Dear Shesan,

Praying to Saraswati and Manjushri has tremendous benefits. They are not different but complementary. While Manjushri is known as the Buddha of Wisdom, Saraswati is the Buddha of Speech. According to H.E. Tsem Rinpoche, the worship of Saraswati will confer powerful oratorical ability, intellectual perfection, increase of artistic and musical talents, and eventually we will gain great mastery over our own minds. Rinpoche said that keeping her image (statue or thangka) in an art studio, publications department, writing company, music department, or anything having to do with creativity would bless the environment and the people. It is also very useful to keep an image of Saraswati in a child’s bedroom and have the child see her holy image daily and even propitiate her. As the practices of Lord Manjushri and Saraswati are complementary, it is very important to recite Manjushri’s Gangloma and one round of his mantra before doing Saraswati’s prayer and mantra. Both prayers and mantras can be obtained from this blog under the section “Prayers and Sadhanas”.

Dear Eli Levine,

All the suffering we experience in this life is the result of our past negative karma. Doubt is one of the six root delusions. It is also one of the “fetters” that keep us in samsara. Doubt prevents one from engaging in virtuous actions. It is said that the antidote to doubt is wisdom. One has to study the scriptures to acquire knowledge and spiritual understanding. One also needs to meditate to attain calm abiding and special insight. When you achieve the stage of stream enterer, doubt is permanently eliminated.

Do not worry about your feelings as they are impermanent. As H.E. Tsem Rinpoche says, “When we travel down a road, doubt will always arise, just go all the way.”

Dear John,

It is good to respect all religions and we should. But at the end of the day, one still has to make a choice because, while there are some aspects of religious practice that are common in all religions, like love, compassion and tolerance, there are aspects that are fundamentally different. You will find these differences as you look deeper and study more. Thus, in order to advance in any practice, and realise its goal, one has to make a choice of which religion is the best for one, and then go all the way.

Dear Illam Tay,

A person who is unstable should not take refuge from a guru because with refuge, there are vows and commitments that one has to keep. So if one is not sure about keeping the refuge vows and commitments, it is better not to take refuge yet. One should study, gain more Dharma knowledge and after becoming stable and free of doubts, then one can take the refuge vows. What are the causes for breaking refuge vows? Usually it is because the person has not understood the meaning of taking refuge. It is as if the person has not taken refuge at all. In this case, the person can take the refuge vows again if he/she has fully understood the meaning of refuge and has the right attitude towards Dharma practice.

Dear William,

There could be many reasons why one feels tied down by Dharma work and have doubts. H.E. Tsem Rinpoche has said that obstacles can manifest in doubts and fear, especially when the Dharma centre is growing. Obstacles can be removed by doing a lot of pujas. One should attend pujas, do one’s daily sadhanas consistently and carry out whatever instructions the Guru has given. One should be sincere in doing Dharma work, with a good motivation to benefit others. Most importantly, one must not let doubts and fears be an obstacle to one’s Dharma practice. As H.E. Tsem Rinpoche said, “When we travel down a road, doubt will always arise, just go all the way”.

We must not do Dharma work for the wrong reasons. Therefore, it is important to check our motivation. Are we doing Dharma work with the eight worldly concerns, or with a negative agenda? People who have doubts about the Dharma or the Guru often do not apply the Dharma in their daily lives and in their Dharma work. This is the result of a mind that has not transformed.

Dear Eli Levine,

We can determine our present karmic state by examining our actions of body, speech and mind. Are they virtuous or non-virtuous or a mixture of both? The Buddha taught that we will go to the upper realms (God, Demi-God and Human) if we have been virtuous and to the lower realms (Animal, Hungry Ghost and Hell)if non-virtuous. Thus, by looking at our present life, we can assess inferentially where we will be reborn in our next life. If we have a mixture of virtuous and non-virtuous karma, the stronger will ripen first. If both types are equally strong, the type we are most familiar with will ripen first. To answer your question, “How can I know me in this present lifetime?”, just ask yourself, “Am I a kind person? Is my life meaningful? Am I happy?” If the answer is “no”, then you will have to modify your behaviour to make yourself a kind and happy person who brings peace and happiness to others. To help humanity and the universe be better, you have to be better first. To bring peace and happiness to others, one needs to have peace and happiness in oneself. Good luck to you. I hope you will find your life’s goal.

