With 5 energies in Leo this is your day to shine and be magnanimous. It’s also a good day to allow others to shine brightly. Apart from being opinionated Leo brings out the warmth, loyalty and generosity in people’s personalities. With the Moon in Taurus there is also energy for material offerings. It’s a day to enjoy social gatherings. The lion who breaks the enemy’s ranks
is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself.~Rumi
Today the Moon is Void of Course from 7.48pm EDST USA until 9.33pm. If you’re in another country check what that means for you time-wise. It’s best to avoid making major decisions or signing contracts during this time.
The following is an excerpt from a public talk given by His Holiness Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok:
The Buddha taught that true happiness and peace can never be found through material gain, and the only way that one can truly be satisfied is to realize this point. Therefore it is very important for all of you to consider decreasing your attachment to the objects of this world, to all apparent phenomena, and to understand that more important than spending most of one’s time pursuing the material world and thinking that happiness can be found in this way, we should try to practice pure Dharma. Not only that. To be too attached to friends, family members, even our children and our spouses, those whom we cherish, thinking that it is only through our relationships with them that we can have happiness, is only going to bring us more suffering. This is also a source of suffering, since we will be distracted having to figure out how we can bring food to the table and get clothing for our offspring and all of the other necessities that one has to completely fill one’s mind with. The details of survival for family and friends will completely distract one from the benefits of purely practicing Dharma.
Regarding the wish for fame and glory: Those who don’t have it suffer because they don’t. Those who are poor and those who have no position at all are always having some expectation that somehow and in some way they may be able to rise above this circumstance and achieve a position of fame and glory. Those who are already in positions of fame, glory and leadership are always suffering from the fear that they are going to lose their positions. So in both cases the suffering is more or less equal. On this point I would like to say that probably here in this place there are those who are very, very poor and there are those who are very, very wealthy and in high positions, and there is quite a big space between them. I was thinking that those who are in the high positions are probably suffering even more than those who are poor. The reason for that is because those who are poor—except for the fact that they are always having some kind of an expectation that someday they may become wealthy or in a better position—probably have enough to survive, are getting along sort of all right. And the mental suffering that they endure is not too extreme, except for that expectation or wish. But those who are in high positions are probably suffering much more because they are always fearful that they are going to lose their positions, that they will fall down to a lower place. So their minds are filled with doubt and paranoia and anxiety. In this way they suffer more than the poor people.
The nature of suffering is twofold: Suffering is caused by delusion and by karmic propensities. When we speak of delusion, it refers to three root conflicting emotions: desire-attachment, anger or aggression, and delusion itself, stupidity. Let’s look at desire-attachment first. Now this conflicting emotion fixates itself upon objects, objective appearances, such as material things, fame, status or other human beings or individuals. Wherever it fixates, then if one allows oneself to become controlled by that emotion, then the only result will be unceasing suffering or discontent.
Anger or aggression is a conflicting emotion which causes one to feel that one actually wishes that others will suffer. That which brings up this conflicting emotion of aggression is due to the desire-attachment that we have for ourself and those that we are already attached to because if anyone else tries to harm them, then those other people who are trying to harm our loved ones or friends are termed enemies, and we feel aggression towards them and wish that harm would come to them. As soon as we enter into this type of emotional battle, the only result is unceasing suffering.
That which is termed delusion or stupidity is the inability to understand or recognize what should be accepted, what should be rejected, what should be accomplished and what should be abandoned. Inner divisions of delusion include misunderstanding and incorrect understanding. The first of these inner divisions of delusion, misunderstanding, could also be interpreted as misunderstanding, or misusing, the ultimate purpose of this life. The way that that would qualify is that one would have to be born as a human being anywhere in this world who never really understands the difference between that which is wholesome and that which is unwholesome, never having any real kind of ability to discern what should be accepted in order to produce true, positive results and what should be rejected—basically just spending one’s life aimlessly living like a cow or a horse which can graze and eat grass and just kind of survive. The difference between a cow or a horse and a person who is just kind of aimlessly surviving is maybe the person is able to put on clothes and other kinds of comfort. But really the point that is being made is that this person who misunderstands the purpose of life is wasting his or her opportunity because they dwell in this state of delusion, the delusion of misunderstanding what should be done with life.
