A Personal Note on Pilgrimage from Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche

གཤམ་གྱི་བོད་ཡིག་ལ་གཟིགས། 见以下中文

Dear dharma friends,

When embarking on a pilgrimage to sacred sites, the most important thing is to first understand the reasons and significance behind visiting these holy places—their historical background, the benefits they offer, and how to maintain proper motivation throughout the journey.

Begin by taking refuge and generating bodhicitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Then, make efforts to accumulate merit and purify obscurations. Finally, conclude the pilgrimage with dedication and aspiration prayers; these steps are essential.

During the pilgrimage, make a personal commitment—such as, “From today onward, I will maintain a five-minute daily meditation practice without interruption.” Carrying this intention throughout your pilgrimage will make the entire journey extraordinarily meaningful and powerful.

Sending heartfelt blessings,
Dilyak Drupon

P.S. This July, 2025, Karmapa Center 16 is organizing for the first time a month-long practice of walking around (“doing kora”) the Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu (Nepal). If you are in Kathmandu and would like to join in this practice, please visit us at Dilyak Monastery (near Boudha Stupa). 

༈ རྣམ་པ་ཚོ་གནས་སྐོར་ལ་ཕེབས་པའི་སྐབས་སུ།  གནས་སྐོར་དུ་འགྲོ་བའི་དགོས་པ་རྒྱུ་མཚན།  གནས་དེ་དག་གི་ཁུངས་ལུང་ལོ་རྒྱུས་དང་ཕན་ཡོན། འགྲོ་སྐབས་ཀུན་སློང་ཁྱེར་ཚུལ་མཁྱེན་དགོས་རྒྱུ་གལ་ཆེ། 

ཐོག་མར་སྐྱབས་འགྲོ་དང་གཞན་ཕན་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་བསྐྱེད་ཀྱི་རྩིས་ཟིན་པ།  བར་དུ་ཚོགས་བསགས་སྒྲིབ་སྦྱང་ལ་འབད་པ།  མཇུག་ཏུ་བསྔོ་བ་སྨོན་ལམ་བཟང་པོའི་མཐར་རྒྱན་པར་བྱ་རྒྱུ་ནི་གལ་ཆེ་བ་ཡིན།

གནས་མཇལ་སྐབས་རང་ཉིད་ནས། དཔེར་ན་དེ་རིང་ནས་བཟུང་ངེས་ཉིན་རེར་སྐར་མ་ལྔ་རེ་མ་ཆགས་པར་སྒོམ་བརྒྱབ་གི་ཡིན་བསམ་པའི་དམ་ཅ་མཁས་ལེན་རེ་ཙམ་བྱེད་ཐུབ་པ་ཡིན་ན་དཔེ་མེད་ཡག་པོ་ཡོད་རེད། 

གུས་དིལ་ཡག་སྒྲུབ་དཔོན་ནས་ཕུལ།

當大家前往聖地朝聖時,最重要的是,應當先了解前往這些聖地的必要性和原因、聖地的歷史緣由與利益,以及在前往時,又該如何持守正確的動機。

首先,要以皈依和為了利他而發起菩提心作為開始;其次,盡力積聚資糧、淨除罪障;最後,則以迴向祈願作為圓滿的結尾,這些非常重要。

在朝聖期間,如果自己能夠立下一些誓願,例如,「從今天開始,我每天一定會不間斷的保持五分鐘禪修練習。」,以這樣決心和誓願朝聖,這是非常善妙殊勝的。

諦雅竹奔 謹啟

Every Ending Is a New Beginning on the Path: Q&A on the 37 Practices

Our series Meditation for All: 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva concluded by reciting Ngulchu Tokmé’s root text, followed by a Q&A sessions with our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, and how the end of this series also marks a new beginning. 

The (in)equality of beings

One participant asked a question about verse 17 from Ngulchu Tokmé’s text, which reads: 

“Even if someone my equal or lower
Should insult me influenced by pride,
To place them with respect, as if they were a guru,
At the crown of my head is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

Since it is often taught that all beings are equal, the participant wondered how to understand the phrase “someone my equal or lower.” 

Acharya Lhakpa kindly offered the following explanation, inviting us to consider different perspectives. Looking through the lens of ultimate or absolute reality, all beings are indeed equal, as each possesses buddha nature–the very essence of the Tathāgata. However, when looking through the lens of the conventional or relative reality, beings can be seen as equal, lower, or higher in relation to one another. 

Another way to reflect on this is through the teaching of dependent origination. Everything arises in dependence on something else. All phenomena exist in a web of causality or interdependence. This dynamic is evident in everyday life: for example, in a workplace, we have colleagues who are our equals, as well as those who hold positions higher or lower than ours. 

It is this conventional, worldly perspective that Ngulchu Tokmé likely had in mind when writing about “someone my equal or lower.” 

