Dear Yup,

An enlightened mind perceives but does not experience suffering because it is not attached to happiness. Since it is not drawn to happiness, suffering cannot follow it. I’m afraid there is no short cut in the spiritual path. How can you “build the good in” without “eliminating the bad”? In Dharma practice, one talks often about replacing non-virtues with virtues. This is the way. How much time it takes depends on you. If you say you do not have time and “often fail”, this is because you are not putting in the effort. To understand the Dharma and to have realisations, we need to collect a lot of merits and at the same time, purify our negative karma. We have to do both until we achieve enlightenment.

To see things as they are or to realise emptiness, we need to have a great amount of merits and wisdom. So we must start accumulating merits and wisdom now by learning, meditating and practising the Dharma well and doing a lot of Dharma work. There is no short cut to enlightenment. There is a story about Milarepa who gave a final teaching to his heart disciple Gampopa by showing his calloused buttocks due to years of sitting meditation.

Dear Padma D, If it’s convenient, remove until it’s 108 beads. If not convenient, then leave it as it is. No problems there. It will not affect your practice and the blessings.

Tsem Rinpoche

Dear Jonathan,
For a High Lama that’s indisputably considered emanations of Chenrezig and Amitabha Buddha as in the case of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas respectively, they do not need Dharma Protectors to protect them. They actually practice a protector so they would be able to pass it down to others and to eliminate the obstacles of their innumerable students.

They have full clairvoyance and control of their death and rebirth. At the same time, they have innumerable emanations working to spread the Dharma all over. These high incarnations would plan out their rebirths under the best conditions possible to be of benefit to others. If they are true incarnations of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, they would find various means to benefit others even if they do take rebirth in countries with authoritarian regimes. From our end, we are unable to judge who is a true incarnation or not but in time, a true incarnate tulku would reveal himself through his actions and great works. The recognition is just a procedure and a status that allows the Tulku to be of greater benefit.

Dear Bry,
Wrathful expressions of the Buddhas reflect the other side of compassion, a sort of tough love side of compassion. The best analogy for this is a mother who has no choice but to scold her children for playing with fire in order to teach them a lesson and to protect them. This quality of wrath is reflected in the fierce expressions of the Buddhas.

Also, when a person who comes with the intention to harm her children, the mother would not remain calm and peaceful as that would not deter the person at all. Hence, the Buddhas have to manifest wrath and in some cases, extreme wrath particularly directed at our negative karma, delusions and negative beings that harms us. Wrath also denotes speed and therefore, almost all Dharma Protectors have fierce expressions.

On top of that, the Buddhas put on a fierce and ugly expressions to reflect the results of our negative karma and delusions. Vajrayogini is described to be having a semi-wrathful expression mixed with that of great desire. While Dzambala is described to have a haughty expression. One reflect desire and the other arrogance, which are the particular delusions that these Buddhas work to transform.

The expression of these deities are written down based on pure visions experienced by great masters of the past who witnessed these beings. They wrote it down and used it as a basis for sadhanic meditations. Those who meditate on the forms of these Buddhas along with mantra and other visualizations has been proven to bring about a certain positive transformation within us by many great masters and practitioners of the past. Therefore, they are certainly not made up by ancient monks. Perhaps, your feelings of uneasiness reflect more of your preconceived ideas of how a Buddha should appear to you and not what they really are.

Dear skevi,
Your requests echoes that of many people who are looking for a spiritual guide in remote places. Since you have access to the Internet, you can learn much from the internet. Tsem Rinpoche has this blog and it has innumerable articles on Buddhism and spirituality. There is also a blogchat at the bottom of the page in which you can interact with other practitioners as well.

Rinpoche also has a YouTube account (Just type Tsem Rinpoche in the search field) with hundreds of hours of teachings and you can also follow Rinpoche on Twitter (@tsemtulku) to get the latest updates. For now, you can utilize these resources as something that can be the start of your spiritual path.

Dear skevi,

The Buddhadharma is meant for all beings as we are all afflicted by ignorance, hatred and desire. However, due to karma and strong habituations, we may be afflicted in varying degrees. I do not know of any Gurus who specifically works on those with mental health issues. Perhaps, you might want to seek a good medical doctor first and then follow the teachings of a particular Guru along the way to help you on the spiritual path.

