Naga Puja
Nagas can be wisdom holders, and can also cause skin diseases, depletion of life force energy and other obstacles. It is wise to make offerings to Nagas, when disturbing the earth for any reason. It is believed that one's present wealth, fame, health, confidence, merits will improve, obstacles and sickness will be eliminated, one will always meet good friends and master, has a happy harmonious family with pleasant looking and intelligent children, there will be fine weather in the region with sufficient rainfall, good harvest, and the country will enjoy peace and harmony. Last but not least one will accomplish one's practices.
Rinpoche and lamas will make offerings to the 8 Naga Kings and their retinues including deities who are in charge of different oceans, lakes, rivers, streams and well in order to appease them, so as to help us fulfill our wishes and increase our merits.
We should also dedicate the merit both toward the fulfillment of our aspiration, and also for the benefit of all sentient beings. For example, if one wishes to be free from a particular suffering such as a skin disease, the Naga offerings made should be dedicated to the peace and well being of the injured Nagas, and the aspiration can be made that by this offering may all beings afflicted by the wrath of the Nagas be forgiven for their mistakes and may they meet with the cesssation of their ailments etc. Similarly one should pray: May all beings awaken to the heart of enlightenment by this generosity and may this Naga offering assure prosperity for all beings.
(Nagas usually depicted as snakes and water dragons)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Notes from Harvard (Part Two) : The Missing Link
The Missing Link: Crucial Practices for Spiritual Achievement
•This talks of some of the missing links that we have in our dharma practice.
•At times we are practicing very hard or have seen many dharma text that state how great it is (the dharma) when you practice
•But after all that, you may notice that you’ve not experience all those qualities
•The problem is with us human beings – we are attracted to tangible things (we are attracted to visual, sounds or things that are countable, so when you put too much weight on these things, you don’t see the results as you expect or want.
•For example, we are very much focus on completing a certain number of things.
•Quantity is important but Quality is more important
•Quality first and Quantity second.
•Secondly we are also attracted to forms or visuals of the deities. They are there as an object of our meditation.
•Something more important than visualization or meditation is the quality of our practice.
•Usually when we go to a centre or temple, our mind is focus on chanting/ the mala or reciting the text (sadhana) in a melody or perhaps when meditating, you focus on the arms of the deity ie. how many, eg four, or six or a thousand. You also begin to worry that you are not doing it in the right way etc …
•So when you are too focus on these details, the confidence of practice is lacking, (ie. thinking about are you doing it in the right manner) and then you begin to have doubts about yourself (your practice)
•(An example was given by relating about the story of the zhambala statue and the return policy, and also the manjushri story and how about not doing so well in your exams as you expected by praying to manjushri)
•The key is that we need to connect to the Bodhisattvas and not the statues or sounds. Statues are the art work or pieces of copper. And sound is just the vibrations. They are there for us as an object of meditation.
•Mantras and Statues are connecting points.
•What is being connected is our mind, this is where the quality is.
•(The story of Asanga was related. *Asanga is the one who puts the 5 teachings of Matrieya together). Briefly, the story about Asanga meditated for 3 years, came out met with someone who was sharpening an iron rod with a silk cloth to make a needle out of it and seeing this made Asanga go back to retreat, and after 5 years still not result, came back out and this time saw someone polishing a boulder, hoping to reduce the size so that it would not be blocking the sunlight, Asanga went back, after 12 years saying to himself that nothing is going to deter him from giving up for good, came across a dog with rotten legs that had maggots in it, and how he use his tongue to remove the maggots. And Maitreya appears in front of him)
•So here, the moral of the story is that Asanga didn’t see Maitreya is because he didn’t have genuine compassion, even though Maitreya was with him from day one.
•This shows that the Quality is more important that the Quantity.
•The success of the practice is the quality, here in this case is the genuine compassion and not the quantity - ie. the 12 years in retreat (which is the number)
•Bodhisattvas are impartial, they help all regardless if one is good or bad.
•Like the ring and the hook story, it needs one another to work, hence for bodhisattvas to help, we need to open our hearts and not just rely on tangible objects.
•And the important thing is, we know it has something to do with the mind
•And the mind, there are different levels of the mind
i) intellectual mind
ii) the mind that is related to your heart (innate to your nature)
•The 2nd type (the innate mind) is more real ‘coz it is closer to the real/reality
•The 1st kind is more (of a) concept and influence by lots of external things, such as environment and culture etc
•At the end of the day usually we make our decision with our feelings even though we’ve made a lot of research on the particular subject – such as when buying a car – you look @ the fuel consumption, color, power etc but still at the end – you decide with your heart.
•So how we can improve ourselves spiritually? What is blocking us, what is dragging us? So we need to know the problem, identify the problem
•The 1st problem is Distraction
‘coz our mind is distracted by many things
‘coz we don’t think enough or rather we don’t feel enough (of the impermanence). If you can feel the impermanence, you don’t feel the distraction (ie. we don’t feel enough)
•When we don’t feel enough about the impermanence, esp. (abt) one’s own life (one’s own human life)
•When we plan a lot of things there are many distractions.
•Therefore, the lack of the understanding of impermanence – we’ve lots of distraction
•In Tibetan, there is a word : Lo – Na - Tung ( lit. Mind-length-short), which means to Keep your length short (ie. Keep short and have fewer plans)
•4 dharmas of Gampopa
to turn the mind to dharma
when you are aware of these things, your mind will naturally turn to dharma
•Solution is that we can work on by looking upon ourselves and look at the vulnerability and we can keep short, we can overcome this distraction
Q: What are the 3 yanas? A: (from the audience) Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana
Rinpoche’s answer: Well if you go into depth, you actually wouldn’t find it as the 3 yanas in The Kangyur (is the words of the Buddha) and The Tengyur (is the treatise)
•The essence of hinayana teachings => Keeping it short, not planning too much
=> understanding the impermanence.
•The significance of Asanga’s story is => Compassion => essence of Mahayana
•With the genuine feeling of compassion, you have the practice of Mahayana
•Not having enough compassion because we have too much egotism is the problem to our practice
•So it is important to have work on sympathy/sympathetic mind
•We have the suffering we know we cannot bear but when you see that in others we are indifference
•When you really have the genuine compassion, we are unable to leave it like that, regardless of whether we cause it or not.
•Another major problem that makes our practice lack/hinders our practice
-heavy criticism of others
-we cannot improve ourselves if we criticize on others
esp. spiritual practice and even more in the vajrayana practice
•The solution to the problem => is to look at one’s own mind
the attitude of one’s own mind
•We’ll never be able to enlighten if you judge others qualities
•We are only able to be enlighten if you judge your own qualities
•We tend to ignore our own problems even though it’s huge like a mountain but raises the issue in others even though it is a minute(small) one.
