[Editor's note: If you would like your Dharma centre's activities to be featured on DorjeShugden.com, please write in to our editors at ds@dorjeshugden.com]

USA & CANADA

Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada, Toronto

Experiencing Limitless Possibilities: Retreat On Emptiness

Requirement: Open to Public
Date: 12 – 14 June 2015

By understanding the true nature of phenomena, we begin to realize the limitless possibilities this wisdom reveals. The rare teachings and meditations presented in this retreat will make this wisdom practical and accessible to all. This will allow us to transcend our actual state of limitation and actualize our own limitless potential.

For more information, visit http://kadampa.ca/coursesevents/retreats/

Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada, Toronto

Guru Yoga Mandala Offerings Retreat

Requirement: Open to Public
Date: 18 – 22 June 2015

Engaging in the practice of Guru Yoga together with making mandala offerings creates a vast collection of merit through which we can receive the powerful blessings of our Spiritual Guide and fulfil our spiritual wishes.

For more information, visit http://kadampa.ca/coursesevents/retreats/

EUROPE

Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre

Short Commentary of Guhyasamaja Tantra

Requirement: For HYT Practitioners only
Date: 30th May – 2nd June 2015

Short commentary of Guhyasamaja Tantra: Crystal Massage Method to Create the Pure Energy Form of Light and Nectar

The Guhyasamaja Tantra is one of the most important highest yoga tantras. Originally taught by Buddha Vajradhara to Mahasiddha Indrabhuti (the elder brother of Mahasiddha Laksminkara, a previous incarnation of Lama Gangchen) this lineage was the heart practice of Lama Tsongkhapa and many of his close disciples. Lama Tsongkhapa attained the gyulu – the deathless body of light at the time of his death as a result of this practice, and it is also the basis of the body mandala of the guru in the Lama Choepa guru yoga and the mandala of the World Peace Protector. Although the explanation of this tantra is very profound and extensive, we will try to summarise the most important practical points for those who wish to engage in the retreat in August, or who just wish to practice it.

For more information, visit http://ahmc.ngalso.net/events/short-commentary-of-guhyasamaja-tantra-crystal-massage-method-to-create-the-pure-energy-form-of-light-and-nectar/?lang=en

Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre

Black Manjushri Residential Retreat

Requirement: Call for more information
Date: 5th – 7th June 2015

Black Manjushri is the wrathful healing form of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. This practice helps us to heal our deep inner negative emotions and the mental sufferings that arise due to problems or sickness; it is also a powerful antidote against the harm and disturbances caused by negative astrological influences.

There are numerous benefits to this meditative practice because above all, it supports us both mentally and physically, those suffering from so-called “incurable” diseases such as aids and cancer. It helps us to confront and deal with the negative emotions such as anger, depression, fear and denial that arise when we are challenged by serious health problems or when we are confronted with problems in our daily life.

The practice of Black Manjushri can also be used to purify the negative consequences that can be created, for example, when we perform a marriage ceremony, hold a cremation or cut down trees on astrologically inauspicious days. This practice gives us the opportunity to stop our energy flowing into the wrong path due to astrological influences.

For more information, visit http://ahmc.ngalso.net/events/black-manjushri-residential-retreat/?lang=en

Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre

White Heruka of Long Life Initiation and Practice

Requirement: Call for more information
Date: 13th – 14th June 2015

This is a very special long life practice which combines the blessings of Heruka with NgalSo Self Healing and a special method to gather around us the essence energy of the five elements. Receiving the Empowerment from Lama Ganchen, we will do a short retreat to develop familiarity with the practice.

Fundamentally this practice consists of:

1. Repossessing lost life energy
2. Regenerating degenerated life energy using pranayana to absorb the essence of the five elements, increasing our positive karma and renewing our vows.
3. Increasing our longevity by means of special long life pills.
4. Other very secret methods for a long life which will be revealed at the time.

For more information, visit http://ahmc.ngalso.net/events/white-heruka-of-long-life-initation-and-pratice/?lang=en

Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre

Tara NgalSo Chulen: A Powerful Cleansing Practice for Body and Mind

Requirement: Call for more information
Date: 26th – 28th June 2015

During these days we shall purify body and mind by abstaining from gross food and nourishing ourselves with “the essence” pills made with flower petals and Himalayan minerals with a strong protein value and the capacity to regenerate body cells, as well as seasonal fruit juices. With this ancient method of Tibetan yogic and medical tradition, we purify ourselves of toxins accumulated through incorrect diet, chemically treated, refined or genetically modified food, excessive alcohol, tobacco etc. thus regaining the natural equilibrium of body and mind.

Through this physical purification, our mind becomes free of impure energy. As a result, uncontrolled negative emotions like excessive desire, anger, anxiety, stress and frustrations calm down and we feel a state of well-being and joy.

For more information, visit http://ahmc.ngalso.net/events/tara-ngalso-chulen/?lang=en

ASIA

Kadampa Meditation Centre Hong Kong

Blessing Empowerment of Green Tara & Commentary

Requirement: Open to Public
Date: 19 – 21 June 2015

Blessing Empowerment of Green Tara & Commentary to the Practice of The Transference of Consciousness (Powa) Practice of Arya Tara with Gen Kelsang Tonglam

Tara is our Spiritual mother. When we are young we turn to our worldly mother for help. She protects us, cares for us and teaches us worldly skills. In the same way, during our spiritual growth, we need to turn to Holy Mother Tara. Renowned as the swiftest of the Buddhas, Tara will protect us from all outer and inner fears during our spiritual journey. In particular, during this course, Gen Tonglam will share with us the instructions of Powa Practice of Arya Tara.

Through this simple but extremely profound practice, Mother Tara will guide us away from the sufferings or ordinary appearance of this life to a Buddha’s Pureland without having to abandon this present body. This is a practical method that we can apply in our daily life and at the time of death in order to attain the Pureland of Dharmakaya.

For more information, visit http://www.meditation.hk/en/courses/East-Asian-Dharma-Celebration-2015

Once, in the “cave-under-water,” he experienced a manifestation of Yamantaka for nine days, while he himself was essentially Heruka Chakrasambhara. Further, he experienced a manifestation of Vajrayogini who told him of the benefits to be derived from merging the Vajrayogini teachings of the Sakya and Gelug traditions into one meditational practice. When he once made a great tsog offering beside a Heruka statue in Lhasa, the wisdom body actually entered into the statue. The statue danced and told him that whoever received Heruka initiation from him up to the seventh generation would be taken to the dakini realms.
~ From The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, with Commentary by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey pg 55, ISBN: 81-85102-08-2, The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives – Second Revised Edition 1994.

Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey (1921-1995) was born in the Trehor district of Kham in Eastern Tibet and studied at the local Dhargye Monastery until he was eighteen, when he went to Sera Monastery in Lhasa. He went into exile in 1959 and in 1971 was appointed chief Dharma teacher at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. He remained there until he moved to New Zealand in 1985, where he passed away ten years later. (Read more about Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey)

[Sources: www.dorjeshugden.info and www.lamayeshe.com]

This opinion piece has been extracted from the DorjeShugden.com forum. Please add to the discussions on the forum if you have further perspectives, comments and thoughts. We always welcome debate and exchange. The original thread can be viewed at http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=767

Question

Does anyone here know how to remove curses and negativity from places and objects? If our prayer beads, sadhanas and other ritual objects are being tainted by the touch of those who slander our Spiritual Guides, Deity or Dorje Shugden, is there anyway to cleanse them and restore their purity?

A sharing by TK

I will do a short explanation for you and hope it helps. There are the general methods and Tantric methods. (However, in my explanation on the Tantric methods, I will not go beyond what is allowed).

You have to identify, if you can, where the curses or negativities are coming from. For example, if it is a lot of general talk, malicious talk or jealous talk towards you, then you can recite a Sutra called Miga Tramdo, or have it recited for you. This Sutra is especially for turning back the effects of speech from many that could hurt you. Speech can turn into something physical that interferes with you.

If the problem is coming from a land god, or regional deity, then there is a short ritual – extracted from the Shugden Kangsol or Lama Chopa Tsok – which you can do to make offerings to them as a friend.

