Dear Rabten,

1. The Vajra Cutter Sutra (also known as the Diamond Sutra) is one of the Perfection of Wisdom sutras. It is extremely powerful as it outlines emptiness and the path to achieve the understanding of emptiness. As such the benefits of reciting it are creating the causes to achieved complete enlightenment. As well as wisdom, intellect, removal of all types of obstacles, progress on your spiritual path, the causes to become a Bodhisattva and practice according to the Bodhisattva path with Bodhicitta. The list goes on.

2. These are obstacles manifesting, or the clearing of negative karma. One thing to make sure is that your altar is very clean with no spoilt offerings, etc. And also that you have kept all your Buddha images and Dharma books respectfully. If these obstacles keep happening you can recite Vajrasattva mantras or recite the 35 Confessional Buddhas during your Sadhana for 3-4 weeks. This will help to purify the karma causing that obstacle of feeling sleepy or uneasy.

3. Generally for these cases, it would be the main form of Dorje Shugden. Though you can also engage in the practice of Ganapati. You can read more here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/a-short-practice-to-overcome-obstacles-for-work-with-officialdom.html?nomobile

4. Due to culture and family obligations, we may at times need to engage in worship of worldly gods. There is nothing wrong in join such events due to family considerations, but when engaged in those rituals/prayers a Buddhist will not think that they are taking Refuge in those gods. Buddhists only take refuge in enlightened beings – Buddhas. But he can think that he is giving them gifts of offerings to keep them happy. Just like how we would give gifts to our friends and loved ones. However, even though going through the actions of worshiping them, he takes Refuge only in the Buddhas. If these rituals and prayers however involved actions that are negative, for example sacrificing animals or taking intoxicants, you should gentle remind your friend that doing such things break his Refuge commitments. In the case of animal sacrifice, no Buddhist should take part or be involved in such things.

I hope these answers help.

Dear Geko,

It’s very nice to hear your appreciation for all of Rinpoche’s hard work and the team behind the scenes. Thank you.

Dear Jerry,

1. According to certain teachings, yes the deities of the Bardo are enlightened. This is especially so if following the Bardo Thodol teachings, but out of all the traditions that teaching is primarily practiced in the Nyingma tradition. The Gelug tradition does not emphasis this practice as according to our tradition it would take a very high calibre practitioner to be able to achieve such things. Instead, the Gelug tradition emphasises very practical things to be done in order to prepare for the Bardo, for example purification practices, practices to generate merit, achieve forms of mental concentration, prayers and other deity practices. This article may be of interest to you: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/zong-rinpoche-birth-death-and-bardo.html

2. Lying in Buddhist terms is telling something is untrue. So for the examples you gave, if you skipped school and gave a false reason why, then it would be lying; being gay is not lying, but if you actively tell people that you are not gay, that is lying; if you spent someone’s money without permission that would not be lying but stealing, as that item (the money) did not belong to you and you used it without express permission of the person it actually belongs to.

3. There are many Lamrim texts. Here in Kechara we use Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, which is actually an experiential Lamrim commentary text. It outlines the whole Lamrim and shows you how to meditate along the path of practice of the Lamrim. You can get a copy of the text we use here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand

I hope these answers help you. Thank you.

Dear Khang,

1. Laziness effects our whole life, but can manifest at different types. The best way to overcome laziness in regards to Dharma practice is to contemplate on a) that we will die, b) the sufferings we face while in samsara, c) that Dharma practice will take us out of samsara. In essence, these three. The focus should be put on meditation of our death first. That itself is very powerful to help overcome laziness. The proper, extended way of doing these is explained in the Lamrim.

2. Both Serkym and Sang are requests for Dorje Shugden’s activity. So you are making offerings, so you are generating merit at the same time you are asking him to help you for a particular reason. Yes, every time you do sang or serkym you should vocalise your request for help.

3. To increase your faith in your guru, you read more about his life, what he has accomplished, as well as how he has helped others. In addition, read about Guru devotion and check if you are actually doing it or not. Apart from that when you practice daily Guru Yoga, you should engage in it strongly, and always think that Lama Tsongkhapa and your Guru are actually the same. The person in your visualisation is your Guru, appearing in the form of Lama Tsongkhapa. That should help. Thank you.

Hi anonymous,

You can use this calculator here to find out more about your birth Mewa and it’s meanings according to Tibetan astrology: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tibetan-astrology/tibetan-astrology.html

The results tell you which Buddha deity to pray to according to your birth. That a good practice for you to do. Other practices that you can engage in is the daily practice of Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden. Or the other sadhanas on this website that do not require initiation. If you want to engage in the practice of another deity, then please do consult your spiritual guru for more advice. Thank you.

