Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Astrology for 11/25/2015

November 25, 2015 by Norma

11/25/2015 Wednesday by Norma

An early purchase or business transaction takes you in the right direction. The moment is lost as soon as talk predominates; the more words, the more trouble. Pack up and do something else. An attempt to inject facts into a philosophical discussion goes nowhere and it’s important to sidestep the negative,
fearful thinking that predominates now. If you’re worrying about something outside your immediate environment, change, and focus on what’s in front of you. Problem solved! Socrates said, “Let him that would move the world, first move himself.” What’s good today? Diplomacy, improvement in diet and health, partnership and domestic activity. Be aware that leaders don’t know what to do. Be supportive and wait until a plan of action is formulated. No pushing.

The astrology post affects each person differently, based on individual horoscopes. Look to see which area of your life is affected by this message!

Aspirational Bodhicitta

November 24, 2015 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

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

One very important step on entering the path is to make aspirational prayers. It is the beginning of right focus and view. This habit is the very underpinning of one’s spiritual journey. Aspirational prayers are also a way to train the mind, based on altruism, to give birth to the great Bodhicitta in one’s mind.

For instance, one might pray “as I open this door may all pass through the door of liberation”

Or if eating delicious food one prays “as I receive nourishment may all sentient beings be fed by DHARMA”. This trains the mind to be less self absorbed and more likely to put the welfare of others before one’s own, to see one’s life as a vehicle by which to serve. To AWAKEN from the death-like sleep of ordinary view. For some kindness is not a natural habit. This is the life, the time to make it so!

If you can read the word Bodhicitta then you have the karma and power to accomplish it, and should NOT hesitate to practice! Life is quick, short and we must grab the opportunity while we may to make ourselves and our world BETTER. In human physical realm we all suffer from old age sickness, and death. These are inescapable! So we must use this time to prepare for our rebirth.

Kindness will bring happiness. Generosity will bring wealth in our future time. Keeping vows purely will make a beautiful body and Form. Pure thought will bring a clear balanced mind. As we make aspirational prayers we are beginning all that. To whom do we pray? Not to a conceptual god, old man on a throne. But to the 3 jewels, Lama, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, which are the very display of one’s own pristine primordial nature. This is our own true face.

So one is in a sense purifying one’s own perception in order to wake UP as lord Buddha is awake. Selfishness, dullness, anger, cruelty are ALL causes for a low rebirth. One must build pure view by examining the condition of other sentient beings to understand. They are the same in their nature: separated only buy habitual tendency; Karma. All suffer. All wish to be happy. All strive as you do. With very little result until they train their minds. We must apply method, which is stated clearly in the 8-fold path as Buddha taught. And I have also,as I follow his teaching.

“As I offer these humble words, may they bring benefit to all beings. May all who suffer find the WAY!” This is my prayer. And after I teach all I know, may I have the honor to see ALL cross this ocean of suffering; to be last in order to guide others to the Ship to Liberation! For their sake, my children. OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG Sarwa mangalam!

Thank you for offering your attention, and allowing me to speak the precious lessons taught by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas through the ages.

By this merit may the sick be healed, may the hungry be fed, may cruelty and hatred end, may confused minds be mended and may there be PEACE!

Astrology for 11/24/2015

November 24, 2015 by Norma

11/24/2015 Tuesday by Norma

Serious information is disseminated that galvanizes a force dedicated to forestalling trouble. News from afar must be absorbed and taken seriously. A dream is being unmasked as fantasy and the sooner you let go, the sooner you’ll know what to do. A rush of escapist activity is possible. If you
suddenly decide to watch tv all day, play computer games for hours or hang around doing nothing, look to see where you don’t want to accept reality. Erich Kastner said, “Follies change their type but foolishness remains.” Elsewhere, a stable energy ignores the confusion, shops carefully, works
cheerfully and engages happily with a partner. Join this group and it’s a great day! All you have to do is get out of your head and into productive activity.

the astrology post affects each person differently, based on individual horoscopes. Look to see which area of your life is affected by this message!

Gratitude and Guru Yoga

November 23, 2015 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

An excerpt from the Mindfulness workshop given by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo in 1999

Another aspect of constant mindfulness – it’s sort of like hand-in-glove with offering – is gratitude. When you think about the appearance of all phenomena, like beautiful flowers, beautiful trees, all of our beautiful stuff, suppose you were able to develop the habit of thinking like this: “How great must be the Buddha nature, that this display of the Buddha nature is so beautiful,” with gratefulness. It’s not like ‘thank-you-God-for-everything.’ It’s not like that. It’s a deep response, joyfulness, the Recognition to see that the nature that is our deepest, most profound nature, the nature that is all-pervasive, the nature that is our Buddha nature is actually inherent in all appearances. To acknowledge that, to move into any kind of Recognition of that is so amazing. To think that we are somehow connected. How amazing!

