that person needs to see? Then, as a Bodhisattva, that’s what will happen.

I have to say, for the most part, my experience has been that love is not neatly tied up in little bundles or appearances.  It doesn’t necessarily fit in a box.  Love, we should all know by now (unless we’re just stupid) is not convenient.  It is just not convenient.  Love is messy.. It doesn’t have any particular appearance, because it appears exactly as it needs to appear.  So don’t make that terrible mistake of doing something that’s the equivalent of playing dress-up, putting on your mommy and dad’s clothing and walking around like “Oh I’m a Bodhisattva now.”  That’s not it.  Adapting a certain demeanor that you feel is some sort of compassionate ideal has nothing to do with love.  It brings no real benefit.  All it does is stroke your ego. In one way, the most self-absorbed thing that you can do is to selfishly use Bodhichitta as a costume for yourself. Instead toss all those images out the window.

Do you think that Bodhichitta should always appear as sweet words and sugary kindness?  No. No, if sweet words and sugary kindness always worked, if that’s all that it took, you could go to Dale Carnegie or something like that modified to fit this particular need. You could learn how to speak words of love and light, and how to be so sweet that everybody loved you.  If that’s all it took, how easy it would be.  I mean, really, it would be a no-brainer.  Somebody could write a list of statements and responses that you could have all typed up on a laptop computer. Whenever you got hit with a situation and didn’t know how to practice Bodhichitta, you could just key it in and come up with a response—see the blue aura, give the blue speech.  It could work, but that’s not how love is.  Love is messy.  Love has to reinvent itself every single moment, because it’s constantly looking to see what is needed.  The moment love becomes a concept, it is not love.  The moment you have a concept about what love should look like, you are not loving.  Love is not the way you think.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Compassion in Real Life

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Your Treasure is Heart”

When we begin to practice the Bodhichitta, we become more in tune with the idea that the great Bodhisattvas are willing to do whatever it takes regarding the suffering of sentient beings,. We, in our practice, should follow accordingly, and use them as our example.  When we look at the world today, and when we study in the texts, we see that sentient beings, as numberless as grains of sand on the earth, are revolving in the six realms of cyclic existence. And we are suffering horribly— horribly and needlessly.  Needlessly because, other than our own habitual tendency, our desire and our own distorted perception, there are no chains that bind us here.  And so the Bodhisattva is moved to tears watching the suffering of sentient beings and seeing that even here in the human realm where things are pretty terrific and we have the capacity to practice, we are still suffering from old age, sickness and death. And there is nothing we can do about it.

When the Bodhisattvas see that, they consider that enough is enough and they feel a heartfelt courage or concern come up within them. Therefore, their determination to be of benefit to sentient beings and to do, literally, whatever it takes is born.  So now we are on the path of the Bodhisattva. How should we engage on that path?  We really don’t know how the mechanical appearance of it should look in our lives,.  This is a big dilemma for westerners.  I’ve noticed this myself.  Once we vibe with the idea of compassion, we seem to understand it.  When so many of the ideas of Dharma seem foreign, why is it that the idea of compassion is somehow more palatable and more understandable?  Well, probably because we’ve seen the idea before, in other religious systems in our culture with which we are better acquainted.  So we have the idea in our minds already.  I think also, for those of us who are American, we have this national identity of being a great country, or a prosperous country, and therefore we feel that we are in a position to minister to others.  It’s almost like a subtle national identity that we all seem to have.  We know we’ve got more food , more clothes , and better conditions than a lot of the other guys. So, in a national or group way, we are aware of our capacity to be an elder brother or sister in the world. I really think that that’s part of us.  Our national identity is definitely a factor here..

Where the terrible confusion comes in is that we don’t know what Bodhichitta should look like.  When we actually get down to the nuts and bolts of our practice, something is missing.  Something just flies the coop.  It really doesn’t quite connect in our mind.  So we try to draw on these archetypal pictures that we have in our culture. One of the pictures that we have is a saintly archetype.  Does it come from medieval time?  Probably, I would think so.  I would say that we are very slow to change some of our ideas.  We’re pretty quick to change our fashion sense, our idea of how to get educated and how to remain current in certain things in the world, but subtle archetypal ideas take a long time to change.  We have the idea that that we would look saintly practicing compassion, the idea that a Bodhisattva has to be something that… Well I don’t know. What did medieval saints look like?  Maybe a little anemic, you know? Like if you were too robust, or maybe had a pint too much blood, you wouldn’t look very saintly. I don’t think I’d pass for a saint either.  You know I think I look like a make-up expert or something else, a beautician.

