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Free Buddhism Dharma ebook Samantabadhra’s Aspiration To Noble Deeds By Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen Samantabadhra’s Aspiration to Noble Deeds is one of the most famous and beautiful Mahāyāna aspiration prayers. It is widely known and recited in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is part of the Buddha’s teachings, specifically the Gaṇḍavyūha Sutra, which is part of the Avataṃsaka Sutra. Free download here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KXQtnVcaMu6HCHZwL6FN2bj6zMv3w8Wj/view?usp=sharing ===

Free Buddhism Dharma ebook Samantabadhra’s Aspiration To Noble Deeds By Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen Samantabadhra’s Aspiration to Noble Deeds is one of the most famous and beautiful Mahāyāna aspiration prayers. It is widely known and recited in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is part of the Buddha’s teachings, specifically the Gaṇḍavyūha Sutra, which is part of the Avataṃsaka Sutra. Free download here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KXQtnVcaMu6HCHZwL6FN2bj6zMv3w8Wj/view?usp=sharing ===

Medicine Buddha Bhaisajyaguru Sadhana The Visualization Uncovers the Inherent Purity of Phenomena By Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Part 7 of 20 While it is entirely appropriate to visualize yourself as the Medicine Buddha and to visualize the Medicine Buddha and retinue in front of you, you may still have some hesitation or doubt that the visualization is anything more than just a visualization. This is understood, and therefore the next phase of the practice is designed to counteract that doubt. In order to alleviate any residual doubts you may have, you next invite the actual wisdom deities and dissolve them into the visualization. From the three syllables in their three places and the HUNG in their hearts, Lights radiate, invoking from their own eastern buddha realms, countless Wisdom deities which dissolve into myself and the one visualized in front. The first step in inviting the wisdom deities is to visualize in the three places of the self visualized Medicine Buddha, in the three places of the Medicine Buddha visualized in front, and, if possible, in the three places of the rest of the deities in the retinue, the three syllables, OM AH HUNG. Inside your head you visualize a white OM, which is the essence of the body of the Medicine Buddha; in your throat a red AH, which is the essence of his speech; and in your heart a blue HUM, which is the essence of his mind. Visualizing these in the body of the self-visualized Medicine Buddha and in the bodies of the deities visualized in front, you then think that from these syllables rays of light of the corresponding colorsand most particularly rays of blue light from the HUM syllables in the heart centers of the deitiesradiate. This radiation of light invites, from their individual buddha realms, the deities of the mandala. Each of the eight Medicine buddhasthe principle one and the seven buddhas of the retinuehas his own realm, all of which are understood to be in the eastern direction.* From these different pure realms the eight Medicine Buddhas and their retinues of deities are invited and they all dissolve into you as the Medicine Buddha and into the front visualization. In practice you do not think that they immediately dissolve into you, but that they present themselves and are present in the sky in front of you, between the two palaces of the self and front visualizations. Having described the visualization, you then recite a stanza that is an actual invitation to the deities to approach. HUNG The eight Menla companions and all deities without exception I invite here to this place. Kindly rain upon us your great blessings. Bestow the supreme empowerment on those who are worthy and faithful. Dispel false guides and obstacles to long life. NAMO MAHA BEKENDZE SAPARIWARA BENZA SAMAYADZA DZA BENZA SAMAYA TIKTRA LEN First you invite the eight Medicine Buddhas together with their retinues, saying, Please come to this place and rain down your great blessing upon me, the practitioner, and upon others. Then you ask that they, Bestow the supreme empowerment upon me, the fortunate one, who has faith, and that, by so doing, they, Please dispel obstacles, such as obstacles to life and longevity and other obstacles in general. === Buddha dharma teachings channel: https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQAKw1y3rv%2F6sk61PI2W4izuIiaEZj8YZujhY1tSzL%2B07s7rFnVFDAd0bAYFaMLw ===

