Astrology for 1/23/2017

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1/23/2017 Monday by Norma

The urge to tell others what to think is overwhelming for everyone, and that’s the problem. Consider writing out your views and saving them for the appropriate time: when someone is listening. Don’t mistake silence for agreement when expressing your views, people are simply avoiding trouble. Count your blessings today and you’ll see things with a more benign eye. William Shenstone said, “The proper means of increasing the love we bear our native country is to reside some time in a foreign one.” A sudden opportunity appears that has no bearing on what’s concerning you now. Be willing to look in a different direction, to come out of your current fixation enough to notice and act on it. You’ll be glad you did!

The Power of Ngondro

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The following is respectfully quoted from “Natural Liberation” by Padmasambhava:

OM VARJASATTVA SAMAYAM ANUPĀLAYA VAJRASATTVA TVENOPATISTHA DRDHO ME BHAVA SUTOSYO ME BHAVA SUPOSYO ME BHAVA ANURAKTO ME BHAVA SARVA SIDDHIM ME PRAYACCHA SARVA KARMASU CA ME CITTAM ŚRĪYAM KURU HŪM HA HA HA HA HOH BHAGAVAN SARVATATHĀGATA VAJRA MĀ ME MUŃCA VAJRA BHAVA MAHĀSAMAYA SATTVA ĀH

This is an extremely important practice. It’s dealt with quite concisely here, but more more elaborate instruction can be found in other teachings on the preliminary practices. This practice is of very tangible benefit. There are other teachings on Atiyoga and so forth that we may consider more esoteric or advanced, but it’s questionable how deeply benefited we can be by those and how much we can truly enter into experience of the Great Perfection. Here, though, is something of practical benefit. If you are familiar with this practice, it’s good to share it with others who may be beginners. By such a practice as this, the two types of obscurations can be purified. Once all of your obscurations have been completely purified, you are a buddha; and that means you have realized the Great Perfection.

Due to ignorance, delusion and stupidity,
I have transgressed my samayas, and they have degenerated.
O spiritual mentor, protector, protect me!
Glorious Lord Vajradhara,
Merciful being of great compassion,
Lord of the world, protect us!
Please cleanse and purify the whole mass
Of sins, obscurations, faults, downfalls, and taints.
By this virtue, may I now
Swiftly actualize Vajrasattva
And quickly bring every sentient being
Without exception to that state.
O Vajrasattva, may we become exactly
Like your form, with your retinue, life span, pure realm,
And with your supreme , excellent signs.

OFFERING THE MANDALA

Once you have begun purifying the two types of obscurations, there is the task of accumulating the two collections of merit and of knowledge for one’s own benefit and the benefit of others. The welfare of others is accomplished in the realization of the Rūpakāya, or form embodiment, of the Buddha; and it is toward accomplishing that end that one offers the mandala.

OM VAJRA BHŪMI ĀH HUM
The basis becomes the powerful golden ground.
OM VAJRA REKHE ĀH HŪM
On the periphery is a surrounding jeweled iron fence.
In the center is the supreme king of mountains,
Majestic in its composition from the five kinds of precious substances.
Lovely in shape, beautiful, and delightful to behold,
Seven golden mountains are surrounded by seven concentric seas.
In the east is the continent Videha, in the south, Jambudvipa,
The west is adorned by Godàniya,
And in the north is the great Uttarakuru;
With the eight sub-continents of Deha and Videha,
Cāmara and Aparacāmara,
Śāthā and Uttaramantrina,
Kurava and Kaurava,
The sun, moon, Rāhu and kālāgni,
And this bounty of wealth and enjoyments of gods and humans
I offer to the precious spiritual mentor and his retinue.
Out of compassion, please accept this for the sake of the world.

Astrology for 1/22/2017

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1/22/207 Sunday by Norma

Share information with your leader or group and then wait two or three days before taking action. Timing is everything now: it’s possible to do the right thing at the wrong time and fail. Argh! An immediate issue is that everyone thinks they are right and nobody wants to be barked at, so avoid ideological discussions. Dale Carnegie said, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” Friendliness and compassion work where stridency fails. Put yourself in others’ position and you’ll make friends today, and possibly change minds. This is a great day for sensitivity, healing, artistry, everything to do with water and marine matters. If you’re pushing hard, push softer.

The First and Only Constructed Wetlands In Maryland

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Wetlands Planting

Did you know that since 1988, KPC has processed all of its wastewater (5 million gallons!) through a groundbreaking Constructed Wetlands Project, the first of its kind in the Chesapeake Bay estuary? Built by the monks and nuns and members themselves, we haven’t used a drop of chemicals, nor released an ounce of sewage in over 25 years.

Wow.

We are very proud of our commitment to environmental responsibility and the example we set and the experience we bring to the community, as evidenced by this little-known environmental victory.

