Breaking: 5.5 Earthquake Strikes Bhutan

A 5.5 earthquake has struck eastern Bhutan, with the epicenter approximately 180 km from Thimphu.

Zangdokpalri Consecration Completes

Today, December 31, 2009, is the final day of the consecration of the Zangdokpalri Temple that Kyabje Terton Kunzang Dechen Lingpa first dreamed of over a decade ago. In that dream, Padmasambhava specifically showed him all the particulars of the temple's architecture and location.

There is still a need for your assistance, and further particulars may be had by clicking here:

http://zangdokpalri.org/help_temple09.html

Kagyu Monlam Live Broadcast Continues

As this is being written, we are watching a live broadcast of XVIIth Karmapa conducting Offering to the Gurus, which is an extraordinarily beautiful ceremony. This is coming direct from the 27th Annual Kagyu Monlam (in eight different languages). You can catch the live feed at:

http://www.kagyumonlam.tv/

Once In A Blue Moon

A "blue moon" is the second full moon in a single month.  A blue moon occurs once every 2½ years, but to have a blue moon fall on New Year's Eve is quite rare. The last time was in 1990 and the next one won't happen until 2028.

I don't pretend to know what this all "means," if in fact it may be said to "mean" anything at all. This has whatever meaning we choose to give -- just like everything else.

However, if we wish to experiment, we can say that this is an opportunity to do something we very rarely do -- something meaningful to others --- because this is a relatively rare day, impacted by an eclipse, no less, that magnifies everything by a factor of 1,000.

Whatever this means to you... well, I wish you every success.

Happy New Year from Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar.

I love you.

 

Where Mahadeva and Umadeva play, there is no time and place; nothing to hold, nothing to relinquish; nothing whatsoever upon which to depend.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 31, 2009

Chinese 15th, M-T-K  15th. Dragon, Dwa, Red 9. I cannot emphasize enough what a dicey day it is today. On the one hand, we have a lunar eclipse, so everything is magnified by a factor of 1,000. On the other hand, we have New Year's Eve. So, that means tomorrow's hangover is going to be a beauty. This is also the anniversay of Jigme Phuntsok, who was a very popular lama in Kham, so in his honor, maybe we want to tame it down some, eh? Today is also the Full Moon, so expect all sorts of excitement on the roadways -- and this being a Dragon day, that means roadblocks and drunk checkpoints. Getting the idea? A great day to stay home with the family and count your blessings. Today is wind-wind, so troublesome travel somewhat mitigated, but that wind better "blow" clean. Seriously -- stay home and practice. Live to see the New Year. One more thing -- this is the proverbial "blue moon," as in "once in a blue moon," i.e. the second full moon this month, and the first blue moon on New Year's Eve in 20 years. So -- what the heck -- do something dramatic and original.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Compassion Comes to Cleveland

Get those white belts and polyester knits out of the closet. The ever-recondite Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche will be appearing in Cleveland, Ohio on New Years' Day.

In what can only be described as a gesture of infinite compassion, the man recognized by the 16th Karmapa,  Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche as an incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro will be appearing at the West Shore Unitarian Church, 20401 Hilliard Boulevard, Rocky River, Ohio 44116, from 6 to 8 p.m. on January 1, 2010.

For the benefit of our international readers, this Rocky River place is somewhere between New York and L.A.

We wonder if the people in that place know just how lucky they truly are.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 30, 2009

Chinese 14th, M-T-K  14th. Rabbit, Khon, White 8. This is the anniversary of Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen. This is also listed as a naga day, but it is by no means the best naga day left in this (lunar) month -- that honor falls to the lunar 21st. Tomorrow, on the other hand, is NOT a good naga day. This brings us to the whole New Year's Eve question. Speaking personally, I would stay home and avoid the sauce. However, what you do is your business. If you absolutely, positively have to drink something bubbly, they make an elegant carbonated jasmine tea at around USD $10. per bottle that for some reason reminds one of bad champagne -- you know -- the kind they serve at cheap weddings. And speaking of weddings: avoid them like the plague today and tomorrow.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 29, 2009

Chinese 13th, M-T-K  13th. Tiger, Li, Red 7. This is a day to avoid provocations and over-reactions. According to the Kalachakra system, today is fire-water transitioning to fire-wind. That is an extremely negative augury transitioning to a relatively favorable augury; in the former case death, in the latter case, gathering vitality. Hence, don't get sucked into negativity, and gather your forces for the coming eclipse (and New Year's Eve).

