The Twelve Sacred Vows and Dharma Protectors of Medicine Buddha

TADYATA OM BHEKHANDZYE BHEKHANDZYE 

MAHA BHEKHANDZYE

RADZA SAMUDGATE SVAHA

Buddha Shakyamuni gave the Medicine Buddha teachings at the perfect moment and at the perfect place – Vaishali, India. Buddha Shakyamuni presented the teaching that would be preserved as the Sutra of the Medicine Buddha. This teaching became very prominent in India and came to Tibet in the eighth century. 

Master Shantarakshita, who was known for the beautiful praises and sadhanas that he composed for all the Medicine Buddhas, first introduced the Medicine Buddha teaching in Tibet. His teachings on the Medicine Buddha have been passed down in an unbroken lineage. The Medicine Buddha practices are important in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

According to Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings, there are seven other emanations of the Medicine Buddha, each with his own color and pure land. Sangye Menla, the Medicine Buddha is blue and dwells in pleasing upon seeing. These various Medicine Buddha emanations are of various colors, such as gold, yellow, pink, red, and blue.

Medicine Buddha (Sangye Menla in Tibetan) the manifestation of the healing energy of all Buddhas. He wears monastic robes and sits on a lion throne. The color of his body is dark blue and His left hand holds a bowl filled with nectar and another hand holds a stem of Arura.

By reciting his holy mantra it is a very powerful method and increasing healing powers for oneself and others, but also for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, ignorance and the purification of negative physical and mental karma. Thus to meditate on the Medicine Buddha can help decrease physical and mental illness and suffering. 

If we can recite Medicine Buddha mantra every day and is good to do at least 5 malas, this will purify negative karma and will help you never to be reborn in the lower realms. According to Medicine Buddha sutra that even if an animal hears the Medicine Buddha mantra it will never be reborn in the lower realms.

If we don’t purify negative karma, when dying because of negative karma that not been purified, so we will be reborn in the lower realms as a hell being, hungry ghost or animal, and repeatedly without end. We need to purify the negative karma now. If you cannot bear the sickness now, how can we bear the suffering of the lower realms?

Medicine Buddha mantra prevents us from experiencing these related suffering, it is more precious than gold, diamonds or wish-fulfilling jewels all this wealth means nothing because it can’t purify all the negative karma. 

Medicine Buddha mantra is precious because it leaves imprints of the whole path to enlightenment in your mind; it helps you to have realizations of the enlightenment. 

Medicine Buddha mantra is extremely powerful for healing physical illnesses and purification of negative actions and karma. It ceases all the gross and subtle defilements and makes you achieve enlightenment. Besides the benefits you receive from reciting Medicine Buddha mantra and also these are the benefits just from hearing the mantra. 

The Twelve Sacred Vows of the Medicine Buddha upon attaining Enlightenment, according to the Medicine Buddha Sutra:-

1] To illuminate countless realms with his radiance, enabling anyone to become a Buddha just like him. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

2] May all sentient beings born in my Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Land radiate glowing light – a light that dispels all dwelling in darkness. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

3] Whoever is born in that Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Land, may they always enjoy material abundance and be free of all worldly concerns. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

4] May the beings in that Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Land possess a stable vision of the pure view. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

5] May those born in my Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Land pay utmost attention to the purity of their conduct. May the results of negative karma due to previous actions be deferred to the time of most benefit to spiritual growth. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

6] May they all emanate health and growth in body and mind. May they be relieved of any discomfort or disorder that hinders spiritual growth. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

7] May my name become a mantra that heals all ailments. May the sound of my name and the image of my nirmanakaya be a balm that eases all pain. May the sound of my name or visualization of my image cure physical troubles and sickness. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

8] May those women who are undergoing sufferings and tortures and seeking and wish for transformation of their gentle into men have their wishes be fulfilled in the next next rebirth. May that choice lead directly to enlightenment. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

9] May those who hold wrong views or beliefs regarding Dharma immediately develop right view when they hear my name. As a result, may they engage in Bodhisattva activities. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

10] May those who live in fear and are easily controlled, who feel threatened with incarceration and punishment, leave behind their fears of catastrophe. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

11] May those whose subsistence has depended on predation and the killing of other beings have all their material needs met upon hearing my name. May their freedom result in the recognition of their innate Bodhisattva nature. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment.

12] Upon hearing my name, may those who suffer from any kind of hunger, thirst, or cold have all their needs provided for. May their food, drink, and clothing free them from mundane concerns so that they may begin to benefit others. If this does not come to pass, may I not reach enlightenment. 

