Dear Dongho,

As an emanation of Saraswati, Palden Lhamo is completed enlightened, therefore she knows what we are doing and thinking. Since you have received the Chod empowerment and practice, part of which is to make offerings to beings of the six realms including local deities, she will not ward them off or terrify them into running away. Even though Palden Lhamo ordinarily will grant practitioners protection from such beings if they are negative and intend harm, she will let them through during the Chod practice, and even make sure that they cannot harm you during the process. There is no reason to give up either of the practice, they do not conflict with each other in any way whatsoever, in fact they are very much complimentary to each other. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jeffrey Morrison,

I am very sorry to read that you have been diagnosed with lung cancer. Yes, there are many healing practices with Tibetan Buddhism that may be able to help. There are many cases where people have been healed on their various physical illness due to the practice of Dorje Shugden, and it has extended their lives. Within Buddhism, everything that happens to us is based on our own karma whether positive or negative, therefore Buddhist practices overcome this by purifying the negative karma cause our ailments or by generating immense amounts of merits. The energy of this merit is able to hold back the force of negative karma from ripening completely until we can purify the negative karma in a more controlled manner through further practice. All Buddhist practice necessary involves these two aspects, the purification of negative karma and the accumulation of merit.

One of the five forms of Dorje Shugden is Shize, and is considered the emanation of the Dorje Shugden’s peaceful activity. This form of Dorje Shugden is well known as a healing deity and one that can extend your life. You can find a very informative post about the deity here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/shize-a-practice-for-healing-and-long-life.html The post also includes information on how to practise Shize Dorje Shugden and the prayers and visualisations to engage in. I have heard many people who have engaged in the practice have had good results.

Another excellent practice to engage in is the practice of Medicine Buddha if you feel an affinity with this practice. This is another excellent practice for healing and wellbeing. You can find the practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/medicine-buddha-practice.html

If you would like, you can also sponsor the Medicine Buddha puja here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/medicine-buddha-puja-fund which can be dedicated towards your good health.

If you engage in the Shize practice sincere and with effort, you will begin to see things working out for your health, and even things like medical treatment becoming easier and obstacle free, depending on your karma. The enlightened energies of the Buddhas will definitely benefit you in many different ways, but is dependent on your karma. Therefore, as well as engaging in the practice, you should also strive to transform your mind to become a more compassionate person, and learn more of the Dharma. When you do this, the deity practices you engage in will be much more beneficial. I hope this helps, and I wish you luck in your medical treatment.

Dear Thorim,

Thank you for your question. Although I do not have a literally translation for the six-syllable White Manjushri mantra, it is one that is known to be extremely efficacious. Its six syllables are said to release you from rebirth in the six unfortunate realms or samsara, so in essence, can lead you to enlightenment. As it is a mantra of Manjushri, it helps to clear our delusions, ignorance, and helps us to gain the seven types of wisdom, which lead us out of suffering. Once we develop wisdom, it allows us to see how things really are, and how we create our own sufferings. When we are able to see and understand this, we are able better understand and have the drive to overcome the creation of this suffering, which is to follow the paths of wisdom and compassion taught by the enlightened beings. The mantra is also known to keep away demons, provide protection, and accomplish spiritual realisations. The mantra is associated with White Manjushri, who is also known as the Lord of Speech. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Tanja,

Thank you your question. As far as I am aware Jesus Christ is not mentioned in any of the classical Buddhist texts. That being said, if looking at the life and works of Jesus Christ, spreading the message of love, compassion, and acceptance, from a Buddhist point of view, he was a great being. I hope this helps.

Here are some links to articles on this blog that you may find interesting to read and watch:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/jesus-christ-and-gautama-buddha-similarities-and-differences.html

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/animals-vegetarianism/a-vegetarian-jesus.html

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/jesus-was-a-buddhist-monk-bbc-documentary.html

Thank you.

