With Prayers of Longing

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Vow of Love Series

Let’s say you’re not up to following a qualified teacher. Let’s say you don’t go that route. You can still meditate. You can still follow those basic precepts that are brought to us through the enlightened mind of the Buddha without going that route, if you wish. You may wish to bite off a small piece, and then see if you want another piece. There’s no problem with that. You might realize some of the basic teachings, such as all sentient beings are suffering; there is an antidote to that suffering, which is supreme enlightenment. When we reach enlightenment there is no conceptualization of self, therefore there is no desire. Therefore, there is no discursive thought. Therefore, there is not the cause that creates the effect of suffering.

You must also realize that all sentient beings desire happiness, no matter what they are doing. Even if they are robbers, rapists and murderers, and they are doing things that look to you like all they’re trying to do is hurt people. They are confused. They have the karma of murder in their minds. They are completely deluded. They are whatever you want to call them. But in their deluded way, in their feverous way, they too desire happiness. All sentient beings desire happiness. Yet, all of us, whether we are murderers, rapists and robbers, or if we are the nicest little New Age flower children you have ever seen in all your bliss-ninny days – we are just so sweet and we walk around with flowers in our hair and only eat vegetables and tofu – even if we are like that, we are still creating the causes for unhappiness. I’m giving it to New Age people, but I’m just making fun. It’s no big deal. I’ve been known to eat tofu on occasions also! Anyway, even if you’re that kind of person, you are still creating the causes for more suffering. You know that’s true, because while you may not be murdering anybody, if you look at your life and look at the probability of the continuation of your life, you will at some time be sick, you will certainly age, and you will certainly die. There will certainly be circumstances you cannot avoid describing as suffering.

In order to get to the depth of this awareness we can begin to practice as the Buddha practiced. We can begin to take the antidote for desire. We can begin to take the antidote for the belief in self-nature as being inherently real. Therefore, the antidote will also be applied to the clinging and the reactive relationship of hope and fear, the attraction and repulsion syndrome, which is the mother of karma and circumstance. These are what cause circumstance and they will become eliminated.

How should we apply the antidotes? First of all, by living a life that is as selfless as possible and by beginning to purify our minds in such a way that we really honestly examine ourselves. Just how much of an ego do we have, anyway? If we can sit there and think, “Oh God, such an ego, you can’t believe it!” If we can do that, then we’re on our way, and we probably have less of an ego than the next person. If we’re truthful with ourselves, we’ll discover that any one of us has an ego that is so enormous; we’re surprised we can fit in a room. We have to begin to examine ourselves as carefully, diligently and purely as we possibly can.

How do we do that? Do we just sort of go through our stuff and process it? No, I don’t think so. I don’t think the thing to do is to process it and be sorry that we have a big ego. What we want to do, actually, is to begin to practice in such as way that we say, “Okay, I have this ego. I want to apply the antidote. What is the antidote? The antidote is to strive to constantly live a life in which my welfare becomes less important – because I am only one – than the welfare of others, who are many.” Again, it doesn’t mean you roll your eyes heavenward, become extremely thin and become a martyr. I don’t think that is the answer. The answer is that you live a life in which you consider how you can best benefit beings. You can start by aspiration, the aspiration to be truly compassionate. If you don’t have the technique, if you don’t know what to do first, begin through prayers of longing.

The Vow of Love is available on Amazon in both kindle and paperback formats

Copyright ©  Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Renunciate Vow for Lay Practitioners

Enthronement

The following vows were composed by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo who received permission to offer them to her students from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche:

Renunciate Vow for Lay Practitioners

From this very moment forward I offer this life as a gift to the three precious jewels. My pure intention is to accomplish the purpose of Self and Others – Supreme Enlightenment – quickly and surely. Thus I vow that all my life, every portion, shall be used to accomplish that goal.

