Dear Anonymous,

If you wish to practice Palden Lhamo and not Dorje Shugden, that is fine. Both are enlightened Dharma Protectors, so there will not be any unfortunately circumstances. And yes, you can switch.

However, and this is the main point, once you have chosen which Protector to practice, you have to be consistent. If you are not consistent and perhaps keep switching between the two, you will not experience the most benefits from either practice. The purpose of Dharma Protector practice is to get benefits in both worldly and spiritual life to help us, however we must be consistent and commited to our practice to get the real benefits. If you would like to practice Palden Lhamo instead, that is wonderful. But it would be best to stick to Palden Lhamo’s practice from now on and do it consistently.

You can take refuge in front of your altar (which would include an image), that is very much done when you can’t attend the ceremonies at Dharma centres, etc. Here is Kechara, we have a service in which we take you through the Refuge ceremony only if you cannot attend our events physically. During the ceremony, you would be in front of your altar at home. You can email Care@Kechara.com if you are interested.

Other vows are different. For example the 8 Precepts need to be received in person or online for the 1st time. Then after that you can take the 8 Precepts whenever you want in front of your altar or image, as you already have the vows. Other vows, such as the layman vows, monastic ordination, Bodhisattva vows, etc, need to be received in person from someone holding those vows.

I hope this helps.

Dear Will,

Yes, both samsara and nirvana are inseparable. But in order to understand what that means, you have to realise that us enlightened beings think in different terms with the enlightened beings. This is due to our karma, ego, self-cherishing, etc.

The Buddhas and Bodhisattva’s want to help beings overcome karma and their self-cherishing so that they can become fully enlightened. So samsara and nirvana are not the same, as the way that you are thinking. You can think of it more as a state of being rather than a physical place. That may help you to understand it better.

This is all a little to complicated to fit into this small section here I think. You can read the teachings such as the Lamrim to understand all of this better. I hope this helps.

Dear Lee Shuin,

Thanks for your question. This is fine if you are just helping them pronounce normal mantras and prayers (as in those that do not need empowerment to practice).

There is nothing to worry about in regards to transmissions, because you do not have the meditations to actually do them. So when your friend is repeating after you, there is no transmission or mistakes on a spiritual level. However, you are just being a good friend helping them to pronounce the mantras/prayers correctly, which is very good.

You can refer them back to their guru also, or senior students from their centre, who can guide them further on pronounciation of mantras and prayers.

I hope this helps!

Hello Kok Lee,

The Udanavarga Sutra known as Chedu Jopei Tsom in Tibetan is the Sanskrit equivalent to the Pali Dhammapada. The Tibetan Dhammapada text is different, it is a translation of the Pali Dhammapada. The benefits of both of these texts are the same, generation of tremendous merits and progress on the spiritual journey, etc.

In the Diamond Path sadhana compiled by Tsem Rinpoche, two others mantras are included. The first one is for healing and long life. The second was is for increasing inner and outer wealth. At this point, you can also chant the mantras of any of the other forms of Dorje Shugden. However, if you are concentrating on a specific form of Dorje Shugden, please note that the visualisation during the prayers would be of that specific form and the visualisation during mantra recitation would be specific to that form also.

For legal cases, such as visa appeals, paperwork, etc., you can focus on the main form of Dorje Shugden. You can follow the standard mantra visualisation, but during that think strongly that you are receiving Dorje Shugden’s help for that issue. You can also offer more of the main verse during Serkym to receiving Dorje Shugden’s help faster. If in dire need offering the serkym and recite the main verse 108 times.

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Rojal Poudel,

Yes, on an every day level Tibetan Buddhist can and do eat garlic and onion.

It is only when in the retreat of or when practising intense sadhana of a lower tantric deity, that certain foods are not eating. For higher tantric practices, there are no such restrictions. During certain pujas also, deitery restrictions apply. It is dependant on the practice.

However, in general we can eat these foods.

