From: "Laurinda M. Chi" (GC-CDSI) Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Chapter 5 of "Bridge of Merciful Cloud" T H E B R I D G E O F M E R C I F U L C L O U D ======================================================= < V o l u m e O n e > Written by Upasaka Chung-hui Lo Translated by Wei-lin Yang Chapter Five ------------ THE ENTRANCE OF THE DOOR OF BUDDHISM (1) The obstructions for a man to enter into the door of Buddhism: In Buddhism, there is a saying, "It is difficult for any living being reborn as a human being. It is difficult for a human to have the opportunity to hear the Buddhadharma." Those who planted the seeds of Buddhahood in past lives are able to enter the door of Buddhism in this life when the seeds grow up. In this case, we explain that the seed is the primary cause and the entrance of the door of Buddhism is the external condition. After entering the door of Buddhism, the believer encounters myriads of obstructions, he loses his confidence in cultivation or he is turned by evil views and falls into deviated path, in this case we may say that the complicated cause blocks the way of his belief. In past lives, some people never planted Buddhist seeds, they did not go to temple to worship the images of Buddha, they did not listen (* to *) the lecture proclaiming the Buddhadharma. Seeing mendicants seeking alms, he never make any vegetarian offerings to them. He had deviated faith in other religion without having Buddhist thoughts. We may say that those persons do not have affinity with Buddhism, they can never enter the door of Buddhism. There are three kinds of obstructions that impede living beings to enter the door of Buddhism, they are habitual nature, suspicious nature and the nature of laziness and laxation. Those obstructions make us in the flow of birth and death, the deeper we sink in the flow, the harder we can overcome these obstructions. First, we talk about habitual nature. Habitual nature means to attach on false idea which is constantly expressed by spoken words. The basic cause of false idea is "ignorance without awakening". In the Buddhist sutra it is written that wealth, sex, reputation, food and sleep are the five roots to cause living beings to fall into hell. We usually neglect the importance of this statement, and we never try to understand the real meaning of this sentence. In our life, we think we are naturally inclined to do five things mentioned above. Actually these five roots written in the sutra are the cause of our falling into the wheel of transmigration. With six roots facing six dusts, we arise false distinction, we mistake false view for real view. In our daily life, we drink wine, smoke cigarettes or gamble, we mistake that those things are indispensable in our daily life. In the same way we take it for granted that we have to float in the current of birth and death. We are under the dominant power of our deeds, unable to get rid of the wheel of birth and death. We think that we can get used to the defilements of five tubidities in the evil world and we can endure the eight kinds of sufferings in the three realms. Actually our deluded human beings do not know how to get liberated and why we should get liberated and they never try to seek the way of liberation. They are just like moths that are born in the morning and die in the evening. Living beings' habitual nature makes them entangled by the power of their past deeds. If living beings do not try to reform their habitual nature of attaching on false and delusive thought, how can they get liberated? Living beings' suspicious nature can be regarded as the second obstruction. They are suspicious of the void nature of the spiritual world. Living beings lack of precise understanding and perception. They negate the factual existence and value of many things with their positive viewpoints. We take following cases for example. There is a person living on an island. When told that trains run on the land, he will never believe it. There is another man living in the desert. When told that ships sail on sea, he will never believe it either. In the underdeveloped primitive tribes there are many Africans. When told that technology is well developed in the modern world, they will never believe it. Their doubts are based on their suspicion. In the same way, when we say that in the Buddhalands of ten directions, there are myriads of wonderful joy, our worldly man will not believe it. If worldly people are suspicious of what they are told, they can never enter the door of Buddhism. Living beings have shallow rooted wisdom and they are hindered by the power of their past evil deeds. They have limited wisdom. Through many years, their suspicion increases. As worldly human beings, we are unable to fathom the holy sage's thought. In the boundless and limitless empty space, myriads of phenomena appear, we are unable to know them on the basis of our distinctive thoughts. The third kind of obstruction is called the nature of laziness and laxation. Many people are afraid of going forward. Their mind and self-nature are entangled by hindrance. They mistake temporary peaceful life for enjoyment. They never know that a man living in three realms is like living in a burning house. They neglect the important affair of birth and death. They are busy at worldly affairs, caring only for fame, benefit and comfort. We know that human's nature of laziness is closely related with evil deeds. When virtuous external condition appear before those who are lazy, their laziness will prevent them from believing in Buddha's truth. Human beings, original gifted with the nature of Buddhahood, don't try to find their inner ego. On the contrary they seek for material enjoyment based on delusive thoughts. They are defiled by three kinds of evil nature mentioned above, and their Buddha's nature can never be revealed. We may say that greediness, anger and stupidity are derived from three kinds of evil nature. At the time being, humans don't like to learn Buddha's practice they think that death is just like a lamp put off. They attach on false thought. When living in the world, they try their best to seek for what they want, they are greedy for material enjoyment. They mistake impermanent life for permanent existence. Their absolute (* absolutely *) wrong thought and permanent thought become the motive power of living beings' flow in the birth and death through accumulated kalpas (aeons). Others doubt about the truth contained in Buddhism, they are pessimistic and disappointed. They never try to know the contents of the Buddhadharma. With their mistaken point of view they assume that they know something about Buddhism. With a key for book case, a man never tries to use it to open that book case. How can he know what is stored in that book case? When several blind men try to describe the shape of an elephant, each one only touches a part of elephant's body. How can he know the entire appearance of an elephant? Human beings usually try to hide their defects by telling numerous excuses. When hearing some one talking about learning Buddhist practice and studying Buddhism, they always reply that they are busy. Actually they are busy at talking nonsense, drinking wine or seeking for pleasure. If they believe in Buddhism, they can't do their Buddhist practice continually. When reciting Buddhist sutras, they may fall asleep. Their laziness is the cause which blocks the way to the door of Buddhism. (2) How to overcome the obstructions mentioned above: The statements mentioned above illustrate that it is not easy to believe in Buddhism. Because there are hindrances accumulated in past lives and there are basic afflictions derived from evil nature: habitual nature, suspicious nature and the nature of laziness. These kinds of nature always cover up our born wisdom, our nature of Buddhahood cannot be revealed. How can we overcome our obstructions to make our Buddha's nature revealed? Human being's habitual nature grow from accumulated defilement. In the flow of birth and death, human beings have hatred and love. There is a saying, "Without the defilement of love there is no Saha world." In the Saha world, there is desire of love between male and female. Without cutting off the licentious desire, human beings can never escape the fate of transmigration. The licentious desire is the habit grown from beginningless kalpas. We are apt to attach on habitual preference, the only way for us to do is to purify our minds with pure dharmas. Our minds are defiled by various causes and deeds. We have to purify our minds which are originally bright. In the pure dharmas, the virtue derived from keeping precepts is the most useful. Keeping precepts can bring forth virtue and virtue can guard us against breaking the rules of precepts. Keeping precepts can eliminate our defilement and it can surpress our habitual weakness. It is just like different colored clothes in a large open-mouthed jar. When we use bleaching powder to bleach them, they will all appear in bright and white color. Human's nature originally is void and extinct. When defiled by habitual weakness, this nature can't be revealed. When we purify our self-nature with cultivation, the brightness of our nature can be shown again. How can we attain the virtue derived from keeping precepts? We should avoid doing something evil and should do something virtuous, and we should regulate our behavior and do our almsgiving perfectly. When living beings are in deluded state, their wisdom is blocked by impediments, his correct faith of Buddhism can not be shown. When a man gets rid of suspicious mind, his faith can be revealed. If a believer does not have firm faith in Buddhism, he will never have any achievement in cultivating worldly dharma and transcendental world. In Avatamsaka Sutra it is written, "Faith is the meritorious mother of all dharmas, it permanently nourishes all virtuous roots." In the Prajna Paramita Sastra, it is written, "The Buddhadharma is like a great sea, one is able to enter into that sea with firm faith and he can be ferried over by wisdom." If there is a man who brings forth his mind to do virtuous conduct without interruption. With deeply rooted virtue, his faith can be increased and such faith can be used to eliminate suspicion. Usually a suspicious man creates many evil deeds listed as ten evils through many kalpas (aeons). The more he makes evil deeds, the more suspicious he becomes. Finally he loses his confidence in Buddhism and he will fall into three paths after his death. There are a great number of people who can't believe in the Buddhadharma because of suspicion. How can we bring forth our faith in Buddhism? We should trace back the origin of Buddhist principles with correct view and correct vision, we analyze Buddhist principles and teachings, then our faith can be brought forth, such faith can eliminate our doubts and suspicions. Through numerous aeons, living beings float in the flow of birth and death because of the habit of laziness. Fortitude can be generated from diligence, forebearance and perseverance. With determined mind and unremitting efforts, one may march forward toward the path of Buddhism. He may imitate a Bodhisattva's way of cultivation and he will never retreat in the course of cultivation till he becomes perfectly enlightened. Diligence and patience are the means to eliminate our habit of laziness. How can we bring forth the virtue derived from keeping precepts? How can we bring forth faith in Buddhism? How can we bring forth diligence and forebearance? The virtue derived from keeping precepts comes from almsgiving and strictly keeping precepts. The faith in Buddhist principles comes from meditation and wisdom. Diligence and forebearance come from patience and vigorous progress. Almsgiving, keeping precepts, meditation, wisdom, patience and vigorous progress are the six paramitas (six kinds of method to reach the other shore of birth and death) for cultivating Bodhisattva's Way. Some one may think that it is difficult to cultivate six Paramitas. Actually it is not difficult. We know all pure dharmas come from virtue and all defiled dharmas come from evil. Diligently cultivating the virtuous deeds will stimulate the growth of six Paramitas. In one thought of bringing forth of Bodhi mind, three kinds of virtue (virtue derived from keeping precepts, faith, diligence and forebearance) can be appeared in the minds of those who have wisdom. When we practice six Paramitas or teach others to practice six paramitas, we have firm faith in Buddhism. It is easy for us to understand Buddhist principles in future. Following is a simplified chart describing the obstructions for entering into the door of Buddhism: 1. Habitual nature --- greediness --- strong desire of greediness. The method used to reform such weakness: the virtue derived from keeping precepts --- almsgiving and keeping precepts --- precepts. 2. The nature of laziness --- anger (hatred) --- strong hatred in the mind to make the mind unbalanced. The method used to reform such weakness: diligence and forebearance --- patience and vigorous progress --- contemplation (meditation). 