Question asked by Luke G
H.E Tsem Rinpoche has mentioned many times about the powers of high lamas being able to change weather and such. My question is, what is the consequence of changing the weather or other feats (is there any if you do it right?) You are altering the universal energy or matter. While you can manifest things, it has to come from somewhere? Or I am looking at it wrong?
Warmest regards,
Luke
Dear Luke,
Within Buddhist cosmology everything that exists is made up of various elemental forces. In higher tantric practices these elemental forces can be utilized within ones body to achieve certain results, such as having to go without food for long periods of time so that you can concentrate more on meditation, sleeping less for the same reason and even achieving higher states of consciousness on the path towards enlightenment.
Logically if you are able to control the elemental forces within your body, with enough practice you can control the elemental forces outside of your body too as the elemental forces are the same. When this happens then these high lamas and practitioners are able to perform such feats as changing the weather.
If done with a virtuous motivation, ie not to harm but to benefit others, then there will be no unfortunate consequences of performing such an action. It is simply a direction of elemental energies but with a specific outcome in mind, such as clearing the rain so that the dharma can be taught which helps people transform their minds towards a more compassionate way of living or making rain in drought so that people have enough water to live and crops to grow.
I hope this helps.