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Wednesday, January 5, 2011
More on the 21 Taras
http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/greentara
begin quote.
Tara, whose name means "star" or "she who ferries across," is a Bodhisattva of compassion who manifests in female form. In Tibetan, Tara is known as "Dölma" (Sgrol-ma), or "She Who Saves." In particular she represents compassion in action, since she’s in the process of stepping from her lotus throne in order to help sentient beings. end quote.
http://www.ksdl.org/tara.php
The above Website "ksdl" is where I found the thanka (picture) of the 21 Taras of Tibetan Buddhism. I purchased a picture like this in Dharamsala, Himchal Pradesh, India in January 1986, 25 years ago this month. On the back of the large poster that I brought back to the U.S. and put on my bedroom wall were the names of the 21 Taras. Green Tara (the large one represents all the Taras) but there are also protector Taras, and the Long Life White Tara and the Gold Tara of wealth and good fortune. There is also Grandmother protector Tara or Ekajati and many others.
As you can see this is all very primal and powerful, Tibetan style.
The following quotes I also found helpful in regard to understanding the 21 Taras from:http://vortexcd.tripod.com/21tar.htm
Begin quote.
Enlightenment, Buddhahood, is One and is indivisible.
However, we are not like that. We are relative beings living in a relative condition. So we sometimes need different things at different times.
Because of this, Tara has manifested in innumerable different forms to help our relative problems.
It is rather as if we were to go to a huge store which could satisfy all our desires. If we wanted food, we would go to the food department. If we wanted cars, we would go to the cars department. Actually all the departments would be the same company, but they would all have a different appearance, different colours, different vibes, to help us to tune in to those things.
So, at the start, we have three Taras. The main Tara, and the Tara I am talking about in these pages, is the Green Tara. All the others are a manifestation of her.
Then there is White Tara.
One would expect there to be other Taras for the rest of the Buddha families: red, yellow and blue. There is a Red Tara. This wonderful extraordinary lineage is held by the great living Dzogchen master Chatral Rinpoche. However, if you want to learn it you will probably have to go towonderful Ven Chagdud Tulku in America or Brazil; his American-born wife also teaches this practice. Yellow Tara is a wealth Tara - possibly she is the same as the Basudarini, Norgyun (covered below as Tara no.10). Among the 21 Taras, there are a couple that are blue-black. I don't know which one of these is equivalent to a Blue Tara.
After the three or five Taras, there are Eight Taras who are the remedies or the antidotes to the Eight Great Fears. These fears have an internal aspect and an external aspect. The external aspect is that they are the fears of: Lions, Elephants, Fire, Serpents, Thieves, Captivity, Drowning, and Flesh-eating Spirits. Internally, these are fears such as the fears of oppression, loss of possessions, of change and so on. I can't correlate these exactly for you as I have not received any teachings on this. One does not usually find representations of these Eight Taras: sometimes one finds them arranged around a central Green Tara in a Thangka, just as the 21 Taras are arranged above.
(For notes on the lineages of the 21 Taras and a scholarly viewpoint on why there should be 21 Taras, go here .)
The main Tara forms in the tradition is the set called the 21 Taras. Some of the 21 Taras are correlated with other female deities, such as Saraswati, and some of them are different aspects, functions or forms of Tara.
There is a text of about three pages called the Praises to the 21 Taras which is very important in all schools. Often lamas recite 100,000 of this text: Chagdud Tulku's experience of doing so is recounted in his biography Lord of The Dance . There are also a couple of shorter, one-page texts. There are various sets of mantras for the 21 Taras as well. As yet,I don't have permission to reproduce any of these texts here. Most Buddhist centres should have them; I got mine from the Sogyal Rinpoche organisation, Rigpa. The mantras are also reproduced in John Blofeld's Bodhisattva of Compassion , along with many lovely Tara stories.
If you are doing the individual mantras: Firstly, get the Lung (that is the permission to do them) from a lama (this is simple; all the lama has to do is recite them to you). Second, if you are doing the individual Tara mantras, it is a very good idea to have completed 100,000 repetitions of the Tara mantra first. (This takes about four days. See Practice Notes below).
From a practical and religious standpoint, it is really excellent to do the individual mantras of these deities. They each have a different feeling. They are also extremely effective. For example, if you are having a disagreement with somebody, reciting the mantra of Dugselma in your head while you talk to them is really magical in helping resolve the argument. The feeling attached to Taras like Shiwa Chenmo is also really lovely.
Here are two lists of Taras and their functions. The first is according to the tradition of Atisha. I am not entirely sure if this text is not corrupt: one Tara appears to recur twice. The second list is according to the Long-Chen Nyin-Thig tradition, oir at least, so I have tried to make it.
Mostly the lists are the same. Some Taras seem to have the same functions but different names. Some Taras seem to be in a different position. However the purpose and direction of them is similar.
This list of the 21 Taras and their functions is according to the tradition of Atisha.
1) Nyurma Palmo
'Swift lady of glory' , to pacify hindrances and develop Bodhicitta.
2) Shiwa Ch'enmo
This Tara is to pacify external negative influences.
In most lists, this second place is occupied by Saraswati. Also, in this list Shiwa Ch'enmo seems to recur at position 15. It is this which makes me wonder if this is an accurate text.
3) Serdog Chen
To develop wealth and longevity
4) Namgyalma (Ushnisha)
This is an important deity for all schools. Ushnisha, she who dwells on the topknot of the Buddhas, develops longevity and wealth. Her mantra and mandala may be found here.
Her mantra has been published so I think i can give it to you. It is
OM BHRUM SOHA (Ohm Dhrung Sowha).
5) Kurukulla
Also an important deity for all schools, though possibly more so for the Sarma ( New Translation) schools. Kurukulla is to develop one's capacity. Kurukulla also has a reputation for bringing sex partners. This makes some people do a great deal of Kurukulla practice. This is not really a good idea unless one does other, balancing practices, because it can lead to anxiety, agitation and nervousness. Anyway, Green Tara should bring one a partner, if desired.
6) Jigten Sumle Nampar Gyalma
This Tara is to tame elemental spirits - local beings which can give us problems.
7) Shen Jom-Ma
This Tara is to protect against magic and curses from human and non-human beings.
8) Du Dra Jom Ma
This Tara is to give us victories.
9) Jigpa Kunkhyob Ma
This Tara is to save us from all fears.
10) Dudang Jigten Wangdu Dema
This Tara is to protect against being confused by spirits.
11) Norgyun (Basudarini)
This Tara is to remove poverty and bring wealth. Wealth practices always mention this deity.
12) Tashi Donjedma
This Tara is to bring auspicious conditions, like good farming climate and many children and wealth and luck, to the area we live in.
Because this mantra is for the good of all, I don't see why I shouldn't put it here:
Om Tare Tutare Ture Mangalam Soha.
'Mangala' means a blessing or good omen.
13) Metar Barma
This is to make people speak well of us and prevent verbal reputation problems.
14) Tronyer Chen
This Tara is to suppress forces which may be trying to obstruct us (spirit forces)
15) Shiwa Ch'enma
This deity is to purify and suppress the effects of one's own negative actions. This is a wonderful Tara to do.
16) Saraswati In this text, Saraswati is placed here.
17) Jigten Sumyowa
This Tara is to pacify problems.
18) Dugselma
This Tara purifies or neutralises the effects of poison. In the East, secret enemies often use poison - in fact, secret long-lasting poisons, not known to the West, are used. In one story, a practitioner was in a remote area of Bhutan and was invited to dinner at the house of some people he did not quite trust. So he used an anti- poison mantra when just about to taste the food, whereupon it turned black and burst into flames. In the West, we do not fear deliberate poisoning so much. However, we often fear food poisoning, and also sometimes we take substances that may harm us. This mantra is useful against these.
19) Mip'ham Gyalmo
This Tara is absolutely wonderful. Her mantra averts quarrels and bad dreams. Try it next time you get into an argument! It is very swift and effective.
I don't see any harm if I tell you this one:
Om Tare Tutare Ture Motsana Soha.
20) Selwe'i Drolma
This Tara is to remove pestilence. She is often evoked when plague strikes. Some people feel that it is somehow disrespectful to invoke her for a cold in the head or a drippy nose. Not at al. l As I say in Practice Notes, Tara should be invoked as often as possible and for every problem, no matter how small.
Invoking Tara does not make us weak somehow. Every time we invoke Tara, we become more like her: more merciful and more wise. P>21) Tr'inle Tamche Yongsu Dzogpar Jepe'i Drolma In most lists this place is occupied by Maritse. However, here we have this Tara who is to make all that we do perfect and complete. This Tara is also very wonderful to do.
This list of the 21 Taras and their functions is according to the tradition of the Longchen Nyin-Thig. I hope it is anyway; perhaps some of the names are according to the tradition of Chogyur Lingpa. Never mind, they seem tgo be in the same order. end quote.
The first following website "ksdl" is where I got the picture of the 21 Taras that you can see if you click on:
"The 21 Taras" word button below or the "ksdl" at the" .php"
http://www.ksdl.org/tara.php
The 21 Taras
begin quote.
Tara, whose name means "star" or "she who ferries across," is a Bodhisattva of compassion who manifests in female form. In Tibetan, Tara is known as "Dölma" (Sgrol-ma), or "She Who Saves." In particular she represents compassion in action, since she’s in the process of stepping from her lotus throne in order to help sentient beings. end quote.
http://www.ksdl.org/tara.php
The above Website "ksdl" is where I found the thanka (picture) of the 21 Taras of Tibetan Buddhism. I purchased a picture like this in Dharamsala, Himchal Pradesh, India in January 1986, 25 years ago this month. On the back of the large poster that I brought back to the U.S. and put on my bedroom wall were the names of the 21 Taras. Green Tara (the large one represents all the Taras) but there are also protector Taras, and the Long Life White Tara and the Gold Tara of wealth and good fortune. There is also Grandmother protector Tara or Ekajati and many others.
As you can see this is all very primal and powerful, Tibetan style.
The following quotes I also found helpful in regard to understanding the 21 Taras from:http://vortexcd.tripod.com/21tar.htm
Begin quote.
Enlightenment, Buddhahood, is One and is indivisible.
However, we are not like that. We are relative beings living in a relative condition. So we sometimes need different things at different times.
Because of this, Tara has manifested in innumerable different forms to help our relative problems.
It is rather as if we were to go to a huge store which could satisfy all our desires. If we wanted food, we would go to the food department. If we wanted cars, we would go to the cars department. Actually all the departments would be the same company, but they would all have a different appearance, different colours, different vibes, to help us to tune in to those things.
So, at the start, we have three Taras. The main Tara, and the Tara I am talking about in these pages, is the Green Tara. All the others are a manifestation of her.
Then there is White Tara.
One would expect there to be other Taras for the rest of the Buddha families: red, yellow and blue. There is a Red Tara. This wonderful extraordinary lineage is held by the great living Dzogchen master Chatral Rinpoche. However, if you want to learn it you will probably have to go towonderful Ven Chagdud Tulku in America or Brazil; his American-born wife also teaches this practice. Yellow Tara is a wealth Tara - possibly she is the same as the Basudarini, Norgyun (covered below as Tara no.10). Among the 21 Taras, there are a couple that are blue-black. I don't know which one of these is equivalent to a Blue Tara.
After the three or five Taras, there are Eight Taras who are the remedies or the antidotes to the Eight Great Fears. These fears have an internal aspect and an external aspect. The external aspect is that they are the fears of: Lions, Elephants, Fire, Serpents, Thieves, Captivity, Drowning, and Flesh-eating Spirits. Internally, these are fears such as the fears of oppression, loss of possessions, of change and so on. I can't correlate these exactly for you as I have not received any teachings on this. One does not usually find representations of these Eight Taras: sometimes one finds them arranged around a central Green Tara in a Thangka, just as the 21 Taras are arranged above.
(For notes on the lineages of the 21 Taras and a scholarly viewpoint on why there should be 21 Taras, go here .)
The main Tara forms in the tradition is the set called the 21 Taras. Some of the 21 Taras are correlated with other female deities, such as Saraswati, and some of them are different aspects, functions or forms of Tara.
