Dalai Lama’s Teaching on Nagarjuna’s Exposition of Bodhicitta

Nagarjuna. The crown of snakes symbolises the incredible capacity of his mind.

Here is the update I promised on the two days of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings on Awakening the Mind in Sydney, to an audience of 5,000.

Once again, I am totally amazed at the physical impact he has on people, even in such a large gathering. All of the people in my group experienced short bursts of intensely deep sleep when he was talking in Tibetan. We believe he was doing a transmission as he was talking. We would then wake up when his interpreter took over. He would talk in bursts of 10 to 15 minutes at a time – amazing. The teachings were 4 sessions of 2 hours each over the 2 days.

The stage setting was enhanced by the presence of the Jade Buddha, which was consecrated by HH the Dalai Lama at this event. The Buddha is carved from a single rock, weighing 18 tonnes and found in Canada. In its finished form it is 2.7 metres tall and weighs 4 tonnes. This Buddha will eventually be housed at the Great Stupa for Universal Compassion, Bendigo, Australia, a project of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Details are at http://www.jadebuddha.org.au/

The text His Holiness used was the 112 verses of Nagarjuna's Bodhicittavivarana, available at http://www.bodhicitta.net/ . Look for Bodhichitta Teachings, then Nagarjuna Bodhicittavivarana.

This text is quite intense. One of my friends, Lama Tsekyab, who is a learned monk and Puja Master, said at the end of Day 1 "Peter, this was a very hard day!" Lama Phuntsok told me he had studied Nagarjuna for 4 years, and he found the day was hard work. Loppon Ngawang, a highly trained teacher, also said the teaching was not easy. All we could do was be there, hear and feel the transmission and rejoice at being blessed to spend time with His Holiness. I will now try to distil the message we got and pass on the advice His Holiness gave us. In the photo, left to right, are Lama Tsekyab, Loppon Ngawang and Lama Phuntsok. All three of them now have long term visas in Australia, while they have family at Jyekundo, the Kyegu Monastery town in what was Eastern Tibet, where they were all born.

The main message that came through was that to achieve an Awakened Mind (Bodhicitta) it is necessary to achieve an understanding of Emptiness as defined in Mahayana Buddhism. Without moving towards an understanding of Emptiness, our Mind will always be suffering from the afflictions of ignorance, attachment and aversion. In this state, while we may be able to aspire to compassion and altruism, we will always become diverted from effectively achieving it. But the Buddhist teaching is that only through achieving loving kindness and compassion that we can attain happiness. Personally, I like to think of happiness as being in a state of contentment with whatever circumstances I may find myself in at any time.

As Westerners, indeed for all humans, our early life training conditions us to continually strive for and defend our own unique Selfhood. But Emptiness is only achieved through realisation of the non-existence of a Self i.e. selflessness. Achieving this realisation is necessary to achieve happiness. Understanding (Inter)Dependent Origination (or Arising) and the Five Skandhas/Aggregates is an essential part of the journey. So how to get there?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was very explicit about the study program to undertake.

The Bodhicittavivarana text was the basis for the two days of teaching. The prime text is Arya Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika, also referred to as the Madhyamika – The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way. I have a translation and commentary by Jay L Garfield, published by Oxford University Press. It contains both the 27 Chapters of text and then 27 Chapters of commentary, with embedded text. Garfield is a Professor of Philosophy at Hampshire College and Director of an Indian Philosophy Program with Tibetan Universities in Exile (Remembering Nagarjuna was an Indian philosopher from about the second century). For those of a philosophical study background, Garfield's commentary quite often analyses Nagarjuna by reference to Western philosophy, enhancing our understanding.

His Holiness nominated 4 Chapters in particular to study, in this order:

Ch 26 – Examination of the 12 Links
    (of (Inter)Dependent Arising, the basis of the argument for Emptiness)
Ch 18 – Examination of Self and Entities
Ch 24 – Examination of the Four Noble Truths
Ch 22 – Examination of the Tathagata

Describing himself as a "lazy scholar", His Holiness said he did not undertake serious study of Nagarjuna until his late teens. Then he used Candrakirti's 7^th century commentary Prasannapada (Clear Words), which he recommends as essential and the best commentary on the Middle Way. He referred to Chapter 9 as being of immense help to him personally. The only translation I have been able to find is "Lucid Exposition of the Middle Way: Essential Chapters from the Prasannapada", available as used on Amazon at about $85. The reviews are quite good.

To round out the study program, His Holiness recommended Gyel-tsap's commentary on Aryadeva's Four Hundred Stanzas. The translation I use is by Ruth Sonam, with the Aryadeva commentary and a chapter by chapter commentary on the commentary by Geshe Sonam Rinchen, entitled Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas and published by Snow Lion. Aryadeva was a 2^nd century disciple of Nagarjuna and Gyel-tsap was the successor to Tsong-kha-pa, the founder of the Gelugpa lineage, in the early 15^th century.
If this seems a bit too daunting as a study program right now, I suggest you consider "the Heart of Buddha's Teachings" by Thich Nhat Hahn as a lesser treatise on philosophy.

At the end of the teaching, the Dalai Lama empowered us with the Bodhicitta Prayer, to be used as a daily motivator. It is only three verses and only needs to be read three times.  It is also available at http://www.bodhicitta.net/ . Look for Bodhichitta Teachings, then Bodhicitta Prayer.

To wrap up, again a most beautiful experience with His Holiness, and hopefully it will bring immense benefit to world peace.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Nagarjuna's Exposition On Bodhicitta - Awakening the Mind

In 10 hours time here in Sydney I will have the privilege of attending 2 days of teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on a little recorded teaching by Nagarjuna on Awakening the Mind. It is a teaching he has been giving throughout 2009 as part of a worldwide program discussing Our Future.

Please be with me in receiving this teaching. I will report within the week.

Yours in Dharma,

Vajramate

A Buddhist View of Pride - Affliction, Sin or Goodness?

A recent radio discussion between 3 christian ministers discussed Pride as one of the 7 deadly sins. In Buddhism it is also listed as a key afliction, up there with attachment, aversion, greed and anger. But pride is also a source of strength and achievement, isn't it? This lead me to explore the way in which Mahayana Buddhism addresses Pride.

