Dear Luna,

Thank you for your question. According to Buddhism, we can reincarnate into various realms, from human, animals, gods, etc. The reason why we can forget what happened in previous lives is due to the type of rebirth that you take birth in. Generally humans have no recollection of knowledge, events, etc, from previous lives. This however is only on the gross levels. On a more subtle level these things are not lost however, it’s only that you cannot access those memories or intellectual ability. However there are cases of remembering these things either instinctively or through meditation.

In the other types of rebirth however, you can remember all of these things for example, rebirth in the God realm means you do have knowledge or your previous lives, but due to the form you have taken are under the general delusions of that type of rebirth. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Kevin,

Thank you for your question. It’s entirely up to you, however you should still do the part where Lama Tsongkhapa enters your heart and resides there. That is one of the main parts of the Guru Yoga so you gain blessings from the practice.

However, even if you aspire to go to Sukhavati Pureland, that does not necessarily mean you cannot do the powa section of Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, because it creates a stronger connection with the Buddhas and the Purelands for you to be more likely to get to a Pureland.

Once you are in a Pureland, it doesn’t mean that you can only be in that Pureland. You will be able to travel to other Purelands too, as long as you are born in one. That’s why, even if you wish to be reborn in a certain Pureland, you can also recite the prayers and engage in other practices to reach other Purelands. For example, many Tantric practitioners seek rebirth in Vajra Yogini’s Pureland, but also engage in Lama Tsongkhapa’s Powa as part of his Guru Yoga. The two reinforce each other in reaching a Pureland, it is your determination of which you aspire more to be reborn in that is the key. I hope that makes sense and helps you.

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your questions. For your sibling, you can pray to Dorje Shugden. His practice is very well-known to be effective for things like this. It is worldly as you said, but it its for the benefit of your sibling, so Dorje Shugden can and will help in such situations. In fact, I have personally have found that Dorje Shugden helps a lot in terms of getting jobs, education etc. If you don’t already know about Dorje Shugden, you can find an introduction to his practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/beginners-introduction-to-dorje-shugden.html In addition, we would recommend that your sibling also see a mental health professional as well if they are not already. This will really help them be the best person they can be. We should not rely on only one method but both secular and spiritual methods at the same time. Dorje Shugden’s practice will also help to make the secular methods more successful. If your sibling is willing, then they themselves should engage in Dorje Shugden’s practice. That would be best.

In regards to Shunyata, as we belong to the Gelug tradition, we have a view of known as the Two Truths, that is there is an Absolute Truth (that everything lacks inherent existence) and a Relative Truth (that things exist on the conventional level). This is a little difficult to explain fully here in such a short space. You can read the Lamrim in regards to this, but it is quite complicated. In essence, on a conventional level things exist, but on the ultimate level they don’t exist, in that they do not have inherent existence. I hope this helps.

Dear Lin,

Thank you for your question. The issue of low self esteem is quite complicated, not due to Buddhist practice, but due to culture. Those with low self esteem are generally looked down upon within society and it’s said that it is not a good thing. In Buddhism however, nothing is inherently good or bad. These are concepts made by us humans, and we live in such concepts. Rather, as His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche said, we shouldn’t focus on what we think is good or bad, but instead focus on what is beneficial and not-beneficial for ourselves and others. So I try to answer your question from this standpoint.

So low self esteem, it is beneficial or not. The answer is, it is not. Either for ourselves or others. Then we need to look at what causes low self esteem, and that is fear. But where does that fear come from? It comes from the sense of the ego. It is the need to protect ourselves, whether rationally or irrationally (due to past experiences) that leads us to have this fear, which creates low self esteem. So the key is to deal first with the fear and then deal with the negative aspects of the ego.

There are deep contemplation meditations you can do to overcome your fears and at the same time other meditations you can do that help overcome your ego, for example, gratitude meditation, accepting our circumstances, and developing real compassion and Bodhicitta. These can all be found in our book called Insightful Meditation: 18 Ways to Tame Your Monkey Mind, available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/insightful-meditation

I hope this helps you.

Dear Jie Rui,

The images on your altar of the Buddhas do not necessarily have to be the Buddhas that you practice, although this helps. So when people engage in Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga, some people may prefer to have Lama Tsongkhapa’s image on their altar. This itself is very good as there are many benefits to have a Lama Tsongkhapa image. And in terms of practice this can help you with your visualisation too, because you have something to refer to directly in front of you. That being said, you can have an image of your Guru on the altar, and not have Lama Tsongkhapa’s image on your altar also. It’s up to you.

