Hello,

Buddhists do not believe in a God, as in a supreme creator being, that is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. No such being exists within Buddhist cosmology. Tibetan Buddhist cosmology has hundreds if not thousands of Buddhas, gods, and other types of beings.

Buddhists however do not pray to gods, but to Buddhas who have transcended ordinary existence within samsara, or cyclic existence. The gods that exists within Buddhism are powerful beings, who have control of certain areas such as the weather or the land, etc but they are bound within this existence just like us. We do not pray to them but aspire to be free from the joint circumstance of leading lives of suffering and achieving the state of Buddhahood. We then become Omniscient, Omnipresent but not as in the concept of a monotheistic God, Omnipotent. I hope this helps.

Dear BL,

H.E. Tsem Rinpoche always says that real Dharma practice is the time we spend going about our daily lives.

Out of 24 hours, we may spend only 1 hour chanting mantras, performing rituals or reciting prayers. But the 23 other hours are the time we actually need to practice the teachings…being careful of what we do, say and think. But it’s more than that, we need to start making a conscious effort that our actions, speech and thoughts are motivated by compassion towards others. When we do this and make aspirational prayers, creating a strong connection with Amitabha, upon our deaths if we have practiced strongly then we will be reborn in Amitabha’s pure land. But the key here is our own effort.

You are right that it is wrong to take one’s own life, in that we create negative karma through that act, which binds us further to samsara and suffering in our future rebirths. However you are also very lucky, you have become tired of living in samsara and for this fact you should rejoice. Use this as a motivation to get OUT of samsara… you do this by following the teachings….do not get caught up in the diversity of practices…find one that you like and then go all the way with it.

Dear Karen,

The astrological compatibility is not as fatalistic as you think. It is simply a tool of prediction according to general energies, therefore you should not get too caught up in this.

You are married so you need to work on your relationship. Relationships to be worked on, it should be based on love, compassion and trust.

There are pujas that can be done to create harmony and compassion in relationships such as Green Tara Puja. But the best thing to do is to work on the relationship through trust, compassion and love. You do this by transforming your mind, being an open person. In any case, I have sent you a private email.

Dear Aditya,

Tibetan Buddhism has a long history of explaining the universe and its effect on us. Tibetan Astrology is explained using the Philosophy from the Kalachakra Tantra in which Buddha states that there are 3 levels of cycles within time.

1. Outer: The movement of the planets and stars in the heavens, and therefore various divisions of time.

2. Inner: The movement of the wind-energies (Sanskrit: Prana) in the body.

3. Alternative: The methods of meditation to purify the previous two categories and leading to full enlightenment.

The first two cycles of time parallel each other due to individual and collective karma. So, there are certain energy cycles connected with everything that drives us…both planetary and human bodily cycles. That is why you see people are effected by various cycles such as the phases of the moon or movement of the planets. The nine planets are therefore used to predict the general or specific types of energy that can effect a person during the course of their lives.

However this outlook is not fatalistic, just a prediction of the general energies throughout a persons life. Through the correct application of effort, negative energies can be eliminated and positive energies heightened to provide maximum benefit in ones worldly and spiritual life. The planets are mentioned in pujas in order to avert negative energies.

Dear Jason,

I’m not entirely familiar with the Shechen masters but I will try to answer as best as i can. There are many reasons why many high lamas did not survive treatment in the prison camps.

The best way to explain it in such a short space is that of collective karma. We all know that we as individuals have our own karma, but one thing we forget is that due to our connection over many countless lifetimes we also share karma, which is known as collective karma. For example if you happen to be born in Malaysia and so does someone else, you have the collective karma to be “Malaysian” and fall under the laws, customs and leadership of the land. Similarly if you are living in land where there is a drought, you have the collective karma together with everyone else their to suffer from drought. But if you live on land which is bountiful, you have the collective karma to live on the bountiful land together.

For the teachings to survive and flourish, people must make the effort to overcome their negative karma so that they may be able to benefit from the teachings. As the embodiments of the teachings, this also applies to the highly attained lamas. We must make an effort to make sure they stay healthy, safe and are looked after so that they can benefit ourself and others.

