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“Overpowering One’s Own Perceptions”
Join the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro Meditation and Teaching with Lama Dragpa and Lama Laia!
Saturday, April 23, 2022
3:30-5:30pm EST
Padma Samye Ling
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“The most secret, absolute Guru Padmasambhava—the true nature of mind—is the essential teaching of the Buddha. The principal beneficial activity of the Buddha is his teaching. Applying the teachings is what removes the obscurations that have bothered us for so long. These obscurations can’t be removed in any other way. Even the great teacher Buddha can’t wash away our obscurations with water, sweep them away with a broom, or remove them with physical force. Instead, it is the teaching— specifically the teaching on the true nature of the mind—that clears away every obscuration. It is the teachings that awaken us.
The Buddha does not and cannot purify or forcibly remove our obscurations for us. Each living being is responsible for his or her own mind. Each one of us must clean our own mind. Mind itself cleans the obscurations of mind. These obscurations are the stains of negative karma that have developed over many lifetimes of indulging in negative emotions. The Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava teach us the techniques and methods that we can use to clean these stains. Their teachings are the conditions. When we combine these conditions with our own efforts, we can change. We can wake up to our true nature.
In order to activate this, we need devotion. When we have devotion along with joyful effort and bodhichitta, as we practice the teachings of the Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava, a great powerful force sizzles within us, and the ice-cold residue of negative emotions and dualistic thinking begins to melt. This is how we receive blessings. Blessings come very easily when we prepare ourselves like this.
But if we don’t prepare ourselves, even when blessings come from great enlightened beings, they won’t penetrate our minds. They won’t benefit us at all; they will just fade away. No matter how much water you pour onto a bowl turned upside down, it will not be filled.”
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Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
Vajra Sound of Peace: Practicing the Seven Chapter Prayer of Guru Padmasambhava (pgs 19-20)
Friday, March 18, 2022
4:00-6:00 pm EDT
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Chötrul Duchen celebrates Buddha Shakyamuni’s miraculous activities at the conclusion of the Miracle Month.
Join live:
Learn more:
Make a tsok food offering:
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Buddha’s Miracles in Shravasti, India
“This is a short account of the month of miracles in Shravasti and how Buddha Shakyamuni skillfully brought the Dharma to over ninety-thousand people with mistaken views at that time.
The leaders of India’s six main philosophical schools had challenged the Buddha to a contest of miraculous powers many times as he wandered through the surrounding kingdoms. Six evil, heretic teachers led by Purnakasyapa had become mad with resentment and jealousy against the Buddha, and tried to engage him in a contest of miraculous powers, which Mara had persuaded them they could win. King Bimbisara laughed them out of court when they petitioned him, but they persisted, and finally he went to request the Buddha’s participation. The Buddha agreed, but stipulated that he would set the time of the contest. A teaching throne was set up in a large arena at Rajagrha, but shortly before the proposed contest, the Buddha and all his followers departed for Vaisali. Seeing this as an admission of defeat, the six heretic teachers were elated, and rushed after the Buddha, with their ninety thousand followers, and after them, king Bimbisara and his entourage. The heretics urged the Licchavi king to stage the contest there, and the Buddha again accepted, but said he would set the time.
