Dear Paco,

As one of the four heavenly guardian kings, Chenmizang or Virupaksha in Sanskrit, made strong aspirations during the time of the previous Buddha Kashyapa, and was subsequently born as the celestial guardian of the western direction during the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. He teaches the Dharma in his own realm and protects Buddhist practitioners. In his current form, his gaze is actually harmful to beings, therefore he holds a stupa in hands, which he looks at in order to not harm them.

Along with the other three heavenly guardian kings, Yulkhor Sun (Sanskrit: Dhritarashtra), Pak Kyepo (Sanskrit: Virudhaka) and Namtose (Vaishravana), he is commonly depicted as a protector in relation to the Refuge visualisation within the Gelug tradition. This carries over to visual depictions of the Guru Tree, in which they are portrayed underneath the main deities that are depicted.

In fact these four heavenly guardian kings are installed at the four directions, when a practitioner engages in long retreats to mark the boundaries and also to protect the practitioner from obstacles during their practice. This procedure is set out within the Lam Rim, or Stages of the Path, teachings, and can be found in the text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand.

His mantra is: OM BIRU PAKSHA YA SOHA. This mantra can be recited to create a connection with Chenmizang in order to assist you in your main Dharma practices. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Paco,

Thanks for the question. The mantra of Palden Lhamo is:

JO RAMO JO RAMO JO JO RAMO TUNJO KALA RACHENMO RAMO AJA DAJA TUNJO RULU RULU HUNG JO HUNG

This mantra can be recited without initiation.

Palden Lhamo is considered to be the wrathful emanation of the Buddha Saraswati. You can find more information about her history, iconograhy and practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/palden-lhamo.html. I hope this helps.

Dear Paco,

Kache Marpo’s mantra is ‘Om Shri Dharmapala’. You can read more about him in this blogpost and there’s also a praise by the 5th Dalai Lama here :- https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/who-is-kache-marpo.html
All the best to you.

Dear Deo Kumari Chhetri,

For beginners, it is always best to engage in our mantra recitations, prayers and pujas in a conducive environment where there is less distractions like our mobile phones, tv, music and people talking. We should only focus on our prayers, mantras, meditations and pujas and nothing else.

The second thing is that we can engage in simple breath meditations beforehand to calm our mind so we can focus better. There is a 9 round breath meditation that is being used in the Black Manjushri sadhana that we can follow to do this. You can find the 9 round breathing meditation instruction here – (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/a-black-manjushri-sadhana-self-healing-meditation-and-exercises.html) Naturally, you don’t have to do the Black Manjushri sadhana in order to engage in the breath meditation but still can if you want to. It’s up to you.

The third thing is not to close your eyes completely or to look down when you just had a heavy meal or when you are very sleepy. This will cause you to fall asleep. It is always best to look upwards above your eye level especially when you are very drowsy. If this does not help, it would be good to take a break and have coffee. This usually applies to those engage in deep meditational retreats. We should never fall asleep midway during mantras, meditations and prayers as this is a practice of awareness. I hope this little explanation helps you.

Dear Eli,

Good day to you. I hope this reply finds you well. All of us face rejection and what you had experienced is normal and this is just like what everybody experiences. The way to overcome rejection is to try again and again and find all ways (that do not harm or break the law) to turn the situation around. Successful people are not those who do not experience rejection but they are those that do not give up and is willing to go the extra mile to succeed.

If we have that attitude and have a little extra help from a Dharma Protector like Dorje Shugden, things can turn around quite easily. Here’s a simple prayer to Dorje Shugden you can recite daily and mantra to begin propitiating Dorje Shugden immediately ( https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/a-short-prayer-to-dorje-shugden.html ) The key to gaining the blessings and protection of any Dharma Protector is to recite his prayers and mantras daily and if possible, setting up a shrine to the protector if we do not already have a shrine to the Buddha. Doing all these creates the affinity and merit for Dorje Shugden to come to our aid quickly. All the best in your future endeavours and I hope this helps you.

Dear Lee,
It is not advisable to look towards mantras as a means to solve problems. It would be better to study the mind training teachings like 8 Verses of Thought Transformation, Wheel of Sharp Weapons and even the Lamrim. These are teachings that help us to transform our minds, become kinder and more receptive towards others and create less or ideally no harm towards others. If we practice these teachings and we combine with certain practices like Manjushri ( https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/all-about-manjushri.html ) or Lama Tsongkhapa ( https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/tsongkhapa ), our speech will be powerful to influence, comfort and aid others.