Dear Gary King,

Thank you for your question, and thank you for educating the next generation who will influence the world. The text book you have cited is somewhat in correct, and actually deals with one of the significant differences between the two world religions. While Hindu’s believe that the highest spiritual achievement is to re-unite with what the textbook calls “Great World Soul” or Brahman. This is basically the concept that the individual soul or “atman” is part of a greater whole and the goal of Hindu spiritual life is to re-unite with this greater whole. Therefore Hindu’s believe in an eternity of the soul or self. Buddhists, however, do not have this concept of the eternity of the soul. Rather Buddhists believe in transcending existence altogether, which is known as complete enlightenment.

Hindus also worship gods and goddesses who are believed to be the embodiments of the concept of this “Great World Soul”. On the other hand, even though the Buddha did not explicitly deny the existence of such gods and goddesses, the Buddha preached that it is futile to search for or seek something which an individual is not even aware of.

Experiencing the world after having been extremely sheltered for the majority of his life by his father, the king, Prince Siddhartha became disillusioned and sought the truth. After undergoing many austerities and meditation, the prince discovered the truth and became enlightened. Thereafter he was forever known as the Buddha or awakened one. The Buddha went on to preach that life is full of many types of sorrows and the only way that one can overcome these is to attain the state of nirvana or enlightenment which transcends existence itself. This is in contrast to the belief that in Hinduism that one unites with Brahman.

Though both religions believe in karma, or the theory that good actions with good motivations lead to positive states of being, while bad actions with bad motivation lead to negative states of being, there have differences. In Buddhism karma can only truly be negated once you have attained enlightenment, whereas in Hinduism it is attained through unification with Brahman.

The Hindu path is marked by various forms of yoga and meditation aimed at a union with a particular god, and demand fulfilling the duties of your position in the human world and culture, prayer, devotion and knowledge. The Buddhist path is marked by the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Noble Path, and the Six Paramitas, the understanding that existences is permeated with suffering, that these sufferings are due to desires, that the search for eternity only worsens human suffering and that in order to attain nirvana once must overcome the mistake desires.

In essence Hindu’s believe in the concept of an eternal soul and the “Great World Soul” as the text book you mention labels it, whereas Buddhism denies the existence of an eternal soul. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Hello,

Thank you for your question. This is really a tough question for sure. In my opinion, if you were to condense everything into one instruction this would be the Six Paramitas or the Six Perfections. These are the development of (1) generosity, (2) discipline, (3) patience, (4) joyous effort, (5) meditative concentration, and (6) wisdom. Even teachings as comprehensive of the Buddhist path such as Lam Rim (Graduated Stages on the Path to Enlightenment) focus on the development of these six qualities, which are emphasised on the Mahayana path again and again.

In fact, the importance of the development of these qualities are emphasised in the previous lives of Buddha Shakyamuni. These stories are recorded down as the Jataka Tales and portray how Buddha Shakyamuni cultivated these qualities over three countless aeons. Knowing the stories of Buddha Shakyamuni’s previous lives are meant to show us the importance of these qualities in our own spiritual paths. But I am sure if you were to ask someone else, their answer may be different and equally as valid. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Marcel,

Thank you for your very interesting question. I am very happy to read that you would like to pray to Vajrayogini. In fact, in praying to and making offerings to Vajrayogini, you not only gain tremendous amounts of merit as she is a fully enlightened being, but also create a strong connection with Vajrayogini. This connection can even lead you to receiving her practice in the future and also accomplishing spiritual attainments through her practice.

His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche has given a very powerful teaching on Vajrayogini practice for those who do not have initiation, which you can find here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/starting-on-vajra-yogini-now.html. It is especially for those who want to create a stronger connection with Vajrayogini and is very powerful. There is another post here https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrayogini-the-powerful-divine-red-lady.html which gives a lot more information about Vajrayogini and her practice and is intended for those without initiation.

There is also a tea offerings to Vajrayogini available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/tea-offering-to-vajrayogini-for-the-1st-time.html. And also a very potent aspiration prayer to Vajrayogini available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/tsarchen-losal-gyatso-lineage-holder-of-vajrayoginis-tantra.html. These two last prayers are also very potent in creating a strong connection with Vajrayogini, which can create the causes of receiving her practice in the future.