•So that’s our weakness
•Solution: we need to look at our mind, judge ourselves & not others, have a Pure Perception of others (esp to other dharma practitioners)
•tang-nang (pure perception)
•Only fully enlightened beings can see others mind, therefore sentient beings cannot judge other sentient beings mind.
•So it is important to have “tang-nang” toward others and also esp the teacher
•mur-kur (devotion) => this is more toward the teacher
•mur = admiration (hence, having heard and understood the qualities of the teacher you have admiration)
•kur = sense of humility (recognizing your weakness in front of the great being, you keep yourself down)
•Because you know there is a gap, in quality between yourself and the teacher, you admired and wish to achieve the quality of your teacher.
•tang-nang and mur-kur is the main practice of the vajrayana practice
•when we practice this, we will notice 2 kinds of problems
(Minimizing the good qualities)
1. slandering/belittling of others/underestimation of others
ignoring others qualities, feeling uncomfortable eg. being jealous of others qualities
(Adding the weakness of others)
2. Overestimation of others weakeness, think others are not smart or good enough – that’s another problem!
•If the mind is pure, the ground and path is pure
•If the mind is not pure, the ground and path is not pure
•Focus on others qualities and not their weaknesses
•This talks of some of the missing links that we have in our dharma practice.
•At times we are practicing very hard or have seen many dharma text that state how great it is (the dharma) when you practice
•But after all that, you may notice that you’ve not experience all those qualities
•The problem is with us human beings – we are attracted to tangible things (we are attracted to visual, sounds or things that are countable, so when you put too much weight on these things, you don’t see the results as you expect or want.
•For example, we are very much focus on completing a certain number of things.
•Quantity is important but Quality is more important
•Quality first and Quantity second.
•Secondly we are also attracted to forms or visuals of the deities. They are there as an object of our meditation.
•Something more important than visualization or meditation is the quality of our practice.
•Usually when we go to a centre or temple, our mind is focus on chanting/ the mala or reciting the text (sadhana) in a melody or perhaps when meditating, you focus on the arms of the deity ie. how many, eg four, or six or a thousand. You also begin to worry that you are not doing it in the right way etc …
•So when you are too focus on these details, the confidence of practice is lacking, (ie. thinking about are you doing it in the right manner) and then you begin to have doubts about yourself (your practice)
•(An example was given by relating about the story of the zhambala statue and the return policy, and also the manjushri story and how about not doing so well in your exams as you expected by praying to manjushri)
•The key is that we need to connect to the Bodhisattvas and not the statues or sounds. Statues are the art work or pieces of copper. And sound is just the vibrations. They are there for us as an object of meditation.
•Mantras and Statues are connecting points.
•What is being connected is our mind, this is where the quality is.
•(The story of Asanga was related. *Asanga is the one who puts the 5 teachings of Matrieya together). Briefly, the story about Asanga meditated for 3 years, came out met with someone who was sharpening an iron rod with a silk cloth to make a needle out of it and seeing this made Asanga go back to retreat, and after 5 years still not result, came back out and this time saw someone polishing a boulder, hoping to reduce the size so that it would not be blocking the sunlight, Asanga went back, after 12 years saying to himself that nothing is going to deter him from giving up for good, came across a dog with rotten legs that had maggots in it, and how he use his tongue to remove the maggots. And Maitreya appears in front of him)
•So here, the moral of the story is that Asanga didn’t see Maitreya is because he didn’t have genuine compassion, even though Maitreya was with him from day one.
•This shows that the Quality is more important that the Quantity.
•The success of the practice is the quality, here in this case is the genuine compassion and not the quantity - ie. the 12 years in retreat (which is the number)
•Bodhisattvas are impartial, they help all regardless if one is good or bad.
•Like the ring and the hook story, it needs one another to work, hence for bodhisattvas to help, we need to open our hearts and not just rely on tangible objects.
•And the important thing is, we know it has something to do with the mind
•And the mind, there are different levels of the mind
i) intellectual mind
ii) the mind that is related to your heart (innate to your nature)
•The 2nd type (the innate mind) is more real ‘coz it is closer to the real/reality
•The 1st kind is more (of a) concept and influence by lots of external things, such as environment and culture etc
•At the end of the day usually we make our decision with our feelings even though we’ve made a lot of research on the particular subject – such as when buying a car – you look @ the fuel consumption, color, power etc but still at the end – you decide with your heart.
•So how we can improve ourselves spiritually? What is blocking us, what is dragging us? So we need to know the problem, identify the problem
•The 1st problem is Distraction
‘coz our mind is distracted by many things
‘coz we don’t think enough or rather we don’t feel enough (of the impermanence). If you can feel the impermanence, you don’t feel the distraction (ie. we don’t feel enough)
•When we don’t feel enough about the impermanence, esp. (abt) one’s own life (one’s own human life)
•When we plan a lot of things there are many distractions.
•Therefore, the lack of the understanding of impermanence – we’ve lots of distraction
•In Tibetan, there is a word : Lo – Na - Tung ( lit. Mind-length-short), which means to Keep your length short (ie. Keep short and have fewer plans)
•4 dharmas of Gampopa
to turn the mind to dharma
when you are aware of these things, your mind will naturally turn to dharma
•Solution is that we can work on by looking upon ourselves and look at the vulnerability and we can keep short, we can overcome this distraction
Q: What are the 3 yanas? A: (from the audience) Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana
Rinpoche’s answer: Well if you go into depth, you actually wouldn’t find it as the 3 yanas in The Kangyur (is the words of the Buddha) and The Tengyur (is the treatise)
•The essence of hinayana teachings => Keeping it short, not planning too much
=> understanding the impermanence.
•The significance of Asanga’s story is => Compassion => essence of Mahayana
•With the genuine feeling of compassion, you have the practice of Mahayana
•Not having enough compassion because we have too much egotism is the problem to our practice
•So it is important to have work on sympathy/sympathetic mind
•We have the suffering we know we cannot bear but when you see that in others we are indifference
•When you really have the genuine compassion, we are unable to leave it like that, regardless of whether we cause it or not.
•Another major problem that makes our practice lack/hinders our practice
-heavy criticism of others
-we cannot improve ourselves if we criticize on others
esp. spiritual practice and even more in the vajrayana practice
•The solution to the problem => is to look at one’s own mind
the attitude of one’s own mind
•We’ll never be able to enlighten if you judge others qualities
•We are only able to be enlighten if you judge your own qualities
•We tend to ignore our own problems even though it’s huge like a mountain but raises the issue in others even though it is a minute(small) one.
