How Much Do You Value the Dharma?

The words of Heruka and Manjushri, spoken through their Nirmanakaya (སྤྲུལ་སྐུ) emanation. Holy words that wise men paid a hefty sum for just one syllable, now brightens my desk. A reminder of my motivation.

As time pass, and information is easily available, it is easy for us to forget the true value and difficulty of listening and reading the Dharma. What we have now is something people of the past had to travel great distances to receive, sometimes even at the cost of their own lives.

When Lama Atisha was invited to Tibet to turn the wheel of Dharma, the great King Yeshe O made requests but Lama Atisha never agreed. In the end, through his nephew Jangchub O, at the price of his life, a large sum of gold and the genuine humble request that Atisha teach the people the Dharma, Lama Atisha made the trip to Tibet, revitalizing Buddhadharma in the region.

This examplary story as told in the Lamrim, as told to us students by HE Tsem Rinpoche, is a great reminder that the Dharma we receive today is through the kindness and hardships of countless selfless Bodhisattvas.

Its not about giving up ones life, for if we place our life above the Dharma then only worldly concerns fills our mind. Its not about the heaps of gold, for if we place items of relative value as supreme then our focus is not for Dharma.

Its about our attitude for Dharma, and the genuine pursuit of the absolute truth, at the cost of our ignorance, ego and attachments.

My Refuge

Yesterday I took refuge in myself,
The day before that I took refuge in anger,
And the day before that, I took refuge in laziness,
And the day before that, I took refuge in hatred.
Today is a new day, and I’ll be taking refuge in my choices.

It doesnt end. As long as we’re breathing, we take refuge in something.

So, what’s our object of refuge?

Taking Refuge by Pabongka Rinpoche

Tomorrow

There is no place I have not been,
There is no circumstances I have not experienced.

I have tasted the best wines,
I have lived magnificent lives that one can only dream of,
I have felt the extremes of sufferings, and
I have lived excruciating pain filled lives.

In the end, all I went through life after life, doesnt matter.
Good or bad, I still ended up where I am today,
And now I feel like a old piece of movie, too bored to see the same drama played over and over again.

Understanding the truth of life, is not meaningful enough,
Knowing the method to get out of this cyclic existence is precious.
But what is my conviction of getting out of samsara?
When the key to unlock the methods to freedom is kept for tomorrow’s use.

Failing to apply the Dharma today, tomorrow will never come.
Applying the Dharma today, then there is no need for tomorrow.

The Meaning of Dharma

What is Dharma?

Dharma is a word that many people use but perhaps not too sure of its meaning. Some people know it as the teachings of the Buddha. Some people say it is a way of life. While some thinks its just merely lighting a candle and an incense everyday.

In Sanskrit, Dharma means ‘the instructions that hold us back from suffering’. The Buddha taught us the 4 nobel truths, where He reveals to us the root of suffering up to the point of how we can severe it into non existance. This is not something made up, but it has been in existance from beginningless time, the Buddha reveals to us what was already the nature of our reality.

But practicing Dharma, has to be accurate. For our fault finding mind can find wrong even in the perfect Buddha just like Devadatta, thus if not careful, one can find fault with the Dharma or worst, to use it as a diversion and strenghten our attachments.

It is due to this, that the guidance of a teacher is essential. Once found a sincere teacher, as a student, listen with the absence of the 8 worldly concerns for it to be the most powerful medicine in eliminating all sufferings.

Gaining happiness have always been all sentient beings’ goal in life. No one would aspire to grow up into a life ridden with suffering. Unfortunately, without Dharma, our limited wisdom pushes us to alter our environment continuously to accomodate our perception of happiness.

But when one receives Dharma teachings and practices the instructions of one’s lama, then one’s mind is nourished with equanimity and compassion, allowing us to remain happy regardless of one’s external conditions.

These, is what I, a lowly practitioner wish to achieve. To achieve ultimate freedom from the mind that brings suffering.

The Buddha and The Moon

The nature of Buddha can be simply seen by the nature of the moon.

When the moon sets for the day, people say the moon has disappeared. When the moon rises, people say it has appeared. But the truth is, the moon never appeared or disappeared, it continued to shine in the sky at all times.

People give names to the phases of the moon… from the crescent to full moon. But the truth is, the moon is always round, neither waxing nor waning.

The moon follows us everywhere, regardless of what we’re doing, where we go, or what we think. From people’s point of view, their thoughts of the moon may change. But truth is, the moon does not change.

