shashur monastery

08/12/2025

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡?

In many places, people believe that if a cat crosses the road before them, it brings bad luck. Some even stop and wait for someone else to cross first. But where does this belief come from, and what does Buddhism say about it?

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺?

This idea is not Buddhist. It comes from old folk traditions where nighttime animals—especially cats—were linked with uncertainty and omens. Over time, the superstition was simply passed down through families.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁?

Buddhism teaches that:

• Animals do not create bad luck.

• Karma comes from our own actions, not from a cat walking in front of us.

• Fear and superstition are created by the mind, not by animals.

A cat crossing the road is just a sentient being trying to find food or a safe place. It has nothing to do with your fortune.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲

The real problem is not the cat but the belief we attach to it. When we feel fear, we weaken our own confidence.

Buddhism advises us to transform the moment into compassion:

“𝙈𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚, 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢.”

That single thought creates more merit than any superstition can remove.

In short
• The superstition is cultural, not spiritual.

• A cat cannot harm your karma.

• Your reaction matters more than the event.

• Compassion creates good fortune, not fear.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Phub Dorji Wang

༈ བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། །
𝙱𝚘𝚍𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚊, 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚎:
མ་སྐྱེས་པ་རྣམས་སྐྱེས་པ་དང༌། །
𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚖 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚗;
སྐྱེས་པ་ཉམས་པ་མེད་པ་ཡང༌། །
𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚗;
གོང་ནས་གོང་དུ་འཕེལ་བར་ཤོག །
𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛!

02/12/2025

𝘽𝙝𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝘼𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮!
(Bhutanese Astrology Series 1)

𝐋𝐨-𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐤 — 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞-𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫

The year when your birth animal sign returns in the calendar cycle.

In 2026, people born in the 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 year fall under Lo-Khak.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗼-𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁?

In Tibetan and Bhutanese astrology, when the year animal matches your birth animal, the two identical forces collide rather than support each other.

Instead of reinforcement, the energy “turns inward” and creates a self-strike, increasing the likelihood of:

* Instability in life
* Illness or low vitality
* Accidents and obstacles
* Emotional turbulence
* Setbacks in work and relationships

This is why Lo-Khak is considered the most serious inauspicious year cycle.

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁

* For Men:

The year before the Lo-Khak year (called Nang-Khak) is more difficult than the Lo-Khak year itself.

* For Women:

The year after the Lo-Khak year (called Chi-Khak) brings more obstacles.

𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗼-𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗸 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝘀

Lo-Khak recurs every 12 years, or when your age turn to the following ages:

𝟭𝟯, 𝟮𝟱, 𝟯𝟳, 𝟰𝟵, 𝟲𝟭, 𝟳𝟯, 𝟴𝟱, 𝟵𝟳

These are major turning points where health, fortune, and mental stability require extra attention.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗩𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼-𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗸

Within the Lo-Khak year there are six months where the month animal has strong karmic conflict with your birth sign. These months are traditionally considered the periods of:

* Highest obstacle
* Increased misfortune
* Need for special caution and prayers
(Exact months depend on the birth sign + traditional month-animal cycle.)

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲

During a Lo-Khak year, one should:

* Engage more in prayers and protective practices (Guru Rinpoche prayers, Tara, Mahakala, Riwo Sangchö, life-release)

* Avoid major risks — travel, dangerous work, reckless activities

* Postpone major surgeries, if medically safe to do so

* Stay grounded emotionally, avoid big conflicts

* Be mindful of finances, avoid unnecessary loans or speculative investments

* Receive regular blessings (lung, wang, sojong, chab-dro)

* Perform protective rituals
* Lhabsang
* Chab-söl
* Nagma/Nagpo rituals
* Astrological remedial practices
* Annual “Lha-gam”, “Lu-gam”, or “Nay-gam” according to your element/animal if recommended

In essence:

Lo-Khak does not predict disaster — it simply means the energy of the year is not smooth for you. With awareness, prayer, and carefulness, people can pass through Lo-Khak safely and even grow spiritually.

Phub Dorji Wang

༈ བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། །
𝙱𝚘𝚍𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚊, 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚎:
མ་སྐྱེས་པ་རྣམས་སྐྱེས་པ་དང༌། །
𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚖 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚗;
སྐྱེས་པ་ཉམས་པ་མེད་པ་ཡང༌། །
𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚗;
གོང་ནས་གོང་དུ་འཕེལ་བར་ཤོག །
𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛!



Note: to be continued…..

06/11/2025

02/11/2025

🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧.

In this opening 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟒𝟕 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭’s special series, 𝐆𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚 𝐃𝐨𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚 & 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐞 look back on their life journeys — not through the lens of success or recognition, but through 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 that transformed how they saw themselves and the world.

For Michael Lee,
▪️ It was leaving home at twelve and learning to stand on his own;
▪️ His first promotion, where he discovered the true essence of leadership;
▪️ And the chapter of becoming a husband and father — a stage that expanded his sense of responsibility and awakened a wisdom greater than himself.

For Gyalwa Dokhampa,
▪️ It began at five — entering the monastery and learning independence and contentment.
▪️ At eighteen, he embraced the spiritual path as his own — seeing that true confidence grows from inner peace, not outer control.
▪️ By twenty-nine, as he took on the responsibility of guiding Drukpa centers across continents, he discovered that leading others begins with mastering one’s own mind.

🌿 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 were not marked by achievements, but by the challenges that questioned their values, tested their courage, and ultimately deepened their understanding of what it means to grow.

May their reflections remind us to honor our own turning points — not only the joyful ones, but also the moments that stretch and shape our hearts.

🎧 Listen to Episode 47 now — and take a quiet moment to reflect.

𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3kaJbJ6tw2xmjVxlZvg0B7?si=9af2efa2df6646a4

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝘀: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-restful-mind/id1636300966?i=1000734583446

𝐖𝐞𝐛 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝗲𝗿: https://sites.libsyn.com/427676/the-restful-mind-ep-47

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Have a question you'd like answered in a future episode? Email us at: [email protected]

Find Gyalwa Dokhampa’s book The Restful Mind online

📲 And if you need a gentle daily companion, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩 offers reflections, breath practices, and reminders to help you stay rooted in what truly matters: https://onelink.to/5gzzhz

05/09/2025

31/10/2024

31/10/2024

Happy Diwali Everyone!

May this festival of LIGHTS bring happiness and joy. Let us illuminate the LIGHT within us, to eradicate darkness of samsara. ~ The Gyalwang Drukpa