Self-Immolation

“If the mind wanders even the tiniest bit when you are reciting the mantra, your practice will accomplish nothing. The obscurations of your speech might diminish from reciting the mantra in this fashion, but you will certainly not accomplish the results you are seeking through the sadhana. A quote from Guru Rinpoche says, “A person who experiences mental wandering while performing vajra recitation will never achieve any result, even from reciting the mantra for an eon of time.” Of course, this is not surprising. If, while speaking to someone, you fail to look them in the face and instead allow your vision to wander everywhere else, you cannot establish the mental, visual or personal contact that would make your conversation a meaningful exchange. Similarly, if you recite mantra with a wandering mind, you cannot comprehend the substance of the mantra. So how can you expect to achieve results? You are just playing a game.” Gyatrul Rinpoche

“You should know that rigpa, the primordial wisdom nature which is the nature of the mind, has nothing to do with personality or the conceptual mind. It is the essential nature of each and every human being, without exception, never changing. This nature cannot be changed by the different forms, personalities and characteristics that a person assumes as a wanderer in cyclic existence. It cannot be changed because it is unborn and unceasing. It is the nature as it always has been and always will be. To the degree that you are unfamiliar with this understanding, you are unlikely to have recognized the original nature.” Gyatrul Rinpoche

The Gods visit the Virtuous. The Bodhisatta is a childless king and he asks his queen to pray for a son. Sakka hears her prayer and goes to question her about her virtues. Hearing her answers he readily grants her request. FREE TO SHARE Full Story: ancient-buddhist-texts.net/English-Texts/Jataka/489.htm PDF (with all posters): http://bit.ly/PhD-Books Posters (in jpeg format): http://bit.ly/PhD-BW-15-21 Translation: Ānandajoti Bhikkhu Photos and Design by Andreas Dīpaloka

“It is not exactly clear how Westerners got the idea that married couples, or, for that matter, any couple having a lot of desire for each other, could practice the Vajrayana techniques taken from tantric Buddhism or some other spiritual tradition. They try to visualize themselves as deities but then engage in an ordinary sexual act based on attachment/desire. They want an experience of something more blissful than ever before. This is one of the biggest mistakes a person can make. This activity does not even approximate the practices we are discussing. One who attempts tantric practices in this way, lacking the proper prerequisites and permission from the vajra guru, just accumulates causes for lower rebirtheven, perhaps, causes for the lowest possible rebirth, since this is to misuse and disrespect pure Dharma practice. Pure Dharma has nothing to do with ordinary sexual desire. Since deities do not have desires, it is a grave error to visualize oneself as a deity to achieve purposes conceived by a desiring mind. A yogi or yogini who practices with a partner must not lose even one drop of essential fluid and must definitely be free of desire or attachment. To perform these secret practices, a practitioner must be on a very high level and must practice solely for the sake of sentient beings. When a practitioner arrives at this level of practice, it is very wonderful, but one must wait until the right time arrives. The practices of union are the most secret for a number of reasons. These practices are protected with secrecy because, of all desirable activities, human beings have the greatest desire for sex, and this desire causes them to misuse and misinterpret the practices. If human beings, motivated by sexual desire, attempt these most advanced techniques without being qualified, they will definitely suffer in lower rebirths. This is, in fact, one of the fastest ways to be born into the lower realms. These practices are kept secret to prevent their being misused. You must understand that the Vajrayana practices are the swiftest of all Buddhist teachings and the most secret. They are protected ever so carefully by the protector deities (dharmapalas). If you misuse these practices, the dharmapalas create obstacles for you and your teachers. For instance, a potentially long life could be shortened.” Gyatrul Rinpoche

“It is important to realize that all the happiness and suffering, joy and sorrow you are experiencing now have not been decided for you by gods such as Indra, Brahma, and Vishnu, nor have they come about on their own. They are the natural result of your own past actions. So make a promise that even if the whole world rises up as your enemy, you will not wander from the absolute nature. Then, even if someone appears to threaten your life, if you can remain in equanimity within the recognition of the absolute nature, that enemy will be unable to harm you. But if you fall into delusion, thinking that enemies exist truly, and as a result you react by trying to defeat them and to protect others who arouse attachment in you, then you will surely be betraying the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. Be mindful at all times of what is right and what is not; and be vigilant as to whether you are actually acting accordingly. Mindfulness and vigilance will then be your teachers.” ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

«The reality of your own Self-nature is the absence of cause and effect. Nirvana is the essence of consciousness. Our consciousness is Buddha. Our consciousness is the full, clear, calm radiance. You may think you can find Buddha or Enlightenment somewhere outside of consciousness (mind), but there is no such place. ... If you want to find Buddhahood, truly, you have to enlighten your own nature. Your own nature is the Buddha. Buddha is within you. He is the realization of Non-action. If you don't see your nature, you will be entangled in delusion all your life. If you don't see your nature and flounder around all day looking elsewhere, you'll never find the Buddha. The truth is that there is nothing there to look for. But to reach this realization you need a teacher, you should try and work hard to master your consciousness and attain Liberation. Life and death are important. Don't waste your time! Self-deception is not beneficial. Even if you have mountains of jewels and servants as many as grains of sand in the Ganges, you see them only when your eyes are open. But when your eyes are closed forever, what will you see? You must realize that everything you see is like a dream and an illusion». Bodhidharma, from «Sermon on the Blood Vessel»