All of the above posts contain prayers or praises that you can engage daily to create this connection with Vajrayogini without initiation. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Thorim,

Thank you for your question, it is good to see you here again. All Manjushri practices help to improve one’s memory. Yes, you are right about Manjushri’s practice. In fact any form of Manjushri is excellent for clearing our delusions and ignorance, and for gaining wisdom. Improving one’s memory is another benefit of Manjushri’s practice in any of his forms. The improvement of one’s memory and also of our intelligence occurs on many levels, including the highest spiritual level. At the highest level Manjushri helps us to develop penetrative insight which allows us to understand our current situation in samsara and how we continually perpetuate this situation throughout all our lifetimes, and ultimate how to overcome this situation so that we can evolve spiritually and attain enlightenment. There are many posts about Manjushri on this blog, I have included some links where you can learn more below:

Here is the sadhana of White Manjushri, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/white-manjushri-sadhana.html

Here is a sadhana of Orange Manjushri, which was originally composed by His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/orange-manjushri-a-meditation-by-the-5th-dalai-lama.html

And here is a very comprehensive article on Manjushri https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/all-about-manjushri.html

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Johnny,

Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear that your friend is sick, but he is very lucky to have a friend like you who can share these immensely powerful practices with him. The aspect of visualisation can be very frustrating for beginners, especially with practices like the 35 Confessional Buddhas simply because there is so much visualisation involved.

Within Buddhism for a practice to be the most beneficial, one needs to engage what are known as the ‘three doors’ – these are one’s body, speech and mind. In order to engage the body, traditionally you sit in full lotus meditation posture, however this may not always be possible due to physical difficulties, especially is the person is suffering from illness. In this case, the best way to engage the body is to sit as comfortably but alert as possible in a quiet place, preferably in front of an altar or image of any of the enlightened beings. In order to engage the speech, one simply recites the prayers, and in order to engage the mind, one engages in the accompanying visualisations. However since your friend has difficulty visualising at the moment, he should just do the recitation. Even that in itself has great benefit. If appropriate your friend should get an image or statue of Chenrezig, and an image of the 35 Confessional Buddhas. You can find free downloadable pictures of deities here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/downloads/buddha-images.html. Ask you friend to find the picture(s) that are most attractive to him. He can focus on the image when reciting the prayers instead of visualising for now. The Buddhas operate from enlightened compassion, therefore if one has the correct motivation and is sincere, this creates a connection so that their energies can flow into our lives.

Visualisation itself is a form of meditation, and as with all forms of meditation, as the practice seeks to calm the mind, obstacles will arise. This is even more so when a person is sick, as you mentioned. I would like to suggest that your friend still continue reciting the mantras and prayers, but not to force the visualisation too much for now. It can be very difficult at first and one can only get used to through repeated effort and practice.

Instead, I would like to suggestion that your friend engage in the Nine Round Breathing Mediation before reciting the prayers. This will help calm your friends mind in general, and also help in your friend’s healing process as it helps to purify the body as well. I have include His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche’s instructions on the basic breathing meditation below. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Basic Nine Round Breathing Meditation

Have your eyes either open a little bit or closed, whichever is better for you.

Relax your shoulders, have your hands on your lap with the right on top of the left; two thumbs touching; arms slightly away from your sides, hanging loosely by your sides.

Your mouth and jaw should be relaxed. Chine tucked in a little bit. Place the tongue on the roof of the mouth behind the upper teeth and breathe normally with a natural, steady rhythm.

Now let’s start the nine round breathing meditation.

Using your right hand, your right index finger blocks off the left nostril while you are breathing in through the right nostril.

Just let your breath come in slowly and steadily, pause for a moment, then block off the right nostril and breathe out the left nostril. Do this slowly and steadily three times, in through the right and out through the left.

Focus completely on the breathing, on the sensation of the nostrils as you are breathing in and out.

