Dear Rinpoche,

After seeing H.H Zong Rinpoche’s teaching on death and Bardo, and the new post you put up for Henry’s practice, I realized just how much I still fear Death. Intellectually I know it is inescapable but emotionally I still run from any teachings that have to deal with it. I want to add Death meditation to my daily practice, but honestly I’m scared to begin.

Thank you

Dear Rinpoche, I would like to ask, Why do we need a Religion? Thank you.

Dear Rinpoche, I would like to buy a White Tara pendant from VajraSecrets as a gift for my mother. Can you please bless the pendant for her before shipping? It would mean so much to me! Thank You!

Dear Rinpoche,

I ve recently heard a guy not stranger to Buddhism saying that nowadays things are changing and only old school masters still emphasize doing mantras and making prostrations , and that generally Buddhism has too many rituals and with Dzogchen one really goes to the core. He says that even some Buddhist masters appreciate that one can upgrade right from the beginning. I tried to explain him that you can not jump to Dzogchen just like that, just because you find all the rest (mantras, prostrations, other rituals)a waste of time. What do you think? Do you relly think times changed and some steps can be skipped?
I also have a question regarding what you said in one of your latest videos: that people should not pray to be reborn in dewachen but to come back here. I wonder: maybe going to a paradise like Dewachen or Kechara is not that selfish. Helps one more on the path of becoming a Buddha and after you can have so many emanations and be here on Earth and in many other places? So, isn't it more profitable for all the sentient beings?Hence, better to first reach Buddhahood, even if not incarnated on earth.What do you think? Thank you very much for everything.

Dear Rinpoche, when we see things from a worldly lens, then all is fair in love and war, as they say. Yet when we see our past actions from a Buddhist lens then we see that we have erred seriously and done a lot of damage. How do we go about repairing this damage karmically when there seems to be no way of repairing them in practical terms?

I congratulate Kechara House for having a Lam Rim recitation marathon. What a creative way to recite the Lam Rim and learn from such a holy text. Kechara really is modern, creative and have so many ideas many other centres around the world can learn from. Thank you for existing.

Dear Rinpoche,

While reciting the Liberation in the Palm of your hand, I found a phrase that says “equating the self as perishable”. It describes that an ant curls up when poke due to this view. From the description, it sounds like what the ego is often described to be, yet the Lamrim covers ego and self grasping in another section. How does this view differ from self grasping and how do we differentiate it during our contemplations and identify that particular fault in our mind to stop it?

Dear Rinpoche,

Is it ok to practice your lineage of Buddhism alongside another lineage? or is it better to stick to one?

Thank you for the wonderful talks you have given. I listen to your teachings daily. It helps me so much. Your organization is so kind to provide it for free on the internet.

Dear Rinpoche,
I wonder if I can ask you something – I’ve been thinking about things which have happened, my life etc and I would really like to start doing some prostrations, but there are a few things I wondered about. I live in a very small place, which is fine, but it makes doing full length prostrations almost impossible, and I wondered if it would be ok to do the shorter ones – to begin with until things change. I also wonder how important it is to do prostrations in front of something physical, as I feel that it is more important to stabilise at the moment, and make sure it is an internal thing – like genuine, rather than making it external – maybe I could put up a picture of one teacher, or something like that – but lastly and perhaps more importantly , I wonder if I am getting ahead of myself – and this is the sort of thing you wait do, when you are under the advice and guidance of a teacher. please feel free to answer any way ;- ) with so many many thanks for your time!

Dear Rinpoche
Do you think the language we use enforces dualistic and ego cherishing thinking? Like everyday using words like "I did…" etc
Any thoughts on this subject?

Hi Rinpoche,

Do you still play the pick game with students?

Maybe one day i will be fortunate enough to be able to play also.

Jon 🙂

Dear Teacher,
I have sorta 3 part questions which I hope you can help and I would like to listen to your views.

1) How to pracice Dharma correctly, especially when there are so many people issues around?
Is doing good deed practicing Dharma?

2) Buddhism is always talking about non attachment and letting go. When we make the wish to "Benefit and help all sentient beings attain enlightenment" Isn't this a form of attachment?

3) This question is a little longer. My mom believed she is being hexed. This was due to many many years aho where my dad offended a neighbor who lived below and above us. One day, my mom say the neighbor burning some green colored paper in offering. She believed from then on, that the neighbors are ganging up and hexing her. She visited a temple lately and shake the bamboo stick to get a reading and it further confirmed her believes. Even after moving house, the neighbor still ended up in the same block of flats right above us. Every time they pour water down, my mom believes she is being hexed. She chanted sutra everyday following a CD as she thinks it helps. My mom is now 72 and cannot break out of her thinking and I had only been introduced to you recently. I had also offered light to Guru Rinpoche for her. Is there anything else I can do for her? How can I help her?

Thank you for your guidance.

Dearest Rinpoche,

Because you exist, my life is so much better. No matter what happens, may I request you to never stop doing what you are doing please.

Dear Rinpoche,

I have been making a lot of excuses as to why I cannot practice Dharma, and I would fall into gossip about this tradition of Buddhism being better, etc…I realize how silly that has all been. Enough is enough. No more excuses from my end! I may not know a lot, or even be a good practitioner, but from this day onward I will practice and dedicate more time to my spiritual growth with no more excuses or complaining! Please send me your blessings.

Do you have to be initiated or trained in order to learn the six yogas of Naropa? I have been reading short sadhanas of tantric deities one being vajrayogini and one part of the sadhana is to perform the sleep yoga… and I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean to go to sleep but to do the Yoga of Naropa regarding sleep. Can you elaborate further?

Dear Rinpoche, thank you so much for posting the prayers and sadhanas, what a wonderful idea! I just wanted to ask, there are many deities' sadhana's that you posted (black Manjushri, Dzambhala, whie Umbrella etc.), are all these practices able to be done without an empowerment ? Thank you in advance, and thank you so much for all your great teachings!

Dearest Rinpoche, thank you so much for your amazing and lucid answer to my question, you are so kind. I really felt a great pull toward Lord Setrap the first time I saw him on your website, and wanted to find more information about him. When I found that it saddened me, I had no doubt but felt I really needed clarification from you, in case I had in fact misunderstood your words from one of your videos. I would so very much like to practice Setrap. Do I need a transmission or initiation to do this? I don’t know if I would be able to get this in Australia. I would really like to engage in a retreat for your long life and to remove all obstacles. Could you please tell me what to do next? I wish someday I can benefit others as much as you do.

Dear Rinpoche,
I just read your blog post on the Lam Rim retreat. I think it is such a good idea in many ways when I think about it more and more. It is so skillful. For those who have never heard of Lam Rim will hear about it now due to your skillful methods. Thank you. Pabongka is one of my favorite masters. I am so grateful you have mentioned him here. I don't have any questions. Just appreciation.

Dearest Rinpoche,
I am happy to hear that you are recovering well from your reflux test and that your condition is improving. As advised by you, I am now doing my Migtsema retreat and am halfway through. My husband has been very supportive but he is not Buddhist. He has asked me why the number of the preliminary practices for water offering, mantras to be completed is 100,000. Is there a reason for that particular number? One of the conditions state that we should not travel during the retreat.
I have to travel with my husband before I complete my migtsema retreat. Is it possible for me to continue the retreat while travelling and what do I need to do in order not to break the retreat?