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Yak Tail Soup

Well, I couldn't think of a clever title for this year-end wrap, so I settled for Yak Tail Soup -- because we're at the tail end of the Muddy Bovine, heading for the fearsome Metal Feline.

We have some guests coming in late January, to help us with the "out with the old, in with the new" business, and then we are off in different directions.

I spent most of 2009 laying the groundwork for a long wished-for retreat, visiting various spots where I felt that might usefully take place. You may recall that we visited one special place, and I must say that we were very fortunate to contact old friends, and make some new friends, in a region that is historically well-suited for retreat.

So, as 2010 dawns, I will be winding down DTBA, and packing up for a year or two where the sky and the grasslands are always dancing.

And, of course, that rather more singular placelessness, where the bone meets the stone, and there is no longer any fictional freedom.

While we're off somewhere, do please make an effort to remember high impact opportunities to try out your new-found perfection of generosity: Nubri Monastery needs your help, as does the Tibetan Aid Project; Zangdokpalri could sure use your help, as could the Nyingma Trust; Surmang has some ambitions regarding the 12th Trungpa Tulku, and a little closer to home, Kagyu Droden Kunchab in San Francisco, founded by Kalu Rinpoche, always welcomes a helping hand. I don't think you could possibly go wrong by squeezing the mongoose for any of these worthy causes, and maybe, if you crank his tail a little, that mongoose will sick up enough for all of them.

By the way... people frequently ask, "Unh... why a mongoose? They lucky or something?" Depends on your point of view. A mongoose has nasty, sharp, little teeth that razor you on the way in, so to speak. In the old days... and that would be the old, old, old days... people used to make a purse out of a mongoose to discourage pickpockets. If you tried to stick your finger in its mouth, you'd get a nasty gash, so the only way to get out the coins or valuable jewels was to give the mongoose  purse a squeeze. The image of a regurgitating mongoose thus became symbolic of riches. This is not to be confused with the Regurgitating Mongoose, a short-lived bar and bordello in Calcutta, where the drinks were as generous as the denizens -- or so I have heard.

Not just anybody can segue so gracefully from a yak's posterior through philosophy and philantrophy to a vomiting mongoose, so it is only natural that you already miss this blog, even we are not quite gone yet. I know how you feel, and am dabbing the tears from my eyes even as we wave hankies from the train, and the music swells.

I gave some thought to how I might wind up affairs here, and finally decided to leave things as they are.

When we're gone, believe me... you won't need no ghost come from the grave to tell them Christmases apart.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 28, 2009

Chinese 12th, M-T-K  12th. Ox, Zon, White 6.  This is the last Ox day of 2009, but not the last Ox day of the Ox Year. Nevertheless, this is a day to bring things to completion, whatever they may be.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Karmapa Announces New Environmental Effort: Khoryug

Following the conclusion of the teachings on Nagarjuna's Letter to a Friend, at the 27th Annual Kagyu Monlam, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, convened a special meeting in the afternoon, principally for monks and nuns from Kagyu monasteries and nunneries.  His purpose was to present  Khoryug: a newly-formed association of Kagyu Buddhist monasteries carrying out environmental projects under his leadership,  and  its new website www.khoryug.com.   

The Karmapa prefaces his vision by stating:

"Whatever it is that I do, I want it to have a long term visible impact and for it to be practical. If I have the opportunity, I would most like to restore the natural environment in the Himalayas and Tibet, and to especially protect the forests, the water and wildlife of this region."

