Egbert Moray-Falls

Padmasambhāva / Guru Rinpoche 🔱🌈 Commissioned piece I thoroughly enjoyed!

Kushan coins with Greek gods that were probably popular among Kushan Buddhists at the time

Rare Kushan art showing a Kushan Buddhist respectfully approaching Zeus (identified with his nimbus)

People will spend tens of thousands of dollars, and years of their life on preventing their bodies from sickness and disease - but will devote 0 effort to preventing their mind and soul from the disease of negativity, desire, hatred, and ignorance.

Once you are free from all distracting conditions, your practice will bring you progress along the path. That is why all the yogins of the past wandered like beggars from one solitary place to another. Even a single month in a quiet and lonely place will be enough for your animosity to be replaced by a wish to benefit others, and your attachment to friends by a strong feeling of impermanence and impending death. - Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche - The Heart of Compassion

“Throughout the past 2500 years, whichever country Buddhism has been taught in, there have always been great yogis. Likewise, sooner or later there will be the great yogis of the West. This is because Buddhism has nothing to do with culture, gender, language, or colour. Buddhism is for all beings throughout time and space. And whoever dedicates their life to putting the teachings into practice will become a great yogi” ~ Chamtrul Rinpoche

"The nature of space transcends color and shape, Neither stained nor changed by black or white. Likewise, the essence of your mind transcends color and shape, Unpolluted by black or white qualities, misdeeds or virtues. Just as the bright, clear essence of the sun Cannot be obscured by the murk of a thousand aeons, Likewise, the luminous essence of your mind Can’t be obscured by aeons of samsara. Though space is given the appellation “empty,” There’s nothing in space that can be described as such. Likewise, though mind is described as luminous, There’s nothing to give a name, saying it’s like this. Therefore, the nature of mind has always been like space. There are no phenomena at all not contained within it." Tilopa

“Don't mistake mere words to be the meaning of the teachings Mingle the practice with your own being and attain liberation from samsara right now” - Padmasambhava Advice from the Lotus-Born

Further to the explanation of mantra as focusing the mind, the Buddhist understanding implies that the valid mantra is one that appropriately focuses the mind, in other words towards enlightenment. In this sense the appropriation on the term "mantra" for new age self affirmations is what we might call a sacrilege. Now to a modern ear sacrilege may imply a breaking of the rules, but that is not a proper understanding, and this very legalistic, materialistic conception of religion is itself the sacrilege. What one ought to understand is that one has misdirected the sacred energy of their mind. Instead of pushing towards ultimate freedom, one instead uses one's own power of mind to create a new prison for oneself. Therefore, adopt a valid mantra and let it resound in your mind at all times, and thereby achieve both the ultimate and mundane goals.

This is a more worldly perspective, but it follows the same basic principle I presented above: guard your mind and use it to transform your life. This is how the word "mantra" is explained in Buddhism, "man" referring to mind, and "tra" meaning to guard or focus.

Affirming Values During my time in the military, I did a lot of study on psychological warfare and the suggestibility of the brain. What you see, hear, visualize, and believe literally rewires your brain and causes neuro-pathways to form which reinforce a set belief, attitude, or temperament. This is part of the reason why people in our sphere intuitively understand that consuming enemy propaganda is bad for you. Watching porn has been widely known to normalize paraphilia in general due to this phenomenon. When the United States "interrogated" (tortured) Islamic warriors or Vietminh, they would put them in a room, sleep deprive them over a series of days and play Spice Girls or the theme song to Teletubbies for hours on repeat which had the effect of making them more suggestable when the song was played on levels not audible during interrogations to make them cooperative. Drugs with a dopaminergic effect render the mind into a position where it is more plastic. This is the mechanism used in psychiatric treatment to help reinforce positive behaviors. Conversely, this is why junkies end up forming strong habits associated with weird things unrelated to a drug. This is all to say one thing: you are what you eat, what you watch, what you listen to, what you daydream about, what emotions you reflect on, what fantasies you believe of yourself (whether good or bad). For me, this is why I watch movies like Troy, Alexander, BBC Rome, Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Bronson, Valhalla Rising, Fight Club and others on repeat. Or I read Nietzsche on repeat as well. Sometimes I would take hallucinogens and cocaine/amphetamines to render my mind more suggestable towards these ends (PLEASE DON'T DO DRUGS, STAY STRAIGHT EDGE). You can achieve the same effects completely sober and imbibe in yourself ideas of strength which you act on. I will literally never watch videos of white dudes getting beat up, or other outrage porn because that is literally unconsciously programming your body to be weaker in those situations. I never watch images of weakness where I sympathize with the loser. I am a winner and I only like watching winning. This is why my channel is always going to post positive imagery that you can feed your soul and become UBERMENSCH. Your brain is a powerful engine, use it to your benefit or it will be used against you.

Dharma is a gift to each of you. Once you learn a method of meditation it is your possession, it will be with you for the rest of your life. The beginning stage of tantra is to establish pure view with visualisation, in other words an enlightened romanticisation of your life. Therefore, you should think that you have been handed Excalibur, by none other than the primordially pure female form of the Dakini of the Lake. But the true Excalibur, this Vajra, the omnipotent sword, is wielded not by the strength of your arm, but by the compassion and clarity of your mind: your samadhi. Whether you are practicing tantra or not, this is how you should see your spiritual practice, your meditation. The heroic journey of your life begins when you sit on your meditation cushion. This is a non-dual concept: you need to master your mind to prevail in the outer quest of your life, but also sitting down to meditate is a fully fledged adventure in itself. Never relinquish your inner life to the boring and mundane perception of outer appearances. Transform! Whatever dragons you face, draw the sword of Dharma from the sheath of your mind, and strike down the fiercest delusions with calm awareness. This method, of transformation and developing clear awareness, is the only way to fulfil your own wishes and the wishes of others. All other means are temporary, transient, but by way of this inner path your transcend your own death and gain power to help others in life. If you convince yourself of this, then no matter what activities you may be engaged in, you should cast aside worldly thoughts, and give body, speech and mind entirely over to the path. And if, after all this, your question is "How?" then cultivate your seeking spirit, and ask around, you never know...

I haven't done much aside from forwarding Vajrarastra posts for a while, perhaps it's time to write something new.

Hercules as Vajrapani, 18"×24" My attempt at a thangka, pleased with how it turned out after a few months by @LinJKai https://mobile.twitter.com/LinJKai/status/1641077658782973953

New blog! And a brand new entry! On the Buddhist Concept of Divine Monarchy According to the Golden Light Sutra https://vajrakingdom.wordpress.com/2023/03/15/on-the-buddhist-concept-of-divine-monarchy-according-to-the-golden-light-sutra/

"There is also a tree, the Rose-Apple Tree, on the summit of Mount Meru at the very center of the Buddhist cosmos. This tree serves as a cosmic pillar connecting Heaven and Earth." - Meher McArthur, The Tree in Buddhist Symbolism and Art [Image: Yggdrasil, by Oluf Bagge, from Northern Antiquities]

At all times, again and again, we should make vast prayers for the sake of all beings. When falling asleep we should think, 'May all beings achieve the absolute state' When waking up, 'May all beings awake into the enlightened state' When getting up, 'May all beings obtain the body of the Buddha' When putting on clothes, 'May all beings have modesty and sense of shame' When lighting a fire, 'May all beings burn the wood of disturbing emotions' When eating, 'May all beings eat the food of concentration' When opening a door, 'May all beings open the door to the city of liberation' When closing a door, 'May all beings close the door to lower realms' When going outside, 'May I set out on the path to free all beings' When walking uphill, 'May I take all beings to the higher realms' when walking downhill, 'May I go to free beings from lower realms' when seeing happiness, 'May all beings achieve the happiness of Buddhahood' When seeing suffering, 'May the suffering of all beings be pacified' Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche