Question asked by Albert
Dear Pastor,
1. I have a 4-year-old toddler. He is not autism, but he is a bit slower in learning and writing compared to his peers. I would like to pray to Manshuri for him. May I know if there is any guidance on how to pray and visualise Manshuri such as release light upon my toddler etc and hopefully help him improve?
2. In today's era, may I know is there any method an ordinary person differentiate whether a guru is from a genuine tradition? If someone later discovers that the guru or tradition is not authentic, what should he or she do in that case? (note: they are various types of newly created 'tibetan' tradition /sect since 21centuries, or some claimed they are a particular Buddisatva emanation or possed any Geshe degree within a few years time etc)
; what should a disciple do if he or she is not agreed to their Guru attitude etc ? ; what is the impact if an ordinary person receive the unauthetic initiation or teaching from a 'fake guru' or 'fake tradition '?
3. May I know if it is acceptable to split the Vajrasattva 100-syllable mantra into several sessions throughout the day in order to complete the minimum of 21 recitations daily?
Thank you
Dear Albert.
1. In regards to your son, if you are reciting the prayers and mantras for him, visualise Manjushri on top of his head. As you recite, golden-yellow light emanates from his heart and washes over your son blessing him. At the end of the prayers, Manjushri dissolves into light and this dissolves into your son and blesses him even further. It would be good for you to teach Manjsuhri mantra to your son, so he can recite and encourage him to recite. But don’t force him, just encourage. He can help your son with his current learning issues.
2. This is the reason why you need to check your guru is a qualified teacher before you accept them as your guru. You should not just rely on what that teacher tells you, but do your homework and research about that guru properly. For example, if he says he comes from a particular lineage or monastery, check with other lamas of that tradition or monastery. Sometimes there are people out there who claim to be teachers, but whose tradition/lineage is made up. Then when you research further, you will discover it’s not a genuine lineage/practice.
For those people who have received practices from such teachers, as long as they haven’t been engaging in meditations that are higher in nature, such as tantric practices that move the energies in your body, etc. they should be okay. They should try to find a qualified guru to take as their teacher, explain to them the previous situation and if they have any specific advice, etc.
3. For the 21 Vajrasattva mantras a day, unfortunately they cannot be broken up into multiple sessions. They all need to be completed in one session to have the specific benefit of stopping karma you accumulate up until that point in the day from multiplying. But recitation of the mantra, however many times in a session is still great, because it will help purify karma. However, the specific benefit of stopping karma from multiplying on that day, can only be achieved by doing the 21 mantras together.