People often talk about spirituality and
materialism, but what do these terms really mean? You'llfind that, as individuals,
each of us has a different view.
Some think they're opposites, two irreconcilable
extremes. Others think you can't lead a spirituallife while living in a materialistic
society, that to do so you have to abandon all enjoyment of material things. Then
there are those who think spiritual seekers are rejects from society who couldn't
succeed in the material world. Yet others think, "I'm a rationalist, I don't
believe anything," considering religious people blindly ignorant believers.
Some people, especially those brought up in materialistic societies, become
attracted to Buddhism or some other religion the moment they hear about it. Without
understanding or even checking that it suits their mind, they immediately grasp
at that religion as "fantastic!" This is very dangerous and not at all
a spiritual attitude.
Religion is not just some dry intellectual idea but
rather your basic philosophy of life: you hear a teaching that makes sense to
you, find through experience that it relates positively with your psychological
makeup, get a real taste of it through practice, and adopt it as your spiritual
path. That's the right way to enter the spiritual path.
If, for example,
after you encounter Buddhism for the first time you think it contains wonderful
ideas and immediately try to make radical changes to your life, you won't make
any progress at all. You have to implement it step by step. To actualize Dharma
you have to look at your basic situation, what you are now, and try to change
gradually, checking as you go.
So, why do we all have different views of
what spirituality and materialism are? Because we have all had different experiences
and therefore think differently.
To follow the spiritual path you do not
have to abandon material things, nor does leading a materialistic life mean that
you can't engage in spiritual practice. In fact, even if you are totally materialistic,
if you check deep within your psyche, you will find that there is already a part
of your mind that is flowing in a spiritual direction. It may not be intellectualized,
it may not be your conscious philosophy, you may even declare, "I am not
a believer," but in the depths of your consciousness there is a spiritual
stream of energy constantly in motion.
From the point of view of religious
tolerance, the world today is a much better place than it was even less than one
hundred years ago. People held extreme views; the religious were afraid of the
nonreligious and vice-versa; everybody felt very insecure. This was all based
on misconceptions and is mainly in the past, but some people may still think that
way. Certainly, as I've been saying, many people feel that spiritual and material
lifestyles are completely incompatible. It's not true.
Therefore, take the
middle way as much as you can; avoid extremes. If you spiritual practice and the
demands of your everyday life are not in harmony, it means there's something wrong
with the way you are practicing. Your practice should satisfy your dissatisfied
mind while providing solutions to the problems of everyday life. If it doesn't,
check carefully to see what you really understand about your religious practice.
Everything Lord Buddha taught was for us to penetrate to the essence of our
being in order to realize the nature of the human mind. But he never said we had
to believe what he said just because he'd said it. He encouraged us to understand
the meaning of what he said. Without such comprehension, your entire spiritual
trip is a fantasy, a dream, a hallucination: one skeptical question from a doubter
and your whole spiritual life collapses like a house of cards.
Therefore,
put it all together. Enjoy your material life as much as you can, but at the same
time, understand the nature of both whatever it is that you're enjoying and the
mind enjoying it, and how the two relate. If you understand all this at a deep
level, that is religion. If all your narrow mind sees is what is external and
you never know what's happening in your own mind, that's a materialistic view.
It's not the fault of the materials, but that of your view.
You can't dedicate
your life to just one object: "This flower is so beautiful it makes my life
worthwhile. If this flower dies, I won't be able to live." That is stupid,
isn't it? I mean, the flower is just an example; we do this with other people
and all sorts of other things, but such is the extreme view of the materialistic
mind. A more realistic approach would be, "Yes, the flower is beautiful,
but it won't last; alive today, dead tomorrow. But my satisfaction does not depend
on that flower and I wasn't born human just to enjoy flowers."
Whatever
you understand by religion, or Buddhism, or even simple philosophical ideas, should
be integrated with the basics of your life. Then you can experiment: does satisfaction
come from your own mind or not? That is enough. You don't need to make extreme
changes to your life to learn that dissatisfaction is created by your own mind.
You don't need to suddenly sever your connection with the world. You can lead
a normal life while observing the nature of the dissatisfied mind. This approach
is both realistic and practical, and guaranteed to give you an answer.
Otherwise,
you accept some extreme idea, intellectually try to give something else up, and
all it does is agitate your life. For the human body to exist you have to eat;
you can't become an extreme ascetic overnight. Be realistic; it is unnecessary
to make radical changes. Change on the inside; change the way you see things,
instead of hallucinating.
We also have to accept the fact that everything
is constantly changing. Many of us have fixed ideas about the way things should
be and suffer when they don't turn out like that. Lord Buddha's psychology teaches
us to free ourselves from that kind of grasping -- not in an emotional, rejecting
way but rather by taking the middle way, between the two extremes. If you put
your mind wisely into this balanced space, you will find there happiness and joy.
***********************************************************************************************
An
introductory talk on : Working with Karma
Lecture given at Bodhi
Path Buddhist Center, Washington D.C. in 2002
We begin every teaching
with prayers to the Refuge, to the Bodhisattva commitment, and to the Guru-masters.
Refuge
in Tibetan means protection, in the Buddhist context, it means to be protected
by all the completely enlightened beings who are the Buddhas. We are also protected
by the truth of the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddhas. In addition, we follow
the Sangha who act as our guides on the Path of Dharma. These are beings who have
already achieved a certain level of enlightened wisdom through their own Dharma
practice. They are therefore qualified guides for us. We seek to be connected
to these three aspects of Refuge to avert our deviating into the wrong direction.
We wish to stay on the right path.
The second prayer reflects the importance
to develop the Bodhicitta attitude. When we go to receive the Dharma, or when
we practise the Dharma, we are not doing it to solely benefit ourselves. It is
natural that we initially seek out the Dharma for our own sake. But we must at
the same time, start to learn to be concerned for other beings as well. We learn
to adopt an attitude, or an aspiration that we may become useful to others. We
try to share always with others whatever knowledge we may acquire. This open,
and genuine altruistic care and concern for others is Bodhicitta.
When we pray
to the Guru as in Guru Yoga, we seek to receive the essence of the knowledge and
capacity of our Buddha nature mind. This is accomplished through our connection
to the qualities of the Guru which will lead us to realize the essential meaning
of the Dharma thereby we become liberated from our suffering and our illusions.
This is just what the Buddha had taught us, to begin to step away from samsara
and towards nirvana through a process of our own awakening to the truth.
As
we say the prayers, we try to keep our understanding in mind concerning Refuge,
Bodhicitta, and our connection to the realized masters.
The term, Buddha, in
Tibetan, means someone who is totally enlightened, San Gye. He is someone whose
knowledge is complete, or all knowing. In Indian, the term is Bhagavan. A little
more than 2500 years ago, the Buddha explained that all beings could improve their
conditions by connecting to the truth. We should first try to understand and then
to act according to the truth. This will inevitably bring about better and beneficial
results for oneself as well as for others.
The Buddha explained that each and
every being has an innate and basic potential. This potential is wisdom, and it
can be developed. Just as he himself developed his wisdom and reached enlightenment,
similarly, we can also achieve this same result. The Buddha then taught extensively
and exclusively to reach this one goal. He explained in great details the obstacles
preventing us from developing our inner potential. He elucidated the methods,
the practices as remedies to help us overcome our obstacles. He taught the path
of meditation as the means to develop our innate wisdom.
The Buddha's
teachings are very vast and profound. The translations in Tibetan alone total
103 volumes. These are massive volumes of the Buddha's original teachings. Then
there are the numerous commentaries and explanations given by the Buddha's disciples,
great Indian scholars, and panditas that serve to further clarify and to make
more precise the very profound meanings of the teachings. These make up additional
volumes numbering almost 200. Add to these the numerous Tibetan commentaries that
have been passed down through the generations to the present day, the existing
volumes of Buddhist teachings have reached well into the thousands! Numerous commentaries
given by the different scholars and yogis accompany every original teaching. This
is important so as to present a complete view which would otherwise be difficult
for one person alone to give. Of course, the commentators from the past were themselves
high-realized masters. Through rigorous debates among themselves, they were able
to make the explanations ever clearer and more precise for the followers at large.
Each generation of realized masters contributes towards improving the explanations.
This work continues today. The result is anyone who takes the time to look for
an explanation to a subject will no doubt find a very clearly presented one.
Despite
the vast volumes of teachings that are available to us, I feel that the Dharma
can be followed in a very simple way without studying all of them. In our centers
in France, we try to follow in a very simple way. People do not have so much time
to study and learn. From the very large commentaries, the realized masters have
neatly extracted the precise meanings and incorporated them into what we'd call,
essential practices. These are then introduced to the people so they could easily
follow the Dharma. If you can understand and can get the basic meanings, then
everything becomes very simple for you. There may be intellectuals, or practitioners,
or scholars who wish to study and to do research in the Dharma. They can study
the detailed proofs of the different theories which can be very complicated. They
can rely on the extensive volumes of explanations which are there to validate
and to clarify them.
what is karma?
Karma can be translated from the Sanskrit
or Tibetan term as cause and effect, or action and result. Very simply, the Buddha
explained that we are human beings and as such, we have to go through birth, aging,
and then death. Some of us think that death marks the end of living. Others among
us believe that there is continuity after death. Some people think in terms of
existence versus non-existence. The Buddha's answer is that we are here now as
human beings but when we die, our mind continues.
There is a term, reincarnation,
which is a Christian term. The Christian explanation is somewhat different than
the Buddhist's concept. I discovered this during an inter-faith dialogue with
a Catholic priest. By karma in the Buddhist context, we are simply saying that
since we exist, then at the end of life, we have to go somewhere. This is all
we mean by reincarnation. It is easier to understand if you do not have a preconceived
notion of reincarnation which might confuse you. The Buddha told us that it is
the mind that reincarnates.
Each human being has a mind. Each human being has
a body. Each human being has a name. The mind identifies with the body with a
name and thinks that there is a self, "I am so and so." The Dharma explains
that it is due to our habitual tendencies that we feel that there is a "self".
Some realized lamas have described the mind as being like energy, like air, without
any form whatsoever. There are many terms used to label it, such as soul, thoughts,
or consciousness. These terms can be confusing. For simplicity's sake, I always
refer to it as the mind.
When one dies, the mind does not stay with the body.
The mind actually separates from the physical form. Reincarnation in the Buddhist
context means that my mind continues while my body changes into another form.
My mind continues into another form of being. The Buddha explained that there
are six "form" realms of beings as well as some formless states of beings.
The basic point is that the mind can take on any form or any state of being. Which
form you end up with depends on your own knowledge and ability which is your karma.
Your reincarnation is directly based on your karma. If I go into the city, I will
choose according to what I feel like. For example, I can choose to go to a park,
or to a restaurant, to a shop, etc. How I choose will depend on my own inclinations
and feelings. Our rebirth after the present life is similarly based on our inner
conditions. Since our inner conditions are based on our karma the Buddha said
that our own basic individual karma would "choose" or "influence",
or "determine" the form of rebirth. With the passing of one life form,
the mind without a body is like air, transparent. The mind can feel without an
"I" and it can perceive any condition, or any form of life. Having taken
rebirth, we will again go through the life cycle creating more karma until its
end marked by death. This is a fundamental truth that the Buddha discovered, and
he called this endless cycle of rebirths samsara. The crux of his teachings is
that if we live in tuned to only how we feel, or we simply follow whatever and
wherever we are connected, then we will always act akin to the same influences
and conditions which bind us. We will never get free. We will inevitably continue
to accumulate causes of like karma, and experience like results.
To think more
carefully in order to change
It might therefore be worthwhile for
each of us to take a step back and try to listen and introspect more carefully.
The Dharma tells us that karma is ever present and samsara is continuing. Everything
is nice, yet everything is also difficult, so we have to think more carefully.
The Buddha taught us many different paths and results but they all lead to the
final destination called beyond samsara. In ancient times, they coined the term,
nirvana, to signify this liberation when our consciousness becomes totally clear.