If you have offended a spirit, you may generate loving compassion or think good thoughts and apologize. Reciting the Heart Sutra and Refuge formula (“Namo Guru Bey, Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya”) would be powerful antidotes if recited with deep conviction (There is no limit to how many times you should recite. It would be good if you can recite one mala a day or more of the Refuge formula (i.e. 108x or more).).

None of the recitations or rituals should be done with the intent to harm the land, god, ghost etc. It should be done with the altruistic wish for their liberation and planting seeds in their mindstream. You should think that it is also to purify the karma you have to be able to receive this type of harm at all.

For curses, spells or black magic that you are confirmed about, the following pujas can be selected, depending on the intensity of the harm:

• Sheningdodo (Heart Sutra with ritual)
• Gyabshi (400 offerings)
• Chasum
• Kabardo
• Dukkar
• Dukkar dondo
• Protector Puja
• Dukkar Se Sum (Dukkar, Singdogma and Heart Sutra recitation)
• Receiving Vajra Yogini or Yamantaka Kakko (a short ritual done by a qualified lama to block interferences)

The above are just some to name a few. It would be best to consult a lama. There are more, but I am just giving general pujas here. All these pujas can be done in any Gelug Monastery.

You can also do any of the personal recitations, prayers, mantras or sadhanas below for repelling curses, spells and black magic; or a combination of these:

• Reciting one’s lama’s personal name mantra
• Singdongma Goddess
• Ekazati Goddess
• One’s protector
• Vajrapani
• Black Manjushri
• Hayagriva (Thamthing Samdrup)

If one has the higher Annuttara tantric initiations then they can engage in:

Yamantaka or Vajra Yogini would be very powerful. One can engage in their sadhana and focus on the following:

• Soliciting the lineage lamas and one’s lama during the sadhana is very important for the success of the practice and dissolving.
• Protection wheels
• Protection deities/armour in the case of Vajra Yogini
• Dissolution and emptiness of all phenomena in either generation or completion stages

Their sadhana / practice should not be engaged in to conquer demons, spirits, black magic, etc. That would be a side benefit. One should engage in their sadhana with an altruistic motivation wishing to gain great bliss and wisdom (Detong Yermey). Doing their sadhanas daily will be very powerful and effective protection.

One can also engage in the following method. However, this is not recommended as you need great skill, good samaya, strong concentration and you also need to have to ‘accomplished’ your deity (Yidam):

Do one’s meditational deity practice as per the sadhana. Then, generate the spirit as the deity you are doing, place the spirit as a deity in a pillar, or something stable in the house. Bless the pillar to generate it as a divine palace of the deity. Seal the pillar and recite the auspicious verses.

Those are the various means I have explained in short and general terms. There are many variations depending on circumstances. The best way is to consult a great practitioner, lama or above all, one’s own lama. You need not take what I have written and start doing it yourself. I have purposely omitted many details as I am just sharing knowledge not writing instructions on how to do this. I am letting you know just in short what is available.

There are a few methods to protect yourself against those with broken samaya or negative intent who ‘contaminate’ your objects. Any of the following are fine for you to do:

• Ask a lama to bless.
• Recite OM AH HUM 108 times or more, focusing on what you know on Emptiness. Then blow on the contaminated object.
• Recite any amount of your guru’s name mantra, trust your teacher and bless.
• Use the consecrated water from a Trusol ritual to wash the objects.
• Recitation of your protector’s mantra, focusing on altruism.

If you are doing any of the Annutara tantric deities, then just before the recitation of their mantras in their sadhanas, there is a section for consecrating the mala. That would be very sufficient. In fact, any of these practices/sadhanas will consecrate your environment, the objects within, the beings within and more importantly, your mind. Hence, everything becomes purified and blessed.

It is said that wherever there is a pure practitioner of Heruka Chakrasamvara / Vajra Yogini, when he/she recites their 8-line praises, the Dakas/Dakinis from the 24 holy-power spots will converge to bless the practitioner, the environment and all beings in that space immediately. It becomes a sacred environment to plant the seeds of enlightenment in the minds of those beings and visitors.

I wish you luck and speed in your practice always.

TK

At the age of 48, he made the decision to go to Ngulchu, a location situated within the province of Tsang to take teachings from the famed Ngulchu Dharmabhadra as well as his nephew, Yangchen Drupey Dorje.

Namka Tenkyong was a very accomplished master. He excelled in his studies and went on to become a reputable teacher in the Ganden tradition, earning him also the position as lineage holder of the Ganden Mahamudra teachings and the Five-Deity Heruka initiation lineage; he is even included within the lineage prayers of the practice, on par with his teachers Ngulchu Dharmabhadra and Yangchen Drupe Dorje.

Namka Tenkyong came to be known for his many writings including five different texts on the many practices of the Five-Deity Heruka and seven different texts on the Yoga Tantra practice of Kunrig (Four-headed Vairochana). Aside from that, he also produced commentaries on the six preparatory practices.

However, one of the most interesting works attributed to him is a ritual on Dorje Shugden by the name of The Miraculous Swift Messenger That Beckons the Four Activities: a Brief Method to Fulfill and Activity for the Great Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden.  This ritual can be found in the Dorje Shugden collection of works, Pe Bum.

A unique point of this text is that it equates Dorje Shugden as an emanation of Vajrapani, which was a common view held by the older masters, especially of Sera. Another mention of this is found in the letter composed by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra as an answer to a query, found under the collected replies section of his works. In here, there is a letter written to Shabdrung Rinpoche that talks about combining the practices of Ganden Lha Gyama and Dorje Shugden, and the torma offering that should be used.

This text is pivotal as it shows that during the first half of the 19th century there was already confirmation that Dorje Shugden was the absolute reincarnation of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen. This totally disproves George Dreyfus’s claims the two beings were not of the same mind-stream and that Pabongkha Rinpoche had made this up to make this practice popular.

Particularly in the early days of exile, a number of claims were made about the centrality of the practice of Dorje Shugden in Geluk practice, in particular, that the deity was the main protector of the Geluk.

This claim seems to be strongly linked to a doctrine connected with the 19th and 20th century charismatic Geluk teacher Phabongkha Rinpoche Dechen Nyingpo, and quite possibly his main teacher Tagphu Dorje Chang who emphasised “one lama, one personal meditation deity, and one protector” as being the essence of Geluk practice. It will therefore be looked at in that context.

One Protector

Quite clearly, as the Geluk tradition was founded by Je Tsongkhapa in the early 15th century and the non-canonical protector deity Dorje Shugden did not manifest until 1657, that deity’s practice could not have been the main protector practice of the Geluk for the first 250 years of the tradition.

The main protectors of the tradition until then, and the plural is important here, seem to have been the following:

• The canonical supramundane protector Karmaraja, locatable in the Yamantaka tantra cycle of the ‘father’ subdivision of the peerless yoga tantras and within that in the practices of Vajrabhairava;
• The canonical supramundane protector Six-Armed Mahakala, locatable in the ‘Vajra Tent’ tantra text in the Heruka cycle of the ‘mother’ subdivision of the peerless yoga tantra division;
• The canonical supramundane deity Vaishravana in the aspect of riding a lion and holding an umbrella in his right hand and a jewel spitting mongoose in his left.
• Later, but still before the appearance of the deity Dorje Shugden, the canonical supramundane deity Palden Lhamo Magzor Gyalmo became a protector of the Geluk. A clear date for this has not yet been established but may well turn out to be after the vision of the 2nd Dalai Lama, where Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava instructed him to take Palden Lhamo as a personal protector. Certainly by the late 17th and early 18th century, her practice was well established across the Geluk. What is important to note here is that all these are supramundane and that they are shared in common with the other Sarma traditions of Sakya and Kagyu.

None is exclusive to the Geluk. From the surviving collected writings of great teachers in the Geluk tradition, there is documentary evidence of continued interest in the practice of all these deities as dharma protectors right up until the present day.

Some of them also have functions as institutional protectors. For example, Palden Lhamo is the chief protector deity for Ganden Jangtse college and the practice of Palden Lhamo is a chief practice of the protector chapel for Drepung Lhachi, i.e. the totality of that monastery.

Apart from a few, often oblique references criticising the practice by certain lamas, the first surviving documentary evidence we have of the widespread worship of Dorje Shugden in the Geluk comes from the first half of the 20th century and seems due to the activities of Phabongkha Rinpoche Dechen Nyingpo.