There is a text of about three pages called the Praises to the 21 Taras which is very important in all schools. Often lamas recite 100,000 of this text: Chagdud Tulku's experience of doing so is recounted in his biography Lord of The Dance . There are also a couple of shorter, one-page texts. There are various sets of mantras for the 21 Taras as well. As yet,I don't have permission to reproduce any of these texts here. Most Buddhist centres should have them; I got mine from the Sogyal Rinpoche organisation, Rigpa. The mantras are also reproduced in John Blofeld's Bodhisattva of Compassion , along with many lovely Tara stories.
If you are doing the individual mantras: Firstly, get the Lung (that is the permission to do them) from a lama (this is simple; all the lama has to do is recite them to you). Second, if you are doing the individual Tara mantras, it is a very good idea to have completed 100,000 repetitions of the Tara mantra first. (This takes about four days. See Practice Notes below).
From a practical and religious standpoint, it is really excellent to do the individual mantras of these deities. They each have a different feeling. They are also extremely effective. For example, if you are having a disagreement with somebody, reciting the mantra of Dugselma in your head while you talk to them is really magical in helping resolve the argument. The feeling attached to Taras like Shiwa Chenmo is also really lovely.
Here are two lists of Taras and their functions. The first is according to the tradition of Atisha. I am not entirely sure if this text is not corrupt: one Tara appears to recur twice. The second list is according to the Long-Chen Nyin-Thig tradition, oir at least, so I have tried to make it.
Mostly the lists are the same. Some Taras seem to have the same functions but different names. Some Taras seem to be in a different position. However the purpose and direction of them is similar.
This list of the 21 Taras and their functions is according to the tradition of Atisha.
1) Nyurma Palmo
'Swift lady of glory' , to pacify hindrances and develop Bodhicitta.
2) Shiwa Ch'enmo
This Tara is to pacify external negative influences.
In most lists, this second place is occupied by Saraswati. Also, in this list Shiwa Ch'enmo seems to recur at position 15. It is this which makes me wonder if this is an accurate text.
3) Serdog Chen
To develop wealth and longevity
4) Namgyalma (Ushnisha)
This is an important deity for all schools. Ushnisha, she who dwells on the topknot of the Buddhas, develops longevity and wealth. Her mantra and mandala may be found here.
Her mantra has been published so I think i can give it to you. It is
OM BHRUM SOHA (Ohm Dhrung Sowha).
5) Kurukulla
Also an important deity for all schools, though possibly more so for the Sarma ( New Translation) schools. Kurukulla is to develop one's capacity. Kurukulla also has a reputation for bringing sex partners. This makes some people do a great deal of Kurukulla practice. This is not really a good idea unless one does other, balancing practices, because it can lead to anxiety, agitation and nervousness. Anyway, Green Tara should bring one a partner, if desired.
6) Jigten Sumle Nampar Gyalma
This Tara is to tame elemental spirits - local beings which can give us problems.
7) Shen Jom-Ma
This Tara is to protect against magic and curses from human and non-human beings.
8) Du Dra Jom Ma
This Tara is to give us victories.
9) Jigpa Kunkhyob Ma
This Tara is to save us from all fears.
10) Dudang Jigten Wangdu Dema
This Tara is to protect against being confused by spirits.
11) Norgyun (Basudarini)
This Tara is to remove poverty and bring wealth. Wealth practices always mention this deity.
12) Tashi Donjedma
This Tara is to bring auspicious conditions, like good farming climate and many children and wealth and luck, to the area we live in.
Because this mantra is for the good of all, I don't see why I shouldn't put it here:
Om Tare Tutare Ture Mangalam Soha.
'Mangala' means a blessing or good omen.
13) Metar Barma
This is to make people speak well of us and prevent verbal reputation problems.
14) Tronyer Chen
This Tara is to suppress forces which may be trying to obstruct us (spirit forces)
15) Shiwa Ch'enma
This deity is to purify and suppress the effects of one's own negative actions. This is a wonderful Tara to do.
16) Saraswati In this text, Saraswati is placed here.
17) Jigten Sumyowa
This Tara is to pacify problems.
18) Dugselma
This Tara purifies or neutralises the effects of poison. In the East, secret enemies often use poison - in fact, secret long-lasting poisons, not known to the West, are used. In one story, a practitioner was in a remote area of Bhutan and was invited to dinner at the house of some people he did not quite trust. So he used an anti- poison mantra when just about to taste the food, whereupon it turned black and burst into flames. In the West, we do not fear deliberate poisoning so much. However, we often fear food poisoning, and also sometimes we take substances that may harm us. This mantra is useful against these.
19) Mip'ham Gyalmo
This Tara is absolutely wonderful. Her mantra averts quarrels and bad dreams. Try it next time you get into an argument! It is very swift and effective.
I don't see any harm if I tell you this one:
Om Tare Tutare Ture Motsana Soha.
20) Selwe'i Drolma
This Tara is to remove pestilence. She is often evoked when plague strikes. Some people feel that it is somehow disrespectful to invoke her for a cold in the head or a drippy nose. Not at al. l As I say in Practice Notes, Tara should be invoked as often as possible and for every problem, no matter how small.
Invoking Tara does not make us weak somehow. Every time we invoke Tara, we become more like her: more merciful and more wise. P>21) Tr'inle Tamche Yongsu Dzogpar Jepe'i Drolma In most lists this place is occupied by Maritse. However, here we have this Tara who is to make all that we do perfect and complete. This Tara is also very wonderful to do.
This list of the 21 Taras and their functions is according to the tradition of the Longchen Nyin-Thig. I hope it is anyway; perhaps some of the names are according to the tradition of Chogyur Lingpa. Never mind, they seem tgo be in the same order. end quote.
The first following website "ksdl" is where I got the picture of the 21 Taras that you can see if you click on:
"The 21 Taras" word button below or the "ksdl" at the" .php"
http://www.ksdl.org/tara.php
The 21 Taras
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Great Divine Director
In May 1966 one of my High School teachers named Mr. Dorio gave me an "I
am" picture of "The Great Divine Director" as a High School Graduation
present when I graduated in May 1966 there in Santa Fe, New Mexico
because my senior High School class was dedicated to "The Great Divine
Director". I have kept it all these years. Saint Germain today wanted me
to move all the sacred pictures around in my room and so I moved his
picture to another location and put the Graduation picture on my altar
in my room. I have two pictures of White Tara and put one each on either
side of this picture of "The Great Divine Director". Since I have had
two initiations of "White Tara" from two different Tibetan Lamas over
the years it seemed somehow appropriate.
White Tara is "Long Life White Tara". There are 21 Taras in all if you are interested in the Tibetan Buddhist Cosmology. Tara fills a similar place in Tibetan Buddhism that Mother Mary does in Christianity. And Tara is considered the "Mother of all the Buddhas".
Note: If you read this before I had written that "White Tara" is the mother of all the Buddhas. She is one of the 21 Taras. However, Tara(in other words All the 21 Taras) are the mother of all the Buddhas.
Just like with Jesus it is thought that it takes a very special sacred woman to birth a Buddha. So with Jesus, Mother Mary, and with all the infinite Buddhas throughout all time and space and infinite Galaxies of planets, the infinite Taras.
That is one of the many things that has always attracted me to Buddhism, for Siddhartha, Guatama Buddha soul traveled to infinite planets and civilizations and even talked about what it took and will take to enlighten the souls of all planets everywhere in detail.
And Jesus went to all cultures on Earth even Hawaii and is known there as Caimu who walked across the water and came ashore in Kalapana, on the big Island of Hawaii. He also visited the Hopi Indians and gave them the blue corn which grows in the desert with less water. You can still buy blue corn chips in health food stores today.
White Tara is "Long Life White Tara". There are 21 Taras in all if you are interested in the Tibetan Buddhist Cosmology. Tara fills a similar place in Tibetan Buddhism that Mother Mary does in Christianity. And Tara is considered the "Mother of all the Buddhas".
Note: If you read this before I had written that "White Tara" is the mother of all the Buddhas. She is one of the 21 Taras. However, Tara(in other words All the 21 Taras) are the mother of all the Buddhas.
Just like with Jesus it is thought that it takes a very special sacred woman to birth a Buddha. So with Jesus, Mother Mary, and with all the infinite Buddhas throughout all time and space and infinite Galaxies of planets, the infinite Taras.
That is one of the many things that has always attracted me to Buddhism, for Siddhartha, Guatama Buddha soul traveled to infinite planets and civilizations and even talked about what it took and will take to enlighten the souls of all planets everywhere in detail.
And Jesus went to all cultures on Earth even Hawaii and is known there as Caimu who walked across the water and came ashore in Kalapana, on the big Island of Hawaii. He also visited the Hopi Indians and gave them the blue corn which grows in the desert with less water. You can still buy blue corn chips in health food stores today.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
She Dances for the Buddha
I went to a Thai restaurant
last night and they had a statue I didn't recognize there of a female
diety. The waitress who was Thai couldn't tell me who she was other than
to say, "She dances for the Buddha". So, I wondered if I could find out
by typing into a search engine "She dances for the Buddha". I still
didn't find a definitive answer but I found the following site that I
was interested in that you might also be too . Also, most of the word
buttons here should work for you. They said they designed this site in
Firefox so it might work better if you are in Firefox but you will have
to see yourselves what works best.
| The female deities of Buddhism are of many types. There are buddhas in female form and goddesses who are bodhisattvas.
There are also historical figures such as lineage founders, and they all can
function as deities. There are also yidams
and dharma protectors in peaceful, semi-wrathful or wrathful form. The
dakini, a special type of deity, is discussed separately. What follows is not a definitive catalogue, by any means. The best known of the female Tibetan Buddhist deities is Tara. Arya [Sanskrit for Exalted or Noble] Tara, is best known in two forms, White and Green.
Tara is a Buddha who is depicted in various ways that reflect her activity. She can be peaceful or semi-wrathful; alone or surrounded by 21 manifestations or aspects. Besides Green Tara and her several aspects that are generally designated by colour, some other distinctive female deities are:
Achi
Chokyi Drolma, () is the peaceful
white Drikung Kagyu protector on her blue mule or, sometimes, a blue-maned snow lion.
Chintamani: The Wishful-filling
Jewel form of Tara who is also a protector.
Dorje
Yudronma: (Vajra Turquoise Lamp) the Longchen Nyinthig lineage-protector
who bears an arrow tied with five-coloured silks in her right hand and a
divination mirror in her left. In the life of yogi, Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu,
she appeared when he was starving and offered him food.
Ekajati or Ekadzati (Tib. Ralchikma
or Tsechikma) is the Nyingma Dzogchen protector of mantras (Ngag
Sungma) and mind-treasure (Tib. terma) whose epithet, "One
Braid" (or, plait) refers to her initially terrifying appearance
since she has only one eye, one tooth, one breast and so on.
Five Great Goddesses: These (Skt. Maha-pancha Devi)
appear in the entourage of
White Vajradarana. They include the source of all earthly wealth as
Pratishara (Tib. So.sor trang. ma), who is yellow with three faces and ten
hands; Sita (Sitavani) red with four hands, Mayuri who is
green with one face and two hands, Sahasra.pramardana, blue with one face and six
hands, and Mantra.manu.dharani, black with one face and four hands.
Kalasiddhi
was one of the consorts of Guru Rinpoche.
Kurukulla is a 4-armed dancing red
Tara, an archer whose bow made of flowers relates to the subjugation of ego
and the use of love/attraction in the service of dharma. Hrih
is her seed syllable and her mantra: Om Kurukulle hri svaha!
Kwan Yin (Perceiver of Sounds) [Cantonese: Goong Yam] is a Chinese
form of the bodhisattva,
Avalokiteshvara that is considered to be female. In Japanese, she is
called Kannon or Shokanzeon Bosatsu [bosatsu = bodhisattva;] in Korean,
Kwanseum Bosal or Kwan Um.
Professor Yu Chun-fang, wrote the interesting "Ambiguity of Avalokites'vara and Scriptural Sources for the
Cult of Kuen-yin in China" article which is no longer found online. Her thesis is supported not only by
Professor Yu also traces the scriptural transition from male to
female. See,
 Yu Chun-fang. Kuan-yin.
Columbia U. Press, 2000.