The work will not be easy. If you want the deep background on environmental issues in the region, you need to begin following the Tibetan Plateau Blog, which is produced by some deeply inspired folks who believe in getting their facts straight.

Karmapa's new project is in the right place at the right time, and we hope everyone will take a moment to click the link and find out more about Khoryug.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 27, 2009

Chinese 11th, M-T-K  11th. Mouse, Zin, Yellow 5.  This is one of those days when you are better off doing absolutely nothing. Catch your breath, actually, because the final week of 2009 is now upon us, and it behooves us to put it to good use. Everybody I know is glued to the screen, watching the 27th Annual Kagyu Monlam -- well, them that aren't actually there. We have an eclipse coming up on Thursday (New Year's Eve), and a week from today we have the anniversary of Dudjom Rinpoche.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

27th Annual Kagyu Monlam Broadcasting Live

As this is being written, we are watching HH 17th Karmapa, live, from the 27th Annual Kagyu Monlam. The video and audio are flawless, and translations are also available. This will be going on through 1/1/2010, so try to watch the whole program. Program schedules are on-line, as well as prayer books for free download, so you can follow along.

Simply fantastic. Start your journey here. 

 

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 26, 2009

Chinese 10th, M-T-K  10th. Pig, Gin, Green 4. Guru Rinpoche Day. This day is particularly meaningful to Bhutan because it commemorates Guru Rinpoche taking his wrathful form as Dorje Drolo, in Paro Taktsang. Today is also zin phung, so I ponder the earthquake situation yet again. In the Kalachakra system, this is an earth fire day, so what... a volcano? Actually, earth fire is unfavorable, and points to obstructions. In the tsurluk system today is earth water, i.e. "engaging in joyful activities on this day will bring great good fortune and happiness." Well, today is tsok, right? That is joyful.

You know, this whole earthquake thing is no joke. On the 19th, we had a 6.4 in Hualien and a 6.0 in Malawi; on the 23rd a 6.0 in Indonesia; on the 24th a 6.3 in Russia, and today, a 6.0 in the Banda Sea. I have a theory that earth years go down fighting, so I am watching the rest of this year very carefully.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Marme Monlam

May the bowl of this lamp become equal to the outer ring of this world realm of the great Thre Thousands. May its stem be the size of the King of Mountains, Mt. Meru. May its oil fill the surrounding oceans. In number, may a hundred million appear before each and every buddha. May its light dispel all the darkness of ignorance from the Peak of Existence to the Incessant Hell and illumine all the pure realms of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions so they are clearly seen. OM VAJRA ALOKE AH HUM

E MA HO!

I offer this amazing, wonderful, bright lamp
To the one thousand buddhas of this fortunate aeon
The lamas, yidams, dakinis, dharma protectors,
And gatherings of deities in the mandalas

Of all pure realms of the infinite ten directions,
My parents in the fore, may every sentient being
In this lifetime and all the places they take birth
See the pure realms of the perfect Buddhas directly

And then become inseparable from Amitabha.
Out of the power of the truth of the Three Jewels
And the deities of the Three Roots I've made this prayer.
Please grant your blessings that it be quickly accomplished.

TADYATHA PANCHANDRIYA AVA BODHANAYE SVAHA

The glorious Lord Atisha with just seventeen of his students recited this prayer in a roar in the temples of U Tsang, it is heard.

--from the 2009 Kagyu Monlam Prayer Book. Try to catch the live broadcasts by clicking here.

Wonderfully Hopeless

"Whether we are attacked or praised,

We do not follow the conventional pattern of hope and fear..."

Someone who truly knows my heart gave me such lovely gifts today -- the Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, and a marvelous, framed photograph of him.

"[A]s far as we know, nobody in America has a complete understanding of even the hinayana level of Buddhism. People have hardly any understanding at all. They have a completely schizophrenic attitude: they conceive of a divine, enlightened personality that is opposed to their confused version of themselves. As a result, people regard themselves as abandoned people, completely bad people. Or else they might have some hope, but that again is based on some kind of spiritual pride that does not leave any leeway for confusion at all. So we're hopeless. I'm afraid we're hopeless."

