Dear Sirius,

Thanks for your question. We are really happy to read that you want to engage in ngondro practices. We do have an article about ngondro here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/preliminary-practice.html The article includes sample prayer texts for the retreats, etc. However, the article does not include the full prayers text for each, visualisation guides, associated contemplations, etc.

The ngondro practices are extended retreats, so unless you have had practice doing shorter retreats, I suggest you start by doing shorter retreats. For ngondro practices to be complete, you need to do 100,000 repititions of a the particular practice. You must do at least 1 full retreat session a day, with the requisite altar setup, offerings, full prayer recitation, etc.

Traditionally, the first ngondro practice to be done is the refuge ngondro. In 2022, we ran an online programme for those wishing to complete their refuge preliminary at home. While the programme has finished, all the materials, prayers texts, visualisation guides, contemplation guides and references are still available for people who wish to complete their refuge ngondro. There is a small fee associated with access to this. You can find some information about the programme here: https://www.kecharaforestretreat.com/practice-weekend-refuge/. If you would like access to the materials, you can contact care@kechara.com with your request to join the Refuge Practice Group.

However, please note that there are prequisities for joining the group, such as having completed Level 1 of our Lamrim course. Ngondro practices in our tradition are not beginner level practices, hence require some knowledge of the teachings before hand. If you have attended Lamrim courses at other Dharma centres, please indicate so in the email.

Hope this helps. Please do contact us on the above email if you have any further questions regarding this. Thank you.

Dear Rojal,

It’s nice to see you back here. The space allocated here is not long enough to give a complete answer to this. All of what you described is actually part of the path towards enlightenment, so it they work together. These are all described in great length in the teachings, such as the Lamrim, as there are different steps or methods to use to achieve that. You can study the Lamrim teachings, which are excellent for what you described, coupled with deity practice.

The following video teaching may also be of interest to you:

SNAKES, ROOSTERS & PIGS (Part 1)
https://youtu.be/Vri5m_Vu5c0?si=e9Yh_ouE3oS234-j

SNAKES, ROOSTERS & PIGS (Part 2)
https://youtu.be/niu2AcXeGZg?si=ZBX_MbITSkybi6YQ

SNAKES, ROOSTERS & PIGS (Part 3)
https://youtu.be/QWCKtlF4Upw?si=Ik8dcRJ_HfDmukSd

Thank you.

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your question. The path of a Bodhisattva, is actually quite vast, and the description you’ve seen is a simplification. The path of the Bodhisattva is explained is many different texts, for example it is explained in the higher scope teachings of the Lamrim, the Sutra of the Ten Bhumis, the Bodhisattvabhumis, etc. I’ll try to give a simple overview here.

The very basis of the Bodhisattva path is what is called ‘bodhichitta.’ This is the motivation or mindset of achieving enlightenment so that you can bring all other sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. In other traditions, the goal of attaining enlightenment is for oneself alone. In the Bodhisattva path, which belongs to the Mahayana vehicle, the goal to achieve enlightenment is not for ourselves but for the sake of others. Once, you have generated this mindset, you are a Bodhisattva.

But there are differing levels of Bodhisattvas. There are ten levels, known as the ten grounds, of a Bodhisattva. So you progress in your Dharma practice of benefiting others and improving yourself for the sake of others, along these ten levels. Once you reach the 10th level, you are essentially enlightened, but you remain in the form of a bodhisattva rather than leaving your body and entering full enlightenment. The reason for this, is your motivation is not just for yourself but all other sentient beings who are still suffering.

When you achieve nirvana, you are in a state of bliss. Since you are in that state, you can remain there for a very long time without helping sentient beings. Hence Bodhisattvas remain to help all sentient beings instead of staying in that blissful state, due to their motivation for all senient beings to achieve that state of bliss themselves. I hope that this helps to answer your question. If not, you can refer to the teachings I mentioned at the begining.

Though not directly related to your question, you might find this short video teaching by Tsem Rinpoche interesting:

Why Bodhisattvas Are Like Peacocks
https://youtu.be/OHXULhL-UHo?si=FG80TpQACuYhbsCm

Dear Kams,

Nice to see you here, you’ve asked a very interesting question. In Buddhism, when we talk about accepting reality as it is, this is in a very specific way, and usually not the way we think of when we read or hear the phrase ‘accepting reality.’