Garlic and onions are part of what are known as ‘Black Foods’. These foods are not eaten during retreats of lower tantric deities and certain pujas as mentioned above.

Such foods include meat, fish, seafood, eggs, milk & dairy products, onion, garlic, alcohol, radish, pungent/strong-smelling foods such as leeks, shallots, chives, durians and petai (stink bean).

There is a different reason why each of these foods are not consumed during certain practices. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Da Wei,

There are many, many different types of practices. We have a page dedicated to various practices here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/prayers-and-sadhanas.

As a general practice in Kechara, His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche has however, recommended the Diamond Path sadhana to be done daily. This is the combined practice of Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden. You can find this practice here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/products/diamond-path

Thank you and i hope this helps.

Dear Lena,

Thank you for your question. The following page may be of use to you: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/numerology/numerology-calculator.html. Hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jana,

Thanks for your questions. All deity practices do indeed bestow worldly benefits as well as spiritual progress. But perhaps not in the manner that you are expecting. The deities can definitely help to fulfil our worldly wants, however our worldly wants are filled with selfish desire and attachments. Hence, the Buddhas do not always grant our wishes because they know that our wishes are extremely selfish and will lead to suffering for ourselves and others.

A simple example, a lot of people pray for wealth. The Buddhas can help us get wealth, as there are many types of wealth practice. However, they will only do what is best for us as they operate from compassion. So if they see, we will use our wealth for the benefit of not only ourselves and others then they will help us acquire that wealth. But this is not just magically given, we still need to do things to accumulate wealth, they will make things easier and more successful.

However, if they see will be greedy, extremely selfish, etc when we get that wealth due to our attachment, and it will negatively impact ourselves and others, then they will not help us get the level of wealth that we want because they are compassionate, they know it will only lead to us suffering more. The same includes any worldly benefit, including finding a partner.

The Buddhas see us all equally, with love and compassion. They accept anyone, regardless of your race, gender, sexuality, etc. As such, no matter who you are, they will help.

In regards to finding a partner, both Green Tara and Red Tara are beneficial. But as I mentioned previously, they will not help us in the ways that we might want them to, because it may not be good for us. Both are great for creating and harmony and attracting things into our life, but they won’t do so magically. We have to transform ourselves to become better people, and then they will definitely help us if our motivation is good and they know that a particular relationship won’t lead to suffering for ourselves or the other person. The main thing I would like to stress here, is that we should pray to the Buddhas for more than worldly gains. Our motivation should be self-transformation, then from a karmic level we are able to achieve what we want and the deities will help us achieve what is good for us.

I hope this helps.

Dear BB,

A teacher or guru is someone who teaches you the Buddhist path and shows how to practice, providing guidance and advice, etc.

Tsem Rinpoche gave a very good teaching about this topic here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/refuge-and-the-guru.html

You can read the article or listen to the audio to find out more.

Dear Chan,

Thank you for your question. Each Mahayana tradition will have different methods to attain being reborn in Purelands. So different traditions will place different emphasis on certain Purelands.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the mantra of Amitabha is Om Ami Dewa Hri”. This mantra can be recited by anyone to create a connection with the Buddha Amitabha.

From a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, the mantra of Amitabha alone will not be able to led a being to be reborn in his Pureland. That would require an extremely strong connection with Amitabha and a lot of merits, that comes from the transformation of the mind, meditation, etc.

At the momement of death, if a person has purified enough negative karma, generated enough merits and transformed their mind, then as they lose consciousness, their minds are fixed on Amitabha, then that can lead to them taking rebirth in his Pureland. So the practice of achieving rebirth in a Pureland is not done at the time of death, it is done throughout life, everyday until the momement of death itself.

At the moment of death, there can be many signs that occur, for example lights, images of monks, hearing chanting, etc. The main thing to concentrate on therefore is actually preparing yourself during life for that moment.