The Tsechu River laughs in a disparaging way. A warm spring returned, as it had the year before. Today marked the first anniversary of Tsetan Gyal’s mother’s death. He went to the monastery and offered 50 yuan to each monk and 500 to Alak Drong Tsang. “Compassionate One,” he said, “a year has passed since my mother’s death, yet she still visits me in dreams. In which of the six realms has she been reborn?” Counting prayer beads with his fingers, Alak Drong Tsang closed his eyes for a while before saying, “To be honest, as I promised you, your mother has already attained a pure male body and has taken rebirth within our community.” Mouth agape, Tsetan Gyal stood silent, then slowly joined his hands at his heart. “He is the little boy born into Gonkyi’s family, named Chokyung,” Alak Drong Tsang continued, rubbing his mala, “no mistake.” Two years later, Tsetan Gyal brought Gonkyi’s family to the monastery to prostrate and circumambulate. Alak Drong Tsang’s eyes fell on a plump boy with triangular eyes and large thick ears, staring in wonder at a mural of the Four Guardian Kings. “Ah, a bad sign,” he muttered. When no one was watching, he called the boy closer and said, “If you can take the mala from your uncle Tsetan Gyal’s neck, claim it as yours, and ask for it back, then you are your mother’s good son. If not, you’re a bad boy.” [The boy does as he is told.] “Three Jewels! Isn’t this my mother? Look how he recognizes her things!” Tsetan Gyal took his mother’s mala from around his neck and handed it to Chokyung. Deeply moved, he embraced the boy and stayed for a while. Lutso was also astonished and recalled Alak Drong Tsang’s words: “Every lama has secret conduct, and ordinary people cannot comprehend even a fraction of it.” She found them to be true. Regretting the negative karma accumulated through her earlier doubts about Alak, she felt once again grateful to have received such a special “conduct” from a lama, seeing it as a merit for both this and the next lives. The Tsechu River laughs in a disparaging way. === Tsering Döndrup is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed authors writing in Tibetan today and was born in 1961 in Qinghai, China. He has published numerous collections of short fiction and four full-length novels. Somtsobum Khyung is a PhD candidate in religious studies at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender and Buddhism in Tibetan literature, highlighting how Tibetan women writers articulate gendered social critiques through creative engagements with Buddhist concepts and practices. === Part 1 of 2: https://t.me/tantrayanabuddhism/7262 Part 2 of 2: https://t.me/tibetanbuddha/7290 === Free Buddhism books, teachings, podcasts and videos from Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions: https://t.me/buddha_ebooks ===

The Disparaging Laughter of Tsechu River A Tibetan short story By Tsering Döndrup, translated by Somtsobum Khyung Part 2 of 2 At a time when everyone was busy mourning, who would notice a change of color in one person’s face, even if it had turned green? Time passed swiftly. Summer slipped away, and the end of autumn is near. Hilltops turned golden, like the hair of Russian girls. Wind swept through the dried grasses and weeds. The Dragnag families returned to their winter pasture: Some drove herds of sheep, others led yaks or horses, while elders and children followed behind with pack animals. A nomad saying goes, “Monks slaughter autumn sheep, and brides steal autumn yogurt.” Some monks at the monastery looked forward to the fatty mutton and rich yogurt their patrons might bring, with their mouths watering. Whenever they spotted any traveler with a talen bag coming down from the pass, they hurried out to greet them with smiles. Yet most travelers asked, “Is the Compassionate One here?” and headed straight to Alak Drong Tsang’s house. The monks often pretended to step outside to relieve themselves by briefly sitting on the ground; when they returned inside, their smiles faded. Day by day, Alak Drong Tsang grew more content. Yet, as Chekhov says, “How many unimaginable things there are in the world!” Today, he encountered one such thing. His ears, or the “holy marks,” stood upright, the hair on his neck bristled, and his triangular eyes widened: He had just learned that Lutso was pregnant after one of her visits to deliver food to him. “You . . .” After a long pause, he asked, “Are you pregnant?” Lutso’s face flushed. She lowered her head and stayed silent. “Who is the child’s father?” “Alas . . .” “Have you told anyone?” “No.” “Good. Then there’s no problem.” But Lutso explained how harshly the one-child policy was enforced in practice, and how difficult life had become for her family. She repeated what her mother had said: “Tell me who the father is, and we’ll try to convince him to marry you. If not, we’ll give the child to him after birth.” As she spoke, Lutso began to cry. Alak Drong Tsang grew nervous. Rubbing his mala, he uttered, “In that case, ask your mother to come here. I’ll speak with her myself.” After sending Lutso back, Alak Drong Tsang’s face turned pale, and he frowned in deep thought. As readers know, only through thought can a writer produce meaningful work, and only through thinking can readers truly comprehend the text. It requires thinking to solve problems. Likewise, Alak Drong Tsang began to think back on how this incident had begun, recalling the death of Tsetan Gyal’s mother and how he had been entrusted with the task of finding her reincarnation. “Oh, perfect!” A flash of delight suddenly crossed Alak Drong Tsang’s face, and he kept muttering to himself, “Perfect!” “No need to prostrate, no need to prostrate,” he said quickly as Gonkyi began to bow upon arrival. “Em . . . what do you plan to do about your daughter’s pregnancy?” “I planned to ask your advice, Compassionate One.” “Good. If I’m not mistaken, this is auspicious. The child is the reincarnation of someone from a wealthy family, and his owner will soon claim him. He will help you in the future. Even under this shitty law they call the one-child policy, where the dharma’s law is absent, the child will certainly find his own way in life when he grows up. Instead of forcing your daughter to reveal the father, you should be grateful. She is still young, and your pressure might drive her toward shame and suicide. If that happens, you will bear responsibility for the sin for both a child and a life. Where could you possibly go after death?” “What you say is true, Compassionate One! What would I do if my only daughter took her own life? Where could I go at the time of my death if both the sin and the child fell upon me?” Gonkyi prostrated to Alak Drong Tsang again and again. He instructed her to keep everything secret and reassured her that this would lead to a better outcome.