Dear Aditya,

Our karma is passed on to the next life through the “linking consciousness” (pratisamdhivijnana). This consciousness, bearing karmic imprints, joins past to present and present to future. The individual is made up of five physical and mental processes called “aggregates” (skandha): form, feelings, perceptions, conditioning factors and consciousness. Through ignorance (avidya), the mind habitually identifies one or another of the five aggregates with a self or soul. Due to ignorance, one engages in a volitional action (samskara) thereby accumulating that karma. The karmic potency or predispositions created by that action imprint themselves on the consciousness. This karmic potency, nourished by craving (feelings of desire caused by attachment) and grasping (clinging to a self), will be carried into a future life. It is this consciousness that enters the womb of the future mother. This is the first moment of the new lifetime. This consciousness is always changing but it persists as a continuum. Death is simply the transfer of this continuum from one lifetime to the next. This is the process of cyclic existence which is synonymous with suffering.

I suggest you read up on the “Twelve Links of Dependent Origination” to learn more about how karma works and the notion of conditionality of all existence which is a core teaching in Buddhism. I hope this explanation has been helpful.

Dear Gopinath,

I suggest you go to Kechara House and seek advice from a Pastor regarding your wish to “try out” the novice monkhood. It seems to me you are still uncertain about what you want. Please talk to a Pastor about your “plans”. I do not know what you mean by a “good answer” but I hope you are not expecting an answer you wish to hear.

Dear lassalian,

The reason why someone is experiencing financial difficulties is usually due to the karmic effect of having been miserly in the past. In order to have material (and spiritual wealth), one needs to create the causes for that to happen. One needs to practice generosity. Do not be a miserly and greedy person. In one’s dealings with business partners and customers, do not cause any harm to them. Be kind and compassionate to people in your workplace. At the same time, of course, you can do the protector practices, Dzambala or Tara and recite mantras. But the most important thing is mind transformation. The Buddhas and Protectors will help you if you are kind and helpful to others.

Dear lassalian,

Mental blocks could be the result of some negative karma committed in the past. I suggest you recite “Gangloma”, the short prayer to Manjushri (the Buddha of Wisdom) everyday, followed by the mantra OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHI at least 108 times. You can find the prayer “Gangloma – Praise to Manjushri” on this Blog in the section “Sadhana and Prayers”: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/sadhana-prayers.html#22. If you recite Manjushuri’s powerful mantra faithfully daily you will purify ignorance, low mentality, oblivion and you will actualize the seven wisdoms. This mantra is believed to enhance wisdom and improve one’s skills in debating, memory, writing, and other literary abilities. “DHI” is the seed syllable of the mantra. After you have finished reciting the mantra, continue to recite “DHI” in one breath for another round of the rosary. If you find it difficult to hold your breath, you may take in two or three breaths, gradually improving to one breath. This is a very simple and easy practice to do and it is very effective.

Besides Manjushri’s practice, I suggest you also do purification practices such as prostrations, Vajrasattva, or 35 Confessional Buddhas. Do this diligently everyday, and you will see the improvements.

Dear Sheilagh,

The mantra of Dukkar (Sitatapattra or White Umbrella) is “OM SITA TA PA TREY HUM PHET”.

Dear Tan,

If we have a negative thought towards the Buddha’s teachings or our guru for even one second, we should purify the negative karma by reciting the hundred syllable purification mantra of Vajrasattva at least 21 times and apply the four opponent powers: (1) the power of reliance (taking refuge in the Three Jewels), (2) the power of regret, (3) the power of remedy (applying the antidote), and (4)the power of restraint (promise not to do it again). It is recommended in the Lamrim that we should also strenuously perform full prostrations while reciting the Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps (35 Confessional Buddhas).

Dear Bradley Kassian,

In some centres, this mantra is given to students as a purification practice. It represents “the essence of all the Tathagatas, the ones gone to bliss”. The mantra is said to purify 100 million eons of negative karma. I am not sure of its origin but I will try to find out more about it. However, it is important to remember that, as students, we must adhere to the practices given by our gurus, including purification practices.

Dear Bitter child,

What is the punishment for killing oneself? If one kills oneself in a frustrated and confused state of mind, it is unlikely that one will be reborn in a good place. The state of mind in which we die will condition the next birth. You seem to know some Dharma. You have a guru whom you love and you wish to have his blessings before you “end this”. Which guru will give you blessings to kill yourself?

You are not clear about what happened to you. All you talk about is your unhappiness about being rejected by society, friends, family and even the Buddha. You refer to your failures in life and even feel that the Buddhas have failed you. So you are feeling very bitter as you have no one to turn to.

