Continued from :
http://sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/439117
Verse 32 of the Bodhisattva Practices: "If, influenced by disturbing emotions, one points out another bodhisattva's faults, oneself is diminished. Therefore, not speaking about the faults of those who have entered the Great Vehicle is the bodhisattvas' practice."
In his Prayer to be Reborn in Dewachen, Chagme Rinpoche says that the fault of denigrating a bodhisattva is worse than any of the five deeds with immediate result. Since we do not know who is and who is not a bodhisattva, we must be extremely careful. Thus the swift path of Vajrayana teaches us to train in pure view, to recognize the buddha nature in all beings, the nature which transcends gender, race, culture and social status. In fact tantra teaches that we must even see the four elements as deities. A bodhisattva, one who acts for the welfare of sentient beings, places loving kindness, compassion, faith, and respect into the mind streams of many sentient beings. If someone denigrates such a bodhisattva, all those beings will turn away from devotion, and this becomes the cause for their plunge into the lower realms. It is important that you practice free from any bias, do not engage in separation while pretending to be a dharma practitioner.
The mind that thinks they are not good is a dirty mind. As long as you have negative thoughts in your mind, no matter how much you attempt to be pure, you cannot become pure. It is said that everything that appears and exists is all-encompassing purity, and also that within every sentient being dwells the buddha. The Secret Mantra Vajrayana teaches that the external universe is an immeasurable palace, and all the internal sentient beings are dakas and dakinis. This is how it truly is in reality. When you understand this, your mind becomes like space, very blissful and happy.
But if you hold a biased view of attachment and aversion, your mind is miserable and your will slander others. The faults or qualities other traditions may have are irrelevant, what causes harm is your own negative thought. For instance, if one gives rise to strong faith in a dog's tooth, relics will emerge from it. The dog's tooth is impure, but relics will emerge if your own mind is pure. We have to purify our own minds. We should not insult each other, but rather uphold the Buddha Dharma. The Buddha Dharma is love and compassion, and whoever possesses love and compassion upholds the Buddha Dharma. Whoever does not possess love and compassion does not uphold the Buddha Dharma. In the Buddha Dharma there is no hatred or jealousy, and if we are in the grip of hatred and jealousy we do not uphold the Dharma. It is because of such bias that we denigrate and criticize bodhisattvas.
In the Seven Verses of Protection of Tara, Lord Jigten Sumgon says, “deceived by errant dogma;” actually, it is not the dogma that is bad, but rather one's misunderstanding of it it is bad. It is through negative thoughts about others that you are “deceived.” We practitioners must clean our minds and cultivate pure view free from any bias, thinking that everyone is a buddha, all sentient beings are our parents. When your practice has developed you will not denigrate anyone, much less a bodhisattva. If one fails to benefit beings in this way, and instead transmits thoughts of attachment, aversion, pride, and misconception, one will be plunged into hell. This is a sign that a spiritual master doesn't have cultivated true wisdom. Yet for us, we must be compassionate toward all, especially toward those with inferior wisdom.
In the past you have taken on countless lives, you have assumed innumerable bodies. There is no benefit in knowing what you were in a past life. It is important to prepare for the future, to strive for enlightenment. From the ultimate perspective, past lifetimes are, in fact, illusions. On the relative level we talk about numbers and different lifetimes, but in fact there is only a single continuum of mind, that is beyond birth and death. From the perspective of mind-itself there is no past life, no present life, no future life, and no bardo. Past lives are illusions, unreal, so do not ponder over illusions. You don't have to know about them, as they only belong to the relative level, not the ultimate truth. What is important for you now is to destroy self-grasping and to see the nature of mind. Do not think about the past or the future. Do not even think about the present, do not cling to any thought. Look at your mind right now. Look at the pure natural state as it is.
Only hold on to bodhchitta, love and compassion, and nothing else, day and night. Always purify your mind by sustaining awareness of the natural state.
A person who has seen the nature of mind as it is and has gained stability in abiding in it, as they watch their mind they see the empty essence like space, unidentifiable. The nature of mind cannot be described; it is like space. Milarepa said, "When there is no difference between space and mind, that is the perfected dharmakaya." The empty space-like essence is the quality of dharmakaya. Then there is a vivid clear awareness that knows its empty space-like essence. The nature of clarity is emptiness; the nature of emptiness is clarity. They are not separate, they are non-distinct, they are the union of clarity and emptiness. The qualities of the sambogakaya arise from the nature, which is clear awareness. From the union of clarity and emptiness shines the natural radiance of compassion pervading all the reaches of space. It pervades wherever emptiness pervades. We thus say that the buddhas' compassion pervades everywhere. The all-pervasive compassion is the nirmanakaya.
