Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dealing with
failure in
business
Rinpoches letter of advice to a student
on dealing with failure of a business deal.
no material possessions and living in a what we should do. Try those methods
cave instead of a luxury house. From in meditation. Dont bring yourself
the Dharma point of view, thinking that down and make yourself unhappy. I
this person is pitiful is wrong compassion. want you to have a very, very long life.
This is the view of the worldly mind. Remember that the appearance of this
Sentient beings not practicing Dharma life is very short; it can stop any minute,
and engaging in negative karma, hour, or day. Think about this business
creating the sufferings of samsara loss as like a water bubble. Also, even
and the lower realms, are objects of if the whole world criticizes you, its
compassion. That is unbearable. nothing. Even if people give you a bad
reputation, its nothing when you think
It is good to think that in emptiness, of impermanence and death.
there is no gain and no loss. It is very
good to think in this way in case you Overall, in this case, what seems to
dont achieve your aim in business. be needed is merit. My suggestion to
You must think like this over and over. you is to make many offerings. I have
As I mentioned one morning, when I asked two people to buy prayer wheels
talked about emptiness to you, think turned by candles for you. Its important
of a truly existent I, truly existent to replace the old candle when it burns
company, truly existent business, and down so that the prayer wheel is always
truly existent funds. In reality, these turning. This is a very special method.
things have no such true existence, the I also have special dakini mantras
true existence that appears and that and prayers and requests to help to
we believe in, such as a real company eliminate obstacles.
and business.
So for now, thank you very much for all
Look at this situation as like a dream. your generosity and support for me and
Then, all this loss and gain is like a the organization. Its wonderful.
dream. Then, you get the feeling that it
isnt important, that its nothing. Thats With much love and prayer...
Word s of Wisdo m
for Marc h
When a person is generous and kind to others and good hearted, then all the
good things in life come from that: prosperity, health, and long life. Such a person
will receive all of those things. If those good qualities are within a persons mind,
even if they live in poverty they will experience peace and happiness, and there
will be satisfaction and fulllment in the heart of that person.
~By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche~
LDC NEWS
Best news for the year! in next issue of the Shabda, please
Our most precious guru Kyabje Lama mark these dates in your diary to meet
Zopa Rinpoche has conrmed coming our precious guru again in May 2006.
to LDC from 11th - 22nd May 2006! Those of you who are interested to
Rinpoche will be opening our new help in preparation of this mega event,
Center premises on Jalan 17/21 while please call Ven. Osel or Elsie join in the
celebrating Wesak with us on the same merit making.
day, programs such as cutting ribbon,
releasing mantra balloons, bathing the LDC Grand Opening
Buddha ceremony, lion dance and dinner May 12th
a long life puja has been planned. LDC will also be hosting a dinner to
Rinpoche will also be giving teaching celebrate the opening of the center
and conferring Medicine Buddha by our precious guru. The date for the
initiation to those wishing to obtain dinner is May 12th and it will be held at
this initiation at the Center. Details the new Center. Please also keep this
of the program will be posted to you date free.
LDC new premise under renovation
KALACHAKRA REPORT
By Selina Foong
His Holiness the Dalai Lama says of the the largest event most of us had ever
Kalachakra, I announce that there is attended (by most reports exceeding
a Kalachakra initiation, and everybody 100,000 people), in one of Indias holiest
rushes here. I do the Kalachakra sites, with great camaraderie and
ceremony last as I spend more time enthusiasm.
explaining the key elements and a
general overview of the Buddhist path. IT STARTED SLUGGISHLY
Struggling to leave KL was half the
That way they have to sit and listen. battle, with many of us encountering
That is my skillful means! (But) although I last minute obstacles. Until I reached
thought I was rather smart, some of the the airport, this India trip still hadnt
students are even smarter. They make felt quite real, so distracted was my
sure to arrive exactly on Kalachakra mind. Coupled with the night ight
initiation day! to Hydrabad and a whirlwind next
few days of sightseeing, our stamina
What a good thing it was that our and patience were put sorely to the
group of 30-odd LDC members and test. Luckily, we survived. Our ordeals
friends from other countries did not included a 4 -hour wait for the bus
try to outsmart His Holiness; it would and another 3 -hour wait in the
surely have been our loss! For two burning sun for the ferry back from
weeks in January 2006, we not only Nagarjuna Konda. The good news?