In the case of Santarakshita, the Tibetans had made a good effort, the collective karma was good, they had the merits, and the causes and conditions were right for Santarakshita to go to Tibet and spread the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. Conversely highly attained masters did die in the prison camps due to mistreatment, therefore the environment they were in was not conducive for the Dharma, therefore they gave up their physical bodies. We must remember that the masters are in human form therefore are bound by the body.

But you have only read the stories of those masters who died, there are cases in which highly attained beings were not treated as badly as others and therefore survived and were able to pass their teachings on to others. It all depends on our karma to receive the teachings. The modern monks of Tibet have not lost their purity, but the situations depend on our collective karma. Tibet…and the world did not have the collective karma for some of the highly attained masters to survive, but we do have the collective karma to have other highly attained masters with us today.

Dear Heena,

I hope i can answer this question well for you. You see from a Buddhist perspective everything in Samsara (cyclic existence) is by essence based on the law of Karma. Everyday work life does not help us out of this dilemma, only spirituality does. Therefore when working in any job we create karma, and are under the influence of previous karma…it is a cycle. Therefore as we do not seek to directly counter this cycle but in reality perpetuate this cycle, we will see mistakes and various other situations occur. It is simply the nature of cyclic existence.

Dear Kam Lun,

I have only come across Yamantaka Ruels. But this does not mean that Vajrapani Ruels do not exist, simply i have never come across them before.

Yamantaka ruels are generally known for their effective protective energy. For wish-fulfilling, harmony, financial problems, emotional stability then i would suggest a Chakra instead. Each chakra has a specific energy that can help bring about a defined outcome such as increasing harmony, etc.

All Buddhas are equal in their power and ability, but manifest with a specific energy that can be imbued within Chakras for a specific outcome. For example White Tara is known for healing and long life, and there is a chakra that contains the essence of this energy. There are many different types of chakras, you see them at Vajrasecrets.com

However that is not to say that a Yamantaka Ruel can only help with protection, since it is based on the energy of Yamantaka, a fully enlightened being there will be other benefits such as helping with difficult situations in life, etc. However the main and prominent benefit will be that of protection.

Dear Catherine,

It all depends on the severity of the Karma we are afflicted with. But generally you should set a realistic number that you can achieve, such as 50,000 or 100,000. The goal may be achieved before you finish the mantra count or you may need to extend the mantra count further if the goal isn’t reached. In the case of harmony within the family the mantras are not a miracle cure, so you still need to put effort into creating harmony within your family yourself. The blessings of the Buddhas will manifest through the mantras by making this easier.

As for the severity of negative karma, since each of us has had countless lives we all have a lot of negative karma. The simple trick is to make sure that we do not create even more negative karma in this life by watching what we do, say and think. To be more positive. This coupled with purification practices will cut the affects of the negative karma in our lives. The highly attained masters of the past always stressed the importance of purification practices no matter what level they were. In fact the more you purify, the more likely you are to have spiritual realisations.

The Buddhas bless everyone without discriminating what people believe. So yes, there will be benefit for the person of another faith but please be mindful of other people’s own belief systems. If they say it is ok, then by all means go ahead.

Dear Catherine,

Mantras are the enlightened energies of the Buddhas in the form of sound. As embodiments of ultimate compassion, mantras are extremely effective but there is a difference when recited in retreats and during our normal everyday life.

Mantras are very effective. Even in our normal day to day life when we recite mantras, through the compassionate energies of the Buddhas you will definitely see changes occur in your life. There is a difference when we do the same amount of mantras in a retreat however and the reason is that in a retreat our entire being (body, speech and mind) is concentrating on one thing, which is the practice and mantra recitation of the particular Buddha figure. Therefore we are putting a lot of effort and concentration on the practice. It is through our level of concentration and effort, that the mantra becomes more “effective.” Mantras are all powerful but the level of concentration and effort we put in, dictates the level of effectiveness in our own lives.