So we have these pictures and our saintly image is somewhat anemic.  We have this idea that saintly people should never really let out a good guffaw, and have absolutely zero capacity to find anything truly amusing, most especially not themselves.  Lord knows that saintly types have no capacity to laugh at themselves.  In fact, all they are able to do for the most part is to roll those eyes ever skyward and look pure.  So we have some kind of ridiculous idea of what sainthood or compassion actually ought to look like.

Well, I don’t think compassion looks like that at all.  I think compassion can look like a banana, if that’s what sentient beings need.  I think compassion can look like a puppy if it brings comfort to sentient beings.  I think compassion can look exactly like whatever it takes.  Actually all the teachings about the great Bodhisattvas say that they literally appear in any form in order to bring benefit to sentient beings.  In The Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, which I hope each and every one of you will buy a copy of at some point, there are many beautiful and heart-wrenching prayers, like, “Let me return as a bridge so that sentient beings may cross over.  Let me return as food so that sentient beings will be nourished.  Let me return as shelter so that sentient beings will be protected,”  this heartfelt cry to return in whatever form necessary in order to be of benefit to sentient beings.

I don’t think that a bridge or a banana or whatever it takes will necessarily look like some anemic saintly thing.  Instead, I think compassion can be pretty exotic and meaty stuff.  I think it can look like meat and potatoes.  I think it can look like whatever it damn well pleases, so long as it gets the job done.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Overcoming Hope and Fear

The following is from a series of tweets between Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo and one of her followers on twitter:

Questioner: the problem is reality and society keep proving and backing a cynical outlook.

Jetsunma: There will always be people with poor qualities, but you can choose like-minded friends who are kind and worthy. I’ve met both kinds, believe me. And, did you know – cynicism is a habit, just like compassion, happiness, good heart, etc. You can learn to run different “tapes” in your mind. I get stalkers, haters, sarcasm, hostility but I don’t take it personally. It speaks to their character, not yours. If the shoe doesn’t fit you don’t have to wear it.

You should see the hate I get thrown at me. But it is gossip and lies, and I pay no attention. On the other hand, so much love, kindness, friendship, and I hang with people who want to leave the world a better place. So the choice of how to be affected is truly yours and mine.

I too have to work on my own perception. Try to see it for what it is. Just empty reaction, hope and fear. We all do. Being honest here. It takes work and willingness to look within. And I try to see through circumstance as though it is a dream. Insubstantial, born and gone at the same time.

Questioner: then your in control sister! And the environment is tamed.

Jetsunma: How sweet! But no. I was cruelly stalked for three years. Three horrible, miserable years. And I block a circle of gossips that continually insult and make fun of me. When I think of them they are a “muse” to write and teach. And to explain poor qualities and the hurt and harm that comes from that crud. So in a way their cruelty is a blessing, and motivation to teach. These people go after others too. They seem to need victims. How can you take people like that seriously?

Questioner: then your so irresistible your stalk-able.

Jetsunma: You are very kind. Actually he is off the streets now, (violent felon) no longer able to harm others. He is not a loving man, I don’t think it was my “charms” that interested him so much as my position and Lineage.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Advice on Cause and Effect

The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo in response to a question from a student:

There are mixing karmas there. Gossip is straightforward, considered a deep non-virtue resulting in loss of respect, being victimized in the future, having confused or unintelligible speech in future, if about another Dharma practitioner it is a breakage of vows and samaya. Downfall, surely.

If the man or woman allows him/herself to be supported financially and is well and not addled (is competent) they will be weak and impoverished in the future, and that person will have the burden of paying for others as well. Hardship. In Dharma there is no non-virtue in the wife taking the conventional man’s role. But not contributing anything of value to society is a non-virtue. Not giving to charity and such is selfish, and both combine to insure future extreme poverty. Dependency on society’s institutions to survive.