I am not saying that we are in complete darkness right now. We are who we are
right now. This is fine. We can of course continue to follow what we have been
doing so far with all our ups and our downs. But we can do better. There is a
better way.
Try not to follow the ignorance
The Buddha introduced
us to the basic state of ignorance, or marigpa, in Tibetan. He explained that
we are always in marigpa, which means we are not seeing properly. Ignorance, or
marigpa, does not mean stupid. It means that while you may be clever, and you
have wisdom, nevertheless you don't see your wisdom. Not seeing clearly, you could
therefore act wrongly. Everything is linked or interdependent. This is how karma
works. If you act positively, the result will be good. If you do wrong, the results
will not be good. Your positive actions can create benefit for others, and vice
versa, your negative actions will hurt others and you, too.
The teachings tell
us not to follow the ignorance. The question is how to clear oneself of this fundamental
ignorance. The answer is meditation. After the Buddha was enlightened, he gave
teachings to his followers on a personal level. Many people went to him for help
and for guidance. The Buddha gave them teachings fitting their individual propensities
and personal capacities. First, he emphasized teachings that are aimed to help
the person. These are generally referred to as the Hinayana teachings. The Buddha
himself did not make any kind of categorizing such as Hinayana versus Mahayana.
Some Buddhist followers arbitrarily created these terms in later generations since
the Buddha passed away. Second, the Buddha taught how not to be caught up in self-centeredness
but to always think for others' benefit as well. These teachings are more commonly
referred to as the Mahayana. Actually, nowadays, all these teachings are combined
so the man-made categorizations such as Hinayana, Mahayana, or Vajrayana. have
not as much significance they did in earlier times. The terms of differentiation
still exist today. However, when we explain, teach, or apply the meaning of the
Dharma, no such distinctions are made.
The Buddha first taught about the self.
He expounded the truth of individual karma, and its result which underlies the
cycle of rebirths in samsara. He taught about the different sufferings in samsara
due to the mistaken identification with a self under the influence of ignorance
in the mind. This is the reason why we should try to get free of the ignorance.
We will then understand more clearly and we will fare much better. The Buddha
gave teachings on the two truths - the relative and the absolute truths. His teachings
on the relative truth bring results that pertain to our human existence in the
here and now. His teachings on the absolute truth bring us to Buddhahood. We all
have the potential to achieve this absolute result. To be free from ignorance
applies both in our relative existence at this present time as well as when enlightenment
is achieved. We now turn to the methods taught by the Buddha which form the Path
of Practice, which will lead us to liberation.
One of the main emphases of
the Hinayana teachings is that we should not suffer. It is possible to be free
from suffering. We are human beings and at the end of this life we will continue
to live many more lives. Our future is filled with uncertainties. If we want to
ensure a better future then we need to live by proper ethics now. While we are
relatively free. We should act morally grounded in a genuine wish to benefit others.
In order to act positively, all our ideas and concepts have to become clear to
us. We try to engage in positive thoughts and avoid all connections to negative
thoughts. Our speech and actions would then follow our positive inner inclinations
and intent naturally.
Wisdom versus illusion
The Buddha said that it is
important to always think of others. For the moment, our tendency is to think
only of our own benefit. It is difficult for us to act positively, or to care
for others because we have negative emotions, and they disturb us. To understand
the difference between positive and negative actions, we need to examine how our
consciousness functions. We must therefore be introduced to the conditions of
our mind. Our mind functions through two aspects. In Tibetan, they are yeshe and
nyurmon. Yeshe is wisdom, or complete clarity. Nyurmon means distraction. Our
mind can function either through wisdom or through the distracted influences as
in the negative emotion. Everything depends on our mind. If we are not aware of
our inner functioning and we simply follow according to how we feel, then we are
said to be acting under confusion. But if we are aware, and we can see by ourselves,
then there is understanding. The understanding will steer us in the right way.
The right way does not imply that there are prescribed things to avoid or to do.
Of course, we are now very much controlled by our feelings. But actually, if we
take the time to reflect and to try to see for ourselves, then we will discover
the right things. In other words, we will connect to yeshe, wisdom, or clarity.
To clarify our mind, or to allow this wisdom to come through, we have to know
the functioning of the disturbing emotions. The disturbing emotions are not something
foreign to us, external to us, but they are how we feel. So the first thing is
to understand the cause of the disturbing emotions, or the distractions. When
we are not aware of them, they disturb us. But if we are aware of them, then they
do not disturb the mind. Aware, we go forward. Aware, we continue. In this way,
we begin to connect to the wisdom aspect of mind.
The Buddhist tantric teachings
employ different methods, rituals, mantras, and meditations to help us connect
to the truth. They help us deal with our disturbing emotions. Ultimately, we wish
to become clear of our ignorance. It is the root cause of our being trapped by
our own illusion. It is why we helplessly live our illusions and suffer the consequences
of our negative emotions, and actions.
"Illusion" is just a term.
For most of us, seeing is believing. I am not saying that things do not exist.
Rather, I am saying that things exist as appearances in your mind. Due to a lack
of true understanding, the disturbing emotions dominate our experience. We feel
that there are many problems and much suffering. The one point that can never
be overemphasized is the very importance to look always at yourself. We use meditation
as a method to look within. This is essential when you follow the Buddhist path
of practice. You should know how to look within. Here are a few things that we
need to keep in mind:
1.We have to engender a proper attitude. This means to
know how to think for the welfare of other beings.
2.We have to know the meaning
of ignorance that is in our mind.
3.We have to know that there is karma, or
cause and effect.
Knowing these three factors will help us when we look into
our mind. We will know where to connect because we can understand the significance
of the different meanings. The right connection gives our mind the proper orientation,
attitude, and will in turn reveal to us what really matters.
look into your
own basic nature
When you look into your mind, it is very simple. There is
nothing to do. Just sit. First, you just sit without doing anything. Then, from
time to time, look at your own nature. Look at yourself. It is similar to pacifying
the water. When you want moving water to settle, you simply leave it on its own.
It will settle. Similarly, when you sit to watch your mind, you let all the feelings
and thoughts calm down on their own. Let them become pacified. Actually, when
you do look at yourself, you will find it very difficult to find out about your
nature. Why? It is because of the many contradictions in your mind. They arise
when your obligations, your duties, and the things that you feel you have to do
not fit into your set of circumstances. You feel confused and somewhat at a loss
as to what to do. For example, you will think as follows:
"This is right
for me to do. But, it does not fit well with my conditions…so maybe it's
not quite right…"
"I must be mistaken because things just can't
be like that..."
These thoughts of contradiction can appear in the mind.
They may be very minor or trivial but nevertheless they confuse you. The point
is to sit, and try to become calm, and quiet. You will then, as we say in Tibetan,
"go back to your nature", your original nature. It means to see who
you are really and how you function. It is very difficult to find this nature
at first. But if you refer back to the teachings, then you will gradually know.
"I
am here. I exist. Right now, I am a human being. I am like this…"
Just
try to look at the self. You actually have many capabilities. If you really try
to focus, you can understand everything. You have this potential. You are capable
of trusting and believing in the Dharma teachings. When you look, you will see
your conditions, and all your abilities. There is kindness, compassion, and love
in you. They are there very naturally. We can see them very clearly for ourselves.
This is what the Buddha taught - we have these qualities. Somehow, when we have
to link or engage in external conditions and circumstances, then these qualities
seem to disappear. The teachings affirm that this does happen. We have all experienced
such ambiguities in ourselves. This is why it is so important to look at ourselves
by ourselves. Usually, we tend to think like this:
"Oh, I am not so good."
"
I am not so capable."
" I am quite bad."
While some of us
may think along these lines:
"Everything about me is good."
"
I 'm alright."
" I can do everything."
These are just individual
concepts. What will make a difference is to know clearly yourself, then you will
feel differently. Your expectations and perspective will change. In Buddhism,
we simply look inward without connecting to the externals. Simply look at the
basic human nature. This is what we call meditation. The Tibetan masters say,
"Just look at your mind." You connect to your mind in your practice
(meditation). When you know your own potential, or capacity, then you will be
able to work with any and all conditions. It is when you don't see your own nature
that you are foggy or confused. You are doubtful, and confused.
"I cannot
see."
"I cannot accept."
The negative emotions cloud the mind
Your understanding of yourself yields understanding
of the causes of the various conditions in mind, or karmic conditions. You will
find it easier to deal with the disturbing emotions, which are the most problematic
conditions of mind. The disturbing emotions are attachment, pride, jealousy, hatred,
expectations, and anger. They are your own mind. When you are aware of them, you
will see how such emotions disturb you, and the conditions that cause them to
arise. You will know that they bring you great difficulties, in short, suffering.
Slowly, you will understand that you don't have to follow these conflicting emotions
and continue to suffer. Then, another understanding will result.
"Why
do I let the disturbing emotions overwhelm me? Why do I have to follow them every
time that will inevitably bring me suffering?"
It is actually a very subtle
idea that will come to you. At the moment, you may think it normal to feel the
way you do. It is when you feel yourself turning away from them that you will
begin to gradually understand them.
Influenced by ignorance, we feel our negative
emotions natural. We recognize and accept them as integral to being human. And
so we remain as we are. But if we really try to reflect, we will find that we
don't have to follow the negative emotions. As I said before, this is a very subtle
understanding. For example, last summer, a doctor told me that if I changed my
diet then I would feel much better. During a two-week period, I followed his prescribed
diet - what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. The result was a dramatic improvement
in how I felt physically. I felt totally different, no pain, and no discomfort.
I really thought that I was fine before the diet change. I didn't even notice
the small discomforts. We are all same. We think we are healthy and everything
is fine. But if you really look, you will notice that there are sometimes the
little tensions in the body, and feelings of heaviness. Myself, I used to feel
gas in my stomach and sometimes, I did feel tired. With this diet, needless to
say, I was very surprised to feel as if totally free physically. I remembered
it is similar to how I felt when I was young. It was like that. Then I reflected
that this was what the Buddha meant. Since we are here in samsara, we don't feel
so much. We feel everything is as it should be. But if you really find yourself,
another feeling will appear. All the samsaric conditions are not really normal.
If you could change, you would feel much better. Of course, we do the practice
and this is how we know. Much similar to the example of our physical health, if
you do the right things, you can totally change for the better. Otherwise, you
remain as usual.
React differently to the negative emotions
With
respect to the disturbing emotions, there is a better way to deal with them. For
example, right now, when people do not behave properly, we get angry. We feel
that anger is normal, and justified. But our anger also makes us a little upset,
and not so happy. The teachings tell us that we don't have to react with anger.
If you knew better, you won't get completely upset. You may react a little but
not quite to the point of getting upset. There is no need to follow the suffering.
You do not have to counter with negative action or revenge. By refraining, the
outcome in terms of karma will be much better for yourself. You will also not
cause others to create negative karma. Again, the key is to just look at yourself.
Of
course, you can see your regular emotions. They may range from mild to strong,
but you can see them clearly. Apply the Mahayana idea that we have to think for
others - not only for the self exclusively. If we can connect with this idea whenever
we feel negative, then we have truly reached a turning point. We will understand
the fact that negativity does not serve any good whatsoever. We will then be able
to accept much more than before. Even in the case where the other person has made
a mistake, we will understand that it is due to his ignorance, or his not seeing.
We will not feel so hurt. We are not saying that the mistake is right. The mistake
is wrong. The difference is you can understand why he made the mistake. It is
true that in general, we do know why mistakes happen. What we are talking about
here is different. It is a type of knowing grounded in understanding and compassion.
For example, where young children are involved, we stand ready to help them even
when they make mistakes. We understand that they may not yet know everything so
they need our help. In this way, children can learn and improve. It is this kind
of caring feeling that enables us to share and help those who are not acting quite
properly. Even if the person is not really nice, we can still understand that
it is due to ignorance, karma, cause and effect, and so on. Because acting under
confusion is an experience that you can discover firsthand in yourself, you will
then understand it in others. If you could help, then help, if not, just continue
without responding negatively. The point is not to be drawn into the negativity
and then act likewise. If you can do this, then you will enjoy more peace of mind.
