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I found this interesting story on a dharma site today entitled Is the brain really necessary?

http://www.flatrock....y_necessary.htm

http://www.lamajigme.com/

He's on Facebook too - he says he is a monk, but he's looking for girlfriends, writes about having sex, sensuality etc.
I see no credentials in his biography, no names of teachers, no reference to education ...
Can anyone help me with more information?

This friday will be an important day to engage in Dharma practices as it is a special day where taking precepts is advised, but also a day of solar eclipse.
Astrologically it is also a rare happening where this day falls on a special day. I copy here the news letter from Lama Dawa Rinpoche a reknowned Nyigma Lama, there is a very good explanation of all those conjunctions:

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Both solar and lunar eclipses are important days in a practitioner's life. There are powerful forces at work during this time, and a skillful practitioner can take this opportunity to bring much benefit through their Dharma practice.

In many cultures throughout the world, eclipses were viewed as important astronomical events, often associated with ill omens and misfortune. Many cultures beleived that the sun or moon was being devoured or eaten by dragons or demonic planets (rahulas), and that this had negative effects for all life on earth. This comes from the basic understanding that the planets, particularly the sun and moon, have definite energetic effects on all living things. The microcosm of our bodies is intimitely affected by the macrocosmic movement of the celestial bodies. This is especially demonstrated by the tantric view of the solar and lunar radiations governing the movement of energy within left and right subtle energy channels in our bodies. In addition, it is beleived that the sun and moon radiates many kinds of subtle elemental energies that help to sustain life on earth.

When there is an interruption of these energy radiations, as during an eclipse, its effects can be observed and felt. It is a cessation, or a cutting off, of these vital energies. We can see this concept expressed by the word 'eclipse;' a Greek word that means 'abandon' in the sense that the sun 'abandons' the earth during that time. Where there was light filtering through the elemental forces of the zodiac into the earth's aura, there is suddenly darkness, a cutting off from the source of life. When these solar or lunar radiations are cut off, it creates an energetic stress on the planet and all life on it. This can be observed by the rise in disorders such as epilepsy and mental illness, the strange behaviors of animals - both land and sea, by the way the birds become silent,  by the shift in the gravitational pull, and the arising of earthquakes, volcanos, and other terrestrial phenomena.

The stressors are strongest on the areas that are directly affected by the eclipse - in other words, the areas on the planet where the eclipse is visible. The upcooming eclipse on Jan. 15, will be visible in parts of Africa, India and China. Although the energetic disruption will affect the entire planet, it will be particularly strong in these areas. According to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, many beings - beings with forms and without forms - die during eclipses as a result of the stress or the 'abandonment' of the solar rays, especially if their life force is particularly weakened or they have certain astrological alignments that are in conflict with the planets involved with the eclipse.

According to tantric Buddhist cosmology, the energies that are lost during eclipses, cannot be recovered. This means that every time there is an eclipse, there is a gradual diminishment of energy on the planet. Over the course of decades, centuries, and millennia, this gradual decreasing of energy is what is known as 'the degenerate age.' This manifests as the gradual lessening of the power of the five elements - food and herbs loose their potency, there is less oxygen in the atmosphere, diseases and pollution increase, there is a worsening of natural disasters and suffering. This process of elemental degeneration is largely created as a result of these continual cycles of eclipses, until finally we reach the end of the kalpa when only one element predominates and consumes what is left.

For this reason, in the Buddhist tradition, much emphasis is placed on engaging in Dharma practice on these days. By generating merit and reciting prayers, we can lessen the overall diminishment of energy and slow down the process of degeneration. We can help to preserve the continuity of the elemental energies, and by doing so, it may be possible to save the lives of those beings who may die as a result of the stress caused by the eclipse. Some Buddhist sources say that during a solar eclipse the effects of positive and negative actions are multiplied by 10,000. Lama Dawa Rinpoche says that what this means is that if you engage in virtuous practice it will be more helpful than usual. However, if you engage in non-virtue, it will further the process of degeneration.

"During an eclipse, Dharma practice is the special method to not leak away the element's energy that is the support for all beings"        
Lama Dawa Rinpoche

There are some special prayers, such as the 'Kunzang Monlam' (Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra) that state very specifically that the prayer should be recited during eclipses. However, any Dharma practice - whether it is prayers, mantras, sadhanas - will be helpful in preventing the loss of the vital energies provided by the sun; in particular, the mantra for Medicine Buddha, Amitayus, Tara, Vajra Guru, or reciting the 'Tse-Do Tse-Sung' Sutra.

With this in mind, we request that you set aside some extra time on Friday to do whatever practice you are most familiar with and dedicate it to the benefit of all  beings, and in particular to those beings who may be suffering during that time, as well as to strengthen the integrity of the three worlds.

.....But there's more!

This eclipse is also falling on another very rare astrological event. According to the lunar-based calendar, there are sometimes 'missing' days, or 'double' days. Although missing days and double days are a common occurrences, among the 30 days in the lunar month, it is very rare for a double 29th day to occur. But this precisely what is happening this month! Wed., Jan. 13 will be the 29th day of the 11th lunar month, and Thursday, Jan. 14 is another 29th day. Then this is followed by the solar eclipse. To have a double 29th day followed by a major eclipse is considered to be a very dire omen. The last time this happened was in 1957, just prior to major global shifts and calamities in many parts of the world.

    Lama Dawa Rinpoche says that the occurrence of this double 29th day with a solar eclipse portends a very difficult coming year. The Iron Tiger year will be fraught with turmoil, major global changes, and much suffering. It will be a very difficult and unstable time for many, and will certainbly be a very difficult year to accomplish one's aspirations.

Courage, that’s my name..
I stand alone..ready for life.
I am no longer afraid.
I am hopeful.
I can do anything.
Because I have courage.
Why?
Because I have become a warrior.. a wisdom warrior.
I stand alone..
Like the sword of wisdom.
I will not give up the ground of compassion.
I am not afraid to proclaim this.
That’s the warriors cry. ..
I will not give up my way of love,
even if I am the last person on earth.
I will not give up give in to hate.
I will be courageous about loving all beings.
I’ll be kind to myself and merciful to others.
That’s the warrior’s code.
Tall trees sway...sound of cars...
sound moves across the sky...
Courage has allowed me to see all these.
With this fearless energy I can do anything.
Nothing will blow my path.
If obstacles arise,
courage gives me the humor, skill and delight,
to go around, over or through.
With courage even the biggest mountains cannot stop me.
Aggression can be overcome.
Courage gives me the power to love without embracement or fear.
Courage…
that’s my name.

Mipham Rinpoche

Hello,

His Holiness the XVIIth Karmapa might come to Europe in May, June 2010.

Here is a link to Ringu Tulku Rinpoche's announcement of the event: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=6jEc61kf3gs

and official website of the HH Karmapa's visit: http://www.karmapanetwork.eu/

Let there be a lot of light in 2010 . Here is a link to the beautiful light offering by HH Karmapa: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=RGyoqznd-PU

Nyimamarpo

I've received the following question on Facebook, and my answer is under:

"If by your opinion all is just an illusion, if we are giving the phenomena the names and around them creating diversity of feelings depends of our karmic lines and stances, how can we catch "love" and installed it with the loyalty, trust, respect to one person? If all than is just a creation in our heads it could be different by the time as our mind is transforming every second. So could we possible promise to other the loyality for the rest of our lifes when all is changing all the time for us?
Than is unfair to the other person to plan the future if we are so changable beings. Than the "love" - the phenomena wich we are using in a relationships is a lie. Than we cannot love all the time. We are only staying together under the auspices some past wishes and initial desires wich already had transformed."

Love is a very strange phenomenon, which I am not sure to understand fully, a complex mix of various reactions and projections, chemical and emotional. People seems so blinded when it comes to emotions! They lose their mind, and create so much suffering for themselves and others.
I understand well what Ultimate Compassion or 'Bodhicitta' (Awakening mind) is, taking all beings on same level of care, to dedicate one's life to help them find the key for their long-lasting happiness and Peace. We have understood the Path, the Truth of Buddha's Teachings, and we develop the main wish to help unconditionally all beings.
But the love which usually unit couples is a mix between blindness, attraction, and desires. All very impermanent phenomena, liable to quick changes! Is this "love"? I can't really say, I would call this "attraction". And on such basis, to promise a life time commitment might not make much sense.

I think people going together as couple should have, at first, a very similar understanding of life, how it works, what sustains it, etc. If we have different values and believes, we come quickly to a clash, to unfriendly situation. But it takes a bit of time before to find such compatibility/parity, that most people "jump" on first person they feel attracted to. If one thing is very changeable, it is attraction/repulsion. Because it is itself based on so versatile/changeable basis.
Most of our life (99,99999...%) we do base our understanding and reactions on the outcome of our unstable mind, which understand nothing to very little of the mechanism of life, mechanism of causality. The consequences are that we maintain or increase our level of suffering, misunderstanding, conflict, and unhappiness.
So, yes, out of this, to say to someone: "I'll love you all my life" is a complete blindness, to oneself and to others. One day, all the basis on which we loved that person might change, and then why to stay with that person in fact? Because we built a house together? Because we have a child? Because we are afraid to make drastic changes in one's life? Many people stay together on wrong basis, they are unhappy, depressed, and eventually sick. Is this a good example and good basis of life for the child/ren who are the apparent reason for staying as couple? We better find the strength and courage to change towards a better situation. There is no fatality, many things can change. It's not because we made a choice in the past, that we are doomed for eternity!
But at the same time, to escape one cage to enter another one is surely not the solution. So, one has to think very carefully, meditation, pacify the mind, before to make any further decision and change, to avoid recreating the same mistakes than before.

Most people can't stay alone. There is a constant quest of company, talk, laugh, drink, smoke, being mindless. They think that this way they escape suffering and unhappiness. And one day they die (tonight, tomorrow, in one, ten or thirty years) without to have solved or understood anything significant; so they'll come back, with the karmic luggage of past life, and fall in same traps again and again.

As long as we do not understand that what we do perceive is of the same nature of our mind, produced by our mind (like in a dream), we think that "outside" is independent, existing from its own side. On such basis, we believe in duality, and of course we are looking for external sources of satisfaction, without ever finding any ultimate happiness, chasing rainbows, ...
When you do understand and experience how what we call 'reality' comes to existence, empty of self-inherent existence, you are not fooled anymore by appearance, you never feel lonely anymore, never seek desperately for any object of desire. You are in Peace, a Peace and Happiness which are not subject to change. You do not try to 'catch' anything but experience what comes, and what you see as helpful for others.

It doesn't mean you can't live in society or even a couple life, but what you do, is done with a clear understanding of causes and consequences, not led by impulses, desires, blindness. You understand the impermanence and roots of phenomena, therefore living the moment without constantly either reliving the past or projecting into the future.
In Peace.