Dear Helpme,

I’m sorry to read of your relationship with your sister. It sounds like this has gone on for a very long time, but we should always try and be harmonious, which it sounds like you have been. When we have such problems, we should try to understand the other person’s thinking and then try to figure out how we can help that person. One of the major ways we can create harmony with others is actually changing ourselves for the better, improving ourselves to be a better person, acting out of kindness and compassion. This is done to help yourself. When you transform yourself, those near you will seek that transformation and be drawn to you because of it. Then you will able to improve your relationships with others for the better. You should learn more about Buddhism and how to implement this in your daily life.

If I may, I suggest you engage in the practices of Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden on a daily basis. Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice is especially beneficial in helping to ease one’s mind, which will ease the pain caused by your sister. The practice of Dorje Shugden will remove obstacles from your life, and if you make a conscious effort to have a good and beneficial relationship with your sister, Dorje Shugden’s practice may also clear the obstacles so that you can achieve this. This should be coupled with studying and implementing the Buddhist teachings into your life. This will bear very good results.

You can find the practice I have mentioned here: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/diamond-path-a-daily-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden

If you want a physical copy, you can invite one here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/diamond-path

Dear Harold,

Thank you for reposting your question. The visualisations you have asked for are tantric in nature, I have not received teachings on these visualisations so unfortunately I cannot share them with you. Within tantric practices, only those who have received the appropriate empowerments and permissions are able to practice tantra.

Following His Eminence 25th Tsem Rinpoche’s advice not to engage in Naga pujas or practice without appropriate empowerments, permissions and commentaries due to stringent procedures that need to be adhered to during the practice, I am unable to share these on such a public platform. As I have mentioned in the previous answer about Naga pujas, one must have an appropriate empowerment of a deity related to Naga practice. If you have received such an empowerment from a guru, may I humbly suggest that you approach your guru for teachings and permission to engage in these practices.
Alternatively, you can direct your requests with a complimentary explanation of previous empowerments, etc. to the personal office of His Eminence here: mail@tsemladrang.com

Dear Danny,

Thank you for your question. This is very deep area of study, so I will try to explain in summary. You mentioned two obscurations and these are (i) emotional obscurations and (ii) cognitive obscurations. These are included in the list of four obscurations, with the addition of (iii) karmic obscurations and (iv) habitual obscurations.

I will focus this explanation on the two obscurations, as the differences between the four can be very subtle. It is better to have a firm understanding of the two first. An obscuration is something that literally obscures our path of spiritual development leading to ultimate Buddhahood.

(i)Emotional Obscurations
This refers to what His Eminence 25th Tsem Rinpoche terms as ‘afflictive emotions.’ This includes (a) emotions that disturb the equilibrium of the mind and attitudes that are formed based on these emotions. This leads us to (b) think and act in ways which propagate the view that phenomena exist inherently, which strengthens self-grasping. This therefore prevents liberation from samsaric suffering. Also included in this category is (c) the tendencies or seeds of the aforementioned emotions and (d) the tendencies to grasp at the false view of inherently existent phenomena. These tendencies are the subtle traces of the emotions and grasping left within the mindstream, once the moment of the gross emotion or grasping has ceased. In the future these tendencies can manifest. For example an apple seed it just a seed, but when the correct conditions exist, such as fertile soil, water and sunlight, the seed can grow into an apple tree. Similarly these tendencies can manifest as further afflictive emotions and grasping in the future. This goes to show just how vicious the cycle of samsaric existence is.

Since we place emphasis on the Six Perfections, examples of emotional obscurations would be the opposite of the Six Perfections. These are in fact caused due to grasping at the inherently existing self, and all phenomena. It is also a cause which strengthens this view. As this is the view that binds one to samsara, it obscures or prevents the achievement of enlightenment. Therefore this is very important to understand, and strive to overcome through practice.

Example: A child is angry because another child received a sweet. This leads the child to act out. This acting out strengthens grasping at phenomena – the sweet. This obscures enlightenment because the child views the sweet as existing inherently, thinking it will bring happiness. This mistaken view, based on grasping (attachment), has led to anger. Once the anger is over, the subtle traces (tendency) of this anger and grasping is left behind in one’s mindstream. At a later stage, certain conditions may arise for this subtle trace to manifest as more anger. This causes all the aforementioned affects, therefore the cycle is repeated again.

(ii)Cognitive Obscurations
Cognitive Obscurations prevent omniscience. Part of this omniscience is understanding the two truths (relative truth and ultimate truth) and operating from this understanding. Therefore cognitive obscuration is a lot subtler than emotional obscurations. It refers to habits or instincts that are formed from emotional obscurations, and can act as the cause for emotional tendencies to arise, but they are not actually emotional obscurations themselves. Whereas emotional obscurations are not continuous over a period of time but are instances of emotions, cognitive obscurations are continuous over a certain period of time.

Emotional obscurations give rise to further instances of afflictive emotions and attitudes, though occasionally. Cognitive obscurations however do not have the ability to give rise to the same. Instead they act as a support to continuous cloud the natural clarity of the mind. It is due to this lack of clarity that one cannot realise the two truths.

(iii) Karmic Obscurations & (iv) Habitual Obscurations
Karmic obscurations are whatever stop you from reaching enlightenment based on karma, or the results of actions in the past, whether positive or negative. And habitual obscurations are a very subtle form of cognitive obscurations.

Discussion on the types of obscurations and how they affect us is very subtle and needs a lot more study and understanding than can be presented here. All these obscurations are included in the corpus of teachings called Lorig which is the study of the nature and workings of the mind. Obscurations can really only be understood after having some understanding of the nature of the mind. If possible, you should read more on Lorig, as this will strengthen your understanding.

Dear Harold,

I apologize but i do not understand your question entirely.

If you are asking if there are tantric practices in which one visualises beings from the Asura realm, then yes there are. Some tantras, when engaged in properly have the benefit of granting protection from certain types of beings. The Asuras are a type of being that can harm people because they are very powerful. Conversely certain tantras also have the ability to bless these beings, planting Dharma imprints into their mindstream or alleviating them of their immediate suffering. Please do post again if your question was different than this.

Dear Danny,

You are right that there are many power places here on Earth such as Stonehenge and Mt Shasta. However both the Twenty-Four Holy Places and the Eight Great Charnel Grounds are referring to very specific sites linked with Buddhist practice, especially those of tantra. The Twenty-Four Holy Places most commonly referred to are twenty-four physical locations relating to Heruka Chakrasamvara and his consort Vajravarahi(Vajrayogini).

Buddha Shaykamuni arose in the form of Heruka to counter the desirous energies of the god Mahadeva. This god had a retinue of twenty-four male deities, each who had his own consort. This retinue came to reside at twenty-four sites on earth, and so these sites become sacred to this particular god. Heruka manifested his entire mandala in these power places to counter the energies there and provide people a beneficial environment to practice towards enlightenment. Usually the tantric deities dissolve the mandala back into themselves after performing certain functions, such as giving teachings or other enlightened activities. In the case of Heruka, he did not dissolve these mandalas back into himself. Therefore in essence, we consider these twenty-four places, the actual mandala of Heruka. They have become imbedded into the physical landscape of the place.

These places are very powerful energy centres, in fact if we engage in practices at these twenty-four power places, the various beings who aid tantric practice such as various dakas, dakinis and Dharma protectors will come to bless practitioners. Therefore it is mentioned in many prayers, that we invoke the enlightened beings to come from these places, to wherever we are to aid us in our practice.

Similarly the Eight Great Charnel grounds are actual cemeteries from ancient India. In ancient times it was here that great masters attained many ‘siddhis’ or attainments. Many of the great tantric adepts of the past practiced in cemeteries. They did so for a number of reasons. One is that they were able to meditate on death more clearly, which on an ultimate level is useful to realise the impermanence of the self as a means to realise the true nature of existence. The other is that it can be used to overcome fear, as most people are fearful of such places. These are also places where the wrathful deities are said to reside, hence in some prayers we invoked them from these places as well.

I hope this helps to answer your question, please do ask more if I was not clear.

Dear Lee,

Thank you for your question. There are a couple of factors involved in both your questions. In regards to powa, this would be dependent on the spiritual attainments and practice of the lama in question. The ability to perform powa for others takes a lot of knowledge and practice to achieve. The lama must have ‘achieved’ or developed the ability to transfer the consciousness to a pureland.

It would also be dependent on the karma of the person who has passed away. When it comes to the karma of this person, there are some points that we need to bear in mind. The first is that the person must have the good karma or merits to be somehow connected to a lama who can perform the powa practice for them when they die. If they did not have this connection, then the lama would never know or have an impetus to perform powa for this particular individual. For example, if this particular lama did not even know about the person in their current form, among the countless other sentient beings in existence, they wouldn’t know to perform powa for the person.

Another factor involving karma is that it can be particularly negative. In this case the lama is ‘fighting’ against the individual’s karma, which is a binding factor to samsara. By this, I mean that karma automatically keeps you bound to samsara. Karma by its very nature keeps a person bound to samsara and cyclic existence. In performing powa, the lama would have to go against the energy of this binding karma, in order to transfer the consciousness to a pureland. Therefore the attainments of the lama is of crucial importance in powa.

So given these certain factors, it is very possible that a ‘bad’ person can have their consciousness transferred to a pureland. However, we must keep one thing in mind. Being in a pureland, doesn’t necessarily mean that one is enlightened. You still have the karma, delusions and self-grasping that categorises all unenlightened beings. When in the pureland, you can receive teachings from the enlightened beings that reside there, and are in the perfect place to practice, among conducive conditions. Here they can realise their Buddha nature. No person is inherently bad, and in fact has the potential to become a Buddha, therefore in Buddhism it is not taught to judge a person inherently for their actions.

For the second question in regards to mantras placed on the body, you are right. In Tibet there is also a tradition of carving mantras on the bones of the dead animals or people. This actually blesses that person in their next life. However this cannot be done in the modern environment. There are also other practices that have the specific benefit of stopping a person from experiencing sufferings in their next life. For example one of the benefits of the Chenrezig Ngesung Kundrol practice is that it stops a person from going to the three lower realms in their next rebirth. These practices, though providing relief from suffering, are only temporary measures in the grand scale of our countless lives. In our later lives, we will still be subject to the suffering that arises from our karma caused by our delusions. Therefore, a greater emphasis should be placed on the actual practice of the Dharma, the purification of this very karma that causes suffering, the accumulation of merit, and the cutting of our delusions through study, meditation and practice.

You asked very wonderful questions. I hope this short answer helps.

Dear Harold,

Nagas are sentient beings, just like you and me. They are classed as one of the eight classes of spirits. They are known to live near or in natural bodies of water such as streams, rivers and lakes. They are also known to live in forests and various remote areas. As sentient beings they have temperaments just like humans, therefore some are benevolent, malevolent or neutral towards humans. This is based on their karma and afflictive emotions just like all sentient beings. However due to their naga form, they can have immense power and can even effect the weather, bring wealth and prosperity, or bring good fortune.

In some cases when we are not mindful of their environment, disrespect their environment or encroach into the areas they live, they can be offended. Once offended they can afflicted people with various kinds of illnesses, natural disasters and misfortune.

Within Tibetan Buddhism there are pujas and practices that help to appease nagas in cases where they afflict people or when we need to encroach near their living places or where they may be, such as constructing new buildings, to live or work.

There are many practices to appease the nagas but are very strict and stringent as they are easily offended. For example one must be a vegetarian, as nagas detest meat, and one must not smoke or drink alcohol. This is just one example of what a practitioner must observe if engaging in naga pujas or practices.

Given that nagas can be easily offended, one cannot simply engage in the practice. In fact with Tibetan Buddhism, a practitioner must have the initiation for an appropriate deity before one can engage in the puja or practice. Once such deity is Chenresig Singhananda. This form of Chenresig is known for his ability to help cure naga-caused illness/misfortune and bless them through the power of his compassion. In this practice, one is also protected from being afflicted by nagas, in the case one makes a small mistake in observing the strict procedures of the practice. Since these practices can only be performed by someone with an appropriate initiation, His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche has not shared any of these practices publically. Most high lamas would know how to engage in these practices, but would not give permission to engage in naga practice without proper initiation, guidance and training.

If you would like to sponsor a naga puja for yourself or someone else, you can do so here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/naga-puja. This puja is performed in the monastery by fully qualified monks.

Dear Peter,

As Buddhists we do believe in past lives before our current human form. In fact two of the most basic beliefs in Buddhism are (i) rebirth, which means we are born over and over again within the Six Realms and (ii) karma. These Six Realms that we take rebirth in are the God Realm, Demi-God Realm, Human-Realm, Animal-Ream, Ghost-Realm and Hell-Realm. So Buddhists believe we have been born in these realms countless times before our current form. We are bound to this cycle of being reborn endlessly in these Six Realms due to the force of our Karma, or the results of our actions. This whole cycle and everything within in it, we term as Samsara. The goal of Buddhist practice is to free ourselves from this cycle by achieving the enlightened state of Buddhahood. This state is free from both the cycle of rebirth and karma.

You can read a short article about rebirth here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-importance-of-rebirth.html

Dear Ben,

You are right that the Kawang prayer to Dharma protectors is very good for purifying negative karma. His Eminence 25th Tsem Rinpoche also advices us to do more Kawang recitations when we are going through especially difficult times. Sometimes Rinpoche will ask students to recite Kawang before various virtuous works so that we are successful in our endeavors.

Traditionally however, when we engage in retreat, we concentrate on the particular mantra of the deity, in this case it would be Dorje Shugden’s mantra. This is the most important part of a deity retreat, through which we can gain spiritual attainments. This is how retreats are engaged in within Kechara, under the advisement of Rinpoche. Each and every part of the retreat prayers has a specific function which helps us along our spiritual part.
That being said, if you would like to engage in more recitations of the Kawang, this will only benefit you as you are purifying your karma, but if you are in a retreat setting please make sure to follow the retreat prayers as outlined in the retreat post, during every session.

Rinpoche has explained the process and practice of Dorje Shugden retreat here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dorje-shugden-retreat-a-powerful-practice-to-fulfill-wishes.html.

Dear Missz,

I’m sorry to read that you are in such a situation. This sounds like a very tough situation. There are two things that you can do to help the situation. The first is to contemplate on the fact that other people are in worse off situations than you are. A lot of people do not have jobs, but you do. I’m not trying to say that your boss is right, but we should appreciate what we have at the moment because there is always going to be someone else who is a lot worse off. When you do this, you will feel your mind become lighter and will no longer be hurt as much by the way your boss speaks to you.

Secondly I suggest you engage in the daily practices of Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden. These practices are very effective. Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice is very beneficial to help calm and settle the mind, which will help you in this situation. Secondly Dorje Shugden’s practice is very good in removing obstacles in both one’s secular life and also spiritual path. The practice can be found here: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/diamond-path-a-daily-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden
You should engage in the practice strongly, with faith and conviction. You should concentrate on the respective mantras. Focus on the mantra of Lama Tsongkhapa when you are feeling very hurt and the mantra of Dorje Shugden when you need to clear obstacles. But you should engage in both every day. This combined daily practice is very effective and many people have experienced a very positive change in their lives using these practice.

If you would like to and are able to, you can sponsor a Dorje Shugden puja. In the dedication you can specify that you would like the situation at work to improve and your work obstacles to be cleared. Kechara’s Puja House will perform this for you. Many people have attested to the power of puja when in time of need. Here is a link to the page you can order the puja if you would like: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/dorje-shugden-wishfulfilling-puja-fund.

Dear Armand D. Ursic,

Normally mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or psychosis are actually mental disorders that people are affected by. This is due to the ripening of certain karmas from previous lives that manifests as these disorders. On the Buddhist path, through the purification of karma through certain practices, these disorders can become manageable over a period of time. In other cases, as the force of the karma affecting the person is too great, even with these practices it may not be enough for these disorders to come under control completely. However those suffering with these conditions should always seek the advice and treatment from medical professionals. In fact there are even practices that help medicines become more effective. Therefore both the Buddhist path and medical sciences are complimentary rather than opposites.

In some other cases, these disorders can indeed be caused by a spirit or other non-human beings disturbing the person or even possessing the person. These situations can be very serious as the disturbing spirit or being can also cause harm and injury to the person or those around the person. This situation again is actually caused by karma from previous lives, through a strong and negative connection between the spirit and person being afflicted. Within Tibetan Buddhism there are many very powerful methods that can help alleviate the effects of this spirit harm and even cure possession, which would heal the person of the mental disorders. These include the practices of Dorje Shugden, Setrap, Mahakala, Palden Lhamo, Black Manjushri and Sengdongma among many others.

If you suspect a person to be affected by a spirit or non-human being, you can always request His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche to perform a divination to confirm this and suggest suitable practices or rituals for that person in order to help them. You can email the Divination Secretary here: bengkooi@tsemladrang.com to request a divination form, which you can fill in and email back. Please note that His Eminence rarely performs divinations, therefore you should be prepared to wait for a while for the answers.

Here are some links which detail practices that the person can engage in. They can engage in either practice, but only chose one and engage in the practice sincerely and wholeheartedly:

Dorje Shugden Trakze: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html

Black Manjushri: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/black-manjushri.html

Sengdongma: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/protection-from-black-magic-and-spirits.html

I hope this helps.

Dear Harold,

If my memory serves me correctly H.E. Tsem Rinpoche has mentioned that Tsangpa Karpo is the peaceful manifestation of Setrap. As to which manifested in their current form first, I am not sure since I have not received a teaching on Tsangpa Karpo, nor come across the answer in my readings. If i do find out, I will update this answer here.

Dear Jason,

Your offerings so far are very good. Generally speaking, one does not offer alcohol or meat to the Buddhas. However within Tantric practice, which includes Dharma protector practices, these substances are offered. Alcohol is traditionally used as a Serkym (golden drink) offering to the Dharma protectors, whereas meat and alcohol are both used in the Tsog (tantric ritual) feast offering associated with Highest Yoga Tantra deities.

While you are correct that offering substances that you are attached to will create the causes for these attachments to be cut, one should understand the tantric meaning behind the offerings, and the ways in which the attachment is cut. This should be learnt from a qualified guru. Since you have already taken initiation, I would strongly suggest you should ask these questions to your guru, who will be more able to advise you on your spiritual path and you practices since you have a connection with him/her. I hope this helps.

Dear James,

Both Buddha Shakyamuni and Buddha Maitreya are included in a list of 1,000 Buddhas of this aeon. As such they are known to be Samyaksam Buddhas or ‘Universal Buddhas’. This means that in an age when there is no Dharma or teachings leading to enlightenment, they expound the Dharma out of compassion for the benefit of sentient beings. One of the reasons that there is such a long gap between the two is that the Dharma and all its traces will completely vanish before Matireya manifests to teach the Dharma again. From another angle, we may view this is a very long time but from a cosmic perspective, given time existent in each universe in each aeon this timing is very short.

