We thank Geshe Nyodup Tsering and Geshe Tenzin Zopa for sharing these precious teachings from The Great Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog.
Please refer to Geshe Ngodup Tsering on Youtube for teachings in Tibetan .
Nyung Nay Retreat ABC Center Singapore 1992
Lamp of the Path by Lama Atisha
Tara Initiation at
Kopan Monastery 7th July 1996
The Story of Mother Tara
In the rich tapestry of Tibetan Buddhism, Mother Tara, known as
"Jetsun Dolma" in Tibetan, is revered as the embodiment of
compassion and swift action.According to tradition, Tara was born
from the compassionate tears of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of
Compassion, who wept upon seeing the immense suffering of sentient
beings. From these tears emerged a lotus, which bloomed to reveal
the radiant and compassionate Tara. Tara, in her commitment to
alleviate the suffering of all beings, vowed to attain enlightenment
in a female form.
She embodies the
principle of active compassion, swiftly assisting those in distress.
Tara is often depicted in two primary forms: Green Tara, symbolizing
enlightened activity and protection from fear, and White Tara,
representing longevity and healing. Benefits of Reciting Tara Mantras and Prayers Reciting
the mantras and prayers dedicated to Mother Tara brings profound
benefits to practitioners:
1. *Protection
from Fear and Obstacles:* Tara is known for her
swift action in dispelling fears and removing obstacles from the
path of practitioners. Her mantra, "Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha,"
invokes her protective and compassionate energy.
2. *Cultivation
of Compassion:* Regularly chanting
Tara’s mantra nurtures and deepens one’s own compassion, aligning
with Tara’s essence and fostering a heart that seeks to alleviate
the suffering of others. 3. *Spiritual
and Physical Healing:* White Tara’s practices,
in particular, are believed to promote healing and long life. Her
blessings are sought for physical health, mental clarity, and
spiritual vitality.
4. *Swift Aid and Support:* Tara’s epithet, the "Swift Liberator," reflects her readiness to assist those who call upon her. Reciting her mantra is believed to bring immediate help in times of need and distress.
The Mantra of Mother Tara The most renowned mantra
of Mother Tara is simple yet profoundly powerful: *Om
Tare Tuttare Ture Soha* Each syllable of this
mantra embodies the essence of Tara’s compassionate action and
protection: -
**Om**: The sacred
syllable representing the body, speech, and mind of all Buddhas. -
**Tare**: Liberation from
samsara, the cycle of birth and death. -
**Tuttare**: Protection
from the eight great fears and external dangers. -
**Ture**: Swift action
and liberation from spiritual obstacles. -
**Soha**: Invoking the presence and blessings of Tara. Conclusion By reciting Tara’s mantra and prayers, practitioners invoke her compassionate presence, gaining protection, healing, and spiritual support. Mother Tara’s practice is a powerful aid on the path to enlightenment, embodying the swift, compassionate action that all beings aspire to cultivate.
The Thirty-Seven
Practices of All the Bodhisattvas commentary by Gyalse Tokme
Zangpo. 1987 རྒྱལ་སྲས་ལག་ལེན་སོ་བདུན་མའི་བཀའ་ཁྲིད།
མཁས་ཤིང་གྲུབ་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་དགེ་བཤེས་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག། ལེའུ་ལྔ་པ།
“The Thirty-Seven
Practices of All the Bodhisattvas” is a revered Tibetan Buddhist
text written by Gyalsé Tokmé Zangpo in the 14th century. It offers a
guide to the behaviors and mindsets that aspiring bodhisattvas
should cultivate to advance on the path to enlightenment.
Let me weave these
principles into a story for better understanding. Once in the serene
mountains of Tibet, there lived a young monk named Tenzin. He was
deeply committed to the path of the bodhisattva, a being dedicated
to achieving enlightenment not just for oneself but for the benefit
of all sentient beings. Tenzin had heard of a sacred text called
“The Thirty-Seven Practices of All the Bodhisattvas,” which he
believed would illuminate his journey.
One day, Tenzin embarked on a pilgrimage to find a wise old lama, reputed to have a profound understanding of these teachings. After many days of travel, he reached a remote monastery where the lama resided. The lama welcomed Tenzin warmly and agreed to teach him the practices through stories and examples. Here are some of the lessons he shared:
1. Precious Human Life:
The lama began, “Tenzin, always remember the rarity and value of
human life. Just as a blind turtle surfacing once every hundred
years might chance upon a floating log, so too is it rare to be born
human with the opportunity to practice the Dharma.”
