Mysticism 101

Gandhi said it right: “Be the change you seek in the world.”  But most get it backwards and begin a political agenda that is at odds with the powers that be.  When their ethics aren’t upheld properly, obstacles arise.  Then paranoia sets in and they defeat themselves.  These types of people see an evil or corrupt world and become very impatient.  Without the dharma-eye they cannot see the help going on “behind the scenes” and so they take it upon themselves to change the world.  And they do this in an unskillful way that ends up in a disaster.

It has been said that your opinion of the world is a reflection of your character.  I have to agree.  Change does come but it happens very slowly.  The Buddhas of this world see the world as already perfect.  Even so, they aren’t ignorant of the fact that certain systems or ways of living are wrong or in need of improvement.  They know all too well that people are suffering.  These masters are ready to help anyone who seeks their wisdom or advice.

The main rule of thumb when being on a spiritual path is:

Do NOT follow your thoughts, do NOT pay attention to images, do NOT listen to voices you may hear and do NOT follow impulses that would violate the rules (precepts) or laws of society.

Over the last decade we have seen mental illness on the rise.  Deep spiritual seekers are now being labeled as having Manic-depression, Schizophrenia, or Borderline Personality Disorder.  The following is some information so you can see the patterns of behavior that develops through having mistaken conceptions on the path.

A recent story:

One lady I recently talked to had herself convinced that she was the new Maitreya.  She tried to explain to me that she hears voices in her head and this was a common thing in the past.  She said, “Voice hearers were once very important in ancient civilizations, there is nothing insane about this.”  She went on to say that one of her intentions was to destroy the scriptures.  I told her these voice-hearers were disciples of the Buddha called Shravakas who listened to the actual Shakyamuni Buddha discoursing on the dharma in person.  But to no avail, I couldn’t convince her otherwise.

One of the dark’s agenda is to destroy the dharma or sacred scriptures.  But, in reality, the dharma is the LIFE-BLOOD for all living and non-living beings.  It is the source of happiness and upheld by the bodhisattvas, masters, and lineage holders as a gift to you – so that you can be set free and be liberated.

Please, if you hear a voice in your head it is a psychic phenomena and on a lower (astral) plane than proper meditation.  For your own good, you should stop all meditation or breathing exercise or whatever you are doing and seek qualified help.

On having powers:

Every demon that enters someone’s mind has convinced them they have a special power or ability to endure and survive.  Look at Charlie Sheen’s attitude. He feels indestructible due to his excess use of drugs that would normally cause death to ordinary person.  He just negatively conditioned his body to tolerate the stress.  Furthermore, most of us know about Jesus and how he heard a voice in his head that told him to jump off a cliff.  Fortunately, he did NOT listen to that demon.  He set the right example for all of us.

Every intuition that you receive MUST be backed by reason and grounded in reality – otherwise you will eventually lose your path.  The informed aspirant knows exactly how to stay on track.  In Buddhism, there are checks and balances so your spiritual career doesn’t turn into a colossal failure or spiritual materialism.  If you know the Eight Worldly Dharmas you’ll be ahead of the game because you’ll know what to avoid.

The Eight Worldly Concerns are:

• hope for PLEASURE and fear of PAIN
• hope for FAME and fear of INSIGNIFICANCE
• hope for PRAISE and fear of BLAME
• hope for GAIN and fear of LOSS

Pay attention to when these eight mundane concerns manifest in you.  As these thoughts or feelings arise in excess then you’ll know immediately to avoid clinging and grasping to agendas filled with all sorts of hope and fear.  They are the links to your subconscious demons.

Some people have the mistaken idea that enlightenment is gifted or graced by a Higher Power.  This is a very dangerous belief to hold on to.  The Buddha never taught that he could grant someone enlightenment with the snap of a finger or a push of a button.  All he can do is explain what is right from wrong, correct from incorrect and show us the way to a lasting happiness.

You have to be a LIGHT UNTO YOURSELF.  You have to obtain the necessary realization on your own.  No one else can do it for you.  You are required to do the hard work of purification, study and contemplation.  The unfortunate result of holding onto such a mistaken belief (that an external being can clear away all of your karma) is being hospitalized for a mental illness.  This seems to be happening more and more to people in our degenerate time.  Here is what most likely happens:

Patterns of behavior:

In a general way, men are innately aggressive.  They are ready to “take a leap of faith” and follow their hunches and synchronicities as a test to be passed.  Once passed you feel elated and “in favor” of the god or demon guiding or impulsing you.  Naturally you believe you are the “chosen one” of God and will be enlightened very soon.  This type of euphoria goes on for some time when things go right.  When things go wrong or out of hand paranoia sets in and then you crash.  You end up being depressed for many reasons; mainly for being in a miserable world and still unenlightened.  These men end up being labeled as Bipolar.