For the next three breaths keep your right nostril blocked and breathe in through the left and then move your finger to block off the left and breathe out through the right. So breath in through the left and out through the right, three times.

For the last three breaths bring your hands back to your lap and breathe through both nostrils evenly, slowly and gently.

Pause for a moment and then exhale through both nostrils, keeping your mind fully focused on the breath, on the sensations, as you breathe in and out. Continue to breath normally and bring into your mind a positive motivation for doing the meditation.

Think “I am going to do this meditation in order to work on my mind, to be a more positive, beneficial person for others, for the world. May this meditation bring more peace and happiness to others, to the world.’

Once you have generated a positive motivation bring your awareness back to your breathing and just be aware of each inhalation and exhalation of breath.

Let your attention ride or float on the breath similar to the way you would float on the surface of the ocean where there are gentle waves coming and going. Stay floating on the surface flowing with the wave, coming and going, flowing in and out, just let your attention rest or float on the gentle rolling rhythm of the breathing.

Now move your attention away from the breathing to the mind itself, that which is aware of breathing. In other words instead of being aware of the breath, which is the object of your mind, the object of your awareness, become aware of the mind itself, the awareness itself, that which is observing the breath, experiencing the breath.

The mind is like space or like sky, completely clear, not solid, and vast, spacious and unlimited. Try to get a sense of how your mind is like that, like this clear, vast and spacious sky.

The things that we are aware of, the thoughts, images, memories and so on, are similar to the clouds that pass through the sky, they’re not always there but they appear and after a while they disappear.

If there are thoughts appearing in your mind while you are sitting here doing this mediation, thoughts, memories, images, or if you hear sounds or feel sensations in your body, think that these are just like clouds, passing through this space or clear sky of your mind.

Let them come and let them go, realise that they are only momentary and not solid, they just come and go. Let them go and return your awareness to the mind itself, which is like the clear spacious sky. See if you can get a sense of identifying with this clear space-like nature of the mind. In other words feel, “this is the real me, this is my real nature, who I really am”.

Rather than identifying yourself with the temporary clouds of thoughts and emotions that passed through your mind, see if you can realise those as mental events, things that come and go in the mind.

They are not you and not who you really are. Let them go and identify with the clear space-like nature of your mind, your awareness, so that you are the sky, not the clouds.

Before opening your eyes mentally dedicate the merit or positive energy for doing this meditation. In the same way you motivated at the beginning, may this mediation be beneficial for others, may it bring greater peace, happiness, and benefit to other beings, to the world.

So dedicate the effort that you made and the positive energy you have created from doing the meditation to that goal.

Hello Kunga Dhondup,

It is good to see you here again, you ask good questions. The difference between a refuge lama and a root guru, is due to the role that the label is associated with. A refuge lama, is the lama that you took your original refuge vows from, where as your root guru is the guru that you consider the most important in your life and is usually the one who has given you the most teachings.

For most people who become Buddhist, this is usually the same person. For example, in my own case His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche is my refuge lama because I received my Buddhist refuge from him, and also my root guru because he is the guru that has given me the most Dharma teachings and practices.

However, in the cases when a person has more than one guru, the role may be different. For example, I have a friend who took refuge with a lama many years ago when she was a teenager, but then didn’t practice much during that time. Later in life, her refuge lama introduced her to another guru, who ended up becoming her root guru because she received most of her Dharma, practices and knowledge from him.

It is not necessary to spend 12 years with your lama before receiving empowerment. In fact this is not a practice that is commonly followed these days. However, this was a guideline given by practitioners of the past to ensure the student was sure that they wanted to create a close spiritual bond with this master and to ensure that this master was actually practicing the Dharma without other motivations. In essence, if you have watched the activities of your teacher well over time, and have come to a firm decisions after having known the Dharma and how a practitioners should behave and what they do, then you can request to become a student of the lama. It is during this period as well, that the lama will also check the student to see if they are ready for such a relationship as well.

