We are an aspect of Natural Perfection, unprecedented and unrepeatable.

All moments are intersections; all intersections are opportunities; all opportunities demand decisions; all decisions have consequences; and all consequences ultimately guide us to clarity.

All is pure and perfect just as it is.

We are pure and perfect just as we are.

LOSAR TASHI DELEK

May peace reign in the Land of Snows.

May all be free from suffering.

May all embrace happiness and the causes of happiness.

I grew up in a time when the expression of emotions was considered healthy and even necessary. Otherwise, we were told, suppression would lead to uncounted mental and physical maladies.  

Suppressing emotions —and, for good measure, any and all desires— could only be harmful, and thus we were encouraged by mental health professionals and popular musicians alike: ‘Don’t keep it bottled in’, ‘Express yourself’, ‘Tell it like it is’, ‘Let it all hang out’.   

Mastering our emotions became synonymous with hypocrisy, and all forms of self-control were suspect. Given the political fashion of the 60s and 70s, suppression was equated with internalized repression, or as a friend colorfully put it: “being your own pig”.  

The fallacy of this notion is that the opposition expression vs. suppression is not all-encompassing. When faced with an afflicted emotion, expressing it or suppressing it are not our only options.   

The Dharma does not suggest or recommend suppression. On the contrary, we are advised to observe our emotions closely, to notice how and when they arise, abide, and subside; to discover their source; to locate them spatially and temporally; to understand their very nature.   

We are not encouraged to stamp out the emotions, but rather to accept them and observe them closely. When we witness our emotions, they self-liberate, they return to their empty source, they dissolve into the luminous clarity of the mind. There is nothing to express or suppress.  

Expression is a form of suppression, because as soon as we engage in mounting and displaying a mental, verbal, or physical reaction, we are denying ourselves the opportunity to feel the emotion. We have moved on to a different experience (expression) before we’ve had the opportunity to understand and assimilate the previous one (feeling).  

The opposite of feeling is not suppression. It is not feeling. Expression and suppression are contraries indeed, but both are extremes that veil the experience of feeling. Mastering the emotions is not an act of suppression, but an act of acceptance and understanding.

If we have a need to express or suppress our feelings, that in itself is a sign that the emotions have not been properly and fully digested.

When we perceive our impatience as impatience —

There are conditions in which our lack of patience manifests more or less acutely, but these are not its causes. Impatience may manifest in different ways in various circumstances, but there is only an absence of peace. Impatience is a mind, an internal mental state. It is not a reaction, but a projection of this mental state, imputed on an object (person, thing, or situation). 

Understanding impatience in this way is a good start, but it is not the same as perceiving it as such. The former is conceptual, and thus removed from reality. In conceptual understanding, the object is a ‘universal’, a generally characterized abstraction. In perception, it is a direct apprehension of an individual, real object of experience.  

When we are able to apprehend impatience as a negation, a lack, an absence of peace, then it is fairly evident that the situations in which it manifests are not of particular importance (although we must strive to avoid these as much as possible, for the sake of others). Cultivating peace is the only true remedy.  

If there is no food in the pantry, attempting to improve our relationships with dinner guests (invited or uninvited) will not solve the fundamental problem. We must plant and grow our grains and vegetables.   

This we can do in meditation, in recitation, and in prayer.

TIBETAN NEW YEAR

YEAR OF THE MALE WATER DRAGON 2139 

The New Jonang Community invites you to join the highly respected and venerable Nyingma masters Khenpo Tenzin Norgay Rinpoche and Lama Pasang Tenzin Gurung at Palyul Changchub Dhargyayling Dallas (320 Terrace Drive, Richardson, TX 75081) for a Losar celebration on Wednesday, 22 February, from 10:30 AM to 2 PM. 

BODHISATTVA VOWS

RIDGZIN DUPA PUJA

TSOK OFFERING

LONG LIFE BLESSING 

Khenpo Norgay Rinpoche and Lama Pasang will guide these traditional New Year’s Day practices. After offering a kata to the late Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Khenpo Norgay will give a teaching on the meaning of these special ceremonies. 

