Dear Lobsang,

I am very happy to read that you have received the Chakrasamvara empowerment. You should keep your samaya with your Guru pure and intact, as well as keeping the vows and commitments you have taken during the empowerment. If you do this then you will see a definite transformation of your mind and circumstances for the better.

There is nothing ‘wrong’ with the practice itself if you have received it from a qualified Guru and are keeping the vows and commitments intact. What can cause these obstacles to arise is the actual purification of the negative karma itself. When engaging in purification practices, our negative karma can ripen but under controlled circumstances rather than due to external causes and conditions, over which we have no control. In the case of the purification, this karma needs to be purified, so it can manifest in its most mild form. Hence when we engage in purification practices these things can happen.

However, some people may find this a bad situation. This is not correct, because as due to the nature of samsara we are effected by karma in some form or another. What matters here is that this karma is purified so that we can progress on our spiritual journey.

When you facing these difficulties the key here is to continue in the purification practices strongly, this way the karma that causes these situations to occur is purified quicker and you are not affected by them. This way we this negative karma can never affect us again in the future. You should engage strongly in the main sadhana of Chakrasamvara strongly as well.

Coupled with this you can engage in the practice of a Dharma protector such as Dorje Shugden. As you have received the Chakrasamvara, you should ask your Guru about the particular Dharma protectors associated with this practice. Each major tantric practice has certain Dharma protectors associated with it that aid practitioners to clear obstacles and create conducive conditions for the particular deity practice. You can actually engage in any Dharma protector practice, but it would be best for you to consult you Guru as he/she may assign you a specific Dharma protector to practice. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for the question, it seems that you have a lot of faith in Lama Tsongkhapa which is very good. If you engage in the practice every day it will have great benefit in your life leading to real transformation.

In regards to offerings there is no ‘best’ set of offerings to make to Lama Tsongkhapa or any Buddha for that matter. Any offering made from sincerely from the heart will generate merit for you on your spiritual path.

To start with it is best to make a set of eight sensory offerings, which is the most common set of offerings and is actually very beneficial on our spiritual path. In fact, most offerings made for various prayers, rituals and offerings comprise of elements from the sensory offerings.

The offerings are usually set up as eight offering bowls that contain various offering items:

1. Water for drinking: there are eight qualities to water – it is cooling, sweet, light, soft, pure/clear, free from impurities, easy on the stomach, and is soothing to the throat. The benefits that one generates is pure ethics, you will always have good quality food and drink to live, one’s mind will become very fluid, flexible, clear and alert, one’s obscurations will be purified, one will develop good and pleasant speech, and one will be free of illness. This first offering is very auspicious.

2. Water for washing: This is offered to the Buddhas to symbolically wash their feet, as was custom in ancient India when welcoming guests. This symbolises that we are inviting the energies of the Buddhas into our lives and as the feet are the lowest part of the body, we are humbling ourselves before them. It is through this offering that we purify our negative karma, represented by washing the feet of the Buddhas.

3. Flowers: this symbolises the beauty of samsara which is impermanent in nature. Offering flowers creates the merits to realise emptiness and the inherent non-existent nature of samsara, while also creating the conditions to be reborn in places and situations that are conducive to continuing our Dharma practice in future lives if we do not achieve enlightenment in this life. It also represents the development of generosity. When someone gives us flowers, since they are nice, we want to keep them for ourselves, therefore they signify miserliness. By offering them up to the Buddhas, we create the causes to develop generosity instead.

4. Incense: the scent from the incense represents the holding of one’s vows, promises and the development of integrity in one’s life. This is important as holding vows and promises are a very effective method in purifying negative karma and the generation of merit that is necessary on our spiritual path. In essence it creates the causes to have good ethics and moral discipline.

5. Light: just like a candle or lamp dispels darkness, this offering creates the conditions to develop wisdom which dispels the darkness of ignorance. When we have wisdom, we are able to be more patient, which is necessary on the spiritual path and a transformation of the mind.

6. Perfume: which was anointed on the clothes in ancient India represents joyous effort and perseverance. These are qualities one needs in life to achieve anything in both secular life but most importantly also in spiritual life.

7. Food: the offering of food represents sustenance and this creates the causes to be reborn in places where is it easy to acquire what we need to have a good livelihood, as well as creating the cause to gain the results of spiritual practice, which are realisations and ultimately enlightenment.

