Divinations with Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche
About Tibetan Divination
Since the dawn of mankind, different methods of divination, or ways to know the past, present and future, have existed in many cultures around the world. In Tibet, various systems of divination have been used for thousands of years. Since the 8th century, when Buddhism began taking root in Tibet, these divination methods were re-framed in accordance with the laws of karma and the Buddhist principles of compassionate activity to benefit beings.
According to these Buddhist divination systems, when a divination is performed, the practitioner enters into a visualization practice and invokes the energies or blessings of the deity associated with that form of divination. The practitioner is not acting as an oracle who is possessed by a deity, but rather, they are communicating with the wisdom aspect of the deity's mind, which is none other than our own deep mind. This communication can occur through a variety of mediums, such as reading the patterns of crow's flight, rock formations, the throw of dice, or on the surface of a mirror.
The ability to perform divinations for the benefit of others is acquired through intensive retreats under qualified masters and involves sadhana, mantra recitation and strong meditation practices. Divination abilities may also be inherited. In Tibet it is common for a family lineage to hold certain divination practices, which are passed on to children who demonstrate certain signs and sensitivities. The motivation for performing divinations must always be pure - done solely to bring relief for the suffering of all beings and not for one's own personal gain or fame.
Many different kinds of divination methods are practiced by Tibetan Buddhist masters within all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Lamas routinely offer some form of divination as an aspect of their pastoral service. Some of the more common forms include divination using a rosary, and dice divination. Rosary divinations provide simple 'yes' or 'no' answers and are used when one needs to find simple answers quickly. Dice divinations rely on a text which gives prescribed answers depending on the numbers shown on the dice. The practitioner must know how to interpret the answers given in the book to meet the individual's specific needs. Other Tibetan divination methods include Dorje Yudronma's Mirror divination; Manjushri, Palden Lhamo, and Tseringma's dice divination; Gesar of Ling Arrow divination, dough ball divinations, dream interpretations, and divinations using butter lamps, shoulder-blades, and stones. To learn more about Tibetan forms of divination, go to http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/divination, the official website for the Government of Tibet in exile.
Mirror Divination
Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche is adept in many forms of divination, including Palden Lhamo's dice divination and rosary divination. However, he is most famous for his mastery of the Mirror Divination of Dorje Yudronma. Dorje Yudronma is one of Tibet's principle guardian goddesses who vowed to help beings by bestowing the wisdom of 'clear seeing' and foresight to those who make connections with her.
Mirror Divination is known as "Ta" in Tibetan. According to Lama Dawa, Ta means "that which is coming forward very clearly." Mirror divination uses a mirror (usually made of brass, silver or glass) to reflect back to the seer images or words in response to a question. In order to be able to 'see' in the mirror, one needs to have 'special eyes' which is either inherited from one's parents, or is a natural talent carried over from one's previous lives. Then, after much intensive retreats under the guidance of a qualified master, these natural abilities are further developed and refined.
There are three levels of mirror divination. First, one develops the ability to see shapes, colors and images the mirror. A text must be consulted to interpret the meaning of these signs. This is the most common form of mirror divination used today. With further development, one begins to see letters, words and complete sentences on the surface of the mirror. The practitioner writes down the words verbatim, and gives this message to the questioner. Finally, there is no need for the mirror. The practitioner automatically 'knows' what the questions are and the answers arise spontaneously in their mind.
Lama Dawa was born with 'special eyes' which he inherited from his mother, the yogini Choyin Palmo. While living in Kalimpong, his parents would perform mirror divination for HH Dudjom Rinpoche. As a boy, Lama Dawa would accompany his parents on these trips and it was then that his natural abilities were discovered. He was able to see many different colors and forms arising in the mirror. HH Dudjom Rinpoche recognized his special abilities and advised him to develop them further. It wasn't until many years later, while a student at Sanskrit University in Varanasi, that he completed the practices. Under the guidance of HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Lama Dawa perfected the Dorje Yudronma divination practices, and with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's strong encouragement, he began to offer his divination services to those who asked.
When you receive a mirror divination from Lama Dawa, he will look in the mirror and write down the words and sentences exactly as they appear in the mirror. Then he will translate the answers into English, which are transcribed by his attendant. Answers are usually direct and specific to the question, without a lot of other commentary. As Lama Dawa says, "the answers come from the questions", which means the answers will be directly pertinent to the question and how the question is asked. For this reason, it is important to state your questions clearly as this affects the outcome of your answer.
For guidelines on how to formulate your questions, go to How to Ask your question.