This will be followed by authentic Nepali song and dance performances and a traditional Losar lunch, featuring Nepali and Tibetan foods and beverages (sweet rice, homemade yogurt, soups, vegetables, momos, chang, and butter tea).   

All Losar activities are free of charge, however your donations help make these programs possible. 100% of your tax deductible contributions are used for airfare, to support these exemplary Nyingma teachers while they are in Dallas, and to maintain Dallas’ only Nyingma Buddhist center throughout the year for the benefit of all sentient beings!   

You can also celebrate Losar on Sunday, 26 February, 5 to 7:30 PM, at the Dallas Meditation Center, with Brother ChiSing and Jonang Tashi Nyima. 

Feb 26, 5:00 pm – Dallas Meditation Center

Long Life Ritual for Dharma Teachers of All Buddhist Lineages

Losar Treats { Dragon T-Shirts Printed On Site { Children’s Dragon Dance

Open Refuge Ceremony

Long Life Blessing for All 

TASHI DELEK!

Reverence to the Omniscient Dolpopa

namo gurave   Reverence to the glorious teacher, quintessence of the three bodies, crown-jewel of the pure lineage, leader of sentient beings, revealer of the ultimate path, the lord of refuge, the regent of the Buddha, of peerless kindness, incomparable teacher, victory banner of wisdom of the Great Middle Way. Omniscient Jonangpa, please hear my prayer! 

The entire sphere of objects of knowledge is pervaded by a single moment of your vision, apprehending whatever exists as existing, and whatever does not exist as not existing. I pray to you, please look upon me with compassion. Please empower me with your blessings. Please grant me the two accomplishments. Omniscient in three ways, please bestow the fruit of the effortless establishment of the two purposes. Omniscient Jonangpa, please regard me with compassion!  

kunchen jonangpa chenno

When we use the term ‘jar’, for example, we in fact refer to a single aspect of this jar, such as its shape. We perceive such aspects, but not the jar itself, which is a synthetic object constructed from various aspects.

We can conceivably (depending on its kind) perceive a specific object by its sound, touch, sight, taste, or smell. Each of these perceptions exists on its own, and is apprehended by different types of perception. Together, they form what we commonly call material objects.

When we perceive the shape of the jar, we do not fully perceive the entire jar, in all its aspects. On the basis of a partial perception, we impute the existence of the jar, but at any given time, we only perceive one discrete aspect.

Awakening mind arises from a pure and excellent aspiration.

Pure aspiration arises from great compassion.

Great compassion arises from great love.

Great love arises from affection for sentient beings.

Affection for sentient beings arises from appreciation and gratitude.

Appreciation and gratitude arise from the perception that sentient beings are our benefactors.

—Jetsun Taranatha, paraphrasing Master Atisha

Exploring seasonal adaptation requires that we understand various seasonal cycles:

The Life-Stage Cycle

The Four Quarters of Growth, Production, Decline, and Termination

• Growth: Ojas Predominates
• Production: Agni Predominates
• Decline: Prana-Agni Predominates
• Termination: Prana Predominates 

The Yearly Cycle

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

• Spring: Ojas Predominates
• Summer: Agni Predominates
• Fall: Prana-Agni Predominates
• Winter: Prana Predominates

The Daily Cycle

Dawn, Mid-Morning, Noon, Mid-Afternoon, Dusk, Mid-Evening, Midnight, Late-Night

• Dawn and Dusk: Prana Predominates
• Mid-Morning, Mid-Afternoon, Mid-Evening, and Late-Night: Ojas Predominates
• Noon and Midnight: Agni Predominates 

In balanced constitutions (PAO), seasonal changes require minimal adaptations.

In singular constitutions (P, A, O), seasonal changes require common-sense adaptations to avoid excesses.