--vol. 5, p. 159

While it might be dangerous to take anything a mahasiddha says out of context, one could argue that because it is said by a mahasiddha, context becomes universal.  The next time you are struggling with attitudes of "I got this right," or, "I got this wrong," or what is much, much worse... listening to some equally befuddled jackass bray about right and wrong... you might take some small comfort from the idea of wonderful hopelessness -- and press on.

Now that 2009 is wonderfully hopeless, there is nothing whatsoever standing in the way of your enlightenment save your own deconstruction of deconstruction.

Don't let Christmas stand in your way, or New Year either, for that matter.

Press on.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 25, 2009

Chinese 9th, M-T-K  9th. Dog, Kham, Blue 3.  Merry Christmas. If you live in one of the Retail Nations, there is no getting away from it. Today is a particularly good day for naga offerings. Note that we are still on vacation and still auto-posting.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Self-Arising Guru Rinpoche Image?

This image is being circulated around the world. It was sent by iPhone from Kham (yes, they do have iPhones in Kham, and yes, people know how to use 'em). The image of Guru Rinpoche reportedly appeared in the 800 year-old wall of a monastery, about a month after Bardor Tulku performed a Guru Rinpoche puja there.

The monastery in question -- which is not being named for fear of unwanted attention -- is near Raktrul Monastery, and was a place Bardor Tulku practiced in previous lives.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 24, 2009

Chinese 8th, M-T-K  8th. Bird, Khen, Black 2.  Today is Medicine Buddha day and also Tara day. Today is also highly favorable for making requests of persons in authority. And, of course, this is also Christmas Eve -- so how about a few prayers for all the  military, medical, and public safety personnel who are on duty tonight, instead of home with their families.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Congratulations to Google and Tzu Chi Foundation

Congratulations to Tzu Chi Foundation, for being one of the recipients of Google's USD $20 Million gift to nonprofit organizations. Also, congratulations to Google for recognizing the immense benefit this Buddhist charitable organization brings to all sentient beings.

We can all rejoice in this.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 23, 2009

Chinese 7th, M-T-K  7th. Monkey, Dwa, White 1. Today is the famous Zangpo Chu Dzom or ten auspicious omens occurring together. People always write in to ask, "What should we do?" The best advice I can give is to do nothing. Tibetans usually make a picnic out of it. See yesterday.


By the way -- in case you haven't noticed, we are on vacation for the holidays. These are auto-posts.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 22, 2009

Chinese 6th, M-T-K  6th. Sheep, Khon, Red 9. Today is the infamous Nganpa Gu Dzom, or nine bad omens occurring together. People always write in to ask, "What should we do?" The best advice I can give is to do nothing. Tibetans usually make a picnic out of it. Tomorrow is ten auspicious omens together, so who cares?

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 21, 2009

Chinese 5th, M-T-K  5th. Horse, Li, White 8. Get out and about, and enjoy your friendships. Good day for sang. Today is the Winter Solstice. Today is also Water-Wind, so beware of small arguments. Note that the Kalachakra system has this as Water-Fire moving to Water-Water, which is auspicious, as Water-Water is entirely harmonious with the energy of a Horse day. Sun moves into Capricorn today. Don't burn your mouth on hot tea.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) are (in 2010) January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 20, 2009

Chinese 4th, M-T-K  4th. Snake, Zon, Red 7. Today is baden, so no prayer flags. Today is zin phung. Take a rest. Starting with tomorrow's solstice, you're in for a roller-coaster ride all week long. Look at the line up: Monday, Solstice; Tuesday, Nganpa Gu Dzom; Wednesday, Zangpo Chu Dzom; Thursday, Christmas; Friday, Everybody out crazy wearing aftershave and hitting up after-Christmas sales; Saturday, Guru Rinpoche Day, and Lhuntse Tshechu in Bhutan (also Boxing Day in Oz and that place north of here where the beavers live). By the way -- today is Fire-Earth, so activities are obstructed, unfavorable for journeys toward the West but not the South, so if you must travel West, bow to the Buddha of the West before making your journey.