2. Impermanence:
“Consider the changing seasons,” the lama continued. “Spring
blossoms fall in autumn. Understand that all phenomena are
transient. Clinging to the impermanent only brings suffering.”
3. Avoiding Negative Influences: The lama then pointed to a poisonous plant. “Just as you avoid such plants, so too should you avoid negative influences that obstruct your spiritual progress.”
4. Cultivating
Compassion: They came across a shepherd tending to his sheep. “Like
this shepherd,” the lama explained, “a bodhisattva cares deeply for
all beings, always cultivating compassion and working to alleviate
their suffering.”
5. Patience: One day,
Tenzin encountered a farmer patiently tilling his field. The lama
noted, “Just as the farmer works with patience, so must you
cultivate patience, especially in the face of adversity and harm
from others.”
6. Joyful Effort:
Observing a bee tirelessly collecting nectar, the lama said,
“Emulate the bee’s diligence. Engage joyfully in virtuous activities
without falling into laziness.”
7. Concentration and
Wisdom: They then visited a meditation cave where an old monk sat in
deep concentration. “Develop single-pointed concentration,” advised
the lama, “and use this to penetrate the nature of reality, gaining
wisdom that cuts through ignorance.”
8. Generosity: The lama
shared a story of a kind merchant who gave away his wealth to help
the poor. “True generosity means giving without attachment and with
a pure intention to benefit others.”
9. Ethical Conduct:
Finally, they encountered a village renowned for its harmony and
peace. The lama explained, “This is the result of ethical conduct.
Uphold vows and precepts, as they are the foundation of a stable and
joyful life.”
Through these stories and his own reflections, Tenzin came to understand the profound wisdom in “The Thirty-Seven Practices of All the Bodhisattvas.” Each practice was not just a rule but a way of transforming the mind and heart toward universal compassion and wisdom. In time, Tenzin himself became a wise lama, passing on these teachings to future generations, and ensuring that the flame of bodhisattva aspirations continued to burn brightly in the hearts of all who sought enlightenment.
The Chöd Practice by
Venerable The Great Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog. ༼གཅོད།༽
མཁས་ཤིང་གྲུབ་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་དགེ་བཤེས་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག་དཔལ་བཟང་པོ་མཆོག།
ལེའུ་དང་པོ།
Chöd, a Tibetan Buddhist
practice associated with the Mahayana tradition, involves a unique
and profound ritual aimed at cutting through ego-clinging and
attachment. The term "Chöd" means "cutting through" and the practice
is often attributed to the female saint Machig Labdrön, who lived in
the 11th century. Key Aspects of Chöd Practice:
1. Philosophical
Foundation: - Chöd is rooted in the Prajnaparamita (Perfection of
Wisdom) teachings, emphasizing the emptiness of all phenomena. - It
combines elements of tantra, including visualization, mantra, and
ritual instruments.
2. Ritual Components: -
Visualization: Practitioners visualize offering their own body as a
feast to various beings, including deities, demons, and spirits.
This is done to cultivate generosity and to sever attachment to the
self. - Mantras and Prayers: Specific mantras and prayers are
recited to invoke protective deities and to aid in the visualization
process. - Musical Instruments: The use of instruments like the
damaru (small hand drum) and kangling (a trumpet made from a human
thighbone) is integral to the practice. These sounds are believed to
attract spirits and beings to partake in the feast.
3. Psychological and
Spiritual Goals: - The primary aim is to cut through the ego and
dualistic thinking, leading to the realization of the nature of mind
and phenomena. - It helps practitioners confront and overcome fear,
especially the fear of death, by facing and offering their body in
visualization practices.
4. Symbolism: - The offering of one's body symbolizes the ultimate act of renunciation and selflessness. - It also represents the dissolution of the false sense of self, promoting the understanding of emptiness and interdependence.
