THE WAY TO
FREEDOM
By His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Translated by Nguyễn Thúy Phượng
---o0o---
CHAPTER 1 THE TEACHING
CHAPTER 2 THE TEACHER
CHAPTER 3 THE
OPPORTUNITY
CHAPTER 4 DEATH
CHAPTER 5 REBIRTH
CHAPTER 1 THE TEACHING
The Buddha arose from meditation 2,500 years ago after attaining
enlightenment. The subject of his first teaching was the Four Noble
Truths. The First Noble Truth was the truth of suffering, the fact that
our happiness is constantly passing away. Everything we have is subject
to impermanence. Nothing within what we commonly think of as real is
permanent. Ignorance, attachment, and anger are the causes of our
relentless suffering. Thus the Second Noble Truth is to understand this
cause of suffering. When you eliminate the root of suffering (the
delusions), you achieve a state of the cessation of suffering- the Third
Noble Truth, or nirvana. The Fourth Noble Truth is that there exists a
path leading to the cessation of suffering. In order to achieve that
state within your own mind, you must follow a path.
It is not until we understand the law of karma, or cause and effect,
that we are inspired to embark on the path to end suffering. Negative
thought and actions produce negative results and conditions, just as
positive thoughts and actions produce positive results and conditions.
When we develop deep conviction in the law of cause and effect, we will
be able to perceive the causes and conditions of our own sufferings. Our
present happiness or unhappiness is nothing more or less than the
results of previous actions. The sufferings themselves are so obvious
that our experience testifies to their existence. We will therefore
develop the realization that if we do not desire suffering, then we
should work to uproot its cause now. Through understanding suffering and
its origins we can perceive the possibility of eliminating ignorance,
which is the root cause of suffering, and we can conceive of a state of
cessation, a total cessation of this ignorance and the delusions induced
by it. When our understanding of cessation is perfect, we will develop a
strong and spontaneous desire to reach such a state. Our understanding
should be so profound that it shakes our whole being and induces in us a
spontaneous wish to gain it. Once we develop this spontaneous wish to
achieve cessation, an immense appreciation for the beings who have
realized this cessation within their own minds develops. The recognition
of the Buddha’s accomplishments becomes more powerful. The benefits and
beauty of his teachings become clear.
This teaching of the stages of the path to enlightenment came to Tibet
from India. Buddhism did not come to Tibet until the eighth century, but
in the ninth century its practice was outlawed by King Lang-dar-ma. He
closed the monasteries, which had been the primary center for teachings,
as the Chinese have done today. Land-dar-ma’s destruction of Buddhism
was extensive, but it was still possible to practice in remote regions,
and the tradition was preserved. In the eleventh century, confusion
arose over the existence of two approaches to the practice of the
teachings. There was sutra, or the path of study and practice by
which it takes many lifetimes to achieve enlightenment, and tantra,
the secret practices by which enlightenment can be achieved even in one
lifetime. In the eleventh century, an Indian monk named Atisha became
famous for his ability to explain the Buddha’s teachings and to defend
them in debates with non-Buddhist philosophers. He was able to bring
together all the diverse Buddhist philosophical positions that had
developed over the centuries as well as the lay and monastic systems of
practice. He was regarded as a nonpartisan and authoritative master by
all the philosophical schools.
At
that time the king of western Tibet, inspired by the great Buddhist
faith of his ancestors, read many texts and found what he thought were
contradictions among the different systems, especially regarding sutra
and tantra. Many Tibetans at the time, due to a misunderstanding of the
role of ethics in the two systems, thought that the practices of sutra
and tantra could not be undertaken by one person. Yet the king was aware
that when Buddhism had arrived in Tibet in the eighth century, the two
systems had coexisted peacefully. The Indian master Shantarakshita had
spread both the practice of monastic discipline and the vast and
compassionate practices of sutra. At the same time the great yogi,
Padmasambhava, was spreading the practice of tantra and taming the
malevolent forces that plagued Tibet. These two masters undertook the
practices of the Dharma together, without any hostility between them.
Realizing that India was the source of the practice of sutra and tantra,
the king sent twenty intelligent students from Tibet to study in India
with the idea that they would return and clarify the teachings for
Tibetans. Many of them died on the way, but two returned and reported to
the king that in India the practice of sutra and tantra was undertaken
without any difficulties between them. They found the great master,
Atisha, at the monastery of Vikramashila in Bengal. Atisha, these
students felt, was the one who could help Tibet.
The king himself went in search of enough gold to meet the expenses of
inviting this master from India, but he was captured by a king who was
hostile to Buddhism. He was given the choice between his life and his
search for Dharma. When he refused to give up his search, he was
imprisoned. His nephew tried to rescue him, but the king said, “You
should not bother about me. Do not waste a single gold coin on my
ransom. Use all the gold to invite Atisha from India.” The nephew did
not obey his uncle and eventually offered the king’s weight in gold as
ransom. But the kidnapper refused it, saying the nephew had brought gold
equal only to the weight of his uncle’s body, but not enough for his
head. He refused to release the prisoner until he had brought more gold.
The nephew then told his uncle what had happened. “If I wage a war to
rescue you,” the nephew explained, “there will be great bloodshed. So I
will try to collect the gold for your head. Please pray that I will be
successful.” His uncle replied, “It is my wish to bring the light of
Dharma to Tibet to clarify all doubts and contradictions. If my wish is
fulfilled, even if I have to die here, I will have no regrets. I am an
old man; sooner or later I will die. I have taken rebirth over many
lifetimes, but it is very rare that I have been able to sacrifice my
life for the sake of the Dharma. Today I have been granted that
opportunity. So send word to Atisha himself telling him that I have
given up my life so that he could be invited to Tibet and that my last
wish is that he come to Tibet and spread the message of Buddha and
clarify our misunderstanding.” Hearing his uncle’s determination, the
nephew was greatly moved. With tremendous sadness he bade his uncle
farewell.
The nephew sent a group of Tibetan translators to India in search of
Atisha. The six companions, taking seven hundred gold coins, eventually
arrived to Atisha’s monastery, where they were taken to see the abbot.
Although they did not reveal their purpose in coming, the abbot told
them, “It’s not that I feel possessive of Atisha, but there are very few
masters like him, and if he were to leave India, there would be great
danger to the Dharma itself and therefore to the entire populace. His
presence in India is very important.” The Tibetan translator was at last
able to see Atisha, and his eyes filled with tears. Atisha noticed this
and told him, “Do not worry. I know of the great sacrifice made by the
Tibetan king on my account. I am seriously considering his request, but
I am an old man and I also have the responsibility of looking after the
monastery.” But Atisha eventually agreed to come to Tibet. After his
arrival in western Tibet, he was requested by the king’s nephew to
compose a text that would benefit the entire Buddhist teaching in Tibet.
He has left us The Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment, which
condenses all the essential paths from the entire corpus of teachings
into a form suitable to the actual needs of the Tibetan people.
In the early fifteenth century, the Tibetan teacher Tsong-kha-pa wrote
a book called Lam Rim or Stages of the Path to Enlightenment.
He elaborated on Atisha’s presentation and made these integrated
teachings more accessible for anyone to practice. The Lam Rim is
the basis for the teaching contained in this book.
By showing all the stages of the path to enlightenment, the Lam Rim
also shows how all the teachings are integral- how the Dharma includes
both sutra, the common path, and tantra, the secret path. Although these
teachings might appear at times to be contradictory, they are without
contradiction when practices appropriately in a gradual process. All of
them are important as guides for the path to enlightenment. Some people
think that they can undertake esoteric practices. Without the proper
foundation of the common path, one can make no progress in tantra at
all. Without the compassionate wish to gain enlightenment in order to
lead everyone to freedom, tantra just becomes some mantra recitation;
tantric practice will be confined to playing instruments like cymbals
and thigh-bone trumpets and making a lot of noise. The Perfection of
Wisdom Sutra says that the practice of generosity, ethics, patience,
effort, concentration, and wisdom are the only path, whether sutra or
tantra, that all the Buddhas of the past traversed to enlightenment. If
you give up the common aspects of the path, it is a great mistake.
Therefore, the great master Tsong-kha-pa, the author of the Stages
of the Path to Enlightenment, advises that practitioners seek the
guidance of an experienced spiritual master and strive to perceive all
the teachings of the Buddha as appropriate and relevant to their
practice. Those aspects that cannot immediately be put into practice
should not be abandoned. Instead, ask inwardly that you may be able to
put them into practice in the future. It you are able to do that, then
your perspective on the Buddha’s teachings will be very profound.
The entire Buddhist canon is necessary and relevant to a practitioner.
When someone is painting a thangka (a Tibetan Buddhist scroll), the
artist must appreciate the need for all types of paint. But that is not
enough; he or she should know when each type of paint is needed, first
painting the outline and then adding the colors. It is very important to
know their actually sequence. Similarly, we must know the importance of
all the Buddha’s teachings as well as when and how they should be
practices. When these factors are present, all obscurations and
difficulties associated with your practice will be naturally eliminated.
When I talk about the practice of the Dharma, I do not mean leaving
everything behind and going into isolated retreat. I simply mean that we
should integrate a higher level of awareness into our daily lives.
Whether we are eating or sleeping or doing business, we should
constantly check our intentions, check our body, speech, mind, and
actions, for even the subtlest negativity. Try to bring your day-to-day
activities into line with a compassionate motivation. Infuse your acts
of body, speech, and mind with wisdom gained from hearing the teachings
and from practice. But if someone is capable of giving up everything and
devoting his or her life to practice, that person is worthy off
admiration.
Study is like the light that illuminates the darkness of ignorance, and
the resulting knowledge is the supreme possession because it cannot be
taken by even the greatest of thieves. Study is the weapon that
eliminates the enemy of ignorance. It is also the best friend to guide
us through all our difficult times. We gain true friends by having a
kind heart and not deceiving people. The friends that we make when we
have power, position, and influence are friends based only upon our
power, influence, and position. When we meet with misfortune and lose
our wealth, these so-called friends leave us behind. The infallible
friend is study of teachings. This is a medicine that has no side
effects or dangers. Knowledge is like the great army that will help us
crush the forces of our own faults. With that knowledge we can protect
ourselves from committing nonvirtuous actions. Fame, position, and
wealth may result from one’s knowledge; but only study and practice
dedicated to removing delusion brings the enduring happiness of
enlightenment.