And one more thing -- some people have written in to ask about zin phung days. This refers to the sa bdag, Zin 'phung nag po, usually expressed as a black scorpion-headed figure with a sword and snare, riding an ox. Apart from helpfully noting the zin phung day in order to orient the other sa bdag days, the zin phung days are also associated with particular earth energies.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) this year (2009) are: December 20, and next year (2010) are: January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Exiting the Vehicle

Along with millions of other loyal Americans, I recently watched, enthralled, as the immaculate reincarnation of Terton Chungdrag Dorje enforced the criminal code of the great State of Louisiana on his wildly successful reality television series, Lawman.

In one memorable scene, Rinpoche rushed to the open door of a stopped automobile, violently pulled out a recalcitrant black man by the scruff of his neck, and dashed him to the ground, screaming, "When we tell you to get out of the f**king car, get out of the f**king car!" This was of course done to the highest possible standard of police professionalism, arising from a wellspring of bodhicitta.

I want to emphasize that Rinpoche was not acting. This was filmed while he was carrying out his duties, under color of authority, as a duly sworn and credentialed peace officer in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

One cannot render opinion on the sublime play of the three bodies, or six cops and one suspect, as the case may be. Rinpoche understands this quite naturally, so he works with whatever testosterone arises at the time.

Isn't it wonderful....

Tibetan Vexillology Again

This pitiable photograph of men and horses going to their death in 1950s Tibet is nonetheless interesting for the presence, at right, of a heretofore unremarked, Western style, Tibetan flag.

It would seem this is simply a crossed dorje. The colors would appear to be yellow and blue, although if we have any readers from Turner Entertainment, maybe they have a better appraisal.

If anyone has further information, I would be pleased to hear from you.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 19, 2009

Chinese 3rd, M-T-K  3rd. Dragon, Zin, White 6. Lets face the facts. Today is the last Saturday before Christmas. What does that tell you? Get up early, get everything done, come home and do practice. Watch out for moving violations in between. Today is the day. I hope you downloaded and pasted those earthquake charms over the windows, as I suggested recently.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) this year (2009) are: December 20, and next year (2010) are: January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Buddhist Performance Art

Zhang Huan is a Buddhist performance artist who takes as his practice his performances. This is unusual, but then again, some people thought Virupa was unusual.

The piece above is a statue of Buddha, made entirely of the ash of consumed incense. He opened by revealing the face, which caused the statue to begin to crumble. Ultimately, the statue became nothing but a pile of ash on the floor, and then the wind began to blow it away.

In addition to what I regard as the work's useful message, this was also intended to evoke the desecration of Buddhist images by Red Guards, during the so-called Cultural Revolution -- quite possibly the most disgraceful episode in human history, 1966-1976.

The Heart

 

Mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā
Mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā,

Phenomena are preceded by the heart,
Ruled by the heart,
Made of the heart.

Manasā ce paduṭṭhena
Bhāsati vā karoti vā,
Tato naṃ dukkham-anveti
Cakkaṃ va vahato padaṃ.

If one speaks or acts with a corrupted heart,
Suffering follows one,
As the wheel of the cart,
the foot of the ox that draws it.

Mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā
Mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā,

Phenomena are preceded by the heart,
Ruled by the heart,
Made of the heart.

Manasā ce pasannena
Bhāsati vā karoti vā,
Tato naṃ sukham-anveti
Chāyā va anapāyinīti.

