Dear D,

Thank you for your question. I am sorry you are having these problems with your boyfriend’s mother. Dealing with the relatives of our partner can be a difficult experience especially if they seem not to like you at the moment. However, since you love your boyfriend you need to battle through these emotions so you can continue and further your relationship with him. Though it may be hard to do this, we must come at the situation from a compassionate angle, and that is your boyfriend’s mother is extremely attached to her son. It is most likely for this reason that acts like she does not like you. Rather than getting caught up in the emotions that you are feeling, you need to find a way to distance yourself from the hurt and come at this situation from a more logical perspective. Your boyfriend’s mother is so caught up in her attachment that she cannot see what is right in front of her, that her son has chosen you to be his life partner. Though she wants him to be happy, she is projecting what she thinks will make him happy on to you. But the thing she has failed to realise, is that what makes him happy is being with you and that is why he is with you. Being with you is what makes him happy, and you should remember this and feel compassion towards his mother who is stuck in her own projections of what she thinks will make him happy. In fact, just by being with you, he is showing her that you are what makes him happy and this is something you should remember when her actions and behaviour makes you feel sad.

If you are a practicing Buddhist there are practices that can aid you on a spiritual level, but you also need to put effort in to solve the situation yourself. These practices will make whatever you do more effective as long as you have a good motivation.

The practice I recommend is the practice of Tara. Tara is the embodiment of compassion and is known as the mother of all Buddhas. You can read more about her here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/cittamani-tara.html. This prayers in this post are for those who have the initiation, as explained in the article itself. However there is a section towards the end of the article named “Additional Prayers to Tara” these can be recited by those without initiation. His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche recommends the practice of Tara a lot for people who are having relationship problems with loved ones. Her practice brings a lot of peaceful and yet beneficial energies into our lives. Her mantra which you can recite is: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA.

More than this, His Eminence has given an excellent teaching, available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/ingredients-for-a-successful-relationship.html which is all about how to make a relationship meaningful. After all, it is the relationship you have with your boyfriend that is the most important in your life if you are going to spend the rest of your lives together. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your question. Perhaps His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche will post commentaries on Chakrasamvara here on the blog. As you know there are already commentaries on Yamantaka and Guhyasamaja practice available on this blog for those who have the appropriate initiations. As you are most likely aware, there are a couple of different lineages of practice with Chakrasamvara, so the commentary that is posted may not be the one that you have the initiation for. Even if this is the case, any commentary would be support to your own Chakrasamvara practice.

There are in fact some quite good commentaries on the Chakrasamvara practice. The best commentaries on the practice are by Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. You should try searching for these commentaries and their English translations. They will be extremely helpful for all those who practice Chakrasamvara and any highest yoga tantra in general.

Thank you.

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your question. Though it may not seem like it, the situation you are going through is one that many people go through in their relationships. It is a situation that people go through. However, that being said, you have made a formal commitment to your husband. Do you remember why you married him? It was because you saw in him qualities that were attractive to you. What attracted you to be with him is important to remember when you go through such feelings. You should remind yourself of these, and even try to improve the relationship you have with your husband.

From a Buddhist perspective, the memories you have are just that memories. Though you may have emotions, these are based on memories and not the here and now. What we need to concentrate is the here and now, and what we have in front of us. This can be applied to any situation, and not just what you are going through. Even so, depending on how strong these feelings are, it will take effort and patience.

When we face these sorts of situations where are minds are disturbed we need to take steps to ensure that are minds are calm and stable. One of these is the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa, which you can find here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/tsongkapas-daily-practice-video-commentary.html This practice will be extremely beneficial for you during this time. To help you have a calmer and more stable mind, so you can concentrate on the here and now. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your question. It is good to see you here. As you have rightly pointed out, during solar eclipses the merit from engaging in virtuous actions are greatly multiplied. Therefore there are many prescribed practices one can do during these times to generate a lot of merit, such as engaging in prayers, making abundant offerings, animal liberation, taking precepts for the day, etc.