Without the knowledge of the teachings, realizations will not follow.
The teachings we receive are meant to be lived. When we train a horse
for a race, it should be on the same kind of track on which the race
will be run. Similarly, the topics that you have studied are the very
teachings you should put into practice. Study is undertaken for the sake
of practice. Tsong-kha-pa says that if you are able to perceive the
profound and extensive sutras as personal advice, then you will not have
any difficulties in perceiving the tantras and their commentaries as
personal advice to be put into practice in the process of the path
leading to enlightenment. This protects us from the misconception that
some sets of teachings are not necessary for practice and some sets of
teachings are necessary only for scholastic achievement.
Bowing down ad folding our hands before receiving teachings is a way
of countering pride and conceit. Sometimes you see people who know less
about the Dharma than you do but who have a greater sense of humility
and respect. As a result of your knowledge of the Dharma, you should be
more humble than the other person. If you are not, than it is you who
are inferior to that person. So when you study, try to check your own
state of mind and integrate what you study into your own way of
thinking. If that is undertaken, you will reach a stage where you will
be able to see some kind of effect, some change or impact within your
mind. That is an indication that you are making progress in your
practice and that the purpose of study has been fulfilled.
Conquering the delusions is the task of a lifetime. Is we are able to
engage in practice in a sustained manner, then over the months and years
we will se a transformation of the mind. But if we look for instant
realization or instant taming of thought and emotions, then we will
become discouraged and depressed. The eleventh century yogi Milarepa,
one of the greatest masters in Tibetan history, spent years living like
a wild animal and undergoing great hardship in order to be able to
achieve high realizations. If we were able to devote this kind of time
and energy, then we would be able to see more quickly the benefit
resulting from our practice.
So
long as we have any belief in the efficient of the teachings, it is
important to develop conviction in the value of engaging in practice
right away. In order to progress along the path, it is important to gain
proper understanding of the path, and that can be achieved only by
listening to a teaching. So develop a motivation to achieve the
completely enlightened state for the sake of all other sentient beings,
and with that motivation listen to or read this teaching.
When someone teaches the Dharma, he or she is serving as the messenger
of Buddhas. Regardless of the actually realization of the master, it is
important for the listener to regard the teacher as inseparable from the
Buddha. Listeners should not be spending time reflecting upon the faults
of the master. In the Jataka Tales it is said that one should sit on a
very low seat, and with a tamed mind and with great pleasure look at the
face of the master and drink the nectar of his or her words, just as
patients would attentively listen to the words of the doctor. The Buddha
said that one should not rely upon the person of the master but rather
rely upon the teaching, the substance of his or her teaching, the
message of the Buddha. It is very important to respect the teacher from
the viewpoint of the sacredness of the teaching itself.
When listening to or reading teachings, we are like a vase meant to
collect wisdom. If the vase is upside down, thought the gods might rain
down nectar, it would merely drain down the sides of the vase. If the
vessel is dirty, the nectar would be spoiled. Is the vase has a hole in
it, the nectar would leak out. Although we might attend a teaching, if
we are easily distracted, we are like a vessel turned upside down.
Though we might be attentive, if our attitude is dominated by negative
intentions, like listening to the teaching in order to prove superior
intelligence, we are like a dirty vessel. Finally, although we may be
free from these faults, if we do not take them to heart, it is like
letting the teachings in through one ear and out the other. After the
teaching is over we will be totally blank, as though we could not take
the teaching past the door when we left. This is why it is a good idea
to take notes or, nowadays, use a tape recorder. The ability to retain
the teachings depends upon the force of familiarity.
In
a discussion with Khun-nu Lama, he vividly narrated events from his life
that had taken place long before I was born. I am now fifty-nine. I tend
to forget even the texts I am studying at the moment. Khun-nu Lama said
that not studying constantly is due to the fault of not having joyous
effort, and I think this is very true. Because of my lack of time I do
not read a text often; I just read it through once and then get some
kind of overall idea of what it is about. Because I have relatively good
intelligence I read texts very quickly but do not read them often. As
the saying goes, the person with great intelligence is like a burning
field: the fire swiftly passes away.
If
you read Tsong-kha-pa’s Stages of the Path to Enlightenment nine
times you will have nine different understandings of the text. When you
read a newspaper article once, there is often no point in reading it
again; you do not enjoy it, you just feel bored. When you read profound
and eloquently written texts for the second, third and fourth times, you
sometimes feel surprised that you missed this or that point, although
you have read it many times before. Sometimes you get a new
understanding and different perspective, so constant familiarity is the
main method for not forgetting. Those who wish to achieve omniscience
should be single-pointed, attentive, and mentally humble, motivated by a
wish to help other sentient beings, paying full attention with their
minds, looking at the spiritual master with their eyes, and listening to
the spiritual master with their ears.
It is also important to listen to teachings with a proper attitude.
First, you should recognize yourself as a patient and the teacher as a
doctor. The great Indian poet Shantideva says that when we afflicted by
ordinary illnesses, we have to follow the word of the doctor. Since we
are afflicted by hundreds of illnesses caused by delusions like desire
and hatred, there is no question that we should follow the word of a
teacher. Delusions are very insidious. When a delusion like anger is
present, we lose control. Worries due to attachment keep us from
sleeping or enjoying a meal. Just as the patient would treat the
medicines given by the doctor as very precious, taking care not to waste
them, in the same manner teachings given by a spiritual master should be
preserved as precious.
In
order for the patient to get rid of the illness, he or she has to take
medicine. Just simply having medicine in a bottle will not help.
Similarly, in order to free our minds from the chronic disease of
delusions, we have to put the teachings into practice, and it is only
through practice that we will be able to free ourselves of the disease
of delusion. Even over the short term, the greater the force of your
patience, the less will be your anger and the greater the force of your
respect for others. As your pride and conceit diminish, the influence of
the delusions slowly decreases. Tsong-kha-pa says that someone suffering
from the chronic disease of leprosy cannot get rid of it by taking
medicine once or twice; it has to be taken continuously. In the same
way, our minds have been under the constant grip of delusions since
beginningless time. How can we expect to free them simply by undertaking
practice once or twice? How can we expect to cure an illness by simply
reading a medical text?
Within Tibetan Buddhism there are four schools: Nyingma, Sakya, Geluk,
and Kagyu. It is a great mistake to claim that one of these schools is
superior to the others. They all follow the same master, the Buddha
Shakyamuni; they have all combined the systems of sutra and tantra. I
try to cultivate a faith and admiration for all the four schools. I do
it not just as a diplomatic gesture, but out of strong conviction. It
also befits my position as Dalai Lama to know enough about the teachings
of all four schools to be able to offer advice to those who come to me.
Otherwise, I am like a mother with no arms watching a child drown. There
was a Nyingma meditator who once came and asked me about a certain
practice that I did not know well. I was able to send him a great master
who could answer his question, but I felt depressed that he had come
sincerely seeking a teaching from me and I could not fulfill his wish.
It is one thing is another’s wish is beyond one’s ability to fulfill,
but so long as it is within one’s own ability, it is very important to
meet the spiritual needs of as many sentient beings as possible. We must
study all the aspects of the teachings and develop admiration for them.
Nor should we consider Tibetan Buddhism to be superior to other forms
of Buddhism. In Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka the monks have a true
commitment to the practice of monastic discipline, and, unlike Tibetan
monks, they still maintain the custom of begging for meals, which was
practiced 2,500 years ago by the Buddha and his disciples. In Thailand I
joined a group of monks on their rounds. It was a hot, sunny day, and
because the tradition is to go without shoes, my feet really burned.
Apart from that is was inspiring to see the practice of the Thai monks.
These days many people see only negativity in the practice of a
spiritual tradition or religion. They see only how religious
institutions exploit the masses and take away their possessions.
However, the faults they see are not faults of the traditions
themselves, but of the persons who claim to be followers of such
traditions, like the members of monasteries or churches who use
spiritual excuses for bettering themselves at the expense of other
adherents. If spiritual practitioners themselves are careless, it
reflects on everyone involved in that practice. Attempts to correct
institutionalized faults are often misconstrued as an attack on the
tradition as a whole. Many people conclude that religion is harmful and
cannot help them. They reject any form of faith. Others are totally
indifferent to spiritual practice and are satisfied with their worldly
way of life. They have physical and material comforts and are neither
for nor against religion. Yet all are equal in that they have the
instinctive wish to gain happiness and avoid suffering.
If
we abandon spiritual practice, or in this case Buddhism, we no longer
give credence to the law of karma and will cease to perceive our
misfortunes as the consequence of past negative actions. They appear
perhaps as manifestations of faults within society or the community or
the result of the action of a friend. We then go about blaming others
for things that may even seem clearly to be our own fault. This blaming
will reinforce self-centered attitudes, like attachment and hatred.
Through association with such deluded attitudes, we become attached to
our belongings and beset by mistrust or even paranoia. The Chinese
Communists abandoned religion for the sake of what they saw as
liberation. They call each other comrade and in the past made great
sacrifices in the struggle for the liberation of their country. But now
often fight against each other. One tried to take advantage of the
other, and eventually one destroys the other. Although socialism has the
noble aim of working for the common welfare of the masses, the means for
achieving that end have antagonized the community, and the attitude of
the people has become confrontational. In this form, Communism has
become so destructive that all the energy of the government is directed
toward repression rather than liberation.
In contrast to the Communists, many great practitioners have traveled
the Buddhist path and led their lives on the basis of love and
compassion. With such motives your basic intention would be to work for
the benefit of sentient beings, for whose sake you are trying to
cultivate positive states of mind. Even is the damage done by the
Chinese Communists in Tibet and China had been matched by an equally
extensive positive program, I doubt that they would have been able to
contribute much to the betterment of society because they lack the
motivation of great compassion. When we look at Karl Marx’s own life and
the actual origin of Marxism, we find that Karl Marx underwent great
sufferings during his lifetime and advocated constant struggle to topple
the bourgeois class. His outlook was based on confrontation. Because of
that primary motive, the entire movement of Communism has failed. Is the
primary motive had been based on compassion and altruism, then things
would have been very different.