We
are usually trying to escape from problems and difficulties. But running away
just does not work. It does not change anything. Peace of mind comes through understanding
the disturbing emotions, instead of avoiding them. When we see how we are disturbed
by pride, jealousy, and other negative emotions, we will act better free from
their influence. This in turn will cause us to understand even more because we
are clearer. This is why it always comes down to the one point: look at yourself.
If you know how to look, then by this awareness, your mind will change for the
better. How your mind connects with all the different conditions will turn increasingly
positive. The result is better karma for everyone.
meditation gives the capacity
to cope
In general, we feel that we are analyzing ourselves, and
our situations all the time. This is also my experience. But I have found that
by just analyzing, I don't get the exact meaning. I may believe my own conclusions,
or I may believe what the teachings are telling me, but somehow, belief alone
does not show me how to work with the different conditions. You believe what the
Dharma tells you yet you cannot effectively cope with your daily situations. You
have to meditate. Meditation gives the mind the capacity to get clearer. This
is why the Buddha said to truly integrate the Dharma in our lives, it is important
to meditate.
It is very difficult to explain how meditation functions. Its
effect comes very naturally. It appears. It is very hard to show theoretically
that if you meditate in a certain way, then your mind is changing. It is difficult
to prove in theory why meditation is so important. When you do meditate for long
periods, you don't need to see, or to feel anything. If you expect to feel something
or to see certain visions, then you are again caught by your own illusion. Meditation
has to proceed very spontaneously and continuously. Just keep going. This emphasis
cannot be stressed enough. Why? Because without the obstacles that cover our seeing
like veils in the form of visions and feelings, then we can get through to the
real meaning that we already know - the many theories and teachings. For example,
we know that the emotions like jealousy, pride, and anger can disturb us. Yet,
when we encounter their appearance in our mind, we let them influence us. We cannot
help but let them lead us into wrong actions, and wrong thinking. it. Somehow
it is very difficult for us to cope with them.
We cannot change right away
but in order to change, we have to meditate. Maybe you all know this already.
Meditation makes us understand everything better because it makes us understand
the functioning of our own mind. We cannot see the result today, or tomorrow.
But gradually, our mind begins to get used to meditation. Then maybe after a year
or two later, we will feel a very slight change in us, nothing big. We will feel
different in the way we handle life in general, in our communication with others,
and in the way we perceive the reactions of others. As well, we will notice that
our emotions, and distractions of mind are becoming somewhat softer, or more pliable.
They can be understood more readily, and we will feel much lighter overall. These
are just descriptive words. What we experience is quite difficult to put into
words or terms. We tend to hear a term and immediately focus on it. We get fixated
on the words and lose their meaning. In the olden days, an analogy often used
to describe meditation was the ripening of a fruit. A fruit ripens slowly and
gradually until it is ripe for picking. Similarly, meditation ripens all your
qualities in your mind. As was explained earlier, there are two aspects to mind:
the wisdom aspect and the aspect of the disturbing emotions. To ripen the mind
means to get clearer, less distracted, and connecting to the wisdom aspect of
mind.
Directed in the right motivation
When we
meditate, the emphasis is to orient our attitude towards a proper goal. This does
not mean to question why we meditate. However, we are dealing with an abstract
concept - a negative action, in general, not only disturbs others but it can also
cause more negative actions to be committed. Before we practise, we should carefully
reflect in this way, "I do practice now. I don't want to be distracted and
act negatively thereby creating suffering and all kinds of confusion. I try to
do practice myself, and through this, I can also help other people. I hope my
own understanding will increase so that my actions will be directed in the right
way generating help to others."
Some people embrace this type of thinking
quite readily, which is good. But not everybody has this motivation. We may simply
wish to do better personally as well as to help our close friends and family.
Everybody has this wish. You work together with your colleagues in an office,
or you live together with your family. When you act positively, you help those
around you. This is natural. If you are rash and negative, you will disturb everyone
and create unhappiness all around. Moreover, we are always learning from one another.
We influence one another quite subconsciously. If you are negative, then slowly
your surrounding will also become negative. For example, you are at the office,
and you told a few colleagues how you had manipulated a certain situation to gain
a certain advantage. By talking like this, then you will start to believe that
what you are clever and right. Your dishonesty appears favorable due to your own
personal gain. The fact that you have disturbed others is ignored. The person
next to you apprehends the whole situation and starts to think that it is OK to
behave like you. This kind of negative influence is widely prevalent among people.
So it is necessary that when you begin your meditation, you take a moment to really
focus on your wish to act positively, "I want to act better. Through my practice,
I will try to better my understanding so I can help others... I will try to do
my best for the welfare of others."
Belief brings blessings to support
and enhance our practice
To wish is very much like praying. The term, "prayer"
is a Christian term. In Buddhism, the meaning of prayer is similar. It means that
when I believe in something, my belief connects me to the something. Due to my
conscious focus or belief in the truth, then I am connected to the truth thereby
I receive blessings. In Buddhism, blessings give us the capacity to connect to
our own true nature so that we will be able to do the practice, or to understand
the Dharma teachings. This is the reason to maintain our belief and to use the
resultant blessings as a support for our meditation. Our practice will then be
more effective. Because we are talking about belief, naturally, some people believe
whereas others do not believe in the benefit of prayer, connection, and blessings.
But for those who do believe, then it is good to pray before meditation, just
for a few seconds. We pray to be protected by the Refuge, and we pray for all
beings engendering Bodhicitta. You can recite the prayers, or you can very sincerely
think the meaning of the prayers in your mind. This is very easy to do when you
really believe. Where you don't believe then it can be difficult. We do not push
people to believe. Belief has to come from your own mind. Some people have such
strong belief that they become totally enlightened. In Buddhism, we believe in
the Buddha and his teachings. So when you pray, just connect to where your belief
is. The belief in Refuge can really strengthen your capacity to understand clearer.
bodhicitta
When we practise motivated by Bodhicitta, our practice will be ever more effective. If we take the time to reflect, we will find it easy to understand and accept Bodhicitta. Everybody needs help. We naturally feel that people should not have to suffer. Bodhicitta is good for everyone, and so we apply it in a general way. When we are together with people, getting along seems quite reasonable. Problems often arise when we have to work together. At such times, it could prove very difficult to remain positive. We therefore have to go step by step to gain understanding of ourselves and others so that we can become more open.
meditation
Having turned to the Refuge for protection,
and engendering Bodhicitta, we begin our meditation. In general, to meditate means
to just sit. We do not let the mind go wandering after the thoughts. We want "to
be in the present". Our mind should rest in the present. This means, "I
am here." Be aware of where you are. All the mental tendencies or patterns
will appear as wandering thoughts. Be aware of them. The awareness will also bring
you back into the present moment. We use different methods which help and support
our focus. A method could be visualizing a certain mental image, or focusing on
a particular external object, or simply resting our focus on our breathing. Knowing
to return to your focus means that you can see clearly in one second your distraction,
or your thinking of other things. If you are aware, then you can come back. Unaware,
you will think more and more; you may think you know your thoughts but your mind
is actually gone. Bring your mind back into the present clearly on the one point
of focus. If you are able to continue with this, then it will cause you to develop
your intelligence, and clarity of mind. You can be clear in the present moment.
In time, the clarity or awareness will stay all the time. Actually, even when
we don't have instructions on meditation, we are naturally trying to meditate.
This I have noticed, too. For example, we encounter a problem requiring a solution.
We will immediately try to meditate, or to focus, to come up with a solution.
Of course, strictly speaking, it is not meditation, but we try to think, "…what
is the best way to go about it." Due to this zeroing in on the problem, we
can see many solutions. This process is a human reaction. It is in our nature.
Without focusing on the problem, we are a little confused and we feel lost.
Similarly,
in meditation, we focus and try not to be disturbed by the habitual and wandering
thoughts. We are continuously aware and return to the meditation as soon as we
detect a distraction. This is the training. Once the process becomes a habit,
at anytime we can apply it. You will be able to meditate and focus whenever and
whatever the situation. Mind is alive in the midst of all the appearances of our
daily life.
How long to meditate depends very much on how much time you have:
ten, twenty, or thirty minutes, or longer, regularly on a daily basis. It will
help. If we could not manage it regularly, then the progress is always interrupted.
You stop and then start again. It is not continual. But if we could do a little
everyday then our mind's capacity is developing everyday. This is why it is so
highly recommended to practise everyday. We regard meditation as a daily activity
rather than learning something special. "Daily" means that we feel that
it is an ordinary part of our day. It then becomes very simple, and we can do
it. On the other hand, if you regard it as training then you are treating it as
something special. You will think that sometimes you can do it and at other times,
you cannot because you perceive so many interruptions there. And so we do it daily,
in a way, it is very simple. It really depends on you. It is very much like when
you awake in the morning, you feel the need to take a shower, or otherwise you
don't feel good. It is not any special occasion and yet we always do it even when
we are very busy. It is a habit. Similarly, in the morning, we have breakfast.
The English term "breakfast" means to break the fasting. It is this
kind of idea. We need to eat a little bit, if we are too busy, we don't eat so
much. But we can always manage to have a cup of tea or a little bit of food. It
is normal and automatic. If you could practise meditation as a daily thing, something
that you simply and automatically do, then it becomes very easy. When we get used
to it, at anytime we can meditate. Just like when we are thirsty, we drink. When
we are in any kind of confusion or difficulty, or complication, we can meditate.
Furthermore, whenever we need to understand something we will be able to apply
the meditation precisely there. Therefore the emphasis is to develop the meditation
from an idea into a habit of mind.
Of course in the beginning we need training.
We learnt how to take a shower when we were children. Our parents had to see to
it that we washed regularly. They washed us until gradually and slowly, we learnt
to appreciate and feel the need to shower. I remember when I was a child, I didn't
like so much to shower or to clean my face. I tried to run away when it came time
to wash. I was always made to wash and clean. Somehow after a little while, I
began to feel a need to clean.
When The way of meditation produces results
that we can use all the time. I am always available, always present, both at an
emotional and at a physical level. I feel less tired, and less disturbed, and
therefore much more ready to understand the happenings in the moment. Due to this,
it is much easier to apply compassion and be open to others. Compassion is not
applicable only when someone is sick, or is in difficult times, either physically
or mentally. Compassion is our natural human nature where we are open and ready
to support any kind of conditions. In general, when we are faced with the problems,
we have to really think and force ourselves to do something, otherwise, we could
easily fall into an attitude of not caring.
The benefit of compassion is twofold,
for the self and others. My mind is much more flexible and it is relieved from
the tension or tightness of mind. In the teachings, there are many references
to liberation. We understand it as liberation from samsara. Generally, it means
liberation from the tightness of mind. Tightness is caused by the disturbing emotions
due to a very strong attachment. They make our mind quite tight. As a result,
we lose our composure and can no longer do anything properly because of our self-grasping.
Of course, we think that this is normal. Grasping is normal for us now. However,
mind can be so much more comfortable with less suffering in the absence of grasping.
Right now we are always grasping. For example, grasping is when somebody says
something wrong, we are unhappy. Somebody says nice things to us, we are then
happy. These little illusions are there. Somebody says something not quite nice,
we feel very hurt. As a result, we react negatively. We think that it is human
to behave like this. But on the contrary, we can change. If we do, then our conditions
will improve.
Meditation will yield results gradually over time. The progress
takes place step by step. For me, I feel that meditation is not about having visions
or seeing something fantastical. It is not like this. Meditation is a means to
naturally change my conditions for the better so I can be a little bit more relaxed.
My understanding will improve, and I can be more open to others. I will be able
to act with less heaviness or stress, a kind of separation from the problems themselves.
This kind of change cannot be achieved in one or two days, one or two months.
It's quite difficult. The change that we are talking about here will come later,
one or two years later. During this time, the change happens like the movement
of the clock. It moves ever so slightly and hardly noticeable. Similarly, our
nature changes, too, step by step. As we understand better, our actions will become
better. And so will our karma. The progress cannot be forced. It will come naturally
when you use the methods. And then, everything changes according to your own knowledge
or wisdom. Though karma is very detailed and complex, I think basically it is
your understanding, and your capacity to think for others that will change or
will lead to better karma in a natural and spontaneous way.