The Buddha then moved on, from one city to the next; each time giving the same answer, and gathering a new following, until they came to Shravasti. The heretics soon arrived, and remonstrate with king Prasenajit not to allow any further postponement, and the Buddha assented that the time had now come. Buddha was fifty-seven years old when the conditions were most auspicious to accept this challenge. King Prasenajit built a hall in Shravasti especially for the event; in it seven thrones were erected. On the new moon of the first month of spring (what is now known as losar, the beginning of the Tibetan new year), the six other teachers took their seats and Shakyamuni came to his flying through the air. He was honored with extensive offerings. He then sent forth fire and water from his body and the hall was destroyed and reformed as a transparent palace. Before the kings of all the capitals he had passed through, the six heretics and their followers, and a huge assembly of gods and humans, he performed inconceivable miracles for the next fifteen days. On the first day, he created a bounteous tree by planting his tooth-pick in the ground, causing a great tree to spring up, fragrant and fully laden with flowers and ripe fruit. On the second day, he manifested two jeweled mountains. On the third day, he produced a jewel lake. On the fourth, voices came from the lake explaining all aspects of the Dharma. On the fifth day, golden light spread from his countenance and filled the world, purifying the emotional poisons of sentient beings. On the sixth day, he allowed people to read each others’ thoughts. On the seventh, he transformed his benefactors into world-rulers. On the eighth day, the Buddha pressed down on the throne with the fingers of his right hand, and with a thunderous roar, the fierce Vajrapani appeared from beneath, brandishing a flaming vajra at the heretic teachers. Four beings in Vajrapani’s retinue scattered the heretics and smashed their thrones. The heretics were so scared that they leapt into the river. Then, the Buddha radiated eighty four thousand rays of light, one from each pore of his skin, which filled the sky. On the tip of each ray was a lotus, and on each lotus a buddha, with attendants, teaching Dharma, and all were amazed, and some were liberated by the sight of it.
In these eight days Buddha Shakyamuni utterly defeated his opponents. The ninety thousand followers of the six heretic teachers adopted the Buddhist doctrines, joined the monkhood, and later became arhats. For a further seven days Buddha Shakyamuni continued to show miracles and give teachings to the great assembly.”
(Extracted from The Eight Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage by Jeremy Russell; Teachings from Tushita: Journal of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre; and The Twelve Deeds of the Buddha by Matthew Akester, Shechen Publications, 2003.)
“Actualization of the three kayas is the result of applying the three wisdoms. Dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya represent three inseparable aspects of the Buddha. According to the Inner Tantras, the three kayas have no objective existence. They are not localized, but are all-pervasive, encompassing both mind and appearances. This means that everything is always in a condition of perfect enlightenment.
All phenomena are the display of the kayas. The three kayas are never separate from each other, but exist primordially within the true nature. The trikaya is what we and all external phenomena essentially are. When you fully realize what you are, you will know that you never had to do anything or go anywhere in order to be enlightened or see a pure land. The pure lands are the trikaya, and all six bardos arise within these kayas. The display, activity, and true nature of the kayas are all within us. It’s not a matter of escaping from “this horrible place” to somewhere else that is fancy and beautiful where the three kayas dwell. We must realize the three kayas as the true nature and reality of all phenomena.
Infinite and uncreated, the true nature of mind is great emptiness—the inconceivable openness known as dharmakaya. Great emptiness is not blank, empty space, a void, or nothingness. It is very luminous, clear, and full. Brightness and clarity shine forth spontaneously. This unceasing luminosity of the true nature is known as sambhogakaya.
The mind is always active, radiating a world of transformations. Due to its natural responsiveness, it never stays the same for two instants. Each sparking, radiant moment of manifest existence is never separate from the original state of the true nature. Each spark is the union of emptiness and clarity. That radiance manifesting as momentary events in space and time is known as nirmanakaya.
Guru Padmasambhava taught that the three kayas are inherent in the nature of mind. Many people don’t know this and are always wandering, looking for something outside of themselves. This search opens them to many experiences: good and bad, high and low, deep and shallow, and sequences of gain and loss. But in every case, these experiences are concepts that are created by the mind. None of these qualities exist in a solid, objective sense. The present flows and changes, and this impermanence indicates that there is no inherent existence in objects and events.
All perception and conscious experience is nothing other than the expression of our minds. Everything we see, hear, feel, taste, smell, and touch is mind. What does mind really refer to? Mind is open, empty, and pure from the beginning. Mind is also the embodiment of the three kayas. Our practice is to discover and express the true nature of the mind. We must study, contemplate, meditate on, and ultimately actualize the trikaya realization. If we are devoted and one-pointed in our efforts, all phenomena reveal the trikaya. When the moment of death comes, we will recognize this event as a lucid display of the three kayas—another expression of the true nature. There is no conflict when we understand that this is part of a natural process.