Śāntideva and the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra

Another participant inquired about the life and teachings of the Indian pandita Śāntideva. During his times as a scholar at Mahāvihāra Nalanda, the ancient monastic university, some fellow monks reportedly said that Śāntideva only achieved three “realizations”: eating, sleeping, and going to the toilet. However, when challenged to teach–an attempt to humiliate him and have him expelled–he shared the verses that later became renowned as the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva). 

Acharya Lhakpa kindly offered a brief overview of Śāntideva’s life and liberation story, emphasizing the heart-meaning of this text. Śāntideva himself noted that his work does not present anything new or poetic but simply conveys the words of the Buddha as taught in the sūtras.

Much like Ngulchu Tokmé’s root text, which can be understood as guidance on traveling the heroic path of a bodhisattva, Śāntideva’s teaching centers on bodhicitta—the mind set on awakening. The first three chapters describe how to give rise to the aspiration for awakening, followed by three chapters on maintaining this attitude, and another three on expanding and strengthening bodhicitta. The tenth and final chapter is dedicated to the practice of dedication.

Acharya Lhakpa explained how we might put these teachings into practice:

  • Carefully reflect on the benefits of bodhicitta.
  • Work through our mental afflictions, learning to bring these emotions onto the path 
  • Once we have gained some mastery over our afflictive emotions, we then practice the six perfections, or pāramitās.

At the conclusion of our practice, we dedicate any merit we have accumulated. Simply put, “we share the merit with all sentient beings,” Acharya said. 

The practice of study, contemplation, and meditation

The third and final question concerned the practice of study, contemplation, and meditation. One participant noted that Ngulchu Tokmé emphasizes these practices throughout the text and asked for clarification: What exactly is meant by study, contemplation, and meditation? In particular, how does meditation differ from contemplation, and where does analytical meditation fit within these three?

In response, Acharya summarized the threefold practice as follows:

“We study to understand what was not yet understood, we contemplate to remove doubts, and then we meditate to gain experience, familiarize ourselves with the Dharma, and put it into action to liberate all sentient beings from suffering.”

Acharya further explained the role of analytical meditation, noting that it can be understood as a part of contemplation. Why? Because, together with śamatha (calm-abiding meditation), analytical meditation helps to dispel doubts and clarify understanding.

Moreover, Acharya emphasized that once we have gained certainty through contemplation, it is essential to familiarize ourselves deeply with the wisdom arising from contemplation. In other words, we must internalize the teachings—they need to become an integral part of our being. This internalization is the essence of “meditation”: by putting the teachings into practice and gaining experiential insight, we progress toward realization and, ultimately, enlightenment, for the benefit of all beings.

Deepening our Practice

Following these final remarks, it was noted that our brief discussion of the 37 practices has come to a close, and now it is time to deepen our study and contemplation of the Dharma. In particular, given the importance of meditation, we need to gain more experience through practice to progress on the bodhisattva path toward our ultimate goal: enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

Therefore, building on this series, we will continue with a new series of Dharma talks and practices inspired by Ngulchu Tokmé’s text, the lives of great masters, and the teachings of the Kagyü lineage—especially the lineage of the Karmapas. You can learn more here about this upcoming series. In this spirit, our Tibetan Language Class will start to focus on colloquial Tibetan and reading basic Dharma discourses.

With this, the current series concluded, and the merit was dedicated.

Moving in the Right Direction – 37 Practices – Session 22

How do we know we are moving in the right direction, moving forward on the path of a bodhisattva? Together with commentary on the last verses, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering offered some general reflections on how to put Ngulchu Tokmé’s instructions in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, into practice. 

Śamatha Without Mental Engagement

Bringing to mind those near to us, as well as those far away, seen and unseen, we began our practice of śamatha by generating the heart of awakening–bodhicitta. Even if all we can do is touch the intention to seek liberation for the benefit of all, there is still great benefit. 

While connecting with this intention, we emphasized gentle attention to the movement of our minds, not mentally engaging our thoughts, following them. By gently bringing our awareness to our body, our breath, or the space around us, we can slow down and start to be present in this moment. Together with our intention, this helps prepare the ground for listening and contemplating the dharma

Reducing Our Self-Fixation

Whether we look from the perspective of the three baskets (Vinaya, Sūtra, and Abhidharma) together with the tree trainings (ethics, concentration, and wisdom), or whether we look through the lens of six pāramitās, the teachings of the buddha all point to the same goal: to remove the fundamental ignorance in our mindstream through giving rise to wisdom. 

This confusion consists of grasping at a self or self-fixation. This is the root of the three poisons (attachment, anger, and ignorance) which, in turn, give rise to 84.000 mental afflictions. For this reason, Acharya explained, the Buddha taught 84.000 dharmas. These can be considered as antidotes to counter each individual mental affliction.  