In dual constitutions (PA, PO, AO), seasonal changes require that we determine whether the secondary principle is strengthened to the point that it becomes dominant. 

The primary considerations in adapting to seasonal changes are the polarities of 

Hot-Cold

Dry-Moist

Mobile-Static 

• When Prana predominates, conditions are cold, dry, and mobile.
• When Agni predominates, conditions are hot, dry, and upwardly mobile.
• When Ojas predominates, conditions are cold, moist, and static. 

Adaptation is the simple process of choosing food, activity, and environments that counteract the potential excesses represented by the dominant conditions:

• In hot seasons, favor cooling (raw; sweet, bitter, astringent) foods, activities, and environments
• In cold seasons, favor hot (cooked; sour, salty, pungent) foods, activities, and environments
• In dry seasons, favor moist foods, activities, and environments
• In moist seasons, favor dry foods, activities, and environments
• In mobile seasons, favor static (heavy) foods, activities, and environments
• In static seasons, favor mobile (light) foods, activities, and environments

Vajra

In a dark space, place a dark-blue blindfold over the eyes, reciting: “I cover my eyes with the blindfold of withdrawal, that I may see the luminous Empty Forms of Truth.” 

Bring the attention to the center of the forehead. Avoid external and internal stimulation, and turn the attention within. Gently direct the gaze to the space directly in front and slightly above the forehead. In Vajra Meditation, the concentration is not ‘inside’ or ‘on’ a point in the body, but rather a hand span-beyond the forehead. Avoid tension on the eyes or forehead. Gentle, loving, steady concentration is required. By continuously looking into this space, one will eventually gaze into infinite space.  

The Vajra Yoga masters understood the fleeting nature of the mind, which prevents us from experiencing the luminous Empty Forms. The mind can be tamed gradually, not by force, but through mantra recitation. Mantra recitation is the key that helps us transcend sensorial distraction and conceptual thought. We select a mantra according to temperament and predispositions.  

• For those seeking or requiring purification:  om vajrasattva hum
• For those seeking or requiring protection: om tare tuttare ture so’ha
• For those seeking or requiring non-referential bliss: om ah hum ho ham ksha
• For those seeking or requiring to develop compassion: om mani peme hum
• For those seeking Pure Land birth for themselves and others: om amideva hrih
• For those seeking or requiring non-dual wisdom: tadyatha om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi so’ha

Mentally recite the mantra and lovingly gazing into the space in front, which will develop into concentration on the inner light. Recitation is continuous. Breathing is natural and free, without willful control or modification. It goes on by itself. Any strenuous effort will only interfere with the process, for it creates resistance to the natural flow of meditation. Reciting the mantra and gazing is all that is needed. Eventually we experience the withdrawal of the sensory currents and feel numbness set in, and gather at the center of the forehead.   

While concentrating on the space a hand-span in front and slightly above the forehead, darkness will fade and Light will emerge. Is best to gaze at the middle of whatever lights or forms appear, and continue reciting silently, slowly, and softly, so as not to disturb the gaze. We may see lights of various color; red, blue, green, yellow, white, or flashes of light, or we may see smoke, fireflies, or various other signs. It is important to not be diverted by these initial sights, but to continue reciting the mantra, and gazing. Eventually, with practice, we will see the luminous Empty Forms.

“Thus have I heard (evam maya shrutam)…”

The text that follows is neither a personal opinion nor an ‘original’ presentation of Exchange Meditation (Tib. tonglen; Skt. parivartana). On the contrary, although committed to conveying these teachings in the context of place, time, and a particular audience, it is the aspiration of all members of the Suddha lineage to be faithful to the authentic tradition, and to present it without deviation or unwarranted innovation. 

About Tonglen 

Because all suffering ultimately stems from attempting to become happy independently of others, the fundamental cause of suffering is self-cherishing, or the belief that our own interests are more important than the well being of others. If we are to attain happiness, it is indispensable to address self-cherishing. Therefore, the practice of tonglen or parivartana (exchanging ourselves for others) is the paramount method.  