By L a m a . J
i g m e . R i n p o c h e
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ARCHITECT
OF ONE'S LIFE
So most of the time an incident might be trivial, but if
we do not see it truly for what it is, it can be very dangerous. Fighting ignorance
is not like starting a war. It is simply opening our eyes to notice the little
things that, if not recognised, might become problematic and dangerous for others
and ourselves.
We have a tendency to want everything right now. After hearing
the teachings, we think that we have the keys, but somehow they don't fit. We
may then turn away without considering our own efforts and input. For example,
as in the case of the splinter, even though I knew that it would not get worse,
it would still be painful for some time. Thus we need to develop an attitude of
being relaxed while doing what is necessary. It may take time, but improvement
will gradually come. The danger here is the tension we experience while waiting
for a result. In fact, such anxiety actually slows or blocks the improvement.
Whatever we do, it is done better in a relaxed way. If we rush, it will take longer.
During
our attempt to decrease our suffering, we must not exclude other people. They
are essential to our success because through them we build up our strength of
awareness. When we meditate, we have a clearer mind, but when we come out of our
practice and face others, we find that we have not improved that much. Meditation
makes us more sensitive to others around us. When we are alone, there is no problem,
but when facing other people, our emotions will surface. It is in our experiences
with other people that we find fuel for improvement. If we want to have enduring
results, we have to strike a balance between being with others and our solitude.
The attitude to develop is a reasonable balance of reaction and acceptance. There
is no pre-established standard. Through our interaction with other people we will
improve, but each of us has to find our own limits.
The key is to be aware
so that we can see things clearly and dispense with any preconceived points of
view which only cloud perception. We want to recognise what is really taking place.
Every time we look, we find "ego grasping." It is the first movement
of our consciousness. We all have this first reaction of, "I perceive."
At the base of any experience is ego grasping which is the root of suffering.
When we discover this ego grasping there is a tendency to fight it. The point
is not to fight it but to recognise it, directly or indirectly perceiving it:
I want," which is desire, or, "I don't want," showing our aversion,
or, I don't care," our ignorance. All the emotions are due to ego grasping,
a dualistic mode of perception, "I" and "others." It produces
much suffering yet we cannot get rid of it by waving a magic wand. It is interesting
to look at the ego grasping in any experience, and to start working with it.
The
term, -disturbing emotions" is merely a label. In fact, when we do examine
these emotions, we will see mental events, images, sensations, etc. and not know
to what they correspond. Take, for example, the study of botany. We first gain
understanding of the connection between flowers and fruits, how they grow, and
the sequence corresponding to the seasons. In the same way, we first gain awareness
and then understanding of the "disturbing emotions" and "ego grasping."
Generally, we only investigate or question ourselves when something has gone wrong
or we are not happy. When we are happy, we don't do anything. At the base of our
consciousness, there is the ego grasping, "What I like, what I don't like,
I don't care, etc." The more we know about ourselves, the better our chance
of liking and accepting ourselves. Ego grasping is also the root of pride, jealousy,
and the other disturbing emotions. Slowly and gradually we will realise that ego
grasping pervades all of our experience. We will see our jealousy and pride. In
the example of botany, this is like seeing the seed or the sprout. If we want
to get rid of the plant, it is easier to get rid of the sprout.
Mind
is ever on-going, a continuum. This on-going process cannot be adequately described
with words. The mind moves forward on "tracks" derived from habits.
When we let our consciousness drift away, we find ourselves following our habitual
tendencies that are nothing other than our egos at work. We have developed these
tendencies from past experiences. We need to realise that when we are not vigilant,
we tend to drift toward jealousy or pride or any of the other emotions that are
habitual. We can weaken these tendencies by modifying our reactions in a more
balanced way, and we can slowly start to affect some changes in our habits. We
can cultivate openness and benevolence if we have first noticed our habitual tendencies.
With
practice, we will learn over time to see ever more clearly how, because of ego
grasping, the mind reacts with pride, jealousy, greed, and so on. In our relationships
with others, we are always expecting something. This is extremely important to
realise, because our expectations cause conflicts when they are not fulfilled.
Within our familial and work surroundings, we usually have a lot of expectations.
We often pretend that we are acting for the welfare of others while at the same
time harboring expectations which will then lead to frustrations. I expected from
so and so... now, I am frustrated. I thought I was right. They have let me down.
Either I was in the wrong, or, they did not come through!" We should be aware
that everyone everywhere is like this, including ourselves. It is common to think
like this, but nevertheless we need to be aware of it.
To be able to see this
attitude with some sense of humor is helpful and necessary. Don't imagine that
there is a "quick fix" to modify it. The habitual reflex will change
somewhat after having first noticed it, but we cannot force a change to take place.
Ever since our childhood, we have been told: It is not good to be proud, not good
to be jealous, etc." What was not said is that these emotions, anger, pride,
jealousy, etc., are generally what our minds are preoccupied with. The same mind
experiences both greed and generosity. In fact, there is really no "bad"
versus "good;" rather it is a mere mislabeling. This why it is so important
to see and understand. The key is not to reject these emotions but to recognize
them. What appears as pride can be changed into the energy of action. Insofar
as it is recognized, it becomes a quality. jealousy can be transformed into the
quality of perseverance, leading us to bodhicitta, to enlightenment. Anger arises
when something goes wrong. The same anger could be a quality of lucidity able
to help correct a situation and thus could be very useful.
Recognising our
emotions does not mean that we should go against or get rid of them. There is
nothing to reject, there are only different energies to be used in potentially
beneficial ways. By being aware, it is possible to change the expression of the
energy from negative to positive.
Buddha said, I can give you the means to
liberation but I cannot set you free. I can give you the tools to reach the goal."
He also taught that it is not possible to free oneself without the "others."
Ultimate enlightenment is attained only through bodhicitta. We cannot develop
qualities when isolated because, to overcome ego grasping our success depends
on our contact with others. We can seize the chance to take advantage of our emotions
when they arise in order to modify and change our habitual tendencies. Bodhicitta,
or loving-kindness, is the antidote to apply to bring about the changes. There
is no other way. We need to put ourselves in the place of others, be aware that
they are unhappy, and see for ourselves that our own happiness depends on theirs.
This also means that our view encompasses all points of view, so that our vision
of any situation becomes more complete and thereby more precise. The immediate
result of the application of bodhicitta is that we stop rejecting our responsibility
for whatever is happening.
How do we develop the necessary vigilance and integrate it into our experience? The goal is to perceive the true nature of our mind, the true nature of both mental and outer phenomena. Slowly and gradually, we improve the way we live our lives and elevate ourselves by following the guidelines given in the teachings. Then we will arrive at a stage where we can take control over our existence. We embark on a spiritual path taking into account all the implications of the law of cause and effect. We make an effort to be aware of what is positive and negative while on the path to enlightenment. Unless we retreat into solitude, we will continue to lean more toward negative acts. However, if we are vigilant we can see through all the negativity. We will then have an opportunity to work with our negative perceptions through our practice and turn them into useful qualities. By being conscious, not only do we live with less suffering, but we are striving toward enlightenment.
ARCHITECT OF ONE'S LIFE
We also need to be able to perceive the true nature of the mind. There
is an all-base consciousness that underlies all the sense consciousnesses and
ego grasping called the alaya vinyana or tathagatagarba. We obscure this all-base
consciousness by both our habitual tendencies and our dualistic mode of perception.
We can only work on ourselves, but unfortunately, we don't have access to these
levels of consciousness. It is precisely in the alaya vinyana that all the karmic
imprints are stored. The effects of negative actions generate suffering while
at the same time increasing the two veils of habitual tendencies and tainted modes
of perception. Positive actions, on the contrary, enhance our progress on the
path to enlightenment and provide the much needed relief of immediate suffering.
To
practice the Dharma (Buddha's teachings), we don't necessarily have to become
Buddhists. It can be just as effective if we learn to take control of our lives
by using the methods discussed above. What is ordinarily referred to as virtue
becomes transcendental virtue, or paramita (2). Ordinary qualities enable us to
go beyond suffering. One of the six paramitas is ethics. Positive behavior is
deemed positive depending on personal experience and these positive acts always
help to remove the veils that obscure consciousness. There are no external rules
to follow. Everyday we need to keep a watchful eye on what we do. In time, our
awareness during meditation will gradually become more clear, and in our daily
lives, we will be able to perceive the positive results in our actions. This positive
improvement will spread to our relationships with others. Our awareness will guide
us to minimize suffering for others and ourselves. When we behave wrongly, we
will realize our responsibility and no longer make excuses. We will correct and
adjust ourselves, and eventually we will act appropriately.
The spiritual path
demands a sharp awareness of negative action because recognizing the character
of what we do is crucial. We need to feel regret for our bad actions as if we
have swallowed poison. It is important to think that, "If I could go back
into the past, I would not do it again." It is also important to note that
we do not necessarily need to feel guilty. The benefit of regret is that it urges
us not to do wrong again. We can then engage in practices that purify the negativity
and spur us on to do what is right. All this can happen if we feel real regret.
The process of self-correction can start at a mundane level and can eventually
evolve into a superior path of practice where we employ more powerful tools and
means to remove our mental veils. We can form new habits, such as reflecting every
night on the activities of the day. This awareness helps us create a habit of
performing more positive acts because we can see that we can create our experiences
and results every day.
The path of Dharma is based on the infallible axiom
of karma, that all causes and all actions have results. This does not just stop
at the gross and outer levels but also permeates our whole being. The emotions
of jealousy and anger for example not only generate consequences, but also leave
imprints in the all-base consciousness. These imprints will condition our perceptions
that are the fruit of previous actions and explain why we are as we are now. We
realize with caution that any anger, however small, will leave imprints in our
base consciousness and this will have an impact on our future existence. A positive
example, on the other hand, is the Chenrezig practice of compassion. It strengthens
the positive imprints in the consciousness which will in turn condition our perception
of the universe.
ARCHITECT OF ONE'S LIFE
As we advance on
the path, the practice of ethics becomes more and more important. As explained
already ethics is not a set of external rules but it has its base in being vigilant
in the need to always keep a watchful eye on what we do. Having understood this
about karma, we might be afraid of falling down. What if we are unable to perceive
the negative character of an action and think instead that it was positive? The
ten negative actions involving the three categories of body, speech, and mind
are a useful guide:
Mind: envy, malevolence, wrong views
Speech: lying,
slander, callousness, idle talk (e.g. about the faults of others)
Body: killing,
stealing (taking what is not given), harming beings sexually
We have a tendency
to go and ask a lama, "Is this good or not?" If we look closely enough
and we are honest, we really do not need to ask. Ethics will steer us into looking
at things as they really are, that is, to do "good." We can use our
own understanding and can refer to external rules if sometimes we are not sure.
On the surface, ethics do not seem very important, but the consequences can be
grave. Small actions, positive or negative, can bring big, unpredictable results.
We are responsible for our actions and do not want to take for granted the little
things that we can do. We can protect even the smallest life. Our generosity will
open us to the ten positive actions. We can deter someone from committing wrong.
We can strive to perform small positive things and refrain from small negative
actions, ever aware that all actions will bring results. By acting in a positive
way, we diminish the agitation of our minds. This in turn will facilitate more
positive actions leading to more peace of mind. Everything is of consequence,
be it positive or negative, and we have to encourage ourselves to do what is positive.
We
can see that the spiritual path is pervasive in all aspects of our lives. There
is not one period of time for practice, and another when we are not in practice.
It is essential to be aware of how we communicate with others. If possible, with
awareness we can try to be kind. We can practice the two accumulations: performing
positive actions that lead to good results and having lucidity of mind with ever-present
awareness. The latter requires our vigilance all the time. Both accumulations
are important and are interrelated. If we find ourselves more engaged in one accumulation,
we can expand our time and energy in the other.
