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Courtesy Worldbridges Tibet
Last update - September 29, 2007
The WAY alone is good at beginning and good at completing.
We say, "That's child's play," but most of us secretly want to play as well. My bond with the child was the Bond of the WAY.
A monk once went to Gensha, and wanted to learn where the entrance to the Path of Truth was. Gensha answered him, "Do you hear the murmuring of the brook?" "Yes, I hear it," answered the monk. "There is the entrance," the Master instructed him. Lao Tzu
"When I visited the stupas of Sanchi, where Buddha delivered his fire sermon, I was overcome by a strong emotion of the kind that frequently develops in me when I encounter a thing, person, or idea, of whose significance I am still unconscious... The stupas are tombs or containers of relics, hemispherical in shape, like two gigantic rice bowls placed one on top of the other (concavity upon concavity), according to the prescripts of the Buddha himself in the Maha-Parinibbana-Sutta. (The path) leads into a clockwise circumambulation around the stupa(s)... The distant prospect over the plain, the stupas themselves, the temple ruins, and the solitary sillness of this holy site held me in a spell. A new side of Buddhism was revealed to me there. I grasped the life of Buddha as the reality of the self which had broken through and laid claim to a personal life... Buddha saw and grasped the cosmogonic dignity of human consciousness; for that reason he saw clearly that if a man succeeded in extinguishing this light, the world would sink into nothingness." Carl Jung
How vast, how invisible - this coming-to-be!
THE TEN GREAT JOYFUL REALIZATIONS
(1) It is great joy to realize that the mind of all sentient beings is inseparable from the All-Mind. [Or the Dharma-Kaya, the 'Divine Body of Truth', viewed as the All-Mind.]
(2) It is great joy to realize that the Fundamental Reality is qualityless. [Qualities are purely sangsaric, ie. of the phenomenal universe. To the Fundamental Reality, to the Thatness, no characteristics can be applied. In it all sangsaric things, all qualities, all conditions, all dualities, merge in transcendent at-one-ness.]
(3) It is great joy to realize that in the infinite, thought-transcending Knowledge of Reality all sangsaric differentiations are non-existent. [In the Knowledge (or Realization) of Reality all partial or relative truths are recognized as parts of the One Truth, and no differentiations such as lead to the establishing of opposing
religions and sects, each perhaps pragmatically in possession of some partial truth, is possible.]
(4) It is great joy to realize that in the state of primordial [or uncreated] mind there existeth no disturbing thought-process.
(5) It is great joy to realize that in the Dharma-Kaya wherein mind and matter are inseparable, there existeth neither any holder of theories nor any support of theories. [To the truth-seeker, whether in the realm of physical or of spiritual science, theories are essential; but once any truth, or fact, has been ascertained, all theories concerning it are useless. Accordingly, in the Dharma-Kaya, or State of the Fundamental Truth, no theory is necessary or conceivable; it is the State of Perfect Enlightenment, of the Buddhas in Nirvana.]
(6) It is great joy to realize that in the self-emanated compassionate Sambhoga-Kaya there existeth no birth, death, transition, or any change. [The Sambhoga-Kaya, or 'Divine Body of Perfect Endowment,' symbolizes the state of spiritual communion in which all Bodhisattvas exist when not incarnate on Earth, similar to that implied by the communion of saints. Like the Dharma-Kaya, of which it is the self-emanated primary reflex, the Sambhoga-Kaya is a state wherein birth, death, transitions, and change are transcended.]
(7) It is great joy to realize that in the self-emanated, divine Nirmana-Kaya there existeth no feeling of duality.