Lamanteri is the Mongolian, 8-armed,
semi-wrathful form of Green Tara who is sometimes depicted with the
21 aspects of the Praises to Tara surrounding her.
Machig
Lapdron: White, dancing dakini, sky-clad but for her bone ornaments,
holding a medium-sized drum in her raised right hand.
Magzor Gyalmo (Queen of the Army) is the younger sister
who attends Palden Lhamo (Skt. Shri Devi.) She rides a horse, attended by
animal-headed dakinis.
Mandarava: considered a speech emanation of
Vajravarahi, she is the first wife of Padmasambhava. Besides her and Yeshe
Tsogyal (Dechen Gyalmo) who function as
deities, there are other consorts.
Marichi (Ozer Chenma) is reddish-gold with 8 arms. She is the embodiment of
sunrise or dawn. As a form of Tara, she is
depicted standing, one pair of hands holding a needle and thread. She
is also identified with Vajravarahi (Dorje Pa'mo.)
Her most widely found image is the one with
three faces, one of which is that of a sow,
in which she drives a cart pulled by seven swine. Marici's
seven-swine cart may derive from the Indian myth that describes Surya's vehicle
as drawn by seven horses. Her practice may also derive from that of the Vedic
dawn goddess, Ushas. She is also comparable to the Greek goddess,
Eos, who daily went out to rouse both Day and Night in her chariot drawn by a
number of horses. The multiple animals might relate to the fact that in ancient times,
the sun
appeared rather differently, accompanied by lesser lights.
The very promise of dawn, Marichi, "who holds the
night," is invoked by travelers for protection from robbers and other
hazards of the road: Om, Marichi swaha.
Tantric Buddhists tell of Marichi's determination
in the manner of Tara. Taoists see her as Queen of Heaven, and the Japanese,
as Amaterasu, the sun goddess.
This 'illuminating' aspect of Marichi (Ozer Chenma: Queen
of Light) is emphasized in an
17th century tangka of the Karma Kagyu at Himalayan Art where
she is crowned by a stupa, and instead of driving, she is seated on a great sow
with her seven piglets. In the above link, an accompanying Sakya verse emphasizes her ability to
dispel the fears of the night.
Sometimes animals other than piglets are depicted drawing
her chariot.
(The third [male] incarnation of the Jain founder is also called
Marichi.)
Manimekhala "Jewel-girdled." Protector
of seafarers, this South Indian Buddhist deity is also associated with
lightning. She was popularized in Burma and Thailand.
Nairatmya 'One Absent-of-any-Self'
is a sky-blue or dark-blue yidam and the consort of Hevajra.
The wife of Marpa the Translator, and mentor of Milarepa was named for
her.
Naro Kachoma: Vajrayogini
in the "archer's pose." (Andy Weber's site.)
Palden Lhamo: (< link to her separate page) She is the dark blue protector and only female among the Eight Guardians of the Law (Dharma Protectors) who is also Mahakali. Her Sanskrit name Shri Devi means Great Lady, ie. Lady Goddess; Okkin Tungri to northern Mongolians.
Prajnaparamita (Yum Chenmo) embodies the Supreme
Wisdom of the Emptiness Teaching. She is golden and is readily
identified by the books that sit atop the lotuses, one on each side of her,
at the level of her head. These sutras after which she is named are called
by Nagarjuna (2nd century CE,) The Mother of Buddhas.
Remati: See Palden Lhamo.
Salgye Du Dalma: Dakini who affords protection and
insight during sacred sleep/dream yoga. "She who clarifies beyond
conception" sits on a blue four-petaled lotus. She is seen as a
luminous drop (Skt. bindu, Tib. tigle).
Samantabhadri (Kuntuzangmo) is the yum or
consort of the ultimate Buddha (as bodhisattva Samantabhadra is considered in
some traditions.) She is pure white or light, in contrast with his
darkness. See Yeshe Tsogyal, below.
Saraswati:
(follow the link to her separate page.)
Sengdongma, Lion-face Dakini, is a wrathful
manifestation of Padmasambhava [Guru Rinpoche] who eliminates
obstacles.
Sinhavaktra: Dark blue Lion-head Dakini dispels
obstacles to enlightenment. She holds a broad-bladed knife and skull cup.
Sitapatra (White Parasol,) also called Ushnisha-sitatapatra, is
a protector
described in the Shurangama Sutra. The
embodiment of the white parasol of royalty that appears over Buddha as a symbol of
glory, her image is often mistaken for that of 1,000-armed Chenrezi.
She is described as having 1,000 faces, arms and legs. Each
of the eleven depicted heads has three eyes, and there is one in each palm and
sole. Her right hands hold dharma wheels and her left hold arrows, except
for the one holding the parasol representing the protection she offers.
Her central faces are white like her body, but those to the right are yellow,
and the left faces are green. The ones facing to the rear (that we do not
see) are described as red. The two uppermost heads are blue.
Sukhasiddhi:
(Tib. Dewai Ngod'up) Power-of-Bliss, a consort of Guru Padmasambhava, and
founder of a lineage.
Tseringma
is the protector of Bhutan. The embodiment of Mount Chomolhari, she is chief
among the 5 Longlife
sisters.
Usnisha-vijaya
(Nepali, Bijaya) (Tib. Tsug.tor Nam.par Gyel.ma)
This is
shortened to Namgyal or Namgyelma. She is an
8-armed longevity deity, who also stands for the Mother of All Buddhas. Like all Buddhist deities, she is essentially a
manifestation of Emptiness acting as a bodhisattva. She is able
to bestow longevity on beings not for selfish reasons, but for the purpose of
helping all others towards enlightenment. She is a purification deity as
well, invoked in the presence of the dead, and she is also invoked as a means of settling disputes.
Vajravidarana is a purification deity who holds a vishwarupa (double-dorje) and a bell with a similar handle. In white form (Tibetan: dor.je nam.par jom.pa kar.po) she is the Indian goddess Sita, who has transcended her role as a worldy hero (her tale of suffering is told in Valmiki's Ramayana) to heal the afflictions of humankind, especially disease and other bodily conditions. As Sitala, she was once associated with exorcising the cause of smallpox. The Vajravidarana cleansing ceremony is a powerful spiritual aid to expunge or split open (Skt. darana) to release the mental and physical poisons lying at the root of suffering. Vajrayogini (Dorje Naljorma): Slightly wrathful red dancing goddess with flowing black hair. One aspect is known as Kechari, another is Vajravarahi, associated with the Kagyu school. From an interview with Jetsun Sakya Kushog:
Yeshe Tsogyal (form of Samantabhadri or Kuntuzangmo) legendary spiritual consort of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) considered a dakini (Sky Dancer by Dowman is her story) and mind emanation of Vajravarahi/Saraswati. Said to have had a perfect memory, she was a concealer of Guru's Rinpoche's treasures (termas.) She is said to have lived 211 years before attaining the rainbow body. *************************************************************************************
_____________________________________________________________
*The
word deity is understood in a unique way by
Buddhist practitioners; it is used for lack of a better word.
Human
beings are given to superstition, and undoubtedly there are those who are
inclined to view a, some, or all deities as "real." To do so, however,
would be to contradict the very essence of Buddhism as expressed in the
Prajnaparamita, the other scriptures and commentaries, and also accounts
of Shakyamuni's life.
These
mythic figures are understood to arise out of, and return to, Emptiness;
they have no inherent reality. They are not worshipped in the sense of
idolatry, though certainly it may seem to be so, as for example, when one first
encounters people doing prostrations before images on a shrine. That is one
reason for not using the term 'altar', by the way.
Also,
the expression 'tutelary deity' which is often used to translate the
Tibetan word yidam is misleading as it implies a
teacher-student relation. A yidam is a deity with which the practitioner
has a special relationship. The deity is sometimes selected by the advisor
or lama to balance or complement the student's psychology.
The
Six or Seven piglets: Marici also seems to embody Ursa Major (the Great Bear, also viewed
as a Big Dipper.) Many cultures see in that
most recognizable of northern constellations a great vehicle drawn by several animals,
so it is also called The Wain or Wagon. Or the seven smaller animals
may represent the Pleiades, stars also known as the Seven Sisters, that forms the "eye" of spring's
rising sign, The Bull. In Japan, they are known as the Subaru.
end quote from: http://www.khandro.net/deities_female.htm Though there are many peaceful female dieties who "Dance for the Buddha" I was remembering about Tibetan Lamas talking to me about "Ekajati" while I was in India and traveling with one of them across India by Train with my family then in early 1986. She is the one eye, one breast and one tooth female Tara Protector diety. She is considered the most ferocious of the 21 Taras and skins her victims alive with a skinning knife (very colorful). She was explained as like a Grandmother protector who would do literally anything to protect her children when invoked. However, there are also other male dieties who are Tibetan Buddhist protector dieties like Vajra Kilaya (Wrathful Diamond Vow) who is the wrathful form of Vajrasattva and Nyema who are the most evolved Buddhas in physical form and who literally contain the whole physical universe so they are unbelievable powerful in reality. There is also a tent protector and home protector called Mahakala and many other forms of Mahkala as well. He is seen as a Protecting Bear sometimes and is very ferocious. If you want a similar consciousness in Western American thought it would be the: Battle Hymn of the Republic: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of his terrible swift sword He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored He has loosed the fateful for lightning of his terrible swift sword His truth is marching on. Here it is from Wikipedia under the heading "Battle Hymn of the Republic" begin quote:
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Listen to
the sadhana
[ritual] of 
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Thursday, June 5, 2014
Green Tara
Green Tara is a Diety sort of like Mother Mary is to Christians only to Tibetan Buddhists.
To better understand who Green Tara is she is actually a combination of 21 Taras each of which has her own quality or form of protection.
For example, there is Ekajati, the Wrathful Grandmother who protects you like a powerful Grandmother would
There is White Tara which lengthens your life
There is Gold Tara which increases your wealth as well as all the others.
But, when you give the Tara Mantra and are also empowered to do it by an Empowered Tibetan Lama you are asking to be protected from the eight Great Terrors. Some of the terrors you are asking protection from are from: dying from burning to death, dying from drowning, dying from being poisoned to death and dying from being murdered.
There are four more that you are asking Tara to help you not die from which will lengthen your healthy life so you can do more good for yourselves, your families and for the whole human race and all life in the universe.
In a different cultural context it reminds me of the Hail Mary in the Catholic Religion. In fact, likely the most similar to Tibetan Buddhism is Catholicism which is why many Catholic Priests also practice Tibetan Buddhism because to Christians Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy so there is no conflict for them because of this. And also 25% of all Buddhists on earth also believe in God and some of them are also Christians at the same time. Practicing Buddhism in it's own way is sort of like a Christian doing Hatha Yoga or using accupuncture or Accupressure as in Shiatsu or Jin Shin Jyitsu at least for Christians in the Western World. It greatly enhances and increases the quality of life of all who practice it both for themselves and everyone they know.
Compassion towards oneself and all others after all is the basis of all civilization on earth and always has been.
To better understand who Green Tara is she is actually a combination of 21 Taras each of which has her own quality or form of protection.
For example, there is Ekajati, the Wrathful Grandmother who protects you like a powerful Grandmother would
There is White Tara which lengthens your life
There is Gold Tara which increases your wealth as well as all the others.
But, when you give the Tara Mantra and are also empowered to do it by an Empowered Tibetan Lama you are asking to be protected from the eight Great Terrors. Some of the terrors you are asking protection from are from: dying from burning to death, dying from drowning, dying from being poisoned to death and dying from being murdered.
There are four more that you are asking Tara to help you not die from which will lengthen your healthy life so you can do more good for yourselves, your families and for the whole human race and all life in the universe.
In a different cultural context it reminds me of the Hail Mary in the Catholic Religion. In fact, likely the most similar to Tibetan Buddhism is Catholicism which is why many Catholic Priests also practice Tibetan Buddhism because to Christians Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy so there is no conflict for them because of this. And also 25% of all Buddhists on earth also believe in God and some of them are also Christians at the same time. Practicing Buddhism in it's own way is sort of like a Christian doing Hatha Yoga or using accupuncture or Accupressure as in Shiatsu or Jin Shin Jyitsu at least for Christians in the Western World. It greatly enhances and increases the quality of life of all who practice it both for themselves and everyone they know.
