Dear Hing,

Thank you for your interesting question. Kapala’s are ceremonial skull-cups used to hold offerings during tantric rituals to the various Buddha deities and Dharma protectors. The consecrated liquid inside a kapala is known as the ‘inner offering’. It is consecrated through meditation, transforming it into a special substances used as an offering. Generally speaking the kapala used in ritual is a symbolic support for various visualisations and meditations in the tantric path. Most commonly, only one kapala is used.

A men-rak kapala is actually a set of two kapalas. In some traditions and lineages the use of a kapala may differ within the same ritual, therefore two are required instead of one. The ‘men kapala’ symbolises nectar and is representative of the male energies and compassion, whereas the ‘rakta kapala’ symbolises blood and is representative of female energies and wisdom. The substances used in each kapala differ, as do the pills that are put into them before consecration. During the ceremony, the inner offering from each will be used at different times for different purposes. If you are sitting at your puja table, the men kapala would be placed on the right side, while the rakta kapala would be placed on your left side. When both the men and rakta kapalas are mentioned in a pair, they are known as a ‘men-rak kapala’ set. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Hello,

Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear about your situation, but I am happy to read that you are pursuing a career in medicine. This will help alleviate a lot of people’s suffering if you go all the way with your plans.

In regards to your situation, I understand that it is a difficult one. If I may, there are two suggestions that I would like to offer you. The first is to complete your premed course, and then find a job, earn enough money to pay back your debt and then continue on to the medical school of your choice. The second, is to see if you can support yourself financially and pay back your debt, while you are at the medical school of your choice. You should contact them and ask them if this is a possibility. These are just some suggestions. You should think about the situation clearly and then start finding various ways that could help the situation.

While you are doing this you can engage in the practice of a Dharma protector such as Dorje Shugden. Dharma protectors help to alleviate problems we may be facing so that we can pursue virtuous work, such as spiritual transformation or in your case, studying medicine. If done with a very good motivation, and we put effort into our work, then it will have a very beneficial impact in your life. You can find information about the practice here: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/diamond-path-a-daily-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden.

As you are studying medicine, you can also pray to Medicine Buddha, who is a very well-known healing Buddha. His energy will support your studies and when you have finished getting your qualifications, will help to ensure that your diagnosis and treatments are successful in healing the patient’s disease: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/medicine-buddha-practice.html. I hope this helps.

Dear David,

Thank you for your question. The meaning of the word ‘chintau’ may be ‘wish-fulfilling’. That being said I am not 100% sure, as the main Shize mantras used in Kechara are ‘OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SHANTI SIDDHI HUNG’ and ‘OM BENZA WIKI BITANA AYU SIDDHI HUNG’. Therefore I have not studied the meaning of the third variation of the Shize mantra in details to give you an extensive definition. Thank you.

Dear Sameer,

I’m sorry to hear that your friend’s sister is suffering from Schizophrenia. The best course of action here would be to try and persuade her back to taking the medications she was prescribed, and make her understand, in a loving way, that even though she thought she had felt ok for a while, it was because the medications were working, however for this recovery to continue, she needs to be taking the medication. You should consult a qualified psychologist, if you have not already done so.

From a Buddhist perspective, all situations we go through in life is due to karma created either earlier in this life or from countless previous lives. Depending on how powerful this karma is, certain pujas and practices can be beneficial, but only if we put in the effort into improving the situation ourselves.

You can certainly engage in pujas that can help, but the energies of the enlightened beings need to flow through into our lives, and this is done through our own efforts. Therefore the pujas will definitely work as long as there is active effort in improving her situation and following the advice of qualified medical professionals in her treatment.

Pujas that you can engage in and dedicate to your friend include Dorje Shugden (to remove obstacles in her treatment, you can sponsor here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/dorje-shugden-wishfulfilling-puja-fund), Medicine Buddha puja (to help the effectiveness of treatment, available to sponsor here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/medicine-buddha-puja-fund), alternatively you can have a Guru Puja performed (to create an immense force of merit for your friend, http://www.vajrasecrets.com/lama-chopa-puja-fund). These are all pujas you can have sponsored for your friend to help the situation.

Alternative, you yourself can engage in the daily practice of any deity and dedicate the merits from the practice to your friend. The best thing however, would be for your friend to engage in practices herself if she is willing to. This will benefit her spiritually and help to alleviate obstacles she is facing. One such practice she can engage in is Shize (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/shize-a-practice-for-healing-and-long-life.html), who is the peaceful and healing form of Dorje Shugden. The other I can recommend is Medicine Buddha (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/medicine-buddha-practice.html). I hope this helps.

