Dharma Practice is Multidimensional
Dharma practice isn’t just a single method or form of any one thing. Dharma practice is multidimensional. It’s got many different aspects to it. Its focus is not based just upon chanting, or upon eating a pure vegetarian diet, or doing good deeds or only upon meditation. None of these things are wrong, but if you are asking me for my understanding, I would have to say that focusing upon only one aspect of dharma would be imbalanced.
A good way to practice dharma is for you to be able to open up your own box. On this journey we are always moving and always changing, you are also moving on from your personal mind-set. Most of us have not moved on from our past, and in many ways our past brings us more suffering than happiness. However, if you choose not to open up and share, then you don’t get to hear what you need to hear. Dharma practice, in the real sense of the word, is all about overcoming yourself. And the best way to overcome yourself is to put yourself outside of your normal zone.
Volunteering is the most meaningful way to go outside of yourself. Volunteering requires us to sacrifice the attachment we have to our own time and to our own targets. Our lives now are mostly only about ourselves. So we all must be willing to stretch our minds, stretch our time and to expand our consciousness. If we cannot do this then we are just like the fish swimming around in an aquarium. We are limited when there is no room for expansion and when we don’t see ourselves as part of the whole world.
This advice along with explanation on the roles of the Guru, was shared by Singha Rinpoche on the 1st June 2017, during the weekly Dharma Teaching
Dharma Wisdom
Sacred Mirror
The Sacred Mirror represents consciousness and the element of space. Clear, pure and bright, the mirror reflects all phenomena objectively without bias, thereby reminding us to practice objectivity and to rise above our judgmental minds. On a more subtle level, it reflects the Buddha’s core teaching of emptiness – that nothing exists on its own side without a dependent arising cause.
Pinnacle of the mirror
The pinnacle of the mirror, formed by the white crescent moon, flaming red sun and an orange flame of fire, represents the completion stage of Vajrayana practice.
Light Rays
The light rays radiating from the Sacred Mirror represent the flourishing of the Buddha’s teachings, fanning out to the furthest reaches of the universe.
Full Moon Disc
The moon disc represents Bodhicitta, the aspiration to become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings.
Blue Lotus
Divinely fragrant, blue lotuses bloomed only in the Buddha’s time. By incorporating it into the temple’s logo, it is symbolic of the ever-present Buddha in Thekchen Choling. Moreover, a lotus flower represents purity, perfection, compassion and renunciation, similar to how the beautiful lotus remains untainted even though it had arisen out from the muddy waters.
Nine Precious Jewels
These nine precious jewels represent the Guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, yidam or mind-seal deity, Dharma protector, the sky, earth, and the human realm.
Two Dragons
The two dragons represent continuity and harmony and create the cause for the temple to enjoy the strong support of members and benefactors for Dharma to flourish.
Golden Khata
The flowing golden khata represents the auspicious increase of all Dharma activities.
The Seven Gems of the Chakravartin or a Wheel-Turning King
1. The precious horse represented by a unicorn’s horn
2. The precious elephant represented by its tusks
3. The precious queen represented by round golden earrings
4. The precious minister represented by square golden earrings
5. The precious general represented by a pair of crossed swords
6. The precious jewel represented by the triple-eyed gem
7. The precious Dharma wheel represented by a branch of coral
