Vajrayana Buddhism Association
Buddhism In the Nyingma Tradition
Buddha answered Voice of Discernment by teaching the twenty-five expedient practices. He called them pure samādhi chakras, “pure” because the practice leads to purity, “samādhi” is the name for all meditation practices, its application is then called “samādhi maṇḍala” for these meditations can be seen as meditations in accordance with the maṇḍala.…
To answer Voice of Discernment, Buddha said that the three expedient methods can turn into 25 applications. The scripture says, “[T]he Perfect Enlightenment of all tathāgatas is originally pure, it has neither practice nor practitioner. When they practice, all bodhisattvas and sentient beings of the degenerate age depend upon the power of unenlightened illusion.…
Translator’s note: In the previous column, Buddha illustrated the three practices of śamatha, samāpatti and dhyāna. While different, like sunlight, whether it is a ray through a slit into a dark room, or sunlight in the wide open, they are like the many roads leading to Rome.…
Translator’s note: In the previous column, Majestic Virtue Unhindered’s question finally led to the key of the sutra, where all Buddhist practices are expedient devices leading to the oneness of perfect enlightenment. In this column, Buddha will begin to illustrate the three practices of śamatha, samāpatti and dhyāna.…
Translator’s note:
In the previous columns (18, 19, 20), bodhisattva Pure Wisdom asked if there were any differences in the realization by sentient beings, bodhisattvas, and buddhas. While the realization is oneness, Buddha illustrated the stages of practice in spite of Pure Wisdom’s casting it in terms of “differences in realization.”…
Translator’s note: In this section, Buddha highlights the different positions “according with the nature of enlightenment” as a way to illustrate the practice in stages, where Buddha mentions the famous analogy of “finger pointing to the moon.” We take this opportunity to repost to Master Tam’s original introduction to the “Beyond Word” series, where the discussion makes a journey from dependent arising due to interdependence and relativity, to dependent arising due to mutual obstruction, and beyond.…
In the previous column, bodhisattva Pure Wisdom asked if there were any differences in the realization by sentient beings, bodhisattvas, and buddhas. Below is the first part of the answer.
Click here for the table of contents to revisit the dialogue between Buddha and previous bodhisattvas.…
In the previous column, bodhisattva Maitreya asked Buddha the way to sever the root of samsara (cyclical existence). Here, bodhisattva Pure Wisdom will continue the line of inquiry, inquiring into the different levels of realization, and the stages of practice.…
In the previous column, bodhisattva Maitreya asks Buddha the way to sever the root of samsara (cyclical existence). Previously, bodhisattva Vajragarbha’s questions led to the conclusion that it is the cyclical perspective that obscures awareness (and thus, wisdom), thereby leading to suffering.…
The fifth bodhisattva asking question is Maitreya, but in terms of the practice, the fourth one.
The previous answer brought out an important issue in practice. For all sentient beings, if detaching from the root of saṃsāra is the attainment of perfect awareness, then how does one do so?…
Vajrayana Buddhism Association (VBA) was founded by Nyingma master Tam Shek-Wing (Dorje Jigdral, b. 1935), with branches in Toronto, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Hawaii. Tam became a disciple of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche in 1972 and was ordained Vajra Archarya by His Holiness in 1984, shouldering the responsibility to present Buddhism to the Western audience.
In this website, you will learn about the Buddhist practice and the Nyingma tradition. Dharma classes and group meditations at our local branches are held in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