Many who are indifferent to any form of spiritual practice are
materially well off in some developed countries, but even then they are
completely unsatisfied. Although they are affluent they are not content.
They suffer the anguish of wanting more, so that although they are
materially wealthy, they are mentally poor. It is when they find that
they cannot achieve whatever they wish doe that the trouble really
starts. They become depressed and anxiety creeps in. I have talked with
some of my friends who are very wealthy, but because of their material
outlook on life, they are absorbed by business and make no room for
practice, which might help them gain some perspective. In the process
they actually lose the dream of happiness, which money was to have
provided.
In
Buddhist practice, instead of avoiding these sufferings we deliberately
visualize them- the sufferings of birth, the sufferings of ageing, the
sufferings of fluctuations in status, the sufferings of uncertainty
within this lifetime, and the sufferings of death. We try deliberately
to think of them so that when we actually do face them, we are prepared.
When we meet with death, we will realize that our time has come. That
does not mean that we would not protect our bodies. When we are sick we
take medicines and try to avert death. But if death is unavoidable, then
the Buddhist will be prepared. Let us set aside for the moment the
question of life after death, liberation, or the omniscient state. Even
within this lifetime, thinking about the Dharma and belief in the Dharma
has practical benefits. In Tibet, although the Chinese have meted out
such systematic destruction and torture, the people still have not lost
their hope and their determination. I think it is because of the
Buddhist tradition.
Although the destruction of Buddhism has not gone on as long under
Chinese rule as it did under Lang-dar-ma in the ninth century, the
extent of destruction is far greater. When Lang-dar-ma had destroyed the
Dharma, it was Atisha who came to Tibet and restored the entire practice
of Buddhism. Now, whether we are capable or not, the responsibility has
fallen on all of us to restore that which has been systematically
destroyed by the Chinese. Buddhism is a treasure meant for the entire
world. To teach and to listen to this teaching is a contribution to the
wealth of humanity. There might be many points that you are not able to
practice immediately, but keep them in your heart or after five or ten
years, as long as the teachings are not forgotten.
Although we exiled Tibetans are struck by the tragedy of losing our
country, we remain generally free from obstacles in the practice of the
Dharma. In whatever country we reside, we have access to the Buddha’s
teachings through exiled teachers, and we know how to create conditions
conducive to meditation. Tibetans have been doing this since at least
the eighth century. Those who remained in Tibet after the 1959 Chinese
invasion have had to undergo great physical and mental suffering.
Monasteries were emptied, great teachers were imprisoned, and the
practice of Buddhism became punishable by imprisonment or even death.
We
must use all opportunities to practice the truth, to improve ourselves,
instead of waiting for a time when we think we will be less busy. As
Gung-thang Rinpoche said, the activities of this world are like ripples
on a pond: when one disappears another emerges; there is no end to them.
Worldly activities do not stop until the time of death; we should try to
search for a time within our own daily lives to practice the Dharma. At
this juncture- when we have obtained the precious human form and have
met with the Dharma and have some faith in it- if we are not able to put
the Dharma into practice, it will be difficult for us to undertake its
practice in future lifetimes, when we will not have such conditions. Now
that we have met with such a profound system, in which the entire method
for the achievement of the enlightened state is accessible, it would be
very sad if we did not try to make the Dharma have some impact on our
lives.
CHAPTER 2 THE TEACHER
Infinite numbers of Buddhas have appeared in the past, and we have not
had the fortune of meeting them. Buddha Shakyamuni came to care for the
sentient beings of this degenerate time. He appeared in this world 2,500
years ago and has since shown many sentient beings the path to freedom
from the cycle of suffering. We, however, did not have the fortune to
meet him and come under his guidance and so are left with untamed,
ordinary minds. There have been many great masters in India and in Tibet
who achieved the completely enlightened state. Many other great masters
have achieved high realizations, while others just managed to enter the
path.
The teachings have been present for many centuries now, but what is
important about the presence of the Dharma is not its continuity over
time, but whether or not it is present in our minds, whether it is alive
in our actions. If we are satisfied merely that the teaching of the
Buddha still exists in the world, then there is danger of its
deteriorating because no one will be able to speak from the experience
of practice. After the passing away of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama in
1933, the Tibetans isolated themselves. Despite the great transformation
taking place in other parts of the world, Tibetans shut themselves in
and left themselves open to invasion by the Chinese. Tibetan Buddhism is
now vulnerable to degeneration since the dispersal of the Tibetans, so
it is very important to really put effort into the practice of the
Dharma at this time. At such critical moments, it is the spiritual
master who protects us and sustains us. It is the guru who introduces us
to the cast and profound teachings set forth by the Buddha himself in a
manner suited to our understanding.
Although all the Buddhas are actively engaged in working for the benefit
of other sentient beings, whether or not we will be able to enjoy such
benefits depends upon how we relate to our spiritual master. The
spiritual master is the only door to enlightenment because he or she is
the living teacher to whom we can relate directly. Meeting with a
spiritual master is not enough if we do not follow the advice given
about practice and how to lead our lives. If we have the good fortune to
encounter these teachings, it means that we are free from most of the
major obstacles to the practice of the Dharma, so it is important to
make the remaining part of our lives meaningful by engaging in spiritual
practice. If we take the initiative now, the likelihood is that we will
be able to progress along the path.
The practice of any path should be based on comprehensive and authentic
instructions. We must consider carefully what kind of practice we would
like to undertake and what kind of teachings we want to base our
practice on. The great Tibetan scholar Sakya Pandita (1182-1251) used to
say that people take great care over worldly matters like buying a
horse. Thus when you are choosing to practice the Dharma it is important
to be even more selective about the practice and the teacher, because
the goal it Buddhahood, not transportation. Whether or not the teacher
is authentic does not depend upon on the ability to quote from Buddhist
texts. You should analyze his or her words and actions. Through constant
close analysis you will be able to develop deep admiration for that
person.
The Tibetan master Po-to-wa (1031-1106) said that the starting point of
the entire path is learning to take the advice of a spiritual master and
that the slightest experience of realization and the slightest
diminishment in delusion all come as a consequence of the teachings of
the spiritual master. If we cannot manage our affairs without the
guidance of a good lawyer, there is no question of the importance of a
spiritual master is we are to follow the unfamiliar path to Buddhahood.
There are cases of people with great intelligence who seem to be very
clever, but the moment they direct their attention toward the Dharma
their minds become numb. This indicates that they have not accumulated
sufficient positive potential. There are also cases of people who are
very intelligent and have great knowledge of the Dharma, but this
knowledge does not affect their minds. They do not put what they know
into practice. In this context, the spiritual master is very important.
High realization especially can be gained only through the gradual
guidance of a spiritual master who has authentic experience. The teacher
becomes a role model and source of inspiration for our practice. It is
possible to develop strong conviction by reading texts related to the
practice of compassion, but when we meet a living person who has
practiced it and who can teach us the practice of compassion from his or
her own experience, it inspires us more powerfully.
Tsong-kha-pa says that unless the mind of the teacher is tames, there
is no hope of the teacher’s taming others. Teachers should be restrained
in their demeanor; their minds should be protected from distractions by
the power of concentration. They should be equipped with the faculty of
wisdom, penetrating the appearance of phenomena. If one possesses higher
training in ethical discipline, one’s mind is said to be tamed. In the
Pratimoksha Sutra, the sutra dealing with monastic vows, the mind is
compared to the wild horse, and the practice of ethics is compared to
the reins by which this wild horse is tamed. So when the untamed mind
departs from the path and indulges in negative actions, this wild horse
should be tamed by using the rein of ethics, restraining the body and
mind from negative actions.
A qualified teacher must also be skilled in the higher training of
concentration evidenced by the constant application of mindfulness and
introspection. Those who have lived recently in Tibet have gained great
experience in the application of mindfulness and introspection, because
even the slightest physical expression of dissent angers the Chinese
regime. They have to be constantly mindful and alert to whether they are
transgressing some rule. A teacher must also be completely pacified by
the higher training in the wisdom of understanding the illusionlike
nature of phenomena.
Tsong-kha-pa says that having only tamed one’s mind is not sufficient;
one should have knowledge of the teachings as well. The lama Drom-ton-pa
(1005-1064) used to say that when a great teacher speaks on one specific
topic, he or she should be able to relate it to the entire canon of the
path to Buddhahood. Teachers should be able to turn their understanding
of an entire topic into an instruction that is beneficial and easy to
apply. Just as the scriptures say, the Buddhas cannot wash away the
negative actions of others, nor can they remove the sufferings of
others, nor can they transfer realizations to us. It is only by showing
the right path for us to follow that the Buddhas can liberate sentient
beings.
The very purpose of teaching others is to help them understand.
Therefore, it is important to have an appealing style of speaking, to do
what is necessary to get the point across. The motive for teaching
should be pure-never done out of a wish for fame or material gain. If
money is the motive, the teaching becomes merely a worldly activity.
Before the Chinese came in 1951, some people in Lhasa either read texts
or sang songs in order to collect money. It still happens in Tibet.
Tourists gather around and take pictures. I think this is quite sad
because the Dharma is being used as an instrument for begging, not for
spiritual advancement.
Po-to-wa said that although mentally he had given many teachings he had
never mentally accepted even the slightest compliment, because he was
teaching out of his compassion for other sentient beings. He regarded it
as his responsibility to teach because his primary purpose was to help
others. There is no point in making others feel indebted or in accepting
their thanks, because what you are actually doing is fulfilling your own
pledge. When you eat your own food, there is no point in thanking
yourself, because eating it something you have to do.
Tsong-kha-pa says that the spiritual masters who serve as guides on the
path of enlightenment are like the foundation or root of your
achievement of enlightenment. Therefore, those seeking a spiritual
master should be familiar with the necessary qualifications and
determine whether the teacher has those qualifications. In the world,
without a proper leader we cannot improve our society. Similarly, unless
the spiritual master is properly qualified, despite your strong faith,
following him or her could be harmful if you are led in the wrong
direction. Therefore, before actually taking someone as a spiritual
master it is important to examine him or her, ask others about that
person, and examine yourself. When you find that person is suitable to
be a spiritual master, only then should you start regarding him of her
as your spiritual master. Likewise, before the spiritual master accepts
someone as a disciple, it is very important that he or she first
completely fulfill the qualifications of a spiritual master.