In the practice, one visualizes taking onto oneself the suffering of others, and giving one’s own happiness and success to them. The function of the practice is to: 

1. reduce selfish attachment
2. develop mental strength and stability
3. create positive karma (causes of future happiness for ourselves and others)
4. develop relative compassion and loving-kindness
5. develop ultimate compassion and wisdom 

Tonglen is performed in conjunction with breathing, and in relation to ourselves, specific individuals or groups, and all living entities. As we breathe in, we directly perceive in our mind’s eye that all suffering and the causes of suffering (ignorance, selfishness, attachment, aversion, and self-grasping) come into our heart in the form of dense, dark smoke. With every exhalation we directly perceive in our mind’s eye that we offer to others all our happiness and the causes of happiness (wisdom, compassion, loving kindness, rejoicing in the well being of others, and awareness of natural perfection), in the form of brilliant light. This light goes out to the objects of our meditation, so that they obtain present temporary happiness and the causes for ultimate happiness. 

Our ultimate nature is True Purity, True Self, True Bliss, and True Permanence. It is our eternal, ever-present reality, beyond the modifications of the conditioned mind, yet intimately informing it. Like the sun, however hidden it may be by dense clouds of thought, emotion, and sensation, our Natural Perfection is always there, shining brilliantly and effortlessly.  

As human beings, we have the habit of resisting what is unpleasant and seeking what is pleasurable. We resist, avoid, and deny suffering and we continually grasp at pleasure. If we observe our behavior, it is easy to see that we habitually resist and avoid people, situations, and feelings we consider to be painful, unpleasant, or uncomfortable, and we are naturally attracted to people, situations, and feelings we consider pleasant, comfortable, and gratifying.  

According to Buddhist teachings, this behavior is a symptom of fundamental ignorance and is influenced by the defilements of attachment, aversion, and indifference. To break the spell of this dualistic perception, to dissolve the barriers in our hearts that keep us feeling separate from others, and to cultivate deep compassion for all living beings, including ourselves, we need to meet and embrace reality in a radically new way. To accomplish this, we can use the precious heart-practice of Tonglen. 

With the practice of Toglen, we work directly with our habitual tendency to avoid suffering and attach ourselves to pleasure. Using this powerful and highly effective practice, we learn to embrace our life experiences with more openness, compassion, inclusiveness, and understanding, rather than denial, aversion, and resistance. When we encounter fear, pain, hurt, anger, jealousy, loneliness, or suffering, be it our own or others’, we breathe in with the desire to completely embrace this experience –to feel it, accept it, and own it, free of any resistance.  

In this way, we transform our tendency to close down and shut out life’s unpleasant experiences. We acknowledge, touch, and embrace our personal and collective suffering. We do not run away. We do not turn the other way. Touching and understanding suffering is the first step toward true transformation. Rather than avoiding suffering, we develop a more tolerant and compassionate relationship with it. We learn to meet and embrace reality —naked, open, and fearless. 

Although the idea of developing a relationship with suffering may sound somewhat morbid, we must remember that when we touch and embrace suffering, we can finally understand what causes it. When we understand the cause of suffering, we can eliminate it and be liberated. There is an end to suffering; however, we must learn how to meet it in a new way. Tonglen can help us accomplish this shift of awareness, this training of the mind. 

It is obvious that Tonglen is completely contrary to the ways in which we usually maintain our personality. We have defensive ego strategies for coping with the pain, hurt, disappointment, and suffering we encounter in life. We armor, protect, and separate ourselves from our inner and outer experiences in numerous ways, conscious and unconscious. Tonglen does indeed go against our habitual tendency of always wanting things to be pleasant, of wanting life on our own terms, of wanting everything to work out for ourselves no matter what happens to others.  

