Dzogchen Shira Sing Buddhist University (Tibet)

Last night i heard that one of the Masters of H.E. the 7th Dzogchen Rinpoche's Master passed away physically at the age of 91 in India, Dzogchen Monastery. There is a Fire Puja conducting in Dzogchen Manastery, India. Today, i was searching for this Master's name as i could not heard clearly over the handphone voice from India. Incidentally, i found this sister website of the Dzogchen Monastery in Tibet, and this respected Dzogchen Shira Sing Buddhist University at Tibet. This famous monastery of Vajrayana Tradition, Nyingma School in Tibet is venerated for its Buddha-Dharma education. Among with many others living Lama/Rinpoche teaching in different parts of the globe, Kunde Rinpoche and Kunga Rinpoche were trained and graduated with 'Khenpo' (Doctorate) from this Dzogchen Shira Sing Buddhist University. The Venerable, H.H. Dzogchen Kyabje Pema Kalsang Rinpoche is the one of the living great Nyingma Master, residing in Dzogchen Monastery, Tibet: http: //www.dzogchenmonastery.cn/ It is rejoicing to find this monastery's site compassionately included free download on teachings, video and audio materials, including selected prayers recited by Kyabje Rinpoche! i personally like the rich vocal prayer recitation. I have heard some 'miraculous' happenings of this courageous Kyabje Rinpoche. Another one special Master, Dzogchen Khyentse Rinpoche, whose compassion to people has affinity to meet him may display in playful childlike style, enlightening to some, but may also raised the eyebrows of others who prefered oxthordox approaches - this may have indeed recorded some living oral accounts of Rinpoche's Zen strategies to different individuals. But i do not find Rinpoche's photo displaying in this site - a reflection of a truely free individual style of beyond convention, and detachment over worldly fixed conceptuals of eight winds? Tashi Delek
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My heart aching again, today i read news of earthquake happened in Myamar (Burma). Namo Amitabha. Feeling helpless to these recent mother nature protests, it is indeed relieving for my heart to find and playing one of the playlists in this site's audio prayer recitations by HH Kyabje Pema Kalsang Rinpoche, "Prayer to Reduce Natural Disaster" - May the prayer recitations transmitted in this site be shared with all sentient beings of recent earthquake victims in Japan and Myamar, and all sentient beings in the universal. May the mother earth be peaceful.
25 March 2011, 2220hrs, sonam yeshi

In Search of One's True Self

Last night I was contemplating on the teaching of rebirth by the Buddha after a short recitation of Heart Sutra and the aching news of the impact of earthquake to Japan. Then a thought arose: it is great blessings for those who have been born and living in a country whom a Rinpoche (Living Buddha) has taken rebirth based on the teaching of Vajrayana Tradition's Bodhisattva vow - momentarily, my mind was rejoicing in the collective merits of those human beings probably takes aeons of good virtue of accummulation? Then a Nyingma Dzogchen Master's name appears in my mind - Acho Rinpoche from Singapore.
This evening after my dinner, despite the fact i had been taking too long break for my research study, and need a little self-push to go back to read current academic literature, my heart felt strongly i wanna visit Rinpohe's blog to read his teaching or contemplation, i am amazed! - it is the latest posting  by one of  his students (correction), the time that this humble teacher spoke narratively of 'seeing' his True self - This is one of the living proofs on the teaching of Enlightenment is possible for human beings to attain with practices on the perfection of six virtues (paramitas) and realized the non-self (emptiness).
http://www.achorinpoche.blogspot.com/

In Search of One's True Self is the realization of non-self?
How many of us sentient being could see beyond our physical eye? I used to laught at myself i cant even remember everything vividly what i did yesterday -unless they are 'extraordinary' events!

谢谢上师，顶礼上师，愿上师永久住世。
阿弥陀佛！Amitabha
Tashi Delek 吉祥如意！

Healing my aching heart (2)

i did a refelction of healing my aching heart at my research study blog recently. Lately the problem of life and sudden death news have been boggling my mind and aching my heart. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011 is another 'sad' news of environmental disaster! When i read the compassionate message of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama ends with "prayers of recite the Heart Sutra for one hundred thousand times were being organized in Dharamsala for this purpose":

http://www.dalailama.com/

it is very touching and pragmatic approach of healing an aching heart - spiritual gift.
From hereon, thus i recite the Heart Sutra (心经) once a day (at least) and 'May the merits be transfered to all sentient beings'.

Incidentally, March 13 is the second memorial anniversary of my late beloved mom, i am going to do my prayer chant of 'Chenrezig Saddhana' (四臂观音仪轨), lit a candle at my Buddha shrine and dedicate merits to all sentient beings...May all sentient beings be peaceful. May the merit arising from our thought of constructing a Buddhist stupa to commerate my late parents, late eldest brother, and past ancestors be shared and transferred to all sentient beings. - Thank you and Sadhu to my teachers: Konde Rinpoche and Khenpo Kunga Tashi Rinpoche who inspired this thought.
HONG MA MA HONG NE SOHA (108X). OM MANI PADME HUM (108X), 'NAMO AMITABHA 阿弥陀佛（108X）
Tashi Delek
Posted March 13, 2011 at 1125hrs

Buddha-Dharma Books

i bought a set of book - "Lights of Wisdom" 慧灯之光 consists a series of Buddha-Dharma teachings by 慈诚罗珠堪布仁波切published in 6 books. Though the teachings could be read/download online freely at WWW, i thought may be this is a way of support to the author's compassionate work of relentlessly sharing the Dharma of Wisdom-Compassion teachings.
i also bought a book authored by 释印顺法师(1906-2005), the late Ven. Shi Yin Shun - 佛法概论 as a gift to an interested friend.
These are new year gift for myself for 2011...no need to wear fancy new clothes and shoes but need to buy warm jacket to counter geographical weather changed, matching with my old sport shoes 'Sketchers' as i was travelling during this Lunar Chinese festivals - to places which i thought of visiting only after completion of my academic research project.