•So that’s our weakness
•Solution: we need to look at our mind, judge ourselves & not others, have a Pure Perception of others (esp to other dharma practitioners)
•tang-nang (pure perception)
•Only fully enlightened beings can see others mind, therefore sentient beings cannot judge other sentient beings mind.
•So it is important to have “tang-nang” toward others and also esp the teacher
•mur-kur (devotion) => this is more toward the teacher
•mur = admiration (hence, having heard and understood the qualities of the teacher you have admiration)
•kur = sense of humility (recognizing your weakness in front of the great being, you keep yourself down)
•Because you know there is a gap, in quality between yourself and the teacher, you admired and wish to achieve the quality of your teacher.
•tang-nang and mur-kur is the main practice of the vajrayana practice
•when we practice this, we will notice 2 kinds of problems
(Minimizing the good qualities)
1. slandering/belittling of others/underestimation of others
ignoring others qualities, feeling uncomfortable eg. being jealous of others qualities
(Adding the weakness of others)
2. Overestimation of others weakeness, think others are not smart or good enough – that’s another problem!
•If the mind is pure, the ground and path is pure
•If the mind is not pure, the ground and path is not pure
•Focus on others qualities and not their weaknesses
Sunday, January 3, 2010
27th Kagyu Monlam Chenmo/ MP3 download of Nagajurna's Letter to a Friend
In conjunction to this particular Monlam, we were so lucky to have Tulku-la here to not only join us in prayers but to actually sync with the entourage in Bodhgaya in offering the Monlam Aspiration prayer at the closing of the 8 day event on new year's eve. And then even more happy when Rinpoche-la decided to sent us a text message all the way from Bodhgaya! :)
Links:
Webcast of the 27th Kagyu Monlam Chenmo 26th December to 31st December 2009 on
http://www.kagyumonlam.tv
and the teachings on Nagajurna's Letter to a Friend can be downloaded from here.
A Letter to a Friend": Teaching by H.H. the 17th Karmapa MP3 for Download
Links:
Webcast of the 27th Kagyu Monlam Chenmo 26th December to 31st December 2009 on
http://www.kagyumonlam.tv
and the teachings on Nagajurna's Letter to a Friend can be downloaded from here.
A Letter to a Friend": Teaching by H.H. the 17th Karmapa MP3 for Download
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Namo Buddha Archives
Teachings by Thrangu Rinpoche
(We have assembled some interesting questions and answers from the Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Way of Life which is now completely revised with three added chapters and the root verses.
Question: Why can’t gods, sages, and Brahmin reach enlightenment?
Rinpoche: The gods, sages, and Brahmin are only concerned with their own welfare. They practice to attain Buddhahood only to eliminate their personal suffering. Therefore they have never even dreamt of an attitude of awakening mind being concerned only with their own welfare.
Question: What is the philosopher’s stone?
Rinpoche: At the time of Nagarjuna this gold-making elixir existed. It has been said that if one had an ounce of this elixir, one would be able to transform one thousand ounces of iron into gold. In those days Nagarjuna constructed a great university of Nalanda and other holy places. He was, however, an ordinary monk and had no wealth whatsoever. So to construct these places, he did a practice that made use of this gold-making elixir.
Question: Could you explain further the fear of a bodhisattva faced with the task of helping absolutely all sentient beings?
Rinpoche: The fear of engendering awakening mind is thinking, "Well, I’ll never be able to help all these beings, since they are so numerous." One thinks of all these numerous and various beings and all their desires and that one is not able to fulfill all their hopes and desires. So there is a fear of engendering the awakening mind or engaging in bodhisattva activity.
It might seem that this effort involves suffering, but it also involves happiness. For example, if you are concerned about ten people and you help one of them, then you feel very happy. You will be content with your effort of having been able to help one person. So if you are able to help two or three or more of these people, you will be even happier. So in the case of a bodhisattva who is concerned with a limitless number of beings, the bodhisattva’s happiness and joy is continuous. It is continuous because the bodhisattva is concerned with the welfare of so many and each time someone is helped, the bodhisattva is happy. So, in fact, there is a continuous happiness and joy, rather than suffering with this commitment.
Question: How much negative karma is erased from doing good actions?
Rinpoche: The virtue resulting from giving rise to the awakening mind is very powerful. In fact, it consumes negative karma. In the case of extremely strong negative karma, awakening mind will, so to speak, take away the effect, though one will have to experience some of the effects of this negative karma. In the case of a slight misdeed, it will be eliminated totally by awakening mind. If one, for example, has accumulated karma which will result in rebirth in hell and after one has given rise to the awakening mind, the future effect of this negative karma will be very slight. For example, if you drop a ball, it bounces back off the ground. In the same way, rather than having to dwell in the hell realms for a very long period of time, one might just fall down into the hell realms and then bounce up again like a ball.
Question: Do person who are nonBuddhist or have not taken the bodhisattva vows possess awakening mind or bodhichitta?
Rinpoche: There are fortunate beings in the world who have many good intentions and these one could say have bodhichitta. But the majority of those that are endowed with bodhichitta are to be found within the Buddhist tradition because Buddhists have an understanding of bodhichitta and know it’s meaning. Bodhichitta generally means that one has developed goodness of mind or one has good intentions. But these good intentions might be limited to having good intentions in relation to relatives, one’s country, one’s race, and so forth. If one, for example, has good intentions towards one’s relatives, it follows that one might be adverse to those that are not one’s relatives. If one has good intentions in relations to one’s country, it follows one will probably have bad intentions towards other countries. Similarly, having good intentions towards those that are of the same race means one is probably adverse towards others of a different race. With bodhichitta, however, one is not biased and one’s good intentions includes all sentient beings. One believes that all sentient beings no matter what country they belong to, whether they are related or not, or whether they belong to the race or not, desire happiness and want to avoid suffering. So a bodhisattva’s good intentions include all these sentient beings and is completely unbiased.
There are many people that have good intentions and desire to help others, but their good intentions are limited. They think that it’s not necessary to attain Buddhahood and it is sufficient to be happy oneself and benefit others so that they are happy. In actual fact, one needs to establish all beings in Buddhahood because any other help is only temporary and will eventually be exhausted. For example, if one lends a hundred dollars to someone, for some time that person will have money and be temporarily helped, but when the money is used up, that person is impoverished as before. Whereas if one is able to establish someone in Buddhahood, that is the ultimate kind of help and will never be exhausted.