A sense of wonder that encourages you, not just to see and react in a dull and stupid way, but to perceive more deeply. By doing that, we develop the habit of letting the mind be more profound, letting the mind reach its depth, and consequently, one’s practice becomes so much more profound and our level of Recognition becomes so much more deepened. This sense of gratitude ultimately, as we begin to practice, gives rise to an awareness of the emptiness of all phenomena and the inherent nature that is the heart of all phenomena.

As we begin to think like that, every time we take beauty into our eyes and have the opportunity to offer that beauty, perhaps we can say, “That is Guru Rinpoche’s. This is Guru Rinpoche speaking to me. I see this beauty and now I have, because of that, the opportunity to offer this beauty to the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas for the liberation and the salvation of all sentient beings.” If you have a marvelous personal experience and remember to offer the joy of that experience for the sake of sentient beings, or to the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas, to be able to do that, in that moment, you are with Guru Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche is speaking to you.

If we learn to Recognize the intrinsic nature of phenomena, isn’t that like learning to see the face of the guru? What’s important about this is the power that we have to practice this way. In ordinary situations, if you love somebody, they can be taken away from you. They themselves can walk away from you. You could lose them. But in this way of thinking, this kind of practice of mindfulness, no one can ever take the appearance of Guru Rinpoche away from you. No one can ever take from you, nothing on this earth has the power to hide from you, to keep from you, the face of the guru. So if you’re able to look at your environment, and think, “Oh, this is so beautiful, such a beautiful place,” and you’re able to really offer it and feel that blissfulness of just letting go and surrendering all the beauty that you see to the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas, praying fervently that somehow that virtue will be used to benefit beings, praying that all of that virtue will go to nourish sentient beings, at that moment, you are in the very arms of the guru. You are not separate from the guru.

In ordinary relationships, someone can take that away from you. Samsara has that power, and there’s not a thing you can do about it. How amazing to distinguish between that and the extraordinary relationship that is brought about through mindfulness and Recognition: this one relationship that nobody on this earth, even Guru Rinpoche himself, could take away from you, not that he’d want to. We have this extraordinary opportunity.

Regarding recognition and mindfulness in our Guru Yoga, remember how I’ve taught you that ultimately the practice of Guru Yoga helps us to recognize our own nature, to recognize our primordial wisdom nature as being inseparable from the teacher? How amazing to use this practice of Recognition in such a way as to expedite all of that and make it so much more profound and so much more meaningful instead of reacting constantly as we habitually do. How amazing if even once, twice, three times in one day, in one week, we can practice that Recognition and remove ourselves from that neurotic scenario, using the appearance of phenomena and our reaction to it as a way to see the face of the guru. How amazing!

Astrology for 11/23/2015

November 23, 2015 by Norma

11/23/2015 Monday by Norma

Energetic activity is best performed early in the day, when a strong push yields positive results. Take action and then stop. Do not attempt anything on your own right now, even though you want to, and be aware that hidden forces are at work. Joshua Moore said, “The knowledge that a secret exists is
half of the secret.” The moment you think you understand something, information comes in to prove you wrong. Confusion holds the winning hand today, and if you understand this you’ll know what to do: talk and listen, gather information, partner up with someone, and go shopping!

The astrology post affects each person differently, based on individual horoscopes. Look to see where
this message affects your life!

Astrology for 11/22/2015

November 22, 2015 by Norma

11/22/2015 Sunday by Norma

A leader zips around telling people what to do, and a follower assuages feelings and compliments everyone. Decide in advance which role you will play and stick to it. If no second is available, you’ll have to play both parts yourself. Both are necessary. Place a recalcitrant person in a chair with a magazine, provide a cup of coffee and keep going. Don’t let anyone monopolize your time or pull you off assignment, and someone will definitely try to do this. Ask a broad question to get the ball rolling, and relax as the opinions fly back and forth. Richard Moss said, “The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.” If you’re not in a group situation, the need to listen and communicate will still be apparent everywhere, you’ll only avoid it by staying home with the door shut, where you will probably talk to yourself.

The astrology post affects each person differently, depending on individual horoscopes. Look to see where this message affects your life!

Astrology for 11/21/2015

November 21, 2015 by Norma

11/21/2015 Saturday by Norma

Everyone has an opinion about everything today. The temptation to plug your ears is overwhelming, but if you do you’ll be out of the loop. New alliances spring up and people are willing to band together for the common good. Activity and a jolt of enthusiasm follow an exciting announcement. Listen carefully to directions today, and you’ll arrive at your destination; go it alone and you’ll get lost. Wrap up your business early in the day and relax, enjoy friends and groups and spend happy time with a partner. James Oppenheim said, “The foolish person seeks happiness in the distance; the wise person grows it under his feet.”

The astrology post affects each person differently, based on individual horoscopes. Look to see where this message influences your life!

Astrology for 11/20/2015

November 20, 2015 by Norma

11/20/2015 Friday by Norma

Take it easy today, to the best of your ability. Use your sixth sense to decide what needs your attention most, tend to that, and defer the rest. Underground matters, secret things, are predominant. It’s best to travel with a partner who bolsters your mood and energy. A loss is possible, which can be recouped by intuitive action. A problem that cannot be solved by rational analysis is made right by a heartfelt, emotional response. The Cincinnati Enquirer said, “Isn’t it strange? the same people who laugh at gypsy fortunetellers take economists seriously?” What’s good today? Something hidden
becomes public, constant improvement in health matters, a successful partnership, and a serious problem that is finally being addressed.