As with all aspects of the Middle Way, the object itself has no inherent characteristics - it depends on the motivation behind observing the object. So Pride is both "Good" and "Bad".

Once again, I found Shantideva's Bodhisattvacharyavatara (Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life) gave some very clear distinctions. Whether the object of our pride is wealth, accomplishment, spiritual practice, children, appearance and so on, we can approach it from either of these points of view:
1. Self Importance: I am proud because I am wealthier, more successful, a better spiritual being, etc. than you. I will let everyone know that I have Pride in my achievements so they will think more of me and less of others. My Pride is based on external perceptions.
2. Self Confidence (I don't fully like this translation, but it serves its purpose): I am content with where I am with my wealth, status, practice, etc. and I am proud in that. I can have that Pride without having to broadcast it, and I can move on. My Pride is purely internal.

In contemplating this post, I thought about my pride. Am I taking Pride in putting up a post that I can say a thousand people have read, or does my Pride lie in having meditated on an aspect of me and recorded it, not caring if it is read at all? Maybe my achievement is having considered what is one of the five major afflictions and come to a better awareness of my own progress on my path to becoming enlightened.
But wait! Just by saying this, am I leaning towards Self Importance rather than Self Confidence? Oh well, back to contemplating the beautiful words and poetry of Shantideva!
Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Emptiness and Illusion in Mahayana Buddhism

The following quote by the Dalai Lama got me thinking about the topic:

"What is meant …by the term "illusion" is that phenomena do not exist independently of other phenomena, that their independent existence is illusory. This is all that is meant by "illusion", not that something is not really there."

Taking this in the context that Emptiness (Shunyata) is the ultimate reality, the true nature of emptiness, selflessness or non-duality, all other states are illusory to the extent that nothing has inherent independent existence. In Emptiness there is no duality such as Self/Other, right/wrong or samsara/nirvana.

Emptiness cannot be described in conventional terms and can only be experienced when one is far progressed along the meditation and wisdom path.

In the conventional samsaric world in which we live, we cannot escape from the interaction of I – the observer – and phenomena – the observed. The illusion is that the subject and the object are separate, whereas in ultimate reality they are the One Taste.

In studying phenomena, there are 12 aspects that combine to define a phenomenon at that instant in time. These are the basis of the concept of interdependent origination. In considering the I or Self, the five skandhas or aggregates define an individual at that instant in time.

But in both of these, each of the elements is in continual change, so the phenomena and the Self are constantly changing. Thus they have no inherent permanent or ongoing existence.

Our illusion is that we see the Self and phenomena as having inherent existence.

To summarise, in our samsaric state the Self and phenomena are there. The illusion is that they will continue to be there in their current state, when even in our relative reality they are in constant change. The ultimate reality is when we transcend this state of continual change and experience the true nature of Emptiness.

So in this state of constant change the hope for us all is that we can transcend the suffering by diligent meditation on merit and wisdom, guided by the teachings of Buddha and the practices brought to us by our teachers.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

A Western Buddhist's Visit with Tibetans in China 2007

This post is a diversion.  At this stage I would like to share my experience of being with Tibetan Buddhists in China in a trip we took in July/August 2007.  The occasion was Rinpoche's return to the Kyegu monastery in Kham in what was Eastern Tibet, now part of Qinghai Province, China.  He was born in India, is recognised as the 10th reincarnation of a lineage of Tulkus and is the current Spiritual Director.  The monastery has 600 monks and 100 nuns.  This was only his second visit, made possible by having gained Australian citizenship the previous year.  About 25 of us accompanied him.

The initial group flew into Beijing from Australia and other places.  There was much consternation with our mandatory Chinese tour guide when 8 monks in Tibetan robes arrived to meet us at the airport.  A load of fun!  Our trip started with a side visit to Wu Tai Shan, about 8 hours by road south of Beijing.  This is the spiritual home of Manjushri, Boddhisattva of Wisdom, and there are temples dating back to the 8th century on 5 mountaintops, each at about 3,000 metres.  It is also now a dedicated Buddhist tourism area, with 4 star hotels and 47 remaining Buddhist temples.  Our guide was Khenpo Kunga Zangpo, who has been granted land to build a new Sakya Temple.  The photo is of Khenpo with some of our group on the plot of land.
                                         

I am seated on Khenpo's right.  The monk in front is Phuntsok, Rinpoche's attendant and currently going through the process in Sydney of acquiring Australian residency.

The next shots shows the playfulness of the Tibetan monks, again Phuntsok and also Tsekyab, a highly qualified Puja or Ritual Master, who is currently also in Sydney.  Both these monks were born near the Kyegu monastery and walked into Nepal as teenagers, leaving their families behind.  They moved on to another small monastery in India about 5 hours north north west of Delhi, where Rinpoche is also the Spiritual Director. Their reunions with their families while on our visit were particularly moving.

Back in Beijing we met up with Rinpoche and others and took the 18 hour train ride west to Langzhou on the Old Silk Road, then a short coach ride to the Qinghai capital, Xining.  The train was excellent, fully up to European standards.  After a couple of days acclimatising at 2,500 metres in Xining and stocking up with oxygen pillows, we gathered in 3 buses for our group and about a dozen 4wds for Rinpoche and a number of monks who had joined us from the monastery to head the 900km south south west to Kyegu.  Some passes on the road were close to 5,000 metres. The town is known as Jyekundo in Tibetan and Yushu in Chinese.  Here is a map of the route.  In 2009 the Chinese opened an airport near Jyekundo, so it is much more accessible.

There were many stops along the way and the entourage was continually growing.  We slowly climbed to the average height of the Tibetan plateau at about 3,500 metres and went over the high passes.  Most of the 4wds were owned by Tibetan  businessmen from the town who had come to meet us.  They all had brothers who were monks.  So we gathered into a procession, these photos taken about a third of the way along the trip.

Rinpoche is the one  in the middle back, without a kata or offering scarf.  Everyone would offer their kata to Rinpoche for a blessing and he would place it around their neck as a blessing.  The little monk alongside him is another Tulku, or reincarnated being, from the monastery.  We also gathered local sightseers, who took time out from caring for their yaks and goats and came up to be blessed.  On the whole trip, locals seemed to know there was a special being in their midst.

