DS brochure

[LosangKhyentse]

Dear Ranger, you are going to believe I'm nuts, but I have a very good feeling for the brochure. My only restriction was the misuse of a sacred image of a Buddha (our Protector) like throwing it to a garbage bin or some such. But the same could be said about publishing Dharma books, you never know how many people will carelessly step on them or mistreat them one way or another. Still you publish them, due to the few or many that hopefully will benefit from them. Same with the brochure. If it can hook one person or a million people to such a beneficial Being as our divine Wisdom Buddha Dorjeshugden, and then, all of these practitioners so happy with their virtuous action of printing and distributing the brochure, their benefit counts too of course ... then I feel something very nice in my heart.

Our generation had a brief and ideal Spring of Dharma, with our holy Gurus who came from the Land of Snows. Now, most of those giants are gone. The times degenerate rapidly. Any action in favor of beings that does not distort Dharma is like answering a 911 call from our beloved mother sentient beings. If there is no serious harm then the slightest benefit, direct or potential, is indeed welcome.

EXCELLENT THINKING!!! EXCELLENT LOGIC INDEED!!!

TK

[LosangKhyentse]

Recieved news that a group of associates are in Lumbini, Nepal. The very birthplace of our Lord Buddha. Along with the pujas they are doing, offerings and prayers at this most sacred site they are placing Dorje Shugden brochures in the area.

In fact they placed around 60 Dorje Shugden brochures. The Nepalese who find them will treasure the holy image of Dorje Shugden for sure and it brings more awareness to the Buddhist tourists.

TK

[harrynephew]

Dear TK,

I am happy for all the efforts which u have put into supporting the webmaster's efforts in promoting DS and now we have DS brochures in Lumbini! It is super amazing! I pray from here though I am far far away from that sacred place that Lord Buddha may shed his light of blessings onto our hard work here in promoting DS. May Lord Buddha's birth bless this advent of the new generation Buddhists who will carry on the legacy of Wisdom. Compassion and skillful means of the Buddha into the dark future.

Actually there's an international crowd there in Lumbini besides the Nepalese who will gain benefits from the brochures and hopefully we'll be conversing with them in this forum in a near time to come!

cheers!
H1N1

[DharmaDefender]

Dear Ranger, you are going to believe I'm nuts, but I have a very good feeling for the brochure. My only restriction was the misuse of a sacred image of a Buddha (our Protector) like throwing it to a garbage bin or some such. But the same could be said about publishing Dharma books, you never know how many people will carelessly step on them or mistreat them one way or another. Still you publish them, due to the few or many that hopefully will benefit from them. Same with the brochure. If it can hook one person or a million people to such a beneficial Being as our divine Wisdom Buddha Dorjeshugden, and then, all of these practitioners so happy with their virtuous action of printing and distributing the brochure, their benefit counts too of course ... then I feel something very nice in my heart.

Our generation had a brief and ideal Spring of Dharma, with our holy Gurus who came from the Land of Snows. Now, most of those giants are gone. The times degenerate rapidly. Any action in favor of beings that does not distort Dharma is like answering a 911 call from our beloved mother sentient beings. If there is no serious harm then the slightest benefit, direct or potential, is indeed welcome.

Wow a friend, I truly enjoyed reading your post - like tk said, excellent logic.

For some, the brochure will be like a long-awaited rain on a parched desert. For others, they will feel nothing...but to see his image will plant seeds for practice in distant future lifetimes (how many futures, who knows!).

I think there's also an element of preparation for the nearer future. When the ban ends, those who have been creating lineage strongholds will come out in the open to form DS-practising centres everywhere. At that time, for the people who have been practising DS with a more mundane motivation, things may click and they will gravitate towards those centres where they can learn the Dharma. It automatically forms a much larger base of DS practitioners...which actually reflects current non-DS congregations in terms of the different levels of practice.

What I'm glad for is the connection we have been meritorious enough to make with Dorje Shugden before the unfortunate passing of those great masters. Without their skill, fearlessness and courage, none of what we have in practice and knowledge would exist - we would never be able to engage in something like brochure-making (despite how contentious as it has turned out to be!).