The astrology post affects each person differently, based on individual horoscopes. Look to see which part of your life is affected by this message.

Watch It

November 19, 2015 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

An excerpt from the Mindfulness workshop given by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo in 1999

You’ve heard this so many times in Buddhism: watch your mind. That is an indication to give rise to a state of recognition, the ability to discriminate the nature of phenomena. When we begin to practice in such a way that we can get a little spaciousness in between the assumption of self-nature as inherently real and the reaction to the tree, there is a natural pause that develops. It’s a very small pause, but as you continue to practice, it will grow. That moment of spaciousness will grow. Then you are empowered to do something that you couldn’t do any other way, and that is to get ready to start dealing with your emotions and seeing them for the empty phenomena they actually are.

You know, we have all kinds of techniques for dealing with our emotions. We take Prozac, we go to therapy, we drink – self-medication – we suppress our emotions. Some of us are just champs at that. We repress our emotions, or we divert them. We divert them into something else entirely, and then we’re completely crazy. There are all kinds of different ways to deal with our emotions, but one way to deal with your emotions, if you’re really going to practice this path and you’re really going to treasure this idea of recognition and treasure this idea of practicing mindfulness, you’ve got to watch the mind. You have to watch; you have to perceive the nature of experience, perceive the nature of appearance, perceive the nature of phenomena.

Instead of suppressing emotion, diverting emotion, glossing over emotion, the thing to do here is to practice when we are very relaxed so that when we are in a highly emotional state we can begin to insert that same wedge, that same bit of spaciousness. It’s not that you judge yourself harshly and say, “God, I’m just such a terrible person. I’m just so angry all the time. I hate that about myself!” I actually have a student that does that to herself. “I just hate that about myself!” Well, that’s a solution, isn’t it? “I just hate that about myself.” Instead of doing that, you can simply observe. Observe like a mind that is calm like a lake. You’re observing. That’s all you’re doing. You don’t need to do anything else. Watch yourself in the equation. Watch yourself clinging to the idea of self-nature as being inherently real. Watch yourself assuming that everything else is out there, and watch yourself react to, with hope, fear or neutrality, everything. Watch yourself also go into that emotional state which is really only the elaboration of that original equation. That’s all it is. It’s just an elaboration of the original equation. We think our emotions are us; they’re so precious because we areour feelings, and that’s what makes us unique. That is bull hockey. I don’t know how better to say that.

Instead we have to begin to realize what these emotions are. They are just the continuation or elaboration of that original equation: ego-clinging reactiveness, that equation is simply a more elaborate form. In order to insert the spaciousness that is required, what we have to do is find a way to observe. Even when you’re getting ready to kick the dog and throw the kid through the wall, technically speaking it’s very, very hard when you’re in that state to do much about it. Once you’re there, just wait for it to go away. That’s all you can do. Once you’re there, it’s very difficult, but even if in that aroused, inflamed state we are able to observe ourselves, that is the unique capacity of human beings. Won’t you use it? It’s what distinguishes you from the rest. If there’s anything that makes you special, that’s it: the ability to put that spacious moment in there through observing the reaction. We can just say, “That’s just like me. Yeah, that’s just like me. I do that.” And then maybe questioning oneself later on and understanding, “Well, I do that because I’m protecting my turf; I’m protecting my space; I’m not wanting to change anything; I’m wanting to be powerful and right, so I need to put everybody else down.”

Whatever it is, simply observe, just observe, and you’ll find out that if you do that as consistently, deliberately, honestly, truly and deeply as you can, that after a while – and it doesn’t come immediately, so please don’t look for immediate results necessarily – there will be a spacious moment. It might be just a little moment between you and your reaction, but eventually in your practice, by practicing Dharma, by using generation and completion stage methods, you will be able to recognize. In that spaciousness, you can begin to recognize the emptiness of both the ego and that which affects it. But it takes a combination of things. It takes the ability to practice Dharma the way that our teachers teach us in generating oneself as the deity and practicing completion stage practice, but it also takes this deliberate, walking, waking mindfulness. This is part of the path.

Astrology for 11/19/2015

November 19, 2015 by Norma

11/19/2015 Thursday by Norma

Feeling under the weather, moody or mysterious? Rest and allow yourself to move slowly through the day. Water, fog and secrets are highlighted. Listen to your hunches and don’t get scammed, a too-good-to-be-true prospect is exactly that. Reality wants to fly out the window today so be prepared. Wrap up your work early and relax with a movie, music or meditation. If you let yourself relax, you won’t need to get sick to take a break. Pat Conroy said, “Without music, life is a journey through a desert.” It’s a good day to relax, meditate, contemplate and give yourself a break.

The astrology post affects each person differently, based on your individual horoscope. Look to see
how this message affects your life!