June 2011
7 posts
Chenrezig Part 2 (6-29-2011)
Chenrezig (also known as Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit) is an excellent practice to begin with because it is a practice to develop compassion and a practice which is relatively simple and has almost all the elements of a sadhana (puja) so if one can understand the Chenrezig practice one can understand many other sadhana practices. This is why Kalu Rinpoche and the 16th Karmapa recommended that all...
Chenrezig Part 1 (6-23-11)
In the discussion of Chenrezig at the Thrangu Meditation Group we will not have time to go over the background and the creation stories of Chenrezig. We will also not be able to go over all the symbolism of the 6 syllables. I have found this excellent article below which covers all of these in great detail.
CHENREZIG - THE EMBODIMENT OF THE SANGHA
By Brooke Webb
Background on...
Shamatha Meditation Part 2 (6-19-11)
Study Guide and Discussion Topics on Chapter 2 of
A Guide to Shamatha by Thrangu Rinpoche
The need to meditate
We might ask, “If we are concerned with the mind alone, why do we need to think about the view or the ground?” We need the view because we must understand why we meditate. We do not meditate just because it feels good or because we want to have great experiences or something like...
Shamatha Meditation Part 1 (6-12-11)
Study and Discussion Notes
A Guide to Shamatha Meditation by Thrangu Rinpoche
(can be downloaded on NamoBuddhaPub.com/free downloads
Chapter 1
1. Does meditation bring about true happiness and how is meditation different from other material things that bring happiness?
2. What does Rinpoche mean by “as long as thoughts pass...
The Kagyu Lineage Prayer Part 4 (6-5-11)
**Detachment is the foot of meditation”
These next four verses begins the description of the four common preliminaries. The Four Common Preliminaries are also called the Four Ordinary Foundations or the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind. These are described in detail in Thrangu Rinpoche’s Four Foundations of Buddhist Practice (www.NamoBuddhaPub.com). Traditionally the Four Common Preliminaries...
The Kagyu Lineage Prayer Part 3 5-29-11
Below is a review and elaboration of the Kagyu Lineage Prayer. The prayer is given in the post of Kagyu Lineage Prayer Part I.
Why is the Lineage Prayer or Lineage Chant Important?
First of all, it is important to make a distinction between a prayer that one does in a theistic religion such as Christianity, Judaism, or Islam and with Buddhism. Buddhism does not believe in God or gods...
The Kagyu Lineage Tree Part 2
In the previous blog I did not present a very organized view of the Lineage Tree. Here I have all the charts together so anyone can look up any member of the Lineage Tree and get an idea of their dates, their name, and their position. This comes from Thrangu Rinpoche’s The Path to Liberation (NamoBuddhaPub.com)
The Actual Lineage Tree (from the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center Practice...
