Hi Gerry,

His Emenince Tsem Rinpoche made a video commentary to the practice, which you can find here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/tsongkapas-daily-practice-video-commentary.html. This commentary is very detailed, you can watch it to find the answers to your questions regarding the practice. Thank you.

Dear Lu Yang,

All retreats, especially deity-based retreats require offerings. For deity-based retreats, these offerings are made as part of the retreat practice itself. The offerings are used to generate merit for the practice and retreat to be successful.

May I ask which offerings you are refering to be in particular. It is not necessary to offer the standard versions of offerings as you see in the pictures. For example, for flowers, we usually use glass or crystal flowers, but real or even fake flowers are perfectly acceptable. For incense, we usually offering the small pagoda made from incense sticks, but you can just offer a couple of sticks of any incense. For the perfume, we use a glass bottle filled with perfume, but you can use a small bottle of store-bought perfume as well. I use a small bottle of store-bought perfume for my own altar.

If you can tell me what type of offerings you are refering too, then I can suggest easier solutions so that you can actually engage in a retreat. I hope this helps.

Dear Jie Rui,

The daily sadhana of Lama Tsongkhapa is the Gaden Lhagyama. It already includes verses of offering and the recitation of the Migtsema mantra.

Extra prayers can be added once you finish Gaden Lhagyama if you wish. These can be found here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/tsongkhapa-prayers.html

Mudras are physical hand guestures that are symbolic of what we doing in our prayers. For example, longer prayers have offerings that we visualise according to individual type. For these visualised offerings, you use physical mudras to represent them. Other prayers require mudras to be used for other things as well. Gaden Lhagyama does not require any mudras.

The Gaden Lhagyama forms for the first part of the daily sadhana that Tsem Rinpoche recommended for everyone. It can be found here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/diamond-path. The second half is the practice of Dorje Shugden. For Dorje Shugden’s practices there are sections where you use mudras. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Loo Y,

Thank you for your question. In essence, yes a motivation to transform yourself to be a better person and nicer to others is still considered a worldly motivation. But having said that, it is still a good and beneficial motivation to have. A spiritual motivation takes, time, study, understanding and practice to really develop. This highest of these is to want to reach enlightenment so that you can help others. When you have this motivation you naturally develop transform yourself.

Even if you want to transform yourself to become simply a better person, you must have a reason behind this. It could be that you want others to like you more, or for your life to go smoothly, or perhaps there is a spiritual motivation behind it.

So in order to have a motivation to change, we need to understand why we want to have that motivation. When we understand this, then it will be easier for us to develop higher forms of motivation later.

Start where you are, with what you know, and live and practice according to that. But over time, don’t stay at the point, learn, study and implement more. But the key here is consistency in your actions and transformation.

Your motivation may change, and your transformation will improve, but if you only stay at that level you will reach a point where your transformation stops. It doesn’t go further. When you reach that stage, you need to increase your motivation to something more. I hope this helps.

Dear Gerry,

Yes, you are right. To enter Vajra Yogini’s pureland requires tantric practice. All purelands require some form of practice to enter. You can read more about the requirements for Vajra Yogini’s practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrayogini-the-powerful-divine-red-lady.html

In addition, here are some short video teachings from Tsem Rinpoche about purelands, which you might like to watch to learn more:

What Are Pure Lands and Shambhala?
https://youtu.be/a4KIZ_yEcdk

Yes! We Can Go To Pure Land While Still Having Negative Karma
https://youtu.be/v6nRFYNF0MA

Is Amitabha’s Western Paradise Easier to Go to Than Vajra Yogini’s Pure Land?
https://youtu.be/w2aXpCTKT68

I hope this helps.

Dear Runah,

I’m very sorry to hear that you lost your image. Even though it makes you said, yes, you should try and rejoice that whoever finds the image will be blessed by seeing the holy image of Ksitigarbha. Whenever you see an image of an enlightened being, then seeds are planted in our mind so that we can attain the same state as them, full enlightenment. Perhaps the person that finds the image, needs to make a connection with Ksitigarbha because they are going though a difficult time in their life, and he can help them.

For yourself, I suggest you can replace your image. If you can find the same one, that would be great. If not, then any image, will be good also. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Luna,

Any Buddhist practice generates merit. The most popular is to make tremendous amounts of offerings to the Three Jewels, such as light offerings, water offerings, etc. Or to engage in consistent Sadhana (daily prayers). Or even in engaging in pujas and making as many offerings as possible.

However, the most effective and powerful of all is actually transformation of the mind towards enlightenment. The more you learn about transformation and put effort into, when you practice it with the right intention and with the right effort, that is the best way to generate huge amounts of merit. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Yue,

No, it is not necessary to have Tantric practice to achieve enlightenment. However, if you do have tantric practice and practice it properly, the journey to enlightenment is quicker.