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your question. It’s a very good question because technology is advancing so much that it is going to be common in the future. Why eating meat is not good, as explained by Tsem Rinpoche, is first because of the act of killing and second because it can have negative effects on the body. Meat itself is not bad therefore, but it’s the act of killing that is bad and created negative karma, as well as the negative effects it can have on our own bodies.

I am not aware of any current method to get meat that is humane. It will always involved the harming and killing an animal, so there is also negative karma involved. As far as I understand it, at the moment, even the process of cloning meat requires an animal to be killed to start the process. So there is still negative karma involved due to the act of killing.

There are many plant-based meat substitutes available today, which would not have the negative karma of killing involved. That would be a better option.

In regards to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the text outlines the experiences we go through in the Bardo period after death, before our next rebirth. It is supposed to be a guidebook so that when these experiences occur to us, we are aware of what is happening and then can use that experience to progress on our spiritual path. However, that take a very high level of spiritual awareness that normal practitioners do not have. That level of awareness comes from years of study, learning, retreats, intense daily meditation practice. That is how Tsem Rinpoche once described it to me. In other words, it’s best to concentrate and focus on what we can do right now to progress on our spiritual path so that in future we will be able to reach that state and ultimately enlightenment itself. That is why Tsem Rinpoche emphasised the Lamrim teachings. They are things we can do right now.

I too read the Tibetan Book of the Dead when I was living in Europe. In fact, it was probably the first book on Tibetan Buddhism that I read. I also got a copy of it because everyone was talking about it, but I could not understand what it really meant. I guess the appeal of it for the majority is actually the mystical aspect surrounding it, etc. That is my opinion anyway. Thank you.

Hi M,

Lama Tsongkhapa Day is on Thursday 7th December 2023. Thank you.

Hello Jigme Rabten,

Thank you for your question. Yes, some people put worldly gods / unenlightened Dharma Protectors on the same altar as the Buddha, though they should be put lower than the enlightened deities as you have mentioned.

If you prostrate to such an altar, that is okay, but when you do you must think that you are not prostrating to the worldly gods / unenlightened deities, but to the Buddha and enlightened deities. If you have this thought, then doing so is okay. The same applied to prayers and worship at such altars. Have the strong convictions that you are praying to and worshipping the Buddhas. If you do this then such actions do not break your Refuge commitments or any Buddhist vows you have taken.

If you are standing in front of their shrines and they are with the Buddhas, they will benefit anyway, but from your side you can still chant and do prayers. Instead of dedicating the merit from chanting to the enlightened beings for them however, instead dedicate the merit generated to all sentient beings. They will be included anyway if you dedicate to all sentient beings.

If you know people who worship gods, then do not try to tell them they are wrong. Be respectful of their practice. If they are interested in learning about Buddhism then you can slowly share more with them. If they do worship gods and are not interested in learning about Buddhism and are comfortable in practising their own faith that is perfectly okay. Not everyone wants to practice the Dharma. But you should gently advise them not to engage in certain forms of worship which either harms themselves or others. For example, some forms of faith involved sacrificing animals, taking intoxicants, etc. If it is this type of deity, then as a Buddhist you must advise your friends/family not to engage in this type of worship as it creates negative karma for themselves and harms either themselves or other sentient beings.

Palden Lhamo’s practice has the same benefits as Dorje Shugden and Setrap, but her practice will take more time and effort to see results. Scroll down on this page to see my answer to another person’s questions about Palden Lhamo.

You can read the translation of Namkar Barzin’s prayers in English here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/invocation-to-namkar-barzin.html I do not have a copy of it in Tibetan. And you can read a prayer to Methar here, composed by Tsem Rinpoche in English: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/methar-of-tengyeling-monastery.html. This is no Tibetan version of this prayer as Tsem Rinpoche composed it in English.

I hope these answers help. Thank you.

Dear Om,

Thank you for your message. I am in no means an expert in dream interpretation, but what comes to mind is that perhaps it is a sign for you to progress in your spiritual practice, by learning and engaging in a daily sadhana practice, which you keep without fail and do consistently. This can be done even without becoming Sangha. In fact, the majority of Buddhists are not monks and nuns but lay people. There is no shame in that.

I would suggest that you engage in the daily practice of Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden. This is the standard daily practice recommended by Tsem Rinpoche for everyone to practice. In this way, you not only progress spiritually but also remove obstacles and create conducive conditions for daily life.

You can find more about Dorje Shugden here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/beginners-introduction-to-dorje-shugden.html

The daily sadhana is called the Diamond Path: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/diamond-path

I hope this helps. Please do let us know if there is anything that you need help with if you would like to start doing daily sadhana. Thanks.

Dear Le Nhat Khang,

Thank you for your questions.

