All
of the philosophic vehicles of Buddhism— the Hinayana path of
personal salvation, the Mahayana path of those seeking liberation
for all beings, and the esoteric Vajrayana teachings, often referred
to as the "short path", arose from the life and teachings
of Shakyamuni Buddha, born as Prince Siddhartha in northern India
in the sixth century B.C
.
For many years, his father the king shielded Prince Siddhartha from
the suffering of the world. When Siddhartha finally left the palace
grounds, he was shocked to encounter the reality of old age, sickness
and death. Disillusioned, Siddhartha renounced his life of luxury
and determined to find spiritual truth. After six years of meditation,
his practice brought him at last to deep spiritual realization and
he became the Buddha, the Awakened One.
Lord Buddha went on to teach for fifty years until he passed away
at the age of eighty. Those fifty years of teachings can be divided
into three periods. During the first period, Lord Buddha taught the
Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering,
the cessation of suffering, and the way to end suffering by practicing
the profound path of Dharma. The second time the Buddha taught, or
turned the Dharma wheel, he discussed compassion and ‘emptiness,’
the ultimate nature of reality. The third turning of the Dharma wheel
gave insight into Buddha Nature, the potential that all living beings
have to become enlightened. Also taught then were the various esoteric
methods of the Vajrayana, the Buddhist Tantric path.
Buddhism was brought to Tibet from India by many great masters from
the eighth to the twelfth centuries. First and foremost of these was
Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche. His teachings are maintained to this
very day in a tradition called the Nyingmapa, which is the tradition
practiced at Tashi Choling. There are three other traditions or lineages
and all consist of studying and practicing Lord Buddha’s teachings
with special emphasis on the Vajrayana.
Vajrayana, a vast system of profound philosophy and deep meditation,
is considered the pinnacle of the Buddha’s teaching. It is a
path that encompasses the three vehicles: Hinayana, Mahayana, and
Vajrayana. Many Vajrayana practices engage all of our senses with
mantras, chants, mandalas, visualizations, and ritual activity. Non-conceptual
non-meditation practice provides the opportunity to rest in unfabricated,
unconstructed mind.
In Vajrayana, the teacher-disciple relationship is of great importance.
Foundational or preliminary practices, called Ngondro, help practitioners
to remove karmic hindrances and to increase spiritual merit and understanding.
Group practices called either “Tsog” in Tibetan or “Puja”
in Sanskrit are part of Vajrayana practice. Some are performed monthly
and others are done in an annual retreat. More information on these
practices at Tashi Choling is available in the Programs section of
this site.
Each puja focuses on a particular Buddhist deity. These deities are
not gods, but symbolic manifestations of the various qualities of
enlightenment. Some pujas require an empowerment from a lama and a
few are not open to the public. All include an offering of food, so
it is appropriate for a visitor to bring some.
Pujas vary somewhat in structure but in general they begin with “Taking
Refuge.” Taking Refuge is the student’s ongoing commitment
to follow and practice the Buddhist path. Next is engendering Boddhicitta,
the motivation to practice so that all sentient beings can be free
of suffering and enter the state of enlightenment. We then visualize
and invoke the deity and recite his or her mantra. Food is offered
and partaken of. Finally, we imagine that everything dissolves into
the state of emptiness. The merit from participating in the puja is
then dedicated to all sentient beings.
Tashi Choling provides a place where people can study and practice
the vast array of Lord Buddha’s teachings as preserved within
the Tibetan tradition. All are welcome to participate, learn, and
contribute in whatever way their aspirations draw them.