There are two qualities relative
to the spiritual path that transcend the rationale of ordinary life, faith, and
confidence; both are beyond intellectual understanding. We can speak of ethics,
perseverance, and other qualities. We need to go beyond the confines of our ordinary
perception and reasoning, which is only possible if we have a proper foundation.
Our practice will not work if we do not have a solid grounding in ethics. Only
then can we try to enter a formal spiritual practice. We need to develop the aspiration
to achieve enlightenment. We begin our practice with simple and ordinary experiences
that are readily available and easily understood directly in our everyday life.
Our practice can take us to higher levels. To explain what we mean by going beyond
the ordinary level, we use the example of bodhicitta and our good wishes for all
beings. Even though it cannot be explained in words, the power of making wishes
to benefit all beings can and will bring about strength in our mind that can purify
negativity and make use of the power of wisdom. Although this cannot be explained
in ordinary terms, it can be experienced. What is necessary is the accumulation
of positive actions in order to transcend the existing boundaries. At that point
we can perceive what seems otherwise irrational and can truly understand that
we can only be happy by caring for the welfare of others.
Through our formal
practice, our understanding will become deeper and sharper. We will understand
emptiness, not to be misunderstood as nothingness, that is the nature of all things.
We will understand why the practice of yidam (3) can be so effective, how the
purification practice works, and why we need a lama. We can go beyond the rational
through rational logic and meditation. We will gradually grasp the meaning of
the 'developing phase' and 'completion phase' of the practice and how the different
phases of the practice are useful. We will gradually understand why some practices
are long while others are short. It is necessary to venture forward and investigate
for ourselves. The practice works, yet the explanation lies beyond logic. Gradually,
we will go farther and farther. This is what we mean by the "understanding
of the practice." Of course, our formal practice and daily life are not on
the same level, but are of the same path.
To become architects of our own lives,
we have to stand on a proper base. The base is essential for our daily life while
integrating all the aspects of practice to reach enlightenment. The base also
serves to provide comfort and peace of mind while we are on the spiritual path.
With a solid foundation, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is possible.
Tathagatha
refers to the essence of the Buddha.
2 Paramita - the perfection that leads
to enlightenment. The six paramitas are: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence,
concentration, and wisdom.
3 Yidam - An enlightened aspect of Buddha in the
form of a deity that helps a practitioner on his or her path to enlightenment.
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ARCHITECT
OF ONE'S LIFE
We all agree that we would like to end suffering. Each
person has weaknesses and faults unique to his/her own set of circumstances. However,
there is something good inherent in all of us; we all possess the nature of Buddha
mind. We need to remove the veils so that our true Buddha nature may reveal itself.
The reality we experience inevitably generates suffering. We need to be aware
and gain understanding of our situation. We will then be able to apply the appropriate
remedy for our maladies. First, we need to be aware of how and who we really are.
Only then can we be successful in finding a way to recognize our true nature that
is neither superficial, nor emotional. We should therefore put into practice the
following:
Recognize our own situation, Modify our ways to lessen the suffering,
and Purify our minds thereby increasing our awareness of the true nature of mind.
Whether we are on a spiritual path or not we still have to live our lives.
Though the situations on the outside may remain the same, we can start to change
our reactions to them. Because our minds are now very much under the force of
habit, any attempt to change the familiar tracks quickly will likely fail. Change
can only come about slowly, little by little. We must work on modifying our habits
now and gradually our perception of things will change. Big changes hardly ever
take place. Only little changes may occur from day to day, which often go unnoticed.
Patience and perseverance are therefore important if we are to succeed.
Our
minds are unclear at the moment. We develop stress and frustration invariably
as we carry on everyday. We should try to minimize the stress in every aspect
of our life. We are all different individuals so the results of our practice will
be different for each of us.
Our goal is Enlightenment, awakened mind, or
Bodhicitta.1 If we look at the achievement of near perfect Bodhicitta on the level
of the great Bodhisattvas, it might seem almost unattainable, too far removed
from our present situation. Hopelessness might set in. Nevertheless, we have to
start by taking the first step now.
Bodhicitta is the complete opening towards
what is not oneself. We have to accept that things are not the way we want them
to be. Acceptance will naturally reduce stress and enhance greater understanding.
This will in turn give way to a clearer mind which will facilitate deeper insight
into mind. And so the process continues.
In the Bodhicitta of application
we should adopt equanimity. At the moment, we are constantly developing hope and
fear whereby our actions are tainted. We are afraid of failure on the one hand,
and on the other, we have desires:
"The success is mine."
"The
goal is mine."
"I have failed."
ARCHITECT OF ONE'S LIFE
We have seen how meditation is the heart of the path to enlightenment.
Although to attain enlightenment may not be the goal for every-one, those of us
who wish to do the same as the Tathagatha (1) will decide to tread the path to
enlightenment; for us, med-itation is necessary. Others will lead a normal life
but may wish to improve their circumstances. They come to know about the nature
of mind one way or another, and ultimate-ly are led to Buddhahood. Some of us
want to stop suffer-ing. Since the premise of the entire Buddha's teachings is
that suffering is the cause or root of everything, whether our motivation is to
reach Buddhahood or to stop suffering, the path is the same.
Some people believe
that the Dharma or teachings are altruistic and therefore exclude those people
who only want to look after themselves. Regardless of whether the point of departure
is selfishness or not, when we start practicing the Dharma, we start to see things
as they truly are. At some point we will understand that nothing is possible when
we are not concerned with the welfare of others. Whatever the motivation is at
the beginning, the practice will inevitably reveal that others are vitally important
and our motivation will naturally change.
On a practical level, the first thing
is to be aware that each person is endowed with Buddha nature, a clear con-sciousness
able to apprehend the whole universe. We think on the one hand, "I'll try
to experience this consciousness free from suffering," and then on the other,
"I live in a world made by happiness and suffering." We have to under-stand
that everything is suffering. Even happiness is a cause of suffering because happiness
has an end. Open any book about the "Four Noble Truths." Does it not
state that every-thing is suffering? We need to understand this fundamental axiom
in order to be aware that happiness is suffering. We need to be aware that our
mind is the Tathagatha, and to see this world of suffering as it is, to understand
it clearly.
Secondly, we look at ignorance. Some regard it as a demon, but
ignorance is not an evil force nor is it some energy out to destroy us. Although
it is not malevolent, it is true that it underlies the root of all suffering.
When ignorance diminishes, so does suffering. For example, if my leg hurts and
it does not stop, I might start to imagine that it might be cancer. If someone
tells me that there is a splinter there, all my mental suffering immediately disap-pears.
I can then tend to the pain. But if I cannot see it clearly, my actions might
be inappropriate and harm me instead.
***********************************************************************************************
Anger
: Effects, Causes and Antidotes
by Ven. Gyaltrul Rinpoche, 13.06.1997
The five poisons, i.e. desire, anger, ignorance, pride and jealousy affect
our mind. Among these five poisons, anger is the most damaging one. One of the
main practices of the Mahayana / Vajrayana practitioners is to get rid of anger.
Shantideva once said "One strong bitter anger can destroy merits of a
thousand aeons". There is in fact no merits equivalent to patience and no
bad karma equivalent to anger.
The Effects of Anger
1) Visible effects which
are felt in this life
2) Invisible effects which will be felt in the next life
1)
Visible Effects
Examples of visible effects of anger are feeling unhappy an
uneasy, and showing undesirable facial expressions. These will cause others to
feel uncomfortable and unwilling to talk to us. Our spirit and physical energy
will be deteriorated. We cannot sleep well when we have anger and strong hatred.
The next day we will not have a clear mind to concentrate on things. Our diets
will be affected, either we do not have to appetite to eat or we will eat a lot.
Worse still, it draws all our senses and wisdom such that we become very blunt
and bold. Whatever we do, we will not be able to think whether it is right or
wrong. We will feel like wanting to scold others and talk bad about others. Eventually,
we lose our friends, relatives, health and merits.
2) Invisible Effects
Anger
will destroy our goal for practicing and will cause us to be born in hell directly.
In Amitabha;s long sutra, it was mentioned that saying bad words with anger and
hatred to a Bodhisattva will create evil karma for aeons or destroy our merits
accumulated for aeons. This was also mentioned in many other texts. A person who
takes and preserves the bodhisattva vows is a bodhisattva. Practitioners of Mahayana
and Vajrayana who always think of sentient beings and preserve their vows are
bodhisattvas. Therefore one of the most important things to remember is that a
bodhisattva can be anyone anywhere. We should not be angry at any person, especially
our dharma brothers and sisters.
The Causes of Anger
To know how a problem
comes about and how to get rid of it, we have to know its causes which can be
divided into primary cause and secondary cause. The primary cause is self-grasping
ego which can be eradicated by the practice of understanding and realizing emptiness.
The secondary cause is frustration which is a step before anger. Frustrations
arise when we get cannot get what we want or we get something which we do not
want. All these happened because:
1) all sentient beings have too much self-interest
or ego;
2) there is no respect towards others. Everybody thinks that they are
the most important and unless there is mutual respect, we as well as others be
harmed;
3) dissatisfaction which can cause unhappiness because we tend to
want to get more when we are not satisfied; and
4) impatience. We should know
that things take time to get results but we give up halfway. This also leads us
to unhappiness and the generation of anger.
The Antidote for Anger
It is
very important to know the causes and the effects of a problem in order to get
rid of or reduce the anger associated with the problem. There are three ways to
solve our problem of anger:-
1) Analytical meditation
2) Skillful practice
3)
Generation of positive reception
1) Analytical meditation
Imagine someone
says very bad words to make us very angry or defame us in front of others. If
we are unhappy because of anger, we should examine ourselves. What is the cause
that makes us unhappy? Is it the sound / word we heard, the cause of our unhappiness?
Imagine again that somebody says very bad words but in a different language that
we do not understand or he says it with a smiling face, what would you think?
In our daily life, if we can analyze this through meditation, then we are actually
practicing the Dharma. We should use this skillful mean. Chanting cannot replace
this analytical meditation.
From our analytical meditation we will be able
to know that the word is not the cause of our unhappiness and anger. The cause
in fact is the thought attachment of thinking that the word is something bad to
us. You may think that this is perhaps true, but you may get angry when someone
hits you because of feeling the physical pain. You should meditate and ask yourself.
If you get angry when you are in pain, why don't you get angry when you have a
headache, toothache, etc? They are all pains. You may say the headache is caused
by no one but this pain and anger is caused by someone with a bad intention. If
you think like this, check if this person is always hitting others or saying bad
words to others. He may not scold or hit everybody but just a few people. There
must be something behind him that makes him hit/scold others. Ask yourself if
someone hits you with a stick, will you be angry at the stick or the person? Usually
we get angry with the person but not the stick because it is the person who causes
the movement of the stick. But we should know that the person hits us because
of anger. He will not want to hit people all the time. For example, he will not
hit people when he is happy. If anger is not the cause for him to hit people,
he will hit people anytime. Why don't you get angry at the person's anger then?
If you know this secret, you will not complain much. Instead you should feel compassionate
towards this person because he will create karma under the control of anger.
Another
meditation is to think of the corresponding cause. If you are not here, he has
no object to hit. Therefore at least 50% of the problem comes from you. You are
here at the wrong time and wrong place. If you think back with anger and hatred
towards the person, will it help you to be happy? If it doesn't, why should you
be angry? In fact this will be harmful because it will create more bad effects.
If you are angry with him, and in return he gets angry with you, etc. There will
be no end to it.
2) Skillful Practice
One of the very successful skills
is a Bodhisattva practice of practicing like a tree. If someone hits a tree, the
tree will not feel anything and will not move. Similarly, if someone hurts us
and we do not react, it will stop further detriments (even though when we are
actually emotionally involved). If your unhappiness is caused by jealousy, think
of the goal that you want to achieve. Is it possible to achieve? If it is not
possible, why not just forget about it and do something else? Why be unhappy as
this will not be helpful? The unhappiness will even make us angrier. You should
void unnecessary troubled places. If you know you'll have problems when going
to a certain place at a certain time, don't go. It is also important to understand
the timing factor, i.e. is it the right time or not? An example is when you are
doing a good deed but couldn't achieve the goal for others. You will get frustrated,
but think, is it the right timing? If not, you should do it some other time. Another
main skill is never count to how many times you had practiced patience.
