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Date: 30/7/2012 11:30:31 PM "Unchanging Friends" of the Dalai Lama: a pertinent exchange |
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Dearest Students of the Dalai Lama @ CAS (
Phuntsok Cho Ling ), We are so glad to offer to you, His Holiness's
meeting with the long term Western residents of Dharamsala where His Holiness
spoke of extremely important matters, ranging from topics as widely
diversified as Marxism, authorities in Buddhism, faith, reasoning, death, the
learning of Dzogchen and "Doha" or spiritual songs of Maha Siddhas
to conversions for US$15/- per head by radical Korean missionaries in
Mongolia. This probably ranks as probably one of the most
pertinent exchanges with the Dalai Lama and a group of humans, He called
"unchanging friends".
See CAS DEMAND VIDEO: http://www.casotac.com/Webvod.htm Every prayers, bb & other beings
@ CAS ( Phuntsok Cho Ling) Notable take-aways: "Tibetan Buddhism grows from the ancient
Indian Nalanda tradition. The Nalanda tradition can be likened to the root
and trunk of a tree. The branches are the Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug and Nyingma
lineages. Also in the branches are practices like faith, Mahamudra, Dzogchen
and Guru Yoga." "Some Buddhist centres forget about basic
Dharma and spoilt their Lamas. Some Tibetans, Ladakhis and now some Buddhists
in the West blindly follow their Lamas 100%. These centres then behave like
cults... some of these Lamas sit on high thrones but without full knowledge
or qualifications." "To understand matters through faith, we
need to know that faith comes from (1) obvious sensory perceptions, (2)
inference or reasoning and (3) authority of scriptures or masters. I always
give the example of our own birthdays. We need to rely on a third party to
know our own birthday. To ascertain if the information provided is valid, we
need to investigate: does this third party have a motive to be dishonest,
does he have a sound mind and so on." "At the Root and Trunk of the great Nalanda
tradition, there is never excessive emphasis on faith..... in the Nalanda
tradition, we are allowed to doubt, then we investigate to find the truth. We
have the liberty to reject what we found to be false. For example,
Vasubandu's placement of hell as under the Bodhigaya or the idea of a tactile
Mount Sumeru. We need to make clear distinction between symbolism, the
provisional and the literal." "For students in the West, you need to study
the authentic, great texts by the ancient Masters of India like Nagarjuna and
Aryadeva. Do not blindly rely on the Lamas' instructions, not even my own
words." "Even Marpa's Guru, Naropa, thoroughly
studied and mastered the great texts before He renounced even the monastic
life and live the life of a Maha Siddha." "In the West, sometimes somebody knows a
little bit but did not study the great texts. These people then spread
misconception. I was travelling once and I casually asked my driver if he had
been affected by a recent earthquake. He replied that it is a great
opportunity to practise Dzogchen because the shock that comes from the
earthquake jolts him into a state of apparent thoughtlessness. I myself
practise Dzogchen. Dzogchen is NOT that easy." "Doha or spiritual songs of Maha Siddhas
like Tilopa or Naropa come from their individual experiences. Dohas come from
the practitioners' own experiences and deep realisations or understanding.
They are expressing from a very high level. It is very difficult to
understand and practise these Dohas at our level. There is a danger of
misunderstanding." "We are living in the 21st century. So we
should behave like 21st century Buddhists. We should be thoroughly educated
on science, utilise the best available facilities, all of these while fully
engage in the practices of Bodhicitta and Emptiness." "It is not mere meditation or prayers that
will establish the Right View of Selflessness. To obtain the Right View, we need
to study and receive proper teaching or explanation on this." "We, Tibetans, placed too much faith in the
Buddha and forget about human effort. So we lost our country." "We cannot change the real Nalanda tradition
but the cultural aspects when introducing Tibetan Buddhism can be modified.
But, if we pick and adopt this or that belief from different religion, we
will become New Age, not authentic." "Buddha, Jesus and Mahammad are all great
teachers of humanity although their teachings differ." "At dying, if the person has faith in God,
we can try to help the person develop single-pointed faith in God and to help
to keep the person's mind calm. There will be some benefit." "Secular ethics and protection of the
environment should be everybody's business. Religious conversion is the
individual's business." "Benefit comes not from preaching but
education and using common sense." "Prayers should be followed by actual
actions."