In a general way, women are innately passive. They are also ready to “take a leap of faith” and follow their hunches and synchronicities as a test of faith to be passed.  Once passed you feel elated and “in favor” of the god or demon guiding or impulsing you.  Naturally you believe you are the “chosen one” of God/Goddess and you will be enlightened very soon.  They also have highs and lows like men do.  But instead of lashing out (exploding) at others the way men do they lash inwardly (imploding) in a suicidal way.  These women could end up being labeled as borderline or Schizophrenic.

The five paths:

Every religion has its place depending on where you are at in your spiritual evolution.  When you get rid of the dogma and limitations of certain lower views then you can see the beauty in each religion and how it all fits like a mosaic in this world.  What is unique about Buddhism is that you can more easily figure out where you are on the Path and how much further work you have to do on yourself.  There is no guesswork involved.  The Buddha explained in detail the five paths and ten bhumis of ascension especially in the Lankavatara sutra.

The five paths are:

• The path of accumulation (one must clear away the heavy negative karmas)
• The path of preparation (one must clear emotional afflictions)
• The path of seeing (one has a direct perception of their true nature)
• The path of learning (one begins to clear away the cognitive obscurations)
• The path of no-more learning (one becomes a fully awake and omniscient being)

Making decisions:

Sometimes, when you have a decision to make, you usually get yourself in a bind depending on the perplexity of the choices.  Some will consult the tarot deck, soothsayers, fortunetellers and divination.  Others will consult their spirit guides for help.  This can be very costly financially but more costly if the guidance comes from a corrupt or unenlightened source.  All of this can be easily be cut-through in a simple way so that you can be more self-sufficient.  You have your own innate wisdom within you.

The key principle is to FOLLOW THE PATH OF JOY.  For example, when you think of a future scenario and you are wondering if you should accept a course of action then you should feel joyful and effortless when imagining yourself doing it.  Otherwise, if the future possibility is wrought with a lot of pressure and resistance then that course of action should be rejected and not followed through.

The Buddha knew well that the above principle was not fool-proof since some people misinterpret their feelings and intuitions.  Since the Buddha calculated 84,000 outflows of poisonous thoughts, feelings, and actions he gave out specific precepts of what to accept or reject as a guideline for certain spiritual progress.  Unfortunately, there are some people that take pleasure and joy in being destructive in all sorts of heinous crimes or perverted behaviors.  They would enjoy pulling the wings off of insects for example.  That is simply wrong.

Following precepts:

In a more precise way, the Buddhist precepts were given to assist you to develop your conduct in a right and safe way for positive day-to-day living.  As it has been taught, there are hundreds of basic precepts to hold in Buddhism.  This type of self-denial has caused so much anger, confusion, and resentment among humans and non-humans.  For some, it was considered too harsh to accept these facts immediately.  They rejected Buddhism because it went against their normal, negative habitual way of living.  In reality, it is for everyone’s greater good to evolve in this way as it has been said:

The Buddha told Ananda, “You constantly hear me explain in the Vinaya that there are three unalterable aspects to cultivation.  That is, collecting one’s thoughts constitutes the precepts; from the precepts comes samadhi; and out of samadhi arises wisdom.  Samadhi arises from precepts, and wisdom is revealed out of samadhi.” ~ Shurangama Sutra

Walking the path:

If you are serious about walking on solid ground on a spiritual path then finding a qualified Lama is of utmost importance.  The lama can begin to teach you what steps to take.  Being initiated into these more advanced practices are ways for you to send healing energy to the world without interfering with anyone’s free-will.  These practices require a transmission and words of honor.

Learning to perform a sadhana such as a fire puja (homa) or Ganachakra (tsok) feast is the best way to accumulate merit and wisdom as well as pacify the inner and outer elements.  This is a skillful way to help all worldly and non-worldly beings that are suffering without hurting yourself in the process.

All the best,
Neo

The Maitreya Project

As the central feature of its activities, Maitreya Project is planning to build, in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, a magnificent 500ft / 152m bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha, built to stand for 1000 years.

