Padmakara

By the time I started to have my own thoughts, I had already been programmed to do so many things. One of them was prayer.

I remember praying under the hot sun in the morning, and again before bed. Mom told me. Dad told me. Teachers said it was a rule  Everybody did it guess I did it too.

There was one prayer Tshig Dhen Seldab, the Seven-Line Prayer. Dad would always tell me to recite it and anything I wished for would come true. It started with that prayer. I began to question it.

On the surface, it was a good deed. But it felt like a chore. So I asked myself, why am I doing this? What does it mean?

Then it led me to the English translation and I found that the prayer is a tribute to Guru Rinpoche, asking for his blessings. And from that moment, everything changed.

Whenever I was troubled, I would pray and meditate on Guru Rinpoche
and I’d find peace. It grounded me. My fears lessened.
My faith grew stronger, and with that faith, I began doing things that once scared me
because I knew, no matter what happens, he is with me.

That moment felt like I had found myself.
It gave me strength, gratitude, and courage to take the first step, even when it was daunting.

When I think back, that moment marked two of the most important events in my life:
I found Guru Rinpoche, and I found myself.

I designed this Tshirt to reflect that moment.