As for particular prayers to come to pass, it is more than just reciting the mantras a prescribed amount of times. There are many more factors involved, such as our own Karma and how much effort and concentration we put into the practice.

I’ll give you an example, there are people who are afflicted by spirit harm and are prescribed a certain amount of mantras to accumulate, some people will have more than others. This also applies to other situations such as financial difficulties, harmony in the family, etc.

Dear Heena,

I am sorry to read about your current situation. If you will allow me i would like to make some suggestions.

1. You first need to overcome your depression in order to move ahead. If you engage in the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa sincerely you will see your depression lift. This should be coupled with reading and study.

H.E. Tsem Rinpoche has given a commentary to this practice available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd1jQnEwNv4.

There is a written commentary to the practice here: http://www.vajrasecrets.com/tsongkhapa-a-simple-guide-to-a-powerful-practice

This blog itself has a lot of information on the practice, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/tsongkhapa.

Doing this practice sincerely is very effective in helping people with depression.

2. If you have engaged in bad actions, then you need to purify the karma to ensure that it does not effect you in the future. You can do this by engaging in purification practices such as Vajrasattva mantra recitation, recitation of the 35 Confessional Buddhas, or recitation of the Kawang Prayer of Dorje Shugden. This last one ties in with the third point.

3. You can engage in the practice of Dorje Shugden to clear the obstacles you are facing in regards to finding a better job. you can find the prayers here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dorje-shugden-retreat-a-powerful-practice-to-fulfill-wishes.html

I pray that this helps you.

Dear Lai Wan,

In my opinion it is good you are having these feelings to discover yourself more. However meditation is only one part of a whole of the ability to do so. To have strong meditation we must first familiarise ourselves with our mind, meditation is a tool we use to deepen our understanding of our mind and through that reach higher levels of ability to transform our lives.

On the point that when you see other people engage in unethical behaviour to achieve materials comforts we should look past the feeling of irritation. In our tradition we stress that there are two wings to enlightenment, they are (1) Compassion and (2) Wisdom. Therefore when we know the consequences of their actions, by that i mean we know about the law of Karma, we realise that they are just causing themselves more pain in the future. Knowing that we actually generate compassion from them.

A lot of people feel lost when they have these feelings. You should find a specific path and then go all the way with it. If you are drawing to Buddhism, may i suggest you begin to study the Dharma and begin the extremely beneficial practice of Lama Tsongkhapa.

A good book to begin with is A Living Buddha Within (http://www.vajrasecrets.com/the-living-buddha-within) which is a very introduction to Buddhism.

You can learn a lot about the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa here (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/tsongkhapa). There is a lot of information.

There is a commentary on the practice of Lama Tsongkhapa given by H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd1jQnEwNv4.

I pray this helps you.

Dear Natalie,

As an intoxicant drinking alcohol is discouraged within Buddhist traditions. The reason is this, the more you drink the more intoxicated you get, and then you begin to loose clarity of the mind. This loss of soberness of the mind, leads you to create negative karma. For example you might say or do something negative, end up hurting yourself and others. This is why alcohol is considered negative. Technically it is not the alcohol that is negative but the way in which you use the alcohol.

For those who are alcoholic, these negative affects are heightened as they cannot operate without drinking alcohol. Therefore the drinking has become an addiction, which itself binds them further to samsara.

To illustrate the above points, let me recount a story i once read. A monk is traveling, and to take shelter arrives at the home of a young woman. Later at night she asks him to choose between drinking a whole bottle of wine, sleeping with her or killing her goat so that they can cook it for dinner. He decides to drink the wine, considering that the karma created from breaking his vows of celibacy and non-violence to be greater than drinking alcohol. The next day he wakes up to find himself in the woman’s bed and the left overs of the goat stew on the table. After he drank the wine, due to being inebriated, he killed the goat and slept with the woman, thereby breaking his vows.

This story goes to show that alcohol can make one loose the clarity of the mind, and therefore the ability to consciously engage in positive acts and refrain from negative acts, due to being intoxicated. So drinking alcohol is considered negative because it is a gateway to creating negative karma without being fully aware as would be if not inebriated.