soaked up the glorious Kalachakra Not only did we emerge in one piece
teachings & initiation, but listened to from those early, blurry days of the trip,
His Holiness elucidate on the Nagarjuna we felt our minds and hearts soften
classic, The Fundamental Wisdom as our surroundings settled into our
of the Middle Way; participating in consciousness, and the purpose of
our trip became focused. This served was well worth the waiting and
as the prelude to what was truly an honking. Nagarjuna Sagar, a famed
unforgettable time. archeological site in the middle of
an island accessible only by ferry. His
AT FIRST WE WERE TOURISTS Holiness had visited that very site for
Day One saw us being dutiful tourists the rst time a few days earlier, and
and visiting Golkonda Fort, one of the it was teeming with visitors when we
biggest forts of the Deccan plateau. arrived. Not only did we pay homage
Built on a hill west of Hyderabad city, at the various stupas, Buddha statues
it was strikingly picturesque on that and a museum which housed priceless
beautiful clear day. We overcame artifacts, we ran into many familiar
initial sleepiness and disinterest, and faces from Kopan Monastery including
got red up to spend the next 3 hours LDCs previous Resident Teacher Geshe
exploring and taking photos. Our Losang Sherab. Meeting up with dear
guide had a tougher time of it, trying ones is always a happy occasion, and
his best to project his voice, speak this was no different.....
comprehensible English, and round
us disobedient tourists at every turn! Another long drive later and way
Despite largely failing on all three after nightfall, we arrived at our hotel.
counts, we applauded his valiant Situated in the town of Guntur, which
efforts. A late lunch and more was to be our home for the next 13
sightseeing later, we returned to the days.
hotel, and most of us crashed early into
bed. TEACHINGS STARTED ON
SUNDAY 8TH JANUARY.
Day Two started with the 2:45am Highlights from this time include a very
bottom-numbing wait for the bus. By eventful toilet stop made at a high
the time it arrived, it was close to 8am. school in the middle of nowhere. Little
The only consolation was that the bus did we suspect when we trooped in
was in absolutely luxurious condition, to use the facilities that all 1,000 of the
which we took advantage of by school kids would assemble in the eld
immediately falling asleep. Not that we for a photo shoot and speech session
could actually sleep! Unfortunately, our with us! A representative from each
bus driver got progressively hornier as country was asked to address the
our long journey wore on not only did students on the loudspeaker, and we
he enjoy sounding his bus horn, he also had speakers from Malaysia (Dr Lai May
had several horning tunes. Barely three Ling), Brunei, Indonesia, Holland and
seconds would pass before his next Australia. The students reciprocated
shrill melodic blast, which in a half-sleep by singing us the Indian national
state sounded really deafening. anthem. The pure joy and curiosity on
their faces was a marvelan amazing
The highlight of the day however, experience that moved us all.
By the time His Holiness teaching on The stupa would surely have been
Nagarjunas Fundamental Wisdom jaw-dropping in its heyday, as even its
of the Middle Way commenced on remains are so magnicent. We were
Sunday, our minds had settled a little fortunate enough to hold a Guru Puja
more. Even though our seats were here on Monday 9th Jan (a tsog day).
not close enough to His Holiness to Sitting under the cool shade of a tree
see Him clearly, it was wonderful to with Geshe Losang Sherab leading the
be surrounded by so many devotees, prayers and the stupa directly in front
all wanting to improve themselves of us, few would have been unaffected
and learn the Dharma, and to hear by these incredible conditions. How
His voice, resonant and warm like no fortunate we are and how precious this
other, teaching on matters extending human rebirth!
far beyond our ordinary petty concerns
and small lives. His Holiness is lucid, GETTING UP CLOSE WITH HH
concise and does not mince words, DALAI LAMA
and speaks to us as a father does. One day we missed a group audience
Even with so many others present, one with His Holiness. Bungle after bungle
feels His love and care so strongly; it is cost us valuable time, and then even
really quite extraordinary. our normally reliable bus failed to show
up. Which explains how we came to
The power of being in the presence of be crammed within an inch of our lives
His Holiness is amplied further by the into the local Guntur to Amaravati bus
sheer magnicence of this holy site, - our attempts in emulating a tightly-
Amaravati. packed box of sardines providing
the other passengers with some
At one time, the grandest stupa in unexpected entertainment!
southern India stood here, and its Our efforts only led to strained forearms,
foundations remain to this day. It is said attened bottoms, and our being 15
that this was the site where Buddha minutes late. So tight was His Holiness
Shakyamuni emanated to teach schedule we had missed most of the
the Kalachakra, at the same time appointed time, and were denied
that another emanation of Buddha entry.
Shakyamuni taught the Perfection of
Wisdom at Vultures Peak in Rajagriha. Despondent, we consoled ourselves
with the knowledge that while it would
Stupendous sculptures, carvings and of course have been great, it was not
reliefs from this stupa, which fell into the sole purpose of our trip which was
oblivion and disrepair sometime after already going better than our wildest
1344, are exhibited at, amongst others, expectations. A delicious buffet lunch
a special Amaravati Gallery in the in the neighboring town of Vijayawada
British Museum as well as the local perked us up, as did our audience with
Archeological Museum at Amaravati. His Eminence Ling Rinpoche who was
Hotel in Guntur
Golkonda Fort
DINNER WITH RINPOCHE All too soon it was over, and a Long Life
The day ended on a high note with Puja was offered to His Holiness on the
a dinner reception hosted by our nal day. With joy, LDC members and
precious guru Kyabje Lama Zopa friends made an offering of 6.4 million
Rinpoche, at His Guntur hotel. Several Om Mani Padme Hum mantras to His
hundred people crammed into the Holiness. Even though this fell short of
lovely rooftop garden which had been our targeted 10 million mantras, it was
converted into an alfresco dining inspiring to see how hard everyone
venue, and not only met Rinpoche practiced, in order to dedicate for
but also Charok Lama, Kopan Mighty Chenresig Tenzin Gyatso to
Khenrinpoche Lama Lhundrup, and remain and teach us until samsara
many other Dharma friends from all ends.
over the world. The bonus?
GENERATING
FEELINGS
OF WARMTH
With each passing day,
we felt growing warmth
and fondness for each
other. Everyone had
their endearing quirks,
which only added to
the camaraderie.
ladies developed a sudden fetish for All this samsaric craziness played out
Punjabi suits, fuelled by the presence of against a backdrop of profound and
a tailor only 1-minutes walk away from precious Dharma teachings each day,
our hotel. making up the weird and wonderful
collage of our Indian trip. To my
Others went straight for Himalayan dearest fellow trippers, may this short
Herbal toiletries, promptly sweeping article remind you of the joys and
the Nilgiri supermarket shelves clean tribulations we shared, and spur you on
of products. Sally, Mel & Selina went to great realizations.
ga-ga over the galub jamuns; everyone
else gagged about how sickly sweet May the merits generated by all of us
they were. And Margaret related a during this wonderful trip be dedicated
hilarious story about her encounter with to our holy gurus, and may we be
a certain tuk-tuk driver, leaving us in no quickly enlightened for the sake of all
doubt about her desirability!!! mother sentient beings.
Nine water bowls of relics were discovered after Kyabje Ribur Rinpoches holy
body was offered to the re .. we rejoice hugely and pray for the swift return of our
precious guru
Reciting the name of the Naga King, and the proof of this is that practicing
De-zhin sheg-pa lu-wang gyi gyal- deities that protect sentient beings
po, has many benets. If you recite from naga harm, such as Vajrapani-
it 21 times, it has the power to purify Hayagriva-Garuda, can cure cancer.
even the heavy negative karma that These particular deitis provide
denitely bring their results in this life. protection. Vajrapani acts against the
Also, you dont receive harm from spirits of the upper reaches of space,
nagas and landlords through diseases which cause epilepsy and other
such as leprosy, arthritis or cancer. I diseases. Hayagriva, the deity adorned
havent heard Tibetan doctors link AIDS with a horses head, protects sentient
to nagas, but they normally explain that beings from naga harm and the spirit
cancer is related to harm from nagas. called tsen gyal-don in Tibetan. Garuda
Cancer is called nyen in Tibetan, top protects sentient beings from naga
which indicates that some other being and landlord harm.
becomes a condition for that sickness.
I think that coma is connected to harm The main function of Vajrapani-
from spirits. Im not sure exactly which Hayagriva-Garuda is to liberate sentient
type of being is involved, but in the beings by pacifying their delusions of
past, the divinations of high lamas have ignorance, anger and attachment,
usually indicated that Medicine Buddha from which they receive all their
practice should be done for someone sicknesses and spirit harm. The basic
in a coma. aim of the practice of this deity is to
purify and cease, these delements.
Reciting the name of the Naga King This is why people who have practiced
also puries the negative karma of the meditation-recitation of Vajrapani-
having broken or degenerated vows of Hayagriva-Garuda are able to heal
morality. You are protected from being themselves of cancer.
harmed by lightning, sickness or thieves.
It increases your wealth. If you recite I would like to suggest that if their mind
this Buddhas name 100,000 times, you is open to the idea, people with AIDS
can be healed of leprosy; the negative recite the name of this Buddha, the
karma that results in your contracting Naga King, Lu-wang gyi gyal-po. It is
leprosy will be completely puried. not that I have had the experience of
someone reciting this name mantra
Cancer is denitely related to nagas, and healing themselves of AIDS,
MARCH HIGHLIGHTS
LDC program at night will all from morning to night continuously
start at 7:30pm for several days. LDC is organizing
Many people put in their request for Medicine Buddha Puja with extensive
LDC programs on weekday nights to offering and additional prayers on this
start at the time that suit their schedule day to celebrate the last day of Tibetan
i.e. after ofce hour. In order to New Year. Please come along to
compromise everyones request, we participate with your personal offering,
decided 7:30pm is the best time to start ower, etc.......
all our weekday night programs such as
the monthly Guru, Tara and Medicine Geshe las class will be on hold until
Buddha pujas. he returns from India. Meanwhile, well
procees with applying a long term visa
What is happening for Geshe la. We aim to resume his class
on March at LDC in April at LDC new premise.
March is a very special month for
many of us. We have about 47 Then we come to the most exciting
people going to Kopan Monastery time of this month which is to move LDC
to participate in the enthronement to our new premises on 28th March.
ceremony of Venerable Tulku Tenzin
Puntsok Rinpoche from 3rd - 5th March,
receiving teaching and initiation from
our precious Guru Kyabje Lama Zopa
Rinpoche, followed by pilgrimage to
We welcome the following
the holy sites in Kathmandu valley led new member who joined us in
by Ven.Tenzin Zopa la. February 2006.
The rst 2 weeks of March is also the 15 1.) Chan Eng Heng
days of Tibetan New Year which are the
very powerful days for merit multiplying
100,000 million times as cited by Kyabje
Lama Zopa Rinpoche. On 14th March is
the last day of Tibetan New Year which
is the Day of Miracles. Lord Buddha
performed many miracles on this day
to subdue externalism. It is also the
period for all Tibetan Buddhism to held
the Great Prayer Festival in which all
monks and nuns gather in identied
monastery to perform extensive prayers
1 BP 2 BP 3 BP
Enthronement of
Tenzin Puntsok
Rinpoche at Kopan
Monastery, Nepal
6 BP 7 BP 8 BP 9P 9 BP 10 BP
TSOG OFFERINGS
13 BP 14 BP 15 16 17
Medicine Buddha
Puja & other
prayers 7:30pm
Day of Miracle
20 21 22 23 24
24
Guru Puja 7:30pm
TSOG OFFERINGS
27 28 29 P 30 31
Moving LDC to
Jalan 17/21 PJ
4 BP 5 BP
11 BP 12 BP
Animal
18 Liberation
19
11am - 12noon
New Release
This book chronicles the search for the holy
child, a search fraught with excitement and joy
as every sign left behind by the Mahasiddha
played out over the four years since his passing.
25 26 It is written by Ven. Tenzin Zopa whose intense
devotion and love for his old Master makes the
Hospice Debrieng story of the search come alive. We can feel his
Session at Kasih Center
pure joy as the tale is told against a background
3pm - 6pm
of Tibetan cultural and religious protocol. Inputs
Relocation Packing Relocation Packing
from many high masters of the Tibetan lineage
at LDC at LDC
are included and the readers will be charmed
by his account of the signs, the dreams and
the incidents that ultimately point to the holy
childs discovery in the Tsum valley of the
Himalayas. This was followed by many special
tests and scrutiny conducted by Kyabje Lama
Zopa Rinpoche which then led to the joyous
conclusion that the search is nally over and the
holy child is found...