Along the way we stopped at a typical village to repair a tyre, as well as take advantage of the local toilet facilities - 4 walls and a hole in the floor leading to the nearest stream. 














I was fascinated by the local tractor, which was diesel driven and could carry enormous loads, as well as entire families.

From there we drove to within about 30km of Jyekundo, where this tent was set up as a reception point for hundreds of monks and people from the town.  Our group, now over 20, was lined up on either side of the entrance, seated on mats and fed as special guests in recognition of us having helped bring their Rinpoche back to them after so many years.  Rinpoche stayed in the tent overnight and we went to the nearest village, where we experienced 0.5 star accommodation - amidst a combination of angst and hilarity, depending on one's demeanor.

The next morning Rinpoche was enthroned in his chariot and we gained an escort of about 100 horsemen, a similar number of motorbikes and almost as many 4wds, utes and cars.

This photo is one of my favourites. It displays the essence of the devotion of the people to their Rinpoche. It was taken at a stop at a temple where there is the largest Mani wall in existence, approximately 1 square kilometre. It is made of stones engraved with the Chenrezig or compassion mantra, OM MANI PEMA HUM.

From there on we were guided by Chinese Police and military, as the crowds along the road meant that for the last 10km, the only thing moving was the procession.  Fortunately, our 3 buses were immediately behind Rinpoche's chariot, so we were in the thick of it the whole time.  Then as we came to the town, we could see the monastery straddling the two hills above it.  Kyegu Monastery, also known as Dondrubling Monastery, was founded in the 13th century, and is one of the most important in the Sakya tradition.  Although I had seen photos, I was blown away by the sheer size of it.  The construction at the top right side is the base for a huge new Buddha statue.  The monastery is at about 4,000 metres.The town has a population of about 100,000, of which we estimated 30 to 40 thousand turned out to welcome him to the monastery. That effectively locked up the town for the whole day.

Initially we stayed in a 2 star hotel owned and run by the monastery in the town .  My wife and I had an ensuite, but there was no running water and no S-Bend on the toilet, so the room was always full of toilet smells.  All washing was done using buckets of water carried from the communal ablution area.  At night the unused rooms were let out by the hour to locals who wanted somewhere to party, so there was continual traffic and door-knocking to check for empty rooms well into the early hours.  As our group was largely female, this created some trauma.  The traffic was particularly high as it was the run up to a major annual horse festival and people were coming in from the neighbouring provinces and from all round the world.  Look at Tour information on Jyekundo Horse Festival. There are several other sites giving different tour options. As well, there are a couple of good 4+ star hotels, one owned by Tibetans, and many 3 star hotels in Jyekundo.

Leading up to Rinpoche's return, a new residence and reception centre had been specially built within the monastery. That is the 3 storey place with rows of prayer flags in the centre of the photo.

Each day some of us would join Rinpoche and sit along the walls of the reception room, together with managers and senior monks from the monastery.  Locals including businessmen and nomads would come in from about 9:00am up to as late as midnight each day to be blessed, have their children named and blessed and in many cases to receive what in effect were last rites.  These audiences would fit around whatever other activities he had.  Towards the end of the visit, which lasted over a month for him, he would be called out 2 or 3 times a day to perform rituals for those who just died.

The population of the town is about evenly split between Tibetans and Han Chinese immigrants, with the administration done by the Chinese.  Many Tibetans are employed in the police force and administration, but they must have been educated in Chinese.  It was fascinating to watch the protocol around the Tibetans, who acknowledge Rinpoche as their continually reincarnated spiritual leader while they administer the Chines rules and regulations.

The monastery is well supported by local Tibetan businessmen and people, and there is a strong building program under way. The nomadic lifestyle is being reduced as the Chinese limit access to grazing areas.  The family of one of our monks has been told they will have to dispose of their herds and find other ways to earn a living in town.  The Tibetans do make great small business entrepreneurs.  Many of them live in what are relatively affluent suburban homes, not that unlike ours in Australia, with modern appliances, and have a 4wd or car and motorbikes.  In the town perhaps the most noticeable thing is that although the roads are sealed, there is just soil at the edges, so it is continually dusty, particularly as the winds are often quite strong.

Our main group was in Jyekundo for a total of 18 days, including for the Horse Festival.  Rinpoche chose to put me in retreat after the first 6 days, so what follows is mainly my wife's experience.  I will cover the retreat separately.

One visit I did was to the Nunnery, about an hour out of town, where there now over 100 nuns.  This was a much more intimate centre and I was particularly struck by the devotion of the families.  There were many young nuns, seen with katas in the back of this group.

The location was stunningly beautiful, backed into a ring of hills and looking out towards snow covered mountains.  Even though it was mid summer (July) we were treated to a storm, snow flurries and the brilliant rainbows for which the area is famous.

In this group in front of the Nunnery you can see the young Tulku on Rinpoche's right. The bearded monk in the front right is the young Tulku's dedicated tutor.

At the main monastery, each morning at 8:00 a monk would climb on the ruins of the temple that was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.  He is that little spot of red in the centre of the photo.  He would then summon the monks to prayers, or Puja, by blowing on a conch shell.  The noise would reverberate across the whole valley.  The photo below is of a room in one of the senior monk's houses.  It consisted of this room, a kitchen and a small room for retreats.  Attached to it was a cubicle with a hole in the floor that was the toilet.  This is the room in which I did my 38 day retreat, with the door locked on the outside.  The seat was both my meditation bench and my bed. Monks brought me meals three times a day.  I never left the room.

  Down in the town is this amazing statue of Songsten Gampo, the 7th century king who first united Tibet and married Princess Wen Cheng of China.  The size of the statue can be appreciated when you pick out the people at its base, to the right of the white railings.  Songsten Gampo is claimed by the Chinese as paying tribute to them.  Other claims are that he defeated the Chinese in battle.  He is credited with bringing Buddhism into Tibet and commencing the translation of the Buddhists texts into Tibetan.

Earlier I mentioned Lama Tsekyab.  The photos below are of him in his robes in preparation for a Lama Dancing ceremony and another of him with his parents and siblings in his parents house.  My wife and others ate with the family - I was already in retreat.

A favourite outing of Rinpoche's was to go in the mountains and have picnics.  The following photos show a typical rural compound, Rinpoche in earnest conversation with a local family, an example of what such a picnic looked like  and a group of nomads packing up their black yak's hair tents and preparing to move down to the plateau for the winter.