Question: I want to ask a practical question. If you do an evil deed during the day, should you try to confess it right away, or should you wait until the end of the day or should you wait until you practice?
Rinpoche: It doesn’t make a big difference when one confesses evil deeds. One confesses what one has done the moment one recognizes that one has committed an evil deed. Whether a day has elapsed, whether it’s immediately or after a few years makes no great difference. At the point when one recognizes that one has committed an evil deed and regrets that, one makes a confession. With respect to commitment of the vajrayana tradition on the other hand, timeliness have been mentioned, though generally speaking with respect to evil actions there are no particular time limits.
Question: Does one have to feel remorse with confession?
Rinpoche: Here confession is concerned with recognizing or identifying evil deeds that one has committed. It’s not very important to have a feeling of remorse or regret for no particular reason. With respect to confession or disclosure of evil, one actually recalls negative deeds and regrets them.
Question: What about regret?
Rinpoche: Well, usually with regret, one has a reason. There is something one has done in a mistaken way and one recognizes this. And therefore one feels remorse or regret. Though generally speaking, the nature of samsara is suffering and so forth. So when this state of mind arises without any particular reason, it’s good to meditate or do some practice which could clear away that frame of mind. It just indicates the general nature of samsara and suffering, the fact that state of mind arises.
Question: Is it important to visualize the buddhas and bodhisattvas?
Rinpoche: Well, buddhas and bodhisattvas are not ordinary beings. There is the interaction between oneself meditating on the buddhas and bodhisattvas and the buddhas and bodhisattvas knowing that one is doing this act of confession. So we are not able to actually see these buddhas and bodhisattvas in front of us, but they are present. We evoke them then by doing this meditation and not being ordinary beings, they at that point know that we are doing this confession, and they actually are present in front of us.
Question: How far away should one visualize them?
Rinpoche: There is no ordinary distance. For them, it’s not a question of being far away or close by. They are not present in front of us physically. They are present in the sense that they are aware of our confession.
Question: I do not understand rebirth.
Rinpoche: There is what one calls the mental continuum. The Bagamati River here in Kathmandu always seems to be the same river, though in actual fact, yesterday’s river is not the same as today’s river because the water in yesterday’s river has already flowed down to India. It’s not here anymore, though one thinks of the river as the same one when in actual fact, it’s not. It’s new water flowing through all the time. Similarly, one’s present body is different from the body one will have in one’s future life, though one still thinks one is the same.
So, now with a human being and he can talk about lots of different things. If he’s reborn as a dog, for example, he can’t talk anymore, he can only bark. So even though he might think he is one and the same individual, in fact he’s not.
Question: How can we completely eliminate the kleshas or negative obscurations?
Rinpoche: One speaks of suppressing, for example, anger, and the antidote for this is patience. One develops patience by considering the result of what ensues from anger. Based on this one is able to suppress anger, but it’s not uprooted. To abandon, for example, anger one then meditates on selflessness, that is, one meditates on the emptiness of all phenomena. In terms of the vajrayana tradition, one meditates on mahamudra or dzog chen, and anger or any other affliction will be abandoned when the true nature of mind is realized. Then naturally these afflictions will have been pacified.
Question: How do we know when we are sufficiently developed in our shamatha meditation to go on to vipashyana meditation?
Rinpoche: It is not good if we stay with shamatha meditation and never begin vipashyana meditation. Because vipashyana is actually being able to uproot the disturbing emotions, vipashyana is what establishes us in liberation. For this reason we need to begin vipashyana, but this vipashyana meditation needs to be grounded in the calm abiding of shamatha meditation. What are the signs of having reached a stable mind in shamatha meditation? The signs are that you can rest your mind whenever you want it to rest, that your have little trouble in letting go and being at ease at will, that you do not often experience the faults of dullness and agitation in your meditation. When you do not have dullness or agitation often and that your mind is easy and open, then that is a sign that your mind has some kind of stability and that is a sign that your are ready for vipashyana meditation.
Question: How does forsaking attachment to friends and relatives relate to the relationship one has for one’s children?
Rinpoche: There is the feeling of attachment and there is the feeling of wanting to benefit others. We need to understand that wishing good for our children is not something undesirable, but is something good. It is all right to think, "I wish that my children will be healthy, they will have a good education, and that they will have a good life." That is simply wishing them well and is giving up nothing. On the other hand thinking, "I must always be with my children and I cannot live without them." is attachment and this is not healthy. If one wishes well for one’s children, then its fine and there’s nothing to give up.
Question: Can you say something about enlightenment.
Rinpoche: There are various religious traditions in the world. Non-Buddhist traditions often believe that enlightenment is God, a supernatural power which if one prays to this God, then that God will be pleased and will grant one whatever one wishes. They also believe that if one does not pray to that God and does not keep contact with that God, the God will not be pleased and one will not get what one wishes. So this is the theist view of enlightenment. But in Buddhism, enlightenment is noting outside, it is nothing other than our own mind. Sometimes our mind is polluted, sometimes the good qualities of our mind do not manifest, but when our mind is purified, then all these special qualities of enlightenment will unfold. The word for enlightenment in Tibetan is "sang gay" with each syllable having a meaning. The first syllable sang means "to purify" and the second syllable gay means "fully" so reaching enlightenment is when all the temporary thoughts of the mind have been dispelled by the power of meditation and all the excellent qualities of the mind have unfolded fully.
Question: Can you say something about busyness?
Rinpoche: If we look at our life, we see that we are actually always in pursuit of something, always busy doing something. When night comes, we go to bed thinking we didn’t really finish that job and we’ll have to get up really early tomorrow to do it. Then the next day we work worrying about whether we will finish our job. We go on this way without ever really completing the project especially in modern life. Then we feel unhappy when we have no project or job. So we’re suffering if we are busy and unhappy and also when we are not busy. This is what is understood by the suffering of busyness. This is due because our mind is never satisfied thinking, "I will be happy if I have $ 1,000." Then when we get it we think, "No, I need $ 2,000." We are always thinking that it is quite enough, we need more. This is the impulse that causes suffering in human beings.
(We have assembled some interesting questions and answers from the Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Way of Life which is now completely revised with three added chapters and the root verses.
Question: Why can’t gods, sages, and Brahmin reach enlightenment?
Rinpoche: The gods, sages, and Brahmin are only concerned with their own welfare. They practice to attain Buddhahood only to eliminate their personal suffering. Therefore they have never even dreamt of an attitude of awakening mind being concerned only with their own welfare.
Question: What is the philosopher’s stone?