The system has run successfully for over 25 years and now it needs some maintenance. Solids have built up that need to be removed, and invasive plant species are crowding out the aquatic plants we’ve planted and maintained to clarify the wastewater before release. It’s going to be costly ($33,000) and it needs to be done before the frost hits, so there is an urgency.

We have launched a campaign on Indiegogo, called Get your s**t together: Brown Is The New Green, to raise money for the maintenance. The success of the campaign relies on spreading the word about this innovative and environmentally responsible project to the widest possible audience. Please follow the link. Read the message. And then pass it on to everyone you ever knew. Like it, share it, forward it, tweet it, blog it, text it, post it, stand on the corner and hand out leaflets. However you can, spread the word. That is how we will succeed.

Thank you for your help with this very important project.

John Darrin on behalf of KPC

astrology for 1/21/2017

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1/21/2017 Saturday by Norma

Harmony, this is your day! Happy aspects between major planets turn your attention to private matters, things you can easily accomplish and feel good about, as opposed to large issues where your input may not count. Be out and about early today and finish your errands before noon. Physical strength and coordination are pronounced; if you’ve been recuperating, you are back in the game! Three planets in Pisces tell you to spend time on healing and intuitive projects. Act promptly on your perceptions and then stop. George Santayana said, “Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are.” Art, medicine and resurrection are themes of the day. Something you thought was gone is back!

Heart Samaya

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

We’ve talked about the commitment made by the teacher when accepting a new student. What about the commitment by the student to the teacher, the samaya between the student and the teacher?  What is that all about?  There must be some kind of reciprocal relationship.  Obviously the teacher cannot insist on the student’s progress without the student’s willingness.  The student has to be willing to follow Lord Buddha’s teachings, has to be willing to accept the objects of refuge as their true refuge from the sufferings of samsara.  So there is a reciprocal commitment that is required.

It is extremely important that the teacher maintain their ethical and moral responsibility to the student.  That is to say, the teacher honors the student and thinks of the student with such high regard and such respect that actually it is said that a pure teacher will consider the student to be worth more than their own safety or comfort.  In a sense, they hold the student up in the same way that a parent holds up their child, not necessarily as superior, but as vitally important and cared for.  Any of you who have been parents know that in a dangerous situation, before you think of your own safety, if you have that bonding and love with your child, you’ll think about the safety of the child first. That is always the case.  And when the mother hears the cry of her baby child for food, she doesn’t say, “I am not ready to feed you now.  It’s not convenient for me to feed you now.  I have no wish to feed you now.” Instead, the mother wants to answer the child’s call as though the mother were filled with milk and the child were very hungry.  It is very instinctive and very natural.

So the relationship occurs in that way on the teacher’s side of the fence.  Now what about the student, what is the student’s part in the equation?

Well, there are certain teachings and certain rules that one must follow, but I don’t like to think of them as merely following dogmatic rules.  I like to think of this samaya, or this commitment, as a samaya of the heart.  Something that is deep and profound,  instead of like a cheap and gaudy display. It doesn’t burn hot like paper, quick and then gone.  It burns deep and slow like good strong hardwood or even better, good strong coal-something that burns hot for a long time, steadily without interruption.  This is how the relationship between the Guru and disciple should be.

When the student learns about the samaya they are keeping with the teacher, they should hold that samaya not so much as a duty and responsibility but more as a jewel, just as the teacher holds the student as a jewel.  So that relationship then is considered precious, valuable, from the heart.  Not a methodical thing, not a thing done by rote, not a thing done blindly without any understanding, but a deep and pervasive samaya or commitment that is a heart connection that ultimately enhances the practice and the level of accomplishment that comes from practicing Guru Yoga.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Astrology for 1/20/2017

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1/20/2017 Friday by Norma

A private conversation clears up a tricky matter, and it must be kept private. Listen for the subtext- the thing that isn’t articulated- in all interactions and you’ll understand what is driving the current situation. Group activity is favorable and all sub-rosa matters are successful. Bruce Barton said, “The most important thing about getting somewhere is starting right where we are.” It’s quite important to understand who you are, what you value and where you stand. Think and talk things over with others today, it’s an intellectual time. Scientific matters are successful, technology flourishes, and machines play an important role, but compassion, sympathy and healing are the real winners today.

When the Teacher Meets the Student

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

Guru Yoga is a very important, very fundamental aspect of the practice of Vajrayana. When a student and a teacher come together, following in the footsteps of Guru Rinpoche as he taught, the relationship between the student and the teacher is upheld by the teacher in a very profound way.  Once the teacher accepts the student as their very own and takes them into their heart and actually into their body, speech and mind, it is the teacher’s commitment to bring blessings and benefit to that student, not only in this lifetime but in every future lifetime.