The Twelve Spiritual General Yaksha Protectors with having its owned seven thousands of Yakshas in their retinue swear to Buddha Shakyamuni’s that they shall have recourse to Buddhist Trinity to bear the responsibility to let all beings be benefited by the path of truth and let one who peaches and recite the Medicine Buddha mantra or Sadhara to have abundance with happiness.

Wherever it maybe, be it in the villages, cities, capitals or in isolated place or forests, when one who peaches the Sutra or Sadhara , mantra and cherishes the name of the Medicine Buddha, reverence and makes offering to Medicine Buddha, the twelve spiritual general Yakshas and their retinues shall safeguard and protect the disciples, deliver them completely from all distress and fulfill all wishes.

The Twelve  Dharma Protectors of Medicine Buddha

1.   General Kumbhira.

2.   General Vajra.

3.   General Mihira.

4.   General Andira.

5.   General Majira.

6.   General Shandira.

7.   General Indra.

8.   General Pajra.

9.   General Makura.

10. General Sindura.

11. General Catura.

12. General Vikarala.  

After the great Medicine Buddha made these Bodhisattva vows, he kept these promises throughout all his lifetimes as a Bodhisattva. When we practice the Medicine Buddha, we should remember these commitments and aspire to do the same, for the sake of all living beings. If we do this with love, compassion, and bodhichitta, it will benefit us and all other living beings.

Please donate now

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development? We need you to help secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Please consider showing your support .

Your generosity will certainly help us improve our works and to achieve for a better and brighter prospect to come. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note
I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).
Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.
Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

Parnasavari- The Supreme Healing of Contagious and Incurable Diseases

The Living Journal – The Goddess of Supreme Healing Power.

[For general introductions only]

In Tibetan Buddhism, female deities play a significant role and female deities are of many types and, and the best known of the female Tibetan Buddhist deities are Arya Green Tara and White Tara.

There are Buddhas in female form and goddesses who are Bodhisattvas.  There are also historical figures such as lineage founders, and they all can function as deities. There are also yidams and dharma protectors in peaceful, semi-wrathful or wrathful form of the dakini, a special type of deity.

The Goddess of Parnasavarī, in Vajrayana Buddhism, a goddess distinguished by the strap of leaves she wears. She is known as Lo-ma-gyon-ma in Tibetan and as Hiyoi in Japan.

Parnashavari is originated from an aboriginal deity, and one of her titles is Sarvashavaranam Bhagavati, or “goddess of all the Shavaras” which is associated with the mysterious Shavari tribe in ancient eastern India. 

This goddess has adsorbed into Vajrayana Buddhism and the development and success of the late esoteric schools of India and the whose doctrines were taught in Tibet both by Tibetan teachers who had studied them in India and by Indian masters that were invited to the mysterious snows land of Tibet.

The goddess Parnashavari is the manifestation of the compassion-embodiment of all the buddhas; with golden colored body, three headed and six armed with three eyes on each face and three topknots of hair, wearing crown of five Buddhas and ornaments of various jewels. 

Parnashavari is an enlightened being that in the Tantric practice together with four other great goddesses, with whom she forms a pentad of deities called ‘Wisdoms’ is reflected in the growing importance that female deities acquired within the Buddhist structure.

The healing Goddess Parnashavari, with three faces and six hands, wears a skirt and a garland of thatched green leaves. She is particularly curing contagious diseases and fight disease and epidemics; she is represented with a smiling but irritated expression, stamping on personified figures of fever and smallpox. 

Parnashavari the goddess with her supreme healing power mainly in treating all diseases: contagious, poisonous,cancerous and other incurable ones.In the Himalayas and Tibet when a large group of people gather together to receive extended religious teachings, it is common to first receive the teaching and guidance and initiations or empowerments and blessing by the lineage Guru or qualified Lama                                                                    

In Vajrayana that enlightened activity is spoken of in terms of four modes of activity:- 

• · Pacifying.
• · Enriching.
• · Magnetizing. 
• · Destroying. 

Parnashavari she is represents the Pacifying, that is her special field, and it is to deploy that particular quality of enlightenment that a practitioner would undertake her practice. Her appearance is in a naked form, is to show that she is unconditioned by discursive thoughts.

During the degenerate age, due to ignorance sentient beings will commit great negative karmas causing endless strange diseases. many diseases are caused by 5 poisons of our minds.

Therefore, with the blessings of the Buddha dharma, if we are able to remove the 5 poisons out of our minds, clean our minds, the physical diseases will be naturally decreased and can even be eliminated.

