Details
How Does Buddhism Transform Us? 3b
Teachers:
Collection:
- Foundations of Buddhism
Location:
- Gomde Germany-Austria
Excerpt
Khenpo Karma Gyurmey highlights ethical discipline and mindfulness as foundations for long-term spiritual growth. It emphasizes the karmic impact of actions and the role of Dharma in fostering personal and communal harmony.
Description
Khenpo Karma Gyurmey explores the role of ethical discipline in fostering a supportive environment for Dharma practice. It discusses the interconnectedness of actions and their karmic effects, emphasizing the importance of mindful behavior. The teachings encourage participants to adopt a long-term perspective on spiritual growth, rooted in patience and dedication. Meditation practices in this session focus on observing and transforming negative emotions through mindfulness and compassion. The session concludes with reflections on the potential of Dharma to create harmony within oneself and the broader community.
Related Course Info
-
How Does Buddhism Transform Us?
Our esteemed scholar-practitioner, Khenpo Karma Gyurmey, describes how each of us fully possesses the potential for realization, but that we are obscured by afflictive emotions and cognitive obscurations.
This short course is an excellent introduction to the basic concepts of Buddhism. Khenpo presents an overview of the spiritual path, and how to apply the remedies to our problems.
Video
Audio
46:59
Now, the important thing is again,
devotion is not something that you
use your logic mind and
then one day it will just come up.
It's not like that.
It's like, you know, when you try to make a picture out of puzzles. Devotion is like that. So it is coming from many, many pieces of puzzles and when you put together then it becomes a devotion.
So that's why you either like it or you don't like it. Every morning when the gong starts you have to come here and do the prostations, go through the chant, recitation. Sometimes you feel happy, sometimes you don't feel, sometimes you feel sleepy, but you do it.
Now many times we ask questions, so
how I know that I'm really accumulating the merit for my devotion?
Again it goes back to the very foundation of Buddhist view. If you believe in the view of dependent origination that every phenomena comes from the cause and every cause has a result and it makes sense. Otherwise it's a little bit difficult.
It's like this.
Each time you do something, let's say each time when you do the prostration you're bringing one piece's of puzzle. Yeah. Let's say if you are looking at the picture and the picture is made out of, I don't know, thousands, thousands of pixels, right? The combination of pixels. So each time you do accumulation you're bringing the one pixels of that picture. But of course the problem is if you look at just one pixel and trying to find the whole picture then you won't see it. But it doesn't mean that each time you bring a pixel it becomes a part of whole picture. And similarly when we do the recitations, when we do the visualizations, even though you don't see Vajrasattva in front of you, but each time you do you're going one step more further.
Even though you don't see something, lights coming out of your head, but each time you do actually as long as you believe in the
law of dependent origination you're putting one pixel. But it's just that you're looking just at the one pixel that's why you're not seeing the whole picture.
So that's why devotion is not that it happens one day but it has to be built by habits and that's why it's important to keep doing it even though initially you don't see much kind of obvious signs of devotions or blessings. Continuity is very very important.
And I think there are many many stories of mahasiddhas when they practice, you know, how much they put effort and how much they were kind of being patient. I think these days we are not very patient because everything is happening so fast and we also like to see that in Dharma and that's why I say that practicing Dharma is like investing in hydropower. You really have to be patient and wait. If you're too soon to evaluate yourself then frustration and disappointment will be quite strong.
So what I was trying to say is that devotion is a communication system and once you have it then the system is like you got the passport. It will work and until it's difficult.
And the good thing in the Vajrayāna is that even though I don't have a devotion you can ask your deity please give me a devotion. In the Sūtrayāna you cannot really do that. You have to do it by yourself. But in Vajrayāna you have permission saying please give me a devotion.
In Sūtrayāna you have to figure out your own passport but in the Vajrayāna you have a right to ask and give me a wisdom, give me a devotion, give me a compassion. You can do that.
So I just thought this is a... as a...
who engage in Vajrayāna it's important to have this kind of view so that you don't get... you don't stop your practice just because of small, small things.
Now you have to be a little bit, how to say, brave. It's like when you do a big, big business and you have to be, how to say, brave or courage.
If you are too scared that oh it might work, it might not work, or I might not get profit then it's very difficult to do a big business. So Vajrayāna is like doing a big business. You have to be a little bit being able to let go also, not thinking too much, only about the profit.
And sometimes... now there's one gradual path where you go from the Sūtrayāna and then you go to the Vajrayāna. And sometimes you directly go to the Vajrayāna. Now there's again pros and cons. People who go gradually, there's a more challenging because there's many transition periods that you have to pass through and some of them are quite difficult. But you are kind of quite safe. You came with lots of preparation. The people who go directly to the Vajrayāna, if they're lucky, and they have more chances because they don't have to go through all these transition periods because you know, you don't have pre-concepts. But at the same time, it's a little bit dangerous. You might completely get it or you might completely lose it.
So there's not much middle way. So it depends on our karmic connection, which one is you. But mostly, ideally, is that you start with the Sūtrayāna. You have some foundations. And then, yes, there are some challenges when you go to the Sūtrayāna, to Vajrayāna transition period. But slowly, slowly, you will be used to it.
Even as a monk, you know, when we study nine years, so all these seven years, we study about the Sūtrayāna logic. And our mind is so much, how to say, so much, habituate, habituate to the logic. And then suddenly, Vajrasattva comes in the seven, eight, and nine years. It's not difficult. It's because it's not easy, you know. But that's ideally, that's how you do it. So if you go gradually, then you have to have some confidence in yourself. If you go directly, then you have to have a confidence in your Guru.
Otherwise, difficult.
And again, when it comes to Guru, then again it comes to this. Devotion and Guru thing, yeah? So you have to play that game. We don't have much choice. And sometimes we blame Guru, I'm giving too much devotion, you know, it's not worth for that kind of blessing. And sometimes we feel, oh, I'm so lucky, even though I didn't give much devotion, but so much blessings I got it. So these ups and downs will be there.
But the point is that you have to take more responsibility, because Guru is Guru. He is already Guru. So what matters is you, because you are still a student. And it's about you, not the Guru. And you have to push. You have to be more patient. Even though sometimes you get angry, you can go back, but you have to come back. Like when you fight with your parents, yeah? You don't just run away.
Actually, if you look at, in this, I always feel a little bit uh, hesitate when you read these words, the requesting turn the wheel of Dharma. It is said that in accordance with the capabilities and the diverse aspiration of sentient beings, yeah?
So in the text says that there are three types of Guru. Let's say the teacher, perfect teacher, almost perfect teacher, and the wrong teacher. They literally use the word. I thought that's a little bit too strong. So the perfect teacher is a Buddha.
So he knows exactly this accordance with the different capabilities and the diverse aspirations of each person. But when he teaches, even the one word is not wasted. It would really... That's why if you look at the story of Buddha, you don't, sometimes you feel that they just make up the story. Oh, he was teaching this lay person. Then after one week, he become an arhat, you know? After three weeks, he become an arhat. Then you think that that's not possible, yeah? How it can be. But when you have that kind of teacher, then it's possible. Because each word is like perfect medicine for your disease. Now, almost perfect teacher is bodhisattvas, like Manjushri, those are quite good, but still not like Buddha. And then you have teacher like me, human teacher, and it's actually called the wrong teacher. Because what we are trying to do is, we are only guessing, we have no idea.
First of all, our communication system is very, very confusing.
We depends... Good teachers, they use maybe 50% verbal, then maybe, I don't know, 40% this and that. But we have only this, number one. Number two, I was born in such a place, you are born in other side of the world, you know, and then we grow up in so much different culture and background and pre-concepts. So as me, I am teaching as we really guessing each other and just assuming to communicate, but it's very, very difficult to communicate.
But unfortunately, we don't have that kind of luxuries, yeah? To listen teachings from the perfect teacher or the almost perfect teacher. Of course, we make aspirations. So what we have available is the human teacher, the wrong teachers.
But having said that, um...
it's like this. I cannot really teach you what is, what is the reality. You know, I don't have the capability, but I can teach you what is the illusion, right? That's we can do, not that difficult. I cannot teach you much about wisdom, but I can teach you about disturbing emotions, you know, anger and this kind of things. So at least you recognize that anger is not wisdom. I understand that, right? So that's only we can do. And especially, yeah, people like me who came from, who don't know much about the west and western mind and all these kind of things. So it's difficult to,
because when I teach to the traditional way, is that you just repeat. And this is the authentic way to do it. If you translate, it's not authentic Dharma. You know, it's considered. So many Lamas even really, they kind of shout like people like us that you are not teaching Dharma actually, you are just talking about your thoughts, you know, your emotions. That's not Dharma. Dharma is something that you just repeat what your guru says.