Whether you have tantric practice or not, if you don’t reach enlightenment in this life, then two things happen after we pass. One is that we take rebirth in a Pureland, if we have generated enough merits and a connection with a deity through formal practice. The second, more common, is that we take rebirth in samsara, but due to the merits generated, in a rebirth and situation where we can once again meet the Dharma and continue practising in that lifetime.

Spiritual practice is included in daily life in two ways, the first is the formal way of practising Sadhana (daily prayers) and meditation. The second and most important is actually transforming the mind to become a better person, being mindful of our actions, speech and thoughts.

It’s not easy to explain this here, but a great teaching that you can refer to is known as the Lamrim, or Stages on the Path to Enlightenment. This sets out the entire path of practice (non-tantric). You can get a copy of the book here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand. I hope this helps.

Dear Jie Rui,

According to Buddhist cosmology, the majority of the hindu deities are not enlightened but they are the highest level of beings within samsara and hence very powerful and knowledgable. As such, Buddhists do not practice them, but it is fine to make offerings and ask for their help. Buddhists only take refuge in enlightened beings. I hope this helps.

Dear Loo Y,

Yes, bowing is a type of prostration. There are three main types of prostrations.

The best is full prostration, during which we extend our bodies fully flat on the floow.

The second is half prostrations in which we kneel on the floor and touch our heads to the ground.

The third is standing up and bowing.

If you are prostrating the best is to do the full-length prostration. However, if you are unable to do so, due to physical constraints or limited space, etc. it is perfectly fine to do either of the other two. I hope this helps.

Dear Lu Yang,

It’s best to set up an altar with the full set of sensory offerings, which includes flowers, perfume, etc. You can learn more the offerings here: https://youtu.be/ttibgBWoMa0

However, due to your conditions however, you might not be in the position to make the full set of offerings. In that case, it is fine to recite the prayers without needing the full physical offerings.

You can watch an extensive teaching by Tsem Rinpoche about Gaden Lhagyama here: https://youtu.be/dd1jQnEwNv4. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Gerry,

The situation depends on the vows themselves. Which vows are you referring too? And who did you recieve your vows from?

Dear Wang Lu Y,

Thank you for your question. Taking of vows is an important part of Buddhist practice, as they help us curb our negative and destructive behaviour which leads us to develop only positive qualities and self-transformation. Vows are usually taken from some who holds those vows, however sometimes we can take vows in front of a Buddha statue like you have. They are taken with full conscious intention.

As you don’t know if you actually broke your vow or not, then I suggest you can re-take that vow again and this time keep it properly if it is within your capability. I wouldn’t be able to give you a firm answer, as I don’t know that vow you took or what makes you think you broke it, etc. I would need more information to answer in a proper.

Here are some short teachings by Tsem Rinpoche on vows, which may help you to understand them better:

What Happen When We “Practise” with Broken Vows and Samaya
https://youtu.be/_QCw_E_aN5M

The Power of Vows – Tsem Rinpoche
https://youtu.be/2R41106svAA

Benefits of Holding Vows – by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
https://youtu.be/WHXUpvKKIp0

Difference Between Taking Vows With a Guru and a Buddha Image
https://youtu.be/cE8q0fGiXzE

No Vows, No Attainments: The Importance of Vows
https://youtu.be/YpPmwJC6ukk

I hope this helps.

Dear Jery,

Thank you for your question. However, it is not possible to answer this questions given this short reply. In essence, the entire Buddhist path is geared towards achieving this. From the very beginning stages to the advanced stages, everything leads to this in one way or another.

The complete path to achieve this has been laid out in the teaching known as the Lamrim, which gives a step-by-step method to achieve this. This text is the main text we use here in the Kechara organisation. You can get yourself a copy of the text here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand

If you get yourself a copy, you can read through it, but there may be a lot of questions that you have or things that may be unclear, depending on how familiar you are with Buddhist practice. That’s why we have a 2-year Lamrim course, which is conducted online. We have two languages available, English and Chinese. The next course will start in January 2023. I hope this helps.

Dear Lu Yang,

Thank you for questions.

In regards to placement of your images, here is the order, based on you looking at your altar:
> Gurus and Buddhas in the centre
> Meditational deities/Bodhisattvas on the left
> Dharma Protectors on the right.
I hope this helps.

In regards to the preliminary practices, we have an article available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/preliminary-practice.html. However there is a lot of information due to space constraints that could not be included.

That being said, before you engage in preliminary practices it is important that you have a firm foundational grasp of the Dharma before you start. This is so that you know fully what you are doing, how to do it, etc. Only them will your preliminary practices be successful.