Accepting reality here means not thinking about things as inherently existing. When we think about existence in this manner, it is not correct, because nothing in existence is static, it is ever moving, ever changing. To use a very common Buddhist term, it is impermenant. From the Buddhist perspective the understanding and living by impermenance is very important. I’ll give a an example of this. In life, we go through ups and downs, times we are happy and times we are sad. And sometimes, this can be an emotion upheveal. When we experience happy times, we want them to last, we want to always feel that way, so when things go wrong, or not how we want them to be, we get upset. But if we live by impermanence during those happy times, we cherish them more, we live in the moment of being happy rather than wanting it to last. Similarly, when things go wrong, we know that eventually things will get better, because even sadness and all the negative experiences we have in life are impermanent. So ‘accepting reality’ is a very broad definition, but in Buddhism, it’s actually very specific to certain things.

But your question touches on a very important point, and that is what you call our ‘selish nature.’ In Buddhism, this selfishness comes from karma and delusions. It’s the way we naturally operate as humans. But as humans, or any type of being bound by the law of karma within samsara (existence) we create more negative karma and delusions. This only leads us to have this type of nature in future lives as humans, or leads us to suffer in lower rebirths such as the animal or hell realms, or leads us to have pleasures in the god realm. However, no matter what happens, we are still stuck because samsara is a cycle fueled by karma and delusions.

The goal of Buddhists is to transcend/escape this system altogether. We won’t be bound by such selfish natures any more and since we are not bound by that, we are free from all types of suffering that occur within existence. Suffering itself is a very big part of the Buddhist teachings. In fact it was the first thing that the Buddha ever taught. But this was not done to make us depressed. It was done to make wake up to our current state within existence and then do something about it.

Here are some video teachings by Tsem Rinpoche that may explain things better:

Karma’s Job is to Make You Suffer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycNTf-W1mLA

How Wrong Projections Bring Us Suffering (with subtitles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vICsghJhjqU

The Cycle of Wrong Perception & Wrong Experience
https://youtu.be/EXyhGaXBtK8?si=KktuiuZLd7y4SST4

Karma & Impermanence
https://youtu.be/sL5qn54rPlM?si=0-DwTs-QzKDxA_BX

Hope all this helps to answer your question.

Dear Lee,

Thank you for your question. I’m very sorry to read about this situation. It truly is very saddening whenever someone so young passes away. When things like this happen, as Buddhists we need to remember the teachings of the Buddha, not just impermanence. The main one to remember here is karma and rebirth. We were attached to people who have passed away, because we knew them very well in this life. But this is not the only life that the person has had, nor the only life they will have.

When we are born, what experiences we go through in life, and ultimately when we pass on is all due to our karma and their consequences. Daily sadhana practice and devotion is good on a general level, but when the conditions for certain karma to arise occurs, we are faced with very difficult situations due to the arising of karma. If we have had the time and effort to practice deeply, such conditions will not arise but for most people, they will. This is part of samsara and the reason we need to get out of samsara by becoming enlightened.

When such conditions arise, we need extra help to overcome these situations than just our faith and daily practice. That is where other practices come into play, such as pujas, offerings, life-extending practices such as animal liberation, etc. Because the ripening of that karma is strong, we need a stronger method to overcome it than just daily practice. When we are going through such situations, it is best to consult those who can advise on what to do. In our organisation here are the contact details: https://www.kechara.com/contact/

Dorje Shugden and other practices can definitely help with these sorts of things, but it depends on our effort. Since the karma is so strong, it takes effort to help overcome that karma. If we put in that effort by making more prayers, more offerings, doing pujas or other practices, then yes, Dorje Shugden is able to use the merit from those practices and to help us find good doctors, good treatments and make the treatments more effective than they would have been otherwise.

Unfortunately, sometimes that karma is too strong for a person to be ill or to pass away. In those cases, even though the person has passed, their faith, devotion and practice is still beneficial. Why? Because there are future lives. We only experience the loss of a person in this life, but we should think about their future lives also. That is a reason that prayers, pujas and other activities is so much stressed in Buddhism when a person passes on. They are to help that person in their next lives, as an extension of our love and care for them in this life.