The best way to purify karma is to engage in Dharma practice, whether this is formal practice (daily prayers, sadhanas, etc, or specific purification practices such as Vajrasattva, 35 Confessional Buddhas, etc) and transformation of the mind following the teachings of the Buddha. The second one is the most important to purify great amounts of karma and generate merit.

You may find this video by Tsem Rinpoche helpful. Thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2aXpCTKT68

Dear Khang,

Thank you for your question. If your problems have been lessened through the practices advised through divination, then it is okay to stop unless the lama gave specific instructions on how many mantras, prayers, you should do and for how long you should do it. Usually divinations for problems will come back with certain practices to do until the problem is over, or for a certain amount of mantras or recitations to be completed. You can check back the results you got from that lama.

If your precious guru has asked you to concentrate on Lama Tsongkhapa’s practice and Dorje Shugden, then that should be your main practice. If in doubt, you can contact your guru and tell him about having received divinations results from the previous lama and ask him what you should do, if you need to continue those practices, etc.

I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Mariam,

Yes, you can practice Trakpo Sumtril without empowerment or permission. His practice is a lower tantric practice, so can be done by anyone.

Since you do not have the initiation, you do the entire visualisation in front of you. You can find more information here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakpo-sumtril-retreat-instructions.html. If you go to the commentary section and scroll down, you will find information about how to engage in the practice, visualisation and mantra without initiation.

There are many deities that can be practiced without initiation including, Lama Tsongkhapa, Dorje Shugden (Protector), Manjushri, Chenrezig, Vajrapani, White Tara, Red Tara, Green Tara, Black Manjushri, many, many. If you are interested in a practising a deity but don’t know if you can do it without intiation or not, you can ask here. Alternatively you can contact us (https://www.kechara.com/contact/) privately and we can answer your questions there also.

I hope this helps.

Hello Shree!

Yes, you can recite Lord Hayagriva’s mantra without empowerment or permission. Lord Hayagriva is a yidam deity. Here is some information about Hayagriva that Tsem Rinpoche shared before:

Hayagriva is the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, also known as Chenrezig or Kuan Yin, whose compassion manifests itself as a fierce energy that compels one to overcome internal obstacles and subdue outer hindrances.

Thus, Hayagriva provides a means through which a practitioner recognizes his or her own innate altruistic compassion.

Hayagriva has a bright red body and 3 faces, red, green and white. On top of his head are three green horse heads. He has 6 arms holding different implements.

In his lower right and left hands he holds sword and lasso respectively. His upper right hand hold a vajra and his upper left hand is in the threatening mudra. His central right and left hands hold a khatvanga and spear respectively.

Each of his eight legs steps on a snake, showing that his practice grants effective protection against Nagas. Hayagriva has the special ability to cure diseases in general, and skin diseases in particular, even one as serious as leprosy.

He is effective protection against Nagas (water spirits with serpent bodies) and counters the after-effects of black magic and spells. He is especially beneficial for those suffering from terminal illnesses.

His spiritual energy in the form of sound that helps to transform the mind (Mantra): HRI PEMA DATRI HAYAGRIVA HULU HULU HUNG PHET

I hope this helps!

Dear Charlene,

Thank you so much for sharing what you found! Some years ago, Tsem Rinpoche also found the same article by Doctor Matthew William King. Rinpoche found it so interesting that after reading it Rinpoche published an article about it. It’s available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/how-mongolia-saved-dorje-shugden.html

Thank you again for sharing, may you blessed by the Tsem Rinpoche, the Three Jewels and Dorje Shugden.

Dear William,

Thank you for sharing this prayer. Whilst this prayer is composed to Nechung as an enlightened Dharma Protector, from the wording we can see that it is a prayer to Nechung to remember his oath to Guru Rinpoche to protect the Tibetan government, the people and the Dharma in general. I’m not sure in what context the prayer can be recited or not.