There is no mantra that helps friendship but Manjushri’s and Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice can help us to develop our speech and that in turn will aid our friendship. In your case, I would suggest you speak to your friend, it could be a far simpler issue that you think. I wish you all the best and I hope my little advice here is of some benefit to you.

Dear Ben,

Thank you for your question. Yes Tsem Rinpoche does have information on the Black Garuda practice. In fact Rinpoche gave a teaching on the practice in 2004, during the SARS epidemic as a form of spiritual protection from the disease as well as a practice that can you help overcome such diseases if you have them. The teaching was actually on two practices, the first being White Tara and the second being Black Garuda. Both of these practices were explained for the non-initiate, meaning that you do not need to have received the initiation of the practice in order to engage in it.

The teachings were taped in four parts. Links are below:

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glAeITjrVSg
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js2LnqfydNM
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbobnpa-BAU
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZTvqsZWSjc

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Dongho,

Thank you for your questions. In regards to knowing if you have received a life entrustment, in this life if you have received empowerments from a guru, then he or she would have told you what type it was. In the case of previous lives, only those who have some form of clairvoyant power or ability in divination would be able to tell you for certain.

That being said, the deities that you are attracted to in this life, means that you have an affinity with them from previous lives. Therefore, to feel more connected to Palden Lhamo, rather than any other protector is perfectly fine. Just as people have many dispositions, the enlightened beings emanated in various forms to suit those in need. If Palden Lhamo is more attractive to you than Dorje Shugden, that is perfectly fine but you should devote yourself wholeheartedly to her practice and go all the way with it. This ensures that you gain the most benefit from her sacred practice and she can help you along your spiritual path.

The crystal given during Dorje Shugden life entrustment, is known as ‘lado’, this acts as a reminder of the bond created with Dorje Shugden and also of the commitments one needs to keep in order to ensure this relationship stays strong.

As for chakras, there are actually two meanings. The first is the energy centres in the body, this is the convergence of physic channels at various points in the body. The second are protective amulets created during prayer and ritual that have various abilities. The chakra given out during Dorje Shugden life entrustment is one of these protective amulets create through the power of Dorje Shugden.

Mandalas on the other hand are the divine abode of the particular deity and include their retinue, who surround them. This is the same for the various meditational deities and protectors you have mentioned as they are enlightened beings. Therefore each has their own mandala that they reside. The mantras for these deities and protectors are their standard mantras:

Dorje Shugden: OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SOHA

Palden Lhamo: JO RAMO JO RAMO JO JO RAMO TUNJO KALA RACHENMO RAMO AJA DAJA TUNJO RULU RULU HUNG JO HUNG

Manjushri: OM AH RA BA TSA NA DHI

Saraswati: OM SARASIDDHI HRING HRING

Yamantaka: as this is a Highest Yoga Tantra practice, the mantra is not shared to those who have not received the appropriate empowerment.

I hope these answers help. Thank you.

Dear Tobias,

Thank you for your wonderful question. Of course this a possibility, as long as the administration of the particular monastery you are interested in agree to it. This is actually a very good attitude to have, especially towards the later part of your life, as you can immerse yourself in the practice of the Dharma.

However there are some questions you should ask yourself to make your resolve to do this stronger, such as what is your motivation for spending time at the monastery? and also how can you help the monastic community? After all, the Sangha are the one of the Three Jewels, so any services you provide for them, in any capacity, has great benefit for your spiritual path, as well as allowing practitioners of Dharma the ability to preserve and spread the teachings in the future. At the same time this becomes one of the most conducive environments for you to practice and learn Dharma to further your own spiritual path.

If you are not in a relationship, then you could even consider becoming a monk, if you would like. In fact there used to be a beautiful tradition in Tibet, where the elderly would take monastic ordination, and be supported by their families or even by their own spouses, since their family commitments had been fulfilled, and their children had grown up and had their own lives.

In any case, you should concentrate on understanding and living by the refuge vows and Bodhisattva vows, if you are not already. Doing this will create the causes for a speedy journey in the Dharma. You should also study the Lam Rim teachings. If possible I suggest you get a copy of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, available at major books shops that have a large section of Buddhist books or online here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand. Understanding and practicing these teachings will go a long way in helping you reach higher levels of spiritual attainment. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Harold Musetescu,

Yes, there is a text by Serkong Dorje Chang. You can find it in his sungbum.