Do not worry about enlightenment; the Buddha is within your mind already, ready to be seen. But because we cannot turn inward and are constantly distracted we fail to recognize the Buddha. When past thoughts have ceased and future thoughts not yet arisen, in this space between fixations, you can glimpse the nature of mind abiding like space; this is the Buddha. If you remain within this nature continuously, you are enlightened. Whenever you stop to grasp there is no cause of samsara. Whenever you begin to grasp, you have again created the cause of samsara. The Buddha is actually not somewhere far away. The Buddha is always ready to be seen. If you do not give up the fixation to a self, but try to escape from samsara by secluding your body, you will still not be liberated. If you give up the fixation to a self, while continuing to live in the world, you will be liberated.In particular when difficulties and suffering arise, do not grasp at them, let these thoughts dissolve into space. Even if there is an external so-called problem, the mind does not need to grasp. People who do not understand this sometimes commit suicide, unable to bear even the slightest problem. The Buddha is nowhere apart from your own mind.
In order to form a positive imprint in your mindstream, you should always recite a deity's mantra such as the Amitabha mantra, or play a mantra CD in your home. Think that your yidam deity always abides above your crown. Think, 'when I die it is important that my consciousness leaves through the crown and merges with Amitabha.' If you habituate this throughout your life, then even if you die suddenly, for instance in a car accident, your consciousness will merge with the yidam deity above your crown due to the habitual pattern formed when you were alive. Then you will be liberated doubtlessly even if you do not have the time to practice Phowa. Thus it is important that you repeatedly remember this for as long as you are alive.
How you overcome ordinary thoughts? You must maintain mindfulness and not grasp at whatever arises. No matter which emotion or thought arises, there is only one antidote: mindful awareness. No matter what arises, continue to remain within the natural state of mind. Neither think, 'it exists, OR 'this is how it is,' nor think, 'it doesn't exist,' OR 'this is not how it is.' Let go of all beliefs and do not hold on to anything. Only by seeing the space like unconfined nature of mind you will be able to destroy negative thoughts. In the true nature of mind there is no existence or non-existence, no this or that, no truth or untruth, no good or bad, no right or wrong. All worldly affairs seem futile when you rest in this nature, that abides like the expanse of space transcending time.
Thanks for sharing :)
Meditation means to first recognize and then habituate to the nature of mind. First you must understand the basic nature of mind. This mind is a single ground within which we are one. Once you have recognized the nature of mind, you must always sustain it, uphold it, without falling into distraction. To habituate this present awareness is meditation. No matter what external condition may arise, happiness or suffering, you should never stray from this clear awareness that recognizes everything that arises. You should practice mindful awareness in all your activities; this is the perfect conduct. The view, the meditation, and the conduct are all mind, the single ground. There are many thoughts that always arise, but thoughts are impermanent; they come and go. The mind from which they arise, however, abides like space; it never comes and goes. It is always there, it has always been there, and it will always be there. It is like space, or a vast ocean, or a mirror.
It never goes anywhere, just like space. Therefore, do not cling to the temporary thoughts. No matter how much you cling to them you cannot actually hold on to them, as they are impermanent by nature. Rather, observe that which never goes away, the clear knowing awareness that recognizes all the thoughts arising. This awareness is the buddha within you; it is your true nature. Whatever thoughts arise, negative thoughts, sadness, afflictive emotions, do not follow them but continue to observe with mindfulness. When this mindfulness is sustained, arising thoughts will naturally dissipate without the need to abandon them. This awareness must be upheld, not only in meditation sessions, but also during all your activities. No matter what you experience, happiness or suffering, it does not affect your awareness; it always is as it is. This nature is buddha nature, and every being has it.
In addition, you should read "The Ganges Mahamudra" by Tilopa every day; this will support your meditation. You should also read "The Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices" every day; this will support your conduct. What is most important is to cultivate bodhichitta, love and compassion, in all your activities. Without compassion you will never understand the nature of mind. Without compassion, the mind is like dirty water. The water is cloudy, and you are unable to see its true clear nature. If you give rise to compassion, then you will understand the nature of mind very easily.