Dear Tom,

Thank you for your question. A monk within the Buddhist tradition is called a Bhikshu in Sanskrit, this work roughly translates as ‘one who begs’. Therefore their means of physical survival depends on receiving sponsorship from others. While the central scripture of the monastic vows is known as the Pratimoksha Sutra, there are many other scriptures and commentaries in the Vinaya basket of teachings.
The vows you are referring to, actually state that a monk should not accept money themselves. In the past, monks had lay attendants who took care of their needs, or if they were in the monastery, their needs would be taken care of by the collective sangha. These days, this may not always be possible, therefore monks would need to take care of their own needs. This would necessarily include asking for sponsorship on an individual basis.

In regards to donating to individual monks, this is actually allowed, as long as the sponsor is willing to do so and the money is spent on something that is positive for the monk, and not something that would contradict his vows.

Leaving aside the topic of survival through materials needs, such as food, robes, shelter, etc. There are other areas in which a monk may ask for donations towards a specific project. For example, if the monk is helping in the construction of a monastic building, and asks for sponsorship, it is very good to give, because this will benefit people. If the monk requests for sponsorship towards Dharma items, such as printing of scriptures or making of Buddha statues, this is also a beneficial act. If a monk is travelling for Dharma purposes, this is also a good event to sponsor, since people will benefit from it.
That being said, the monk asking for sponsorship should be extremely humble when asking and should not be demand and persisting. They should follow the Vinaya rules well, to the best of their ability. If they are demanding this for their own personal trip, for non-Dharma purposes or for a reason that directly contradicts the monastic precepts, this is not in accord with the Dharma. If a monk asks or demands specific gifts from a sponsor, or asks for sponsorship which the sponsor originally intended for the sangha community at large, this contradicts the vows you have mentioned. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Ashwajeet Gawai,

Thank you for your question. Since you are working, this would mean you have less time, therefore cannot finish your studies. In this case from a practical point of view if you lessen the time that you are working then you could spend more time on studying.

However, I am not aware of your situation, so you may require the money you make working to pay for your studies. In this case you may have two options, the first is to talk to your boss and explain your situation. Your boss may be open to shortening the time that you work so that you can study. You will never know unless you ask, and there is no harm in doing so. You should not be afraid to do this. The second option, if you need the money to complete your studies, is to work and save up your money to pay for your education.

Any situation in life that we face depends on our karma collected from earlier in this life and also from countless previous lives. Therefore the only way to improve our situation is to engage in actions that purify our negative karma. These include positive actions that benefit others and also engaging in spiritual purification practices such as Vajrasattva’s mantra (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/an-important-purification-practice.html) recitation or the 35 Confessional Buddhas (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-35-confessional-buddhas.html).

Since you are studying, you can engage in the practice of Manjushri, the Buddha of wisdom. This practice will aid you greatly in helping with studies and increasing your wisdom (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/all-about-manjushri.html).

If you are facing difficulties and obstacles, you can also engage in the practice of Dorje Shugden. Since you are both working and studying I would suggest the practice of Gyenze, which is the ‘increase’ form of Dorje Shugden (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/dorje-shugden-gyenze-to-increase-life-merits-and-wealth.html). This practice not only increases you wealth, health and merits, but because Dorje Shugden is the emanation of Manjushri, you also have the added benefit of the indirect increase of your wisdom as well.

Have a read through the various practices, and if you would like to, please start engaging in one of them. It is not necessary for you to engage in all of them, just one. They are all extremely beneficial but you should only concentrate on one particular practice, whichever you find that you have the most affinity to, the one you like the most.

Any of these practices will help you in your situation, if you develop enough faith in the practice, and the enlightened beings. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Sherab,

Thank you for your questions. I’ve posted about the 5 Dhyani Buddhas, their consorts and associated elements as answers to questions that I believe you have seen. The reasons why there can be discrepancies is due to differences in practices. The 5 Dhyani buddhas as actually very important in Highest Yoga Tantra (HYT) systems, and as the way the teachings or path differs between the HYT systems, there are can also be slight differences in the deities and their associated elements. It depends on the system a person is referencing. In general, the list that I had provided is the standard.