With the planet of communication, Mercury continuing to be retrograde in Leo people are more inclined to be stubborn and opinionated at this time. As Mercury and the Sun are close together for the next week there is increased subjectivity and restless energy. One’s goals and emotional needs are at cross-purposes today. It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is absolutely fatal.~Oscar Wilde
The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
Many of us remember a song recorded by I think- Dionne Warwick called “What the World Needs Now” (is Love Sweet Love) many years ago. The song is now thought of as “pretty”, but too old to be current. And Ms. Warwick’s voice – wow.
These days, everybody is “hip” and “cool” and too “chill” or “real” to be warm, and loving, to have a tender and generous heart. Instead we think we must be tough to get by. Why is that? When did kindness and compassion, respect for others go out of style? I feel it is good to examine ourselves with true honesty and pure intention. No one can afford to stop growing, and self-honesty is the way to go.
When people are hard and unable to open up it is mostly due to fear and ego protection. We are afraid of being hurt, rejected, and disrespected. So warmth is seen as weakness and vulnerability. It isn’t. Quite the opposite. Strong people can afford to serve others, to bow down and wash the feet of others. That takes a true “warrior for love,“ a true inspiration for humankind.
Most of us talk tough sometimes, and tough love is sometimes needed. Not that often, though, and not for long. If you want to do that, however, you are bound by ethics to take the time to truly study where this person is coming from. What they have been conditioned by. In other words you must learn about them, and reach a point of empathy. The old Native American adage- “Walk a mile in their shoes” before we give ourselves permission to be tough with them. You don’t know, we don’t know, what open wounds we are seeing. Also it is no good to advise others or have authority over them if you do not love them and tolerate their coping methods and their pain. Maybe we think the person deserves our rage. Let me let you in on a secret: we are all the same nature and none of us deserve hatred. None. Even to be born human we are worthy. As are all sentient beings who are unable to ask for kindness.
It is up to us to demonstrate and put into play our capabilities and our contribution. To gather a controllable circle of “yes Sirs” is not love, strength, power, goodness, or anything like that. It is false. It is not love and not power. It is blatant fear and the need to dominate others. We were not made to dominate. No sentient being is. We were meant to love and live together in harmony. Let’s do it together!
People will be changeable today. Expect the unexpected particularly in peoples emotional responses. Cultivate a peaceful mind in these times of conflict and remember that patience is an antidote to anger. When dealing in anger Shantideva recommends:Steep yourself … in patience, in various ways, insistently. With Venus in Virgo for a few more days use this energy for attention to detail rather than drilling down into faults.
Today the Moon is Void of Course from 10.53pm EDST USA the night before until 3.52pm. If you’re in another country check what that means for you time-wise. It’s best to avoid making major decisions or signing contracts during this time.
Great expectations enter your mind for the next several days. If you can stay realistic much can be accomplished. If you are truly aligned with your purpose this will help. You may have insights over the next week about structural impediments that prevent you from moving forward. With the Moon in Aries for today and tomorrow there is a headstrong energy combined with initiative and drive. Think little goals and expect little achievements.Think big goals and win big success.~David Joseph Schwartz
The Sun, our sense of purpose, is united with the asteroid of mental creativity,Pallas Athena for the next few days which means there are opportunities for growth through artistic, political or healing forms. As Rosa Parks said: I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free. There is more healing emotional energy today to support these changes particularly if you can face your own wounds around your identity.
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Bringing Virtue Into Life”
Denial, in my opinion, is much worse than how fast our lives go. If we have even a meager life span of sixty years, if we really got it, if we really understood cause and effect, we would probably be motivated to start practicing early; and by the time that we were sixty and ready to die, we’d have something accomplished. We would have prepared for our next rebirth. But we don’t do that because we cannot connect the dots. We wait.
I think about the young people that I know, and even the young people that are very close to me. They have the idea that they have all the time in the world. I know because I used to have that idea. All the time in the world. It’s like Friday night. You’ve got the whole weekend so party hearty. It’s really like that. We really have this idea. So when we’re young we do not begin our practice. And then when we’re not so young, when we move into real adulthood, we still are in denial. I tell you when we’re finished being young, the next stage is to pretend that we’re young. That’s the next thing that we do. And then after pretending that we’re young doesn’t work, we imagine that we’re young. It’s sort of like that. We keep pushing off the inevitable, which is that moment when we get that life is really passing and something must be done.
