11 years ago on Tsongkhapa Day in 2010, H.E. Tsem Rinpoche explained why all of us can take Lama Tsongkhapa as our personal meditational deity, and how this easy practice can help us become better, happier people.
But who is Lama Tsongkhapa and why is he so beneficial?
Lama Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) was a Buddhist saint who founded the Gelugpa tradition to which Kechara belongs. During a time when Buddha's teachings had degenerated, he led a renaissance of Tibetan Buddhism by emphasising study, morality and practice.
Revered as the emanation of three bodhisattvas — Manjushri, Chenrezig and Vajrapani, Lama Tsongkhapa performed many great deeds that facilitated the continuation and propagation of Buddha's holy teachings.
⚡ 1. COMPOSING THE MIGTSEMA MANTRA 🙏
After receiving a prayer from Manjushri, Lama Tsongkhapa altered two lines to praise his guru Rendawa and offered it to him. Rendawa said the prayer was more applicable as a praise to Tsongkhapa, so altered the prayer again and offered it back to Tsongkhapa. The power of Migtsema is extraordinary because it combines the energies of Lama Tsongkhapa, Manjushri, Chenrezig and Vajrapani. It is arguably the most important mantra for Gelug practitioners.
👉 Read more about the power of Migtsema and Lama Tsongkhapa's Guru Yoga: [ Ссылка ]
⚡ 2. PURIFICATION RETREATS 🧘
Lama Tsongkhapa is famed for completing 3.5 million prostrations (100,000 to each of the 35 Confessional Buddhas) and 1.8 million mandala offerings (18 sets of 100,000). He engaged in these purification retreats with eight of his closest disciples.
👉 Read more about the 35 Confessional Buddhas: [ Ссылка ]
⚡ 3. COMPOSING THE LAM RIM CHENMO ✍️
Lama Tsongkhapa composed the Great Stages on the Path to Enlightenment. Anyone can study this invaluable text to train in Buddhist practices in a graded manner to transform their minds and achieve enlightenment.
👉 Read more about the lineage of Lam Rim: [ Ссылка ]
⚡ 4. ESTABLISHING THE MONLAM CHENMO 📿
Lama Tsongkhapa established a 15-day prayer festival to celebrate the life and teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. The Monlam Chenmo is still celebrated annually during Tibetan New Year.
👉 Read more about Monlam Chenmo: [ Ссылка ]
⚡5. CONSTRUCTION OF THREE GREAT MONASTERIES
Lama Tsongkhapa founded three great monastic institutions — Gaden, Sera and Drepung. Known as the Three Pillars of Buddhism, these monasteries still exist today and are beacons of transformation following the tradition of Buddha's teachings.
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The complete list of Lama Tsongkhapa's deeds and the benefits of each are long, and they are the reason he is universally held in such high regard. That's why spiritual practitioners all over the world engage in his practice every day to seek his blessings — especially on Tsongkhapa Day when many candles, lights and butterlamps are offered to dispel darkness and generate merits for wishes to be fulfilled.
Offer a light on Tsongkhapa Day:
👉 [ Ссылка ]