In terms of sadhana practice, the main benefit here would be the multiplication of merits generated. However on a tantric level, since the movements of the planets are linked to the movement of energy within the universe, and therefore one’s body, there would be subtle changes in the psychic winds within the body as well. On the whole, the patterns of the universe are mirrored within the psychic winds in the body as well. The tantric system that deals with these movements in the most detail is the Kalachakra Tantra, which you can read more about here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/tibetan-astrology/introduction-to-tibetan-astrology.html

In the Kalachakra Tantra it is said that when a solar eclipse occurs, merit is either multiplied a thousand, ten-thousand times, or a hundred-thousand times. The sun and the moon are linked with the psychic winds, channels and drops with tantric practice. According to the Kalachakra Tantra everyone breathes 21,600 time every day and our minds are said to ride on the winds within our bodies. The majority of the winds within out body are karmic winds, in that they come about and are affected by karmic tendencies. During an eclipse however, more wisdom winds are said to prevail in the body. As these circulate in the body, doing Dharma practice, especially tantric practices in which you use these winds, one can achieve spiritual attainments at a speed that would not normally be possible.

In traditional mythology, there is a celestial body known as Rahu. This isn’t actually a physical planet, but a node on the orbit of the moon. When Rahu appears, he is said to swallow the sun for some time, this is the ancient explanation of a solar eclipse. Rahu is also known as the “dragon’s head”. Within the Kalachakra Tantra, practitioners use Rahu to bring the sun and the moon under control. As the sun is associated with psychic channels on the right side of the body, and the moon with psychic channels on the left side of the body, what this means is that the practitioner controls these energies and brings them into the central psychic channel instead. Thereby the solar eclipse is said to mirror a tantric yogi’s ability to bring the psychic energies of the left and right side into the central channel. Once in the central channel the yogi can engage in the higher psychic energy meditations in order to gain spiritual attainments and even enlightenment.

For an everyday practitioner therefore, the main benefit of practicing during a solar eclipse is the multiplication of merit. For a tantric practitioner however, it is a time that they can make use of the energies of nature to boost their practices. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Todd,

Thank you for your interesting question. Rakta Yamari is indeed a wrathful emanation of Manjushri, in the form of a yidam or meditational deity belonging to the Anuttarayoga, or highest tantra, class of deities. The practice has been incorporated into all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism: the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug.

Generally speaking some of the wrathful forms of Manjushri can be classified into three groupings, the Rakta (blood-red), Krishna (blue-black), and Vajrabhairava (adamantine terrifying). Since Rakta Yamari is therefore a classification of deities, it would be hard to give information here on all of them. The specific forms of Rakta Yamari differ in how the main figure appears and the number of other deities in the mandala. Of particular note, is that each of these forms and their practices has their own lineage of practice as well.

Whilst there are forms of all three classifications within the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, certain lineages place more emphasis on a particular form than others. For example, within the Gelug lineage emphasis is placed on Vajrabhairava Yamantaka, of which there are two forms in particular that are practiced: 13-deity Yamantaka, and Solitary Hero Yamantaka. In fact Vajrabhairava Yamantaka is one of the three main Anuttarayoga Tantra deities practiced in the Gelug lineage, which we follow, alongside the Akshobhyavajra variant of Guhyasamaja and Chakrasamvara.

There are two important lineages of Rakta Yamari practice: the 13-deity Rakta Yamari, and the 5-deity Rakta Yamari practice. Both of these practices can be traced back to an important lineage holder, the Indian Mahasiddha Virupa. In the case of the 5-deity Rakta Yamari lineage, he was taught the practice by a wisdom dakini. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Aldric Wilson DuXing,

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, I do not know much about Yi Yun Gao to be able to comment on this. However, within Buddhism we do believe that the Buddhas, out of their compassion appear in human form to help sentient beings in whatever way they can.

Within Tibetan Buddhism there is a long history of recognising great masters as the physical body emanations (also known as tulkus) of the Buddhas. The logic behind this is that the Buddhas are all compassionate and so help sentient beings in any and all means that they can. This would obviously include taking the physical form of a human. To say that the Buddhas cannot or do not do this, would be limiting the abilities of the enlightened beings, which goes against the scriptures. In fact, in the scriptures it states that Buddhas can emanate out in countless different forms at the same time. This includes animate beings, such as humans, animals, etc., and also inanimate objects such as bridges, or other things.

