The Door of
Happiness -
Prayer for the Happiness of all Sentient Beings
Ngorchen
Kunga Zangpo
May the priceless teachings of the Omniscient One, the only
door through
which happiness ever appears to living beings, never decline
in any place or time,
but spread forth to every direction's end.
May the
span of life be lengthened and enhanced for our peerless teachers
and spiritual
friends who cherish the Buddha's religion more than their lives and
whose
compassion and wisdom are measureless.
May the assemblies of monks who practice
His teaching always endure and
their works pervade the ten directions, for
they point out to beings the path of
virtue and carry the great burden of
teaching and meditation.
May all human beings be free from fears of old age,
disease and death, but live
instead with right views of existence in this
world. May their minds grow to love
one another, and limitless joys increase
always for all.
May the cities of the earth be beautiful, strung with rows
of prayer flags, white
and rippling in gentle breezes; may their inhabitants
not be poor but wear the fine
clothes and jewels they long to have.
May
the eyes of living beings be gladdened by skies made splendid by clouds
that
lightenings garland, while on earth below, the peacocks dance with joy as
showers
of rain, falling gently, approach.
May the mountains be adorned by rippling
grasses, clusters of wildflowers,
and by falling waters, and the valleys overflow
with grains and commingling
herds, while men sing songs that spring forth
from joy; in freedom from pride,
from wars and discord.
May the rulers
govern well in peaceful ways and peoples heed their rulers with
unfeigned
respect so that, all inner and outer conflicts set at rest, well-being
prevails
as it did in the Age of Perfection.
May every temple be adorned by many images
of the Enlightened One and
by books of holy scripture; may there the great
rain of worship be increased by
infinite clouds of offerings offered by gods.
May the chanting and study of scriptures increase in every monastery, each
of them filled with spiritual friends and monks in saffron robes who uphold
the
teachings of the sage and devote their days to discussing, explaining,
and writing
about His words.
May the Holy Teaching of the Blessed Enlightened
One be enhanced by lay
disciples, by novices, monks, and nuns, each endowed
with moral conduct that is
flawlessly pure and diligent in study, reflection,
and meditation.
May meditators who have given up every distraction be increased
by those
attainments of insight that follow renunciation; away from all bustle
and harm, may
they ever dwell in tranquil places of solitude.
May this,
our own circle of meditators, whose prayers are offered with
especial faith,
be blessed with prosperity untainted by wrong livelihood, and may
our spans
of life and our understanding of Dharma increase.
May there also arise within
me spiritual qualities of learning and realization
and the perfection of every
principle which the Enlightened Ones have taught,
through my own wholehearted
performance of giving, moral conduct, patience,
diligence, meditation, and
highest wisdom.
For the sake of others, may I too grow in harmony with the
Holy Teaching
and gather others together through kind words and generous deeds;
by the power of
right explanation, may their actions and mine become attuned
to the Way.
This prayer that I offer on behalf of all is that every obstacle
to Dharma may
vanish and every auspicious condition completely prevail; may
every virtue that
the Sage has praised increase always in every way!
By
the power of the compassionate blessings of the holy masters, by the
truth
of the Ultimate Reality of all Dharmas, and by the purity of our own noble
resolve,
may our prayers become actuality.
(This prayer for the happiness of all living
beings was written by the Venerable Master,
Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, who established
the famous hermitage of Ngor Evam in 1434. He was
an emanation of the Greatly
Compassionate One and one of the Sakya Order's most illustrious
saints. Because
it expresses the tute intent of all Buddhist scriptures, i.e. the aspiration to
bring
about true happiness and well-being of all beings without exception,
this prayer is usually
chanted by Sakya monks at the close of each assembly.
This is translated by Dr. P D Santina.)
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The
Verses of the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones
composed
by Mipham (1846-1912)
Om Svasti
Homage to the Buddha, Dharma and Noble
Sangha
All that dwell in the auspicious realms of the ten directions,
where
all appearance and existence is completely pure, its nature spontaneously perfect,
May all be auspicious for us!
Drönme Gyalpo, Tsalten Döndrub
Gong, Jampe Gyen Pal, Gedrag Pal Dampa,
Kunla Gongpa Gyach'er Dragpa Chen,
L'hunpo Tar Pag Tsal Drag Pal,
Semchen T'amchela Gong Dragpe Pal. Yitsim Dzepa
Tsal Rab Drag Pal-
Homage to the eight sugatas, merely hearing your names
increases auspiciousness and success!
The youthful Manjushri, the glorious
Vajrapani, Avalokiteshvara, the protector Maitreya,
Kshitigarbha, Nivaranaviskambin,
Akashagabha, and the most noble Samantabhadra.
Homage to the eight bodhisattvas,
supreme in granting auspiciousness and success, gracefully
holding your emblems:
utpala flower, vajra, white lotus, naga-tree, jewel, moon, sword and sun.
Holding
the eight most precious emblems: the most precious umbrella, the auspicious golden
fish, the wish-fulfilling vase of goodness, the exquisite kamala flower,
the conch of fame and
glory, the glorious knot of prosperity, the eternal
banner of victory and the all powerful wheel
are the creators of delight,
making offerings to the Buddhas of all directions and times...
Homage to the
eight auspicious goddesses: beauty, garlands, song, dance, flowers, incense, light
and perfume... Merely thinking of your essential qualities makes success
grow more and more!
Mahabrahma, Shambhu, Narayana, Sahasrajna, the Kings Dhritirashtra,
Virudhaka, Virupaksha
the Lord of Nagas, and Vaishravana-each one holding
your divine emblem: wheel, trident,
conch, vajra, vina, sword, stupa and
banner of victory.
Homage to the eight guardians of the world, who make auspiciousness
and positivity grow
in three realms!
With all obstacles and harmful influences
pacified, may the work we are now about to begin
meet with ever-growing fulfillment
and success,
and bring good fortune, prosperity, happiness and peace!
(recite
last verse three times)
translated by the Rigpa Fellowship
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The
Qualities of Buddhahood: A Brief Sketch
Ven.
Khenpo Appey Rinpoche
Suffering or unsatisfactoriness is a basis and
indisputable fact of life. Suffering afflicts all
living creatures without
exception, even though they try their utmost to escape it and to
obtain happiness.
A perceptive and sympathetic individual cannot help being grieved by
this
all-pervasive suffering, for he knows that all other sentient creatures are the
same as
himself in their longing for happiness. Suffering thus can also become
an occasion for
compassion - the deeply felt desire to free other creatures
from their miseries. The Mahayana
Buddhist, moreover, does not stop at just
generating this compassionate attitude. He or
she also comes to the conclusion
that the only one with ability truly to free others from
sorrow is a Perfectly
Awakened Buddha. And that Buddhist therefore resolves, for the
sake of saving
and benefitting all sentient creatures, to achieve the matchless attainment of
Buddhahood.
The mere thought or resolve to attain Awakening is, of course,
by itself not enough to bring
about its attainment. Buddhahood can only arise
through its correct causes, and not in the
absence of those causes or from
the wrong causes. These correct causes are the energetic
cultivation, over
an extremely long period of time, of the six perfections (paramita) of the
Bodhisattva
and the two preparatory assemblages of merit (punya) and Gnosis (jnana). In order
to strengthen one's resolve to cultivate those causes of Buddhahood it is
helpful to acquaint
oneself with just what sorts of attainments it consists
of. Therefore I shall here briefly explain the
main qualities of Buddhahood,
according to their five traditional divisions of body, speech, mind,
qualities,
and activities.
1. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ENLIGHTENED BODY
According
to the Sravakayana schools, the "bodily aspects" or "body"
(kaya) of the Buddha
is twofold. The undefiled Gnosis of the Buddha's mind
- His perfect realization of the Truth of
the Path - is the "dharma-body"
(Dharmakaya). The physical form of the Buddha Sakyamuni
who was born in Lumbini
and who attained Buddhahood at Bodh Gaya is held by them to be
the "form-body"
(Rupakaya).
THE DHARMAKAYA
The Dharmakaya consists of three inseparable
realizations: 1) the Dharmadhatu of the original
pure nature of mind, 2) the
Dharmadhatu of the purity of mind that occurs through the freedom
from all
adventitious stains or faults, and 3) the attainment of Gnosis that is without
impurities
(asrava). The Gnosis or Transcendant Knowledge furthermore includes
twenty-one categories
of characteristics free from the impurities. These include
the thirty-seven factors conducive to
Awakening, the four limitless attainments,
the eight liberations, and so forth.
THE SAMBHOGAKAYA
Three main characteristics
of the "enjoyment-body" are 1) that it is possesses the thirty-two
physical
marks of Buddhahood, 2) that it has the eighty auspicious physical characteristics,
and
3) that it engages itself in teaching only the Mahayana. These characteristics
can be learned
about in more detail elsewhere.
THE NIRMANAKAYA
The
"emanation-body" is the doer of various enlightened activites for the
welfare of all
sentient creatures. It is constantly active, manifesting wherever
there are beings to be trained,
and will continue to manifest as long as realms
of cyclic existence (samsara)are not emptied
of sentient beings. There are
three types of "emanation-bodies": 1) "born emanations": these
are the Buddha's manifestations as gods, dwelling in such divine realms as
Tusita, 2) "fashioned
emanations": these are numerous and include
the various different forms projected by the
Buddha for the sake of converting
and benefitting others, such as vina (lute) player by which
Supriya, the king
of the Gandharvas, was converted, and 3) "the highest emanation": this
is
the emanation which manifests the attainment of Buddhahood in the world,
such as our great
teacher, Sakyamuni.
2. ENLIGHTENED VOICE
In addition
those "bodily" qualities, the Buddha has many unique qualities of voice.
The
Buddha, for instance, can reply simultaneously to many questions, answering
at the same
time in many languages. These remarkable qualities are usually
taught through an enumeration
of sixty-four of them. These include sweetness
of voice, the sound of which increases the
roots of merit of the listening
disciples; gentleness, which soothes the minds of others by its
sound; and
captivatingness, which appeals to the minds of all listeners. The list of sixty-four
qualities, however, is not an exhaustive enumeration, it merely indicates
through examples the
great number and diversity of these qualities.
3.
ENLIGHTENED MIND
Enlightened mind is Gnosis (jnana. It is the only one, but
it possess several aspects, and in
that case we speak of four Gnoses. The
first of these is the "mirror-like Gnosis", which is the
portion
of Gnosis that is free of both apprehending subject and apprehended object. The
second is the "Gnosis of equality", which is that portion of Gnosis
that abides neither in cyclic
existence nor in the extinction of Nirvana.
The third is the "discriminative Gnosis", which is
the portion of
Gnosis that understands objects in their multiplicity and variety. The fourth
is
"action-accomplishing Gnosis", which is the portion of Gnosis
through which the Buddha
understands the personalities and dispositions of
sentient creatures.
On the other hand, when Gnosis is taught as being two-fold
division are as follows. First
there is the Gnosis through which the Buddha
perceives the ultimate reality of all knowable
things exactly as it is; this
is the Gnosis if the level of ultimate reality. Second there is the Gnosis
through
which the Buddha perceives all knowable things in their variety and multiplicity;
this is the Gnosis of the surface level of truth.
4. ENLIGHTENED QUALITIES
The qualities (gunas) of Buddhahood constitute the fourth traditional category
through which
Buddhahood is described. These to some extent overlap with the
other categories, and normally
they are taught as numbering sixty-four. These
are the thirty-two qualities of the dharma-body,
and thirty-two of the form-body.
The first group of thirty-two qualities has three subdivisions: the ten powers
(bala), the
four fearlessnesses, and the eighteen characteristics specific
to the Buddha. The powers of
Buddhahood include the power consisting of the
knowledge of what is possible and impossible,
the power of knowledge that
takes actions and their consequences as one's own, and the
power of the knowledge
of the various mental dispositions of sentient creatures. The four
fearlessnesses
are the imperturbable confidences through which the Buddha sets forth in an
antagonistic
assembly, His attainments of Gnosis and the elimination of all defilements, and
by
which He teaches for the benefit of others' salvation and the things which
obstruct the spiritual
path. The eighteen characteristics specific to the
Buddha include such characteristics of conduct
as His being free from mistakes
and accidents, His lack of nonsenscial utterances, His lack of
non-concentrated
or non-meditative states, and His freedom from lapses of memory.
The second
group of thirty-two qualities, those of His physical form, consist of the thirty-two
marks of the great individual. These include the image of a spoked wheel on
His palms and soles,
flat soles of the feet, a thin membrane between the fingers,
the protuberance (usnisa) on the top
of His head, and the curled tuft of hair
between His eyebrows.
As with the other qualities of enlightenment, these
do not in any way exhaust the Buddha's
qualities, for they are limitless and
infinite like the sky. Just as however far one may proceed in
any direction
through space one will never reach the end of space, so too, we can never list
all
the qualities of Buddhahood. However many we enumerate there are always
more and more to
be mentioned.
5. ENLIGHTENED ACTIVITIES
The activities
of Buddhahood can be explained according to two different principles. First of
all they can be taught in terms of the levels towards which they are directed.
The Buddha's
activities 1) establish disciples on the basis of the spiritual
path, i.e. in suitable physical existences
such as in human existences, 2)
they establish disciples on the paths of practice, i.e. on the path
of accumulation,
application, seeing, etc., and 3) they establish the disciples in the spiritual
fruit
or result, i.e. in perfect Buddhahood.
The second way in which
the activities can be explained is in terms of how they manifest.
They appear
1) effortlessly and spontaneously, 2) without discrimination or favouritism,
3)
as identical with the activities of all Buddhas, 4) as a continual and never-ending
process,
5) through varied skilful methods, 6) in ways that are suited to
the disciple, and 7) as a
protection from the faults of both cyclic existence
and Nirvana.
The above are a mere indication of the range and nature of the
Buddha's activities. In fact,
He is able to accomplish limitless activities
in each and every moment. And these activities
always continue, never faltering,
for as long as cyclic existence continues.
CONCLUSION
Our scriptures
teach that merely to hear the name of the Buddha will cause the hearer to
attain
a human existence in the future. And they also state that hearing that exalted
name
will establish in the minds of sentient creatures a seed which will ultimately
ripen into
Buddhahood. Because speaking about the Buddha is so great beneficial,
I consider myself
fortunate to have been able here to explain a little about
the Buddha's glorious qualities and
attainments.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Venerable Khenpo Appey Rinpoche was abbot of Dzongsar University in Eastern
Tibet
before he came to India. He belongs to the Ngor subsect of the Sakyapa
tradition of Tibetan
Buddhism. He received his early monastic training and
education in the province of Kham in
Eastern Tibet where he was born. Later
he moved to the Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet.
Throughout his active and
industrious life, he has performed numerous prescribed retreats
almost continuously
and has also given many teachings and initiations.
He left Tibet during the
Chinese invasion and has since been residing in India. Together
with His Holiness
Sakya Trizin, they were the main motivating forces behind the founding
of
the Sakya College of Buddhist Philosophy in 1972 in Mussoorie, India. Venerable
Khenpo Appey Rinpoche was the first Principal of Sakya College.
Until 1967, he was tutor to His Holiness Sakya Trizin in scriptural matters. He
is an
outstanding scholar and is an authority on Buddhist philosophy, logic,
and ethics.
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The
Cloud Bank of Blessings
by
Jamyang Khyentse
Wangpo
A Supplication to the Ocean
of the Three Roots
and the Dharma Protectors
NAMO
GURU DHEVA DAKINI GANEBHYAH
Samantabhadra, Vajradhara and the five aspects
of Immense Ocean,
Greatly renowned Twelve Illustrious Teachers,
Space-filling
holders of the Buddhas' mind transmission
I supplicate you; bestow your blessings
and siddhis.
Lord of Secrets, Garab Dorje, Manjushrimitra and Shri Singha,
Jnanasutra and twenty-one panditas,
Mind, space and instruction masters
of the symbolic tranmission
I supplicate you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Three family sattvas, five noble disciples,
King Jah and Dewa Seldzey,
The hundred thousandfold assembly of anuyoga masters
I supplicate you;
bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Lilavajra and Buddhaguhya,
Leykyi Wangmo
and eight vidyadharas,
Great charioteers of the tantra and sadhana sections
I supplicate you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Vidyamantra adepts
of kriya, charya and yoga,
Ornaments and supreme ones of Jambudvipa along
with your wondrous disciples,
Eminent lamps who illuminate the teachings of
the Muni
I supplicate you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Pervading
Lord of the ocean of the three roots, Thotreng Tsal,
Eight supreme aspects
and twelve manifestations,
Inconceivable circle of the magical net
I supplicate
you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Vimalamitra and Khenchen Bodhisattva,
Dharma king, father and sons, Vairochana and Tsogyal,
Incarnated king
and disciples, assembly of translators and panditas
I supplicate you; bestow
your blessings and siddhis.