 This has been an indulgence for me.  I trust it has been of interest to you and gives some feel of the the Kham region and the life of Tibetans living under the Chinese regime.  It is of necessity from a Buddhist viewpoint, as we were travelling in the company of Tibetan monks for almost all the time.  I have deliberately not commented on the issues that surround this, as I wish to return to the area several more times in this life.  Looking at this, I hope you can understand why.      Yours in Dharma,      Vajramate.

Ngondro – Purifying Karma through Practice and Vajrasattva

Within the schools of Mahayana Buddhism, there is a practice known as Ngondro, literally "proceeding ahead", a means for purifying negativity and accumulating merit. In the formal Sakya tradition it is known as The Excellent Path of Two Accumulations (Merit and Wisdom).

Across the traditions, there are common and uncommon practices, but in essence they all require accumulations of a combination of elements. These include:

• Reciting the refuge prayer 100,000 times.
  
• Creating the bodhicitta thought 100,000 times.
  
• Making the 7 and/or 37 heap mandala offering 100,000 times
  
• Reciting the 100 syllable Vajrasattva prayer 100,000 times
  
• Reciting the Guru Yoga prayer 100,000 times.
  
• While reciting the shorter prayers, one should also accumulate 100,000 prostrations.
  

There are visualisations associated with each of these elements. The Vajrasattva visualisation is usually with the consort, as shown above.


The 100 syllable Vajrasattva prayer and visualisation is the primary vehicle for cleansing the karma carried forward from all previous lifetimes.

A little bit of arithmetic highlights that these accumulations will have to take place over a number of years, preferably in a number of dedicated retreats. But the promise is the elimination of all previous negative karma, surely a worthwhile aspiration! Some traditions require that these accumulations be completed before moving on to the more intensive Vajrayana practices.

And there are short form practices that enable one to achieve a great deal, even if the time is not available to undertake the complete set of accumulations.

Personally I find the Vajrasattva prayer a source of great comfort. There are many translations or interpretations of its meaning, but in essence with the right visualisation you can very quickly get a strong sense of washing away loads and loads of negativity. It can trigger energetic flows in the body and generate a strong feeling of wellbeing.


Don't fuss the 100,000 repetitions too much. I still have a long way to go, but by not fussing it, just being aware, I feel I am receiving great blessings.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya or Gelugpa Buddhism? Or?

Which tradition should I follow? How do I choose?

Remember, I am commenting only in relation to Tibetan Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. The key thing to remember is that all schools base their teachings on the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, as described by great Indian mahasiddhis and scholars such as Aryadeva, Nagarjuna, Virupa, Shantideva, Atisha and Naropa. There are four main schools and many other traditions and lineages. New ones are being formed today with the take up of Buddhism by the West.

The oldest school is Nyingma, founded in Tibet in the 8^th century based on the work and teachings of Padmasambhava. The Kagyu tradition was established in the 11^th century by Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa and is based on the teachings of Naropa and Tilopa. The Sakya school was founded in the 11^th century by Khon Konchok Gyalpo and is based on the teachings of Virupa. The Gelugpa school was founded by Tsong-kha-pa in the 14^th century, based on the teachings of Nagarjuna and Asanga.

The differences between the main schools are mainly in tantric practice and variations of philosophical views, but the underlying philosophy is still that of the Buddha.

So let me ask another question – why choose?

My experience was that having listened to a number of teachers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, I asked my mentor how to go about finding a teacher. His response was that it was not my choice – the teacher would find me. That happened 18 months later and Rinpoche happened to be from the Sakya lineage.

This image is of the five Sakya Masters.  The top one is Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, son of the founder Khon Konchok Gyalpo.

All teachers receive teachings from masters of other schools. As long as the authenticity of the transmission of the teachings is established, the teachings of the Buddha will be sustained. There is no way I would miss a teaching from the Dalai Lama just because he is not Sakya!

To exemplify this, I have just finished reading Treasures of the Sakya Lineage – Teachings from the Masters. It is compiled by Migmar Tseten, Buddhist chaplain at Harvard and of the Sakya tradition. One endorsement reads  "This volume is a treasure of heart teachings ...... expounded by the greatest masters of the glorious Sakya lineage. These are invaluable provisions for all travellers of any Buddhist path."  by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, a renowned author of the Nyingma tradition.

So my advice is to wander along the various paths that open up to you and at about the time you consider taking refuge, be clear on the lineage of the transmissions and make sure they carry the authenticity of being based on the early mahasiddhis and scholars. That way you can be sure you are receiving the Buddha's teachings.

If you like an intellectual challenge, go to Ken Wilber's Integral Spirituality and read Chapter 5 – Boomeritis Buddhism. In this chapter he draws on work by Traleg Rinpoche to highlight the dangers inherent in the Western world interpreting Buddhism and how the teachings can become distorted. It reinforces the need to be sure of the authenticity of the teaching lineage. The book is listed in my reading list.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Of Five Skandhas, Emptiness and Prajnaparamita

At many teachings the Heart Sutra, or Prajnaparamita, is recited at the beginning. In our centre we recite it before every meditation session and at a five day teaching of the Stages of Meditation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama it was chanted at the beginning of each day, each time in a different language.

Although I joined in the recitations, it was some years before I acknowledged I had little idea of what it was about, except at a very superficial level, so I set about doing some research.

The teachings are complex and not within the charter of this blog. A good starting point to explore the actual teachings is the Dalai Lama's Essence of the Heart Sutra published by Wisdom Publications.

I will just try to convey the essence of what it was that I gathered that help make the recitation of the Heart Sutra much more meaningful to me.

To put it in perspective the Heart Sutra, in just one and a half A4 pages, encompasses all the teachings of the Buddha. So it is incredibly intense and dense.

The essence is contained in these words:

"The five skandhas (or aggregates) are empty of intrinsic existence. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, emptiness is not other than form, form too is not other than emptiness. Likewise, feelings, perceptions, mental formations (or volition) and consciousness are all empty."

At his point I was lost. This is what I have come to understand to some extent.