The Ganges: Essential Instructions on Mah�mudra
Sanskrit: Mah�mudra Upadesha�
Tibetan: Chaggya Chenpö Menngag
Homage to glorious coemergence!
Intelligent N�ropa, forbearing of suffering, you have endured hardships and are devoted
to the guru. Thus, though mah�mudra cannot be shown, take this to heart, you fortunate one!
O! Look well at worldly phenomena! Dream-like and illusory, they cannot last! [But]
they are not dreams or illusions in actuality. Therefore, when giving rise to disenchantment,
you have insight into worldly activities. Completely severing the connections of attachment
and aversion – the domain of samsara – meditate alone in mountain and forest hermitages!
When, through remaining in an ongoing state of non-meditation, non-attainment is
attained, mah�mudra is attained. These worldly affairs are the useless causes of suffering.
Look at the ultimate essential meaning [that realizes] the futility of deliberate action!
The truth that transcends the intellect will not be seen by means of the intellect. The
point of non-action will not be reached by means of deliberate action. If you want to achieve
the point of non-action transcending thought, sever the root of mind itself and rest in naked
awareness!
Leave the polluted water of conceptual thoughts in its [natural] clarity. Without
affirming or denying appearances, leave them as they are. When there is neither acceptance
nor rejection, [mind] is liberated into mah�mudra.
For example, [if] the root of a tree with flourishing branches and foliage is cut, its ten
thousand branches and hundred thousand leaves wither.
For example, even the accumulated darkness of a thousand aeons is cleared away by a
single lamp flame. Similarly, an instant of the luminosity of mind itself dispels aeons of
accumulated negativity and obscuration without exception.
If people of inferior intelligence [can] not abide in the ultimate meaning, they [should]
hold the vital point of wind energies and give up exerting [themselves] in awareness. Until
you abide in the ongoing state of awareness by means of myriad gazes and [modes of] focused
attention, make effort!
For example, if you examine the center of space, the one who fixates on the boundary
and center ceases to be. Likewise, when you investigate the mind with the mind, the
multitude of thoughts ceases and you see the nature of mind.
For example, [when] vapors from the earth or clouds disperse into space, they have gone
nowhere and yet do not remain anywhere. So it is with the multitude of thoughts that arise
from the mind: by seeing the mind itself, the waves of thoughts dissipate.
For example, space transcends color and form. It is immutable and without a tinge of
black or white. Similarly, the mind itself, beyond color and form, is untainted by the white
and black phenomena of virtue and evil.
For example, the clear and pure orb of the sun is not eclipsed by the darkness of a
thousand aeons. Likewise, aeons in cyclic existence cannot obscure the luminous essence of
mind itself.
For example, although space is labeled ‘empty,’ space itself is indescribable by such
[terms]. Similarly, though the mind itself is described as ‘clear light,’ there is no basis for
designating it as such through verbal expressions.
For example, in space, what is supported by what? Like [space], the mah�mudra that is
mind itself has no supporting ground. Rest at ease in the uncontrived, innate continuity.
When the bonds are loosened, there is no doubt of release.
In that way, the nature of mind is like space. There is no phenomenon not included in
that.
Completely give up physical activity and remain at ease. Without much speech, [sound]
is like an echo. Without thinking, look at decisively-resolved reality.
The body is insubstantial, like the hollow stalk of a reed; and the mind, like the center of
space, transcends the realm of thought. Rest at ease in that state, without releasing or placing.
When the mind is without a focal point, that is mah�mudra.
By habituating yourself to that, unsurpassable awakening is attained.
When there is no object of focus, the mind is naturally clear. When there is no path, the
path of the buddhas is entered. By habituating non-meditation, unsurpassable awakening is
attained.
Transcendence of all subject and object [duality] is the king of views. When there is no
distraction, that is the king of meditations. When there is no deliberate effort, that is the king
of conduct. When there is neither expectation nor doubt, the fruition is made manifest.
The uncreated ground of all is clear of the obscuring veil of propensities. Do not engage
meditation and post-meditation, [but] rest in the uncreated essence. [Thus, outer]
appearances, [inner] perceptions and intellectual faculties are exhausted.
The complete release of limits is the supreme king of views. Boundlessness, deep and
vast, is the supreme king of meditations. Freedom from action, abiding in its own state, is the
supreme king of conduct. Freedom from expectation, abiding in its own state, is the supreme
king of fruitions.
