Establishing Balance and Harmony. March 2022
Establishing Balance and Harmony
James Low, March 2022
The Text, the Tsa Tsa Practice and the Sutra Describing the Benefits of Producing Representations of the Thus-Gone One.
Click here to read and download in English.
Click here to read and download in Portuguese.
Click here to read and download in Spanish.
Click here to read and download in Turkish.
Click here to watch the videos and find out how to make tsa tsa.
The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!
Hamlet 1.5.188
Turbulence is everywhere. We find disturbance in ecology, in economics, in food supply, in political divisions and in enmity, violence and war. This is our world as it is and it is our task to bring benefit rather than harm. When, like Hamlet, we are called upon to act this can feel like a terrible burden which we would prefer to be falling on the shoulders of others. However we have turned towards the dharma and made a commitment to the work of developing wisdom and compassion and so we must find a way to confront the negative forces released by unawareness and dualistic assumptions.
According to the tradition it is important to develop the accumulations of merit and wisdom in order to antidote the obscurations of the five afflicting poisons and of false knowledge.
We have gathered here a sutra text which highlights the benefits of making images of the Buddhas along with a description of how to use moulds to produce images. This is accompanied by two videos which demonstrate the process. The instructions in the videos focus on making images of Padmasambhava, the Second Buddha of our time. You can of course use moulds of other Buddha figures according to your practice and wish. The images that we make from our moulds can be left plain or painted depending on the time we have available.
As with any dharma practice, we should commence with taking refuge and developing bodhicitta compassionate altruism. While preparing the images you should recite the Seven Line Prayer or Padmasambhava’s main mantra and at the end dedicate the merit of the practice to the alleviation of suffering in all the six realms. There are also instructions given for how to consecrate your clay image(s).
The images can be placed in nature, in rivers where they will gradually dissolve, in holes in trees, in holes in the ground or any suitable place you find. The can also be placed on walls or in parks in cities. We believe that the presence of these images will bring the blessing power of Padmasambhava to balance the five elements and reduce the conflicts and tension which lead to destruction of the environment and the lives of sentient beings.
Click here to watch the videos and find out how to make tsa tsa.
You can order moulds from Gandhanra ART at https://gandhanra.art/pages/contact.
We bought them successfully through this UK website: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GandhanraART?ref=l2-about-shopname.
Their moulds are newly made and give a clear definition in the clay.