People who talk about suicide have not learned to face their problems and how to face the facts of life. Their delusions are very strong and their minds are negative and destructive. The Buddha said that suicidal states of mind only lead to more suffering. It is time to face your problems. Don’t blame others for your own failures. Don’t dwell on how much others have disappointed you because you must have disappointed them. What you are experiencing is what you have made others experience, whether in this life or in previous lives. The only way to turn your life around is to be a better person. Be kind to others, starting with your parents, family and friends. Be grateful to your guru for giving you Lord Buddha’s teachings and repay his kindness. Apologise to your teacher for having wrong thoughts. Listen to his teachings to get his inspiration and blessings. Instead of focusing on your own problems, you should focus on the suffering of those who may be in more unfortunate circumstances than you. Find something meaningful to do to bring purpose into your life again. For example, you can do Dharma work or other charitable activities. By bringing happiness to others, you will find peace and happiness yourself.
I hope you find this helpful.

Dear henry pamudji,

You can go to the chat section on this blog and log in. The schedule is given for both the Wednesday and Saturday chat sessions. It’d be good to read up on the topic for each chat session beforehand.

Dear Yee Ling,

Yes, you can do retreats with small goals until you achieve your target. Do 10,000 first. Then stop and rest. Then another 10,000 and so on up to 100,000. Good luck!

Dear Ping,

Enlightenment is the exalted wisdom of a Buddha. Therefore, there is no difference between enlightenment and Buddhahood. Buddhahood is the state of perfect and complete enlightenment. Masters like Milarepa and Pabongka Rinpoche are fully enlightened beings and can be said to have attained Buddhahood. The ten stages of a Bodhisattva refer to the spiritual level of the Bodhisattva on the path toward enlightenment. Thus a Bodhisattva is a being who has attained one of the ten Bodhisattva levels. But the Bodhisattva is not a Buddha yet because he/she has taken a vow to delay his/her own personal enlightenment in order to work for the liberation of all sentient beings.

Dear Alvin,

To recite the Dukkar mantra, one does not need initiation. On Rinpoche’s blog there is a section on prayers and sadhanas. Here is the link for a blog post on a Dukkar puja in Kechara House: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/kechara-13-depts/dukkar-sitatapatra.html. Some mantras that do not require initiation and are recommended for people who have no access to a guru are: OM MANI PEME HUNG (Chenrezig’s mantra), OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHI (Manjushri’s mantra); OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA (Green Tara’s mantra) and TAYATHA OM BEKANZEY BEKANZEY MAHA BEKANZEY BEKANZEY RADZA SAMUDGATEY SOHA (Medicine Buddha’s mantra).

Dear Shane Jayasuriya,

The Multiplying Mantra is recited as part of the preliminary prayers in our daily sadhana or at the beginning of a puja. If we recite this mantra 7 times, all the virtuous actions performed by us during the day, including recitation of mantras, will be multiplied 100,000 times. Therefore it is an excellent mantra to recite every morning for us to multiply the merits of the virtuous actions that we carry out during the day. However we do not recite this mantra to purify our negative karma.

There is no difference between HUNG and HUM. HUNG is the Tibetan pronunciation of HUM which is Sanskrit. HUNG or HUM is the seed syllable of the enlightened mind. The mantra OM AH HUNG represents the body, speech and mind of the Buddha’s enlightened knowledge. AH represents the Buddha’s speech. SVAHA (Sanskrit)or SOHA (Tibetan pronunciation) means “May the meaning of the mantra take root in my mind” or “May blessings be upon me”. DHIH or DHI is the seed syllable of Manjushri’s mantra and if meditated upon will confer memory, intelligence, wisdom, power of study, concentration and intellectual brilliance. PHET is a seed syllable often found in the mantras of wrathful deities.

Dear OM,

What you need is Dharma. To have peace and happiness, we need the Dharma in our life. Study the Dharma, practise and apply to your daily life to overcome your difficulties. Do join a Dharma centre near your house and start your practice. Read Dharma books and listen to Buddhist teachings. There are many teachings on Rinpoche’s Blog that will be helpful to you. You do not need divinations to start preliminary practices. Any Dharma centre will be able to give you advice. Rely on the Buddha’s teachings for peace and lasting happiness. Learn to be a better person. Be kind, patient and focus on giving love and happiness to others, starting with your parents, family members and friends. Stop focusing on yourself and your own happiness because ultimately, your happiness depends on others.