In the case of the young girl who passed away, her prayers and faith will not go unanswered in the long term, for her next lives, but unfortunately the ripening of her negative karma was too strong in this life. Dorje Shugden and the Buddhas will definitely take care of her and benefit her in her future lives, all the way until she becomes enlightened.

Here is something that you can do to help the young girl for her future lives: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/something-simple-for-the-deceased.html

Impermanence, karma, rebirth, etc has all been explained by the Buddha and is in scripture, like the Lamrim. When we understand the Lamrim better, we are able to help our loved ones better not just in this life, but for their future lives too. I really hope this helps you. I will keep the young girl in my prayers as well.

Dear Lo,

Nice to see you back here. Yes, chanting mantra definitely effects our energy bodies. Mantras themselves are the form of the Buddhas in sound vibrations. Chanting mantras helps to affect energetical changes within our body for a particular purpose.

Each mantra of a deity has a particular benefit that we receive when chanting. For example, Medicine Buddha is healing & long life. Manjushri is wisdom and intelligence. However, these are just the immediate benefits from their practice. But each deity practice is capable of leading us all the way to enlightenment.

As we recite mantras, the vibrations or energy of that particular mantra pervades our energy body, effecting a change associated with that particular mantra.

Here are some tips on how to chant mantras correctly: https://www.kechara.com/chanting-mantras-correctly/

Here is a fantastic teachings on mantras by Tsem Rinpoche: https://www.kechara.com/chanting-mantras-correctly/

Of course, just simply reciting mantras has an effect, but if you engage in mantra recitation with focus and as part of the practice of that particular deity, the benefits are definitely much stronger. I hope this helps.

Thank you

Dear Lo,

Thank you for your very interesting question. If the earth stopped existing, the human realm and animal realm would not be completed eliminated from samsara. This is because we are only talking about one planet called earth. According to Buddhism there are many, many more planets or what are called “World Systems” in the universe, not just our planet earth. Buddhist cosmology extends far beyond just our planet.

The six realms then, cover all sentient beings in existence, this include life on other planets, and therefore covers what we might call ‘alien’ life forms that are not of our planet. So on other planets, you have physical beings, just like us. They fall into either the human or animal realms as well. They may not physically look like us, but their experiences and the sufferings they have are the same as those of the human and animal realms. For example, we feel physical pain and pleasure, those on other planets who fall under the human realm category would feel physical pain and pleasure too. Same with emotions, levels of intellect between the human realm and animal realm, etc.

An example of different world systems is the story of the Buddha Tara. It is well known that she achieved enlightenment, not on our planet earth but on another world system. Another example, highlighting this is the Sutra Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, which you can find here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/sadhana-prayers.html#chokchu This sutra is commonly recited to dispell obstacles related to travelling and safety while travelling. It references quite a few world systems and the enlightened beings who have manifested there.

The only way that the human and animal realms would be eliminated from samsara, is not that a single planet would cease to exist, but that all sentient beings become enlightened. That is why the enlightenment of all sentient beings is the aim of the Mahayana tradition, to which Tibetan Buddhism belongs.

I hope all of this answers your question.

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for your question. Within Buddhism, one of the tenets of the faith is to only take refuge in those beings who are enlightened. As I am sure you are already aware, the god realm is one of the six realms of samsara, and sentient beings are born within these realms endlessly until and unless they become enlightened.

As you mentioned Phra Phrom is Four-Faced Brahma, who is a god. He is neither a mundane or supremundane Dharmapala. There may be others gods with the same name as Brahma, but Four-Faced Brahma/Phra Phrom is a worldly god. However, he is a very high-level god who is very much respected, but not prayed to in the sense of going to him for Refuge.

While this particular shrine is very famous as it is said he grants wishes, petitioners who go to him must promise to fulfil certain offerings, etc., if their prayers are fulfilled. If their wishes are fulfilled and the promised offerings not made on time, it is also well-known that they will be struck with misforunte because he has become angry at them. This shows, he is a worldly god, still in samsara although very high-level and very powerful. The enlightened beings on the other hand, do not get any with practitioners, because they have no anger.

However, given this, of course you can still visit the shrine. You can even make the traditional offerings that are available there, such as flowers, fruits, etc. This is not the same as making offerings to the enlightened beings, nor does it generate merit. It is more like giving a gift to someone you respect. You are basically paying respect to him.