The 3rd Trijang Rinpoche was collating material in his Labrang before exile, and managed to reconstitute some of his collection in exile, where he wrote quite extensively on the practice of Dorje Shugden. It may be that in the library of his Labrang in Ganden there are original dateable documents from before Phabongkhapa.

Much of the 3rd Trijang’s interesting work on Dorje Shugden is the collation of oral tradition around the practice of the deity. The weight of evidence so far available suggests that the practice of Dorje Shugden as either a worldly oath-bound protector or as an emanation of a fully enlightened being was mainly a private protector practice, with few institutions in the Geluk monasteries doing this as a regular practice.

One obvious example until very recently was the Bomra regional house of Sera Mey college. There were Dorje Shugden shrines in both Sera and Ganden monasteries in old Tibet and in exile, it seems that a three dimensional model of his mandala house had been built at Ganden.

But such is the loss of documentation due to the ravages of the cultural revolution that it is not at all clear how long Dorje Shugden shrines had been established in those monasteries in old Tibet or how well patronised they were in terms of numbers. Both clearly had wealthy sponsors but that does not necessarily equate to numbers.

The evidence that the practice of Dorje Shugden was the main protector of the Geluk simply does not stack up. It seems that for the Geluk as a whole and as an institution, the three then four canonical supramundane deities from the early days have remained the main dharma protectors of the tradition.

One Personal Deity

The one personal deity claimed as central for the Geluk is the practice of the aspect of Vajrayogini that comes through Naropa, known as ‘Naro Khacho’. The practice of Vajrayogini cannot be accessed except through an initiation into a Heruka deity.

Nowadays in Tibetan Buddhism, this seems mainly to be through the system of the five deity Heruka mandala in the tradition of Tilbupa. Looking at the tantra masters in the prayers to the lineage masters of this Vajrayogini lineage produced in the 19th and 20th centuries before coming into exile, Je Tsongkhapa is noticeable by his absence and it would seem that the practice came into the Geluk from the Sakya not through Tsongkhapa.

The issue of who does and who does not get included in lineage prayers is in itself a topic of great interest as until recently it was extremely unlikely that any given tantra practitioner of note really only had one master in the practice. 

More likely he would have studied different aspects of the practice and received different transmissions and oral instructions connected with the practice from a number of tantra masters. This scattering of transmission lineages between teachers is often deliberate, being one way to ensure that transmissions are not severed by untimely death of the only holder.

If we look at the surviving documentary evidence of Tsonghapa’s collected works, it would seem that Je Tsongkhapa had a deep interest in the 32 deity Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja tantra system, the 13 deity Vajrabhairava system and the 62 deity Heruka Cakrasamvara system and made these three practices the core of Geluk tantra practice.

Again the plural is significant. It was of these three mandalas that Tsongkhapa had three dimensional models made in a special temple in Ganden, the seat of his tradition. It is these three practices that constitute the core of the ritual training in the two surviving tantra colleges of Gyu Toh and Gyu Med and constituted the core of the tradition at Sey Gyu dratsang at Sey in the Tsang province of old Tibet.

The transmission lineage of this last practice has been badly damaged and it is not clear whether it can be reestablished fully either in exile or in Tibet. But the other two tantric colleges have been successfully reestablished and continue to ensure the survival of these key tantra practices within the Geluk.

In the Geluk it is the recitation of these practices by the tantric monks from these two colleges that is considered the best way to consecrate a temple. Of the three tantras traditionally Guhyasamaja is held as the main practice, Vajrabhairava as a preliminary and obstacle removing practice and the 62 deity Chakrasamvara as an enhancing practice.

Vajrayogini in the form of Naro Khacho is a branch practice off the Cakrasamvara cycle of practices. The tradition holds that if the number of core tantric practices of Je Tsongkhapa is taken as four then the practice of Kalacakra should be taken as the fourth. If it expanded to five then the practice of Mahacakra Guhya(ka)adipati should be added as the fifth.

Again the weight of the evidence seems to show that Naro Khacho Vajrayogini never was the core or sole tantric practice of the Geluk, though much admired and taken up by some individuals as their main personal meditational deity. It seems that from very early on, the main or core personal meditation deity practices of the Geluk were 32 deity Akshobhyavajra Guhyasamaja, 13 deity Vajrabhairava and 62 deity Heruka Cakrasamvara.

It wasn’t long before he was recognised as the reincarnation of another great lama, Trichen Ngawang Chokden. He was then ordained by the Panchen Lama, Palden Yeshe himself and started receiving initiations from him at the age of 10. Among the teachings he received at this time were the teachings and initiations of some of the highest and most complex texts of Heruka and Guhyasamaja.

He later entered Sera Je to further his studies, and went on to aquire a Geshe Lharampa degree. Before entering Gyumed Tantric College, he was given full ordination by Palden Yeshe. He took up residence in Shidey Samten Ling in Lhasa and became a teacher for Changkya Rolpei Dorje’s reincarnation. At age 49, Tritul Tenpa Rabgye gave ten cycles of essential transmission and teachings on the Lamrim to thousands of monks when requested by Sera Je to do so.

Tritul Tenpa Rabgye had a very huge influence on many Gelug Lamas, mainly due to his amazing collection of works. As he was an ardent practitioner of Dorje Shugden, so too became many Gelug Lamas who were influenced by him, especially those of Sera Monastery.

His student, Rinchen Wangyal, authored some of the earliest Dorje Shugden initiations and life entrustment rituals that are still available today. Lobsang Trinley Namgya, who later became a Tsenshab to the 10th and 11th Dalai Lamas is also counted among his disciples. Tritul Tenpa Rabgye also requested for one of the first few extensive rituals on Dorje Shugden to be written which was done by Dragri Gyatso Thaye.

To understand more about Tritul Tenpa Rabgye, we must look at his works. He has four volumes of teachings. The four volumes of collected works was made available when they were published in 1985 by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archive, Dharamsala. The first volume of works primarily consists of liturgies of many tutelary deities.

The second volume of work is more of a collection of answers to the questions that were presented by his many students that covers a variety of subjects. It also contains many short propitiations to various Dharma protectors, both enlightened and worldly.

The third volume discusses more advanced subjects such as the method for developing bodhicitta, as transmitted in the Wheel of Sharp Weapons (Dharmarakshita). The fourth and final volume of works contains even more propitiations, rituals and liturgies for many different yidams and protectors, including a sadhana for the 13-Deity Mandala of Red Yamantaka.

From here, we can see that Tritul Tenpa Rabgye was a very learned scholar and accomplished practitioner, and that he actively promoted and practiced Dorje Shugden. His time predates that of the 13th Dalai Lama, which means that Dorje Shugden’s practice was already strong and firm back then. This refutes the claims of many ill-researched modern day scholars who assert that Dorje Shugden was a little known practice that was popularized only by Pabongkha. They also wrongly accuse of him of making up details about the nature of Dorje Shugden.

On the contrary, Trichen Tenpa Rabgye is known to have written propitiations and prayers (included within his collected words) to several protectors, including Dorje Shugden and Setrap. In both cases, the protectors are referred to as emanations of enlightened beings, with Dorje Shugden associated as an emanation of Vajrapani, a view commonly held by many masters of the time. He also makes references in a praise to the fact that Dorje Shugden abides in the Dharmakaya, strongly indicative of the fact that he is fully enlightened for only Buddhas reside in this sphere.

In combination with works from other Lamas, Trichen Tenpa’s short though important writings on Dorje Shugden form a part of a very significant cannon of work about this Protector and his true nature as an enlightened Buddha. It is clear that many high Lamas back in the day could see the true nature of Dorje Shugden and that he was practised widely by lamas of the highest calibres of the Gelug tradition. It was commonly reputed that those who propitiate him only excelled in their spiritual growth.

The Dragri line of incarnations was significant enough for Trijang Dorje Chang, who is Heruka himself, to take an interest in them. Revealing the origins of this ancient lineage, Trijang Rinpoche wrote that the incarnations were some of the most profound Indian masters including Arhat Kanakavatsa (a direct disciple of Shakyamuni), King Chandrabhadra, and Pamting Ngawang Chugje and Gonpo Sonam Coden of Tibet. However, lacking in a formal recognition system, these incarnations did not carry the Dragri name.