It's true. But in terms of accessibility, yeah, the communication system, again, it's not really, it doesn't work that way, unfortunately.
So sometimes I feel like I'm not teaching Dharma, but I'm translating Dharma. Maybe not in the, not in the, how to say, word translation, but and as in the meaning.
Yeah, anyway, so what I was trying to say is that guru is important. And if you are following the gradual path, it's really important to have a confidence into yourself. But if you're following the direct path to the guru, then having a confidence in guru is most important, more important than having confidence in yourself.
Actually, having confidence in yourself is almost obstacles when you do that.
Now, maybe I will say this also, since Dharma is coming from east to west, and I have a lot of, how to say, hope in the western Dharma, because somehow it is based on the wisdom, yeah, not on the culture. That's why I really have a lot of hope that maybe it might take some, and even though how it is growing up is a little bit scary, because it seems like it's not growing organically, it's growing like you have put something in there. It's not like naturally growing. So sometimes when it's not natural, also you have to be careful, yeah. It's like, you know, when the things not grow up naturally, it might grow up very fast, then it sometimes might lose its vitamins or essence.
But of course it's very good.
And one thing if you practice, you always see this, whether it's in sutra you always see this, whether it's in sutra and whether it's in mantra,
especially people who are engaged in the Vajrayāna, we have these challenges that choosing the path of wisdom and path of skillful means, yeah. Although, these two are like two wings of birds, yeah, but when you actually practice, it might seem like many times they contradict.
And thus we don't like again, yeah. In our path, we like that doesn't contradicts. Whatever comes contradicts, we don't like it. That's how our duality mind is trained to. Now, we might think that this contradiction is actually a problem in our path. But from the Dharma's point of view, actually this contradiction is like intentionally created so that you don't fall into the one extremes. Yeah, so you remain into the middle way.
So there are many, many contradictions. Even if you read the, let's say very simple text like Prajñāpāramitā, Heart Sutra, if you look at literally, so many contradictions.
If you look at the words, there's no I, there's no, and it says there's no cessation, there's no path, yeah. And then just few lines later, Buddha will say, all the Buddhas become a Buddha through this path, and reach the enlightenment through this path. So how you understand that, yeah? He just said there's no enlightenment, there's no path, and then just few he say, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas came from this path.
And then he will say that you should recite this mantra. This is the most profound mantra, gate, gate paragate... and he just said that there's no suffering, there's no samsara, and he said this is the most profound mantra, it will transcend you from the suffering and the samsara. So it's very confusing, yeah? And even the word when he says, form is emptiness, yeah, that makes sense. And then he says emptiness is form, wow, what happened in that? It doesn't make sense, right?
If the form is emptiness, then how can emptiness be form?
So this is Buddha intentionally use this, how to say, category lines, so that we don't fall into the one extreme.
Now, generally speaking, I think.
in Asia, let's say in our culture in the West, maybe it's my just perception, I have no right to judge the West, because I don't know, but it's my opinion.
So in our area,
mostly we have this path of skillful means and path of wisdom. And of course, some people have a more fit into the path of wisdom and think this is the only way, some people have more fit into the path of skillful means, they think this is good. Of course, it's not about right and wrong, it's about, you know, it's like a right wing is good, bad wing is, left wing is good. It's not like that. Both wings are good, but it only depends how you use it.
Even if you look at how the bird's wing works, actually they are contradicts. So when the right wing does like this, it pushes to the left. And when the left wing does like this, it pushes to the right. So they are actually contradicting each other. But when you have a proper balance, it helps you to go forward. So bird doesn't go like this, he goes like this, just because he has two wings. If he has only one wing, he only goes this way or that way. He will never go forward. Similarly, in Buddhism, there are many, many paths like that, even though it seems like a contradict, but when you put two contradict things together, and then you reach somewhere, this is the Buddhist theory and practice they use. But although it sounds a little bit strange.
So as a practitioner, it is important not to fall into these extremes of, I call it being irresponsible practitioner or arrogant practitioner. When you fall into the extremes of the wisdom, you become an arrogant practitioner.
And when you fall into the extremes of this path of skillful means, you become a little bit irresponsible practitioners.
So meaning that, I think with Tibetans, we are more like irresponsible practitioners. Like, I mean, I'm talking about general people that, that, oh Buddha will take care of everything. I just go pray and I will count my, you know, 100,000 this and that, and then that will be okay. And maybe I will do some prayer, just do some kora, and then that's it. So, oh, I should study by myself, I should contemplate, I should really investigate my own mind, whether it's improving or not. We don't have this culture of the wisdom. So I think this is a little bit like falling into the, being a little bit, not taking responsibilities of being a real Buddhist.
Now I think in the other way, maybe you can say a little bit western part, since many times when you don't understand how these skillful paths are not the result, but the path, and as long as it function as a path, it doesn't really matter whether this comes from India or Tibet or, you know, Himalayan regions or from the sea, it doesn't really matter. But when you don't understand that, then you try to, oh, this is Indian thing, this is Tibetan thing, yeah.
So,
when you stuck with the path, and not understanding it as a path, then there's a danger that you disregard all these path of skillful means. And if you think that, okay, all these pujas and cultural things are Tibetan and Indian things, I will become enlightened by reading a lot of books. It's not going to happen. Yeah, really very difficult. Otherwise, not just going to be happen, but it might be really painful at the end. Because more you try to find the answer, more your questions will be multiplied.
So it's important to have both wisdom, understanding that ultimately, the wisdom is the actual path. But having said that, the wisdom cannot begin without depending on the path of skillful means. And then, the path of skillful means, we can say that Vajrasattva, why he's wearing Indian robes, yeah? Not a Tibetan robes. Well, it's really not about whether Vajrasattva's robe is Indian or not, but what Vajrasattva's robes,
how to say, symbolize. That's the point, yeah? So as long as you understand the symbolisms of the Vajrasattva's robe and and the colors, then it really doesn't matter whether it is Indian or Tibetan or Western. Maybe sometimes you feel a little bit comfortable, uncomfortable, probably if you see Tara as a proper Western woman, probably you feel more connection because now she looks a little bit different or sometimes maybe it might be more obstacles, I don't know. But these small, small things, yeah, it might make different. But that's not the point. The point is that what is, again, we are working with the language of symbolism. So if you understand the meaning of symbol, then that's fine. You should not be too stuck with the path itself.
So it's important to be in not falling into the one extremes of being a arrogant practitioners and disregarding all the skillful means paths that will be very difficult, especially in Vajrayāna. But at the same time, if you just pray and think that Buddha will take care of everything, I don't have to do anything, and that's also being a little bit irresponsible practitioners. Of course, praying is one thing and also you have to do it by yourself. Taking some responsibility is important.
Yeah, so what.
So what I was trying to say was that view is important. And those who practice engaging in Mahāyāna in general, especially Vajrayāna, it's important to know the language of Vajrayāna, the communication system of Vajrayāna. Otherwise, you might misunderstand or you might have a challenge of being contradict between Sūtrayāna path and the Mantrayāna path. And once you are in Vajrayāna, the devotion is very, very, one of the most, you can say the only communication systems that you have. So if you have a devotion, then the communication system works very well, unless the communication system is difficult. And as a student, you have more responsibility than the Guru or teacher.
And a, Also there's a danger that we might fall into the extremes of wisdom and the skillful means and become arrogant or irresponsible practitioners. You should not do that. It's not about right and wrong. It's about how you use it. There's sometimes you have to use the wisdom path and there's sometimes where you have to use the skillful mean path and they should work each other, complement each other, not to, how to say, eliminate each other.
And that's why if you look at the Śāntideva's Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, and he goes all this compassion, all the five pāramitās, and very at the end, when it comes to wisdom, and he says, all these practice, from the generosity to the concentration are meant to produce this wisdom. Yeah, if all these, our practice does not produce this wisdom, then your practice is a little bit like not completed. So the wisdom and the compassion also should be kind of helping each other, implementing each other, rather than canceling each other. But of course, in the first sentence, when we think about compassion, and when you think about like emptiness, it might sound like they contradict. When you think about compassion, kind of wisdom goes away. And when you think about emptiness, compassion might seems like going away. But that's only our imagination. Duality is, how to say, interpretation. But when you actually realize, it's not like that.
So yeah, maybe I'll stop here.
I promise I will start text tomorrow.