8: Sound: this is represented by a musical instrument, most often a conch shell. It creates the causes to attain wisdom that understands existence and leads to enlightenment. Take a guitar for example, we hear the sound when someone plays the instrument, but if we examine it the sound does not come from one place, the guitar, the strings, the fingers that pluck the strings, the person that plays the guitar, the person that made the guitar, etc. If we mediate on this we can realise that nothing exists inherently and relies on causes and conditions, which can lead us to the understanding of the concept of emptiness. This is represented by sound, which comes into existence based on causes and conditions, and then ends and disappears, as with all phenomena.

This set of offerings, although very common is very profound and has a great many benefits. I have only listed some of them here. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jinnah,

Thank you for your question. In regards to the Pratimoksha vows, if you are referring to the monastic ordination vows, then yes masturbation does break the vows. Monks and nuns are expected to follow the vows of celibacy, even with oneself.

If by Pratimoksha vows, you are referring to the Refuge or the Layman vows, please see the answer to Jinpa below. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jinpa,

Thank you for your question. For those with monastic ordination vows, then yes masturbation is considered sexual misconduct and actually breaks one’s ordination vows.

In regards to a lay person, who has taken the refuge and perhaps even the layman vows, this would depend on the advice of your teacher. In some traditions it is considered to be sexual misconduct and in others it is not. The Buddha never actually prohibited masturbation for a lay person.

That being said there are some very important points to remember when discussing sexual misconduct. The main point of sexual misconduct is that the action does not cause harm, either to others or oneself. So if the particular instance does cause harm then it is considered sexual misconduct.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the action itself if it does not cause harm, however it obviously does encourage more sexual desire. Desire in any form is to be eliminated on the path towards enlightenment as it serves as a cause to remain bound in samsara. As such it can be argued that it does ‘harm’ you because it keeps you in samsara and therefore can be classed as sexual misconduct.

Whatever the case may be what is most important here is that if anyone is engaging in the act then they should work with their own mind to lessen their sexual desire. It is not necessary for a person to engage in masturbation, therefore we can train ourselves not to engage in the act. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Confuses,

You have asked a very good question. When the Guru assigns a particular yidam for a practitioner, as you have rightly mentioned he/she will have judged a person’s characteristics and temperament. This is not done on a surface level. A Guru is a person trained in the various scriptures and practices that deal with the mind, which is what Buddhism is all about, therefore the Guru can see a person’s afflictions on a deeper level. If the Guru is a high level being, or emanation of a Buddha, this is even more so since they would have clairvoyance to see which practice would benefit the person the most. There is other forms of deciding which Yidam to practice, such as through the various forms of divination.

That being said people who are mostly angery and therefore assigned Chenresig as their personal Yidam, will obviously have other afflictions such as jealousy, desire, ignorance etc. However the main affliction is still anger. Therefore it makes sense that the path is practiced to cut this anger, and through this same process the other afflictions will also be overcome. For example, even though you are dealing with anger, you realise that this is due to attachment or aversion to something, then you begin to understand what causes this attachment/aversion and so on…ultimately this will lead to the understanding of emptiness. Therefore it is better to practice one Yidam strongly.

For example, if we think of enlightenment as the destination and the various practices as the roads leading to that destination, it would make sense to find a road and then travel down that road without deviating to reach our destination. This is the same as practicing one Yidam strongly. On the other hand, if we were to continuously switch between roads, then it would take a longer time to reach the destination and we may even end up getting somewhat lost and confused along the way. This is the same as switching between various Yidam practices.

The ultimate goal of all Yidam practices, or any practice within Buddhism for that matter, is the same – to reach enlightenment. Even though there are so many methods it is better to stick with one particular form since practicing many will lead to confusion. All the practices aim to ultimately deal with the highest realisations which are the understanding of emptiness and compassion which cause us to attain enlightenment. Therefore even if the path is different, the destination is the same. Think of two roads leading to the same place, one can go through the city while the other can go through the countryside. Different practices concentrate on different aspects of our delusions but end up with the attainment of enlightenment. There is a famous saying that in Tibet practitioners practice many deities but do not achieve even one, but in India practitioners practice only one and achieve all the deities. This basically means that if we do not concentrate on one particular practice it, we will not be able to accomplish the highest possible result which is enlightenment, or commonly known as ‘achieving’ the same qualities as the deity in question.