My personal encounter

I have an unexplained experienced when I was traveled to Germany in December 2013. I checked in and settled down in the Hotel late night and later I had a cold and chilly sensation and I felt my body temperature rise up and with a sudden high fever. I always have my medicine ready in case of an emergency and while traveling aboard alone, but the medicine does not work effectively well and I began to start sweating profusely and intense heat in my body.

I automatically recite the Parnashavari mantra that my Guru had taught me before and to invoke the goddess blessing to pucify this strange encountered. After I have chanted with 2 rounds of mala bread of this mantra, strangely, my sudden fever and intense body fever or heat have vanished and I felt it was nothing had happened before.

Well, believe it or not?  You decide.

[I am unable to unveil of the sacred healing mantra due to * Tantric teaching. Should you ever have an opportunity to receive this healing mantra from the Lama, please don't ever miss it and you should treat this as you are receiving one of the most precious Vajrayana teaching and blessing from a Guru].

* Footnote *

Please consult your Guru or a qualified lineage master for Vajrayana practice! Should a devotee even want to start studying and contemplating the Vajrayana practice, then it is truly necessary to first have completed the preliminaries and to be certain and sure that bodhicitta has arisen and developed in one’s mind.

Vajrayana features countless skillful and powerful methods which, if they are practiced in the proper way, can make the process of accumulation and purification incredibly swift and direct. It is absolutely necessary to have the pure motivation and to know that Vajrayana practice is not carried out to increase one’s own power, ego and benefit.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.

Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful owners.

The Living Journal – Planting The Seeds of Om Mani Peme Hung

The Living Journal – Planting The Seeds of Om Mani Peme Hung

We may have spent decades of our lives searching for happiness, peace, and contentment—without sowing the causes for that goal. Why did we not plant the seeds of the fulfillment we wish for? 

The caused and effect or the Law of Karma says that if you plant an apple seed and prays for a Banana fruit, understandably it won’t work. But this is what we do, we wish for happiness without planting the seeds of happiness.

It is fine to call Buddhism a religion. In the beginning Buddhism can be taught as a religion. Fundamentally, however, Buddhism must always be seen as a skillful means for realizing the most basic aspect of human life. 

Why do we stay away from our fundamental nature? It is because of ignorance. Because doubts and uncertainty keep getting in our way, many teachings and methods have arisen as remedies.

In fact, we do the exact opposite. We plant the causes of recklessness, unkindness, foolishness, and a lack of understanding, conscientiousness, and thoughtfulness for others and their well being and most of the time hoping for happiness and cessation of suffering. Call it karmic patterns, habitual tendencies, or whatever it is critical to understand this human behavior.                                                                          

Planting the seeds of Buddha hood. One of the three benefits described in Buddha’s teachings, the benefits of planting, maturing, and harvesting the seeds of Buddha hood. The process of attaining Buddha hood is compared to that of cultivating plants. In this regard, The Om Mani Peme Hung is the seed, the Buddha like the farmer, and the people like the field.

The phase of planting is divided into two stages: -

[1] The Buddha causes the people to hear his teaching.

[2] The Buddha leads them to take faith in it. These are termed as "planting the seeds” by letting one hear the teachings by leading one to arouse faith in the teachings.

There are cases in which a person takes faith immediately upon hearing the teachings. There are also cases in which someone hears the teaching and develops faith later. In either case, the Buddha's teaching has the power to influence one's life, whether or not one takes faith in it immediately. It means that simply by hearing the Law one forms the cause, or seed, for attaining Buddha hood eventually.

In its most basic sense, the Law of Karma in the moral sphere teaches that similar actions will lead to similar results. Let us take an example. If we plant an apple seed, the plant that springs up will be an apple tree, and eventually it will harvest apple fruit. Similarly, in the Law of Karma, if we do a wholesome action, eventually we will get a wholesome fruit, and if we do a negative action eventually we will get a negative and agonizing result. 

One may ask how one knows whether an action that is positive or negative will produce happiness or unhappiness. The answer is time will tell. The Buddha Himself answered the question and Buddha has explained that so long as a negative action does not bear its fruit of suffering, for so long a foolish person will consider that action good. But when that negative action bears its fruit of suffering then he will realize that the action is unwholesome.  

Let us all begin our living journey by planting the Six Syllables seeds of the compassion mantra of Om Mani Peme Hung into our daily practice, by planting it[reciting the mantra with faiths and devotions], by maturing it [Growing our loving kindness and Bodhichitta heart], by reaping it [attaining the ultimate blissful stage of realization]

Thank you for reading and may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

May the precious Bodhichitta arise

Where it has not arisen

And where it has arisen may it not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note*

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful owners.