Rinpoche: At the time of Nagarjuna this gold-making elixir existed. It has been said that if one had an ounce of this elixir, one would be able to transform one thousand ounces of iron into gold. In those days Nagarjuna constructed a great university of Nalanda and other holy places. He was, however, an ordinary monk and had no wealth whatsoever. So to construct these places, he did a practice that made use of this gold-making elixir.
Question: Could you explain further the fear of a bodhisattva faced with the task of helping absolutely all sentient beings?
Rinpoche: The fear of engendering awakening mind is thinking, "Well, I’ll never be able to help all these beings, since they are so numerous." One thinks of all these numerous and various beings and all their desires and that one is not able to fulfill all their hopes and desires. So there is a fear of engendering the awakening mind or engaging in bodhisattva activity.
It might seem that this effort involves suffering, but it also involves happiness. For example, if you are concerned about ten people and you help one of them, then you feel very happy. You will be content with your effort of having been able to help one person. So if you are able to help two or three or more of these people, you will be even happier. So in the case of a bodhisattva who is concerned with a limitless number of beings, the bodhisattva’s happiness and joy is continuous. It is continuous because the bodhisattva is concerned with the welfare of so many and each time someone is helped, the bodhisattva is happy. So, in fact, there is a continuous happiness and joy, rather than suffering with this commitment.
Question: How much negative karma is erased from doing good actions?
Rinpoche: The virtue resulting from giving rise to the awakening mind is very powerful. In fact, it consumes negative karma. In the case of extremely strong negative karma, awakening mind will, so to speak, take away the effect, though one will have to experience some of the effects of this negative karma. In the case of a slight misdeed, it will be eliminated totally by awakening mind. If one, for example, has accumulated karma which will result in rebirth in hell and after one has given rise to the awakening mind, the future effect of this negative karma will be very slight. For example, if you drop a ball, it bounces back off the ground. In the same way, rather than having to dwell in the hell realms for a very long period of time, one might just fall down into the hell realms and then bounce up again like a ball.
Question: Do person who are nonBuddhist or have not taken the bodhisattva vows possess awakening mind or bodhichitta?
Rinpoche: There are fortunate beings in the world who have many good intentions and these one could say have bodhichitta. But the majority of those that are endowed with bodhichitta are to be found within the Buddhist tradition because Buddhists have an understanding of bodhichitta and know it’s meaning. Bodhichitta generally means that one has developed goodness of mind or one has good intentions. But these good intentions might be limited to having good intentions in relation to relatives, one’s country, one’s race, and so forth. If one, for example, has good intentions towards one’s relatives, it follows that one might be adverse to those that are not one’s relatives. If one has good intentions in relations to one’s country, it follows one will probably have bad intentions towards other countries. Similarly, having good intentions towards those that are of the same race means one is probably adverse towards others of a different race. With bodhichitta, however, one is not biased and one’s good intentions includes all sentient beings. One believes that all sentient beings no matter what country they belong to, whether they are related or not, or whether they belong to the race or not, desire happiness and want to avoid suffering. So a bodhisattva’s good intentions include all these sentient beings and is completely unbiased.
There are many people that have good intentions and desire to help others, but their good intentions are limited. They think that it’s not necessary to attain Buddhahood and it is sufficient to be happy oneself and benefit others so that they are happy. In actual fact, one needs to establish all beings in Buddhahood because any other help is only temporary and will eventually be exhausted. For example, if one lends a hundred dollars to someone, for some time that person will have money and be temporarily helped, but when the money is used up, that person is impoverished as before. Whereas if one is able to establish someone in Buddhahood, that is the ultimate kind of help and will never be exhausted.
Question: I want to ask a practical question. If you do an evil deed during the day, should you try to confess it right away, or should you wait until the end of the day or should you wait until you practice?
Rinpoche: It doesn’t make a big difference when one confesses evil deeds. One confesses what one has done the moment one recognizes that one has committed an evil deed. Whether a day has elapsed, whether it’s immediately or after a few years makes no great difference. At the point when one recognizes that one has committed an evil deed and regrets that, one makes a confession. With respect to commitment of the vajrayana tradition on the other hand, timeliness have been mentioned, though generally speaking with respect to evil actions there are no particular time limits.
Question: Does one have to feel remorse with confession?
Rinpoche: Here confession is concerned with recognizing or identifying evil deeds that one has committed. It’s not very important to have a feeling of remorse or regret for no particular reason. With respect to confession or disclosure of evil, one actually recalls negative deeds and regrets them.
Question: What about regret?
Rinpoche: Well, usually with regret, one has a reason. There is something one has done in a mistaken way and one recognizes this. And therefore one feels remorse or regret. Though generally speaking, the nature of samsara is suffering and so forth. So when this state of mind arises without any particular reason, it’s good to meditate or do some practice which could clear away that frame of mind. It just indicates the general nature of samsara and suffering, the fact that state of mind arises.
Question: Is it important to visualize the buddhas and bodhisattvas?
Rinpoche: Well, buddhas and bodhisattvas are not ordinary beings. There is the interaction between oneself meditating on the buddhas and bodhisattvas and the buddhas and bodhisattvas knowing that one is doing this act of confession. So we are not able to actually see these buddhas and bodhisattvas in front of us, but they are present. We evoke them then by doing this meditation and not being ordinary beings, they at that point know that we are doing this confession, and they actually are present in front of us.
Question: How far away should one visualize them?
Rinpoche: There is no ordinary distance. For them, it’s not a question of being far away or close by. They are not present in front of us physically. They are present in the sense that they are aware of our confession.
Question: I do not understand rebirth.
Rinpoche: There is what one calls the mental continuum. The Bagamati River here in Kathmandu always seems to be the same river, though in actual fact, yesterday’s river is not the same as today’s river because the water in yesterday’s river has already flowed down to India. It’s not here anymore, though one thinks of the river as the same one when in actual fact, it’s not. It’s new water flowing through all the time. Similarly, one’s present body is different from the body one will have in one’s future life, though one still thinks one is the same.
So, now with a human being and he can talk about lots of different things. If he’s reborn as a dog, for example, he can’t talk anymore, he can only bark. So even though he might think he is one and the same individual, in fact he’s not.
Question: How can we completely eliminate the kleshas or negative obscurations?
Rinpoche: One speaks of suppressing, for example, anger, and the antidote for this is patience. One develops patience by considering the result of what ensues from anger. Based on this one is able to suppress anger, but it’s not uprooted. To abandon, for example, anger one then meditates on selflessness, that is, one meditates on the emptiness of all phenomena. In terms of the vajrayana tradition, one meditates on mahamudra or dzog chen, and anger or any other affliction will be abandoned when the true nature of mind is realized. Then naturally these afflictions will have been pacified.