The bardo of birth and life is a very special circumstance for practice. Since everything is pervaded by the three kayas, we must come to recognize that our present vision and perception are ultimately not any different from the original nature of the mind. The understanding of the innate purity of all perception is the highest teaching of the Inner Tantras. All of our dualistic conceptions, such as self and other, good and bad, assisting friends and avoiding enemies, arise as thoughts in our minds. Mind creates all of these fabrications. There’s nothing among all of those names that has any solid existence, yet the mind creates notions and projects visions that we are inclined to believe and act on. Distracted and unmindful, we habitually grasp and cling.
What is grasping? To grasp means to be attached to what we think. It is to believe that things actually exist the way conditioned mind perceives them. That is called “grasping.” We continually cling to beliefs and create artificial divisions. We’ve decided that some things are good and others are not. This clinging to concepts is based on the assumption of permanence. Even though phenomena are constantly changing, the mind projects a fixed image and holds on to it, assuming things are a certain way all the time. Trying to see the world as we’d like it to be, and holding on to that image is referred to as “ego-clinging.” It’s like we’re suffocating in a tight cocoon. Trapped by attachments, we miss opportunities to release our grasping and grow.
Being confined to a small room with no space to move back and forth creates a contraction in the body. When we want to shift our position there is no room, so we suffer. We move a little to one side, but it’s still uncomfortable. We suffer at every turn because our movements are constricted. This is the effect that ego-clinging and grasping have on both body and mind. We create a small, cramped space for ourselves and others by withholding love and compassion. Ego-clinging, grasping, and dualistic thinking make us narrow and uptight so that we automatically communicate these qualities to others. They tend to make everybody uncomfortable.
Actually, the door in the room is wide open. But if we don’t walk through it, it may as well be sealed. We suffer because we’re convinced of our limitations. Yet when we open our hearts and minds and love all beings equally, we are liberated into the infinite expanse, the reality beyond all limits, the original, primordial nature of our mind which is forever open and free. By releasing ego-clinging, we are merely returning to our primordial nature as it already is, as it always has been.”
Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
The Essential Journey of Life and Death, Vol. 1 (pgs 95-98)
Photo of Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche at Padma Samye Ling in 2008.
THE PADMASAMBHAVA BUDDHIST CENTER presents
“ACTIVATING the POWER of TIBETAN BUDDHISM in UNCERTAIN TIMES”
Join Lama Pema Dragpa & the PBC Sangha for Special Teachings & Meditation Practices in Nashville
Yeshe Tsogyal Temple
419 E. Iris Drive
Nashville, TN 37204
APRIL 6 – 10
WEDS
April 6
7:00-8:30pm
Introduction to Meditation Practice:
Calm Abiding and Insight Meditation
THURS
April 7
Private Interviews with Lama Dragpa @ Yeshe Tsogyal Temple
Call (615) 585-9709 for Appt
7:00-8:30 pm
Going Deep Without Getting Narrow: Open-Hearted Spiritual Exploration
FRIDAY
April 8
10:00am-5:00pm
Open Meditation Day
(1 hour meditations all day long – stop by when you want)
7:00-8:30pm
Stories of Our Teachers
SATURDAY
April 9
10:00am–12 noon
All-day Practice Intensive on Green Tara, the Swift Liberator according to HH Dudjom Rinpoche & the Ven. Khenpo Rinpoches
12:00-1:30pm
Bring your own lunch
1:30–3:30pm
Green Tara Meditation with Dharmapala Prayers and Tsok Offering Ceremony
SUNDAY
April 10
10:00am–1:00pm
The Essential Journey of Life and Death
6:00pm
Sangha Dinner at Woodlands Restaurant
SUGGESTED DONATIONS
Full Weekend: $60 • Weds. (open donation), Fri. (open donation), Sat. ($30), Sun. ($30) •
Student Discount: Full Weekend $40 or $20 per day • Online and On Site Registration
Lama Pema Dragpa has been a resident Dharma teacher at Padma Samye Ling since 2004. PSL is the main monastery & retreat center of the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center founded by the Nyingma Dzogchen masters Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche & Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. Ordained as a lama by Ven. Khenpo Rinpoches, Dragpa graduated with honors in philosophy & religious studies from NYU in 2002, and is a senior editor of over 25 books on Buddhist philosophy & meditation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.pbc-tn.org
(615) 585-9709
Ganachakra of Guru Padmasambhava Celebrating the Mahaparinirvana of Lama Chimed Namgyal
with Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
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• Join the Webcast Live from Padma Samye Ling
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Anniversary of Shantarakshita and Lama Chimed Namgyal, Ven. Khenpo Rinpoche’s precious father and teacher!