[The Nirmana-Kaya, or 'Divine Body of Incarnation', the secondary reflex of the Dharma-Kaya, is the Body, or Spiritual State, in which abide all Great Teachers, or Bodhisattvas, incarnate on earth. The Dharma-Kaya, being beyond the realm of sangsaric sense perceptions, cannot be sensuously perceived. Hence the mind of the yogin when realizing It ceases to exist as finite mind, as something apart from It. In other words, in the state of transcendent samadhic ecstasy wherein the Dharma-Kaya is realized, finite mind attains to at-one-ment
with its Source, the Dharma-Kaya. Likewise, in the state of the Nirmana-Kaya, the Divine and the Sentient, Mind and Matter, Noumena and Phenomena, and all the dualities, blend in at-one-ment. And this the Bodhhisattvas, when in the fleshly body, intuitively feels; he knows that neither he himself, nor any sensuous or objective thing, has a separate or independent existence apart from the Dharma-Kaya.]
(8) It is great joy to realize that in the Dharma-Chakra there existeth no support for the soul doctrine. [The truths proclaimed by the Buddha are symbolized by the Dharma-Chakra (the 'Wheel of Truth') which He set in motion when He first preached the truths to his disciples, in the Deer Park, near Benares. In the time of the Enlightened One, and long before then, the animistic belief in a permanent ego, or self, in an unchanging soul (Skt. atma), ie. in personal immortality, was as widespread in India and the Far East as it is in Europe and America now. He denied the validity of this doctrine; and nowhere in the Buddhist Scriptures, or Dharma, of either Southern or Northern Buddhism, is there any support for it.]
(9) It is great joy to realize that in the Divine, Boundless Compassion [of the Bodhisattvas] there existeth neither any shortcoming nor any showing of partiality.
(10) It is great joy to realize that the Path to Freedom which all the Buddhas have trodden is ever-existent, ever unchanged, and ever open to those who are ready to enter upon it.
These are The Ten Great Joyful Realizations.
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"As long as we human beings have been here, conflict, disagreement, different views, have also been here. That we can take for granted. So if you follow or if you use violent methods to reduce disagreement or conflict, then we will have, I think, violence every day. Through using violence even more resentment, more dissatisfaction, are sure to come.
"There appears to be an erroneous impression amongst many people that the problem of Tibet is the institution of the Dalai Lama. What I understand is the problem is not with the institution of the Dalai Lama, but that the problem is about views and beliefs of six million Tibetans... For myself, I am a simple monk. I am not particularly concerned with the institution of the Dalai Lama, but ultimately it is for the people to decide.
"In their quest for happiness, humans have used different methods, which all too often have been cruel and repellent. Behaving in ways utterly unbecoming to their status as humans, they inflict suffering upon fellow humans and the other living beings for their own selfish gains. In the end, such short-sighted actions bring suffering to oneself as well as to others. To be born a human being is a rare event in itself, and it is wise to use this opportunity as effectively and skillfully as possible. We must have the proper perspective, that of the universal life process, so that the happiness or glory of one person or group is not sought at the expense of others.
"All this calls for a new approach to global problems. The world is becoming smaller and smaller - and more and more interdependent - as a result of rapid technological advances and international trade as well as increasing trans-national relations. We now depend very much on each other. In ancient times problems were mostly family-size, and they were naturally tackled at the family level, but the situation has changed. Today we are so interdependent, so closely interconnected with each other, that without a sense of universal responsibility, a feeling of universal brotherhood and sisterhood, and an understanding and belief that we really are part of one big human family, we cannot hope to overcome the dangers to our very existence - let alone bring about peace and happiness.
"According to Buddhist psychology, most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities. The pursuit of the objects of our desire and attachment involves the use of aggression and competitiveness as supposedly efficacious instruments. These mental processes easily translate into actions, breeding belligerence as an obvious effect. Such processes have been
going on in the human mind since time immemorial, but their execution has become more effective under modern conditions. What can we do to control and regulate these 'poisons' - delusion, greed, and aggression? For it is these poisons that are behind almost every trouble in the world.
"As one brought up in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, I feel that love and compassion are the moral fabric of world peace. Let me first define what I mean by compassion. When you have pity or compassion for a very poor person, you are showing sympathy because he or she is poor; your compassion is based on altruistic considerations. On the other hand, love towards your wife, your husband, your children, or a close friend is usually based on attachment. When your attachment changes, your kindness also changes; it may disappear. This is not true love. Real love is not based on attachment, but on altruism. In this case your compassion will remain as a humane response to suffering as long as beings continue to suffer.