Question: How do we know when we are sufficiently developed in our shamatha meditation to go on to vipashyana meditation?
Rinpoche: It is not good if we stay with shamatha meditation and never begin vipashyana meditation. Because vipashyana is actually being able to uproot the disturbing emotions, vipashyana is what establishes us in liberation. For this reason we need to begin vipashyana, but this vipashyana meditation needs to be grounded in the calm abiding of shamatha meditation. What are the signs of having reached a stable mind in shamatha meditation? The signs are that you can rest your mind whenever you want it to rest, that your have little trouble in letting go and being at ease at will, that you do not often experience the faults of dullness and agitation in your meditation. When you do not have dullness or agitation often and that your mind is easy and open, then that is a sign that your mind has some kind of stability and that is a sign that your are ready for vipashyana meditation.
Question: How does forsaking attachment to friends and relatives relate to the relationship one has for one’s children?
Rinpoche: There is the feeling of attachment and there is the feeling of wanting to benefit others. We need to understand that wishing good for our children is not something undesirable, but is something good. It is all right to think, "I wish that my children will be healthy, they will have a good education, and that they will have a good life." That is simply wishing them well and is giving up nothing. On the other hand thinking, "I must always be with my children and I cannot live without them." is attachment and this is not healthy. If one wishes well for one’s children, then its fine and there’s nothing to give up.
Question: Can you say something about enlightenment.
Rinpoche: There are various religious traditions in the world. Non-Buddhist traditions often believe that enlightenment is God, a supernatural power which if one prays to this God, then that God will be pleased and will grant one whatever one wishes. They also believe that if one does not pray to that God and does not keep contact with that God, the God will not be pleased and one will not get what one wishes. So this is the theist view of enlightenment. But in Buddhism, enlightenment is noting outside, it is nothing other than our own mind. Sometimes our mind is polluted, sometimes the good qualities of our mind do not manifest, but when our mind is purified, then all these special qualities of enlightenment will unfold. The word for enlightenment in Tibetan is "sang gay" with each syllable having a meaning. The first syllable sang means "to purify" and the second syllable gay means "fully" so reaching enlightenment is when all the temporary thoughts of the mind have been dispelled by the power of meditation and all the excellent qualities of the mind have unfolded fully.
Question: Can you say something about busyness?
Rinpoche: If we look at our life, we see that we are actually always in pursuit of something, always busy doing something. When night comes, we go to bed thinking we didn’t really finish that job and we’ll have to get up really early tomorrow to do it. Then the next day we work worrying about whether we will finish our job. We go on this way without ever really completing the project especially in modern life. Then we feel unhappy when we have no project or job. So we’re suffering if we are busy and unhappy and also when we are not busy. This is what is understood by the suffering of busyness. This is due because our mind is never satisfied thinking, "I will be happy if I have $ 1,000." Then when we get it we think, "No, I need $ 2,000." We are always thinking that it is quite enough, we need more. This is the impulse that causes suffering in human beings.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Lamp Prayer (from Kaygu Monlam)
The glorious lord Atisha with just seventeen of his students recited this prayer in a roar in the temples of U Tsang, it is heard
May the bowl of this lamp become equal to the outer ring of the world realm of the great Three Thousands. May its stem be the size of the King of Mountains, Mt.Meru. May its oil fill the surrounding oceans. in number, may a hundred million appear before each and every Buddha. May its light dispel all the darkness of ignorance from the Peak of Existence to the incessant Hell and illuminate all the Pure Realms of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions so they are clearly seen.
OM VAJRA ALOKE AH HUM
Emaho!
I offer this amazing, wonderful bright lamp
To the one thousand buddhas of this fortunate aeon
The lamas, yidams, dakinis, dharma protectors,
And gatherings of deities in the mandalas
Of all pure realms of the infinite ten directions
My parents in the fore, may every sentient being
In this lifetime and all the places they take birth
See the pure realms of the perfect Buddhas directly
And then become inseparable from Amitabha
Out of the power of the truth of the Three Jewels
And the deities of the Three Roots I've made this prayer
Please grant your blessings that it be quickly accomplished.
TAYATHA PANCHANDRIYA AVA BODAHANAYE SVAHA
May the bowl of this lamp become equal to the outer ring of the world realm of the great Three Thousands. May its stem be the size of the King of Mountains, Mt.Meru. May its oil fill the surrounding oceans. in number, may a hundred million appear before each and every Buddha. May its light dispel all the darkness of ignorance from the Peak of Existence to the incessant Hell and illuminate all the Pure Realms of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions so they are clearly seen.
OM VAJRA ALOKE AH HUM
Emaho!
I offer this amazing, wonderful bright lamp
To the one thousand buddhas of this fortunate aeon
The lamas, yidams, dakinis, dharma protectors,
And gatherings of deities in the mandalas
Of all pure realms of the infinite ten directions
My parents in the fore, may every sentient being
In this lifetime and all the places they take birth
See the pure realms of the perfect Buddhas directly
And then become inseparable from Amitabha
Out of the power of the truth of the Three Jewels
And the deities of the Three Roots I've made this prayer
Please grant your blessings that it be quickly accomplished.
TAYATHA PANCHANDRIYA AVA BODAHANAYE SVAHA
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Meditation – A Buddhist Perspective
Shamatha
Meditation – A Buddhist Perspective
“Meditation is like Driving to Enlightenment”
Khenpo Kunga
The Importance of Meditation
Meditations are very important in our daily life for three reasons:
1. First of all, in our daily lives both physical health and mental health are very significant. Both of them will be improved through meditation. Usually our minds are very sensitive and weak that is why we very easily become sad and angry. If someone always feels sad and angry, then they often become physically sick. If we meditate a lot, then our mind will become very strong and peaceful. If our mind becomes like that, then we will defeat sensitive or weak mind and become physically and mentally healthy.
2. Second, if someone is trying to find peace, then they method is to practice meditation; because the best remedy is meditation and it bring peace to their inner mind. For example, if someone did physical work for a month without rest, then they could become very seriously sick. In order to stay well, they should get some rest. Similarly, if our mind is always thinking and does not get any rest, then it will become unwell. So, to avoid developing an unwell mind, we need to learn to rest our mind. Meditation is the best way for our mind to rest.
3. Third, meditation in Tibet (GOM) means getting familiar. If we want to become a very good practitioner, we must become familiar with our mind or make friends with our mind. If we want to become familiar with our mind, then we always check our mind and try to improve or repair it.
