It is said that it is impossible to gain enlightenment without wisdom. Every one of us has a Buddhanature in us, a kind of spiritual potential and happiness that remains unrealized as long as our view is clouded by delusions.
Imagine a pond before you; the more you disturb the water, the more turbulent it is, the murkier the water gets. It takes wisdom (and common sense!) to know that if you want a clear pond so you can see right to the bottom, you have to let the water settle down.
Our delusions are the turbulent water, obscuring our clarity and holding us back from tapping in to our spiritual potential. Therefore to bring us closer to our spiritual goals, we need to know how to overcome the delusions and how to walk the path. And knowing how to walk the path requires us to gain wisdom.
All over the world, Buddhists and spiritual friends offer lights as part of their daily practice to develop the causes for wisdom. A candle is likened to wisdom, and our ignorance is likened to darkness; thus like a lamp dispels the darkness, it is believed that light dispels the darkness of ignorance. Light brings clarity; with clarity comes understanding, and with understanding comes practice and realizations.
Your contribution to this fund will go towards the candles offered every single day on Rinpoche's personal outdoor Vajrayogini altar.
Oh, and why will your candle be offered to trillions of Buddhas? Aside from the visualisation where offerings are multiplied countless times, inside every single one of Rinpoche's statues are trillions of Buddha images. The candle offering will be made to all of them, thus generating the results of making offerings to a trillion enlightened beings.
For more information: http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/butterlamps.html
WHO WE ARE
Tsem Ladrang is the private office and household of H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche. The Ladrang team are responsible for overseeing and implementing the instructions of Rinpoche through the Kechara Organisation.
WHAT YOUR FUNDS WILL GO TOWARDS
The candles, pure and simple, offered on Rinpoche's personal outdoor Vajrayogini altar! Aside from the administrative fee Fundrazr takes for hosting this campaign, there are no other surprise administrative fees involved and all of the candles are offered right here, every single day in Tsem Ladrang.
SCRIPTURAL SOURCES
The Avatamsaka Sutra: Offering lamps can dispel all darkness.
The Treasury of Bodhisattvas Sutra: Offering 10,000 bright lamps to confess and extinguish hosts of negative karma and defilements.
The Cakrasamvara Tantra (which includes Vajrayogini): If you wish for sublime realizations, offer hundreds of lights.
The Sutra of Giving: Those who offer lamps, will possess the pure heavenly eyes and clear wisdom in the future.