When engaging in any Buddha practise, we need to follow the visualisation according to the practice. Hence when doing Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga, we visualise Lama Tsongkhapa and think that Lama Tsongkhapa and our Guru are one. We do not visualise our Guru and think he is one with Lama Tsongkhapa. There are many reasons for this, for example, you are invoking upon Lama Tsongkhapa’s energies, the form your visualise of Lama Tsongkhapa also have an effect to the benefits gained from the practice, etc.

Some Gurus do have their own Guru Yoga that you can practice, for example Tsem Rinpoche’s Guru Yoga here: https://www.tsemtulku.com/guru-yoga-practice/ In such practices the Guru is visualised accordingly. Each practice should be undertaken as taught in terms of what we visualise, and what we should think to make that particular practice effective. I hope this helps. Thanks.

Dear M,

Tsem Rinpoche assigned people yidams based on their needs and which practices would be most beneficial for them. Pastor David was referring to Rinpoche assigning Dorje Shugden for people as a yidam, meaning the deity that they should rely on the most and focus on, to be their main practice.

There is no practice or text of using Dorje Shugden as a proper yidam, meaning tantric practices of self-generation, etc. When Rinpoche assigned Dorje Shugden to be their yidam, this was in reference to which deity they should focus on in their practice.

The practice they follow is no different from the standard form of Dorje Shugden practice as a Dharma Protector, it is that they focus and rely on Dorje Shugden more than any other deity. There is no sadhana or practice of Dorje Shugden as an actual tantric deity, only as a Dharma Protector. As an emanation of Manjushri, Dorje Shugden’s practice can be your main practice, though following the standard formula as a Dharma Protector and not a tantric deity. Thanks.

Dear Anonymous,

Everything in the universe has its own type of energy or vibration, including crystals. They can definitely be used to enhance certain things we want to achieve, for example for healing or for peace, etc. However they are only a very small aid in such things. The better and most powerful aid would be to call upon the energies or vibrations of an enlightened being. There is nothing more powerful than an enlightened mind. So, reciting the mantra or prayers, having a properly consecrated image, or making offerings to any Buddha or enlightened being will be of much greater benefit than using crystals.

In fact crystals have been used as part of malas (Buddhist rosaries) for centuries, but it is not the crystals themselves that make the practice powerful, but the practice themselves. The crystals are simply an aid.

However, just as crystals have their own energy or vibration, these can change over time. They can also pick up negative energies or even be portals for malevolent beings to enter them. If you have crystals or use crystals for whatever reason, they should be ‘cleansed’ regularly. This can be done by passing them over incense smoke. The best would be to burn Protector Rice in the incense and pass them over the smoke released.

Alternatively, you can recite the mantra of any enlightened Buddha 108 times and then blow on the crystals. The energy of the mantra recited is held on the breath, hence when you blow on the crystals, it transfers the energy of the mantra onto the crystal, dispelling any negativity. Mantras that you can use for this purposes include Lama Tsongkhapa’s Mig Tse Ma, Dorje Shugden’s Mantra, Medicine Buddha Mantra, Green Tara Mantra, Chenrezig’s Mantra. These are all good, but the mantra of any Buddha is also very good. I hope this helps.

Dear JW,

Thanks for your question. The BAM syllable is the sacred syllable of Vajra Yogini as it encapsulates her energy and the mind of an enlightened being. As such, traditionally it would be considered disrespectful to bring the syllable into the bathroom. If you still want to write it on your wrist, then please do cover it or wash it off before going to the bathroom.

However, we suggest that rather than using an outer reminder not to commit non-virtue, you can use a mental reminder. Either through reciting a mantra softly, or perhaps a verse of Dharma scripture. The way to do this is to keep reciting the mantra or verse until you have memorised it and associate it will not committing non-virtue but doing virtuous actions instead. Then since you have it memorised, you can recite it regularly throughout the day. Then you automatically remember not to commit non-virtue. This will help more than outer reminders, as you are training your mind directly, and at the same time, you will generate merit from the power that comes from reciting mantras or Dharma verses. The merit you generate from reciting will also make it easier to remember not to do any non-virtuous actions. I hope this helps.

