Offering of Buddha Statue to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
In October of 2019 Machig Labdron Study Group offered a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha to His Holiness the Dali Lama on behalf of the entire FPMT organization based on the recommendation of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. These beautiful, nine-inch gilded, and consecrated statues will be offered directly to His Holiness by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in late 2019 or 2020 in Dharmasala. These holy objects help sentient beings purify inconceivable negative karma and create the causes for happiness and extensive merit, which brings beings to enlightenment quickly by realizing the path. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor a full statue for $300 or contribute any amount toward this precious and amazing cause.
Reciting Mantras Dedicated for the Benefit of Sravasti Abbey’s Buddha Hall and All Beings
David and Nina Hill of Machig Labdron Study Group joined with friends of Sravasti Abbey from around the world to help accumulate 1 million recitations of Shakyamuni Buddha’s mantra by Vesak Day on May 7th 2020. This is done in support of building the Buddha Hall at Sravasti Abbey so it can grow and share the Dharma with all who seek it, now and in the future. For more information and to help with recitation mantra count go to SravastiAbbey.org>>>Giving>>>Buddha Hall or look on their YouTube Channel.
Padampa Sangay’s Advice – Verses 21-30
21
In the narrow defiles of birth, death and the intermediate state
Bandits await – the five poisonous emotions – sure to ambush you;
People of Tingri, avail yourselves of the teacher as your escort.
22
Your never-failing source of refuge is the teacher;
People of Tingri, carry him constantly on the crown of your head.
23
If your protection is the teacher, you’ll reach wherever you aspire to go;
People of Tingri, cultivate devotion as the fare you pay for the journey.
24
Those who get wealthy get miserly too;
People of Tingri, give generously without being partial.
25
Whoever gets power acts sinfully, too;
People of Tingri, abandon all desire for rank and power.
26
Those with rank and riches are never happy and at ease;
People of Tingri, get ready to claw at your chest in anguish.
27
In the next world, there are neither family nor friends;
People of Tingri, place your confidence in the Dharma.
28
If you wander in distraction, you’ll waste the freedoms and advantages of human life;
People of Tingri, make a resolute decision now.
29
While you’re busy being distracted, the demon of Death will catch you;
People of Tingri, practice from this very moment onwards.
30
When will the demon of Death appear? There is no easy way to tell;
People of Tingri, right now be always on your guard.
Padampa Sangay’s Advice Verses 11-20
11
The day you were born, your death began approaching;
People of Tingri, remember: there is never any time to spare.
12
Fundamentally there’s no delusion, it’s an ephemeral occurrence;
People of Tingri, look at the nature of what it produces.
13
Without distraction apply yourselves to the sacred Dharma;
People of Tingri, after death it will guide you on the path.
14
The truth of cause and effect ensures that actions yield their full result;
People of Tingri, avoid all actions that are negative and evil.
15
Leave all your activities behind like a country in a dream;
People of Tingri, just put non-action into practice.
16
The very thing you feel attached to, let go of it, whatever –
People of Tingri, there isn’t anything that you need.
17
Since you won’t be staying in this world forever,
People of Tingri, make your preparations for the journey now.
18
If you first finish what you have to do, you’ll never get to Dharma;
People of Tingri, while you’re thinking about it, practice straight away.
19
Inside the forest, monkeys may be living happily at ease,
People of Tingri – but at the edges forest fires are closing in all round.
20
Birth, sickness, ageing and death flow on, a river without ford or bridge;
People of Tingri, have you prepared yourselves a boat?
Padampa Sangay’s 100 Verses
First ten verses:
Preface
Homage to the teacher!
Fortunate practitioners gathered here in Tingri, listen!
Just as worn-out clothes can never again be made as new,
It’s no use seeing a doctor once you’re terminally ill;
You’ll have to go. We humans living on this earth
Are like streams and rivers flowing toward the ocean –
All living beings are heading for that single destination.
Now, like a small bird flying off from a treetop,
I, too, will not be here much longer; soon I must move on.
1
If you spend the present meaninglessly and leave with empty hands,
People of Tingri, a human life in the future will be very hard to find.
2
To apply yourselves with body, speech and mind to the sacred Teachings,
People of Tingri, is the best thing that you can do.
3
Give your very life, heart and soul to the Three Jewels [the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha],
People of Tingri, and their blessings cannot but arise.
4
Forget your goals for this life – concentrate instead on lives to come.
People of Tingri, that is the highest goal.
5
Families are as fleeting as a crowd on market day;
People of Tingri, don’t bicker or fight.
6
Wealth and poverty, like a magic show, just seduce and deceive;
People of Tingri, don’t let the knot of avarice bind you.
7
This body’s just a bag containing various kinds of filth;
People of Tingri, don’t pamper it and spruce it up so.
8
Family and friends are no more real than a magic show;
People of Tingri, in your fondness for them don’t tie yourself down.
9
Country and land are like a nomad’s pastures
People of Tingri, don’t cling sentimentally to them.
10
As parents, all beings in the six realms have cared for you;
People of Tingri, don’t relate to them with your ideas of “I” and “mine”.
Transforming Negative Emotions with Venerable Amy Miller
May 9th, 6 pm – 7:30 pm, Fletcher Free Library, 235 College Street, Burlington VT
Please join us for a workshop and practical guidance from Venerable Amy Miller on Transforming Negative Emotions.
The desire for happiness serves as a major motivation in our lives, yet we often experience numerous obstacles to achieving it. Despite our material comforts and beneficial circumstances, frustration, fear, anxiety, depression, along with other less than generous mind states, cloud our view.
This workshop identifies afflictive states of mind (anger, attachment, pride, jealousy, depression, anxiety, fear, etc.) and explores a variety of healthy coping mechanisms that can help transform everyday challenges into a more realistic and peaceful experience.
Here is a link to the event announcement:
Five Slogans for Machig Labdron
Instructions for living given to Machig Labdron by her teacher Padampa Sangay to help her wake up and alleviate the suffering of others:
- Confess All Your Hidden Faults.
- Approach That Which You Find Repulsive.
- Whoever You Think You Cannot Help – Help Them.
- Anything You Are Attached To – Let Go Of It.
- Go To Places Like Cemeteries That Scare You.
“Sentient Beings are Limitless as the Sky.
Be Aware. Find the Buddha Inside Yourself”