The five skandhas or aggregates are form, feeling, perception, mental formation/volition and consciousness. Mental formation is the aspect that comes from past lives and volition comes from our actions in this life. It is the combination of these skandhas that defines the illusory "Self" that we erroneously identify as who we are. "Self" is just a convenient term to describe a collection of two or more of these five factors. The Heart Sutra teaching is that the true or ultimate state is non-self or emptiness or shunyata. As each of the aggregates is in constant change, they are impermanent. So therefore is our traditional concept of Self.

At this point I came to understand the importance of realising that the Self we perceive and cling to is nothing more than an illusion, which the Mind needs to comprehend and transform to achieve reality, emptiness and purity.

It was when I came to Peter Della Santina's Tree of Enlightenment discourse that I became aware of the importance of understanding these skandhas.

In our impure condition of Mind, the skandhas are associated respectively with the five afflictions; ignorance, pride, attachment, envy and aversion. These in turn have these associations; ignorance- the realm of animals; pride – the realm of gods; attachment – the realm of hungry ghosts; envy – the realm of demigods; and aversion – the realm of hell beings. Note that these afflictions result in rebirth in the corresponding realms.

In the Perfection of Wisdom literature and Vajrayana teachings, as the Bodhisattva progresses towards Buddhahood the five skandhas are purified and transformed to appear in the form of the five celestial Buddhas. In Vajrayana physiology each Buddha is associated with a chakra. These are: form –Vairochana on the crown; feeling –Ratnasambhava at the navel; perception –Amitabha at the throat; volition –Amoghasiddhi at the genitals; and consciousness –Akshobhya at the heart.

Each of the Buddhas represents the transformation from the impure skandha to a specific knowledge; respectively reality, equality, discrimination, accomplishment and transcendental knowledge.

In this post I have set out to show the significance of understanding the skandhas or aggregates and the transformations that occur in our Mind as we progress towards Buddhahood. For me this understanding has enabled me to better grasp the various teachings as I receive them. It has also highlighted to me the need to better understand the roles of the five Buddha families in the scheme of practices.

The Tree of Enlightenment can be downloaded from http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~dsantina/tree/

Be aware it is a very scholarly discourse.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Bringing our Life into Meditation

Greetings again.
I have just listened to a podcast on a site called
http://personallifemedia.com/podcast/236-buddhist-geeks

Go to episode 134 - The Erotic Embrace of Life and Meditation by Vidyuddeva to get the podcast.
Vidyuddeva makes the point that in meditation we tend to believe we need to shut out our life in order to have a "successful" meditation.
His view is that we are doing the meditation in the stream of our life, so we cannot exclude it. He also makes the point that if we don't allow our life to be present in our meditation, how can we then transcend the other way and bring meditation into our day to day life?
The list of Geeks is impressive including a number of Rinpoches and members of Integral Institute from Ken Wilber onwards.
I recommend this as a valuable source of discussions on Buddhism in the western world.
Yours in Dharma, Vajramate.

Strengthening the Motivation for Vajrayana Practice

In talking about this blog, I was asked why am I doing it. What is my motivation?

My answer is that I want to progress my practice and help spread understanding of the dharma of Buddhism for the benefit of other sentient beings. This then lead to the question of how do we maintain motivation to undertake and continue our practices.

I have been taught that before commencing any practice, we should remind ourselves of what is the benefit of practice and what is the danger of not practice.

The underlying belief that must exist is that we are in a never-ending cycle of reincarnations, samsara, and that we wish to escape by helping all sentient beings to escape. That is the premise of Mahayana Buddhism.

Before starting any practice it is beneficial to recall what the Sakya tradition calls the four common foundations to help turn the mind towards Dharma.

1. Recall the suffering nature of samsaric existence. By understanding suffering and its causes, we become very clear on the unsatisfactoriness of samsaric existence and create the strong desire to escape by achieving enlightenment.
   
2. Recognise the preciousness in obtaining human rebirth. Of all the possibilities, this is one that gives us the opportunity to encounter the teachers and the dharma and move along the path. Just think how fortunate we are to have access to so many wonderful teachers and to have the opportunity to learn and study.
   
3. Renew the awareness of the impermanence of all phenomena, particularly that the time and place of our own death is unknown yet inevitable.
   
4. Re-emphasise the understanding of the infallibility of the cause and effect of karma. Outcomes follow from creating the right causes and conditions in this life.
   

In the Kagyu and Nyigma traditions, these are commonly referred to as the traditional framework of the Four Reminders - the preciousness of human rebirth, the truth of impermanence, the reality of suffering, and the inescapability of karma. These traditions have a different definition of the Four Foundations, related to meditation practice.

Reflecting on these four common foundations, just for a few minutes, instils in us clarity of why we wish to continue to follow the path. It should also instil a sense of urgency – we could be dead tomorrow. It should raise awareness in our day to day life – is what I am currently doing generating merit and virtue or negativity, or is it, like more than 90% of our daily effort, just a filler or waste of time? It doesn't matter whether these reflections raise fear or hope. All that matters is that there is a call to action.

These reflections will stir our motivation to escape samsara and make the most of this precious opportunity to practice. Then the practice we do will be for the right motivation and of so much greater benefit.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Visualisation in Vajrayana Tantric Buddhist Practice

I have become aware of my tendency to stray from my objective of talking about those things not part of the actual teachings into the realm of teaching. I will try to keep away from actual teachings in this post.

This time I will cover the issues that arise around practices that require some quite complex visualisations. This came from a question posed to me on how to visualise when you are not a visual person. Good dilemma!

The image is of the wrathful deity Mahakala. It is a good example of how much detail needs to be visualised. As well, there is a requirement to visualise a mantra-mala at the heart, with the appropriate symbol on it and a variety of different coloured and formed rays of light emerging from the mantra.
Let's go back to the structure of the practices. In the Sakya version of Ngondro or The Excellent Path of the Two Accumulations there are five aspects – Refuge, Generation of Bodhicitta, 100 Syllable Vajrasattva Mantra, Mandala Offering and Guru Yoga. These are called the Preliminaries, as they purify karma from previous lives and accumulate merit. Prostrations may be done as part of Refuge or Bodhicitta. Other traditions may have more or fewer parts, but they all recommend 100,000 repetitions of each to achieve purification before undertaking more advanced practices.
Similarly, the Vajrapani practice recommends recitation of 1,000,000 short mantras and 100,000 long mantras.

