Meeting Of The Three Buddhist Paths

Shakyamuni Buddha, the World Honoured One turned the Wheel of Dharma three times during his lifetime for the sake of liberating all sentient beings from the perpetual sufferings of Samsara in accordance to their specific faculties. The three turnings of the Wheel of Dharma gave rise to three Buddhist Paths - the Hinayana Path for individual liberation which thrives in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka; the Mahayana Path for Universal Liberation which thrives in China, Japan and Korea, and the Vajrayana Path for Direct Purification of the Mind which thrives in Tibet and around the world.

On a recent visit by Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche to the drought-ridden island of Cyprus, which was preceded by auspicious signs, with rainfall the day before he arrived and also during his stay there, Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche gave teaching on a range of subjects, which cover Buddhist Medicine and Healing, Meditation and Medical Qigong. He was also invited to visit the local Sri Lankan Buddhist Temple, which serves the 20,000 Sri Lankans living and working on the island. There he met with the Temple’s resident monks, Rev. Sumeda and Rev. Mahinda, who kindly invited him to join them for lunch, which comprised of Sri Lankan food cooked by the Sri Lankan community. During the course of the visit, Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche exchanged views with his hosts on a wide range of topics on the Buddhist Paths which are common to the Hinayana Path they follow and the Vajrayana Path which Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche represents. The visit undoubtedly goes a long way to promoting friendship and understanding between Dharma brothers from two different Buddhist traditions.

Two weeks later, Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche was invited to visit Lin Yan Xue Chu - a Chinese Buddhist Temple in Sydney, Australia. The abbot, Master Shi Chang Ming who is a disciple of Master Quan Hui in Hong Kong, welcomed Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche with a most splendid lunch prepared by the Chinese speaking sangha of the temple. Although Master Shi Chang Ming has been practising Chan Meditation for over twenty years, she was keen to find out more about the remedy on how to overcome the pitfalls of meditation and put forward questions to Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche on the subject of calming the mind. Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche directed their attention to the usefulness of Shinay (one-pointed focus meditation) of both the Mahayana and Vajrayana Paths, which allow the mind to relax within its own nature by replacing all thoughts with one single focus. At the request of Master Shi Chang Ming, Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche gave some instruction on sitting qigong practice that prepares the mind for Chan meditation.

Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche is due to visit Cyprus in early December 2008 and Australia in late February 2009. For details, visit Teaching Schedule.

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