Je Tsongkhapa

After I pass away
And my pure doctrine is absent,
You will appear as an ordinary being,
Performing the deeds of a Buddha
And establishing the Joyful Land, the great Protector,
In the Land of the Snows.

The words of the Shakymuni Buddha, predicting Guru arrival of ‘The Man from the Valley of Onions,’ Je Tsongkhapa…  Here is an explanation, courtesy of Guhyasamaja Center Blog

“What is now referrred to as “Tsongkhapa Day” is actually the celebration of the ‘parinirvana’ or the enlightenment of the great Lama Tsongkhapa (1357 – 1419) whose birth and enlightent activity was prophesized by the Buddha himself.

From the spiritual practice point of view, Tsongkhapa Day is extremely significant. Since Guru Yoga practice is the heart and soul of path towards enlightenment, the celebration acts as a reminder for all of us to engage in Guru devotion and seek the blessings of all the direct and lineage masters. On this day devotees (both lay people and monks) make expensive offerings and engage in Guru puja practices. The fundmental reason is that there are no holier objects of worship and offering than the Guru/Gurus when it comes to accumulation of merit!”

I’m far too much of a novice to discuss the accomplishments of Tsongkhapa.  What I can point out is that Tsongkhapa is considered the founder of the Geluk school and wrote the excellent treatise ‘The Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path’ which is a lam rim text.  Tsongkhapa was a great scholar and a student as well as a teacher.  It is said that he heard teachings and received lineages from all the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.  Of Tsongkhapa, it is also said: “This was a golden age in Tibet, and thousands of Tibetans were inspired by Je Tsongkhapa’s immaculate example of pure moral discipline, compassionate way of life, and profound, liberating wisdom.”

In establishing the tradition of the Geluk school, Tsongkhapa emphasized the union of the Sutras (the teachings of the Shakymuni Buddha) and Tantras (Lam a Yeshe – “each one of us is a union of all universal energy. Everything that we need in order to be complete is within us right at this very moment. It is simply a matter of being able to recognize it. This is the tantric approach.”)

The other great emphasis was placed on Vinaya (the moral code of discipline).

A short biography of Je Tsongkhapa can be found in the Berzin Archives (http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/teachers/lineage_masters/short_biography_lama_tsongkhapa.html) which goes further into the importance of Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings.  (I particularly liked the fact that an analogy is drawn to baking a cake! Read the brief page and the import will be evident…)

The point of all this is that this week contains the celebration of Tsongkhapa on November 30^th.  So what can the ordinary householder do?  The novice Buddhist?  I think that if you do not have access to a ceremony, one can observe this day by being compassionate and offering acts of kindness where ever and whenever possible.  By observing this day with vegetarian meals (another act of compassion) and by offering prayers …

Open to suggestions ...

If you think