To a beginner, [mind] is like a waterfall. In the middle, it flows gently, [like] the River
Ganges. At the end, it is like the confluence of a stream [with the ocean] – like the meeting of
mother and child.
The luminosity that is mah�mudra will not be seen through expounding the [secret]
mantra and par�mita [vehicles], the scripture collections including the vinaya, or even
through individual philosophical scriptures and tenet systems.
When you fabricate nothing in the mind and are devoid of any wish, [thoughts] are like
self-arising, self-subsiding ripples in water. When a wish arises, luminosity is obscured and
not perceived.
Preserving the vows conceptually, you violate the samaya on the level of ultimate
meaning. If [mind] does not stray from the non-abiding, unobjectified ultimate meaning, the
unimpaired samaya is a lamp in the darkness.
When, devoid of any wish, you are not confined to a position, all the teachings of the
scripture collections without exception will be realized. If you exert yourself in this truth, you
will be freed from the prison of samsara.
If you [cultivate] even meditation upon this truth, all unawareness, negativities and
obscurations will be burnt away. [Thus], it is known as the lamp of the teachings.
Those foolish people who are disinterested in this truth are continually carried off and
wasted by the great river of cyclic existence. How sad that they [endure] the unbearable
suffering of evil rebirths!
If you want release from suffering, follow a masterful guru! Becoming infused with [the
guru’s] blessing, your mind will be liberated!
If you rely on the action mudra, the wisdom of bliss and emptiness will arise. [Thus],
unite the blessings of method and wisdom!
The [seed essence] should slowly descend, stop, reverse and spread. It should be brought
to its innate abode and pervade the body.
When there is no fixation to that, the wisdom of empty bliss arises and, flourishing like
the waxing moon, one [attains] longevity without greying hair. One becomes lustrous and
radiant, with power like that of a lion. The common attainments will be swiftly
accomplished, leading to the supreme [attainment].
May fortunate wayfaring beings take to heart this essential advice on mah�mudra.
On the banks of the River Ganges, this was taught to N�ropa by Lord Tilopa. May it be virtuous!
Translation by Ari Kiev
Copyright © The Gar Chöding Trust, 2005. All rights reserved. This text, available online
at www.gar-choding-trust.org, is free for verbatim reproduction and distribution.
We suffer without choice. We do not want to suffer and we try everything to be happy but suffering happens regardless of our wishes, and we can't do anything about it. Why is this so? It is because we have already created the causes for suffering in the past. But where are those causes of suffering? They are within your mind right now, it is the self-centered mind and all the negative emotions that come from it. If you recognize this, you will understand that you are responsible for your suffering and that there is no one else to blame. Understanding this you will be able to tolerate difficulties and avoid more suffering in the future. If you want to be happy you must know the causes for happiness. The Buddha said, "I can show you the path to liberation, but liberation depends on yourself." Whether you are a Buddhist or not, whether you practice any religion or not, you have a mind, and temporarily all causes for happiness and suffering are within this mind.
The only cause of happiness is love and the only cause of suffering is self-grasping. If you just understand this, you have understood the workings of karma, cause and effect, perfectly. 'All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one's own happiness. The perfect Buddhas arise from the altruistic mind.' Whether you follow any religion or not, the true nature of your mind is wisdom awareness, and that is the actual Buddha. The Buddha said: "The Buddha is within all beings. Beings are only obscured my temporary stains." Whenever you let go of the false belief in a self, you will see your true nature, emptiness-compassion. Every being sees the Buddha when they see what they really are, their true nature.
What I am sharing with you are not the words of a great scholar but the words of an old father with a lot of experience. I have experienced great external hardships, having spent twenty years confined in a labor camp. You could call this 'a problem.' However, inside I truly did not experience suffering, moreover I consider my time in prison as a very beneficial time. As a boy, before I was arrested, I had faith in the Dharma but lacking practical experience, my faith was somewhat depthless. In prison I had the opportunity to actually practice, taking external hardships onto the path with patient forbearance. Not a single time did I hope to become free from prison, I lived day by day, free of hopes and fears, sending compassion to beings, relying on Tara, praying to her secretly. Having thus applied the Dharma and seen the results of practice, I gained confidence in the validity of the Dharma and my faith became deep and irreversible.
