Lam Rim Mandala Issue 11 Editorial Table of Contents Dear All Thank you so very much for your Geshe La’s Letter...........................................................................page 3 articles. There has been a very good A Few Reflections on the Visit of H.E. Denma Locho Rinpoche .page 4 response this time and I am very Experiences of Kalachakra ............................................................page 5 Responsibility for grateful to you for making this Ourselves. Faith & Reason, by John Peacock .................................................page 6 possible. The Diamond That Cuts through Illusion......................................page 7 When the Buddha teaches There is a continuation of Dechen’s that we are our own article: ‘Life in a Tibetan Monastery’ Life in a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery...........................................page 8 master, from previous versions of the Mandala Beware of Honey Offered on a Sharp Knife................................page 12 and some lovely articles on the Fire Fire Puja Site ...............................................................................page 13 that everything depends on Puja site at Lam Rim. us, Peace Mala...................................................................................page 16 By the time you read this he is indicating that A Brief Moment in Shambala......................................................page 18 MANDALA I shall have just returned pleasure and displeasure from India, having been on a A Fishy Tale ................................................................................page 19 come from virtuous and Pilgrimage which involved meeting When the Horse Runs Off............................................................page 20 non-virtuous acts His Holiness Dalai Lama. I left on Notes on Progress at Lam Rim ....................................................page 21 respectively, that they are March 7th and returned on March forged not externally but 23rd. It was my first trip to India and deep within ourselves. no doubt, I will have an article to write The Buddhist theory about for the next MANDALA. the responsibility we have Thank you to Ann Davies once again for ourselves is particularly for proof reading the Mandala and relevant. thank you Margaret for your articles and also chasing up articles for me. It invites us to question love and best wishes ourselves, and to tame ourselves in our own Lorraine interest and that of others. H.H. the Dalai Lama Humour is the ability to see one reality from the perspective of another Page 2 Issue 11 Lam Rim Mandala LETTER FROM GESHE DAMCHO-LA Dear Friends, Thinking and sending Greetings for 2003, especially as we are all experiencing great concern for World Peace. In this world it is always serious time, so it is not really unusual. However, the world we perceive is not outside - inside is the real trouble-maker, inside our own mind - that is our terrorist and we need to be vigilant and mindful. The name of that terrorist is called Un-subdued Mind. This Mind is our own cause of ignorance that is common in sentient beings - a trouble creator. We need to practice checking our own minds, take responsibility for what we experience in our own minds, not to be pointing the finger at others, saying it is their fault; I am right and they are wrong; so many misunderstandings when there are different cultures and different religions. The way forward is to start with your own mind and we need to clean those negativities of hatred, anger and greed. These negative emotions arise constantly from the root of ignorance - the state of not knowing. We find the environment becomes negative and the reality of others is negative, then we have trouble. Instead of things getting better they get worse. This negativity is called non-virtue and non-virtue effect is called suffering. We all do not want suffering. We all want happiness. There is total agreement on this, regardless of our culture and religion. Therefore the action we need to take is to check and investigate our own mind and then we will experience virtuous action - wholesome action, which will lead us to happiness. The checking part is called Ethics - discipline and ethics are very important for this life and future lives. The 10 virtuous ethics - you need to check your body speech and mind and to practice non-harmful activities. When you are really quiet, watch the thoughts going on in your mind, just observe them, are they generating love and compassion, altruism? We constantly use words of peace and loving kindness, but inside our own mind there still sits grasping and self-cherishing - the trouble creators. So our speaking and thinking are in contradiction. It is only when we overcome this contradiction by being sincerely kind and compassionate with truthfulness at all times, not just when others are watching, that we