 Dearest Friends @ CAS,
So much, so much is rolling behind the scenes as precious Loseling Khen Rinpoche prepares for His third visit to Singapore ...... please dedicate and pray for the highest possible good to come of this and all Dharma programme !!
At 75 years, Khen Rinpoche displays amazing rigour and success in His activities of re-invigorating the great monastic colleges, dharma propagation around the world in addition to his strigent daily practice-commitment
We are dedicating this week's CASonline to holy Mother Tara, the feminine aspect of the Lord Chenrezig: Embodiment of Compassion of all the Buddhas.
All the friends in our society have always enjoyed the divine blessings, guidance and protection of Holy Tara and everyone of us has had more than one "personal encounter" with powerful Tara !!
To share with you, one of divine Tara's playful miracles:
( From "Sheja" - the Tibetan news magazine )
An English national had paid 400,000 Nepalese rupees ( about US$4,000 ) for a magnificent image of the holy Tara, measuring slightly more than a foot in size. He attempted to take the image [ illegally ] out of the country, placing it inside the handbag he carried which was not opened for inspection, so that he was able to proceed to the Nepal airfield. But while he was entering the airplane, the image began to grow heavier and heavier, until he was completely unable to lift the handbag. This alerted the Nepalese customs officials, who opened and inspected the handbag, found the image, and confiscated it.
Then, we are exhorted to share with all, a moving composition by one of Tibet's great Tara adepts. Who can fail to feel the master's heart-felt supplications ??!!
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Programme Details
With regard to Khen Rinpoche's programme, the poster and details can be found in www.casotac.
There are no pre-requisites to the initiations as Khen Rinpoche has compassionately given His special consent although traditionally, the Highest Yoga Tantra initiation of Cittamani Tara can only be received by students who have received full and complete initiation/s of Guhyasamaja, Kalachakra, Hevajra, Heruka and / or the like major tantric cycles.
Subsequent to the Cittamani Tara, students will need to keep the 5 Precepts of a lay Buddhist, the Bodhisattva and Tantric Vows and to recite daily one A4-size page Guru Yoga of Cittamani Tara.
There are no specific commitments to keep after the initiations of Kshitigarbha or Buddha Shakyamuni with the 16 Arahants but as always, do ( at least try to !! ) think that you are receiving them so that you can attain Buddhahood fastest for the liberation of all mother sentient beings ( !! )
For additional write-up on Cittamani Tara in CASonline Archive:
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Texts
Sadhanas or practice texts of all the 3 initiations will be made available to students who pre-order them via CASonline. Pre-orders must come in before 9 May 2008, 12 midnight ( !! ). Unfortunately, we only have English texts to date. If you have any of the texts in Chinese, please share with all the students. Tell us the number of texts requested as well as your name/s and contact/s.
One reminder for students who have ordered "Buddhahood without Meditation" ( The Nang-Jang ), from the Oral Transmission by the Kathok Getse Maha Pandita, your texts have arrived and have been paid for with CAS's life-saving Dharma Propagation Fund.
The fund has just dispensed more than S$500 for medical treatment for the main attendant of HE Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, offered more than S$1,000 for offering of life-saving winter clothings for inaccessible monasteries in addition to so many, many, many, many more we just couldn't keep up !!
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Money
For the creation of great merit, not forgetting that the gift of Dharma reaps the highest merit and good, we hope to appeal for sponsorship of Khen Rinpoche's, 3 other Geshes' and one professional translator's tickets. Each ticket costs around S$500/- for a two-way trip.
The translation costs is estimated at about S$800.
As we are not "re-couping" the costs with any course fees this time, your offering will be the only source to off-set the programme's costs !!
The usual avenues are open for your much-needed offering:
A) Cash - Camden Education Center ( call 64686835 before coming !! )
Camden Education Center's address is available at www.camden.edu.
B) Crossed Check to "Charitable Assistance Society"
[ Posted to 170 Upper Bt Timah Road, Bt Timah Shopping Centre, #B1-27, S(588179) ]
C) Funds Transfer: DBS Current Account - 022-900386-5 ( Email to alert upon transfer )
Otherwise, look out for the box marked "Dharma Propagation Fund" during the programme and dump your blessings and merit-creating money into it !!
So much for the ( very ) long message,
bb & all Tara devotees @ CAS belonging to the holy, divine Mother ____________
 The holy, divine Tara
"I, O Lord, shall lead [beings] across the great flood of their diverse fears;
Therefore the eminent seers sing of me in the world by the name of Tara."