"This type of compassion is what we must strive to cultivate in ourselves, and we must develop it from a limited amount to the limitless. Undiscriminating, spontaneous, and unlimited compassion for all sentient beings is obviously not the usual love that one has for friends or family, which is alloyed with ignorance, desire, and attachment. The kind of love we should advocate is this wider love that you can have even for someone
who has done harm to you: your enemy.
"There are many different religions to bring comfort and happiness to humanity in much the same way as there are particular treatments for different diseases. For, all religions endeavor in their own way to help living beings avoid misery and gain happiness. And, although we can find causes for preferring certain interpretations of religious truths, there is much greater cause for unity, stemming from the human heart. Each religion works in its own way to lessen human suffering and contribute to world civilization. Conversion is not the point. For instance, I do not think of converting others to Buddhism or merely furthering the Buddhist cause. Rather, I try to think of how I as a Buddhist humanitarian can contribute to human happiness.
"The rationale for compassion is that every one of us wants to avoid suffering and gain happiness. This, in turn, is based on the valid feeling of 'I,' which determines the universal desire for happiness. Indeed, all beings are born with similar desires and should have an equal right to fulfill them. If I compare myself with others, who are countless, I feel that others are more important because I am just one person whereas others are many. Further, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition teaches us to view all sentient beings as our dear mothers and to show our gratitude by loving them all. For, according to Buddhist theory, we are born and reborn countless numbers of times, and it is conceivable that each being has been our parent at one time or another. In this way all beings in the universe share a family relationship." The Dalai Lama
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of thousands of millions of kalpas. We are now permitted to see it, to listen to it, to accept and to hold it. May we truly understand the meaning of the Tathagata's words!
The Sangha Well-behaved is the Community of the Lord's disciples, straight in their behavior, upright and correct. The four pairs of men, the eight persons, these are the Community of the Lord's disciples. Worthy they are of offerings, worthy of hospitality, worthy of gifts, worthy of respectful salutation, they, the world's peerless field of merit. And for a disciple, rightly delivered, whose thought is calm, there is nothing to be added to what has been done, and naught more remains for him to do. Just as a rock of one solid mass remains un-shaken by the wind, even so, neither forms, nor sounds, nor smells, nor tastes, nor contacts of any kind, neither desired nor undesired Dharmas, can agitate such a one. Steadfast is his thought, gained in deliverance.
Who understand the skandhas five, in the good doctrine live their life, worthy of praises, righteous men, these are the Buddha's genuine sons.2. VIGOR - The four right efforts Here a disciple rouses his will, makes an effort, puts forth vigor, makes his thoughts tense, exerts himself (I) to bring about the (future) non-arising of evil and unwholesome Dharmas, which have not (yet) arisen, (II) to effect the forsaking of evil and unwholesome Dharmas which have arisen, (III) to effect the arising of wholesome Dharmas which have not yet arisen, and (IV) to effect the stability, the non-disappearance, the increase, the extension, the development of the wholesome Dharmas which have arisen.
The Bodhisattva's Vow However, innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them. However inexhaustible the defilements are, I vow to extinguish them. However innumerable the Dharmas are, I vow to master them. However incomparable Enlightenment is, I vow to attain it.
3- MINDFULNESS - On guarding the senses Here, someone (1), having seen a form with his eye does not seize on its general appearance, or the (accessory) details of it. That which might, so long as he dwells unrestrained as to the (controlling) force of his eyes, give occasion for covetous, sad, evil, and unwholesome Dharmas to flood him, that he sets himself to restrain; he guards the controlling force of his eye, and brings about ins restraint. And likewise (2) when he has heard sounds with the ear, (3) smelled smells with the nose, (4) tasted tastes with the tongue, (5) touched touchables with the body, (6) cognized mind-objects with the mind. That is the guarding, defense, protection and restraint of these six dominants.