I have not written much here of late because I have very little I want to say. My time and thoughts are more and more spent on practice. I have never wished for Telegram clout, and I only really started this channel to dialogue with my friends. I certainly have no desire to present my own ideas or project anymore. Realising how little I know has created in me the firm determination to look inwards. As such, things like politics have become much less interesting to me. However, for those who are politically minded, I think it is important to realise that we deserve everything we go through. There is not a single thing happening to our countries, or ourselves, that we did not create the causes for in the past. It's your fault.You made this for yourself. That is the inviolable Law of Karma manifesting through dependent origination. When Shariputra asked Ashvajit what it was the Buddha taught, Ashvajit said: ye dharmā hetu-prabhavā hetuṃ teṣāṃ tathāgato hy avadat teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha evaṃ vādī mahāśramaṇaḥ "All phenomena arise from causes, the Tathagata has taught these causes, and the means of their cessation, thus teaches the great ascetic." This is so profound that it became a mantra used by all Buddhist schools to understand the essence of the Buddha's teaching. Therefore, if you wish to put an end to the suffering of yourself, your family, nation and the world, you have no choice but to work on your own mind. If you try to get retribution without cultivating universal love within yourself, you simply perpetuate the cycle of samsara. When you understand that all beings are seeking happiness, you can successfully forgive them for the horrific mistakes they make, and therefore overcome the delusion of inherent self that causes suffering for yourself and everyone around you. To rise above the cycle is the only way to end it. This is true for you, as well as everyone you wish to protect.

“Samantabhadra (Tib. Kuntuzangpo), the primordial Buddha, and Buddha Shakyamuni both said that the tathagatagarbha, the buddha essence, is intrinsically present in all animate beings. It is not that some have it and some do not. Every creature that lives has the buddha essence. If this is so, is there any difference between buddhas and sentient beings? There is one difference, but it is not in their true nature. Every being is Buddha. Buddhas, however, have applied the methods and realized their true nature. They have become buddhas by purifying all their obscurations and karmic afflictions. They have removed all negative habits through joyous effort (Tib. brtson ‘grus, pronounced “tsondru”) and by applying different techniques and practices. Although sentient beings desire happiness and the state of freedom and bliss, they continue accumulating negative causes, obscurations and karmic afflictions. They just sink deeper into ignorance which is the lack of awareness of their true nature. That is the only difference between buddhas and sentient beings.” Gyatrul Rinpoche

“The whole point of receiving and practicing the teachings is to understand your buddha nature, which is the very essence of your being. This understanding comes through practice. If we lacked the buddha nature, what would be the point of the practices? Why would we practice these complicated techniques, and learn the symbolism, if the buddha nature was not already within us, waiting to be revealed? It would be ridiculous to practice if our true nature were not what it is. It would be like pressing a rock to get oil. The effort would be fruitless. Yet, we must make efforts to realize our buddha nature, even though we all possess it. Just as you would not know that butter is the essence of milk unless you churned the milk—and not just a few churns will do; you really must churn with effort—in the same way, you must practice with effort and diligence to understand your own true nature. Nevertheless, you must remember that practice only reveals what is already present. If you churn water hoping to get butter, it will not happen, will it? We undergo the hardships of the spiritual path because our essence is already Buddha. It is already perfectly realized. If it were not, practice would be pointless. The process is like refining ore that you know has gold in it. You work long and hard to extract the gold from the rock, but if you knew the rock had no gold in it, why would you try to extract it?” Gyatrul Rinpoche

Namaskar everyone, So many of my followers were asking me to update things about Kali Krama and Ma Kalasamkarsini Kali. I am happy to announce that @animesh_nagar_official who has done tremendous work for the Kali Krama Tradition. On August 9 I'll Telecast the session on My youtube channel. It is requested to ask your questions regarding the Kali Krama. Stay tuned till 9 August 🙏 Namah Shivay, Jai Ma Kali.

August 1 Thag 6.3 Mahānāgattheragāthā: Mahānāga Whoever has no respect for their spiritual companions falls away from the true teaching, like a fish in a little puddle. Whoever has no respect for their spiritual companions doesn’t thrive in the true teaching, like a rotten seed in a field. Whoever has no respect for their spiritual companions is far from quenching, in the teaching of the Dhamma king. Whoever does have respect for their spiritual companions doesn’t fall away from the true teaching, like a fish in plenty of water. Whoever does have respect for their spiritual companions thrives in the true teaching, like a fine seed in a field. Whoever does have respect for their spiritual companions is close to quenching in the teaching of the Dhamma king. === Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel: https://t.me/dhammapadas ===

True reality is beyond the path of speech and beyond mundane knowledge. — Asvabhāva