Three perfect principles of meditation
1. Preparation
• Choose a Place.
• Make an Offering:
• Incense. Flowers. water
• Think about the Benefits of Meditation.
2. Main Part
• Follow the Instructions of meditation.
• Try to Focus on a Single Object. Breath
3. Conclusion
• Dedicate the Merit of meditation benefit for all sentient being
• Thin and Recite a formal meditation such as the following:
Emulating the hero Manjusri,
Samantabhadra and all those with knowledge
I too make a perfect dedication
Of all actions that are positive.
Or
By this merit, may all obtain omniscience
May it defeat the enemy, wrongdoing
From the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death
From the ocean of samsara, may I free all beings
The Five Faults/Obstacles to Meditation
1. Laziness (an attitude of attraction to relative ease and general dislike for wholesome activities).
Three kinds of laziness
• Laziness of lack of application- don’t like practicing
• Laziness of personal feeling inadequacy. Looking “down on” yourself
• Laziness which is an attachment to bad activities
2. Forgetting Instructions
3. Dullness and Agitation (“Blah” vs. “Monkey” Mind)
• Dullness - Inner mind falls asleep
• Agitation - Mind goes “outside” the meditation
4. Non-application of antidotes – not using them when necessary
5. Over application of Antidotes – continuing to apply them when unnecessary and thus not being in the peaceful state.
How the Obstacles Harm Our Shamata
1. Laziness is an obstacle to Preparation.
2. Forgetting the instruction 3. Dullness and Agitation harm the Actual meditation.
4. Non-application of Antidotes 5. Over-application of Antidotes are obstacles to increasing
meditation.
The Eight Antidotes
To defeat the Five Faults, you should practice the Eight Antidotes.
1. Faith – Belief that meditation is the best way to happiness in this life and to achieving enlightenment. There are three kinds of Faith:
1, Inspired faith 2, Aspiring faith 3. Confident faith
2. Aspiration – Desire to begin the practice. If you have faith, you will have the aspiration.
3. Effort – Applying enthusiasm to begin the practice. If you have the aspiration, it will be
easy to make the effort.
4. Flexibility of mind – Using the suppleness and pliancy of your mind to the practice. If
you make the effort, you will be able to use the flexibility of your mind.
Note: The first four are the antidotes that destroy laziness.
Or the three kinds of effort are antidotes of laziness.
1,armor-like diligenc 2, effort in training 3, the diligence of never regarding as enough
5. Mindfulness – Remembering the instruction of meditation. If your mind is flexible, you
will be mindful of the instruction or antidotes.
6. Introspection– Using your two minds – one to do the practice and the other to observe and
evaluate your practice and control what is going on, like a Shepherd. If you are mindful
during your practice, you will practice introspection successfully.
7. Applying the Antidotes – Selecting the appropriate antidote when obstacles arise. If you
are introspective while meditating, you will choose the appropriate antidote to defeat
obstacles.
8. Resting in Equanimity – Achieving the feeling of effortless meditating. If appropriate
antidotes are applied, and obstacles are defeated, you will rest in equanimity.
Nine Stages of Setting the Mind
1. Placing attention on an Object. Focus on a single object. Suggestions are:
• A picture of Buddha. Flower. Blue paper. Music/sound. Following breath
• If visual object, colors are important because the symbol of the five Buddha Families.
1) Buddha Family or Vairochana (White) 2) Vajra (Diamond) Family or Akshobhya (Blue) 3) Ratna (Jewel) Family or Ratnasambhava (Yellow) 4) Padma (Lotus) Family or Amitabha (Red) 5) Karma (Action) Family or Amoghasiddhi (Green)
2. Continual Setting – Keep doing the above. Keep your attention on the object slowly
increasing the time.
3. Patch-like Setting – If your mind has distractions during meditation, use your mindfulness
and awareness to bring it back and re-focus on the object.
4. Close Setting – If your mind wanders again, bring it back and focus more intensely to block
the distraction.
5. Taming - If you become bored or tired during meditation, think about the benefits of
meditation and use this knowledge to “tame” the mind.
6. Pacification – If you are meditating and the “three poisons” arise and cause you to become
angry or hate meditation, you can pacify you mind by remembering that anger and hatred
destroy your happiness. Remind yourself that meditation, compassion and loving kindness
will restore it and block the poisons.
7. Complete Pacification – When you observe dullness or sleepiness while you are meditating,
you can refresh your mind by remembering the disadvantages of dullness and sleepiness.
Stop your meditation, walk around and wake yourself up, then return to meditation.
8. Single/ One-Pointed – When you can keep your focus on objects successfully, and destroy
obstacles, you can move to focusing on concepts - compassion , loving kindness or
emptiness.
9. Placement on Evenness/Equanimity – When you can meditated without obstacles or
concepts, you can just “let it go” - don’t work to hard, just do meditation in that state.
Our Buddha Nature
The goal of meditation is to see our Buddha Nature or last emptiness and will get exhaustless bliss - the nature of our mind. All sentient beings have Buddha nature but we can’t see it that’s why we are still wandering in samsara. If we see truly Buddha nature or Basic goodness then we are enlightened.
The three exalted bodies of a Buddha
1. The body of reality {chos sku} or dharmakaya,
2. The body of perfect rapture or complete Enjoyment body {longs sku} or sambhogakaya,
3. The emanation body {sprul sku} or nirmanakaya
• Darma kaya – Only Buddha can see this. If we abandon all obstacles, then we can see
• Sambogakaya – When we attain the 10 bhumi, then we can see it
• Nirmana kaya – All sentient being can see it
Meditation – A Buddhist Perspective
“Meditation is like Driving to Enlightenment”
Khenpo Kunga
The Importance of Meditation
Meditations are very important in our daily life for three reasons:
1. First of all, in our daily lives both physical health and mental health are very significant. Both of them will be improved through meditation. Usually our minds are very sensitive and weak that is why we very easily become sad and angry. If someone always feels sad and angry, then they often become physically sick. If we meditate a lot, then our mind will become very strong and peaceful. If our mind becomes like that, then we will defeat sensitive or weak mind and become physically and mentally healthy.
2. Second, if someone is trying to find peace, then they method is to practice meditation; because the best remedy is meditation and it bring peace to their inner mind. For example, if someone did physical work for a month without rest, then they could become very seriously sick. In order to stay well, they should get some rest. Similarly, if our mind is always thinking and does not get any rest, then it will become unwell. So, to avoid developing an unwell mind, we need to learn to rest our mind. Meditation is the best way for our mind to rest.
