Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Protection for the Mind...

I realize not all who view this will be Buddhist practitioners, but for those who are, or those who are curious, I wanted to share a quote from Rigpa's Glimpse of the Day (see their site here to sign up for daily quotes yourself if you wish!).

We here at KPC are engaged in prayer 24 hours a day as a temple, and many of us practice daily prayers as well. The prayers we recite often include mantra. Below is one of the most potent quotes I've found on what that accomplishes:

"February 20

A meditation technique used a great deal in Tibetan Buddhism is uniting the mind with the sound of a mantra. The definition of mantra is “that which protects the mind.” That which protects the mind from negativity, or which protects you from your own mind, is mantra.

When you are nervous, disoriented, or emotionally fragile, inspired chanting or reciting of a mantra can change the state of your mind completely, by transforming its energy and atmosphere. How is this possible? Mantra is the essence of sound, the embodiment of the truth in the form of sound. Each syllable is impregnated with spiritual power, condenses a deep spiritual truth, and vibrates with the blessing of the speech of the buddhas. It is also said that the mind rides on the subtle energy of the breath, the prana, which moves through and purifies the subtle channels of the body. So when you chant a mantra, you are charging your breath and energy with the energy of the mantra, and so working directly on your mind and your subtle body."

Rigpa is a Nyingma based group founded by Sogyal Rinpoche, and I believe this quote is from him (we practice a different Nyingma Lineage here---Palyul---so not 100% familiar with Rigpa but love their daily quotes).

The ice storms and snow lead to the cancellation of our weekend event, but also to difficult travel around town here. We turned our attention to preparing for the visit of Muksang Tulku in less than two weeks!!! Your friendly Stupa gals are on the roster as chopons, so we're going through some video we shot of our training to gleen the necessary information to practice. Here's a quick clip of Ani Yeshi attempting to do an elegant mudra with two spoons...soon we'll post Pema Rangdol doing the same mudra so you can see why she got so distressed:



Though this may look silly, trust we are taking this responsibility seriously! If you want to join us for the practice it is due to be performed with Rinpoche's present on March 5th in Poolesville, Maryland!

Until then, despite the treacherous conditions on the roads (should clear today actually) please do come out and visit the temple! No need to be Buddhist or even care about Buddhism, this is a place open 24 hours a day every day for anyone seeking some peace in this chaotic world...come get a breath of fresh air!

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