My Barn Burned Down

Archive for the ‘Dharma’ Category

The following is taken from Snow Lion Publication’s newsletter. I always loved this example of karmic ripening, similar to the one about the pig’s tail covered with mud accidentally fixing a patch on a stupa. Everything matters.

Dharma Quote of the Week

[At the time of Buddha, a farmer asked to be ordained as a monk. Shariputra did not see his merit. But, with a great, compassionate mind, the Buddha took his hand and said, "I will give you ordination. You do have a seed to attain arhatship...."]

The Buddha explained, “Thousands and thousands of kalpas ago, this man was born as a fly. He was sitting on a pile of cow dung when a sudden rush of water caught the cow dung, along with the fly, and sent them into the river. Downstream, someone had placed a prayer wheel in the water, and that cow dung and fly swirled around and around it. Because of that circumambulation, this man now has a seed to attain arhatship in this lifetime.”

Cause and result are so subtle that only omniscient wisdom can perceive every detail. That is why we must be very careful that our actions are truly beneficial.

Reciting just one mantra, protecting the life of even one small bug, giving a small thing–we should not ignore such actions by saying, “This is nothing; it makes no difference if I do it or not.” Many small actions will gather and swell like the ocean. These are not merely Buddhist beliefs; these are the causes that create our world no matter who we are. Our study and practice give us the opportunity to understand this and to be sincere with ourselves even in small things.

–from A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path by Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen, edited by Khenmo Trinlay Chodron, published by Snow Lion Publications

A Complete Guide to the Buddhist Path • 5O% off • for this week only
(Good through May 28th).

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Tara, Enlightened Wisdom Mind

Lochen Gyurme Dechen, nephew of the great accomplished master Tangtong Gyalpo, sang this song, a prayer of the Six Doctrines, called The Rain of Great Bliss:

Nama Shri Jnana Daki Nigupta-ye!

Lady of the celestial realms, compassionate one,
Chief of wisdom dakinis, Niguma,
When I, your child, pray fervently to you,
In your expanse free from formulations, please think of me.
Lady who reveals the sacred circle of great secrets,
Bestow now the empowerment of the four joys!
Lady who opens the door to the unborn state,
Clear away now my negative acts and obscurations with the purification practice!
Lady who emits fire from the short Ah,
Burn now my soiled aggregates and sense elements!
Lady who draws great bliss from the syllable Ham,
Bestow now coemergent wisdom!
Lady who reveals the natural experience of illusion,
Destroy now my attachment to the reality of anger and desire!
Lady who emanates and transforms during lucid dreams,
Lady who makes spontaneous luminosity arise,
Dispel now the darkness of my stupidity!
Lady who leads above at the time of departure,
Guide me now to the celestial realms!
Lady who overcomes the appearances of delusion in the intermediate state,
Grant me now the invincible body of enlightenment’s perfect rapture.

This prayer was sung by the religious teacher Gyurme Dechen.

–from Timeless Rapture: Inspired Verse of the Shangpa Masters compiled by Jamgon Kongtrul, trans. & ed. by Ngawang Zangpo, a Tsadra Foundation Series book, published by Snow Lion Publications

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“I wish to urge students of the dharma who may have forsaken their creative impulse in favor of practice to realize there is no conflict between creativity and meditation. Creativity can be understood, in essence, to be the practice of our own nature and that nature’s expression. You may find your way in to the nature through creativity; or you may come out from the nature to express creativity. Both have to be appreciated as the best of our mind’s potential.” - Kongtrul Rinpoche

The last week of the year and the time everyone is thinking of New Year’s resolutions, new goals, what’s my life about?  I had the great good fortune yesterday to open the new issue of Buddhadharma magazine and read an article about Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s paintings! Well, it was really more about his process of painting, or taking his painting as the Path. Of course.

Once another  Rinpoche said to us at KPC that the gardens we were building were great, but that the world had lots of gardens and didn’t need one more; that we had to build them with pure motivation and intention to benefit and liberate beings and then the gardens carry a blessing. Well, I think the same is true of making one more painting. He mentions that he thinks the great artists, whose works continues to touch us over time, probably “got out of the way” during the process of making the art, even if later they got caught up in the fame, approval or rejection. It is that “egolessness” that comes through the art that is timeless and touches us where we live, in the natural vitality of awareness. When he came to the west, interestingly, he was struck by the art of Kandinsky and Picasso among others; those who gave over to the process without regard for public approval. And their art endures.

What this article pointed out, and clarified for me, was how to use the process of painting, the natural process of creativity (so it could be music, writing, any creative pursuit) to watch the mind, overcome grasping attachment, come to resolution, and experience what he calls the natural vitality by getting out of the way. He encourages all artists to use this method and produce paintings that carry the blessing of that natural vitality to the world, and benefits self and others.

I went right to his site to view his paintings, and voila! there is the mp3 of the talk he gave from which this article was written. The Q & A at the end has even more interesting teachings that were not all in the article,  and will benefit all who wish to use the activities in their life in harmony with their spiritual path whether one is a meditator or not.

So it made me think about my New Year’s resolutions more deeply, and how I might align my daily activities with my spiritual path, using each moment as a way to benefit self and others. How about you? What can you do in 2010 to make the world a little bit better for others?

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Cuy and Friend Pet Portrait

Peace on Earth? If dogs and cats can…..you’d think we could, too.

This is painted in Genesis Heat Set Oils (I LOVE these paints!) on 11 x 14 gallery wrapped canvas. Shipping off to customer this AM; only 3 more to finish before Monday! Already sent off my donations to Tara’s Babies and Garuda Aviary, so thank you to all my customers on behalf of the dogs and parrots! Happy Holidays, and Peace on Earth. Please.

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