3. Third, meditation in Tibet (GOM) means getting familiar. If we want to become a very good practitioner, we must become familiar with our mind or make friends with our mind. If we want to become familiar with our mind, then we always check our mind and try to improve or repair it.
Three perfect principles of meditation
1. Preparation
• Choose a Place.
• Make an Offering:
• Incense. Flowers. water
• Think about the Benefits of Meditation.
2. Main Part
• Follow the Instructions of meditation.
• Try to Focus on a Single Object. Breath
3. Conclusion
• Dedicate the Merit of meditation benefit for all sentient being
• Thin and Recite a formal meditation such as the following:
Emulating the hero Manjusri,
Samantabhadra and all those with knowledge
I too make a perfect dedication
Of all actions that are positive.
Or
By this merit, may all obtain omniscience
May it defeat the enemy, wrongdoing
From the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death
From the ocean of samsara, may I free all beings
The Five Faults/Obstacles to Meditation
1. Laziness (an attitude of attraction to relative ease and general dislike for wholesome activities).
Three kinds of laziness
• Laziness of lack of application- don’t like practicing
• Laziness of personal feeling inadequacy. Looking “down on” yourself
• Laziness which is an attachment to bad activities
2. Forgetting Instructions
3. Dullness and Agitation (“Blah” vs. “Monkey” Mind)
• Dullness - Inner mind falls asleep
• Agitation - Mind goes “outside” the meditation
4. Non-application of antidotes – not using them when necessary
5. Over application of Antidotes – continuing to apply them when unnecessary and thus not being in the peaceful state.
How the Obstacles Harm Our Shamata
1. Laziness is an obstacle to Preparation.
2. Forgetting the instruction 3. Dullness and Agitation harm the Actual meditation.
4. Non-application of Antidotes 5. Over-application of Antidotes are obstacles to increasing
meditation.
The Eight Antidotes
To defeat the Five Faults, you should practice the Eight Antidotes.
1. Faith – Belief that meditation is the best way to happiness in this life and to achieving enlightenment. There are three kinds of Faith:
1, Inspired faith 2, Aspiring faith 3. Confident faith
2. Aspiration – Desire to begin the practice. If you have faith, you will have the aspiration.
3. Effort – Applying enthusiasm to begin the practice. If you have the aspiration, it will be
easy to make the effort.
4. Flexibility of mind – Using the suppleness and pliancy of your mind to the practice. If
you make the effort, you will be able to use the flexibility of your mind.
Note: The first four are the antidotes that destroy laziness.
Or the three kinds of effort are antidotes of laziness.
1,armor-like diligenc 2, effort in training 3, the diligence of never regarding as enough
5. Mindfulness – Remembering the instruction of meditation. If your mind is flexible, you
will be mindful of the instruction or antidotes.
6. Introspection– Using your two minds – one to do the practice and the other to observe and
evaluate your practice and control what is going on, like a Shepherd. If you are mindful
during your practice, you will practice introspection successfully.
7. Applying the Antidotes – Selecting the appropriate antidote when obstacles arise. If you
are introspective while meditating, you will choose the appropriate antidote to defeat
obstacles.
8. Resting in Equanimity – Achieving the feeling of effortless meditating. If appropriate
antidotes are applied, and obstacles are defeated, you will rest in equanimity.
Nine Stages of Setting the Mind
1. Placing attention on an Object. Focus on a single object. Suggestions are:
• A picture of Buddha. Flower. Blue paper. Music/sound. Following breath
• If visual object, colors are important because the symbol of the five Buddha Families.
1) Buddha Family or Vairochana (White) 2) Vajra (Diamond) Family or Akshobhya (Blue) 3) Ratna (Jewel) Family or Ratnasambhava (Yellow) 4) Padma (Lotus) Family or Amitabha (Red) 5) Karma (Action) Family or Amoghasiddhi (Green)
2. Continual Setting – Keep doing the above. Keep your attention on the object slowly
increasing the time.
3. Patch-like Setting – If your mind has distractions during meditation, use your mindfulness
and awareness to bring it back and re-focus on the object.
4. Close Setting – If your mind wanders again, bring it back and focus more intensely to block
the distraction.
5. Taming - If you become bored or tired during meditation, think about the benefits of
meditation and use this knowledge to “tame” the mind.
6. Pacification – If you are meditating and the “three poisons” arise and cause you to become
angry or hate meditation, you can pacify you mind by remembering that anger and hatred
destroy your happiness. Remind yourself that meditation, compassion and loving kindness
will restore it and block the poisons.
7. Complete Pacification – When you observe dullness or sleepiness while you are meditating,
you can refresh your mind by remembering the disadvantages of dullness and sleepiness.
Stop your meditation, walk around and wake yourself up, then return to meditation.
8. Single/ One-Pointed – When you can keep your focus on objects successfully, and destroy
obstacles, you can move to focusing on concepts - compassion , loving kindness or
emptiness.
9. Placement on Evenness/Equanimity – When you can meditated without obstacles or
concepts, you can just “let it go” - don’t work to hard, just do meditation in that state.
Our Buddha Nature
The goal of meditation is to see our Buddha Nature or last emptiness and will get exhaustless bliss - the nature of our mind. All sentient beings have Buddha nature but we can’t see it that’s why we are still wandering in samsara. If we see truly Buddha nature or Basic goodness then we are enlightened.
The three exalted bodies of a Buddha
1. The body of reality {chos sku} or dharmakaya,
2. The body of perfect rapture or complete Enjoyment body {longs sku} or sambhogakaya,
3. The emanation body {sprul sku} or nirmanakaya
• Darma kaya – Only Buddha can see this. If we abandon all obstacles, then we can see
• Sambogakaya – When we attain the 10 bhumi, then we can see it
• Nirmana kaya – All sentient being can see it
Friday, August 7, 2009
More excerpts from Rechungpa's Biography
On the defilment (Skt. klesha): Pride
Pride is a very powerful obstacle but it doesn't arise when one has difficulties and suffering. It is a time when things are going very well and one is practicing well that pride can arise. When one is having difficulties and suffering the poisons such as anger and ignorance arise.
Ibit, "A Spiritual Biography of Rechungpa" Pre-publication Edition, pg 30
Pride is a very powerful obstacle but it doesn't arise when one has difficulties and suffering. It is a time when things are going very well and one is practicing well that pride can arise. When one is having difficulties and suffering the poisons such as anger and ignorance arise.
Ibit, "A Spiritual Biography of Rechungpa" Pre-publication Edition, pg 30
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