More recently, the line of incarnations to carry the Dragri name began with Dragri Gyatso Thaye who was born in the first half of the 18th century. He was followed by Lobsang Chojor and Lobsang Thubten Namgyal, both born in the 19th century, and then by Lobsang Nyengyu Lungrig Gyatso who was born in the 20th century.

The traditional seat of the Dragri line was at Dragri hermitage located not far from Sera Monastery where Gyatso Thaye and many of his disciples such as Retreng Tritul Tenpa Rabgye studied. The hermitage, with formal buildings and structures, was founded by Gyatso Thaye. The location however, has always had a spiritual significance from as far back as the 7th century, when Buddhism first came to Tibet.

The hermitage was located close to Pabongka Monastery and Chuzang Hermitage. In fact, Gyatso Thaye was once the abbot of Pabongka Monastery, thus earning him the name Pabongka Gyatso Thaye. Dragri Rinpoche was also abbot of Garu Nunnery, taking charge in 1792 and continuing to take charge over successive lifetimes.

Gyatso Thaye’s incarnations were also famed for other aspects of Dharma practice and teachings. Lobsang Chojor, the incarnation immediately after Gyatso Thaye, became a lineage holder of the Solitary Hero Yamantaka practice from the Gelugpa lineage. The third incarnation of the Dragri line, Lobsang Thubten Namgyal, became one of Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo Rinpoche’s teachers.

By Gyatso Thaye’s time, there already existed notes and complete rituals written by Morchen Kunga Lhundrup and Drukpa Kunley propitiating Dorje Shugden. However, Gyatso Thaye was requested by his student Retreng Tritul Tenpa Rabgye to compose an extensive kangsol invoking Dorje Shugden’s blessings.

Thus Gyatso Thaye composed the Treasury of the Four Activities: Complete with Offerings, Praises, Fulfilment and Requests to the Dharmapala Dorje Shugden Tsel which was published in the Dorje Shugden sebum. This ritual was to become the first official extensive Gelug kangsol of Dorje Shugden in the Gelugpa lineage, calling upon him to protect the Gelug lineage and doctrine. Before this text, practitioners would refer to compositions written by older masters such as Morchen Dorje Chang, Dreuley and the Sakya Throne Holders who had been the first to officially propitiate him.

It is important to know that this kangsol was composed by Gyatso Thaye as early on as the 18th century, long before Pabongka Rinpoche. This completely counters the modern critics who claim that Dorje Shugden’s practices only came into prominence because Pabongka Rinpoche promoted it aggressively in the 20th Century.

This incarnation lineage is a mystical and very old one which can be traced back to the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, as the disciple Dharmati. From that time, he has emanated into various lineages, each time emerging as a deeply respected and remembered practitioner. Within his illustrious incarnation lineage, are the incarnations of Sherab Dorje of the Kadampas, Milarepa’s student Sewan Repa, Ra Lotsawa’s disciple Trehor Lobsang and the Sakya Lama Shakya Chogden, to name only a few.

This proves the purity and efficacy of every lineage, that they are equally powerful for bringing attainments and that ultimately, they lead us to the same destination of enlightenment. Incarnation lineages like Tagphu Pemavajra proves to us that the labels and distinctions we make are only temporary and even false, for the real nature of every sect has equal power to bring us attainments.

For the most part, many of his incarnations were known mostly for their mystical practices and experiences, experienced either in retreat or through astral body travels to other realms. One of his earlier incarnations in the 18th century, Garwang Choekyi Wangchug, was famous for his written works which included writings that began to reveal the more secret and mystical lineages.

The most “current” incarnation as Tagphu Pemavajra was also particularly famous for his astral travels, and for travelling to Tushita Heaven where he received Dorje Shugden’s practice directly from Shugden himself (as his previous incarnation Duldzin Dragpa Gyeltsen).

Of special importance is the close connection that Tagphu Pemavajra’s incarnation lineage has had for centuries with Pabongka Rinpoche’s incarnations and with the practice of Vajrayogini. It is difficult to talk about Tagphu Pemevajra without consideration of these two most important aspects of his life.

For example, one of his previous incarnations, Lobzang Tenpay Gyaltsen, wrote a commentary on Vajrayogini at the request of Changkya Rolpai Dorje. Both these Lamas are known to have passed many teachings and practices to each other, which have since been preserved and passed on to many more practitioners.

At a later time, Lobzang Tenpay Gyaltsen incarnated as Tagphu Pemavajra; Changkya Rolpai Dorje’s incarnation at that same was time Pabongka Rinpoche who was a disciple of and recognized by Tagphu Pemavajra. The lineage of Vajrayogini’s practice held by almost all Gelug masters and practitioners in the world today stem from Pabongka Rinpoche – evidence again of how interconnected these two Lamas and Vajrayogini are.

Today, much of what is known about Tagphu Pemavajra is through the writings of Pabongka Rinpoche, one of his closest disciples with whom he would eventually come to share a mutually beneficial relationship – both would request and share teachings with each other.

While many know of Pabongka Rinpoche’s close relationship with Dagpo Rinpoche – from whom he learnt the Lamrim – it is a lesser known fact that it was in fact Tagphu Pemavajra who would advise him, through highly blessed visions, of the proper time to seek the teachings of Dagpo Rinpoche. Many of the highest and most secret teachings, as well as the Lamrim, were passed directly from Tagphu Pemavajra to Pabongka Rinpoche.

Among certain biographical accounts of Tagphu Pemavajra are mystical experiences, where he recounts his direct interactions with the deities, such as receiving the four initiations of Heruka Yabyum and seeing directly the deities of Heruka’s mandala. These extraordinary visions occur throughout his life, particularly of Heruka, as well as particularly sharp and accurate clairvoyance

There is a particular example of a time when Tagphu Pemavajra received many prophecies for searching a holy Heruka hermitage. As Tagphu Pemavajra and Pabongka Rinpoche traveled together in search of this place, many clear signs appeared to lead them there.

Most notable was a crow who appeared, sang, flew back and forth between them, and kept going towards a cave at a neighbouring mountain. They believed the crow to be a protector of Heruka who had come to show them Heruka’s special place. Upon arriving at the place indicated by the crow, they identified it immediately as a holy place, resonating with the energies and blessings of spiritual practice. Tagphu Pemavajra received many, many auspicious visions there.

Trijang Rinpoche, the heart disciple of Pabongka Rinpoche, writes in his autobiography that Tagphu Pemavajra was also known to have many frequent visions of Tara, who he would converse with directly and from whom he received many secret teachings, enough to fill volumes. It is further documented that the annuttarayogini form of Tara appeared first as a pure vision to Tagphu Pemavajra. Trijang Rinpoche himself requested Tagphu Pemavajra for prophecies regarding his spiritual practice.

As Trijang Rinpoche received countless teachings from Pabongka Rinpoche and became one of the most important figures of Tibetan Buddhism when it came out of Tibet (almost every prominent Gelugpa teacher in the world now would trace their lineage back to him and received teachings from him), this meeting and relationship with Tagphu Pemavajra is a particularly significant and auspicious one. He went on to write many detailed texts about this practice of this form of Green Tara, which had been received by Tagphu Pemevajra through visions.

The special relationship between Tagphu Pemavajra and Pabongka Rinpoche extended further into an unusually strong connection with the protector Dorje Shugden. It is known that Pabongka Rinpoche had been requested by Dorje Shugden himself, through an oracle to compose a new text. Though he complied and wrote the text, he felt it required further validation and thus offered it to Tagphu Pemavajra with further requests. Tagphu Pemavajra, by now very famous for his ability to travel to other realms, went to Tushita Heaven, where he made requests to Dorje Shugden.

Shugden emanated out of under Tsongkhapa’s throne and, in the form of Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen, passed him the practice and initiation. This was then passed down to Pabongka Rinpoche; from this, he later composed Melodious Drum Victorious in all Directions which has come to be the central text used today for propitiations and prayers to Dorje Shugden.