Since you have taken refuge already within the Sakya Ngor tradition, you should contact your lama’s centre to find out more information on guru devotion, and to ensure that what you are practicing matches what you guru suggests for you. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Bryan,

You have asked a very interesting question, thank you. I am very sorry to read about your wallet being stolen, I know how difficult that can be. There is no negative sign in this whatsoever, and there will be no negative effect for you either. The Buddhas, or enlightened beings, operate from the highest form of compassion, so there is no danger or anything bad happening because of this. There is no negative effect because the enlightened beings, such as Dzambhala do not punish people.

You see, the Buddhas do not have emotions like we do so they do not get angry or sad like we do to punish people. Neither is there a karmic law in which you will be punished or suffer because someone stole it from you or that it got lost.

In fact, even though it may seem negative, you should turn it around to be positive. The person who stole your wallet now has something very holy. When they see the images and touch the holy items, even if they do not keep them, good imprints will be planted in their mindstream. Later in this life or future lives, these imprints will open up so they will practice the Dharma and benefit others. So you see this is not negative, you should think of it as positive. Because even though the act itself was negative, ultimately it will have a positive impact. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Thorim,

Thank you for your question. Depending on which sadhana of Chenrezig you practicing, the visualisation will differ. You should check with the guru who gave you the practice, or if you do not have empowerment and are using a general sadhana, you should check with the centre that you got the sadhana from.

However, if you are just reciting a general prayer to Chenrezig with his mantra, you can use the following visualisation which His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche used to do when he was younger. As you recite the prayer and mantra you visualise Chenrezig smiling lovingly at you. When you look at him, from our side, his left hand holds a mala, right hand a lotus, and two hands folded at his heart level holding a wishfulfilling jewel in between. His black hair flows down over his shoulders, and the other half is tied up on his head which is adorned with a jewelled crown.

He wears the robes of an Indian prince, made of silk, which covers part of his upper body, and a silk skirt. He sits in full lotus position atop a bright pink lotus. His body is white like snow, and shines with a brilliant light. Millions of light rays shine from his body and fill your body and the environment. You feel peaceful and at harmony with the environment, your body, your emotions and your mind. Holding this visualisation you recite as many Om Mani Peme Hung mantras as you like.

You can couple this with the meditation known as Tonglen, which means “taking and giving”. In this practice, we generate the motivation to take on the sufferings of others and given them back happiness and compassion. This is when you visualise all the pain and suffering of sentient beings coming into your body when you breathe in. And when you breathe out compassionate and positive energy shines out of your body and reaches all sentient beings.

To begin with you can do the practice and focus on someone you care about or wish to help that are going through a difficult time. Then extend to those you love. Then you can extend it to someone you see on the street, or at work. And then finally you can do it for those you consider to be your enemy as well. In all these cases, the people are freed from all their sufferings and you visualise that they receive the compassion and positive energy.

These two are very general visualisations and techniques you can use. However, as I mentioned earlier, depending on the sadhana of Chenrezig you are practicing, you should follow the visualisation associated with that particular practice. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Tashi Delek Moses!

Thank you for your question. Of course you can post any questions you have in Mandarin. Some of our pastors are fluent Mandarin speakers so will be able to answer your questions.

Thank you.

Dear S,

Thank you for your question. From a Buddhist perspective, we aim to curb our attachments to progress on the spiritual path towards enlightenment. The most common example of this would be the community or monks and nuns. That being said however, it is not necessarily a negative thing to be in a relationship, but we must strive to make it work and make it a positive one. That is why His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche gave a very powerful teaching on relationships that you can read here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/ingredients-for-a-successful-relationship.html. There is also another good post with some nice quotes, for you to read to make sure you enter a future relationship with the right mind set: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/some-thoughts-on-love-relationships.html

Whilst there are no practices in Tibetan Buddhism that can draw a romantic relationship, since this is generally marked by attached, which is the opposite of the higher Buddhist practices, there are some practices that can help. Generally, Green Tara is very good for increasing harmony within already existing relationships, you can find some prayers here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/wp-content/uploads/prayers/Praisestothe21Taras.pdf this is a prayer to the 21 forms of Tara.