And so, one can say the aspects of the Buddha can be explained by looking at the moon.

The Buddha does not appear nor disappear, but only does so out of compassion and as lessons to be learnt.

He may seem to change in appearance, but in truth he does not change for enlightenment is not bound by physical appearance.

He follows us and guides us in this world in all of its ever changing circumstances. But his essense never change.

Whether one believes in the Buddha, or whether the Buddha is present or appear not to… His existance is independant of our thoughts and belief, filling every corner of the universe, existing forever.

Did You Really Met the 3 Jewels?

One can be near the Lama, near the most beautiful Buddha statue, near the most elaborately decorated stupas, and near the hundreds of volumes of the Kangyur and Tangyur. But without practice its as if one has never met the Three Jewels.

Just as sitting infront a bowl of rice without eating it does not make one full, so it is similar as one sitting infront the Lama but partake no Dharma.

The Guru’s Skilfull Methods

Looking at this image of my Lama, I can only imagine what the mind of a Bodhisattva would think. Perhaps it goes along the line of “May I be able to be like the sea, that nourishes and supports billions of beings selflessly”.

A Bodhisattva who loves all sentient beings as a father loves his only son. Perhaps for some it may be easy to understand, while for others it may not. But there is a story that’s easily told…

It reminds me of a story I read, about a rich man’s son who left the family only to end up as a begger many years down the road. When the rich man finally saw his son in a pitiful state, he sent his servants to take the young man home. But the begger did not recognize his father and instead of rejoicing of a reunion, he became afraid.

Out of great love for his son, the man thought of various ways to help his son. So instead of scaring the boy away by insisting of forgotten family ties, he offered the begger a job in his mansion, as the janitor. As the years passed he nurtured the boy patiently, from when he came in as the janitor, he now manages the rich man’s estates.

Finally the day came when the rich man is to leave this world, and the boy who regarded his boss as a father could finally see that he was actually his father. “I have taught you everything I know, now I leave all my wealth to you as they were yours from the moment you came home as a janitor”.

The lama is like this old rich man. He offers us the greatest riches of all in the world that is the Dharma. And through his skilfull means, he educates us, he is patient and guide us along the gradient path of enlightenment.

There is no work or instructions too small that’s given by the Lama. Everything is tailored for us to eventually obtain the greatest jewel of Enlightenment… Just like the wise rich man who made his son the janitor in his mansion.

Going Towards the Disaster – Landslide in Bentong – Karak highway

On 11th November 2015, in Karak Highway, Pahang, Malaysia… the rain started to pour. The rain wasn’t too heavy, but it kept going for many hours which eventually caused a massive landslide on the Highway which blocked the road heading towards Kuala Lumpur and also the road heading towards Pahang. During this times of trouble, our state police team, JKR, and many government based bodies came forward quickly to clear up the landslide, redirect cars from the danger and saved those that was trapped in the landslide.

My Lama, Tsem Rinpoche soon came to know of this natural disaster that happened and immediately, with great concern for the government officials that were working in the middle of the night, under the rain; Rinpoche set out with a few students to give some hot drinks and snacks as Rinpoche knew they must be cold and hungry.

It was truly touching to see Rinpoche and his little ‘elves’ running around in the middle of the night, in the rain, and even with a slight risk of danger or getting caught in flash floods and landslides. While everyone ran away from the danger zone, Rinpoche marched in to do whatever He can for the community. The true act of a Bodhisattva, who sees no boundaries or limitations, Rinpoche helps and cares for all regardless of race, religion and social background.

I can’t thank the Buddhas enough for connecting me with such a compassionate Lama and to be amongst Dharma brothers and sisters who are so devoted to the Dharma, which is the teaching on how we can be an absolutely awesome person =)

http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/current-affairs/reaching-out-in-bentong.html

Kecharians giving out hot drinks and snacks to the government disaster relief team

H.E. Tsem Rinpoche personally handing out food to the policemen

Packing hot drinks to be handed out to the police

Appreciating their effort, Rinpoche make sure they have hot drinks while they work to clear the landslide in Bentong

Rinpoche personally picking out snacks from 7-11 for the police

Although the situation in Bentong was not good, Rinpoche went out personally to give a helping hand if needed

H.E Tsem Rinpoche speaks about Dorje Shugden

There are just some things in life that we must appreciate, and one of these is the truth being unfolded right before our eyes. I can’t even begin to explain how many times I have watched this video of Rinpoche, a video where for the first time, Rinpoche explained in detail about the implications of the ban on Dorje Shugden. I have watched the videos and even read the transcript several times… each time, picking up new points. It is like when you watch an amazing movie, you tend to miss a few good parts of the movie and only spot them on a second watch. And like all good movies, you make a video response to shout out to the whole world how much you love it!