Dear WLY,

Thank you for your question. When you study the Dharma and know more, you can have these sorts of feelings when you come across people who have their own interpretations of the Dharma, or try to interpret the Dharma by how they see it and not how it was taught. It is natural to have such feelings, so you shouldn’t feel bad about them.

The very fact that you saw and realised you were angry and that ego arose, is a good sign! It means that what you have been studying or learning has gone in, you were able to recognise those feelings when they arose and you want to do something about them!

From the side of those people, they also have their own emotions and thoughts so perhaps that is why they think in that manner. These days people ‘practise’ Buddhism for a whole host of reasons, some of them practise to simply feel good, others maybe because it’s a fad, and others because they are serious about their spiritual journey. Whatever the reasons, we should try not to judge them. Everyone has the potential to become a Buddha, hence at the very core we are all pure in nature but this innate potential is clouded by many things – emotions, delusions, etc.

From our side, such an experience is good in that you saw how your emotions affected you and more than that, you want to do something about that. There is no need to feel bad. You saw how your anger and ego work. So the question arises, how do you use this on your spiritual path? You need to work with this anger and ego by utilising it to transform your mind so you can progress. This can be done many ways, I’ll mention two.

The first is to practise humility. Yes, this means in physical interactions, but more importantly, it also means internally. Mentally. So, as it is said in the Eight Verses of Mind Transformation, “Whenever I associate with anyone, May I view myself as least of all, And, from the depths of my heart, May I cherish others as supreme!” People will always have differing thoughts then ourselves, there is no way that everyone will think the way we think or want them to think. When we practise humility, that will lessen our angry or ego.

The second method I can suggest is to use such experiences in contemplation meditations that work with the emotions of anger and ego directly. It’s a bit too complicated to explain all of that here, but you can get one of our books here which deals with contemplation/insight meditations working to overcome certain emotions (including anger/ego) : https://www.vajrasecrets.com/insightful-meditation You can use these meditations whenever you get angry or your ego comes up. I hope this helps.

Dear Luna,

We are taught to think of any Buddha as the actual Buddha, not that the essence of the statue/image of the Buddha is a genuine Buddha. But the actual statue itself. The same goes for Dharma texts, seeing it as the Dharma jewel, the same applies for the Sangha too. These are part of the Refuge commitments. You can read them here: https://resources.tsemtulku.com/prayers/preliminaries/the-refuge-vows.html

When we take Refuge, we are taught the vows, which stop us from collecting negative karma. But there are commitments involved as well. Commitments help us to created merit and positive energy when benefits us in both secular and spiritual life. I hope this helps.

Dear Anonymous,

The term ‘Lgbt’ covers many categories of people. In short, yes and no. It depends on the specific category. However, some categories are mentioned in the Vinaya, other categories are not, so it depends on the ordination master. There are certain categories of people that have traditionally been restricted to becoming monastics, however some ordination masters may allow such a person as time has changed. A trans man may becoming a monk depending again on what your definition of trans actually is.

Prayers should be recited out loud but softly. Prayers and mantras especially are the form of a particular Buddha in sound, the very sound made through recitation has an affect on us and is the medium through which the energies of the Buddhas benefit us. There are prayers or mantras recited only in the mind, but those are usually only included in higher teachings such as tantra, for which you need to take vows and hold commitments to engage in. For normal prayers that the non-initiated engage in, they should be spoken out loud but softly as mentioned earlier.

In regards to Lama Tsongkhapa and Vajra Yogini, please see this video by Tsem Rinpoche: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elBCVeGDncQ

Vajra Yogini and Tsongkhapa are one. In fact, all the Buddhas are one. This is what is known as the Dharmakaya or the Truth Body of a fully enlightened being. This is ‘one’ thing but encompasses every single enlightened being. So when Rinpoche talked about Lama Tsongkhapa transforming into Vajra Yogini, it was a way for students to understand Vajra Yogini better, as they were already familiar with Lama Tsongkhapa. So Rinpoche was showing that even though the forms may be different, ultimately they are the same – completely enlightened. I hope this helps.

Dear Shamik,

Thank you for your question. Yes of course it is possible to reach enlightenment but still living a lay life. Obviously, it is easier for those who are monks and nuns to reach enlightenment, because of the power of the vows that they take and that they don’t have to spend time and energy on thinking about secular affairs. So it is still possible for lay people, however they need to make time and put more effort into their practice and transformation. Many great master of the past have been lay people, and not monks or nuns.