Compassion towards oneself and all others after all is the basis of all civilization on earth and always has been.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
White Tara
When I was in Dharamsala, India where there is the Tibetan Government in
Exile at about 6000 feet in elevation in Himachal Pradesh I bought a
poster of the 21 Taras. Tara is a figure in Tibetan Buddhism which would
be in some ways similar to Mother Mary in Christianity. In otherwords
she is a representation of Divine Mother. The Taras I am most familiar
with are Green Tara who represents if you invoke her all 21 Taras.
Then White Tara is "Long Life White Tara" which enables people to live a
very long time with good health and a minimum of injuries. The purpose
of which is for that person to do good works while living a long and
good life. There is also Gold Tara who brings wealth of every good
thing. The last Tara that I am very familiar with is Wrathful
Grandmother. Her name is Ekajati and she is the ultimate female
protector diety.
A Bodhisattva is someone who has taken a vow to help all beings to become enlightened. And a Buddha is someone who is a Bodhisattva who has become fully enlightened and realized to the point where all beings become aware of it according to their own capacity when witnessing the Buddha. From this point of view Most of the fully realized spiritual beings on earth would be considered Buddhas along with many fully realized Tulkus or Rinpoches. The word "Rinpoche actually means "Precious" like a living jewel. If you have ever met a real Tulku or Rinpoche it is likely that you would never forget this experience because it is unlike any other.
A Bodhisattva is someone who has taken a vow to help all beings to become enlightened. And a Buddha is someone who is a Bodhisattva who has become fully enlightened and realized to the point where all beings become aware of it according to their own capacity when witnessing the Buddha. From this point of view Most of the fully realized spiritual beings on earth would be considered Buddhas along with many fully realized Tulkus or Rinpoches. The word "Rinpoche actually means "Precious" like a living jewel. If you have ever met a real Tulku or Rinpoche it is likely that you would never forget this experience because it is unlike any other.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Ekajati: Tara protectress Wrathful Grandmother: One of the 21 Taras of Tibetan Buddhism
Ekajati or Ekadzati (Tib. Ralchikma
or Tsechikma) is the Nyingma Dzogchen protector of mantras (Ngag
Sungma) and mind-treasure (Tib. terma) whose epithet, "One
Braid" (or, plait) refers to her initially terrifying appearance
since she has only one eye, one tooth, one breast and so on.
end partial quote from:
http://www.khandro.net/deities_female.htm
While traveling in Dharamshala, India and before I heard about the Wrafthful protectress who is one of the 21 Taras of Tibetan Buddhism. When one gives the Tara mantra one is asking for the 21 Taras to free oneself, one's family and all nearby from the 8 Great Terrors. Some of the 8 great terrors are being Burnt to death, Drowning, being stabbed, STrangled etc. So, basically by doing the Tara Mantra one is preventing a violent or accidental death. This is done so one can consciously choose what heaven one goes to while they are passing on.
Another Tara protectress is "White Tara" who is the long life protectress who especially gives long life to "Living Buddhas" and others who pray to her for help.
Tara could be compared in other cultures to Mary, the Mother of Jesus or to Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. All are female mother protector dieties.
end partial quote from:
http://www.khandro.net/deities_female.htm
While traveling in Dharamshala, India and before I heard about the Wrafthful protectress who is one of the 21 Taras of Tibetan Buddhism. When one gives the Tara mantra one is asking for the 21 Taras to free oneself, one's family and all nearby from the 8 Great Terrors. Some of the 8 great terrors are being Burnt to death, Drowning, being stabbed, STrangled etc. So, basically by doing the Tara Mantra one is preventing a violent or accidental death. This is done so one can consciously choose what heaven one goes to while they are passing on.
Another Tara protectress is "White Tara" who is the long life protectress who especially gives long life to "Living Buddhas" and others who pray to her for help.
Tara could be compared in other cultures to Mary, the Mother of Jesus or to Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. All are female mother protector dieties.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Reprint of "Buddhist Hierarchy"
I saw several of you were reading this so I thought maybe it was time for me to do a reprint of this. It deals with how Christians see Buddhism as a Godless religion. However, there is much more to it than this. So, it becomes very semantical because a "God" is a completely different thing in Buddhism than in Christianity. This is one of the problems of Christians making sense of Buddhism.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Buddhist Hierarchy
Christians often might say, "How can Buddhism be a religion if it doesn't believe in God?"
And one might answer, "It is a philosophic system of enlightenment based upon Compassion and the permanent cessation of suffering of all beings in the universe."
And a Christian might say, "What?" rightly so.
And this is why Christians to this day often say, "Buddhism is not a religion but only a philosophy."
However, I don't think this is actually very useful to say this.
First of all, there are many more differences between Buddhist sects than there are between Christian sects.
And Second, most people who are Christian are not considering Buddhist Hierarchy. I can't speak for all Buddhist sects for example, but I have studied with many Tibetan Lamas and learned about Tibetan Buddhism. So, first they taught me about Vajrasattva and Nyema which I consider the God and Goddess of the physical Universe. So, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Mother Father God to my conception of the physical universe because Vajrasattva literally means "Diamond or Lightning Vow"
and this vow is to remain in physical existence and evolve no further until all sentience in the Physical universe is permanently beyond all suffering and has gone to bliss. From my point of view the very existence of Vajrasattva and Nyema in some ways proves a Physical God in Buddhism. But, it is true that to Tibetan Buddhists, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Buddhas and not Gods. So, from this perspective it all sort of becomes semantical and enters into a cultural discontinuity which then takes us back to why Christians don't consider Buddhism to be a religion.
Then we come back to a more basic level and we have beings like Tara whose equivalent in Christianity would likely be Mary, the Mother of Jesus because Tara is the mother of all the Buddhas of all Time and Space past, present and future. And there are 21 Taras. When they are all seen as one Tara together she is Green Tara. But they all have their own names when the 21 Taras are spoken of or prayed to individually. For example, I was also given White Tara which is a long life extension of life practice so one can be in a "Leisure to Practice" state where one can pray a lot of the time and manifest Siddhis to help all sentient life to Bliss and the end of Suffering by various means including becoming a Buddha like a King to help all beings in the past, present and future of the universe.
There are also other Buddhas that one can pray to for help like Maha Kala who is a Protector Bear Tibetan Buddhist Diety who helps protect one's traveling tents and homes wherever they are. Also, there is Manjushri who is the Buddha of Wisdom. And of course there is Avaloketesvara who manifests on Earth as the Dalai Lama whose mantra is "OM Mani Padma Hung". Avaloketesvara is the Buddha of Compassion.
And one might answer, "It is a philosophic system of enlightenment based upon Compassion and the permanent cessation of suffering of all beings in the universe."
And a Christian might say, "What?" rightly so.
And this is why Christians to this day often say, "Buddhism is not a religion but only a philosophy."
However, I don't think this is actually very useful to say this.
First of all, there are many more differences between Buddhist sects than there are between Christian sects.
And Second, most people who are Christian are not considering Buddhist Hierarchy. I can't speak for all Buddhist sects for example, but I have studied with many Tibetan Lamas and learned about Tibetan Buddhism. So, first they taught me about Vajrasattva and Nyema which I consider the God and Goddess of the physical Universe. So, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Mother Father God to my conception of the physical universe because Vajrasattva literally means "Diamond or Lightning Vow"
and this vow is to remain in physical existence and evolve no further until all sentience in the Physical universe is permanently beyond all suffering and has gone to bliss. From my point of view the very existence of Vajrasattva and Nyema in some ways proves a Physical God in Buddhism. But, it is true that to Tibetan Buddhists, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Buddhas and not Gods. So, from this perspective it all sort of becomes semantical and enters into a cultural discontinuity which then takes us back to why Christians don't consider Buddhism to be a religion.
Then we come back to a more basic level and we have beings like Tara whose equivalent in Christianity would likely be Mary, the Mother of Jesus because Tara is the mother of all the Buddhas of all Time and Space past, present and future. And there are 21 Taras. When they are all seen as one Tara together she is Green Tara. But they all have their own names when the 21 Taras are spoken of or prayed to individually. For example, I was also given White Tara which is a long life extension of life practice so one can be in a "Leisure to Practice" state where one can pray a lot of the time and manifest Siddhis to help all sentient life to Bliss and the end of Suffering by various means including becoming a Buddha like a King to help all beings in the past, present and future of the universe.
There are also other Buddhas that one can pray to for help like Maha Kala who is a Protector Bear Tibetan Buddhist Diety who helps protect one's traveling tents and homes wherever they are. Also, there is Manjushri who is the Buddha of Wisdom. And of course there is Avaloketesvara who manifests on Earth as the Dalai Lama whose mantra is "OM Mani Padma Hung". Avaloketesvara is the Buddha of Compassion.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Buddhist Hierarchy
Christians often might say, "How can Buddhism be a religion if it doesn't believe in God?"
And one might answer, "It is a philosophic system of enlightenment based upon Compassion and the permanent cessation of suffering of all beings in the universe."
And a Christian might say, "What?" rightly so.
And this is why Christians to this day often say, "Buddhism is not a religion but only a philosophy."
However, I don't think this is actually very useful to say this.
First of all, there are many more differences between Buddhist sects than there are between Christian sects.
And Second, most people who are Christian are not considering Buddhist Hierarchy. I can't speak for all Buddhist sects for example, but I have studied with many Tibetan Lamas and learned about Tibetan Buddhism. So, first they taught me about Vajrasattva and Nyema which I consider the God and Goddess of the physical Universe. So, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Mother Father God to my conception of the physical universe because Vajrasattva literally means "Diamond or Lightning Vow"
and this vow is to remain in physical existence and evolve no further until all sentience in the Physical universe is permanently beyond all suffering and has gone to bliss. From my point of view the very existence of Vajrasattva and Nyema in some ways proves a Physical God in Buddhism. But, it is true that to Tibetan Buddhists, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Buddhas and not Gods. So, from this perspective it all sort of becomes semantical and enters into a cultural discontinuity which then takes us back to why Christians don't consider Buddhism to be a religion.
Then we come back to a more basic level and we have beings like Tara whose equivalent in Christianity would likely be Mary, the Mother of Jesus because Tara is the mother of all the Buddhas of all Time and Space past, present and future. And there are 21 Taras. When they are all seen as one Tara together she is Green Tara. But they all have their own names when the 21 Taras are spoken of or prayed to individually. For example, I was also given White Tara which is a long life extension of life practice so one can be in a "Leisure to Practice" state where one can pray a lot of the time and manifest Siddhis to help all sentient life to Bliss and the end of Suffering by various means including becoming a Buddha like a King to help all beings in the past, present and future of the universe.
There are also other Buddhas that one can pray to for help like Maha Kala who is a Protector Bear Tibetan Buddhist Diety who helps protect one's traveling tents and homes wherever they are. Also, there is Manjushri who is the Buddha of Wisdom. And of course there is Avaloketesvara who manifests on Earth as the Dalai Lama whose mantra is "OM Mani Padma Hung". Avaloketesvara is the Buddha of Compassion.
And one might answer, "It is a philosophic system of enlightenment based upon Compassion and the permanent cessation of suffering of all beings in the universe."
And a Christian might say, "What?" rightly so.
And this is why Christians to this day often say, "Buddhism is not a religion but only a philosophy."
However, I don't think this is actually very useful to say this.
First of all, there are many more differences between Buddhist sects than there are between Christian sects.
And Second, most people who are Christian are not considering Buddhist Hierarchy. I can't speak for all Buddhist sects for example, but I have studied with many Tibetan Lamas and learned about Tibetan Buddhism. So, first they taught me about Vajrasattva and Nyema which I consider the God and Goddess of the physical Universe. So, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Mother Father God to my conception of the physical universe because Vajrasattva literally means "Diamond or Lightning Vow"
and this vow is to remain in physical existence and evolve no further until all sentience in the Physical universe is permanently beyond all suffering and has gone to bliss. From my point of view the very existence of Vajrasattva and Nyema in some ways proves a Physical God in Buddhism. But, it is true that to Tibetan Buddhists, Vajrasattva and Nyema are Buddhas and not Gods. So, from this perspective it all sort of becomes semantical and enters into a cultural discontinuity which then takes us back to why Christians don't consider Buddhism to be a religion.