Dear P,

Yes, Kechara House does hold refuge ceremonies during which you would take refuge with His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche. The ceremony itself brings you under the protection of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). As of the date of this reply (26th May 2014) there are no scheduled refuge ceremonies to take place, but please do contact Kechara House Front Desk on +603 7803 3908 or email care@kechara.com and we will place you on a list of names for refuge that will be sent to His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche in preparation for our next refuge ceremony.

It is highly recommended that you understand what taking refuge actually is. For this I suggest you attend our Sunday Dharma Classes to learn more about refuge and Buddhism in general if you are local in Malaysia. Please contact Kechara House Front Desk on the above number for more information. If you are not local to Malaysia, you can still submit your name and we will inform you with ample time for you to make travel arrangements.

For more teachings on taking refuge correctly please read Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche, especially the chapter “Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels.” If you want to get hold of a copy of the book, you can visit any Kechara Paradise outlet or visit this link to order a copy http://vajrasecrets.com/books/english-books/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand.html

As for finding a guru, you should find someone who is able to teach the essential Buddhist teachings, and who belongs to an unbroken lineage stemming from Buddha Shakyamuni, such as His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche. A guru should be able to convey the Dharma to you so that it has the most benefit in your life when practiced.

However if you are in a place where there is no qualified guru or you are currently in the process of searching for a guru, you can take refuge in front of your shrine, which should have representations of the body, speech and mind of the Buddhas. If you truly feel that you have taken refuge in the Three Jewels, this means that you have actually taken refuge. But it is better to take refuge from a qualified guru, as they will be able to guide you on your spiritual path.

Dear Tan,

This actually depends on a number of factors, for example the culture of the person, the wishes of the family and the ability to preserve the body. Following a natural and peaceful death, in my suggestion you should try and preserve the body for around 3 days, this will ensure that the dying process is completed and allow the mind to leave the body. However this is not a hard and fast suggestion, as once again there are a whole number of other factors that need to be taken into account.

For violent or unexpected deaths, the mind would most likely leave the body at a quicker rate and may almost be instantaneous, therefore it varies with each person and situation. Should want further advice or prayers done for someone who has passed away, please contact Kechara House Front Desk on +603 7803 3908 for arrangements to be made to talk with one of the Pastors.

Dear Jason,
During Tantric Tsog, a little bit of meat and alcohol is partaken (just a taste) by the Tantrika (Tantric practitioner) for purely symbolic and meditational reasons. Meat and alcohol are taboo amongst the religious caste of ancient India.

Hence, the partaking of meat and alcohol during tsog ritual is to symbolize overcoming of ordinary view while attaining transcendent wisdom of non-dual bliss and emptiness. On top of that, this does not go against the teachings of Bodhichitta because the tsog ritual will generate tremendous amounts of merits while the Tantrika generates Bodhichitta while visualizing themselves as the yidam. The ritual would bless the animal the meat is taken from as well. However, this does not condone meat eating and the meat is just tasted during the ritual and not actually eaten in large quantities as in a meal.

Dear A Worried Friend,

Out of ignorance, many people focus on having a relationship and think that it will bring them happiness. When it does not work out, there is much suffering. You can help your friend by bringing Dharma into her life. Explain to her that the worldly pleasure we experience in ordinary relationships does not last and is not real happiness. It is something we crave in order to overcome our loneliness. If possible, take her to Buddhist Dharma talks and buy her some Dharma books to read.

For the aborted baby, it would be good to have a puja done at Kechara’s puja house. You can call this number: +603 78033908 and make enquiries at our Front Desk regarding the puja.

Dear Tan,
Vajrasattva in union with his consort is in a position called yab-yum which literally means father-mother in Tibetan. In Tantra or Vajrayana, the male aspect represents method or compassion while the female aspect represents wisdom. The union of both method (compassion) and wisdom is necessary in order to become a fully enlightened Buddha.

Dear Yik,

There are many levels to taking refuge, but it would be extremely beneficial to your spiritual path to find and take refuge under a qualified guru. This will bring you under that guru’s care and greatly advance your own practice. While one can gain immense benefit from studying the teachings by yourself, for the teachings to truly enhance your practice, you need a guru to show you the path of applying the teachings in your daily life correctly.

