Dec. 5th Zoom Webinar: ID: 935 8961 2000 and use 108108 (Go to Zoom.com and please enter your email if requested).

Hello everyone,

I want to express my thanks to all the DKC sangha, Mexico sangha, Guatemala, Brazil, Vietnamese sangha in the US and in Vietnam, and those of you in other places who have joined together for accumulating all the mantras for more than one year.  Also, during this challenging time, people have b een very patient and devoted to the practice.  It is very remarkable.  I feel that all of you are really living in the Bodhisattva way.  I am very happy to be a part of that.  We did many prayers dedicated for others.  The accumulation of these mantras are very important to others, as well as to other teachers and to me.  I am still praying for all of you everyday in the morning and evening when I can.  I have come to the realization of having a great appreciation for all of you; those who I talk to, those who are working with me and those of you who we have had a meal together or teaching and practice together and even those of you that we have not yet met. When you look directly from your heart, you see a very different perspective of us than in everyday life.  Thus, I thank you for your kind support to flourish the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha teachings.  Instead of giving teachings this last year, I dedicated my time to practice with many mantras dedicated for all sentient beings because of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni’s very important teachings -- The Four Noble Truths.  First Buddha talked about the truth of suffering. People may be thinking The Four Noble Truths are just the teachings. Yes, it is the teaching, but it is also the foundation for all our Dharma practices.  We should be practicing the Four Noble Truths every day.  It is said that “the truth of suffering must come to recognize and understand the sufferings of sentient beings”. It is very profound because if you don’t understand the sufferings, then there is no way to generate love and compassion to benefit sentient beings.  We want to have a good life and be free from suffering and so do others as well. When you understand not only the sufferings of human beings, but also many other species who have life on this earth facing challenges. Such as those in the forests, oceans and so on, they may look very different from us; some have horns, some have wings but no matter what, we all have a common goal to be free from sufferings and to live as long as we can. Therefore, recognizing the sufferings of all sentient beings are the foundation to change our life.  Especially during this difficult and challenging year.  We used to hold hands and hug each other and care for each other together.  However, this illness that is going around the world has kept us distant, with covered mouths in a different state of samsara.  Many people feel alone and are suffering in different ways.  No matter if you are rich or poor or intelligent and so on, we all become the victim of samsara.  Therefore, realizing this, in your heart, feels very different and from there, you are able to generate compassion for others and yourself.  When that happens, your heart of Bodhicitta is manifesting.  If you don’t understand suffering, it can look like we have two personalities.  One personality that comes out as bodhicitta where we feel love and compassion and caring for others. Sometimes we may shed a tear for others.  Then the other personality of ignorance, which is aggressive and self-grasping, and attached to reality and grasping to oneself.  It can be angry and emotional at times.  Even though we do not want this personality, sometimes it comes out, out of our control.  Therefore, Buddha taught the truth of suffering.  When someone is going through suffering it is true. When someone can do something to free from suffering, it is also true.

In the 2nd Noble Truth of the origin of sufferings, it says “the cause of sufferings must be abandoned”. Thus Buddha taught about the origin of suffering; where does it come from ?   If you do not recognize the suffering, then you will not be good at recognizing the origination of the suffering.  Suffering comes from negative karma that we generated through the body speech and mind.  Therefore Buddha taught clearly teachings about cause and effect.  Buddha talked about what causes bring happiness and what causes brings negative.  Buddha talked about the mind training discipline of the vows; what to do and what not to do if we want to be free from suffering.  Whether you are a Buddhist or not a Buddhist, karma is universal. Buddha gave these teaching so that we can have a better life, with harmony and we can serve each other.  These teachings also make our lives meaningful and enable us to bring positive effects in the world.  Following the teachings will allow you to leave something good behind. For example, we talk about karma.  Someone robes a bank.  They will be happy for a short time, but eventually their karma will catch up and they will end up behind bars.  That is one example of karma.  Whereas, someone is going out of their way to help others, selflessly, they will be rewarded and praised by many, and others will be inspired to follow their example.  This is how we can see the difference between negative and positive actions.  Buddha said these are the truths of the cause.  Negative can not ripen in positive and positive cannot ripen in negative. 