Thank you

Dear Sipra,

I’m sorry to read that you are going through this fear and anxiety, and i can understand that it has been effecting your daily life. You should seek professional help as this fear and anxiety can worsen if you don’t get help and can deteriorate fast. Coupled with this, but by no means an alternative, you can engage in the daily practice of Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden, which you can find here: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/diamond-path-a-daily-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden

Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice is very well-known to calm the mind from depression, fear and anxiety so will be very beneficial for your situation. When engaging in the practice, please concentrate and focus on the mantra of Lama Tsongkhapa. Dorje Shugden’s practice on the other hand is very good for alleviating any obstacles we may be facing in life. Therefore, this may have to overcome the obstacles in life that are causing the fear and anxiety or even remove obstacles for professional help to be even more effective, so you can overcome your situation.

The cause of this situation may be deeply rooted, therefore i would like to advise you to do both methods, find professional help and engage in the daily practice. Coupled together they have a better chance of solving your situation, than by themselves. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Fluxor,

This is something that is a very difficult thing to do. If you have thought about this carefully and thoroughly, then you should do what feels right. However we must remember that the other person in the relationship may be reliant on you in some way. That being said, we can also hurt another person if we are not open and truthful about the situation. Instead we should go about the situation in the best possible manner to minimise harm and also to not create negative karma in the process, which is all too common when breaking up with someone, and this leads to more suffering in the future.

You know the person who you are in a relationship with the best, however the method which you have mentioned may not be the most appropriate course of action. Rather than doing this, you should sit down with your partner and talk about the situation in calmer manner. This is the better approach, if you want to do this. You do need to respect her as a person with her own feelings, and in order to do the right thing in this situation, you should do so face to face and calmly. Following the method that you described may cause even more pain. If you do it calmly, respecting and honouring her as someone who has their own feelings, you are doing your best given the situation.

Please remember that you don’t have to take monastic ordination in order to practice the Buddhist path. In fact within Kechara, Tsem Rinpoche has even started the tradition of lay pastors, who are lay people that have dedicated their lives to the practice of Dharma and the service of others. If you change your mind for any reason, Rinpoche has given a very good teaching on transforming a relationship to make it successful. You can find the video teaching here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/ingredients-for-a-successful-relationship.html. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Tashi,

As Dorje Yudronma and Tashi Tseringma are not enlightened protectors but worldly deities who have been subdued to protect the Dharma, their mantras and practices are not free available to all practitioners, according to the Gelug tradition (I am unsure if they are available freely in other traditions). Usually, to engage in these practices one must have first received empowerment into a yidam or meditational deity practice, after which one can request the spiritual teacher to teach the practice.

The functions of these protectors are also embodied in other protectors who are enlightened, and whose practices are readily available. As embodiments of enlightened beings, they can also help along the spiritual path to enlightenment rather than just providing material needs and removing obstacles. These include the various emanations of Dorje Shugden, for example Shize Dorje Shugden who is excellent for pacifying diseases and lengthening one’s life, just like Tashi Tseringma and the Long Life Sisters. However as an emanation of Manjushri, Shize can also grant beneficial imprints and help to overcome the inner obstacles of negative emotions and habituations that we all face in life.

Shiptak Gyene is a protector specific to the Gelugpa tradition. He was a layman who lived in Lhasa during the time of Lama Tsongkhapa. Whenever Lama Tsongkhapa would travel to Lhasa, Shiptak Gyene would be there, ready to serve Lama Tsongkhapa as best as he could and receive teachings on the Dharma. He was very devoted to Lama Tsongkhapa and arose a protector to help those with material needs if they are sincere pracitioners of the Dharma. As such, he holds a bowl of jewels to represent that he can aid pracitioners in this regard. You can see a picture of Shiptak Gyene here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/archive/deitypics/highres/Shiptak_Gyene.jpg.

The word ‘namo’ means ‘I prostrate’, hence when you add the word before the name of a Buddha or bodhisattva, it basically means that you are prostrating to that being. While this has tremendous effect, as you are verbalising the prostration towards an enlightened being and therefore generating some merit, it does not have the same effect as a mantra. This is because a mantra itself in the essence of that particular being, in the form of sound. If you repeat that mantra over and over again, you bring the energies associated with that particular enlightened being into your life. For example if you recite the Medicine Buddha mantra, you bring healing energies into your life. But if you only add ‘namo’ to the beginning of their name, you are simply making prostration. It would be much more beneficial to recite the proper mantra for the particular enlightenment being you are propitiating.