The last practice Ngulchu Tokmé points to, which is the culmination of all practices, is this ultimate purpose: to free ourselves from conceptualizing the three spheres that lead to self-interest and grasping at a self. 

“What I am trying to say is that the main goal of our practice is to attain the wisdom of selflessness. Whatever practice we engage in, if it helps us reduce our self-fixation, we are moving in the right direction. But if our practice leads to greater self-fixation, we may not be going the right way.” 

Acharya Lhakpa reminded us of something taught by the great kagyü master Gampopa. If we do not practice the dharma in harmony with the dharma, we risk falling into the lower realms. With that reminder, our resident teacher turned to the final verses of Ngulchu Tokmé’s text.

No Coffee Table Dharma

The first of the four concluding verses reads as follows: 

“Following after the speech of the noble ones
And the meaning of what is said in the sutras, tantras, and treatises, 
I have put forth these thirty-seven practices of a bodhisattva 
For those who wish to practice the bodhisattva path.” 
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

This seems very clear: Ngulchu Tokmé points out he did not make these practices up by himself but followed the teachings of Buddha Śākyamuni and the commentaries composed by the great Indian masters. Thus, as Acharya put it, this text is not “coffee table dharma.” 

Ngulchu Tokmé’s text continues with the following verse: 

“Because I am of inferior intellect and little training, 
I do not have any poetic verse to please the learned ones. 
Yet, because I have relied upon the sutras and the noble masters’ speech, 
I believe these practices of a bodhisattva to be without error.”

Acharya explained that in this verse we can see how Ngulchu Tokmé relied upon the direct words of the Buddha and the commentaries of the noble masters, who all taught the same Dharma: how to tame and train the mind. Based on their teachings, Ngulchu Tokmé attempted to put exactly this into writing in these 37 verses, which point to the practice of a bodhisattva. 

Big Vision, Small Steps

Like the previous verse, Ngulchu Tokmé indicates in the next as well that he is aware that his capabilities are fairly limited: 

“Nevertheless, because it is difficult for someone like me with an inferior mind
To fathom the vastness of bodhisattva conduct, 
I pray the holy ones will forgive
All faults, such as contradictions and irrelevancies.” (e)

In his commentary on this verse, Acharya explained that we may sometimes feel confident that we can help all other sentient beings. However, apart from the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, we are far from understanding the interests and mental dispositions of others–let alone those all sentient beings, who are taught to be as limitless as the sky. 

As Acharya continued, he noted that Ngulchu Tokmé recognizes his limitations and writes that he described the practices of a bodhisattva only to the best of his ability. Since it is quite possible that these verses may contain “contradictions” or “irrelevancies,” he humbly asks the Buddhas and bodhisattvas for forgiveness if that is the case.

Like Ngulchu Tokmé, we need to recognize our own limitations. This does not mean we should not have a vast vision or great aspirations. After all, on the path of a bodhisattva, we strive to attain buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. However, we need to take small steps. What matters is to get closer and closer, step by step. This is what our practice should be like. 

Practicing Wisdom and Compassion

Ngulchu Tokmé concludes with a dedication prayer and writes: 

“By the virtue of that, may all beings
Through the supreme bodhicitta, both ultimate and relative,
Become like the protector Avalokiteshvara, 
Who does not abide in the extremes of samsara or nirvana.” 

In this verse, Acharya pointed out that Ngulchu Tokmé writes about both ultimate bodhicitta and relative bodhicitta–wisdom and skillful means (or compassion), respectively.

Since the noble Avalokiteśvara possesses both of those qualities, he “does not abide in the extremes of samsara or nirvana.” For this reason, Ngulchu Tokmé prays that this text, and engaging in the practices of a bodhisattva described in these verses, may be the cause for all sentient beings to become just like him.  

Making Progress

At the conclusion of our discussion of this text, it becomes clear that our practices is essentially about cultivating two qualities: wisdom and compassion. In other words, we are encouraged to develop relative bodhicitta (compassion) and ultimate bodhicitta (wisdom). Of course, we may not be able to fully engage in and or realize the results of these practices right away. 

Acharya offered his apologies for any confusion his explanations may have caused, and expressed his sincere wish and prayer that our exploration of Ngulchu Tokmé’s text will support us in making progress on the path of a bodhisattva–slowly, step by step. 

Although we have a question-and-answer session next time, with this prayer we concluded the our reading of the text and dedicated the merit of our practice.

Tibetan Language Class: Basic Dharma Discourses

Would you like to get closer to the heart of the Buddha’s teachings through learning the Tibetan language? Do you wish to deepen your understanding and practice of the Dharma by learning basic conversations and reading in Tibetan?