However, generally speaking, Nechung is not a protector (whether enlightened or worldly) that can be practised openly. It must be engaged under the close supervision of a guru. There are practitioners who engage in his practice, but do so under the guidance of a guru. That is why the full prayers to Nechung, together with his mantra are not made public. Unlike other Dharma Protectors such as Dorje Shugden, Palden Lhamo, Mahakala, etc. In fact, you can find prayer to these Dharma Protectors here on this page: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/sadhana-prayers.html as it is safe to practice them without needing the close guidance of a guru. I hope this helps.

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your very interesting question. Generally it is considered that being male is better than being female. And the simple reason for this is culture. Historically and even today, women can easily be taken advantage and are still not seen as equal to men in very large sections of society. Hence, it becomes harder for them to practice the Dharma seriously due to certain societal pressures, family obligations and physical dangers compared to men. It is considered a better state because it is easier to be able to practice and have less obstacles than females. So generally, females may have more obstacles to over than males in society in general and for practising the Dharma.

That said however, we have many examples of women becoming enlightened beings in female form. The greatest example of this is Tara. She was a female disciple of a Buddha in another world system. The other disciples taunted her that if she wanted to become enlightened, she should pray for a male rebirth in which she could practice better than she could as a woman. Instead of doing that, she made a vow then and there, that she would be become enlightened as a woman. There was many miraculous signs that occured then. Later, she did become enlightened and in the form of woman, overcoming whatever obstacles or pressures she would have faced as a woman.

Hence, when this is mentioned as part of the ripened qualities of refraining from the 10 non-virtues and practising the ten virtues, it is not about spiritual advancement, but the normal benefits. Anyone can achieve those benefits by refraining from the 10 non-virtues. But if you have those qualities, it is easier for you to work on spiritual progress compared to if you didn’t have those qualities. Does that mean that spiritual advancement, in this case, is only for men? Of course not, but it is easier due to culture, society, etc.

I hope this helps.

Dear Nhat Khang,

Very sorry to read that you have been facing this. Unfortunately, these are the circumstances that many of us face due to certain prejedudices against Dorje Shugden amongst practitioners.

You can continue sharing the practice of Dorje Shugden with others, however try to make sure that they are people who will accept. If you have already shared the practice with others, but now they have turned away from the practice, don’t force them to practice again. Leave them be. At least they are practising some form of the Dharma.

If this is too difficult, share with the general Dharma practices and the other Dharma protector practices. That will be very good. In fact, sharing the Dharma with others in general such as the Lamrim teachings is very beneficial even if they do not want to practice Dorje Shugden. Sharing the Dharma with others generates a lot of merit. Ask them to read and study the teachings such as the Lamrim. This would be very good. Hope this helps.

Dear Kinga,

I think the following two pages will be interesting for you. Thank you.

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

Tashi Delek Bill,

Nice to see you here. Yes, of course, anyone can engage in the food offering to Hariti, including lay people.

And yes, we understand that you might not be able to do the practice daily, as you do have other commitments. And that is fine, you can do the offering as and when you have the time.

As you will see in the actual prayers, the sutra propitiates the Three Jewels, so every time you do it, you will be blessed by not only Hariti but the Three Jewels in general. Her practice is extremely efficacious as I’m sure you have read in the article.

Wish you well, and may you create a close connection with Mother Hariti. She will definitely be a beneficial influence in your life. Thank you.

Dear Sirius,

I’m sorry to hear that you have been going through such a tough time. Just remember that there is impermenance, which means that all difficult times will eventually end.

The way to have faith and maintain constant practice is through learning and conteplation of the teachings and to see them in your life. For example, to study and understand karma and impermenance, but then contemplate how your own life experiences show this. Then you would contemplate on the state of enlightenment and the qualities of the enlightenment.

So when you are going through tough times, you know that those tough times will end and that the enlightened beings can benefit you. That is the correct way to build faith, and through that consistency in your practice. I hope this helps. I will keep you in my prayers as well.