5. Ceremony Structure: -
**Preparation**: The practitioner purifies the space and invokes the
lineage masters and protectors. - **Main Ritual**: This involves the
detailed visualization of the body offering, accompanied by the
chanting of specific texts and playing of ritual instruments. -
**Conclusion**: Dedication of the merit generated by the practice to all sentient beings, aspiring for their liberation. Chöd in Modern Context: Today, Chöd is practiced by many Tibetan Buddhist practitioners around the world. While traditionally it was performed in isolated locations like charnel grounds or remote caves to enhance the practice of fearlessness, contemporary practitioners may perform it in more conventional settings, such as temples or retreat centers. Chöd's emphasis on compassion, generosity, and profound insight into the nature of reality makes it a deeply transformative practice within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
How to Practice
Mandala Offering Experiential མནྜལ་བཞུགས་སོ།།
Venerable The Great
Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog offers experiential teachings on
mandala practice, guiding students through the process of creating
and offering mandalas as a way to deepen their spiritual practice.
Mandalas are intricate geometric designs that represent the universe
and are used as a tool for meditation and prayer in many spiritual
traditions. To practice mandala, one must first understand the
symbolism behind the different elements of the design.
Each color, shape, and
pattern in a mandala holds its own significance, representing
different aspects of the cosmos and the practitioner's spiritual
journey. By meditating on these symbols and creating mandalas with
intention and mindfulness, one can cultivate inner peace, clarity,
and connection to the divine. During Venerable The Great Mahasiddha
Geshe Lama Konchog's teachings, students will learn how to construct
mandalas with precision and care, using traditional materials such
as colored sand, stones, and flowers.
They will also be guided in the practice of offering these mandalas as a gesture of gratitude and devotion to the enlightened beings and principles they represent.
Nyung
Nay retreat at Kopan Monastery. སྨྱུང་གནས་ཀྱི་བཀའ་ཁྲིད།
མཁས་ཤིང་གྲུབ་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་དགེ་བཤེས་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག། ལེའུ་དང་པོ།
The Nyung Nay retreat is
a powerful practice within the Mahayana tradition, designed to
purify negative karma and accumulate vast merit. It involves
fasting, meditation, and chanting, deeply connecting us with the
compassionate energy of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of
Compassion.
In the Mahayana
tradition, our journey is not just for personal enlightenment but
for the benefit of all sentient beings. The heart of our practice is
Bodhicitta – the altruistic intention to attain Buddhahood for the
sake of all beings. Through the rigorous and transformative practice
of Nyung Nay, we cultivate this Bodhicitta, purifying our minds and
opening our hearts.
Venerable Geshe Lama
Konchog’s teachings remind us that true spiritual practice
transcends mere rituals. It is about embodying compassion and wisdom
in every moment of our lives. Each breath, each thought, and each
action should be directed toward alleviating the suffering of others
and contributing to the welfare of all beings. As we engage in the
Nyung Nay retreat, we are reminded of the impermanence of life and
the preciousness of each moment.
This retreat is a profound opportunity to deepen our connection to the Dharma, cleanse our obscurations, and strengthen our commitment to the path of compassion and wisdom. May the merits of this practice benefit all sentient beings. May we all be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May we all achieve the ultimate happiness of enlightenment. Let us dedicate our practice to the liberation and enlightenment of all beings, just as Venerable Great Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog has taught us.
Why we should practice
Dharma experiential teaching 03/14/1995 བཀའ་ཆོས།
མཁས་ཤིང་གྲུབ་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་དགེ་བཤེས་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག། ལེའུ་དང་པོ།
Practicing Dharma experiential teaching is essential for truly understanding and embodying the teachings of Buddhism. Venerable Great Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog has dedicated his life to sharing his wisdom and guiding others on the path to enlightenment.
His teachings at Kopan Monastery offer a unique opportunity to learn from a master practitioner and deepen our own spiritual practice. By following his guidance and putting the teachings into practice in our daily lives, we can cultivate greater compassion, wisdom, and inner peace. Let us embrace this opportunity to learn from a true master and transform our lives through the practice of Dharma.
Thirty-Five Buddhas
Confession Downfalls Practice: An Experiential Teaching
The practice of
prostration to the 35 Buddhas in Mahayana Buddhism is known as the
"Confession of Downfalls." It is a method of purification in which
practitioners confess their misdeeds and generate remorse,
committing to avoid repeating such actions in the future. This
practice is often part of a larger sadhana or meditation practice
and is intended to purify negative karma. Here is a general outline
of how the practice is performed:
1. **Preparation**: Practitioners begin by setting up a clean space, often with a representation of the 35 Buddhas, such as a thangka (a Tibetan Buddhist painting) or statues. They might also set up offerings, such as candles, incense, or flowers.