If you are strong in your Buddhist practice, when there you would not ask him for anything, make any wishes, etc. You are simply giving him offerings as a mark of respect. When there, you can pray to Lama Tsongkhapa, Dorje Shugden, whichever enlightened being you like, but you are not praying to Four-Faced Brahma, but reciting the prayers of the enlightened beings. This will help bless the shrine itself with the energies of the enlightened beings, as well as yourself, just like reciting prayers to the Buddhas would naturally bless you and environment when recited normally.

I hope this answer helps.

Dear Lee,

Thank you for your question. Yes, you are correct that Tsangpa Karpo is the peaceful form of Lord Setrap. However, the form, the nature of the practice, the mantra, etc is different. While it is not wrong for a person to have Tsangpa Karpo on their altar and recite Setrap’s mantra and/or prayers. It wouldn’t be as effective as having the actual image of Setrap on the altar and engaing in the practice.

Traditionally, if you are engaging in the practice, you would have an image of that deity on the altar. While all the enlightened beings, whether in their meditational deity form or protector forms are all one and the same, the practice and the nature of the practice differs. So it’s better to have an image of the actually deity/protector that you are practising on your altar, to 1) create merit in relation to making offerings to that deity or protector and 2) to act as a focal point for your practice.

Traditionally, for Dharma protectors, the images were covered when placed on the altar, one reason being that they are wrathful and not everyone is used to that. So perhaps you can give them an image that is covered.

Alternatively, if Setrap’s form or mantra is too wrathful for them, perhaps a more peace deity that has similar protective qualities would be better for them. Such deities include Lama Tsongkhapa or even Green Tara. These are meditational deities rather than Dharma protectors, but they can have the same protective qualities as a Dharma protector when practiced well. But obviously this would depend on why that person was practicing Setrap in the first place. I hope this helps.

If you would like more private advice regarding this, you can email us at care@kechara.com, referencing this question and our reply. Hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Jay,

Thank you for your question. As you have received empowerment into this incredibly powerful practice and therefore have a guru-disciple connection with your root guru, you should make offerings and request him/her to explain more about the vows, commitments, etc. This would be best. Sometimes, gurus adapt the commitments to suit the students, give the empowerment as a blessing without commitments, etc. So, we cannot comment on the exact vows, commitments, prerequisites and requirements as this will depend on the guru who gave you the empowerment.

That being said, there are also many different practices of Hayagriva, according to various lineages and even with the lineages there are versions of the practice belonging to the lower tantra classification and the higher tantra classification, so the vows and commitments, etc., also differ according to type of tantra.

In general for the requirements and prerequisites you can follow the general information on the following articles, minus those that refer to Vajra Yogini’s practice specifically:

https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/starting-on-vajra-yogini-now.html
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrayogini-the-powerful-divine-red-lady.html

These are generally having strong guru devotion, and (if you are from the Gelug tradition) study and practice of the Lamrim & other teachings. If you are from another lineage, the teachings may be different. You will also need to have completed some of the Ngondro practices or Preliminary Practices which are extended retreats. But again, all of this would depend on the guru who gave you the empowerment.

If the empowerment you received is a lower tantra type of Hayagriva empowerment, then you would need to keep your refuge and bodhisattva vows as they would have been given as part of the empowerment.

If the empowerment you received is a higher tantra type, then you would need to hold tantric vows in addition to the refuge and bodhisattva vows. You can read more about the vows here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/students-friends/vows-the-roots-of-all-attainments.html

While we do have all of this information available on this website, it is better to request your guru to give you teachings on what the commitments are, if any, of the empowerment you received. You should take the information here as a basis to educate yourself on what they are, but in terms of practice, this is something that only your guru who gave you the empowerment can tell you.

I hope this helps you a little.

Dear Heath Van Fossan,

Thank you so much. Your message means a lot to us. We try our best to help whoever is interested in learning the Dharma. This website was one of Tsem Rinpoche’s most important Dharma works, it has taken and still takes an entire team of Rinpoche’s dedicated students to keep going. When we receive messages like yours, it makes everything worth it. We are happy to hear that we have been of service.