So, Zur, Nub and Nyang along with the ocean of
tertons,
Dharma emperors of kama, terma, and pure visions,
Learned and
accomplished ones, appearing successively throughout the three times
I supplicate
you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Superior and noble wisdom body, embodiment
of all refuges,
Perceived by disciples as a supreme teacher,
Root guru
of incomparable kindness
I supplicate you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Vajrasattva, deities of Dupa and Gyutrul,
Nine glorious herukas, five
and three families,
Yidam deities of the six sections of tantra
I supplicate
you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Shakyamuni, supreme guide of beings
in the good kalpa,
Perfect buddhas, guides of the ten directions and four
times,
Countless ones appearing as the nirmanakaya to tame whoever needs to
be tamed
I supplicate you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Comprised
of the truths of cessation and of the path,
Calm, desireless and uncompounded
nectar,
Ocean of the collections of the nine gradual vehicles
I supplicate
you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Ajita, Manjushri, Vajrapani and Lokeshvara,
Samantabhadra and so forth, Mahayana beings,
All the noble sangha of shravakas
and pratyekabuddhas
I supplicate you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
Dakas
and dakinis of the three abodes,
Vajra Dharma protectors, wealth gods and
treasure lords,
Infinite ocean-like assemblage of objects of refuge
I
supplicate you; bestow your blessings and siddhis.
I supplicate you, precious
jewels,
Grant your blessings, assemblage of vidyadhara gurus.
Bestow your
siddhis, peaceful and wrathful yidam deities,
Dispel all obstacles, dakinis
and Dharma protectors.
Thinking of you with intense longing from my heart
I bow down and make offerings with one-pointed devotion.
With faith I
take refuge and pledge myself as your servant.
Accept me from now on and sustain
me with your compassion.
Having fully purified the two veils and their tendencies
in my being,
Increase my life span, merit, splendor, wealth, experience, realization
and wisdom,
Ripening and freeing the minds of other disciples, filling space,
Bestow your blessings so we may perfect the activity of all the Buddhas.
May
all the sacred lamps of the Buddha's teachings, without bias,
Live for hundreds
of aeons turning the wheel of the Dharma.
Bestow your blessings so that the
Sangha and the splendor of the teachings
of exposition and practice
May
flourish and spread in all directions.
May the degeneration of the dark age
cease for all the worlds and beings
And may happiness and dharmic wealth spontaneously
increase.
Bestow your blessings so that everyone may enter the gate of the
supreme essence
vehicle
And accomplish the state of the four kayas.
Although
I've not achieved that state throughout my lives,
May I never be separated
from the mind of enlightenment,
Bestow your blessings that I may master the
ocean of bodhisattva deeds
And establish myself and others in welfare and
happiness.
In short, from now and until supreme enlightenment,
Objects
of refuge, lords of wisdom and compassion,
Constantly accept me and grant
your blessings
And create the auspicious circumstance in which the virtuous
goodness
of existence and peace increase.
Emphasizing the tradition
of the vajra vehicle of the early translations, this supplication
was offered
by Khyentse Wangpo, a joyful servant of Guru Padma.
Sarva sushriya siddhi
bhavatu
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Prolonging
the Life of the Guru
(Advice from Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche in answer
to requests by students wanting to know how best prolong the life of the Guru
and avoid obstacles that can cause sickness and the Guru's life to be shortened.)
Most important is to remember with feeling the Guru's kindness, to follow
his advice then remember one's mistakes and confess.
Long-life pujas purify
negative karma .and accumulate merit - generally speaking life can be lengthened
by accumulating merit - but the best kind of long-life puja is not just the ritual
but to cherish the advice with the thought of correctly devoting to the virtuous
friend. The Guru should be viewed from one's own side as the Buddha and his kindness
remembered. One should feel regret for not practising properly in the past and
make a decision to practice better in the future even in the ordinary sense of
being a better person.
The heaviest effect on the Guru's life is degenerating
or breaking the first root tantric vow to belittle the Guru which means giving
up the Guru as an object of respect. It also involves having anger or especially
heresy arising in the mind towards the Guru. When there is heresy, the mind is
barren like a desert having no faith and where nothing can grow. This can cause
the holy mind to be disturbed, like with sadness.
Sometimes students who request
secret tantric teachings and not having devotion, can cause the Guru (in the context
of the secret teachings) to break samaya as the teacher has difficulty saying
no. But if the student has the sincere thought to try to develop and keep the
vows etc., then it is good. Although it may be difficult to keep all the vows
because the student's mind hasn't even the realisation of impermanence and death.
Harmonious sincerity in obtaining advice can inspire the Guru. This can give
him the interest to have the intention to pray in an attempt to have a long-life
even if from the Guru's side there isn't the complete capability to control the
elements.
It's also important to be aware that the breaking of root tantric
vows, samaya and so forth is also a danger to the student's life resulting in
sickness and even in their own life being shortened, not to mention suffering
in future lives. But of course, as explained in the teachings, any degeneration
or breaking of the three levels of vow can be purified through confession etc.
So these things can cause the Guru to take disease and pass away early. It's
a dependent arising. This can happen because of the karma of the group. For example,
with my Gurus, they don't have karma but they show the appearance.
CONCLUSION:
A great deal depends on how well the students practice Dharma. How much self-cherishing
thought there is that causes harm to oneself and others. I don't think the problem
is so much to do with the fact that the students don't know what's the cause of
the Guru taking disease and passing away early. For some students the cause is
not being thoughtful and not taking the opportunity to change the life for the
better. That is, not putting the teachings into practice.
VAJRAYANA INSTITUTE,
22 Linthorpe St, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia
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Rimey
Supplication
by
His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche
I supplicate all the noble doctrine holders of India, Tibet, China,
Shambhala and all other places who follow the precious teachings
of the
sutras and tantras taught by the incomparable teacher who
is praised like
the white lotus.
I supplicate the Nyingmapas of the secret mantra, who uphold
the sutras, mantras and the three inner tantras in general, and
especially
the tradition of the Great Perfection - perfectly translated
by the supreme
learned and accomplished lotsawas and panditas.
I supplicate the Kagyupas,
protectors of beings, who chieftly
uphold the lineage of practice and blessing
from the Mahasiddhas
Naropa and Maitrepa, the cycles of the profound instructions
and, especially, Mahamudra.
I supplicate the glorious Sakyapas who illuminate
the doctrine of
teaching and practicing the heart extract of Lord Birwapa,
the
cycles of instruction, in general, and the Path and Fruit in particular.
I supplicate the Riwo Gedenpas (Gelugpas) who mainly uphold
the essence
tradition of Manjushri - the key points of the path of
sutra and tantra -
by chiefly practicing the Gradual Path of Palden
Atisha.
I supplicate
the Jetsun Jonangpas who chieftly uphold the meaning
of the sutras of the
last Dharma Wheel and of the Kalachakra, who
have realized the truth of the
sungata-essence and possess the vajra
yoga.
Impartially I supplicate all
the doctrine holders, each and every one,
that exist in these snowy ranges,
of the Glorious Shangpa, Choyul,
Shije, Nyendrup and the other cycles of profound
instructions.*
By the blessings of making these supplications, may sectarianism
be
calmed and may impartial devotion blaze forth. May all the doctrine
holders
be in harmony and may all countries be peaceful. May the
auspicious circumstance
in which the teachings flourish for a long time
be present.
* Shangpa
Kagyu was brought to Tibet by Khyungpo Naljor. Choyul
was propagated by Machik
Labdron, Shije by Padampa Sangye, and
the Nyendrup transmission was spread
by the siddha Orgyenpa.
****************************************************************************
Supplication
to the King of the Shakyas
Prostrations to the Guru
and Manjushri!
Under the Bodhi Tree, the earth and sky were filled with hosts
of Mara.
Thunderbolts, javelins, weapon wheels, fire, mountains, and snow-capped
peaks
rained down.
Powerful archers with flower arrows magically attempted
to block the path
to enlightenment.
Prostrations to the one who completely
defeated them with a loving mind, and
attained perfect Buddhahood.
When
you, for others' benefit,
With perfect resolve and action,
Created excellent
enlightenment thought,
Even the earth trembled in six motions.
You completely
accumulated giving and morality,
Mastered patience and diligence, and
Accomplished
concentration and wisdom.
Prostrations to you who accomplished the perfections.
Protector of beings, when you took birth,
All the wise in the world were
delighted.
All demons grew extremely suspicious,
And all heretics were
afraid,
Because the holy works of your doctrine
Shine like the light of
the sun.
Never deceiving in any way,
I take refuge in you, the source
of all.
When you proclaimed the scripture like a lion's roar
In all the
worlds, including the gods'
Brahma and Vishnu were struck dumb, and
The
teachers of gods cowered like foxes.
Learned Kangmig, Trogkhar,
Rishi
Gyepa, Rishi Nejok,
And many others well-renowned,
Prostrations to you
who defeated them with Dharma.
Even after attaining perfect enlightenment,
Amazingly, you still performed the benefit of beings.
For those not freed
from clinging to existence,
Renouncing life makes the hair stand on end.
But
disregarding your own holy life,
You resolved to benefit beings, and
Accept
the protectorless, like us.
I take refuge in you, Protector.
Conqueror,
you tamed the host of maras,
Defeated all heretics without exception,
Liberated
countless disciple Shravakas, and
Prophesied noble Bodhisattvas.
Those
who perceive this excellence,
Strive to attain your qualities.
So, I who
have undertaken the goal of enlightenment
Again take refuge in you.
Your
son is Manjushri.
Your disciple is Shariputra.
Your holy regent is Maitreya.
Who among the intelligent could doubt?
Not to mention your own perfection,
The good qualities of your sons are dazzling.
As through the glorious
rays of dawn
We learn the brilliance of sunlight.
You realize the nature
of all phenomena
Exactly and entirely.
Prostrations to you who accomplish
Every holy deed just as you aspire.
Thus, the teacher of beings from the
Shakya family,
Took birth in the Puramshing clan.
Through this homage
to the blessed, perfect Buddha,
May all beings swiftly reach omniscience.
These fifteen verses of supplication to the King of the Shakya clan were
written by the
glorious Sakya Pandita in the Lhasa shrine.
Translated
into English by Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen and Ane Kunga Chodron
in 1997
at Sakya Phuntsok Ling in Washington D.C.
****************************************************************************
Parting
From the Four Desires: A Basic Teaching
By
His Holiness Sakya Trizin
History
of the Teaching
We begin with a brief history of this teaching. When the great
yogi, the Lama Sakyapa, Sachen
Kunga Nyingpo, was twelve years old, one of
his Gurus, Bari Lotsawa, advised him, "Since
you are the son of a great
spiritual teacher, it is necessary to study the Dharma, and to study the
Dharma
requires wisdom. The best way of acquiring wisdom is to practice Manjushri."
So,
Bari Lotsawa gave Sachen Kunga Nyingpo the empowerment of Manjushri with
all the necessary
"lungs." Then Sachen Kunga Nyingpo undertook a
six-month retreat on Manjushri. At the
beginning, there were some signs of
obstacles, which he managed to purify through the practice
of the wrathful
Deity, Achala. He continued his meditation and at one time, in his pure vision,
he
saw Arya Manjushri in the preaching mudra, sitting on a jewelled throne
with two other attendants.
He received immense insight-wisdom at that moment
and Manjushri bestowed this four-line
teaching directly to Sachen Kunga Nyingpo:
If you desire the worldly aims of this life,
you are not a spiritual
person;
If you desire further worldly existence,
you haven't the spirit
of renunciation;
If you desire liberation for the sake of yourself,
you haven't the enlightened attitude;
If you grasp at the view of ultimate
reality,
you haven't got the right view.
This four-line teaching includes
the whole path of the Mahayana. After receiving this teaching,
Sachen Kunga
Nyingpo received a tremendous amount of insight-wisdom. He had no need to
study
everything that came to him. He became a really great yogi. Later in life, he
bestowed this
teaching on his sons, Sonam Tsemo and Dagpa Gyaltsen, and they
bestowed it on Sakya Pandita
and so on. Even to this day, its transmission
has never been broken, so therefore, it bears special
blessings. Jetsun Dagpa
Gyaltsen, the son of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, wrote a commentary in
verses to
these four lines, and today this text serves as the root text of all these teachings.
"Parting from the Four Desires" is very similar to the preliminary
teachings of the other Tibetan
Buddhist traditions. For example, the Nyingma
and the Kagyu traditions have a teaching on
"Turning the Mind,"
which also explains these four lines. By meditating on this precious human life
and impermanence, you will be liberated from the sufferings inherent in this
life. The suffering of
samsara and the law of karma will turn you away from
clinging to the round of existence. Love,
compassion, and Bodhicitta will
turn you away from clinging to this life as real. We Sakyapas call
it "The
Parting from the Four Desires," and Kagyu and Nyingma traditions call it
"Turning the
Mind Away from Clinging." The name is different, but
the teaching is the same. According to the
Gelugpa tradition, the preliminary
teaching is divided into "The Paths of the Three Persons." The
first
line explains the "small" person's path, - a person who realizes the
lower realms are full of
suffering and wishes to be born in the higher realms,
such as that of the devas or humans. The
middle person's path is one that
seeks self-liberation. This person is described in the second verse -
they
realize that the whole realm of existence is full of suffering, and therefore
naturally seeks
self-liberation. The third line explains the great person's
path. This person realizes that every
sentient being has the same goal, and
that instead of working for oneself, one should work for
the sake of all sentient
beings to attain ultimate enlightenment. While the wording is different,
the
Gelugpa teaching is, nevertheless, the same as this four-line teaching of "Parting
from the
Four Desires."
Refuge
All Buddhist practices begin with
taking refuge. In this teaching, one takes the Mahayana refuge.
Mahayana refuge
has some special characteristics. There are four reasons that Mahayana refuge
is somewhat different from general refuge - in terms of the object, the time,
the person and the
purpose.
1. The Object
Common to all kinds of Buddhist
refuge are the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. However, the
explanation of these
three, differs between Mahayana and general Buddhism. In Mahayana,
the Buddha
is the one who has unimaginable qualities and who has departed from all the faults.
He is the one who possesses the three kayas ,or the three bodies: the Dharmakaya,
the
Sambhogakaya, and the Nirmanakaya. Dharmakaya means that his mind, which
is completely
purified, has become one with the ultimate truth. Where subject
and the object become one is
"Dharmakaya." The Sambhogakaya comes
from accumulating enormous amounts of merit while
still on the Path. That
produces the highest form of physical body, which has all the qualities,
and
remains permanently in the highest Buddha field, known as Akanishtha, and bestows
teachings
to the great Bodhisattvas. In order to help ordinary sentient beings,
whenever and wherever
needed, the Buddhas appear in whatever form is required.
These forms are the Nirmanakaya, or
in other words, emanations. The historical
Shakyamuni Buddha is among the Nirmanakayas. He
is called "The Excellent
Nirmanakaya" because even ordinary beings can see him as a Buddha.
All
the Buddhas who appear in the world are Nirmanakaya forms. In this practice we
take refuge
in the Buddha who possesses the three kayas. This is the particular
Mahayana explanation of
refuge.
The Dharma, or Teaching, is the great
experience that the Buddha and all the higher Bodhisattvas
have achieved.
Their great realization is the Dharma. When what the Buddhas have achieved is
put into words to benefit ordinary sentient beings, this is also called the
Dharma.
The ones who are following the enlightenment path and who have already
reached the irreversible
state are the true Sangha. This Sangha consists of
the Bodhisattvas, according to the Mahayana.
The true Buddha, Dharma and Sangha,
the "Triple Gem" are the Buddhas who possess the
three bodies, the
Dharma which expresses their realizations and teaching, and the Sangha of
Bodhisattvas.
The Triple Gem is symbolically represented in the images of the Buddhas, all the
books of teachings, and the ordinary Sangha of monks. Although the names of
the objects of
refuge are the same in the Mahayana and General refuge, their
qualities are explained somewhat
differently in the Mahayana.
2. The Time
The second distinction between the General and the Mahayana refuge has to
do with the
time. In the General refuge, one takes the refuge for the immediate
future. In the Mahayana
refuge, one takes refuge from the present, extending
up until the attainment of ultimate
enlightenment.
3. The Person
In
the General refuge, one takes refuge for oneself. In the Mahayana refuge, one
takes
refuge both for oneself and for all sentient beings. One imagines that
all sentient beings have
at one time, in previous lifetimes, been your own
parents or very dear ones. One seeks
refuge for the benefit of limitless sentient
beings.
4. The Purpose
In the General refuge, one takes refuge to gain
self-liberation. In the Mahayana, one takes
refuge to attain enlightenment
both for oneself and for the sake of all sentient beings.
If one understands
the object, time, person, and purpose as we have described, they accomplish
the
Mahayana refuge. With these qualities in mind, one should recite the refuge prayer
as well
as the request to the objects of refuge to bestow their blessings.
In addition, when actually practicing the teachings, the great Acharya Vasubandu
has said
that if one wants to practice Dharma, there are four requisites.
The four are: moral conduct,
study, contemplation and meditation. An more
detailed explanation of these requisites will
be reserved for another teaching.
Line One of the Text
Line 1 of the text is: "If you desire the worldly
aims of this life, you are not a spiritual person."
The great Jetsun
Dagpa Gyaltsen explained the first line in the following way. Whatever practice
you do, if your aim is for the sake of this life, it is not religion; it is
not Dharma. No matter what
vows you receive, no matter how much you study,
no matter how much you do meditation, if it's
all for the sake of this life,
it is not Dharma. If one wishes to practice Dharma, one must begin by
lessening
attachment to this life. This life is temporal, it is like a mirage. Even if you
think that a
mirage is real water, it still will not slake your thirst. Whatever
sorts of moral conduct or study or
meditation that you undertake, if it is
for the sake of this life, it will not ultimately benefit you.