When I enquired about the exactness of these numbers, I was told that experience shows by the time you have reached the nominated count, you will have habituated your Mind into a new way of being and you will have moved along the path towards to enlightenment. No great magic, just practice.

In the words of that great philosopher, Groucho Marx, when asked about Sincerity he said "Sincerity is all that matters. When you can fake that, you've got it made". Likewise, the Buddhist practice is keep faking it in your Mind until it becomes your Mind.

But how do we keep visualising when we are not of a visual nature?

We expect too much of ourselves to be able to fully visualise the complex image that is presented to us when we are doing a Vajrayana practice. The level of concentration just to remember the image, let alone be an embodiment of the image, just drives our Mind to distraction.
It becomes easier if we view a visualisation as a process of experiencing rather than seeing. When we assume the state of the Bodhisattva upon whom we are meditating, think of it as just being that Bodhisattva. Try to capture a sense of the essence of the Bodhisattva, not an identical image. It helps to consider the image as if it were seen in a mirror and not as a substantive figure.

Then consider the roles of all the senses. Sight gives us an image, which may be blurred, hazy, imprecise. It doesn't matter that much.


Sound from recitation of the mantra gives us another avenue to capture the essence of the Boddhisattva. If concentration is waning, up the volume of your voice or change the rhythm. That will quickly bring you back to the essence.

You may use incense or candles to add perfume to the air, and bring in an appropriate aroma that relates to the nature of the particular Bodhisattva. Soothing lavender for Tara, fire and brimstone for Mahakala.

Again, by varying your voice and breathing you can generate vibration, so you can feel the essence of the Boddhisattva.

I am struggling with taste, maybe I'll come up with something another time.

In summary, visualisation is more about experiencing rather than seeing. Keep faking as much as you can and over time some parts will become natural and you will invoke other parts to focus on. Play with your senses to experience different aspects of being the nature or essence of the Bodhisattva. If it all falls apart, come back to looking out from the third eye and slowly extend your sense of body from there.
And never let go of what it is about that Bodhisattva that will enhance your journey along the Path.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Meditation and Vajrayana Tantric Buddhist Practice

In my early years as a Buddhist I lacked clarity on what was meditation and what was practice. To some extent I now realise this lack of clarity reduced the value of my practice.

In some traditions of Vajrayana Buddhism, Mahamudra meditation is the path to achieving an enlightened or wisdom Mind. This is not a state of Mind. It is a transcendental experience or state of being. The word mahamudra symbolises the nature of Mind.

The objective of Mahamudra meditation is to achieve what is known as a Clear Light Mind or Luminous Bliss. "Luminous Bliss" is the title of a definitive book on Mahamudra Meditation by Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche of the Kagyu tradition. His main centres are in Melbourne, Australia and New York and he features in Ken Wilbur's recent book Integral Spirituality. The Kagyu tradition maintains achievement of the Mahamudra state leads to enlightenment through purely meditative practices. This is a form of tantric practice, moving through many phases.

Other traditions, such as the Sakya tradition that I follow, advocate a different tantric practice approach. Both practices offer the possibility of enlightenment in a single lifetime.

This is where my confusion evolved. I did not set about discovering the differences between meditation and practice until I did my retreat in Eastern Tibet a couple of years ago. I will now attempt to pass on my limited understanding to you.

In a previous post I described the sadhana, the text for undertaking a specific practice. There is a beginning, where we acknowledge our teachers, purify our current state and declare our motivation to do the practice for the benefit of all sentient beings. Then there is the middle, on which I elaborate later, and the end, which is the dedication of any virtue and merit that may have been earned for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Now – about the middle.

The main part of the practice consists of a number of elements in what can be considered as an active meditation. It is active in that the meditation focuses on a specific aspect of the Buddha's teachings and involves visualisations and mantras. Mantras are usually counted on a 108 bead mala.

The visualisations generally involve bodhisattvas such as Chenrezig (Compassion), Tara (Healing), Dzambala (Prosperity or Wealth), Manjushri (Wisdom) and the wrathful deities Mahakala and Vajrapani. The term wrathful is a bit misleading, and they are also known as the dharma protectors. Their role is to protect one from illusions, negativities and the assaults of various spirits that may result in corrupting the dharma practice. As such, they are benevolent rather than malevolent.

The picture is of Chenrezig, also known as Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit . The Chinese Buddhist emanation is female in form and known as Quan Yin or Kwan Yin. The two guardians or supporting bodhisattvas are Manjushri, with the sword of wisdom, and Vajrapani.

In order to undertake these practices, one must be initiated into the lineage of teachings by a qualified teacher, usually a Rinpoche or Tulku. A Tulku is a being who has been recognised within their tradition, and quite often by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as a reincarnation of a previously recognised teacher. Traleg Rinpoche is one such being.

The visualisations themselves are quite often very complex, but the objective behind them is really quite simple. As we all know, in traditional meditation it is difficult to stay in the meditative state for extended periods, even if measured in seconds. The tantric approach says that if you are concentrating on a visualisation which in itself has many aspects, and you are reciting a mantra and counting on a mala, whenever your concentration strays, you can come back to another aspect and regain the concentration. While this does not meet our western understanding of meditation as being "relaxing and calming", it is meditation or contemplation in its own right. In envisaging oneself as the bodhisattva, you are not worshipping (in western terminology) the bodhisattva. Rather you are training your Mind to develop the attributes of the bodhisattva.

However, do not expect to get up from a tantric practice in a touchy/feely relaxed state of being. The practices are active and you come out of them embodying the active aspects of the bodhisattva on whom you've been practicing. Personally most of my daily practices, and my retreat in Eastern Tibet, are around Vajrapani Bhutadamara, a particularly powerful aspect of Vajrapani. The visualisation is on the removal of illnesses, obscurations, negativities and evil spirits. After half an hour of him, you are ready to take on anything!

My feeling is that the tantric approach is well suited to my western background. There is still the dichotomy of doing versus being, and at times I have to remind myself to BE Vajrapani rather than DO Vajrapani.

I hope this provides some clarity on aspects of Vajrayana tantric meditation.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Yours until next time, Vajramate.

The Buddhist Eightfold Path can end Suffering

At the weekend a young person, new to Buddhism, asked why Buddhists considered life was meant to be suffering. This was after hearing our Rinpoche talk of the Four Noble Truths.