I just wanted to clarify one point, the purpose of practicing a particular Yidam is to achieve the highest potential of enlightenment. The qualities that can be developed using these practices are supposed to be aids in this process. Some people think that you just practice Manjushri to gain wisdom in and of itself, but this wisdom gained is supposed to lead you to enlightenment. Take another example, Chenresig is good for those who are angry and can affectively deal with this problem, but the real practice leads to a selfless motivation to benefit all sentient beings, thereby generating compassion, which is then used to achieve enlightenment.

However, in life there are time where we may need help for other reasons, this is when the role of Dharma protectors and Pujas comes into play. For example, we may be practicing Manjushri as our Yidam, but we may encounter spirit harm in which case we can engage in the practice of a Dharma protector such as Trakze (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html) to counter this so that we can continue in our practice of Manjushri without hindrance. In fact certain practices have Dharma protectors who specially aid to help remove outer obstacles and create conducive conditions for the actual practice of the Yidam, so that the practitioner can transform their minds. For example Cittapati (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dharma-protectors-of-tibetan-buddhism.html).

Pujas can also play an important role. For example if we are having financial difficulties, but our Yidam is Chenresig, we can engage in or sponsor Gyenze or Dzambala pujas, which can purify the negative karma causing our difficulties. However, here our main practice is still Chenresig which we engage in to transform our minds. We simple use pujas to overcome a particular situation we are facing during that period.

Therefore, it is better to practice one particular Yidam all the way to achieve enlightenment. I hope this explanation helps.

Thank you.

Dear Samuel Collins,

I’m very sorry to read that you have been afflicted by spirit attacks. You have taken great steps already but it seems the spirit attacks are very strong. There are many methods to deal with spirit harm. If I may suggest, please engage in the practice of Trakze. This is the wrathful form of Dorje Shugden whose practice grants very strong and protective energy that can alleviate all forms of spirit harm if engaged in sincerely and regularly.

You can read more about the practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html. This post explains more about spirit harm and the method of Trakze’s practice in detail. This can be engaged in daily and does not require an empowerment.

It is a very powerful practice and a lot of people can attest to their spirit attacks lessening and stopping altogether through this practice. The key to this practice is daily practice and sincerity. It would be good if you read through the entire post to learn as much as possible and begin practice as soon as you can.

Of course, you can come to us here at Kechara. We are here to help you however we can. You can post more questions here or alternatively you can visit us in Kuala Lumpur, where we have our city temple, if you would like to talk in person. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Eli Levine,

Thank you for your reply. As you have mentioned you are not practicing Dorje Shugden and that is perfectly fine. His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche and Kechara have never said that everyone must practice, simply that this practice is beneficial from our own experiences and that we would like to make this practice available for the world, for those who would like to learn more and practice it.

I am very happy that you are practicing Medicine Buddha and Green Tara, these two are very beneficial as well. You should keep to these practices very strongly and your life will definitely be blessed. If you keep up in your practice and faith you will definitely see the enlightened energies of the Buddha pervade your life and propel you on your spiritual practice.

As for His Holiness the Dalai Lama rejecting Dorje Shugden because the teachings take guru devotion to the extreme, I personally do not agree with this view. Guru devotion is an integral part of any Buddhist tradition, especially within tantric practices throughout all lineages. Dorje Shugden practitioners are simply stating the fact that this practice has been passed to them by their Gurus therefore they cannot simply stop the practice, as according to the tradition of Guru devotion. In fact if other practices were rejected, such as Green Tara and Medicine Buddha, the practitioners who had received this from their Gurus would also claim that they cannot give up the practice as they have a commitment to engage in the practice as promised to their gurus.

From a non-Buddhist perspective, in areas where guru devotion is something foreign this may seem extreme to some because we are not used to it. But is an integral part of Tibetan Buddhism, as is emphasised in the 50 Verses of Guru Devotion by the great Indian master Ashvaghosha. In fact Lama Tsongkhapa even wrote a commentary to this work, which details the guru-disciple relationship. This is not extreme but a necessary part of the path within Tibetan Buddhism, especially tantric practice.

