Dear friend,

When you practice generosity at first, it is about you and the recipient. How the recipient responds greatly affect your motivation to do more or less…in the beginning I stress. Everyone likes to be appreciated of course.

But as you progress, it is not so much about the recipient. It is about you and your ‘God’. It is between you and your ‘Buddha’ or your ‘karma’ or your sense of universal responsibility. How the recipient responds has very little to do with why you actually give as you progress on this wonderful path of generosity.

When I gave to the homeless in the past, I recieved many types of responses. Some thanked me and talked to me. Some wanted more. Some didn’t want food but money instead. Some stared at me that I would give them anything. Some screamed and ran away. Some just ran. So I had so many reactions. But you see, how they reacted is ok, I know my intent. I gave and it was between me and my Buddha. Buddha would want me to serve others and benefit others and that is all that matters in the big end.

Much good luck to you. Always be generous and kind no matter what responses you get back. It will change people’s lives in one way or another. It will change your life for the better. Tsem Rinpoche

Dear Louis,

Let’s make this simple, your yidam will be according to your lama, your karma, your imprints, your current needs, your strongest afflictions. If your strongest affliction is anger, Yamantaka is wonderful. If you strongest is desire, then Heruka/Vajra Yogini, etc. Whatever Yidam you take, can take you to full enlightenment for sure. If you practice Lama Tsongkapa, he can take you to full enlightenment. TR

You will be fine. It is your guilt working on you. If you have confessed from the depths of your heart then ok. A good practice is the sutra of 35 Confessional Buddhas to recite once a day sincerely from your heart. It is profound for purifying all types of negative karma.

Please show me where you got this from. I do not understand this as perhaps the translation is not accurate maybe? Sorry.

But it should refer to all realms of pure realms emanated from a Buddha’s mind. And we can access by our practice and making affinity..such as Tushita, Western Paradise, Kechara, etc…

Since you know what is wrong the key ingredients are:

1. Consistent effort without giving up no matter how hard it gets. If you give up, it will lead to depression as you know you didn’t give it your all. Depressin usually comes form something we are re-living and hanging onto. Wishing things to be the way we want it when in reality it is not….wishing for the way we want it and not accepting it as it is will lead to depression. Let it go.

2. Look at why you hate yourself leading to depression. If you know the cause of your self hatred, look for a solution and go after the solution without giving up.

3. Achieve what you wish to achieve. Do not be bound by culture, restrictions, face and guilt..just go and do something you are passionate about and go all the way. Make sure it doesn’t harm any being and go all the way..money isn’t everything anymore.

Migtseyma and the study of dharma will bring you a long, long, long way…depression arises from the mind, so ultimately you need a remedy directed for the mind to help you. It would be good to study dharma now. You will find lots of answers ….that will be a start. After all, no one wishes to suffer and you don’t deserve it.
I wish you well and true happiness…TR

I do not know the karma that caused your son to be like this precisely, but I know how you can avoid it for future lives by studying the appropriate texts… It will all be in the Lam Rim. Please study this. Also another text that will help you so much is the Wheel of Sharp Weapons..it talks about karma. Very helpful.

Manjushri practice for you and your son will help very much. I wish you luck so much.

Dear Belleny,

A wonderful retreat to gains 7 wisdoms, purification and clear mind would be the Tsongakapa retreat. You can perhaps visit Ms Shin at E Division to explain more about Tsongkapa retreat or David. It would be worth your while. Good luck.

shin.tan at kechara.com or frozbyte23@yahoo.com

It is imnportant your friend goes to talk openly and directly with their dept head. Since I do not know both sides of the story it would be unfair of me to comment. I hope it settles soon as Dharma work is wonderful as it helps us to tame our ego/selfishness which is the cause of all our problems. TR

Dear Pietro,

Maybe you are right..it was just a leap of faith. Lol.

Dear Joyce, I do not understand your questions. Sorry. Just please use simple everyday words to express….

All phenomena are not an expression of dharmakaya if I understand you right. If it was it would not be contaminated. Contaminated phenomena arises from not knowing one’s nature is Dharmakaya. I hope that helps.

Dear Jons,

1. You do not need to be connected to any centre to do your practice for now. You can study up at home and do your practices.
2. Please read up on your bodhisattva and tantric vows and make sure you can hold them. It is the most important for all post initiation practices is holding the vows.
3. There are many online resources and excellent books explaining the Yamantaka practice you can acquire after the initiation.

I have blogged a talk I had on Yamantaka’s commitments, please listen to it..