4- CONCENTRATION - The four trances Detached from sense-desires, detached also from other unwholesome states, he dwells in the attainment of the first Dhyana (meditation), which is accompanied by applied and discursive thinking, born of detachment, rapturous and joyful. From the appeasing of applied and discursive thinking, he dwells in the attainment of the second Dhyana, where the inward heart is serene and uniquely exalted, and which is devoid of applied and discursive thinking, born of concentration, rapturous and joyful. Through distaste for rapture, he dwells even-mindedly, mindful and clearly conscious; he experiences with his body that joy of which the Aryans declare, "Joyful lives he who is even-minded and mindful." It is thus that he dwells in the attainment of the third Dhyana. From the forsaking of joy, from the forsaking of pain, from the going to rest of his former gladness and sadness, he dwells in the attainment of the fourth Dhyana, which is neither painful nor pleasurable - in utter purity of even-mindedness and mindfulness.
The four formless trances By passing quite beyond all perceptions of form, by the going to rest of the perceptions of impact, by not attending to the perception of manifoldness, on thinking 'Endless Space,' he dwells in the attainment of the station of endless space. By passing quite beyond the station of endless space, on thinking 'endless consciousness', he dwells in the attainment of the station of unlimited consciousness. By passing quite beyond the station of unlimited consciousness, on thinking 'There is not anything,' he dwells in the attainment of the station of nothing whatever. By passing quite beyond the field of nothing whatever, he dwells in the attainment of the station of neither perception nor non-perception.
The four Unlimited Here the disciple dwells suffusing one direction of space with a heart linked to friendliness, then a second, then a third, then a fourth, then above, below, around, and everywhere. And so he dwells, recognizing himself in all, suffusing the entire world with a heart linked to friendliness, far-reaching, widespread, unlimited, free from enmity and malice. And as for friendliness, so with compassion, sympathetic joy, and even-mindedness.
Unlimited Friendliness This is what should be done by the man who is wise, who seeks the good, and who knows the meaning of the place of peace. Let him be strenuous, upright, and truly straight, without conceit of self, easily contented and joyous, free of cares; let him not be submerged by the things of the world; let him not take upon himself the burden of worldly goods; let his senses be controlled; let him be wise but not puffed up, and let him not desire great possessions even for his family. Let him do nothing that is mean or that the wise would reprove. May all beings be happy and at their ease! May they be joyous and live in safety! All beings, whether weak or strong - omitting none - in high, middle, or low realms of existence, small or great, visible or invisible, near or far away, born or to be born - may all beings be happy and at their ease! Let none deceive another, or despise any being in any state!
Let none by anger or ill-will wish harm to another! Even as a mother watches over and protects her child, her only child, so with a boundless mind should one cherish all living beings, radiating friendliness over the entire world, above, below, and all around without limit. So let him cultivate a boundless good will towards the entire world, uncramped, free from ill will or enmity. Standing or walking, sitting or lying down, during all his waking hours, let him establish this mindfulness of good will, which men call the highest state! Abandoning vain discussions, having a clear vision, free from sense appetites, he who is made perfect will never again know rebirth.
5- WISDOM - The four Holy Truths What then is the Holy Truth? Birth is ill, decay is ill, sickness is ill, death is ill. To be conjoined with what one dislikes means suffering. To be disjoined from what one likes means suffer- ing. Not to get what one wants, also that means suffering. In short, all grasping at any of the five Skandhas involves suffering. What then is the Holy Truth of the Origination of Ill? It is that craving which leads to rebirth, accompanied by delight and greed, seeking its delight now here, now there, i.e. craving for sensuous experience, craving to perpetuate oneself, craving for extinction. What then is the Holy Truth of the Stopping of Ill? It is the complete stopping of that craving, the withdrawal from it, the renouncing of it, throwing it back, liberation from it, non-attachment to it. What then is the Holy Truth of the steps which lead to the stopping of Ill? It is this holy Eightfold Path, which consists of right views, right intentions, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
Conditioned co-production Conditioned by Ignorance are the Karma-formations; conditioned by the karma-formation is Consciousness; conditioned by consciousness is Name and Form; conditioned by name and form are the Six Sense-fields; conditioned by the six sense-fields in Contact; conditioned by contact are Feelings; conditioned by feelings is Craving; conditioned by craving is Grasping; conditioned by grasping is Becoming; conditioned by becoming is Birth; conditioned by birth are Decay and Death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and despair. Thus is the origination of all this mass of suffering. But from the utter fading out and stopping of Ignorance comes also the stopping of the Karma-formations; from the stopping of the karma-formations the stopping of Consciousness; from the stopping of consciousness that of Name and Form; from the stopping of name and form that of the Six Sense-fields; from the stopping of the six sense-fields that of Contact; from the stopping of contact that of Feeling; from the stopping of feeling that of Craving; from the stopping of craving that of Grasping; from the stopping of grasping that of Becoming; from the stopping of becoming that of Birth; from the stopping of birth comes the stopping of Decay and Death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and despair. Such is the stopping of all this mass of Ill.
