sadly I do not have a Lam Rim =(

Hello,

Parts in Sadhanas like the seven limbs, outer mandala and such; how are they done?  Are they chanted? said quietly? visualized? 


Thank you

Hello I found this vid on youtube and thought I'd share it if no one has seen it thus far...

may all be happy and free from suffering...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-0ax5JSX7s&feature=related

I came across Rinpoche's videos when I was looking for information about malas.  I had just come from a talk given by H.H the Dalai Lama at Hunter college and wanted to know more about Tibetan Buddhism.  When I google Malas(or something like that) Rinpoche's video "all about malas" came up.  So I decided to watch it, first I thought he was just another spiritual person who acts like he knew everything(since that is what I was exposed to up till that time) but as I kept watching I noticed he wasn't at all like them.  So, I began to watch more and more, and it has helped me tremendously.  It helped me become more forgiving, less angry, and less depressed! Although I know I still have a long way to go, I thank Rinpoche for all he has helped and will continue to help me with his teachings. 

With folded hands I bow.

Rafael

I love it!  You have such a great way of opening eyes without having to say it directly. 


Rafael

Brillant. When you get to the heart of it, we are all the same,not different at all.

very nice, and I agreewith you.  It isimportant to question our teachers, because in the end what brings us to realization is not them, but ourselves.  If we never question then it is like we are waiting for our teachers to fix all of our problems for us.  But like you mentioned, if we question too much then we are just creating a hindrance for ourselves.  All must be balanced.

Thank you for that post it gave me a lot to think about.

Rafael

Deep Bows to you! I really like what you have written!

100,000 bows

Thank you for all the information.

I actually never thought there could be a wrong way to practice as long as your motivation was correct,  but either way I will read from your link to see if I can improve my practice. 

Thank you

Hello ya'll!   

I always wondered if, as Rinpoche put it in one of his talks,  Mantras are the embodiment of a particular Buddha in the form of sound, then wouldn't pronunciation of a mantra be the most important thing?  Like if you call someone, no matter how helpful the other person is, if you dial the wrong number you can't reach them. 

This is just me over thinking things as usual, but it would be interesting to know why I am wrong here. (I know I am just don't know why)

100,000 bows to all


Rafael

Is a Buddha subject to the laws of Karma? 

I remember hearing in a more recent interview with H.H The Dalai Lama that he does eat meat(on Doctors orders).  Now I'm sure he wouldn't collect any negative karma since he is enlightened, but why not?  If one action is committed by one person and the result is negative karma, but the same action is committed by a Buddha is the result positive karma, or no karma at all? 

If it is positive or no Karma at all, why?  is it because the intentions are different? or maybe the motives?  if that's the case, than what is Karma based upon; intention, or the action it self?

hmmm.....


*Bows*

Rafael

What's more dangerous than no info?  A little info.  And that my dear, is the heart of ignorance.  Just a little understanding.  Used as the whole of truth.

I like this.

And in the end it doesn't really matter who we were, although as Sandy pointed out it will be helpful to know as an explanation to current situations.  But in the end even if we did find out who or what we were, it doesn't mean that we are still that person or thing now.  Just like we are not the same person we were five/ten years ago, or even(to a more subtle degree) the same person we were at the start of this post. 

So nothing knowing past lives is nothing but an intellectual curiosity and nothing more.  Beside whether or not there  is reincarnation is up for debate, and discussion...but there is a quote I found very nice from a Zen priest that I found interesting

"If you want to believe in reincarnation, you have to believe that this life, what you are living through right now, is the afterlife. You're missing out on the afterlife you looked forward to in your last existence by worrying about your next life. This is what happens after you die. Take a look." ~Brad Warner

Anyway... um...I forgot what my original point was...so..yea...I guess I'll call it a day for now

*Bows till arms fall off*

Rafael

Hello! This is an essay I wrote a little while back after a meditation session.  I have this essay up on facebook but thought I would share it here. 
would like to know what some of you think about it.   (Hope it is not too long)

                    Most of us know that holding on to things can cause a great deal of pain. Not wanting to let the things that bother us go, not wanting to let go of material things, is a cause of a great deal of pain and heartache. Our attachments to things and our attachment to people are the most fundamental causes of suffering. Money is a great example. Not wanting to spend money, or getting upset when we have to spend money, is a major cause of stress and discomfort. Wanting to have money just for the sake of money, and willing to do almost anything for money, in the end only brings more pain. So what do we do about our attachments? How do we let things go? We do not. Letting something go still shows attachment in a very subtle way. Why? Because if something is bothering us and we have to consciously say, “I must let this go” then we are still attached. That is not to say that consciously letting things go is bad. No, it is very good, as long as one does not think that by doing so they are no longer attached. Consciously letting something go is training. It is a practice to become free from attachments, but it is not being free yet.

                   Let us take a look at the breath. The breath is the most vital thing needed for our survival. It is more fundamental than food or water. From the breath we live, from the breath we move, and yet in this act of breathing that many of us take for granted the method of letting go of attachment lies. Take in a deep breath. Let your body be filled by the nourishing power of the breath. Now before you exhale, remind yourself, “If I do not let this breath go even though this breath is so vital and important to me, if I do not let it go, eventually I can die.”  Exhale.　 Let it all go. Now remind yourself, “If I do not take in the next breath, even though holding on to the previous one can eventually kill me, if I do not take in another one, eventually I can die.”  Inhale.  Even something as vital for our survival as the breath can become deadly if we hold on to it. And it can become just as deadly if we let it all go. 　         

                 Many people who recognize that holding on to things is a problem go about dealing with it by letting everything go. They think that if holding on to things was the problem, then letting things go is the solution. But, if you let everything go, you will have just as much suffering as you would have if you hold on to everything. So what do we do? We should become like the breath. It takes what it needs and lets the rest go. It lets go just what is needed and takes in just what it needs. In and out, out and in. Perfectly simple yet it is in this simplicity that forms the foundations of our lives.             

                How do you know if you are freed from attachment? When you become the breath. When you can take in and let go of things without being disturbed by them. Inhale and exhale.

 
100,00 bows to all,

Rafael Ruiz
 

for information's sake.... what's the purpose of the 'sake' part? 

I like it.

But, as Sandy was saying, it is true, no harm in wanting to know.  But do you think Regression can be done by oneself without the aid of a teacher or whatnot

And I do think it can be inspiring to know, or depressing.(If I ind out I was a Dung beetle)...

Anyway....

Bows

true! what matters is here and now....

Just curious about it......for information sake's wouldn't it be interesting to know?