These emanations, or incarnations if in human form, can be recognised by those who have the ability to perceive the enlightened beings, such as highly attained masters or other emanations themselves. That is why you see only the highest masters within the Tibetan Buddhist traditions recognise others as incarnations of the Buddhas. Other methods of confirming this can include checking with an enlightened Dharma protector, such as Dorje Shugden, when in trance of a qualified oracle.

Those who really are emanations of the enlightened beings do not actually need to be recognised as such, as they will always help others no matter if they are recognised or not. However the recognition of such beings is more for us, as practitioners to gain merit by helping them achieve their goal of helping other sentient beings. But as I mentioned earlier, these beings do not self-proclaim themselves but are recognised as such by other highly attained masters who are trustworthy and really work for the cause of helping others by upholding and practicing the holy teachings of Lord Buddha. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, however the link you provided does not work. I do not know anything about this particular person or their organisation, so I really can’t say much.

However, there are some people out there who use religion for their personal gain, and twist the teachings to suit their greed. These sorts of people are often embroiled in scandals and the like and often have views that go against common sense. That is why it is very important to check that a teacher is qualified, is practicing, and is teaching the Dharma as it should be according to the scriptures. All students are encouraged do to so and this in mentioned clearly in the scriptures themselves. The actions of a teacher should be in line with actions laid out in the scriptures and their views should match the logic laid out in the scriptures as well. Once we see a teacher’s qualities, and we have made sure that what they practice is real and genuine, we can devote ourselves to that person fully.

We at Kechara, following the teachings of His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche, think very highly of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as he is the emanation of the Buddha of compassion, Chenrezig. Similarly, we also believe that Dorje Shugden is the emanation of the Buddha of wisdom, Manjushri. For us, both are enlightened beings, and many practitioners all around world follow this belief as well. We are saddened to see or hear when others talk badly about either, since both are enlightened beings capable of benefiting the world tremendously. Thank you.

Dear E,

Thank you for your question. I’m sorry that you have not had good experiences with Buddhism in the past, and that the methods of practice within the organisations you visited did not resonate with you.

The Buddhist path does involve the veneration of the monastic community, as they are the upholders of the Buddhist doctrine. This creates a lot of merit for our spiritual journey, as they are considered to be the third of the Three Jewels – the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

However the practice of Buddhism involves a lot more. It is about bettering oneself, one’s situation in life, and one’s mental states through various practices. These practices are for the transformation of the self, and include the development of wisdom and compassion. Such practices include meditation, daily prayers, engaging in actions that benefit other sentient beings, etc.

That being said, the Buddhas and enlightened beings do not abandon any sentient being, therefore when we do pray to them or call upon them, they hear us. One of the definitions of a Buddha is that they have enlightened compassion. This is a compassion without agenda, is pure and all-encompassing. Therefore even just thinking about the Buddhas invokes upon their enlightened energies. They really can help us in our individual life situations, and do hear our prayers, and stay with us throughout our lives, because they operate from compassion. Though they do hear us, one aspect may block them from being able to help us in various situations, and this is our own negative karma. That is the reason why purification practices are so important. The more negative karma that we purify, the more the enlightened beings are able to help us throughout our lives. Such purification practices include Vajrasattva practice (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/an-important-purification-practice.html), prostration practice (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrasattva-and-prostrations-transcript.html) or the 35 Confessional Buddhas (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-35-confessional-buddhas.html). Such practices help us a lot along our spiritual journeys.

Coupled with this or in its place, is Dharma protector practices. One such practice which is very beneficial is the practice of Dorje Shugden. Such practices have the specific ability to remove obstacles we may be facing in life, overcoming tough situations, etc. This is best engaged in on a daily basis, to create a strong connection. You can find the daily prayers here: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/diamond-path-a-daily-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden.

