Question asked by Kev
Dear Pastor Adeline,
Thank you very much for your reply.
I appreciate it.
I've bought the Lamrin Book. But I gave it away to somebody in Bangkok. I'm currently there for 1 year already.
Will be coming back to KL soon.
But those mentioned below:
-Wheel of Sharp Weapons,
– Bodhisattvacha-avatara by Shantideva,
– Lojong, –
50 Verses of Guru Devotion by Ashvagoshabefore
1. Are those above books?
Can I read them online or video…where can I get them?
I read somewhere along the blog the preliminaries are 100,000 x …
2. Can you lists down all the preliminaries I need to do please?
After I've done all the above, who should I tell to proceed with the next step?
Do I need to record everything officially and hand it over to somebody stating that I've completed it?
Thanks,
Kev
Dear Kev,
Looking forward to your return to Malaysia! Meantime, you can order a copy of the Lamrim we use in Kechara – Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongkha Rinpoche here http://vajrasecrets.com/books/english-books/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand.html.
As for the rest, please try Boarders, MPH or Kinokuniya bookstores. Alternatively, you can order them online through Amazon or any other online bookstores like http://www.shambhala.com/.
For Lojong, the root text is Eight Verses of Training the Mind by Geshe Langri Tangpa and you might want to get a commentary like Transforming the Mind (Thorsons, 2000) or Kindness, Clarity and Insight (Snow Lion, 2006) by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama for more detailed learning.
Same goes to Bodhisattvacharyāvatāra and 50 verses of Guru Devotion. Please read together with commentaries to ease your understanding. The former can pair with A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night: A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (Shambhala, 1994) by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the later one can pair with Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism (Shambhala, 2001) by Rig ‘dzin Dorje.
Each preliminary practice is 100,000 times plus 10 % 10,000 that is used to make up the numbers we might have miscounted along the way. So total for each preliminary practice is 110,000. The preliminaries practice are:
1. Prostrations:
http://www.kechara.com/support/resources/recommended-reads/purifying-the-karma-of-body-speech-and-mind/
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrasattva-and-prostrations-transcript.html
2. Guru Yoga:
http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tsongkhapa/tsongkhapa-retreat-instructions-and-prayer-text.html
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/tsongkhapa
3. Water Offerings:
http://tsemtulku.com/resources/articles/water-offerings/
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/making-water-offerings-to-the-buddhas.html
4. Mandala Offerings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFp3AvHXYxg
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/mandala-offering-%E2%80%93-a-powerful-method-to-accumulate-merits.html
5. Vajrasattva:
http://tsemtulku.com/resources/prayers/prayers-deity-prayer/vajrasattvas-purification-practice/
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrasattva-and-prostrations-transcript.html
I suggest you to submit a formal requested with offerings to His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche to request for his blessings before you embark on your preliminaries practices. Reason being, when we start our preliminary practice, we are opening our negative karmas for purification, it can be very intense (imagine eons of negativities) and difficult especially when you are doing it on your own. With proper guidance and the blessings of the Guru is the only way to support your practice all the way. You can submit your formal request to His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche c/o Kechara House Buddhist Association Malaysia here:
7, Jalan PJU 1/3G,
Sunwaymas Commercial Centre,
47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
[t] +603 7803 3908
[f] +603 7803 3108
[e] care@kechara.com
You will need to record your numbers and submit official update to His Eminence from time to time so that he knows you are ok. The pastors and Kecharians will help you along the way on the technical side of things. Please add us on Facebook, if you have an account there. If you don’t, please start one :).
Here are some additional reading you might need as well:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/butterlamps.html
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/cosmic-tantra.html
All the best.