Then I thought that it would benefit others to share these experiences, and as I travel to teach, I am only sharing my heart advice based on my own experiences. It is important to gain personal experience in order to really understand the Dharma. It is important to ask: What is true happiness? Is it external or internal? Even if one is very rich and has everything one could wish for, if there is hatred in one's family, one experiences hell-like suffering. If one is poor but shares love and kindness with one's family, one experiences a pure land. Happiness can only arise from within the mind, happiness is not at all related to the external world. When the mind is disturbed, one finds suffering anywhere, even in a positive circumstance. If the mind is at peace and filled with love, one finds happiness even while surrounded by a seemingly difficult outer circumstance. "All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one's own happiness."
sometimes i wonder, how much sufferin have u been thru to understand the sorrow ?
or just readin from books??
When you give rise to a wish to help others, your wisdom will increase. Conversely, when you maintain mindful awareness, your wish to benefit others will increase. In the beginning train your mind in the Shamata of love. Through continuous practice you will gain personal experience and you will see the effects of practice. To apply the practice again and again is the only method to be happy. If you do not abandon the wish for your own happiness and the negative emotions coming from this wish, you will never find true happiness. If you do not abandon the causes of suffering, you will have no choice but to suffer and there is nothing you can do about it. Karma is nothing that the Buddha had just invented. With his all-knowing wisdom the Buddha saw how things really are and with his compassion he showed this to us. He simply showed us that the very nature of compassion and kindness is happiness, and that the very nature of ego-grasping is suffering. The stronger our ego-grasping, the less we are able to care for others. All that the Buddha taught in the three vehicles, the Pratimoksha- Bodhisattva- and Vajrayana-vehicles, is a method to give rise to bodhichitta. These methods must be put into practice and then you must persevere in practice, but you cannot expect immediate results. Your practice is for the sake of many future lifetimes. The Buddha said, "If you would like to know where you will go next, look at your present actions." You will only be able to practice the true dharma if you trust in karma, cause and effect, and understand the preciousness of patient forbearance and love. If you do not have this as a basis, all other practice will bear not meaningful results.
The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series:
Verse 1
1: At this time when the difficult-to-gain ship of leisure and fortune has been obtained, ceaselessly hearing, pondering, and meditating day and night in order to liberate oneself and others from the ocean of cyclic existence is the bodhisattvas’ practice.
Many people do not consider the preliminaries very important, thinking that because they have read a book they already understand the eighteen leisures and fortunes and don’t have to concern themselves with them any longer. They rather move on the 'real and more profound' practices. According to Lord Jigten Sumgon the preliminaries are most profound. You will only become free from the cycle of existence, the ocean of suffering, if your whole heart wants to become free, otherwise no matter what other advanced practices you may engage in, they will not free you from suffering and in fact, they may even reinforce the ego. In the beginning you must understand the preciousness of this human incarnation and how difficult it is to obtain. Normally we ask others, 'how did you sleep last night?' And when they respond, 'I slept well,' we say, 'that's really good.' If we didn't get enough sleep, we feel sorry for ourselves.
This is a sign that the thought of the precious human life has not yet fully dawned in our mind. If it would have dawned in our mind we would feel sorry for every minute we wasted sleeping. We would not be sluggish and grouchy in the morning, but upon awakening we would remember the precious human life and feel a sense of urgency to get out of bed. Thus in the morning it is important to remember the precious human life. You may wonder how to do your daily tasks without sleep. You do not need to abandon sleep, but you should practice moderation and discipline. Furthermore, if you practice for instance the Om Ah Hung Vajra Recitation as you fall asleep, your sleep will become virtuous. Every time you awake in the middle of the night, you should remember sentient beings and recite a few Mani mantras for them. This human life is the fruition of myriad virtues accumulated throughout countless lifetimes.
It is a one-time opportunity and we shouldn't expect to obtain such a precious opportunity again in the future. Knowing how precious this human life is, one would not waste one's time with meaningless activities. Moreover, one will always be joyful even if things seem to go wrong, if one becomes a beggar, is without friends and family, or without wealth. Let alone becoming depressed, one would be happy, knowing that one possesses a precious human body, the ship that can bring one beyond the ocean of suffering. In fact, one will know that worldly pleasures will only bring one's own ruin in the future. This human life is very powerful, for humans are endowed with intelligence and the six elements. It is the crossroad between going up or down. If we know how to use this human existence well, we can attain enlightenment in a single life. If we waste this human existence and engage in negative deeds, it will propel us into the lower realms for countless eons.