In his lifetime, Tagphu Pemavajra made various pilgrimages and engage in retreats at holy sites throughout Tibet. Often, he would receive immaculate visions and lineages at these places. In between these travels, Pabongka Rinpoche would invite him for teachings, which Tagphu Pemavajra would happily offer. Over the years, he would give many teachings including those at the heart of the Gelugpa lineage – Gaden Lhagyama and Lamrim – as well as initiations of some of the highest practices. In turn, Pabongka Rinpoche too would offer him teachings or he would give extensive teachings and initiations at the request of Tagphu Pemavajra.

Tagphu Pemavajra and Pabongka Rinpoche’s relationship exemplified the powerful results that can arise out of such a pure and committed guru-disciple relationship. They were known to often visit each other, share teachings and perform pujas and offerings together. So closely connected were they that Tagphu Pemavajra even wrote prayers as requests to Pabongka’s previous lives which revealed details of these incarnations.

For many years of their lives, particularly towards the second half, both would also offer long life rituals to each other, wherein Tagphu Pemavajra would even receive visions indicating that the Buddhas themselves came to bless Pabongka Rinpoche.

This special relationship between the two was always marked by the very powerful teachings they shared with each other and bestowed onto others; it was marked entirely by their devotion to Dharma. Even their very last meeting in 1935 was charaterised by the wealth of teachings that arose out of their meeting – teachings of the Lamrim, commentaries and oral transmission of Je Tsongkhapa’s writings, and initiations and teachings of Dorje Shugden.

While many attribute Pabongka Rinpoche’s eloquence and realization of the Lamrim teachings to his tutelage under Dagpo Rinpoche, we must not overlook the vast influence that Tagphu Pemavajra also had in passing many, many teachings to him, of both Lamrim as well as various secret teachings. Often considered as one of the founding fathers of the Gelugpa lineage as we know it today, Pabongka spent all his life promoting the teachings of Lamrim and the practices of Je Tsongkhapa, Vajrayogini and Dorje Shugden, many – if not all – of which would have stemmed from Tagphu Pemavajra.

In many instances, these teachings would be passed down directly from the deities themselves to Tagphu Pemavajra, creating a connection far closer and more auspicious to current day practitioners than we could imagine.

A lot of people get confused how one practically surrenders completely to the spiritual guide. It seems as if you would become a lifeless zombie frozen, incapable of acting. The reality is it is the exact opposite. Right now we are a lifeless zombie incapable of acting since we are completely controlled by our delusions and have never tasted the enlightened experience of being all living beings.

It can seem like surrendering means you no longer make any decisions. But this is wrong. You do make one decision, over and over again: the decision to surrender and submit to the spiritual guide in all of his aspects. This is the best decision to make in every situation we find ourselves in.

I will repeat, this is the best decision to make in every situation we find ourselves in. There is no situation in which this is not the best decision, and if we make any other decision in any situation, we are making the sub-optimal decision. Any other decision is a product of our ignorance.

Given that things are empty, when reduced down to its essence, every situation has three components: what is appearing, how we respond and what direction we are heading in (towards what destination are we moving). What is appearing is dependent upon our past karma.

How we respond is dependent upon our present wisdom. What direction we are heading in (towards what destination we are moving) is dependent upon our aspiration.

In all three of these domains, our spiritual task is to learn to surrender/submit completely to the spiritual guide. With respect to what is appearing, we need to actively and continuously surrender/submit completely to Guru Dorje Shugden. With respect to how we respond, we need to actively surrender/submit to Lama Tsongkhapa.

With respect to what direction we are heading in (towards what destination we are moving) we need to actively surrender/submit to Guru Father Heruka (or Vajrayogini as the case may be).

Most of our worries in life are about what is appearing. We are such externally-oriented beings. As times become increasingly impure, this will only become more so the case. For this reason, I believe that reliance upon Dorje Shugden is already and will increasingly become our primary and most important refuge.

Dorje Shugden has the power to control what karmically ripens, both externally and internally. Normally, samsara is uncontrolled karmic appearance. When we surrender/offer all of our karma into Dorje Shugden’s care, then he becomes the master of our universe, he becomes the Director of our (Truman) show.

It is so simple to do: generate a pure intention, and request ‘please arrange whatever is best.’ By ‘best’ we mean, what is best for the swiftest possible of enlightenment of all living beings, understanding that our own enlightenment is an essential condition/pre-requisite for their enlightenment (the means to the end).

We have to get to the point where we actually don’t want to make the decision ourselves. We want him to decide everything for us. We have our own plans and our own goals, and we grasp onto them and become very attached to them. We generate enormous stress for ourselves through this. What freedom to let all of this go!

We need to be like a good soldier who is ready (indeed eager because he has complete confidence in his general) to go wherever he is to be deployed and to perform whatever mission is asked of him.

For a lot of RTs, they surrender themselves completely to VGL in terms of letting him decide where they go and what they do. They are happy to do so because they trust his omniscient wisdom. But for the overwhelming majority of us, it seems as if we are on our own in this respect. But this is not the case. We too can enjoy the same enlightened direction in our life by learning how to surrender/submit to Dorje Shugden.

I try to have no plans of my own, no agenda of my own other than to surrender/submit to Dorje Shugden. There is no stress, no anxiety, no worry, just an adventurous heart ready for whatever the Protector ripens next. There is no basis for aversion to anything (for example the baby crying when I am trying to mediate or do my journal).

My ignorance makes me attached to my wishes, and I suffer when they are thwarted. My faith in Dorje Shugden helps me let go of that aversion and be happy to assume responsibility for whatever the situation he emanates for me calls upon me to do. No questions asked, no hesitation, no worry, no second-guessing and no frustration, just the peaceful equanimity of a confident faith that the Protector has taken charge.

I am running out of time, so I will have to explain later how it works to surrender in terms of how we respond and the direction we are going.

But briefly, the way we respond to all situations is to oppose orthogonally the nexus of delusions arising in any given moment. This as well can be done quite simply through making simple requests such as ‘reveal to me what I should do’ or ‘please give me the wisdom to know how to respond’.

Likewise, we can simply ask ourselves, ‘what would VGL do?’ or ‘what would Lama Tsongkhapa do?’ much like Christians ask what would Jesus do. Then we do that. He has perfect wisdom and perfect skilful means, so really these two types of request are just two sides of the same coin.

In terms of what direction we are going, our job is to make ourselves useful to others. Our final goal is the complete freedom of all beings. This is what we are working towards. To bring this about, we need to recognize that we have imprisoned all beings in the samsara of our creation (our contaminated dream).

Thus to free them we need to gather and dissolve all our appearances into the bliss of the Dharmakaya (transform ourselves into Chakrasambara). As a way station or an interim step in that process, we likewise transform ourselves and our entire empty world into Heruka’s pure land.

Heruka’s pure land is like a funnel which gathers all appearances from the deepest hell to the highest pure land gradually inwards towards the Dharmakaya inside the nada inside Father Heruka’s heart. From the Charnel grounds into inside the protection circle, then into the celestial mansion, then into the deities of the commitment, body, speech, heart and great bliss wheels. Then into Father Heruka himself, then into his indestructible drop, then into the nada.

When you enter into the nada, it is like a magic portal that when you pass through the entire interpretative mandala dissolves behind you and you emerge into the infinite expanse of the clear light Dharmakaya. It is then that you realize that the entire path to enlightenment was like an unwinding of the contaminated karmic ball of knots we have been creating since beginningless time. We release ourselves (and all beings) from the infinite chains of our past deluded deeds. It all unwinds and dissolves and we emerge united with all beings in inseparable and irreversible freedom.

Source : http://kadampaworkingdad.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/the-decision-to-surrender/

The interview is conducted on the occasion of His Holiness the 101th Ganden Tripa’s first official visit to Singapore.

The interview is conducted by Kunga Nyima and is translated by Associate Professor Huang Yi Yan of Taiwan. It is conducted on 18 June 2003 at His Holiness’s residence in Singapore.

His Holiness the 101th Ganden Tripa is hosted on His first Official Visit to Singapore from 25 May 2003 to 23 June 2003 by the Charitable Assistance Society.

About the Ganden Tripas:

The Ganden Tripas, the Sakya Trizins and the Karmapas are official heads of their respective traditions: the Gelug, the Sakya and the Karma Kagyu. Je Tsongkhapa is the founder of the Gelug tradition. The line of the Ganden Tripas are Tsongkhapa’s spiritual successors and are therefore the official supreme head of the Gelug Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The line of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas both hailed from the Gelug Tradition.