The 5 Dhyani Buddhas are not associated with an individual sect, but all of them. They exist in all Tibetan Buddhist traditions, especially in the practice of tantra. As tantric practice is kept private, that might be a reason why you may not have come across them before, apart from Amitabha whose practice is well known.

In regards to concentrating on one particular practice, this is advisable. There is an old saying from Tibet, that Tibetans practice so many deities but do not achieve the realisations of any, whereas in ancient India, they concentrated on one deity practice and they achieved the realisations of all the deities. If we concentrate on one particular deity strongly, we create a very strong connection with them, that allows their enlightened energy to flow into our lives. There is nothing wrong with praying to all these Buddhas, but you should focus on one strongly. Similtaneously, you can engage in the practice of a Dharma protector, such as a Dorje Shugden. This is because a Dharma protector has the special benefit of ensuring you have the necessary material and spiritual resources to concentrate on you main practice, thereby increasing the enlightened energy and benefits in your life. I hope this helps. Please do ask more if you need clarification.

Thank you.

Dear Anonymous 1,
There is no mantra that will bring samsaric love. However, there are a lot of mantras than can help you to generate loving kindness towards all beings and that includes the person you said you love such as Chenrezig’s mantra – Om Mani Padme Hum, Migtsema and so forth. However, I think that the root of the problem lies not in a mantra but in the actual reason why you fell out of love.

It could be because you realize something of her past or her character that you didn’t like or that you had grown tired of her company? Whatever is the reason, it does not really matter. It will be more important to examine your reasons for loving her and see if things can be made to work out. I hope this helps you.

Dear Bazir,

Thank you for your question. Within Buddhism there is a strong belief in varying levels of spiritual achievement, ranging all the way to complete enlightenment, which is outside of samsaric or cyclic existence. There are many such ways of categorising such spiritual progress, one of these is the ten-level system of the Bodhisattva. Beings on these levels necessarily help and assist beings in their own spiritual journeys. This mirrors the belief that ascended masters also help people in their spiritual journeys.

Since these systems of differing spiritual levels exist within Buddhism, beings such as the ascended masters may very well exist. However, it is difficult to tell with any degree of certainty for two reasons. The first is that the theory of ascended masters is based on the western Theosophy teachings. How the ascended masters are described in these teachings do not have a direct counterpart from a Buddhist perspective, as they are based on two very different perspectives of reality, existence and divinity. Secondly, in Buddhism it is believed that only beings of the same level can judge the spiritual attainments of another being of the same level or lower. Unfortunately, I am not highly attained, therefore I cannot judge another being even slightly more spiritually attained than myself. However, you can judge the actions of the ascended masters, if they are beneficial, harmful or neutral. If they are beneficial, than that is ok, but if neutral or bad we should try not to associate with them, as such beings can drag us down in our spiritual journey.

On another note, here is a list of 84 Mahasiddhas, who represent all those beings who attained a direct realisation of the Buddha’s teachings. You may find their stories interesting: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajradhara-and-84-mahasiddhas.html.

I hope this helps.

Dear Lhamo,
You have a lot of questions and it will be answered one-by-one.

Whenever I’m chanting or meditating, I often have this goosebumps feeling as though something is rising out of me and there is a presence. Is this normal?
– When we engage in our chanting and meditations, ethereal beings like spirits would sometimes be attracted to the energy and this is normal as they are everywhere. As long as we hold our vows and commitments as Buddhist, the spirits would not be able to harm us. In fact, we can even bless them by the recitation of our mantras especially if we generate compassion for them. Just getting goosebumps does not necessarily mean there is presence but there is a high chance it might be one. Whatever it is, it is not necessary to focus on this

I found a website on Vajrakilaya, and his mantras. Are these correct?
– We belong to the Gelug tradition and we are unfamiliar with the mantras and practices of the Nyingma tradition. You could write in to the site to ask for the source of their prayers and mantras. If it is from a lama or tulku that is reputable in the Nyingma lineage, then it should be alright.

When visualizing our consciousness rising out of our body, do we have to visualize Amitayus or can we visualize other Buddhas like Guru Rinpoche?
– It is not clear what practice or meditation you are referring to with this question. Generally, visualizing the yidam and our lama as one is one of the most effective method to tap into the blessings of the yidam.