In regards to regaining resources, and having enough material resources to live well, you can engage in the practice of Gyenze. You can find that practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/dorje-shugden-gyenze-to-increase-life-merits-and-wealth.html. I hope this helps. Please do feel free to ask more questions here, we are very much happy to provide a reply.

Thank you.

Dear Jane,

Thank you for your question. I think you may be referring to this post, which is about preventing mice and rats in your house: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/how-to-prevent-mice-and-rats-in-your-house.html This article is not about pest control in monasteries in Tibet but gives general guidelines in how to use various methods to keep pests away.

We also have another post on snakes along the same line here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/how-to-prevent-snakes-in-your-backyard.html I hope this provides the information that you were looking for.

Thank you

Dear Ling,

Thank you for your very interesting and compassionate question. You are very right, that the harvesting of pearls does indeed mean the killing of sea creatures. In the past, pearls were used as offerings because they were extremely valuable, especially in countries or areas that were far from the sea, and therefore considered to be more precious. Over time this type of offering became engrained in the culture of certain Buddhist societies, and therefore this custom has continued until today. However, instead of offering items that have come from suffering and death, we should offering other items if possible. For example, His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche still encourages students to offer pearls, but fake pearls, not real pearls.

The point behind the offering is to offer the items of the best quality. The reason for this is two-fold: the first is that by offering items of the best quality and that are as precious as we have the means of affording, we cut our attachment to such things. This in turn cuts the attachment we have to physical wealth and resources that are actually negative indulgencies, as they reinforce our selfishness. Therefore the offering of pearls can be a lot more compassionate if offerings fake pearls instead. As long as the person’s motivation and intent is pure, the Buddhas will accept the offering and this of course will generate the merits you need to succeed in your spiritual path towards enlightenment. I hope this helps.

Thank you,

Dear Zhe,

Thank you for your interesting question. From a Buddhist point of view, when we make offerings to a being it is for two purposes. The first is to generate merits necessary on the spiritual path to enlightenment, and the second is to remember the qualities necessary to achieve that very same goal. For example, when we pray to Chenrezig or Kuan Yin, we are not actually asking for something in return, but reminding ourselves of the qualities of enlightened compassion that they embody and we want to achieve. Make offerings to them also plants the seeds and opens up the cause for us to achieve that as well. Obviously, because the Buddhas have compassion, they will help us in our daily life as well. For example, the enlightened Dharma protectors arose specifically to aid practitioners to create the conducive conditions to practice the Dharma such as enough resources to live from, beneficial relationships, and also the correct environment in which to practice.

From a Buddhist point of view, we make offerings to the enlightened Buddhas. The Jade Emperor, Wangchen Wang, and Ji Gong are not considered enlightened beings, but extremely powerful gods/beings within samsara or cyclic existence. They have very long lives, and have a lot of power within samsara. Therefore a Buddhist would not necessarily pray to, seek refuge in these impressive beings, or make offerings to them as enlightened beings. They may however make offerings to them in order to appease them as they are very powerful, but generally would not pray to them and make offerings to them as enlightened beings. I hope this answers your question.

Thank you

Dear Gilbert,

Thank you for your question. In order to practice tantra, especially higher tantric practices such as Yamanataka, it is considered necessary to study under a qualified guru whom you have received the relevant empowerment and commentary in person. Depending on the type of initiation, the ceremony can actually take up to two to three days for the higher practices, and would involve your active participation. However, depending on the instructions from the guru, other forms of initiation can also be used, as long as they have authorised it. As you have taken Garchen Rinpoche to be your guru, you should contact him or his centres to find out more about the lineage of practice, the corresponding sadhana texts, and to clarify the vows and commitments associated with the practice.