The 101th Ganden Tripa, together with Mindroling Trichen, have been enthroned in 2002 as the heads of respectively the Nyingma and Gelug traditions.

Those beings who so rarely are fortunate enough to have contact with His Holiness, there is hardly any who will fail to realize that His Holiness is a GEM…… a sign of the fruition and flowering of seamless cultivation of the Buddha’s holy Teachings. It is a genuine blessing to personally witness His Holiness’s absolute sincerity, warmth, wisdom, innocent humour, unending patience and honesty.

”May it be of benefit !!”

Buddhism

What is the most essentially fundamental thing for a Buddhist?

Buddhists should know that samsara is suffering. We need to realize that samsara is suffering first before we will try to obtain liberation from it. The only way to liberation from samsara is through following the Teachings of the Buddha. According to the Texts, only by following the Buddhist Teachings can there be ultimate liberation from samsara.

What is the most important thing a Buddhist should remember?

A Buddhist should always remember the 3 Jewels: the Buddha, His Teachings [The Dharma ] and His Assembly of Noble Disciples [ The Sangha ]. A Buddhist should clear internalize the supreme qualities of the 3 Jewels. In general, the Buddha is like a doctor, the Dharma is like medicine and the Sangha is like nurses and assistants to the doctor.

We, sentient beings, in samsara, are like the patients. We need to take the doctor’s prescription to get well. Moreover, we also need to rely on the doctor and his assistants too. A Buddhist needs to always take refuge in the 3 Jewels as well as to remember the qualities of the 3 Jewels.

How do we sustain “Bodhicitta”: the attitude of completely dedicating ourselves for the welfare of others; of wanting to attain the state of Complete Enlightenment or Buddhahood solely for the good of others?

To put the Teachings into practice is difficult. If we can put the Teachings into practice, this is real Bodhicitta. If we cannot, this cannot be Bodhicitta. To give rise to Bodhicitta, we must first cultivate Loving-kindness [ Wishing all beings to have happiness and the causes of happiness ] and Compassion [ Wishing all beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering ].

Next, we must think of the kindness of our mother. Then, we need to remember the kindness of all beings as they have acted as our mothers in countless past lives. Following, we need to cultivate the wish to repay the kindnesses of all these uncountable mother sentient beings. To put Bodhicitta into practice is difficult. If we can put Bodhicitta into practice, this is real Bodhicitta.

If we cannot put Bodhicitta into practice, this cannot be genuine Bodhicitta. Always try to sustain a good-heart. Do not be bothered about what others do. Just try to sustain a good-heart. This is the way of the true Buddhists.

Is vegetarianism compulsory?

It has been suggested that cultivating crops kill untold numbers of insects whilst the slaughtering of only one yak in old Tibet can feed the whole family for a week. Therefore, from the numerical point of view, this group of people suggests that we should consume meat of big-size animals rather than eating vegetables which inevitably entail the death of countless creatures. Moreover, some masters have insisted on vegetarianism as compulsory for a Buddhist whilst others quoted Buddhist texts to the contrary.

What is Your Holiness point of view?

In general, Lord Buddha has taught 3 differing points with regard to vegetarianism. In the first one, in the Theravada tradition, it is taught that we cannot take the so-called three categories of “Impure Meat”: a) we perceive through our eyes or ears the killing of the meat; b) we suspect that the meat is killed for ourselves; c) we know that the meat has been killed for us.

Besides these 3 categories of meat, we are permitted to partake of the rest. In the second one, in the Mahayana tradition, it is taught explicitly that the taking meat is necessarily unskillful and wrong. So vegetarianism is compulsory here.

In the third, in the Vajrayana tradition, it is taught that practitioners of this path should take meat. The reason for this is given in the texts and requires extensive explanations. It is not appropriate for me to elaborate here. Students of Buddhism can choose to follow any of these 3 points. It is not possible for me to dictate which points students should follow.

There have been some Buddhist centres concentrating mainly on doing social work whilst some concentrating mainly on spiritual practices. What is Your Holiness’s opinion on what a Buddhist centre should concentrate on?

Doing both social work and spiritual practices are not contradictory but are in fact complementary. Both have their own reasons for doing their respective work. Shantideva said in “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” that the perfection of generosity does not mean that one can only perfect the practice of generosity after one has alleviated the poverty of all sentient beings.

Lord Buddha has already perfected the practice of generosity. However, there is still poverty in the world. Therefore, this proves the point as elucidated in “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” that to perfect the practice of generosity means to be able to perfect the activity of generosity from the point of view of one’s spiritual practice rather than from already physical completion of the alleviating of poverty of all other beings.

Following this point of argument, cultivation of generosity through various spiritual practices is important. Even if I can help, I can only but help but a minute proportion of beings through doing social work. Even if I can help 1000 beings, this is still a small proportion relative to the population of Singapore and the number of beings in the whole universe.

There are 3 sets of vows: the Self-Liberation Vows; the Bodhisattva Vows and the Vajrayana Vows. All these 3 sets of vows contain the Practices of the 6 Perfections including of course the practice of generosity. Some examples of how we can exercise the vows include one assisting if any beings fall sick or have other difficulties, one helping to guard banks as they contain the wealth of many beings! From this point of view therefore, social work is therefore an essential part of dharma practice.

In addition, however, we must also remember Shantideva’s teaching that the accomplishment of the perfections lies in one’s mind through spiritual practices also. Therefore, there are valid and good reasons for social work as well as spiritual practices. There is no need to split them into two different groups.

There have been comments that Buddhists from almost all traditions, be it Tibetan, Thai or even the west, have been building too much big statues, stupas, centres and even monasteries and that Buddhists should instead expend more of their resources on social welfare projects such as hospitals, animal-shelter-homes, orphanages and others that directly benefit beings in more tangible ways. What is Your Holiness’s opinion about this?

All are good. All can accumulate merit. Building hospitals or monasteries are good. Both activities are not wasteful.

Some Buddhist centres will only support or circulate news of activities organized by their own centres. Some will even through either implicit or even explicit means, discourage their members from attending programmes organized by other centres even if these programmes are conducted by acknowledged great masters and are beneficial. It has been suggested that these centres are trying to maintain the number of students or followers in their centres as they are worried that their resources will be “lost” to other organizations. On the other hand, these centres claim that they are only trying to “protect” their students from even some of these important teachers, some of whom are even teachers of their centres’ own spiritual advisers. What does Your Holiness think about this?

I have no comments. If I say something, some people may get angry with me! [ laughing ]

Will there be an end to samsara?

It is difficult to say if there will be an end to samsara. It is mentioned in the texts that all beings will eventually become Buddhas. But before that, samsara is there. It is also mentioned in the texts that there does not exist a time where all beings will be free from samsara.

There have been allegations of conversions of Buddhists to other religions through deliberate and aggressive inaccurate depiction of Buddhism, conditional provisions of material aid, educational opportunities and such. What does Your Holiness think of this?

We have to try our best to propagate the Buddhist Teachings. We have no ability to stop these alleged practices. It is also no good for us to stop conversions through “fair” means. The main thing is to develop and improve ourselves. We need to establish more Buddhist centres. We need to improve the management of existing centres.

Just like how other religions spread their teachings, Buddhists should also follow likewise. We should not think of going against other religions however! Conducting certain religious ceremonies or “pujas” for welfare of the Buddhist teachings is also another method. According to the Buddhist Teachings, it is considered negative karma to desecrate the Buddhist teachings.

Similarly, we should not desecrate teachings of other religions. We simply need to improve ourselves with diligence. In the context of Tibetan Buddhism, the Sakyapas will need to preserve and propagate teachings of the Sakya Tradition. The Kagyupas, the Nyingmapas and the Gelugpas will similarly need to do likewise.

What does Your Holiness feel about the state of Buddhism in the west?

Buddhism has been taught and transmitted in the west but it is difficult to ensure that every Teaching has been taught and learnt well. There is definite room for improvements in terms of the way the Buddhist centers are being managed, the way the western students are learning the teachings, the way these students are practicing the teachings, the way in which the teachings have been taught and others. Another matter of concern is that many Tibetan teachers in the west have no place of their own.