2. **Refuge and
Bodhicitta**: Practitioners take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha,
Dharma, and Sangha) and generate the mind of bodhicitta, the
aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
3. **Prostrations and Recitation**: - Practitioners recite the names
of the 35 Buddhas while performing prostrations. A full prostration
involves touching the forehead, palms, knees, and feet to the
ground, symbolizing the surrender of pride and the cultivation of
humility. The names of the 35 Buddhas are recited in a specific
order. Each name is associated with a particular aspect of
purification.
4. **Confession and
Remorse**: As part of the recitation, practitioners confess their
downfalls, acknowledging past negative actions, expressing regret,
and resolving not to repeat them.
5. **Dedication**: After
completing the recitations and prostrations, practitioners dedicate
the merit generated by the practice to the benefit of all sentient
beings, wishing for their liberation and enlightenment.
Here is a list of the 35
Buddhas typically included in this practice: 1. Shakyamuni Buddha 2.
Jewel Radiating Light Buddha 3. King of Melodious Sound Buddha 4.
Jeweled Banner Buddha 5. King of Being Proclaimed Clearly Buddha 6.
Pure One Buddha 7. Manifesting Pure Joy Buddha 8. Water Deity Buddha
9. Deity of the Water God Buddha 10. Glorious Flowers Buddha
11. Clearly Knowing One
Buddha 12. Radiance of Understanding Buddha 13. Glorious Renowned
One Buddha 14. Renowned Glorious One Buddha 15. King of Mindfulness
Buddha 16. King of Light Buddha 17. Glorious One Renowned Buddha 18.
Jewel Fire Buddha 19. King of Glorious Banners Buddha 20. Radiance
of the Moon Buddha
21. Glorious One Renowned
for Purity Buddha 22. King of the Mantra Buddha 23. Glorious One
Renowned for Understanding Buddha 24. Jewel Moonlight Buddha 25.
Pure One Renowned for Virtue Buddha 26. Glorious One Renowned for
Light Buddha 27. King of Clear Light Buddha 28. Glorious One
Renowned for Renunciation Buddha 29. King of Pure Light Buddha 30.
Renowned One for the Sun Buddha
31. King of Renowned
Speech Buddha 32. Renowned One for the Path Buddha 33. Glorious One
Renowned for Renunciation Buddha 34. King of Light Buddha 35.
Glorious One Renowned for Manifesting Joy Buddha .
Conclusion The Confession
of Downfalls prostration to the 35 Buddhas is a powerful practice in
Mahayana Buddhism that helps to purify negative karma, cultivate
humility, and generate positive energy. It is often done with great
devotion and sincerity, leading to a deep sense of purification and
spiritual renewal.
The story of Lama Atisha Dipankara ཇོ་བོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་ལྡན་ཨ་ཏི་ཤའི་རྣམ་ཐར། མཁས་ཤིང་གྲུབ་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་དགེ་བཤེས་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག་དཔལ་བཟང་པོ་མཆོག།
Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (982-1054) was an influential figure in Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. His life and teachings played a significant role in the development and propagation of Buddhist thought in Tibet. Atiśa was born in the region of Bengal in India and became a respected scholar and practitioner. He studied extensively under numerous teachers and excelled in various fields of Buddhist knowledge, including both the exoteric teachings (Sutras) and esoteric practices (Tantras).
One of Atiśa's most
notable contributions was his journey to Tibet, which was prompted
by an invitation from the king of Western Tibet, Lha Lama Yeshe Ö,
and his nephew, Jangchub Ö. The purpose of the invitation was to
help purify and revitalize Buddhism in Tibet, which at that time was
perceived to have been tainted by erroneous interpretations and
practices. In Tibet, Atiśa composed several influential texts, with
one of the most significant being the "Bodhipathapradīpa" (Lamp for
the Path to Enlightenment).
This text laid out a
systematic approach to the path of enlightenment, blending the
Mahayana emphasis on compassion with the Vajrayana's advanced
practices. It became a foundational text for the Kadam school of
Tibetan Buddhism, which later influenced other schools, including
the Gelug school founded by Je Tsongkhapa. Atiśa's teachings
emphasized the importance of ethical conduct, the cultivation of
bodhicitta (the altruistic intention to achieve enlightenment for
the benefit of all beings), and the integration of wisdom and
compassion.