To change your
intention from not practicing Dharma to practicing Dharma, you should
begin
by meditating on the difficulty of obtaining this precious human life. Human life
is
rare compared to other forms of sentient beings, because one human being's
body can
contain millions of other sentient beings. This rareness is explained
in many different ways -
for example from the point of view of "cause,"
"numbers," "example" and "nature."
The Cause.
To receive a human life at all, and especially to receive a human life, which
appears in a
favorable place and with the right conditions, one must have
a good cause. Such a cause
must be an exceptionally virtuous one in order
to lead to human birth with all the right
conditions. In the three worlds,
there are very few that practice the virtuous things, while
there are enormous
numbers of sentient beings who indulge in non-virtuous acts. So
therefore,
from the cause point-of-view, human life that has all the right conditions and
is
free from all the wrong places of birth, is very rare.
Number.
From
the point-of-view of numbers, sentient beings in the hells, in the hungry-ghost
realm,
and in the animal kingdom are countless. Beings in the lower realms
are as numerous as all
the atoms and dust particles of this world. Compared
to these, human lives are very few,
especially those that have the right conditions.
Example.
The example of point-of-view is explained in the Sutras with
the following illustration.
Suppose the whole world is a great ocean and over
this ocean floats a golden yoke, which
has a small hole in it. Underneath
the ocean is a blind tortoise that comes up to the surface
only once every
hundred years. The golden yoke floats on the surface, going wherever the
wind
blows it. When the wind comes from the east, it goes to the west. When the wind
comes from the west it goes to the east. It clearly would be very difficult
for the neck of the
blind tortoise to enter the hole in the yoke under these
circumstances. The chance of this
happening is very rare. Human life, especially
one free of all the wrong places of birth and
which has all the right conditions
is even more rare than this example. So from the example
of point-of-view,
human life is very rare.
Nature.
The human birth in which one can hear
and practice the teachings requires a number of
particular conditions. The
"nature" of this human rebirth is explained in terms of avoiding
rebirth
in the "eight wrong places" and being born with the "five conditions."
The "eight
wrong places" in which it is unfavorable to be reborn
are the states of the hells, pretas,
animals and long-life gods, as well as
existence among the barbarians, or persons with
wrong views. Likewise one
cannot be born where the Buddhist teachings have not been
given, or with impaired
faculties -- such as being dumb, or mentally retarded. There are five
favorable
conditions for rebirth. They are, to be born in a place where the teachings have
been given, and where monks and lay-precept holders are still living, not
to have indulged in
the five limitless sins, and to live where there is full
faith in the teaching in general, and the
Vinaya in particular.
One also
has to be born in a time in which a Buddha has come and in which he has turned
the Wheel of Dharma. The teaching must still be going on, and where there
are still many
people following the path, and where there are people who are
readily helping you to find
your right livelihood. These circumstances all
depend on and must be obtained from others.
So altogether, to be free from
the eight unfavorable conditions and to obtain these ten
favorable circumstances
is extremely rare by nature. This is not only rare, but also very
precious,
because through such a life -- not an ordinary life, but a human life that has
all the
right conditions -- one must be able to be free from all the sufferings
of samsara. Not only
that, even the most difficult and the highest aim we
could aspire to, ultimate enlightenment,
is also achieved through human life.
Therefore, human life is extremely precious. Not only
is human life rare and
precious, but even this is not enough! We have to practice. Without
practice,
just obtaining this very precious opportunity will not be enough. In our past
lives,
it is likely that we had many, many such opportunities to practice,
but which we wasted and
did not reach any significant states. So, from now
on, unless we practice, we will still
remain in samsara. Therefore, when we
have such a good opportunity and a precious life, it
is very important to
practice Dharma.
The Buddha taught that everything is impermanent. The whole
three worlds are like a cloud
in autumn and the birth and death of sentient
beings is like a dancer's movement. A person's
life is like a light in the
sky, or like a steep waterfall, which isn't still for a single moment,
but
is constantly rushing down. Even the Buddhas who have attained a permanent body
in
order to show impermanence to sentient beings must also leave their bodies.
Therefore,
there is not a single place where death will not occur. There are
many more causes for
death than causes to live. It is a common wish that death
will leave us alone, but of course,
all beings eventually have to face death.
Everything is changing. Lives in this particular
realm (our lives on the continent
of "Jambudvipa") have no fixed length. Some people die
even before
they are born, some die as soon as they are born, some die as babies, some die
at a very young age. Although we may have no major problems today, you never
know
what will happe n, even after an hour or so. Anything can happen. Unless
you practice
now, if you think, "For the time being I will work on some
other things, then when I get
older I will practice Dharma," one will
never know whether one will get this opportunity or
not. Therefore, it is
very important to practice now! At the time of death, nothing can help
you,
no matter how powerful one is, no matter how clever, no matter how rich one is,
no
matter how brave you are, nothing can help you. Even one's body, which
we have had with
us right from the day we were conceived, and which we have
looked after as a very
precious thing, and we take great care of, and for
whose sake we do all kinds of things --
even this we have to leave behind.
Our own continuity of mind then has to go without any
choice of freedom. The
only thing that can help you at the moment of death is the Dharma
practices
you have learned. If you practice Dharma, the best thing is that at the time of
death, you will know the path and without any h esitation and as a matter
of fact, with full
confidence, you will leave your body. The person who practices
Dharma has no hesitation
to die, because they will have no regret of not having
practiced. This precious human body
and this precious human life are impermanent.
The first line, "If you desire for the worldly
aims of this life, you
are not a spiritual person," explains directly that whatever spiritual
practice
you do, if it is aimed for this life, then it is not Dharma and it will not benefit
you.
That's the direct explanation. Indirectly, it explains about the difficulties
of obtaining the
precious human life and impermanence. When you have the clear
understanding from inside
of these two things, then you will be firmly set
on the path. In this sense, even if someone
attempts to keep you from practicing
Dharma, it will not be possible for you to stop.
Line Two of the Text
Line
two is: "If you desire further worldly existence, you haven't the spirit
of renunciation."
If one continues to desire to be born in the human
or deva realms (of course, no one wants to be
born in the lower realms because
the lower realms are full of suffering), the second line cuts that
out. It
explains that not only should the teaching that you practice not involve attachment
to this
present life, but also to be free from the desire for future births
in the round of existence. Not only
are the lower realms full of suffering;
in the higher realms also, it's all suffering. In the three lower
realms (which
are the hells, hungry ghosts, and the animal kingdom), what they have is called
"the
suffering of suffering." The hells have many divisions, like
the hot hells, the semi-hot hells, etc.
Whenever one is born among the hells,
one has an unimaginable amount of suffering. Thus, what
the hell beings experience
is called "the suffering of suffering." In the hungry-ghost realm, also
the
beings have a tremendous amount of suffering in not finding food. They
have great hunger and
thirst for hundreds and hundreds of years. Even if they
should find food, instead of helping their
bodies, it creates more suffering.
In the animal kingdom, as we all see, animals have to suffer many
things.
Most animals have not a single moment of relaxation because they have so many
enemies
among the animals themselves. In addition, human beings are hunting
and fishing and bringing all
kinds of suffering to them. Generally, all animals
suffer great ignorance because they don't have
any way of knowing Dharma.
It is very easy for us to realize that the three lower realms are full
of
suffering.
The three higher realms are sometimes understood as having a mixture
of happiness and
suffering. However, when we carefully think about it, we
can see that there is not any real
happiness in the higher realms. Even in
the Deva's realm, where it appears that these beings
have a wonderful life,
everything is impermanent. The Devas have so much luxury in their
lives that
they don't even think of practicing the Dharma. All their lives are spent in enjoyment
of worldly pleasures, so when they near the time of their death, they experience
a particular
king of suffering. For example, they have enough intelligence
to be able to see where they will
be reborn. And, as they have spent all their
lives in enjoyment, many of them will be reborn in
the lower realms. Since
they can know these things, the Devas experience mental suffering
greater
than the physical suffering of the lower realms. Even the very great Devas, like
Indra,
the lord of the Devas, may be reborn as a very ordinary servant. And
even t he great Devas
whose bodies can illuminate the whole world, after death,
will be reborn in complete darkness
in which they won't be able to see their
own hand before their face. In the human realm, as we
have seen, everything
is changing. Great emperors become very ordinary people and the very
rich
find themselves very poor. Generally, everyone is bound to encounter the four
great mountains
of suffering: death, old age, sickness, and birth. There are
many, many sufferings, like always
having fear of meeting enemies and always
the fear of departing from your friends. Things you
wish not to happen come
true and things you don't want come to you. There are unimaginable
amounts
of suffering which are mostly of the kind called "the suffering of change."
We suffer for
the very reason that everything is constantly changing. In the
asuras or demi-gods' realm, since
they experience great hate and jealously
towards the heaven realm, they meet with great suffering
in their life. So
the devas, the humans, and the asuras all experience the suffering of change.
Next is "the suffering of aggregates," which covers the whole universe.
Each of us will
undertake work that we will never finish. Our lives are full
of continuous effort. Our actions
are never finished. In this great, busy,
worldly life of activities, one day we have to die
without finishing this
work. Everybody has to die in the midst of life. Therefore, no matter
where
one is reborn, whether in the lower realms or in the higher realms, both are full
of
suffering. For example, if poison is mixed with food -- whether it is good
food or bad food
makes no difference -- one cannot eat it. In the same way,
no matter where one is born,
either in the higher realms or in the lower realms,
as long as it is within the round of
existence, one will experience suffering.
Related to this is the explanation of the law of karma. We are forced to ask
why the
sufferings we experience happen in the first place. Each thing must
have an associated
cause. All kinds of suffering are created by non-virtuous
actions. A non-virtuous action is
any action that is created by desire, hatred,
or ignorance. Killing, sexual misconduct, and
stealing are the three bodily
actions which are non-virtuous. Then also, there are lying,
schism, harsh
words, and idle talk, which are the four non-virtuous actions of voice. One
commits
these non-virtuous deeds through one's own speech. Envy, hatred, and wrong
view
are the three non-virtuous actions of mind. Roughly speaking, all the non-virtuous
actions are included in these ten actions. When one indulges in the ten non-virtuous
actions,
not only will one have to face terrible consequences, but even after
facing the consequences,
one will have continuous bad results. In other words,
all the bad things that are happening in
this life are a lso created by our
own non-virtuous actions, which we have committed in our
previous lives. The
ten virtuous actions [freedom from hatred, desire, and ignorance] are the
opposite
of the ten non-virtuous deeds. Not only do the ten virtuous actions give wonderful
results temporarily, they do so as well for many future lifetimes. In other
words, all the good
things that are happening in our life are created by our
own virtuous deeds that we have
committed in our previous lives. Finally,
by practicing continuous virtuous deeds, self-liberation,
or even the ultimate
enlightenment, may be attained.
There are also indifferent or neutral actions,
such as walking and sleeping. Although neutral
actions do not produce any
suffering (and from that point-of-view they are very good),
since they do
not produce any virtuous result, they are a sort of waste. It is important to
transform these indifferent actions into virtuous deeds. For example, when
you are walking
you should think, "May all gain from the path of liberation."
When you meet people, you
should think, "May all sentient beings meet
virtuous friends." And when you are eating, you
should have the intent
of feeding the enormous amount of germs that live in the body. All
the indifferent
action should thus be transformed into virtuous deeds.
The sufferings of samsara
and the suffering of the round of existence and the law or karma,
or law of
cause and effect, is explained by the second line of this teaching, "If you
desire
further worldly existence, you haven't the spirit of renunciation."
By meditating on two things -- concentrating on the suffering of the round
of existence and
the law of karma - you will both turn away from clinging
to the round of existence, and
come to the realization that the round of existence
is full of suffering. In order to be free
from suffering, one must consider
this world as if it were a great fire, or like a nest of
poisonous snakes.
As we meditate on this teaching we will begin to develop a real inner urge
to put these
principles into practice. For example, many yogis concentrate
on the sufferings of samsara
until they have the same feeling as a prisoner
has. Namely, they develop the single thought:
"When can I escape?"
Until you have developed this attitude, you should meditate on the
suffering
of samsara. Unless we really understand the sufferings of samsara, one will not
practice Dharma. In this sense, suffering is a great help in the practice
of the path. When
Lord Buddha first turned the wheel of Dharma in Sarnath,
one of the first things he said
was that one must know the sufferings. The
first Noble Truth is that one must know the
sufferings. If you think carefully
about this, you won't be able to waste time for very long.
This concludes
the explanation of the sufferings of samsara and the law of karma.
Line Three
of the Text
Line three is: "If you desire liberation for the sake of
yourself, you haven't the enlightened attitude."
If we truly understand
that the world is full of suffering, and believe that we are able to free
ourselves
by practicing virtuous deeds, we can actually attain self-liberation. However,
self-liberation does not fully accomplish one's own purpose, and it cannot
help other sentient
beings. As a matter of fact, self-liberation is a great
obstacle to attaining ultimate enlightenment
because it delays the actual
ultimate enlightenment. It is very important right from the beginning
to set
out to achieve the highest aim, which is to attain ultimate enlightenment for
the sake of
all sentient beings. This ultimate enlightenment must arise from
the right cause and conditions.
The main cause is great compassion, the root
is Bodhicitta, and the condition is skillful means.
Although every sentient
being wishes to be free from suffering and wants to have happiness,
due to
ignorance, they can never have these. In this sense it is wrong to aim to be free
from
suffering for oneself. We have to think of all other sentient beings.
But we are unable to help
them at this moment because our defilements and
delusions bind us. So, the only thing that can
help is to attain ultimate
enlightenment - so that we will actually be able to help others. To attain
ultimate
enlightenment, one has to have the right causes. The first is to meditate on love
and
compassion. "Love" means that you wish every sentient being
to be happy and to have the
cause of happiness. This wish must be directed
to all sentient beings without any discrimination.
Since we cannot produce
these thoughts toward all sentient beings at the beginning of our practice,
we
proceed gradually. We begin by meditating on love and compassion towards whomever
is
dearest to us, for example, our own mother. One begins by visualizing in
front of you, your own
mother or anyone who is dear to you. Then, remember
all the kindness they have done for you.
For example, if it is your own mother,
consider that she gave birth to you, brought you up in life
with a kind, loving
eye, gave you so much love and took care of you. Although now she is aiming
for
happiness herself, due to ignorance, she cannot have happiness. She is in the
midst of suffering
and she is even causing more suffering. Therefore, you
should wish that she be free and be happy
and have the cause of happiness.
And so you pray, "May she be happy and have the cause of
happiness of
the Guru and Triple Gem." Later, you should gradually increase this visualization
to
include your relatives and so forth. Finally, include more difficult individual,
such as people you
dislike and your enemies. You visualize your enemy right
in front of you and think that, although
in this life he appears in the form
of the enemy, in actual fact, in many lifetimes he has been my
very kind mother
and father, as well as relatives and friends. He has given so much love and
compassion
and so much care has been given to me. But now we have changed our lives and
since
I did not repay his own kindness to him, today he comes in the form of my enemy
to take
all the kindness he has given. Today we have changed our lives; we
do not recognize each other,
so therefore, we must create the thought, "May
he be happy and have the cause of happiness."
And then gradually you
expand this meditation until you can have the same thought towards all
sentient
beings.
When one is well trained in this meditation of love, one can also
use it to increase feelings
of compassion. First, whoever is dearest to you,
you visualize and think, "Although this
person wants happiness, due to
ignorance, he is in the midst of suffering. Due to ignorance,
he is making
more suffering for himself. May he now be free from suffering and may he be
free
from the cause of suffering." And in the same way, later you should try to
extend this
meditation to the point that you have the same thought for all
beings without discrimination.
When you are well advanced in this meditation,
it is important to practice "Tong Len." In
this practice we visualize
that all the happiness and the causes of happiness (that is, the
virtuous
deeds one has), are given, without hesitation, to all sentient beings. And the
suffering of all sentient beings as well as their cause of sufferings, come
to oneself,
visualized like a great mass of dirt. This "exchanging meditation"
is, of course, of great
benefit. When one is well versed in this, then one
practices the Six Paramitas and the four
collecting things which we have in
the main path of a Bodhisattva. With this we have
completed the first three
lines, which explains the method side of all the different paths.
Line Four
of the Text
Line four is: "If you grasp at the view of ultimate reality,
you haven't got the right view."
The fourth line deals with view. Even
if relative Bodhicitta, the relative enlightenment-thought
has arisen well
within your mind, if one still has clinging to all things as reality, then one
will fall
into the error of the permanent and the impermanent. Therefore,
one will fall into the extremes
of existence and non-existence. Due to this,
one will not be free from the sufferings of samsara.
To really be free, it
is very important to keep away from clinging to the belief that this life is
real.
The antidote for this deluded belief is concentration and insight-wisdom. Concentration
is
necessary because our minds are focused on distractions and outer objects.
It is really important
to do concentration meditations, because without proper
concentration, one will not be able to
attain insight-wisdom. Before one can
meditate on insight-wisdom a strong base first must be
built. The base for
insight wisdom is concentration. Concentration should be done in a secluded
place,
away from distractions, sitting in full-lotus position, or half-lotus position.