Tibetan Buddhism

Does Your Holiness feel that it is timely and appropriate to introduce the Bhikshuni or Fully-ordained Nun’s Order into Tibetan Buddhism?

I have not much comment about this matter.

Does Your Holiness feel that the “tulku” system or the system of finding reincarnated teachers is still relevant today?

There are still many masters getting recognized today. I do not know whether it is still relevant today.

What is Your Holiness opinion of astrology and divination?

Some people believe in them and some people do not. I personally have not much opinion about this matter.

There have been great concerns and fear almost amongst Vajrayana students in both the east and west, on their need to, at all cost, at least read through the meditation text of their yidam daily as they have been told to do so by their teachers during initiation ceremonies of which they participated. These students considered missing doing the meditation of their Yidam or missing reading through the relevant text even for a day a serious transgression of their vow or commitment. What is Your Holiness’s opinion about this matter?

The main point is not to simply and blindly read through the Yidam’s meditational text or “sadhana” daily without understanding. The main point is to keep strictly to our best ability all the commitments we have taken: the Self-liberation, the Bodhisattva and the Tantric commitments.

It is good and important to do the meditational text of your yidam daily especially if you have promised to do so daily but this is not the main point. The main and most important point is to keep the above 3 sets of vows to our best ability. If you have promised your Teachers to do certain “sadhanas” or “Practice Texts” daily, you should definitely try to do them daily.

If you really cannot do it due to sickness, it is perfectly fine. But you should continue after you have recovered from your sickness. If you miss your “sadhana” due to that you have forgotten to do it, you should still continue to do it the very next day. You should also do at least 21 times the long Vajrasattva 100- Syllable Mantra or to do the “Confession to the 35 Buddhas” the very next day.

If for whatever reason you miss your “sadhana” such as not having the time due to work, you should let your Teacher know about it and then re-take the particular initiation again. In the meantime, before say you can re-take the initiation again, continue with the practice. You should also do at least 21 times the long Vajrasattva 100-Syllable Mantra or do the ”Confession to the 35 Buddhas”.

If owing to work commitments you cannot continue with your daily practice of the promised ”sadhana” anymore, you should let your Teacher know about this. If you are not able to let your Teacher know about this or your Teacher has already passed away and you still cannot continue to do your practice daily, you should then do at least 21 times the long Vajrasattva 100-Syllable Mantra or do the “Confession to the 35 Buddhas” daily.

It is important to check if there is any commitment that comes with any particular initiation. If you are not able to keep the commitments, you should not take the initiation. If a student has promised to do say 5 “sadhanas” a day, the student should not decide for himself or herself without consulting their Teachers first whether he or she can simply do only one “sadhana” in place of all the rests daily. However, it is also important that students should not feel unreasonably or overly upset or fearful of missing daily practice for whatever reasons.

How will Your Holiness describe Your relationship with HH the Dalai Lama?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has taken care of me in my past lives. His Holiness has taken care of me when I was just a newly-ordained monk, when I was the Abbot of the Tantric College of Upper Lhasa, Abbot of Ganden Shartse Monastery, when I was the Lord of Dharma of the Eastern End or the “Sharpa Choje” and even when I am now the Ganden Tripa or the Supreme Head of the Gelugpa Tradition.

His Holiness is one of my precious Root Teachers. I have taken a photograph with HH the Dalai Lama this year [ May 2003 ]. There is nothing in the world that I cherish more. Then, not forgetting also, that His Holiness is, in some ways, my “boss”. [ giggles]

What is Your Holiness’s opinion on a student being non-sectarian and doing practices or receiving teachings and initiations from all the 4 Tibetan Buddhist lineages?

I feel that it is best if a practitioner can do the practices of all these four lineages without discrimination. However, it may be difficult for some unless they have the capacity. On the other hand, it is also possible for a practitioner to concentrate only on one lineage. However, this latter practitioner even concentrating only on one lineage, needs to have sincere and genuine respect and appreciation for all the other lineages he or she is not practicing.

As we are Buddhists, we all said the Refuge Prayer in which it is mentioned that we take refuge in the Community of Noble Ones. This means the beings who have gained Enlightenment. These beings can be found in all the different lineages. Therefore, when we take refuge, we take refuge in these Enlightened Beings in all the lineages.

If we accept only those Enlightened Beings found in our lineage and reject those Enlightened Beings of other lineages, what we do and say are different. I consider such sectarian attitude or behaviour a very serious breach of Buddhist commitment.

In summary, if we have the ability, it is best if we can follow teachings from all the lineages. Otherwise, we can concentrate on learning from any one of the lineages that we have affinity towards but at the same time maintaining sincere and genuine respect and appreciation of the other lineages.

The Gelugpa Tradition

Can Your Holiness tell us the distinguishing characteristics of the Gelugpa Tradition of which You are the Official Head?

Both in the west and the east, people recognize the Gelugpa monks by the yellow pointed hat they wear. This is the special characteristic! [ laughing ] The uncommon feature of the Gelugpa is that outwardly, the Gelugpa monks adopt a subdued and gentle form of the Shravaka practitioner who live according to the Vinaya rules of the Sutra Vehicle whilst inwardly possessing the full realization of the Generation and Completion Stages of the Tantra Vehicle. The Gelugpa Tradition perceives the Sutra and Tantra Vehicle as complementary and not contradictory.

Does Your Holiness feel that Tibetan Buddhism, in particular, the Gelugpa Tradition, has been upheld well in exile?

I feel that in general, Tibetan Buddhism has been relatively well preserved. In India, the number of monks in the great monasteries has increased due to diligent efforts. However, efforts to make further progress beyond the current situation may be difficult as most efforts have already been expended towards preservation itself. One of the difficulties faced by the monks is that as they are now in exile, they have to take care of their livelihood themselves such as growing crops in the fields. In Tibet in the past, monks only need to study and practise without having the need to work for their own living.

Does Your Holiness feel that there could be some changes introduced into the Geshe study programme followed by the great monasteries of the Gelugpa Tradition?

There have been some suggestions about this. The five great texts that form the curriculum of the Geshe study programme is not for the purpose of winning debates. The debates are not to be only done in mouth but are to be followed by actions throughout the 20 to 30 years of study. The debates are not mere games. Before we can start practising, we need first to know what and how to practise and this we can achieve through studying.

Both Lord Buddha and Je Tsongkhapa have said that before we accept any of Their teachings, we need first to behave like a goldsmith examining the purity of his goods. A goldsmith will first need to smelt the material under investigation. Next, he will need to dissect the gold into appropriate sizes. Finally, he will need to shape the material.

Similarly, too, before we accept or commence any practices, we need first to investigate carefully the sources of these practices through correspondingly adopting the above three processes, whether they originate from the Buddha or any of the Indian or Tibetan lineal Teachers. Study will assist in this task.

There have been suggestions too to introduce scientific study into the Geshe study programme. In general, I feel that studying science is good. However, the study and practise of the Buddha’s teachings is the only ultimate way to the liberation of all beings from samsara and for us to become a Buddha so that we can liberate all beings from samsara.

Towards this objective, studying the Buddha’s teachings is sufficient. All the 500 Arahants of the past have achieved this without requiring study of science. Studying the Teachings is not to just acquire knowledge or to acquire official paper certificates. Studying the Teachings is to free oneself from samsara and also that oneself can become a Buddha to liberate all beings from their sufferings.

Again, towards this aim, studying of the Teachings is sufficient. There is no further need to include the study of science. However, to be a famous scholar recognized by the world, we will then need to study both the Teachings and science! [laughing ]

The study of the Teachings is so that we can gain wisdom to realize Emptiness which is the ultimate nature of phenomena. The study of the teachings entails the following three stages: Listening to the teachings; contemplating what we have heard; putting into practice what we have learnt.

We need to listen to the teachings first before we can contemplate on them. Before we can contemplate, we first need to listen to what has been taught. If we do not listen, we cannot contemplate and subsequently, there is nothing for us to practise! Therefore, first, we need to seek for knowledge through listening and studying the teachings.

I personally started to study the great texts when I was 25 years old. I am now 77 years old and still I feel that I have not learnt enough. In addition to the Gelugpa tradition, the other 3 traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, the Sakya, the Nyingma and the Kagyu all contain examples of great realised masters who studied the Teachings extensively.

