Hair Cutting Days
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Tiago Simões
- Posts: 1102
- Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:41 pm
- Location: Portugal
Hair Cutting Days
So what is the logic behind auspicious and inauspicious hair cutting days? How many of you follow them?
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I don't cut my hair. Problem solved! 
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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Lobsang Chojor
- Posts: 845
- Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:08 pm
- Location: Ireland
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I have been taught that it is based on astrological forces and it is a subtle means of affecting the conditions which can cause karma to ripen. But it's utility is preceded by you already having good karma in the first place. No matter how perfect the conditions, if you don't have any virtuous seeds left nothing virtuous will grow. If you can follow them it is like increasing your chances of good happening, and if you ignore them it increases your chances for bad. But the change is not huge, the forces aren't that powerful. And if you haven't created the karma previously for either those good or bad things to happen then the conditions won't matter.
"Morality does not become pure unless darkness is dispelled by the light of wisdom"
- Aryasura, Paramitasamasa 6.5
Re: Hair Cutting Days
My hair cutting days follow closely an auspicious alignment between the car being available for a short trip to the next town and the Turkish guys that run it opening the shop.
Subtle cosmic vibes also result in a free coffee and, when I pay, a piece of Turkish Delight on a toothpick.
Om to all that.
Subtle cosmic vibes also result in a free coffee and, when I pay, a piece of Turkish Delight on a toothpick.
Om to all that.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I fancy 30th.....meeting a few spirits in human form seems like fun.PeterC wrote: ↑Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:59 am https://fpmt.org/wp-content/uploads/tea ... _lzr08.pdf
I generally follow. Can’t hurt.
http://www.khyung.com ཁྲོཾ
Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath
Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ (मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्)
Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath
Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ (मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्)
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I was thinking of having a trim tomorrow, but I don't want eye pain..no siree.
Scissors in the eye presumably.
Scissors in the eye presumably.“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
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Lobsang Chojor
- Posts: 845
- Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:08 pm
- Location: Ireland
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I need to shave today so it's great power, which presumably is the ability to get all my hair and not cut myself 
Simon which calendar do you use, the Tsurphu calendar?
Simon which calendar do you use, the Tsurphu calendar?
"Morality does not become pure unless darkness is dispelled by the light of wisdom"
- Aryasura, Paramitasamasa 6.5
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I use a calendar I bought online because I like the pictures.
I stopped being a pretend Tibetan about the same time that I reverted to my birth name.
Its all just more stuff to clear away.
I stopped being a pretend Tibetan about the same time that I reverted to my birth name.
Its all just more stuff to clear away.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
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Tiago Simões
- Posts: 1102
- Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:41 pm
- Location: Portugal
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dzogchungpa
- Posts: 6333
- Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 10:50 pm
Re: Hair Cutting Days
Tiago Simões wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 4:53 pmUsing the Tibetan lunar calendar is "pretending to be tibetan"?
Well, I look at the Tibetan lunar calendar to know when Dakini day is, since I have a commitment to do a particular practice then, and I don't think I'm a pretend Tibetan. Then again, I'm just a beginner and Simone is an advanced practitioner, so what do I know?
There is not only nothingness because there is always, and always can manifest. - Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I stopped thinking of myself as a would-be 'advanced practitioner' or as a less 'advanced practitioner' about the same time as I stopped pretending to be a Tibetan.
Whats left?
The River Thames at high tide. The hills of Surrey in the rain.
Same as it ever was.
Whats left?
The River Thames at high tide. The hills of Surrey in the rain.
Same as it ever was.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Re: Hair Cutting Days
So now you pretend to be an English gentleman?Simon E. wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:08 am I stopped thinking of myself as a would-be 'advanced practitioner' or as a less 'advanced practitioner' about the same time as I stopped pretending to be a Tibetan.
Whats left?
The River Thames at high tide. The hills of Surrey in the rain.
Same as it ever was.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE
"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I am an Englishman..a gentleman? I am not sure.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
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dzogchungpa
- Posts: 6333
- Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 10:50 pm
Re: Hair Cutting Days
Well, at least you got to behave like a condescending knob end towards some people discussing the use of the Tibetan calendar in the Tibetan Buddhism forum, and that's what matters.
There is not only nothingness because there is always, and always can manifest. - Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Re: Hair Cutting Days
When it comes to Tibetan astrology and the elements, I pay close attention what my teachers have to say on this, in particular and especially Chogyal Namkhai Norbu.
ChNN has taught this to his students for many decades now. He has written a book on the subject matter for his students, a key to the Tibetan calendar, and every year there's a publication of a regular Tibetan calendar and a special Tibetan calendar. Furthermore, he always gives transmission of the Namkha practice, so that his students can empower the Namkha when necessary. And of course the Namkha practice is very much related to Tibetan astrology and the elements. Likewise he has taught the Four Methods, which is yet another practice related to Tibetan astrology and the elements. So, he is clarifying many aspects of this for his students, for their benefit on the path as practitioners, and not as some sort of silly cultural manifestation that is only of interest (or use) for Tibetans. Also, Men-Tsee Khang institute requested ChNN to write a short introduction to their introductory book on Tibetan Astrology as well.
Moreover, Manjushri himself taught the astrology of the elements, and that's the teachings of a major Bodhisattva, who for what it's worth, is not Tibetan...
Perhaps much of this may seem trivial and inane, like good or bad days for cutting your hair, but our cyclical existence is categorized into time periods, whether massively large (like eons) or extremely small, like seconds (or even fractions of sections) and each cycle or period is ruled by (or affected by) various factors, including sentient beings.
The point is not to become paranoid and to become a slave of these systems (something ChNN has also warned against, like people who become so obsessed with astrology that they have to check if it's a good day or not to even use toilet paper), but the point is to utilize them in order to live harmoniously with the environment and the infinite sentient beings we live with, whether seen or unseen. To coordinate our energy, to stabilize, improve, etc.