This kind of narcotic quality that is part and parcel of samsaric existence is the real enemy here. It is the real enemy. It causes us to think very strangely, in an odd way, a way that is not productive and is not protective and beneficial toward ourselves. We are not being our own best friends in other words. So what happens is we are deluded, we are stuck. We stay without any understanding. We simply cannot commit to practice. We have this Scarlet O’Hara kind of idea, that tomorrow is soon enough. Tomorrow everything will be fine. So we find ourselves in something of a bind.
A person who has not been able to practice these thoughts that turn the mind toward Dharma is in the most trouble because they can’t move to the next step. That’s the next thought that turns the mind towards Dharma, and it’s a very simple one. It’s actually very logical. It’s about as logical as the law of gravity seems to be, and the law of gravity seems to be pretty logical. Drop it and it goes down…every time that I’ve seen. Show me something different, but every time I’ve seen it. The law of gravity is kind of logical. , I don’t know the physics of it, but, basically it means that this is heavier than the air that it displaces so it’s going down. And the earth will pull it down because of the magnetic quality that the motion of the earth produces. So we understand that this is very logical.
But there is another logical truth that we are missing completely. It’s just as logical, equally as logical, but again we’re playing the game of forever young, never gonna die and always deluded. That’s the game we’re playing. And here’s the truth that is logical, the truth that we’re missing that is so simple. If you think about it, you know it’s true and it’s this: Non-virtuous behavior, such as killing, stealing, adultery, judgment, lack of kindness, lack of generosity, harming others, lying, these kinds of activities bring about unhappiness, every time. There is no case in which you can engage in nonvirtuous behavior in order to produce happy results. It will never happen. It will never happen. In the same way that apple seeds will not grow orange trees, it simply doesn’t happen.
Nonvirtuous behavior, negative behavior, will always, every time, bring unhappiness. The funny thing is we always engage in nonvirtuous activity in order to bring us happiness. That’s what we think we’re doing. We lie about somebody else so that, let’s see… Here’s a good example: Let’s say that I have a boyfriend and my boyfriend loves two women. I’m one of them. So I might, in order to bring about my own happiness, lie about that other woman and say “Oh, she’s no good. You don’t want her. She’s no good.” I might lie about that other woman so I can have this boyfriend. I’m thinking that this lie is going to bring me happiness. It’s never going to happen. It’s never going to happen, because eventually what’s going to happen is this: Someday you’re going to want something very much. Someday you’re going to be completely and totally entitled to something, and that person will be able to keep it from you. You see? It may not happen in this lifetime. It may not happen in the next lifetime. It could happen 10,000 lifetimes from now, where you couldn’t possibly remember, but it will make you unhappy. Eventually it will make you unhappy.
Theme: Continuing to deepen spiritually and in relationships
There is harmony between feelings and relationships which offsets the challenges in communication. It is also an opportunity on an inner level to deepen on your inward journey. With the energies today it is time to let go of superfluous thought patterns and focus one’s mind towards deep emotional and spiritual matters.Love is not just the intention to love, but the capacity to reduce suffering, and offer peace and happiness. The practice of love increases our forbearance, our capacity to be patient and embrace difficulties and pain.~Thich Nhat Han
Today the Moon is Void of Course from 6.43pm EDST USA until 6.56am the next day. If you’re in another country check what that means for you time-wise. It’s best to avoid making major decisions or signing contracts during this time.
Buddha taught that one of the most heinous crimes one can commit from the spiritual point of view is to proclaim oneself to be more advanced or spiritually competent than is actually the case. Why that is is a very involved subject, but to understand it is to better understand spiritual fidelity.
According to the Buddha’s teaching, cyclic existence is unbearable because it is pervaded with suffering. Even the happiness that there is within cyclic existence is temporary. And so we suffer from impermanence and cling to all manner of experiences. This fixation on maintaining a permanent, continuing ego-self in order to feel safe causes all suffering. According to the Buddha, self-nature is not inherently real. Our true nature is the primordial wisdom state, which is free of all conceptualization, including the perception of self-nature. It is clear, luminous and innately wakeful. It is not empty and dark in the way we would think of nothingness, but it is simply aware with a non-specific awareness or wakefulness. This is our nature — not the ego-self that we conceive ourselves to be.