I am very happy you are taking this seriously and not just some excited bullet train to enlightenment method. It can be a bullet train if we do it right. Good luck. TR

My dear Liza,

If they are your real friends and they are truly spiritual, they will accept and not condemn anything you share. True friendship must transcend religion, culture, color, social status and gender. We are in the age of enlightenment and everyone has the intelligence to practice the religion that fits them and no one should ever criticize. There are somethings sacred that no one should criticize. I have friends of all religions and I am a Buddhist monk and we have no problems. I guess you have to get ready for a ‘test’ of real friendship now. Remember, practice your dharma all the way because you are doing nothing wrong at all.

Go ahead and write what you like from your heart without fear. All must respect it.

TR

Yes, it’s ok to do that. In fact it would be excellent if you entered a short retreat on White Tara dedicated to your parents. White Tara has special practices we can do to dedicate to ppl for their long lives and merit. Good luck and thanks, Tsem Rinpoche

That’s a difficult question, but I think you know the answer to that….

I agree with you if that is the case. Many alternatives are available indeed..maybe even much better than khatas…..thank you for your thoughts. TR

Dear Terrence,

For those with no affinity or karmic connection, not much immediate benefits.

Thanks, Tsem Rinpoche

Dear Raluca,

Very very good question. I am glad you asked. Tibetan Buddhist words have very little English equivalent. It is a very deep language and many words are not even available in English. Nirvana is not referring here to THE PERFECT ENLIGHTENMENT OF A FULLY AWAKENED BUDDHA. Nirvana here refers to the peace and tranquility we achieve in lower meditational attainments. Some ppl achieve this peace, and get stuck on it. In the past ppl can be in this peaceful state for days but it seems like minutes only when they ‘wake’. They are absorbed in this peace and get somewhat attached to it when it is a by product of the actual goal we are trying to attain…so protecting from Nirvana’s peace is referring to the minor attainments we gain from meditation and not to be stuck on it and go further.

I hope this helps you. Much good luck with your holy and sacred Vajra Yogini beginner’s practice, Tsem Rinpoche

Dear David,

Thank you for your interest.

1. I would like something similar to Naropa but in the East as we don’t have anything here at this time as far as I know.

2. I would like our University’s focus not to be acquiring knowledge for gaining wealth and livelihood but more as a way of life and hence lifelihood would fall into place naturally.

3. Our University should focus on creating students that will make a difference in the world and they end up practicing towards self transformation not just work in a career as a result of their degree and make money, pay bills and then it becomes no different than any other ppl who take from the earth and do not give back.

4. I would like our university to open inner awareness. Learning towards spiritual/psychological growth. Growth, acceptance, learning towards inner balance/enlightenment.

5. I would love to have section of the courses to be very holistic in nature such as healing, vegetarian cooking, global warming, animal care, yoga, Tai chi, TMC, etc…

Those are some ideas I have for this University. I thank you. TR

Dear UKConcernedObserver,

What a compassionate person you are. Happy to make your acquaitance here.

What a beautiful question you have written here also. Coincidentally I just blogged up something this morning. Please see here:

http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2011/03/moonpointer-vows.html

If this doesn’t answer your question, let me know here again please.
I wish you luck and love, and carry the message of Vegetarianism all the way…we all need a passion…and positive passions adds to the world and ourselves. I thank you humbly,
Tsem Rinpoche

Dear Amy,

I sympathize with your predicament. I understand fully your obstacles. I also commend you on your strong determination. I do not know your situation completely so I give you general suggestions please… For now, just continue to read and watch the videos and write down notes. Have a Dharma notebook and write down your learnings and also your questions. Consciously write your questions and then look for the answers on the vidoes or net. It’s a good challenge, to learn..That is what I use to do three decades ago when my parents were TOTALLY AGAINST MY STUDY OF DHARMA…I just wrote down my questions, asked people or found it in books (no internet back then).But eventually for the sake of dharma, I moved out and got my own space…dharma was just too important to me. I knew I would suffocate without dharma…

For you have a dharma log/notebook, write your learnings and answer your questions for now…the key word is for now.

You can do the Setrap invocations and mantra without setting up an altar. Thousands of monks/laypeople in the 1950’s in Tibet were jailed, they did their prayers quietly in prison for decades in some cases unknown to the jailers…it was illegal to do prayers that time….

An altar can be beautifully set up when you decide to have your own space. The altar is a gateway to the supreme beings outside of you and within you…For now just seek for them within.

Keep up your strong determination to understand and practice the dharma…it must be an imprint from another place and time (See my reincarnation videos I have posted under mysteries category (http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2010/05/reincarnation-videos-you-must-watch.html ). Nothing that is supremely and greatly beneficial comes easy in this or any other lives…strive for it…any obstacles and difficulties you come across for it, should be accepted happily and knowing it is for a higher purpose…Thanks

Much good luck and much good wishes to you forever….Tsem Rinpoche