GIVING LIFE OR LIFE RELEASE

SogJin is a Tibetan word for the practice of Giving Life.Sog- means life and Jin- means to give.
In Tibet it is a traditional practice amongst Buddhists to liberate animals that are destined for slaughter or are in imminent danger. This practice is very precious because every single being no matter how small, values their life more than anything else. Even a worm wishes only to live and not to die. By saving beings one directly benefits them by giving them what is most precious, life. Those that save beings also receive immeasurable benefits by creating the Karma to enjoy a longer life and to be free of illness.
Liberating animals is a common and vital practice for those who are sick or have heavy obstacles to their life. Venerable Ashak Rinpoche has many positive things to say about the benefits of animal liberation. Rinpoche says: “For the person who liberates animals, or whoever wants to dedicate the merit to those with life obstacles, this practice helps them to obtain long life. Even if you don't expect it, the karma will cause you to have a long life".

All are welcome to participate in this meritorious activity:

DATE : 27th Feb, 2010
VENUE: TMN DESA SPORTS GROUND
TIME : 7.30AM

A breakfast dana will be offfered to Venerable and Ani after the life release.

Sadhu!

Note: Another related article please visit: http://thanhsiang.org/tww/?q=node/4535
and http://thanhsiang.org/tww/?q=node/4570

ONE STEP ONE BOW FOR Peace 平安

Venerable explaining to the devotees how to maximise our cultivation before the start of one-step-one-bow practice.

Tranference of Merits after the practice.

Sadhu!

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Posted February 16th, 2010 by tankongsing http://thanhsiang.org/tww/?q=node/4535
Peace 平安
How to have peace? Firstly, your mind must maintain peaceful, undisturbed, this is to achieve peace. In your existence, cultivation, if you can achieve body, speech and mind in harmony, not affected by external scenarios, you are on the path to peace.
Tulku Ashak Rinpoche will lead all participants, on February 20th, (Sat) 2010, at 7.00 a.m. in Taman Desa Sports ground one step one bow ceremony. This cultivation, to maintain purity of body, speech and mind. To achieve stillness in bodily movement, Rinpoche will teach participants, through long years of cultivation of meditation how to put to practice, to attain peacefulness not only in Buddha dharma but also in worldly dharma in daily existence, this is the path to peace.
The walk and bow, to have a peaceful mind, it is to observe bodily movement, breathing, to be able to totally relax body and mind, to be completely undisturbed, in purity. This is to achieve peace, a dharma, everyone can attain.
Peace, you have to depend on yourself, even though the dharma master, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can bestow blessings, yourself reliability is very important. If you have intense greed, hatred and delusion, the thoughts must be erased. The thought of picking anger, fight, the mind is not at peace, even though you have blessings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they are but delusions.
Participants are welcome to raise this with Rinpoche, he is to help you resolve your problems, to bestow blessings towards peace for you, family and nation.
平安
如何能够平安?首先是心要定才能够得到平安。在生活修成上能达到三业清净就是走上平安之道。
卓古阿萨任波切在二月二十日早上七时在郊外岭运动场带领大众一步一拜行此修行法，动中之净，三业清净，行此佛法也是平安之法，任波切是一位高修行法证上大众所求的平安的世间法。
行拜之中，想安自己的心，要体验动作，呼吸，放松身心，得到安静，就会身心平安，也是动中之静，这每个人随时都可以有的方法。
平安要靠自己，在道场里无论是请法师，佛，菩萨为我们祝福，这心理虽然有用可是最可靠的还是要自己内心做起，除了希望别人祝福，我们也要祝福自己，当我们贪镇痴很强的时候，告诉自己不要有此念，如果对人生气吵架心就不安，虽然在佛菩萨前祝福，自己的幸福是颠倒的。
参加一步一拜者如有怀疑任波切会为你解答，行此为你家庭国家祝福平安之道。

Visiting Qinghai, China in September, 2010

2/6/2010: We have decided to visit Qinghai on 19th August, 2010 to participate the 10,800 lights of Wisdom Puja which falls on the full moon day of 24th August, 2010. Kindly proceed to Offering of 10,800 Lights of Wisdom for more information. Sadhu!
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In view of the completion of the Meditation Centre by September, 2010, we plan to visit the site and at the same time to pay homage to other places under the care of Venerable Ashak Rinpoche. One of our main visits is to pay homage to Venerable Ashak's Uncle who is a prominent Yogi Master and who is practicing seclusion in the cave with some of his disciples for the rest of their lives.









Venerable Ashak's Uncle and his disciple. Venerable Ashak inspecting a site for a small Kuti next to his Uncle's Cave. Below is the main road leading to the Monastries. Pictures of the Nuns, Little Monks and Pujas.

Our itinerary to Qinghai is as follows: Day1: Stay a night in Xining Day2: Sightseeing in Xining Day3: Take a bus to Yushu Day4: Visit Holy Hot Spring to cleanse body Day5: Open Ceremony and Blessing for the Meditation Centre Day6: Visit Ven Ashak's Uncle Cave and Offer Dana Day7: Visit Venerable Ashak's monastry, Offering Dana and Requisites to Monks and Nuns Day8: Visit surrounding monastries, offering Dana and other requisites to the Sangha members Day9: Visit Monastic School and offer Dana Day10: Back to Xining Day11: Optional to extend Note: All are welcome to join us in this trip.