The Living Journal – Om Mani Padme Hum

Every drop of water in the rivers, seas and oceans on this earth can be counted, but not the benefits and merits of reciting the  Om Mani Padme Hum mantra once. Every tree on this earth can be counted, but not the benefits and merits of reciting the compassionate universal mantra of Om Mani Padme Hum

By the Lord Shakyamuni Buddha

The mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is the embodiment of all the Buddhas’ heart, the root of the eighty-four thousand teachings of the Buddha, the essence of the Five Buddhas, and the essence of the secret holders. 

Each word is a pith instruction, the source of the qualities of all the Tathagatas, the root of all goodness and siddhis, the great path to higher realms and complete freedom. To recite this supreme among all mantras, the six syllables, the heart of all the teaching, just once can put you onto a spiritual path of no-turning-back, and you can become a great liberator of other sentient beings.

Even a small insect, if it were to hear the sounds of the mantra just before dying, would be liberated from that body and be born in the pure land of Amitabha Buddha. Just to think of it is like the sun shining on a snow mountain so brightly that bad karmic obscurations and defilements are eliminated, and one can be born in the pure land of Amitabha Buddha.

Just touching the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is receiving empowerment from many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Meditating on it once equals the practices of listening, contemplating, and meditating combined together. In this way the entire experience of phenomena can be transformed into Dharmakaya experience, and great treasure gates of activity can be opened to benefit sentient beings.

By Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)

Thus the six syllables,Om Mani Padme Hum, mean that in dependence on the practice which is in indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.

By His Holiness the Dalai Lama

There is not a single aspect of the eighty-four thousand sections of the Buddha's teachings which is not contained in Avalokiteshvara's six syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum", and as such the qualities of the "Mani" are praised again and again in the Sutras and Tantras. 

Whether happy or sad, if we take the "Mani" as our refuge, Chenrezig will never forsake us, spontaneous devotion will arise in our minds and the Great Vehicle will effortlessly be realized."

By Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The The six syllables mantra of Om Mani Padme Hum is the most widely used of all Buddhist mantras, and open to anyone who feels inspired to practice it. It does not require prior initiation by a Lama or Guru.

Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme Hum, out loud or silently to oneself, appeal to the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig Bodhisattva, the embodiment of compassion. Viewing the written form of the mantra is said to have the same effect, it is often carved into stones, in the prayer wheels etc.

It is said that all the teachings of the Buddha are contained in this mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum can not really be translated into a simple phrase or sentence. It is appropriate, though, to say a little about the mantra, so that people who want to use it in their meditation practice will have some sense of what they are doing, and will understand a little better what the mantra is and why it is so vital to Tibetan Buddhists.

The mantra in the following languages

1] The Sanskrit pronounced as Om Mani Padme Hum 

2] The Tibetan pronounced as Om Mani Peme Hung 

3] The Common Mani Scripts of the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is found written in Tibetan script and ancient Ranjana script.

The significance of the Mantra

Mantras are enlightened compassion and awareness in the form of sound. Through simply coming into contact with the enlightened beings are positively influenced. Tibetan Buddhists recite mantras as a way to connect to positive qualities and protect themselves from negativity, [especially inner negativity]

Through contact with and, especially, meditation on the mantra of compassion "Om Mani Padme Hum" positive qualities are developed and so, happiness naturally increases in one's life. 

By hearing the mantra, one can be liberated from the lower realms and become a master that can liberate sentient beings. One can purify negative karma accumulated from beginningless time, just like the rising sun melting the snow on top of the Snow Mountains and take rebirth in pure land.

Just by touching the mantra, it is like one is receiving empowerment from countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. By reciting the mantra is like practicing the Six Perfections and is able to close the doors to the six realms.

Syllable	Six  Pāramitas	Purifies	Samsaric  realm	Colors	Symbol of the Deity	(Wish them)  To be born in
Om	Generosity	Pride / Ego	God	White	Wisdom	Perfect Realm of Potala
Ma	Ethics	Jealousy	Asuras  (Demigod)	Green	Compassion	Perfect Realm of Potala
Ni	Patience	Desire	Humans	Yellow	Body, speech, mind quality and activity	Dewachen
Pad	Diligence	Ignorance	Animals	Blue	Equanimity	the presence of Protector (Chenrezig)
Me	Renunciation	Greed	Pretas (Hungry ghosts)	Red	Bliss	Perfect Realm of Potala
Hum	Wisdom	Anger / hatred	Naraka (Hell)	Black	Quality of Compassion	the presence of the Lotus Throne (of Chenrezig)

Om [Manifest in white color]   

Increases the wisdom of: tranquility and calmness.    