3)
Generation of Positive Perception towards All Sentient Beings
When we are positive
towards others, our anger will become weaker. To practice this, we need to do
one of the following when we get angry:
1) contemplate about the benefits of
patience and the faults of anger;
2) understand that things we experience are
the results of previous karma and accept them; and
3) think or understand that
the nature of all sentient beings is pure because they all have the Buddha Nature.
They are beings controlled by anger and ignorance. We shouldn't be angry at these
innocent beings. We should be angry at the 3 poisons.
In conclusion, by understanding
the faults and causes of anger and knowing how to solve the problem, we will be
able to practice the Dharma to calm our mind and attain liberation. It will definitely
benefit us in this life as well as future lives.
Questions and Answers
Q.
Is there any difference between acquiring Dharma knowledge by learning from books
and by listening to teachings in temples?
A. The three methods of learning
the dharma are listening, contemplating and practicing. Therefore, listening is
very important. You can still learn from a book but it depends on who wrote the
book. When you are reading the book and you don't understand, you cannot ask the
book. When someone speaks the dharma, you can ask questions to clear your doubts
and this is also not so boring.
Q. What is the real meaning and purpose of
receiving empowerment? Is it necessary to practice after an empowerment?
A.
Receiving empowerment is opening the gate to a deity's palace to receive blessing
from the deity. Through empowerment, all defilements and obstacles will be purified.
You will be blessed by the deity and eventually achieve the state of the deity.
It is not necessary to practice after receiving the empowerment, but if it is
your commitment, you can chant the mantra and do the practice.
***********************************************************************************************
Meditation
From A Talk Given By Shamar Rinpoche In Los Angeles On October
4, 2002
There are two levels of benefit experienced by the practitioner
of meditation. The first benefit is the immediate improvement in the conditions
of daily life. The practice of meditation leads to a mind that is more peaceful,
more tranquil and more at ease. Because the mind is more relaxed, events that
usually disturb us seem to take on less importance and we stop taking them in
such a serious way. Likewise, through meditation the mind gradually learns to
be independent of external conditions and circumstances. This mind that is unaffected
by outer conditions is then able to discover its own stability and tranquility.
A stable mind, one that is not disturbed, leads to the experience of less suffering
in our lives. These are the immediate benefits that come from regular meditation
practice.
The long-term benefit of meditation is that when the mind is pacified,
this gradually leads to purification of the mind's basic ignorance, which ultimately
leads to buddhahood or enlightenment. In this state of enlightenment, the confusion
of ordinary, everyday life no longer exists.
To experience pacification and
tranquility, the mind must learn how to remain still. This is not our usual experience
of mind. The mind is usually agitated, always in motion, thinking about many different
things. We need to look deeply at the causes of this. Since beginningless time
to the present moment we have cultivated a perception, a way of seeing things
that is based on duality. We have a strong sense of 'I,' of personal existence
due to what we call ego-clinging. This gives rise to the perception of external
objects that are separate from the ego. This misconception inevitably involves
a relationship between 'self' and the world around us, the objects with which
we interact. This is the dualistic experience of the world that we all share.
This fundamental sense of duality gives rise to all sorts of thoughts, ideas and
movement in the mind. Therefore, when we initially sit down to meditate our experience
of the mind is far from being peaceful or at ease. This is because the mind is
completely distracted by strong activity in relation to external objects. This
is the basic cause; this is how mental distraction comes about.
We need to
apply a method to train this unstable mind to remain stable in one place. In this
way, the mind becomes accustomed to the experience of stability. For this reason,
in meditation we give the mind one single object to rest upon.
Before we begin
to meditate, we should understand something about the qualities of mind, what
the mind actually is. The mind is not a thing - it is not a material substance,
a fixed object. It is comprised of the nature of knowing. It has this capacity.
The mind is simply a succession of moments of consciousness, moments of awareness
or moments of knowing. In essence, the mind is without obstruction, it is vast,
it is unlimited. The mind is not an entity that exists as such and that lasts
for a certain length of time. As the mind enters into relationship with objects,
there arise a series of ever-changing instances of perception; therefore, the
mind is not one continuous thing - it is impermanent. Thus, this mind, which has
the capacity to know and is by nature unobstructed, must be trained to remain
stable.
We need stability in order for the mind to recognize its true essence.
Without this stability the mind is unable to recognize itself. The mind has the
capacity to know or to recognize its own instability, its own impermanence. Because
it is by nature something that knows, it can have knowledge of itself, i.e., knowledge
of the fact that it is not stable. It is on the basis of that knowledge, that
understanding of itself that the mind can then learn to be stable. So this mind,
even though it is agitated, always in motion, nonetheless, it recognizes this
instability and can transform it. This is quite different than the wind, for example.
The wind is also constantly moving, but, because it is not comprised of mind,
it cannot know that it is moving and therefore cannot calm itself down. It cannot
stabilize itself. It is this knowing aspect of mind that allows the mind to work
on itself.
The instability of mind will not be permanently removed simply by
a meditation technique. In order to stabilize the mind, we need the mind to recognize
its own nature. Once the mind has recognized its own nature it can reach true
stability. Mind can experience itself directly. This means that the mind is capable
of experiencing its true nature, unobstructed, free from grasping and fixation
on the endless stream of mental content - our thoughts, perceptions and concepts.
We habitually grasp at mind's appearances as if our own version is quite solid
and real, thus losing the perspective to recognize the unobstructed quality of
mind. We say that mind's true nature is emptiness. By empty, we mean that mind
is clear; that it is empty of anything that is solid, permanent, or inherently
self-existent.
If we do not meditate on the mind as it is, that is our personal
experience of mind as it is in the moment, we will not be able to clearly see
how the mind is agitated, how it is constantly distracted with an endless stream
of thoughts. Once we realize that we are unable to experience a stable mind, we
understand the necessity to train the mind, to tame it to bring it to a state
of tranquility and stability. However, in order to train the mind, we need a reference
point. We need to give the mind something to focus on. In the Buddha's teachings
are explanations about the different supports or reference points to help stabilize
the mind. Among those supports, the Buddha emphasized the method of resting the
mind on the breath. The Buddha explained that in living beings, the mind is closely
connected to the body. Therefore, mind and body are in close relationship, particularly
mind and the subtle energy system of the body. This means that one way to experience
tranquility is through working with the breath, because breathing is related both
to the body and its subtle energies. This is why the initial meditation instruction
recommends counting the breath.
The first meditation technique we use to tame
the mind is called shamatha (Sanskrit) or shinay (Tibetan) meditation, which means
'calm abiding.' Shamatha consists of six steps - counting the breath, following
the breath and resting on the breath are the first three steps. After you practice
these for a long time, the mind will become tame. Then you progress to the next
three steps that develop from concentration on the breath. Here we use analysis
to see the connection between mind and the breath. Through this analysis you will
realize the emptiness of the mind's nature. You can develop an intuitive feeling
for the mind and then you can play with it. You can change the concentration,
the image upon which you focus and know that the mind is like a mirage - you can
play with. After that you concentrate upon the nature of objects to see the essential
emptiness of phenomena. This is how you complete shamatha, the concentration practice
that trains the mind.
The purpose of a one-day teaching such as this is to
give an overview of the different steps in meditation practice. When it comes
to actually learning a meditation technique, then it is better to have a systematic
series of explanations on a regular basis so that one can gradually develop one's
understanding of the practice of meditation.
When we are using the meditation
method of counting the breaths, we count the breathing cycles (in-breath and out-breath
being one complete cycle). We initially count continuously from one through five,
the idea being to rest the mind on the breathing without any distraction until
we reach five cycles and then continue to repeat the process. When we feel we
can do this easily, we increase the number of cycles we count, but only for the
duration of time we're able to remain undistracted. All the time the mind is resting
on the breathing and is not distracted elsewhere. With time we can actually reach
a count of one thousand using this method without the mind wandering away from
the breathing during that time. This constitutes the measurement of a certain
level of stability wherein the mind is definitely under our control. This is what
we call the pacified mind, tranquil or tamed mind.
Through this practice we
develop in our meditation an inner experience of tranquility. As we improve our
skills in this meditation technique, this ease and tranquility becomes an ongoing
experience of the mind. This is the result of shamatha practice.
In general,
when we receive teachings on meditation it is not customary to describe all the
various different meditation techniques in the space of one single lecture. We
have to systematically learn the practice of meditation, beginning with being
able to sit in the correct posture. Sitting properly in meditation is the first
subject that is taught. This is followed by a second series of explanations that
describe how the mind learns to rest on the meditation object. This is followed
by a third level of explanations where we learn to distinguish faults of incorrect
meditation and how to prevent these kinds of defects from arising in our meditation.
We also learn to recognize the qualities that arise in correct meditation. Actually,
the initial meditation instruction is of very important because it provides the
foundation for which development of our future meditation practices rest. Thus,
the instructions on experiencing a mind that is tranquil and pacified are of utmost
importance.
After practicing shamatha meditation where we've learned to develop
the mind's tranquility and stability, we then move into the second phase of meditation
called vipashyana (Sanskrit) or insight meditation. This is a meditation practice
in which we gain a profound insight into the true nature of mind. When we look
into the mind we discover what is called primordial awareness. This primordial
awareness is non-dualistic and it is only through insight meditation that we can
access or recognize this non-dual mind. Without insight meditation we will always
be caught up in dualistic clinging and the mind's true nature - the wisdom or
primordial awareness aspect - will remain obscured and we will not be able to
access it at all.
Once we have seen into the nature of mind, then through further
insight meditation we improve the quality of our experience of primordial awareness.
With time, this becomes natural, something that will develop by itself. This is
the point where there is spontaneous growth of our experience of primordial awareness.
If the mind is agitated, however, we will not be able to see this primordial awareness.
This is why it is important in the initial practice of meditation to cultivate
mental calm, tranquility and stability.
This, then, is how one experiences
through meditation the growth of primordial awareness in the mind. The method
to develop this is the practice of insight meditation where we learn not to grasp
at the reality or the fixed existence of external objects. Inwardly we recognize
that the mind itself is not something that is dull or obscured, but is in fact
the nature of clarity. When we encounter directly in our meditation the non-grasping
at objects and the inner clarity of mind, these two work together to allow us
to see the essence of mind. We can only see the essence of mind if the mind is
unobscured by thoughts. A thought arises through the contact or the relationship
between the mind as subject and an object that is being related to by the mind.
Thus, thought is necessarily a dualistic process. When the mind is in a state
of dualistic clinging it will think. When, however, the mind knows its own essence
and can recognize its true nature, then this is the experience of non-dualistic,
primordial awareness. In fact, the mind at that point is seeing itself.
To
illustrate this process at this level of meditation, when we wake up in the morning
the sunlight is already beginning to filter into the world and the day is getting
lighter. As the day goes by the light increases as the sun gets higher and as
the light increases the darkness is dispelled. This is the automatic effect of
sunlight. This is analogous to what happens in our meditation. The more we see
the nature of mind, the more clearly the nature of mind shines. This all happens
because the mind has the capacity to know itself. It can initially recognize what
is already there in the mind and because of that, the mind is no longer affected
by uncontrolled thinking. This is like the unobscured, cloudless sky. The sunlight
is free to shine without hindrance; just as through the gradual continuance of
our insight meditation practice, the ability to light up or to see the nature
of mind increases without interruption. Gradually, the practice becomes completely
natural.
It is through the practice of meditation as outlined that we accomplish
the last two of what are referred to as the six paramitas or the six transcendental
virtues. These two are the practice of meditative concentration and the practice
of full knowledge or full understanding, wisdom. Paramita is a Sanskrit word that
means literally something that has reached its fulfillment. Here, we are talking
about these two qualities of meditation and wisdom having reached their full achievement,
their full accomplishment. The transcendental or fully accomplished meditative
concentration, the fifth of the six paramitas, is related to the practice of tranquility
meditation as explained earlier. It is through training the mind and the gradual
development of our experience that we come to the complete fulfillment of this
quality of mental stability or meditative concentration.