A thought Rinpoche recorded during the Yamantaka Drubchen in Los Angeles a few days ago.
In prison Khenpo Münsel Rinpoche taught me this: "The extent of your realization will be known when you encounter difficult circumstances. You will not know the extent of your realization when things go well." When you find yourself in a troublesome situation, when you are in great pain, when an intense emotion arises, only then will you know where you are at with practice. He added: "Adverse circumstances will reveal your hidden faults." If you are able to hold awareness unwaveringly during such a time, and thus if you are not carried away by the force of the emotion, it is a sign that you have gained experience in practice.
If you were to practice mindful-awareness with great diligence for just a month, if you were to recognize even the slightest thought and not allow your mind to wander off into delusion for that time, even in such a short time you would witness great changes. Fierce afflictions would not faze you so much any more, because you would have gained personal experience in observing the illusory play. There is in fact just one remedy necessary--mindful awareness. It is the single sufficient remedy that transforms difficulties inside and out.
Garchen Rinpoche on Bodhicitta
"In order to meditate properly—that is, in a manner that actually produces the state of complete awakening we call enlightenment—the one indispensable ingredient required that you cannot do away with is bodhicitta, which is the mind of awakening, the altruistic aspiration to liberate all sentient beings to enlightenment, the mindset of the awakened warriors, the bodhisattvas.
In fact, that is what you need your mind stream to be permeated with most desperately; that is your most desperate need, especially in terms of practice and proper meditation. Bodhicitta, the precious mind of awakening, the mindset of the enlightened warriors, is the root teaching of the 84,000 sets of teachings and practices that comprise the Buddhadharma.
Without bodhicitta, whatever practice you engage in is grounded in ego-grasping, self-cherishing, and is a fabrication of the ego mind. That is why bodhicitta is absolutely indispensable, and that is why meditation is not just awareness, or knowledge, or the knowingness that cognizes emptiness. It is also passionately loving and compassionate toward all sentient beings."
Hi Ihatemen,
Nice nickname :-) I think the main points that Garchen Rinpoche teach is the two-fold Bodhichitta: relative Bodhichitta and ultimate Bodhichitta. Bodhichitta can be said to be the 'awakening mind'.
The relative Bodhichitta is the aspiration/intention/wish/motivation to bring all beings to liberation, for that to happen, one aspires to reach that liberation first. Just as someone who wishes to save someone drowning has to first be able to swim.
The ultimate Bodhichitta is the realisation of the ultimate truth which incorporates insights of emptiness, dependent origination, primordial purity, no-self and non-duality.
These two-fold Bodhichittas have to be practised together to make a complete path. The details of which are explained little by little in the many teachings of Buddha.
I hope this explains it concisely for you.
A text that Garchen Rinpoche has always considered to be the quintessence of the path is "The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas" by Thogmed Zangpo.
You can read that and its relevant commentaries for more expositions.
The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series:
Verse 2
"The mind of attachment to loved ones wavers like water. The mind of hatred of enemies burns like fire. The mind of ignorance which forgets what to adopt and what to discard is greatly obscured. Abandoning one’s homeland is the bodhisattvas’ practice."
The root cause of samsara is the attachment to the false idea of a self. Due to attachment we take birth in the six realms of samsara again and again. Although one may live in this world, if one is not attached, one does not wander in samsara. In our homeland we meet the adversaries whom we dislike, and we are attached to our families and friends. If we abandon our homeland and go to a different place, we are not attached to the people there, we see them all as the same. However, if we do not understand the detriment of attachment and aversion, we will again hate our opponents and cling to our friends, even if we move to a different place. Again we become attached to those people who treat us well and we dislike those who are unkind to us.Thus it is important to recognize the fault of attachment and aversion. If you are able to recognize their fault, there is no need to abandon your homeland. Consider what happens when only a subtle emotion of attachment or aversion arises.
For example, when you are describing a certain person to others, if he is your friend, you will only mention his good qualities; but if you dislike him, you will only point out his faults and not mention his good qualities. Tainted by attachment and aversion we cannot see how things really are. When we think about situations that are less emotionally charged, we come to understand that true intelligence arises within a mind of equanimity, a mind that remains uncolored by attachment or aversion. If you are mindful and recognize your mental arisings, for example, in conversation you will immediately recognize when you are tempted to say something negative about someone just because you don’t like them very much.