3. The nature of suspicion --- stupidity --- deluded thought and false view cover the enlightened thought. The method used to reform such weakness: faith --- meditation (contemplation) and wisdom --- wisdom. (3) After entering the door of Buddhism, we should do as illustrated in following: Since we know "it is difficult for a living being reborn as a human being and it is difficult for a human being to have the opportunity to hear the Buddhadharma." Hearing the proclamation of the Buddhadharma, some one can't understand the way of cultivation because the hindrance caused by written words. After understanding Buddhist principles, some one does not imitate Buddha's practice. It is also useless. After understanding Buddhist principles, some one practices in the wrong way or he does not sincerely and devotely believe in Buddhism. These are all the defects that should be immediately corrected. We should know that all delusions come from greediness, anger and stupidity. We should apply proper methods illustrated in the chart to reform our defects. Through applying the methods of reforming our defects, we can easily enter the door of Buddhism. Then we feel that our thoughts are completely different from those in the past. We know that to learn Buddhist practice is to solve our problem of birth and death. After accepting Buddhist teachings, some one may change his view toward life. He appears to be optimistic and he feels that there are joy and happiness in his life. He also changes mentally. He has less desire for benefit. His mentality is balanced status. Dealing things with calm and peaceful attitude, he rarely loses his temper. His apprehension and memory greatly increases. Based on firm faith in Buddhist principles, he is able to carry out the worldly dharma and transcendental world dharma. The Buddhist principles and teachings illustrated in Buddhist scriptures can be used to correct human's delusive minds. We can regard the Buddhadharma as wonderful medicine for our mental sickness. After believing in Buddhism, some one does his work smoothly and successfully. His enemy becomes his friends. Bestowed by Buddha's blessings, he and his family live peacefully. After believing in Buddhism, some one still lives in adverse circumstances, probably he made a great many of evil deeds in past lives, we believe his cultivation of Buddha's practice will gradually eliminate the power of his evil deeds in past lives. After entering into the door of Buddhism, the beginner has to go through five kinds of procedure to become a perfect Buddhist. The first one is to take refuge with Triratna (three jewels; Buddha, dharma and Sangha). After taking refuge with Buddhism, the person can be called formal Buddhist. In Buddhism, there are four kinds of Buddhist disciples: They are Bhiksu (male entering monkhood), Bhiksuni (female entering nunhood), Upasaka (male leading layman's life), and Upasika (female leading layman's life). Usually we call those leading monastic life Buddhist masters. Taking refuge means to rely on Buddha's protection. Triratna (three jewels) denotes Sakyamuni Buddha, the original master, and all the Buddhas (enlightened ones) of ten directions in the three periods of time. The believer believes in those Buddhas and those Buddha's dharma (the way of getting liberation and the Buddhist and scriptures to bring forth certified enlightenment) and the preaching of all sacred Sanghas (All Bodhisattvas, great Arhats and those leading monastic life and propagating the Buddhadharma on behalf of Sakyamuni Buddha). When taking refuge with Sakyamuni Buddha as disciples, we have to invite a Buddhist Master to be our witness who verifies that the good man or good woman vows before the image of Sakyamuni Buddha, willingly becoming a Buddhist disciple. That's why we call Sakyamuni Buddha original master. In theory, all Buddha's teachings are just the same. One Buddha can be representative of one thousand Buddhas. In turn, one thousand Buddhas can be regarded as one Buddha. In other words, all the Buddhas of ten directions in the three periods of time are our Buddhist Masters. In talking about taking refuge with the Buddhadharma, we know that the Buddhadharma is the supreme wisdom. The substantial appearance of Prajna is the mother of all Buddhas and all the Buddhas are born from this dharma nature. To illustrate the first meaning of the middle way is the ultimate goal of the Buddhadharma. When awakening to the Buddhadharma, we can regard worldly dharma as Buddhadharma. When unenlightened, one may miss the Buddhadharma even he encounters it. The dharma explained in the ceremony of taking refuge is to guide the beginner into Buddha's wisdom and to know Buddha's vision and view. This dharma aims at ferrying over multitude of people to achieve Buddhahood and it will make them leave misery far behind and attain joy. Without taking refuge with the dharma, living beings can not be ferried over to the other shore of peace and joy. Taking refuge with Sanghas means to reverently honor, praise and respect the assembly of Sanghas or those leading monastic life. The beginner should imitate Sangha's practice and to seek dharma from them. The name of "two assembly" denotes Bhiksu and Bhiksuni. The first precept they should observe is to get rid of sexual desire. They eat vegetarian food, strictly keeping precepts, appearing in awesome demanour. They study Buddhist scriptures and cultivate Buddha's practice in order to propagate the dharma-treasury (Tripitaka). They lead a clean and pure life. That's why we should honor and revere them. The writer sometimes hear of blaming on the conduct of certain members of Sangha, he thinks that Buddhist teachings never teach believers to behave improperly. In any society, there are persons who have improper conduct. We, Buddhist believers, must not think to weaken our faith in Buddhism because of their improper conduct. Relying on the Buddhadharma, we can be perfect Buddhists. We should try our best to purify our minds and conduct. We should avoid finding faults with the members of the four assembly. Under all circumstances, a Buddhist, relying on correct faith, correct understanding and correct vision, should revere and worship Triratna (three jewels). In Buddhist religion, the ceremony of taking refuge is usually held in solemn and adorned manner. The Buddhist Master responsible for presiding over the ceremony will lead the novice to make offering with burning incense, bow before the images of Buddha and he recites the sentences in Three Refuges, saying "I take refuge with Buddha, the two- footed honored one, I take refuge with dharma which leads me to leave desire far behind, I take refuge with the Sangha who are the revered ones among living beings. After taking refuge with Buddha, I will never take refuge with deviated religion or the teachings of Mara (demonic preaching). After taking refuge with the dharma, I will never take refuge with the scriptures adopted by deviated religion. After taking refuge with the Sangha, I will never take refuge with the evil multitude of deviated religion. After taking refuge with Buddha, I will not fall into hell. After taking refuge with dharma, I will not fall into the three evil paths as a hungry ghost. After taking refuge with the Sangha, I will not fall into three evil paths as an animal. My vows is to show that I have taken refuge with Buddha, dharma and Sangha. I take refuge with the Buddha of my self-nature. To make self-nature enlightened is the goal of taking refuge. The perfect enlightenment pervades everywhere in the empty space. The mind, Buddha and living beings are without discrimination. I take refuge with the dharma treasury of my self-nature. To develop the wisdom of self-nature is the goal of taking refuge. Wisdom pervades everywhere in the empty space. The wisdom of dharma and the depth of self-nature are boundless. I take refuge with the Sangha of my self-nature. Sagely virtue can be imitated after taking refuge. Virtue is prevailing everywhere in the empty space. The Buddhadharma shall be handed down as ever burning lamp." After reciting above sentences, the Buddhist Master will lead the novice to read the sentences in the "Four Great Universal Vows", saying, "I vow to ferry over the limitless living beings. I vow to cut off the endless afflictions. I vow to study the immeasurable dharma doors. I vow to achieve the unsurpassed Buddha's Way. I vow to take across the living beings of my own nature. I vow to study the (immeasurable) dharma door of my own nature. I vow to realize the (unsurpassed) Buddha Way of my own nature." Then the Buddhist Master will lead the novice to recite repentance, saying "Because of anger, greediness, and stupidity, existing from beginningless kalpas (aeons), all evil deeds created in the past are originated from body, speech and mind. Now I repent of all evil deeds I created in the past. Sin arises from mind, my mind now repents. If the mind were eliminated, the sin created from the mind would also be eliminated. When the mind and the sin are both eliminated, that can be called true repentance." The good man or good woman who is taking refuge should follow the Buddhist Master to recite three times the above mentioned sentences. After reciting once, he makes a bow toward the images of Buddha. Finally he makes three bows toward those images and then he makes one bow to the Buddhist Master and he may make offerings to Triratna (three jewels) in the form of money or gift. Thus the ceremony of taking refuge is completed. He becomes a formal believer of Buddhism. Buddhist disciples can be classified into four classes: Bhiksu, Bhiksuni, Upasaka, Upasika. They all have to go through the formality of taking refuge and be verified before the images of Buddha. If there is some one who believes in Buddhism, but he does not take refuge with Triratna, he can not be called as Upasaka and he can not be regarded as Buddhist disciple. We know now that taking refuge is an important procedure in Buddhist religion. The second procedure is to choose suitable dharma for a believer to cultivate. To choose dharma is to cultivate one of the dharmas originally proclaimed by the Buddhas. Some one may think it is impossible for a worldly man to become a Buddha through cultivation. We should know that Sakyamuni Buddha was a worldly man in the ground of cause. When he brought forth his mind to practice Bodhisattva Way, he transformed himself as different kinds of animal. In the course of cultivation, he never retreated his mind and he never gave up his practice toward Bodhisattva Way. Finally, he became perfectly enlightened and attained Buddhahood. If we believers bring forth the mind to imitate Buddha's practice and to try to transform living beings, it is possible for us to become Buddhas in the future. Before choosing suitable dharma, the believer should investigate all the dharma doors briefly, then he chooses the right one to cultivate. Once he decides to cultivate certain dharma, he should cultivate it continually and persistently. We shouldn't change our minds in half way. All dharmas will lead us to enlightenment. Perfectly understanding one dharma will make us understand myriads of dharmas. Varieties of dharmas are originated from same source. All dharmas are extremely victorious. If there is a believer who cultivates pure dharma today. After a few days, he changes his mind and he cultivates meditation. After half a year or one year, he decides to cultivate the method of ceasing and observation adopted by Tien-Tai Sect. Later he may change his mind again, trying to cultivate Esoteric Sect. At last, he achieves nothing. We advise the learner that he should concentrate his mind on cultivating the dharma he has chosen and he should make vigorous progress toward the way of his cultivation without retreating. He tries not to read the books whose contents have nothing to do with his cultivation. Reading other kind of books will disturb his pure mind. Besides, it is easy for his mind to get defiled. In this way, the cause of his cultivation will not be hindered. In the next chapter, the course of cultivation is illustrated. The third procedure is to learn how to keep precepts. After selecting a certain dharma for his cultivation, the learner should learn to keep five precepts. They are: not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultry, not to lie and not to take intoxicating liquid. Those leading monastic life or laymen's life should keep these five precepts. During the ceremony of taking refuge, the Buddhist Master may not transmit the rules of these five precepts to the beginner. But the beginner can learn how to keep these five precepts. When he is sure that he will not violate any one of these five precepts, he then may bring forth the mind to entreat his Buddhist Master for transmitting five precepts. How can we strictly keep precepts? We know that in a Bodhisattva's practice there are six paramitas (1. dana, almsgiving; 2. sila, keeping precepts; 3. ksanti, patience; 4. virya, vigorous progress; 5. dhyana, meditation; 6. prajna, wisdom). Any one of these rules is closely related with others. It is better for us to cultivate the practice of almsgiving. To cultivate the practice of almsgiving will make the cultivator eliminate the desire of greediness and will make his merciful thought arisen. The fourth procedure is to bring forth Bodhi mind. From inner heart we bring forth the most supreme vehicle mind, the great pity mind for nourishing all wisdom. We can call this mind bodhi mind which aims at beseeching Buddha's Way above and transforming living beings below. Once we bring forth this mind, we'll do according to the bow of great pity until we become enlightened. Supported by the brilliance of Buddha's nature, this bodhi mind will create great merciful power, great vigorous strength of progress, great power of perserverance. Such power will lead us to the path of Bodhisattva Way. Without bringing forth the Bodhi mind, it is impossible for us to make any achievement whether we study Buddhism or learn Buddhist practice. Without having Bodhi mind, we can't understand the principles of Buddhism completely. Without having Bodhi mind, we can't practice what we should practice. We know that all Bodhisattvas of ten directions perfectly attained enlightenment with Bodhi mind. The fifth procedure is to practice Bodhisattva Way. We try to march toward the Bodhi way which guides us to enlightenment. All the cultivators of Mahayana Buddhism hope to ferry over the living beings universally. In the course of our cultivation and practice, we should help living beings ferry over the sea of birth and death with four embracing dharma (1. dana, almsgiving, 2. cordinal and kind speech, 3. conduct profitable to others, 4. Cooperation with and adaptation of oneself