You do not have to engage in all these practices, but choosing one which you practice strongly will definitely help you along your own path, and through the practice you will be able to experience the enlightened energies of compassion yourself. The Buddhas are compassionate, they not only show you the way to nirvana, but also help you along the way. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Jason,

Nagarakshasa is an emanation of Lord Manjushri, whose practice grants all the benefits of Lord Manjushri’s practice (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/all-about-manjushri.html). However, Nagarakshasa’s practice is especially effective for dealing with diseases caused by nagas, local deities, and other supernatural beings, and calming the environment in which these beings live. This form of Manjushri is extremely ferocious and protects the land and ourselves from all sorts of interferences, spirits, nagas, magic and blesses us to promote powerful healing within our bodies. Therefore, the practice is especially engaged in when strong protection from adverse supernatural forces is needed.

The practice is tantric in nature, therefore you need the empowerment to engage in it. However, His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche has been extremely kind to share the mantra, which we can recite. The mantra of Nagarakshasa is: Om Phe Lam Hum. You can recite the mantra to invoke powerful healing, wisdom energy, and protection.

The Kechara organisation recently invited a large statue of Manjushri Nagarakshasa to further bless Kechara Forest Retreat. You can view these videos here: https://www.facebook.com/TsemTulkuRinpoche/videos/10154873439018785/
https://www.facebook.com/TsemTulkuRinpoche/videos/10154873365743785/

Even though to most practitioners, this form of Manjushri is not commonly known, there are many forms of Manjushri Nagarakshasa throughout the lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. He is black in colour with ten very wrathful faces and eighteen powerful arms. His right arms hold knifes and his left hold serpent nooses. The first pair of hands hold these same implements, but in front of him at the level of his heart. His upper body is that of a giant rakshasa with his back resting on Mount Meru, the mythical mountain believed to be in the centre of the universe. His lower body is that of a naga and reaches into the depths of the ocean.

The practice appeared in Tibet during the time of Guru Rinpoche. At the time, King Trisong Detsen discovered that nagas in disguise were attending Guru Rinpoche’s teachings. In dealing with the nagas, the king inadvertently offended them and was stricken with a terrible disease caused by the nagas. When Guru Rinpoche eventually found out what had happened, he bestowed the practice of Manjushri Nagarakshasa to the king, to alleviate the disease he was suffering from. Therefore the lineage of Manjushri Nagarakshasa’s practice as it exists in Tibet Buddhism stems from Guru Rinpoche with the specific ability to appease nagas and alleviate naga-related diseases. However, as was explained earlier, his practice has many more benefits. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear S,

Thank you for your question. Let me first offer my condolences for the passing of your mother, and for the situation you are going through at the moment. From a Buddhist perspective we do not believe in Satan as the embodiment of all that is bad or negative. Rather we believe in karma. Therefore, you saying something and then it coming true in a way is not due to an external force. Instead it is due to karma, on a personal level and on the karmic level of your mothers. Anything we go through in life is due to our karma, which is the results from actions taken in previous lives. While this may not sound fair, there is a positive side to this. We can take control of what happens to us, by taking control of our own life and our actions now.

If I may, I would like to offer you some advice. To begin with you said you suffered from a panic attack. From what you have said, the panic attack would have occurred because of your emotional state in that moment. Within Buddhism, we deal with the transformation of the mind, from states that are controlled by negative emotions to those that are controlled by positive emotions. There are many ways to do this, such as a regular meditation practice, in which you are able to see how your mind works and apply various transformative methods. Another similar method would be to engage in the practices of various deities. One such practice is the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa. You can find a commentary to the practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/tsongkapas-daily-practice-video-commentary.html, and there is a box set which includes the materials to begin practice, available here: https://www.vajrasecrets.com/tsongkhapa-boxset-english. The practice of Lama Tsongkhapa would be extremely beneficial in your situation, since you have suffered greatly during all of this. The practice is well known for alleviating depressing or angst, and also heals our internal scars due to emotional problems.