Attachment and love can easily be confused. Love means to feel sincere love and a wish for the other's happiness, without any sense of ownership and a wish for one's own happiness. Even someone who generally understands karma, temporarily dismisses it when an intense emotion of anger or desire arises. Some are overwhelmed by the emotion and blindly engage in negative deeds. Others commit evil deeds knowingly but are incapable to resist due to the force of the passion. This is what the verse means by “the mind of ignorance which forgets what to adopt and what to discard.”Tilopa said to Naropa: "Son, it is not the appearances that fetter you, it is the grasping at those appearances that fetters the mind."
The view of Vajrayana is extremely difficult to realize. Because it seems obscure, some feel safer calling themselves followers of the Hinayana path and are not interested in the Vajrayana path. This is a legitimate aspiration. However, the view of Vajrayana is actually not so obscure and difficult to understand. Vajrayana explains how things really are.
For instance, imagine a big glacier. Someone who does not understand Vajrayana will think, "This is a mountain of ice." Someone who understands Vajrayana will think, "This appears to be a mountain of ice; however, the nature of ice is water. It will not always be an ice mountain; someday it will melt into water." If you understand only this principle you understand the view of Vajrayana.
Vajrayana says that although the six realms appear, the appearance is temporary. In reality all sentient beings possess buddha nature, the potential to attain enlightenment. In the mind various thoughts arise temporarily. They are not who we really are; they come and they go and constantly change. Now you are angry; the next moment you love.
All these thoughts are momentary. But there is a ground of being, there is a conscious awareness that is always there. It never comes and goes; it is always there unchangingly. It doesn't die and isn't born. There is an underlying eternal conscious awareness. You have never separated from it and you never will, for this is who you really are. When you see this nature, your true nature, you see the true meaning of Vajrayana.
Originally posted by lce:sometimes i wonder, how much sufferin have u been thru to understand the sorrow ?
or just readin from books??
There's no need to go through the sufferings ourselves and I pray hard that most of us including me will never have to go through great sufferings in this life. Buddha was a prince, he did not go through the sufferings but just by observing people around him, he was determined to find the answer to end the sufferings. He did find the answer and he shared with us how to liberate ourselves from samsara.
You don't have to go through the hunger to know hunger is a kind of suffering. Just look at those people in Africa.
The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series:
Verse 3
"When harmful places are abandoned, disturbing emotions gradually diminish. Without distraction, virtuous endeavors naturally increase. Being clear-minded, definite understanding of the Dharma arises. Resorting to secluded places is the bodhisattvas’ practice."
'Resorting to secluded places' refers to the isolation of body, speech and mind; not only the body. The whole purpose of secluding the body and speech is in fact only to seclude the mind. Secluding the mind means not to fall under the power of thoughts and emotions. Only secluding the body and speech while the mind still clings to thoughts and emotions, it is pointless. We seclude the body by traveling to isolated places, and we seclude the speech by remaining in silence. We do this in order to create an environment in which the mind is not constantly distracted by various sensory attractions. This is often misunderstood and people remove themselves from society in order to live in a hermitage to do retreat. But it only becomes a retreat if we are able to seclude our minds by not falling under the power of our own fixations. Some people never seclude themselves from the world but are still able to sustain awareness and do not fall under the power of their thoughts.
The latter is the one who is actually in retreat. However, for beginning practitioners, a place in isolation is conducive for practice because the mind is not sufficiently subdued in order to be able to withstand or resist the distractions and entertainments of the world. In an isolated place such entertainments are lacking and thus the wild and restless mind will find it easier to calm down. Since at such a place one is not faced with outer distractions, it is easier to turn inward and watch the mind. By doing so, the wish to practice virtue will increase. When the mind is calm and stable it is easier to cultivate compassion, patience and the other perfections. A harmful place is a place that leads to the increase of our negative thoughts and emotions. This can be any place, a mundane place or a hermitage. If, in a mundane place, one is able to control one's mind and not fall under the power of thoughts, it is not a harmful place.
In fact, yogis whose minds are stable should travel to mundane places of distraction in order to test their accomplishment. In brief, a harmful place is a place that leads to the increase of negativity and fixation, and a beneficial place is a place where one does not grasp at whatever arises. Since most people have to work and cannot seclude themselves to isolated places, you can also isolate yourself for short periods of time, for example a week, or for the weekend, or even just for a day or a few hours. As you gain a living experience by practicing in such a way as much as you can you will find that often the places we enjoy ourselves at are harmful places, and as your patience increases you will find that your enemies can be an enhancement to your practice. From the perspective of the Dharma, friend and enemies sometimes change roles."