In our weekly online Tibetan Language Class, we focus on daily conversations and, especially, Dharma discourses. Mirroring our Sunday Meditation for All: Dharma Talks & Practice series, we practice reading and discussing basic Dharma conversations in Tibetan, and explore the art of translating them into our native languages.

  • What: Tibetan Language Class: Basic Dharma Discourses
  • When: Every Sunday, 7:00–8:30 PM Central Time (Chicago, USA)
  • Where: Online on Zoom

You are warmly invited to join our Tibetan Language Class.

Registration and Offerings

Making an offering or donation is optional and is not required to register for our Tibetan Language Class: Basic Dharma Discourses. You can join for free by selecting a ‘free ticket’. If you would like, you can make a donation to support our Stūpa Project or the facilitation of this class. After selecting a ‘free ticket’ or making an offering below, the Zoom link and other practical information will be delivered in a confirmation email.

Learning Together

Some prior knowledge of Tibetan—or a willingness to do some (supported) self-study of the basics, especially the alphabet and pronunciation—is needed to make the class meaningful for you and for all participants.

Recordings will be made available to all participants to review or catch up when you can’t join live. If you have any questions about the class, please email communications@karmapacenter16.org

We look forward to studying, contemplating, and discussing the Dharma together through basic Tibetan discourses, and to deepening our practice on the Dharma path—for the benefit of all.

ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།།

Meditation for All: Dharma Talks & Practice

Inspired by the Kagyü lineage and the lives and teachings of the Karmapas, as well as our recently discussed Ngulchu Tokmé’s classical text, The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, we continue our practice under the guidance of Acharya Lhakpa Tshering through meditation and dharma talks. 

Sunday Meditation for All

In each Sunday Meditation for All session, we will practice śamatha (calm-abiding) meditation together and study and contemplate on Dharma topics. We explore how to live in harmony with the instructions of the great Dharma masters to find genuine freedom, happiness, and positive change.

  • What: Meditation for All: Dharma Talks & Practice
  • When: Every Sunday, from 10:30 to 11:30 AM Central Time (Chicago, USA)
  • Where: Online on Zoom and Onsite at KC16

Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, familiar with the Dharma or just curious, our Sunday sessions are open to everyone. We hope to support each other in cultivating wisdom and compassion on the path to freedom. 

Please join us onsite at KC16 or online!

Traveling Together

For online access, please register here for the Zoom link. Our sessions will begin at 10:30 am and finish around 11:30 am Central Standard Time (Chicago, US). Can’t join us live or would like to review a session? Please know that we’ll share recordings that you can (re-)view for 21 days on a dedicated resource page.

It’s our great honor and joy to practicing and traveling the path to freedom, loving kindness, and compassion with you and many others around the world, under the guidance of our resident teachers and the blessings of the lineage of the Karmapas. 

Registration and Offerings

Making an offering or donation is optional and is not required to register for our Meditation for All: Dharma Talks & Practice. You can join for free by selecting a ‘free ticket’. If you would like, you can make a donation to support our Stūpa Project or make a teaching offering for Acharya Lhakpa, KC16’s resident teacher, of any amount. After selecting a ‘free ticket’ or making an offering below, the Zoom link and other practical information will be delivered in a confirmation email.

KC16’s Tibetan Language Class: Basic Dharma Discourses

Alongside our Sunday morning Meditation for All dharma talks & practice, we will study and practice basic dharma discourses together with some colloquial conversations, grammar, and the art of translating Tibetan in our weekly Tibetan Language Class. Everyone is welcome to join.

What is the State of My Mind? – 37 Practices – Session 21

As a bodhisattva, it is important to always practice with mindfulness and attentiveness. Verses 34 through 37 of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva bring us to the heart of our practice, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering said. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve our goal: clearing away the suffering of limitless. 

Śamatha Practice and the Intention to Benefit

Buddha Śākyamuni taught that at the beginning of any activity, it is important for us to give rise to the intention to attain the state of buddhahood for the benefit of everyone, near and far, excluding no one. Furthermore, in order to benefit ourselves and others, we need a workable mind. For that reason, the practice of śamatha is vitally important.

When we look around us or watch the news, we may feel we are not able to directly benefit certain individuals or groups.However, we can connect with the aspiration for our practice to be of benefit to them as well. We could think to ourselves, “In the long term, may my practice today be a cause for being able to benefit you as well.” With this thought in mind, we practiced śamatha together. 

Words Like Honey and Flowers

Following our practice of calm-abiding meditation, our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, continued his commentary on Ngulchu Tokme’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, starting with verse 34: 

“Harsh words disturb the minds of others
And cause bodhisattva activity to diminish. 
Therefore, to abandon harsh words that
Are unpleasant to others is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)

At the heart of the training of a bodhisattva, Acharya reminded us, is to practice for the benefit of others. If we speak harsh words to others, not only will we harm them, but it will also cause our training to weaken or deteriorate. He referred to the noble Nāgārjuna’s advice to his friend, king Surabhibhadra: always speak in a pleasant way, using words that are like honey or flowers. 