This leads on to my next point. You will not go to the hell realms if you live a virtuous life. At the time you also pass, if positive karma is more dominant in your life, and you have spiritual merits, you will be led to a fortunate rebirth instead. This is not to say that your thoughts and speech will have damned you to hell, but simply that this is what Buddhists believe.

You have remorse from what you said or thought, which is actually a good thing. Within Buddhism we believe remorse or regret is one of the four opponent powers necessary to purify negative karma, so we do not experience negative situations in this life or future lives. Any negative actions we have made whether through our physical actions, speech, or thought does have a karmic repercussion, however these can be overcome through purification practices. Such purification practices include Vajrasattva practice (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/an-important-purification-practice.html), prostration practice (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrasattva-and-prostrations-transcript.html) or the 35 Confessional Buddhas (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-35-confessional-buddhas.html). Such practices help us a lot along our spiritual journeys and are extremely beneficial in overcoming negative karma.

One thing is for certain, you will not go to hell simply because of what you said. You did not sell your soul to Satan, because from a Buddhist perspective we do not believe in Satan. Rather we believe in karma. Therefore if you believe that you have generated negative karma through your speech, you can engage in purification practices. The other practice mentioned was the Guru Yoga of Lama Tsongkhapa. I think that this practice will be extremely beneficial for you to engage in, as it can help us deal with the most emotionally difficult situations and will bring you a lot of emotional healing that we need to overcome issues such as the one you going through. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Bob,

I’m sorry to read that you have had to go through so much in life. There are many methods in Tibetan Buddhism to overcome black magic. One of the most effective is the practice of Trakze, which is available here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html. If you click on this link it will take you to a post that explains more about the practice, its benefits, how it overcomes the effects of black magic, and also how to engage in the practice.

According to Buddhism, we are be susceptible to black magic because we have the karma to be effected it. The practice of Trakze calls upon protective energies and at the same purifies the negative karma that allows to be effected. In fact, it we did not have such karma, no matter how much black magic is targeted towards us, we would not be effected.

Trakze may look very scary but he has manifested in this way for a reason, and that is so that he can battle with the black magic and negative energies, and win. Therefore he manifests in this form out of his compassion and love for us. His form and practice are perfectly suited to help us in these types of situations.

Many people have benefited from this practice, especially those who suffer from very serious black magic and negative energy. The key to this practice is consistency. It’s just like when we meet a person for the first time, the more we spend time with them, the more we talk to them, the closer we get. In the end we become very good friends, and we know that they will always be there for us when we need their help. Similarly, our daily practice is also like this. The more we connect with Trakze, the more he will be able to help solve our problems. Please do read the above post, and if you have any further questions, then you are always more than welcome to ask here. I hope this helps, and you are soon free of your problems.

Dear Jean,

Thank you for your question. As Dorje Shugden is an enlightened being, he is always compassionate. This means he always listens to our prayers. So, if our prayers are not answered, this is actually due to something that is holding us back from receiving his help. In actual fact, what is stopping him from helping us as he wants to do, is our negative karma.

Everything we go through in our lives, all the situations we face, are all due to karma accumulated from earlier in this life and from countless previous lives. Therefore the only way to overcome life’s challenges and to allow Dorje Shugden to help us more is to overcome this negative karma.

There are many ways to overcome this negative karma, you can either engage in purification practices or alternatively you can engage in the Dorje Shugden practice more strongly. If you engage in the practice more, this has two benefits. The first is that Dorje Shugden’s practice is itself very good at purifying our karma. This is the main purpose of the kawang/kanshag prayer, which can be repeated many times. This is a very quick method in purifying our negative karma that is stopping us from achieving our goal. The second is that we develop a closer connection with Dorje Shugden. If we engage in the practice regularly, the connection is strengthened.

The key here is consistency. It is like when we meet a person for the first time. The more time we spend with them, the more we talk, the closer we get. In the end we become very good friends, and we know that they will always be there for us when we need their help. Similarly, when we engage in the practice of Dorje Shugden on a daily or regularly basis, the connection is strengthened. When we have a strong connection and then make prayers because we need help, they will be answered, as long as the purpose is beneficial and does not harm anyone. As long as we have a good motivation and we have a strong connection with Dorje Shugden, he will definitely help us because he is an enlightened beings who always cares for us. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Lobsang Chogyel,

Thank you for your question. His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche does not have any firm plans to travel to Canada for teachings purposes. However it is definitely possible than he can come in the future. Thank you.