to others). We should also practice Bodhisattva Way with six paramitas (almsgiving, keeping precepts, patience, vigorous progress, meditation and wisdom). We should imitate Bodhisattva's practice to benefit himself and benefit others and to enlighten himself and enlighten others. Beginning from beginningless kalpas (aeons), our ignorance has covered our original nature of enlightenment. When our delusive thoughts arise, we get lost in the course of birth and death. We don't know what to rely on, we don't know how to study and cultivate, we don't know how to shake off our defilement, we don't know how to fulfill our vow and how to get enlightenment. Having human's body and hearing the Buddhadharma, we should rely on what we should rely on and we should cultivate the right dharma that we select. We should keep precepts to eliminate our defilement. We bring forth the mind to fulfill our vow, seeking enlightenment through cultivation and practice. Doing this way, we are possible to attain perfect enlightenment. We cultivate and practice worldly dharma and transcendental world dharma with great patience and endurance. According to Buddhist teachings, we should help others become fearless and give our wealth to those who need it. We'll try to explain the dharma to others to make them awaken to Buddha's wisdom. We should proceed our practice of Bodhisattva Way without rest. We know that Bodhisattvas have been ferrying over living beings without feeling tired. Bodhisattvas never attach on tireness, they transform tireness into Four Embracing Dharma and Six Paramitas. Bodhisattvas never have afflictions while ferrying living beings, they convert afflictions into Four Immeasurable Mind (Pity, Mercy, Joy and Almsgiving). We should imitate the cultivation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva to fulfill their mercy, wisdom, vow and practice. These Bodhisattvas' cultivation and practice can be representative of all Bodhisattvas' cultivation and practice. We advise those entering the door of Buddhism that to practice Bodhisattva Way is very important in the course of attaining the state of Buddhahood. In addition we should remember a sentence of warning: It is easy to bring forth vigorous progress, it is difficult to hold on that mind with persistence. Without persistence, it is impossible to practice Bodhisattva Way. -- "Laurinda M. Chi" (GC-CDSI) From: v062qjjq@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (David T Wei) Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Chapter 6 of "Bridge of Merciful Cloud" T H E B R I D G E O F M E R C I F U L C L O U D ======================================================= < V o l u m e O n e > Written by Upasaka Chung-hui Lo Translated by Wei-lin Yang Chapter Six ----------- How to Cultivate and Rely On Buddhadharma In recent years, there have been many people who study Buddhism or learn Buddhist practice. They usually talk about the topic "How can we cultivate and rely on the Buddhadharma." From Buddhist scriptures, we know that Sakyamuni Buddha, the World Honored One, proclaimed the wonderful Buddhadharma perfectly when he lived in the world. Those hearing his proclamation were delightfully to believe and accept his teachings. Some of them were certified to the fruit of Sravaka (sound hearer), Pratyeka (cultivating 12 Dinanas) and Bodhisattva. Now we have read Buddhist scriptures for thousand times and recited Buddhist sutras and mantras for thousand times, why did we not have any response or achievement? The reason is that we do not strictly keep precepts. We remember that when Sakyamuni Buddha lived in the world, that period is called "Proper Dharma Age" (one thousand years after Sakyamuni Buddha's birth), during which precepts were adopted as the means of ferrying over. The period of ten thousand years after that age is called "the Dharma Ending Age", during which the principle of Pure Land Sect is adopted as the means of ferrying over. In this Dharma Ending Age, we do not strictly keep precepts. How can we make contemplation and wisdom arisen from our minds? That is the reason why we don't get any interactive response from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Strictly keeping precepts will bring forth intercommunicated response. Keeping precepts is the foundation to attain the unsurpassed Bodhi. When Sakyamuni Buddha was going to enter Nirvana, he instructed his disciples to regard "precepts" as teacher. We know that in the course of our cultivating and relying on the Buddhadharma, keeping precepts is very important. To bring forth our mind is also very important. All Buddhas of the ten directions in the three periods of time originally brought forth Bodhi mind and were certified to the fruit of perfect enlightenment (attaining Buddhahood). We should bring forth the mind of great pity and vow. To fulfill our vow, we do Buddhist affairs. While cultivating and relying on the Buddhadharma, we practice Bodhisattva Way. In this way, we may get achievement quickly. Those learning Buddhism for curiosity and those learning Buddhism without definite aim only can plant pure cause in the future. Without bringing forth the mind of great pity and vow, the learner will not have any achievement in cultivation. This is the reason why learners do not get intercommunicated response from Buddhas. Lack of reverent thought is the third reason why we don't get interactive response from Buddhas in the course of our cultivation and relying on the Buddhadharma. During the course of cultivating, some cultivators don't concentrate their minds on doing their Buddhist lessons, arising delusive thoughts. While doing Buddhist lessons, some cultivators recite sutras with their mouths without paying attention to the contents of sutras, their minds do not cooperate with their actions shown from their body and mouth. Some cultivators recite sutras carelessly. All the defects shown in above cases are good enough to show that they are lacking reverent and devoted thoughts. We hope that our cultivators may reform their defects so that they may have achievement on cultivation. In the course of cultivation, some believers do not repent for their evil deeds and they do not transfer their merits to others. This is the fourth reason why they do not get response from Buddhas. Without repenting for the evil deeds, the hindrance created from past evil deeds can't be eliminated. Without transferring the merits to others, other people can't be benefited by his transference. It seems that for his own benefit the believer cultivates. Why a Mahayana believer does this way? When a beginner knows only how to repent his past evil deeds, he doesn't know how to transfer his merits to others. Some learners know only how to transfer their merits to others, they don't know how to repent their evil deeds. These two kinds of cultivation are both wrong. When reading the words in repenting verses, the believer does not show sincere repentance in his inner heart, how can his sin created from his past evil deeds be eliminated? Some believers do not transfer their merits to others. Their cultivation is merely for their own benefits. Their selfishness and greediness are fully shown in their conduct. We believers of Mahayana Buddhism should know Buddha's teaching of pity, mercy, joy and almsgiving. Why some believers do contradictory to this teaching? When reciting repenting verses, some believers pray for the retribution of being reborn as divine being in future life, it is really ridiculous. In short, we know that the path of cultivating and relying on the Buddhadharma is hazardous. Some of the cultivators are afraid of going forward. The others are lagging on the way because of suspicion. Even some do not seek for ultimate liberation. We should try our best to attain our ultimate liberation. Our Mahayana cultivators should bravely and vigorously march forward on our path of cultivation without retreating, without fearing difficulties and hindrances. We should vow that in immeasurable kalpas our original mind will never retreat. With fortitude and perseverance the cultivators may achieve their final goal in the course of cultivation. During the course of their cultivation of Bodhisattva Way, all the Bodhisattvas passed three great asankhaya (countless) kalpas (aeons). Beginning from their bringing forth their minds, all Bodhisattvas passed through Ten faith, Ten Dwelling, Ten Practice, Ten Transference (Three Sagely position), Ten Ground (Ten holy position), Equal and Wonderful Enlightenment (fruit of Buddhahood). They cultivated through 52 states and finally attained perfect enlightenment. In the course of our cultivation, we should implement our Buddhist's duty to extensively perform six Paramitas and myriads of practices as instructed in Buddhist scriptures. We should not be afraid of encountering difficulties. We can endure the bitterness of our life. With great patience and courage, we'll try our best to help ferry over those in the suffering. We try to imitate Sakyamuni Buddha's practice to ferry over those in the Saha world, and those in the countless Saha worlds of ten directions. Imitating Sakyamuni Buddha's cultivation in the cause of ground, we may sacrifice our life to feed our bodies to the tiger, to cut off our flesh to feed the hungry eagles. We try to endure the same suffering as immortal who cultivated endurance. In the six paths of transmigration, we, human beings, imitate Bodhisattva's practice. We wish that relying on spiritual powers the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would ferry over those in the path of animals by manifesting themselves as a kind of animal. We continually practice Bodhisattva Way in the hope of making some achievement. Bodhisattvas made their vows, "When there are livings in the suffering, they will not enter Nirvana; when there are living beings in the hell, they will not attain the fruit of Buddhahood." We should imitate those Bodhisattva's practice to do the same way to help others. The Buddha had perfect wisdom and blessings. With perfect wisdom, the cultivator may achieve the fruit of an Arhat. With perfect blessing, the cultivator may get retribution of being reborn as divine being or human being. A Buddha benefited himself and others, enlightened himself and others, his enlightenment and practice were both perfect. In the course of our cultivation, we should march toward Bodhisattva Way. The above statement illustrates the Bodhisattva's process of cultivation from cause ground to perfect enlightenment. Thus, we know that we should emphasize on cultivating both blessings and wisdom. We know that the Buddha thoroughly understood the inconceivable meaning of taking middle course. The Buddha fostered his knowledge in taking middle course when cultivating in the ground of cause. He knew perfectly to cultivate both wisdom and blessings. Balanced cultivation of both blessings and wisdom is good for us to imitate. In the course of cultivating and relying on the Buddhadharma, the learner has to bring forth Bodhi mind in the beginning. He has to practically carry out Buddha's practice through his mind and body and to understand Buddha's principles with his wisdom. In the course of cultivating Bodhisattva Way, he should cultivate both blessings and wisdom. Therefore, we say that there are three wonderful doors to cultivate and rely on the Buddhadharma. They are: (a) Bringing forth Bodhi mind; (b) Practicing Bodhisattva Way with true mind and understanding Buddha's teaching with wisdom; (c) Cultivating both blessings and wisdom. In the long past kalpas, many learners made up their minds to cultivate and rely on the Buddhadharma; unfortunately they did not adopt these three wonderful means. They cultivated Bodhisattva's practice without understanding Buddha's principles. They practiced Bodhisattva Way without getting any fruit of certification. They wasted their time. Their self-nature was covered by hindrance. Wandering in the six paths of transmigration, they were totally confused. We hope that our learners at present time will adopt three means mentioned above to cultivate the Buddhadharma. We'll illustrate three wonderful means of cultivation. What is the meaning of Bodhi mind? How can we bring forth the Bodhi mind? In broad sense, Bodhi mind means the equal nature and mind of Buddha and living beings. It also can be explained that it is the mind to seek Buddha Way above and to transform living beings below. This bodhi mind is the foundation for our attaining the fruit of Buddhahood in the future. The cultivators of Mahayana Buddhism, once bringing forth Bodhi mind, are like holding their Muni jeweled pearl to walk directly to the Buddha's residence. With this pearl, the cultivators are able to return to brightness from darkness and to transform tubidity into purity. When leaving Bodhi mind, the cultivator can achieve nothing. Bodhi mind comes from the mind of great pity. The field of pity is the most victorious in the field of blessings. How can we cultivate the field of blessings? The Buddha said, "To take care of sick people is to plow the field of blessings." Among the eight kinds of sufferings, sickness is the most painful in human's life. Sickness will torment a person physically and mentally. At that time, he is badly in need of the Buddhadharma which will comfort him and encourage him. Therefore, the Buddha said so. We also can say that almsgiving among six paramitas is the foundation of planting the field of blessing. Based on perfect blessings and virtue, all Bodhisattvas arose Bodhi mind. Without blessing, wisdom can not be attained. In the past, many great wise people all did something by their virtuous conduct. Without bringing forth the Bodhi mind, the cultivators will achieve nothing in the course of his cultivation. Now we talk about "practice with mind and understand with wisdom." Some cultivators cultivate without knowing the proper methods and without understanding the principles. He can achieve nothing. When