When there is a mantra to reveal past, present, and future, is it to be recited while scrying or through dreams?
– If you are talking about developing clairvoyance, Kyabje Gangchen Rinpoche who is one of Tsem Rinpoche’s teachers said that one can develop it with any forms of Manjushri. That means we have to engage in its retreat of 100,000 at the very least and it would be preferable to receive the initiation prior to engaging in deep retreats of the yidam.

Does this mean that nearly all the deities like Dhumavati, Kali, Brahma, Vishnu, and so on are Buddhas? Is Siddhartha Gautama(aka. Shakyamuni Buddha) an incarnation of Vishnu? – No, the yidams are enlightened beings that take on the form that is similar to worldly deities but their nature is vastly different. If we rely on enlightened beings, they can lead us directly and indirectly to enlightenment while worldly beings can benefit us but they are unable to bring us to enlightenment because they are not enlightened themselves.

As for the Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddhists do not believed him to be an incarnation of a God. He is merely a man who have discovered the truth and became the awakened one. In fact, the Buddha was asked if he was a god and he said no. He is merely awakened.

Is Kali really the mother of the universe? According to this video, it debunks Abrahamic religions and claims that Kali is the mother – In Buddhism, we do not believe in a creator being who created the universe. We believe it is our karma the result of our previous actions that creating our current existence and experience.

Is Vajrayogini the goddess Chinnamasta? In one of the articles here, it showed Vajrayogini to be an identical figure to the Hindu goddess Chinnamasta.
– Yes, one form of Vajrayogini is the headless Vajrayogini or Chinnamasta. Somehow, her form was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon just like how Buddha Shakyamuni was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon as well.

Why would a person sacrifice their own flesh to deities and demons in Chod practice?
– This is tantric visualization and it is purely symbolic in nature. We sacrifice our body because it symbolize our greatest attachment and self-grasping, which is the self-cherishing ‘I’ and it is the source of all our delusions and sufferings. Chod practice directly counters this deep seated self-cherishing ‘I’ by offering our body up as an offering to nourish deities and demons. This offering is done by visualization to purify karma and accumulate tremendous amounts of merits. There is more to this and you need to receive the initiation and read the commentary to know the full meaning but what is explained here is just the general meaning. Hope these answers helped you. Thank you.

Dear Thorim,

Thank you for your question, it is good to see you again here. You are very keen on developing compassion which is very beneficial and will take you a long way on your spiritual journey.

In the Lam Rim, or graduated stages of the path to enlightenment, teachings there are listed many ways to develop compassion. When we engage on meditations such as Tonglen or the sadhana of Chenresig, we may find that we do not feel like we are generating compassion. In this case, what we can do is employ the meditations as listed in the Lam Rim to supplement these, which will definitely see compassion arise in your mind if engaged in properly.

In the text entitled Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, Pabongka Rinpoche explains the path to enlightenment step by step. In fact this text is an experiential handbook that leads to enlightenment. It is important to note, that these instructions are to be practiced in sequence. Therefore if you have not already been practising or meditating on the earlier instructions, then the development of compassion will not come easily. Therefore one should start from the beginning of the path to enlightenment, or continually reinforce the earlier points in order to build a strong understanding and practice the higher aspects of the path.

In the chapters entitled Day 16 and Day 17, two particular meditation methods are listed to aid in the development of compassion. These are (1) developing compassion through the cause-and-effect instruction and (2) the seven-point mind training. These two methods heighten the development of compassion because one is able to meditate and contemplate on compassion on deeper levels. I’ll highlight some of the points of these two methods below.

Developing compassion through the cause-and-effect instruction.
This was the meditation that masters such as Archarya Chandakirti, Chandragomin, Shantarakshita used to develop compassion. In this system there are eight sections to this, which are followed in sequence in order to develop compassion:

1. Immeasurable equanimity
2. Understanding all sentient beings to be your mother
3. Remembering their kindness
4. Repaying their kindness
5. Love through the force of attraction
6. Compassion
7. Altruism
8. Bodichitta.