Increases transcendent: kindness, generosity.   

Purifies: arrogance, egotism.

Closes the door to the suffering of being reborn in the god’s realm.

The suffering of the gods arises from foreseeing one’s fall from the god’s realm and these suffering come from pride.

Ma [Manifest in green color]   

Increases the wisdom of activity   

Increases transcendent: ethics and moral principles.   

Purifies: resentment, envy and jealousy. 

Closes the door to the suffering of being reborn in the Semi-god Asura’s realm.

The suffering of Demi-god Asura is constant fighting and these suffering come from jealously.

Ni [Manifest in yellow color]   

Increases the wisdom of self-arisen wisdom   

Increases transcendent: patience and tolerance.  

Purifies: confused attachment.

Closes the door to the suffering of being reborn in the human realm.

The sufferings of humans are birth, sickness, old age and death and these suffering come from desire.

Pad [Manifest in blue color]   

Increases the wisdom of all-encompassing space   

Increases transcendent: enthusiasm   

Purifies: bewilderment, ignorance and prejudice.

Closes the door to the suffering of being reborn in the animal realm.

The sufferings of animals are being preying upon one another, or being killed for meat and these suffering come from ignorance.

Me [Manifest in red color

Increases the wisdom of discrimination   

Increases transcendent: meditation   

Purifies: greed and possessiveness

Closes the door to the suffering of being reborn in the hungry ghost realm.

The sufferings of hungry ghost are hunger and thirst and these suffering come from greed.

Hum [Manifest in black color]  

Increases the wisdom of clarity   

Increases transcendent: wisdom   

Purifies: anger.

Closes the door to the suffering of being reborn in the hell realm.

The suffering of hell is heat and cold and these suffering come from hatred.

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note
I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).
Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.
Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

The Living Journal - Reflections

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

However many holy words you read, however many holy words you speak, what good will they do, if you do not act upon them ? 
Quoted by the Lord Buddha.

Love yourself and be awake,
Today, tomorrow, always,
Then teach others and so defeat sorrow.
To straighten the crooked, 
You must first do a harder thing - Straighten yourself.
You are only the master. Who else?
Subdue yourself,  and be your master.
Quoted by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

Reflection, look at ourselves in the mirror and observe what you see. See yourself the way others see you. Sense and feel what you see.

How can we applying the Dharma in our daily life?

How do we recognize that we all have drifted away from the precious Dhama once taught by our Guru?  

How should we respond and react to the self reflections?

REFLECTIONS

Reflection is the art of thinking on one's virtues and faults. It is also the ability to reflect on your feelings and thoughts. This also includes reflecting on the thoughts, emotions and the feelings of others. This can help to improve oneself as you assess and reflect upon the decisions you made in life.

Use our reflections as an opportunity to make profound and positive change in your life. This will depend greatly on the outcome of your reflections, also on the correctness and spontaneous feelings of these reflections.

Seek a place of solitude and silence and to relax yourself you need to be in an unperturbed state of mind in order to reflect or look back through your thoughts on both the positive and negative actions that you had done of the day. 

Feel the sensations strongly and revive these experiences. Understand why you were feeling sad or happy at the time, and contemplate on the reasons behind these feelings. This will help put things in perspective and also clear your mind on future actions and changes you need to make.

Increase your awareness and observation of events around you. This can be easily accomplished by being conscious of the “here and now", living in the moment so to speak.  Reflections are also an ideal way of helping improve on your sensing and feeling skills. You will become better with time but try not to drive yourself into a depression if the realities you encounter become too difficult to bear.

At least once a day, I reflect on my day, on my life, on what I have been doing right, and what isn’t working. I reflect on some aspect of my life, and from this habit of reflection, I am able to improve. One of my favorite times to reflect is during my exercise. Some of my post ideas come during exercise and meditation at the end of the day.

If you post on a website, or a forum that viewable to friends. Your reflections are shared with others, and once people start to read them and expect them, you will feel that positive public pressure to keep it up. Self-reflection is a humbling process. It's essential to find out why you think, say, and do certain things. That is what has happened and it’s been a great thing for me.

Thank you for reading and may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

May the precious Bodhichitta arise

Where it has not arisen

And where it has arisen may it not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note*

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.

Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful owners.