reciting Buddhist sutras, holding mantras, practicing meditation, the cultivator should try to prevent delusive thoughts from arising. In the Buddhist sutra, it is written: "Surpressing one's mind at one definite locality, one can accomplish everything." To practice with mind is to contemplate with wisdom which arise from root. We should not contemplate with consciousness. Contemplating with consciousness will make the cultivator attach on false phenomena. When consciousness reveals, the wisdom will hide away. When wisdom reveals, the consciousness will be subdued (hidden). When six roots facing six dusts (circumstances), the cultivator will not arise false thought, his mind is unmoved. When right contemplation arises, false thought will be eliminated. When the function of consciousness ceases, all external appearance will disappear. The proper way to certify to Prajna substantial appearance is that one does not arise single thought and does not eliminate single thought. When cultivating the Buddhadharma, we should lay down all thoughts and all worries. If we can't penetrate through the hindrance arising from false phenomena, we can't be at ease. To cultivate the Buddhadharma is to seek ease. To those attempting to recite sutras, we tell different ways. To the person with superior root, we say that he recites sutra on the basis of substantial appearance. To the person with middle root, we say that he recites sutra on the basis of contemplation. To the person with inferior root, we say that he recites sutra relying on Buddha's name. The late famous Buddhist Master thought that in Dharma Ending Age, there are a few people with sharp root, he thought that most of people have dull root, so he promoted that when reciting sutras, one should rely on Buddha's name. When reciting sutras with relying on Buddha's name, one should concentrate his mind. Reciting sutras single-mindedly without missing one word in the sutra, one will use his right thought to subdue numerous false thoughts. Reciting sutra with the 8th consciousness is easy to make self-nature enlightened. It is easy for the cultivator to arrive at the land of permanent tranquility. With utmost sincerity and devotion, the cultivator may become enlightened in one thought. Every enlightened thought is the foundation to arrive at the state of true suchness. This is the principle of certification through cultivation. Without cultivation there is no certification. We advise all cultivators to understand this principle and to follow this principle. A cultivator who hopes to understand the meaning of sutras should not attach to the appearance of written words. Seeing the written words, one may arise prajna nature. When one's self-nature is in the state of true suchness, his wisdom will be greatly increased. With such wisdom he is capable of understanding the meaning in the sutras. When his practice and his understanding are mutually cooperated, he does the true cultivation which can be called "orthodox cultivation." Reading sutras without reading commentary is the way to understanding the meaning in the sutras. After reading one hundred times or one thousand times of sutras, the cultivator will experience different stage of understanding. Once he completely understand the meaning in the sutras, he attains perfect wisdom. Understanding is based on wisdom. In the sutra it is written that one explains the meaning according to the written words he will not be able to know the Buddha in the three periods of time. The dharma proclaimed by all Buddhas is the bright treasury or the wisdom of great round mirror. Worldly people lay their emphasis on written words, attaching on written words. Their minds are turned by the appearance of the written words. Their comprehension is not good enough to explain the Buddha's meaning. Doing this way, they walk backward to the Buddha Way. How can they be enlightened? Now we talk about cultivating both blessings and wisdom. When all Bodhisattvas cultivated in the ground of cause, they cultivated both blessings and wisdom without rest until they attained perfect enlightenment. Blessings denote the benefit derived from virtue. All the cultivators of Mahayana Buddhism should universally benefit all living beings. Cultivating in blessings and wisdom, the cultivator's blessings and virtue will be doubly increased. If the cultivator thinks that his retribution of blessings may be too great, he should direct his effort to cultivate wisdom. So that he equally cultivate blessings and wisdom. When the cultivator thinks that his wisdom is more than blessing, he may live in adverse circumstances. He will rarely be offered with food or money. At that time, he should cultivate meritorious virtue in the form of doing almsgiving to increase his blessings. Cultivating equally the wisdom and blessings, the cultivator takes the middle course, marching toward Bodhisattva Way. The cultivation of Buddha's Way is to ferry over living beings. Cultivators ferry over less people, his achievement in cultivation may be slow. If he ferries more people, his attaining the expected fruit may come fast. If he were capable of ferrying over all living beings, he would instantly attain Buddhahood. How can the cultivator ferry over more people? By means of cultivating blessings and wisdom, he is able to ferry over more people. This is the ultimate goal of propagating Buddhism among human beings. Without leaving the living beings, we can seek Buddha Way. To help living beings ferry over is to march toward Buddha Way. It is impossible to seek Buddha Way without helping the living beings. Cultivating and practicing vigorously and progressively is the best way to nourish blessings and wisdom. Relying on the power of great pity vow, the cultivator is able to subdue three kinds of poisons (greediness, anger and stupidity), and he will be certified to the state of unsurpassed Buddhahood. Cultivators should be aware that they must not retreat from their Bodhi mind brought forth originally and must not be afraid of marching forward on the path of Buddha Way. When understanding this principle, the cultivator will be able to transform all afflictions into Bodhi and three poisons into sweet dew. We advise that cultivators adopt three wonderful methods in the course of cultivating and relying on Buddhadharma. Those cultivating purity, meditation, the teaching of Esoteric Sect or Tien Tai Sect all use these wonderful methods. When cultivating wisdom, the cultivator will not have a single thought of disturbance in his mind, entering deeply into orthodox Samadhi. When cultivating blessings, the cultivator will universally benefit all human beings in the world. He should make vow, saying "in the limitless periods of future time, I will ferry over all living beings in the three evil paths. When relying on Buddha's name or investigating the principles of Buddhism, the cultivator will quickly enjoy the taste of dharma." The three wonderful methods mentioned above are good for those who attempt to cultivate and rely on Buddhadharma. From: bond@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Girish) Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Article from "Times of India" by Shri Girilal Jain. oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo H H I N N DDDDD U U H H I NN N D D U U T H E HHHHHH I N N N D D U U D I G E S T H H I N N N D D U U H H I N NN DDDDD UUUU ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOoooooooooooooo KNOWLEDGE UNITY PROGRESS DHARMA ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Topics: The Panchikaram Process Science and Hinduism Article from "Times of India" by Shri Girilal Jain. -----------------The Hindu Digest------------------- For subscription please send a one line mail to: listserv@arizvm1.ccit.arizona.edu the message: SUB HINDU-D Full Name To unsubscribe, send the message SIGNOFF HINDU-D send articles to: editor@rbhatnagar.csm.uc.edu ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ USENET ^^^^^^ Hindu Digest gatewayed to USENET Group: bit.listserv.hindu-d companinon USENET group: alt.hindu The Hindu Archieves ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Hindu Digest archieved by:listserv@arizvm1.ccit.arizona.edu anonymous ftp site: andy.bgsu.edu (directory /pub/India/hindu) mailserver: digest@rbhatnagar.csm.uc.edu Commercial Network Contact: Prodigy: VFGT06A Compuserv: 72170,2450 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bimonthly in-print publication: Samskar (sent free to all the members of HSC) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Hindu Students Council(HSC) information: Hindu.Students.Council@um.cc.umich.edu ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ================================================================== From: verma@pfeast.enet.dec.com (Virendra Verma) Subject: The Panchikaram Process Ref: Hinduism at a glance: The Panchikaran Process: --------------------------- Avyakta is primal matter which evolves into gross matter through the process called 'panchikaran'. First of all, tanmatras (subtle matter) are formed as a result of karmic stress due to previous cycle of manifestation of prakriti. These tanmatras are very subtle. In their purest form they possess a unique propery. The tanmatras are formed in the following order: akasha, vayu, tejas, ap and kshiti. These elements are not same as ether, air, fire, water and earth. The tanmatras are far more subtle than these and belong to a different category. These tanmatras, however, do not emerge all at once out of avyakta. Akasha comes out first, a portion of it transforms itself into vayu, a portion of which again transforms itself into tejas; from tejas in this way comes out ap and from ap kshiti. Next stage of evolution is formation of gross bhutas. A particular bhuta, such as gross akash, is made up of all five kinds of tanmatras or subtle matter in a particular proportion. Gross akasha, for instance, has in its composition half of 'subtle' akasha and one-eigth of each of the remaining four subtle tanmatras, gross vayu has half of subtle vayu and one-eigth of each of the rest; and so on. The special properties (guna) of these tanmatras are as follows? Akash - sound or vibrarion Vayu - touch or contact tejas - color, light, rupa (shape) ap - taste (rasa) kshiti - smell This properties are the object of our perception. That is, the existence of tanmatras is inferred by the perception of these properties. For example, akasha stirs up the perception of sound only; vayu stirs up the perception of sound and touch, tejas of those of sound, touch and color (rupa), ap of all these plus taste (rasa) and kshiti of all the five vishyas including smell. It is to be noticed that each succeeding one in the series stirs up the sensation of one more vishyas than the preceding bhuta; this additional one is said to be its special property (guna). Thus sound is the special property of akasha, touch of vayu, color of tejas, taste of ap and smell of kshiti. These gross bhutas are thus looked upon as different groups of sense-stimuli. They are of the nature of energy and not of matter. Though their names suggest physical entities like ether, air, fire, water, and earth, they are nothing but modes of Prakriti, the infinite Cosmic Energy. These gross bhutas combine further to form physical entities. SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF HINDU VIEW OF MATTER: 1. Is the classification into five gross bhutas complete (from perception view point)? Yes it is complete. Earth (kshiti), for instance, stands for all solids, water (ap) for all liquids and air (vayu) for all gases. These three, therefore, cover all matter found in three different states, namely, solid, liquid and gas. Fire (agni) stand for the phenomena of heat and visible light (as object of perception), and ether (akasha) for the all-pervasive subtle medium through which light waves etc. pass. 2. Once upon a time, the world was devided into elements and their atoms. This has already become meaningless. The atoms are no longer held as ultimate constituents of matter, They have been resolved into energy units (electrons, protons, etc. a different form of cosmic energy). The analytical approach of the physicist has penetrated the deceptive outlook of matter. Matter has become dematerialized. It may be noted that this finding of modern science has gone a step ahead towards confirming the Hindu view of nature. 3. Is sound the special property of ether (akasha)? If so why sound does not travel through ether? This is one area where science and Hindu view agree very vaguely. According to science, sound is produced only by the vibration of solids, liquids and gases, and sound stimuli must travel through such material medium till they reach the air. It is worth noticing that sound-perception as stimulated by and through solids (kshiti), liquids (ap) and gases (vayu) is not denied by the Hindu Shastras, inasmuch as these, being modifications of ether (see above discussion where kshiti, ap and vayu have been shown to consist of one-eigth of akasha), retain its property. So far their findings are on a par with those of modern science. It is regarding ether only that they hold a different opinion. A little scrutiny may show that their findings about ether do not really negate those of modern science, but only present an additional knowledge about it. The sound which is commonly audible to us is produced and propagated by grosser matter and it may be said to be a gross variety of sound. (It may be that sound is produced in every case by the ether component of gas (vayu), liquid (ap) or solid (kshiti) and amplified by the grosser components, when it becomes audible to the common ear). For, the Hindus hold that there is a highly subtle variety of sound not audible to the common ear (akasha vani is another). Hence, according to Hindu view also, so far as gross sound is concerned, a vacuum (containing ether) may stand in a way of its propagation. The Hindu seers had certain empirical data that led them to the conclusion that ether stimulates a highly subtle variety of sound- perception. In a state of deep meditation one hears a sound known as the anahata dhwani. This sound is very subtle and is audible when the mind becomes very calm and collected. It has nothing to do with any vibration of coarser matter. The stimuli that produce the anahata dhwani are always present, for it is always audible by a keen and refined sense of hearing (shrota) whenever the mind is in a state of deep concentration. Perhaps the reference to the music of the spheres in Greek mythology might have been based on some such experience. The idea of logos (word), called Sphota by the Hindus, at the beginning of the Creation also points to the possibility of the subtlest and all-pervasive medium ether (akasha) being the source and conveyer of that sound. For coarser matter at that stage was not in existence. 