Then we come back to a more basic level and we have beings like Tara whose equivalent in Christianity would likely be Mary, the Mother of Jesus because Tara is the mother of all the Buddhas of all Time and Space past, present and future. And there are 21 Taras. When they are all seen as one Tara together she is Green Tara. But they all have their own names when the 21 Taras are spoken of or prayed to individually. For example, I was also given White Tara which is a long life extension of life practice so one can be in a "Leisure to Practice" state where one can pray a lot of the time and manifest Siddhis to help all sentient life to Bliss and the end of Suffering by various means including becoming a Buddha like a King to help all beings in the past, present and future of the universe.
There are also other Buddhas that one can pray to for help like Maha Kala who is a Protector Bear Tibetan Buddhist Diety who helps protect one's traveling tents and homes wherever they are. Also, there is Manjushri who is the Buddha of Wisdom. And of course there is Avaloketesvara who manifests on Earth as the Dalai Lama whose mantra is "OM Mani Padma Hung". Avaloketesvara is the Buddha of Compassion.
Monday, June 1, 2015
reprint of:Green Tara, Mary Mother of Jesus, Goddess of Mercy:Quan Yin, Earth Mother
I saw many of you reading this today and realized I should reprint it so more of you can read this too. I studied Cultural Anthropology at UCSC.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Green Tara, Mary Mother of Jesus, Goddess of Mercy:Quan Yin, Earth Mother
This is the most ancient and primal force in human civilization and before there were male dieties there were female earth mother carvings because without a fertile female representative the tribes all died out. So from a cultural anthropological point of view the concept of Divine Mother was about life itself and whether the tribe was fertile and survived and progressed or whether it went extinct and died out.
Male dieties had more to do with Warfare and Political control and came later in human evolution up through the complexities of change to modern day societies. However, I think it is very important that we still honor all the Earth mother fertility type of dieties because if humans can't reproduce (unless physical immortality is found) we will all be extinct within about 100 years of that moment.
Friday, November 8, 2013
If you think it will help mankind if you extend your lives
When I was in my 20s I stayed alive at first not for myself but for my
parents, friends and relatives. For myself I would have preferred to die
at that time. However, God showed me he needed me to stay alive but I
couldn't do that for myself. So, I stayed alive for others instead. But
then, when I knew my son was coming and going to be born I stopped rock
climbing and doing all sorts of dangerous things when I was 25. It is
one of the reasons I'm alive now. Then in my late 20s and early 30s I
slowly gravitated towards Native American shamanism and Tibetan
Buddhism. I was always a mystical Christian Dualist at all point of my
life too. So, my 2nd wife taught me about non-dualism which kind of
scared me because secular Christian thought even in universities at that
time tended to be very dualistic in the 1960s and 1970s. In other words
something had to be either good or bad and there really wasn't anything
in between at least in Western Christian Secular Thought. So, moving
towards non-dualism was a big deal for me. Even now, I have trouble with
aspects of it emotionally because of my upbringing.
However, it is more adult whereas dualistic thought is more childish and impractical. So, if you are a thinking person who goes to college dualistic thought is only about fairy tales and doesn't make any sense at all if you are over 12 to 15 years old emotionally in your life.
Whereas non-dualistic thought is more like the weather. Is rain good or bad? Is snow good or bad? Are Clouds good or bad? There is no one answer for all people so this is a non-dualistic situation. Rain can be good or bad and is usually both to different people and the same for snow and clouds.
So, a realistic adult can see all this. There are almost no things other than standing in front of cars on a freeway waiting to be killed that are bad that all might agree on. And even then if someone had terminal extremely painful cancer this might work for them but not for other drivers or passengers in other cars.
Non-dualistic thought and feeling compassion for all beings in the universe led me to Tibetan Buddhism and to White Tara.
The real beauty for me regarding Buddhism for all humanity is that you don't have to believe in God to be a Buddhist. This is an incredibly big thing for mankind. Because once children go to college often they lose their belief in God if they didn't already before. Because believing in God is about faith but not about logic or reason necessarily.
For example, I believe in God because it saved my life while I had childhood epilepsy. I don't believe I could have survived that otherwise. It also led to me becoming an Intuitive for God and directly led by God to help mankind. It also led to me actually seeing God while soul traveling and when I got back into my body I shook for two days. "NO man can see God and Live!" So, even if you see God your body might not die but you will. (even if your body survives).
On my spiritual path I found Tibetan Buddhism and I found the White Tara Initiation and empowerment. I had about 2 or 3 of these empowerments and initiations by Tibetan Lamas in the 1980s in north Coastal California near San Francisco. I also had Long Life initiations with Padmasambhava that I believe was one of the incarnations of Saint Germain. It is possible that Merlin and Padmasambhava were the same incarnation. Padmasambhava when he was younger and Merlin when he returned to England when he was older. But, that's just what I tend to think you don't have to.
So, the one you might more easily relate to is the "White TAra Long Life empowerment" given by a Tibetan Lama you feel you have a long term connection to.
This will "Magically?" make your lives longer and more productive and you will naturally be able to do more for all mankind as a direct result of your empowerment and practices.
As an intuitive I have observed how this works. The souls of all mankind observe as emissaries of God (or Buddha if you prefer) what everyone does. If you are helping mankind in observable ways lives are often lengthened in all sorts of unbelievable ways as well as believable ways to make you live longer and longer so you can help mankind. Also, as people observe you helping people they pray for you and this also lengthens your lives as well.
So, if you feel you still have a lot to give see if you can get an empowerment to lengthen your lives to help all mankind through compassion. By helping mankind you also help all beings in the universe by so doing in the past, present and future of the universe. IF you are intuitive you will also experience all this. So, to you I'm sort of preaching to the choir. But for everyone else this works if you make it work if you want your lives lengthened to help mankind in compassionate ways. By God's Grace.
However, it is more adult whereas dualistic thought is more childish and impractical. So, if you are a thinking person who goes to college dualistic thought is only about fairy tales and doesn't make any sense at all if you are over 12 to 15 years old emotionally in your life.
Whereas non-dualistic thought is more like the weather. Is rain good or bad? Is snow good or bad? Are Clouds good or bad? There is no one answer for all people so this is a non-dualistic situation. Rain can be good or bad and is usually both to different people and the same for snow and clouds.
So, a realistic adult can see all this. There are almost no things other than standing in front of cars on a freeway waiting to be killed that are bad that all might agree on. And even then if someone had terminal extremely painful cancer this might work for them but not for other drivers or passengers in other cars.
Non-dualistic thought and feeling compassion for all beings in the universe led me to Tibetan Buddhism and to White Tara.
The real beauty for me regarding Buddhism for all humanity is that you don't have to believe in God to be a Buddhist. This is an incredibly big thing for mankind. Because once children go to college often they lose their belief in God if they didn't already before. Because believing in God is about faith but not about logic or reason necessarily.
For example, I believe in God because it saved my life while I had childhood epilepsy. I don't believe I could have survived that otherwise. It also led to me becoming an Intuitive for God and directly led by God to help mankind. It also led to me actually seeing God while soul traveling and when I got back into my body I shook for two days. "NO man can see God and Live!" So, even if you see God your body might not die but you will. (even if your body survives).
On my spiritual path I found Tibetan Buddhism and I found the White Tara Initiation and empowerment. I had about 2 or 3 of these empowerments and initiations by Tibetan Lamas in the 1980s in north Coastal California near San Francisco. I also had Long Life initiations with Padmasambhava that I believe was one of the incarnations of Saint Germain. It is possible that Merlin and Padmasambhava were the same incarnation. Padmasambhava when he was younger and Merlin when he returned to England when he was older. But, that's just what I tend to think you don't have to.
So, the one you might more easily relate to is the "White TAra Long Life empowerment" given by a Tibetan Lama you feel you have a long term connection to.
This will "Magically?" make your lives longer and more productive and you will naturally be able to do more for all mankind as a direct result of your empowerment and practices.
As an intuitive I have observed how this works. The souls of all mankind observe as emissaries of God (or Buddha if you prefer) what everyone does. If you are helping mankind in observable ways lives are often lengthened in all sorts of unbelievable ways as well as believable ways to make you live longer and longer so you can help mankind. Also, as people observe you helping people they pray for you and this also lengthens your lives as well.
So, if you feel you still have a lot to give see if you can get an empowerment to lengthen your lives to help all mankind through compassion. By helping mankind you also help all beings in the universe by so doing in the past, present and future of the universe. IF you are intuitive you will also experience all this. So, to you I'm sort of preaching to the choir. But for everyone else this works if you make it work if you want your lives lengthened to help mankind in compassionate ways. By God's Grace.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Tibetan Medicine
Someone from Stargate Nutrition was interested in hearing about Tibetan Medicine.
Though I did not study Tibetan medicine formally I can share what little I know and have experienced personally about Tibetan Medicine. It has some of the same philosophy as Aryuvedic medicine I would say. It is a more Holistic approach to medicine than is ordinarily found in the western world like much of Asian medicine. For example, when one looks for the cause of an ailment one isn't just looking physically but intuitively and karmicly as well. So this, compared to western medicine is a very unique approach. However, this kind of approach has been this way for thousands of years in most of Asia.
My personal experience with Tibetan medicine was that I was in New Delhi, India with my family in 1986 in January. The five of my family, a friend from Alaska, a 25 year old translator for the Tibetan Lama from Darjeeling had all traveled with from Bodhgaya to Varanasi, then Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and finally to New Delhi. Our plan was to rest up a bit in New Delhi and then to head to Dharmsala, India in Himchal Pradesh State where the Dalai Lama's home is since about 1959 when he left Tibet.
Anyway, in New Delhi my 12 year old stepdaughter got Delhi Belly (similar to Montezuma's revenge) (the runs) possibly from bad water or food(to a western pallet). I asked the 25 year old Darjeeling Tibetan translator to try to get medicine for her. He got something that had morphine in it that she was allergic to and then she went into convulsions. (There were a lot of really strange medicines one could buy over the counter there at that time). Needless to say we and she were pretty traumatized by first having her have Deli Belly and then going into convulsions in the shower.
So, I intuitively decided that the best thing for her would be to get her out of the hot tropical climate and into a mountain climate so her Deli Belly could no longer live. Also, I had heard a lot about Tibetan Doctors and Healers. So we rented a compartment on a train(all of my family) and went to Dharmsala. The Lama translator and our friend from Alaska went elsewhere and we traveled with the Lama on the Train and then Bus to Dharmsala. When we arrived there we were sent to Lady Dolma who was a known Tibetan healer and Doctor who had legends of miracles in her healings.
What I found unusual is what looked like 1 gallon glass Mayonaise jars filled with what looked like large Rabbit Droppings(I used to raise Fuzzy Lops withe my wife as pets). But what we were actually looking at were jars of collected and dried into balls of medicinal herbs collected. So very much like traditional Chinese medicine one eats or drinks these balls of herbs to get over various illnesses.
Just like I intuited within a few days both my stepdaughter and my son who had also gotten ill on the train were completely well in the 6000 foot mountain climate and 20 degree nighttime temperatures. They had been seen by Lady Dolma and given the necessary herbs. So they had been with an intuitive healer and had been given the correct medicine as well. We then bought a kerosene stove to sterilize all our water by boiling it for 5 minutes before we put it in canteens to take with us wherever we went(we each carried a canteen). At that time there was no heating only water and lighting in hotel rooms in Dharmsala and most of the Tibetans were very tough and hardy there and used to dealing with the cold all the time. But we heated our room above 50 degrees to maybe 60 degrees before we went to sleep at night. They had a shower area in the hotel for use during the day which had hot water which was really great too. And another thing I saw all across India then was that Televisions with VCRs became theatre attractions and about 20 to 25 people would buy tickets to movies to watch a particular move on the TV in a public place. Though larger cities had Movie theatres if one lived further out one bought tickets to watch movies on TV with VCR tape players. It was kind of fun watching a Rambo movie at Bodhgaya with other people there for the Kalachakra Initiation. There were many unexpected incongruencies for a westerner all across India then. The unexpected things for a westerner might be different now about 25 years later. My oldest stepson is now 39 and the step daughter and my son are now 36 and 35 respectively.