As for pimples, I have not come across a specific mantra for this in my own practice. However two very good mantras that you could recite are Black Manjushri or Hayagriva. These two deities are very well known for curing skin diseases of all types, and therefore may help in the situation. You can find out more about Black Manjushri practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/a-black-manjushri-sadhana-self-healing-meditation-and-exercises.html. The Hayagriva (a wrathful emanation of Chenresig) mantra is recited as: HRI PEMA DATRI HAYAGRIVA HULU HULU HUNG PHET.

For nearsightedness, you can engage in the practice of Migchey Chrenrezig, which is an excellent practice for those with eye problems. You can find it here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/blessing-eye-problems.html. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Angela Yo,

I rejoice to read that are thinking about become ordained as a nun. This is a very good aspiration to have and follows the example of the holy Buddha Shakyamuni. He showed us the way to make our life meaningful by becoming a Buddha to benefit others.

If you have not already done so, you should join a Dharma centre and find a guru. By following the advice of a qualified guru, you can train yourself to hold the ordination vows in the future. Here at Kechara, those who have the aspiration to become members of the holy sangha, first become a Pastor, which is in between a lay practitioner and an ordained monk or nun. This way, we can train ourselves to understand and live by the vows before become ordained. As ordination is very special and holy, it is better that we are prepared before we take the vows. This way we can make the most use of holding the sacred vows on our spiritual journey to enlightenment.

As you engage along this path, first you should study and understand the most basic of vows, which are the refuge vows. All other vows, whether ordination, bodhisattva or tantric vows are based on the refuge vows, and the keeping of these vows are the root cause of gaining enlightenment. In fact, all other vows are extensions of these vows. Therefore it is very important that we have a firm basis for our practice by understanding and living by these vows properly.

As you progress on your practice, you can learn the teachings such as the 50 Verses of Guru Devotion, the Lam Rim and the Wheel of Sharp Weapons. All these teachings will aid you on the path to become an ordained nun in the future.

If this is truly your wish, then during your daily practices you should make strong aspirational prayers that you are able to fulfil this. At the same time you should create the causes for this to occur. The way to do this is by supporting the sangha, you can do this by making any form of dana offering to them, from food, clothing, material assistance or anything else that they would need your help with. While doing this, you should generate the strong aspiration that you can become a member of the sangha. As the sangha are one of the Three Jewels, any offerings that you make to them, especially in terms of your time and effort, will generate a lot of merit because they are holding the holy vows. I hope this helps, and I make the prayer that your auspicious aspiration is fulfilled, that you make your life meaningful by holding the vows of an ordained nun.

Thank you.

Dear Demian,

Thank you for your question. Concentration during one’s daily prayers is an important factor. Within Buddhism, we believe that there are three ways in which a person interacts with the world, these are the body, speech and mind. In order to receive the full benefit of the practice you engage in, you should ensure that all three of these are used. For the body, this is by sitting down to engage in your daily practice without getting distracted. The best posture for this is the meditation position known as the seven-point Vairochana position, this is described in detail in the text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. For your speech, you engage in reciting the prayers and the mantra recitation. And for the mind, you concentrate in the various visualisations associated with the practice you are engaging in.

Even though you have been praying without the use of concentration, it has still been effective since Saraswati is an enlightened being. She has full compassion, and will definitely bestow her energies and love to those who invoke upon her with a pure heart and good motivation. However, if you do concentrate on both your visualisation and the mantra recitation, the practice will be more effective and you will see a heightened improvement in your life.

In regards to the visualisation of Saraswati according to the praise by Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, this actually belongs to the practice of another lineage, therefore I cannot comment on its validity, as I don’t belong to the lineage to have studied its origins and how it differs from the praise presented here on Rinpoche’s blog. That being said, each lineage has its own version of the visualisation of deities, and this in inherently linked to the particular praise. Therefore if you were to recite one particular praise or practice, you should keep the visualisation to the one that corresponds with it.

The 8 offerings can be placed on the altar as physical offerings, but should also be visualised. The reason why we place the actually offerings on the altar is to make a physical offering with our body, as well as a reminder that we make these offerings during our visualisations. If you are not able to make the physical offerings on your altar for whatever reason, this is ok. However you should try your best to have these offerings since it is a way for you to generate merit. The last offering of sound, is usually represented by the conch shell but can be anything that resembles sound, such as any instrument. For example, I know people who represent sound with a miniature flute or even a miniature guitar on their altars.