Okay, so maybe let's meditate for five, ten minutes. Just try to contemplate on what we have heard.
So dedication of merit, page number 18.
künsang dorjé chang chen men ché né drinchen tsawai lama yenché kyi drowai dön du mönlam gang tapa dedak thamché deng dir drupar shok May all the aspirations for the benefit of beings from Samantabhadra and Great Vajradhara down until our kind root guru be accomplished this very day.
sönam diyi thamché sikpa nyi thopné nyepai dranam phamjé né kyega nachi balap trukpa yi sipai tsolé drowa drölwar shok By this merit, may I attain omniscience. Having defeated the enemy, misdeeds, may I free all beings from the ocean of existnce, with stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.
jangchup semchok rinpoché ma kyepa nam kyé gyurchik kyepa nyampa mepa yang gongné gongdu phelwar shok May the supreme and precious mind of enlightenment awaken in those where it has not yet arisen. Where it has arisen, may it never decrease, but continue to flourish forever more. Okay, thank you.
It's like, you know, when you try to make a picture out of puzzles. Devotion is like that. So it is coming from many, many pieces of puzzles and when you put together then it becomes a devotion.
So that's why you either like it or you don't like it. Every morning when the gong starts you have to come here and do the prostations, go through the chant, recitation. Sometimes you feel happy, sometimes you don't feel, sometimes you feel sleepy, but you do it.
Now many times we ask questions, so
how I know that I'm really accumulating the merit for my devotion?
Again it goes back to the very foundation of Buddhist view. If you believe in the view of dependent origination that every phenomena comes from the cause and every cause has a result and it makes sense. Otherwise it's a little bit difficult.
It's like this.
Each time you do something, let's say each time when you do the prostration you're bringing one piece's of puzzle. Yeah. Let's say if you are looking at the picture and the picture is made out of, I don't know, thousands, thousands of pixels, right? The combination of pixels. So each time you do accumulation you're bringing the one pixels of that picture. But of course the problem is if you look at just one pixel and trying to find the whole picture then you won't see it. But it doesn't mean that each time you bring a pixel it becomes a part of whole picture. And similarly when we do the recitations, when we do the visualizations, even though you don't see Vajrasattva in front of you, but each time you do you're going one step more further.
Even though you don't see something, lights coming out of your head, but each time you do actually as long as you believe in the
law of dependent origination you're putting one pixel. But it's just that you're looking just at the one pixel that's why you're not seeing the whole picture.
So that's why devotion is not that it happens one day but it has to be built by habits and that's why it's important to keep doing it even though initially you don't see much kind of obvious signs of devotions or blessings. Continuity is very very important.
And I think there are many many stories of mahasiddhas when they practice, you know, how much they put effort and how much they were kind of being patient. I think these days we are not very patient because everything is happening so fast and we also like to see that in Dharma and that's why I say that practicing Dharma is like investing in hydropower. You really have to be patient and wait. If you're too soon to evaluate yourself then frustration and disappointment will be quite strong.
So what I was trying to say is that devotion is a communication system and once you have it then the system is like you got the passport. It will work and until it's difficult.
And the good thing in the Vajrayāna is that even though I don't have a devotion you can ask your deity please give me a devotion. In the Sūtrayāna you cannot really do that. You have to do it by yourself. But in Vajrayāna you have permission saying please give me a devotion.
In Sūtrayāna you have to figure out your own passport but in the Vajrayāna you have a right to ask and give me a wisdom, give me a devotion, give me a compassion. You can do that.
So I just thought this is a... as a...
who engage in Vajrayāna it's important to have this kind of view so that you don't get... you don't stop your practice just because of small, small things.
Now you have to be a little bit, how to say, brave. It's like when you do a big, big business and you have to be, how to say, brave or courage.
If you are too scared that oh it might work, it might not work, or I might not get profit then it's very difficult to do a big business. So Vajrayāna is like doing a big business. You have to be a little bit being able to let go also, not thinking too much, only about the profit.
And sometimes... now there's one gradual path where you go from the Sūtrayāna and then you go to the Vajrayāna. And sometimes you directly go to the Vajrayāna. Now there's again pros and cons. People who go gradually, there's a more challenging because there's many transition periods that you have to pass through and some of them are quite difficult. But you are kind of quite safe. You came with lots of preparation. The people who go directly to the Vajrayāna, if they're lucky, and they have more chances because they don't have to go through all these transition periods because you know, you don't have pre-concepts. But at the same time, it's a little bit dangerous. You might completely get it or you might completely lose it.
So there's not much middle way. So it depends on our karmic connection, which one is you. But mostly, ideally, is that you start with the Sūtrayāna. You have some foundations. And then, yes, there are some challenges when you go to the Sūtrayāna, to Vajrayāna transition period. But slowly, slowly, you will be used to it.
Even as a monk, you know, when we study nine years, so all these seven years, we study about the Sūtrayāna logic. And our mind is so much, how to say, so much, habituate, habituate to the logic. And then suddenly, Vajrasattva comes in the seven, eight, and nine years. It's not difficult. It's because it's not easy, you know. But that's ideally, that's how you do it. So if you go gradually, then you have to have some confidence in yourself. If you go directly, then you have to have a confidence in your Guru.
Otherwise, difficult.
And again, when it comes to Guru, then again it comes to this. Devotion and Guru thing, yeah? So you have to play that game. We don't have much choice. And sometimes we blame Guru, I'm giving too much devotion, you know, it's not worth for that kind of blessing. And sometimes we feel, oh, I'm so lucky, even though I didn't give much devotion, but so much blessings I got it. So these ups and downs will be there.
But the point is that you have to take more responsibility, because Guru is Guru. He is already Guru. So what matters is you, because you are still a student. And it's about you, not the Guru. And you have to push. You have to be more patient. Even though sometimes you get angry, you can go back, but you have to come back. Like when you fight with your parents, yeah? You don't just run away.
Actually, if you look at, in this, I always feel a little bit uh, hesitate when you read these words, the requesting turn the wheel of Dharma. It is said that in accordance with the capabilities and the diverse aspiration of sentient beings, yeah?
So in the text says that there are three types of Guru. Let's say the teacher, perfect teacher, almost perfect teacher, and the wrong teacher. They literally use the word. I thought that's a little bit too strong. So the perfect teacher is a Buddha.
So he knows exactly this accordance with the different capabilities and the diverse aspirations of each person. But when he teaches, even the one word is not wasted. It would really... That's why if you look at the story of Buddha, you don't, sometimes you feel that they just make up the story. Oh, he was teaching this lay person. Then after one week, he become an arhat, you know? After three weeks, he become an arhat. Then you think that that's not possible, yeah? How it can be. But when you have that kind of teacher, then it's possible. Because each word is like perfect medicine for your disease. Now, almost perfect teacher is bodhisattvas, like Manjushri, those are quite good, but still not like Buddha. And then you have teacher like me, human teacher, and it's actually called the wrong teacher. Because what we are trying to do is, we are only guessing, we have no idea.
First of all, our communication system is very, very confusing.
We depends... Good teachers, they use maybe 50% verbal, then maybe, I don't know, 40% this and that. But we have only this, number one. Number two, I was born in such a place, you are born in other side of the world, you know, and then we grow up in so much different culture and background and pre-concepts. So as me, I am teaching as we really guessing each other and just assuming to communicate, but it's very, very difficult to communicate.
But unfortunately, we don't have that kind of luxuries, yeah? To listen teachings from the perfect teacher or the almost perfect teacher. Of course, we make aspirations. So what we have available is the human teacher, the wrong teachers.
But having said that, um...
it's like this. I cannot really teach you what is, what is the reality. You know, I don't have the capability, but I can teach you what is the illusion, right? That's we can do, not that difficult. I cannot teach you much about wisdom, but I can teach you about disturbing emotions, you know, anger and this kind of things. So at least you recognize that anger is not wisdom. I understand that, right? So that's only we can do. And especially, yeah, people like me who came from, who don't know much about the west and western mind and all these kind of things. So it's difficult to,
because when I teach to the traditional way, is that you just repeat. And this is the authentic way to do it. If you translate, it's not authentic Dharma. You know, it's considered. So many Lamas even really, they kind of shout like people like us that you are not teaching Dharma actually, you are just talking about your thoughts, you know, your emotions. That's not Dharma. Dharma is something that you just repeat what your guru says.
It's true. But in terms of accessibility, yeah, the communication system, again, it's not really, it doesn't work that way, unfortunately.
