Even our enemies can become our gurus if we learn patience and forbearance from them. Texts can be our guru; the world around us can become our guru. This is because the guru is the all-pervading and timeless compassionate action of the Buddha’s mandala of awakening, which is reaching out to us through all the circumstances of our life…. Continue reading What Does the Term ‘Guru Principle’ Mean?
The Shrimaladevi Sutra is a very important source for our tradition that goes right back to a person who lived at the time of Shakyamuni. It is great that that person is actually a woman and not a monastic. That feels very refreshing somehow. I don’t say that because I am a woman particularly. I think everyone, men and women, like to see that it is not just men and not just monastics that are powerful practitioners… Continue reading Long read article: Who was Queen Shrimala and Why is the Shrimaladevi Sutra important?
Ngöndro in general means preliminary and in the context of Tibetan Buddhism often refers to the practice of the 4 x 100,000… In Tibet many people had a lot of time they could devote to Dharma practice so having the 4 x 100000 to accomplish gave them a goal and many people made it their main practice… Continue reading Where does Ngöndro – the traditional preliminary practices fit into the Awakened Heart Sangha?
It would seem that we are doomed to fall further and further into a vicious circle of increasingly intense involvement in negative actions and results. This is true except for the fact that we have the power to uproot negative tendencies and we need to train in exercising that power. Continue reading Article: How can a change of heart change our world?
It is interesting isn’t it? I remember being amazed to see Tibetan Lamas looking totally absorbed, listening to one of their number talking about simple things like the precepts and Refuge, the six realms and so on, and being clearly moved by the teachings even though they had heard the same teachings from childhood.
I got the sense that for them it was like being born into a pure realm where they were hearing only the Dharma and they were just rejoicing at being there and hearing the truth of it – as if it were also a meditation for them – a reminder of deep truths and always with the possibility this time it might go just that bit deeper and become a genuine realisation coming to them and changing their mind forever… Continue reading Do we need to listen to the same teachings again and again?
It is an important question and I find people respond to mantra practice very differently. For some people as soon as they hear a mantra they just want to keep repeating it – and it seems to have an energy of its own… Since mantras are actually the Buddha in essence – they are powerful – but it’s not the sound so much as what is producing the sound that is important – the sound is emanating from Enlightenment itself and so can connect us directly to the energy of Enlightenment – that is why it is important who you receive the mantra from. Continue reading How do you tell which mantra you have a connection with and how best to practice with it?
I have reflected for decades on how the worlds we find ourselves in are the inseparable result of my actions of body speech and mind. What I wish for is what will eventually manifest – so directing my intentions as powerfully as possible makes complete sense to me. Continue reading What if our prayers and practice feel contrived and liturgy and imagery doesn’t move us?
Adhistana [blessing] is a power we all have because it’s the power of the Buddha Nature itself. When we say to someone we are with them in our hearts it is more literally true than perhaps we realise. Continue reading How can our prayers help people?
Once you understand deeply that the Buddha nature is all pervading and time and space are illusory, then clearly the Buddha is truly present at all times and we are constantly in the presence of the Buddha. Continue reading How can we make good karmic connections in this life?
Thinking of the experiences as an offering to Awakening or the Dharma, is to invite its adhistana. The offering is made in the state of meditation. We rest in the spaciousness of letting go of grasping at things as somehow ‘solid’. Continue reading As well as the traditional shrine offerings of incense, candles etc, can we make offerings of our experience?