The student then becomes extremely important to the teacher, in that the teacher, upon accepting the student fully once that relationship has been established, promises to return lifetime after lifetime in whatever form is necessary in order to be of benefit to that student.  So there is a heart commitment or heart “samaya.”  When the teacher looks into the face of the student, the teacher says to the student or thinks to the student in their heart and in their mind, “I will not abandon you.  I will not abandon you to remain alone in cyclic existence.”

So, the commitment is that the teacher promises to see the student through until supreme realization.  This then becomes a “samaya,” or commitment, that lasts life after life, from life to death, from life to death, from life to death.  Again and again and again this relationship returns. There are many stories about how lamas, recognizing their students or seeing their students from the time before, whatever that time might be, feel great joy at seeing the face of the student again, tremendous joy,  as though seeing and having the opportunity to nurture their beloved child once more.  And this is a very beautiful and happy thing.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Astrology for 1/19/2017

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1/19/2017 Thursday by Norma

Someone makes a final show of authority today, generating disfavor in others. This is a poor day to demand respect but a great day to make friends. A rigid attitude morphs into a friendly, “hail fellow well met” mode as the day progresses. Shakespeare said, “The old order changes, yielding place to new, and God fulfills himself in many ways.” Do your best to fit into the new facts of life and avoid lamenting what’s gone. Love is here; someone who seemed gone for good is back, and a new source of inspiration is in the air. Apologize to anyone you have mistreated recently and make no effort to defend yourself. Be willing to accept apologies and put the past behind you. Happiness and the willingness to extend an olive branch, to make peace, is the gift of the day.

The Nature of Kaliyuga

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An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Vajrayana and Kaliyuga”

It used to be that one could learn something of the Buddha’s teaching – for instance, a beginning philosophy, such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, and some of the Buddha’s basic teachings – but one could not receive teachings on the meaning of Vajrayana, and certainly one would not come across teachings on the nature of mind.  This is a very recent occurrence.  They are still thought of as secret, even though now, because this is the time of Kaliyuga, the time of great degeneration, these teachings are in fact widespread.

There is a tremendous blessing in their being widespread.  If they were not widespread, we, who are born in America, would have no access to them.  So we are truly blessed by having them.  But there is also a tremendous difficulty with their being widespread, and that is that there are many practitioners that I have seen who have heard rich and profound teachings and have not utilized them whatsoever.  It is like seeds tossed into a field: Sometimes they fall on rocks, and sometimes they fall on fertile ground.  Different students have different capacities, and the teachings are often not measured out according to what capacity each student has.  Then, of course, there are those students who come into a teaching situation and have no idea what that situation is and innocently are not aware of the gift that they’ve been given or how to use it or how to keep samaya.

So, there are obstacles and there are drawbacks.  The teaching itself becomes diluted to some degree if it is given out and it is not utilized.  When I say diluted, I don’t mean that the teachings change, I don’t mean that the tantra that we’re being taught from the books, when the lamas come, is somehow different from what was taught before.  It isn’t different at all. It’s still the same exact teaching; but the quality of empowerment, the quality of impact, the quality of our deepening, is changed in this time. Again, that has a good side and a bad side.  Since the teaching is passed out in this more casual way, it has attached to it the karma of practitioners who sincerely practice in order to attain enlightenment, and it also has the karma attached to it of students who do not utilize the teaching.  In this way there is negativity there.

On the other hand, there would be no other way for sentient beings to hear the teachings.   Furthermore, this is the time of Kaliyuga. And while Kaliyuga works against us, it also works for us, particularly when it comes to Vajrayana, in that of all the teachings that the Buddha has ever taught, of all the spiritual teachings that are available of any kind, Vajrayana teachings are the most perfectly suited for this time of Kaliyuga.  This time of Kaliyuga is extremely contracted.  Karma is thick. It isn’t spread out and dispersed over a great, long field.  Rather, it is drawn in.  It is a time of contraction, and karma ripens much more quickly than it used to ripen.  This is not because you’re in Vajrayana but because this is the time for that.  Experience is much more condensed; phenomena are much more condensed;time is much morecondensed. You can look at your life; you can walk outside and see that this is not the same world from just a hundred years ago.  It was much broader and spread apart.  This is a result of the condensed quality of Kaliyuga, which will continue, and experience will become more compacted and more condensed, not less.

Under these conditions, Vajrayana can actually do the most good in two ways, which is an amazing thought.  One way is that we can see cause and effect relationships more readily.  We are suffering and we are suffering just enough to help us be convinced that suffering is a reality, therefore we are willing to practice.  We realize the benefit of practice because we truly do wish to attain enlightenment.  In a better time, in a smoother time, in a time when there are rolling green hills around us and not much to do except to get old, when things are just more spread out and life is perhaps longer and more relaxed, under these conditions it’s hard for us to imagine why we should get up the gumption to practice. We just think we should sort of go with the flow.

So, in this regard, Kaliyuga is very compatible with Vajrayana.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

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