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Hayagriva TheNews Hayagriva Buddhist Centre Newsletter 64 Banksia Terrace, Kensington, Western Australia 6151 Telephone (08) 9367 4817 www.hayagriva.org.au April to June 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The recent passing of my 43-year-old son was a shock to myself and to my other children, Goodbye Brett in laws, and three grandchildren but my Buddhist faith has made it easier for me, if it can be easier. When I first received the news that he was being sent to Perth via the Flying Doctor after a brain haemorrhage in the Great Southern, I rang Hayagriva’s translator, Matt Whiston, to by Marlene Robins ask Geshe Sonam to begin prayers for my son. Buddhism was my first thought and for prayers to be done for his recovery. Sadly he didn’t recover and passed away on 17 January with me learning about impermanence very fast. I again asked Geshe Sonam to pray for him and met Geshela for his advice on prayers I could do while my son was in the bardo. I was desperate to make sure that everything was being done for his good rebirth. He himself had earned a lot of merit by his amazing community work. (...continued on Page 8) Vegetarianism By Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche Geshe Sonam’s Teachings Intermediate Not just one time, but numberless times from beginningless rebirths, Eight Verses of Thought Transformation every sentient being gave you the kindness of bearing hardships for you. 7.30pm Wednesday from 8 April. To repay that kindness even if you were to sacrifice your life equal to the Mind Training Like Rays of the Sun atoms of this earth for every sentient being, you could never finish 2.30pm Sundays. repaying their kindness. It is like that. Advanced Even an omniscient mind cannot see the beginning of their kindness to you of, first, giving you a Heart Sutra body; then second, protecting your life every day from hundreds of dangers; then third, leading (with Yamantaka Sadhana on the last Tuesday of the month. Participants must have a Yamantaka initiation to attend the you in the path of the world, giving you an education; and fourth, bearing hardships for you. This Yamantaka teachings) has been done numberless times from beginningless rebirths by every sentient being, such that 7.30pm Tuesday. even an omniscient mind cannot see the beginning of their kindness. So it is beginningless. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lama Tsong Khapa Guru Yoga Commentary Since they are so kind to you, how can you eat their meat? Normally I don’t relate eating meat to From 7.30pm Tuesday 16 June. their kindness so how dare you kill them and eat their meat? No way, it is impossible. If you can’t repay their kindness even by sacrificing your life numberless times equalling the numberless Special Events atoms of the earth, how can you kill them and eat their meat? It is the same as killing your mother of this life and eating her meat. It is the same as that. Hayagriva Jenang with Rev. Jhado Rinpoche 7.30pm Thursday 2 April. Blessing of Stupa for Rescued Sheep at York 9.30am Monday 1 June at York. The Holy Day of Saka Dawa Tuesday 2 June. Explanation of Prayers and Rituals 7.30pm 24 June. (Please check website or eNews for latest) Public Talk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama 1.30pm Sunday 14 June at Perth Arena Get your tickets at the Dalai Lama in Australia website April to June 2015 Page 1 Short Teachings from Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche Spiritual Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international group of 160 centres, monasteries, charities and a publishing house. Harmonious Relationships are purely, purely objects of compassion, your Even concerning having harmonious relationships, it’s also beneficial to remember objects of compassion, because if you hadn’t impermanence and death. harmed them in the past, if you hadn’t done those different harms, there would be no When the mind is completely occupied, completely overtaken by the dissatisfied mind, by reason at all for them to harm you in this life. strong attachment, it doesn’t leave space for compassion. There’s no space. The self- There is no reason at all! cherishing thought has completely taken over the mind, and then this second great dissatisfied mind, attachment, takes over, so there’s no space to feel concern for the So it is a dependent arising; it all depends on other person, to feel the other person’s need, to have concern for the other person’s how you treated them in the past. So it is the happiness, to cherish the other person. result. How they treat you, good or bad, it is the result of how you treated them in the past. There’s no space for these positive thoughts, no space for compassion to arise for that other person. The mind is completely overtaken by the self-cherishing thought, by this So whatever harm they give you, they are just great dissatisfied mind, attachment. We are only thinking of my happiness, my a condition, they are purely an object of your happiness, my happiness, like reciting a mantra, except we don’t use a mala to count. compassion. You treated them badly in a past life, so as a result, the karmic result is that they cheat you, that they harm you. It is just the result of your past negative karma of We don’t use a mala to count how many times we think ‘my happiness, my happiness, my harming them. So it all comes from your mind, it comes from your negative mind in the happiness,’ but it’s like reciting a mantra, or like a computer or something, like a past, so they are just objects of your compassion. calculator. The Source of all Happiness Reflecting on impermanence and death is the solution. It’s extremely powerful. It’s easy As a mother sees her most beloved child, if our mind has loving kindness, compassion to understand, but it’s extremely powerful. It immediately stops the problem. (Rinpoche and bodhichitta towards all other beings, then we see all beings – those who help us and snaps his fingers.) It cuts off the dissatisfied mind, attachment. It gives our mind a rest; even those who harm, whatever they do – we see them all as beautiful, just as a mother it’s a holiday for our mind from those great dissatisfactory minds, attachment and so sees her most beloved child. forth, from all those other disturbing thoughts, all those other emotional, painful minds. It gives our mind a rest, a holiday, which is the most important thing. When that happens, But if our mind is empty of loving kindness, compassion, bodhichitta and the good heart, as I mentioned at other times, then physical rest also comes, a healthy body comes. then no matter how much wealth, education or reputation we have – no matter how many things we have, there are continual problems and there is no peace in our life. It gives a lot of space for the other positive minds to arise. This way, it also makes us understand the other person more. By making our own mind clear, we understand the Therefore, even if we don’t have even one dollar, even if we are homeless and beg for other person’s needs better, and how kind and precious the other person is. each meal, if our heart is filled with compassion and loving kindness towards others, there is incredible joyfulness, and unbelievable happiness and peace of mind. Even if we We understand how all our comfort and things came from this person, from this person’s have no reputation, wealth or education, we see everyone as a friend – we feel it in our effort and support. Even just talking about the kindness of this life, let alone thinking heart. about all the past lives’ kindness of this person, there are many ways our life has been made easier because of this person. There is no thought to give harm, only benefit, so our life is full of joy and every hour of our life becomes highly meaningful and beneficial. Welcoming Suffering I’m going to tell you what Kadampa Geshe Khamlungpa said in regards to attracting bad If we think carefully and examine this well, we understand that transforming our own situations like a magnet: ‘Even this present small suffering finishes past negative karma mind into the good heart, the loving, compassionate thought of bodhichitta is the source and there will be happiness in the future, therefore meditate on rejoicing in the of all happiness. When we understand the temporary and ultimate benefits of suffering.’ bodhichitta, loving kindness and compassion, and we practice this, we will receive these benefits. We will understand the teachings of the Buddha, whose emphasis is to avoid That is thought transformation; looking at suffering as happiness. You transform the harming all sentient beings and to have compassion towards all sentient beings, and on suffering into happiness instead of worrying. If your mind is trained in thought top of that, we will benefit all sentient beings. transformation, then the more you suffer, the greater the happiness you can experience. We see the teachings of the Buddha as so precious, and by understanding and practicing For example, Geshe Lama Konchog was a great teacher and meditator at Kopan the teachings, we receive benefit and we feel close to Buddha. We feel that we are Monastery. In the summer time, the rainy season, he fell down and as he fell it made a protected and guided by Shakyamuni Buddha, out of his kindness and compassion, and huge sound.