Just because a lama has some attendants or servants does not qualify
him as a spiritual master. There is a difference between being a
spiritual master and being a tulku, or the reincarnation of a particular
master who has been returning for generations. There are some who are
both, some are tulkus but not lamas, and some are lamas but not tulkus.
Within the Tibetan community tulkus occupy a high position. If they do
not also have the qualities of a spiritual master, then theirs is merely
social status. Within Tibetan society, and even in the West where many
lamas have gone to teach, when someone is called a tulku, people
immediately look up to him. But others, who are really serious
practitioners, do not command much respect simply because they do not
have the label tulku. The greatest Buddhist philosopher of India,
Nagarjuna, is regarded as a master by all later practitioners, although
he had a simple name and we have no record of his having had an
entourage or private secretary. Our Tibetan lamas have long and
grand-sounding names, some of which are difficult to pronounce. In fact,
there is no need to have a title other than that of bhikshu (monk),
which was given by the Buddha himself. There are some of the great
mistakes of Tibetan society. We Tibetans do not pay attention to the
yellow monastic robes actually given by the Buddha himself but instead
pay more attention to garments that are given as a mark of rank to make
the person look grand. Later Indian masters wore some kind of reddish
hat, and in Tibet their followers became more attentive to that red hat
than to what was truly important.
The importance of find a trustworthy teacher cannot be overemphasized,
and I think Tibet’s own political situation shows the folly of not being
skeptical of a leader. Under the guise of being sponsors and
benefactors, the Chinese established a close relationship with Tibet. We
did not realize that China did so in order to portray Tibet as a
province of its own country and would eventually use that argument to
justify invasion. If we do not manage our affairs both spiritually and
socially in a responsible manner, we will inevitably come to regret it
later.
The great monk Geshe Sang-pu-wa (twelfth century) had many spiritual
masters. Once, when he was traveling from eastern Tibet, he met a lay
disciple giving teachings. Geshe Sang-pu-wa went to listen. When his
attendants asked why he needed to go to take teachings from a layman,
Geshe Sang-pu-wa replied that he had heard two points that were very
helpful. Because Geshe Sang-pu-wa was able to develop admiration for and
faith in many people, it was not a problem for him to have many
teachers. People like us, whose mind are not yet tamed, are likely to
see faults in our spiritual master and are prone to lose faith easily.
So long as we see faults in the spiritual master and so long as we are
prone to lose faith as a result of seeing superficial or projected
faults, it is better to have fewer spiritual masters but to relate to
them well. If you do not have this problem, you are free to have as many
spiritual masters as possible.
When you see the spiritual master as the embodiment of all the Buddhas
and take refuge, that faith is based on admiration. When you cultivate
faith by perceiving the guru as the foundation and the root of your
development, that is faith based on conviction. When you develop faith
in the spiritual master by following his or her words, that is called
aspiring faith. Generally speaking, faith is said to be the root or
foundation of all virtuous thought. When you are able to see your
spiritual master as equal to the Buddha himself, you will be able to
stop yourself from seeing your spiritual master’s faults and will
perceive only his or her great qualities. But faith must be based on
tried and tested experience. Therefore, you should constantly and
deliberately try to prevent the kind of perceptions that lead you to see
faults in the spiritual master, which actually might be your own
projections, and try to see great qualities within the spiritual master.
It is said that although your spiritual master may not be a true Buddha
in reality, if you view the spiritual master as an actual Buddha, then
you will obtain inspiration as if from an actual Buddha. On the other
hand, even though your spiritual master might be a perfect Buddha in
reality, if you are not able to view him or her in that way, you will
receive the inspiration of an ordinary human being.
At
this time, in this age of degeneration, gurus work on behalf of all the
Buddhas and bodhisattvas in order to liberate all sentient beings from
the cycle of suffering. It is prophesied in many tantras that in the
degenerate age, the Buddha will appear in the world in the form of
gurus. And in the degenerate age, their compassion must work in a more
forceful manner, which can be confusing to those who are not receptive
to the Buddha’s teaching and compassion, then no teacher can help us
much. But faith and conviction will open us to the power of the Buddhas,
whose strong compassion is directed toward all sentient beings without
exception. That includes you and me.
One teaching says, “While I was wandering in the cycle of existence, you
[the Buddha] searched for me and illuminated my ignorance. You have
shown me the light and released me from bondage.” We can find the Buddha
who is working for us by a process of elimination. Ask yourself who,
among those close to you, is leading you out of the cycle of suffering
cause by ignorance, attachment, and hatred. Is it one of your parents?
Your friends? Your husband or wife? Your friends do not, your relatives
do not, your parents do not. So if there is a Buddha working for you, he
or she must be the person in your life leading you to enlightenment-your
teacher. That is how one can view the teacher as the perfect Buddha.
There have been cases in the past where, due to a mental obstruction,
practitioners saw the actual Buddha in ordinary form. Asanga (fourth
century C.E) had a vision of the Buddha of the future, Maitreya, as a
maggot-ridden dog, and Sang-pu-wa saw a female Buddha as an old leper
woman. If we were to meet the great masters of the past who achieved
enlightenment within one lifetime, they would look just like ordinary
Indian beggars who wander around naked with lines painted on their
foreheads.
When I speak of the importance of devotion to the teacher and of
perceiving him or her as the Buddha, please do not misconstrue it to
mean that I am implying that I am a Buddha. This is not the case; I know
I am not a Buddha. Whether I am exalted or condemned, I will still be
the ordinary Buddhist monk that I am. I am a monk, and I find it very
comfortable. People call me the Bodhisattva of Compassion,
Avalokiteshvara, but that does not make me Avalokiteshvara. The Chinese
call me a wolf wearing a yellow robe, but that does not make me less of
a human being or more of a wolf. I just remain an ordinary monk.
What should you do if following the instructions of your master causes
you to act immorally or if his or her teachings contradict the Buddhist
teachings? You should adhere to what is virtuous and leave what is not
in conformity with the Dharma. In India there was once a teacher with
many disciples who asked them to go out and steal. The teacher was a
member of the Brahmin caste and was very poor. He told them that when
Brahmins become poor they have a right to steal. As favorites of the god
Brahma, the creator of the world, he said it would not be virtuous for a
Brahmin to steal. The disciples were about to go on their thieving
expedition, when the Brahmin noticed that one student stood in silence
with his head bowed. The Brahmin asked him why he was not moving. The
student said, “What you have advised us to do now goes against the
Dharma, so I do not think I can do it.” This pleased the brahmin who
said, “I tested your knowledge. Although you have all been my pupils and
are loyal to me, the difference between you is in your judgment. This
boy is very loyal to me, but when I advised something wrong, he was able
to recognize that it went against the Dharma and would not do it. That
is correct. I am your teacher, but you must examine my advice, and
whenever it goes against the Dharma you should not follow it.”
CHAPTER 3
THE OPPORTUNITY
Imagine a wide ocean with a golden yoke adrift upon it. In the depths of
ocean swims a single blind turtle, who surfaces for air once every
hundred years how rare would it be for the turtle to surface with its
head through the hole in the yoke? The Buddha said that attaining a
precious human rebirth is rarer than that.
It
is said that even the gods envy our human existence, because it is the
best form of existence for the practice of Dharma. There are something
like five billion people in this world, ad all of them are human beings.
Their hands, brains, limbs, and bodies are quite the same. But if we
examine whether all humans have opportunity for practice, then we will
find a vase difference. We are free from adverse circumstances that
prevent the practice of the Dharma, adverse circumstances such as
rebirth with wrong views, rebirth as an animal, ghost, a hell being, or
as a god addicted to pleasure, or as a human who has difficulty hearing
the teachings, or being born into a place where there is no Buddhist
teaching available. Other adverse circumstances would be to be born in a
barbarous land where thought of survival consume all one’s resources or
at a time when no Buddha has appeared.
On
the positive side, we are endowed with many things that make our
practice possible. For example, we have been born as humans able to
respond to the teachings in a land where the teachings are available. We
have not committed any heinous crimes and have a degree of faith in the
Buddhist teachings. Although we have not taken rebirth in the world when
the Buddha was alive, we have met with spiritual masters who can trace
the lineage of the teachings they have received all the way back to the
Buddha. The Dharma remains stable and flourishing because there are
practitioners following these teachings. We also live in a time when
there are kind benefactors who provide monks and nuns with necessities
for practice, such as food, clothing, and shelter.
The Buddha’s teachings benefit infinite numbers of beings, who as a
result of practice achieve high realizations and eliminate delusions
from their minds. But is we have taken rebirth as an animal or hell
being or hungry ghost [described in chapter 5], the presence of the
Buddha’s doctrine in this world will not help us at all. For example,
the Buddha Shakyamuni was born in India, became completely enlightened,
and turned the wheel of the Dharma three times. If we had obtained a
precious human life at that time and had been cared for by the Buddha,
then our present fate would be totally different. We might have escaped
rebirth by this time. But that was not the case, and his teaching did
not benefit us at all until now. It is fortunate that we are not in the
lower forms of existence, but simply taking rebirth in a human form and
being freed of the bondage of nonhuman existence is not enough. Suppose
we have taken rebirth in a place where the Dharma flourishes, but if we
were born without full mental faculties, the Dharma would not benefit
us. Physical disabilities need not impede the practice of the Dharma,
but without use of the mind, it would be impossible. Even if we had no
disabilities, if we have been born into a community where they deny the
law of cause and effect, our intellects would have been filled with
wrong views. But that is not the case. If we had taken rebirth during
the times when there was no Buddhist doctrine at all, then we would not
be on a path of transforming the mind to end suffering. But that also is
not the case. We should recognize the fortune of taking rebirth at a
time when the Buddha’s teachings exist. We should reflect on this,
rejoicing in our fortune of being free from such disadvantages. When we
think along such lines we will finally be able to realize that we have
obtained a form of human existence that is unique. If we consider it in
such a detailed manner, we will eventually recognize the real
significance of human existence. We will decide to make a very strong
commitment to a serious practice of the Dharma.