4. The order of evolution from ether to earth also does not contradict any of the findings of science. Evolution of the universe, as science has been able to trace it so far, starts from the nebula, which is described as a gaseous substance radiating heat and light. The starting-point of the scientists, therefore, is a state when, according to Hinduism, both air and fire have come into existence. The scientists hold that the process of planet-building starts with the separation of masses from the nebula and is followed by gradual condensation of the detached masses. It is to be noted that the gases (vayu) condense first into liquid (ap) and then into solid (kshiti). This is also the order suggested by the Hindu idea of evolution. The Hindu shastras start with akasha (ether) as the first manifested physical entity. Out of this comes vayu (gases) and out of vayu agni (heat and light phenomena). This portion obviously belongs to the pre-nebula stage of Creation about which science is as yet silent. Before the nebula came into being, the question arises - whether the gaseous substance (vayu) preceded heat and light (agni) or the reverse was the case. Ether might very well have evolved into the coarser gaseous substance which by friction might have produced heat and light. This does not go against reason and appears to be quite likely. It is to be noted that just as gross akasha is the first manifested physical entity, gross prana is the first manifested physical energy. It is by the action of this energy on ether (akasha) that gaseous substance (vayu) is produced, and by its action on the gaseous substance that fire comes into being; and so on it goes till we have the entire physical universe. Under the impact of this energy (prana) ether, which is a very subtle homogeneous substance, might have evolved into a coarser gaseous substance (vayu) consisting of molecules. Then by the action of prana on vayu its molecules might have been set into motion, giving rise to what we call the phenomena of heat and light (agni). There is, therefore, nothing absurd about the idea of agni evolving out of vayu. 5. The composition of the gross bhutas from the inert (tamasika) portions of the tanmatras is also worth noticing. The gross bhutas, being the basis of material existence, have the principles of inertia predominant in them. The genesis appears to be quite appropriate. Through the tamasika principle in Prakriti energy (shakti) puts on the look of inert matter. Does it not fit in with the scientist's conception of an atom as 'bottled up radiant energy'? 6. It should be noted that Hindu seers had a clear idea of what we call evolution. Patanjali the author of the Yoga Sutras, referred to it as jatyantara-parinama, i.e., transformation of one genus or species into another. They had a definite idea about its cause, for which modern science may be said to be still groping. They held that one genus or species has within it, potentially, whatever evolves out of it. It is already there in the causal state of a particular genus or species, and this flows out, as it were, to manifest newer forms, whenever circumstances combine to give it an outlet. Water stocked on a high ground may be made to irrigate the grounds on lower and lower levels by simply opening suitable outlets. Such operations are done by the cultivators. In this way suitable circumstances may be said to make an opening through which the potential energy (prakriti) within a genus or species rushes out, as it were, to compose newer forms, giving rise to a new genus or species. Hinduism holds that the whole process of Shristi out of Avyakta, from Brahma down to the grossest and tiniest object, is one of evolution, and that it is made possible by the process of involution during Pralaya. namaste, -- Virendra Verma ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: My employer is not responsible for my views. Read my views at your own risk. **** tamso ma jyotir gamaha - [Lord] take me from darkness to light. shramam vina na kimapi saddhyam - Nothing gets accomplished without work --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: verma@pfeast.enet.dec.com (Virendra Verma) Subject: Science and Hinduism Some comments about Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) from an excellent book "Three Ways of Asian Wisdom" by Nancy Wilson Ross. 1. [pp 64] ... Anachronistic as this labyrinthine mythology may appear to the foreign mind, many of India's ancient theories about the universe are startling modern in scope and worthy of a people who are credited with the invention of the zero, as well as algebra and its application to astronomy and geometry; a people who so carefully observed the heavens that, in the opinion of Monier-Williams, they determined the moon's synodical revolution much more correctly than the Greeks. India's President, Dr. Radhakrishnan, has written of his countrymen: They measured the land, divided the year, mapped out the heavens, traced the course of sun and planets through the zodiacal belt, analyzed the constitution of matter, and studied the nature of birds and beasts, plants and seeds. 2. [p64] Many hundreds of years before those great European pioneers, Galileo and Copernicus, had to pay heavy prices in ridicule and excommunication for their daring theories, a section of the Vedas known as the Brahmanas contained this astounding statement: The sun never sets or rises. When people think the sun is setting, he only changes about after reaching the end of the day and makes night below and day to what is on the other side. Then, when people think he rises in the morning, he only shifts himself about after reaching the end of the night, and makes day below and night to what is on the other side. In truth, he does not set at all. 3. [p64-65] The Indians, whose theory of time, as already noted, is not linear like ours-that is, not proceeding consecutively from past to present to future - have always been able to accept, seemingly without anxiety, the notion of an alternately expanding and contracting universe, an idea recently advanced by certain Western scientists. In Hindu cosmology, immutable Brahman, at fixed intervals, draws back into his beginningless, endless Being the whole substance of the living world. There then takes place the long "sleep" of Brahman from which, in the course of countless aeons, there is an awakening, another universe or "dream" emerges. This notion of the sleeping and waking, or contracting and expanding of the Life Force, so long a part of Hindu cosmology, has recently been expressed in relevant terms in an article written for a British scientific journal by Professor Fred Hoyle, Britain's foremost astronomer. In October, 1965, an American frontpage newspaper account of this article spoke of Dr. Hoyle's having "dropped a scientific bombshell" by admitting that he had been wrong for twenty years in his theory about the nature of the universe. Long the chief proponent of the so-called "steady-state" theory, which holds that the universe has always been much the same as it now is, Dr. Hoyle says that he has come instead to believe that "the universe probably is in a state of flux, expanding for billions of years, then contracting to what amounts to a dense ball of matter, then expanding again. 4. [p65 about light year] Plainly, contemporary Western science's description of an astronomical universe of such vast magnitude that distances must be measured in terms as abstract as light-years is not new to Hinduism whose wise men, millennia ago, came up with the term "kalpa" to signify the inconceivable duration of the period elapsing between the beginning and end of the world system. These world systems of ancient Indian thought - following one another in endless succession as Brahman sleeps or wakes - consisted of a conglomeration of many suns, stars, planets and moons, again suggesting modern astronomy's "island universe" of which more than a million have now been discovered, some of them at least two million light-years distant. We reckon a light-year as the distance light travels in a year's time, or 5,878,000,000,000 miles. The number is, of course, almost unimaginable; the mind cannot grasp it. To pictorialize a kalpa - that is, the time between the initial condensation to the final conflagration of a world system - an Indian sage of the sixth century B.C., Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha, reduced this immense concept to singularly vivid terms. Imagine, he said, a mountain of the very hardest rock, a mountain much larger than any peak in the Himalayas, and suppose that a man, with a piece of the very finest, sheerest silk gauze from Benares comes just once every hundred years to touch that great mountain with the gauze ever so slightly. The time it would take him to wear away the entire mountain would be about the length of a kalpa. Each kalpa is divided in Indian reckoning into four yugas, or ages .... Finally the author concludes: ..... It is clear that Indian religious cosmology is sharply at variance with that inherited by Western peoples from the Semites. On the highest level, when stripped of mythological embroidery, Hinduism's conceptions of space, time and multiple universes approximate in range and abstraction the most advanced scientific thought. This is a fact which could prove helpful in making Hindu philosophy somewhat more acceptable to Western minds now stretched by the findings of contemporary astronomy, just as Hinduism's vast treasury of still-living myth, if reappraised in modern psychoanalytic terms, or through the new "science of mythology", might provide useful insights into singular activity of that part of human conciousness which Carl Jung called "the collective". .... this concept of the total dynamism of the cosmos, maintained by Hinduism down centuries, is one of its powerful possible connections with contemporary scientific thought, particularly in the field of physics. namaste, -- Virendra Verma ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: My employer is not responsible for my views. Read my views at your own risk. **** tamso ma jyotir gamaha - [Lord] take me from darkness to light. shramam vina na kimapi saddhyam - Nothing gets accomplished without work --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: bond@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Girish) Subject: Article from "Times of India" by Shri Girilal Jain. ISLAM ON THE RETREAT Indian Scene In Civilizational Terms By Girilal Jain [ From the "Times of India", January 14, 1993 ] _________________________________________________________________________ It needs to be said straightaway that for the purpose of analysing the Hindu- Muslim problem, our view of history is as inadequate and mud- dled as the idiom of our public discourse which I discussed in this space on December 30/31. This proposition has little to do with whether we regard Muslim conquest and rule as a benevolent or malevolent. That is a different issue. The study of Indian history is vitiated at the very source by the widely accepted Aryan invasion/migration theory. All efforts extending over two centuries to substantiate it via linguistics and archaeology have failed. But the theory holds and infiltrates into our thinking is a viriety of ways. That, however, is also not pertinent in this discus- sion, though its overall importance can not be overemphasised. Narrow Approach We have followed what may be called the frog-in-the-well approach to history relating to Muslim conquest and rule. Thus we discuss Mohammad bin Qasim's invasion of Sind more or less independently of the expansion of Arab Islam as far as North Africa and the Iberian peninsula in the West, with Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and Palestine thrown in, and Tran- soxania in the north, with the once mighty Iran, Medea, Khurasan and Sis- tan included it. Similarly, we discuss Babar's conquest of parts of north India without reference to the larger Turkish upsurge culminating in the Otto- man empire which at its height included present day Albania, Greece, Bul- garia, Serbia, Romania, islands of eastern Mediterranean, parts of Hun- gary and Russia, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, the Caucaus, Egypt, north Africa as far west as Algeria and part of Arabia. This lopsided and parochial view of history was designed, perhaps deliberately by British historians to inculcate in us a deep sense of inferiority. But whether deliberate or not, the effort succeeded remark- ably well. Many educated Indians have accepted that everything worthwhile in India, including Sanskrit, has come from outside and that Indians have never been able to resist foreign invasions and occupations. Mr Nirad Chaudhari's "Continent of Circe" is perhaps the best known expression of this British-promoted view of us as a degenerate people. The truth, ofcourse, is very different. For example, the hordes from the steppes, who laid much of Europe waste, overwhelmed the Roman empire and pushed the warlike Celts out of Western Europe into Ireland and Wales across the channel, could not penetrate into the heartland of our civili- zation in the Gangetic plains. Similarly, while Arab Muslim armies cut through Christian and Zoras- trian lands like knife through butter, in southern and eastern Afghanis- tan, the region of 'Zamindawar' (land of justice givers) and Kabul, the Arabs were effectively opposed for more than two centuries from 643 to 870 A.D. by the indigeneous rulers, the Zunbils and the related Kabulshahs... "With Markan and Baluchistan and much of Sind this area can be reckoned to belong to a cultural and political frontier zone between India and Persia. It is however clear that in the seventh to the nineth centuries the Zunbils and their kinsmen Kabulshahs rules over a predominantly Indian rather than Persian realm. The Arab geographers, in effect, commonly speak of that King al-Hind ... (who) bore the title Zun- bil." (Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo- Islamic World", Andre Wink, OUP). Zun was a Shaivite god. Wink has detailed an equally prolonged resistance on the Makran coast. This gap between fact and history, as generally written and taught, is, however, also not my main interest right now. I wish to emphasise, to quote Andre Wink again, that in the eighth century Muslims acquired from Spain to India "a core position from where they were able to link the two major economic units of the Mediterranean and the Indian ocean... Muslims dominated all maritime and caravan trade routes with the exception of northern trans-Eurasian silk route... the Arab Caliphate from the eighth to the eleventh century achieved an unquestioned economic supremacy in the world... in monetary terms the result of the Muslim conquests was a unified currency based on the gold 'dinar' and the silver 'dirham'... Posession was taken of all important gold-producing and gold-collecting areas. Economic Supremacy This economic supremacy provided so powerful an underpinning for the Muslim internal upheavals, including the Shia-Sunni divide, the decline of the Abbasid caliphate from the tenth century onwards culminating in the sack of Baghdad in 1258 by the Mongols, the upsurge of the Turks, so much so that they can be said to have dominated entire Islamic enterprise from the tenth century to the abolition of the caliphate in 1924. The safavid rulers of Iran too were Turkic and so were the Gaznanvids of Kabul. It follows not only that to be fully effective the challenge to Muslim dominance had, in the final analysis, to be maritime but also that the 'ummah' and Muslim civilization would find it difficult to survive in a meaningful sense the loss of control of the Mediterranean and the Indian ocean. The Ottoman empire doubtless provided a second powerful underpinning. But its fate was too linked in no small way to the corela- tion of forces on the high seas. Mediterranean Europe began to stir in the 11th century. The crusades beginning towards the end of the century were an expression of that awak- ening, though they took a religious form. But the crusaders were first absorbed in the Muslim population and civilization and then beaten back. So it was not before the end of the 15th century when Vasco da Gama discovered a new route to India via the Cape of Good Hope (out of Muslim control) and landed in India (1498) that a serious challenge to Muslim power can be said to have arisen. This challenge took around three centu- ries to fully mature and get consolidated. Crusades This is a long and complicated story. The, details, however signifi- cant and fascinating like the siege of Vienna by Turks in 1688, or Napolean's invasion of Egypt in 1798, exactly three centuries after Vasco da Gama's voyage to India, need not detain us. What is material for our purpose is the steady erosion in Muslim control of the Mediterranean- Indian ocean trade, the decline of the Ottoman empire and with that the replacement of Islamic by the European civilization as the dominating reality on the world scene. The Turkish decision to opt for a nation- state and abolish the caliphate in 1924 completed the process.This has also meant fragmentation of the 'ummah'. It will, ofcourse, be ridiculous to suggest that developments in Indian Islam, including the demise of the Mughal empire, should be viewed wholly in the larger context as if local factors were not at play. But when we talk in civilizational terms which is necessary in view of the universal nature of Islam, issues have to be framed in the broader con- text. And this is not what we have been doing. Indeed, even a honest dis- cussion has been a taboo. As in many other respects, the Indian elite has chosen to live in a small make-believe world of its own in this regard as well. ========================================================================= -- Arise! Awake! And Stop Not till The Goal is Reached! - Swami Vivekananda ------------------------- From: "Laurinda M. Chi" (GC-CDSI) Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Chp 7 of "Tze Yun Bridge" T H E B R I D G E O F M E R C I F U L C L O U D ======================================================= < V o l u m e O n e > Written by Upasaka Chung-hui Lo Translated by Wei-lin Yang Chapter Seven ------------- HOW TO GET RESPONSE IN THE COURSE OF CULTIVATING AND RELYING ON BUDDHADHARMA? In the course of cultivating and relying on the Buddhadharma, the cultivator will get response sooner or later, then he can detect to what state he is certified. If there is not the slightest response, he must be aware that his method of cultivation may be wrong. He should seek advice from the senior Buddhists. When examining our expected response, we should review our conduct, our method of practicing and cultivating the Buddhadharma. To acquire response, we should cultivate according to the following procedure: conduct through purified mind, ceasing delusive thoughts with contemplation, enlightenment through observation, perfection through penetration. This procedure will guide the cultivator into ultimate enlightenment. In the course of our cultivation, we recite sutras, hold on mantras, investigate meditation or adopt the method of still observation. No matter what method we use, we should notice whether our delusive thoughts become less. If we have less delusive thoughts, we are making progress in cultivation. At that time, we are able to notice the arising of our delusive thoughts and should try to suppress them. We hope to arrive at the state of "having no thought while thinking and thinking without thoughts." Purity is contrary to defilement. Purity can be used to suppress defilement. In the course of cultivation, practice is the first step. To practice with purified mind is the most important. The second procedure is the contemplation. Do we have any discrimination between ego and others? Do we have any false thoughts between right and wrong? If we have the thought of discrimination, we can't achieve the state of contemplation. In the course of cultivation, contemplation is the indispensable process. There are phenomenon contemplation and nomenon contemplation. The phenomenon contemplation (the contemplation of external activity) indicates that there is ego (self) which does not attach on anything. There is still discrimination between ego and others. The nomenon contemplation indicates that in the inner mind there is no body and ego, and in the external world, there is no ego and others. When a cultivator notices that the state of contemplation reveals before him, it is the beginning of his getting liberation. But he should know that there are "contemplation on emptiness," "Four states of contemplation in the realm of form" and "contemplation adopted by deviated religion." Those contemplations can not help the cultivator get liberated. There is another contemplation called "resembling contemplation", the cultivator seems to be in the state of contemplation, actually the cultivator attaches on phenomenal appearance. When reciting sutras, the cultivator feels that the more he recites, the more comfortable he is, and he feels that he is filled with dharma joy. This state is the response acquired from contemplation. When reciting sutras, the cultivator feels that the more he recites, the more afflictions he has, this state indicates that his hindrance created from his past deeds appears before him. He should try to control his mind, so that he may not retreat from his Bodhi mind. To cease delusive thoughts through contemplation is also very important in the course of cultivation. The third procedure is to awaken through observation. The cultivator should notice himself whether his wisdom increases after his learning Buddhism. He may feel that his ability of understanding the principles is greatly improved, and his contradiction in his mind is smoothly soothed. Sometimes, he feels that waves of thoughts in his mind flow out freely. This is the proof that his wisdom is increased in the course of his cultivation. In theory, we know that in one thought of enlightenment the living being becomes Buddha, and in one thought of ignorance, the Buddha becomes living beings. How can we become enlightened in one thought? Accumulated cultivation through countless kalpas is the only means to become enlightened. In the course of cultivating the Buddhadharma, we have to go through the procedure of seeking enlightenment through observation. Using wonderful wisdom to illumine our minds, gradually we'll understand the profound principles of Buddhism. Seeking enlightenment through observation and illumination is the most useful dharma. In Esoteric Sect, believers use the method of "seeking response by three secret means." They are told to contemplate Sakyamuni Buddha, the originally World Honored One. Contemplation is to fix the mind in one place without being distracted. The fourth procedure is to seek perfection through wonders. A cultivator should think whether he practices Bodhisattva Way in any moment and whether he regulates his cultivation by means of taking middle course. If he doesn't practice Bodhisattva Way and doesn't take middle course in his cultivation, how can he perfectly achieve Buddha Way? The fruit of all Buddhas is called wonderful enlightenment, while the fruit of all Bodhisattvas is called equal grade enlightenment, which is not completely perfect. It is just like the moon on Aug. 14 that is not fully round. Wonderful enlightenment is just like the moon on Aug. 15 which is perfectly round. Wonderful enlightenment denotes that Buddha's practice and enlightenment are ultimately perfect and incomparable. In the course of our cultivation, we try to march toward the path of getting enlightenment. When our enlightenment increases, our delusions will be decreased. When we arrive at the state of perfect cultivation, at that time we attain the state of perfect enlightenment. As long as we proceed to the Bodhisattva Way by taking middle course, we are sure that we'll be ultimately liberated by enlightenment. In the course of our cultivation, we have to examine ourselves how much progress we have made. Following are some rules which can be used to examine the result of our cultivation. (1) Our delusive thoughts are decreased day by day, and we have less nightmare. (2) Converted by Buddhist teaching, we have proper thoughts, proper conduct, and we correct our defects on our deposition and character. (3) Physically and mentally the cultivator is in balanced condition, he tries to get rid of the thought of jealousy, pride and suspicion. (4) The cultivator's vital energies increase. It seems that he has less afflictions than before. (5) The cultivator's capability of consideration, his reaction, comprehension, memory are improved. (6) The cultivator scarcely talks about other's faults. When hearing idle speech, the cultivator will bring forth the mind of pitiful sympathy. Gradually his attachment on ego disappears. In his mind there will be no distinction between ego and others. (7) The contradictory thoughts existing in the cultivator's mind gradually disappear. His selfishness, worry and stubbornness gradually disappear. His selfishness for making profit is properly regulated. (8) The cultivator has the the sincere devotion to the religion he believes and likes to give wealth, dharma and fearlessness to others. Trying to accord with other's wish, he does his best to fulfill their vow. When seeing others in suffering, he gives his sympathy based on the principle of "great pity without affinity and great mercy in common substance." (9) The cultivator's effort of practicing Bodhisattva Way is unceasingly increased. Such effort is vigorously progressed without interruption and without retreat. (10) The cultivator is able to distinguish the orthodox dharma from deviated teachings. He leaves the deviated religion far behind, never listening to or believing the teachings of deviated religion. (11) The cultivator tries to transform the three poisons (greediness, anger and stupidity) into cool sweet dew, and he will not be afflicted with these poisons. He is not greedy for reputation, profit, high position and meritorious advantages. (12) On the basis of correct viewpoint on human's life, the cultivator has confidence in his work, he is not pessimistic. On the contrary, he does his work aggressively and optimistically. Conceiving the thought to serve for others, he tries to give up his own comfort in order to help others. Gradually he will no longer attach on the thought of ego, even forgetting the existence of ego. (13) The cultivator learns how to keep and rely on precepts, trying to purify the substance of precepts to make the appearance of precepts adored. (14) The cultivator tries to purify his mind which is like the still water. He observes the worldly affairs and human's life objectively. (15) With the merciful mind, the cultivator views everything equally. With the pitiful mind, he tries to ferry over all living beings. With the delightful mind, he hears the words