First, you do recite
the refuge prayer and create the enlightenment thought.
Then you should assume the full meditation
position, sitting straight. One
should concentrate first on any outer object, preferably an image of
Buddha.
In this way you are remembering the Buddha, which in itself has a tremendous amount
of power. You visualize the Buddha's image in front of you on a jewelled throne,
golden colored
with his right hand in the earth-touching mudra, and his left
hand in his lap in the meditation position.
He is wearing the full robes and
sitting in the full-lotus position. Concentrate on this general image
of the
Buddha and the specific parts of the body as well. Or, you can meditate on some
other
Buddha form, like Buddha Amitabha or other deities. Try to concentrate
on this. In the beginning,
it will seem that you have many thoughts, but in
fact this is actually what is happening all the time.
Normally, since you
follow your thoughts , you don't notice it. In the meantime, when thoughts
come,
instead of going after the thoughts, you just concentrate. You turn back and concentrate
on
the image for a long period of time. As you develop, your thoughts will
decrease, and you will be
able to remain on the same object for a long period
of time. Then, after a while, you will be able to
concentrate on the image
for a very long period of time. When that happens, it is a sign that your
concentration
is now strong enough to be able to meditate on insight-wisdom. Concentration alone
will not do anything, apart from keeping away distractions. It will not take
away the deep roots of
the defilements.
To take away the deep root of
the defilements, insight-wisdom is necessary. In Tibetan, the
word for insight-wisdom
is "lhag-tong" (lhag mthong). This means that, when you examine
the
outer and inner dharmas -- the true nature of all things - through wisdom, then,
you are
able to see something completely different. Lhag means "extra"
and tong is "to see." So, it
means to see something extraordinary.
You see completely beyond existing and non-existing;
you have completely gone
beyond the two extremes. The concentration was method and the
actual thing
was insight-wisdom. When you managed to meditate on the insight-wisdom instead
of concentrating on an outer object, you concentrate on the actual thing.
Before one meditates,
of course, it is necessary to explain a lot of things.
First of all, all the different visions that we
see, in other words, animate
and inanimate -- all the things that we see. Ordinary people don't
think,
"Why do all these things appear?" or, "Why must we have these?"
They simply just accept
things as they are. A person with greater intelligence
will try to concentrate on these ideas.
Through their intelligence, they are
able to examine the true nature of all things: For example,
questions such
as "why we are born like this", or "why do we see all these different
visions",
"why do people have different visions, why do people have
different feelings", and so forth.
In the past, when meditators examined
these questions and tried to discover the true nature
of all things, they
all came to different conclusions. For example, that all of existence is
created
by Brahma or so forth and so on, according to the different schools of Indian
philosophy. Briefly speaking, there are four different Buddhist schools: two
of the Hinayana
and two of the Mahayana. Beginning with the Hinayana schools,
the first is the Sarvastivadins
or Vaibahashikas. When they examined these
questions, they came to the conclusion that
everything that we see is not
existing as we take it to be, but the atoms of these are existing.
For instance,
for them, a table is a relative truth. They assert that a table is made of huge
numbers of atoms put together in a particular shape and named "table."
So the table is relative,
because when you examine it, you don't find "table"
anywhere -- it is just hundreds of atoms.
But, when they examined the atom
itself, the tiniest atom they could not divide anymore, they
held it to existing
absolutely. Thus, the belief of the Vaibhashika, or lowest Hinayana school, is
that the table is relative truth and the atoms of the table are absolute truth.
Higher than this is the view of the Hinayana school called the Sautrantika.
They think that all the
outer visions are the same as held by the Sarvastivadins.
In addition, they hold that the outer object,
the organ of the eye, and the
consciousness of the eye -- these three things meet together. Then
in the
second moment, the eye, so to speak, takes a picture of that outer object. Finally,
all you can
see is the picture which has been taken by your mind. They held
that as the truth.
Then, as thinking about these questions developed further
in the Mahayana, there emerged
two schools, the Vijnanavada and the Madhyamika.
In the Vijnanavada, it is held that all
this is not true -- that all this
is not existing outside, but is all our own projection: It is all
projected
by our mind. Everything is mind. Nobody has created what we perceive, only our
own mind has created these things. For that reason, for sentient beings, a
certain place is a
very happy place, while for certain people, it is a very
miserable place. So, it is all our own
projection -- there is nothing of the
outer object -- it is all projected (in other words,
manifested) from our
own mind. All this is the relative truth, but the mind exists absolutely.
Even
higher than this view is the Madhyamika, which was founded by the great Guru,
Nagarjuna. The Lord Buddha himself prophesied that after his passing away,
there would
be a bhikshu named Naga, and only he would be able to find the
hidden meaning of all the
Prajnaparamita Sutras. As Buddha prophesied, Nagarjuna
came, and when he examined
things, he could not find anything, because to
hold that the mind itself is existing is not right:
The mind is subject and
things are object. Subject and object are depending on each other.
If there
is no object, there cannot be a subject. So the mind, also, is not existing. But,
he
accepts everything relatively -- without examining things -- the way ordinary
people take
them to be, as in the form of illusions. But in reality, the Madhyamikas'
view is that you
cannot find any conclusion such as "Mind is existing."
He could not say anything. The true
nature of everything is completely removed
from the dual vision. For example, it is just like
a dream. In th e dream,
we see many happy things or we see many sufferings, but when
you awake from
your dream, you don't find them anymore. All the things you saw in your
dream
are gone, and you don't know where it came from and where it has gone or where
it
is staying. In the same way, the present vision is like a very long dream.
Only this dream
has very firm propensities, so therefore, we think of it in
terms of being very real. In reality,
all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas see
that this is just like a dream. When you attain
enlightenment, it is just
like awakening from your dream. Therefore, all the visions that you
see are
just like reflections in a mirror. Until you have a real firm understanding, you
should
try to think that all things are not real. This is what we call the
vision and the void seen
non-dually. Relatively, with all the things that
you see, the vision doesn't cease -- you can
see all the time. When you try
to examine with the sharp reasoning of absolute truth, then
you cannot find
anything which is independently existing. You should try to meditate until
you
attain a definite understanding of this. Finally, you mix together concentration
and
insight-wisdom, and try to think that all the things that were explained
are realized as
shunyata. In reality, there is no object "shunyata"
and no subject "mind" which realized
shunyata. The true nature of
all things is completely merged, just as water is merged with
water and completely
becomes one. By doing meditation in this way, your mind will
completely turn
away from the clinging to the present vision as real and realize that this is
all
illusion. All these illusions will gradually turn away. And then, as you
go on, you will be able
to realize the real ultimate truth. By realizing the
ultimate truth, then, of course, you depart
from all the defilements and are
awakened from all illusions.
At the off-time of meditation, due to your understanding
of shunyata, you understand that
sentient beings who do not realize this shunyata
have to suffer a great deal. With that in
mind, you are able to generate great
compassion. Through the practice of great compassion
and the understanding
of shunyata, -- "just as the bird in the sky needs two wings" --, with
the method, compassion, and the wisdom (shunyata), one will be able to cross
the suffering
of samsara. One will be able to attain ultimate enlightenment.
In the ultimate enlightenment,
through wisdom you attain the dharmakaya, which
accomplishes your tasks, and through
the practice of compassion you will be
able to liberate others. In that way , you attain the
Rupakaya and benefit
countless sentient beings forever. So with this, we have completed
the whole
four lines of the Zhenpa Zhidel.
The following Questions and Answers are related
to this topic.
Q: How does a being become a deva? What is it in this lifetime
that we do that brings about
deva rebirth?
Sakya Trizin: The virtuous
deeds like generosity and moral conduct, etc. The result of those
is either
to be born in a human life or the demi-gods' or god's realm. Especially, with
a lot of
concentration but without insight-wisdom, just the outer concentration
in which your mind
is very stable, one will be able to be born in the gods'
realm. Virtuous acts accompanied by
wisdom and with the intention of bodhicitta
will become the cause of enlightenment rather
than the worldly path of the
devas.
Q: Please explain the concept of karma and its relationship to cause
and effect and merit.
Sakya Trizin: Actually the word karma means action or
activities - the work that we
undertake. The life we go through now, and all
of its experiences, is the product of our own
actions that we have taken in
the past. Nobody can make us suffer. Nobody can make us
happy. Only through
the main cause that comes from our own actions will we be happy or
suffer.
The main cause is our own action. The actions that we've taken create the effect
and the result.
Q: Are there factors that determine at what time during
this or future lifetimes that the fruit
of a person's virtuous actions will
manifest? What are the factors?
Sakya Trizin: It depends on the action itself.
There are certain actions that will ripen in this
life. When the object is
strong, the action is strong, and the intention is strong, then the
result
ripens in this very lifetime. There are certain actions that ripen in this life
after this
lifetime, or even in several lifetimes later. The law of cause
and effect is such a subtle thing
that no ordinary person can fully explain
it.
Q: Yesterday, you talked about suffering. In your life you endured much
suffering. Your
parents passed away when you were young, you were forced to
flee from Tibet. Could you
share with us how you used such events in your
practice and what you've learned?
Sakya Trizin: To experience suffering is
a great lesson. The teaching tells you about
impermanence and suffering, but
knowing it intellectually and experiencing it in real life is
different. Books
can tell you many things but experiencing what it is in real life helps you
realize
the practice. Makes the practice more meaningful, more profound, and more
effective.
***************************************************************************************
Nature
of The Mind
His Holiness Sakya
Trizin
One of the main teachings
of the Buddha is the law of karma, the teaching that all the
lives we have
are not without cause, are not created by other beings, and are not by
coincidence,
but are all created by our own actions. All the positive things such as love,
long life, good health, prosperity and so forth are also not given by anybody
else. It is
through our own positive actions in the past that today we enjoy
all the good things.
Similarly all the negative aspects, like short life,
sickness, poverty, etc. and all the
undesirable things are also not created
by any outsider but by our own actions, the
negative deeds we committed in
the past.
If one really wishes to be free from suffering and to experience
happiness, it is very
important to work on the causes. Without working on
the causes, one cannot expect to
yield any results. Each and everything must
have its own cause and a complete cause
- things cannot appear without any
cause. Things do not appear from nowhere, from the
wrong cause, or from an
imcomplete cause. So the source of all the sufferings is the
negative deeds.
Negative deeds basically means not knowing reality, not knowing the true
nature of
the mind. Instead of seeing the true nature of the mind, we cling
to a self without any
logical reason. All of us have a natural tendency to
cling to a self because we are so
used to it. It is a kind of habit we have
formed since beginningless time.
However if we carefully examine and investigate,
we cannot find the self. If there is
a self, it has to be either body, mind
or name. First, the name is empty by itself. Any
name can be given to anybody.
So the name is empty by itself.
Likewise the body. We say "my body".
just like "my house, my car, my home, my
country" and so forth,
so the body and "I" are separate. If we examine every part
of the
body, we cannot find anywhere, anything called "I" or the self. It is
just many
things together that form what we cling to as the body or the self.
If we investigate
carefully from head to toe, we cannot find anywhere a thing
called self. The body is
not a self because the body has many parts, many
different parts. People can still
remain alive without certain parts of the
body, so the body is not the self.
Likewise the mind. We think that the mind
may be the self, but the mind is actually
changing from moment to moment.
All the time the mind is changing. And the past
mind is already extinct, already
gone. Something that is already gone cannot be called
the self. And the future
mind is yet to arise. Something that is yet to arise cannot be
the self. And
the present mind is changing all the time, every moment it is changing.
The
mind when we were a baby and the mind when we are an adult are very different.
And these different minds do not occur at one time. It is all the time changing,
all the
time changing, every moment it is changing. Something that is constantly
changing
cannot be the self.
So now, apart from name, body or mind, there
is no such thing called the self, but
due to long habit, we all have a very
strong tendency to cling to a self. Instead of
seeing the true nature of the
mind, we cling at a self without any logical reason.
And as long as we have
this, it is just like mistaking a colourful rope for a snake.
Until we realise
that it is not a snake but only a rope, we have fear and anxiety. As
long
as we cling to a self, we have suffering. Clinging to a self is the root of all
the
sufferings. Not knowing reality, not knowing the true nature of the mind,
we cling
to a self.
When you have a "self", naturally there
are "others" - the self and others. The
"self and others"
are dependent on the "self". Just like right and left, if there is
right,
there has got to be a left. Likewise, if there is a self, there are others. When
you have a self and others, attachment then arises to one's own side, one's
friends
and relatives and so forth, and hatred arises towards "others"
whom you disagree
with, towards the people who have different views, different
ideas. These three are
main poisons that keep us in this net of illusions,
samsara. Basically the ignorance
of not knowing and clinging to a self, attachment
or desire, and hatred - these three
are the three main poisons. And from these
three, arise other impurities, such as
jealousy, pride and so forth. And when
you have these, you create actions. And when
you create actions, it is like
planting a seed on a fertile ground that in due course
will yield results.
In this way we create karma constantly and are caught up in the
realms of
existence.
To be completely free from samsara, we need the wisdom that can
cut the root of
samsara, the wisdom that realises selflessness. Such wisdom
also depends on method.
Without the accumulation of method, one cannot cause
wisdom to arise. And without
wisdom, one cannot have the right method. Just
like needing two wings in order to
fly in the sky, one needs both method and
wisdom in order to attain enlightenment.
The most important method, the most
effective method, is based on loving-kindness,
universal love and compassion,
and from this arises the bodhicitta, or the enlightenment
thought, which is
the sincere wish to attain perfect enlightenment for the sake of all
sentient
beings. When you have this thought, then all the right and virtuous deeds
are
naturally acquired.
On the other side, you need wisdom, the wisdom that realises
the true nature of all
phenomena, and particularly of the mind - because the
root of samsara and nirvana,
everything, is the mind. The Lord Buddha said:
"One should not indulge in negative
deeds, one should try to practice
virtuous deeds, and one should tame the mind."
This is the teaching of
the Buddha. The fault lies in our wild mind, we are caught up
in samsara or
the cycle of existence. The purpose of all the eighty-four thousand
teachings
of the Buddha is to tame our mind. After all, everything is the mind - it is the
mind which suffers, it is the mind which experiences happiness, it is the
mind which is
caught up in samsara and it is the mind that attains liberation
or enlightenment. So
when the true nature of the mind is realised, all other
things, all other outer and inner
things, are then naturally realised.
So what is the mind? If one tries to investigate where the mind is, one cannot
find
the mind anywhere. One cannot pinpoint any part of the body and say,
"This is my
mind." So it is not inside the body, not outside the
body, and not in between the body.
If something exists, it has to be of specific
shape or colour but one cannot find it in
any shape or any colour. So the
nature of the mind is emptiness.
But when we say that everything is emptiness
and doesn't exist, it does not mean
that it does not conventionally exist.
After all, it is the mind which does all the wrong
things, it is the mind
which does all the right things, it is the mind which experiences
suffering
and so forth. Therefore there is a mind of course - we are not dead or
unconscious,
but are conscious living beings, and there is a stream of continuity of
the
consciousness, constantly. Just like the candle light that is burning, the clarity
of the mind is constantly continuing. The characteristic of the mind is clarity.
You
cannot find it in any form or in any colour or in any place, yet there
is a clarity that
is constantly continuing. This is the characteristic of
the mind. And the two, the
clarity and emptiness are inseparable, just like
fire and the heat of fire are inseparable.
The clarity and the emptiness cannot
be separated. The inseparability of the two is
the essence, the unfabricated
essence of the mind.
In order to experience such a state, it is important
first to go through the preliminary
practices. Also, through preliminary practices
one accumulates merit. It is best to
meditate on insight wisdom. For that
one needs to prepare the present mind, our ordinary
mind that is constantly
in streams of thoughts. Such a busy and agitated mind will not be
a base for
insight wisdom. So first we have to build a base with concentration, using the
right method. Through concentration, one tries to bring the mind to a very
stable state.
And on such stable clarity and single-pointedness, one then
meditates on insight wisdom
and through this one realises the true nature
of the mind. But to realise such, one requires
a tremendous amount of merit,
and the most effective way of acquiring the merit is to
cultivate bodhicitta.
So with the two together, method and wisdom, one can realise the true nature.
And
when one has realised the true nature, on the basis of that and increasing
wisdom,
eventually one will reach the full realisation and will attain enlightenment.
**************************************************************************************
An
Interview with
His Holiness Sakya Trizin
A Buddhist Essence Teaching
"WE
MADE MANY PREDICTIONS AND THEY ALL
SAID THE SAME THING"
Q. Your Holiness,
would you give us an account of your life?
A. Perhaps I should begin by telling
you what happened before my birth. The title 'Sakya
Trizin' means 'Holder
of the Throne of Sakya' and my grandfather had been the last Trizin
in our
family. For the sake of having a son, my parents went on a pilgrimage to Mount
Kailash, to Nepal, to Lhasa and to South Tibet, but there was never any sign
that a son
might be born. They had given up all hope when they reached Nalanda
Monastery, an
important Sakya Monastery north of Lhasa and told the monastery's
abbots of this. The
leaders were shocked and very worried, as our family lineage,
the Dolma Palace line,
held the tradition of the most esoteric Sakya teachings
and moreover, most of the heads
of the monastery had received these teachings
from my grandfather, so to them, the
continuation of our family was most important.
They urged my parents not to give up
hope, and moreover they gave up one of
their best teachers, Lama Ngawang Lodro
Rinchen, so that he could travel with
my parents. This was something of a loss to the
monastery, but he was a very
powerful Lama who could perform all the different rituals,
and in particular,
his prayers had caused children to be born to women who had been
unable to
have children before. After this he always travelled with my father, and together
they performed many rituals and prayed for a son to be born. At last it became
clear that
the prayers had been answered and my parents halted at Tsedong,
a small, pleasant town
near Shigatse. It had been decided that it was a good
place for a child to be born, partly
perhaps for its reputation as the birthplace
of many great Sakya teachers such as
Ngachang Chenpo Ngawang Kunga Rinche.
In fact, I was born in the same room as
Ngachang Chenpo.
A further problem
arose: a succession of astrologically inauspicious days. As my
parents wanted
me to be born on an auspicious day, many more prayers were said. And
I was
not born on a bad day: I was born on the first day of the eight Tibetan month
(September 7, 1945), which was considered quite good. It is said that rainbows
were seen
over our house, and that an image of Guru Rinpoche was then offered
to my father, which
were good signs, but of course I didn't know anything
of this.
Q. What happens when a child is born into your Holiness' family?
A. The very first thing, as soon as the child is born, is that the letter
DHIH, the letter of
Manjusri who represents speech and wisdom is written on
the child's tongue with a special
nectar made of saffron and many other things.
Q. When did you first go to Sakya?
A. That was later. I am told that my
first birthday was celebrated in Tsedong, and that
after this, our family
went on a short pilgrimage to the famous shrine of Guru Rinpoche
in the south
of Tibet. After that we returned to Sakya, where my second birthday was
celebrated
rather elaborately.
Q. Your parents died when you were quite young, I think?
A. Yes. I cannot remember my mother at all. She died when I was two or three
but I
remember her sister, my aunt. She was like a mother to me. My father
died in 1950
when I was five. That I remember very well.
Q. How old were
you when your studies started?
A. This was when I was five. In that same year,
Lama Ngawang Lodro Rinchen gave me
my first lesson in the alphabet. We went
to the special Manjusri shrine in Sakya, where he
gave me the consecrations
of Manjusri and Achala, and then a very ancient copy of the
Tibetan alphabet
written in gold was produced. This was especially for the use of the sons
of
our family. Then Lama Ngawang read the letters in front of the Manjusri image
and I
repeated them after him. This, of course, was the ceremony. After that
I had another
teacher for reading.
Q. Did your spiritual studies begin
then too?
A. Yes, I had to memorize and recite prayers to Manjusri. I remember
all this very
clearly. After the ceremony, I was taught spelling seven hours
a day, six days a week
for nearly two years. We Tibetans say that the more
you practice spelling, the faster
you will be able to read.
Q. Were you
receiving religious teaching at this time too?
A. I had received consecrations
frequently. In fact, I am told that I received the
blessings of Amitayus for
long life from my father almost as soon as I was born. When
I was four, I
received the Consecrations of Vajra Kila (Dorje Phurba) from my father.
I
remember that also very clearly. I was sitting in the lap of a very dear personal
attendant, and I remember, too, when my father gave me the wrathful part of
the
Consecration, he was wearing the hat and constume of a black hat dancer,
and performed
the ritual dances. I even remembered who played the musical
instruments then!
Q. Where did this all take place?
A. In the Dolma Palace.
The Dolma Palace is a big palace with three main shrine rooms
and many other
rooms. Altogether it has about eighty rooms, and all the teachings were
given
in one of these shrine rooms.
Q. Did you ever go out of the Palace?
A.
Oh yes, but not often into town. There was a very extensive open area of fields
around the Palace, and the river ran quite near. I used to go out there with
an
attendant to play with other children when I was not studying.
Q. When
did your religious studies begin in earnest?
A. I began to study reading in
the summer of 1950, and in the autumn, I went to Ngor
Monastery where I received
the Esoteric Path-Result (Lamdre) teaching. My Guru for
this was Lama Ngawang
Lodro Shenphen Nyingpo, Abbot of the Khangsar Abbacy of
Ngor.
Q. How do
you remember him?
A. He was a very holy, very spiritually advanced Lama, always
very calm, very slow in
movement, and he did everything very perfectly. He
was then very old. He gave the
teachings in his own room to a very few people,
maybe thirty in all. At that time, I was
very small and could barely read.
I remember I sat in the lap of Khangsar Shabdrung,
the successor to the Abbot,
who held out the pages in front of me so I could read the
introductory prayers
each day. While the Abbot was teaching the Mahayana part, I
could understand
it quite well, but I could not understand the Tantric section very well.
I
spent much time with the Abbot, and in the meantime, I continued to practice spelling
and reading by going through some biographies. I stayed about four months
in Ngor
for the teaching, and then returned to Sakya.
The following year,
I visited Lhasa for the first time and met His Holiness the Dalai
Lama who
confirmed me as 'Sakya Trizin designate'. I spent four months in Lhasa visiting
many of the monasteries there and in central Tibet. We visited Nalanda and
Samye also,
then returned through South Tibet where I visited many holy places
and monasteries
on pilgrimage.
During these visits, I was hard at work
memorizing the Hevajratantra which is the
basic text for Sakya religious practice.
Then, early in 1952, I was enthroned at a simple
ceremony, as I was then too
young for the full enthronement which came later. I had to
recite the full
Hevajratantra in front of the monk officials and teachers of the Tantric
monastery
in Sakya: this was considered a test of ability which all monks had to take.
I
was then only six, but I am glad to say that I passed by reciting it correctly.
After that,
I attended the monthly recitation of that Tantra by all the monks
of the Tantric monastery:
it was the first ceremony I attended there. Later
I left Sakya to attend the Enthronement
of the Panchen Lama in Shigatse, which
lasted for several weeks. This time I travelled
with the full dignity and
entourage of a Sakya Trizin.
I returned to Ngor that summer to receive that
Esoteric Path-Result teachings from
Khangsar Khenpo, during which he stopped
frequently to give other teachings, such as
the instructions on Vajra-Yogini,
the Zenpa Zidel and many other important instructions.
In all, the teaching
lasted for a year until I had to return to Sakya, at the request of the
Chinese,
for some talks. Early in 1953, I again returned to Ngor to resume studies there,
but unfortunately, Khangsar Khenpo passed away just before he had finished
the whole
teaching and the teaching was concluded by his successor. I returned
to Sakya before
September, as that year, I witnessed the yearly ceremony and
ritual dance of Vajra Kila.
It is always held in the seventh Tibetan month.
Then I began the meditative retreat of
Hevajra at the Dolma Palace.
Q.
Was this your first retreat?
A. Not quite. During the time I received the
first Lamdre teaching, I had performed
the retreat of Amitayus and then I
gave the consecration to my Guru, Khangsar Khenpo.
Also, in the interval between
the two Lamdre teachings, I performed the retreat of
Bhutadamara, a special
form of Vajrapani, for one month. But this was the first major
retreat I performed.
During the retreat, we had many difficulties. I had a very strict
teacher
and I was allowed to see only my aunt, my two servants and my teacher. Though
I myself remained quite well throughout, my teacher got very ill following
the first half
of the retreat - very, very ill and we had a difficult time
because of his sickness.
Nevertheless, the retreat ended successfully. I say
'we' because my sister was performing
the same retreat at the same time, but
in a different room, some distance away. Of
course, we were not allowed to
meet, but we communicated by writing notes.
After the retreat, my teacher
remained ill for some months and during this period
I had a long holiday!
I became rather wild and took to wandering off and doing as I
pleased. My
aunt was a little worried and appointed a temporary teacher under whom
I had
to memorize the texts of the Vajra-Kila, both for daily practice and for the long
ritual.
Then that summer of 1954, Khangsar Khenpo's successor was invited
to Sakya to
give the Druthab Kuntu, a collection of Tantric meditations and
teachings collected and
edited by the first Khyentse Rinpoche. This lasted
for three or four months and was a
very pleasant occasion. The entire teaching
was held in the summer house in our park
at Dolma Palace, and Khangsar Shadrung
taught in a very leisurely fashion. By this time,
my teacher had recovered
from his illness and taught me the ritual dances that go with
the Kila practices.
In September, I attended the month-long Kila ceremonies. I was not
the Master
of Ceremonies that year, but I took part in the dances and attended nearly
everyday
of the ceremonies. Next I received the Mahakala teachings from Lama
Ngawang
Lodro Rinchen, and went straight into retreat to meditate on that Protector for
one month. I received more Mahakala teachings from Lama Ngawang, and the Thangtong
Nying-Gyud from Drupchen Rinpoche, a very great Nyingma Yogi and an incarnation
of
the Tibetan saint, Thangtong Gyalpo. I then entered the retreat of Vajra-Kila
for three
months. During this time, my sister, who was then sixteen, was giving
the three month
teaching of Lamdre. She had never done the Kila retreat, so
I was asked to give her the
consecration when I finished my retreat. This
was the first major consecration I gave.
About sixty monks were to receive
the Lamdre, but many other people arrived for the Kila
Consecration: about
one thousand, I think. That was all in my ninth year.
Q. How do you remember
Lama Ngawang Lodro Rinchen?
A. He was the Lama who caused me to have human
birth. He was a very wonderful
Lama, very strict in his observance of Vinaya
rules of discipline, and never would eat
after lunch, nor wear skins, nor
shirts with sleeves. His arms were always bare, no matter
how cold it was
and no matter how cold it was in Sakya - and Sakya is really a very cold
place
- his room was always as warm as if centrally heated. In his house, we could keep
flowers, we could keep water. Elsewhere, we could never keep water during
the winter: if
we put water in a bottle, it would freeze within a few minutes
and crack the bottle!
Q. Your Holiness had a strenuous childhood. What relaxations
did you enjoy?
A. I used to enjoy going out into the fields around the Palace.
The river ran quite near
the Palace and I used to love going there. I remember
when I attended the Kila ceremony,
I would be escorted home by attendants
from the town of Sakya itself. Then immediately
they left, immediately they
were out of sight, I would tear off all my ceremonial clothes
and go down
to the river in the simplest attire. I used to like to bathe, but even in
September,
the water was very, very cold, dreadfully cold. Then sometimes I would like
to
go out to the summer house in the park. We had an old gramophone, the kind that
you wind up and a pile of old records (mostly British military marches, but
also some
Tibetan folk songs) which we enjoyed listening to.
Q. Did your
Holiness visit Lhasa again?
A. Yes, in the summer of 1955, I received many
esoteric teachings from Lama Ngawang
Lodro Rinchen, and that autumn I went
again to Lhasa. That winter, I received some
short teachings from His Holiness
the Dalai Lama. But Lhasa had changed. When I first
visited in 1951, I saw
a beautiful early, traditional Tibetan capital. Even then the Chinese
were
arriving; a few Chinese were to be seen in the streets. But on my second visit
in
1955, I drove into Lhasa from Shigatse by jeep - by Chinese jeep! And Lhasa
itself was
full of jeeps and lorries; there were Chinese people and goods
everywhere.
I stayed about six months in Lhasa, giving some small teachings
and performing a
sacred dance as a prayer there. At this time, I first met
Venerable Jamyang Khyentse
Rinpoche and stayed quite near him, visiting him
frequently. I received many Sakya
teachings from him, but most of the teachings
I received from him were actually
Nyingmapa. Early in the following year,
I made another visit to south Tibet and then
returned to Lhasa where I had
to sit on the Chinese Preparatory Committee, along
with His Holiness the Dalai
Lama and His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa and other prominent
Tibetans. By then
the Chinese intentions were becoming quite clear, but we felt that it
was
best to try to control the situation as best we could, without violence. In any
case,
our country was not a powerful one in any military sense.
I returned
to Sakya in the summer and later in the year, Khyentse Rinpoche came
to Sakya.
That winter, His Holiness the Dalai Lama went to India on a pilgrimage for
the
Buddha Jayanti celebrations and I met him in Shigatse, on his way to India. A
little
later, I also went to India on a pilgrimage, visiting the four most
holy shrines of Buddhist
pilgrimage in India: Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Sarnath
and Kushinagar. I stayed in India
about two months and then returned to Sakya.
In the following year, 1957, I again
performed the meditative retreat of Vajra-Kila,
and again received the Lamdre teaching,
this time from the Abbot of the Tantric
Monastery in Sakya, the Venerable Jampal
Sangpo.
Q. When did your Holiness'
full enthronement occur?
A. That was after the New Year early in 1959. It
was an event requiring much preparation. At the end of 1958, the great sacred
dance of the Protectors of Religion
was held, at which I presided. Then, at
the New Year, the enthronement was held.
Q. How was this performed?
A.
In the Tantric Monastery, there is a big courtyard in front of a temple with golden
roofs. In this temple, the Spiritual Throne of Sakya Pandita is kept, on which
is placed
the Temporal Throne of Chogyal Phagpa. I had to sit on top of these
and teach a text
written by Sakya Pandita, called the Sage's Intent. The teaching,
which included a little
explanation, lasted for three days. After this, offerings
were made by His Holiness the
Dalai Lama's representatives, by representatives
of the Panchen Lama, of Sakya, of
many other Tibetans and also of the Chinese,
on this occassion. After this a great
procession is held.
Q. This must
have been shortly before Your Holiness came to India?
A. Yes, we left for
India almost immediately afterwards.
Q. How did you get out of Tibet?
A.
It was very complicated. At that time, the tension in Tibet was very high and
people
talked of nothing but the Khampas and the Chinese, the Chinese and
the Khampas. We
made many predictions and they all said the same thing: that
Tibet would be lost and
many very dreadful things would happen. But we still
waited, until one day, news came
from an Indian broadcast that there had been
a battle in Lhasa and His Holiness the
Dalai Lama had escaped to the southeast
of Lhasa. Then we hurried. I was unable to leave
directly from Sakya because
there were many Chinese spies. So I let it be known that I
was going into
retreat at the hermitage not far from Sakya. I arrived there safely and sent
word
to my aunt and sister to join me. From there we left by night.
Q. How long
did it take?
A. It is not far from Sakya to the Sikkimese border. We got there
safely in five days.
Our party was of only eight or nine people and, because
of the circumstances, I was
unable to bring any of the very many precious
and holy things we had in Sakya.
In Sikkim, I spent a month in Lachen where,
I remember, I began to learn English,
and soon after I could pick out simple
words. Then a message came from Khyentse
Rinpoche, that he was very ill in
Gangtok, so I went there. The message, in fact, was
brought by a Tibetan doctor
who is now my father-in-law, although then I didn't know
him! Khyentse Rinpoche
was very unwell and I said many prayers for him, but he
became weaker and
passed away in July 1959.
After this, I went down to Darjeeling and then,
in winter I made a pilgrimage through
India and Nepal, returning to Kalimpong
and Darjeeling in early 1960. I spent that year
and the next two years studying
philosophy under a very learned Sakya abbot called
Khenpo Rinche. You see,
although I had received many teachings and performed many
retreats in Tibet,
I had never had time to study Mahayana philosophy very much, so in
these three
years, I learned Madhyamika philosophy, Logic, Prajnaparamita, Abhidharma
and
other studies. Then at the end of 1962, there was a border war between India and
China so we left Darjeeling and came to Mussoorie.
The following year
I spent recovering from tuberculosis, but at the end of 1963, I
was able to
attend the Religious Conference in Dharamsala and in March 1964, we
founded
the Sakya Centre to function as our main monastery for the time being, located
down at the foot of Mussoorie. I went back to Mussoorie to take up studies
with the
Venerable Khenpo Appey, a very great Sakya teacher. Primarily, I
studied the Tantras
under him and received many profound explanations he had
received from his own
teacher, the first Deshung Rinpoche, the great Tibetan
mystic. Later I studied some
Madhyamika philosophy under him too, and in addition,
poetry, grammar and arithmetic.
In 1965, I attended the Second Religious conference
in Bodh Gaya. In 1966, I went on
a pilgrimage to Sanchi, the caves at Ajanta
and Ellora, but otherwise, my studies continued
uninterrupted until 1967 when
Khenpo Appey went to Sikkim. In the winter of 1967, I
gave the Lamdre for
the first time at Sarnath, when I was 22. About four hundred monks
and perhaps
one hundred lay Buddhists attended. Early in the following year, we started
our
Sakya Rehabilitation Settlement at Puruwala for nine hundred refugees from Sakya.
The place was chosen for a physical similarity to Sakya, although of course,
it was much
hotter.
Perhaps I should mention a succession of Western
friends who had stayed with me
during these years, helping with our rehabilitation
work, and from whom I learnt to speak
English.
In 1970, a tragic motor
accident deprived us of the Venerable Thutop Tulku, a
young and very capable
monk who had organized the Centre and the Settlement,
practically single-handed.
Since I now knew English fairly well, I took over the work
of administration.
That autumn, I moved to the Sakya Centre and since then I have
lived in Rajpur.
1971 and 1972 were good years, as the Venerable Chogye Tri
Rinpoche stayed
with us in Rajpur, giving a major collection of consecrations, the
Gyude Kuntu
of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. In the spring of 1974, I married and
soon after
left on my first visit to the west. For four months, I visited Switzerland,
England,
Canada, the United States and Japan, giving religious teachings and meeting
Tibetan
immigrants and Western Buddhists. On November 19th, 1974, my son,
Doongsay
Rinpoche, was born. The following spring, we went on pilgrimage to Chogye
Rinpoche's
newly completed monastery in Lumbini, Nepal, after which I spent a
month teaching
at our Sakya monastery in Bodhnath, Kathmandu. That summer, my
aunt, who had
brought me up and upon whom all the decisions and work had rested
during my
childhood, passed away, to our great sorrow. In 1976, I taught in Darjeeling.
I taught the Druthab Kuntu in Ladakh, Kashmir, and undertook a teaching tour
of the
settlements in south India.
Q. And next?
A. I very much look
forward to teaching in the West again.
Q. Your Holiness, whom do you regard
as your main Gurus?
A. My main Guru was Khangsar Khenpo, from whom I received
the Lamdre. Then
my father; Khyentse Rinpoche; Khangsar Shabdrung Rinpoche;
Lama Ngawang Lodro
Rinchen; and Sakya Khenpo Jampal Sangpo. Then to a lesser
degree, Phende Khenpo,
Drupchen Rinpoche and many others.
"IF
YOU WANT TO KNOW THE FUTURE,
LOOK FOR IT IN YOUR PRESENT ACTIONS"
Q.
Your Holiness, why should we practice Buddhist teaching?
A. I would like to
answer this by describing the three types of persons who practice
Buddhism.
Generally speaking, from the smallest insect on up to the most intelligent
human
being, there is agreement: all want happiness and all wish to avoid suffering.
The majority of human beings do not understand what the cause of suffering
is, or
what the cause of happiness, but in the teachings of Buddhism and in
their practice,
you will find the answers to these questions.
Q. What
are the causes of suffering and happiness?
A. The Ratnavali of Nagarjuna says,
"Every action arising from desire, aversion and
ignorance produces suffering;
every action arising from the absence of desire, aversion
and ignorance produces
happiness."
Now, as I said, there are three kinds of people. Like all
other beings, the lowest
person wants happiness and wants neither suffering
nor rebirth in the lower realms
of existence, so he practices Buddhism to
create the causes of rebirth in the human
realm or in the heavenly realms
of the gods. He does not have the power or the
courage to leave Worldly Existence
completely. He only wants the best parts of
Worldly Existence, he wants to
avoid the worst parts, and that is why he practices the
Buddhist religion:
in order to get a higher rebirth.
Now the middling sort of person understands
that the whole of Worldly Existence,
no matter where one is born, is suffering
by its nature, just as fire is hot by its nature.
He wants to get out of it
altogether and attain Nirvana, the state which is entirely away
from suffering.
The highest person realizes that, just as he himself does not want to suffer,
and
does want happiness, so also do all living beings have the same fears
and wishes.
He knows that, since we have born again and again from beginningless
time in Worldly
Existence, there is not a single sentient being who has not
been our mother and father
at one time or another. Since we are that close
to all sentient beings, the best person
is one who practices Buddhism in order
to remove all these countless beings from
suffering.
Q. How should we
practice?
A. At the beginning of all Buddhist practice come two very important
things: meditation
of the Four Recollections and taking Refuge.
The Four
Recollections are of the difficulty of getting human birth, of the
impermanence
of all Samsaric things, of the sufferings of Worldly Existence
and of the
law of Karma, which means of Cause-and-Result.
Generally speaking, it is
very difficult to be born as a human being. We think that
there are many human
beings, but if we compare our numbers to those of other beings,
we realize
how few we are. (For instance, in each of our own bodies there are millions
of
germs, microbes, viruses and so on.) So statistically the chances of attaining
a human
life are very poor. In any case, there are many places of rebirth
which are of no use to
a being, as he will be unable to meet with the Buddha's
teaching in them. There are
eight unfavorable places of birth: the realms
of hell, of hungry ghosts and of animals,
of barbarians, places where religious
teaching is incorrect, where there is no Buddha,
certain God realms and the
realm of dumb people. Yet even if we get a human rebirth,
there are ten necessary
pre-conditions: it is necessary to be born in a place to which
the Buddha
has come, a place in which the Buddha actually taught the religion, a place
where
the teaching is still alive, where the teachers are kind enough to teach, and
where
there are still Buddhist followers such as monks and lay followers.
There are also five
external circumstances required of oneself: one must not
have committed any of the
five limitless downfalls, as this would create a
great obstruction.
This difficulty is explained in other ways, also. The
cause of human birth is the
performance of virtuous acts and keeping correct
moral conduct, and since very
few people are aware of this, human birth is
rare by its cause. By nature, it is much
easier to be born elsewhere. The
difficulty is illustrated by an example: imagine a
blind tortoise living in
the ocean. Floating on the surface of the ocean is a yoke. The
tortoise comes
to the surface only once a century, yet he stands a better chance of
putting
his neck in that yoke than we do of being born in human form.
The recollections
is of impermanence: the Buddha said, "The three realms of
existence are
like a cloud in autumn: the birth and death of beings is like a dancer's
movement;
a being's life is like a waterfall, like a flash of lightning in the sky; it
never
stops even for a single moment and, once it starts, it goes inevitably to its
conclusion." Everything is changing: outside the seasons change; spring
gives way
to summer, to autumn and winter. Children grow into adults, adults
become old;
hair turns from black to white, the skin shrivels and life fades.
Isn't that so?
Everything changes constantly. There is not one single place
where one can escape
impermanence. Since everything changes constantly, one
never knows when the
end will come. One may be in perfect health today and
yet die tomorrow. We know
two things of death: it is certain to come and we
have no idea when it will come.
It could come at any moment and there are
many things, internal and external, that
can cause it. Thus, if you want to
practice Buddhism, you must realize that it is
necessary to start immediately.
You can never be sure of a tomorrow in which to do
anything.
Q. How does
this help us? The practice of Buddhism will not make us less impermanent.
A.
It will not make us less impermanent, but it will give us the certainty that,
in our
coming lives, we will have less suffering. The practice of Dharma,
of religion, means
- briefly speaking; avoiding non-virtuous acts; and performing
virtuous acts. When
you behave in this way, it is obvious that you will be
happier in the future.
Q. Does it mean that, since we expect less from this
life, we will also suffer less?
A. Yes, that too, but more important, by thinking
about impermanence we will be
moved to practice Dharma quickly. The thought
of impermanence helps us to speed
up our path a great deal.
Q. What are
the six realms and their sufferings?
A. As I said before, no matter where
you are in Worldly Existence, you are suffering.
Suffering is of three kinds:
the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change, and the
suffering of
conditioned existence. The suffering of suffering is when you have a
headache
or something like that. It is simply suffering which everyone accepts and
thinks
of as suffering. Then the suffering of change is the suffering undergone through
perception of change. You are with friends today but you have to depart; when
you go,
you meet enemies. Nothing stays, and seeing this, we experience the
suffering of
change. The suffering of conditioned existence means the unsatisfactoriness
of worldly
activity. We do many things in the world but never are really satisfied.
There are always
more things to be done, which we cannot do and this is their
frustration which is suffering.
The lowest of the six realms are the Hell-realms,
of excessive heat and cold, and
the 'neighbouring hells' which are also states
of great suffering, and which last for
incredible periods of time. The cause
of these states of suffering is hatred. Then there
is the realm of hungry
spirits who are tantalized by food and drink they cannot swallow.
This is
the result of desire and stinginess. The animal realm is well known to us and
birth there is caused by ignorance. The human realm, too, we know. The fifth
realm is
the demi-gods who are constantly engaged in war with the gods, out
of jealousy, and
who will thus naturally suffer in their next lives. The gods
seem very comfortable.
They enjoy great pleasures and immensely long lives,
but sooner or later experience
old age and death. As they have done nothing
but enjoy themselves, they will not have
created the merit to achieve high
rebirth and will fall into states of great suffering.
The three lower worlds
beings experience the suffering of suffering exclusively,
humans experience
all three, but chiefly the first two, while the gods suffer mainly
the last
two.
The last of the Four Recollections is of Karma, the law of Cause and
Effect. In
the Buddhist view, everything we have today and everything we do
has a cause in
the past. In fact it is said that if you want to know what
you did in the past, you
should look at your present situation; whether you
are rich or poor, ugly or beautiful,
this is the result of past actions, as
the future, whether happy or otherwise depends
on what you do today. Everything
you do today will produce a result in the future.
If a tree's root is medicinal,
the flowers, the leaves, the bark and everything that
grows on the tree, will
be medicinal, and like this, an act that grows out of the
opposite of desire,
aversion and ignorance will produce happiness. If the root of
the tree is
poisonous, then everything that grows on the tree will be poison, just as
acts
of desire, aversion and ignorance produce suffering.
Q. Is there a practice
based on the law of cause and effect?
A. The law of cause and effect, Karma,
is one of the main teachings of Buddhism.
It means that you should always
practice virtuous things, since non-virtuous acts
will always bring suffering
in this life as well as in the next. If you don't want
suffering you should
avoid its cause; if there is no cause, there will be no result,
just as, if
the root of thr tree is removed, there will be no fruit. If you want happiness
you must be very careful about the causes of happiness, just as if you want
the tree
to grow you must take care of its root. If the root is defective,
the tree will not grow.
So before you begin any meditation you should contemplate
these Four Recollections
very carefully and then you should take Refuge. Taking
Refuge marks the difference
between Buddhists and non-Buddhists: it means
that you have surrendered, you have
taken asylum.
Q. In what way do we
surrender?
A. You surrender yourself. As I said, Worldly Existence is full
of sufferings. There are
many which are less obvious and which common people
do not notice. We wish to be free
from these sufferings but at present we
don't have full knowledge or full power to do so,
so there is nothing much
that we ourselves can do about it for the present. Now, when
you undertake
an important act you seek help from a powerful person: if you are sick,
you
consult a doctor and if you have trouble with the law, you go to a lawyer. So,
when
you want to be saved from the sufferings of Worldly Existence, you have
to take Refuge
in the Triple Gem, which is the real helper in this undertaking.
The Triple Gem consists
of the Buddha who is the guide, the Dharma (or Religion)
which is one's own Path and
the Sangha, which means one's own spiritual companions.
However, the final Refuge
is only the Buddha. The Dharma or teaching has two
parts: the Teaching and the
Realization. The Teaching is the Tripitaka (Sutras,
Abhidharma and Vinaya Discourses),
but this is like a boat you use to cross
a river: when you get to the other side, you
simply leave it behind. The Realization
has also two parts, the Truth of Cessation and
the Truth of the Path. The
first of these is void, shunyata, so it cannot be a final Refuge,
while the
Path, being itself impermanent, also cannot be the final Refuge. As for the
Sangha,
even its very highest members are still on the Path so they cannot be a final
Refuge. So really, the Refuge is in the Buddha only, but we always take Refuge
in
Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Q. Does this mean that the Buddha is permanent?
A. Yes, yes. The Buddha is of course permanent. The Dharmakaya 'the Truth
Body'
is beyond permanence and impermanence and the Sambhogakaya, the 'Bliss-body',
always exists. The Nirmanakaya, the 'Apparent-body' is the form the Buddha
takes
on this earth, and it does have the appearance of impermanence, though
it is always
present somewhere, if not here.
Q. What is the actual practice
of taking Refuge?
A. Taking Refuge is performed differently according to the
intentions of the three
types of persons who perform it, although the three
causes - fear, faith and compassion
- are the same. The actual practice is
the recitation of the prayer of Refuge. The
simplest prayer says, "I
take Refuge in the Buddha, I take Refuge in the Dharma,
I take Refuge in the
Sangha." A more elaborate prayer says, "I take Refuge in the
Buddha,
Dharma, Sangha until I get Enlightenmentl by the merit of doing this may
all
beings attain Buddha's stage."
But mere recitation of the prayer with
your voice is not sufficient; it must be recited
from the heart. If you want
to take refuge from the rain, it won't help you to say "house,
house"
or "umbrella, umbrella". You have to find a house, you have to go and
get an
umbrella, and if you do this, you will be saved from the rain without
any doubt. So it is
necessary to take Refuge very seriously, with full brief
and, moreover, you must think
that, no matter what happens, you will seek
the Refuge of only the Triple Gem, and
that you will always remain under it.
Reciting the prayer in this way and with this
intention is the first practice
of Buddhism and one of the foundations of all practice.
Taking Refuge like
this distinguishes the Buddhist from the non-Buddhist.
Although recitation
like this is sufficient to make you a Buddhist, it is common for
a short ceremony
to be performed in front of the spiritual guide. He will say the words
of
the prayer, which the disciple will repeat after him and also promise to uphold
the
basic moral teachings of Buddhism. From that time onwards, you should
continue to
recite the prayer daily and with great devotion.
Q. Is animal
rebirth really possible for a human?
A. Yes, definitely. There are many stories
of animals being reborn as humans as a
result of good actions and of humans
being reborn as animals, too, as a result of
bad actions. Some animals are
extremely kind, especially to their offspring, and by
working very hard they
can create enough causes to achieve human birth.
Q. Why is human birth so
important?
A. Human birth is extremely precious because, through human life,
one can achieve
not only higher rebirth and Nirvana, but also one can practice
Dharma and get
Enlightenment.
Q. Does it really help us to think a great
deal about impermanence? We always know
we are impermanent, and thinking about
it too much might make us miserable.
A. Yes, it does help. Tsongkhapa said,
"A prisoner has only one thought: When can
I get out of this prison?
This thought arises constantly in his mind. Your thought on
impermanence should
be like this; meditate on impermanence until this state of mind
arises."
Q. Are we really in the position of prisoners? We often do find things pleasant
in
Worldly Existence.
A. But that pleasure isn't permanent, is it? That
very pleasure can lead to disaster,
can't it? So we are happy now, but we
never know what might happen in the next
hour. There may be a complete disaster.
Since pleasure is impermanent, since it is
very uncertain, you are not actually
happy because your pleasure is colored with
anxiety. In fact, you are never
happy because you don't know what will come and
thus anxiety is inevitable
here.
Q. Are the hells metaphors for states or amounts of suffering or do
they really
exist as described in the Buddhist 'Sutras'?
A. Something
really exists, I think. Actually it says in the Sutras that they really
exist
much more terribly than they are described because, it says, the Buddha
didn't
fully describe them. If he had fully described them, people would have fainted.
Q. How real are they?
A. They are real as the life we have today. Yes,
many people think that they are not
real, they are like a dream. But actually,
we are happy and unhappy in dreams, just
as real as we are when we are awake.
This present experience also is not real, but we
think everything around us
is real. Hell is as real as this. Of course hell, also, in
reality, is not
real. This is also not real. What is this, then?
Q. Do the Buddhas suffer?
A. No, they never suffer. They are absolutely free from sufferings.
Q.
Do they see suffering?
A. They don't see suffering, either.
Q. Then how
can they help people who are suffering?
A. They don't suffer. This answer
is one of the differences between the Sakya and
Gelugpa orders; the Gelugpas
say that the Buddhas do see suffering and we say that
they do not. The man
who has awakened from sleep doesn't have dreams. This impure
Samsaric scene
of suffering is like a dream, it's like an illusion. So the man who has
awakened
from this illusion can never dream again. But, due to his Bodhicitta,
(Enlightenment-mind)
and his compassion, help for others spontaneously arises. But
the Buddha himself
never sees suffering. For him, all things are transformed into
pure appearance.
Q. Is the Buddha involved in 'Karma'?
A. He has achieved the final Karmic
result, the highest and best possible results of
Karma.
Q. Can anything
happen to us which is not the result of our own actions?
A. No, never.
Q.
Can the Buddha perceive the results of his or other's acts?
A. Yes, for instance,
there have been many prophecies, but I don't think the Buddha
sees or perceives
these results. Where there is a need for prophecy, it just arises
spontaneously.
Q. Can we modify the results of past acts?
A. Certainly. The Vajrasattva
meditation can purify many of our past bad actions,
but in any case, the creation
of good causes and merit is very helpful and necessary.
"THE
BODHISATTVA IS BORN
OUT OF LOVE AND COMPASSION"
Q. In the Lesser
Way of mere personal salvation (Hinayana). 'Nirvana' (Liberation) is
one of
the Four Noble Truths, but it seens less important in the Great Way (Mahayana).
A. Yes. There are two extremes, Worldly Existence and Liberation. The first
is
completely involved in suffering and the other has completely gone beyond
it. The
Great Way teaches that we should enter neither. Instead, we should
follow the
Middle Way which means that, through the power of Wisdom, we do
not remain
in Worldly Existence and through the power of compassion we do
not remain in
Liberation. If you are in Liberation, you cannot be active,
you cannot help other
beings. You yourself will be completely free from suffering
but there is nothing
you can do for others. By attaining Enlightenment, which
we call the Great
Liberation, you are not only free from suffering but also
you can help all sentient
beings immensely. This is the main difference.
Q.
What are the principle practices of Mahayana?
A. There are three main practices:
Love, Compassion and Enlightenment-mind.
Love means that you wish every sentient
being in all the six realms of existence
to be happy, and compassion is the
wish that all beings in suffering should part
from suffering. The Enlightenment-mind
means, generally speaking, the wish to
attain Enlightenment for the sake of
all sentient beings. These three are very
important. Without love and compassion,
the Enlightenment-mind will not arise
and, without the Enlightenment-mind,
you cannot attain Enlightenment, so therefore
love and compassion are necessary.