In regards to the Nam Myoho Renge Khyo mantra, this is central to all forms of Nichiren Buddhism, which developed in Japan but is now practiced all over the world. It is said this mantra embodies the entire Lotus Sutra, which in itself explains what enlightenment is and the path to reach enlightenment, following Nichiren’s particular practice. Therefore this mantra is all encompassing, and central to the Nichiren tradition. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Anonymous,

You seem to have fallen into a common misconception in regards to tantric practice. The first is that you seem to be mixing different tantric traditions, the Buddhist practice of tantra and secondly, what is classified as ‘tantra’ within a misunderstanding of various Indian practices surrounding copulation. Buddhist tantra is not straight or gay per se, but uses male and female imagery in order to represent various energies in the body.

In regards to tantric practice, it is not the actual act of copulation that leads to enlightenment but the movement of the psychic winds or energies in the body that the act can induce, and the various mediations to do with these energies in the body.

The Buddha taught these practices himself, in various forms, such as Vajradhara. While it may seem to the casual observer that this does not accord to prevalent Buddhist practice, it is actually based on the Mahayana tenets and is a part of the Mahayana school.

In regards to different lineages having different practices for the same deity, actually this is important. The reason for is that the blessings of the enlightened beings, and therefore the power of the teaching to be successful in leading to higher states of mind and ultimately enlightenment, flows through the unbroken lineage that exists between a teacher and student. Over time, as various enlightened teachers clarified the tantras, there developed a variation in how the tantra was practiced between different traditions. Therefore a practitioner of lineage A, would not practice as described in lineage B, because that practitioner would not have received the teachings or blessings of the lineage B. This may sound odd, but in fact adheres to all other Buddhist practices regarding vows. For example, in Mahayana monastic ordination there are three traditions: Mahasamgika, Dharmagupta and Sarvastivadin. Those who have taken ordination in the Dharmagupta tradition would not practice the vinaya, study the commentaries, etc. according to the Sarvastivadin, as they would have received the living vows from the Dharmagupta tradition. The vows and blessings, and practice, would need an unbroken link back to Buddha Shakyamuni to be authentic Buddhist ordination vows. Therefore not mixing traditions, is something that is extremely important, not only in tantric practice but for all practices, such as the pratimoksha vows.

The next question you asked is about desire, and what desiring to look at a sunset would cause. While on the outer level this desire seems simple and does not involve harm towards others, therefore will not accrue heavy negative karma, this simple desire reinforces your suffering on the subtle levels in the mind. This is because it reinforces our ignorance of the very nature of reality. Our desire to see a sunset is due our mistaken concept of the non-existent ‘I’ wanting something. This ‘I’ does not in fact exist in the manner we think about or operate from. This was the crux of Buddha’s teaching and when you realise this, you are said to have realised the emptiness of non-inherent existence.

Guru Rinpoche did not have four consorts, but five. They are named Yeshe Tsogyal, Mandarava, Shakyadevi, Kalasiddhi and Tashi Khyidren. He in no way used these holy consorts, who were emanations of the enlightened beings, as prostitutes. In fact they aided him in his enlightened works to preserve and spread the Dharma, while compassionately helping others. They showed that any type of person can achieve the enlightened state. On another note, what you class as holy, and what is actually holy are two different things. Here you use the word prostitute with an extremely negative connotation, but this shows that you have not understood the Buddha’s message of love and compassion, and the same equal ability that we all have to achieve enlightenment, no matter who we are.

In regards to the iconography of Ganapati, you are disgusted because a) you do not understand the meaning behind the iconography and b) because you are caught up in your own preconceived notions of what is good and bad, which the Buddha advised against as you will not understand the true nature of reality and ultimately attain enlightenment. Perhaps from your culture, this sort of deity is not worshipped, but in many cultures around the world, especially the older ones, this sort of imagery is not uncommon.

Vajrayana is in no way ‘messed up’ as you have put it. In fact it is because people do not take the time to understand it before passing judgement, and based on their mistaken concepts, that it is judged exactly as you have judged it. By the way, Vajrayogini is a form of Buddha Shakyamuni himself. To say that Buddha Shakyamuni would never arise in such a form, or teach such a practice is to limit the compassion of an enlightened being. You cannot possibly ascribe your own views onto a being that has limitless compassion and is ready to help all sentient beings in any number of ways.

As I mentioned earlier, Vajrayana is based on the Mahayana school, which is necessarily based on the Theravada school. Therefore you cannot possibly say that one is better than the other. Within the Mahayana school, the Vajrayana path is said to expedite the spiritual journey to enlightenment, but attacking and using the afflictive emotions that bind us to samsara. This is one of the reasons that tantric imagery is full of what can be mistakenly labeled as desire, violence, etc. You state that these other schools have vows, but what you forget is that tantra is based on these very same vows. Whilst Mahayana practitioners take the refuge and bodhisattva vows, tantric practice is even stricter as there is another entire set of vows that one needs to keep in addition to those previously mentioned.

In fact the use of physical consort is not necessary in tantric practice to achieve enlightenment in this life. You can visual a consort (ideal for monastics who practice tantra) or achieve the same exact movement of the winds through the practice of inner heat meditation. In fact, engaging in physical consort practice is restricted to those who are not monastics, and who have received the appropriate Highest Yoga Tantra initiation, and who are of the sharpest intellect with an excellent understand of the sutric path and who have practiced it, and who are known to have meditative stabilization and control over their desire. If these requirements are not met, the practice rather than being beneficial on the spiritual path, will deteriorate and bind the person further to samsara. This is one of the reasons that tantric practice is kept secret, even though it has the potential to lead a practitioner to enlightenment, it also has the potential to bind a person further to samsara. That is the reason why the teachings are not freely given.

Lama Tsongkhapa the founder of the Gelugpa lineage, himself a very holy monk and master of sutra, was also a very accomplished tantric practitioner. He advocated for the monastic community to adhere to their vows, so was against engaging in tantra using a physical consort for non-lay practitioners. Instead he focused on the other methods of achieving the same results. Therefore your statement that the other schools are better than Vajrayana is somewhat mistaken.

Both enlightened beings and non-enlightened beings have mantras. I’m not sure where you read that only enlightened beings have mantras. However, if the statement is amended, then it becomes true – only enlightened beings have mantras that can bring you to enlightenment yourself. Unenlightened beings have mantras that are used to invoke their energies for other aspects of life, such as bringing material resources for survival and sustenance, or for clearing obstacles for the actual practice of the Buddha’s teachings. I hope this clarified any misunderstanding you may have had. Thank you.

Dear Demian,

Thank you for your question. Buddhist practice is not about keeping oneself spiritual ‘pure’, but is more about doing good things and lessening bad actions. The transformation in daily life revolves around two things, as does the path to ultimate enlightenment. This is the development of both compassion and wisdom. When you engage in these two, you necessarily purify negative karma that you have accumulated and generate good karma or merits at the same time.

To do this, one follows the path of the Dharma, coupled with deity practices. The emphasis here is not on deity practice (although it is an integral part), but actual transformation in one’s life. It can be boiled down to this: helps others and learn more. When we make this real transformation in life, and face whatever challenges that may come our way (as they are the results of our negative karma), we become spiritually ‘pure’.

This path of transformation is set out in the book called Liberation in the Palm of Your Hands, which you can find at book shops that have a large section on Buddhism, otherwise it is available online here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand. This book is a little technical for beginners, so a more accessible option would be the book called Joyful Path to Good Fortune, which is a simplified version.

Two very powerful practices that you can engage in everyday, coupled with the transformation mentioned above, are Vajrasattva (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=60113) and the 35 Confessional Buddhas (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=105819), to purify the negative karma you collect on a daily basis and whatever negative karma you have collected in the past. You do not need to engage in both, but concentrate on one.

When on the Buddhist path, you should follow one teacher and one tradition. This is to ensure you do not have a misunderstanding of the teachings and do not get confused. Therefore you should choose which teacher/teachings to follow. The link you have provided to the Saraswati practice belongs to another tradition, one that I have not studied, and neither am I familiar with it. Therefore I cannot possibly comment on it. However, in Buddhist practice, all authentic lineages must trace back to the Buddha or other enlightened beings. You should do some research to make sure that the practice does indeed trace back to the enlightened beings and is therefore an authentic practice. Rather than practice too many things, you should research yourself and then choose a tradition/lineage to follow all the way until you are enlightened. I hope this helps.

Thank you.