Shabkar critique of Sectarianism within Buddhists

~ One of Shabkar’s most critical indictments of sectarianism in his autobiography occurs in a song sung while on retreat on Mahādeva Island in Lake Kokonor. The song suggests that Tibetan Buddhists have fallen from a golden age when all the Buddha’s teachings were 
once understood as non-contradictory. In this fallen age, Buddhists are engaged in sectarian bias and rivalry: 

Due to the kindness of holy forefathers of the past,
In the snow ranges [of Tibet]
Many profound Dharma teachings spread.
However, Dharma practitioners, 
Having grasped [the teachings] as contradictory – like hot and cold, 
Engage in sectarianism – attachment and aversion.
Some of the Holy Ones have said
That Madhyamaka, Dzokchen and Mahāmudrā
Are like sugar, molasses, and honey –Each being as good as the other.
Thus, I have listened to and contemplated
On all the teachings without sectarian bias.
Sectarian practitioners with attachment and aversion
Please do not scold me. 
When the sunlight of pure perception
Spreads on the lofty white snow mountains
[That are] Madhyamaka, Dzokchen and Mahāmudrā,
It is certain that a river of blessings will arise.!

(Rime Activity of Shabkar Tsogdrug Rangdrol)

The Eightfold Path is the means by which enlightenment may be realized

The Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path is the means by which enlightenment may be realized. Buddha Shakyamuni explained the Eightfold Path in the first sermon after his enlightenment, preserved in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. There he sets forth a middle way between the extremes of asceticism and sensual indulgence.
The Eightfold Path is:
1. Right View - an accurate understanding of the nature of things, specifically the Four Noble Truths
2. Right Intention - avoiding thoughts of attachment, hatred, and harmful intent,
3. Right Speech - refraining from verbal misdeeds such as lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and senseless speech
4. Right Action - refraining from physical misdeeds such as killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct,
5. Right Livel - avoiding trades that directly or indirectly harm others, such as selling slaves, weapons, animals for slaughter, intoxicants, or poisons
6. Right Effort - abandoning negative states of mind that have already arisen, preventing negative states that have yet to arise, and sustaining positive states that have already arisen,
7. Right Mindfulness - awareness of body, feelings, thought, and phenomena (the constituents of the existing world),
8. Right Concentration single-mindedness.

The Path is divided into three main sections: wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline.

Wisdom: Right View and Right Intention are the wisdom path. Right View is not about believing in doctrine, but in perceiving the true nature of ourselves and the world around us. Right Intention refers to the energy and commitment one needs to be fully engaged in Buddhist practice.

Ethical Conduct: Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood are the ethical conduct path. This calls us to take care in our speech, our actions, and our daily lives to do no harm to others and to cultivate wholesomeness in ourselves.

Mental Discipline: Through Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration we develop the mental discipline to cut through delusion. Many schools of Buddhism encourage seekers to meditate to achieve clarity and focus of mind

Vajravarahi via The Yogini Project https://www.facebook.com/TheYoginiProject/photos/a.226085187434845/2090718980971447/?type=3&theater

"On a secret level, she is seen as the manifestation of fundamental aspects of phenomena and the mind, and so her power is intimately associated with the most profound insights of Vajrayana meditation. In this her most essential aspect, she is called the formless wisdom nature of the mind itself. On an inner, ritual level, she is a meditational deity, visualized as the personification of qualities of buddhahood. On an outer, subtle-body level, she is the energetic network of the embodied mind in the subtle channels and vital breath of tantric yoga. She is also spoken of as a living woman: she may be a guru on a brocaded throne or a yogini meditating in a remote cave, a powerful teacher of meditation or a guru's consort teaching directly through her life example. Finally, all women are seen as some kind of dakini manifestation."

~ From the "Dakini's Warm Breath" by Judith Simmer Brown
Image of Vajravarahi - www.dakiniasart.org/shop/vajravarahi-detail-images-enlightenment-2/

The Prayer to the Three Great Stūpas of Nepal by Düdjom Rinpoché, Jigdrel Yéshey Dorjé Translated from the Tibetan by Erick Tsiknopoulos

The Prayer to the Three Great Stūpas of Nepal

by Düdjom Rinpoché, Jigdrel Yéshey Dorjé

Translated from the Tibetan by Erick Tsiknopoulos

At the summit of Ox Horn Mountain in Nepal, a place of powerful accomplishment,
The blessings and relics of the past Victorious Ones manifested;
To the amazing Self-Arisen Stūpa,
Renowned as Swayambunath (P'akpa Shingkün), I pray.

When Śākyamuni was the prince Heartfelt Courage,
He gave his own body to a hungry tigress;
And at that site, the relics of Great Enlightened Conduct manifested:
To the Stūpa of Great Enlightenment (at Namo Buddha), I pray.