I think it's clear that if this was just a silly Tibetan cultural custom that had no value outside the sphere of Tibetans and their special interests (being completely irrelevant for non-Tibetans), then ChNN would never waste that much time on teaching it. Nor would his teachings have all of these aspects to them, nor would he state that they can be of tremendous benefit for all of humanity.
Should you look at the calendar for when you cut your hair? I don't know. That's up to you. Maybe for some it would be useful, perhaps it'll minimize obstacles or minor issues that can come to fruition, and maybe for others it's meaningless. Certainly cutting ones hair is of less importance than getting major surgery for example.
But I think that to dismiss all of this as something only Tibetans do, and that if you do partake in it, you're somehow a pretend-Tibetan, this is a big error. Teachings on Astrology and the elements are intimately part of Vajrayana and Dzogchen.
ChNN has taught this to his students for many decades now. He has written a book on the subject matter for his students, a key to the Tibetan calendar, and every year there's a publication of a regular Tibetan calendar and a special Tibetan calendar. Furthermore, he always gives transmission of the Namkha practice, so that his students can empower the Namkha when necessary. And of course the Namkha practice is very much related to Tibetan astrology and the elements. Likewise he has taught the Four Methods, which is yet another practice related to Tibetan astrology and the elements. So, he is clarifying many aspects of this for his students, for their benefit on the path as practitioners, and not as some sort of silly cultural manifestation that is only of interest (or use) for Tibetans. Also, Men-Tsee Khang institute requested ChNN to write a short introduction to their introductory book on Tibetan Astrology as well.
Moreover, Manjushri himself taught the astrology of the elements, and that's the teachings of a major Bodhisattva, who for what it's worth, is not Tibetan...
Perhaps much of this may seem trivial and inane, like good or bad days for cutting your hair, but our cyclical existence is categorized into time periods, whether massively large (like eons) or extremely small, like seconds (or even fractions of sections) and each cycle or period is ruled by (or affected by) various factors, including sentient beings.
The point is not to become paranoid and to become a slave of these systems (something ChNN has also warned against, like people who become so obsessed with astrology that they have to check if it's a good day or not to even use toilet paper), but the point is to utilize them in order to live harmoniously with the environment and the infinite sentient beings we live with, whether seen or unseen. To coordinate our energy, to stabilize, improve, etc.
I think it's clear that if this was just a silly Tibetan cultural custom that had no value outside the sphere of Tibetans and their special interests (being completely irrelevant for non-Tibetans), then ChNN would never waste that much time on teaching it. Nor would his teachings have all of these aspects to them, nor would he state that they can be of tremendous benefit for all of humanity.
Should you look at the calendar for when you cut your hair? I don't know. That's up to you. Maybe for some it would be useful, perhaps it'll minimize obstacles or minor issues that can come to fruition, and maybe for others it's meaningless. Certainly cutting ones hair is of less importance than getting major surgery for example.
But I think that to dismiss all of this as something only Tibetans do, and that if you do partake in it, you're somehow a pretend-Tibetan, this is a big error. Teachings on Astrology and the elements are intimately part of Vajrayana and Dzogchen.
Re: Hair Cutting Days
Baby...........bathwater analogy.
ChNN may be wasting his time producing a calendar for non-Tibetan non-Indian non-Chinese Dzogchenpas too, but what is the better alternative you have discovered to all this Tibetan cultural accretion?
If you have been given a Tibetan name, Tibetan practices, Tibetan terms etc etc. why make an effort to discard them? Were they obstructiive to practice? The problem is that we may abandon attachment to one set of behaviours and just replace it with another.
Isn't your birth name just another one given to you, and you are creating an attachment to it, exactly the same in nature as attachment to one given to you by your Guru?
If my DNA is anything to go by I should now be chucking it all in, chasing Odin instead of Vajrakila and playing the bodhran Irish drum instead of the damaru.
Hmm, I sense a marketing opportunity:
Classes in Galstonebury in Vedic Viking Bodhran Buddhism. With crystals.
http://www.khyung.com ཁྲོཾ
Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath
Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ (मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्)
Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath
Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ (मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्)
Re: Hair Cutting Days
I'm pretty sure I have seen classes in something pretty close to that advertised in Glastonbury High Street Mantrik..
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Re: Hair Cutting Days
Student to CTR. " Should I learn Tibetan, Rinpoche?
CTR. No. Just get Enlightened.
Student. 'is learning Tibetan an obstacle to practice?'
CTR. In your case... probably.
In his case...
Please note neither in this thread or any other do I ever say what others should or should not do.
For the simple reason that I have no idea what others should or should not do.
That's between them and their teacher.
CTR. No. Just get Enlightened.
Student. 'is learning Tibetan an obstacle to practice?'
CTR. In your case... probably.
In his case...
Please note neither in this thread or any other do I ever say what others should or should not do.
For the simple reason that I have no idea what others should or should not do.
That's between them and their teacher.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
Re: Hair Cutting Days
Also, if possible, one can avoid the ox, tiger, and dog days as prejudiced to life. The pig day is good. Some gyukars (nakshatras) are said to be good (0,4,6,7,12,13,14,17,21b,22,23, and 26 by Tibetan count, add 1 for Vedic count), also even though 15'th lunar day is listed as good it is better to avoid it as well as the new moon.PeterC wrote: ↑Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:59 am https://fpmt.org/wp-content/uploads/tea ... _lzr08.pdf
I generally follow. Can’t hurt.
In India there is a system of weekdays with Saturday being the worst. The bad days are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Saturday is the worst. Sunday is only marginally bad. This is from an Indian system.
Kevin...