( See CAS Demand Video
for full archive of the entire event-exchange !! ) Other matters: Dear BB Tan @ CAS, I hope you are in good health. We have put up all the name of the sponsors on
our website. It is under How to make a donation, section. Visit : www.dk-petsek.org And I hope you got my previous email about the
rain retreat, please forward it to everyone. Thank you for your kindness and support, Aka Rinpoche for Most Venerable Drikung
Ontrul Rinpoche The annual Rains Retreat (Vassa), known in
Tibetan Buddhism as Yur-Ney, is observed as it has been from the time of the
Buddha. For the duration of the Rains Retreat monks remain inside monasteries
and temple grounds. Here they will do intensive puja for a period of 45 days,
which will beginning 1st August until 14th September
2012. Buddha started the Rains retreat because
during the monsoon period there is a burst of new life -- crops, insects and
other little creatures all cover the land -- all of which would be harmed if
the monks were to tread on them. So they will stay within a set boundary and
concentrate on Dharma practices. It is customary during this period for
lay-people to make offers of food and drink to the monks. By making such
offering you will be gaining merit and your name will be mentioned in the
daily prayers. It is possible to make an offering in memory of a loved one.
If you would like to make an offering please contact the monastery office at: Listed below are suggested offerings, but please note any donation
will be gratefully received. Breakfast – Rs.1000 Lunch – Rs.3000 Dinner – Rs.3000 Tibetan tea – Rs.350 Sweet tea – Rs.300 All offerings are per day.
Life of
the Buddha 您好，我們開發了一本教育類的電子書“釋迦摩尼佛的故事”。
繁體中文：http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shi-jia-mou-ni/id539450027?mt=8 法語： http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lhistoire-de-bouddha/id541869710?ls=1&mt=8 德語： http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/die-geschichte-buddhas/id541867994?ls=1&mt=8 日語： http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/o-shi-jiasama/id538819567?mt=8
Hi bb,
possible to help forward this below to CASonline to share about the book?
Thanks for considering. Amituofo, shi'an 15% Worldwide Early Bird Discount Ends
This Wednesday
251 pages of 100 witty comics accompanied by 100
wise reflections covering many aspects of life! Interview: http://thedailyenlightenment.com/2012/07/catching-up-with-sam-sara Creators: http://thedailyenlightenment.com/2012/07/about-creators-of-sam-sara
Sis Bita (Vice-President of Singapore’s Buddhist Fellowship on the
‘Sam & Sara’ book): ‘My
(10-year-old) daughter (Tara) says it’s soooo funny! She’s laughing her socks
off! Now she says, “I’m going to recommend all my friends to get this book”…
She’s SMS-ing her friends now: “Eh tomorrow, I’m gonna bring a book to
school. It’s really cute and makes me want to laugh. The author is my
Mother’s friend so I’m gonna promote it. It’s new… so yeah. My Mum is (among)
the first to get it and she got 50 copies. So after reading mine, if you are
interested, do consider buying it to share it with your friends!” (It’s) a great
idea as a gift – friends and kids with birthdays around the corner… Watch out
for Sam & Sara!” Another encouraging
review. It’s surprisingly a hit with kids, though it was written for adults
too! Yes! ‘Sam & Sara’ was mindfully written to be enjoyed by all of all
ages! Depending on your perception, every experience of its wit and wisdom is
different :-] Han Kok Kwang
(Award-winning author of National #1 Bestsellers, “So What If You Don’t Have
A Degree?” & “No Job? No Problem!”): ‘Had a quick scan of “Sam &
Sara” and found it to be a rather multi-layered book. Looks deceptively
simple with the cartoons but its wisdom is quite profound if you take the
time to ponder. And the way you break “Samsara” into ‘Sam & Sara’ is genius.
Not everyone would appreciate the layered wisdom in the book but when you can
get past “duh?” after the first few chapters, you will find a treasure trove
of “pause & reflect” triggers in today’s 24/7 world. A few of my
favourite chapters are “Clinging to Suffering”, “Blindspots” and “Blockage.”
Great job!’ (Han was winner of
the ‘Inaugural National Lifelong Learner’ Award & the youngest winner of
‘National Human Resource Management Professional of the Year’ Award.) More about book @ http://thedailyenlightenment.com/category/11/sam-sara Strange Pic (again):
tELL A fRIEND "KNOW DHARMA; SHARE DHARMA !!" Be part of our thousand++ "Friends @ CAS" ( that
belongs to Chenrezig & other holy beings ) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "I wanna number my days in samsara. sUBSCRIBE mE NOW !!" Email contact@casotac.com See www.casotac.com ( available 24 hrs a day / 7 days a
week ) CASonline - Your Buddhist online
news and teachings. ( All online articles lovingly archived at http://www.casotac.com/casonline.htm )
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