Being pompous is a sign of feeling small and weak and needing to destroy or put down others to make oneself powerful. It is a truly weak person. Rebirth as jealous god realm, or being pathetic with no hope or help is the result. No kindness will come, little love or respect.

Karma is exacting and what I describe as karmic results will be modified by particular arising causes. Such as lack of ethics, excuses to not change, or lack of will to be a better person. Karma will be lighter if person puts in effort but makes little progress. That too is a result from previous causes. Actually cause and result arise interdependently so the result is already born, separated only by the illusion of time.

Whew! Big question. I feel that last bit is a teaching. For all. Now my thumbs are aching so I’m outta here! Love to all!

OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM MANI PEDME HUNG

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SO HA

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Wrathful Compassion and Dispelling Obstacles

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Your Treasure is Heart”

For Americans, the activity of the lamas can be confusing because sometimes the lamas will engage in wrathful compassion.  This has happened to me and I know it has happened to my students as well.  Sometimes because of the karma and the love and concern between the student and the teacher, the lama will see in their meditation that some terrible obstacle has arisen in the mind of the student, or in the path of the student, or in the life of the student in some way.  Maybe it’s an obstacle to the student’s life.  Maybe it’s an obstacle to the student’s path.  Maybe it’s simply something like a brick wall where the student will meet up with their habitual tendency and not be able to make much progress.  If there is the right kind of karmic relationship, if the causes have been given rise to and the devotion is there and all of the different catalytic necessities are in place, then the lama will often engage in wrathful activity in order to cut this obstacle.

Let’s say, for instance (and this often occurs), that the lama sees that within the student’s mind some negative, nonvirtuous karma has been catalyzed or drawn to the surface, or has begun to ripen.  Then the lama will see that this could be dangerous and the lama will be very wrathful.  How does that work?  Well, first of all, the lama, knowing what the student’s capacity is, will do that skillfully in such a way that eventually, even if not at first, the student will fully understand the lama’s gracious activity; and even though wrathful activity has occurred, the student will remain fully devoted, fully respectful, fully loving and confident in the lama’s kindness.

That pure inner posture is a posture of true devotion, purity, spirituality in every sense of the word.  When the lama takes all of your habitual tendencies and all of your issues and smacks you in the head with them, it takes a tremendous amount of vajra courage to continue with love and confidence.  If the student is lacking in a certain kind of virtuous karma, or virtuous ripening at that particular time and is also, perhaps,  having the ripening of some nonvirtuous karma, that interaction between the lama and student may turn it around, and can turn it around just like that, because of the student’s capacity, even in the face of such a difficult situation, to remain fully devoted, fully confident and fully vulnerable.  Vulnerable means opened up and not protected.  In order to continue on this path of compassion and wisdom, that determination, that vajra courage, is such a tremendously virtuous inner posture in which to remain, that often this negative tendency or negative event will be cut.

This has definitely happened to me as I described once or twice before, where my own teacher, out of the clear blue sky with no seeming cause, began to be very angry at me and accused me of something that I would never do.  It would be the equivalent of my accusing you of murdering babies with chain saws.  It was just so far from reality it could never be true.  So my teacher began to be really angry at me and scolded me and raged at me to the point where I was shaking in my shoes.  I was unbelievably terrified. Then when he felt the obstacle had been cut he just stopped and he said, “O.K., we’re done now.  Try not to get mad.  See you later.”  Sort of like that.  Try not to get mad!  I was trying not to make my own gravy if you’ll excuse the expression.  I was terrified.  I’ve never been so terrified in my life. I barely shuffled myself out of the room. And then I realized that physically I felt completely different and that something had changed radically. I went to my other teacher who was also here (two of my main teachers were here) and he said “Oh yeah.  His Holiness saw an obstacle to your health and he cut it.”  Interestingly, from that time forward I felt about 10 years younger, the ultimate face lift.  My love and respect and regard for my teacher, and also the courage to really make myself spiritually vulnerable to his care, grew by that situation because I knew in my heart that he had brought me great benefit.  That’s the kind of thing that one sees on the path of Vajrayana.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

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