[WisdomBeing]

Inspired by the photos posted of the brochures in various places, here are some brochures... perfectly at home among monks and Buddhas!

[LosangKhyentse]

Inspired by the photos posted of the brochures in various places, here are some brochures... perfectly at home among monks and Buddhas!

Dear WisdomBeing,

Thanks for the nice photos of where you distributed the sacred Dorje Shugden brochures. Your enthusiasm is infectious and I thank you for your devotions.

Your posts are always polite, open and very kind. I sense a strong spiritual being within you. You're not here to criticize or bombast but to learn and be open to new ideas. Wonderful attitude for any forums!!

Thank you for your gentle presence on this forum that is tangible and solid.

TK

[iloveds]

Dear Admin,

I have come to the conclusion that handing out DS brochures is very unskillfull. Although i rejoice in your virtue and good intentions,  I believe you are wasting your time. Buddha Shakyamuni and basic meditation teachings are the first things you should be introducing to the public. Buddha manifested dharma practitioners to help sincere practitioners to clear obstacles on the path to enlightenment and to help protect Buddha's doctrine.  If you really want to help people and you feel you have to leaflet drop like some desperate mormonites, better to advertise meditation classes not dharma protectors who look fearsome and scary to the average Joe.  Dharma protectors should only be introduced to practitioners later along the path.  All you are going to do is freak people out, and if there not freaked out they will just think your all religious nutters! They will log onto the website and watch the DS oracle taking trance and think we are black magicians.  It's important to introduce new people to dharma centres and meditation classes.  Lets advertise the basics first!  If leaflet dropping was such a great idea to spread the dharma, the great realised lama's would be doing just that, the fact they are not tells you something you need to know!  Ever remember what it was like to be a beginner, when everything was new to you? Gently, gently...................

Om mane pame hum

Are you kidding the only one who will freak out during these times are the people we would hand a meditation brochure to. Get with it man.

Do computers, laptops, touchscreens, mobile phones, iphones, ipads, bluetooth, wireless HD TV, online shopping, electric cars, streaming video, push email, mms, sms, 3g, 4g, web2.0, web3.0, and soon web4.0, if this doesn't mean anything to you, it does to the generation that is growing up with these technologies.

come on theres more scarier things to found online than our little picture of our fierce dharma protector. Freaked out I doubt it, connected this generation is and they do connect worldwide, why not connect with them and share.

The brochure is just a start...

iloveds:)

[DharmaDefender]

Dear Admin,

I have come to the conclusion that handing out DS brochures is very unskillfull. Although i rejoice in your virtue and good intentions,  I believe you are wasting your time. Buddha Shakyamuni and basic meditation teachings are the first things you should be introducing to the public. Buddha manifested dharma practitioners to help sincere practitioners to clear obstacles on the path to enlightenment and to help protect Buddha's doctrine.  If you really want to help people and you feel you have to leaflet drop like some desperate mormonites, better to advertise meditation classes not dharma protectors who look fearsome and scary to the average Joe.  Dharma protectors should only be introduced to practitioners later along the path.  All you are going to do is freak people out, and if there not freaked out they will just think your all religious nutters! They will log onto the website and watch the DS oracle taking trance and think we are black magicians.  It's important to introduce new people to dharma centres and meditation classes.  Lets advertise the basics first!  If leaflet dropping was such a great idea to spread the dharma, the great realised lama's would be doing just that, the fact they are not tells you something you need to know!  Ever remember what it was like to be a beginner, when everything was new to you? Gently, gently...................

Om mane pame hum

Are you kidding the only one who will freak out during these times are the people we would hand a meditation brochure to. Get with it man.

Do computers, laptops, touchscreens, mobile phones, iphones, ipads, bluetooth, wireless HD TV, online shopping, electric cars, streaming video, push email, mms, sms, 3g, 4g, web2.0, web3.0, and soon web4.0, if this doesn't mean anything to you, it does to the generation that is growing up with these technologies.

come on theres more scarier things to found online than our little picture of our fierce dharma protector. Freaked out I doubt it, connected this generation is and they do connect worldwide, why not connect with them and share.