Free Buddhism Dharma teachings podcasts and videos The Ten Bhumis: Meditation, Prajna, Skillful Means, and Power (Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Bhumis) By Mahamudra Master Chogyam Trungpa Rocky Mountain Dharma Center (RMDC), Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, USA On the fifth bhumi, difficult to conquer (sudurjaya in Sanskrit), involving the meditation (dhyana) paramita; sixth bhumi, face to face (abhimukhi), involving prajna paramita; and seventh bhumi, far going (durangama), involving skillful means (upaya) paramita; and ninth bhumi, having good intellect (sadhumati), involving power (bala) paramita. Dhyana of fifth bhumi as a solid, sane awareness with a sense of simplicity and precision. Next is prajna of sixth bhumi, a sharp and precise quality which cuts through any peity of bodhisattva. Then upaya, or skillful means, of seventh bhumi as the perfect application of previous paramitas. Bodhisattva goes beyond duality and is "not afraid to be.'' Skips to bala, or power, of ninth bhumi, as energy expression of skillful means and making a leap. Seventh bhumi as a breakthrough, which begins development of enlightened energy. Free streaming video/podcast here: https://cti.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2230/collection_resources/121547 ================

Free Buddhism Dharma teachings podcasts and videos The Ten Bhumis: Meditation, Prajna, Skillful Means, and Power (Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Bhumis) By Mahamudra Master Chogyam Trungpa Free streaming video/podcast here: https://cti.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2230/collection_resources/121547 ================

Medicine Buddha Bhaisajyaguru Sadhana The Visualization Uncovers the Inherent Purity of Phenomena By Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Part 6 of 20 When you are practicing, if you can, visualize all of these deities. But if you cannot, do not be discouraged. Do not feel that somehow the practice has become ineffective or invalid because you cannot visualize each and every one of them. It is sufficient to generate as clear a visualization as you can of yourself as the Medicine Buddha and of the Medicine Buddha in front of you. If, in addition to that, you can visualize the seven additional medicine buddhas and the volumes of dharma, good. If, in addition to that, you can visualize the sixteen bodhisattvas, that is also good. But you should gauge the extent of the visualization to what you actually can do. In any case, the practice will be effective and will cause the blessing of dharma in general and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha in particular to enter you. It will serve its function and be effective, regardless of how you do the visualization. More important than how many deities you visualize is to understand what you are doing. And most important is to understand that by visualizing yourself as the Medicine Buddha you are not pretending to be something that you are not, and that by visualizing the Medicine Buddha and his retinue in front of you, you are not pretending that they are in a place where they are not. By definition, buddhas are omniscient. Whenever someone thinks of them, brings them to mind, or supplicates them, they are aware of it and respond with their compassion and blessing. In the final analysis, the situation is identical to their actually being present anywhere they are thought of. Therefore, it is always appropriate to regard a buddha that is present in ones mind as actually being present in front of one. When you think that the Medicine Buddha, together with his retinue, is present in front of you, it is really true that they are. Visualizing yourself as the Medicine Buddha is also appro priate, because your fundamental naturewhat you truly areis buddha nature. Buddha nature is essentially the potential to attain awakening. At some point in the future you will attain the same awakening or buddhahood as the Medicine Buddha himself. By visualizing yourself as the Medicine Buddha, you are assuming the appearance of what fundamentally you are even now and what manifestly you will be upon your awakening. It is to acknowledge this truth that you assume the aspect of the body, speech, and mind of the Medicine Buddha, which is, therefore, entirely appropriate. === Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel: https://t.me/dhammapadas ===