The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series:
Verse 5
"When evil companions are associated with, the three poisons increase, the activities of listening, pondering and meditation decline, and love and compassion are extinguished. Abandoning evil companions is the Bodhisattvas' practice."
One may think that evil companions are those mean people who hate us. But this is not necessarily the case. From the perspective of the Pratimoksha path an evil companion is someone who prevents us from practicing the Dharma. If we do not practice, the three poisons, desire, hatred and ignorance increase. A loving friend may be someone preventing your from practice, and a troublemaker may help you to practice. Furthermore, it is better to have a troublesome friend who believes in karma, than a skillful benefactor who does not believe in karma. However, a beginning practitioner, whose practice is not yet stable, might be influenced in a negative way by such a companion, for instance, they might begin drinking and smoking, or deny karma. As such negative influence leads to the increase of negative karma, it is better to avoid such companions. A bodhisattva practices patience and love, thus there is no one to be abandoned.
Those who are troublesome are benefactors of patience, and those who are loving are benefactors of love. If one is able to sustain stability in patience and love, there is no need to abandon troublesome people.
A bodhisattva will not be influenced negatively, and by keeping the troublesome person company, the latter may even change and become a better person. Even if we are a beginning practitioner, we might end up in a relationship that we cannot abandon, even though our practice is not yet stable. Due to karmic forces people meet and are bound to live together. So what can we do? We have to generate awareness and abandon rather the afflictive emotions than the companion. The true evil companion to be abandoned is self-grasping. If we do not abandon this evil companion, we will always encounter obstacles. Abandoning evil companions does not mean to abandon our friends who are annoying, thinking, "we always fight, we better break up." This would be a mistake and by doing that we will meet unharmonious friends again and again. We are holders of the bodhisattva vows. We promised to cultivate love, compassion, and bodhichitta for everyone, so we cannot say “everyone except him.”
Still, we must not accept wrong views. Whatever someone with wrong views, desire, anger, or sectarianism says, you should not listen to it. In brief, we have to purify our mind; if we follow thoughts of desire and aversion, our love, kindness and compassion vanish.
The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Series:
Verse 6
"When sublime spiritual friends are relied upon, one's faults are exhausted and one's qualities increase like the waxing moon. Holding sublime spiritual friends even more dear than one's own body is the Bodhisattvas' practice."
Why is the spiritual teacher more important than one's own body? The body is impermanent and we will cast it aside, like a guest leaving a guest-house. But if we understand just one word of our guru, and practice accordingly, we will experience happiness in all future lives. When the teacher only introduces us to karma, cause and effect, it is like receiving two wide-open eyes, the knowledge that knows what to do and what to give up. Simply by being introduced to karma, we are shown to path to create happiness in all future lives. Therefore, even if someone were to offer us millions of dollars, it could not compare to the value of receiving a single line of teachings from our guru. In fact, money may easily be used to create even more suffering. The cause of all suffering is the self-centered mind, and all the negative emotions. When you recognize this, your faults will be exhausted.
When you recognize that the only cause of happiness is a pure and loving mind, your qualities will increase like the waxing moon. The path to such recognition is given to us by our spiritual teacher. For this reason he is more precious than one's own body.
What does it mean to hold the spiritual teacher dear? Holding his body dear only leads to trouble; what we must hold dear are his words or instructions. Holding his words dear means to listen properly and then apply them to one's own mind, put them into practice. First we must understand the teachings, and then we must personally experience what we have learned. We experience the teachings by reflecting and meditating on them until a feeling of certainty arises. For instance, the teacher explains to us the preciousness of love. An intellectual understanding is already a great merit. However, an intellectual understanding will not dispel the root of our suffering, our negative emotions. It certainly helps, but in order to truly pass beyond suffering, we must practice, gain a living experience. When we gain a personal experience, we will directly see how love is so precious. Knowing this, based on experiencing it directly, one will not let go of it at any cost.
Not letting go of love, we will habituate to it to the point when it becomes effortless and always remains naturally. Then we have created perfect peace and happiness and have finally passed beyond suffering. The root cause is the kindness of our teacher.