The seven point mind-training
This is another powerful meditation technique and was the system used by the great Shantideva. If follows a system of seven instructions:

1. Preliminaries on which the instructions depend
2. Training the mind on Bodhicitta
3. Converting unfortunate circumstances into a path to enlightenment
4. A practice to be applied for the whole of our lives
5. The criteria of having trained the mind
6. Commitments of mind-training practice
7. Advice for the mind-training practice

Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand explains both these methods in detail and even describes a method to merge both teachings together so they are more effective. You should read more about these techniques as they are definitely needed in combination to what you have been doing already for compassion to arise. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Tom,

Thank you for asking such an interesting question. As you may know, the mind ‘rides’ on the various ‘winds’ or psychic energies within our bodies. During waking states these winds circulate throughout our bodies but are most active near our sense organs, and form what is known as the various sense awarenesses. Therefore, rather than where the mind abides during sleep, it is more the question with what sort of mind that sleeping is, because our mind pervades our whole being, apart from at the time of death, which it gathers at the heart chakra before leaving the body.

On a deeper level sleep is actually the physical and subtle manifestation of our delusion called dullness and it imprints. This delusion and imprints serves the function of drawing the multiple sense awareness inwards, allowing the body time to rest and harmonises the elements within the body. This leads to a rejuvenated existence and prolongs our lives.

Sleep is a subtle mind, and as such when it becomes manifest daily in our lives, the gross (waking) minds become non-manifest. It is because of this that the various sense awareness become non-manifest as well.

For normal practitioners, attachment to sleep can lead to laziness, but for a practitioner of tantra and sleep yoga, they can use this time sleep to meditate and gain high spiritual attainments. In fact within tantric practice, sleep, dreaming and the waking states relate to the process of death, bardo or intermediate state and rebirth. Sleep similar to death, dreaming is similar to the bardo and waking states are similar to rebirth. These three states are therefore used by a tantric practitioner to understand the process of existence within samsara and overcome it. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Demian,

Thank you for your questions. I have answered your questions below:

The mantra of: OM BENZA WIKI BITANA SHATROO MARAYA PHET is a general mantra of Dorje Shugden. It is mantra for destroying enemies. ‘Enemies’ here is not actually referring to an outer being but rather our inner enemies, which is our karma/delusions and also the negative circumstances they cause.

As for the mantra of Wangze, H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche has taught that the mantra is recited OM BENZA WIKI BITANA WANGSHA GURU OM. You can find this in the Wangze blogpost here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dorje-shugden-wangze-for-power-and-influence.html.

In regards to the mandala of Dorje Shugden, Setrap is above Dorje Shugden and the other deities. He is together with his entire entourage, and above Setrap is Buddha Amitabha. As for the entourage of the primary emanations, their entourage surrounds them. Kache Marpo and Namkha Barzin, are just outside of the main mandala. Kache Marpo would have the Methar and Shangmo Dorje Putri (one of the Bamo Sum) as part of his entourage that surrounds him. You can see a short video about the Mandala here:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dorje-shugden-teaching-videos.html#teach07 (note it does not talk about Methar and Shangmo Dorje Putri, who in Kache Marpo’s entourage).

The elements associated with the consorts of the 5 Dhyani Buddhas conforms to the Dhyani Buddhas themselves. See below:

Buddha Vairocana – Consort Dharmadhatvishvari – Space element.
Buddha Akshobya – Consort Lochana – Water element.
Buddha Amitabha – Consort Pandara – Fire element
Buddha Ratnasambhava – Consort Mamaki – Earth element.
Buddha Amoghasiddhi – Consort Tara – Air element.

Today the Ask the Pastors section is being answered by Pastor Niral Patel.

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear VV,

It’s our pleasure to share what knowledge we have. Once again your questions are very interesting. You are correct, but there are some very subtle points that I have attempted to clarify below.

1. Prophecies which are high probability forecasts made by enlightened beings who see all cause and effect (have clairvoyance).

Yes, this is the case, however it is more than high probability. Rather it is what will actually happen if a person’s karma is not changed. The prophecies, through the enlightened masters’ clairvoyance, is based on the current karma of either the person, group or time. Therefore it will definitely happen unless this karma is purified or the power of merits a person generates can overpower that karma until it is purified.

2. Prophecies regarding the appearances of enlightened beings who are beyond karma and are hence also beyond cause and effect.

Taking the example of the prophecies surrounding the 1,000 ‘wheel-turning’ Buddhas of this aeon, these Buddhas will definitely appear. However it is more subtle that what you have described. The reason why there is a list of 1,000 Buddhas is due to the collective karma of sentient beings who will inhabit the earth. This karma only allows 1,000 ‘wheel-turning’ Buddhas to appear in this aeon. The Buddhas themselves are not powerless to manifest, however it is the karma and merits of sentient beings of this aeon that limits the number to 1,000. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Dongho,

Thank you for your interesting questions.