The brochure is just a start...

iloveds:)

Fair point iloveds. "All you are going to do is freak people out, and if there not freaked out they will just think your all religious nutters!" is painting a massive generalisation on the various kinds of minds and people out there. In many people's cases, it's wishful thinking if we believe they're going to be attracted by the softly softly approach. And in some cases I've seen, going to dharma centres and meditation classes doesn't always guarantee the best practitioners...so it doesn't matter what YOU think is the 'right' way for someone to enter the dharma; it's up to them to find it for themselves (why else would Shakyamuni have taught 84000 dharmas).

[pgdharma]

TK efforts  in promoting the distribution of DS brochures has bear fruits. Now international and local pilgrims in Lumbini will benefit from this. Wow cant imagine it has reached Lumbini.  DS brochures everywhere...Bali, Perth, Lumbini within such short time!

[LosangKhyentse]

Dear Admin,

I have come to the conclusion that handing out DS brochures is very unskillfull. Although i rejoice in your virtue and good intentions,  I believe you are wasting your time. Buddha Shakyamuni and basic meditation teachings are the first things you should be introducing to the public. Buddha manifested dharma practitioners to help sincere practitioners to clear obstacles on the path to enlightenment and to help protect Buddha's doctrine.  If you really want to help people and you feel you have to leaflet drop like some desperate mormonites, better to advertise meditation classes not dharma protectors who look fearsome and scary to the average Joe.  Dharma protectors should only be introduced to practitioners later along the path.  All you are going to do is freak people out, and if there not freaked out they will just think your all religious nutters! They will log onto the website and watch the DS oracle taking trance and think we are black magicians.  It's important to introduce new people to dharma centres and meditation classes.  Lets advertise the basics first!  If leaflet dropping was such a great idea to spread the dharma, the great realised lama's would be doing just that, the fact they are not tells you something you need to know!  Ever remember what it was like to be a beginner, when everything was new to you? Gently, gently...................

Om mane pame hum

Are you kidding the only one who will freak out during these times are the people we would hand a meditation brochure to. Get with it man.

Do computers, laptops, touchscreens, mobile phones, iphones, ipads, bluetooth, wireless HD TV, online shopping, electric cars, streaming video, push email, mms, sms, 3g, 4g, web2.0, web3.0, and soon web4.0, if this doesn't mean anything to you, it does to the generation that is growing up with these technologies.

come on theres more scarier things to found online than our little picture of our fierce dharma protector. Freaked out I doubt it, connected this generation is and they do connect worldwide, why not connect with them and share.

The brochure is just a start...

iloveds:)

Dear iloveds,

Very good points you have mentioned. No matter what, there are ppl who are going to like it and don't like it. The peaceful Buddha standing serenely for centuries in Afghanistan was blown up. How much more peaceful do you want. How much more un-threatening?? Many people love the imagery of Dorje Shugden.

Many high lamas didn't go out for the WSS protest, but it doesn't mean it was not another ok method of bringing the message across. Do you want Geshe Kelsang standing on the street screaming 'Dalai Lama, Stop Lying???' I don't think it is necessary. Just because Geshe Kelsang wasn't at the protests, doesn't mean he didn't approve. You want Domo Geshe passing out DS brochures to show his approval? Not necessary. We can do it.

TK

[LosangKhyentse]

Mohani has come out with another brochure design. Nice. Now we have variety. Would be nice if it is on front home page as another option to download and pass around.

Thank you Mohani!! Hope you come out with more designs since you like creating.

Click here to see:

http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=757.15

TK

[LosangKhyentse]

If leaflet dropping was such a great idea to spread the dharma, the great realised lama's would be doing just that, the fact they are not tells you something you need to know! 

Om mane pame hum

Well that is simple. Then with the hundreds of protests from NKT, WSS, Tibetan Monks, Zawa Tulku Rinpoche, Geshe Cheme Tsering, Geshe Darasing, etc  against the Dalai lama, do you need the high lamas to be out there to justify their protests?? So just because the 'HIGH LAMAS' were not protesting, that was a message not to protest??