If one speaks or acts with a bright heart,
Happiness follows one,
Like a shadow that never leaves.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 18, 2009

Chinese 2nd, M-T-K  2nd. Rabbit, Gin, Yellow 5. Believe it or not, today is a good day to take off and rest. Of course, not many people may be able to do that -- or, to the point, many people may have convinced themselves as such -- but, you are actually  always able to do whatever it is you truly wish to do. So, if you want to take the day off, just take the day off. The holidays are crazy enough as it is.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) this year (2009) are: December 20, and next year (2010) are: January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom

In Sanskrit: Bhagavati prajnaparamitahrdaya
In Tibetan: Bcom Idan 'das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'I snying po
In English: The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Bhagavati

Thus have I once heard:

The Blessed One was staying in Rajagrha at Vulture Peak along with a great community of monks and great community of bodhisattvas, and at that time, the Blessed One fully entered the meditative concentration on the varieties of phenomena called the Appearance of the Profound. At that very time as well, holy Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva, the great being, beheld the practice itself of the profound perfection of wisdom, and he even saw the five aggregates as empty of inherent nature. Thereupon, through the Buddha's inspiration, the venerable Sariputra spoke to holy Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and said, "Any noble son who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom should train in what way?"

When this had been said, holy Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva, the great being, spoke to venerable Sariputra and said, "Sariputra, any noble sons or daughters who wish to practice the perfection of wisdom should see this way: they should see insightfully, correctly, and repeatedly that even the five aggregates are empty of inherent nature. Form is empty, emptiness is form, Emptiness is not other than form, form is also not other than emptiness. Likewise, sensation, discrimination, conditioning, and awareness are empty. In this way, Sariputra, all things are emptiness; they are without defining characteristics; they are not born, they do not cease, they are not defiled, they are not undefiled. They have no increase, they have no decrease.

"Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no discrimination, no conditioning, and no awareness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no texture, no phenomenon. There is no eye-element and so on up to no mind-element and also up to no element of mental awareness. There is no ignorance and no elimination of ignorance and so on up to no aging and death and no elimination of aging and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation, or path; there is no wisdom, no attainment, and even no non-attainment.

"Therefore, Sariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no obtainments, they abide relying on the perfection of wisdom. Having no defilements in their minds, they have no fear, and passing completely beyond error, they reach nirvana. Likewise, all the Buddhas abiding in the three times clearly and completely awaken to unexcelled, authentic, and complete awakening in dependence upon the perfection of wisdom.

"Therefore, one should know that the mantra of the perfection of wisdom - the mantra of great knowledge, the precious mantra, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, the mantra that quells all suffering - is true because it is not deceptive. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed:

tadyatha - gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

Sariputra, a bodhisattva, a great being, should train in the profound perfection of wisdom in that way."

Thereupon, the Blessed One arose for that meditative concentration, and he commended holy Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva, the great being. "Excellent!" he said. "Excellent! Excellent! Noble child, it is just so. Noble child, it is just so. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom in the manner that you have revealed - the Tathagatas rejoice!" This is what the Blessed One said.

Thereupon, the venerable Sariputra, the holy Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and that entire assembly along with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, all rejoiced and highly praised what the Blessed One had said.

Told You So

Several years ago, I owned what is sometimes euphemistically referred to as a "high technology" firm. We engaged in research related to network security, data clouds, data oceans, data mining, prediction algorithms, making supercomputers out of lashed up pc's (Beowulf), and fun things like that.

Well, somebody had to go out and get the prayer flag money, and getting paid to study interdependence seemed like a natural fit.

Our most interesting project had to do with light to matter communications and networking. We were examining a concept we called the "temperature of knowledge," turning color into a data storage device. I wrote up a few research papers on the subject, and spent many hours playing with data over lasers, until one fine day, some people who shall here go nameless walked into my office with an offer I couldn't refuse.

Those of you who are observant will notice the

Cabletron in the upper right hand corner of

the right rack: Grrrrr! Can you "Spel" interrogation?

After that, it was a fun time. I got to spend all day,  every single day, with my youngest daughter for the first three years of her life, and then I got to go be infamous.

