Dakini Day

Yesterday was Dakini Day, and Jetsunma was going to practice with us. We were to do the Chime Sok Thig (pronounced the ‘Jimmy – soak -tick:) and at the last moment she wasn’t able to attend, but asked us to go forward with the practice anyway.

Guru Padmasambava was the amazing Buddha who was responsible for bring Buddhism to Tibet. Many, many miracles were said to have happened around Padmasambava, or Guru Rinpoche as he is known in Tibet. A powerful Guru whose amazing blessings still exist in the world today. He had a consort, Mandarava, who he practiced with in the caves of Maritika. This particular practice we were to do last night is a powerful practice of deathlessness that only those who have been empowered can practice (empowerments come from the Lama teaching and doing a special ceremony that transmits the understanding of the teaching in an extraordinary way). It was a practice Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava did in the caves of Maritika! Jetsunma has been recognized as the incarnation of Manadarava, so she and our sangha have strong connections with this practice. It’s a Dzochen, or advanced practice, so even though I’m a newer student, I have received the empowerment and the teaching, and so I’m allowed to do it.

I’m always amazed when I go to the temple for a practice such as this. We have a large ordained community, and it’s awesome to see them all there together. We generally sit on the floor on cushions with prayer benches in front of us to hold our practice books. There was a table in front of the altar filled to spilling over with flowers, fruit, cheeses, cakes, and all kinds of other offerings.

Sitting cross legged for two hours can be trying, but just arriving, setting up and preparing for such a practice really calms me inside. Once we all begin the Tibetan mantra’s and prayers, the room is filled with candles and chanting. All around me are colorful thankas (Tibetan wall hangings that are hand painted Buddha’s), and altars filled with golden statues, smiling and peaceful. I noticed that the Omsay (not sure on the spelling of this) who leads the prayers was wearing a golden fleece under her robes and had to laugh. Tibetan Buddhism has arrived in America. The entire experience is always a juxtaposition of cultures.

The Omsay always reads a list of prayers that have been requested by loved ones. These prayer requests come from the internet (www.prayerwithoutceasing.org), from a book outside the prayer room that allows you to add prayers, and over the phone. Plus at the time of practice we add our own prayers for friends, family, pets and those we might have heard about on the news or through others. And of course, at the top of the list is our own Precious Lama and all the other Teachers alive today. The list always tends to be a long one, but it really helps us to focus our intention before beginning. Just in the three years I’ve been here I’ve seen miracles take place in situations that seemed completely hopeless. Cancer that was there, and then when the doc operated in the next hour, it was gone! Things like that. Jetsunma says prayer is profound, and can most certainly and directly make a real difference. It’s true. And to say those prayers in Tibetan, prayers that are ancient and profound, with a group, is beyond words.

Sometimes I have a brain and reflect on my intention, and I need to do that every time I sit on the cushion. Jetsunma says, "Do you do the prayer, and it goes out and sprinkles fairy dust on those you’re praying for……No." She says it’s you that has to change. That by changing who we are inside actually cures what is outside of ourselves. The Buddha says we are not separate, so of course that all makes complete sense when looking at it in this extraordinary way, not in an ordinary way.