When we
discuss the stability of mind, we often refer to the three stages of stability.
The first stage might not seem like stability at all because it is in fact the
recognition of just how agitated our mind really is. Our experience in meditation
may be that there seems to be an increase in thought, that the mind is greatly
agitated like a river flowing down a rocky mountain. This, however, is not a defect
in our meditation. It just means that the mind is now calm enough to be able to
recognize its own agitation. Not being involved in that agitation, it can actually
recognize just how agitated it is.
Once we recognize this, we should not become
stuck on it, but move on with our tranquility practice until the mind becomes
more trained. At that point, we will experience mind as a constantly flowing river,
gently moving along. This is the result of the mind being more pacified and trained.
This is followed by a third stage of practice during which the mind is able to
remain in a state of stability for as long as it likes. Here, one has complete
control or mastery of the state of stability.
These three stages of meditative
concentration are called the three stabilities. In the first stage we still need
to teach the mind to stabilize itself by resting on an external reference point
- some kind of object. This is absent in the second and third stages where there
is no longer any need for a reference point.
In the second stage, while we
do not have a reference point, there is still certain watchfulness. We need to
observe when the mind is stable and when it is moving and thinking. We need to
recognize these states and gradually stabilize the mind further. There's a certain
amount of deliberate effort required in this phase in order to maintain the quality
of our meditation.
By the time we reach the third stage, mental pacification
and tranquility automatically occur without any effort whatsoever. The second
stage leads to the third stage without any intervention on our part. This third
and final stage corresponds to the accomplishment of tranquility meditation. This
is the equivalent of the accomplishment of meditative concentration or what we
call the fifth paramita, the transcendental virtue of meditative concentration.
It is from then on that we can enter into the phase of insight meditation.
The
stage of insight meditation is much more difficult for us to actually judge or
measure because it is endless. In fact, we continue insight meditation practice
right up until the very moment of enlightenment. Therefore, it is not a practice
that can be judged to last for a certain amount of time and then we do something
else. Insight meditation will take us to enlightenment itself.
Insight meditation
is so vast it is difficult from our point of view to comprehend what it really
is; it is a realm of meditation that takes us beyond dualistic manifestation.
Initially, insight meditation brings some minor experience of reality or the true
nature of things. As we continue with this practice it expands and grows - it
develops beyond our current ability to follow its progress. That's why we say
it is endless. Insight meditation is the perfection of wisdom, the sixth paramita
or the sixth perfection.
Presently, we are unable to see the nature of mind,
even though mind has the capacity to see its own nature. Right now our mind is
full of obscurations. However, these very obscurations can become the means through
which we can access the genuine qualities of mind. The minds of most all living
beings are currently in a state of ignorance. This ignorance forms the basis upon
which the obscurations of the mind appear. However, all of these obscurations
can be purified and lead to the attainment of enlightenment. The capacity to transform
obscurations into qualities is what we refer to as buddha-nature. Each and every
living being has this capacity to transform their mental obscurations into the
qualities of enlightenment.
To better understand obscurations, we will briefly
discuss karma, the law of cause and effect. This will help us to understand the
relationship between our actions and the results we experience. The practice of
virtue is the remedy that allows us to purify all past karmic actions.
Karma
is the accumulation of actions based on thoughts in our mind and actions that
are produced by that thinking. If we look at how the mind thinks, or the ideas
or concepts that come up in the mind, we see that they are based upon the interrelationship
between mind and objects that is produced by the emotions. Sometimes the mind
is influenced by ego-clinging or selfishness. Sometimes the mind is influenced
by strong anger or aggression and sometimes by strong desire or attachment, pride,
or jealousy. All of these emotional states cause the mind to create ideas and
to perform actions that create what we call a karmic potential, a karmic seed.
These karmic seeds are collected in the mind where they continue as habitual tendencies.
As these tendencies ripen, as the karma created by confused thought or action
comes to full fruition, this produces the experience of an event in our impression
of the world around us. This is our karma, the manifestation of the confused mind.
So karma can be either in the consciousness as a potential; it can be in the process
of ripening; or it can be fully-ripened karma.
If instead of developing negative
emotions in the mind such as desire, anger or jealousy, we develop the qualities
of love and compassion, then we have good motivation as a basis for the actions
we perform. The result will then be that all our actions will strengthen the quality
of virtue. All actions that are motivated by genuine love and compassion are inevitably
going to result in virtuous actions. There is no way that a genuine loving or
compassionate action could produce a non-virtuous result. These virtuous actions
are also collected in the mind stream and they will ripen into an experience of
the world - an illusion or a manifestation around us that contains positive qualities
and fortunate circumstances.
When we talk about positive and negative we have
to view or understand these terms in relation to attaining enlightenment. We define
fortunate karma as conditions that help us move closer to enlightenment and negative
karma as unfortunate conditions that compromise our opportunity to reach enlightenment.
We
talk about existence as being either fortunate or unfortunate. A fortunate existence
is to be born as a human being with a human body in a human world with human friends.
Our experience of life is a very positive one, giving us many opportunities to
further our progress towards enlightenment. An example of an unfortunate rebirth
is if we manifest as a ghost rather than as a human being. In that case we would
have the body of a ghost; we'd live in a ghost world; we would perceive the world
around us as the kind of manifestation experienced by a ghost and all our friends
would be ghosts. Life would be very unfortunate indeed. However, things could
get worse - we could have the karma to manifest as an insect. Even though the
insect may be flying through the human world, it doesn't have the ability to contact
human beings and benefit from the human world. The world in which the insect is
living is not a human world; it is a world that is experienced from the point
of view of an insect. This means that in order for the insect to make meaningful
contact with another living being, such a contact can only take place when it
makes contact with another insect. If the insect makes contact with a human being
the insect doesn't perceive that as beneficial or of any use whatsoever. This
is the life of an insect. The insect has various faculties and sense perceptions,
as well as certain tendencies. Driven by its instinct to survive, an insect can
easily commit a negative act; whereas, even though all beings have buddha-nature,
in the insect realm accomplishment of virtuous actions is of extremely difficult.
Therefore,
we can see how important it is to have a fortunate existence with all the faculties,
potential and capacities to develop toward enlightenment. It is highly beneficial
to have this kind of rebirth, this human situation. What do we do to ensure that
it continues? We need to engage in actions and behaviors that are motivated by
love and compassion. For instance, one of the kinds of actions that we can engage
in is the practice of generosity, cultivating generosity based upon the motivation
of love and compassion. If we practice generosity with this kind of pure motivation
then everything we do will continue to create good fortune and fortunate conditions.
This means that from year to year, from life to life, we will be getting closer
to attaining enlightenment. That is the practice of generosity, the first paramita,
the perfection of generosity.
The second paramita is the perfection of ethical
conduct. This affects everything we do, including all the other paramitas. Here
we work within the illusion that we are caught in order to develop something positive
within that illusion. In these practices, whether it is meditation where we are
dealing directly with the causes of the illusion, or the practice of generosity
where we're dealing with the situation of the illusion, we should not harm living
beings by our actions. This is the essence of ethical conduct. It means that whatever
our practice we should avoid causing any harm to living beings. Even in our practice
of virtue, we must ensure that it doesn't cause harm to others. If we do this,
then the mind can be more firmly rooted in positive karma and this will mean that
our meditation progresses, the confusion of mind diminishes, the mind becomes
freer and ultimately becomes more able to see its own true nature. All this is
the result of the perfection of the paramita of ethical conduct.
The discipline
of ethical conduct is to enable us to give up or renounce anything that can be
harmful to our practice and to encourage all things that can be beneficial to
our practice. The practice of ethical conduct becomes the basis for purification
and improvement in whatever practice we are doing.
Concerning the third paramita,
the practice of patience, there are two categories. Patience or tolerance can
be exercised in relation to outer circumstances or to inner circumstances. If
we look at outer circumstances, this means not replying in kind when we are attacked
or insulted in some way, but instead reacting from the basis of love and compassion.
We must learn to respond to aggression with love and compassion. As for the inner
kind of patience, there is a strong practice and a more subtle practice. The more
obvious practice of inner patience is accomplished when we cut off thoughts and
feelings of anger as soon as we are aware they are arising in the mind. We don't
follow or engage with these thoughts and emotions. The more subtle practice of
patience is related to overcoming the darkness of ignorance in the mind. This
means that when any thoughts or ideas of a dualistic nature develop in the mind,
we exercise the practice of wisdom - the practice of complete understanding of
the nature of thoughts so as to not get caught up in dualistic thinking. In this
way we see through or into the very nature of our thoughts. This is also patience.
Concerning
the fourth paramita, the practice of perseverance, initially this is quite simply
the exercise of cultivating exertion or will power in more circumstances and applying
it. This is followed by a second stage that involves constant effort. That means
our efforts to do anything should be continual, not off and on, but regular. There
is then a third phase where our ability to persevere, to exercise energy and to
deal with a situation is something that is easy, automatic and completely untainted
by any deliberate effort because this is a natural functioning of the mind. This
kind of ingrained or innate perseverance will lead us as we continue with this
practice to the very threshold of enlightenment. As we travel the path it will
allow us to be of great benefit to living beings.
The cultivation of the perfections
of ethical conduct, patience and perseverance will be of great benefit to our
practice of the other three perfections - generosity, meditation and wisdom. It
is through the gradual accomplishment of all six paramitas that we progress on
the path towards enlightenment.
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Meditation
in the Theravada and Mahayana Traditions
Once you connect
genuinely with meditation practice, you will develop a true passion for it and
your practice will begin to mature. If you do not understand the essence of meditation,
it is because you have not properly experienced it. Only when you experience its
essence does meditation really become interesting.
Mind is not used to being
in balance. Rather, we are much more used to the state of constantly arising thoughts,
uninterrupted streams of thought. We are distracted, confused, and restless. We
are comfortable with this habitual state of mind. Because our mind is addicted
to being restless, constantly in motion, meditation feels unnatural. Meditation
runs contrary to our familiar experience. Therefore we must put effort into the
meditation. It requires more than just having a spontaneous or momentary interest
in it. What we need is diligence and patience. To make progress, diligence is
especially required, along with the knowledge of how to meditate. This combination
will bring results. But the path can be misunderstood. Meditation brings one-pointedness,
a mind that is stable and clear, not distracted or confused. It is not about entering
into a special state where you have visions, see lights, or experience fantastic
things. Some people might think so. They take LSD or play music and they are just
manipulating their experience. This has nothing to do with meditation, since mind
is still distracted and confused. The 8th Karmapa meditation is often misunderstood
in this way, because one visualizes different Dakinis flying through the sky.
Many people in the early seventies asked for explanation of the 8th Karmapa meditation,
then they took LSD and meditated on the 8th Karmapa. This is not what I want to
pass on to you.
So what is meditation, really? It enables us to experience
the mind as it is, in its original nature. What happens in our mind now is that
thoughts occur uninterruptedly, hindering us from experiencing mind's true nature.
You can distinguish two levels of thoughts: outer and inner. Sensory experience
is one such outer level. Mind continuously orients itself towards outer experiences,
such as smells, forms, sounds and so on. Mind keeps itself constantly busy experiencing
outer objects, thus creating the outer world. It feels like it is beyond our control
to keep the mind resting in itself. Why? Because the mind is absorbed in its inner
experiences - the second level that underlies our perception at each moment. Since
our mind inwardly constantly follows its thoughts, we are also not able to control
the sense impressions when the mind focuses outward. When we manage to control
our inner thoughts, the outer level will no longer be a problem. When the inner
distraction disappears there is no way to be disturbed when experiencing sense
impressions. So meditation is about getting control over the constant stream of
thoughts, practicing concentration in order to keep the mind focused. Winning
this kind of concentration, you can get deeper into much more calm states of awareness.