It is said that the doctrine of Buddha Shakyamuni will remain five
thousand years. If we take rebirth as a human after that, we will not
benefit from it. But we have taken rebirth in this world during an eon
of illumination when the Buddha’s doctrine still remains. In order to
want to transform the mind, you must be persuaded to take full advantage
of your life as a human.
Up
to this point, we have been living our lives, we have been eating, we
have found shelter, we have been wearing clothes. If we were to continue
in this same manner, simply eating for the sake of living, what meaning
does that give our lives? We have all obtained a precious human form,
but simply obtaining a human form is nothing to be proud of. There are
an infinite number of other forms of life on the planet, but none are
engaged in the kind of destruction in which humans indulge. Human beings
endanger all the life on the planet, is we let compassion and an
altruistic attitude guide our lives, we will be able to achieve great
things-something that other forms of life are not able to do. If we are
able to use this precious human form in a positive manner, it will value
in the long term. Our human existence will then become truly precious.
If, however, we use our human potential, the ability of the brain, in
negative ways, to torture people, exploit others, and cause destruction,
then our human existence will be a danger to ourselves in the future as
well as to others right now. Human existence, if used destructively, has
the potential to annihilate everything we know. Or, it can be the source
for becoming a Buddha.
Up
to now we have not made much headway in our spiritual progress. Ask
yourself, “What wholesome deeds have I done so far; what practices have
I done to tame the mind and make myself confident in the future?” if you
do not find anything that would give you a sense of certainty about your
future fate, then all this eating of food in order to maintain your life
so far is pretty much a waste. As the eighth-century Indian poet
Shantideva says, our taking birth would have been simply for the sake of
giving pain and difficulty to our mother; it would have served no other
purpose.
Shantideva says that having achieved such a precious human form, I
would be stupid not to meditate and accumulate virtues. If out of
laziness I still postpone practice, at the time of death I will be
seized by great remorse and concern for the sufferings I will undergo in
the lower forms of existence. If having obtained such a valuable human
existence, we then waste it, it would be like going to the land of
jewels and coming back empty-handed. Reflect upon the fact that all the
great masters of the past who achieved enlightenment within one
lifetime-Nagarjuna, Asanga, and great Tibetan masters like Milarepa-had
just the same human life that we have obtained now. The only difference
between us and them is that we lack their initiative. By meditating on
the rarity of our circumstances, we can cultivate a similar motivation.
Though a dog may live in a place where the Dharma is flourishing, the
dog cannot actively benefit from it. Animals are even more strongly
ruled by delusions and do not have our ability to choose between
different kinds of behavior. They indulge more easily in negative
actions and thought like hatred and desire and have more difficulty with
virtuous actions. If I take rebirth as an animal or any form of lower
existence, how will I have the chance to practice the Dharma? It is very
difficult to accumulate virtues, and I would be continuously
accumulating nonvirtuous actions, so that even after death I would be
spinning in a chain reaction of constantly taking rebirth in the lower
forms of existence for innumerable eons, then as a result of the
infinite numbers of nonvirtuous actions that I have accumulated in the
past, how can I doubt that I will take rebirth in the lower forms of
existence? Once you take rebirth in the lower realms of existence, even
though the karma that caused that rebirth can be exhausted by the
sufferings you undergo, there is hardly any hope for you to be freed
from those lower realms because, in a vicious cycle, you will be
indulging in negative actions, which will cause another, lower rebirth.
Having reflected upon the difficulty of obtaining such a human
existence, and reflecting upon the stupidity of wasting it, you should
make the decision to make the best use of your life by undertaking the
practice of the Dharma.
It is generally said by Buddhists that our ordinary human existence
requires as its primary cause a pure observance of ethics in a former
life. In addition, especially for the attainment of a human form with
the capacity to practice the Dharma, it is very important that the singe
ethical deed be complemented with other actions like generosity and
aspirational prayers in the previous lifetime. If you consider it, you
will find that it is very rare that someone possess all these factors.
By thinking about the rarity of its cause, you will realize how
difficult it is to obtain a precious human form. And if you compare
human existence to other types of existence, such as animals, there are
far animals and insects than there are humans. Even within the human
existence, one whose life is endowed with the leisure and opportunity to
practice the Dharma is really very rare. If you understand the
importance of this precious human life, then all the other realizations
will come naturally. If someone who has gold in his hands throws it away
and then prays to get more gold tomorrow, he would be laughingstock. In
the same way, although we might old and physically weak, we are far
superior in our capacity to practice the Dharma than are other sentient
beings. We can at least recite the mantra of the Bodhisattva of
Compassion, OM MANI PADME HUM. Even if a person is at the point of
death, he or she still has the ability to think and to cultivate
virtuous thoughts.
The Buddha’s activities-from the beginning of his cultivating the wish
to help others to the accumulating of merit and his eventual achievement
of enlightenment-were all done for the sake of other sentient beings.
The welfare of other sentient beings is classified into two types:
temporary welfare, which is the achievement of favorable rebirth, and
ultimate welfare, which is the achievement of liberation and the
omniscient state. All the teachings associated with the achievement of
favorable rebirth in the future are said to belong to the category of
small scope. When we talk of our ultimate aim, it is two types:
liberation from suffering, and omniscience. All the teachings related to
the practice of achieving personal liberation are teachings of middle
scope. For this purpose, practitioners of middle scope engage in the
practice of ethics, concentration, and wisdom and then eliminate the
delusions and achieve liberation from suffering and rebirth. All the
teachings that outline the techniques for achieving the omniscience of
Buddhahood, including both the sutra vehicle and the tantric vehicle,
are teachings related to practitioners of great scope. A being of great
scope is someone whose mind is motivated by great compassion for all
other sentient beings and who wishes to achieve enlightenment for their
sake. Thus one group can think only of a future life; these are people
of small scope. People in the second group are not preoccupied with the
concerns of the future life alone but are able to think of something
more distant, liberation from rebirth; these are beings of the middle
scope. Yet other people are not concerned only with their own welfare
but are more courageous. They are concerned with the welfare also of
other sentient beings, and these are the beings of great scope.
Tsong-kha-pa says that although we divide the practice into three types,
the practice of initial scope, middle scope, and great scope, the two
earlier ones are included in the practices of the great scope, because
they are like preparations for the practice of great scope. When we
train our minds to realize the importance of our precious human life and
its rarity, we decide to take advantage of it. Our bodies, composed of
flesh, blood, and bones, are like the banana tree, which has no core,
and they are the source of all sorts of physical sufferings. Therefore,
we should not be so concerned about our bodies. Instead, following the
example of the great bodhisattvas, we should make our human birth
meaningful and use our bodies for the benefit of other sentient beings.
In other words, precious and rare opportunities surround us, and we
should recognize their value. We have obtained this precious human form,
endows with these special characteristics. If we were to waste it,
simply indulging in trivial concern and trivial deeds, it would be sad.
Having realized the value of the precious human form, it is important to
make the decision to capitalize on it and use it for the practice of the
Dharma. Otherwise, there would hardly be any difference between our
lives as human beings and those of animals.
CHAPTER 4
DEATH
The Buddha said that of all the different times for plowing, autumn is
the best, and of all the different of fuel for fire cow dung is the
best, and of all the different kinds of awareness, awareness of
impermanence and death is best. Death is certain, but when it will
strike is uncertain. If we really face up to things, we do not know
which will come first-tomorrow or death. We cannot be entirely sure that
the old are going to die first and the young are going to remain behind.
The most realistic attitude we can cultivate is to hope for the best but
be prepared for the worst. If the worst does not happen, then everything
is fine, but if it does occur, it will not strike us unawares. This
applies also to the practice of the Dharma: be prepared for the worst,
for none of us knows when we are going to die.
Every day we hear of death in the news or the death of a friend, someone
we knew vaguely, or a relative. Sometimes we feel the loss, sometimes we
almost rejoice, but we still somehow hang onto the idea that it will not
happen to us. We think we are immune to impermanence, and so we put off
spiritual practice (which might prepare us for death), thinking that we
will have time in the future. When the time inevitably arrives, the only
thing that we are left with is regret. We need to engage in practice
right now so that no matter how soon death comes, we will be prepared.
When the time of death comes, no circumstances can prevent it. No matter
what type of body you might have, no matter how impervious to sickness
you might be, death will certainly strike. If we reflect upon the lives
of the past Buddhas and bodhisattvas, they are now only a memory. Great
Indian masters, like Nagarjuna and Asang, made great contributions to
the Dharma and worked for the benefit of sentient beings, but all that
remains of them now if their names. The same applies to great rulers and
political leaders. The stories of their lives are so vivid that they
seem almost to be alive. When we go on a pilgrimage in India, we find
places like the great monastery of Nalanda, where great masters like
Nagarjuna and Asanga studied and taught. Now Nalanda lies in ruins. When
we see the traces left by the great figures of history, the ruins show
us the nature of impermanence. As the ancient Buddhist aphorisms say,
whether we go underground or into the sea or into space, we will never
be able to avoid death. The members of our own family will sooner or
later be separated from each other like a collection of leaves blown
about by wind. Within the next month or two, some of us will begin to
die, and others will die within a few years, in eighty or ninety years
all of us, including the Dalai Lama, will have died. Then only our
spiritual realizations will help us.
There is no one who after taking birth goes farther and farther away
from death. Instead, we get closer and closer, like animals being led to
the slaughter. Just as cowherds strike their cows and oxen and lead them
back to the cow shed, so we, tormented by sufferings of birth, illness,
aging, and death, move ever closer to the ends of our lives. Everything
in this universe is subject to impermanence and will eventually
disintegrate. As the Seventh Dalai Lama said, young people who look very
strong and healthy but die young are actually masters teaching us about
impermanence. Of all the people we know of have seen, none will remain
in one hundred years. Death cannot be averted by mantras or seeking
refuge in a powerful political leader.
During the years of my life I have met so many people. They are now only
objects of my memory. Nowadays I meet more new people. It is just like
watching a drama; after performing their parts, people change their
costumes and reappear. If we spend our short lives under the influence
of desire and hatred, if for the sake of those short lives we increase
our delusions, the harm that we will do is very long term, because it
will destroy our prospects for achieving ultimate happiness.