In regards to the purification of this the karma you mention, you can engage in any of the purification practice, such as prostration, Vajrasattva or 35 Confessional Buddhas. This practice are very powerful purification methods, to help purify the karma that we want to be purified. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Alex,

Your question didn’t post properly. Perhaps you can try posting it again?

Dear Eli Levine,

There are a couple of points to consider when thinking about this. The first is that the various stages of realisation and ability have been clearly listed down in the various scriptures according to the paths to enlightenment. For example in Tibetan Buddhism this is the path of the Bodhisattva, which is known to have Ten Stages, divided into the Five Paths. If one is familiar with these stages, then one can gauge themselves when referring to the Ten Stages, and the realisations and abilities that are a result of reaching these stages.

Bodhisattvas and Buddhas do not usually declare themselves as such because they have lessened or completely removed their ego and therefore are extremely humble in their approach. As such there would be no need for them to declare themselves as Buddhas or highly attained beings. Within Tibetan Buddhism, however, there is a tradition of recognising these beings, so that they are able to benefit sentient beings. This recognition is always done by other high level beings manifesting as teachings, those who have gained realisation on the path themselves through practice, or enlightened beings, such as the Dharma protectors in trance of an oracle.

When you have reached higher stages, you know that you have reached these stages. That is enough, there is no need for you to declare yourself as such. And these high level beings would not declare it themselves, as this declaration would be based on the ego.

If you really believe in the Buddha’s teachings – that people can actually gain the same state – then why would you be in doubt about high level beings manifesting as teachers can judge these same states. This to me is a little illogical. Yes doubt can exist, but if you have faith in the Buddhist teachings, then you must also accept that there are beings out there who are in a position to judge the various stages of enlightenment of others, because they have been through the same process. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your question about this opportunity you have been presented with. Buddhist practice deals with the mind, therefore the practices within it seek to curb various mental states that are damaging to oneself, and this includes sexual desire. You have mentioned that you have tried many meditations in the past to help with this, could you explain a little more about those that you have tried, for how long did you practice, and if they had any affects or not? This can give an indication if you should continue with these practices or try other methods.

As for the Vajrayogini and Heruka empowerments, they are of the Highest Yoga Tantra class and therefore are very serious practices that have tremendous benefit on one’s spiritual path if practiced sincerely and properly. The vows and commitments are an integral part of this. In preparation for this you should contact either the centre or the Guru that will be bestowing the empowerment and ask about the various commitments that one needs to keep after receiving this.

Once knowing what this would entail, if you have serious doubts as to whether or not you can sincerely hold these vows, it would be better to train yourself to be able to keep these vows and commitments rather than taking the empowerments and then breaking your vows. You can read and study the Lam Rim, or Stages on the Path to Enlightenment, teachings to prepare yourself for higher empowerments. The best method however would be to consult your Guru or teacher and discuss with them your current situation, and if the empowerment you have been given the opportunity to attend are suitable for you at this moment in time. If it is not, then the path for you would be to train yourself until you are ready to receive the empowerment in the future. I hope this helps you on your spiritual path and please do feel free to ask more.

Thank you.

Dear Eli Levine,

Thank you for your question. Once Returners are beings who have purified enough of their karma, both negative and positive to only need to take rebirth once again in the Six Realms to progress in their spiritual journey. This is a high stage of realisation within Samsaric existence, so these beings would know that they are at such a stage of spiritual development. According to the Theravadan tradition, this means that such beings have significantly lessened their Three Poisons: ignorance, desire/attachment and hatred/jealousy. As they have done so, when they do take rebirth they do not engage in actions from these three, which would necessarily lead to more negative karma.

Once Returners have identified the correct view of existence, and operate from this, namely that we are bound by our karma and that the only way to be free is to achieve enlightenment; within the path, they are no longer attached to various rituals of practice but can practice the teachings without use of them and; they have no doubt about the Buddha’s various teachings whatsoever. They have also lessened both their desire/attachment and hatred/jealousy to a great extent.