Jadzima's four builder sons maintained their karmic connection,
And in accordance with their altruistic aspirations, embraced the disciples of the Snowy Land (of Tibet);
To the Stūpa that liberates upon sight, known as Jarungkhashor (the Great Stūpa of Boudhanath),
Which completely fulfills all wishes, I pray.

Through the merit of prostrating, making offerings, and performing circumambulations, with devotion,
To the Three Great Stūpas which are meaningful for all those connected with them,
May the negative karma, misdeeds, and obscurations of myself and others be fully purified;
And may we quickly attain the excellent fruition of Complete Liberation and Enlightenment!

So it was that at the request of my disciple, the diligent practitioner Rigzang Dorjé, I, the Śākyan (Buddhist) Upāsaka (Buddhist lay follower), Jigdrel Yéshey Dorjé, wrote this before these Supreme Spiritual Supports (of the Three Great Stūpas of Nepal); while generating the Mind of Enlightenment (bodhicitta).

This 'Prayer to the Three Great Stūpas of Nepal' was prepared and printed by Khenpo Shedup Tenzin (mkhan po bshad sgrub bstan ‘dzin) at the Continuation of the Buddhist Teachings Publishing House of Shri Guatam Buddha Vihara Monastery (Kathmandu, Nepal); so that all those with faith (in the Three Great Stūpas of Nepal) may recite it.

(Translated from Tibetan by Erick Tsiknopoulos, at the request of Khenpo Tenzin Shedup, in March 2012. Revised in November 2018.)

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the 17th Karmapa on The Power of Compassion 1/4

help support Digital Thangka painting

Get involved in Digital Thangka painting

DIGITAL THANGKA·SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

I have always regarded my thangkas bigger than myself

I am not an artist, I am an artisan: I create dharma products for use in Buddhist teachings and practices. This deeply-felt conviction is the origin of my mission: “to offer the global community thangka images, firmly rooted in Tibetan painting traditions but with the perfection of the digital age.”

In 2017 I took a big leap of faith: I quit my job, sold my house and possessions, to become a fulltime thangka painter. I had some unemployment benefit and hoped I could muster enough sales and donations to live from. In the beginning of 2018 I took a next step: offering my digital thangkas for free, and try to live solely from donations. In this way everyone could enjoy and use my images, regardless of country, wealth or social status.

March 2018 I started a campaign on patreon.com and offered five of my thangkas free to download. At the beginning all went quite well, but after that the rise of my number of patrons slowed down. My monthly recurring pledges on patreon.com are – at the time of writing - $179. So, last year my income consisted mostly from a little unemployment benefit, my patrons’ support and an occasional gift.

But from February 1st, my benefit will stop!

So it is time for a new approach and I need more of you to get involved in Digital Thangka!

I have done some calculations and for a bare minimum of living, I need 364 patrons more (with a monthly donation of $1).

There is one important detail: I only need this for a limited time – from February 1st 2019 to November 1, 2020. So, for a mere $ 21 in total, you will participate in the creation of beautiful thangkas, for all to enjoy and to use in Buddhist practice!

Eight Medicine Buddhas Tower (FPMT version)

But wait, there’s more… Starting last week of September 2018, I will release more of my digital thangkas as a free download. Every first day of the next month I will add more, until at the January 1st, 2019 all my thangkas will be available for free! For me this is another big leap of faith, but I trust there will be 364 patrons out there somewhere.

So get involved in Digital Thangka painting and support me at patreon

If you like to give a one-time donation, you can follow this link to paypal. For other ways to support me please contact me.

Links The original blog post: https://www.digitalthangka.com/blog/ My patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/digitalthangka

Free downloads: https://www.digitalthangka.com/free-downloads/ My portfolio: https://www.digitalthangka.com/portfolio/

My Facebook workshop, where you can follow the creation of my thangkas: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalThangkaArtistPage/ My Facebook gallery with my finished thangkas and some pictures of clients: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalThangkaGallery/

https://www.facebook.com/DigitalThangkaArtistPage/

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56Antony Tantono and 55 others

Lobsang Wondak Chhoyang

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Karina Kristoffersen McKenzie Maybe you could have online courses in digital thanka painting. I would be interested and perhaps others would be aswell 🍀

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Digital Thangka For the (easy) technical stuff for sure, but my courses also consist of guided meditation, lectures on the iconography and the correct usage of Buddhist symbols.
One of the things I like to do with my patrons donations is to support people who cannot attend my courses due to lack of finances. In short my favourite solution would be: "I pay for my own ticket and you give me food and lodging. And then I teach.".

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Digital Thangka I made a counter :)
--- last update 31 October 2018

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 · Reply · 3d · Edited

Digital Thangka And if you rather like to support me with a one-time donation of € 20 (covering 21 months, mentioned in the note): 
https://www.paypal.me/digitalthangka/20

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PAYPAL.ME

Pay Fred van der Zee using PayPal.Me

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