World focus, inspiration, and the Buddhist tradition of building very large buddha statues are the reasons for the size of the Maitreya statue.  The more notable a statue is, the more people will hear of it, see it, and have the chance to benefit from it.

“The purpose of life is to benefit sentient beings, to free them from suffering and bring them to enlightenment.  This is the real meaning of life, the purpose of surviving each hour, minute, and second with this human body.  Whatever we are doing, our motivation is to benefit others and serve the teachings of the Buddha.  This is the sole source of our own happiness and the happiness of others.”  – Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The Maitreya Project intends to bring as much benefit as possible — spiritually, in education and healthcare, and economically, through the direct and indirect
creation of employment opportunities in northern India.

“World peace must develop from inner peace.  Peace is not just the absence of violence.  Peace is the manifestation of human compassion.” — His Holiness the Dalai Lama

According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, one of the main causes to create the merit needed to build the Maitreya Statue is writing the Prajnaparamita Sutra in pure
gold.  Therefore, for over seven years, Rinpoche has been writing the 8000 verse Prajnaparamita himself, sometimes writing through the night.  Since then, at Rinpoche’s request, several students started a second copy of the Prajnaparamita, written on archival quality rainbow paper.  Lama Zopa Rinpoche is also writing the Sanghata Sutra in gold, and a student is writing the Vajra Cutter Sutra in pure silver.  When the Maitreya Statue is completed, these precious sutra texts will be enshrined in the very heart of the statue.

“Everyone can make a connection with Maitreya Buddha, so that even if one does not become enlightened during this life time, when Maitreya Buddha teaches one is able to become Maitreya Buddha’s disciple and to become enlightened at that time.” — Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Maitreya Project

The Sanghata Sutra is considered a dharmakaya relic – the actual presence of the enlightened mind in the world. The Prajnaparamita Sutra contains the highest teachings of the Buddha and is among the most holy of texts.

Both sutras proclaim the benefits of writing them out in order to create vast amounts of merit.

To make an offering: Writing sutras in gold

Blessings!
Neo

 

The Great Samye Monastery

Samye Monastery was founded in the 8th century during the reign of King Trisong Detsen with the help of the Indian Buddhist masters Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita, whom the king had invited to Tibet to help spread Buddhism.  Padamasambhava is credited with subduing the local spirits and winning them over to Buddhism.

The importance of Samye to Tibetan Buddhism cannot really be overstated.  Since its establishment in the eighth century, Samye has been the central point from where Tibetan Buddhism began to spread through Central Asia and beyond.  It was also the place where many meditation practices were taught, translated, edited, maintained, and preserved, thus upholding and propagating the glorious Dharma.

It was in Samye Monastery that Vairocana, 108 scholars, and other Padmasambhava’s disciples first translated into Tibetan many of the texts that would make up Tibet’s vast Buddhist literature.

Padmasambhava performed the Vajrakilaya Dance and enacted the rite of ‘thread cross’ or Namkha to assist King Trisong Deutsen and Shantarakshita clear away obscurations and hindrances in the building of Samye.  He performed this dance in order to prepare the ground for the Samye Monastery and to pacify the malice of the local mountain god spirits and malevolent spirits in order to create the most perfect conditions for the authentic dharma to be practiced.

In one of his teachings, the great master Longchenpa explained the great importance of Samye Monastery.  He said you can measure whether Tibetan Buddhism will stay or be lost and gone forever by observing the condition of Samye Monastery.  In this way, Samye is really the measure: if Samye is gone, Tibetan Buddhism will disappear.

Heartbeat of the Dakini

The following was taken from the Jnanasuka newsletter:

Tsogyal Latso, in the valley of Drak on the north shore of the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra River in southern Tibet, is the birthplace of Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal, the mother of Tibetan Buddhism.  Yeshe Tsogyal was the speech emanation of Vajra Varahi.  She lived in the eighth and ninth centuries as the disciple and consort of Padmasambhava, the great Indian master who brought Secret Mantra (Vajrayana) Buddhism to Tibet.

She was entrusted with all of Padmasambhava’s teachings which she committed to memory.  She was also the chosen custodian of his treasure transmission or terma.  Her biography is available in English as Mother of Knowledge and Lady of the Lotus Born.

At the time of her birth, a nearby small lake that had existed in antiquity and had been frequented by the goddess Sarasvati, increased in size and overflowed.  Seeing this remarkable event, her father declared:

Since, when she was born the lake expanded, she shall have the name Tsogyal, Queen of the Lake.