of slander and praise. With the almsgiving mind, he rejoices in other's merit and virtue. (16) On the basis of taking middle course, the cultivator regulates himself at any time (He makes progress in both understanding and practicing cultivating blessings and wisdom. He thinks that there is no difference between emptiness and existence, and he considers that fundamental essence is perfectly penetrating to external activities.) When his wisdom of awakening to Buddha's teaching is increased, the cultivator tries to propagate Buddhadharma, benefiting others. He will acquire the ability of unobstructed eloquence. (17) The cultivator always think of ferrying over the living beings, and is mindful of helping living beings. He tries to fulfill his vow that when there are beings in the hell, he will not attain Buddhahood, and when there are living beings in the suffering, he will not enter Nirvana. He will make vow that he will ferry over the beings in the three evil paths. He wishes that all the living beings in the world could be ferried over and all the living beings in the limitless and boundless and boundless Saha world could be ferried over. The 17 rules mentioned above can be used by the cultivator to examine his achievement in the course of cultivating and relying on the Buddhadharma. We use 100 as perfect score, the cultivator may calculate his score himself. When his score is below 10, he gets the most inferior grade called "making progress in future". When his score is below 20, he gets the inferior middle grade called "steadiness". When his score is below 30, he gets the inferior upper grade called "slightly understanding". When his score is below 40, he gets the middle inferior grade called "profound knowledge". When his score is below 50, he gets middle grade called "vigorous progress". When his score is below 60, he gets the middle upper grade called "perceiving the profound". When his score is below 70, he gets the upper inferior grade called "wonderful path". When his score is below 80, he gets the upper middle grade called "perfect penetration". When his score is below 90, he gets the superior upper grade called "conferring prediction". If his score is 100, he gets the most superior grade called "perfect satisfaction". We use the following method to calculate the scores. Two points are given to rules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 each. Four points are given to rules 6 and 7 each. Six points are given to rules 8, 9, and 10 each. Eight points are given to rules 11 and 12 each. Nine points are given to rules 13 and 14 each. Ten points are given to rules 15, 16, and 17 each. The perfect score will be 100. The cultivator may calculate his score based on the method illustrated above. When the cultivator does not get any response in the course of his cultivation, he must not be discouraged. We believe that following the correct method od cultivation, sooner or later the cultivator will get response. We know it is a struggle between the power of dharma and the power of deeds, and it is a conflict between purified dharma and defiled dharma. The "struggle" mentioned here denotes the meaning of overcoming or being victorious over the opposite party. We know that an Arhat has three names, one of which is called "killing thief". It doesn't actually mean to kill those who steal things. But it denotes that an Arhat is able to eliminate the thoughts of anger, greediness and stupidity, and he can overcome the temptation of such desire. A famous scholar Wang Yang-Ming said, "We should get rid of the thiefs in our minds." It means that we should battle with evil thoughts. In short, we should be victorious over the power of our deeds with the power of dharma and the defiled dharma with purified dharma. Otherwise, we, cultivators, will not get any response during the course of our cultivation. Every cultivator has different root and affinity. In past lives through countless kalpas (aeons), some one cultivated Bodhisattva. When encountered the external condition, he becomes awakened in this life. He made smooth progress in his cultivation since he took refuge with Buddhism and accepted the transmission of precepts. In this case we can say that the Buddha seeds he planted in past lives grow up right now, and the seeds of his evil deeds are subdued or transformed. There is no hindrance appeared before him. Most people do not have hindrance before they learn Buddhist practice. Once they take refuge with Buddhism and accept precepts, various kinds of hindrance will appear to obstruct his cultivation and learning. They feel disappointed or discouraged, even trying to retreat from their original Bodhi mind. We can say that in past lives through countless kalpas, they did not cultivate or strictly keep precepts, never repenting after making faults. Insisting on their own idea, they occasionally created evil deeds in the past lives. For this reason, the hindrance and obstruction appear before them in this life. When they become awakened to cultivate the Buddhadharma in this life, the seeds of evil deeds planted in their past lives are forced to go out, they encounter disaster, living in adverse condition and they have numerous afflictions. Viewing this way, the cultivator may understand that his disaster and afflictions are originated from the evil deeds created in his past lives. At this moment, he should endure all difficulties without retreating from his Bodhi mind. We may say that the evil spirits (demons and Mara) are trying to hinder his cultivation secretly, because they are afraid that the cultivator may escape from the paths of transmigration, avoiding the cycle of birth and death. When encountering hindrance, the cultivator should transfer his merit to the unseen spirits. The hatred and grude created in his past lives may gradually disappear. The cultivator should transfer his merit, saying "I am willing to transfer this merit to those who bore me grude or who were my debtors from beginningless kalpas, and I am willing to transfer this merit to my parents life after life and to my relatives in six kins, hoping them to receive this merit equally so that the knot of hatred can be untied. I hope those who hear the reciting of this sutra or mantra will be separated from misery and attain delight and joy, and seek rebirth in the pure land." After transferring the merit for a period of time, the cultivator will find that his hindrance and obstructions disappear. At that time, he will get some kinds of response in the course of cultivation. Some people think that it is inauspicious to believe in Buddhism. Actually they don't understand the cycle of cause and effect. The Buddhadharma is able to penetrate into three lives, the worldly beings and sagely beings are alike to be affected by its power. When seeds of evil deeds planted in the past grow up and appear, no one can endure the misery brought about by his past deeds. If the cultivator knows the relation between cause and effect and he tries to eliminate his hindrance by means of transferring the merit, he is sure to attain response in his cultivation after having brought forth great Bodhi mind and cultivated toward Bodhisattva Way. Following is a chart which illustrates the procedure to acquire response through cultivation: True mind: (1) Conduct through purified mind -----------------------. Keeping precepts (blessings) | (2) Ceasing delusions with contemplation ----------------|--> Attain the fruit Contemplation (blessings interflowed with wisdom) | of Bodhisattva (3) Enlightenment through observation -------------------' Wisdom (wisdom) (4) Perfection through penetration - embody precepts, contemplation and wisdom (perfect in blessings and wisdom) to attain Buddhahood From: Ritesh.Bansal@cs.cmu.edu Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: The Art of Living : Vipassan Meditation I have finally finished transcribing the booklet give out by Vipassana Meditation Center (VMC). I am posting it; if you have any questions, please email me. I am not very well versed in the theory but I will try to answer them. Please do not repost this to other bboards or s.r.e in the future if you have not attended a course at VMC. May all beings be happy! Ritesh. Begin _______________________________________________________ THE ART OF LIVING : VIPASSANA MEDITATION BY S.N. GOENKA _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Introduction: S.N. Goenka is a teacher of Vipassana Meditation in the tradition of the late Sayagyi U Ba Khin of Burma. Although Indian by descent, Mr. Goenka was born and raised in Burma. While living in Burma he had the good fortune to come into contact with U Ba Khin, and to learn the Vipassana Technique from him. After receiving training from his teacher for fourteen years, Mr. Goenka settled in India and began teaching Vipassana in 1969. In a country still sharply divided by differences of caste and religion, the courses offered by Mr. Goenka have attracted thousands of people from every part of society. In addition, many people from countries around the world have come to join courses in Vipassana Meditation. Mr. Goenka has taught tens of thousands of people in more than 300 courses in India and in other countries, East and West. In 1982 he began to appoint assistant teachers to help him meet the growing demand for courses. Meditation centers have been established under his guidance in India, the United States, Australasia, New Zealand, France, and the United Kingdom , and courses are held regularly in many other countries worldwide. The technique which S.N. Goenka teaches represents a tradition that is traced back to the Buddha. The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal. In the same tradition, Mr. Goenka approach is totally non-sectarian. For this reason, his teaching has a profound appeal to people of all backgrounds, of every religion and no religion, of every part of the world. The following article is based on a public talk given by Mr. Goenka in Bern, Switzerland, in 1980. _____________________________________________________________ The Art of Living : Vipassana Meditation by S.N. Goenka ____________________________________________________________ EVERYONE SEEKS PEACE AND HARMONY, because these are what we lack in our lives. From time to time we all experience agitation, irritation, disharmony, suffering; and when one suffers from agitation, one does not keep this misery limited to oneself. One keeps distributing it to others as well. The agitation permeates the atmosphere around the miserable person. Everyone who comes into contact with him also becomes irritated, agitated. Certainly this is not the proper way to live. One ought to live at peace with oneself, and at peace with all others. After all, a human being is a social being. He has to live in society - to live and deal with others. How are we to live peacefully? How are we to remain harmonious within ourselves, and to maintain peace and harmony around us, so that others can also live peacefully and harmoniously. One is agitated. To come out of the agitation, one has to know the basic reason for it, the cause for suffering. If one investigates the problem, it will become clear that whenever one starts generating any negativity or defilement in the mind, one is bound to become agitated. A negativity in the mind a mental defilement or impurity, cannot coexist with peace and harmony. How does one start generating negativity? Again, by investigating, it becomes clear. I become very unhappy when I find someone behaving in a way which I don't like, when I find something happening which I don't like. Unwanted things happen and I create tensions within myself. And throughout life, unwanted things keep on happening, wanted things may or may not happen and this process of reaction of tying knots - Gordian knots - makes the entire mental and physical structure so tense, so full of negativity, that life becomes miserable. Now one way to solve the problems is to arrange that nothing unwanted happens in my life and that everything keeps on happening exactly as I desire. I must develop such power, or somebody else must have the power and must come to my aid when I request him, that unwanted things do no happen and that everything I want happens. But this is not possible. There is no one in the world whose desires are always fulfilled, in whose life everything happens according to his wishes, without anything unwanted happening. Things keep on occurring that are contrary to our desires and wishes. So the question arise, how am I not to react blindly in the face of these things which I don't like. How not to create tension? How to remain peaceful and harmonious? In India as well as in other countries, wise saintly persons of the past studied this problem - the problem of human suffering - and found a solution: if something unwanted happens and one starts to react by generating anger, fear or any other negativity, then as soon as possible one should divert one's attention to something else. For example, get up, take a glass of water, start drinking - your anger will not multiply and you'll start coming out of anger. Or start counting: one, two, three, four. Or start repeating a word, or a phrase, or some mantra, perhaps the name of a diety or a saintly person in whom you have devotion; the mind is diverted, and to some extent, you'll be out of the negativity, out of anger. This solution was helpful: it worked. It still works. Practicing this, the mind feels free from agitation. In fact, however, the solution works only at the conscious level. Actually, by diverting the attention, one pushes the negativity deep into the unconscious, and on this level one continues to generate and multiply the same defilement. At the surface level there is a layer of peace and harmony, but in the depths of the mind there is a sleeping volcano of suppressed negativity which sooner of later will explode in violent eruption. Other explorers of inner truth went still