Anyway -- please try to imagine how I felt when I saw this item today:

"Lene Hau has already shaken scientists' beliefs about the nature of things... in 1998, Hau, for the first time in history, slowed light to 38 miles an hour, about the speed of rush-hour traffic... Two years later, she brought light to a complete halt in a cloud of ultracold atoms... In the experiment, a light pulse was slowed to bicycle speed by beaming it into a cold cloud of atoms. The light made a "fingerprint" of itself in the atoms before the experimenters turned it off. Then Hau and her assistants guided that fingerprint into a second clump of cold atoms. And get this - the clumps were not touching and no light passed between them. "The two atom clouds were separated and had never seen each other before," Hau notes. They were eight-thousandths of an inch apart, a relatively huge distance on the scale of atoms. The experimenters then nudged the second cloud of atoms with a laser beam, and the atomic imprint was revived as a light pulse. The revived light had all the characteristics present when it entered the first cloud of atomic matter, the same shape and wavelength. The restored light exited the cloud slowly then quickly sped up to its normal 186,000 miles a second...She is coolly confident that light-to-matter communication networks, codes, clocks, and guidance systems can be made part of daily life. If you doubt her, remember she is the person who stopped light, converted it to matter, carried it around, and transformed it back to light."

So it seems they were able to prove our theory, about three years down the road, and here some fifteen years down the road they are finally getting around to understanding light-to-matter networks. They also did some things at Stanford that we would have liked, using nine lasers to create matter -- such as it was.

Never heard of this Lene Hau until today -- she was after my time. But, I sure do like her work.

Remember that scene in Star Wars, where somebody plays chess with holograms? It is like that, but on a much grander scale. Color, although finite, can be made close to infinite, and the means for "calling" color, while finite, is still very, very large as well. Each element of color can hold an element of information. These iconic color/information elements can then be projected and selected. Because of the nature of color, they can also be organized in various ways.

The eye is an ocean.

The kicker was always the issue of signal acquisition, i.e. slowing things down long enough to handle them. We knew it was theoretically possible, but the physics hadn't caught up with us yet. I mean to say, if you read Time, Space, and Knowledge, there is no longer any "impossible," but just try to tell that to scientists. Anyway, looks like this Dr. Hau has brought the physics up (or down) to speed. In 2001, they gave her one of those MacArther "genius" grants.

I celebrate this.

Daily Tibetan Astrology: December 17, 2009

Chinese 1st of the 11th (doubled), M-T-K  1st of the 11th month. Tiger, Kham, Green 4. Today is a doubled day in Chinese practice, and the 1st of the 11th lunar month in Tibetan practice. You can take it as you find it, but I would put up prayer flags today if at all possible. Of interest, this is also a good day to replenish one's stocks of incense for the year to come. Lunar New Year isn't all that far off, you know? Anyway, the nagas are well rested after their long sleep last month. I don't know about you, but when I wake up after sleeping for thirty days, I am always a little hungry. The  best days for naga offerings this month are today (Yay!), the 9th lunar and the 21st lunar. You can also do something on the 7th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 29th, and 30th, but it isn't quite so optimal. The days to avoid at all costs are the 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 19th, and 28th. The offerings you make this month are an important preliminary to the offerings of next month, so try to be observant. The 11th month is extremely important to Bhutan, so there will be a host of occasions all month long. This month's lunar 10th  of course celebrates when Guru Rinpoche in the form of Guru Dorje Drollo manifested at Paro Taktsang. We also have a partial lunar eclipse this month (New Year's Eve), the anniversary of Kyabje Dudjom RInpoche on January 3rd, and a annular solar eclipse on January 15th, among other events. As previously reported, Ngapa Gu Dzom is on the lunar 6th, and Zangpo Chu Dzom on the lunar 7th. The solstice falls on lunar 5th. Christmas is lunar 9th, so when everybody else is doing that, you can be feeding the nagas. Don't hold back, because you know how they get if all they see is socks and underwear.

Published every day at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2009, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here. The Ox Year baden senpo (bad days to raise prayer flags) this year (2009) are: December 20, and next year (2010) are: January 1, 12, 16, 28; February 8. Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Daily Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2009. All rights reserved.