In the Sakya tradition, we have Sakya Pandita. In the Nyingma tradition, we have Longchen Rabjampa. In the Kagyu tradition, the lineal Karmapas and Dhakpo Lhaje or Gampopa are such great beings. All these masters learnt and studied extensively the great texts and do not rely simply on merely one text alone.

In recent years, some teachers have taught that it is sufficient to rely only on the tantric practices of the Vajrayogini [ Naro Kachodma ] and the Solitary Yamantaka. On the other hand, it has been suggested that the current strong emphasis on the tantric practices of the Vajrayogini [ Naro Kachodma ] and the Solitary Yamantaka instead of the combined tantric practices of the 32 Deity Guhyasamaja, the 62 Deity Heruka Chakrasamvara and the 13 Deity Yamantaka recommended by Je Tzongkhapa are signs of the degeneration of the tantric practices in the Gelugpa tradition. What is Your Holiness’s opinion on this matter?

The Vajrayogini or Naro Kachodma practices is not introduced into the Gelugpa Tradition by Trijang Rinpoche but popularized earlier by masters such as Pabongka Rinpoche as Pabongka Rinpoche is considered to be an emanation of Naropa who is Himself the first Lineage Master of this tantric cycle. Trijang Rinpoche is Himself strongly affiliated to the Vajrayogini cycle as even HH the Dalai Lama pronounced that Trijang Rinpoche is a great practitioner of both the Heruka and Vajrayogini cycles.

In general, Je Tsongkhapa’s three meditational deities or yidams are the 32 Deity Guhyasamaja, the 62 Deity Heruka Chakrasamvara and the 13 Deity Yamantaka. Amongst these 3 yidams, Tsongkhapa especially meditates on Guhyasamaja and wrote most extensively and deeply on this practice. Guhyasamaja is in fact Tzongkhapa’s main practice.

Both Guhyasamaja’s and Heruka’s meditation texts are long whilst Yamantaka’s text is relatively shorter. The genuine good practitioner of the Gelugpa tradition must do all these three practices inseparably.

I have personally heard HH the Dalai Lama taught before that doing the practices of these 3 yidams inseparably is not exactly to mean to read the meditation texts of these 3 yidams separately. The point is to extract the essential and critical features of each of these 3 respective yidams and to subsequently integrate them into any one of these 3 yidams which one has adopted as one’s main yidam.

For example, if your main yidam is Yamantaka, you integrate the essential features of each of these 3 yidams into Yamantaka and you then concentrate on the practice of Yamantaka. Similarly, if your yidam is Guhyasamaja, you then integrate the essential features of each of these 3 yidams into Guhyasamaja and you then concentrate on the practice of Guhyasamaja. This applies also if your yidam is Heruka. The past great lineage Gelugpa Masters similarly do practices of these 3 yidams inseparably.

The recent great lineage Gelugpa Masters such as Ling Rinpoche [ who is the 97 th Ganden Tripa and the Senior Root Teacher of the present Dalai Lama ], Trijang Rinpoche [ who is the Junior Root Teacher of the present Dalai Lama ] and Zong Rinpoche all practise these 3 yidams inseparably.

These great masters have definitely mastered practices of these 3 yidams. Some teachers may have taught their students only to concentrate on Vajrayogini and Solitary Yamantaka because their students may not have the ability or time to do the practices of these 3 great Yidams. However, in general, genuine Gelugpa practitioners who have the ability should do the practices of these 3 great Yidams as His Holiness the Dalai Lama advised.

General

What is Your Holiness’s opinion on mercy-killing or euthanasia?

To kill another being before his or her natural death involves the negative karma of killing even if he or she themselves request to end their lives or if they are already unconscious on life-support and their next-of-kin decides to end their life on their behalf.

Does Your Holiness think that it is permissible to abort babies if they are conceived through rape or if giving birth to the baby endangers the mother’s life or if the baby is so chronically handicapped that it will die within a few seconds or minutes of its birth?

Any form of abortion will involve the negative karma of killing a being.

What is Your Holiness’s opinion on experiments being done on animals for the alleged benefit of human beings?

According to the Buddhist Teachings, giving suffering to another being is wrong.

What is Your Holiness’s view on homosexuality?

Homosexuality seems to be getting more common in the world these days. Homosexuality, like heterosexuality, are both activities of samsara. Neither seems to be particularly better or worse than the other. Whether a man or woman is straight or gay does not make him or her any particularly better or worse than the other. In general, both are activities of lay people. Not that, however, that there is no karma involved in homosexuality, only that it is just like heterosexuality, another activity of samsara.

What is Your Holiness’s opinion of genetic engineering?

I do not know whether it is correct or wrong.

Does Your Holiness think it is permissible to eradicate “pests”: animals or insects which are harmful to human beings such as mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats and such?

All beings are the same. It is considered negative karma to kill any being. Even if these animals infect human beings with diseases, according to the Buddhist Teachings, it is still considered an unskillful action to harm or eradicate them. However, to say not to stop diseases getting spread to human beings as a result of infections from these animals also does not seem to be totally correct. It is very difficult to decide. No matter which stand you take, it is still very difficult.

What is Your Holiness’s opinion of the so-called “pre-emptive strikes”? There is one viewpoint that claims that crippling your enemy’s military resources first before they initiates a brutal onslaught on civilians is actually a skilful means to protect lives. The other viewpoint is that “pre-emptive strikes” initiates aggression first from one’s side without provocation from the other and is therefore wrong.

It is difficult to decide.

What is Your Holiness’s wish for the world?

I wish all beings in the world happiness, health and also that they will live even better.

A short introduction to Buddhism

[ As informal accompanying notes to the above interview with HH the 101th Ganden Tripa for friends unfamiliar with the Buddhist teachings ]

General

The cause of samsara Buddha, the Enlightened One, taught that all beings suffer as a result of their not recognizing the inherent Emptiness of nature.

• From their Non-recognition of Emptiness or Ignorance arises a sense of Self.
• From this sense of Self arises Self-cherishing Attitude which places oneself above all others.
• From Self-cherishing Attitude arises all the other Defilements: Anger, Attachment and such.
• As a result of creation of actions motivated by these Defilements, beings suffer from ”Karma” or the Resultant Effects of their Actions.
• From their endless creation of “Karma”, beings are forced to take birth, experienced inevitable death, take birth again, experience death again and so on, again and again in unending cycles of suffering.

The way to end samsara

• To realize Emptiness so that they can be free from samsara, beings will need to practise the Noble Eight-fold Path: Right View / Right Intention / Right Speech / Right Action / Right Livelihood / Right Effort / Right Mindfulness / Right Concentration.
• When beings realize Emptiness, they are then liberated from samsara.

Mahayana

Bodhisattvas

Beings who do not only want to liberate themselves from samsara but in addition, wanting to attain Buddhahood, as this is the best manner that they can liberate all other countless beings from samsara, are known as “Bodhisattvas”.

Common Bodhicitta

The wish to want to attain Buddhahood regardless of how long it will take or how difficult it will be solely for the liberation from samsara of all other beings is known as the “Common Bodhicitta”.

Way of practice of the Bodhisattvas

Sutra Tradition- Bodhisattvas practise the Six Perfections for countless aeons so that they can attain the state of Buddhahood. The Six Perfections are Generosity / Morality / Patience /Perseverance /Meditation / Wisdom. This group of Bodhisattvas is practicing according to the Sutra Mahayana Tradition.

Uncommon Bodhicitta

Another group of Bodhisattvas practices according to the Tantra Mahayana Tradition. This latter group of Bodhisattvas are motivated by the “Uncommon Bodhicitta” which is the wish to attain Buddhahood for the liberation from samsara of all other beings through any means whatsoever because they cannot stand, due to their great compassion, the suffering of any beings whilst they are progressing towards Buddhahood.

Way of practice of the Bodhisattvas

Tantra Tradition- This group of Bodhisattvas practices Deity Yoga and other tantric practices which will yield the state of Buddhahood in the shortest time possible including even this very life. In general, these Bodhisattvas practise viewing the inherent ultimate potential or purity of all beings. They do this through viewing their Spiritual Teachers as Buddhas, themselves and all other beings as Buddhas.

Source: http://www.trisurlungriknamgyal.com/blog-2/