In a Nutshell

How many of us can really free ourselves from self-centeredness? Like it or not, our family members, relatives and people who are closed to us in daily life are 'our small world view' - we like to live in our small space in a rounded well.  The Malay language has an interesting proverb: Katak di bawah Tempurung (a frog living under a nutshell - coconut shell?).  Sometimes i wonder who are we to give unfavorable comments to world's renowned peace price winners - if one really care to research on their lives, their lives are full of preseverence to universal humane principles and self-sacrifies of personal comfort - these factors in a way made them rise beyond the hay stacks...
Today i read the news that feature the conference of some of the world's humanitarians in Newark, USA. Personally, i am touched by one of the quotes cited in the news was this visionary phrase given by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, for  reflection:
"The world belongs to over 6 billion human beings, not governments or religious leaders," he said. "The world belongs to people."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/us-city-plays-host-dalai-lama-3-day-185349000.html
Another news about The Holiness visit to Arkansas, USA:
"The enemy is your best teacher," said the Dalai Lama,..."
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/3395/in-arkansas-dalai-lama-draws-crowds-as-big-as-a-sports-event
As a buddhist, we believed it takes great merits to meet a spiritual teacher, even boundless merits to meet The Holiness.

Happy Vesākha Day (Happy Wesak Day) to all Buddhists world-wide - It is a special day we reflect on how the prince Siddhartha had given up his comfortable nutshell, went forward with full determination to search for the truth of human sufferings, Enlightened and became the Buddha, with Great Compassion, turning the wheel of the Dharma for 45 years with Perfect Wisdom, countless skillful means to different personalities - that leads to the formation of the Sangha, and the lay communities till today, more than 2,500 years (2555 B.C.) and flowing on......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ves%C4%81kha

Happy Vesakha to you
May the Buddha be our Teacher
May the Dharma be our Light
May the Sangha be our Guide
towards the Path to Enlightenment!

Tashi Delek
sonam yeshi

Generosity

The Buddha's Teachings on Generosity (Dana) is very intersting, guided by the teaching of Right Thought in the Noble Eightfold Path:

to refresh my little memory of intellectual learning on generosity, generally it has three categories:
a) Giving of Materials （财布施） - money, the four basic needs (food, shelter, clothing, transport);
b) Giving of Dharma （法布施）  - education, teachings, time & energy to support dharma activities;
c) Giving of Life （无畏布施） - gives one's own life for the sake of others without discrimination  - Perfection of Giving.
the following webpage hypertext link has a very interesting interview on generosity:
http://www.purifymind.com/Generosity.htm

The latest project for Buddhist friends to accummulate blessings & merits :)-D)
- the restoration of the main Guru Rinpoche statue, 8 smaller Guru Rinpoche images and images of the Dharma Protectors in the retreat centre at Dzogchen Monastery, India. The auscpicious Vesakha Day is coming, even a little effort of giving with Right Thought or Right Intention, it is a meritorous practice we shall aspire to cherish in our cultivation.

May the Bodhisattva Vajrasattva purifies our obscuration, May the project be sucessfully assisted by the lay community in this rare opportunity to practise generosity!
Even if one cannot afford to give in material term, may one practise the recitations of Vajrasattva Mantra, Vajrasattva 100 Syllables Mantra, may one meditate, or visualized the beautiful image of Vajrasattva to purify one's obscurations, and enabling the path with the conducive conditions for continuous spiritual cultivation until attaining Enlightenment.

[a  special gift from H.E. the 7th Dzogchen Rinpoche to Khenpo Kunga Rinpoche in 2009.  Image photographed by sonam yeshi, All right reserved]

Mantra

OM VAJRASATTVA HUM - Sanskrit

OM BENZA SATTVA HUM - Tibetan
Vajrasattva 100 Syllables Mantra (Tibetan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z43G_Eoke1A&feature=related
Thank you to YouTube and the uploader

Tashi Delek

sonam yeshi, 8 May 2011

Buddhist Prayers - Medicine Buddha Chant

Late last month, my youngest sister admitted to hospital for an operation.  I called her the day after her operation, her energy was so low that i began to worry. I telephoned both Khenpo and Tulku to request for blessings chant for her.  Then i mailed her 3 CDs of Buddhist Chants : Guru Rinpoche Chant, Vajrasattva 100 Syllabes and Medicine Buddha Chant. More than a week later, i telephoned Tulku and he asked if she was recovered? Immediately i called her at KK, and she sounded healthy and asked to express 'Thank You' to both  Rinpoches. During the week knowing of her health conditions, i found practising the Chenrezig Sadhanna Chant and transferring of merits to sentient beings helped me from mental worries over her health state.