If sometimes we are not successful in trivial worldly matters, it does
not matter much, but if we waste this precious opportunity afforded by
human life, we will be letting ourselves down in the long term. The
future is in our hands-whether we want to undergo extreme suffering by
falling into the realms of nonhuman existence or whether we want to
achieve higher forms of rebirth or whether we want to reach the state of
enlightenment. Shantideva says that in this life we have the
opportunity, we have the responsibility, we have the ability to decide
and determine what our future lives will be. We should train our minds
so that our lives will not be wasted-not even for a month or a day-and
prepare for the moment of death.
If we can cultivate that understanding, our motivation for spiritual
practice will come from within-the strongest motivational factor there
is. Geshs Sha-ra-wa (1070-1141) said that his best teacher was
meditation on impermanence. The Buddha Shakyamuni said in his first
teaching that the basis of suffering was impermanence.
When faced with death, the practitioners will be delighted, the
midlevel practitioners will be well prepared for it, and even the lowest
practitioners will have no regret. When we reach the last day of our
lives, it is very important not to have even a twinge of regret, or the
negativity we experience at the time of death could influence our next
rebirth. The best way to make life meaningful is to undertake the path
of compassion.
If you reflect upon death and impermanence, you will begin to make your
life meaningful. You might think that because sooner or later you have
to die, there is no point in trying to think about death now, for it
will just make you depressed and worried. But awareness of death and
impermanence can have great benefits. If our minds are gripped by the
feeling that we are not subject to death, then we will never be serious
in our practice and will never make headway on the spiritual path. The
belief that you will not die is the greatest stumbling block to
spiritual progress: you will not remember the Dharma, you will not
follow the Dharma even though you may remember it, and you will not
follow the Dharma purely even though you may follow it to a certain
extent. If you do not contemplate death, then you will never take your
practice seriously. Overcome by laziness, you will lack effort and
momentum in your practice, and you will be beset by exhaustion. You will
have great attachment to fame, material wealth, and prosperity. When we
think so much of this life, we tend to work for those we like-our
relatives and friends-and we strive to make them happy. Then when others
try to harm them, we immediately label these others as our enemies. In
this way delusions like desire and hatred increase like a river flooding
in the summer. These delusions automatically induce us to indulge in all
sorts of negative actions whose consequences ill be rebirth in lower
forms of existence in the future.
As
a result of a small accumulation of merit, we have already obtained a
precious human life. Any remaining merit will manifest as some relative
degree of prosperity in this life. So the little capital that we have
will already be spent, and if we are not accumulating anything new, it
is like spending our savings without making a new deposit. If we simply
exhaust our collection of merit, then sooner or later we will be plunged
into a future life of even more intense suffering.
It
is said that if we do not have a proper awareness of death, we will die
in the grip of fear and regret. That feeling can send us into lower
realms. Many people avoid speaking about death at all. They avoid
thinking the worst, so when it actually happens they are taken by
surprise and are totally unprepared. Buddhist practice advises us not to
ignore misfortunes but to acknowledge and confront them, preparing for
them right from the beginning, so that when we actually experience the
suffering it is not completely unbearable. Simply avoiding a problem
does not help resolve it but in fact can make it worse.
Some people remark that Buddhist practice seems to emphasize suffering
and pessimism. I think this is quite, wrong. Buddhist practice actually
strives to gain an everlasting peace-something that is inconceivable to
an ordinary mind-and to get rid of sufferings once and for all.
Buddhists are not satisfied by prosperity in this lifetime alone or the
prospect of prosperity in future lives but instead seek an ultimate
happiness. Now the basic Buddhist outlook is that since sufferings are a
reality, simply mentally avoiding them will not resolve the problem.
What should be done is to confront suffering, face it and analyze it,
examine it, determine its causes, and find out how best you can cope
with it. When those who avoid thinking about misery are actually struck
by it, they are unprepared and suffer more than those who have
familiarized themselves with sufferings, their origin, and how they
arise. A practitioner of the Dharma thinks daily about death, reflects
upon the suffering of human beings, the suffering of sickness, and the
suffering of death. Every day, tantric practitioners go through the
death process in imagination. It is like mentally dying once every day.
Because of their familiarity with it, they will be quite prepared when
they actually meet with death. If you have to go through a very
dangerous and frightening terrain, you should find out about the dangers
and how to deal with them in advance. Not to think about them ahead of
time would be foolish. Whether you like it or not you have to go there,
so it is better to be prepared so that you will know how to react when
the difficulties appear.
If you have a perfect awareness of death, you will feel certain that
you are going to die soon. If you then find out that you are going to
die today or tomorrow, because of your spiritual practice you will try
to detach yourself from objects of attachment by getting rid of your
belongings and seeing all worldly prosperity as without essence of
significance. You will try to put all your effort into practice. The
advantage of being aware of death is that is makes life meaningful, and
feeling delight is that it makes meaningful, and, feeling delight when
the time of death approaches, you will die without any regret.
When you reflect upon the certainty of death in general and the
uncertainty of its time, you will make all effort to prepare yourself
for the future. You will realize that the prosperity and activities of
this life are without essence and unimportant. Then, working for the
long-term benefit of yourself and others will seem much more important,
and your life will be guided by that understanding. Just as Milarepa
said, since sooner or later you have to leave everything behind, why not
give it up right now? In spite of all our efforts, including taking
medicines or doing long-life ceremonies, it is very unlikely that anyone
will live more than one hundred years. There are some exceptional cases,
but after sixty or seventy years most of the people reading this book
will not be alive. After one hundred years people will reflect upon our
time as simply a part of history.
When death arrives, the only thing that can help is the compassion and
understanding of the nature of reality one has thus far gained. In this
regard it is very important to examine whether or not there is life
after death. Past and future lives exist for the following reasons.
Certain patterns of thinking from last year, the year before that, and
even from childhood can be recollected now. This clearly shows that
there existed an awareness prior to the present awareness. The first
instant of consciousness in this life is also not produced without a
cause, not is it born from something permanent or inanimate. A moment of
mind is something that is clear and knowing. It must therefore be
preceded by something that is clear and knowing, a previous moment of
mind. It is not feasible that the first moment of mind in this life
could come from anything other than a previous lifetime.
Although the physical body may act as a secondary cause of subtle
changes in the mind, it cannot be the primary cause. Matter can never
turn into mind, and mind cannot turn into matter. Therefore, mind must
come from mind. The mind of this present life comes from the mind of the
previous life and serves as the cause of the mind of the next life. When
you reflect upon death and are aware of it constantly, your life will
become meaningful.
Realizing the great disadvantages of our instinctive grasping at
permanence, we must counter it and be constantly aware of death so that
we will be motivated to undertake the practice of the Dharma more
seriously. Tsong-kha-pa says that the importance of the awareness of
death is not confined to the initial stage alone. It is important
throughout all the stages; it is important at the beginning, in the
middle, and also at the end.
The awareness of death that we much cultivate is not the ordinary,
incapacitating fear of being separated from our loved ones and
possessions. Rather, we must learn to fear that we will die without
having put an end to the causes for taking rebirth in lower forms of
existence and will die without having accumulated the necessary causes
and conditions for favorable future rebirth. If we do not accomplish
these two aims, then at the time of death we will be gripped by strong
fear and remorse. If we spend out entire lives indulging in negative
actions induced by hatred and desire, we cause harm not only temporarily
but also in the long term, because we accumulate and store up a wide
collection of causes and conditions for out own downfall in future
lives. Fear of that will inspire us to make even our day-today lives
into something meaningful. Having gained an awareness of death, we will
see the prosperity and affairs of this life as unimportant and will work
for a better future. That is the purpose of meditating on death. If we
fear death now we will try to overcome our fear and regret at the time
of death. However, if we try to avoid a fear of death right now, at the
time of death we will be gripped by remorse.
Tsong-kha-pa says that when our contemplation of impermanence becomes
very firm and stable, everything we encounter will teach us about
impermanence. He says that the process of approaching death starts right
from conception and that when we are alive, our lives are constantly
tormented by illness and aging. While we are healthy and alive we should
not be lured into thinking that we will not die. We should not be
obviously delighted when we are well; it is better to be prepared for
our future fate. For example, some one falling from a very high cliff is
not happy before he or she hits the ground.
Even while we are alive there is very little time for the practice of
the Dharma. Even if we assume that we might live long, perhaps a hundred
years, we should never give in to the feeling that we will have time to
practice the Dharma later. WE should not be influenced by
procrastination, which is a form of laziness. Half of one’s life is
spent in sleep, and for most of the rest of the time we are distracted
by worldly activities. When we become old, our physical and mental
strength decreases, and even though we might wish to practice, it will
already be too late because we will not have the ability to practice the
Dharma. Just as a scripture says, half of one’s life is spent in sleep,
for ten years we are children and twenty years we are old, and the time
in between is tormented by worries, sorrow, suffering, and depressions,
so there is hardly any time for the practice of the Dharma. If we live a
life of sixty years and think of all the time we spend as children, all
the time that we are asleep, and the time when we are too old, we will
find that there are only about five years that we can devote to the
serious practice of Dharma. If we do not make a deliberate effort to
undertake the practice of Dharma but instead live as we normally do, we
are certain to spend our lives in idleness without purpose. Gung-thang
Rinpoche said, partly in jest, “I spent twenty years without thinking of
practicing the Dharma and then I spent another twenty years thinking I
would practice later and then I spent ten years thinking about how I
missed the chance to practice the Dharma.”
When I was just a child, nothing much happened. At about fourteen or
fifteen years of age, I began to take serious interest in the Dharma.
Then the Chinese came, and I spent many years in all sorts of political
turmoil. I went to China and in 1956 I visited India. After that I
returned to Tibet, and again some time was spent involved in political
affairs. The best thing I can recall is my examination as a geshe [the
highest academic degree in the Tibetan monastic universities], after
which I had to leave my country. I have been in exile now for more than
thirty years, and although I have managed some study and practice, most
of my life is spent idly without much benefit. I have not yet reached
the point of regretting that I have not practiced. If I think in terms f
practicing Highest Yoga Tantra, there are certain aspects of the path
that I can not practice because my physical constituents have begun to
deteriorate with age. The time for practicing the Dharma does not come
naturally but has to be set aside deliberately.