Regarding Losar advice for 2024 from Dorje Shugden through the Panglung Oracle, the oracle did not take trance this year as far as I am aware, so no advice was given for 2024.

Thank you

Dear Lee,

Thank you for your question and nice to see you here. While the actual divination texts/manuals are publicly available these days, engaging in divination entails quite a lot than just simply doing prayers. There are long procedures of training involved including retreats, etc, in order for a practitioner to make a connection with the deity and to qualify to actual perform divinations.

While the text and manuals are available, engaging in them without the proper qualifications can be dangerous. Among other things, the answers received won’t be accurate, because the practitioner doesn’t actually have a strong connection with the deity.

It’s too much to explain in this short space. But you can read an article regarding Dorje Shugden divination here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/dorje-shugdens-dice-divination.html The same procedures and training apply to all forms of Tibetan Buddhist Divination.

I hope this helps.

Dear Rojal,

All Buddhist practices necessarily involved the purification of karma and the generation of merit. So any Dharma practices you do, whether formal practice like sadhana, meditation, etc. or informal practice such as transforming your mind in daily life, etc, all generate merit and purify negative karma. The best of all of these is transformation of the mind and spiritual growth.

There are however, many practices that focus on either purification of karma and generation of merit. To have a better idea of the context of this, you can read this article: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/how-to-purify-your-karma-in-kechara-forest-retreat.html

In addition, in relation to purification of negative karma, these articles are indespensible:
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/vajrasattva-and-prostrations-transcript.html
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/an-important-purification-practice.html
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-35-confessional-buddhas.html

We hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear John,

Sosordrangma is the deity’s Tibetan name. Her name in Sanskrit is Pratisara. She is found primarily within chapter fifteen of the Vajrapanjara Tantra. In the Vajrapanjara Tantra, she is associated with two other deities who are Bhutadamara Vajrapani and White Prajnaparamita. She is also related to the Hevajra Tantras. Her practice descends primarily via the Jonang lineage and has since been included within the Rinjung Gyatsa collection of sadhanas or daily practices. Pratisara is specifically propitiated to protect women who are pregnant as well as from various physiological ailments associated with women.

She provides excellent and effective protection against problems related to feminine health, both physical and mental, and is especially beneficial for pregnant women or those who wish to bear children. In general she also bestows powerful protection from negative influences, increases positive energies, and helps overcome life’s challenges. Hope this helps.

You can find a thangka of her here: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/one-minute-story/pratisara-a-buddha-for-women

Thank you!

Dear Luna,

Thanks for your question. This actually has to do with the way that the Lamrim teachings are practiced. Most people think that just reading or studying the Lamrim is the be all and end all of the teachings, but that actually isn’t even practising the Lamrim. The Lamrim teachings are meant to be contemplated/visualised in meditation. Studying or understanding the Lamrim on an intellectual level is the step before actually practising the Lamrim.

So for example, if we are focusing on the suffering of the lower realms, we actually visualise this and contemplate the types of sufferings in those realms, not just for ourselves but others as well. That way, we change our behaviour from negative ones to positive ones, because as we learn in the Lamrim, rebirth in the lower realms is due to negative karma. Negative karma comes from negative actions. Hence, when we engage in the contemplation/visualisation of this, over time we naturally change our behaviour so it is less negative.

However, in order for the Lamrim, or any other teaching for that matter to have a transformational effect, it has to be practised (contemplation/visualisation). But just doing this is not enough to transform our minds, because of two things – 1) the sheer amount of negative karma that we have and 2) lack of merit. That is why in Buddhism we place great emphasis on reversing these by purifying negative karma and generating merit.

In the Lamrim, (excuse me, I am paraphrasing) it says something like: ‘your mind will only transform when you generate much more merit and purify your negative karma and delusions. You won’t have realisations if you try to internalise (contemplate/visualise) the Lamrim teachings without invoking the merit field to request them for their blessings (part of this necessarily include purification of negative karma and generation of merit).’

So the prayers and visualisation as taught in the Lamrim are very important for these two functions: generating merit and purifying negative karma. At the same time, you gain the blessings of the enlightened beings to successful in your meditation. These are part of what are known as the Prepatory Practices. Basically, these are practices to help you prepare for something, in this case, it is meditation on the Lamrim topics to transform your mind. The prepatory practices are all very important.

