Tag: Mandala Principle

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Lama Shenpen Quote

What is Mandala Principle? How can it help us connect to and understand the world we live in?

Mandala Principle is about the pattern and structure of everything that happens. The basic pattern is a centre or a central point from which everything else emanates. In Tibetan, the Sanskrit term ‘mandala’ is translated as kyilkor, which literally means a centre and a periphery. Every experience has this structure. Continue reading What is Mandala Principle? How can it help us connect to and understand the world we live in?

Awakened Heart Sangha2 Comments
Student's Question

What’s the difference between ‘personal mandala’ and ‘ego mandala’?

Even though our experience of it is distorted, we have access to its qualities already. They shine through our confusion and are what lead us out of it. We need to learn to be subtle about recognising what are the Buddha qualities and trusting them, and what is ego grasping and letting that go. While we are still only on the path, it’s not easy to distinguish between them. Continue reading What’s the difference between ‘personal mandala’ and ‘ego mandala’?

Loshi
mandala principle, boundaries, Tibetan Buddhism, Lama Shenpen Hookham UK Buddhist Teacher
Student's Question

Mandala Principle & Boundaries: Boundaries feel threatening to me, what aren’t I getting?

Mandalas are a way of describing the world of our experience in which everything is appearing and yet is ungraspable. The only reason we experience anything is because we can distinguish it from anything else. If it were all uniform with no differentiation it would not be experience would it? It wouldn’t be anything. Continue reading Mandala Principle & Boundaries: Boundaries feel threatening to me, what aren’t I getting?

Awakened Heart Sangha
Article, Lama Shenpen Teaching, Student's Question

Why do we recite long life prayers for teachers & why do we need to repeat them?

We pray for our personal teachers in particular to live long and for us to keep up as close a connection as possible with them by every means at our disposal, through this and through all our lifetimes working together forever to bring all beings to Awakening. This is about Mandala Principle. Continue reading Why do we recite long life prayers for teachers & why do we need to repeat them?

Awakened Heart Sangha
Lama Shenpen Teaching

What Does the Term ‘Guru Principle’ Mean?

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?

Awakened Heart Sangha
Lama Shenpen Teaching

Welcoming Difficulties as the Path

We all face difficulties individually that we open to and treat as practice rather than thinking ‘I can’t practice because of difficulties’.  What we mean is I am practising but it’s still difficult. There is no need to say ‘I can’t practice’ – even when one feels so uninspired that even practice feels flat – that is our practice isn’t it? Continue reading Welcoming Difficulties as the Path

Awakened Heart Sangha
Student's Question

A conversation about God: Can a Buddhist use the word ‘God’?

Even after fifty five years I still find, like you that my word for that awe-inspiring, all-pervasive sense of benevolent presence is ‘God’, yet like you all my spiritual connections are Buddhist and the Buddha’s teachings are what I live by. The majority of western Buddhists are not from that camp I think – their experiences with God and God language are not positive and often never were. It is a very interesting area isn’t it? Continue reading A conversation about God: Can a Buddhist use the word ‘God’?

Awakened Heart Sangha
Student's Question

What if rituals feel contrived to me? Am I still welcome in the sangha?

Ritual is different from simple ceremonies. If properly conducted it makes things happen – it shapes the universe if you like. It isn’t just me doing something from my own side – or a whole lot of people doing something from their own side. The universe is changed by the ritual – it’s become a different reality in some sense… Continue reading What if rituals feel contrived to me? Am I still welcome in the sangha?

Awakened Heart Sangha
person holding red candle in a dark room
Student's Question

How do we transform our negative actions into positive actions that benefit others?

We are uniquely connected to all other beings in the same kind of way that every point in space is uniquely connected to all other points in space. If we damage our connection with others through our unskilful actions their mandala registers that Continue reading How do we transform our negative actions into positive actions that benefit others?

Awakened Heart Sangha