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Teachers and Teachings

© Yeshe Chodon

RECENT TEACHERS AND TEACHINGS

Most of my columns have relied upon web sites as source material. Just for variety's sake, or maybe because I've had so much Internet lately, I want to convey the flavor of some Buddhist experience that comes not from the Net nor from books, but from being in the presence of trained, ordained teachers. Web site references will still be provided, but the emphasis will be on the teachings.

We've had a wealth of teachers here lately. And it seems that interest is growing all the time. A recent event in Nevada City attracted 400, setting some kind of local record, and events here have filled places, such as the local museum, when Lobsang Samten created a sand mandala and led some public meditations, to over capacity.

Lhamo Nuns. http://members.tripod.com/~Lhamo/Nuns/in...
The nuns offered a Medicine Buddha ceremony at the local library. Easiest to describe is what happened, hardest to describe is the quality of the ceremony which was singular. The nuns' presence invokes a sense of quiet dignity and brings an intense concentration to the experience.

First they handed us cards upon which we wrote an object of our concern, anything from the name of a relative or loved one, to Kosovo, any place or anybody in need of healing. These were collected and each card read aloud without comment.

The ceremony included chanting and a visualization. For those who haven't experienced Tibetan Buddhist chanting, it is rhythmic, melodic, and long.The ordinary mind state flies away and something underlying it opens as the verses roll on. Verses are punctuated with trumpets and drums, so any tendency to sleep will be averted. The meditative state is quite naturally evoked. For me the effect has become inevitable and the meditative state is progressively deeper with each ceremony attended.

The unbroken centuries of Tibetan training and practice have given these ceremonies their characteristic weight and power.

While listening to the chants, one visualizes certain attributes of the Medicine Buddha and white light flowing from the heart of the Medicine Buddha, to one's own heart.

The light was the core of the Medicine Buddha experience to me. The light emanated from my visualization to me, overwhelming and unmistakable.I remember thinking "this really is real" thereby realizing how much time I spend in cynical doubt, but how that doubt is washed away in one instant of vivid experience. The light had its own particular flavor. I can best describe it as nourishing, cleansing, elevating, and pervasive.

The copyright of the article Teachers and Teachings in Buddhism is owned by Brooke Schedneck. Permission to republish Teachers and Teachings in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.