I also met a Tulku(living Buddha) in Oregon called Chakdud Tulku Pronounced (chalk dude) which I believe means Iron Horse then Tulku means (reincarnated living Buddha).
He was a Tibetan Doctor and he was very helpful to me in my life. However, I never needed to see him as a doctor formally. However, he did counsel me about my practices and my life.
I was able to find the folowing sites regarding Tibetan medicine:
http://www.tibetan-therapeutics.com/?gclid=CPuk3Ym5kp0CFQ0aawod-Ayo_g
http://www.tibetanmedicine.com/
http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/medicine.htm
http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/tibetan-art-of-healing.htm
Another approach to Tibetan medicine would be to receive a White Tara initiation which is the Tara of Long Life practice from an authorized Tibetan Lama that you feel a positive connection with.
For example, Geshe Lobsang Gyatso's specialty was his White Tara Long Life initiation. People would come to him from all over to get this initiation.
There is also a Padmasambhava Long Life Practice if you are a fan of Padmasambhava. Both of these initiations and practices will naturally increase your lifespan and protect you from dangers if properly received and practiced in commitment and sincerity.
In regard to healing there is always the physical component, the karmic component, and the commitment component to help oneself and others into more positives states of enlightenment. As one's commitment and compassion increases it affects all the outcomes of both your life as well as all lives surrounding you and your lifespan and health naturally increases. I have observed personally many near death experiences and often angels will come and extend one's life over and over if they feel you are helping yourself and others into more blessed states of being. It is just in the nature of life and the universe to help you if you are helping yourself and others to higher states of consciousness. Health, wealth and all good things come to such a one who is praying and living for all beings enlightenment.
Though I did not study Tibetan medicine formally I can share what little I know and have experienced personally about Tibetan Medicine. It has some of the same philosophy as Aryuvedic medicine I would say. It is a more Holistic approach to medicine than is ordinarily found in the western world like much of Asian medicine. For example, when one looks for the cause of an ailment one isn't just looking physically but intuitively and karmicly as well. So this, compared to western medicine is a very unique approach. However, this kind of approach has been this way for thousands of years in most of Asia.
My personal experience with Tibetan medicine was that I was in New Delhi, India with my family in 1986 in January. The five of my family, a friend from Alaska, a 25 year old translator for the Tibetan Lama from Darjeeling had all traveled with from Bodhgaya to Varanasi, then Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and finally to New Delhi. Our plan was to rest up a bit in New Delhi and then to head to Dharmsala, India in Himchal Pradesh State where the Dalai Lama's home is since about 1959 when he left Tibet.
Anyway, in New Delhi my 12 year old stepdaughter got Delhi Belly (similar to Montezuma's revenge) (the runs) possibly from bad water or food(to a western pallet). I asked the 25 year old Darjeeling Tibetan translator to try to get medicine for her. He got something that had morphine in it that she was allergic to and then she went into convulsions. (There were a lot of really strange medicines one could buy over the counter there at that time). Needless to say we and she were pretty traumatized by first having her have Deli Belly and then going into convulsions in the shower.
So, I intuitively decided that the best thing for her would be to get her out of the hot tropical climate and into a mountain climate so her Deli Belly could no longer live. Also, I had heard a lot about Tibetan Doctors and Healers. So we rented a compartment on a train(all of my family) and went to Dharmsala. The Lama translator and our friend from Alaska went elsewhere and we traveled with the Lama on the Train and then Bus to Dharmsala. When we arrived there we were sent to Lady Dolma who was a known Tibetan healer and Doctor who had legends of miracles in her healings.
What I found unusual is what looked like 1 gallon glass Mayonaise jars filled with what looked like large Rabbit Droppings(I used to raise Fuzzy Lops withe my wife as pets). But what we were actually looking at were jars of collected and dried into balls of medicinal herbs collected. So very much like traditional Chinese medicine one eats or drinks these balls of herbs to get over various illnesses.
Just like I intuited within a few days both my stepdaughter and my son who had also gotten ill on the train were completely well in the 6000 foot mountain climate and 20 degree nighttime temperatures. They had been seen by Lady Dolma and given the necessary herbs. So they had been with an intuitive healer and had been given the correct medicine as well. We then bought a kerosene stove to sterilize all our water by boiling it for 5 minutes before we put it in canteens to take with us wherever we went(we each carried a canteen). At that time there was no heating only water and lighting in hotel rooms in Dharmsala and most of the Tibetans were very tough and hardy there and used to dealing with the cold all the time. But we heated our room above 50 degrees to maybe 60 degrees before we went to sleep at night. They had a shower area in the hotel for use during the day which had hot water which was really great too. And another thing I saw all across India then was that Televisions with VCRs became theatre attractions and about 20 to 25 people would buy tickets to movies to watch a particular move on the TV in a public place. Though larger cities had Movie theatres if one lived further out one bought tickets to watch movies on TV with VCR tape players. It was kind of fun watching a Rambo movie at Bodhgaya with other people there for the Kalachakra Initiation. There were many unexpected incongruencies for a westerner all across India then. The unexpected things for a westerner might be different now about 25 years later. My oldest stepson is now 39 and the step daughter and my son are now 36 and 35 respectively.
I also met a Tulku(living Buddha) in Oregon called Chakdud Tulku Pronounced (chalk dude) which I believe means Iron Horse then Tulku means (reincarnated living Buddha).
He was a Tibetan Doctor and he was very helpful to me in my life. However, I never needed to see him as a doctor formally. However, he did counsel me about my practices and my life.
I was able to find the folowing sites regarding Tibetan medicine:
http://www.tibetan-therapeutics.com/?gclid=CPuk3Ym5kp0CFQ0aawod-Ayo_g
http://www.tibetanmedicine.com/
http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/medicine.htm
http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/tibetan-art-of-healing.htm
Another approach to Tibetan medicine would be to receive a White Tara initiation which is the Tara of Long Life practice from an authorized Tibetan Lama that you feel a positive connection with.
For example, Geshe Lobsang Gyatso's specialty was his White Tara Long Life initiation. People would come to him from all over to get this initiation.
There is also a Padmasambhava Long Life Practice if you are a fan of Padmasambhava. Both of these initiations and practices will naturally increase your lifespan and protect you from dangers if properly received and practiced in commitment and sincerity.
In regard to healing there is always the physical component, the karmic component, and the commitment component to help oneself and others into more positives states of enlightenment. As one's commitment and compassion increases it affects all the outcomes of both your life as well as all lives surrounding you and your lifespan and health naturally increases. I have observed personally many near death experiences and often angels will come and extend one's life over and over if they feel you are helping yourself and others into more blessed states of being. It is just in the nature of life and the universe to help you if you are helping yourself and others to higher states of consciousness. Health, wealth and all good things come to such a one who is praying and living for all beings enlightenment.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
One of the Amazing Lamas I met during the 1980s
I first met Chagdud Tulku which I believe means "Iron Knot Tulku" (Tulku
means living Buddha and conscious reincarnation). He was a recognized
Nyingma Lama who was also a Tibetan Doctor in ancient Tibetan Medicine.
He was instrumental in my forward path into Tibetan Buddhism and for his
help I am very grateful. He was of another era of Tibetan Lamas and
escaped the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 along with the Dalai Lama
and many others during this time. I met him at his place in Cottage
Grove, Oregon. When I first met him I was living in Mt. Shasta during
the 1980s with my wife and children and was 32 or older and my wife and I
had as one of our cars a 1971 VW Westfalia camper Van that we called
affectionately "Fig". Someone in Mt. Shasta wanted a Tipi from the
Nomadics Tipi makers in Cottage Grove that were students of Chagdud
Tulku. So, when we were there picking up a Tipi made of Canvas there for
some friends we asked to meet Chagdud Tulku and were introduced to him
at his place and also met his wife . He passed away in 2002. Here is
his Wikipedia page. He was a really amazing Tibetan Lama who lived
mostly in Oregon during the 1980s though sometimes he traveled to give
talks and initiations throughout the western states. After reading more
about him in the 1990s he established many centers around the world.
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche - April 2001
Chagdud Tulku (Tibetan: ལྕགས་མདུད་, Wylie: Lcags-mdud) Rinpoche (1930–2002) was a teacher of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.
He was known and respected in the West for his teachings, his melodic
chanting voice, his artistry as a sculptor and painter, and his skill as
a physician. He acted as a spiritual guide for thousands of students
worldwide.[1]
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche was the fourteenth recognized Chagdud incarnation. Chagdud Gonpa centers practice Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, primarily in the Nyingmapa tradition of Guru Padmasambhava.
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche was born in the Tromtar region of Kham eastern Tibet in 1930. His father was Sera Khato Tulku, a lama in the Gelugpa sect. His mother was Dawa Drolma, who was widely considered to be an emanation of Tara and was from a Sakya family, and had a profound influence on her son's spiritual life.
By the time he was three years old, he was recognized as the incarnation of the previous Chagdud Tulku, and soon thereafter traveled to Temp'hel Gonpa, a monastery about two or three days by horseback from Tromtar. As he recounts in his autobiography, The Lord Of The Dance:
In 1945, shortly after completing his first three year retreat, he went to see Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. From Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche he received the Rinchen Terzod empowerments, and caught his first glimpse of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who was attending the empowerments. By 1946 he entered his second three year retreat, this time under the guidance of the Tromge Trungpa Rinpoche. Near the conclusion of this retreat, the death of Tromge Trungpa forced him to leave before its completion. He then returned to Chagdud Gompa in Nyagrong, and after staying there for a while, proceeded on a pilgrimage to Lhasa with an entourage of monks. He then did an extended retreat at Samye, the monastery built by Guru Padmasambhava, and afterwards attended empowerments given by Dudjom Rinpoche, who would become a main teacher as well as a source of spiritual inspiration for him.
After this in 1957 he stayed for a year in Lhasa, Tibet, in the same household as Khenpo Dorje, whom he regarded as his root lama. Among his other teachers were Shechen Kongtrul, Tulku Arig and Dudjom Rinpoche.
During 1958, his last year in Tibet, Chagdud Tulku was advised to marry in order to have a companion and helper in the unsettled times to come. He later wed Karma Drolma, the daughter of a wealthy landowner in Kongpo. Later, in exile in India, they would have a son and a daughter, Jigme Tromge Rinpoche and Dawa Lhamo Tromge.
A year or two after his arrival in India, Rinpoche entered a retreat in Tso Pema, a lake sacred to Guru Rinpoche, located near the city of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. At this location he met Jangchub Dorje, a primary disciple of Apong Terton and a lineage holder of this great treasure revealer's Red Tara cycle. Jangchub Dorje gave him empowerments for the Red Tara cycle, and then he re-entered into retreat and signs of accomplishment in the practices came very swiftly. Later, when he began teaching in the West, Red Tara Sadhana would become the meditation most extensively practiced by his Western students.
While he was living in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, circumstances there gradually led to an estrangement with Karma Drolma, and eventually they separated.
After giving a teaching in Kulu Manali, the Dalai Lama extended an invitation for Rinpoche to go to the United States and teach, contingent upon him getting a visa. It was at this time that he moved to Delhi, and lived in Majnukatilla, a Tibetan camp on the banks of the Yamuna River. The process of trying to get a visa went on for three years, and was ultimately unsuccessful. During this time period he met his first Western students, but he also caught malaria and nearly died, and was saved by an Indian doctor who finally made the correct diagnosis of what was ailing him.
In the fall of 1977 empowerment cycles were given in Kathmandu, Nepal by Dudjom Rinpoche in order to propagate the sacred lineages to a new generation. Chagdud Tulku decided to travel there in order to receive all the empowerments of the Dudjom treasures from Dudjom Rinpoche. Hundreds of tulkus, scholars, yogis and lay practitioners gathered at Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's monastery for these empowerments. About his experience he says this in his autobiography:
He continued to stay in Nepal on into 1978 in order to attend a new series of empowerments in the Chokling Tersar cycle given by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. It was while attending one of these empowerments that a Western woman, Jane Dedman (later Chagdud Khadro),[3][4] approached Chagdud Rinpoche with the offering of a white scarf and a jar of honey. Afterwards he invited her to lunch, and shortly after this he gave her some teachings. A month or so later he accepted her offer to serve as his attendant in retreat after the empowerments. This retreat lasted for several months, after which Dudjom Rinpoche among other things suggested Chagdud go to America to teach.