So sometimes I feel like I'm not teaching Dharma, but I'm translating Dharma. Maybe not in the, not in the, how to say, word translation, but and as in the meaning.
Yeah, anyway, so what I was trying to say is that guru is important. And if you are following the gradual path, it's really important to have a confidence into yourself. But if you're following the direct path to the guru, then having a confidence in guru is most important, more important than having confidence in yourself.
Actually, having confidence in yourself is almost obstacles when you do that.
Now, maybe I will say this also, since Dharma is coming from east to west, and I have a lot of, how to say, hope in the western Dharma, because somehow it is based on the wisdom, yeah, not on the culture. That's why I really have a lot of hope that maybe it might take some, and even though how it is growing up is a little bit scary, because it seems like it's not growing organically, it's growing like you have put something in there. It's not like naturally growing. So sometimes when it's not natural, also you have to be careful, yeah. It's like, you know, when the things not grow up naturally, it might grow up very fast, then it sometimes might lose its vitamins or essence.
But of course it's very good.
And one thing if you practice, you always see this, whether it's in sutra you always see this, whether it's in sutra and whether it's in mantra,
especially people who are engaged in the Vajrayāna, we have these challenges that choosing the path of wisdom and path of skillful means, yeah. Although, these two are like two wings of birds, yeah, but when you actually practice, it might seem like many times they contradict.
And thus we don't like again, yeah. In our path, we like that doesn't contradicts. Whatever comes contradicts, we don't like it. That's how our duality mind is trained to. Now, we might think that this contradiction is actually a problem in our path. But from the Dharma's point of view, actually this contradiction is like intentionally created so that you don't fall into the one extremes. Yeah, so you remain into the middle way.
So there are many, many contradictions. Even if you read the, let's say very simple text like Prajñāpāramitā, Heart Sutra, if you look at literally, so many contradictions.
If you look at the words, there's no I, there's no, and it says there's no cessation, there's no path, yeah. And then just few lines later, Buddha will say, all the Buddhas become a Buddha through this path, and reach the enlightenment through this path. So how you understand that, yeah? He just said there's no enlightenment, there's no path, and then just few he say, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas came from this path.
And then he will say that you should recite this mantra. This is the most profound mantra, gate, gate paragate... and he just said that there's no suffering, there's no samsara, and he said this is the most profound mantra, it will transcend you from the suffering and the samsara. So it's very confusing, yeah? And even the word when he says, form is emptiness, yeah, that makes sense. And then he says emptiness is form, wow, what happened in that? It doesn't make sense, right?
If the form is emptiness, then how can emptiness be form?
So this is Buddha intentionally use this, how to say, category lines, so that we don't fall into the one extreme.
Now, generally speaking, I think.
in Asia, let's say in our culture in the West, maybe it's my just perception, I have no right to judge the West, because I don't know, but it's my opinion.
So in our area,
mostly we have this path of skillful means and path of wisdom. And of course, some people have a more fit into the path of wisdom and think this is the only way, some people have more fit into the path of skillful means, they think this is good. Of course, it's not about right and wrong, it's about, you know, it's like a right wing is good, bad wing is, left wing is good. It's not like that. Both wings are good, but it only depends how you use it.
Even if you look at how the bird's wing works, actually they are contradicts. So when the right wing does like this, it pushes to the left. And when the left wing does like this, it pushes to the right. So they are actually contradicting each other. But when you have a proper balance, it helps you to go forward. So bird doesn't go like this, he goes like this, just because he has two wings. If he has only one wing, he only goes this way or that way. He will never go forward. Similarly, in Buddhism, there are many, many paths like that, even though it seems like a contradict, but when you put two contradict things together, and then you reach somewhere, this is the Buddhist theory and practice they use. But although it sounds a little bit strange.
So as a practitioner, it is important not to fall into these extremes of, I call it being irresponsible practitioner or arrogant practitioner. When you fall into the extremes of the wisdom, you become an arrogant practitioner.
And when you fall into the extremes of this path of skillful means, you become a little bit irresponsible practitioners.
So meaning that, I think with Tibetans, we are more like irresponsible practitioners. Like, I mean, I'm talking about general people that, that, oh Buddha will take care of everything. I just go pray and I will count my, you know, 100,000 this and that, and then that will be okay. And maybe I will do some prayer, just do some kora, and then that's it. So, oh, I should study by myself, I should contemplate, I should really investigate my own mind, whether it's improving or not. We don't have this culture of the wisdom. So I think this is a little bit like falling into the, being a little bit, not taking responsibilities of being a real Buddhist.
Now I think in the other way, maybe you can say a little bit western part, since many times when you don't understand how these skillful paths are not the result, but the path, and as long as it function as a path, it doesn't really matter whether this comes from India or Tibet or, you know, Himalayan regions or from the sea, it doesn't really matter. But when you don't understand that, then you try to, oh, this is Indian thing, this is Tibetan thing, yeah.
So,
when you stuck with the path, and not understanding it as a path, then there's a danger that you disregard all these path of skillful means. And if you think that, okay, all these pujas and cultural things are Tibetan and Indian things, I will become enlightened by reading a lot of books. It's not going to happen. Yeah, really very difficult. Otherwise, not just going to be happen, but it might be really painful at the end. Because more you try to find the answer, more your questions will be multiplied.
So it's important to have both wisdom, understanding that ultimately, the wisdom is the actual path. But having said that, the wisdom cannot begin without depending on the path of skillful means. And then, the path of skillful means, we can say that Vajrasattva, why he's wearing Indian robes, yeah? Not a Tibetan robes. Well, it's really not about whether Vajrasattva's robe is Indian or not, but what Vajrasattva's robes,
how to say, symbolize. That's the point, yeah? So as long as you understand the symbolisms of the Vajrasattva's robe and and the colors, then it really doesn't matter whether it is Indian or Tibetan or Western. Maybe sometimes you feel a little bit comfortable, uncomfortable, probably if you see Tara as a proper Western woman, probably you feel more connection because now she looks a little bit different or sometimes maybe it might be more obstacles, I don't know. But these small, small things, yeah, it might make different. But that's not the point. The point is that what is, again, we are working with the language of symbolism. So if you understand the meaning of symbol, then that's fine. You should not be too stuck with the path itself.
So it's important to be in not falling into the one extremes of being a arrogant practitioners and disregarding all the skillful means paths that will be very difficult, especially in Vajrayāna. But at the same time, if you just pray and think that Buddha will take care of everything, I don't have to do anything, and that's also being a little bit irresponsible practitioners. Of course, praying is one thing and also you have to do it by yourself. Taking some responsibility is important.
Yeah, so what.
So what I was trying to say was that view is important. And those who practice engaging in Mahāyāna in general, especially Vajrayāna, it's important to know the language of Vajrayāna, the communication system of Vajrayāna. Otherwise, you might misunderstand or you might have a challenge of being contradict between Sūtrayāna path and the Mantrayāna path. And once you are in Vajrayāna, the devotion is very, very, one of the most, you can say the only communication systems that you have. So if you have a devotion, then the communication system works very well, unless the communication system is difficult. And as a student, you have more responsibility than the Guru or teacher.
And a, Also there's a danger that we might fall into the extremes of wisdom and the skillful means and become arrogant or irresponsible practitioners. You should not do that. It's not about right and wrong. It's about how you use it. There's sometimes you have to use the wisdom path and there's sometimes where you have to use the skillful mean path and they should work each other, complement each other, not to, how to say, eliminate each other.
And that's why if you look at the Śāntideva's Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, and he goes all this compassion, all the five pāramitās, and very at the end, when it comes to wisdom, and he says, all these practice, from the generosity to the concentration are meant to produce this wisdom. Yeah, if all these, our practice does not produce this wisdom, then your practice is a little bit like not completed. So the wisdom and the compassion also should be kind of helping each other, implementing each other, rather than canceling each other. But of course, in the first sentence, when we think about compassion, and when you think about like emptiness, it might sound like they contradict. When you think about compassion, kind of wisdom goes away. And when you think about emptiness, compassion might seems like going away. But that's only our imagination. Duality is, how to say, interpretation. But when you actually realize, it's not like that.
So yeah, maybe I'll stop here.
I promise I will start text tomorrow.
Okay, so maybe let's meditate for five, ten minutes. Just try to contemplate on what we have heard.
So dedication of merit, page number 18.
künsang dorjé chang chen men ché né drinchen tsawai lama yenché kyi drowai dön du mönlam gang tapa dedak thamché deng dir drupar shok May all the aspirations for the benefit of beings from Samantabhadra and Great Vajradhara down until our kind root guru be accomplished this very day.
sönam diyi thamché sikpa nyi thopné nyepai dranam phamjé né kyega nachi balap trukpa yi sipai tsolé drowa drölwar shok By this merit, may I attain omniscience. Having defeated the enemy, misdeeds, may I free all beings from the ocean of existnce, with stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.
jangchup semchok rinpoché ma kyepa nam kyé gyurchik kyepa nyampa mepa yang gongné gongdu phelwar shok May the supreme and precious mind of enlightenment awaken in those where it has not yet arisen. Where it has arisen, may it never decrease, but continue to flourish forever more. Okay, thank you.
19:54
Now, the important thing is again,
devotion is not something that you
use your logic mind and
then one day it will just come up.
It's not like that.
It's like, you know, when you try to make a picture out of puzzles. Devotion is like that. So it is coming from many, many pieces of puzzles and when you put together then it becomes a devotion.
So that's why you either like it or you don't like it. Every morning when the gong starts you have to come here and do the prostations, go through the chant, recitation. Sometimes you feel happy, sometimes you don't feel, sometimes you feel sleepy, but you do it.
Now many times we ask questions, so
how I know that I'm really accumulating the merit for my devotion?
Again it goes back to the very foundation of Buddhist view. If you believe in the view of dependent origination that every phenomena comes from the cause and every cause has a result and it makes sense. Otherwise it's a little bit difficult.
It's like this.
Each time you do something, let's say each time when you do the prostration you're bringing one piece's of puzzle. Yeah. Let's say if you are looking at the picture and the picture is made out of, I don't know, thousands, thousands of pixels, right? The combination of pixels. So each time you do accumulation you're bringing the one pixels of that picture. But of course the problem is if you look at just one pixel and trying to find the whole picture then you won't see it. But it doesn't mean that each time you bring a pixel it becomes a part of whole picture. And similarly when we do the recitations, when we do the visualizations, even though you don't see Vajrasattva in front of you, but each time you do you're going one step more further.
Even though you don't see something, lights coming out of your head, but each time you do actually as long as you believe in the
law of dependent origination you're putting one pixel. But it's just that you're looking just at the one pixel that's why you're not seeing the whole picture.
So that's why devotion is not that it happens one day but it has to be built by habits and that's why it's important to keep doing it even though initially you don't see much kind of obvious signs of devotions or blessings. Continuity is very very important.
And I think there are many many stories of mahasiddhas when they practice, you know, how much they put effort and how much they were kind of being patient. I think these days we are not very patient because everything is happening so fast and we also like to see that in Dharma and that's why I say that practicing Dharma is like investing in hydropower. You really have to be patient and wait. If you're too soon to evaluate yourself then frustration and disappointment will be quite strong.
So what I was trying to say is that devotion is a communication system and once you have it then the system is like you got the passport. It will work and until it's difficult.
And the good thing in the Vajrayāna is that even though I don't have a devotion you can ask your deity please give me a devotion. In the Sūtrayāna you cannot really do that. You have to do it by yourself. But in Vajrayāna you have permission saying please give me a devotion.
In Sūtrayāna you have to figure out your own passport but in the Vajrayāna you have a right to ask and give me a wisdom, give me a devotion, give me a compassion. You can do that.
So I just thought this is a... as a...
who engage in Vajrayāna it's important to have this kind of view so that you don't get... you don't stop your practice just because of small, small things.
Now you have to be a little bit, how to say, brave. It's like when you do a big, big business and you have to be, how to say, brave or courage.
If you are too scared that oh it might work, it might not work, or I might not get profit then it's very difficult to do a big business. So Vajrayāna is like doing a big business. You have to be a little bit being able to let go also, not thinking too much, only about the profit.
And sometimes... now there's one gradual path where you go from the Sūtrayāna and then you go to the Vajrayāna. And sometimes you directly go to the Vajrayāna. Now there's again pros and cons. People who go gradually, there's a more challenging because there's many transition periods that you have to pass through and some of them are quite difficult. But you are kind of quite safe. You came with lots of preparation. The people who go directly to the Vajrayāna, if they're lucky, and they have more chances because they don't have to go through all these transition periods because you know, you don't have pre-concepts. But at the same time, it's a little bit dangerous. You might completely get it or you might completely lose it.
So there's not much middle way. So it depends on our karmic connection, which one is you. But mostly, ideally, is that you start with the Sūtrayāna. You have some foundations. And then, yes, there are some challenges when you go to the Sūtrayāna, to Vajrayāna transition period. But slowly, slowly, you will be used to it.
Even as a monk, you know, when we study nine years, so all these seven years, we study about the Sūtrayāna logic. And our mind is so much, how to say, so much, habituate, habituate to the logic. And then suddenly, Vajrasattva comes in the seven, eight, and nine years. It's not difficult. It's because it's not easy, you know. But that's ideally, that's how you do it. So if you go gradually, then you have to have some confidence in yourself. If you go directly, then you have to have a confidence in your Guru.
Otherwise, difficult.
And again, when it comes to Guru, then again it comes to this. Devotion and Guru thing, yeah? So you have to play that game. We don't have much choice. And sometimes we blame Guru, I'm giving too much devotion, you know, it's not worth for that kind of blessing. And sometimes we feel, oh, I'm so lucky, even though I didn't give much devotion, but so much blessings I got it. So these ups and downs will be there.
But the point is that you have to take more responsibility, because Guru is Guru. He is already Guru. So what matters is you, because you are still a student. And it's about you, not the Guru. And you have to push. You have to be more patient. Even though sometimes you get angry, you can go back, but you have to come back. Like when you fight with your parents, yeah? You don't just run away.
Actually, if you look at, in this, I always feel a little bit uh, hesitate when you read these words, the requesting turn the wheel of Dharma. It is said that in accordance with the capabilities and the diverse aspiration of sentient beings, yeah?
So in the text says that there are three types of Guru. Let's say the teacher, perfect teacher, almost perfect teacher, and the wrong teacher. They literally use the word. I thought that's a little bit too strong. So the perfect teacher is a Buddha.
So he knows exactly this accordance with the different capabilities and the diverse aspirations of each person. But when he teaches, even the one word is not wasted. It would really... That's why if you look at the story of Buddha, you don't, sometimes you feel that they just make up the story. Oh, he was teaching this lay person. Then after one week, he become an arhat, you know? After three weeks, he become an arhat. Then you think that that's not possible, yeah? How it can be. But when you have that kind of teacher, then it's possible. Because each word is like perfect medicine for your disease. Now, almost perfect teacher is bodhisattvas, like Manjushri, those are quite good, but still not like Buddha. And then you have teacher like me, human teacher, and it's actually called the wrong teacher. Because what we are trying to do is, we are only guessing, we have no idea.
First of all, our communication system is very, very confusing.
We depends... Good teachers, they use maybe 50% verbal, then maybe, I don't know, 40% this and that. But we have only this, number one. Number two, I was born in such a place, you are born in other side of the world, you know, and then we grow up in so much different culture and background and pre-concepts. So as me, I am teaching as we really guessing each other and just assuming to communicate, but it's very, very difficult to communicate.
But unfortunately, we don't have that kind of luxuries, yeah? To listen teachings from the perfect teacher or the almost perfect teacher. Of course, we make aspirations. So what we have available is the human teacher, the wrong teachers.
But having said that, um...
it's like this. I cannot really teach you what is, what is the reality. You know, I don't have the capability, but I can teach you what is the illusion, right? That's we can do, not that difficult. I cannot teach you much about wisdom, but I can teach you about disturbing emotions, you know, anger and this kind of things. So at least you recognize that anger is not wisdom. I understand that, right? So that's only we can do. And especially, yeah, people like me who came from, who don't know much about the west and western mind and all these kind of things. So it's difficult to,
because when I teach to the traditional way, is that you just repeat. And this is the authentic way to do it. If you translate, it's not authentic Dharma. You know, it's considered. So many Lamas even really, they kind of shout like people like us that you are not teaching Dharma actually, you are just talking about your thoughts, you know, your emotions. That's not Dharma. Dharma is something that you just repeat what your guru says.
It's true. But in terms of accessibility, yeah, the communication system, again, it's not really, it doesn't work that way, unfortunately.
So sometimes I feel like I'm not teaching Dharma, but I'm translating Dharma. Maybe not in the, not in the, how to say, word translation, but and as in the meaning.
Yeah, anyway, so what I was trying to say is that guru is important. And if you are following the gradual path, it's really important to have a confidence into yourself. But if you're following the direct path to the guru, then having a confidence in guru is most important, more important than having confidence in yourself.
Actually, having confidence in yourself is almost obstacles when you do that.
Now, maybe I will say this also, since Dharma is coming from east to west, and I have a lot of, how to say, hope in the western Dharma, because somehow it is based on the wisdom, yeah, not on the culture. That's why I really have a lot of hope that maybe it might take some, and even though how it is growing up is a little bit scary, because it seems like it's not growing organically, it's growing like you have put something in there. It's not like naturally growing. So sometimes when it's not natural, also you have to be careful, yeah. It's like, you know, when the things not grow up naturally, it might grow up very fast, then it sometimes might lose its vitamins or essence.
But of course it's very good.
And one thing if you practice, you always see this, whether it's in sutra you always see this, whether it's in sutra and whether it's in mantra,
especially people who are engaged in the Vajrayāna, we have these challenges that choosing the path of wisdom and path of skillful means, yeah. Although, these two are like two wings of birds, yeah, but when you actually practice, it might seem like many times they contradict.
And thus we don't like again, yeah. In our path, we like that doesn't contradicts. Whatever comes contradicts, we don't like it. That's how our duality mind is trained to. Now, we might think that this contradiction is actually a problem in our path. But from the Dharma's point of view, actually this contradiction is like intentionally created so that you don't fall into the one extremes. Yeah, so you remain into the middle way.
So there are many, many contradictions. Even if you read the, let's say very simple text like Prajñāpāramitā, Heart Sutra, if you look at literally, so many contradictions.
If you look at the words, there's no I, there's no, and it says there's no cessation, there's no path, yeah. And then just few lines later, Buddha will say, all the Buddhas become a Buddha through this path, and reach the enlightenment through this path. So how you understand that, yeah? He just said there's no enlightenment, there's no path, and then just few he say, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas came from this path.
And then he will say that you should recite this mantra. This is the most profound mantra, gate, gate paragate... and he just said that there's no suffering, there's no samsara, and he said this is the most profound mantra, it will transcend you from the suffering and the samsara. So it's very confusing, yeah? And even the word when he says, form is emptiness, yeah, that makes sense. And then he says emptiness is form, wow, what happened in that? It doesn't make sense, right?
If the form is emptiness, then how can emptiness be form?
So this is Buddha intentionally use this, how to say, category lines, so that we don't fall into the one extreme.
Now, generally speaking, I think.
in Asia, let's say in our culture in the West, maybe it's my just perception, I have no right to judge the West, because I don't know, but it's my opinion.
So in our area,
mostly we have this path of skillful means and path of wisdom. And of course, some people have a more fit into the path of wisdom and think this is the only way, some people have more fit into the path of skillful means, they think this is good. Of course, it's not about right and wrong, it's about, you know, it's like a right wing is good, bad wing is, left wing is good. It's not like that. Both wings are good, but it only depends how you use it.
Even if you look at how the bird's wing works, actually they are contradicts. So when the right wing does like this, it pushes to the left. And when the left wing does like this, it pushes to the right. So they are actually contradicting each other. But when you have a proper balance, it helps you to go forward. So bird doesn't go like this, he goes like this, just because he has two wings. If he has only one wing, he only goes this way or that way. He will never go forward. Similarly, in Buddhism, there are many, many paths like that, even though it seems like a contradict, but when you put two contradict things together, and then you reach somewhere, this is the Buddhist theory and practice they use. But although it sounds a little bit strange.
So as a practitioner, it is important not to fall into these extremes of, I call it being irresponsible practitioner or arrogant practitioner. When you fall into the extremes of the wisdom, you become an arrogant practitioner.
And when you fall into the extremes of this path of skillful means, you become a little bit irresponsible practitioners.
So meaning that, I think with Tibetans, we are more like irresponsible practitioners. Like, I mean, I'm talking about general people that, that, oh Buddha will take care of everything. I just go pray and I will count my, you know, 100,000 this and that, and then that will be okay. And maybe I will do some prayer, just do some kora, and then that's it. So, oh, I should study by myself, I should contemplate, I should really investigate my own mind, whether it's improving or not. We don't have this culture of the wisdom. So I think this is a little bit like falling into the, being a little bit, not taking responsibilities of being a real Buddhist.
Now I think in the other way, maybe you can say a little bit western part, since many times when you don't understand how these skillful paths are not the result, but the path, and as long as it function as a path, it doesn't really matter whether this comes from India or Tibet or, you know, Himalayan regions or from the sea, it doesn't really matter. But when you don't understand that, then you try to, oh, this is Indian thing, this is Tibetan thing, yeah.
So,
when you stuck with the path, and not understanding it as a path, then there's a danger that you disregard all these path of skillful means. And if you think that, okay, all these pujas and cultural things are Tibetan and Indian things, I will become enlightened by reading a lot of books. It's not going to happen. Yeah, really very difficult. Otherwise, not just going to be happen, but it might be really painful at the end. Because more you try to find the answer, more your questions will be multiplied.
So it's important to have both wisdom, understanding that ultimately, the wisdom is the actual path. But having said that, the wisdom cannot begin without depending on the path of skillful means. And then, the path of skillful means, we can say that Vajrasattva, why he's wearing Indian robes, yeah? Not a Tibetan robes. Well, it's really not about whether Vajrasattva's robe is Indian or not, but what Vajrasattva's robes,
how to say, symbolize. That's the point, yeah? So as long as you understand the symbolisms of the Vajrasattva's robe and and the colors, then it really doesn't matter whether it is Indian or Tibetan or Western. Maybe sometimes you feel a little bit comfortable, uncomfortable, probably if you see Tara as a proper Western woman, probably you feel more connection because now she looks a little bit different or sometimes maybe it might be more obstacles, I don't know. But these small, small things, yeah, it might make different. But that's not the point. The point is that what is, again, we are working with the language of symbolism. So if you understand the meaning of symbol, then that's fine. You should not be too stuck with the path itself.
So it's important to be in not falling into the one extremes of being a arrogant practitioners and disregarding all the skillful means paths that will be very difficult, especially in Vajrayāna. But at the same time, if you just pray and think that Buddha will take care of everything, I don't have to do anything, and that's also being a little bit irresponsible practitioners. Of course, praying is one thing and also you have to do it by yourself. Taking some responsibility is important.
Yeah, so what.
So what I was trying to say was that view is important. And those who practice engaging in Mahāyāna in general, especially Vajrayāna, it's important to know the language of Vajrayāna, the communication system of Vajrayāna. Otherwise, you might misunderstand or you might have a challenge of being contradict between Sūtrayāna path and the Mantrayāna path. And once you are in Vajrayāna, the devotion is very, very, one of the most, you can say the only communication systems that you have. So if you have a devotion, then the communication system works very well, unless the communication system is difficult. And as a student, you have more responsibility than the Guru or teacher.
And a, Also there's a danger that we might fall into the extremes of wisdom and the skillful means and become arrogant or irresponsible practitioners. You should not do that. It's not about right and wrong. It's about how you use it. There's sometimes you have to use the wisdom path and there's sometimes where you have to use the skillful mean path and they should work each other, complement each other, not to, how to say, eliminate each other.
And that's why if you look at the Śāntideva's Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, and he goes all this compassion, all the five pāramitās, and very at the end, when it comes to wisdom, and he says, all these practice, from the generosity to the concentration are meant to produce this wisdom. Yeah, if all these, our practice does not produce this wisdom, then your practice is a little bit like not completed. So the wisdom and the compassion also should be kind of helping each other, implementing each other, rather than canceling each other. But of course, in the first sentence, when we think about compassion, and when you think about like emptiness, it might sound like they contradict. When you think about compassion, kind of wisdom goes away. And when you think about emptiness, compassion might seems like going away. But that's only our imagination. Duality is, how to say, interpretation. But when you actually realize, it's not like that.
So yeah, maybe I'll stop here.
I promise I will start text tomorrow.
Okay, so maybe let's meditate for five, ten minutes. Just try to contemplate on what we have heard.
So dedication of merit, page number 18.
künsang dorjé chang chen men ché né drinchen tsawai lama yenché kyi drowai dön du mönlam gang tapa dedak thamché deng dir drupar shok May all the aspirations for the benefit of beings from Samantabhadra and Great Vajradhara down until our kind root guru be accomplished this very day.
sönam diyi thamché sikpa nyi thopné nyepai dranam phamjé né kyega nachi balap trukpa yi sipai tsolé drowa drölwar shok By this merit, may I attain omniscience. Having defeated the enemy, misdeeds, may I free all beings from the ocean of existnce, with stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.
jangchup semchok rinpoché ma kyepa nam kyé gyurchik kyepa nyampa mepa yang gongné gongdu phelwar shok May the supreme and precious mind of enlightenment awaken in those where it has not yet arisen. Where it has arisen, may it never decrease, but continue to flourish forever more. Okay, thank you.