H.E Tsem Rinpoche has explained that on an ultimate level the Buddha is the highest refuge but on our mundane level, it is the guru that is the highest refuge, because if the guru is qualified and has practiced, they will be able to teach and lead you along the path. On our current level we cannot communicate with the Buddha directly therefore the role of a guru is important for our own practice.

However if you are in a place where there is no qualified guru or you are currently in the process of searching for a guru, then taking refuge in front of your shrine and truly feel that you have taken refuge, means that you have actually taken refuge.

For more teachings on taking refuge correctly please read Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche, especially the chapter “Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels.” If you want to get hold of a copy of the book, you can visit any Kechara Paradise outlet or visit this link to order a copy http://vajrasecrets.com/books/english-books/lamrim-liberation-in-the-palm-of-your-hand.html

Dear P,
The path of Vajrayana does have the capability to deliver a practitioner all the way to Enlightenment in one lifetime. The rest of your question appears to be in reference to the descriptions given in the King of Prayers. When a being attained full enlightenment, one gains the power of emanation, in which we are able to emanate out innumerable forms in order to benefit all sentient beings according to their capacity and understanding.

That does not mean we put a whole planet in a seed but our enlightened mind has no boundaries and thus, the whole world becomes like a seed. The enlightened mind would possess the full knowledge of the past, present and future. That’s the clairvoyance of a fully enlightened Buddha.

Dear Marco,

Having negative thoughts about one’s guru or other gurus is due to one’s negative karma. But it is good that you regret this and wish to do something about it. You need to do purification practice and collect merits. I suggest you read the “35 Confessional Buddhas” once a day and change your attitude to one of respect for the Rinpoches. To gain merits, regard them as Buddhas or Bodhisattvas and make offerings to them. Train yourself to see everything as pure. It is all right if you do not buy the Rinpoches’ books. But you do need to learn and understand the Dharma.

Dear The Boy Who Likes the Buddha Shakyamuni,
Thank you for writing in. What you have just described is actually normal of many ordinary practitioners. Hence, they are constantly looking for external reasons for their problems and also an external solution to their problems although they may be in the Dharma for x number of years. It takes a bit of merit to even grasp that a solution can be found in the teachings and it takes even more merit to understand and actually practice the teachings. Most of the time, the best way to encourage loved ones to go deeper into Dharma practice is through our own transformation and practice. We must ourselves study the lamrim (contains the full path to enlightenment and gives us many ways and methods to bring people onto the Dharma), practice the Dharma, be involved in your center and maintain clean samaya (good relations) with your Guru and Dharma brothers and sisters. Then, what we advice people, we will have the power to influence positively. Anyway, always be patient and encourage them to create merit like setting up an altar and making offerings to monks/lama, on the altar and also to the temple or Dharma institution. In this way, we are helping them long term. I hope this little explanation will help you.

Dear Lorraine,

There is actually a difference between mindfulness and being grateful. Mindfulness is a meditation technique of being completely aware of oneself and surrounding, whereas being grateful is a mindset that can allow us to interact with the world in a more beneficial manner than we currently do.

Mindfulness is a meditation technique that allows us to be in the present moment, aware of how one is physically and mentally in the present. It is a cultivated sense of heightened awareness of your interaction with the physical world and others as well. used on its own it can bring tremendous benefits such as allowing your mind to become calmer and allowing yourself to live in the present moment rather than constantly worrying about the future or over analysing the past. In fact it can form the basis of being able to gain deeper insights from high forms of meditation.

Gratefulness on the other hand is a mindset that one should remember constantly. it is the mindset of being content with what you have received in life, and being thankful for it. It allows one to counter desire for more. Moreover, it should inspire us to be more compassionate towards others, as no matter our circumstances, there will always be someone worse off than us. We should strive to alleviate their suffering and the ultimate way of doing this would be to become enlightened.

We should therefore 100% be mindful of our current state, which is the present moment, while also being grateful in our daily life. We should do this as a method of meditation and inspiration along our spiritual path to enlightenment. Although we may be grateful for what we have, we will always suffer due to our negative karma arising, and on a higher level we progress to be able to help others overcome their suffering as well.