In the 3rd Noble Truth, the Buddha talked about the truth of the path. It says that “the truth of the path must be meditated upon”. Thus, accumulate good deeds through the body, speech and mind.  Buddha gave the teachings to all of us how to be a good person and how to bring our “best to it” through practicing the teachings of the Buddha Dharma and Sangha.  This includes studying, complementing and meditation to come to the realization of that.  The path is divided into accumulation of merit and accumulation of wisdom.  By the accumulation of merit, as much as possible, we accumulate virtuous deeds through our body, speech and mind.  Through accumulation of wisdom, we generate compassion, love and the altruistic mind of bodhicitta.  It is said “the truth of the path” because it is true.  If you practice meditation, you will purify karma and transform negatives and experience positives, through the body, speech and mind.  In the truth of the path, you are training you body, speech and mind to be a bodhisattva.  In this way, we take many vows (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana vows).  All these vows have to do with transforming and transcending our body, speech and mind into the state of Enlightened Mind.  Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, are like three brothers. They are dedicated to work together and make a difference in others’ lives and bring long life, good fortune, and prosperity to all.  We should rejoice that we have such a precious human life with three Yanas’ teachers and teachings accessible for all of us.  Thus we are very fortunate beings to have the precious human life. From time to time, put your hand on your heart and pause for a moment for yourself and reflect that I am very fortunate, and I am going to generate positive deeds and not engage in negative deeds.  When the world is going through difficulties, I will be part of the solution to help and improve the lives of others.

In the Fourth Noble Truth, Buddha taught about the truth of cessation.  This means that you must achieve liberation. Through the truth of cessation, you see clearly that liberation is possible.  Thus you engage in meditation day and night to clear the obscurations. To clear all the physical and mental accumulations from many lifetimes to be purified through intense meditation practice.  Your body, speech and mind are transcended and transformed into the All Knowing State of the wisdom of the body, speech and mind of the deities.  Thereby you receive the Dharmakaya to achieve liberation for yourself.  And now you will be able to benefit sentient beings through the Nirmanakaya and Sambhogakaya.  You are able to emanate yourself through these three kaya bodies to benefit many sentient beings just like Avalokiteshvara or teacher Buddha Shakyamuni himself or great masters such as Milarepa and other great Bodhisattvas. 

This is a very short explanation of the Four Noble Truths.  Some time I would like to give more detailed teachings on the Four Noble Truths and then you can better understand how important this teaching is. This teaching is not different from the Four Foundations (Precious Human Life, Impermanence, Karma-Cause-and-Effect, Suffering of Samsara).  I really want you to meditate from your heart because I want to see a difference in your life; to see a change that is good for all.  It is true and it is possible through the practice of meditation. No matter which region you belong to or language you speak, it depends on each individual’s enthusiastic perseverance in meditation to realize the teachings of the Buddha and other great masters from the three Yanas. 

I am very happy to announce that His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang is going to dedicate and seal our accumulations of merit of all the mantra accumulations.  The Dedication prayers will be held on December 5th 9am -11am California time along with teachings and practice of Chenrezig. (Online meeting details will be available soon). It is very auspicious that this is happening.  I did not expect it, but spontaneously it is happening. It is said, “Drikungpa is the omniscient master of Interdependent auspiciousness”, which means, out of our meditation practice for all these many months and His Holiness coming together with us is very rare and auspicious.  So therefore, I ask you to please join me along with His Holiness for the auspicious dedication prayer if you can.  Dedicating together is very powerful. It is said, “The truth of the Buddha, truth of the Dharma and truth of the Sangha is very powerful”.  Which means all of us together with the high teacher dedicating the prayers will be accomplished.  Also this vast dedication includes your individual wishes and dedications.

I appreciate for your Dharma practice.  I pray that you will always improve everyday and every month in your meditation and that you will soon become a great practitioner that you can help others.  This is my hope.  Dharma teachings depend not on just one teacher, but it depends on our sangha community as well. That is why practice becomes so important to flourish the important message of the precious Buddha’s teachings.  I hope you will be one of these practitioners.

I prayer for your long life and that your aspirations and activities will be successful. May the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha blessings permeate in your mind. 

Your Drupon Samten