This practice dissolves and transforms the armor of our self-protection, the psychological strategies and defenses we create to keep ourselves separate from our own suffering and the suffering we encounter in the world. Tonglen gradually wears away our habitual grasping at a false sense of self, and effectively reverses our usual pattern of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. In this process, we finally liberate ourselves from a very ancient prison of selfishness.  

With this radical shift of awareness, this new way of embracing our life experience, our heart becomes more tender, open, sensitive, and aware. We naturally feel more alive, more loving and caring, both for ourselves and others. By practicing Tonglen, we connect with a less defended and more open, spacious dimension of our being. The all-embracing compassion of our Natural Perfection begins to shine through and we are introduced to a far more intimate and grander view of reality. With this sublime heart of love, liberated from attachment, aversion, and indifference, we gradually recognize and feel the absolute interdependence and preciousness of all living beings. This is true intimacy with life. This is the cultivation of the awakened heart of compassion and wisdom. 

Breathing in, we allow ourselves to feel the inevitable suffering that occurs in this life. Our heart’s natural response to this suffering, while breathing out, is compassion. We breathe in the pain and suffering of this world like a dark cloud, letting it pass through our hearts. Rather than bracing ourselves against this pain and suffering, we can let it strengthen our sense of belonging and interdependence within the larger web of being.  

When we know in our hearts that we are connected to the insects, animals, trees, the earth, and every living being, we do not cause harm or suffering to any of these parts of ourselves. Rather, we become sensitive and attuned to the cries of the world, and we learn to respond with wisdom and deep compassion. We develop the wish to free all beings from their suffering and its causes; we desire, more than anything, to bring them happiness and peace. Indeed, the practice of Tonglen is an excellent way for us to train our heart and mind to develop universal compassion and help alleviate the suffering of all living beings. 

Generally, happiness and suffering occur as a result of karma, or the effects of our previous positive or negative actions. If we have performed positive actions, then naturally the result will be happiness. Likewise, suffering occurs as the result of negative actions. If we have performed negative actions, then the only result that can be obtained is suffering. However, the karmic results that have not yet ripened or manifested can be averted, and Tonglen is an effective method for accomplishing this purpose.  

This is not wishful thinking or pseudo-spirituality, but practical wisdom. Our everyday conditioned mind cannot differentiate between external and internal experiences, since all experiences, ultimately, are internal. For example, when we look at a red wall, we are under the impression that we are directly contacting the wall with our visual sense, and that our perception of height, width, solidity, distance, and color are inherent in the object itself (the wall).   

However, what we are actually experiencing is an internal representation of the wall in our minds. A cursory understanding of the mechanism of sight establishes that the ‘objects’ we see are not perceived directly. After contact of the visual sense and the red wall takes place, an image of the red wall is presented to the mind, and that is the actual perception that we experience. Thus, in reality, all experience is internal.  

When we practice meditation, the images presented to the mind are not fundamentally different from those presented by the sense organs, and therefore the experiences are indistinguishable. By mentally accepting the suffering of others, we are averting any unripe negative karma, at least for ourselves. When our capacity has become greater through the steady practice of Tonglen, we can identify with others so thoroughly that we may also avert their unripe negative karma. 

In practicing Tonglen, we change the attitude of seeing ourselves as more important than other beings, and we consider others to be more important than ourselves. The common attitude of most people is to think that the happiness of others is secondary or unimportant, but their own happiness is absolutely important. We normally take care of ourselves first, regarding ourselves as more important than others. Through doing this exchange practice, it is possible to transform our attitude, so that it does not matter if we are unhappy or suffering, as long as others are happy and free from suffering. Thus we develop the attitude that we are able to take on the suffering of other beings.  

Some persons new to this practice worry that by doing it they will lose happiness and experience suffering, which makes them fearful. However, there is no need for this anxiety, because whatever happens to us is solely a result of our own karma. Doing this practice does not bring additional suffering.  