1. Yes, you can definitely practice both Dorje Shugden and Pelden Lhamo. The way to do this is to finish Dorje Shugden’s practice and then engage in Pelden Lhamo’s practice. Then complete the prayers with a completion dedication. You can read Palden Lhamo’s practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/sadhana-prayers.html#26

Palden Lhasa’s assistance is not as quick as Dorje Shugden’s practice because of a number of reasons, one is time. This is because Saraswati emanated as Palden Lhamo aeons ago, our karma connection with her is less than with Dorje Shugden. Dharma Protectors use that karmic connection to aid us quickly, otherwise we would need to rely on a great amount of merit to be able to receive their help. Secondly, Manjushri emanated as Dorje Shugden within samsara, so his physical form is closer to us, meaning he is quicker to help us and it takes less effort to receive his help. That does not mean that both Dorje Shugden and Palden Lhamo are not equal in terms of what they are capable of doing. Both are enlightened beings manifesting as Dharma Protector. The difference is actually on our side. Hence, Dorje Shugden’s practice is considered faster than other Dharma Protectors. However, if you put in the effort and transformation, the other Dharma Protectors can definitely help us in the same manner as Dorje Shugden. However, the effort we need to put in is more with Palden Lhamo’s practice.

2. In regards to Za Rahula, you can read more about him on this article: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dharma-protectors-of-tibetan-buddhism.html

3. Both Namkar Barzin and Methar are directly in the retinue of Dorje Shugden, which means there is no way that they can negatively harm us as they are controlled and directed by Dorje Shugden. Pehar, although a very high level being is not in the retinue of an enlightened Dharma Protector. He is very effective as a Dharma Protector, but due to his worldly nature it takes the close permission and guidance from highly qualified Lama to be able to engage in his practice. Of the many Dharma Protectors out there, it is better to rely on the enlightened Dharma Protectors unless we have been assigned the practice of a worldly Dharma Protector, under the compassionate and watchful eye of our lama to ensure that nothing goes wrong, even if the chances of it going wrong are slim. With enlightened Dharma Protectors such as Palden Lhamo and Dorje Shugden, there is absolutely no chance of anything going wrong because they are enlightened, and the beings in their retinue are controlled by them, as in the case of Namkar Barzin and Methar. I hope this helps answer your questions. Thank you.

Dear M,

Thank you for the link to the video. It’s incredible when the high lamas come back and are enthroned once again. Everyone here in Kechara is working hard to create the merits and the causes for Tsem Rinpoche’s incarnation to return to us, be enthroned and once again manifest as a great Dharma teacher in the future. Thank you again.

Dear Jie Rui,

Dharma Protector practice is always done after Yidam practice. This actually prepares you for higher tantric practices as well. Even if your Yidam practice is unstable or you have distractions still do it first. You will find that with over time as you continue your daily sadhana, the instability and distractions will be less and less. For the dedications, as you are following the sequences of doing Yidam first and then Dharmapala, you do at the end of everything as usual. Thanks.

Dear Anonymous,

It is best to get new offerings. However, if due to constraints such as funds, you can use the same flowers and offer to another Buddha. If all your Buddhas are on the same altar, then just think that the flowers or other items is an offering to them all, rather than individually. If you have to move the offerings to another altar, and there is no way that you can get additional offerings, then that is okay also. I hope this helps.

Dear S,

Losar in 2024 falls on Saturday 10th February 2024. Thank you.

Hi Kevin,

For the Five Commitment Offerings, sorry but no they cannot be replaced with water. They need to be those actually substances. If you do not have those items for whatever reason, you don’t need to make the offerings to engage in the practice. But of course it would be good for you to get them and offer them on your altar.

Yes, when making the five commitment offerings all the substances should be poured into the bowls. I hope this helps. Thanks.

Dear Rakesh,

We are very sorry to read that your situation at the moment is not good. One of the ways that we can help create the energies around us while we try our best to find a job and sources of income to sustain us is the practice of Gyenze. While you may not be in the position to make offerings as part of the practice, you can still recite the prayers and mantra, along with the visualisations. There will still be benefit and Lord Gyenze can assist you in finding a job. You can read more about Lord Gyenze and his practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/dorje-shugden-gyenze-to-increase-life-merits-and-wealth.html

Dear Dipendra,

It is not necessary to receive the initiation to practise Dorje Shugden. In fact, it is not even necessary to create a very strong connection with him. You can start on the practice itself right now and create that connection with him through daily practice. Actually, most practitioners of Dorje Shugden do not have the Dorje Shugden empowerment.

To receive that empowerment, you must first have a strong relationship with a guru, who teaches you the Sutra path. After that, you must take initiation into one of the Highest Yoga Tantra class of deities, and then can you only receive Dorje Shugden’s empowerment. All of these takes a lot of time and effort, and you must keep all the associated vows and commitments associated with all of these practices. It is a long process, and you can only progress when your guru deems you ready.

However, Dorje Shugden’s practice is special because you can receive all the benefits of this practice without actually needing to take the Dorje Shugden Life-entrustment empowerment. You can find more about Dorje Shugden and his practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/beginners-introduction-to-dorje-shugden.html

I hope this helps.

Dear Carl,

1. In regards to becoming a Buddhist, if this is the path that you are on and are practicing then yes you can Take Refuge and become a Buddhist. I believe that H.H. Dalai Lama’s comments were in relation to people who like some aspects of Buddhist practice but still have belief in their own faith/religion. I myself used to belong to another religion in the earlier part of my life, but wasn’t really practicing and the belief system did not really resonate with me. As I learnt more about Buddhism, I took refuge and became a Buddhist. For me, Buddhism is what I believe in and have accepted, so that was the key. Actually, taking refuge as most people understand it (the formal ceremony) is not actually what makes you a Buddhist. What makes you a Buddhist is if you believe and take refuge from your heart. Simply going through the ceremony and not taking refuge from your heart is like sitting through a ceremony that has no affect. In short, if you are firm in your belief in Buddhism, then yes, you can take refuge.

2. Yes, even if you have not taken refuge and you meditate and recite mantra, you still gain benefit. This is due to the power of the mantras themselves, which are the enlightened energies of the Buddhas in the form of sound. However, if you have taken refuge, from your side because you have faith, conviction and effort involved in reciting and meditating, then the effects of those for your mind and benefit will be stronger.

3. Don’t worry about visiting your local centre. If they belong to a genuine lineage of Buddhism and are practising, they will not be offended by your actions and in fact will welcome you because you want to learn more. From your side, be mindful and respectful of how you speak and act with the lamas there. If you have or can get hold of khatas, then you can offer these to the lamas who are there, which is very traditional. They will place the khata over your neck as a blessing and to wish you well. Even if you do not have them, you can take some offerings with you for the centre or lamas there. This can be fruit, veggies, packaged vegetarian food, supplements, etc. Making an offering to the Sangha or the centre is very meritorious. It will be very good for your practice.

I hope all these answers help. Thank you.

Dear J,

RE: Yonten Shigyurma

1. Pratimoksha is essential practice, because without some form of holding vows or having a strong sense of morality, we will not control ourselves from collecting negative karma and helping others. It forms of the basis of all of Buddhism, no matter what tradition or school of Buddhism that you practice. It is the practice that can lead you to liberation from samsara as evident in the word Pratimoksha itself, which means “Self-Liberation” meaning it is the path and practice to liberation.

2. The two attainments are (1) common attainments, which are heightened abilities or supernatural powers that you can develop on the spiritual path & (2) supreme attainment is the attainment of enlightenment.

3. The 2 Stages are the two stage of Tantric practice, known as the Generation and Completion stages. The 4 Sessions refer to the practice in Tantra (especially in retreat settings) of engaging in your Sadhana 4 times a day.

RE: Plants
Plants are not considered a sentient being. Some people do claim that plants have lives but not from a Buddhist perspective. They are not considered sentient beings. Within Buddhism there are Six Realms that we can take rebirth in (Hell, Hungry-Ghost, Animal, Human, Demi-God and God). Plants are not included because they are not considered to be sentient.

RE; Dharma books
It’s not wrong per se, because you intention is not to disrespect the Dharma but to learn it better. Many years ago, I approached Tsem Rinpoche with the same question in regards to my Lamrim text. Rinpoche said it was okay, but for me to get a second copy. I put one on my altar, and used the other to study from, which is full of my notes. Rinpoche said this was okay. Some people however, are not comfortable with this and that is okay as well. In that case, just get a notebook and write your notes in there instead.

I hope this helps.

Dear Luna,

1. Whatever we do in the world, there will be someone who does not like what you do and try to disprove what you do. If we try to do disprove them back, fight, argue, etc., then you are only perpetuating a negative cycle. Many people can say things to confuse people or to create distrust, but the matter at hand for any person to judge is proof and logic. You check the matter at hand yourself, using both proof and logic, and then you can come to a conclusion about the matter. For my own personal experience, I have been a part of Kechara for more than 10 years. I have not experienced such things as some people claim that we are, that we don’t practice Buddhism properly, etc. People can say all sorts of things for different reasons, but the proof comes from how people have benefited from the practice of Dharma that we study and teach here. You can see for yourself what we do (either online or in person if you visit us). Then you can make your own informed decision.

2. If we prevent ourselves from suicide, this is not considered saving a life, simply prolonging our own life. Saving a life means saving a life that is not our, and when it is in danger from dying from something outside that beings control. For example, when you save an animal from slaughter it is not in control of whether it is going to get slaughtered or not. So when you save it from being slaughtered, that is considered saving a life.

I hope this helps.