Using the example of parents and their children, Acharya also indicated that this does not necessarily mean we never speak harsh words. As taught in the Mahāyāna teachings, if our intention is to benefit the other, and we are confident our action would accomplish that, we can do so. In this way, it is possible that using harsh words could be beneficial. 

Yet, the main point made by Ngulchu Tokmé is to abandon harsh words. Our resident teacher said that we all know from our own experience why this is the case. And Buddha Śākyamuni also taught we could take ourselves as a reference point. In the words of Acharya: 

“Just as you would not wish to be harmed by others, do not harm others. When harsh words are spoken to you, they hurt. Therefore, those who follow the path of compassion–bodhisattvas–avoid using harsh words.” 

Not Losing the Chance to Attain Liberation

As beginner practitioners, we may not be able to act perfectly. Yet, gradually, we learn and get closer to our goal. This also applies to the next verse, 35: 

“When the afflictions are habitual, they are hard to cast away with antidotes. 
Therefore, with mindfulness and attentiveness, wielding the weapon of the antidote,
To crush the mental afflictions, such as attachment, 
When they first arise is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

Due to our habits, it is very difficult if not impossible to abandon the root of all afflictions–grasping at a self. This fundamental form of ignorance, Acharya said, is likened by the great bodhisattva Śāntideva to a king, with the other mental afflictions being similar to ministers and soldiers. Given the great power of a king, it is not easy to defeat him right away. Therefore, we fight with the others first. 

Along the same lines, Dzatrul Ngawang Tenzin Norbu in A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, speaks about defeating enemies–the mental afflictions–using our weapons–the antidotes. While examples of war and fighting are somewhat problematic, the meaning behind them speaks directly to the point, Acharya said: 

“If we lose our sword in battle, we risk losing our life. In the same way, if we lose our mindfulness and attentiveness, we risk losing the opportunity to attain liberation and the state of omniscience. Therefore, bodhisattvas should always be mindful and alert.” 

This is the meaning we should keep in mind. 

Check and Balances

The next verse, 36, points to the very heart of all the preceding practices and reads as follows:

“In short, in whatever you are doing,
To always, with mindfulness and attentiveness, 
Ask yourself, “What is the state of my mind?” 
And accomplish the benefit of others is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

The practices of a bodhisattva, Acharya reminded us, are summarized by the six perfections or pāramitās. With the intention to benefit others, this is what our conduct should be like. In addition, Ngulchu Tokmé points to the necessity of mindfulness and attentiveness. We can see these, Acharya explained, as our checks and balances. Is our intention indeed to benefit others? Do we remember our practice? While the quality of mindfulness is able to recollect the teachings when we forget, attentiveness helps us to prolong or keep this awareness in place. 

Letting Go to Attain Buddhahood For the Benefit of Others

The 37th verse shows the dedication, as a final practice: 

“As to these virtues, accomplished through diligence: 
To dedicate them to enlightenment with the wisdom free of the three spheres
In order to clear away the suffering
Of limitless beings is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

Bodhisattvas seek to attain buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. To this end, we practice the six perfections to accumulate merit and wisdom. As Acharya explained during previous sessions, some of the pāramitās are to gather merit, while others contribute to the gathering of wisdom. In this verse, he explained, Ngulchu Tokmé points again to the wisdom that we need: the wisdom that is free of the three spheres. 

Basically, Acharya taught, this means we need to let go. Illustrating this with the example of generosity, he pointed out how we usually link the notion of ourselves as the agent, our action, and the receiver of our action, together. In this way, he continued, we get bound to self-fixation and conceptualization. This keeps us in the world of suffering. Therefore, we let go of thinking in terms of these three spheres. 

This contributes to accumulating wisdom. Together with the accumulation of merit, this will help us achieve our goal, as taught by Ngulchu Tokmé: “[…] to clear away the suffering of limitless beings.” 

To conclude, we dedicated our merit and Acharya warmly invited everyone to join us again next Sunday to continue our study and practice.

In Harmony With the Dharma – 37 Practices – Session 20

Instead of looking at others or clinging to one of the eight worldly dharmas, what we really should examine is our own minds and clear away all confusion. Practicing in harmony with the dharma is the main point, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering said, of verse 30 through 32 of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. What do these instructions tell us about what to abandon? 

For the Benefit of Those Near and Far

As usual, we begin our session by cultivating or generating the heart of awakening–bodhicitta. We can bring to mind the pain, sorrow, and suffering of those in our immediate surroundings: our friends, family, neighbors, and surrounding community. In addition, we can think of everyone, individuals, groups, and entire nations, who suffer due to natural disasters or human-made conflict. 

We always start our session with the practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation) with the clearly felt intention to achieve freedom, well-being, and liberation, for the benefit of ourselves and all those beings, human and non-human alike, near and far, without exceptions.  

Dharmic Actions

Our resident teacher continued his commentary by starting with the 31st verse: 

“If you do not examine your own confusion, 
You may, under the guise of dharma, do non-dharmic things. 
Therefore, through continual examination, 
To abandon one’s confusion is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

The main point of this verse, Acharya explained, is that we need to examine our own confusion. This means that we need to look carefully at our actions of body, speech, and mind–the three doors. Are they corrupted by attachment, anger, or ignorance–the three poisons? If so, he said, we may engage in the practice of the six perfections discussed before this verse, but it only looks dharmic on the outside without it being dharmic on the inside. This is also taught by Dagpo Rinpoche (Gampopa) in Precious Garland of the Supreme Path

“You may have entered the gate of the dharma with faith, but if you don’t practice in accordance with the dharma, it will set up the causes for going back to the lower realms, and there will be no benefit.”

Further illustrated with examples from everyday life, Acharya explained that practicing in accordance with the dharma means we need to continuously examine our own confusion. Instead of looking at others, we should be mindful and pay careful attention to our own actions. It is very important to do so throughout the day, both during formal meditation practice and post-meditation. This, Acharya stressed, is the practice of a bodhisattva. 

Clearing the Confusion of All Beings

The next verse, 32, makes a similar point as the previous one. It reads: 

“If, under the power of the afflictive emotions, 
I speak of the faults of another bodhisattva, I diminish myself. 
Therefore, to not point out the faults of those who have  
Entered the Mahayana is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

Through sharing a story about a disciple of the great master and well-known teacher of Dzogchen Monastery, Paltrül Rinpoche (1808-1887), and how to practice patience, Acharya further highlighted the importance of working with our own minds instead of looking at and trying to change the minds of others. 

We could move away from things and beings that trigger our habitual tendencies. We could even attempt to eliminate all confusion by pointing out the faults of others. Yet, since the number of sentient beings extends as far as the ends of space, this approach is pointless. Furthermore, if we speak of the faults under the power of mental afflictions, it will only harm them, and our own practice will diminish. 

Therefore, we need to control our own minds and remove poisons, like attachment, from our mindstream. In fact, it is taught that clearing our own confusion becomes the clearing of confusion for all beings, limitless as the sky. 

Abandoning the Eight Worldly Dharmas

The previous two verses speak about abandoning our confusion through the lens of the three poisons. The following verse, 33, does so from the perspective of the eight worldly dharmas by using the example of honor and gain: 

“Due to honor and gain, we fight with each other
And the activities of hearing, contemplating, and meditating diminish. 
Therefore, to abandon attachment to the homes of
Benefactors and loved ones is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

There are eight worldly dharmas or concerns: gain and loss, fame and lack of fame, praise and blame, pleasure and sorrow. Using the pair of praise and blame as an example, Acharya explained the common underlying pattern: we like the one (e.g. praise) and dislike the other (e.g. blame). A bodhisattva, he continued, attaches little value to either and takes an attitude of equanimity: 

“If we get carried away with such temporary things like praise and blame and attach great value to them, our activities of hearing, contemplating, and meditating, will diminish. Therefore, we should neither hold strongly to things we like nor to things we dislike. This is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

We might be a great king or ruler holding to all subjects in the kingdom or someone who has gone forth yet remains attached to benefactors from the lay community. Bodhisattvas, who can be found among all of them, and regardless of their position or the object, abandon any kind of attachment, without exception. Abandoning our attachment is yet another example taught by Ngulchu Tokmé of what we need to let go of. 

To conclude, we dedicated the merit. 

Karmapa Khyenno!

Finding Our Way Out – 37 Practices – Session 19

While there may be various methods and paths in the tradition of buddhadharmāḥ (teaching of the Buddha), Acharya Lhakpa pointed out that their intention is the same: obtaining the state of buddhahood. What role does meditation play and what is the practice of wisdom from the perspective of the heroic path of a bodhisattva? This is shown by Ngulchu Tokmé in verses 29 and 30 of his 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva

Calm-abiding Meditation: Letting Go of Resistance

At the beginning of our practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation), we connect with the aspiration to obtain genuine freedom and wellbeing for the sake of all beings, and carefully pay attention to our posture of body. During this session, the emphasis was on the way we relate to the things appearing to our senses, be it seemingly outer objects or what we experience on the inside. 

