Dear Sandra,

Thank you for your question. We have compiled some dates for you below:

03/03/22 – Losar (Tibetan New Year)
15/03/22 – Chotrul Duchen (Buddha’s Great Miracles)
16/05/22 – Wesak Day
01/08/22 – Chokhor Duchen (Buddha’s first turning of the Wheel of Dharma)
15/11/22 – Lhabab Duchen (Buddha’s return from the Heavens)
18/12/22 – Lama Tsongkhapa Day

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Sandra,

Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot.

The best way to practice the Dharma is day by day and step-by-step. We cannot be the perfect practitioner of the Dharma from the very beginning, but we should make effort in our practice on a daily basis.

The very fundamental way to get rid of the Three Poisons by striving to abandon the 10 non-virtues. You can find a video teaching by Tsem Rinpoche on this subject here: https://youtu.be/6FgXQp-uvNU

The next thing to do is to study and practice the Lam Rim. The text we use if called Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand

I hope this helps in your transformation along your Dharma path! Thank you.

Dear Luke,

Nice to see you back here. Thank you for your question. Even if you take Refuge remotely, it does not diminish the value of it compared to someone who has taken it person.

The reason for this is simple. The power of Refuge comes from our heart, it is the sincerity in Taking Refuge that makes it strong or weak. Coupled with the formal ceremony of Taking Refuge is the daily practice of it. When you study and understand the meaning of it and do it sincerely from the heart, wherever you are, that is what determines the strength of Refuge.

In addition to the formal ceremony, I am sure that you are aware that there are Refuge vows which you should try to keep, these vows are promises not to engage in the 10 non-virtuous actions. There are also Refuge commitments as well. However, do not be daunted by these.

Firstly, they stop you from accruing more negative karma, so they actually help you to suffer less. Secondly, Buddhism is about transformation, and transformation takes time. You may be able to keep some of the vows from the day you take Refuge, and others you may not. But you should strive to keep them as best as possible. Overtime, if you work at it, you will be able to hold more of the vows consistently and see your mind transform.

In order to learn more about Refuge, you should read the chapter on Refuge in the Lam Rim text called Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (available here, if you don’t already have a copy: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand).

You can also read a short excerpt from the text here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/taking-refuge-by-je-pabongka.html

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Dorje (Alex),

For those who are suffering from a very bad year according to the Mewa system of Tibetan Astrology, you should engage in the practice of a Dharma Protector. If I may suggest, you can engage in the practice of Dorje Shugden, which is the main Dharma Protector practice here in Kechara as recommended by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche.

You can learn all about the practice by watching some of the videos on the practice here: tsemrinpoche.com/?p=66785.

This practice is excellent to help remove all the obstacles that make us suffer and at the same time to help generate good conditions for our daily lives. You can read the practice itself here: https://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/diamond-path-a-daily-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Luke,

Thank you for your question. His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche has advised all members and friends of Kechara to take the Diamond Path prayer text as their daily sadhana. This includes the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa and the practice of Dorje Shugden. Those who have other practices to follow insert them between the Guru Yoga and Dorje Shugden’s practice. This would be the best and is followed by those in Kechara who practice other deities.

In fact, within our tradition all prayers and pujas begin with Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga. That being said, if you cannot engage in the full Guru Yoga, then it is permissable to condense the Guru Yoga to just 7 recitation of the Migtsema Mantra, then continue on with other deity prayers, and then the practice of Dorje Shugden. In regards to sadhanas, we should engage in them daily without break to get the best benefit from doing them. Consistency is the key to success in daily prayers.

So, in your case, you can condense the Guru Yoga to 7 recitations of Migtsema, followed by Tara practice and mantra, then conclude with Dorje Shugden practice. I hope this helps.

Dear Dr. Juergen Aschoff,

Thank you for your question. One of our Pastors has emailed you as per the email listed in your message, in order to communicate directly.

Thank you.

Dear Raj,

Thank you for your question. You can actually ask your questions here, and we will reply you. There are many resources on this website that we can direct you to, which can help in any type of situation.

However, if you would like to ask a question privately, you can email us at care@kechara.com.