If
you must depart on a long journey, at a certain point it is necessary to
make preparations. As I often like to say, we should spend 50 percent of
our time and energy on the concerns of our future life and about 50
percent on the affairs of this lifetime.
There are many causes of death and very few causes of staying alive.
Furthermore, those things that we normally regard as supporting life,
such as food and medicine, can become causes of death. Many illnesses
today are said to be cause by our diet. The chemicals used to grow crops
and to raise animals contribute to bad health and cause imbalance within
the body. The human body is so sensitive, so delicate, that if it is too
fat, you have all sorts of problems: you cannot walk properly, you have
high blood pressure, and your own body becomes a burden. On the other
hand, if you are too think, you have little strength or stamina, which
leads to all sorts of other troubles. When you are young you worry about
not being included among the grown-ups, and when you are too old you
feel like you have been cast out of society. This is the nature of our
existence. If the harm were some kind of externally inflicted thing,
then you might somehow be able to avoid it; you could go underground or
submerge yourself in the ocean. But when the harm comes from within,
there is nothing much you can do. While we are free of illness and
difficulty and we have a healthy body, we much capitalize on that and
take the essence of it. To take the essence of life is to try to achieve
a state that is totally free of illness, mortality, decay, and fear-that
is, a state of liberation and omniscience.
The richest man in the world cannot take a single possession with him at
death. Tsong-kha-pa says that if we must leave behind this body, which
we have held so dear and labeled as our own and which has been
accompanying us since our birth as our oldest companion, then there is
no question of not leaving behind material belongings. Most people spend
so much energy and time simply trying to gain some prosperity and
happiness within this lifetime. But at the time of death, all our
worldly activities such as taking care of our relatives and friends and
competing with our rivals, have to left unfinished. Although you might
have enough food to provide for one hundred years, at the time of death
you will have to go naked. When death strikes there is no difference
between the way a king dies, leaving his kingdom behind, and the way a
beggar dies, leaving his stick behind.
You
should try to imagine a situation in which you are sick. Imagine that
you have a grave illness and your entire physical strength has gone; you
feel exhausted, and even medicine will not help. When the time of death
comes, the doctor will speak in two ways: to the patient he or she will
say, “Don’t worry, you will get better. There is nothing to worry about;
just relax.” To the family he or she will say, “The situation is very
grave. You should arrange for the final ceremonies to be performed.” At
that time there will be no opportunity for you to complete unfinished
business or to complete your studies. Hen you lie down your body will be
so weak that you can hardly move. Then the heat of your body gradually
dissolves and you feel that your body has become very stiff, like a tree
that has fallen on your bed. You will actually begin to see your own
corpse. Your last words will be barely audible, and the people around
you will have to struggle to understand what you are saying. The last
food you will eat will not be a delicious mean but a mixture of pills
that you will not have the strength to swallow. You will have to leave
your most intimate friends; it may be eons before you meet them again.
Your breathing pattern will change and become noisy. Gradually it will
become more uneven, with the inhalation and exhalation coming faster and
faster. Finally, there will be one last very strong exhalation, and that
will be the end of your breath. That marks death as it is ordinarily
understood. After that, your name, which once gave such delight to your
friends and family when they heard it, will have a prefix added to it,
“the late.”
It
is crucial that at the time of death the mind is in a virtuous states.
It is the last chance that we have, and it is a chance not to be missed.
Although we might have lived a very negative life, at the time of death
we should make great effort to cultivate a virtuous state of mind. If we
are able to develop a very strong and powerful compassion at the time of
death, there is hope that in the next life we will take rebirth in a
favorable existence. Generally speaking, familiarity plays a great role
in this. When people are sick and about to die, it is unfortunate that
others allow the dying person to feel desire or hatred. At the very
least the dying person should be shown images of Buddhas and
bodhisattvas so that he or she can see them, try to develop strong faith
in them, and die in an auspicious frame of mind. If this is not
possible, it is very important that the attendants and relatives not
make the dying person feel upset. At that time a very strong emotion,
like desire or hatred, can send the person into a state of great
suffering and quite possible a lower rebirth.
As death approaches, certain sighs indicating the future might appear.
Those with virtuous minds will feel that they are going from darkness
into light or onto open ground. They will feel happy, see visions of
beautiful things, and will not feel any acute suffering as they die.
If
at the time of death people have very strong feelings of desire or
hatred, they will see all sorts of hallucinations and will feel great
anxiety. Some people feel as if they are entering darkness; others feel
that they are burning. I have met some people who had been very sick who
told me that when they were seriously ill they had visions of being
burned. This is an indication of their future fate. As a result of such
signs, the dying person will feel very confused and will shout and moan,
feeling as if the whole body is being pulled down. He or she will have
acute pain at the time of death. All of this derives ultimately from
attachment focused upon oneself. The dying know that the person they
have cherished so much is going to die.
When those who have indulged most of their lives in negative actions
die, it is said that the process of the dissolution of the body’s warmth
starts from the upper part of the body until it reaches the heart. For
practitioners of virtue it is said that the process of the dissolution
of warmth starts from below, from the legs, and eventually reaches the
heart. In any case, the consciousness actually departs from the heart.
After death one enters into the intermediate state, the bardo. The body
in the intermediate state has several unique features: all the physical
senses are compete, and it has a physical appearance that is identical
to the physical appearance of the being that it will next take rebirth
as. For example, if it is to take rebirth as a human being, it will have
a physical appearance identical to a human being. If it is to take
rebirth as an animal, then is will have the physical appearance of the
particular animal. The being of the intermediate state has such powerful
sight that it can see through solid objects and is able to travel
anywhere without obstruction. Beings of the intermediate state are
visible only intermediate beings of the same type. For example, is an
intermediate being is destined to be reborn as a human, it will be
visible only to intermediate beings who are destined to take rebirth as
humans. Intermediate beings of the god realm walk upward, looking
upward, and the intermediate beings of the human realm walk straight and
look straight. The intermediate beings of those who have indulged in
negative actions and are destined to take rebirth in lower realms are
said to move upside down.
The period of time spent in this intermediate state is seven days. After
one week, if the intermediate-state being meets with appropriate
circumstances, it will take rebirth in the appropriate realm of
existence. If it does not, then it will again have to doe a small death
and arise as an intermediate being again. This can happen seven times,
but after forty-nine days it can no longer remain as an
intermediate-state being and must take rebirth whether it likes it or
not. When the time has come for it to take rebirth, it sees beings of
its own type playing, and it will develop a wish to join them. The
regenerative fluids of the future parents, the semen and the ovum, look
different to it. Although the parents may not be actually sleeping
together, the intermediate being will have the illusion that they are
and will feel attachment to them. If someone is likely to be born a
girl, it is said she will feel repulsion for the mother and, driven by
attachment, will try to sleep with the father. If someone is likely to
be born as a boy, he will feel repulsion for the farther but will have
attachment to the mother and will try to sleep with her. Moved by such
desire, he or she goes to where the parents are. Then, no part of the
body of the parents appears to that being except for the sexual organs,
and as a result the being feels frustrated and angry. That anger serves
as the condition for its death from the intermediate state, and it takes
rebirth in the womb. When the parents are copulating and achieve orgasm,
it is said that one or two drop of thick semen and ovum mix together
like cream on the surface of boiled milk. At that moment the
consciousness of the intermediate being ceases and enters into the
mixture. That marks the entry into the womb. Although the parents may
not be copulating, the intermediate being has the illusion that they are
doing so and will go to the place. This implies that there are cases
where, although the parents may not copulate, still consciousness can
enter into the physical elements. This accounts for test-tube babies
today; when the fluids are collected from the parents and are mixed and
kept in a tube, the consciousness can enter into that mixture without
actual copulation taking place.
Shantideva says that even animals work to experience pleasure and avoid
pain in this life. We must turn our attention to the future; otherwise
we will be no different from animals. Awareness of death is the very
bedrock of the entire path. Until you have developed this awareness, all
other practices are obstructed. The Dharma is the guide that leads us
through unknown terrain; the Dharma is the food that sustains us in our
journey; the Dharma is the captain that will take us to the unknown
shore of nirvana. Therefore, put all the energy of your body, speech,
and mind into the practice of the Dharma. To talk about meditation on
death and impermanence is very easy, but the actual practice is really
very difficult. And when we do practice, sometime we do not notice much
change, especially if we just compare yesterday and today. There is a
danger of losing hope and becoming discouraged. In such situations, it
is quite helpful not to compare days or weeks, but rather to try to
compare our present state of mind with that of five years ago or ten
years ago; then we will see that there has been some change. We may
notice some change in our outlook, in our understanding, in our
spontaneity, in our response to these practices.
That in itself is a source of great encouragement; it really gives us
hope, because it shows that is we make the effort there is the potential
for further progress. To become discouraged and decide to postpone our
practice to a more favorable time is really very dangerous.
CHAPTER 5
REBIRTH
Karma can be understood as cause and effect in much the same way
that physicists understand that for every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction. As with physics, what form that reaction will take is
not always predictable, but sometime we can predict the reaction and we
can do something to mitigate the outcome. Science is working on way to
clean up the environment now that it has been polluted, and many more
scientists are attempting to prevent further pollution. In the same way,
our future lives are determined by our present actions as well as those
of our immediate past and past lives. The practice of the Dharma is mean
to mitigate the outcome of our karmic actions and prevent any further
pollution by negative thought and actions. Those negative thoughts and
actions will otherwise land us in a rebirth of tremendous suffering.
Sooner or later we are going to die, and so sooner or later we will have
to take rebirth again. The realms of existence where we can take rebirth
are confined to two, the favorable and the unfavorable. Where we take
rebirth depends on karma.
Karma is created by an agent, a person, a living being. Living beings
are nothing other than the self, imputed on the basis of the continuity
of consciousness. The nature of consciousness is luminosity and clarity.
It is an agent of knowing that is preceded by an earlier moment of
consciousness that is its cause. If we come to understand that the
continuity of consciousness cannot be exhausted within one lifetime, we
will find that there is logical support for the possibility of life
after death. If we are not convinced of the continuity of consciousness,
at least we know that there is no evidence that can disprove the theory
of life after death. We cannot prove it, but we cannot disprove it.