In regards to Tara images not needing blessings, this is because her form and her practice are extremely potent. Buddhas, since they are all completely enlightened beings, are equal to each other. The fact that Tara images are already blessed was explained by Kyabje Zong Rinpoche, who was a very strong practitioner of Tara. The Buddhas are always present when we invoke them or create their images, but our karma can block them from abiding strongly within an image. In fact it is said that un-consecrated statues can house spirits instead. Therefore it is advisable to ensure this does not happen and is done so through the act of consecration. One of the reasons why Tara images are already blessed is that her practice is so potent and beneficial in our day and age (due to our collective karma) that she abides in them since they are created. Tara has played a very important role in the development of Buddhism over the centuries. There are many Tara statues that are known to speak and bestow tremendous help and blessings. In fact there are many enlightened masters of the past who have had visions of Tara or who Tara would speak to. These include the great Lama Atisha of India who was the forefather of the Kadampa lineage, which eventually became the Gelugpa lineage, and Takpu Gargyi Wangchuk who travelled to Potala pure land, met Tara herself and brought back the Cittamani Tara cycle of Highest Yoga Tantra teachings.

In relation to cow dung, in the case you have mentioned from the Golden Light Sutra’s chapter on Saraswati, the mandala is drawn from cow dung. Cow products have had a very long history of ritual use in India. I am sure you know that Buddhism originated in the Indian subcontinent. There are certain substances that come from cows that are considered ritually ‘clean’ substances, and one of these is cow dung. As Buddhism had to take on cultural aspects, this is how the Dharma was manifested by the enlightened beings. In order to make the Dharma acceptable in India, the Buddhas manifested techniques that were suitable to the people of that time. As for if there is a substitute, you would have to consult a guru who has the lineage of Sarawati practice according to the Golden Light Sutra.

This section of tsemrinpoche.com is answered by a group of Pastors, today it is Pastor Niral Patel that is answering.

As for singing mantras and prayers, like Imee Ooi does, this is not sinful. The reason why singing itself is generally considered negative is because it does not fulfil any virtuous purpose. In fact certain types of songs, such as love songs, can actually be negative as it can increase a person’s attachment. The singing of mantras and prayers however is something that is virtuous, as it spreads the vibrations of the mantra in the area that it is heard. In fact when mantras and prayers are chanted in the monasteries, they adhere to certain melodies and tunes that they chant in. The singing of mantras and prayers therefore is a virtuous activity.

As for Avalokitesvara, since he is the manifestation of the compassion of all the Buddhas he has always existed, it is simply that he manifested in the forms known today within this particular aeon. In regards to the bodies we take, this is due to karma from previous lives. Those lives in turn were dependent on karma from previous lives, and so it goes on and on. That is why there is the term ‘countless lives’ in Buddhism.

Buddhas are not bound again to karma as they transcend existence completely. I think here you are referring to the period in which the universe forms again, this is still within existence. The state of enlightenment is completely removed from this cycle of existence, destruction, empty space, existence, destruction, etc. Anything within this cycle is necessarily bound to karma. But the state of nirvana is not in this cycle. The ‘ultimate form’ of the Buddhas is called the Dharmakaya, and in fact has no form because it exists outside of samsaric existence. ‘Forms’ only exist within samsara.

Nothingness or emptiness is not meditating in the dark or thinking that nothing exists. It is to do with our perception or wrong view about the nature of reality. No sound, no taste, no feeling extra does not mean that they do not exist, but they do not exist in the manner we think they do or relate to them. Within Buddhism there is what is known as the ‘two truths’, meaning that on a conventional/ordinary level things exists, but on an ultimately level they do not exist the way we are conditioned to think about them. You should find a good commentary on the Heart Sutra to understand this better. The teachings on emptiness are one of the highest within Buddhism, and therefore one of the most difficult to comprehend. The scriptures and commentaries can give you a very firm intellectual understanding of emptiness, but this is useless if it is not ‘realised’. This means that your whole mode of thinking and interacting shifts from the self-centred ‘I’ to the enlightened state of mind. This can only be accomplished through practice, therefore it is more beneficial on the spiritual path to have a guru who can show you the path.

Having said that, there are meditation techniques that involve long periods of time confined within a room that has not light. In fact some practitioners also engage in what are known as ‘dark retreats’ where a practitioner practices in the dark in order to withdraw attachment and engagement in the world from the senses, especially the sense of sight.

