Saturday, June 21, 2008

Friday, June 20, 2008

The Essence of Buddhism



The Essence of Buddhism

Teaching by His Holiness The Seventeenth Karmapa

The essence of the Buddhist teaching is as the following verse states:

Do not commit any evil actions.

Engage in excellent virtue.

And tame your own mind ----

This is the teaching of the Buddha.

The entire Buddhist dharma can be summarize by the instruction to give up harming others and to benefit them. The spiritual friends of the Kadampa tradition taught that the entirety of the Buddhist scriptures as well as the lesser and greater yanas are included in these two. Being a “Buddhist” involves three things - giving up harming others, benefiting them and taming one’s own mind.If you possess these three, you are a Buddhist.A Buddhist, or someone who practices the Buddhist teachings regardless of their particular practice, should never harm others, should benefit other beings wither directly, implicitly or indirectly through their actions; and should not mix their physical and verbal actions with thoughts that disturb the mind, such as non virtue an mental afflictions.
If you can move on the perfect path of taming your mind, are always mindful of guarding your mind and possess the proper ethical discipline to do that, you have properly taken to heart what it means to be a Buddhist.
(Will continue)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

An Aspiration For the World

World, we live and die on your lap.
On you we experience all our woes and joys.
You are our ancestral home of old.
Forever we cherish and adore you.

We wish to transform you into the pure realm of our dreams.
We wish to transform you into a land for all creatures.
Equal for all and free of prejudice.
We wish to transform you into a loving, warm and gentle goddess.

Our hope in you is so ever resolute.
So please be the ground on which we all may live
So all these wishes may come true,
So all these wishes may come true.

Do not show us the dark side of your character,
Where nature's calamities reign.

In every section of our world's land
May there thrive a fertile field of peace and joy,
Rich with the leaves and fruits of happiness.
Filled with the many sweet scents of freedom.
May we fulfill our countless and boundless wishes.


Composed in 2005 bu His Holiness Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, the seventeenth Gyahwa Karmapa

Translated under the guidance of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche by Tyler Dewar
Musical arrangement by Christopher Stagg and Tyler Dewar