A Reflection

'where' is this Great Teacher, Patrul Rinpoche? does this Master reincarnated in this century? i was curious as many attained Masters did with great compassion had recorded in Tibetan Buddhism history. The translated text (English) recommended by my first Tibetan Rinpoche i met in the USA in 1995, H.E. Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, the author was Patrul Rinpoche, The Words of My Perfect Teacher (Padmakara Translation Group, 1994). Mainly, the spiritual respect from anyone who studied Vajrayana Tradition whether beginner or any stage is undoubtedly a quintessential text for any interested learner. When i asked, i was informed that H.E. Patrul Rinpoche is a senior, living in Tibet, only speaks Tibetan, highly respected and profound in Dharma teachings (without any text required) in Tibet monasteries (such passionate humble rebirth to homeland of the Snow Mountain of a Bodhisattva!). The Internet enabled my curiosity to stretch to unknown sites. I understand Kyabje Pema Kelsang Rinpoche is a true well-known practitioner, not Internet savvy. Today, accidentally, i found they are some others named 'Pema Kalsang' or 'Kelsang Pema', or Pema Kelsang" posted in the Internet sites (i found one 'quarrelsome' site having those similar words in name, another site claiming such and such the only True Buddha, very amusing :)-D. - i only recognized Sakyamuni Buddha (Gautama Buddha, born in human body: 563 B.C.E.) attained Buddhahood historically, spiritually and humanely who showed the path to Enlightenment for countless students who learned and practised the universal Truths he expounded. Reading the books on the Life of the Buddha never in any sentence mentioned the Buddha 'quarrelsome style' with anyone, or using framing words such as 'hyprocracy', the amusing news is this person with similar name (only) travelled somewhere to demonstrate for the visiting/arrival of a Noble person, minimally still his fellow men...etc. etc... may be politically motivated, i could only think this is the only possible reason, otherwise why wasting precious time and limited lifespan doing such activities, wearing sacred clothes, and demo outside a foreign university who was accepting a visit form an internationally renown and humble Noble Peace Prize laurette? an ironical reflection of the opposite of peace? Reading such news could be 'stressful' but amusing, :)-D) - i hardly find time to complete 500 prostration and Three Jewels Chanting in the past 10 months! may be even have to stop blogging in weekends or late evenings... YES, i found from this resourceful site : rigpawiki.org which hosted related site dedicated to Patrul Rinpoche's teaching. It is interesting RIGPA SHEDRA MP3 Library had a reminder for users on learning from listening to recordings is not a substitute for oral transmission (attending classess or receiving instruction directly from Teacher). I think this reminder is applicable to the using the internet resources for learning Dharma teachings on the Web. http://www.rigpawiki.org/ http://www.lotsawahouse.org/patrul/index.htm let me go back to 'serious' learning - read research articles or go to continue my prostration from the no 450 ...:)-) Post amended on March 13, 2011

The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry

After posting some Internet resources on Buddhist Dharma Teachings (many more good resources still residing in the Web like undiscover virutal lay jewels), i was a little 'amazed' by how the Internet also serve as effective propaganda/forum spaces for "intellectual gossips" as i was browsing through wikis (wikipedia.org), ask.com. It is contended that the internet is a 'free space' without editorial review, gatekeeper thus having the question of reliability of sources frequently cautioned by professionals.
Among my concern of the juicy gossips in virtual spaces is the posting on news/forum discussion of issues highlighted by the media of some full-time dharma practitioners, especially those involved sensitive human chastity (precepts) for renounced practitioners, masters of different traditions - even though this is also happening to other universal religions (organized religion?). Readers without the foundations teachings of the the Dharma (the Buddha's Teachings) may be confused, even shy away by such sarcecrows. Personally i like to read parables, stories, fables etc. Often we forgot these famous little fables, Jataka stories, Zen stories etc. having deep meanings for human thoughts. Among them, particularly i like: The Elephant and Four Blind men, New clothes of the King (国王的新衣) etc. have much truth on human behavior. But the Greatest Teacher who is living more than 2,500 years has reminded us the importance of human mind to investigate before justifying between many opposites of human concepts - The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry (The Kalama Sutra). i found this website that saved me typing again the text (Please copy the address & paste to browser. Thanks Sidney, Sadhu):
The Kalama Sutta (Sutra)
http://web.singnet.com.sin/~sidneys/kalama.htm
Other sites which have its explanations:
http://www,what-buddha-taught.net/Books5/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Help_The_Kalama_Sutta_Help.htm
(souce : http://www.suanmokkh.org )
The Buddhist Publication Society, Sri Lanka (which is a good reference site for scholarly works on traditional dharma teachings):
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wheel008.html

Many sites have posted commentary/explanation of this piece of famous teaching which is a unique teaching of the Dharma, especially after it becomes an 'ism' - cause more confusion (? D:) from human endless judgements....

Discussion on Happiness

As i was writing and reading many hyperlinks of websites of Buddhist organizations, i came across this creative piece of expression in a blog - personally i find this a flair of humor, creative thoughts in wording (contrary to my 'serious' learning); this blog site meter indicates its attraction with many intellectual discussions on topics of human behaviors. It is good piece to refresh my dull mind (copy and paste this link site to browser):
http://whoistheabsurbman.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-makes-us-happy.html
from this blog site:
http://whoistheabsurbman.blogspot.com/

cheers...:)-D: