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5:55 am PST, Feb 26, Dee Hillier, United Kingdom
OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM. Like most mantras, it is in Sanskrit, the ancient sacred language of India. The mantra of Padmasambhava is the mantra of all the buddhas, masters, and realized beings, and so uniquely powerful for peace, for healing, for transformation and for protection in this violent, chaotic age Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme Hum, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. "There is not a single aspect of the eighty-four thousand sections of the Buddha's teachings which is not contained in Avalokiteshvara's six syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum", and as such the qualities of the "mani" are praised again and again in the Sutras and Tantras.... Whether happy or sad, if we take the "mani" as our refuge, Chenrezig will never forsake us, spontaneous devotion will arise in our minds and the Great Vehicle will effortlessly be realized." Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche -- Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones All of the Dharma is based on Buddha's discovery that suffering is unnecessary: Like a disease, once we really face the fact that suffering exists, we can look more deeply and discover it's cause; and when we discover that the cause is dependent on certain conditions, we can explore the possibility of removing those conditions. Buddha taught many very different methods for removing the cause of suffering, methods appropriate for the very different types and conditions and aptitudes of suffering beings. For those who had the capacity to understand it, he taught the most powerful method of all, a method based on the practice of compassion. It is known as the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, because practicing it benefits all beings, without partiality. It is likened to a vast boat that carries all the beings in the universe across the sea of suffering. "Buddha of great compassion, hold me fast in your compassion. From time without beginning, beings have wandered in samsara, Undergoing unendurable suffering. They have no other protector than you. Please bless them that they may achieve the omniscient state of buddhahood. With the power of evil karma gathered from beginningless time, Sentient beings, through the force of anger, are born as hell beings and experience the suffering of heat and cold. May they all be born in your presence, perfect deity." The Buddha told Manjushri, "Passing from here to the east, beyond Buddhalands numerous as the sand grains in ten Ganges Rivers, is a world called 'Pure Vaidurya.' The Buddha there is named Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata; One Worthy of Offerings; Of Proper and Equal Enlightenment; Perfect in Clarity and Practice; Well Gone One; One Who Understands the World; Unsurpassed Lord; Taming and Regulating Hero; Teacher of Gods and People; Buddha; Bhagavan. Manjushri, when that Buddha, World Honored One, Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata, was practicing the Bodhisattva way, he made twelve great vows that enable all living beings to obtain what they seek. "The sixth great vow: 'I vow that in the future when I attain Bodhi, to cause sentient beings whose bodies are inferior and whose faculties are imperfect, who are ugly, dull, blind, deaf, dumb, mute, paralyzed, crippled, hunchbacked, leprous, insane, or have various other kinds of sicknesses and sufferings, to become upright and intelligent upon hearing my name. May they all possess perfect faculties and be free of sickness and suffering.' "The seventh great vow: 'I vow that in the future when I attain Bodhi, to cause sentient beings who are oppressed by many illnesses and who are without aid, without a place to turn, without a doctor, without medicine, without relatives, and without a family, who are poverty stricken and filled with suffering to be cured of all the various sicknesses upon having my name pass by their ear, so they are peaceful and happy in body and mind. They will have a family and relatives, also acquire an abundance of property and wealth, even to the point of certifying to unsurpassed Bodhi.' "Moreover, Manjushri, when Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata attained perfect enlightenment, by the power of his past vows he contemplated all the sentient beings who were suffering from the many kinds of diseases, such as emaciation, paralysis, tuberculosis, biliousness, or fevers. Some were afflicted by voodoo or by poisonous spells. Some died naturally when young, while others experienced a violent death. At that time, wishing to put an end to all these various sicknesses and sufferings, and to supply whatever those beings sought after, the World Honored One entered a samadhi called "extinguishing the suffering and distress of all living beings." After he entered this samadhi, a great light came forth from his flesh-cowl. From amid that light this magnificent dharani rang forth: "Namo bhagavate bhaishajya-guru-vaidurya-prabha-rajaya, tathagataya arhate samyak-sambuddhaya tadyatha Om, bhaishajye bhaishajye-bhaishajya-samudgate svaha." "Then, at the end of the mantra that came forth from the light, the earth trembled and emitted great light. All living beings' sicknesses and sufferings were cast off, and they felt peaceful and happy. "Manjushri, if you see a man or a woman who is undergoing sickness or suffering, you should devote your efforts to purifying them. Bathe them frequently, and rinse their mouths. Recite this mantra over food, medicine, or pure water that is free of insects. Recite it one hundred and eight times and then give the food, drink, medicine or water to the sick person, and tell him to take it. All of their sicknesses and sufferings will disappear. If anyone has a particular wish, he should also concentrate his mind and recite this mantra, then he will have his wish fulfilled. He will enjoy a prolonged lifespan that is free of illness, and at the end of his life, he will be reborn in the Buddha's Pure Land. He will become irreversible, and will even attain Bodhi. Ananda, this is the extremely profound practice of all Buddhas which is difficult to believe and to understand! You should know that your ability to accept this comes from the awesome power of the Tathagata. Ananda! All Sound Hearers, Conditionally Enlightened Ones, and the Bodhisattvas who have not yet ascended to the Grounds are incapable of believing and understanding this Dharma as it really is. Only the Bodhisattvas who are destined in one life (to attain Buddhahood), are capable of understanding. MEDICINE BUDDHA Healer of Outer and Inner Sickness An excerpt from A Short Teaching on the Medicine Buddha by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Medicine Buddha is a fully enlightened being. To understand who he is, what his nature is, what his function is, and so on, we first need to understand what an enlightened being is. Generally, 'being' means any being who experiences feelings – pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Thus we are beings, and animals are beings; but houses and plants are not beings because they do not experience any feelings. There are two types of being: sentient beings and enlightened beings. A sentient being, or living being, is a being whose mind is afflicted by the darkness of ignorance. An enlightened being is a being who is completely free from the darkness of ignorance. Just as sentient beings have many different aspects, so do enlightened beings. Enlightened beings emanate countless different forms for the benefit of living beings. Sometimes they appear as Deities, sometimes as humans, sometimes as non-humans. Sometimes they appear as Buddhist Teachers, sometimes non-Buddhist Teachers, sometimes as crazy people or evil people, and sometimes even as inanimate objects. Emanations of enlightened beings pervade the whole world, but because our mind is covered by ignorance we do not recognize them. We cannot say who or what is an emanation of a Buddha. Medicine Buddha is an enlightened being who has unbiased compassion for all living beings. He protects living beings from physical and mental sickness and other dangers and obstacles, and helps them to eradicate the three poisons – attachment, hatred, and ignorance – which are the source of all sickness and danger. He is a Buddha Doctor. At one time Buddha Shakyamuni was staying at a place called Vaishali with thirty-six thousand Bodhisattva disciples. At that time, Manjushri was appearing as a Bodhisattva disciple. Through his compassion, Manjushri realized that in the future the Buddhadharma would degenerate, and the beings of this world would find it very difficult to practise pure Dharma and gain pure realizations. He understood that it would be very difficult for those beings to control their minds, and so they would naturally engage in negative actions such as killing, stealing, and holding wrong views. As a result they would experience horrific illnesses and unbearable mental pain. The world would be full of problems, dangers, and adversity. Finding the thought of all this suffering impossible to bear, Manjushri asked Buddha: In the future when your Dharma and general spiritual practice are in decline, when the human beings in this world are spiritually impoverished, when their attachment, anger, and ignorance are so strong and difficult to control that they experience continual physical suffering, mental pain, fears, and dangers, and especially many incurable diseases, who will release them from this suffering and protect them from danger? Who will help them to overcome the three mental poisons? In response to Bodhisattva Manjushri's question, Buddha expounded the Sutra of Eight Thousand Verses Principally Revealing the Instructions on Medicine Buddha. Many beings heard this teaching. In addition to the thirty-six thousand human Bodhisattva disciples, millions of other Bodhisattva disciples came from many Pure Lands, together with beings from other realms such as nagas and givers-of-harm, or yakshas. To this vast assembly of disciples Buddha explained all about Medicine Buddha - his special qualities, his Pure Land, and how in the future by relying upon this Buddha and just hearing his name, living beings could be cured of heavy mental and physical sickness, especially the sickness of delusions. He also explained how to make a connection with this Buddha, the benefits of relying upon him, and how to practise the Medicine Buddha instructions. While Buddha was giving this teaching, Manjushri realized with his clairvoyance of knowing others' minds that some of the humans and gods in the audience were developing doubts, finding it difficult to believe the Buddha's explanation about the existence of Medicine Buddha. Therefore, again he rose from his seat, respectfully circumambulated Buddha three times, made three prostrations, and then with his left knee on the ground according to tradition, requested Buddha: To remove doubts from the minds of disciples, please show clearly how this Buddha exists, where he exists, and what his good qualities are. Buddha immediately entered into an absorption of concentration, and from his heart emanated light rays inviting the seven Medicine Buddhas to Vaishali so that everyone could see them. Medicine Buddha came with his two main disciples, Radiance of the Sun and Radiance of the Moon, as well as a vast retinue of thousands of other disciples. The other six Medicine Buddhas also came with their retinues. Everyone could see the seven Medicine Buddhas with their retinues directly, and their doubts were immediately dispelled. Buddha introduced each of the Buddhas, saying for example "This Buddha is Medicine Buddha. He comes from the eastern Pure Land called Lapis Jewel Land. This Buddha Land is the nature of wisdom with the aspect of lapis lazuli. The entire ground of that Pure Land is illuminated by this Buddha's light," and so on. Buddha then gave instructions on how to recite the mantra for oneself and for others, for sick and dying people, and so forth, and how to perform many different healing rituals. Everyone rejoiced and developed deep, unchangeable faith. It is said that through hearing these instructions seven million non-human givers of harm gained a direct realization of ultimate truth and promised to help future followers who sincerely relied upon the practice of Medicine Buddha. Twelve chief givers-of-harm who were present later attained enlightenment, and are included within the fifty-one Deities of Medicine Buddha’s mandala. The practice of Medicine Buddha is a very powerful method for healing ourself and others, and for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, and ignorance. If we rely upon Medicine Buddha with pure faith we shall definitely receive the blessings of these attainments.