At that point, the mind is quite vast and rests in itself. It is as if you have
opened a gate, a gate that in turn opens many other gates to go further and ever
deeper. One develops a profound appreciation for the actual quality of mind.
For
this reason, in the Theravada tradition, practitioners sleep only six to seven
hours and meditate all day long. People meditate this way to achieve inner calm
in a short period of time. Furthermore, they do not eat anything after lunch.
They are allowed to drink only beverages that do not have any real nutrition,
like water or tea. This benefits meditation in that the mind is clearer and less
sleepy. Everybody who practices intensive meditation should do this.
It is
also the custom to go to bed early, at about nine or ten, and then get up early,
at about five in the morning. One's life is focused completely on meditation.
Today a schedule like this may not be practical. The reason people adopted this
meditation schedule during the time of the Buddha is that the Buddha taught that
samsara is suffering, and that one cannot accomplish anything while trapped within
it. Therefore, complete retreat from samsara to focus exclusively on meditation
has become the special focus of the Theravada tradition. However, the motivation
of the Theravadans is not particularly for the benefit of others. Of course they
are not opposed to others who try to benefit all beings, but this is not their
goal. Their goal is solely to concentrate on meditation in order to reach liberation
as quickly as possible. But we are Bodhisattvas. We eat in the afternoon and in
the evening. Since Bodhisattvas do not think so much of themselves, they are not
in such a hurry to reach their own goal. Bodhisattvas are not afraid to be reborn
again and again; they are willing to keep coming back. This is why they do not
practice a form of meditation that simply cuts off the world, as do the Theravadans.
Following the Theravada path, even if you wanted to, you would not be able to
be reborn anymore.
Through the concentration states the Theravadans reach in
their meditation, they can analyze their state of mind. Whatever disturbing emotions
arise such as anger, attachment, jealousy, or envy, based on their ability to
concentrate, they are able to analyze the nature of their emotions in subtle detail.
This can be compared to a dream where after you wake up, you find that your dream
was not real; it was not actually happening. Similarly, practitioners who have
accomplished the Theravada path can see that their disturbing emotions are not
truly existent. They understand the true nature of emotions and then, on the basis
of this understanding, they remove the basis or cause that otherwise would automatically
lead to a rebirth in samsara. After they have removed the cause of rebirth in
samsara, they will not be able to be reborn again. This is the logical consequence
of this form of meditation. The usual word in Tibetan for meditation is gom. There
are other very precise terms in Tibetan, such as tingdzin which is a translation
of the Sanskrit word samadhi. Ting means depth, as in experiencing the calm depth
of mind. Dzin means to hold, as in to hold the unwavering quality of mind. Tingdzin
also has other meanings. The Tibetan term samten is another word for meditation.
Samten means stable, to experience a stable state of mind. Again there are several
different stages of samten. In the Theravada tradition you progress through these
stages: first the stages of samten, of concentration meditation, and then the
stages of tingdzin. Similarly, Bodhisattvas proceed through stages in their meditation.
When a Bodhisattva has reached a stage of samadhi or deep insight, he has the
ability to use this inner calm to help beings. Here the stages or bhumis are primarily
based on the increasing ability to benefit beings, while in the Theravada tradition
they are entirely focused on reaching the state of liberation quickly.
It is
very powerful to apply analytical meditation to our experience. The point is to
carefully analyze every movement of mind. Through recognizing thoughts as such,
you will reach an understanding concerning the true nature of mind. Therefore
you will not be distracted by thinking, but will recognize thoughts as they are
to see the inherent inner stability of mind. Analyzing thought reveals the nature
of mind. Gradually, you develop certainty regarding what is otherwise hidden within
the ongoing stream of thoughts. Analyzing thoughts brings about the ability to
experience their nature, which is of course the nature of mind itself. Buddhism
precisely describes negative disturbing emotions like anger and jealousy. Analyzed
as products of our mind they are like all the other mental contents, simply thoughts
and feelings. They are negative in the sense that they trigger negative consequences.
Thoughts have different karmic propensities. For example, if you notice the carpet
and think, "this carpet is blue;" this type of thought is neutral. It
does not create a positive or negative result. Thoughts like anger, or jealousy,
originate in the mind in the same way. However, they differ in that they bring
about strong negative results. So through analytical meditation, we first recognize
all kinds of mental activity, and then through this method learn to avoid their
negative results. There are two benefits to this kind of meditation. The first
is the control of mind by recognizing mental processes and then slowly uprooting
negative emotions to uncover the nature of mind. The second benefit of this practice
is a reduction in attachment and clinging to sense impressions. To develop concentration,
it is helpful to refrain from excessive sensory input. If you are strongly outwardly
oriented and also project great expectations onto the world, it will be difficult
to calmly concentrate the mind on itself. Automatically clinging to outer sense
impressions creates useless distraction. Conversely, when the mind observes itself,
you experience a calm and peaceful mind. At this stage meditation becomes effortless.
This is because all the neurotic movement of mind, which used to be the subject
of analytical meditation, has been so greatly reduced.
Quite possibly the meditator
could become attached to this state of total inner peace and start clinging again.
This attachment hinders us from progressing to more profound experiences. At this
point, one again needs further insight. The antidote here is, as before, an analytical
form of meditation with the focus on this attachment to peace. Analytical meditation
on subtle feelings of attachment is the key that opens the door to further development.
These
are the phases of the development of concentration. Meditative experience is difficult
to describe, because of the limits of human language. Good practitioners of the
past have coined terms to describe their actual experience. They were probably
able to communicate very well, however, in our case it is not so easy, since we
do not experience what stands behind those terms. It is essential to experience
for oneself what is meant in order to understand realized states of mind. The
Buddha once taught the Samadhiraja Sutra in which different stages of meditation
are described. Nowadays, who can actually understand the descriptions? But why
then did the Buddha teach them? One can be sure that at the time of the Buddha,
he had disciples who had all those different experiences and thus understood what
the Buddha was talking about. Today we still have this sutra so we also have the
opportunity to come to that point where we can understand the meaning. So how
should we proceed? We must work with what we have as human beings to understand
the meaning of these precious teachings. Bodhisattvas progress through different
stages of developing concentration and at the same time preserve a certain attachment
to the human form, the physical form to be able to be reborn in samsara. So on
the one hand, one proceeds as the Theravadans in attaining levels of concentration,
and on the other hand, one uses inner peace to create a cause to be reborn in
samsara for the benefit of beings. These two qualities define a Bodhisattva: the
combination of courage to be reborn in samsara, and the ability to control the
illusion of samsara. These two aspects must be combined for the benefit of others.
Madhyamaka
philosophy explains how the whole world and all beings are an illusion. Everything
stands in the context of cause and effect and exists only in reciprocal dependency.
Since everything is interdependent, things do not have independent reality. Things
are not truly existent in and of themselves, because they are dependent on each
other. Bodhisattvas understand this very precisely. They see the illusory nature
of the world, so they can see illusion and can work with it. In this way, Bodhisattvas
skillfully work for the benefit of beings entangled in samsara.
(Edited) -
Published in Buddhism Today, Volume 7, 2000
***********************************************************************************************
On
the meaning of Samaya.
Taught by Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche.
Translated
by Tina Draszczyk.
Samayas or commitments are essential in that they
aid the practitioner in refraining from mistakes which, if engaged in, would damage
his or her practice and thus counteract progress on the path.
Samayas are
different depending on the particular level upon which their respective teachings
are given. Commitments taught in the context of Theravada, vinaya, are different
from those recommended in Mahayana. The samayas of Mahayana in general are again
different from those involved in tantric practice. Within Vajrayana, samayas are
also distinct according to their respective levels, Kriya-, Charya-, Yoga- and
Annuttarayogatantra.
In order to practice the path, which involves various
samayas, it is necessary to rely on a lama who should be qualified in the following:
-
Learned in Sutra- and Tantrayana and skilful in teaching
- Experience in meditation
practice.
These two qualities which are described in many tantras are essential
with respect to Tantrayana. In Sutrayana as well both should be united.
A lama
who is learned in the Dharma but lacks experience in meditation is of middling
capacity. An individual who unites both, knowledge of Dharma and experience in
meditation is of highest capacity. With regard to judging the capacities of a
lama one can distinctly judge knowledge and skill in teaching due to his or her
educational background. The depth of experience in meditation, however, cannot
be evaluated by others.
Further criteria concerning an authentic teacher other
than that mentioned above are not reliable. Some may claim themselves to be an
emanation of Amitabha, Chenresi, Manjushri or others. If these individuals do
not have good qualifications in terms of Dharma knowledge and/or experience in
meditation they should not be considered as authentic lamas.
In the west people
are easily impressed from the charisma of teachers and by certain behavioural
patterns. Due to these characteristics individuals are considered high lamas.
In the east, particularly in the chinese society, people are impressed with those
who speak English well and with someone who presents himself as an emanation of
a specific yidam or bodhisattva. If one accepts such criteria, it is not certain
that one will meet a qualified lama. One could have great luck and meet an authentic
lama who possesses charisma and excellent qualification. Furthermore one might
have greater luck and encounter a very charismatic person who is the Buddha himself.
In many cases, however, one will meet lamas who lack the necessary qualities.
Today
there are many Buddhist teachers who offer an abundance of excellent Dharma. Unfortunately,
at the same time, there exist unqualified teachers who misuse their spiritual
influence. For example, they infer that if a student performs a certain action
which is in discord with the teacher, he will break his samaya. This is often
the case in individuals who do not possess the necessary qualities of a spiritual
leader but nevertheless present themselves as Vajrayana teachers.
The first
point of the 14 major mistakes by which one breaks the samaya involves disrespect
towards the teacher. An unqualified teacher who misuses his spiritual position
may present the 14 major mistakes as a rule claiming that if the student was to
contradict this system, he would be reborn in low states of existence.
One
therefore requires a teacher who is learned and skilful in presenting Dharma.
If such a teacher is not encountered and one relies only on an unqualified individual,
even if the student was to receive 1000 empowerments from this person he would
therefore not need to worry about breaking samayas in that he never received the
samayas in the first place. This was pointed out by the 8th Karmapa Mikyo Dorje.
With
respect to participating in particular empowerments and instructions it is not
enough to simply be present in order to receive the full benefit. If the student
is not conscious of the deep meaning of the background he will not genuinely encompass
the full meaning of Vajrayana. In this case he should not consider himself as
an authentic Vajrayana practitioners with the respective samayas. If, however,
the student is aware of the deep meaning of Vajrayana, the practice involves upholding
samayas which in itself is an indication that he is established in the Vajrayana
and for his qualification to do this practice. Proper knowledge of Dharma is the
necessary basis for Vajrayana practice in that it entails an awareness of certain
mistakes to be avoided. Consciously maintaining samayas, due to ones knowledge,
will therefore lead to protection of ones practice and thus ensure development
on the path.
The following 14 major mistakes refer to actions which damage
ones practice entirely. Therefore they are also named the 14 rootdownfalls. These
are presented according to the Annuttarayogatantra, in specific, the Tantra of
the red Avalokiteshvara (Gyalwa Gyamtso).
The 14 major mistakes by which one
breaks the vajrayana samayas :
1. To Physically or Verbally Harmones Vajra-Master
or to Entertain Wrong Views of Him :
The vajra-master is that specific lama
from whom the practitioner receives empowerments, explanations on the Vajrayana
meditation practice and essential instructions concerning the actual meaning of
that practice.
The following concerns background explanation regarding the
breaking of samaya by means of harming the vajra-master: With respect to Vajrayana
practice, especially in the Annuttarayogatantra, the outer world including sentient
beings is transformed into a pure aspect. The lama is considered as the centre
or main yidam, deity of the mandala. Causing harm to the lama will therefore damage
the main yidam deity which will furthermore negatively effect the remaining mandala.
The
samaya is broken when the following conditions are present:
- one is fully
aware of a lama to be his or her vajra-master and consciously physically or verbally
harms this person
- awareness that ones actions will displease the vajra-master
-
feeling no regret after having harmed the vajra-master
In one entertains wrong
views concerning the lama and furthermore has the intention to harm him without
physically or verbally hu