But of these, compassion is of particular
importance. It is said to be the
seed of the Great Way in the beginning; meantime,
it is the water that makes
the crops grow, and finally it is the ripening of the fruit.
So, clearly,
compassion being in the beginning, the middle and the end, it is very
important.
Thus, when Chandrakirti wrote the Madhyamakavatara, he preceded
it with an
homage to compassion. "The Buddha," he said, "arises from the
Bodhisattva
and the Bodhisattva is born out of love and compassion, but especially
out
of compassion." The main cause of the Great Way is compassion.
Q. How
should we practice these?
A. First, study is required and then meditation.
Visualize those who are dear to you
and wish them to be happy and be free
from suffering; then pray that you may have
the power to accomplish this for
them, that you will be able to do this. Then meditate
on those who are not
dear to you and finally on all sentient beings. In fact, you should
start
by thinking of the Four Recollections, then taking Refuge, then visualizing your
mother and thinking very clearly on the most elaborate details of her kindness
to you
and the care she had for you. Then realize that she is still suffering
and creating the
causes of suffering: at this, the wish to help her will arise
and, when you want to help
her out of suffering, the Enlightenment-mind will
arise. Finally, pray to the Guru and
Triple Gem that she may be happy and
without suffering. Then think of your father,
of other beings and of your
worst enemy, too. If this is difficult, remember that hatred
is your real
enemy as it will create states of great suffering. Then meditate upon all
beings
in the six realms until natural love for them arises without a single reservation.
Finally, wish that any merit accumulated through this may benefit all sentient
beings
equally: this sharing of merit concludes every meditation.
Compassion
is of the greatest importance and should be practiced as much as
possible.
It should be completely instinctive. Avalokiteshvara, the Lord of Compassion,
said in a Sutra, "One who wishes to gain Enlightenment should not practice
many
things, but just one, and that one is compassion." The practice
of Compassion is of
three kinds. Compassion to beings is to wish that, firstly
your mother and then all
other limitless sentient beings should be free from
suffering, and the wish that you
may be able to help them. Compassion to Dharmas
(conditioned phenomena) is the
wish that sentient beings should abandon the
root of suffering, for the root of suffering
is ignorance. The third practice
is called objectless compassion. You must realize that,
really, all sentient
beings are not there but, nevertheless, through ignorance of the
Real, they
are very much tied to the ego and this causes them suffering.
Q. Sentient
beings are not really there?
A. No, actually sentient beings are not really
there, but through attachment to ego,
there arises illusory appearances. Since
you desire certain of these appearances, you
may also have many aversions
to others, and so long as you ignorantly believe them
to be really suffering,
you remain caught in the closed circle which is Worldly Existence.
The third
practice is of Enlightenment-mind, which is a very importance practice.
Generally
speaking, there are two Enlightenment-minds, the Relative one and the
Absolute
one. The relative Enlightenment-mind also has two parts, called "Wishing"
and "Entering". The Wishing Enlightenment-mind is the aspiration,
the wish to gain
Enlightenment for all those sentient beings, and this is
like the wish to make a
journey. The Entering Enlightenment-mind is like making
that journey: everything
you actually do to achieve the aim of getting Enlightenment
is the Entering
Enlightenment-mind; so in fact, this Entering Enlightenment-mind
includes all the
Buddhist practices such as the six Paramitas of Giving, Moral
Conduct, Patience,
Vigour, Meditation and Wisdom. Then the Absolute Enlightenment-mind
is the
understanding of the true nature of all things, which is to say, Emptiness.
To realize this is Absolute Enlightenment-mind.
Q. How should we understand
Emptiness?
A. Emptiness is actually only a name. It doesn't mean that all
things are empty or
void. Every religion tries to explain the true nature
of phenomena, but all have come
to the conclusion of something existing, either
positively or negatively. Ordinary
people do not think much about phenomena
and their origins, but the more spiritual
people do, and wonder why things
exist and where they come from. Christianity
concluded that all things are
created by God. An early Buddhist school, Sarvastivada,
concluded that, although
gross things do not really exist, atoms - so minute that
they can have no
sides facing different directions - do exist as basic elements. A more
advanced
Buddhist school, the Vijnanavada, decided that ultimately nothing exists
externally
and that the things we seem to perceive are only projections of mind.
However,
when the Madhyamika philosophers examined phenomena, everything
seemed to
disappear and they could find nothing. They were not satisfied by the
explanation
that God created everything or that tiny atoms existed, and they
reasoned
that it was impossible for subjective mind to exist if objects did not exist,
as mind and objects are as interdependently inseparable as are right and left.
So,
if there was no external matter, there could ne no mind. The Madhyamika
concluded,
after a very scrupulous examination, that there was nothing, ultimately,
that could
be clung to as really existent. Positive things could not be found,
negative things
could not be found, nothing could be found which could be
accepted as really existing
because the true nature of all things is beyond
existence and non-existence, beyond
thought, and inexpressible. Shantideva
said, "The Absolute is not an object of mind;
it lies beyond mind. It
is something you cannot describe; it is the wonder of the
incomprehensible."
However, when we talk about such things, we have to name
them, so we call
it Emptiness, but really Emptiness is not something that can be named,
it
is inexpressible.
Of course, this is all 'ultimately'. Relatively speaking,
the Madhyamika accepts
whatever ordinary people accept, but the writings of
this school do show an experience
of the inexpressibility of all things.
Q.
Isn't this critique of phenomena merely a logical paradox? Can it have any
bearing
on daily life?
A. Of course it does. When you realize the Ultimate Truth,
you are free from suffering.
We are in suffering because we haven't awakened
from the relative illusion. We are
wrapped up in this relative illusion and,
due to this, we hold things as really holding them
as real, we act and hence
suffer and create many more causes of suffering.
Q. So the real point is attachment?
A. When you are no longer attached to things as real, you create no further
causes
of suffering.
Q. Is this a subject of meditation?
A. There
are many meditations on this in the Greater Way, and especially the Tantric
Way.
We have to realize that sufferings come from bad Karma, which comes from the
defilements
and that the defilements arise from ego. If we are deluded, we may think
a
coil of rope is a snake; we do this in supposing that a self exists, When you
have
'self', there must be 'other'; when there is 'other', there is desire
for 'self' and aversion
to 'other', and this leads further into delusion and
the obscuration of the true nature.
The Enlightenment-mind is the best way
to uproot the mistaken notion of a self. In
what way are other beings different
from you? Try first to see them as equal to yourself
and to love them as much
as you love yourself until, finally, you can love beings better
than yourself.
Try to wish constantly, however much you are suffering, that, even so,
all
the sufferings of all sentient beings may come to you and that all your causes
of
happiness may be given to them. And you should always wish that the merit
gained
through this should be benefit to all beings.
The practice for
realizing Emptiness, the Absolute Enlightenment-mind, has two
parts; the practice
of concentration and the analysis of experience, which shows us
clearly the
Madhyamika experience. But these practices need some lengthier
explanation
and I cannot deal with them adequately here. But, before and after
every practice,
you must take Refuge and share the merit.
Q. If things and mind don't exist,
what are appearances? Where do they being and
where do they end?
A. They
have no beginning. There is an end, though, when you achieve Enlightenment.
This
is an illusion, unreal, like a dream. Where does the dream arise? Where does it
go? It is like that. This is a long dream.
Q. So what are appearances?
A. This is a long dream.
Q. Love and compassion are good, but doesn't
there come a point when it is better
to be angry with people? Is anger ever
justified?
A. Maybe, if the intension is white, even though the action is
black. Even if you
are angry, if it is with the thought of benefitting a being,
your anger arises from
compassion, and whatever arises out of compassion is
good. If the root is medicinal,
even if the fruit appears bad, it will be
medicinal.
Q. Buddhism is often thought of as leading to negative and passive
behavior.
A. This is true if you enter and abide in Liberation. But if you
enter the Great Way,
instead of selfish desire for liberated quiescence, you
have compassion which is the
active desire for the benefit of all beings.
Q. Buddhism is sometimes said to be atheistic because it holds that there
is no God.
A. Buddhism does not believe in a God as the creator of the world
and, in that sense,
you might say it is atheistic. If, however, God is something
else, a divine compassion
or a divine wisdom, manifest in the form of a deity,
you might say that Buddhism is
not atheistic but polytheistic.
Q. If there
really is no self, than what is reborn?
A. The continuum of mind, the serial
mind-stream of a person and the results of his
deeds give rise to a new being.
In any case, rebirth is a relative truth. The interpretation
of relative truth
differs from school to school, from religion to religion. The Madhyamika
believes
the relative to be whatever we see, without examination: the view of ordinary
people. Relatively, there is rebirth, but not ultimately.
Q. How did the
'Madhyamika' philosophy arise? Isn't it later than the Buddha's time?
A. Of
course it is Buddhist: it is the actual meaning of the Prajnaparamita Sutras,
where it is clearly said that anyone who follows extremes will never be free
from
suffering. The extremes are of positive and negative, of belief in existence
and
non-existence, and the like. The philosophy is developed from the Sutras
which
were taught by the Buddha.
Q. If we don't accept the existence of
beings, since all things are emptiness, what
reason do we have for being compassionate?
A. Everything is not just emptiness; emptiness is also a wrong view, an extreme
-
the true nature of things is away from extremes. In order to realize this,
you have
to accumulate a great deal of merit and the best way to do this is
to practice love
and compassion for all sentient beings. Until this merit
has been accumulated,
the understanding of Emptiness will not arise.
"THE
GURU HAS A TREMENDOUS RESPONSIBILITY"
Q. What is 'Mantrayana', Your Holiness?
A. Mantrayana or Tantra, actually is method. The first intentions, and the
final goal,
are exactly the same as they are in Mahayana, but since the Mantrayana
is direct,
more intelligent has more methods, it reaches the same destination
from the same
starting place much more quickly: the difference is as between
travelling by train and
aeroplane. The Mahayana practices consist mainly of
meditation through thinking
about things, but in the Mantrayana, our bodies
are also extensively used. By knowing
and using our bodies, we can reach our
destination much more quickly. Now, many
things are required for an aeroplane
to fly, such fuel, wind, the design of the machine,
and so on, and in the
same way, when we try to attain realization in the Mantrayana
we practice
not only in thought: we visualize different Mandalas, repeat Mantras, and
so
on, and you can say that if these practices are correctly followed, realization
will
automatically arise.
Q. Is this the only difference between Mahayana
and Mantrayana?
A. The Mahayana is called the "Cause Yana", the
Causal Path, and the Mantrayana
is called the Result Path. In the Mahayana,
you work only to create the right causes
by practicing giving, moral conduct
and so on. These practices are very valuable and
correct, but they are still
very different from the immense qualities of the Buddha. But
in Mantrayana,
you image yourself right from the beginning in the form of the result
- the
Buddha, in one form of another. By this practice, the result - which is the same
as
the practice - will arise and consequently Mantrayana is called the Result
Path. Right
from the beginning, you think of yourself as the Buddha with all
the qualities, the
thirty-two major signs, the eighty minor signs and so on.
Q. Is it not wrong to think of ourselves as the Buddha?
A. Indeed not.
It is said in Mahayana, too, of course, that the nature of our mind, of
our
entire organism, is actually Buddha, and always has been. However, we have not
realized this and we are wrapped up in an illusion, so consequently we suffer.
If the
obscurations and defilements were intrinsically part of our mind, purification
would
not be possible. Coal will not become white, however much we wash it,
but since
the nature of mind is pure, it can be purified. Since other beings
have attained
Enlightenment, it is clear that it is possible for us, too,
that our minds can also be
purified.
The way Mantrayana deals with this
problem is as follows: there are five races,
or types, of persons. Actually
there are hundreds and thousands of different types,
but they can all be included
in five categories, These five, in fact, can also be included
in one, which
is Vajradhara, but, in general, it is convenient to think of five. These
five
we imagine in a Mandala, which is a celestial mansion of certain proportions and
decorations, surrounded by fire. The Buddha in the centre is dark blue and
is called
Akshobhya, 'the Unshakable One'. In the East is white Buddha Vairocana,
'the One
Who Creates Appearances'. In the South is yellow Ratnasambhava, 'the
One Who
has the Nature of the Gem'. In the West is red Amitabha, 'Limitless
Light', and in
the North is green Amoghasiddhi, 'the One Who is Skilled in
Accomplishing all
Possible Works'. They all look like Shakyamuni Buddha except
they have different
Mudras or gestures of the hands. Akshobhya touches the
earth in the Bhumisparsha
mudra; Vairocana's hands are in the gesture of teaching;
Ratnasambhava displays
the gesture of giving, Amitabha, the gesture of meditation;
while Amoghasidhi holds
up his hand to show the crossed Vajra, the mudra of
fearlessness. Each of these five
has specific qualities, but each is also
relatedto the five most common defilements
we are afflicted with: the blue
Akshobhya to anger, red Amitabha to passion and
desire, green Amoghasiddhi
to envy, white Vairocana to ignorance, and yellow
Ratnasambhava to pride and
avarice. These colors are clearly related to the
corresponding defilements.
In English, you say 'green with envy' while passion is
associated with red
and anger with dark blue. We can clearly see these characteristics
of the
five races in individuals: an individual who is dark in complexion, who may
have
a mark on his person resembling a vajra and who is often angry, is of the race
Akshobhya. (The vajra is the sign of Akshobhya.) Since there is a complete
link
of cause and effect, that person will succeed particularly easily and
will if he practices
the path related to Akshobhya. You see, the Buddha Akshobhya
represents the
complete transformation of anger. In Mantrayana, we never regard
any defilement,
such as anger or desire, as something to be repressed. Instead.
the energies tied
up in the defilement are purified and result in one of the
five Buddhas, each of whom
is characterized by a certain type of wisdom. This
is another reason why the Mantrayana
is the 'Result Path'.
In fact, there
is no impurity, of course. The impurities appear because we have not
yet realized
the truth and we are still thinking in terms of subject-and-object. So we can
say that impurities also come from delusion.
Q. How do we practice this
Path?
A. Although this Path is obviously superior, it is not easy to understand
correctly.
For a start, we must be certain of our practice of pure resolve,
the Bodhicitta, and
only then can we receive the teachings of the five Buddhas,
in one of the many forms
they take to suit our own individual nature. This
teaching is given in the form of an
Empowerment which is called a Wang in
Tibetan. It means a 'Consecration' or
'Initiation'. This empowerment is a
transmission, and it is necessary to receive it
from a qualified Guru, and
then to study, think about it and meditate on it in order
to achieve the final
result. After receiving the Consecrations, one must carry out
the daily practice
without fail, and learn to think very clearly and completely of
oneself as
identified with the final result. Then, because of the connection between
cause
and result, the result will naturally arise.
Q. This transmission is important?
A. Transmission from the Guru is particularly important in Mantrayana. The
Guru
transmits the teaching to you, and he is part of an unbroken successsion
of teachers
which goes right back to the original Buddha, Vajradhara, from
whom the teachings
arose in the first place. Even in the Mahayana, you cannot
practice without guidance,
and this is particularly true of Mantrayana.
Q.
Does this mean that we will not get the result unless we receive the teaching
in this way?
A. Of course we will not. No one can get anything merely
by studying a text. You
must first receive the teaching in an oral tradition
which goes back to Vajradhara
and this direct unbroken blessing of the teaching
line must be received first; without
this special blessing, no ripening wil
occur. Although most of the teachings have now
ben written down, you must
first receive them orally; then you can study them.
Q. So th Guru is very
essential?
A. It is said in the Tantras that the Guru is the source of all
Siddhis, or spiritual
accomplishments. So it is important to find a guru,
and, generally, it is necessary
to find the right Guru, the one who has all
the qualifications to teach Tantra. In
particular, it is necessary for you
to find the Lama with whom you have a particular
connection by Karma. For
instance, when Milarepa first heard of Marpa, he felt a
particularly urgent
desire to meet him immediately. Or when Tsarchen heard of
the great Sakya
teacher, Doringpa, he felt a special urge to meet him as quickly
as possible.
When you find this Guru, you must receive a transmission and
explanation from
him. In Tantra, it is necessary to receive the Wang, the
empowerment, the
transmission or Consecration. Wang is the door to Tantra.
Without Wang there
is nothing you can do. Wang is like fertilising the ground
and planting the
seed. It creates the right conditions. After receiving the Wang,
it is only
a matter of looking after the seed to see that the crop grows.
Q. How can
you recognize the Guru with whom you have a Karmic link?
A. In some cases
there is a clear sign. In Tsarchen's case, a woman appeared to him
while meditating
in a cave. At that time, he was a Gelugpa monk. She gave him a book
and told
him to find Doringpa. He found Doringpa in Sakya, and discovered that
the
book he had been given had come from Doringpa's library. The woman was a
manifestation
of Vajra Yogini, a female deity. Tsarchen practiced her meditation, in
particular,
after receiving it from Doringpa, and achieved great realization. Generally,
however,
if you feel a particular urge to meet or communicate with a certain Lama,
a
feeling of something happening when you meet him, this is a good indication.