In regards to the consorts of the Dhyani Buddhas and their consorts, I had posted the list in a previous answer to another person. Here is the list again:

Buddha Vairocana – Consort Dharmadhatvishvari
Buddha Akshobya – Consort Lochana
Buddha Amitabha – Consort Pandara
Buddha Ratnasambhava – Consort Mamaki
Buddha Amoghasiddhi – Consort Tara.

As for Buddha Vairocana’s consort, she is known as either Dharmadhatvishvari, Akasadhatesvari, or White Tara depending on which tradition or lineage of practice you are following. They are all names for the same being. In the case of Buddha Amitabha’s consort as well she is either known as Pandara or Pandaravasini.

In regards to the end of time, this exists in Buddhism. However unlike other religions, this happens again and again and again as part of the creation and destruction of various universes within samsaric existence. As for the complete end of all creation/destruction cycles, this will only occur when all sentient beings are enlightened. This will mean no more karma, which will mean that it will not manifest in samsaric existence. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Phylis,

I’m very sorry to hear that you are suffering from this autoimmune disorder. Dealing with medical illness can be very difficult, but you should take this time to reflect on the fact that all beings go through some form of suffering as you are. In doing this you can develop great compassion, which we all need on our spiritual journey towards enlightenment. Please see below for answers to your questions.

1. The one main difference between Buddhist and Taoist practice is that Buddhists only seek refuge or pray to the enlightened beings. Enlightened beings have achieved enlightenment and are completely out of samsaric existence. They have completely transcended all forms of suffering, are no longer bound by karma or their afflictive emotions and have reached a stage of omniscience. From a Buddhist viewpoint the Taoist deities, although very powerful beings who can definitely be of help to others, are not enlightened beings. Instead they are thought of as beings within the god realms.

2. From a strict Buddhist point of view, practitioners do not take refuge in beings who are not enlightened, this is because they are still within samsara and have not achieved the goals that Buddhist seek. These goals are to attain high states of spiritual attainments and ultimately become enlightened themselves.

Even though this is the case, all enlightened beings are extremely compassionate. As such, anyone who prays to them, whether Buddhist or not, will benefit from their enlightened energies. Therefore even if you are Taoist, it is perfectly fine to pray to Buddha Shakyamuni, as he will always help you.

3. As was taught by His Eminence 25th Tsem Rinpoche, the pronunciation of Shakyamuni’s mantra is: TAYATHA OM MUNI MUNI MAHA MUNI SHAKYAMUNI YE SOHA. This is the Tibetan Buddhist pronunciation of the mantra.

4. Any prayers and mantras you recite to Buddha Shakyamuni is beneficial. What you are doing now is very good already. What would help you to generate more merit, is making offerings to Buddha Shakyamuni every day. His Eminence usually advises people to set up a shrine dedicated to a Buddha with extensive offerings made daily. However this may not be possible for everyone.

You can start off slowly by offering incense or light (candles or electric lights), then you can expand to offer bowls of water or even food/fruit on your alter since you have a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni. If there are days where you have the time, you can also engage in reciting more mantras. The energies of the mantra are very beneficial life, therefore the more you recite, the more of Buddha Shakyamuni’s energy is around you to help you.

5. Yes there is nothing wrong with not looking at the Buddha when reciting. Since you cannot memorise the prayer yet, it is perfectly fine to read the prayer. However before you begin, you should think strongly that Buddha Shakyamuni is in front of you and during your prayers, you should think strongly that Buddha Shakyamuni receives your prayers, is extremely happy and sends you blessings.

In fact when you are reciting the prayers, it is not necessary to look at the statue. You should instead try to visualise Buddha Shakyamuni in front of you. If you cannot do this then it is fine to look at the statue as a focus of your prayers. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear VV,

Thank you for your follow up question. From a common point of view regarding karma, it does seem that something static cannot be derived from something dynamic. When thinking of karma, we often forget about two aspects involved, and they are (1) the types of karma and (2) our understanding of the length of time that karma can affect us.