Only in this case, it’s not a shout out for a fictitious movie, but a shout out for the bravery, strength and great compassion that Rinpoche displayed here, just to get the truth out to the public. Why brave? Why compassionate? Because there is no gain in speaking this truth and making this video for Rinpoche, in fact, making this video only puts Rinpoche in a more difficult position as many would openly attack Rinpoche for sharing his experience and views.

Read Rinpoche’s blog post and watch the video here: http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/who-is-dorje-shugden-to-me.html

Some of us that come across this video may think… why is it even important for any of us to know about the truth of Dorje Shugden? For me, yeah it’s important because it’s my practice… but for others, who are not practitioners, who do not directly or indirectly receive harm, discrimination or cyber bullied; why would this matter to them?

Perhaps it wont to some… but I believe that we have come to an era, where people has a high standard of morality and are striving for compassion, irregardless of what belief system we adhere to… and because of that, we see so many causes online, supported by the good people of the world. And because no one likes to see a man being outcasted by his own community just because he holds a different opinion, I believe… more people would support Rinpoche’s views… that it is time for reconciliation to happen.

I hope that, after watching Rinpoche’s videos… people would take more active steps to aid Dorje Shugden practitioners in removing this ban… and it begins with the absence of discrimination.

If we look back in history… there were so many classes of people that were discriminated… people of color, gender discrimination on women, people with deformities, people of different religion…. In most cases, it brought about heavy consequences that resulted in the loss of many lives… and it was allowed to fester to such boiling point because no one dared to speak up…. and it was also brought to an end because someone stood up, and many lent their support. I hope that one day, when I’m 60, I can look back and think, I have made good use of my life for supporting a vision that is more than myself.

Beyond Kindness

I remember this picture… it was one of the late nights we spent with #tsemtulku to compile the Dorje Shugden Retreat instructions http://goo.gl/1PJ95F

The retreat instruction did not come easy… it may look neat and nice right now on the blog, but a lot of hard work went behind it especially from Rinpoche.

It is a precious retreat instruction composed by Rinpoche… and I remember it clearly, how Rinpoche got up from his chair and took a few cushions to sit on the floor with us. Eventhough Rinpoche knew he will have difficulty getting up later, and Rinpoche have much pain when seated on the floor’s hard surface… but because Rinpoche wanted to make sure the instructions was heard and taken without mistakes, Rinpoche sat on the floor anyway.

I think another reason why Rinpoche sat on the floor instead of on the couch to compose the retreat text is because of humility and deep respect for the practice. This is my assumption, but I believe strongly that this is one of the reasons too.

Rinpoche sat on the floor… and thought deeply on how He can shorten the traditional Dorje Shugden retreat for busy people like us and yet allow the retreat to retain the desired results. Here, we all saw… how caring Rinpoche is… If you think the recent gifts that many people received from Rinpoche reflects Rinpoche’s thoughtfulness… then may I correct you, as that is only 1% of Rinpoche’s thoughtfulness seen on the surface.

Rinpoche’s true generocity, care and thoughtfulness is seen in the Dharma teachings that Rinpoche gave us… and in this case, Dorje Shugden retreat instructions. We as ordinary beings cant even begin to have an idea on how many angles Rinpoche must have thought about, thinking about people’s situations and problems which may deter them from doing the practice… and after taking all these into consideration, Rinpoche composed a short and condensed retreat. And it is here that I saw what it means to care for others… how we can care for others… as the retreat text compiled is Rinpoche’s gift to everyone in the world.

I am truly greatful to have Rinpoche… If it wasn’t for Rinpoche’s kindness in compiling such a short retreat text, not many would be able to engage in this practice.

But it does make me sad… as it shows me how degenerated times are and the time that many are willing to allocate for spiritual practice… which is very little.

So, I hope that the next time you engage in a Dorje Shugden retreat… remember it’s authenticity and how lucky we are to receive a practice from an unbroken lineage… how much work was put into it. Dont complain that it is too lengthy because this is as short as it gets. And remember… how much time we put in into our practice, is how much we will transform spiritually.

Wishing you a happy retreat, in advance.