You can read the sections on the Prepatory Practices again, this time when you read, try not to get too caught up in what to visualise, but read it to understand better why all of this is done. Then later, when you read it again, you can learn up the visualisations better.

Alternatively, you can incorporate the Lamrim teachings into your daily sadhana also. Your daily sadhana has the effect of purifying karma, generating merit and gaining blessings. You can do contemplation on the Lamrim topics before the completion dedication of your sadhana. If you recite prayers such as the Three Principal Aspects of the Path or the Yonten Shugyurma prayer you can do the contemplations at those specific verses. The manner in which the prepatory practices are described in the Lamrim teachings are from the point of view of practicing Lamrim by itself, but you can definitely include meditation on the Lamrim topics into your normal daily sadhana as well. I hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your questions.

In regards to your first question, here is a part of Tsem Rinpoche’s teaching (https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/how-to-purify-your-karma-in-kechara-forest-retreat.html):

“As I have shared before, during the Buddha’s time, he had a student who was not very intelligent, an old monk. And when this old monk memorised the first word, when he got to the second word, he forgot the first word. When he went back to the first word, he forgot the second word. And he’d yo-yo back and forth like that. And he was very frustrated so he asked the Buddha what he could do because he was having such a hard time memorising and understanding the Dharma due to his very, very, very, poor memory. And so the Buddha said, “Visualise a temple, the shoes of the monks, the floor, the surrounding area, the garden, the trees and all that as your mind. And all the leaves that have fallen as your karma, and your kleshas, your obstructions, your obstacles. Think of all the dirt, think of all the dust, as your kleshas and your obstructions and your negative karma, and every day clean it. And recite this DÜ PUNG DRI MA PUNG, DÜ PUNG DRI MA PUNG, DÜ PUNG DRI MA PUNG. Remove my defilements, remove its leftovers. Remove my defilements, remove the leftovers, the stains.. So, to recite that every day carefully and to visualise it carefully and do that.”

So when you are cleaning, you visualise that you are cleaning the defilements from your mind, you can recite “DÜ PUNG DRI MA PUNG, DÜ PUNG DRI MA PUNG, DÜ PUNG DRI MA PUNG.” or “Remove my defilements, remove its leftovers.” Or you can recite mantras of purification such as Vajrasattva.

In regards to your second question: from the Tibetan Buddhist viewpoints you would not burn mantras or images of or associated with the Three Jewels. However, the specific mantras on the blanket, may be for this specific purpose. We wouldn’t be able to give you a definitive answers as we would need to know the specific mantras, prayers, images on the blanket.

Hope this helps. Thank you.

Dear Jason,

You’ve asked a very interesting follow-up question. Generally speaking, yes if you are in samsara, then you are always creating more karma. That’s why the goal of Buddhists is to be liberated from samsara. The Buddha and other enlightened beings achieved this and the practice of Dharma itself is geared towards achieving this.

I’ll try to explain it here, hopefully I can do so in such a short space. So, normally there is no way out of samsara, but when you practice the Dharma there is. Remember in my previous reply to you, I mentioned that there are differing levels of severity of karma? Some are heavier, some lighter, etc. When practising the Dharma, you reduce the amount of karma that you produce. When you have less effects of karma, due to less negative karma itself, you can focus more on the spiritual practices that lead to liberation.

I’ll take the examples of the Refuge vows. There are 10 of them, split into three categories related to the body, speech and mind. First is the body, which includes to abstain form killing, as killing creates negative karma. The in the speech section, it includes to abstain from lying. This is harder to do. What is easier – to abstain from killing another human being, or lying to another person. The easier one is not to kill. Hence, you train yourself in this manner, working from those actions that are easiest to avoid, working up to those that are harder. For example in the mind section, one of the vows is not to covet something that another person has. But this is harder to do than either not lying or not killing.

In other words, in our spiritual practice, we reduce the karma that we create though the actions of our body, speech and mind. Since we have less karma, we suffer less. And then finally, we are get to really subtle levels of karma, which are like residue in our mindstreams. But it’s still there. In order to get out of samsara, you need to realise what we call emptiness (which is way to complicated to talk about here). In other words, the very path of the Dharma is to reduce the karma we create, starting with the easiest and working up to the hardest, which is where it becomes the easiest to understand emptiness.