It's like, you know, when you try to make a picture out of puzzles. Devotion is like that. So it is coming from many, many pieces of puzzles and when you put together then it becomes a devotion.
So that's why you either like it or you don't like it. Every morning when the gong starts you have to come here and do the prostations, go through the chant, recitation. Sometimes you feel happy, sometimes you don't feel, sometimes you feel sleepy, but you do it.
Now many times we ask questions, so
how I know that I'm really accumulating the merit for my devotion?
Again it goes back to the very foundation of Buddhist view. If you believe in the view of dependent origination that every phenomena comes from the cause and every cause has a result and it makes sense. Otherwise it's a little bit difficult.
It's like this.
Each time you do something, let's say each time when you do the prostration you're bringing one piece's of puzzle. Yeah. Let's say if you are looking at the picture and the picture is made out of, I don't know, thousands, thousands of pixels, right? The combination of pixels. So each time you do accumulation you're bringing the one pixels of that picture. But of course the problem is if you look at just one pixel and trying to find the whole picture then you won't see it. But it doesn't mean that each time you bring a pixel it becomes a part of whole picture. And similarly when we do the recitations, when we do the visualizations, even though you don't see Vajrasattva in front of you, but each time you do you're going one step more further.
Even though you don't see something, lights coming out of your head, but each time you do actually as long as you believe in the
law of dependent origination you're putting one pixel. But it's just that you're looking just at the one pixel that's why you're not seeing the whole picture.
So that's why devotion is not that it happens one day but it has to be built by habits and that's why it's important to keep doing it even though initially you don't see much kind of obvious signs of devotions or blessings. Continuity is very very important.
And I think there are many many stories of mahasiddhas when they practice, you know, how much they put effort and how much they were kind of being patient. I think these days we are not very patient because everything is happening so fast and we also like to see that in Dharma and that's why I say that practicing Dharma is like investing in hydropower. You really have to be patient and wait. If you're too soon to evaluate yourself then frustration and disappointment will be quite strong.
So what I was trying to say is that devotion is a communication system and once you have it then the system is like you got the passport. It will work and until it's difficult.
And the good thing in the Vajrayāna is that even though I don't have a devotion you can ask your deity please give me a devotion. In the Sūtrayāna you cannot really do that. You have to do it by yourself. But in Vajrayāna you have permission saying please give me a devotion.
In Sūtrayāna you have to figure out your own passport but in the Vajrayāna you have a right to ask and give me a wisdom, give me a devotion, give me a compassion. You can do that.
So I just thought this is a... as a...
who engage in Vajrayāna it's important to have this kind of view so that you don't get... you don't stop your practice just because of small, small things.
Now you have to be a little bit, how to say, brave. It's like when you do a big, big business and you have to be, how to say, brave or courage.
If you are too scared that oh it might work, it might not work, or I might not get profit then it's very difficult to do a big business. So Vajrayāna is like doing a big business. You have to be a little bit being able to let go also, not thinking too much, only about the profit.
And sometimes... now there's one gradual path where you go from the Sūtrayāna and then you go to the Vajrayāna. And sometimes you directly go to the Vajrayāna. Now there's again pros and cons. People who go gradually, there's a more challenging because there's many transition periods that you have to pass through and some of them are quite difficult. But you are kind of quite safe. You came with lots of preparation. The people who go directly to the Vajrayāna, if they're lucky, and they have more chances because they don't have to go through all these transition periods because you know, you don't have pre-concepts. But at the same time, it's a little bit dangerous. You might completely get it or you might completely lose it.
So there's not much middle way. So it depends on our karmic connection, which one is you. But mostly, ideally, is that you start with the Sūtrayāna. You have some foundations. And then, yes, there are some challenges when you go to the Sūtrayāna, to Vajrayāna transition period. But slowly, slowly, you will be used to it.
Even as a monk, you know, when we study nine years, so all these seven years, we study about the Sūtrayāna logic. And our mind is so much, how to say, so much, habituate, habituate to the logic. And then suddenly, Vajrasattva comes in the seven, eight, and nine years. It's not difficult. It's because it's not easy, you know. But that's ideally, that's how you do it. So if you go gradually, then you have to have some confidence in yourself. If you go directly, then you have to have a confidence in your Guru.
Otherwise, difficult.
And again, when it comes to Guru, then again it comes to this. Devotion and Guru thing, yeah? So you have to play that game. We don't have much choice. And sometimes we blame Guru, I'm giving too much devotion, you know, it's not worth for that kind of blessing. And sometimes we feel, oh, I'm so lucky, even though I didn't give much devotion, but so much blessings I got it. So these ups and downs will be there.
But the point is that you have to take more responsibility, because Guru is Guru. He is already Guru. So what matters is you, because you are still a student. And it's about you, not the Guru. And you have to push. You have to be more patient. Even though sometimes you get angry, you can go back, but you have to come back. Like when you fight with your parents, yeah? You don't just run away.
Actually, if you look at, in this, I always feel a little bit uh, hesitate when you read these words, the requesting turn the wheel of Dharma. It is said that in accordance with the capabilities and the diverse aspiration of sentient beings, yeah?
So in the text says that there are three types of Guru. Let's say the teacher, perfect teacher, almost perfect teacher, and the wrong teacher. They literally use the word. I thought that's a little bit too strong. So the perfect teacher is a Buddha.
So he knows exactly this accordance with the different capabilities and the diverse aspirations of each person. But when he teaches, even the one word is not wasted. It would really... That's why if you look at the story of Buddha, you don't, sometimes you feel that they just make up the story. Oh, he was teaching this lay person. Then after one week, he become an arhat, you know? After three weeks, he become an arhat. Then you think that that's not possible, yeah? How it can be. But when you have that kind of teacher, then it's possible. Because each word is like perfect medicine for your disease. Now, almost perfect teacher is bodhisattvas, like Manjushri, those are quite good, but still not like Buddha. And then you have teacher like me, human teacher, and it's actually called the wrong teacher. Because what we are trying to do is, we are only guessing, we have no idea.
First of all, our communication system is very, very confusing.
We depends... Good teachers, they use maybe 50% verbal, then maybe, I don't know, 40% this and that. But we have only this, number one. Number two, I was born in such a place, you are born in other side of the world, you know, and then we grow up in so much different culture and background and pre-concepts. So as me, I am teaching as we really guessing each other and just assuming to communicate, but it's very, very difficult to communicate.
But unfortunately, we don't have that kind of luxuries, yeah? To listen teachings from the perfect teacher or the almost perfect teacher. Of course, we make aspirations. So what we have available is the human teacher, the wrong teachers.
But having said that, um...
it's like this. I cannot really teach you what is, what is the reality. You know, I don't have the capability, but I can teach you what is the illusion, right? That's we can do, not that difficult. I cannot teach you much about wisdom, but I can teach you about disturbing emotions, you know, anger and this kind of things. So at least you recognize that anger is not wisdom. I understand that, right? So that's only we can do. And especially, yeah, people like me who came from, who don't know much about the west and western mind and all these kind of things. So it's difficult to,
because when I teach to the traditional way, is that you just repeat. And this is the authentic way to do it. If you translate, it's not authentic Dharma. You know, it's considered. So many Lamas even really, they kind of shout like people like us that you are not teaching Dharma actually, you are just talking about your thoughts, you know, your emotions. That's not Dharma. Dharma is something that you just repeat what your guru says.
It's true. But in terms of accessibility, yeah, the communication system, again, it's not really, it doesn't work that way, unfortunately.
So sometimes I feel like I'm not teaching Dharma, but I'm translating Dharma. Maybe not in the, not in the, how to say, word translation, but and as in the meaning.
Yeah, anyway, so what I was trying to say is that guru is important. And if you are following the gradual path, it's really important to have a confidence into yourself. But if you're following the direct path to the guru, then having a confidence in guru is most important, more important than having confidence in yourself.
Actually, having confidence in yourself is almost obstacles when you do that.