Question asked by Jason
I’m having troubles with student loans and getting money for school what practices should I do
–

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your question. I’m happy to hear that you would like to go to school, but am sorry that you are having troubles with the student loans. Within Tibetan Buddhism there are many methods to create conducive conditions and this includes having financial means to achieve our aims, as long as they will be beneficial. These methods work by purifying negative karma that holds us back, while at the same time creating spiritual merit that is beneficial in both our secular and spiritual lives.

If I may, I would like to suggest that you engage in the practice of Gyenze. This is the increase form of the Dharma protector Dorje Shugden. This means that this form and practice has the specific benefit of increasing conducive conditions in our life, and this includes the increasing of our financial means. You can find the practice and commentary here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/dorje-shugden-gyenze-to-increase-life-merits-and-wealth.html

After reading the above post, you can proceed to set up an altar to Gyenze if you wish, or add an image of Gyenze to your existing altar if you already have one. You should then engage in the practice of Gyenze to draw the energies of increase into your life which will help you be more successful in your student loan applications.

Just as the Buddha has taught, and like I mentioned earlier, each and every one of the situations we face in life is the result of karma. Karma is created by performing an action, whether through psychical actions, the way in which we speak, or even how we think. These necessarily create the causes for either something good or bad to happen to us in the future. It is said that for the cause of wealth or smoothness in financial matters to arise, is actually being a generous person. This doesn’t just means psychical generosity, but generosity of our time, love, care and compassion for others as well. Therefore in order to alleviate such undesirable situations, we need to develop a generous mind that gives easily. This should be kept in mind when engaging in the practice of Gyenze, as it will help boost your practice, and aid in having the situation resolved quickly. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear John Robert Nigel Bishop,

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. There could be a number of reasons that you are going through these experiences. What concerns me is the feeling you had towards the end of your experience and seeing the creepy eyeball. If you have had similar experiences in the past I would like to suggest seeking professional medical help. Even if you have not, it would still be advisable for you to seek professional help to rule out any untoward causes, or seek treatment on the off chance.

Any experiences we go through in life is actually due to the results of our karma, which we have accumulated from earlier in this life, or from previous lifetimes. These not only affect the situations we go through in life but also how we deal with them. That is the reason why Buddhism places such an emphasis on understanding karma. You can find out more from this article and video: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/discovering-yourself-a-teaching-on-karma-mindstream.html. This article and video are excellent in explaining why we go through certain situations and that how we react in such situations also affects our future. This is one the fundamentals of Buddhist practice.

Whether or not the experiences are medical, spiritual, or supernatural in origin, they come about due to the results of karma. However, karma is not fixed, it is fluid and it can change. To do this we must apply our own efforts to transform the situation into one that is more beneficial.

For example, if you feel that the experiences you went through are due to an external entity affecting you in some way, such as spirit disturbances, there are a number of things you can do to prevent this from happening again:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/paranormal-protection.html
This article outline some preventive measures that may be useful.

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html
This comprehensive post outlines the theory behind deity practice focused towards the protection against black magic and spirit harm, and well as the practice itself. This practice is very unique and the spiritual aid that is generated is tremendous. Many people have had really tremendous success in using this practice to overcome this type of affliction.

Other forms of Buddhist deity practices will also help in this situation, but the above practice of Trakze is one of the most effective and quickest methods to see a real change in your life.

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/wp-content/gallery/buddha-images-high-resolution/dssungkhorhighres.jpg
This is known as the Dorje Shugden Sungkhor. It is a type of talisman that is placed above the entrance door to your home or office and provides excellent protection from disturbances caused by beings from the spirit realm. We have provided it here in high resolution format so that you can easily download and print it out to use. I hope all this will help you.