As for reciting the mantra of deity alone, this would not actually be considered a complete sadhana of that deity. This is because for a sadhana to be complete, it is said that it should have include seven parts, known as the seven limbs, if not more. These seven are: Prostration (inclusive of taking refuge and generating bodhicitta), making offerings, confession downfalls and shortcomings, rejoicing, requesting teachings, beseeching, and finally dedication. Together with these prayers we engage in mantra recitation.

Mantra recitation, even though immensely powerful, is not considered a sadhana. Sadhana necessarily include prayers such as the seven limbs mentioned above, and also include accompanying visualisations. For higher tantric practices, these visualisations are very complex. The sadhana is engaged in daily to achieve the desired results, for example complete enlightenment.

Coupled with this is the movements of the psychic winds within the body, which is brought about through the various visualisations, prayers and mantras contained within a sadhana. This is main purpose of tantric practice. Utilising these winds we are able to achieve higher states in our meditations and ultimate achieve enlightenment.

This does not mean that the mantras do not have any power. On the contrary, mantras are the Buddhas embodied in the form of sound. Therefore, they are very powerful. His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche has given an excellent teaching on mantras, which you can watch here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/mantras-holy-words-of-power.html. You can definitely gain attainments through the recitation of mantras, but they will be more effective if combined with other prayers and practices. I hope this answers your question about mantras and sadhanas.

Thank you

Dear Dongho,

Thank you for your question. I am very sorry to read that Lama Dawa Chodak has passed away. I must admit I do not know much about this lama but from the sounds of it he was a very accomplished master. His devotion to Saraswati is very admirable, as she an extremely powerful Buddha and her practice is extremely effective. In fact, within the Gelug tradition, Lama Tsongkhapa is well known to have relied on her practice.

In regards to what we should do when our guru is alive: we should follow his/her instructions to the best of our ability and practice the teachings bestowed seriously and without fail to improve and transform ourselves. Depending on which tradition you are practicing now, there are many texts that deal with devotion to the guru. You should ask other senior students in your tradition which text that your guru has recommended to study and practice in regards to guru devotion. Once your guru has entered clear light and left their current physical body, you should continue your practice and further your transformation on the path to enlightenment.

Here is a comprehensive article with commentary to the Lama Nga Chu Pa text, also known as the 50 Verses of Guru Devotion: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/complete-commentary-on-50-verses-of-guru-devotion.html. This is one of the most well-known of texts in regards to guru devotion and was written by the great Indian master Ashvagosha. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Alfredo,

Thank you for your questions. I am glad I could help. In regards to offering light, as you are using candles, once you have lit the candle, you purify the candle by lighting a stick of incense and waving it over the candle and recite the mantra “Om Ah Hum”. Here is a video about setting up an altar, making offerings, and performing prostrations which might be of some help to you: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/how-to-set-up-altar-make-offerings-prostrate-to-the-buddha-meditate-etc.html

You can also read more about the benefits of light offering here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/butterlamps.html

In regards to the eight precepts, most practitioners these days do not take the precepts for life, but for a certain time period, such as for just a day, or a week. This is so they can focus on spiritual development during that time and not be distracted by other activities. It is very different from the examples of the al Qaeda and Taliban, who ban listening to music because it is foreign and in their eyes against their religion. Rather in Buddhism is about minimising distractions so that one can focus on the mind and understanding how our mind works. This is very necessary on the spiritual journey to enlightenment.

Here is an article that may be of use to you: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/vows-the-roots-of-all-attainments.html

The particular precept not only concerns listening to music, but also from all other forms of entertainment such as dancing and singing and even wearing perfumes, ornaments, and other items that make oneself look good. When we do not engage in these activities, which are based on the physical body, we are able to concentrate on the mind.

The core of all Buddhist practice is actually the refuge vows. All other vows are based on these vows. So to beginning with, and as your fundamental practice in daily life you should keep to these vows. You can learn more about them here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/vows-the-roots-of-all-attainments.html#tab-1-page-4. Therefore it does not mean that you have to give up listening to the Bee Gees or the Beatles at all in order to become a Buddhist or practise the Buddhist teachings. I hope this helps.

Thank you