In order to have a greater understanding of these you must study the numerous Theravadan texts that describe this process in greater detail. However if one had achieved this state, they would necessarily know that they are on this particular stage of existence. If you are not sure that you reached this path, it means that you probably haven’t. Even though it is said that Once Returners have only one more rebirth, this is only true in the sense that they have only one rebirth within the Six Realms of existence. In fact once you have reached the stage of a Once Returner, you actually have to take rebirth a maximum of seven more times, of which on is in the Six Realms. Therefore attaining the stage of a Once Returner does not mean that your spiritual journey ends there, it is just a stage of realisation along a path of many. In the Buddhist scriptures the next stage after that of a Once Returner is not Buddhahood, but the stage of a Non-Returner, after this is the stage of an Arhat and following that one can achieve the state of enlightenment. This is from a Theravada viewpoint, however in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the ten stages of a Bodhisattva are more often discussed and illuminated upon. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Alex,

Thank you for your question, which is very philosophical in nature. You are absolutely right in stating that in Buddhist logic, all things must have its causes and conditions to arise. As you say, the earth or even the whole of what we know as the Six Realms (god realm, demi-god realm, human realm, animal realm, hungry-ghost realm and hell realm) came into existence at a long-distant point in the past. This came about from the collective karma of all sentient beings.

Your question is, how did this earth (or existence of the Six Realms) come about, given that it didn’t exist before, therefore humans and other sentient beings would not have been able to create any karma since there was no earth for humans to exist?

Before this current universe of ours, by that I mean the entirety of existence as it stands, there was another universe within which sentient beings created karma. Then the previous universe came to end, which was followed by a long period of ‘emptiness’ or ‘nothingness’ in which nothing existed. Due to the latent karmic potentials of unenlightened beings, our current universe came into being. Within this universe, over time the earth was created and the conditions were such that life arose. This is not a one-off process.

Buddhist cosmology states that our universe is not the first, nor will it be the last, there have been many universes in the past and there will continue to be many in the future, as long as sentient beings have karma. That is why in Buddhism we have the term ‘countless lifetimes.’ This is because have had many previous lives, not only in this universe, but previous universes as well. There is no point in time from which we ultimately existed, since there was no beginning point in time. The understanding of this is linked with the understanding of emptiness, as meditation on this is a path that leads us realise we have no inherent existence. Within Buddhism this is achieve through meditation on the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/53605.html).

Similarly we talk about cyclic rebirth or cyclic existence, but we only think about it in terms of what currently exists in our universe. Buddhism teaches that such cyclic rebirth also occurred in previous universes, and will occur in future universes, so it is termed ‘endless cyclic existence.’ The only possible way to break out of the cycle is to attain the state of a fully-enlightened being, a Buddha. Once this stage is reached, we actually transcend existence altogether. I hope this explanation helps.

Thank you.

Dear Khi,

Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear that you have had these experiences. From what you mentioned it could be the result of some sort of energy disturbance during you meditation experience that let has caused this however this could also be caused by karma from a previous lifetime which is effecting you physically.

Whatever the case may be, may I suggest that you engage in the practice of Trakze coupled with any medical treatment you may be receiving. Buddhist practices shouldn’t be used as replacement, but as a complimentary method to enhance the healing process.

In the case that the voices you hear are due to other beings, the practice of Trakze will protect you for these beings and lessen the effects. If you are hearing these voices as the results of your karma then this practice is also very beneficial is it purifies the karma that causes this to occur.

Trakze is the wrathful form of Dorje Shugden. You can find more about the Trakze practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Thorim,

Yes, of course you can engage in the sadhana of White Manjushri several times a day. It is very beneficial practice to engage in and done with sincerity and effort can have a very real and positive impact in one’s life. In fact within a retreat environment, the sadhana would be engaged in four times a day with long periods of mantra recitation.

I would suggest, if you have the time instead of doing it multiple times however, you can spend more time in reciting and accumulating more of the White Manjushri mantra. As mantras are the energies of the Buddha in the form of sound, concentrating on the recitation of the mantra calls forth the energies of the Buddhas and creates a beneficial impact on the mind.

White Manjushri is especially beneficial in calming the mind, gaining clarity and purifying our negative delusions and ignorance. You can find the White Manjushri sadhana here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/white-manjushri-sadhana.html. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Lee,

Thank you for your question, I am glad that through His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s knowledge and wisdom that you are able to benefit from this website.

