The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “This Time is Radical”
When we practice meditating on emptiness and non-duality, we think we should come out of that feeling oh so peaceful, like milk. And then after that, we should be so peaceful. And I think, “Right on. Whatever.” Mostly, I think, let’s gather together and be of benefit. I think that’s the most important thing.
At this time, there are people who have come in contact with Dharma. From this time forward, there are those who have the karma to practice but will not have the opportunity because the darkness is getting thicker.For them, we will record mantra and we will send it out to the world. And if it can wake them up, it will wake them up and they will come. And if you don’t know that His Holiness gave his blessing to this, then I’ll tell you that he has.
His Holiness is interested in this. He doesn’t care what it sounds like. He’s not a big rock and roll fan. Not into Hip Hop. Wouldn’t know 80s music from Sub Dub. Just doesn’t know. But His Holiness said, ‘We’ve got to get it out and we’ve got to get it out now.’ And so for me in my practice and in my activity, and that includes the music, we have two streams going here. I’m going to go up to New York and record with John Ward on Monday; and then we have another stream that is in the studio. We are going to do more and more and more and more until everyone who can hears it, and they will come. I find that there is no way to reach out to them because they have, through the thickness and the darkness and the delusion, become too dense to hear. But my determination, our determination, is to call to them so loudly and so clearly in their language, which is today’s language, that they can’t resist us. And they will come. And with every effort that we make, we will continue to practice and pray. And I believe that because of that, they will come in droves.
So I wanted to tell you that. Not because I wanted to put out energy before its time or to brag or anything like that. It’s not like that really. I’m not ambitious in that way. I’m only ambitious in one way, and that is, get it out. Sound the call. So while it’s so dark they can’t see, still maybe they can hear.
I want you to know that when people hear me doing this, they won’t know that His Holiness wants me to do it. They’ll think, ‘What is this? A tulku? A reincarnate lama from a throne singing whatever? Blues or hip-hop or whatever?’ But if you listen to it, there’s mantra in it, and there’s Dharma in it, and it’s real. And so I say to you that I have permission, first of all, and I have the heart for it, second of all. God, I hope I have the voice for it. I feel that this is a time of either despondency or empowerment. You are either getting left behind or you’re climbing onboard now. Things are going to get really exciting around here really fast. So I want you to keep your heart practice, and never be swayed by anything you see, no matter what you see. Even if someone says, ‘Well, why is a Dharma teacher making this music?’ Then you can repeat the teaching, “All sounds are the Dharma.” Learn it. Learn it well and speak it, because that is the truth.
The other thing that His Holiness said is that the Dharma can’t be broken. You can’t break it. You can’t break something that is not of this world. The meaning of that is that in whatever context we can put the Dharma out to sentient beings, so long as it is with good motivation and completely respectful, it will manage. It will do its job. The way it works, as I’ve instructed you before, is that the very vibration, the very sound of Dharma, which is why you have to speak the mantra out loud, the very sound of it reverberates and corresponds with the winds, channels, and fluids within your deepest nature. So if one hears mantra, or sees some connection with the Dharma, even though they may be ordinary and kind of down in the dust and living a very secular, commercial, ordinary life, the power of mantra is such that boom! they can wake up. It is an ancient resonance that comes to them and they change quickly because of that. I see that happening. And I see that in this time, that’s our best hope. It’s our best hope.
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