This is a common question in the western world and stems from the distinctions Buddhism makes between the conventional reality, within which we live, and the ultimate reality of Emptiness (Which I am still promising to talk about later).

The confusion comes from the first two of the four Noble Truths as stated by Shakyamuni Buddha.

• Life means suffering
  
• Suffering has causes (Attachment and Aversion)
  

As the Four Noble Truths tend to be one of the first concepts that a newcomer will hear, it catapults the person straight into fundamental Buddhist philosophy with very little preparation.

To the unprepared western mind, the immediate implication is that to be a Buddhist, you will need to suffer and that is an inevitability of life – not a very attractive proposition!

To calm that runaway mind, I would like to make this suggestion:

What is being said is that, whether we know it or not, we are all experiencing suffering.

The first level is that of physical suffering from injury and illness, treatable by the medical profession.

The second level of suffering is in the Mind. In Buddhist philosophy that is treatable by becoming aware of how our rampaging Mind creates suffering. Through understanding we can dispel the ignorance that exists. This is when the promise of the next two Noble Truths cuts in:

• Cessation of suffering is attainable
  
• There is a Noble Eightfold Path to achieve the cessation of suffering
  

So for the newcomer the acceptance to embrace is that there is a way to overcome the suffering we experience. That way is through developing a clear understanding of how our Mind creates that suffering, why it does so and how to stop what is currently a never ending cycle, lifetime after lifetime. The path to that understanding is the Noble Eightfold Path.

Part of the development of that understanding is consideration of what is happiness, the opposite of suffering and our ultimate goal. It may come as a surprise, but the happiness we tend to recognise in our day to day lives is really a potential cause of suffering. How can that be? Just think how quickly happiness fades and even at times when we are experiencing happiness, we are fearful of seeing it dissipate – that is, we are suffering in the impermanency.

So in the Buddhist philosophy, happiness has a different meaning. It can be considered to be contentment with what we have, pleasurable or not.

I hope this encourages you to explore the deeper meaning of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. I would recommend you go to the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other revered teachers of the four main traditions of Mahayana Buddhism. Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen Master, is also a good source of teachings for westerners, even though he is not of the Mahayana tradition. I found his "Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" particularly easy to read in my early days. While there are a multitude of entries on the web, they do not necessarily have the authenticity of the teachings as handed down through the recognised lineages. That is why I endeavour not to "teach", but rather to explore what is confusing and give guidance on where to go.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Yours until next time, Vajramate.

Of Mind and Karma and Reincarnation

A concept I have struggled with for years is what is it that transfers from lifetime to lifetime? I became very confused by the terms Mind and Karma.

The endless knot symbolises the nature of reality where everything is interrelated and only exists as part of a web of karma and its effect. Initially, it also represented the confusion in my human mind.

Whatever you look at in the Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings, the predominant references are to the Mind. But what is it?

OM AH HUM are sometimes equated to Body Speech and Mind, represented physically as Third Eye, Throat and Heart. The Mind is often envisaged as being located at the Heart.

Then again, the Mind is depicted as being Self/Non-Self, incapable of being identified with any bodily location.

The understanding I have developed over time is that in the Buddhist context the Mind is also known as the Mind Stream or Mind Continuum. This is what transfers from physical embodiment to physical embodiment and carries with it the accumulation of karma from all the previous lifetimes.

Then I got confused by the practice of Lojong, literally Lo (Mind) jong (to Train) because it implies there is some THING to train, whereas Mind is ineffable. Then what is it we are supposed to be training?

As I understand it, we are training our thinking or conventional mind, as we experience it, to overcome the illusions and obscurations that create our suffering. The training leads to the development of loving kindness and compassion that eventually leads to enlightenment and the realisation of the ultimate Mind.

The human condition is determined by the five aggregates or skandas - form, feelings, perceptions, volition and consciousness. These are all interdependent and in combination represent what we experience in the conventional world and what experiences we have of suffering and (transient) happiness.

To me, the key element for understanding reincarnation is volition or action. What we perceive as happening to and driving us is a combination of our karma from previous lives and our actions in this life. It can be considered that the karma of previous lives is carried through in our mind stream/continuum.

Being a rational human being, I found these explanations lead me to be more comfortable with the concept of Mind and Reincarnation. I can now sit with this simplistic conceptualisation and get on with my practices. Hopefully this will lead me to a greater understanding in which the need to understand the process of reincarnation becomes irrelevant, anyway.

Just keep on training that Mind, whatever and wherever it is.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.

The Three Afflictions: Ignorance, Attachment, Aversion

One of the hardest question I get asked is "What is Buddhism about?" My own journey has been through personal development, some philosophy, psychotherapy and then into Buddhism. For me right now Buddhism is about finding a better way to live my life and come to grips with what doesn't work for me, at the same time finding ways I can be of service to other sentient beings. While we westerners might see it as taming the ego, Buddhists see it as a more active process called Mind Training.

Buddhist philosophy deals with the suffering created through our grasping at the concept of a separate and unique Self and the release from suffering in the ultimate reality of Non-Self. But that, like Emptiness, is a topic for further down the path.

The initial teachings deal with a whole bunch of issues we experience as human beings, many of which we are totally unaware or which totally consume us. The labels are familiar – anger, greed, craving, fear, avoidance, procrastination – on and on it goes.

If we choose to go down the Mahayana path, what we are choosing is to rediscover within ourselves a nature of loving kindness and compassion towards all sentient beings. It is through this we move towards the path of the bodhisattvas, working for the benefit of all sentient beings, and ultimately realising our own inherent Buddha nature.

In my initial years I was confused by the terminology. Were my problems the result of afflictions, poisons, obstructions or illusions? How many were there – 3? 5? 7? 84,000? How could I overcome them if I didn't know and understand what they were and how they applied to me? Then I came across teachings that talked about the 3, 5, 7, 10 or 84,000 antidotes to the afflictions. More confusion!

It came as a great relief to me one day to realise that I really only had to deal with three labels. Ignorance, Attachment and Aversion.

Ignorance can be summarised as "We don't know what we don't know!" The teachings are all aimed at gradually expanding our understanding of what is suffering, how we create our suffering and the paths available to us to address these conditions and move towards happiness. The fundamental Mahayana objective is the establishment of loving kindness and compassion as the basis of how we live our daily lives for the benefit of others. Dispelling ignorance is achieved by leading us to understand the afflictions or poisons of attachment and aversion.

I started to better understand attachment when I came to realise that there are many different ways we can experience it. Common labels are greed, craving, desire, selfishness. We may be attached to a desire for a variety of material things – cars, houses, objects. Then there are attachments to relationships or a desire to be admired or loved. Or we may become attached to an idea – "my religion is the only true religion" or "my race is the only worthy race". The suffering we experience manifests in many ways. When we don't have something, we suffer until we get it – and when we have it, we suffer in case we lose it. Resistance to change is a symptom of attachment. You can even have an attachment to having no attachments in that you may feel pride in your achievement and become attached to that pride.

By the way, there is a reason why you wouldn't get a Buddhist to vacuum your carpets – they don't vacuum in the corners because they have no attachments!

Likewise for aversion. Aversion manifests itself as anger, revulsion, hatred, dislike, fear and even indifference. Resistance to change is again a major indication that aversion may be playing a role in your life.

So – how can we apply the understanding that our suffering is generally about attachment or aversion? It is thought that in the process of getting through our busy days, 95% of the time we are in a neutral state, neither experiencing attachment or aversion. Seems to be somewhat a waste of time- or even a lifetime?

The first step is being open to awareness. If you are experiencing disturbing feelings, work out whether it is a form of attachment or aversion. If this is not clear, then sit with it, meditate on it, until it becomes clearer.

Once identified, you can then contemplate or meditate on what you have been taught on how to deal with it. For example, an antidote for greed is generosity. When you become aware that your current disquiet has an undercurrent of greed, contemplate or commit to an act of generosity. It may be a prayer for the happiness of all beings, a simple act of kindness or the giving of an offering of flowers or incense or a material gift. As you do this, observe what it is about that transformation from greed to generosity that makes you happier or eases the intensity of your suffering.

Repeated awareness of the nature of how you experience attachment and aversion and how you can transform those experiences to experiences of loving kindness and compassion will accumulate as training of the mind.

To use an expression I have heard, it is about habituation. We make a habit of practicing awareness and a habit of applying the antidote. Over time we habituate the practice of loving kindness and compassion. The afflictions of attachment and aversion are slowly shaken loose and we become more content in our circumstances as they are. The happiness we thus experience is real and lasting.

Keeping it simple should make it easier to focus on the awareness and practice, and not get caught up in trying to understand everything from the start.

What are Buddhist Teachings and Practices?

For the purposes of this Blog, the source of all teachings is Shakyamuni Buddha's 84,000 discourses, as relayed by Mahayana Buddhism.

In order for the teaching to have meaning and value, the practitioner needs to have faith in, or at least be open to, the possibilities that:

1. Reincarnation is a fact and there will be other lifetimes after this one; and

2. The teacher has the requisite training and lineage to be skilled in the authentic transmission of the teachings.

For newcomers to Buddhism, the teachings can be confusing and may appear contradictory. This comes from the fact that each of the Buddha's teachings was for a specific audience, ranging in comprehension from ignorant (having had very little or no education) to those on the path (from beginners to those who have been on the path for lifetimes) to the near-enlightened.

Individuals in the first two stages receive teachings in the conventional sense, being understood through their worldy experience. The pure view of those approaching enlightenment is largely incomprehensible and incapable of description and is known as the uncommon, ultimate or reality view. When teachings are given from this point of view they should be experienced on the basis that one day we may get close to experience the ultimate view, otherwise known as shunyata or emptiness.

Most teachers, from His Holiness the Dalai Lama downwards, also give public talks. These are not teachings in the context of this Blog - although there is magnificent learning to be had!

A formal teaching has three elements. The following description is based on the Sakya tradition's teaching of tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism. The process may vary from tradition to tradition, but the underlying teachings of the Buddha are the same in all traditions.

The Empowerment: Firstly, there is the ritual of connecting through the teacher to the entire lineage of the teacher's teachers and their teachers before them. This is called the empowerment and is in many ways a mystical process. It should be given by an authentic teacher, usually a recognised reincarnation of a lineage of teachers. This empowerment enables the practitioner to receive the subsequent teachings. The practitioner does not necessarily have to have taken Refuge (a later topic) to receive an empowerment, depending on the nature or subject of the empowerment.
The Sadhana (Spiritual practice): Secondly, the teacher will, at the same or a later time, give the teaching on how to practice the teaching. The practice is usually described in a sadhana, which is given out during the teaching.

The sadhana is in three parts. The initial part is the acknowledgement of the source of the practice and a commitment to undertake the practice for the benefit of all sentient beings.
It usually also includes a process of purification in preparation for the main part of the practice.

The main part of the practice is the visualisation of the entity upon which the practice is based, usually a buddha, bodhisattva or other deity form. Associated with this is a mantra. The visualisation of oneself as the entity and recitation of the mantra is the meditation. In Vajrayana practice, these multiple activities help stop the mind from wandering, as it can be brought back to the visualisation or mantra whenever it strays. More on the theory behind this later. On completion of the main part, the visualisation is dissolved and the meditation completed in a state of emptiness. This may last for seconds or minutes.

In the third and final part the practitioner dedicates any virtue and merit derived from the practice to the benefit of all sentient beings.

The practice is then usually completed by the recitation of long life prayers for the teachers and by the recitation of various prayers.

Having had the teaching on the sadhana, the third element of the overall teaching is for the practitioner to diligently undertake the practice, preferably on a daily basis. The teacher asks no more than that of the student. Subsequent learning occurs through discussions with the teacher as questions arise. It has been my experience that I learn most by taking every opportunity to receive a fresh empowerment from the next teacher who is in town. This is part of the buddhist philosophy of learning by constant repetition.

The full benefit of the teachings are realised by going on a 2 or 3 day, or a week long, retreat where the teaching is reinforced by formal practice sessions three times a day, lead by the teacher. The next step from there is a 4 to 6 week solitary, guided retreat, doing three long practice sessions a day. My photo in the initial posting was taken after 38 days locked in a room in a monastery in what was Eastern Tibet. The fire puja was the cleansing ceremony after the retreat.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.