2:56 am PST, Feb 25, Valeria Bonfiglio, United Kingdom

3:00 pm PST, Feb 24, Loren Krupp, Michigan

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7:16 am PST, Feb 19, Lynna Mustapha, Malaysia
Arya Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, known as Kuan Yin is the bodhisattva who most embodies compassion. The name Avalokitesvara has its root meaning as "he who observes the sounds of the world". The great vow of Avalokitesvara is to listen to the supplications, and cries for help from those in difficulty in the world and to provide them with aid, whatever expedient means are needed to help people most effectively. Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, an emanation of Amida Buddha's compassion, is the "Regarder of the Cries of the World". Sometimes referred to in the West as the Goddess of Mercy. Prayers for help arise from thousands of hearts, and thousands of prayers are answered by her vow of eternal compassion: Beings in Samsara, who sail the ocean of suffering, She will guide and deliver safely to the ultimate shore of enlightenment N?lakantha Dh?ran? (The Blue Necked Dh?ran?) Namo ratna-tray?ya (Adoration of the triple Gem) [edit] I. Initial Salutation Nama ?ry?valokite-?var?ya bodhisattv?ya mah?-sattv?ya mah?-k?runik?ya (Adoration to the noble Lord who looks down, the enlightened sentient being, the great being, the merciful one!) [edit] II. Name of Avalokite?var? Om sarva-bhaya-?odhan?ya tasya namaskrtv? imu ?rya-valokite-?var? tava namo N?lakantha 2 (Om! Having paid adoration to One who dispels all fears, the noble Avalokite?var?, adoration to the blue-necked one!) [edit] III. ?loka enunication of the merit of the hrdaya-dh?ran? Hrdayam vartayisy?mi sarv?rtha-s?dhanam ?ubham 3 ajeyam sarva-bh?t?n?m bhava-m?rga-vi?odhakam 4 (I shall enunciate the heart dharani which ensures all purpose, is pure and invincible for all beings, and which purifies the path of existence.) [edit] IV. Dh?ran? Tadyath?: Om ?lok?dhipati lok?tikr?nta (Like this: Om! Lord of Effulgence, the World-Transcending One. Ehy mah?-bodhisattva sarpa-sarpa smara smara hrdayam (Come, great bodhisattva, descend, descend. Please remember (smara) my heart dharani. Kuru-kuru karma dhuru-dhuru vijayate mah?-vijayate (Do, do the work. Hold fast, hold fast, Victor, the great Victor) Dhara-dhara dh?rin?-r?ja cala-cala mama vimal?-m?rtte (Hold on, hold on, King of the Dharani. Move, move onto my spotless image.) Ehi ehi chinda chinda aras pracali va?a-va?am pran??aya (Come, come, the vow, the vow of the admantine king, destroy, destroy every poison.) Hulu-hulu smara hulu-hulu sara-sara siri-siri suru-suru (Quick-quick, please remember, quick-quick. Descend-descend, descend-descend, descend-descend) Bodhiya-bodhiya bodhaya-bodhaya maitriya N?lakantha [dehi me] darsanam (Being enlightened, being enlightened; enlighten me, enlighten me. Merciful Blue-necked One appear [unto me].) Prahar?yam?n?ya sv?h? siddh?ya sv?h? mah?-siddh?ya sv?h? siddhayog??var?ya sv?h? (To you who sees us, hail! To the Successful one hail! To the Great Successful one hail! To the Successful Lord of the yogis, hail!) N?lakanth?ya sv?h? var?ha-mukh?ya sv?h? narasimha-mukh?ya sv?ha (To the Blue-necked one (N?lakantha) hail! To the Boar-faced One hail! To Man-Lion faced One hail!) Gad?-hast?ya sv?h? cakra-hast?ya sv?h? padma-hast?ya sv?h? (To one who bears the mace (gad?) in his hand, hail! To the holder of discus in his hand, hail! To One who sports a lotus (padma) in his hand, hail!) N?lakantha-p?ndar?ya sv?h? Mah?tali ?ankaraya sv?h? (To Blue-necked One smeared (with holy ashes), hail! To the mighty auspicious one, hail!) [edit] V. Final Salutation Namo ratna-tray?ya Nama ?ry?valokite-?var?ya bodhisattv?ya sv?h? (Adoration to the Triple Gem, adoration to the noble ?valokite?var? (Lord who looks down), the enlightened being, hail!) O? T?re Tutt?re Ture Sv?h? - Tara, whose name means "star" or "she who ferries across," is a Bodhisattva of compassion who manifests in female form. "She Who Saves." In particular she represents compassion in action, since she’s in the process of stepping from her lotus throne in order to help sentient beings. 