The view of self What is the 'view of self'? Here the untaught common man, who does not see the holy men, is unacquainted with the holy Dharma or misinformed about it, who does not see pious men, is unacquainted with the Dharma of the pious or misinformed about it, regards (1) the self as form, or (2) the self as having form, or (3) form as in the self, or (4) the self as in form. And so with feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness in place of 'form.'
The absence of self in everything 'Form, brethren, is not the self. If this form, brethren, were the self, it could not turn oppressive, and one could achieve one's intention, "Let my body be thus, let my body not be thus!" it is because the body is not the self, brethren, that it turns oppressive, and that one cannot achieve the intention, "let my body be thus, let my body not be thus!" and so with feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness. 'Now, what do you think, brethren, is form, or any other constituent of the "personality," permanent or impermanent? 'Impermanent, O Lord!' 'Does then impermanence conduce to suffering, or to ease?' 'To suffering, O Lord!" 'But is it fitting to consider that which is impermanent, linked to suffering, and doomed to reversal, as "This is mine, I am this, this is myself"?' - 'No, indeed not, O Lord!' 'Therefore, brethren, whatever form, or other skandha, there may be past, future, or present, inward or outward, gross or subtle, low or exalted, near or far away all that should be seen by right wisdom as it really is, i.e. that "All this is not mine, I am not this, this is not myself." The learned holy disciple who perceives this becomes disgusted with form, and everything else, up to consciousness. Disgusted, he sheds his greed for these things. His dispassion sets him free, and he then also knows that he is liberated. "Birth is extinct, the holy life completed; what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further to do' so he wisely knows.'
The illusory nature of the world Form should be seen as a mass of foam, because easily crushed; feeling as a water bubble, because pleasurable only for a moment; perception as a mirage, because delusive; volitions as like the trunk of the plantain tree, because without substance; consciousness as a mock show, because deceptive.
1- FAITH - The Triple Refuge To the Buddha for refuge I go; to the Dharma for refuge I go; to the Sangha for refuge I go. For the second time to the Buddha for refuge I go; for the second time to the Dharma for refuge I go; for the second time to the Sangha for refuge I go. For the third time to the Buddha for refuge I go; for the third time to the Dharma for refuge I go; for the third time to the Sangha for refuge I go.
The Buddha This Lord is truly the Arhat (one who has cleansed his or her heart of all greed, hatred and ignorance), fully Enlightened, perfect in his knowledge and conduct, well-gone, world-knower, unsurpassed, leader of men to be tamed, teacher of gods and men, the Buddha, the Lord.
What had to be fully known, that I have fully known; what had to be developed, that I have developed; what was to be forsaken, that I have forsaken. Therefore, O Brahmin, I am the Buddha.
The Dharma Well taught has the Lord the Dharma, it is verifiable, not a matter of time, inviting all to come and see, leading to Nirvana, to be known by the wise, each one for himself. Enough, what is there to be seen in this putrid body of mine? Who sees Dharma, he sees me. Who sees me, he sees Dharma.
The Dharma, incomparably profound and exquisite, is rarely met with, even in hundreds