The sacred site of Tsogyal Latso has always been a revered place of worship and pilgrimage.  In the 18th century, Rikdzin Jigme Lingpa stayed overnight at Tsogyal Latso. He slept leaning against a tree and in the morning, he saw the impression of his back on the tree.  Then in the next moment, he saw, rippling in its waters, a vision of Yeshe Tsogyal in the form of Yumkha Dechen Gyalmo.  His mind was imprinted with a secret dakini script he later decoded into the Longchen Nyingtik Yumkha Dechen Gyalmo.

“Master Padmakara took as his consort and support for sadhana the sixteen-year-old goddesslike daughter of Palgyi Wangchuk of Kharchen with the name Lady Tsoygal of Kharchen.  She was endowed with the nature of a wisdom dakini.  They remained in the profound meditation practice of Secret Mantra in the gathering hall of dakinis at the Tregu Cave of Chimphu.”  — The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava

Tsogyal Latso is a revered sacred site for the Nyingma.  In the eighth century, Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal was born there and a long, long time ago, it was the abode of Vajra Varahi and Saraswati.  At Tsogyal’s birth, a spring-fed lake spontaneously expanded in size and a naga chief offered her a pillar from a sandalwood tree grown with special elixirs.

In time, the lake became known as a visionary lake. Both the lake and the tree are called la in Tibetan culture–natural forces that sustained and continue to sustain Yeshe Tsogyal’s vitality and presence in the world.  Hence the name of her birthplace–Tsogyal Latso, Life-Supporting Lake of Tsogyal.  We should also mention the two springs that flow with her secret breast milk  and are banked with white flowers that bloom in winter.  Unbelievably, all this has survived the trials of time and tragedy!

It should be no surprise that Tsogyal’s birthplace is so extraordinary.  Ultimately, she is the mother or source of enlightenment, great emptiness herself.  And on the path to enlightenment, she is the enlightened feminine principle, the wisdom dakini who is our direct line to Guru Padmasambhava’s teachings.  Furthermore, in these deeply troubled times, she is the force behind inconceivable activities that benefit beings.

The Tsogyal Latso Fund:

$22,326 raised since 2009
135 donors

To see more beautiful photos click here:  2010 Tsogyal Latso

Please bring the benefit of the nuns into your life by supporting theirs!  Make a Connection

It’s now possible to connect with Tsogyal Latso in Tibet and the nuns living there.  Whether you shop, donate, or stay in touch — you ensure that the birthplace of Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal and the nuns are cared for.

Six Yogas of Naropa

For the serious aspirant who wants a method that will repair the nervous system in a thorough way one must investigate the esoteric practices of the Six Yogas of Naropa.

The first yoga is called the practice of inner fire referred to as tummo in Tibetan or candali in Sanskrit.  A good introductory book into this wonderful practice is Lama Yeshe’s commentary called “The Bliss of Inner Fire.”

Mastery of inner fire quickly brings the mind to its most refined and penetrating state — the experience of clear light, an extra-ordinarily powerful state of mind that is unequaled in its ability to directly realize ultimate reality.

The Six Yogas:

1. Yoga of Inner Heat or tummo yoga (candali/mystic heat)
2. Yoga of Illusory-Body
3. Yoga of Clear Light
4. Yoga of Dream State
5. Yoga of  the Intermediate State (bardo thodal)
6. Yoga of  the Transference of Consciousness (phowa)

In his teachings, Milarepa frequently referred his tummo meditation as `my short-AH′.  One day his disciple Gampopa told him that when he practiced single-pointed concentration he could remain for seven days in one uninterrupted session.

“So what?” replied Milarepa.  “You sit for seven days but do not experience the clear light.  If you meditated on my short-AH of inner fire you would experience the clear light very quickly.”

If you are serious about gaining proper health and moving forward quickly on your path to enlightenment then it is imperative to seek out a qualified lama to gain empowerment into this ancient tradition.  It will help repair the nerves, open up the heart and quickly gain results in meditation.

Now that Buddhism has spread all over the world it is much easier to train in the tsa-lung or trulkor exercises instead of having to journey and take much hardship in traveling through the Himalayan mountains.

These advanced sets of physical exercise will help release the tension or knots in the subtle body that prevent a good flow of spiritual energy in the body.  Once you have done this you can literally feel the psychological “armor” that you may have held onto (ever since you were young) melt away forever.

Good luck!
Neo