Dear Chandrashekhar,

When I was growing up, I did have a unrealistic, magical and idealistic view of Tibet. As I got older, went back to my people/culture and starting living with them, I was at first very proud I was Tibetan. As I got to live with my ppl more and more, I was very shocked at how many of my projections and views were shattered.

I had talks with senior Tulkus who had given my explanations of how things REALLY are as opposed to my views and I found them hard to accept at that time decades ago…. I thought it could not be that way.

Many things that happen in the Monasteries, with monks, the politics, culture were shocking to me. Shocking to the core. I decided to move on…and that every culture has features in it that are shocking and Tibet was no exception. Tibetans are Buddhist but in no way better than anyone else.

If you know it is bad to steal and you still do it..then it is worse than a thief who didn’t know stealing is bad. Similarily, if you are a Buddhist and you know the law of cause and effect and you still commit negativities, that is more negative than usual.
I have done my best to come to terms with my ppl and realized they are like any other ppl on earth. But the Buddhism in Tibet was/is exceptional that is for sure. Some of the exalted lamas of Tibet are extraordinary also.

Thanks for your question…

No problems and issues at all with mantras. You can recite them in any combination or order you wish. They can only bless, never harm.

There are certain states of existence, once you get there, you are bound by the rules of that realm. Such as with the animals….if we can help some of them be vegetarian of course it is good.

Dear Rafael,

It is hard to face the results of our karma daily. It is sometimes hard to accept all of it is our karma especially if we come from a culture that is use to blaming everything outside of us as the cause of our unhappiness. You have your cultural upbringing and personal ignorance working against you in your dharma practice…I sympathize as I have the same problems….as do with many pioneer Buddhists. It’s just part of the path.

Do not expect quick results…a few drops in the ocean with red dye daily will not change the color of the ocean to red in short while, but eventually.

Reading, studying and contemplating on the dharma will definitely give you more strength over time. Be easy on yourself, don’t try to be enlightened quickly although the aspiration should be so.

Practices such as 100,000 Vajrasattvas, 35 Confessional Buddhas, Prostrations, mandala offerings and Samaya Vajra mantras will be extremely helpful in regards to your question.

Do charity works, focus on the less fortunate, listen to other ppl’s problems, take up a cause such as for the homeless or animals welfare and go all the way with it. Focus out. Focus out continuously not denying the inner but to bring perspective to what we have is good…to appreciate what we have more and use it fully for spiritual advancements.

Be happy, be well, pursue your spirituality with wisdom, patience and knowledge. I offer my prayers for you.

Love can be based on attachments. Compassion should be from selflessness.

There are many level of Tulkus. Just because someone is a Tulku does not mean they are of the highest attainments.

For highly realized beings like Zong Rinpoche, their diseases offer us a chance to serve them and collect merit. Their diseases are really a manifestion of their mind for us. It also is a teaching warning us of their impending death and to prepare.

For ‘lower’ Tulkus, it is a manifestation of their karmas. Even so called lower Tulkus may have more dharma imprints than other ppl, and will be quicker in dharma activities, it does not mean they are not subject to their karmas also.

Nagarjuna died at the end of 600 years after he was decapitated by a blade of grass because in a previous existence, he had accidentally killed an insect roaming on grass. Even for the great Nagarjuna, some tiny residual karma was remaining and could be experienced.

We move ahead a few steps, then we go back a few steps…we find it hard to battle the ‘inner demons’ within ourselves fighting all the time…we find the secret struggles never end…it almost seems futile… we find transformation so difficult. Does it get any easier? It doesn’t get easier. The battle never stops. It gets worse and the struggles will bring us down. THAT IS GOOD. If there was no battle, then we know we are on the wrong path. The battle is actually our own efforts….efforts long overdue and weak at this point. Sometimes we fall because most of the time we were down, and now we are starting to get up, as we get up we fall. The fact that we fall, means we are getting up again and again. Remember Buddha under the Bodhi Tree in the last watch of the night, the maras attacked Him full force…even one so close to Buddhahood was attacked…so imagine for us? Never give up..because there is nothing to give up for….Tsem Rinpoche

Dharma centres are so important as dharma is still in it’s fledgeling growth stage now in the world…It is a place where everyone who wishes to join forces with their talents with other talented ppl to get together and do something. When alone, it is near impossible to do something, but combined with others, it all becomes possible. Some ppl might find dharma centres cultish or fanatical, but that is just their ignorance of the benefits dharma centres has brought to the non-Buddhist and Buddhist countries.