It can also be discovered by prediction. When I was very young, my aunt asked
some monks to do a form of prediction involving a mirror. They saw a strange
Lama
in the mirror and myself in front of him. The Lama has long ears and
the space
between his upper lip and nose was also very wide. He had a scar.
We didn't know
who it could be, but later discovered it was Khyentse Rinpoche.
Q. Does this mean that we can only get good results with a Lama with whom
we
have a Karmic link?
A. No, not necessarily. In my case, I was unable
to receive a great deal of teaching
from Khyentse Rinpoche. Any qualified
Guru is good, but there is a special one who
can help you more than any other.
Q. Is it right for a Guru to make extravagant demands on his disciples?
A.
Yes. For instance when Marpa was teaching Lama Ngog, he asked him if he had
brought
all his wealth. Ngog replied that he had left behind only one lame old goat.
Marpa
sent him back to fetch it. Marpa said, though an old lame goat made no
difference
to him: he had demanded it only to uphold the dignity of the teaching. If
you
have to offer everything, you must hold back nothing. But the relationship of
Guru and disciple is not the relation of master and a servant. It is the relationship
of a father and son. It is a spiritual relationship, but it must be as warm
and close as
the relationship of a father and his son. The Guru has a tremendous
responsibility
to care for his sons who, in their turn must follow all the
teachings they are given,
and keep all their vows.
Q. What are the vows
involved?
A. They are far from simple. After receiving the Wang, there are
many vows to
keep, in addition to daily practice and study. If you have already
received the
Pratimoksha vows of the Hinayana code, you must keep these and,
then in
addition to the Mahayana vows, you must keep the Tantric vows which
are very
important. Without keeping these, no practice will be effective.
The vows are
given to create the right conditions for caring the seed planted
during consecration.
The vows must be kept properly and daily practice must
be performed with its
visualizations and mantra recitations and meditation
on the two stages of Kyerim
(Process of Creation) and Dzogrim (Process of
Completion).
Q. What actually is a Tantric Deity?
A. There are limitless
living beings with different tastes, backgrounds, ideas and
dispositions,
so in order to suit different types, the Transcendental Wisdom, or
Buddha,
or whatever you prefer to call it, has taken different shapes. For instance,
people
who have much desire meditate on deities embracing. People who have
much hatred
meditate on deities in a wrathful, angry form. People who have much
ignorance
meditate on very elaborate deities with many jewels and ornaments. But
actually
they are all the same Transcendental Wisdom appearing in different forms
to
suit different types of people.
Q. What is the connection between Tantric
teaching and the historical Buddha?
A. We call the historical buddha the 'common'
Buddha and the tantric Buddhas are
'non-common', but many of the Tantras were
recited by the historical Buddha. The
Hevajra Tantra is one of these.
Q.
What is Mahamudra?
A. Mahamudra is the Transcendental Wisdom you realize after
practicing Kyerim
and Dzog-rim. Kyerim is the process of creation: you visualize
a mandala arising
out of a letter, you visualize it peopled with deities.
Dzog-rim means the stage of
completion. This is usually at the end of the
practice. You imagine everything being
absorbed back into the original letter
and then that, too, disappears. Actually
Kyerim purifies birth and Dzog-rim
purifies death.
Q. What are main Sakya practices?
A. The main Sakya practice
is Lamdre, or 'Path-Result' which covers the Hinayana,
Mahayana and Mantrayana.
It comes to us through Virupa, a great Indian saint who
lived in 650 A.D.,
and it was brought to Tibet by the translator, Drogmi, who died in
1072. It
is based on the consecration and practices of the Hevajra Tantra and includes
the philosophy of Tantra as well as all the Yogic practices such as 'Inner
Heat' breathing
yoga, bodily positions, the yoga of dreams, Pho-wa or 'Transference
of Consciousness',
Bardo practices and so on. The entire teaching takes three
months to give. Then we
practice on a very special, very esoteric teaching
of Naropa, a Vajra-Yogini teaching
with eleven yogas. Then we have many teachings
of Mahakala, we have Vajrakila,
which comes from the original Nyingma tradition
of my family; Sarvavidya, which is
particularly helpful for the dying and
the dead; Vajra-Bhairava, a wrathful form of
Manjushri; the 'Thirteen Golden
Teachings' that belong only to the Sakya Order,
and many others. But Lamdre
contains everything.
Q. In the Western concept of morality, sexual energies
are usually regarded as a
hinderance to the spiritual path. Does Tantra mean
the acceptance of these energies
and can they really help us along the Path?
A. If they are rightly used: if used by the right persons, at the right time
and
correctly, they can be a very great help. The story is often told of King
Indrabhuti,
who told Shakyamuni Buddha that he would rather be reborn as a
wolf in the jungle
than undertake a spiritual Path which demanded the renunciation
of worldly things,
so the Buddha gave him a special teaching, the Guhyasamaja
teaching, of which
we still have the transmission. Mere external renunciation
is, of course, of little
use; one can renounce something externally and still
be very attached to it! True
renunciation is the renunciation of attachment.
In any case, King Indrabhuti was
of the very highest type of person and he
and his entire court actually attained
Enlightenment while the Buddha was
giving them the teaching!
However, most Tantric practitioners are, of course,
monks who are not allowed
worldly pleasures and who must, of course be celibate.
King Indrabhuti attained
Enlightenment immediately, but we have only to read
the story of Milarepa to see
the difficulties that even gifted individuals
undergo.
Q. What dangers are ther in incorrect practice?
A. "If something
goes wrong in Tantra, there is only one direction: down to hell."
Practicing
Tantra is like being a snake in a bamboo tube: it can only go up or down.
It
is necessary to find a good Guru and practice the teaching very carefully.
Q.
Why does Tantra involve so much secrecy?
A. I think that, generally, it is
to avoid creating disbelief in, or even aversion to,
Tantric teachings. If
people hear things at the wrong time or without proper
explanation, they may
be shocked and think that Tantra is a bad thing and lose
faith in the Tantric
Path. Also, if people see Mandalas and perhaps read Mantras
in books, they
may be tempted to try and practice by themselves, which is a very
serious
mistake. In Tantra you cannot do anything by yourself. Everything must
be
handed on to you by the Guru.
Q. Is Tantra more than just ritual?
A. Ritual
is only a small part of Tantra. The main practice is one's daily meditation,
visualization
and recitation, the practice of physical yogas, breathing yogas and so on.
Q.
What is the result?
A. Generally the result is the Three, or Four, or Five
Bodies (Kayas) of the Buddha.
These are included in Three Kayas; two Rupa
or 'form' Kayas, and one is a spiritual
'Body'. This latter is called Dharmakaya,
the 'Body of Reality', it is the continuation
of the mind which has been completely
transformed, which has become completely
inseparable from Shunyata. The Sambhogakaya,
the 'Body of Bliss' is the 'Body'
that dwells permanently in the Akanishtha
Buddhafield, giving teaching to the great
Bodhisattvas. The Nirmanakaya, or
'Illusory Body', is of different types, but the
Excellent Nirmanakaya is one
like the historical Buddha who appeared among us in
India. These 'Bodies'
result from the transformation of our present organism. Our
present body becomes
the Rupakaya and our present mind becomes the Dharmakaya
or 'Body of Reality'.
"THE BUDDHA SEES THAT
EGO
DOES NOT EXIST ANYWHERE"
Q. It is said that the most important
quality needed for successfully practicing 'Dharma'
is great faith. What kind
of faith is needed? Why is faith so important?
A. Of course faith is very
important but it is not the only important thing. It is the
beginning. Without
it, you cannot achieve good results. For instance, if the seed is
burnt, you
cannot grow a crop. No matter how much you practice Dharma, you will
not get
any result without faith. But it is not a blind faith that is required. Generally,
there are said to be three types of faith: firstly 'voluntary faith', which
means that
you perceive so many excellent qualities in the Triple Gem that
you wish to accept
it in order to benefit all sentient beings; secondly, 'clear
faith', which means that,
seeing the great, good qualities of the Buddha,
your mind becomes clear and certain;
and thirdly is the 'faith of confidence',
which means that you accept the Buddhist
teachings as valid, such as the Four
Noble Truths, and so on: your study these teachings
and conclude that they
are correct.
Q. So faith is not just a matter of accepting certain dogma?
A. No, no, certainly not.
Q. The teaching of rebirth is unfamiliar to
the West. Can one practice Dharma
effectively if one does not accept rebirth?
A. According to our definition of the practice of Dharma, no. We say that,
whatever
you practice, however high or good it may be, it is not Dharma if
it is just intended for
this life. Dharma is what you practice for the next
life, so the idea of rebirth cannot
be separated from the idea of Dharma.
The law of Karma is an intrinsic part of Dharma
and future rebirth is the
result of present causes.
Q. Many people in the West might deny the universality
of suffering.
A. Buddhists however say that, wherever you are in Worldly Existence,
there is
suffering. It is wrong to ignore the continual presence of suffering.
One should not
hide from suffering; one should know its cause and try to avoid
creating the causes
of suffering.
Q. What is the "anatma" or
"ego-lessness" doctrine taught by the Buddha?
A. The Buddha sees
that ego does not exist anywhere. Mind is not ego, body is not
ego; ego is
just a name given to a grouping of things: form, perception, feeling, impulses
and consciousness all together. So, in reality, when you examine in order
to find what
it is we call ego, there is nothing. Ego is just a name given
to a collection of things.
Q. Even though we have no immortal soul, doesn't
ego exist in some way?
A. No, ego never exists, but the continuity of mind
exists.
Q. Whence does our strong sense of ego arise?
A. Since beginningless
time, we have been born in Worldly Existence with a very
strong habit of thinking
that the continuum of mind is our own ego, and we have
lived with a very strong
attachment to it.
Q. So ego is only a habit of thought?
A. Yes.
Q.
Some Westerners think that death is complete annihilation.
A. That is not
right: when you die your body ends, but your mind still continues.
Q. If there
is no ego, what continues?
A. The continnum of the mind: it is like a rosary
- all the beads are different, but it
is the same rosary.
Q. What is mind?
A. There are many parts to it, but there is a very basic aspect which we call
Kun-Shi,
(Alayavijnana). Literally, this means 'foundation of all' and it
is a luculent 'self-seeing'.
It is the base on which Worldly Existence and
Liberation arise. It is actually unobstructed
mind, that part of mind which
doesn't grasp at outer objects. It is luculent and continues
right from beginningless
time until Enlightenment is reached.
Q. This mind is also non-existent in
the Absolute?
A. Relatively it exists, of course. Ultimately, it is Shunyata,
but relatively it exists. In
reality, you cannot not say it exist or doesn't
exist.
Q. Is it individual or is it a kind of collective consciousness, a
common basis of
all individual minds?
A. It is individual.
Q. What
distinguishes followers of the Mahayana from followers of Hinayana?
A. There
are differences, but the main thing is that one who wishes to get
Enlightenment
for the benefit of all sentient beings belongs to the Mahayana.
Q. Is compassion
for all living beings just a matter of feeling sorry for them?
A. No. Compassion
is a thought, the wish for beings to be free from suffering.
Q. Does compassion
have to involve understanding the cause of suffering, or is
it just a matter
of feeling?
A. I think both are involved. Compassion has three phases: the
wish that the cause
of their sufferings be removed, and the wish that beings
should become freed from
suffering by understanding the true nature of all
things. The practice of compassion
clearly involves an understanding of the
cause of suffering.
Q. The meditation for arousing compassion is based upon
a reflection of the
kindness of our mother. What should we do if our mother
was not kind?
A. Every mother can be considered as kind. It is a great kindness
that she gave you
a human body. That is enough for you to consider her as
kind. If the meditation is
difficult, you should always try to think of her
kind actions and good qualities until the
feeling of love arises.
Q. Your
Holiness has said that our sense of 'I' is really an illusion. If this is so,
why is it difficult for us to see this?
A. As I said earlier, from very
beginningless time, through lives we have built up
propensities which are
reinforced by every act that assumes 'I' is real; these
propensities make
it very difficult for us to realize the illusory nature of 'I'.
Q. Seeing
the unreality of ego is like breaking a bad habit?
A. Yes.
Q. Your Holiness
has said that the teaching of rebirth is a relative truth and that
many things
exist relatively but not ultimately; what is this distinction between
relative
and ultimate truth?
A. Yes, there are two truths, relative and ultimate. Relatively
we suffer, relatively
there is cause, path and result. But in the experience
of ultimate truth, nothing can
be said to exist, nor not exist, nor both together,
nor either. These are what we call
the four objectionable extremes; they are
objectionable in the sense that valid
logical objections can be raised to
all four possibilities.
Q. Can ultimate truth be expressed in words?
A.
No, although it can be described to some extent. However, in fact, it can only
be
realized and experienced.
Q. Is the "Madhyamika" doctrine
of emptiness taughtby all schools of Tibetan
Buddhism and is their teaching
the same?
A. Yes, they all teach the same thing, but their ways of teaching
differ. They all have
their own qualities and all achieve the same result.
Q. Do followers of Mantrayana accept all the Mahayana teachings?
A. Yes,
Mantrayana accepts all Mahayana teachings. It is distinguished by the greater
variety of methods, the use of a more direct methods to attain the truth.
Q. What is the significance of the 'Vajra' and bell used in Tantric meditations
and ceremonies?
A. Each has many facets, but they are mainly symbolic
of method and wisdom,
which are of equal importance on our Path; they also
represent masculine and
femine qualities.
Q. Ritual is important in Tibetan
Buddhist practice: what is its use?
A. Ritual is very important and, through
it practice, much progress may be made.
However, it is not necessary for everybody
to perform elaborate rituals. Only the
Vajra and bell are necessary and mudras.
Q. Why are "mudras" important?
A. They are very significant,
externally and internally, and are very helpful in
visualization practices.
They also have much power in themselves, to protect,
to receive blessings,
to heal.
Q. What qualities are required before one can give "Wangs"?
A. Three types of Guru are described in the Tantras. The highest type is one
who has
really seen the deity as clearly as we would see another person. The
second type is one
who has received some sign of spiritual accomplishment,
at least some sign, even
perhaps in a deam. The third type, which is usual
these days, is the Guru who has
received all the necessary wangs and teachings
from a proper Guru, and who has
performed the retreats of certain major deities,
who learned all the rituals, the mudras,
the arrangement of the Mandala, and
so on. Then only can he give Wangs.
Q. Is it good enough to receive the teaching
from a Guru of the third type?
A. Yes, it makes some connection, even if it
is not so close as the first type.
The first type of Guru can introduce you
to the deity as he would to a friend!
Q. What is a meditation retreat?
A.
There are many different kinds. You can have a simple retreat when you practice
the meditations on love, compassion and the resolve to win enlightenment.
In Tantric
meditation you visualize the deities, recite the mantras, or simply
meditate on shunyata.
There are many practices.
Q. Why are 'retreats'
so important?
A. Through meditative retreats, you attain Enlightenment. Without
performing
many retreats, it is not possible to attain Enlightenment. It is
well known that in
Tibet many yogis spent years in solitary retreat for this
purpose; some still do so
in India. Unless you had the very highest qualities,
it would not be possible to
attain Enlightenment in this life without performing
long retreats.
Q. In Mantrayana practice, does it matter which deity one meditates
on?
A. It is best to meditate on a deity with which one has a karmic connection.
This is
called a Yidam, or 'Patron Deity'.
Q. Can every deity be a 'Yidam'?
A. Not all. The Protectors cannot be Yidams. There is a class of deities which
are
yidams, and among these will be one with whom you have a particular connection.
Q. Can Bodhisattvas like Manjushri and Avalokiteshvara be 'Yidams'?
A.
Yes, they have boths forms, as Bodhisattvas and as Yidams.
Q. What qualities
are required of us before we can take 'wangs'?
A. Many different qualities
of the worthy disciple are described, but the main qualities
are faith, compassion
and Bodhicitta. People without a developed Bodhicitta are not
allowed to take
major consecrations, the consecrations of deities like Hevajra.
Q. Is it still
a matter of luck, even if one has developed 'Bodhicitta' to find a Guru?
A.
No, one has to search. One can always find a Guru from whom to receive teachings.
Q. What should a person do if he doesn't find a Guru?
A. He should search
more!
Q. What is the 'Anuttarayogatantra'?
A. There are four classes of
Tantra of which Anuttarayoga is the very highest.
Briefly, it is the practice
in which every act of one's life - even eating, bathing,
and so on - everything
that you do, every action in Worldly Existence both
during your meditation
and whilte you are not meditating, everything, every action
is transformed
into the Path.
Q. Does Buddhist practice mean we have to renounce the material
world?
A. According to Hinayana and Mahayana, yes - but according to Mantrayana,
not
necessarily.
Q. By renunciation, you mean going to the mountains and
living like a hermit?
Can we continue to live in cities and still practice?
A. Certainly, in Mantrayana. This is why the Lord Buddha taught the Mantrayana
to King Indrabhuti.
Q. Why then is monasticism important?
A. Monasticism
is important to keep the tradition alive, to keep the teaching
properly. When
you stay in the world you can still practice, perhaps very
effectively, but
generally there is too much potential for distraction in the
material world,
and lay people don't have the time to practice properly or to
study the teachings
effectively. They have too many other things to attend to.
Monks have a much
better opportunity to practice and study Dharma, as they
have nothing else
to attend to.