TK

[WisdomBeing]

After the passing away of our Lama, our center had not been flourishing for many years. Many students had found other interests and had left. There were only a few disciples remaining despite all our efforts to propagate buddhadharma.

At that time, I was like most of you in this forum: a naive proselitist. My mantra was: spread, baby, spread!

So obviously I was very disapointed with our center remaining small and relatively unknown. We then turned to  Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche for help. Rinpoche's answer was:

"It's not the amount of students that matters, but to have the right ones"

Basically this means that the argument saying that we should try to "save" as many people as possible by "converting" them to buddhism is fallacious!....according to the lineage lama!

What Rinpoche was saying in essence is : "small is beautifull!"

In my next posts, I will explain why too many noobs in a dharma center can produce the opposite result than the one that was intended to produce in the first place!

Dear Alexis

It is a sad but true state of affairs that when the Lama of a Dharma centre enters clear light, the centre often falls apart. Not because the Lama was not good but because the students lose faith in their practice. As you say, they find other interests and leave. So much for commitment. I have heard of centres whose Lamas also believe that it's the quality of the students that keep the centre going, and not the quantity. If a centre grows too big, too quickly and without adequate guidance, the foundation is not strong enough and the centre will not last beyond the lifespan of its teacher. So i agree that the number of the Dharma centre's students is not as important as the stability of their faith and their minds. At the very least, there must be a number of core students of a centre who are strong enough to carry the vision of its Guru ahead to future generations and hopefully their Guru's new incarnation.

I also believe that new students do not necessarily destabilise a centre because there are some new students who join the centre and are willing to and can transform their minds much faster than students who have been around for decades yet do not transform.

Just sharing my thoughts.

[honeydakini]

"It's not the amount of students that matters, but to have the right ones"

Basically this means that the argument saying that we should try to "save" as many people as possible by "converting" them to buddhism is fallacious!....according to the lineage lama!

What Rinpoche was saying in essence is : "small is beautifull!"

I understand what you are trying to say by this statement and I have also seen how the big chase for students has led to either a corruption in the way the centre is run or in the total dilution of the teachings - mainly because students are not committed, don't follow the teachings properly or bring in all their other unnecessary baggage/ actions/ problems in that serve only to drag the rest of the centre down. So much for seeking healing and transformation!

However, I think there is also a fine line between being carefully cautious of the people we "let in", nurture and teach within our centre or just ending up being exclusivist and/or complacent. I.e. to adopt the attitude that "oh, only if you are a qualified practitioner with such-and-such motivation can you join our centre". Or centres can run the tendency of becoming complacent with their small, familiar group who all think along the same lines and are used to each other's "habits" or views... so any new person who joins in threatens this comfortable inner circle and they start censoring who can or cannot come in.

So I think that while it is VERY important that we safeguard the interests of our Dharma community, lineage, practices and teachings, we don't also become exclusionist and elite about having new and different types of people join our centres / lineages (and yes, they will all most probably be weird, full of strange habits, difficult, temperamental, stubborn, not want to follow the rules!)

[LosangKhyentse]

Honeydakini and Wisdom Being,

You're both very right and you have understood me quite correctly.

For precision's sake, I'll add that, obviously, the idea is to share dharma with others in a dynamic fashion. However, I think Dagom Rinpoche's comments meant that we shouldn't try to grow at all costs...such as in a proselitic manner as we've often seen being the case with other religions and that we buddhist tend more and more to copy "because we have to adapt to modern times".

Rinpoche's comments made it clear this is to be avoided!

Rinpoche's comments is subject to all interpretations now that he is gone. But perhaps that centre is going to remain small, tight and the way it is and Rinpoche knew it. So instead of pressuring people, he skilfully just says, quality is important than quantity. Maybe for that centre, that is all they can do. No disrespect intended.

Well, that is true in general for quality as opposed to quantity, but then let's tell Gaden, Sera, Drepung, Tashilunpo, Amdo Tashi kyil, NKT not to grow big, just stay small. Focus on quality. Btw, quantity does not necessarily mean quality is compromised.

TK