  • All my activities shall accomplish that goal.
  • All my thoughts and feelings are directed toward that goal.
  • All my possessions shall be to strengthen and support that goal.
  • I shall seek all appropriate teachings, empowerments, and spiritual activities in order to secure that goal.
  • My own enlightenment is now considered to be equal to, and non-dual with the enlightenment of others. Therefore I vow to support fully and without hesitation the practicing spiritual community.
  • I vow to support fully and with unconditional love the three precious jewels and their manifestations: the Sangha and temple.
  • I will not kill.
  • I will not lie to accomplish selfish purpose.
  • I will not steal.
  • I will not become intoxicated and therefore forget my purpose and vows.
  • I will not engage in adultery, or promiscuous activity by which my intention will be compromised.
  • I fully intend to do all that I can to accomplish the liberation of all sentient beings and my own equally.
  • I consider the realization of all beings to be equal with my own and of equal value.
  • I fully support the spiritual community and its purpose on earth.
  • Should any activity or possession or relationship be contrary to these purposes I will systematically change it or eliminate it from my life.

This I promise so that there will be an end to hatred, greed and ignorance within my mindstream and within the three thousand myriads of universes and so that myself and all beings shall achieve the precious awakening.

Bodhisattva Vow

I dedicate myself to the liberation and salvation of all sentient beings. I offer my body, speech, and mind in order to accomplish the purpose of all sentient beings. I will return in whatever form necessary, under extraordinary circumstances to end suffering. Let me be born in times unpredictable, in places unknown, until all sentient beings are liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Taking no thought for my comfort or safety, precious Lama, make of me a pure and perfect instrument by which the end of suffering and death in all forms might be realized. Let me achieve perfect enlightenment for the sake of all beings. And then, by my hand and heart alone, may all beings achieve full enlightenment and perfect liberation.

Refuge Vows

I take refuge in the Lama

I take refuge in the Buddha

I take refuge in the Dharma

I take refuge in the Sangha

Update on Prayers for Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche

In March of this year,  Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo received word that Orgyen Dorje Den was organizing the accumulation of 1,000,000 Vajrakilaya mantras for Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche. She immediately had the request posted on her blog, and students at her center, Kunzang Palyul Choling, contributed to this effort. Today word was received that this auspicious aspiration has been accomplished by Rinpoche’s students and others world wide. In the message received, Venerable Gyaltrul Rinpoche states, “”Thank you so much. This was not just for my life, but for the removal of obstacles of everyone.” and when his students offered to continue accumulating, his response was, “”Sure, why not?  Why not do 100 million?” Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo has asked that her students join Rinpoche’s students in continuing the accumulations. Here is the email message from Orgyen Dorje Den:

Dear Sangha Friends,

We’ve done it!

With our September tally, our total is 10,174,615 Vajrakilaya Mantras!

Many thanks to all who, through faith and devotion to Gyatrul Rinpoche, have contributed to this collective effort.  How wonderful for all the various sanghas to work together for one purpose!

Rinpoche was very pleased to hear the news, and said “Thank you so much. This was not just for my life, but for the removal of obstacles of everyone.”

We would like to invite everyone to keep going with Vajrakilaya recitations, informally and without a monthly commitment, to continue to benefit our guru and ourselves.  To this, Rinpoche said, “Sure, why not?  Why not do 100 million?”

We couldn’t agree more!

Thanks again,
Scott Globus & Angela Zaragoza

While Ven. Yangthang Rinpoche was at ODD for the Rinchen Terzod in February 2011, he was consulted about what practices would be best to enhance and extend Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche’s life and general state of health. He indicated that if 10 million Vajrakilaya mantras were accumulated in the next year that that effort may have a significant effect on Rinpoche’s life span, removing obstacles to his health and well-being. Surely this is an outcome we all wish for and here is a proposed method that we can contribute to and help make it happen.

Gyatrul Rinpoche gave this outreach effort his support as it will involve many of the sangha and will help him as well as remove obstacles to all of our lives and practice. He said “Excellent. Go for it. This clears everyones obstacles–it’s a collective karma anyway, so go ahead and begin”.

Please feel free to forward to other practitioners.

Orgyen Dorje Den
2244 Santa Clara Ave
Alameda, CA 94501

www.orgyendorjeden.org

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com