You are right that there are innumerable Buddhas, and in fact they do manifest to lead people along the path towards enlightenment. They can appear in many forms, such as high lamas, normal monks and nuns, secular teachers, friends, family and even inanimate objects. They are around us, it’s just that you may not necessarily know who or what they are. Therefore it is not that practitioners are waiting for Matireya but that Maitreya is simply listed as a Buddha that will expound the Dharma when we it no longer exists.

In some practices we do give importance to Maitreya. We pray that we have the good merits to receive the Dharma directly from him in the future. Those who receive the Dharma directly from a Samyaksam Buddha are very fortunate and more likely to have quick attainments along the path, due to the blessings from the particular Sakyaksam form that the Buddha has taken. For example in the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa, we create a strong link with Maitreya. After our deaths, if we have not created the causes to be reborn in Tushita in front of Maitreya, we have created the causes to be born during the time when Maitreya will appear, so we have the chance to benefit from his teachings on our path towards enlightenment. I hope this helps.

Dear Harold,

When someone talks about the Dorje Shugden empowerment they are actually referring to the Dorje Shugden Sogtae or Life Entrustment ceremony. Sometimes people use the word ‘empowerment’ rather than ‘life entrustment’ as more people are familiar with the wording.

There is difference between the words in Tibetan:

1. Wang (empowerment/initiation): This empowers the practitioner to be able to visualise themselves as the meditational deity (yidam) during the practice.

2. Jenang (permission empowerment): This empowerment allows practitioners to visualise the meditational deity is front of themselves. If you have already received a ‘wang’ then you are able to visualise yourself as the meditational deity of which the ‘jenang’ is being granted.

3. Sogtae (Life-entrustment): These are given in relation to Dharma protectors, whereas the first two are given in relation to meditational deities. During this ceremony the protector is sworn to protect the practitioner until the practitioner achieves enlightenment, and the practitioner vows to rely on the protector until achieving Buddhahood.

I hope this helps.

Dear Dharma,

You do not need to have received the empowerments of either Kache Marpo or Namkar Barzin to recite their mantras. Anyone can recite their mantras in order to develop a relationship with them. Reciting their mantras is very beneficial as they are part of Dorje Shugden’s retinue.

Dear Harold,

The Ten Youthful and Wrathful Assistants in the entourage of Dorje Shugden are actually emanations of Dorje Shugden. In essence they are one with Dorje Shugden. They help to assist practitioners by removing obstacles. There is a post on the entourage here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/main-assistants-of-the-dharma-king.html His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche explains more in the video teaching about the entourage in the same post.

Dear Eli Levine,

Karma is the force that keeps us bound in samsara and therefore suffering. On the Buddhist path, we seek to purify our karma completely and understand the true nature of reality. When this is achieved we attain enlightenment, this is the point when we are no longer affected by karma therefore it is the end of death and rebirth. If this is achieved when in physical form, such as the example of Buddha Shakyamuni, he achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, but passed into Parinirvana when he gave up his physical form. When he achieved enlightenment, he became the Buddha, but he still had a physical form. He is said to have given up his physical form at the end of his life, rather than dying because he was no longer bound to death or rebirth. Therefore parinirvana is known as the formless state of a Buddha.

Dear Harold,

There is a blogpost with a prayer and the mantra of Namkar Barzin here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/invocation-to-namkar-barzin.html

If you want to include this in your daily practice, you can recite both the prayer and mantra or just the mantra after the main prayers to Dorje Shugden, before you do the dedication of merit at the end of your daily practice. Either is fine and will make a strong connection with Namkar Barzin.

If you have a mantra count target that you have set to reach either each day or over time for Dorje Shugden’s mantra, it you shouldn’t include the mantras to Namkar Barzin in the count. The reason for this is that when counting mantras, the count should only include one mantra repeated many times, this is the traditional way of counting mantras. I hope this helps.

Dear Jimmy,

Yes of course you can offer essential oils instead of incense. Since you have allergies this would be a good offering to make instead. Any offering we make to the Buddhas, with a sincere motivation and to best of our ability is very good and meritorious.