This who journey is a process, that’s why teachings such as the Lamrim are indesipensible as it shows us the actual way to practice. Normally, we are stuck in Samsara. But when we practice the Dharma and ultimately realise emptiness (there are many, many steps in between) we are able to get out of samsara completely. This may sound confusing, which is why in Buddhism study, understand and practice is very important.

We have Dharma classes available, where you can learn and find out more: https://www.kechara.com/learn/dharma-classes/

I hope this helps.

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your question. In essence, any action that causes another person harm or suffering whether physical or emotional generates negative karma. But karma is complicated and not as simple as we usually think about it. There are differences in level of severity of karma created, some can be very light and some can be heavy. These are due to the variables when creating karma, such as motivation, the actions, your feelings after it, etc. This can all be found in teachings that talk about karma, especially the Lamrim teachings.

In Buddhism we teach that we need to avoid the creation of negative karma for sure. But simply by being stuck in samsara, there is actually no way out of creating karma. That is why Buddhists seek to be free from samsara altogether. Only when we are free from samsara, are we free from the creation of karma.

In relation to your situation, if you are young and rely on your parents, for now you should try not to do things that are create division or disharmony within the family environment. That itself if the practice of the Dharma. Then later, when you are independent you can make more of an informed choice about what you want to do.

Even in your current situation, you can practice the Dharma, it is not necessary to become a monk or nun to progress on your spiritual path. Dharma can be practiced in any environment, and actually practising towards our family is the best. When we transform our minds and our behvariours and they see just how beneficial this transformation is, this is the best way to show them that Dharma is good. This was a piece of advice that Tsem Rinpoche used to tell people in family situations all the time.

I hope this helps you.

Dear Rojal,

Thank you for your question. In regards to meeting your guru, there are many different ways. These days you can meet your guru online as well. For example, many people did not meet Tsem Rinpoche personally, but they consider him to be there guru. You may find this article interesting: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/the-guru-protocol-a-guide-to-knowing-who-your-guru-is.html

In regards to tantra, yes, one definitely needs a qualified guru to bestow initiation and teach us the path of practice once you have initiation. In regards to our tradition, it is also considered necessary to have a guru to attain full enlightenment. Hope this helps. The article lined above will definitely help to answer some of your questions on a deeper level. Thank you.

Dear Rojal,

Thank you for your questions. It’s always nice to see you here wanting to learn more.

Yes it is definitely possible to deepen your practice in your sleep. This is done during practice of Highest Yoga Tantra, after receiving initiation and progressed along generation stage practice. This would obviously include everything before receiving such iniation such as having a basis and grounding in the Three Principle Aspects of the Path and the Lamrim teachings. In this practice you are able to use sleep to engage in meditation. This would need you to be able to lucid dream before hand.

The ability to lucid dream itself can be developed a number of ways, but the most common is single-pointed mediation concentration during waking life. This is also known as Shamatha meditation. But in this case, the object of your meditation should be a mental one, rather than a physical one. The best would be a visualisation of the Buddha. All of this is outlined in the Lamrim teachings in the section on developing concentration.

In terms of Astral Travel, yes it is definitely possible, and again there are different methods to go about this. Again this should be done only after having received the appropriate intiations and teachings from your guru. However, there are quite a few dangers involved with this. As Tsem Rinpoche mentioned before, the two main ones is that your consciousness is not able to return to your body and two that a spirit can take possession of your body if your protection is not strong and you have not invoked a Dharma protector to help with protection aspects.

Another thing about astral travel, is that even if learn how to do it, it is not necessary that you can actually visit pure lands or receive teachings, etc. This is because, to do this, would require a lot of merit. So there are many things and practices to develop merit before you should engage in it. Often times, people who claim that they have received teachings or visited purelands, actually haven’t though they may think that they did. It could simply be a projection of one’s mind and in some serious cases perhaps even due to spirits mascarading.

If you would like to learn lucid dreaming, please look into the teachings of single-pointed concentration normally. The ability of lucid dreaming comes naturally for those who progress in their shamatha meditation. As for astral travel practices, I would advise not to engage in such practices unless you receive the appropriate initiations, teachings from and under the strict supervision of a qualified guru. Hope this helps.