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear TinHtweAung,

We are unsure as to what exactly, you are asking about fate. If you are asking about your own fate, here are some links which you may be interested in.

Tibetan Astrology
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tibetan-astrology/tibetan-astrology.html

Chinese Zodiac
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/horoscopes/the-chinese-zodiac.html

Fortune Cookie
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/fortune-cookie

Numerology Calculator
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/numerology/numerology-calculator.html

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Anup Kumar Bhattacharya,

I am sorry that you have been going through this very tough period in your life. We would like to suggest that you read the following article and engage in the practice of Shize. This practice is excellent for healing and long life, and as Shize is an emanation of Dorje Shugden is also excellent for clearing obstacles that we are facing. You can read the article here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/dorje-shugden/shize-a-practice-for-healing-and-long-life.html. I pray that this helps you. It would better for you to engage in this practice as it has the ability to help you tremendously.

Dear Mabo,

Thank you for your questions. As I understand from your message, you have already received Highest Yoga Tantric (HYT) initiation. Since you have received the initiation for this yidam, this is the deity that you take as your main practice. The reason for this is that during the initiation ceremony, the seeds of achieving attainments through the practice of this deity was planted into your mindstream. Hence if you follow the daily practice, keep your vows, commitments, your Guru devotion, then you will be successful in your practice.

The birth Buddha aspect of the Mewa system is usually for those who do not have HYT, which actually supersedes the advice given in the Mewa system. In regards to your connection with Manjushri, you can of course still recite his mantra, or even Avalokiteshvara’s, but your core focus should be the HYT yidam practice.

You should learn, study and practice this properly for full transformation of the mind. Tsem Rinpoche gave some advice to a Yamantaka practitioner here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/advice-to-a-yamantaka-initiate.html. Although your yidam may not be Yamantaka, the points that Rinpoche mentioned in the article will still be applicable to you.

To find out more about your HYT practice, please contact the centre or teacher that you received the practice from. They will be able to guide you in the proper manner.

Dear Maxime,

Thank you for your questions. It’s great that you want to bless your own statues.

In the article How To Bless Buddha Images Yourself (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/how-to-bless-buddha-images-yourself.html), there is a commentary at the bottom of the article (in the tabs). There is a separate commentary for each version of the text, Condensed, Medium and Extensive. You can read the instructions of what to do for whichever blessing you are doing there.

Generally, rice is thrown when you recite the mantra OM SUTRA-TITRA BENZA-YE SOHA. It is not necessary that the rice touches the statues/images if you are sitting further away from your altar. However, some people find it more meaningful for themselves if the rice does touch the images. This is up to you.

You do not need to do the blessing for each individual statue/image on your altar. You can just do the blessing once, and visualise/think strongly that the energies of the Buddhas have entered each and every image on your altar.

In regards to mantras, it would be good to follow the information in the attached picture. Basically, you chant aloud enough so you yourself can hear the syllables but not loud enough to disturb those around you. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Hello Jake,

Nice to see you here again and thanks for your follow up question. I think I understand your situation more. Since it was a general Refuge giving ceremony, then I think it will be fine to proceed with Tsem Rinpoche, especially if you are not under a specific master in the Zen tradition.

Taking Refuge is a wonderful thing, and since you already have it, just as a courtesy, you should contact the Zen centre, via phone, email, letter or however, and just explain the situation and that you want to move on to practice Tibetan Buddhism. That would suffice in this situation.

After that, you can continue you practice of Tibetan Buddhism and make arrangements to Take Refuge under Tsem Rinpoche. I hope this helps.

Dear Jake,

Thank you for your question. Since you have already taken Refuge, it is not actually necessary for you to take it again. You have already made a connection to Three Jewels and have received the Refuge vows and commitments. That being said, sometimes people opt to re-take Refuge in order to repair their vows.

However, you can still take Refuge remoting with Tsem Rinpoche. The Kechara Pastors can guide you in this procedure, since Tsem Rinpoche is no longer here with us physically. You can do this since you wish to follow the practices of Tibetan Buddhism and you have a strong attraction to certain practices. You must be firm in your conviction to do this.

