“Many people seek the truth and feel that enlightenment is about finding the truth because Buddha taught about truth, and dharma means the truth. But the word truth has many different dimensions.”
When we talk about freedom or what Buddhism calls liberation, we understand this liberation as freedom from our own inner, outer, and secret obstacles.
The outer obstacles are those related to our country and its leaders and those related to our family. Inner obstacles relate to our health. And secret obstacles are our fears, insecurities, and ignorance.
Most of us grow older, but we still carry our old mental obscurations and obstacles into our current life because they link closely with our previous lives. Understanding this point, what does this mean to us as practitioners?
When we speak of liberation and freedom of speech and truths, looking at what is happening in the world today, you can see that some people don’t care about their own life, their health, or even the health of others because they believe in their definition of truth. There are cases where people want to go against the advice of their government, go on strike or cause rioting because they believe in their idea of their truth.
Some will say that COVID-19 is fake because they are so attached to their own ideologies that they don’t care about anything else. So when it comes to our freedom of speech and freedom of thoughts and ideas, how should we come to a balance in our own lives and our dharma practice? This question is a dilemma for all of us in samsara, and in every single lifetime, we face the same situation. Everybody wants to think that what they say is right, and what they see is the truth. But it may be that it’s just their own truth.
To live together, understanding and respecting each other is the kind of support that leads to harmony. To live together harmoniously requires auspiciousness. Auspiciousness is to be able to have this awareness, this vast awareness of past, present, and future. When it comes to the truth, we all have to come to release our boundaries of you and I. If you want to have a real awakening, the Buddha’s awakening is beyond words. It is beyond words, facts, and truths.
Upaya is a Sanskrit word, which means skillful means. Skillful means is where along with love and compassion, we need to be sensitive and to have experience based upon wisdom. With the corona crisis in full spate, what have you got out of it? Did you unlock yourself from your outer, inner, and secret shackles and handcuffs? Have you read or done anything to release your boundaries and come closer to the truth? If not, that continues to be the prescription!
Dharma Teaching by Singha Rinpoche and Edited by Sandeep Nath
11 October 2020
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