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Saturday, March 12th is the tenth day of the waxing moon. This is a very special day for practice in the Vajrayana Sangha.
• Shower of Blessings from Mipham Rinpoche will be the main practice.
• A Prayer of Loving Devotion, In Remembrance of the Only Father Lama.
• If you have the Stainless King, it would be good to also have that handy.
• We will include our other daily healing practices as well.
• If you would like to contribute to the feast offering, you can make a donation here.
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March 5, 2022
3rd lunar day of the 1st Tibetan month of the Water Tiger year during the Miracle Month
Learn more about this practice:
“How to Perform a Simple Riwo Sang Chod Fire Puja Meditation Practice at Home”
March 5 and 6
3:00-5:00pm EST
222 Bowery
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Dear Friends,
Tashi deleg! We are very happy to announce that, after two years, the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center will be having monthly meditations once again at 222 Bowery in Manhattan!
Due to the kindness of John Giorno and the Giorno Foundation—who is upholding John’s wishes—we will hold meditations on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month.
As a start, on the auspicious third day of Tibetan New Year (March 5 & 6), Lama Laia will lead Buddha Shakyamuni practice and meditation.
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We hope you can join us! Below is more information:
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Please note:
Even though the pandemic seems to be lifting, for everyone’s safety and comfort we are holding the following requirements for attendance:
(1) Spaces are limited to 40 people. Advance Registration is Required. Please click the below RSVP button to make a reservation.
(2) Proof of Covid 19 vaccination is required. Please bring your vaccination card with you to the event.
(3) Face masks are required.
Yours in the Dharma,
Padmasambhava Buddhist Center
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Lama Laia Pema Tsultrim was ordained in 2003 as a monk by his teachers Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche at the sacred site of the Buddha’s first teaching in Deer Park, India. He is a resident Dharma teacher at Padma Samye Ling Monastery in New York, where he has lived since 1999. Lama Laia is a senior editor of Dharma Samudra Publishing, leads daily meditations at PSL, and regularly helps with the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center (PBC) monastery and nunnery in India. Lama Laia’s unique style of communicating the essential pillars of Buddhist tenets enable him to impart tranquility and joy, while encouraging great enthusiasm and inspiration in others to develop mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom.
“To All Dear Ones,
By the blessings of the Three Jewels, at the beginning of the Water Tiger Year, Tibetan Royal Era 2149, we would like to wish you long life, excellent health, peace, happiness, prosperity, and an abundance of the four perfections [phuntsogdezhi].”
Yours in the Dharma,
Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
& the Sangha of Padma Samye Ling!
March 3, 2022
www.padmasambhava.org
“How do we keep clear light wisdom realization in our minds? Simple! Practice Dzogchen meditation. Look to your mind. When you look to your mind and ask, “Where is my mind?” you’re not going to find anything. Dzogchen practitioners must constantly observe their minds with great precision. Be aware at all times. Look directly at your mind, instantly, immediately, and directly. In that moment of looking, you don’t find anything. As the Buddha said, “Not finding is the supreme finding.” So enjoy and relax in that state. By stabilizing your recognition of the true nature you are “nailing down” the “clear light unimpeded wisdom” beyond subject, object and action. Abiding in that state is “driving the nail of clear light unimpeded rigpa at the juncture of samsara and nirvana.”
The great Dzogchen master Longchenpa gave this advice:
On a comfortable cushion, relax your body with your spine straight. Don’t recollect past memories and don’t provoke future plans. Settle your mind in the instantaneous present. Smile and enjoy the fresh, radiant tranquility that you begin to experience by allowing this to shine.
When you relax in the fresh, instant moment you begin to experience the “unimpeded clear light wisdom nail of rigpa.”
Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
The Seven Nails: The Final Testament of the Great Dzogchen Master Shri Singha (pgs 94-95)
Seven Nails: The Final Testament of the Great Dzogchen Master Shri Singha