Here is a list of Dharma books recommended by Rinpoche to start ones journey in Dharma practice: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/books-that-are-a-must-read.html

As part of that list is our Lamrim text, known as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand). This is the very core of our Dharma practice here in Kechara. In fact we run a two year course on this book online, the next in take will be next year January. It would be good for you to go through and complete the first year of Lamrim before engaging in Preliminary practices as they are big commitment, as you need to do them every day without break. There are prayers, visualisations and contemplations involved with them as well.

I hope this helps.

Dear Luna,

Thank you for your question. Making a full Stupa is quite a complicated procedure. By full stupa, I mean an outdoor stupa. It can involve gathering over 1,000 different types of items and holy relics to make it. We have a couple of Stupas here in Kechara Forest Retreat, and the preparations to make them can take many months if not even years.

If you are refering to a stupa of your altar, these are usually stupas that only contain a few holy items. This can be done easily by inviting a small stupa and then filling it with items like holy pills, blessed strings, protector rice, etc. We have these items available in our online store if you would like to take a look:

You can find the small stupas on this page:
https://www.vajrasecrets.com/ritual-objects

Holy pills:
https://www.vajrasecrets.com/precious-pills

Protector String:
https://www.vajrasecrets.com/protector-string-2

Protector rice:
https://www.vajrasecrets.com/protector-rice

I hope this information helps.

Dear Kelsang Dechog,

Thank you very much for wanting to donate. You can donate by clicking on this link which will take you to a Paypal page: https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=bDaM-XVCOyTL-pySfQV0nlnEVKjuqy2Y56Tt-sFDRHnJOT6uTozZR43xysl61yJaVZRwyVwi5GVPJxva

Thank you.

Dear Lu Yang,

Kechara offers vow talking services online with our Pastors. Please contact care@Kechara.com and let them know you would like to take refuge. They will assign you a Pastor who will go over the procedure and vows and give you further information. After you have been able to digest the information, they will arrange a time and date when we you can take refuge online. So you will be in front of your altar at home, and the Kechara Pastors will guide you how to take refuge online. Once you have gone through the formal ceremony, you have formally taken refuge under Tsem Rinpoche.

Before Tsem Rinpoche’s Parinirvana he gave the Kechara Pastors the procedure for people to take refuge under him, even if he was not physically present. So we can guide you through the process.

As of now, we do not have any resident monks, but some of the Pastors are Sangha-to-be, meaning they are preparing to take ordination as monks/nuns soon.

We truly rejoice in your aspiration to become a monk. Not many people have this wish nowadays, and definitely not someone as young as you. In order to get to a point where you can make that decision in the future, it would be good for you to have a foundational knowledge of the Dharma and practice to transform and become the best person you can right now. Here is an article which lists some of Tsem Rinpoche’s most recommended Dharma books: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/books-that-are-a-must-read.html. It would be good for you to get hold of copies of these books and read them and try to digest as much as possible.

If you have any further questions, please dont hesitate to ask here. We are always here to help. Thank you

Hello Gerry,

Traditionally, prayers are composed by masters who are attained. That way the composition of the prayer itself carries blessings, as does your practice and actualisation of that prayer within your mind.

However, yes you can compose additional motivations or aspirations which you can recite daily after you have completed the traditional prayers, so that your transformation has a more targetted effect to overcome the specific situation you are praying about. These motivations/requests/aspirations cannot replace the traditional prayers however. They can be done in addition to the traditional prayers, as a personal request to whichever deity you are practising.

The Gaden Lhagyama is great! In fact it is the first half of the Diamond Path prayer text, which is the general daily sadhana that Tsem Rinpoche recommended for everyone. The other half of the prayer is to the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. You can find this text here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/diamond-path. Alternatively, you can get a copy physically if you visit either Kechara House or Kechara Forest Retreat if you are based in Malaysia. I hope this helps.

Dear Luna,

If you set out a proper altar (complete with body, speech and mind representations, as well as many offerings), then with a pure motivation make a promise to refrain from a particular negative action or engage in a positive type of action, then you can take it to be a personal vow. But before you make the decision to do so, you must make sure your motivation is correct and that you can keep your promise.

This isn’t like the traditional vows, which stem all the way back to Buddha Shakyamuni himself. As such the traditionally vows carry their own set of blessings and transmission. If you make a promise to the Buddhas on your own, you can take it as a vow and as long as it adheres to Dharma principles then it will generate merit and help you transform your mind.

However, most actions are actually covered by the various sets of traditional vows. And they also form the basis of recieving higher practices. For example you need the Refuge Vows before recieving the Bodhisattva Vows. And the Bodhisattva Vows are required before recieving the Tantric Vows. For certain practices there are no other vows that you can take. You need to take the traditional vows before you can engage in these practices. I hope this explanation helps. Traditional vows are also explained in details in various texts and by our Gurus, so we understand clearly how such actions transform our minds. This might not be so clear cut, with making a promise yourself and considering it to be a vow. But again, that depends on how much thought you have put into it and how much Dharma knowledge you have. I hope this helps.