Additionally in the time period of 1980 through 1987 he traveled widely and gave many teachings, accompanied by his interpreter, Tsering Everest. He invited many other Lamas such as Dudjom Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, and Kyabje Penor Rinpoche to Oregon where they bestowed many empowerments and teachings. He also helped set up Padma Publications which eventually published his two books: The Lord of the Dance, and Gates to Buddhist Practice. With the assistance of Richard Baron, Padma Publications also began the monumental task of translating Longchenpa's Seven Treasuries from Tibetan into English, three volumes of which have been published to date.[5][6]
In 1987 he returned to Tibet for the first time since 1959. He traveled to Kham, visiting the three monasteries of his youth, and actually bestowed empowerments to the monastic staff there. His son, Jigme Tromge Rinpoche, traveled with him to Tibet and the next year immigrated to the United States, entering a three-year retreat a few months after his arrival. Then in 1988, after land was acquired in the Trinity Alps of Northern California, the main seat of Chagdud Gonpa Foundation was created there as Rigdzin Ling.
It was here that Chagdud Tulku offered the empowerments and oral transmissions of the Dudjom Treasures in 1991, and several years later, of the supreme Dzogchen cycle, Nyingt'hig Yabzhi.[7]
In 1992 he received an invitation to teach in Brazil and he would become a pioneer insofar as spreading the Dharma in South America. Throughout the 1990s he maintained an extensive teaching schedule, put some of his senior students into three year retreats, and helped to establish many Chagdud Gonpa centers throughout the Western Hemisphere. These include more than 38 Dharma centers under Chagdud Tulku's supervision and inspiration, in USA, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Switzerland and Australia. The best known are Rigdzin Ling in Junction City, California and Khadro Ling, his main center in Três Coroas, Brazil.
In all his teachings he was known for stressing pure motivation in doing spiritual practice. He once wrote, "In the course of my Buddhist training, I have received teachings on many philosophical topics and meditative methods. Of all teachings, I find none more important than pure motivation. If I had to leave only one legacy to my students, it would be the wisdom of pure motivation. If I were to be known by one title, it would be the 'motivation lama.'" ”[8]"
In this context, ‘pure motivation’ means the cultivation of bodhicitta, which is the enlightened intent of doing practice for the benefit of oneself, and all other sentient beings.
In 1995 he moved to Khadro Ling, in Río Grande do Sul, Brazil, and it became the main seat of his activities for the rest of his life. Before moving to Brazil, Chagdud Tulku enthroned Lama Drimed Norbu (Alwyn Fischel) one of his main Western students, head lama of the Chagdud Gonpa foundation and gave him authorization to teach the Great Perfection teachings. In 1996 the first Brazilian Dzogchen retreat took place at Khadro Ling and a large Guru Rinpoche statue was created there. In the next few years, he traveled in South America, giving teachings in Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile, in addition to different parts of Brazil. He also continued to travel to his centers in the United States, and made frequent visits to Nepal, a return to Chagdud Gompa in eastern Tibet and a visit to mainland China. During this same time period, in addition to leading Drubchens and month long Dzogchen retreats, he also trained his students in the sacred arts of sculpture and painting, as well as ritual dance, chanting, and music.
In 1998, construction began on the lha khang (temple) of Khadro Ling. In July 1998, the empowerments of the Taksham Treasures were bestowed by Terton Namkhai Drimed in the still incomplete temple. This temple was followed by an enormous prayer wheel project, perhaps the largest in the Western Hemisphere, then eight magnificent stupas, and a monumental statue of Akshobhya Buddha. In the same period, in Parping, Nepal, Rinpoche built a new retreat center where eight people began training according to the Kat'hog tradition under Kyabje Getse Tulku.
While Chagdud Rinpoche kept up a tremendous amount of Dharmic activity, in the last few years of his life he was somewhat slowed down by diabetes, and in 1997, he entered a clinic and was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. In the last year of his life Rinpoche's body began to hinder his outer activities. He tired more easily, and travel became difficult. In 2002, he cancelled a trip to the United States, which had been scheduled for October, and instead entered strict retreat.
In the last week of his life, he concluded this retreat on Tuesday, November 12, worked with a student artist to complete a statue of Amitabha, talked with many of his students, and led a training in phowa (transference of consciousness at the moment of death) for more than two hundred people. He continued teaching with great vigor until about 9 pm on Saturday night November 16. Then on Sunday morning of the 17th, at about 4:15 a.m., Brazilian daylight time, he suffered massive heart failure while sitting up in bed.
According to his son, Jigme Tromge Rinpoche, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche then remained in a state of meditation for almost six full days. The ability to remain in meditation after the breath stops is known as (t'hug dam). Jigme Tromge Rinpoche described this in a release to the Brazilian press:
A year later on the full moon of December 8, 2003, Rinpoche's cremation was held on Jigme Rinpoche's land in Parping, with Kyabje Mogtza Rinpoche, one of the highest lamas of Kat'hog Gonpa, serving as Vajra Master. Hundreds of Rinpoche's students gathered, to mourn the loss of his direct physical presence, and made prayers and offerings for his eventual rebirth.
His main students and the lamas he ordained continue to teach and carry on Chagdud's many projects and practices.
At Brazil Gonpa the project [9] of Padmasambhava's Pureland has been realized, the Consecration having taken place in the meantime.[10][11] To build a replica of Zangdog Palri was Chagdud Rinpoche’s last wish and great project before he died in 2002.
Chagdud Rinpoche made it a point to not only ordain many western lineage holders and lamas, but to surround himself with powerful female practitioners. Over half of the 30 some-odd westerners he has ordained as lamas have been women..." The first lama whom he had ordained as Lama Yeshe Zangmo was a Western woman named Inge Sandvoss.[12]
As a "true Dzogchen master" he authorized at least one western teacher to teach Dzogchen, Lama Drimed - there may be more.[13] In September 2010, Lama Drimed offered his resignation to the Board of Directors of Chagdud Gonpa Foundation from his positions as Spiritual Director and President of the Foundation, while remaining an ordained lama with authorization to teach the Great Perfection.
When he talks about 3 year retreats not everyone can do them. Imagine going into a darkened room with no light and staying there like that for 3 years in the dark while people push water and food under the door for you only. Now imagine doing this for 3 years when you are 11. Chagdud Tulku actually did this. Some people would go mad doing this but reincarnations are so complete inside their being that they actually come to prefer this state of development. I met a young Tibetan out in the country in Nepal who had tried a 3 or 4 month retreat and it had almost driven him mad so he came out and was very upset about the whole thing. Absolutely everything comes up in your subconscious and you have to deal with it or learn non-attachment or whatever you can do. Because everyone's greatest enemy is always themselves. Once you triumph over yourself and come into full alignment with the Creator and the universe you are free.
repeat quote from above: "A year or two after his arrival in India, Rinpoche entered a retreat in Tso Pema, a lake sacred to Guru Rinpoche, located near the city of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh."
End repeat Quote from Above:
I did not know before this of his retreat at Tso Pema. Tso Pema is the Tibetan Name for Rewalsar (Indian name) of the town where I experienced amazing things in regard to Padmasambhava when I was there for almost a month in February, 1986. Tso Pema or Rewalsar is near Mendi or Mandi which is a larger town whereas Tso Pema or Rewalsar is up high about 3000 feet I believe in mountains near Mendi or Mandi whichever you prefer. Here is a map of Himachal Pradesh state where Dharamshala and Mandi are both in. Tso Pema (Rewalsar) is near Mandi but not listed in the map because it is a small town. here is the map from Wikipedia:
Here is his international Organization that he created with many Lamas and teachings still being given worldwide today: Chagdud Gonpa international
Later: Also, like Chagdud Tulku I discovered in my practices also that pure motivation was powerful in changing not only my own life but the lives of everyone around me in positive ways. By having pure motivation in all that you do really amazing things can happen when you least expect them in amazingly positive ways. And this often results in infinite positive amplifications of results (By God's Grace).
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche was the fourteenth recognized Chagdud incarnation. Chagdud Gonpa centers practice Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, primarily in the Nyingmapa tradition of Guru Padmasambhava.
Contents |
Early life
[show]
Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism |
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By the time he was three years old, he was recognized as the incarnation of the previous Chagdud Tulku, and soon thereafter traveled to Temp'hel Gonpa, a monastery about two or three days by horseback from Tromtar. As he recounts in his autobiography, The Lord Of The Dance:
For the next seven years, until I went into three year retreat at the age of eleven, my life would alternate between periods of strict discipline in which my every move would be under the surveillance of my tutors and interludes in which my suppressed energies would explode. Throughout, I had many visions, many clairvoyant experiences, many extraordinary dreams, and within these, I sometimes had glimpses of absolute open awareness.[2]After this retreat he received numerous teachings, empowerments, and oral transmissions, from various spiritual masters. One of them, Sechen Rabjam Rinpoche, told him that Tara meditation would be one of his major practices.
In 1945, shortly after completing his first three year retreat, he went to see Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. From Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche he received the Rinchen Terzod empowerments, and caught his first glimpse of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who was attending the empowerments. By 1946 he entered his second three year retreat, this time under the guidance of the Tromge Trungpa Rinpoche. Near the conclusion of this retreat, the death of Tromge Trungpa forced him to leave before its completion. He then returned to Chagdud Gompa in Nyagrong, and after staying there for a while, proceeded on a pilgrimage to Lhasa with an entourage of monks. He then did an extended retreat at Samye, the monastery built by Guru Padmasambhava, and afterwards attended empowerments given by Dudjom Rinpoche, who would become a main teacher as well as a source of spiritual inspiration for him.
After this in 1957 he stayed for a year in Lhasa, Tibet, in the same household as Khenpo Dorje, whom he regarded as his root lama. Among his other teachers were Shechen Kongtrul, Tulku Arig and Dudjom Rinpoche.
During 1958, his last year in Tibet, Chagdud Tulku was advised to marry in order to have a companion and helper in the unsettled times to come. He later wed Karma Drolma, the daughter of a wealthy landowner in Kongpo. Later, in exile in India, they would have a son and a daughter, Jigme Tromge Rinpoche and Dawa Lhamo Tromge.
Life in exile from Tibet
Following Tibet's invasion by China in 1959, Chagdud Tulku escaped along with Khenpo Dorje to India, after enduring hunger, and many close calls, where it looked like they would not make it out. His route took him through Padma Kod region of Tibet, and his party came out from there into the Naga land area of India. In India Rinpoche lived in a number of Tibetan refugee resettlement camps ─ Kalimpong, Orissa, Dalhousie, Bir, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi. He practiced Tibetan medicine, and was much in demand as his fellow refugees had trouble coping with the heat, and subtropical diseases found in India.A year or two after his arrival in India, Rinpoche entered a retreat in Tso Pema, a lake sacred to Guru Rinpoche, located near the city of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. At this location he met Jangchub Dorje, a primary disciple of Apong Terton and a lineage holder of this great treasure revealer's Red Tara cycle. Jangchub Dorje gave him empowerments for the Red Tara cycle, and then he re-entered into retreat and signs of accomplishment in the practices came very swiftly. Later, when he began teaching in the West, Red Tara Sadhana would become the meditation most extensively practiced by his Western students.
While he was living in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, circumstances there gradually led to an estrangement with Karma Drolma, and eventually they separated.
After giving a teaching in Kulu Manali, the Dalai Lama extended an invitation for Rinpoche to go to the United States and teach, contingent upon him getting a visa. It was at this time that he moved to Delhi, and lived in Majnukatilla, a Tibetan camp on the banks of the Yamuna River. The process of trying to get a visa went on for three years, and was ultimately unsuccessful. During this time period he met his first Western students, but he also caught malaria and nearly died, and was saved by an Indian doctor who finally made the correct diagnosis of what was ailing him.