According to this view, there is no being who is greater than another. Even in the case of lamas who sit on thrones giving spiritual teachings, if they are truly realized, they do not consider themselves to be greater beings than anyone else. In fact, their realization comes from realizing the sameness of all phenomena and the equality of all that lives. Thus to think of oneself as being more advanced or greater than others is a falsehood. Yet many people do have this idea. And when they come here, they say, “You must know who I am and why I’m here. I know I have a special mission.” People have even written to me from across the country, asking me to recognize them as a tulku. In the first place, I don’t have the authority to recognize anyone. And even if I did, I would never recognize someone who asked for it. Never. In fact, I would pay the least attention to such a person.
Why? According to the Buddha, the goal is not to become a greater or vaster ego. The goal is to realize the primordial wisdom state, which is the same inherent nature in all sentient beings. Anything that we build on top of that is false and actually takes us in exactly the opposite direction from the Buddha’s teaching. True nature is innate. It cannot be grown. It will never be bigger or smaller than it is now. It will never change, and therefore it cannot be manipulated.
So when people come here feeling that they have an honored place or a special mission, they are only contributing to the size and rigidity of their egos, and they must simply wait it out. As a woman I know in Tennessee once said, “If it doesn’t come out in the wash, it will in the rinse.” What you’re going to do, you’re going to do. And if it is in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching, you will achieve realization.
The Mahayana path cultivates the desire to benefit beings and eventually leads out of the very self-absorption that causes the desire for special recognition. Consider yourself merely a function of the Buddha’s kindness. If you are transforming your life into being a vehicle by which sentient beings are benefitted, you really can’t be concentrating on the idea that “I’m helping you,” because then the “I” will become very inflated and the “you” will become dependent. To prevent such obstacles, we must think about the inherent equality of all that lives — although our egos have various appearances, our nature is the same. Thus we are completely equal, and anything but kindness is a waste of time.
According to the Buddha, we should apply the antidotes that purify our mindstream and perception and lead to enlightenment. What are those things? They are the things that we call meritorious activity: generosity, recitation, contemplation, meditation, prayer, offering, studying and teaching. Over time, these activities will loosen the mind’s tight fixation on ego and one will spontaneously view the natural state. Ultimately one will remain stable in that state, awake as the Buddha is awake.
The Buddha never said, “I am God.” Nor did he say, “I am the Son of God.” Or even, “I am here to help you.” All he said was, “I am awake.” Our job is to awaken to our true nature, and that is what we do. Quickly? Probably not, although with diligent practice, the Vajrayana vehicle can lead to enlightenment in one lifetime, or three, or seven.
Each of us walks through the door of liberation alone. Each of us is absolutely responsible for our own awakening. So to come to a teacher and say, “Please recognize me,” or “Please enlighten me,” is a little silly. One should be humble. One should study. One should practice. And however long it takes is however long it takes.
Students come to me and they ask to know the secret of the universe. Here is the secret of the universe: work hard. There is no other secret. To attain the precious awakening one should purify the mindstream; one should make one’s life a vehicle for generosity.
Always think more of the welfare of others than your own. Be honest. Be courageous. Look yourself square in the eye and get the big picture. All sentient beings are the same. They are equal. There are no special cases. All of us must cease this fixation on self-absorption in order to realize the natural state.
There is no excuse for not starting now. If you think you’re not ready, get ready. No one is ready. If you think you’re not kind, get kind. It’s a discipline to think of something greater than one’s own self-absorption. Start small, with 10 seconds of pure generosity, caring only for the welfare of others. When you get 10 seconds, move on to 12. In a couple of weeks, try 30 seconds. Then go for a minute; that’s a year’s worth of work. Pretty soon you’ll be thinking an hour. And after a while it will become a habitual tendency.
If you find yourself backsliding, don’t be surprised. That’s the nature of samsaric existence. Be patient with yourself; do the best you can, give yourself a break and don’t let yourself get away with murder. Those are my three cardinal rules for following the Path.
In closing, let me connect this with spiritual fidelity. One is true to oneself when one is honest, when one faces that one is a samsaric being involved in cyclic existence and is no longer shocked or ashamed or surprised at that. So it is. This is where we start. But you should start with honesty, courage and responsibility. You are responsible for the humility that you have within your mind, the honesty and devotion you have toward the Three Precious Jewels, which are the very display of enlightenment itself. Apply discipline and work hard. Be worthy and be true. This is spiritual fidelity.