In the first instance, when discussing karma, we often only limit this to personal karma. There are however other types of karma, such as group karma (affecting a group of people) and even environmental karma (the surroundings we live in). In the case of group karma, due to actions in previous lifetimes, a certain group of people have the karma to be in same situation. For example, a certain group could have the karma to be in a team that wins a companion or even be in the same vehicle that has an accident. In regards to environmental karma, this could manifest as an area that is prone to drought, floods or other natural disasters. This actually also refers to the way our planet formed and the state it is in now as well. This has come about due to the collective group karma of those sentient beings that have taken rebirth on the planet, are living now and will take rebirth in the future.

When discussing karma, we often limit the ‘time frame’ we think about to this life, and the immediately preceding and proceeding lifetimes. However karma can span many eons. For example, an act of killing in this lifetime can lead to eons in the hell realms. This situation is hard to describe in terms of human lifetimes, as they are so short compared to lives in hell or other realms.

Therefore it can be hard to understand the nuances of karma. In fact, since the workings of karma are so vast, it can only be understood completely by a fully enlightened Buddha who has achieved the state of omniscience. Given the time length of karma in relation to human lifetimes and the various types of interrelated karma, certain beings who have achieved high states of clairvoyance or who are the emanations of enlightened beings can make prophecies, which will come true. This is because these prophecies are based on karmic situations that are bound to arise. This itself does not counter my earlier answer, but is an extension of it, if we think about karma from a logical perspective. Given this, the processes of karma are still very much dynamic. It is just that from our point of view given our references to time and the way the world exists, we see it as static. There are also other elements of karma that i have not covered in this answer, which also come into play when thinking about clairvoyance and prophecy.

You’ve asked a very interesting question, it shows that you think logically. If you want to read more about karma you can read the relevant sections of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche. You can most probably find it in speciality bookstores. Alternatively it is also available here if you would like a copy: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand. Though the text does not cover the topics of clairvoyance and prophecy in particular, there are certain sections that will further your understanding of karma, which is the basis of understand about clairvoyance and prophecy. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Tom,

Thank you for your interesting question. As you are probably aware, up until recently only the novice-nun ordination existed amongst Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. This was because the lineage of the full-nun ordination died out in Tibet. As such, within Tibetan Buddhist communities if one were to become a nun, it would have only been at the novitiate level.

The issue for the revival of the full-nun ordination within Tibetan Buddhism centres on a couple of factors but the main factor revolves around the lineage of practice. The monastic ordination lineage that spread from India to Tibet is called the Mulasarvastivada, and included novitiate level and full level ordination for both monks and nuns.

In order for the vows to be passed on to another, there are certain prerequisites that must be adhered to. For example you must have a certain number of monk/nuns, who hold the particular set of vows you wish to receive, present at the ceremony to engage in the various roles involved in taking vows. Since the full nun ordination lineage no longer exists, it cannot be given according to the Mulasarvastivada tradition.

There are two other Vinaya (or monastic) lineages that survive to this day, these are the Theravada lineage and the Dharmagupta lineage. Since Tibetan Buddhist practitioners are Mahayana practitioners, most practitioners who want to take full Bhikshuni ordination, would prefer to receive the vows as per the Dharmagupta lineage, prevalent in counties like China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea. This is because the Dharmagupta lineage is widespread amongst Mahayana practitioners in these countries. This would also mean that these practitioners would have had to have received their novice vows in the same lineage as well.

Since the Dharmagupta tradition belongs to another lineage of transmission, there would need to be consensus and discussion within the existing Tibetan Buddhist sangha, as per the rules governing the monastic community, to decide if this can be incorporated into practice and the way to go about doing this. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear VV,

Thank you for the very interesting question. You have raised a very good point. At first glance it would seem that karma and the ability of clairvoyance would be contradictory. As you know, karma is not static but fluid, it can multiple in strength and even be purified so we do not feel its effects. As such, situations that can arise are also not static but can change.

This therefore applies to clairvoyance, which is not fixed as in the case of the standard western definition of the word and concept. Clairvoyance in the Buddhist sense of the word refers to more than just know what can happen. It also refers to understanding and knowing the effects of the dominate karma that is effecting a person, group or situation. As with all things in life, there will be a strong karmic force that causes the situation. Clairvoyance here also refers to understanding this.

This is the reason why those practitioners who have achieved the ability of clairvoyance will usually recommend methods or try to intercede in the situation themselves, that try to avert any negative effects. This is one of the reasons that divination techniques are used. For example the dice divination, as well as foretelling what will occur due to the prevalent karma, it also advises methods to use to avert these negative situations by purifying the negative karma and generating merit. I hope this helps.

Thank you.