looking for any advice on doing Dakini pujas

[Shemmy]

I was wondering about Dakini puja. We recently received some teachings from Lama Rinchen Phuntsok, and during one of the days that he was teaching, which was Dakini day (10th day of the waning lunar cycle), we did a Dakini puja, I guess it is called. I paid some amonut of attention to what we did, thinking perhaps we were being instructed on how to do this. Lama Rinchen explained some of the things he was doing but not everything. I later asked him if a dakini puja was something we could do on our own at home. He said that we could, and do it everyday even if we wanted to.

I'd like to do the Dakini puja perhaps every month, but I don't feel confident that I picked up on everything that was being done to conduct the puja correctly myself. I've looked around on the net and haven't been able to find any info on how to do a Dakini puja. Is it the kind of thing you had better not do if you don't do know exactly how to do it and you need to follow a fairly strict formula? Or is it just kind of a general thing you do to ask the Dakinis for their blessings and anything you do to make a connection, if sincere, will do?

I feel like I got the gist of it, that offerings and food are laid out, that a plate of white colored food (white cakes, cookies, etc.) is given to the owners of the place where you are conducting the puja, both on this plane and others making this offering for entities from other dimensions who may feel the place belongs to them. That you offer a second plate of meat to hungry ghosts and demons, and a glass of wine to them as well. And finally a third plate of white colored food (white cakes, bread cookies) is offered to the Dharmapalas. Then you begin with some prayers (7 line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche) and do many recitations of the dakini mantra before asking for the dakinis to bless the food bless oneself all sentient beings, etc. Do a food blessing prayer and when that is finished, one eats the food, shares it with others, etc. to absorb the dakini blessing.

Any suggestions or comments about this would be much appreciated, I felt I got quite a boost to my well being and meditation focus from doing this with Lama Rinchen and feel it would be a good thing to do from time to time.

[gnegirl]

Please check PM's....

[ngodrup]

The sequence of activities in any puja is
determined by the sadhana itself. Some
dakinis practices are rather simple, others
are quite complex.

[Chaz]

Might it not be better to direct these questions to Lama Rinchen instead of the whole world?

[heart]

I was wondering about Dakini puja. We recently received some teachings from Lama Rinchen Phuntsok, and during one of the days that he was teaching, which was Dakini day (10th day of the waning lunar cycle), we did a Dakini puja, I guess it is called. I paid some amonut of attention to what we did, thinking perhaps we were being instructed on how to do this. Lama Rinchen explained some of the things he was doing but not everything. I later asked him if a dakini puja was something we could do on our own at home. He said that we could, and do it everyday even if we wanted to.

I'd like to do the Dakini puja perhaps every month, but I don't feel confident that I picked up on everything that was being done to conduct the puja correctly myself. I've looked around on the net and haven't been able to find any info on how to do a Dakini puja. Is it the kind of thing you had better not do if you don't do know exactly how to do it and you need to follow a fairly strict formula? Or is it just kind of a general thing you do to ask the Dakinis for their blessings and anything you do to make a connection, if sincere, will do?

I feel like I got the gist of it, that offerings and food are laid out, that a plate of white colored food (white cakes, cookies, etc.) is given to the owners of the place where you are conducting the puja, both on this plane and others making this offering for entities from other dimensions who may feel the place belongs to them. That you offer a second plate of meat to hungry ghosts and demons, and a glass of wine to them as well. And finally a third plate of white colored food (white cakes, bread cookies) is offered to the Dharmapalas. Then you begin with some prayers (7 line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche) and do many recitations of the dakini mantra before asking for the dakinis to bless the food bless oneself all sentient beings, etc. Do a food blessing prayer and when that is finished, one eats the food, shares it with others, etc. to absorb the dakini blessing.

Any suggestions or comments about this would be much appreciated, I felt I got quite a boost to my well being and meditation focus from doing this with Lama Rinchen and feel it would be a good thing to do from time to time.

Sounds like you have been doing a Dakini puja with a tsog (ganapuja). This is a common Vajrayana practice that is very beneficial. Takes an empowerment, an oral transmission and many instructions from your teacher to learn to do well but it is certainly a very worthwhile thing to do. Good luck with that!

/magnus

[Shemmy]

Sorry for any impertinence on my part, asking about Dakini puja on internet before the whole world, didn't realize it was a problem, but Lama Rinchen isn't here to ask and there are no Lamas at all in Thailand, or if there are, they are not public about it. Perhaps in the future, but Vajrayana and Mahayana have been banned for the last few decades here and only in the last couple years have we seen teachers dropping in for a week and teaching. So, we are pretty starved for instruction and info. I appreciate your replies very much. Cheers!

[Pema Rigdzin]

Might it not be better to direct these questions to Lama Rinchen instead of the whole world?

Chaz, it's apparent that Shemmy is just a newcomer and just wishes to practice something he/she finds beneficial and good and doesn't yet understand the more discreet nature of Vajrayana.

[Adamantine]

Shemmy, knowing Lama Rinchen primarily practices the Dudjom Tersar I am confident that the practice you did was the Khandro Thugtik tsok sadhana, which is the general tsok practice performed on the 25th day of the lunar calendar every month by practitioners in this lineage. This is a very profound practice with many levels of meaning, and to really do it properly it is important to have a good understanding of what is going on, the details of the visualizations, the correct way to handle the offering substances, etc. In other words, you really need detailed teachings-- and even after that it would be best to practice it regularly with experienced practitioners if not a Lama to watch how they do it and to make deeper contact with the energy of the practice when it is done correctly.