They way to work towards reaching enlightenment is the same, it is through study, contemplation, meditation and transformation. In Kechara we follow the path of the Lamrim teachings, according to our tradition. This teaching provides practitioners (whether lay or monastic) the pathway and knowledge of how to practice and what to contemplate on and how to meditate properly. The text we use is known as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, available her: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Kay,

Renunciation in Buddhism means we develop the motivation to get out of samsara. In order to know what samsara really is, you need to learn what life is actually really like. This is basically the first and second of the Four Noble Truths taught by Buddha Shakyamuni – there is sufferings & sufferings has its causes – karma. But the thing is that we often don’t realise we are suffering. In Buddhism, even when we think we are happy, we are actually sufferings. All of this included within teachings such as the Lamrim. Once you have studied and comprehended the teachings intellectually, you need to contemplate them and see if they apply to your life. The answer in short will be that, yes they do if you really and truly contemplate your life, etc. you will find that you are suffering in some way. So renunciation develops from this understand. Since you know you are suffering, you want to get out of that suffering. So you renounce samsara in it’s entirety, the bad and even the good, because even the good within in samsara will lead you to suffer.

In order to renounce samsara completely, to get out of it, you need to achieve enlightenment, just like Buddha Shakyamuni did. Is this possible? Yes, of course it is. Buddha Shakyamuni did it, practitioners since his time have done it. Buddha would not have taught something that did not benefit others, so his teachings take us to that state. But even before Buddha Shakyamuni’s time there have been many enlightened beings, they all reached that state. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Anonymous,

Yes of you can do this. However, when you make offerings on your altar, you should think they are representations of the Buddhas, and not gods. Then you are making offerings to the actual Buddhas.

Having such images on your altar is okay, but when you are engaged in their actual practices, you should visualise the Buddhas according to the practice itself. For example, Saraswati is visualised differently. Her iconography is very specific and unique is very much linked to how to do the practice itself. So in your practice itself you should follow the practice texts properly.

Actually physical images on our altar are meant to be an aid for our visualisation, in order to get the details of the deity correct, etc. That’s why the best statues to have are the ones that adhere to the iconography of the deity you are practising. However, if due to personal preference you want to use images of the Hindu gods, that is perfect alright. But it means you need to learn the visualisations of the practice better, because you won’t have an external image on your altar to help guide your practice. I hope this helps.

Dear Vuee Wong,

When you are starting on Vajra Yogini’s practice without having the initiation, you visualise Vajra Yogini and your Guru as one. Whichever Buddha you are practising, you visualise them as being one with your Guru. In fact, since you do not have the initiation, you cannot recite Vajra Yogini’s actual mantra. The way to do it, is to visualise her as one with your Guru and then recite your Guru’s name mantra. That way, you are praying to Vajra Yogini, because she is actually one and the same as your guru. I hope this makes sense?

To explain the Yonten Shugyurma is beyond the ability of this section of the blog. The prayer itself is actually a condensed form of the Lamrim. To understand that prayer properly, you need to have studied and contemplated on the topics of the Lamrim. The text we use here in Kechara, is available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand

I hope this helps.

Dear Om,

Thank you for your message. And very sorry to hear that you are having a hard time at the moment. First of all, this section is answered by the Kechara Pastors. His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche passed into Parinirvana three years ago. You can read more about that here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/the-parinirvana-of-kyabje-tsem-rinpoche.html

Everything that we go through in life, whether good or bad has a reason, and that reason is karma. So any practice that we do, necessarily deals with karma in one form or another. If we are experiencing negative states in our lives, that means that negative karma has opened up. In order to overcome those negative states, we can engage in the practices or pujas of certain Buddhas.

May I ask why you stopped reciting the Sampa Lhundrup and Drolma prayers? They are very, very powerful and effective in overcoming these types of obstacles.

Since your birth Mewa is No. 9, you should engage in practices connected with Manjushri or Lama Tsongkhapa. But since you are going through such a tough time, I suggest you engage in the practice and mantra of Dorje Shugden. He is a Dharma Protector, and an emanation of Manjushri. You can find a short prayer and his mantra here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/a-short-prayer-to-dorje-shugden.html

There is an article which introduces you to Dorje Shugden here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/beginners-introduction-to-dorje-shugden.html

There is also an entire section on this website dedicated to Dorje Shugden, you can check the very top of the page, to find that section of the site. You can learn more about Dorje Shugden in the articles there. I hope this helps.