There are many cases of people remembering their past lives vividly. It
is not a phenomenon confined to Buddhist. There are people with such
memories whose parents do not believe in life after death or past lives.
I know of three cases of children who have been able to remember their
past lives vividly. In one case the recollection of the past life was so
vivid that even though the parents previously did not believe in life
after death, as a result of the clarity of their child’s recollections,
they are now convinced. The child not only recollected clearly having
lived in a nearby village that she recognized, but was able to identify
her previous parents, whom she had no other occasion to know. If there
is no life after death, there is no past life, and we will have to find
another explanation for these recollections. There are also many cases
of parents who have two children brought up in the same way, in the same
society, with the same background, yet one is more successful than the
other. We find that such differences come about as a result of
differences in our past karmic actions.
Death is nothing other than the separation of the consciousness from the
physical body. If you do now accept this phenomenon called
consciousness, I think it is also very difficult to explain exactly what
life is. When consciousness is connected to the body and their
relationship continues, we call it life, and when consciousness
terminates its relationship with a particular body, we call it death.
Although our bodies are an aggregation of chemical of physical
components, a kind of subtle agent of pure luminosity constitutes the
life of living beings. Since it is not physical, we cannot measure it,
but that does not mean that it does not exist. We have spent so much
time, energy, and research in the exploration of the external world, but
now if we change that approach and direct all this exploration,
research, and energy inward and begin to analyze, I really think we have
the ability to realize the nature of consciousness- this clarity, this
luminosity-within ourselves.
According to the Buddhist explanation, consciousness is said to be
non-obstructive and nonphysical, and it is from the actions of this
consciousness that all emotions, all delusions, and all human faults
arise. However, it is also because of the inherent nature of this
consciousness that one can eliminate all these faults and delusions and
bring about lasting peace and happiness. Since consciousness is the
basic for existence and enlightenment, there are extensive writings on
the topic.
We
know from our own experience that consciousness or mind is subject to
change, which implies that it is dependent upon causes and conditions
that change, transform, and influence it: the conditions and
circumstances of our lives. Consciousness must have a substantial cause
similar to the nature of consciousness itself in order for it to arise.
Without prior moment of consciousness there cannot be any consciousness.
It does not arise out of nothing, and it cannot turn into nothing.
Matter cannot change into consciousness. Therefore, we should be able to
trace the casual sequence of moments of consciousness back in time. The
Buddhist scriptures speak of hundred of billions of world systems,
infinite numbers of world systems, and consciousness existing since
beginningless time. I believe that other worlds exist. Modern cosmology
also says that there are many different types of world systems. Although
life has not been scientifically observed on other planets, it would be
illogical to conclude that life is possible only on this planet, which
is dependent upon this solar system, and not on other types of planets.
Buddhist scriptures mention the presence of life in other world systems
as well as different types of solar systems and an infinite number of
universes.
Now if the scientists are asked how the universe came about, they have a
lot of answers to give. But if they are asked why this evolution took
place, then they have no answers. They generally do not explain it as
God’s creation because they are objective observers who tend only to
believe in the material universe. Some say that it happened just by
chance. Now that position itself is illogical, because it anything
exists by chance then it is tantamount to saying that things do not have
any causes. But we se from our everyday lives that everything has a
cause: clouds cause rain, wind blows seeds around so that new plants
grow. Nothing exists without any reason. If evolution has a cause, then
there are two possible explanations. You can accept that the universe
was created by God, in which case there will be a lot of contradictions,
such as the necessity that suffering and evil must also have been
created by God. The other option is to explain that there are infinite
numbers of sentient beings whose karmic potentials collectively create
this entire universe as an environment for them. The universe we inhabit
is created by our own desires and actions. This is why we are here.
This, at least, is logical.
At
the time of death, we are blown about by the force of our own karmic
actions. The result of negative karmic actions is rebirth in the lower
realms. In order to discourage ourselves from negative actions, we
should try to imagine whether we would be able to bear the sufferings of
the lower realms. Having seen that happiness is a consequence of
positive actions, we will take great pleasure in accumulating virtue.
Equating your own experience with that of others, you will be able to
develop strong compassion, for you will understand that their suffering
are no different from your own and they also wish to achieve liberation.
It is important to meditate upon the suffering of the animal and hell
realms. If we do not make spiritual progress, our negative actions will
lead us there. And if we feel we cannot bear the suffering of burning or
cold or unquenchable thirst and hunger, then our motivation to practice
will increase immeasurably. At the present time, this human existence
affords us the opportunity and conditions to rescue ourselves.
The lower forms of existence are rebirth as an animal, hungry ghost, or
hell being. According to the scriptures, the hells are located a certain
distance directly below Bodh Gaya, the place in India where the Buddha
achieved enlightenment. But if you were to actually travel the distance,
you would end up in the middle of America. So these teachings should not
be taken literally. They were spoken in accordance with the convention
of the time, or popular belief. The purpose of the Buddha coming to this
world was not to measure the circumference of the world and the distance
between the earth and moon, but rather to teach the Dharma, to liberate
sentient beings, to relieve sentient beings of their sufferings. If we
do not understand the basic approach of Buddhism, we might imagine that
the Buddha sometimes spoke in a contradictory and confusing manner. But
there is a purpose in each of the diverse philosophical views he taught,
and each benefits different types of sentient beings. When he talked
about the hells, he must have taken a lot of popular conventions and
popular beliefs into account for the specific purpose of causing his
listeners to practice the Dharma.
I
believe that such states as the various hot and cold hells do exist. If
the highest states, like nirvana and omniscience, exist, why should
their opposite, the most extreme state of suffering, the most untamed
mind, not exist as well? Even within human existence there are different
types of people: some enjoy more life and a greater degree of happiness,
some have to undergo a greater degree of suffering. Now, all of these
differences in experience come about as a result of differences in the
causes-actions, or karma. If we go further and compare human beings to
the various forms of animal existence, we find that animals’ states of
mind are more untamed and their suffering and confusion are more
obvious. They still have a tendency to wish for happiness and avoid
suffering. Some animals are clever: if we try to catch them by giving
them some food, they try to run away, but if we are sincere and patient
in giving them food, they can come to trust us completely. Even animals,
like dogs and cats, appreciate the value of kindness; they appreciate
the value of sincerity and love.
If
there are different levels of spiritual attainment based on how tamed
the mind has become, there should also be different levels of the
untamed mind. Beyond the animal realm are states such as that of hungry
ghosts, who cannot satisfy their appetites. Hell realms are states of
existence where sufferings are so extreme that the beings there retain
hardly any power of judgment or intelligence. The sufferings in the
hells are of intense heat an intense cold. Proving that these realms
exist is beyond our ordinary logic. But we can conclude that they exist
because we know that the Buddha has proven to be so accurate, logical,
and consistent on many other important matters, like impermanence and
causation, which we can verify logically. Therefore, we can infer that
he was correct about the various levels of rebirth as well. The Buddha’s
motives for explaining the hell realms are only compassion and his
desire to teach what would be beneficial to sentient beings for freeing
themselves from the cycle of rebirth. Because he has no reason to tell
lies, these hidden things must also be true.
Every day we accept as true things that we have no direct way of
proving. I was born on July 6, 1935. I know this simply because my
mother told me and I believe her. There is no way that I can directly
perceive it or logically prove it, but by relying on someone in whom I
have confidence and who does not have any reason to tell me lies, I now
that I was born on July 6, 1935. Those deeper questions of life after
death and the existence of other realms can only be approached by
relying on scriptures. We have to prove the validity of those scriptures
by applying reason. We cannot just take a quotation at face value. We
have to study it and apply it to our lives.
The many different levels of suffering in the lower realms of existence
have been explained in different scriptures. Some of the sufferings are
so extreme they are beyond our understanding. If you take rebirth in any
of these lower realms of existence, how will you be able to bear them?
Examine whether you have created the causes and conditions for rebirth
in such lower realms of existence. As long as we are under the grip of
delusions, the strong forces of hatred and desire, we will be forced
against our will to indulge in negative actions that will actually be
the cause of our own downfall. If that is the case, then we will have to
undergo these sufferings ourselves. If you do not wish to undergo such
sufferings or you feel that you would never be able to bear such extreme
suffering; you should restrain your body, speech, and mind from
indulging in actions that will accumulate the potential for your fall
into such states. Those that have already been accumulated should be
properly purified according to the relevant practices. And since
everything is impermanent, there is no nonvirtue that cannot be
purified.
The more you reflect on these sufferings and the stronger your feeling
that they would be unbearable, the more you will see the destructive
potential of negative actions. When you mediate on these sufferings, you
should try to imagine yourself having taken rebirth in these existences
and undergoing the sufferings yourself. It is said, for example, that
when reflecting on the sufferings of the hot hells, you should imagine
your body burning, or when reflecting on the sufferings of the cold
hells, you should think that your body is freezing. The same should be
done with regard to the sufferings of animals. It is recommended that
you should go to some isolated place and try to simulate the entire
experience of such beings, trying to imagine that you are undergoing
their suffering yourself. The more powerfully you feel unable to bear
the suffering, the greater will be your fear of the lower realms. That
leads to knowledge of the destructive power of negative actions and the
suffering caused by them. Later, when you meditate on compassion, this
practice will help you to increase your compassion toward others who
indulge in very grave negative actions. For example, when Tibetans think
of the Chinese, whose negative actions consist of genocide, instead of
being angered, we try to develop a strong feeling of compassion toward
those who are so controlled by their delusions. Although these people
may not immediately undergo obvious suffering, it is only a matter of
time, because sooner or later they will have to face the consequences.
If we are able to develop a fear of suffering right now as human beings,
we have the potential, capacity, and opportunity to prevent the causes
for our own downfall. We can purify the negative and accumulate great
stores of merit. We will be able to increase the accumulation of merit
we already have, and we will be able to dedicate the merit so that it
will not be destroyed by anger. If we undertake a proper practice day to
day we will be able to make our human lives meaningful.
----o0o---
Typing: Kim Thu & Kim Chi
Update: Vinh Thai
Cập nhật: 9-2007
