So, today the program is about Red Tara – The Empowerment of Red Tara. And we believe that Red Tara is very popular. A lot of people practice Tara. So, I think, it is familiar to you. But, Tara means someone who can save people from different dangers, from different fears. That is the meaning of the name of Tara.
I already said something I want to say before Moon-lam. And I will say a few things, the same thing I already said three days ago.
First of all, our monastery, the monks, nuns, workers, everyone are happy for you to be here. I personally very much appreciate everyone’s efforts, time, energy, and the most important part is your motivation, your kindness.
So when you visualize yourself, you totally become Varjayogini. You don’t need to think the second of me is here, on top of that Varjayogini, seating on top of me or something like that. It’s not a good way of thinking. It’s also called attachment, grasping. It’s wrong view. Therefore, we need to think: “I am, I am the Deity, I am the Varjakilaya.” When you are visualizing, you should think that way and believe that way. Then slowly, slowly, you eventually will become a Buddha. But [if] you always think: “I. me. I am ordinary person. I am Vietnamese. I am American”, you’ll never become a Buddha.” There’s no American Buddha, sure? (laughing). No Buddha is a citizen of Vietnam. No?
So, today the program is about Red Tara – The Empowerment of Red Tara. And we believe that Red Tara is very popular. A lot of people practice Tara. So, I think, it is familiar to you. But, Tara means someone who can save people from different dangers, from different fears. That is the meaning of the name of Tara.
I know many of Vietnamese Buddhists, they are very faithful, very religious people. They have a lot of faith, devotion to Buddha, Dharma and Tibetan Buddhism. That means there is very good karmic connection between us, and between you and Dharma. I have been to Vietnam four times and I have seen many many people with a lot of faith, have seen many beautiful places and it’s very nice to see that again. But it’s more wishful to see people with kind heart, faithful people, and honest people again. Being with people who try hard for improving oneself, for being better Dharma practitioners is always very wishful and there is more wish to see that.
First of all, I’d like to thank the pagoda, all masters here, monks and nuns here, to receive me, and to let me talk about Dharma in this pagoda. It is interesting to hear that this place is the first place [in Vietnam] that Buddhism arrived. So, this is especially interesting for me this time to talk about Dharma [here].
Buddhism teaches us very clearly the difference between wisdom and ignorance, the difference between Dharma and non-Dharma, samsara and nirvana, good motivation and bad motivation.
I often mentioned the qualities of the student. They’re not many. Of course, there can be many but there are some very important or three principal qualities for students to be good students.
The idea to practice Guru Yoga is to receive the blessing from Guru, which means one becomes inseparable from Guru. One doesn’t have to have too many thoughts but only faith, only mindfulness, only visualization of Guru. That’s the result of the practice Guru Yoga. And the high masters like Milarepa really achieved that kind of result and reached that kind of level. In his mind, there’s no physical, regular guru separated from him, therefore he was able to receive all the blessings, all the power from Guru.
There are many teachings. There’re many texts but sometimes it’s too much. May be they’re too complicated to bring together, because some individuals do not have that kind of mental faculty. So that with the kindness of the higher beings, the masters bring all the necessary teachings instructions together to make very simple practice for the people who are not very intelligent, not very diligent, not very serious, so this becomes very important teachings or practices.