These were the very last words the Buddha spoke: "Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation."
With these words in mind, we hope to make it to Qinghai, China without any obstacles and hindrances.
Sadhu!

IMAGE SET UP AT ALTAR AND MEDITATION WITH HOLY OBJECT IN MIND

For a new practitioner, it is very helpful for you to have a special room or space in your home that is reserved for the meditation practice. This is your “Gompa” or “meditation place”. The main items in your “Gompa” are an altar, your meditation seat, and perhaps, a text table. The altar is where you place the holy object, image and text which inspire you to practise. It should be in a clean and respectful place with the object placed higher than the level of your head as you sit facing it. When setting up the altar, make sure it is clean. Offerings should be made daily.

THE OBJECTS AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT
A proper Buddha altar symbolizes the enlightened body, speech and mind, traditionally represented by displaying a statue or photo of Buddha Shakyamuni, or Guru Rinpoche, a scripture and a stupa. At the very least, the altar should have an image of Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder and source of the teachings of our time.
In the placing of images, it is important that Shakyamuni Buddha should be the central figure. Other images should be placed from the uppermost of your altar in this order: root lamas, Yidams (highest Yoga tantra deities, performance tantra deities, the action tantra deities) dakinis and finally protector deities.
The scripture representing the speech of the Buddha does not always need to be in Tibetan or Sanskrit. It can be a dharma text in any language. The Dharma book or text is to be placed on the altar.
The mind of the Buddha is traditionally represented by a stupa of enlightenment. The stupa should be placed to the right of the Buddha image. The scripture should be placed highest on the altar and thus, in the order of the text, the Buddha image and the stupa as you face the altar.
The objects on the altar also represent the Three Jewels of Refuge. If there is only a statue of the Buddha, think that it represents all three jewels. If there are also a scripture and a stupa, think that the stupa represents the Buddha, the scripture represents the Dhamma, and the image of the Buddha represents the Sangha.
It is important to keep in mind that the object on the altar serves as a means of directing one’s mind to the Buddha’s enlightened qualities, which one aspires to emulate for others’ benefit.

Sarwamangalam. TashiDelek. Dedication from TulkuAshakThutob Rinpoche jigmedorje

Note: Maha Sadhu to Sis Loke Bee Leng for your kind contribution to edit on the above article. As every effort to edit the spelling to ensure that the content of the text is not altered, should there be any mistakes on our part, your forgiveness is highly appreciated. Sadhu!

RESPECTING THE BUDDHA IMAGE

Namo Buddha Ya Namo Dharma Ya Namo Sangha ya*
Generally The Buddha taught us many different ways of accumulating wholesome deeds.
The first limb is of paying homage, it is mainly to show respect and there are three kinds, for instance physically, verbally and mentally. That is to antidote the pride and defilements of ignorance.
When one pays homage with ones body, that is to show respect physically by touching the five points of the body on the ground, when one pays homage through ones speech, than one offers prayers and quality to the Buddha and when one pays homage from the mind or heart, that means you try to raise strong faith and devotion.
So generally when you make full prostration, first you have a full consecration image of the Buddha, it is important that person when doing prostration should visualize that its being done in the present of following an enlightened one himself and with this in mind, one therefore makes offering of body devotion as well as making a vast forms of offering as if one is right in front of the Buddha in person. So for instance, when one goes on a philgrimage to pay homage to the holy site, it is important that one projects the Buddha's image. One sees image of the Buddha or as a symbol of body that is the image of the Buddha. Symbol of Buddha speech, that is scriptured Symbol of his enlightenment, which is STUPA. Saying them as really quality of the Buddha to observing the three holy qualities of body, speech and mind, than one makes offering such as paying homage and it is said that if one performs with strong faith and devotion, it is a very effective way to accumulate a vast amount of merits.

The practice of seven limbs prayers in daily life
Firstly, to pay homage to Buddha at least three times thru prostration by body speech and mind. Second to make your offerings of the best quality with pure mind of motivation.
Third is to confess of any unwholesome actions or negative deeds and to purify the bad karma in front of Buddha image. To make a promise that the unwholesome actions or mistakes not to be made again. Fourtly, rejoicing the wholesome deeds by oneself and others, we are able to get the same result of merits.
Fifth, to request to Buddha to turn the wheel of dharma again and not to pass into Nirvana and to continue to stay or to remain with us. Sixth, praise to Guru Buddha for supplication prayers for long life and blessing to us. Seventh, to dedicate merits to all mother sentient beings for our own enlightenment as soon as possible.

*This article is written personally by Venerable Ashak Rinpoche. Only the spelling and some of the words has been edited to maintain the meaning of its content. Should there be anything that has been left out in the article, your forgiveness is greatly appreciated. Sadhu!