If we combined our talents into a system or a place (eg Monastery / dharma centre) then our efforts can be preserved, practiced and passed on for the future.

When Tsongkapa created Gaden 600 years ago, it was Dharma centre. When Atisha first arrived in Tibet he built dharma centres to the chagrin and opposition of many, but in time the dharma centres builty by Tsongkapa and Atisha were the fountain springs of many enlightened teachers stemming up till today.

If we can overcome ourselves, then joining a team effort is powerful to do work to benefit others as in a dharma centre. If we cannot be a team player, it may be harder, but still possible. We should rejoice in others joining a dharma centre because that is their choice and we must respect them for doing something worthwhile in their lives.

The wisdom of many great teachers has created dharma centres in the past which has manifested in powerful dharma now. Dharma centres are very powerful places for us to practice, develop, grow and contribute with other like minded persons. I was nurtured for 7 years from 16 to 23 years old in a dharma centre in Los Angeles. It kept my young mind grounded, my energies focussed and my inquiring mind satiated. If it wasn’t for this dharma centre in Los Angeles, as a teenager on my own, I could of gone off the deep end. It is a great place for young ppl. I make Kechara now a great place for all ppl especially the young drawing on my experiences from the centre I was at in Los Angeles. Tsem Rinpoche

One can do the 5 preliminary practices of a minimum 100,000 each. Hold one’s refuge vows as perfectly as possible. Good luck.

Migtseyma would be best for both. Good luck.

Dear Irene,

My condolences to you from my heart.

1. Grieving for loss of loved ones is ok. It is not anti-Buddhist to recognize we are attached at this stage of our path. And we do miss people.

2. Studying the 12 interdependendent links and reincarnation will help you tremedously to recover and for everyone to come to terms with this.

3. The beautiful thing is we can do actions according to Dharma that generate merits for those departed. So instead of just grieving which does not benefit them, we can generate merits for their future lives. That would be a wonderful show of our love for them.

If you like, on the Science and Mysteries category of this blog, I have videos on reincarnation that might help you.

I wish you the best.

Then you have to solve the problem even though the negative karma is there. But the problem will grow bigger and heavier karma collected. No choice.

I agree with Ven Ajahn Chah. Thanks.

Dear Andrew, once we get into a situation like a tiger who has to kill, it is hard to get out at that rebirth. Hence it is important to grasp the moment and go ALL THE WAY WITH DHARMA and take our attachments/delusions with us. As we progress, they will drop along the way naturally.

I am not sure about your questions.

But…

1. Karma definitely exists. Since karma exists, the accummulation of karma exists as well as the elimination. If you do not wish to experience the negative results of karma, you must eliminate them. To eliminate them, there are powerful methods.

2. Studying the dharma helps you to know what you are going to experience and how to recognize what you might experience. There are non-scholars that experience directly as well as scholars who remain dry their whole lives just intellectualizing and speaking of what they don’t practice. There are non-scholars who delude themselves into thinking they are experiencing and scholars who learn, contemplate then put into practice and hence experience. Cannot generalize.

3.You do not need the pantheon of deities. Each deity is a representative of all enlightened beings. Take one, practice it well and go all the way.

Good luck.

Then practice it quietly without letting anyone know as I did when I was a child and my parents were against it. Or leave it for a future time when you can. I wish you luck.

Dear Mei Leen,

You may pray for whatever you want to the Buddhas. Whatever you pray for, the karmic seeds will be planted for fruitioning. Whether the prayer is for liberation or further causes to be in Samsara is up to us.

This topic has come up and I have answered.

1. I would not recommend it.
2. Any type of killing will affect our karma hence spiritual growth.
3. Accepting payment from wrong livelihoods would of course result in further negative karma.

I would personally not be involved in any form of Euthanasia.

Thank you for your kindness. Same to you. Om Mani Peme Hung..

The four rivers are ignorance, attachment, craving, and wrong views.

Good luck to you.