Thank you

Dear Sudish,

Thank you for your question. It is nice to see you here. The experience you have been having may be the result of a connection with the Buddha Vajrayogini, or having heard her name or seen her image in a previous life. Vajrayogini is actually Gautama Buddha in a different form. Vajrayogini manifested in this form to show and teach us a swift path to enlightenment, and that is through the path of tantra. Vajrayogini’s practice specifically aids practitioners through transforming desire and attachment.

You can read more about Vajrayogini on this section: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/vajra-yogini

Here is a comprehensive introduction to Vajrayogini: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrayogini-the-powerful-divine-red-lady.html

If you would like, you can set up an altar to Vajrayogini and engage in the practices in the above article to create a deeper connection. Her actual practice requires initiation from a qualified guru, however the prayers listed in the article can be practiced to create a stronger connection for the future when you can receive the initiation if you so wish. Please read the above article and you will have a better understanding as to who Vajrayogini is. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Ann,

Thank you for your question. Yes, you can set up an altar in your living room. It is preferable to have your altar in its own dedicated room in your house, but for most people this is not a practical solution these days. Therefore, you can place your altar anywhere that is respectful (such as not in the bathroom), and in a place that is dedicated for this purpose (in that you do not mix other non-Dharma items with the statues or offerings items).

If you do keep your altar in your living room, as long as you are ok with it then it is fine. This is because even seeing a Buddha images plants beneficial imprints into the mind stream. Therefore when you guests walking near that altar the images of the Buddhas will bless them as well as you and your house. Therefore there is nothing wrong with having the altar in the living room as long as you are ok with yourself, as some people prefer to keep their altar private.

Here is the link to a video which you might find useful as you set up an altar, it also explains how to prostrate properly, and make offerings: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/how-to-set-up-altar-make-offerings-prostrate-to-the-buddha-meditate-etc.html. I hope this helps.

Thanks.

Dear Charlie Klarsfeld,

Thank you for your question, it’s good to see you here. Yes, Buddhists believe that a person has had countless or endless rebirths, and will continue suffering in an uncontrolled cycle of life and rebirth due to ones karma, until one attains enlightenment, known as nirvana.

The Buddhist concept of nirvana is similar to the Hindu concept of moksha or mukti. Nirvana is state that is outside of the cycle of suffering, as such in this state there is no suffering, no ego, no negative emotions. In fact it is an all-knowing state, in which you know everything as the limits to your knowledge have been removed, it is also an all-loving state in that you love all sentient beings still stuck in the cycle of suffering, and want to help them.

The Hindu concept of moksha means liberation, and mukti means freedom. Again it refers to a state in which one is free from the cycle of suffering. However there is a difference, in that Hindus believe that this state is being one with God. You basically return to your real nature which is God. Buddhists however to place emphasis or believe in God, but the transformation of the mind to achieve the state out of suffering. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Doma,

Thank you for your question. Keeping a pet such as a dog will not necessarily bring you good luck or wealth. All sentient beings have their own karma, and this is accumulated from previous lives. Since we have had countless previous lives we are bound to have made some sort of karmic connection with our pets before, and that would have manifested in this life by having this particular pet.

Sometimes if the karmic connection is unique, having a dog would indeed bring you good luck and wealth. This would be because the karmic energy of the dog being around you, would trigger open karmic potentials from previous lives to get these sorts of things. However this is a rare case.

Dogs have both positive and negative energy just like ourselves and all sentient beings in samsara. Therefore having a dog does not always mean that there will be positive energy in our lives.

That being said, dogs are known as man’s best friend for a reason, and that is because as an animal they are said to be emotionally close to humans. But our motivation behind getting a dogs should be higher. Rather than think that by having them, we will get good luck, we should always keep compassion for them in our minds. They have been born in a form that cannot do all the things we are humans can. Therefore, you should care for your dog, treat them well, plant the seeds of Dharma in their minds so that in their future lives the will benefit, and look after them very well. By doing this you become a responsible dog owner, and benefit the pet, as well as yourself as you develop more compassion towards other sentient beings. I hope this helps.

Thanks