In the fall of 1977 empowerment cycles were given in Kathmandu, Nepal by Dudjom Rinpoche in order to propagate the sacred lineages to a new generation. Chagdud Tulku decided to travel there in order to receive all the empowerments of the Dudjom treasures from Dudjom Rinpoche. Hundreds of tulkus, scholars, yogis and lay practitioners gathered at Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's monastery for these empowerments. About his experience he says this in his autobiography:
During my stay in Nepal I received empowerments and oral transmissions for all the treasures he had discovered in this life and in his previous life as Dudjom Lingpa. It was a wealth of practices whose splendor is unsurpassed, and deep within me I formed the aspiration to offer this transmission to others through empowerment and teaching.[2]While attending them Chagdud Tulku met an older lama from Western Tibet, Lama Ladakh Nono, who was known for doing mirror divinations. He subsequently did a mirror divination for Chagdud and told him he should go to the West and benefit many people there by teaching the Dharma. He also predicted that a Western woman would come into his life and that this would be good.
He continued to stay in Nepal on into 1978 in order to attend a new series of empowerments in the Chokling Tersar cycle given by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. It was while attending one of these empowerments that a Western woman, Jane Dedman (later Chagdud Khadro),[3][4] approached Chagdud Rinpoche with the offering of a white scarf and a jar of honey. Afterwards he invited her to lunch, and shortly after this he gave her some teachings. A month or so later he accepted her offer to serve as his attendant in retreat after the empowerments. This retreat lasted for several months, after which Dudjom Rinpoche among other things suggested Chagdud go to America to teach.
Life in the West
After many months of waiting he was finally granted a visa and landed in San Francisco on Oct. 24, 1979. Shortly after this, he married Jane in South Lake Tahoe, California. The early years of his teaching in the Americas was spent in Eugene, and Cottage Grove, Oregon. In 1983, at the request of his students, he established Chagdud Gonpa Foundation. He soon ordained his first lama, a Western woman named Inge Sandvoss, as Lama Yeshe Zangmo (in 1987).Additionally in the time period of 1980 through 1987 he traveled widely and gave many teachings, accompanied by his interpreter, Tsering Everest. He invited many other Lamas such as Dudjom Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, and Kyabje Penor Rinpoche to Oregon where they bestowed many empowerments and teachings. He also helped set up Padma Publications which eventually published his two books: The Lord of the Dance, and Gates to Buddhist Practice. With the assistance of Richard Baron, Padma Publications also began the monumental task of translating Longchenpa's Seven Treasuries from Tibetan into English, three volumes of which have been published to date.[5][6]
In 1987 he returned to Tibet for the first time since 1959. He traveled to Kham, visiting the three monasteries of his youth, and actually bestowed empowerments to the monastic staff there. His son, Jigme Tromge Rinpoche, traveled with him to Tibet and the next year immigrated to the United States, entering a three-year retreat a few months after his arrival. Then in 1988, after land was acquired in the Trinity Alps of Northern California, the main seat of Chagdud Gonpa Foundation was created there as Rigdzin Ling.
It was here that Chagdud Tulku offered the empowerments and oral transmissions of the Dudjom Treasures in 1991, and several years later, of the supreme Dzogchen cycle, Nyingt'hig Yabzhi.[7]
In 1992 he received an invitation to teach in Brazil and he would become a pioneer insofar as spreading the Dharma in South America. Throughout the 1990s he maintained an extensive teaching schedule, put some of his senior students into three year retreats, and helped to establish many Chagdud Gonpa centers throughout the Western Hemisphere. These include more than 38 Dharma centers under Chagdud Tulku's supervision and inspiration, in USA, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Switzerland and Australia. The best known are Rigdzin Ling in Junction City, California and Khadro Ling, his main center in Três Coroas, Brazil.
In all his teachings he was known for stressing pure motivation in doing spiritual practice. He once wrote, "In the course of my Buddhist training, I have received teachings on many philosophical topics and meditative methods. Of all teachings, I find none more important than pure motivation. If I had to leave only one legacy to my students, it would be the wisdom of pure motivation. If I were to be known by one title, it would be the 'motivation lama.'" ”[8]"
In this context, ‘pure motivation’ means the cultivation of bodhicitta, which is the enlightened intent of doing practice for the benefit of oneself, and all other sentient beings.
In 1995 he moved to Khadro Ling, in Río Grande do Sul, Brazil, and it became the main seat of his activities for the rest of his life. Before moving to Brazil, Chagdud Tulku enthroned Lama Drimed Norbu (Alwyn Fischel) one of his main Western students, head lama of the Chagdud Gonpa foundation and gave him authorization to teach the Great Perfection teachings. In 1996 the first Brazilian Dzogchen retreat took place at Khadro Ling and a large Guru Rinpoche statue was created there. In the next few years, he traveled in South America, giving teachings in Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile, in addition to different parts of Brazil. He also continued to travel to his centers in the United States, and made frequent visits to Nepal, a return to Chagdud Gompa in eastern Tibet and a visit to mainland China. During this same time period, in addition to leading Drubchens and month long Dzogchen retreats, he also trained his students in the sacred arts of sculpture and painting, as well as ritual dance, chanting, and music.
In 1998, construction began on the lha khang (temple) of Khadro Ling. In July 1998, the empowerments of the Taksham Treasures were bestowed by Terton Namkhai Drimed in the still incomplete temple. This temple was followed by an enormous prayer wheel project, perhaps the largest in the Western Hemisphere, then eight magnificent stupas, and a monumental statue of Akshobhya Buddha. In the same period, in Parping, Nepal, Rinpoche built a new retreat center where eight people began training according to the Kat'hog tradition under Kyabje Getse Tulku.
While Chagdud Rinpoche kept up a tremendous amount of Dharmic activity, in the last few years of his life he was somewhat slowed down by diabetes, and in 1997, he entered a clinic and was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. In the last year of his life Rinpoche's body began to hinder his outer activities. He tired more easily, and travel became difficult. In 2002, he cancelled a trip to the United States, which had been scheduled for October, and instead entered strict retreat.
In the last week of his life, he concluded this retreat on Tuesday, November 12, worked with a student artist to complete a statue of Amitabha, talked with many of his students, and led a training in phowa (transference of consciousness at the moment of death) for more than two hundred people. He continued teaching with great vigor until about 9 pm on Saturday night November 16. Then on Sunday morning of the 17th, at about 4:15 a.m., Brazilian daylight time, he suffered massive heart failure while sitting up in bed.
According to his son, Jigme Tromge Rinpoche, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche then remained in a state of meditation for almost six full days. The ability to remain in meditation after the breath stops is known as (t'hug dam). Jigme Tromge Rinpoche described this in a release to the Brazilian press:
After his last breath, my father remained in a state of meditation for almost six full days that prevented the usual deterioration of his body. The ability to remain in a state of meditation after the breath stops is well known among great Tibetan masters, but circumstances have rarely allowed it to occur in the West. Chagdud Rinpoche remained sitting in a natural, lifelike meditation posture, with little visible change of color or expression. During that time, no one touched his body.Afterwards his ku dun (the physical body) was flown to Kathmandu, Nepal, and then to the retreat center in Parping. During the forty-nine days that followed, Getse Tulku Rinpoche and Jigme Tromge Rinpoche led ceremonies in Parping, to purify inauspicious circumstances to Rinpoche's rebirth and to generate great merit through offerings and practice.
Until the sixth day, Friday, November 22rd, Rinpoche showed no physical signs that his meditation had ended. In the interim we were in constant consultation with a lawyer and other officials about local customs and regulations. Friday midday, his meditation ended and his mind separated from his body. Within hours, his appearance changed. He took on the signs typical of those occurring within the first 24 hours of death.[citation needed]
A year later on the full moon of December 8, 2003, Rinpoche's cremation was held on Jigme Rinpoche's land in Parping, with Kyabje Mogtza Rinpoche, one of the highest lamas of Kat'hog Gonpa, serving as Vajra Master. Hundreds of Rinpoche's students gathered, to mourn the loss of his direct physical presence, and made prayers and offerings for his eventual rebirth.
His main students and the lamas he ordained continue to teach and carry on Chagdud's many projects and practices.
At Brazil Gonpa the project [9] of Padmasambhava's Pureland has been realized, the Consecration having taken place in the meantime.[10][11] To build a replica of Zangdog Palri was Chagdud Rinpoche’s last wish and great project before he died in 2002.
Chagdud Rinpoche made it a point to not only ordain many western lineage holders and lamas, but to surround himself with powerful female practitioners. Over half of the 30 some-odd westerners he has ordained as lamas have been women..." The first lama whom he had ordained as Lama Yeshe Zangmo was a Western woman named Inge Sandvoss.[12]
As a "true Dzogchen master" he authorized at least one western teacher to teach Dzogchen, Lama Drimed - there may be more.[13] In September 2010, Lama Drimed offered his resignation to the Board of Directors of Chagdud Gonpa Foundation from his positions as Spiritual Director and President of the Foundation, while remaining an ordained lama with authorization to teach the Great Perfection.
Bibliography
- Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche (1993). Gates to Buddhist Practice: Essential Teachings of a Tibetan Master. Padma Publishing. ISBN 1-881847-02-0
- Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche (2000). Life In Relation To Death. Padma Publishing, 2nd edition. ISBN 1-881847-11-X
- Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche (1992). Lord of the Dance: Autobiography of a Tibetan Lama. Padma Publishing. ISBN 1-881847-00-4
References
- ^ Kaiser, Betty. The passing of a beloved teacher in Oregon Magazine, 2002
- ^ a b Tulku Rinpoche, Chagdud (October 1). Lord of the Dance: Autobiography of a Tibetan Lama (1st ed.). Junction City,CA: Padma Publishing (published 1992). p. 19. ISBN 1-881847-00-4.
- ^ Chagdud Khadro@Rigpa wiki
- ^ Chagdud Khadro
- ^ Padma Publishing
- ^ The Padma Translation Committee
- ^ Nyingtik Yabshi RangjungYesheWiki
- ^ Meeske, Kathryn (October 2004). Sacred Voices of the Nyingma Masters (1st ed.). Junction City,CA: Padma Publishing (published 2004). p. 122. ISBN 978-1-881847-35-9.
- ^ Project information
- ^ Photos and videos of the Consecration
- ^ Website of Padmasambhava's Pureland
- ^ Lama Inge
- ^ Lama Drimed of Chagdud Gonpa Lama Padma Drimed Norbu
External links
- Official website biography
- Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche : Red Tara
- Chagdud Gonpa North America
- Chagdud Gonpa international
When he talks about 3 year retreats not everyone can do them. Imagine going into a darkened room with no light and staying there like that for 3 years in the dark while people push water and food under the door for you only. Now imagine doing this for 3 years when you are 11. Chagdud Tulku actually did this. Some people would go mad doing this but reincarnations are so complete inside their being that they actually come to prefer this state of development. I met a young Tibetan out in the country in Nepal who had tried a 3 or 4 month retreat and it had almost driven him mad so he came out and was very upset about the whole thing. Absolutely everything comes up in your subconscious and you have to deal with it or learn non-attachment or whatever you can do. Because everyone's greatest enemy is always themselves. Once you triumph over yourself and come into full alignment with the Creator and the universe you are free.
repeat quote from above: "A year or two after his arrival in India, Rinpoche entered a retreat in Tso Pema, a lake sacred to Guru Rinpoche, located near the city of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh."
End repeat Quote from Above:
I did not know before this of his retreat at Tso Pema. Tso Pema is the Tibetan Name for Rewalsar (Indian name) of the town where I experienced amazing things in regard to Padmasambhava when I was there for almost a month in February, 1986. Tso Pema or Rewalsar is near Mendi or Mandi which is a larger town whereas Tso Pema or Rewalsar is up high about 3000 feet I believe in mountains near Mendi or Mandi whichever you prefer. Here is a map of Himachal Pradesh state where Dharamshala and Mandi are both in. Tso Pema (Rewalsar) is near Mandi but not listed in the map because it is a small town. here is the map from Wikipedia:
Here is his international Organization that he created with many Lamas and teachings still being given worldwide today: Chagdud Gonpa international
Later: Also, like Chagdud Tulku I discovered in my practices also that pure motivation was powerful in changing not only my own life but the lives of everyone around me in positive ways. By having pure motivation in all that you do really amazing things can happen when you least expect them in amazingly positive ways. And this often results in infinite positive amplifications of results (By God's Grace).
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