1. T?re represents salvation from mundane dangers and suffering. Tara is seem as a savioress who can give aid from material threats such as floods, crime, wild animals, and traffic accidents. Tara is therefore said to protect against ordinary worldly dangers. 2. Tutt?re represents deliverance into the spiritual path conceived in terms of individual salvation. In traditional terms, this is the path of the Arhant, which leads to individual liberation from suffering. This is seen in Mahayana Buddhism as a kind of enlightenment in which compassion does not figure strongly. Tara therefore offers individual protection from the spiritual dangers of greed, hatred, and delusion: the three factors that cause us individual suffering. 3. Lastly, ture represents the culmination of the spiritual path in terms of deliverance into the altruistic path of universal salvation – the Bodhisattva path. In the Bodhisattva path we aspire for personal enlightenment, but we also connect compassionately with the sufferings of others, and strive to liberate them at the same time as we seek enlightenment ourselves. Tara therefore delivers us from a narrow conception of the spiritual life. She saves us from the notion that spiritual progress is about narrowly liberating ourselves from our own suffering, and instead leads us to see that true spiritual progress involves having compassion for others. By the time we have been liberated from mundane dangers, liberated from a narrow conception of the spiritual path, and led to a realization of compassion, we have effectively become Tara. In Buddhist practice the “deities” represent our own inner potential. We are all potentially Tara. We can all become Tara. Svaha, according to Monier Monier-William’s Sanskrit Dictionary, means: "Hail!", "Hail to!" or "May a blessing rest on!" We could see this final blessing as symbolizing the recognition that we are, ultimately, Tara. Her mantra can therefore be rendered as something like "OM! Hail to Tara (in her three roles as a savioress)!" Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayuh Punya Jñana Pustim Kuru Svaha Mama means "mine" and indicates that you’d like to possess these qualities of long life, merit, wisdom, happiness, etc. You can of course choose to wish these qualities for someone else — perhaps for a teacher or for a loved one who is ill. Ayuh is long life (as in Ayurvedic medicine). Punya means the merit that comes from living life ethically, and this merit is said to help one to live long and happily. Jnana is wisdom. Punya and Jnana are known as the Two Accumulations. In order to become enlightened we need to accumulate merit (that is, to develop positive qualities through living ethically and meditating) but we also need to develop wisdom through deep reflection. Wisdom cannot arise without a basis of merit, but merit alone is not enough for us to become enlightened, meaning that becoming a nicer person isn’t enough — we have also to look deeply into ourselves and the world around us and to see the impermanent and insubstantial nature of all things. Pushtim means wealth, abundance, or increase.

6:30 am PST, Feb 18, Donna Vandunk, New York
Any jobs will do, but these will help in the big picture

1:25 pm PST, Feb 17, Don Chuman, Arizona
Yes, I agree that anything that will improve jobs, and etc. DO IT.....

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I think California is doing many things right for the environment...but there is always room for improvement.

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