“Mendicants, suppose the earth was entirely covered with water. And a person threw a yoke with a single hole into it. The wind wafts it west, east, south and north. And there was a one-eyed turtle who popped up once every hundred years. What do you think, mendicants? Would that one-eyed turtle, popping up once every hundred years, still poke its neck through the hole in that yoke?” “It would be an anomaly, sir.” “That’s how anomalous it is to get reborn as a human being. And that’s how anomalous it is for a Realized One to arise in the world, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha. And that’s how anomalous it is for the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realized One to shine in the world. And now, mendicants, you have been reborn as a human being. A Realized One has arisen in the world, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha. And the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realized One shines in the world. That’s why you should practice meditation …” SN 56.48 : Dutiyachiggaḷayugasutta

Learning How to Be Kind to Ourself Learning how to be kind to ourselves, learning how to respect ourselves, is important. The reason it’s important is that, fundamentally, when we look into our own hearts and begin to discover what is confused and what is brilliant, what is bitter and what is sweet, it isn’t just ourselves that we’re discovering. We’re discovering the universe. When we discover the Buddha that we are, we realize that everything and everyone is Buddha. We discover that everything is awake, and everyone is awake. Everything is equally precious and whole and good, and everyone is equally precious and whole and good. When we regard thoughts and emotions with humor and openness, that’s how we perceive the universe. We’re not just talking about our individual liberation, but how to help the community we live in, how to help our families, our country, and the whole continent, not to mention the world and the galaxy and as far as we want to go. When Things Fall Apart By Pema Chodron, Pages 75–76

Free Buddha Dharma ebook Vima Nyingtik Lineage Prayer by Khenchen Ngawang Palzang A short prayer to the principal holders of the Vima Nyingtik collection of Dzogchen teachings, from Samantabhadra down to Khenchen Ngawang Palzang himself. Free download here: https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/khenchen-ngawang-palzang/vima-nyingtik-lineage-prayer ===

Free Buddha Dharma ebook Vima Nyingtik Lineage Prayer by Khenchen Ngawang Palzang A short prayer to the principal holders of the Vima Nyingtik collection of Dzogchen teachings, from Samantabhadra down to Khenchen Ngawang Palzang himself. Free download here: https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/khenchen-ngawang-palzang/vima-nyingtik-lineage-prayer ===

Medicine Buddha Bhaisajyaguru Sadhana The Visualization Uncovers the Inherent Purity of Phenomena By Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Part 5 of 20 In particular, on the lotus petals of the front visualization Are the seven Buddhas, Shakyamuni and the others, and dharma texts. On the eighth petal, directly in front of the principal Medicine Buddha, is a volume of the dharma. The reason for this is that in the end it is the dharma that liberates us from samsara and from sickness. When we talk about the sadharma, or the genuine dharma, we are referring fundamentally to the third and fourth of the four noble truths: the truth of the cessation of suffering and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The truth of cessation is the result of practice, which is the abandonment or transcendence of everything that is to be abandoned or transcended.* The truth of the path is the dharma we practice that leads to that transcendence. The dharma in essence is the experience and realization of the meaning of dharma** that is present within the minds of those who practice it and achieve its result. By extension, the dharma also refers to the tradition of passing on that meaning, and therefore one visualizes that meaning passed on from the Buddha down to the present day in the form of books on the petal directly in front of the Medicine Buddha visualized in front. Around them are the sixteen bodhisattvas, Around them are the ten protectors of the world, And the twelve great chiefs with their respective retinues. The Four Great Kings are at the four gates. Surrounding the seven Medicine Buddhas and the volumes of dharma, are sixteen bodhisattvas on the petals of the sixteen-petaled lotus. These are the sixteen bodhisattvas who were the main recipients of the teachings of the Medicine Buddha sutras given by the Buddha. They all manifest in the sambhogakaya form, wearing ornate jewelry and so forth. Beyond the perimeter of that lotus, but still within the palace of the front visualization, are twenty-two other main deities, each of whom has a retinue. On the Medicine Buddhas right, forming a semicircle to the right of the principal deities, are the ten protectors of the directionsotherwise known as the ten protectors of the world. These are deities such as Brahma, Indra, and so forth. Likewise, forming a semicircle on the left side of the palace are the twelve yaksha chieftains or generals. Each of these figures is surrounded by a vast retinue of their own. Finally, in the four gates or gateways of the palace visualized in front are the four kings of the gods. They are visualized here because they are protectors of the buddhadharma in general. Specifically whenever the Buddha taught, and especially whenever he exhibited miracles, he would emanate a magnificent magical palace like this one, and, to signify their function as protectors of his teachings, these four kings of the gods would guard each of the four gates as gatekeepers. === Words of the Buddha channel: https://t.me/wordsofbuddha ===