The Hundred and Eight Names of the Venerable Tara spoken by the illustrious Lord Avalokita
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"Cry of Suffering to Tara"
From my heart I bow to the Holy Lady, essence of compassion,
the Three Unerring and Precious Places of Refuge gathered into one:
until i gain the terrace of Enlightenment
I pray you grasp me with the iron hook of your compassion.
From the depth of my inmost heart and bones I pray to you
( the Three Jewels bear witness this is not just from my mouth ):
think of me a little, show me your smiling face,
Loving One !! Grant me the nectar of your voice.
Great lamas and little lamas fool us with their made-up teachings
or preach for money the Law that all things are impermanent,
knowing nothing that they claim to know,
haughty in their concern for the eight wordly things.
But since I do not turn my mind to things of this shabby age
you are the Chief of my Lamas:
empower me, Essence of Love !!
Show the strength of your compassion, and think of me.
IfIi go for refuge, no Buddha would fool me,
yet seeing the evil practices of this shabby age,
most Buddhas have passed away into peaceful repose:
some may have compassion, but what can they do ??
But since I have no other meditational-
you are the Chief of my Yidams:
grant me the magical attainments, Essence of Love !!
Show the strength of your compassion, and think of me.
The protectors of the Law do not show their power,
despise those who evoke them, do not perform their function:
true, some worldly spirits, in pride at their ferocity,
will suffice for a while, but desert you in the end.
But since I do not turn my mind to other protectors,
you are the Chief of my Protectors:
fulfill your function, Essence of Love !!
Show the strength of your compassion, and think of me !!
The name of wealth ( "nor" ) is the same as its meaning ( "nor" - error ):
it produces affliction and binds to the world:
when it is time to die, unless you have True Welath,
can a wishing gem let you carry even a sesame seed ??
But since I do not turn my mind to illusory wealth,
you are the Chief of my Wealth:
grant me my desires, Essence of Love !!
Show the strength of your compassion, and think of me.
You can't trust unvirtuous friends for even a day:
they pretend they are close to you
and all the while bear in mind the opposite:
they are friends when they wish and enemies when they don't.
But since I do not turn my mind to shabby friends,
you are the Chief of my Friends:
be close to me, Essence of Love !!
Show the strength of your compassion, and think of me.
You are my Lama, my Yidam, my Protector,
my Refuge, my Dwelling, my Wealth, my Friend, my Retinue;
since you are all things to me,
let me achieve easily all that i wish.
Empower me to stop this wilful mind of mine
and to awaken that compassion that does not weary
though I spend millions of lives
for the sake of each and every living being.
Empower me to root out the clinging that casts me into the world
and to understand the pure doctrine:
the deep difficult Middle Way,
casting aside the errors of extremes.
Empower me to practise as a Bodhisattva, turned from the world,
dedicating all my virtues to the Teachings and to living beings,
never for an instant thinking of my own happiness:
let me wish to attain Buddhahood for the sake of others.
Empower me to become quickly a son of the Conqueror,
able to keep the subtlest of the Conqueror's ordinances,
never to say "Oh the hell with it !!",
rich with the True Wealth of faith.
Let me practise the outward rules of a Disciple
and inwardly believe in the deep Diamond Vehicle:
empower me to gain Enlightenment quickly
by contemplating the path of the two Stages.
O holy Tara !! You know
everything that i have done,
my happiness and suffering, my good and evil:
then think lovingly of me, my only mother !!
O holy Tara !! I give to you
myself and all who trust in me:
you are our owner: in the highest Pure Land,
let us be born, set us there quickly with no births between.
With the iron hook of your compassionate skill in means,
I pray you turn toward the Law, the minds
of all beings, whoever they are: they have all been my mother,
the mother of one unable to follow the Conqueror's teachings.
I recite this lament at the three times of the day
and think upon the holy Tara:
may all the beings who depend on me
be born in the Pure Land they desire.
May the Three Precious Jewels
and the Holy Lady whose essence is compassion
cleave to me until I gain the terrace of Enlightenment:
let me quickly conquer the realm of the four maras !!
Composed by Lama Lobsang Tenpe Jetsun ( Translated by Stephan Beyer )
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For our Friends @ CAS:
ONE
For teaching-visit details of His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche please email - agnes.palmo@
Dear bb,
Garchen Rinpoche is indeed a great bodhisattva, he is beyond words.
Hope to see u around during the event.
Thank you for your help :)
Amituofo Do check out this wonderful movie preview on our beloved guru, Garchen Rinpoche.
You will be moved to tears 8)
regds
AO ____________
TWO
For teaching-visit details of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche,
please email - yeshelee@gmail.
____________ THREE
For Thangka Exhibition at the Buddhist Library,
please email - hoon88@gmail.
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