Whatever happens in our lives is due to karma created from either previous lives or actions from earlier on in this life. As such whatever you are facing at the moment is indeed due to karma. In this case your karma, and that of the your wife-to-be. However karma can be changed, through our own efforts, therefore it is only the cause. How we deal with the situation and overcome any difficulties is the key.

Within Buddhist practices, there are many methods in which one can engage in to achieve something in life, as a means to achieve the necessary conditions to progress in our spiritual path as well as to make our lives smoother.

In this case, I would like to suggest that you engage in the practices of Lama Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden. These two practices have a very beneficial impact in our lives when practiced sincerely and wholehearted, you will definitely see an improvement.

You can follow this link to see the prayers I suggest you engage in, and should be done daily: http://www.dorjeshugden.org/practice/diamond-path-a-daily-sadhana-of-dorje-shugden

The practice for Lama Tsongkhapa is excellent for calming the mind, allowing us to function better and more logically, as such it is great for people who have a lot of stress in their lives. In fact this practice is a core practice within the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

Secondly, the practice of Dorje Shugden is great for removing obstacles for both our secular and spiritual lives, and it also allows invokes the enlightened energies to create the conducive conditions that we require in life.

Engaging in both this practice will help you tremendously. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear H_K,

I am very happy to read this question from you. It shows that you are understanding the Dharma well and that you are progressing along your spiritual path. You are absolutely right that those who behave in this way, and are seemingly enjoying their good karma, will suffer in their future lives.

This is because as they are enjoying life with all its benefits, they are actually using up their good karma. This means that in their future lives they no longer have this good karma to receive benefit from. As their good karma diminishes, it means that their bad karma can overwhelm the good, leading to very negative circumstances in their future lives.

Coupled with this, as they are in the midst of enjoying their good karma, if they are not benefiting others but only themselves, if they are not behaving well, they are self-centred, they hurt others physically or emotionally, they are actually generating negative karma to suffer from in the future. Coupled with the fact that they are using up their good karma, this can lead to a very negative life in their future rebirth in any of the Six Realms of Samsara.

You are right that we should generate compassion for such people. For our own practice, this leads us to transform our minds, so we stop blaming others who hurt others, and also overcoming our feelings of jealousy if we are attached to their nice lives. When we contemplate the suffering of others who have harmed us, who we are jealous of or those we hate, we are able to let go of these emotions that affect us so negatively. If we are able to and in a situation to do so, we should actually try to help them. But his sort of situation is rare to be in. But we must make an effort to help them if we can. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Kee,

I am very sorry to read of the situation you are going through. This is a very difficult situation to be in, and it is easy to get caught up in all the worry. However, in order to handle situations like this, we must ensure we keep a calm and stable mind. If we get caught up in the worry and stress, we cannot begin to think properly and this may give get in the way of our efforts to remedy the situation.

The Buddhas and Dharma protectors are ultimately compassionate beings, and always act for our benefit. However there is only one thing that can block their help and assistance, and this is actually our own negative karma that we have accumulated from previous lifetimes. This negative karma acts as a wall against the help and blessings of the enlightened beings. Therefore within Buddhist practice, it states that there are two necessary components to reach enlightenment, and that is the accumulation of merit and purification of negative karma.

When we engage in purification practices, we will find that the other practices we engage in have more affect in our lives because the negative karma that acts as block for the enlightened beings to help us is lessened. In fact, Dorje Shugden’s practice is very beneficial in purifying this karma.

In regards to financial problems and the necessary conditions and resources that we need in our lives, Dorje Shugden has manifested in the form of Gyenze. In this form, Dorje Shugden’s practice has the specific benefit of purifying the karma that stops us from having the financial means and resources that we need in our lives. On the other hand, Gyenze’s practice also creates the merits to receive the resources needed. Perhaps you can start to engage in the practice: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/dorje-shugden-gyenze-to-increase-life-merits-and-wealth.html

Not only is this form of Dorje Shugden extremely beneficial in helping to alleviate financial troubles and resources, but also increase one’s life and also merits. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Lunezia,

Thank you for your question. The Nam Myoho Renge Kyo mantra also known as the O-Daimoku belongs to the Nichiren traditions of the Japanese Mahayana branch of Buddhism. It is a very powerful mantra, essentially praising the knowledge and power contained within the holy Lotus Sutra, which Nichiren Buddhists consider to contain the entire teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni.

Mantras form an integral part of the tradition and lineage they are practiced in. Traditionally it is advised that we do not mix traditions or even lineages. This is not to say the mantra or other traditions are not valid, but simply that we can get confused in our practice. Traditionally one concentrates on the recitation of a particular mantra. In Nichiren Buddhism this is the O-Daimoku and in other traditions which have many mantras, such as Tibetan Buddhism, this mantra is usually assigned by the Guru. Mantras do not exists independently, they will always be links to other practices, modes of Buddhist investigation into the nature of the mind and of existence, as well as a particular path on the spiritual path towards enlightenment.

If we mix traditions or lineages, then we are in danger of becoming confused in our practice. This occurs because each tradition explains the methods in which to use mantras and their meaning to Buddhist practice in different ways, suited to the practitioners of that particular tradition. For example, think of two different paths to the same destination. It would be better that we follow one and get to our destination, rather than keep switching between the two paths and perhaps get lost or take a very long time to reach the destination. Both paths have been tried and tested in the efficiency to achieve enlightenment.

This is not to say that there is only one correct lineage, on the contrary, it is said that Buddha Shakyamuni taught 84,000 different methods to achieve enlightenment, as such in my mind the Nichiren Buddhist traditions and the Tibetan Buddhist traditions are both valid paths to enlightenment. However if we practice one of these methods and achieve results which is enlightened attainments it is better and more effective than practicing two or more and run the risk of confusing ourselves or our practices. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Thorim,

Thank you for your question. As you have mentioned, in the Anguttara Nikaya, also known as the Gradual Collection or Numerical Discourses, which belongs to the Pali Tipitaka of the Theravadan Buddhist tradition, it does indeed mention that one can expect to receive eleven blessings from the practice of loving kindness and compassion. For those who do not know, I will list them out here:

1. One sleeps peacefully.
2. One awakens peacefully.
3. One does not have bad dreams.
4. One is liked and dear to human beings.
5. One is liked and dear to non-human beings.
6. One will be protected from Devas,
7. One cannot be harmed by fire, poison, and weapons.
8. One’s mind becomes easily concentrated.
9. One’s facial expression will be serene.
10. One will die unconfused.
11. If one does not reach higher states, one will at least be born in the realm of Brahma.

In the example you have mentioned, yes this does mean that one can be physically protected from these forms of harm when practicing loving kindness and compassion, or more precisely, not affected by them. For your second example, yes a highly attained master can be shot at but the bullets will not affect him or her.

Many people, even Buddhists, would find this hard to believe. However I always tell people to take the life story of the Buddha as the perfect story to illustrate this point. When Buddha was under the Bodhi tree during his meditations which resulted in his complete enlightenment, he was not only tempted by Mara and his daughters but was also attacked by the armies of Mara. However, try as they would, none of their weapons could harm the Buddha. In fact even the arrows they shot towards the Buddha turned to flower petals and landed at the Buddha’s feet. At this point the Buddha was not fully enlightened yet, but had reached a level at which he could no longer be harmed by any weapon.

How this was achieve was because during the Buddha’s meditations he had purified his karma to be harmed by weapons and such. Similarly when we practice loving kindness and compassion, with the right motivation, our negative karma is purified and our positive karma and merits are multiplied, propelling us on our spiritual journey.

Merely thinking that we are compassionate, however, is not enough for this to be accomplished. We must be sincere in our efforts to develop this compassion, cultivate it, practice compassion often making it our foundational practice, and properly undertake the practice of compassionate acts and thoughts. Once we do this, which is not impossible otherwise no one would have achieved higher states of mind and ultimately enlightenment, we will receive such benefits. I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Dear Adiyadorj,

Thank you for your question and I am very happy to hear of the birth of your child. The word ‘Siddhi’ means spiritual attainment in the Sanskrit language and has indeed been used as a girl’s name in India. However the meaning of the word is very beautiful and auspicious.

Within Tibetan culture, there is a tradition of asking one’s lama to name one’s child. This is a practice that has continued up until today, therefore if you would like another name for your child then if you have a lama you could request him/her for one.

Even though the name has been used as girls name in the past, that doesn’t mean that the name only has to be used for girls. Therefore if you like the name, please keep using it for your baby boy.

Thank you.