Whatever appears, in the practice of śamatha we do not resist. In other words, we accept or embrace whatever appears to mind and bring our attention back to this present moment. In this way, we can tame and train the mind in order to perfect the actions (pāramitās) of a bodhisattva. 

Three Vehicles: Different Methods, Same Intention

As a dharma practitioner, we may come across different teachings and methods. Sometimes it may even seem that they are contradictory. However, our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa, stressed, “no matter how many different methods are taught, their intention is the same.” This intention is expressed by the following words of Buddha Śākyamuni, as recorded in the Sūtras: 

“Know suffering. Abandon the causes of suffering. Attain the result. Rely on the path.” 

This is the basic shared principle of the three vehicles–Hīnayāna, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. At the same time, the focus or outlook and method of these three is different: 

  • On the path of the Hīnayāna, the focus is to be personally liberated from the suffering of saṃsāra;
  • On the path of the Mahāyāna, we not only seek individual liberation but seek complete enlightenment for the benefit of everyone; 
  • On the path of the Vajrayāna, enlightenment is taught to be present already, right here, and not something to be attained at a later time. The focus here is: How to recognize or reveal that? 

So, while the destination of the path can be considered the same, the methods, and therefore the paths, are somewhat different. 

Śamatha (calm-abiding) and Vipaśyanā (special insight)

With this understanding in mind, Acharya turned towards verse 29 of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, which reads: 

“Knowing that through superior insight endowed with thorough calm abiding;
The mental afflictions are completely subdued,
To meditate with the concentration that perfectly goes beyond
The four formless states is the practice of a bodhisattva.”(Quoted from: A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

This verse shows the fifth pāramitā: meditative absorption or concentration. While the different vehicles contain many meditation techniques, these can be all grouped together under two types of meditation: śamatha (calm-abiding) and vipaśyanā (special insight). Referring to the etymological meaning of the Sanskrit terms, Acharya explained these as follows: 

  • Calm-abiding or meditative calm means that we do not get distracted by outer objects like forms, sounds, smells, and so forth, nor by the afflictive emotions that disturbs us within. While we usually think we are in control of our own mind, when we start to engage in the practice of śamatha, we discover that we don’t really have a good sense of the working and nature of the mind. Through regular practice, even if just five or ten minutes a day, we will increasingly be able to concentrate and abide in a state of calmness. 
  • The technique called Special Insight means we start to analyze reality. Are the objects of our senses, like a pen we can see with our eyes, inherently existent and truly established? If we look carefully, we will be able to discover that things are not as they appear. We will realize that all phenomena are dependent upon one another, and the names we attach to them are merely imputations. This is true for something we label as pen, be it long or short, as well as whom we consider enemies and friends, including yourself! 

In all three vehicles, these two types of meditation need to be practiced together. 

The Four Formless States

Combining Calm-Abiding and Special Insight, the ability of the mind to concentrate and remain on the same object over long periods of time, will increase and take us to the four formless states referenced by Ngulchu Tokmé. These are states of concentration of meditative absorption in which we perceive phenomena differently than usual: 

  1. The sense field of infinite space;
  2. The sense field of infinite consciousness;
  3. The sense field of nothing-at-all, and; 
  4. Neither perception nor non-perception. 

While the practice of śamatha and vipaśyanā will enable us to move to these higher states of meditative absorption, Acharya emphasized that these are all still within the world of suffering. The practice of a bodhisattva, he explained, is to go even further and leave saṃsāra behind completely. This is why Ngulchu Tokmé writes that “to meditate with the concentration that perfectly goes beyond / the four formless states is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

Preliminary or Preparations for Prajñā (Wisdom)

In the next verse, verse 30, Ngulchu Tokmé points to the sixth and last perfection: prajñā (wisdom or superior knowledge): 

“Without prajñā, the five pāramitās
Cannot accomplish perfect enlightenment. 
Therefore, to meditate on the prajñā that is endowed with means
And does not conceive the three spheres is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

While prajñā is taught to be the most important pāramitā and what we are ultimately looking for, Acharya pointed out that this verse shows that there is no chance for wisdom to arise without meditation. Therefore, he said, we can think of meditation as the preliminary or preparatory practice which is indispensable. 

Furthermore, as pointed out in earlier sessions, for meditation to go well, we need to perfect diligence first. Diligence will only come about through the practice of patience. Patience, in turn, depends on discipline. Before discipline, first of all, we need to engage in the perfection of generosity. Thus, wisdom depends on all the preceding five pāramitās. “Without them,” Acharya said, “we will not be able to attain wisdom.” 

Transcending the Three Spheres

Understanding the practice of the bodhisattvas in this way, the last two lines of the verse on prajñā also show the main purpose of dharma practice: The realization of the wisdom of selflessness. 