Now, maybe I will say this also, since Dharma is coming from east to west, and I have a lot of, how to say, hope in the western Dharma, because somehow it is based on the wisdom, yeah, not on the culture. That's why I really have a lot of hope that maybe it might take some, and even though how it is growing up is a little bit scary, because it seems like it's not growing organically, it's growing like you have put something in there. It's not like naturally growing. So sometimes when it's not natural, also you have to be careful, yeah. It's like, you know, when the things not grow up naturally, it might grow up very fast, then it sometimes might lose its vitamins or essence.
But of course it's very good.
And one thing if you practice, you always see this, whether it's in sutra you always see this, whether it's in sutra and whether it's in mantra,
especially people who are engaged in the Vajrayāna, we have these challenges that choosing the path of wisdom and path of skillful means, yeah. Although, these two are like two wings of birds, yeah, but when you actually practice, it might seem like many times they contradict.
And thus we don't like again, yeah. In our path, we like that doesn't contradicts. Whatever comes contradicts, we don't like it. That's how our duality mind is trained to. Now, we might think that this contradiction is actually a problem in our path. But from the Dharma's point of view, actually this contradiction is like intentionally created so that you don't fall into the one extremes. Yeah, so you remain into the middle way.
So there are many, many contradictions. Even if you read the, let's say very simple text like Prajñāpāramitā, Heart Sutra, if you look at literally, so many contradictions.
If you look at the words, there's no I, there's no, and it says there's no cessation, there's no path, yeah. And then just few lines later, Buddha will say, all the Buddhas become a Buddha through this path, and reach the enlightenment through this path. So how you understand that, yeah? He just said there's no enlightenment, there's no path, and then just few he say, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas came from this path.
And then he will say that you should recite this mantra. This is the most profound mantra, gate, gate paragate... and he just said that there's no suffering, there's no samsara, and he said this is the most profound mantra, it will transcend you from the suffering and the samsara. So it's very confusing, yeah? And even the word when he says, form is emptiness, yeah, that makes sense. And then he says emptiness is form, wow, what happened in that? It doesn't make sense, right?
If the form is emptiness, then how can emptiness be form?
So this is Buddha intentionally use this, how to say, category lines, so that we don't fall into the one extreme.
Now, generally speaking, I think.
in Asia, let's say in our culture in the West, maybe it's my just perception, I have no right to judge the West, because I don't know, but it's my opinion.
So in our area,
mostly we have this path of skillful means and path of wisdom. And of course, some people have a more fit into the path of wisdom and think this is the only way, some people have more fit into the path of skillful means, they think this is good. Of course, it's not about right and wrong, it's about, you know, it's like a right wing is good, bad wing is, left wing is good. It's not like that. Both wings are good, but it only depends how you use it.
Even if you look at how the bird's wing works, actually they are contradicts. So when the right wing does like this, it pushes to the left. And when the left wing does like this, it pushes to the right. So they are actually contradicting each other. But when you have a proper balance, it helps you to go forward. So bird doesn't go like this, he goes like this, just because he has two wings. If he has only one wing, he only goes this way or that way. He will never go forward. Similarly, in Buddhism, there are many, many paths like that, even though it seems like a contradict, but when you put two contradict things together, and then you reach somewhere, this is the Buddhist theory and practice they use. But although it sounds a little bit strange.
So as a practitioner, it is important not to fall into these extremes of, I call it being irresponsible practitioner or arrogant practitioner. When you fall into the extremes of the wisdom, you become an arrogant practitioner.
And when you fall into the extremes of this path of skillful means, you become a little bit irresponsible practitioners.
So meaning that, I think with Tibetans, we are more like irresponsible practitioners. Like, I mean, I'm talking about general people that, that, oh Buddha will take care of everything. I just go pray and I will count my, you know, 100,000 this and that, and then that will be okay. And maybe I will do some prayer, just do some kora, and then that's it. So, oh, I should study by myself, I should contemplate, I should really investigate my own mind, whether it's improving or not. We don't have this culture of the wisdom. So I think this is a little bit like falling into the, being a little bit, not taking responsibilities of being a real Buddhist.
Now I think in the other way, maybe you can say a little bit western part, since many times when you don't understand how these skillful paths are not the result, but the path, and as long as it function as a path, it doesn't really matter whether this comes from India or Tibet or, you know, Himalayan regions or from the sea, it doesn't really matter. But when you don't understand that, then you try to, oh, this is Indian thing, this is Tibetan thing, yeah.
So,
when you stuck with the path, and not understanding it as a path, then there's a danger that you disregard all these path of skillful means. And if you think that, okay, all these pujas and cultural things are Tibetan and Indian things, I will become enlightened by reading a lot of books. It's not going to happen. Yeah, really very difficult. Otherwise, not just going to be happen, but it might be really painful at the end. Because more you try to find the answer, more your questions will be multiplied.
So it's important to have both wisdom, understanding that ultimately, the wisdom is the actual path. But having said that, the wisdom cannot begin without depending on the path of skillful means. And then, the path of skillful means, we can say that Vajrasattva, why he's wearing Indian robes, yeah? Not a Tibetan robes. Well, it's really not about whether Vajrasattva's robe is Indian or not, but what Vajrasattva's robes,
how to say, symbolize. That's the point, yeah? So as long as you understand the symbolisms of the Vajrasattva's robe and and the colors, then it really doesn't matter whether it is Indian or Tibetan or Western. Maybe sometimes you feel a little bit comfortable, uncomfortable, probably if you see Tara as a proper Western woman, probably you feel more connection because now she looks a little bit different or sometimes maybe it might be more obstacles, I don't know. But these small, small things, yeah, it might make different. But that's not the point. The point is that what is, again, we are working with the language of symbolism. So if you understand the meaning of symbol, then that's fine. You should not be too stuck with the path itself.
So it's important to be in not falling into the one extremes of being a arrogant practitioners and disregarding all the skillful means paths that will be very difficult, especially in Vajrayāna. But at the same time, if you just pray and think that Buddha will take care of everything, I don't have to do anything, and that's also being a little bit irresponsible practitioners. Of course, praying is one thing and also you have to do it by yourself. Taking some responsibility is important.
Yeah, so what.
So what I was trying to say was that view is important. And those who practice engaging in Mahāyāna in general, especially Vajrayāna, it's important to know the language of Vajrayāna, the communication system of Vajrayāna. Otherwise, you might misunderstand or you might have a challenge of being contradict between Sūtrayāna path and the Mantrayāna path. And once you are in Vajrayāna, the devotion is very, very, one of the most, you can say the only communication systems that you have. So if you have a devotion, then the communication system works very well, unless the communication system is difficult. And as a student, you have more responsibility than the Guru or teacher.
And a, Also there's a danger that we might fall into the extremes of wisdom and the skillful means and become arrogant or irresponsible practitioners. You should not do that. It's not about right and wrong. It's about how you use it. There's sometimes you have to use the wisdom path and there's sometimes where you have to use the skillful mean path and they should work each other, complement each other, not to, how to say, eliminate each other.
And that's why if you look at the Śāntideva's Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, and he goes all this compassion, all the five pāramitās, and very at the end, when it comes to wisdom, and he says, all these practice, from the generosity to the concentration are meant to produce this wisdom. Yeah, if all these, our practice does not produce this wisdom, then your practice is a little bit like not completed. So the wisdom and the compassion also should be kind of helping each other, implementing each other, rather than canceling each other. But of course, in the first sentence, when we think about compassion, and when you think about like emptiness, it might sound like they contradict. When you think about compassion, kind of wisdom goes away. And when you think about emptiness, compassion might seems like going away. But that's only our imagination. Duality is, how to say, interpretation. But when you actually realize, it's not like that.
So yeah, maybe I'll stop here.
I promise I will start text tomorrow.
Okay, so maybe let's meditate for five, ten minutes. Just try to contemplate on what we have heard.
So dedication of merit, page number 18.
künsang dorjé chang chen men ché né drinchen tsawai lama yenché kyi drowai dön du mönlam gang tapa dedak thamché deng dir drupar shok May all the aspirations for the benefit of beings from Samantabhadra and Great Vajradhara down until our kind root guru be accomplished this very day.
sönam diyi thamché sikpa nyi thopné nyepai dranam phamjé né kyega nachi balap trukpa yi sipai tsolé drowa drölwar shok By this merit, may I attain omniscience. Having defeated the enemy, misdeeds, may I free all beings from the ocean of existnce, with stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.
jangchup semchok rinpoché ma kyepa nam kyé gyurchik kyepa nyampa mepa yang gongné gongdu phelwar shok May the supreme and precious mind of enlightenment awaken in those where it has not yet arisen. Where it has arisen, may it never decrease, but continue to flourish forever more. Okay, thank you.
