Sat, 08 Aug 2009
Vajrakilaya Empowerment
Last Wednesday Lama Phurbu Tashi gave the Vajrakilaya empowerment, as I mentioned on the Gampopa Center blog. I was the reason for the empowerment. Lama asked me to practiced the Vajrakilaya sadhana and I told him I had never had the empowerment, so out of his kindness he gave it. But I wasn't the only one to get the empowerment, Michael and Patty got it as well, which is a good sized crowd for our little group. I have been doing the Chenrezig sadhana eery morning ever since I finished ngondro. Chenrezig is the epitome of a peaceful deity and Vajrakilaya is an extremely wrathful deity. So going from one practice to the other will be like switching from drinking to milk to drinking coffee. The practice itself is not so difficult, but it has a section where one makes a torma offering, so I'll need some instruction on that from Lama before I begin the practice.
Lama has also written an essay called The Armor of Love and Compassion. He's asked me to improve the English of his text. I've been doing so and I've been having fun doing it, though it has taken longer than I expected, so far one hour for the first page. Most editing is done with pruning shears, it's a rare essay that can't be improved by shortening it. Read Stephen King's advice on writing, the story he tells is worth taking to heart. So when I highlight a phrase and press the delete key, I feel like I'm wielding Manjushri's sword.