First of all, we need to understand what is meant by the three spheres. Illustrating this with links that are connected with each other and becoming a chain that binds us to saṃsāra, the three spheres basically refer to the deeply habituated mind that holds on to a truly existing self. As a consequence, we conceive of three “spheres”: an agent, action, and object. For example, when practicing generosity, we usually think of ourselves as the subject (agent) who engages in the act of giving (action) and someone considered to be the recipient (object). 

It is precisely the conceptualization of these three spheres that we are seeking to abandon through the practice of wisdom. “This is what we are transcending, what we need to let go,” Acharya said. Therefore, he continued, “the practice of wisdom is that of letting go of the three spheres. If we try to hold on to those spheres, we will continue to be bound to saṃsāra. This is like getting lost in a maze or labyrinth.” The practice of wisdom, then, can be understood as finding the way out. 

Acharya concluded our session by expressing his gratitude to all present, wishing everyone to have a wonderful day, and warmly inviting everyone to join us again next Sunday. Following that, we dedicated the merit.

Traditional Pujas and Vase Ceremony Ahead of Onsite Groundwork

From April 11 till April 19, special pujas (meditation practice with melodic chants and instruments) will be held at Karmapa Center 16 in preparation for the onsite groundwork that will begin later this spring. This is a significant step forward in our three-phased project and will literally create the foundations for the Parinirvāṇa Stupa Temple, a residence for His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, and two retreat houses. 

The pujas are intended to remove any obstacles, create the most auspicious conditions for the engineers, all workers, and volunteers to start our work together, and to promote environmental harmony. You are warmly invited to join our practices onsite or online, and make offerings in support of the lamas, practices, and the second phase of our Stupa Project. A link will be sent after an offering of any amount.

Schedule

Friday April 11 to Thursday, April 17

time (Central Time, UTC-6)puja
9:00–10:00 AMཟབ་ཏིག་སྒྲོལ་མ། Green Tara
10:30–12:00 PMམགོན་པོའི་བསྐང་གསོལ། Mahakala Practice 1
2:00–3:30 PMམགོན་པོའི་བསྐང་གསོལ། Mahakala Practice 2
4:00 – 5:30 PMམགོན་པོའི་བསྐང་གསོལ། Mahakala Practice 3
Schedule for KC16 pujas onsite in Wadsworth, IL, USA from April 11 to April 17, 2025
Click here to see the start time in your local time zone.

Saturday, April 19th, 2025

time (US Central Time, UTC-6)puja
10:00–12:00 PMལོ་ནག་བཅོས་བུམ། Vase Ceremony
Schedule for KC16 ceremony onsite in Wadsworth, IL, USA on April 19, 2025
Click here to see the start time in your local time zone.

Be Inspired by the Lineage of the Karmapas

We feel very fortunate to take this next step as part of creating a place for pilgrimage, study, and practice of the Dharma, the Kagyü, and especially the lineage of the Karmapas. In particular, to commemorate and be inspired by the life and teachings of His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. May all be auspicious! 

Karmapa Khyenno!

16th Karmapa’s Guru Yoga Practice: Every First Saturday of the Month

To find happiness and support on the path to full awakening for the benefit of the world, we need to rely on spiritual friends. The practice of guru yoga is, therefore, a profound method to connect with the heart of our teacher and lineage of dharma masters, to receive blessings and help us move away from negative qualities, and cultivate positive qualities in terms of body, speech, and mind.

Rainfall of Nectar

The Guru Yoga Sadhana, “Rainfall of Nectar,”  composed by the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, is elegantly concise and contains the essential pith instructions of the Vajrayana tradition. 

Every First Saturday of the Month

Every first Saturday of the month, we will offer an opportunity to practice His Holiness the 16th Karmapa’s Guru Yoga together. Regardless of whether you are familiar with the practice and who you consider to be your personal teacher, this practice allows us to connect with the enlightened qualities of the Buddha and, in a way, truly become the activity of the Karmapa, embodying the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. 

  • What: 16th Gyalwang Karmapa’s Guru Yoga Sadhana
  • When: First Saturday of the Month, from 10:00 to 11:30 AM Central Time (Chicago, USA)
  • Where: Online on Zoom and Onsite at KC16. (Liturgies will be screenshared)

Registration, Offerings & Donations

Making an offering or donation is optional and is not required to register for our monthly 16th Gyalwang Karmapa’s Guru Yoga Practice. You can join for free by selecting a ‘free ticket’. If you would like to make a donation to support the stupa project or make an offering to our teachers and resident monastics, please choose an option below.

Fulfilling Our Aspirations

After selecting a ‘free ticket’ or making an offering below, the Zoom link and other practical information will be delivered in a confirmation email. 

We warmly invite you to join us and together fulfill all aspirations for ourselves and others through our devotion and virtuous activities. 

Karmapa Khyenno!