This might seem difficult, even impossible where you are-- however if you look at the history of Vajrayana, many of the great adepts did not have an easy time accessing the teachings or dealing with their Gurus -- there is a price for things this precious, even if it is simply our own extraordinary effort.

If you deeply feel moved to develop a cohesive knowledge of this practice, so that you can perform it at home or with other locals, then what I recommend is that you make a formal request of either Lama Rinchen or another Dudjom lineage Lama to come back to your area and turn the wheel of Dharma-- to give detailed instructions on the practice of Tsok-- it's meaning, the visualizations, how to perform it, etc. If you can arrange for it, request both for the Dakini tsok (Khandro Thuktig) and the Guru Rinpoche tsok performed on the 10th day of the lunar calendar (Lakeborn Guru Rinpoche / Guru Tsokye Tugtik) . The way to make a formal request would be very politely with a "mandala offering" --which can simply be a generous amount of money that you collect among the people interested in receiving these teachings. This offering creates an auspicious inter-dependence and plants good seeds for the request to bear fruit. You could also offer to cover airfare, a place to stay, etc.

In the meantime, diligently continuing the ngondro will deepen your natural connection to all these practices. If you are able to secure the TNR "Cascading Waterfall of Nectar" text that we discussed then at the end, --after the ngondro commentary there is an entire section written about the practice of tsok, and specifically a very concise tsok offering prayer that is generally recited along with the Khandro Thugtik practice.

[dakini_boi]

Good post, Adamantine

In the meantime, even if you don't know how to do an entire Tsog properly, you can still gain benefit from sincerely offering food to the 3 jewels/ 3 roots and all sentient beings. Say some words, and recite the mantra that the lama taught you. If you have the passion and motivation to do this practice, that is wonderful - and if you're very serious to learn more and do the complete practice, as Adamantine said, seek out the teachings - you might even have to travel outside of Thailand yourself - but consider that itself an offering to the 3 jewels.

[Shemmy]

Admantine and Dakini boi, awesome posts!

Truly inspiring and encouraging! We are already planning on trying to flag down Lama Rinchen for more teachings on his way back to Nepal from America. There is sort of an informal network of Dzogchen/Vajrayana practitioners that is starting to gell and some of us were talking about that, getting him to come through in about three months time so I will mention it to people that we might want to get instruction in tsok practices.

I already have a lot to do with getting the details right as far as the ngondro, so I suppose there isn't any point in getting too quickly involved in yet another practice.

Thanks again for benefitting this sentient being!

[dakini_boi]

You're very welcome, I'm glad you found my input helpful.

I already have a lot to do with getting the details right as far as the ngondro, so I suppose there isn't any point in getting too quickly involved in yet another practice.

Good point, and very wise. Still, couldn't hurt to do some informal offering on Dakini day and GR day. Which ngondro are you doing? Here's a really good commentary - it's on the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, but will be helpful even if you are practicing another ngondro.

http://www.turtlehill.org/khen/tersar.pdf

[Shemmy]

Dakini Boi,

Yeah, I am definitely going to do some offerings on those two days. Lama Rinchen said pretty plainly to me I could do what we did, which was make food offerings, chant the Dakini mantra, and bless the food with a food offering prayer he had printed up for us. My feeling is it will greatly support the success and effectiveness of the ngondro!

I am practicing the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, and yes, I agree, that commentary by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche is really good. Don't know what I'd have done without it initially.

[Virgo]

Sorry for any impertinence on my part, asking about Dakini puja on internet before the whole world, didn't realize it was a problem, but Lama Rinchen isn't here to ask and there are no Lamas at all in Thailand, or if there are, they are not public about it.

Actually, a couple of years ago I ran into a Tibetan lama in Bangkok who lived there. My Thai and Tibetan are not too good and he did not speak English so even though I approached him I could not communicate with him well. He did, however, try to show me where he lived as we were right in front of his residence. It was too bad I could not communicate with him well. If you speak Thai you can surely try to stop by and communicate with him or someone else there. His residence is very close to Wat Bowon Niwet. If you exit Wat Bowon Niwet from the main entrance you will be on Phra Sumeru Road in Banglamphu (not the back entrance goes to Khao San Road). Once you are on the road in front of the temple take a right and walk to the end of the street where you come to the traffic lights. Across the street there is a 7-11. If you get off of Phra Sumeru and walk up the side street of which the convenient story is on the corner of, his house is only 3 or 4 doors up on the right just before you get to the bridge. Pay him a visit


Kevin

[Virgo]

Dakini Boi,

Yeah, I am definitely going to do some offerings on those two days. Lama Rinchen said pretty plainly to me I could do what we did, which was make food offerings, chant the Dakini mantra, and bless the food with a food offering prayer he had printed up for us. My feeling is it will greatly support the success and effectiveness of the ngondro!

I am practicing the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, and yes, I agree, that commentary by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche is really good. Don't know what I'd have done without it initially.

Where in Bangkok do you live?

Kevin