Dear Jerry,

Hello and thank you for your question. When you see your Guru and Buddha as one, that does not mean that the deity himself/herself takes on the physical characteristics of your Guru. Rather it means that you think that the deity, with all their unique iconographic characteristics is in fact your Guru, just in a different physical form. Think about it like changing clothes. Someone can wear different types of clothes and this changes their appearance and how they look. But actually they are the same person. Similarly, even though the Guru and the Buddha we are practising look very different, you have to have the thinking and feel that the Buddha and the Guru are the same being. When practising Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga follow the visualisations as it is taught in the practice, but think that it is your Guru.

In regards to commissioning a thangka, please contact our Buddhist Art department called Kechara Saraswati Arts. Here is the website link where you can find more information: https://www.kechara.com/services/buddhist-art/

I hope all this helps. Thank you.

Hello Nathan,

Thanks for your message. I think this video teaching by Tsem Rinpoche may be of interest to you. It’s all about Mantras: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/mantras-holy-words-of-power.html

In essence, mantras are the sacred energies of the enlightened beings in the form of sound. For the recitation of some mantras, empowerment is a must. You cannot recite the mantra without having the empowerment, and associated vows and commitments.

For common mantras, for example as shared on most pages on this website, you can recite them without empowerment. This doesn’t mean they are not effective or slower compared to having an empowerment. Though if you do have the empowerment, you have the blessings of the deity that you are practising and the lineage gurus, so it can be easier.

However, that is not the main point that determines how fast you are able to get closer to the deity. The main point is how much effort you put into the practice, not just reciting the mantra, but the associated visualisations, contemplations and meditations while you recite. Coupled with this is your general transformation based on other Dharma teachings. When you do these together, you get closer to the deity faster, even if you do or do not have empowerment. I hope this helps. Watch the video teaching by Tsem Rinpoche. It will make things much more clearer than I can explain here.

Hello.

In regards to becoming sangha, this article by Tsem Rinpoche should help you: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/why-we-become-sangha-a-reply-to-an-online-friend.html

Yes, an aspirational prayer is a prayer to achieve something. So yes it’s like a prayer setting goals you want to achieve.

When chanting mantras, they should be chanted out loud, but very softly. Think of it like this, if there was someone sitting near you, they wouldn’t be able to hear the actual mantra you are chanting, they would just hear that you are saying something, but they wouldn’t know what. This is the same with any mantra during personal practice. The higher tantric deities are different. But in general, unless you have received initiation, this is how to chant mantras. They should be chanted softly so you are actually making the sound of the mantra but not so that it disturbs others. I hope this helps. Thanks.

Hello Jason,

Thank you for your message. Very sorry to read that you have been having such nightmares. There is no need to worry about these nightmares, you can take them as purification or simply your unconscious mind processing things in your sleep. Quite often the dreams we have are simply our minds working things out, but they appear as very strange and sometimes terrifying ways in our sleep. When you have such dreams, acknowledge the fact that you had them but then let them go, don’t think about them so much. You can think of it as purification, so be happy that you had the dream, instead of being scared or thinking you have done something wrong. Then continue on with your day and try not to think about them too much. Instead rejoice that you made such a promise and that you are fulfilling it every day when you recite the mantra.

Am I correct in assuming you are just reciting the mantra? Not any prayers or sadhanas of White Dzambala. Do you have any initiation into the practice or simply reciting the mantra? If you are just reciting the mantra, then there is no need to worry of having done anything wrong. You can keep reciting until you finish the mantra count. If you want to talk about this further, please email care@kechara.com and ask to be put in touch with a Pastor and inform them that you have already ask a question here.

If you still cannot let go of the feeling of being scared from the nightmares, then you can engage in Dharma Protector practice to help clear the obstacles and fear.

In general however, continue reciting the mantra. If you have an altar to White Mahakala, make offerings every day to the best of your ability and means. This will also be very helpful and generate a lot of merit for you. I sincerely rejoice for you for having made such a promise and your effort in completing the count. You have my prayers also that you will be able to go into a retreat. I hope this helps.