Since you actually already have a guru-disciple relationship with the Zen monk, even if you are not actively receiving teachings, you will need to inform him of your choice, and explain why you wish to practice Tibetan Buddhism instead. Traditionally, this would actually be asking him for permission to practice under another teacher. This would be the best to do before taking Refuge again under Tsem Rinpoche. This act would seal your connection to him and make him your guru. I hope this helps.

Dear Kriel,

Thank you for your question. This is an interesting topic. Many people are of the opinion that you must have steady or enough wealth in order to engage in spiritual practice.

However, as taught by His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche, you can practice spiritual transformation whatever your current situation. Some people can say that they cannot practice because they do not have enough wealth in order to do so, and so think that they will practice once they have enough. The problem is that if we have that mind-frame, we will never actually begin or deepen our practice because how much wealth is enough for us to actually practice?

Spiritual practice is not dependent on outer wealth. It’s actually dependent on our inner wealth, and our inner transformation. So no matter what your circumstance, you can practice the Dharma. In regards to material offerings, yes, some people might not be able to afford things of excellent quality like others. However, as Rinpoche taught, we practice according to our means.

When Rinpoche was a monk, for example, he used to make water offerings in plastic bowls, and then when his situation improved, he used metal bowls instead. So what’s the difference between making water offerings using plastic bowls (if that’s all you can really afford) and using say stainless steel or gold bowls? You actually generate the same amount of merit, because you are practicing according to your means. A lot of people don’t have enough wealth to use gold bowls, but they can use silver, stainless steel or even ceramic bowls instead. They can use the best that they can afford in their current situation.

However, sometimes people need to spend most of their time and energy to make ends meet. For that reason, there are practices in Tibetan Buddhism that can increase your outer wealth, so that you can focus on spiritual practice. These practices will only be successful if you have a good motivation however, for example, you can engage in wealth-generating practices all you want, but if your motivation is to spend it all on entertainment or having fun, they won’t be successful.

A very good wealth-generating practice is that of Gyenze, which you can read more about here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/dorje-shugden-gyenze-to-increase-life-merits-and-wealth.html

Real spiritual transformation is an internal process, hence it can be practiced by anyone. Your outer circumstances should not stop you from practicing. I hope this helps.

Hello Olive,

Thank you for your question. Compassion fatigue is a very real condition that happens to those working to help others in secular environments, especially in tough areas such as drug addiction, domestic violence, etc.

If I may, I would suggest that you make a regular practice of breathing meditation. You can watch guided meditations by clicking on this link: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/live-your-best-life-100-days-of-mindful-meditation.html These sessions were on mindful meditation and were led by one of His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s senior students. It will be a great help to you in your work if you make time everyday, even for just 5-10 minutes to practice this meditation. It will give you not only a sense of relief but focus as well.

From a Dharma perspective, our actions to help others should not just be based on helping them in this life but all future lives. You can read, study and practice the teachings on the Lamrim (available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand).

The Lamrim teachings are set out in such a manner to help guide Dharma practitioners in all areas of life. It starts of with the most foundational teachings, and progresses, until finally towards the end it details the development of bodhicitta, through various meditational practices based on earlier topics.

Bodhicitta is the motivation to attain enlightenment not for yourself but to help all sentient beings. It is this motivation that drives practitioners on the bodhisattva path. The stronger this bodhicitta motivation is, the more we work for the benefit of sentient beings. This motivation is more than just a wish however, through the contemplative and meditational techniques you literally change how you think. When this happens you can work tirelessly for others, without succumbing to compassion fatigue. I hope this helps.

Hi Marcus!

Thank you for your question. Lama Chopa is a very, very powerful puja. It calls upon the energies of your guru, the lineage lamas, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma Protectors. It generates a lot of merit. It can be recited by anyone, however if you receive tantric initiation you can engage in the associated visualisations and ritual.

The puja can be done any time to generate a lot of merit. In fact it is done daily in the monasteries. It can be recited any time.

Yes, if you do not have an appropriate initiation, you do not perform the Tsok section. You just recite Migtsema at this point. I hope this helps.