Then later almost for nearly past a week, my body experienced stiffness and rashes - skin sensitive reaction 'resides' on my 2 arm's joint (a sign that many termed due to 'stress' conventionally?) .  After the 3rd day, i went to a pharmacist instead go to the panel clinic. The pharmacist advised to take 'Zyrtec' once a day.  The first day i took it, the conditions of the rashes seemed improved.  Happily i went to inform her it worked.  The following 2 days, the rashes came back and became more serious. Thus i stopped taking the medication. Reflecting if it is the body was protesting - a sign it needs rest? Further,  i reflected: we conceptually said that 'this is my body' , 'this body is 'mine', but why 'i' have no control over the body? - it suffers from sickness, old age and finally death! - our bodies are experiencng the First Noble Truth - The Noble Truth of Suffering, expounded by the Sakyamuni Buddha more than 2,500 year ago! Like a doctor, the Buddha's teachings are reminding me: you are sick, there is cause of this suffering, the cessation of it, and the path leading to the cessation of suffering! 
Then i recalled the story a friend's son at the KK Dzogchen center,  suffering from skin problem since young and no medication seemed to work for him for years.  Then a good friend recommended her mother to bring this son to join one of the Chenrezig Saddhana Puja at the KK Dzogchen Center -at that time the center was in the old house premises.  After the puja, later his skin problem disappeared in a miraculous way - no medication.  He then requested a copy of the puja book to recite at his home.  After months, his skin problem has never re-appear until today - thus they become our friends.
Thus i did my Buddhist Prayers: Buddhist Puja & Buddhist Mantras. Feeling that these mental medicine may help my body to recover naturally. Recalling Visakha Day is coming, thus after the Chenrezig Saddhana Chant, I did the Sakyamuni Mantra, followed by the Medicine Buddha Chant.  Later  i felt i should finish reading the last volume (volume III) of the manuscript of Konde Rinpoche. The texts described the 'Bardo" states - to a reader such ignorant like me, it is very 'deep' teaching of Vajrayanna, specifically the Dzogchen practice.  -But i felt that this manuscript needs to be publish as soon as possible - though it has been a long journey Rinpoche commissioned its translation to English in India.  As i contemplated on his compassion to share this deep aspect of Buddhist teachings, my tears welled my heart.......
Later in the afternoon, i felt extremely tired.  i went to sleep, and when i woke up, i found four hours more had passed.  I examined my then 'rashed' arms - and found the rashes had disappered, at least the itchness subsided [need another day or two to check if its recurrence?!]  My heart was inspired - i went to my shrine which has a small image of Medicine Buddha on it (a gift from Konde Rinpoche), i chanted the Medicine Buddha Chant for 108 times:
'TEYATHA OM BEGANZE BEGANZE MAHA BEGANZE RADZA SAMUNGHATE SOHA"

By this practise, May the merits be shared with all sentient beings.
但愿众生得离苦，愿之众生得安乐,
但愿众生得离苦，愿之众生往生佛净土

Buddhist Mantras

Knowledge is power, ignorance is bliss?
with spiritual mental development, may our mind be wise, may our heart be filled with loving kindness & compassionate, May our speech be like the nectar, May our body be calm abiding.

OM AH RA BA TSA NA DHI (Om Ara Pa Ca Na Dhe)
Manjushri Mantra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw8NTMRgDso&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGEVNlVWyBI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMWNmYtPnFA&feature=related


OM MANI PADME HUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPszteX0z7k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YEq3St7CGs&feature=related

Prajna-paramita Sutra (Heart Sutra)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c9-XaA2f00

Happy belated birthday to all born on the day of 5th in the month of MAY - May all aspire for Enlightenment, and May all aspire to help all sentient beings!
Tashi Delek
吉祥如意

sonam yeshi - May 6, 2011, 2044 hrs