Some people practice Tonglen with great expectation. We think of a friend who is ill, unhappy, or otherwise suffering, and we visualize this friend during the practice in the hope that we can remove the suffering. When it does not work instantly, we lose hope and become disillusioned. The fault, however, lies not with the practice, but with the expectation. As long as we practice with the goal of obtaining some result that we desire, it is not Tonglen. The true goal is to cherish other beings as important, rather than regarding ourselves as important. There is no need to worry, fear, or expect a particular result.  

However, the practice does produce beneficial results. In the immediate present we are not able to bring happiness to others or remove suffering directly, but by cultivating Tonglen we will gradually cease to cherish ourselves over others. We will develop the firm desire to benefit other beings, eventually leading to the ability to help beings directly. Consequently, we will be able to give them happiness and relieve them of suffering, and offer them whatever qualities and abilities we have. This is relative compassion.  

Ultimate compassion is realized by avoiding all conceptualizations and extreme dualism of self and other. When our minds are calm, the prana (energy) moves unimpeded and seeks its natural expression. When prana flows unimpeded, one need not strive to act in positive ways, but rather is impelled to do so spontaneously. We then manifest our true nature, and abide in Natural Perfection. This is ultimate compassion.  

The Practice

1. If you are so inclined, invoke the presence of all the Buddhas (awakened beings) and Bodhisattvas  (beings on the path of perfection), so that through their inspiration and blessing, compassion may be born in your heart. In this way, you are associating with those who abide in True Nature, the inexhaustible source of purity, generosity, and compassion.
2. Choose an object of meditation among the following three:
   1. yourself –you can meditate on your own future suffering, and thus avert the ripening of the unmanifest seeds of latent karma;
   2. a specific person or group of persons –select a particular individual or group of individuals toward whom you feel some degree of natural compassion, or who share with you some specific suffering (such as a disease, condition, or situation); or
   3. the totality of living entities –although this category encompasses beings with different bodies (insects, animals, etc), regard them all in human form, as it is easier to generate compassion in this way. However, remember that all beings suffer according to the specific conditions created by their unique karma.
3. Reflect on the immense suffering of the object of your meditation. Allow that suffering to open your heart and awaken your compassion.
4. Allow yourself to feel connected with the objects of your meditation, and become aware of their difficulties, pain, and distress.
5. As your heart opens in compassion toward the objects of your meditation, directly perceive in your mind’s eye that all their suffering issues out as a mass of dark, heavy smoke.
6. Directly perceive in your mind’s eye that you inhale this mass of dark smoke, and see it dissolve into the very core of your self-grasping (ego), at your heart center.
7. There in your heart, it completely destroys all traces of fear and selfishness (self-cherishing) and purifies all of your negative karma. Directly perceive in your mind’s eye that your fear, self-centeredness and negative karma has been completely destroyed, and your enlightened heart is fully revealed.
8. As you exhale, directly perceive in your mind’s eye that you are sending out the radiance of wisdom, compassion, loving-kindness, rejoicing, natural perfection, and well-being to the object of your meditation. See this brilliant radiance purifying their negative karma. Send out any feelings that encourage healing, relaxation, and openness.
9. Continue this Exchange with each breath, repeating to yourself: “I take into my heart all your suffering and the causes of suffering. I give you perfect happiness and the causes of happiness.”
10. Generate a firm inner conviction that the object of your meditation has been freed of suffering and negative karma and is filled with peace, happiness and well-being.  

The transformation achieved through the practice of Tonglen is beyond what we could ever imagine. Tonglen is capable of healing all our sickness and physical ailments, ending our negative habits, and clearing away whatever interferes with our life. Our life grows longer; our positive potential and store of positive energy increases, as well as our inner reserve of wisdom. We see the fulfillment of our intentions and aspirations. From day to day, the results can be dramatic. And in the ultimate sense, we have future deepening of realization and spiritual experience, leading us to states of awakening. With repeated practice, we become truly capable of benefiting others.