Dear Lara,

There is nothing to worry about if something like this happens. The Buddhas are never offended. Buddhas do not have an ego to be offended. They operate from true and boundless compassion. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Lucian,

I am very sorry to read that you had this experience. Vipashyana is a very powerful meditation technique and depending on the sorts of topics we are concentrating on, some people can have these types of experiences.

Following Tsem Rinpoche’s advice on these sorts of experiences, the first thing to do is to seek guidance from a qualified mental health professional, to rule out any underlying conditions that could have led to this episode. This is the first step that Rinpoche advised when these sort of things happened.

The next thing that Rinpoche advised was to engage in purification practice. Such as the 35 Confessional Buddhas or Vajrasattva practice. You can read more following the links below:

35 Confessional Buddhas:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-35-confessional-buddhas.html

Vajrasattva:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/an-important-purification-practice.html
[Please note, if you have not received Vajrasattva initiation, you only visualise Vajrasattva and not his consort]

The purification practice should be engaged in with full use of the Four Opponent Powers (discussed in the articles). The reason why purification practices are important are because when we are engaged in meditational practices our negative karma can manifest. This is because the methods we are engaged in are a direct counter to our habituated ways of think and interacting with the world, which is actually what keeps us bound to samsaric cyclic existence.

The next step is to make sure that all the conditions are met to be engaged in the particular type of meditation you are practicing. This stems from knowing and understanding the most basic and fundamental teachings, such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, death and impermanence, 12 Links of Dependent Arising and understanding of karma. Within the Gelug lineage, Vipashyana is actually an advanced practice, one that needs a very firm grounding of other foundational teachings. In addition, you should have studied the Vipashyana technique intellectually first so you know how to overcome certain situations when they arise.

If you would like more advice, you should contact the teacher of the Vipashyana course, as they will be able to guide you more according to the tradition that you are practicing. I hope this helps.

Dear Annonamous,

We are very happy to read that you have followed Tsem Rinpoche’s advice to bless your statues. Rinpoche has also advised not to leave Buddha statues un-filled. Since you cannot afford to fill them traditionally yourself, what you can do is print off the Om Ah Hum mantra, which I will attach here. Roll the mantra vertically and then place inside the statue. Repeat for each statue that you have. This will be suitable for now. For the future, perhaps you can plan to have the statues filled in the traditional manner. I hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other questions.

Dear Andrew,

Thanks for posting your question here. As a practicing meditator, I am sure you are aware that there are many variations of meditation, especially between various Buddhist schools and lineages. However, they all include breathing meditation or more specifically Shamatha meditation. In all traditions, the ‘object’ that is used for this type of meditation is breathing. However within the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, visualisation is used as the ‘object’ or the ‘device’ of meditation instead.

This is because of the power of the object, which in this case is the visualisation of the body of an enlightened being. You can also actually focus on the sound of mantras as an object of this type of meditation too.

According to the Lamrim teachings of the Gelug tradition, which we practice, the reason why visualisation is used, is because when you visualise or recall the body of a Buddha during your meditations, you are not just meditating, you are also generating merit. This occurs due to the power of the body of the Buddha figure you are visualising. Within our tradition, that is why visualisation or concentration on the sound of mantra recitation is focused on.

That is not to say that using the breath is not a powerful technique. It most definitely is and can lead to great spiritual advancement. There are many practices in Tibetan Buddhism that just focus on the breath as the object of meditation. Utilizing visualisation boosts our meditation, because it has the added benefit of generating merit. This is especially beneficial for those who aspire to engage in tantric practice, in which the visualisation process is quite extensive.

Visualisation however is not something that all people can do, but the Lamrim advises that it can be learned, slowly but surely, just like any other ability, whether secular or spiritual. We are advised to first learn the visualisations intellectually and slowly through our meditations to apply them. It will be hard at first but over time we can work on it.

Alternatively, if you are looking for another object to focus on, you can focus on the sound of mantra recitation if you engage in mantra recitation, this has the same effect to generate merit, as mantras are the energies of the enlightened beings in the form of sound. I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please feel free to post here. Thank you.