His approach provided a clear and structured path for practitioners, contributing significantly to the unification and clarification of Buddhist practice in Tibet. Atiśa's legacy continues to be honored in Tibetan Buddhism, and his teachings remain a cornerstone for many practitioners seeking to understand and follow the path to enlightenment
What is the difference between King Songtsen Gampo's tradition of Avalokiteshvara and Gelongma Palmo's tradition of Avalokiteshvara?
In Tibetan Buddhism, the
tradition of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig in Tibetan) has various
interpretations and practices, two of which are notably influenced
by King Songtsen Gampo and Gelongma Palmo.
King Songtsen Gampo's
Tradition of Avalokiteshvara -Historical Context:Songtsen Gampo
(605–650 CE) was the 33rd king of the Yarlung Dynasty in Tibet and
is credited with introducing Buddhism to Tibet. He is considered an
emanation of Avalokiteshvara.
Practice: The tradition linked to him emphasizes the integration of Avalokiteshvara’s compassion into the socio-political realm of Tibet. This tradition involves rituals, prayers, and visualizations focusing on Avalokiteshvara as a protector of Tibet and its people. - Iconography: Avalokiteshvara is often depicted in a peaceful form with multiple arms and eyes, symbolizing his all-seeing compassion and ability to help sentient beings. - Texts and Liturgies: This tradition may involve practices from early Mahayana texts and native Tibetan practices, highlighting the compassionate aspects of Avalokiteshvara and his role in guiding the Tibetan people.
Gelongma Palmo's
Tradition of Avalokiteshvara - Historical Context: Gelongma Palmo
(8th century), also known as Bhikshuni Lakshmi, was an Indian
princess who became a nun and is associated with the origin of the
Nyungne practice, a rigorous fasting and meditation retreat. -
Practice: This tradition emphasizes the Nyungne practice, which is a two-day meditation and fasting retreat that involves prayers, prostrations, and the recitation of Avalokiteshvara’s mantra. It is aimed at purifying negative karma and accumulating merit. - Iconography: Avalokiteshvara in this tradition is often depicted as the Eleven-Faced Avalokiteshvara (Chaturmukha), symbolizing his endless compassion towards all sentient beings. -
Texts and Liturgies: The Nyungne practice is guided by specific texts and sadhanas (ritual prayers) that provide detailed instructions on the visualization, chanting, and conduct during the retreat. This practice is highly revered for its transformative and purifying effects.
Key Differences - Focus
of Practice: - Songtsen Gampo: More aligned with the socio-political
integration of Avalokiteshvara’s compassion in Tibet, with practices
aimed at protection and guidance for the nation. - Gelongma Palmo:
Focused on individual purification and merit accumulation through
the Nyungne fasting and meditation retreat. -
Historical and Cultural Context: - Songtsen Gampo: Early establishment of Buddhism in Tibet and its integration into the royal and political framework. - Gelongma Palmo: Development of specific, rigorous practices like Nyungne within the monastic and lay communities.
The Story of Gelongma
Palmo
དགེ་སློང་མ་དཔལ་མོའི་རྣམ་ཐར་བཞུགས་སོ།
མཁས་ཤིང་གྲུབ་པའི་དབང་ཕྱུག་དགེ་བཤེས་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག་མཆོག
The Five Avalokiteshvara Brothers
1. Arya Vati Zangpo of
Kyirong in Mangyul (now with His Holiness Dalai Lama in Dharamsala)
2. Arya Bukham of Patan
3. Arya Jamali of
Kathmandu
4. Arya Lokeshvara in the
Potala Palace in Lhasa
5. Arya Akham of Patan
These statues emerged
from a special sandalwood tree in response to the pure prayers of
the 7th-century Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo (himself an emanation of
Avalokiteshvara). The King prayed to Avalokiteshvara to be able to
benefit sentient beings and bring Dharma to Tibet. As each statue
arose it declared where it wished to be located.
Each has acted as a supreme object of offerings and devotion for many centuries and countless beings. Each is infused with blessings. Three of these ancient sacred statues can easily be visited in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Arya Vati Zangpo is usually brought out once a year from His Holiness Dalai Lama palace to bless the mani pills. Arya Lokeshvara is the most sacred image in His Holiness Dalai Lama Potala Palace in Lhasa and can be visited if you go to Tibet.
The Golden Line of Profound Dharma Advice