will naturally become peaceful both in body speech and mind. When our inner world - our mind, becomes peaceful then our outer world naturally becomes peaceful too. Thank you for reading this letter and I pray for wish-fulfilment of Peacefulness. Thank You. Venerable Geshe Damcho Yonten Page 3 Lam Rim Mandala Issue 11 A FEW REFLECTIONS ON THE VISIT OF H.E.DENMA LOCHO RINPOCHE by John Allman A Prelude: he arranged for all his students in India, Taiwan and not quite accept what Rinpoche had said. I often many places in the world to be reassured that he reflect now on those words - rooted as I know they Over the past few months many special events have was safe and well… are in the equanimity of Bodhicitta. The personal taken place. H.E. Denma Locho Rinpoche and H.E. ….. I had never thought I would be with Rinpoche bewilderment, abject fear, unutterable pain and Rizong Rinpoche have both revisited Lam Rim. at this time. Months before, I had presented torture of body and mind that confronts many dying Between those visits Venerable Geshe-la led a offerings from the Centres at his home in in our world is a remorseless, ongoing truth. I heard pilgrimage to India, where we could be with His Dharamsala, transforming them through words from a remarkable Christian nun speak recently of the Holiness and many other Lamas both in Drepung the offerings of request to offerings of gratitude. awesome degrees of evil that penetrate our world. Moastery, Ganden Monastery and many holy Rinpoche had already agreed to visit the U.K. on his She spoke too of how to forgive - she was and is places. The bonds of kinship between Lam Rim and way back from America, now that was happening. frontline in Rwanda. Only love and compassion go Gya Khamsen grow ever stronger and are most Within a few days Rinpoche would make comments willingly to those terror places - longing to tangible now in the presence of Venerable Geshe about this tragic event from the High Throne… transform and take away the pain. That is why, for Thinley. Over many, many years now, with such my part, I am able to “look up to” - and why at the ….. The High Throne at Lam Rim accords with patience and care, Venerable Geshe-la has taught us very, very least I try to be in earnest about my own its name - it is high and because we all sit latitudinal how to discern the true qualities of a spiritual death….. teacher, a process intimately dependent on using our to the throne, you really do have to ‘look up’ to look ….. Another day - For the Lama Tsong Khapa human intelligence to establish the true qualities of at Rinpoche. The angle is very similar in the great initiation, if I remember correctly, Rinpoche was a student. May these anecdotal reflections remind us prayer halls of the monasteries, where as you make given a text that had only been photocopied on one of our good fortune, so that we can deepen our offerings you gaze up at beautiful images of side. He asked Venerable Dhonden-la to help him understanding of the Dharma and really be of help Enlightened Beings. So too is the angle of a assemble the loose pages of the text back to back in to others. toddler’s head looking up at his or her parents. The angle has an important effect on the mind. I have the usual Tibetan printed style, and I rejoiced at the ….. As preparations for Rinpoche’s visit were been reflecting how sparse is our western cultures’ mindful way Dhonden-la, standing before the High nearing completion, a phone call came from ability to look up to - to genuinely and openly look Throne assembled the text for Rinpoche. During America. Rinpoche had put forward his flight to the up to….. this little interlude the energy in the shrine room U.K. and would be arriving a day early. Venerable became so beautiful. Rinpoche was making these ….. At one point during the transmission of Lama Geshe-la duly met Rinpoche at Heathrow and incredibly happy sounds - pre-lingual intonations, Tsong Khapa’s wonderful text “The Fulfilment of accompanied him back to the comfort of the Centre. exclamatory cadences - near-hums and murmurings all Hopes of Disciples” Rinpoche made reference to Within a few hours horror and disbelief engulfed - a sort of enlightened ‘telly-tubby’ speak. It was the collapse of the two towers. In essence he said the country he had left behind. It was the morning quite exquisite. Everything that true Lamas do - by of September 11th 2001. Since Rinpoche’s that although the scale of the tragedy was shocking original schedule involved flying on the 11th, - such events are happening every day in our world. (Continued on page 5) I remember at that time a shift in my mind - I could Page 4 Issue 11 Lam Rim Mandala (Continued from page 4) EXPERIENCES OF THE KALACHAKRA definition - encourage us to cognize the two Bodhicittas. For such holy beings to process is by Hillary Beckett innate skilful means is expressing the pure delight of what is true.