Dear Mrs Ng,

There is no specific mantra for your son to get a job. However there are powerful mantras that can help in life if done with a good motivation.

May I suggest that you recite Dorje Shugden’s mantra. Dorje Shugden is an enlightened protector that helps to solve our secular problems….such as needing a job to survive. His Mantra is OM BENZA WIKI BITTANA SOHA.

You can also engage in the practice of Dorje Shugden in the form of Gyenze, this will be beneficial in helping your son get a job. This form is good to increase wealth, live and spiritual attainments. You can read more about Gyenze and the practice by following this link: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/dorje-shugden-gyenze-to-increase-life-merits-and-wealth.html

Dear George Bochman,

It is not confirmed yet, when H.E. Tsem Rinpoche will visit Kuala Lumpur again. Thank you.

Dear Sandra,

The swiftness of pujas depends on the karma of the person that the puja is being done for. Some people see the difference after just one puja, in some cases you need a series of pujas to be done depending on the situation. Without knowing the situation, I couldn’t give you an answer. It also depends on our motivation for sponsoring the puja…any help we give to someone with a good motivation will be beneficial.

If possible you can get your friend to engage in Dorje Shugden practice, this will be very beneficial. You can also engage in Dorje Shugden practice and dedicate the mertis generated to your friend. I hope this helps.

Dear Silver,

None of the Pastors are well versed in the art of astrology, so i cannot give you an answer to your question. From a Buddhist perspective however, astrology tells you the karmic potential and tendencies you are born with. However these are not set in stone. Through the Buddhist teachings we are able to identify our own personality traits and then with practice we are able to change our habits and tendencies towards something more positive, productive and beneficial.

Dear Sunyata,

Yes you can hang the chakra on the bed post of the person that needs protection and you carry the chakra in your handbag. It is not appropriate to take it into the toilet. If possible you should not do so, but sometimes you may not have a choice. Then you can do so, there are no negative consequences, but try to be as mindful not to as possible.

What I suggest for the other issue is to engage in the practice of Trakze Dorje Shugden if you feel you need protection. This practice is very helpful for dealing with black magic and spirit harm. Even if you are not this practice grants very powerful protection. You can read more about the practice here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/trakze-to-dispel-black-magic-spirits.html

Dear Michele Marie,

I have come across one translation in the past, it’s as follows below:

OM SAMBHARA SAMBHARA VIMANA SARA MAHA JAVA HUNG
Om cherish, cherish, you of the very swift flying chariot Hung!

OM MARA MARA VIMANA SARA MAHA JAVA HUNG
Om remember, remember, you of the very swift flying chariot Hung!

Dear Ferruccio Camagni Ananda,

Sorry but I am not aware of any current practitioners of either Tibetan Medicine or Astrology in Kuala Lumpur.

Dear Francisco Rodriguez,

Yes you can most certainly practice Singdongma (Lion-faced Dakini) and Dorje Shugden. They are both enlightened beings, therefore there is no contradiction practicing both of them.

Within the Nyingma Tradition Singdongma is considered a fierce manifestation of Padmasambhava, where as in the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug traditions her practice stems for the practice of the Chakrasamvara Tantra. In both cases she is fully enlightened.

Dorje Shugden is an emanation of the Buddha of Wisdom Manjushri in the form of a protector, therefore he too is obviously an enlightened being.

To clarify however, it is best to practice according to one lineage. And there are many reasons why, primarily because the form of practice will correspond to the specific teachings in that particular lineage, that is why there are differences in practice of the same deity within different lineages. As the teachings are explained in a different manner it is all too easy to get confused as to the meaning. Therefore it is advisable to adhere to one lineage. When you get to a certain level of realisation, you come to realise that all the lineages lead to the same state but simply in different ways, therefore best to adhere to and practice on lineage very well.

We have many people in Kechara who practice both Singdongma and Dorje Shugden.

You can find more information about Singdongma here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/protection-from-black-magic-and-spirits.html

and more information about Dorje Shugden here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/dorje-shugden