further in their search; and by experiencing the reality of mind and matter within themselves they recognized that diverting the attention is only running away from the problem. Escape is no solution: one must face the problem. Whenever a negativity arises in the mind, just observe it, face it. As soon as one starts observing any mental defilement, it begins to lose strength. Slowly it withers away and is uprooted. A good solution: it avoids both extremes - suppression and free license. Keeping the negativity in the unconscious will not eradicate it; and allowing it to manifest in physical or vocal actions will only create more problems. But if one just observes, then the defilement just passes away, and one has eradicated that negativity, one is freed from that defilement. This sounds wonderful, but is it really practical? For an average person is it easy to face the defilement? When anger arises it overpowers us so quickly that we don't even notice. Then, overpowered by anger we commit some actions physically or vocally which are harmful to us and to others. Later, when the anger has passed we start crying and repenting, begging pardon from this or that person or from God: `Oh, I made a mistake, please excuse me!' But the next time we are in a similar situation, we again react in the same way. All that repenting does not help at all. The difficulty is that I am not aware when a defilement starts. It begins deep in the unconscious level of the mind, and by the time it reaches the conscious level, it has gained so much strength that it overwhelms me, and I cannot observe it. Then I must keep a private secretary with me, so that anger does not start, he says, `Look master, anger is starting!' Since I cannot know when this anger will start, I must have three private secretaries for three shifts around the clock! Suppose I can afford that, and the anger starts to arise. At once my private secretary tells me, `Oh, master look - anger has started!' The first thing I will do is slap and abuse him: `You fool! do you think you are paid to teach me?' I am so overpowered by anger that no good advice will help. Even supposing wisdom prevails and I do not slap him. Instead I say, `Thank you very much. Now I must sit down and observer my anger.' Yet is is possible? As soon as I close my eyes and try to observe the anger, immediately the object of anger comes into my mind - the person or incident because of which I became angry. Then I am not observing the anger itself. I am merely observing the external stimulus to the emotion. It is very difficult to observe any abstract negativity, abstract emotion, divorced from the external object which aroused it. However, one who reached the ultimate truth found a real solution. He discovered that whenever any defilement arises in the mind, simultaneously two things start happening at the physical level. One is that the breath loses its normal rhythm. We start breathing hard whenever a negativity comes into the mind. This is easy to observe. At a subtler level, some kind of biochemical reactions starts within the body - some sensation. Every defilement will generate one sensation or another inside, in one part of the body or another. This is a practical solution. An ordinary person cannot observe abstract defilements of the mind - abstract fear, anger, or passion. But with proper training and practice, it is very easy to observe respiration and bodily sensations - both of which are directly related to the mental defilements. Respiration and sensation will help me in two ways. Firstly, they will be like my private secretaries. As soon as defilements starts in my mind, my breath will lose its normality; it will start shouting, `Look, something has gone wrong!' I cannot slap my breath; I have to accept the warning. Then, having been warned, I start observing my respiration, my sensations, and I find very quickly that the defilement passes away. This mental-physical phenomenon is like a coin with two sides. On the one side are whatever thoughts or emotions are arising in the mind. On the other side are the respiration and sensations in the body. Any thought or emotion, any mental defilement, manifests itself in the breath and the sensation of that moment. Thus, by observing the respiration or the sensation, I am in fact observing the mental defilement. Instead of running away from the problem, I am facing reality as it is. Then I shall find that the defilement loses its strength: It can no longer overpower me as it did in the past. If I persist, the defilement eventually disappears altogether, and I remain peaceful and happy. In this way, the technique of self-observation shows us that reality in its two aspects, inner and outer. Previously, one always looked with open eyes, missing the inner truth. I always looked outside for the cause of my unhappiness; I always blamed and tried to change the reality outside. being ignorant of the inner reality, I never understood that the cause of suffering lies within, in my own blind reactions toward pleasant and unpleasant sensations. Now, with training, I can see the other side of the coin. I can be aware of my breathing and also of what is happening inside me. Whatever it is, breath or sensation, I learn just to observe it, without losing the balance of the mind. I stop reacting, stop multiplying my misery. Instead, I allow the defilement to manifest and pass away. The more one practices this technique, the more quickly one will find one will come out of negativity. Gradually the mind becomes freed of defilements; it becomes pure. A pure mind is always full of love - selfless love for all others; full of compassion for the failings and sufferings of others; full of joy at their success and happiness; full of equanimity in the face of any situation. When one reaches that stage, the entire pattern of one's life starts changing. It is no longer possible to do anything vocally or physically which will disturb the peace and happiness of others. Instead, the balanced mind not only becomes peaceful in itself, but it helps others also to become peaceful. The atmosphere surrounding such a person becomes permeated with peace and harmony, and this will start affecting others too. By learning to remain balanced in the face of everything one experiences inside, one develops detachment towards all that one encounters in external situations as well. However, this detachment is not escapism or indifference to the problems of the world. A Vipassana meditator becomes more sensitive to the sufferings of others, and does his utmost to relive their suffering in whatever way he can - not with any agitation, but with a mind full of love, compassion and equanimity. He learns holy indifference - how to be fully committed, fully involved with helping others, while at the same time maintaining the balance of the mind. In this way he remains peaceful and happy, while working for the peace and happiness of others. That is what the Buddha taught: an art of living. He never established or taught any religion, any `ism'. He never instructed his followers to practice any rites or rituals, any blind or empty formalities. Instead he taught them to observe nature as it is, by observing the reality inside. Out of ignorance, one keeps reacting in a way which is harmful to oneself and to others. But when wisdom arises - the wisdom of observing the reality as it is - one comes out of this habit of reaction. When one ceases to react blindly, then one is capable of real action - action proceeding from a balanced mind, a mind which sees and understands the truth. Such action can only be positive creative and helpful to oneself and others. What is necessary, then is to `know thyself' - advice which every wise person has given. One must know oneself not just at the intellectual level, the level of ideas and theories. Nor does this mean to know just at the emotional of devotional level, simply accepting blindly what one has heard or read. Such knowledge is not enough. Rather, one must know reality at the actual level. One must experience directly the reality of this mental-physical phenomenon. This alone is what will help is to come out of defilements, out of suffering. This direct experience of one's reality, this technique of self observation, is what is called `Vipassana' meditation. In the language of India in the time of the Buddha, `passana' meant seeing with open eyes, in the ordinary way; but `Vipassana' is observing things as they really are, not as they seem to be. Apparent truth has to be penetrated, until one reaches the ultimate truth of the entire mental and physical structure. When one experiences this truth, then one learns to stop reacting blindly, to stop creating defilements - and naturally the old defilements gradually are eradicated. One comes out of all misery and experiences happiness. There are three steps to the training which is given in a meditation course. Firstly, one must abstain from any action, physical or vocal, which disturbs the harmony of others. One cannot work to liberate oneself from defilements in the mind while at the same time one continues to perform deeds of body and speech which only multiply those defilements. Therefore, a code of morality is the essential step of the practice. One undertakes not to kill, not to steal, not to commit sexual misconduct, not to tell lies, and not to use intoxicants. By abstaining from such actions, one allows the mind to quiet down sufficiently so that it can proceed with the task at hand. The next step is to develop some mastery over this wild mind, by training it to remain fixed on a single object: the breath. One tries to keep one's attention for as long as possible on the respiration. This is not a breathing exercise: one does not regulate the breath. Instead one observes natural respiration as it is. as it comes in, as it goes out. In this way one further calms the mind so that it is no longer overpowered by violent negativities. At the same time, one is concentrating the mind, making it sharp and penetrating, capable of work of insight. These first two steps of living a moral life and controlling the mind are very necessary and beneficial in themselves: but they will lead to repression, unless one takes the third step - purifying the mind of defilements by developing insight into one's own nature. This is Vipassana: experiencing one's own reality, by the systematic and dispassionate observation of the ever changing mind-matter phenomenon manifesting itself as sensations within oneself. This is the culmination of the teachings of the Buddha: self-purification by self-observation. This can be practiced by one and all. Everyone faces the problem of suffering. It is a universal disease which requires a universal remedy - not a sectarian one. When one suffers from anger, it is not Buddhist anger, Hindu anger, or Christian anger. Anger is anger. When one becomes agitated as a result of this anger this agitation is not Christian, not Hindu, or Buddhist. The malady is universal. The remedy must also be universal. Vipassana is such a remedy. No one will object to a code of living which respects the peace and harmony of others. No one will object to developing control over the mind. No one will object to developing insight into one's reality, by which it is possible to free the mind of negativities. Vipassana is a universal path. Observing the reality as it is by observing the truth inside - this is knowing oneself at the actual experiential level. As one practices, one keeps coming out of the defilements. From the gross, external, apparent truth, one penetrates to the ultimate reality of mind and matter. Then one transcends that, and experiences a truth which is beyond mind and matter, beyond time and space, beyond the conditioned field of relativity: the truth of total liberation from all defilements, all impurities, all suffering. Whatever name one gives to the ultimate truth, is irrelevant; it is the final goal of everyone. May you all experience this ultimate truth. May all people come out of their defilements, their misery. May they enjoy real happiness, real peace, real harmony. MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY _______________________ __________________ For further Information about Vipassana meditation, as well as dates if upcoming courses throughout North America and worldwide contact: Vipassana Meditation Center P.O. Box 24 Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 Tel. (413) 615-2160 _______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ END From: v062qjjq@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (David T Wei) Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Tze-Yun Bridge (Chapter 8) Chapter 8 Buddhist's moral conduct The purpose of cultivating Buddha's practice is to transcend this world. While moral conduct is to emphasize on proper behaviour when we live in the world. Without moral conduct, a cultivator is unable to cultivate the Buddhadharma. On the basis of the principle of cause and effect, we know when there is improper cause, there will be deviated effect. So we can say that moral conduct is the foundation for out cultivation. Without practicing moral conduct, our cultivation is just like building a castle in the air. Therefore, we should care for our moral conduct. (A) The meaning of moral conduct: Moral conduct denotes the proper bodily behavior, ritual demeanour and righteous thoughts in the mind. In short, it denotes our inner virtue. To nourish our inner virtue is to make our mind and body in balance state. This is the initial step toward cultivating the transcendental world dharma. (B) Why we care for moral conduct: In this world, it is easy for us to incite afflictions because of profit or fame. We usually lay lay emphasis on egoism from whish which selfishness is derived and from which aggressive thoughts are brought froth. According to positive viewpoint, we usually negate many things in our life, we become shortsighted, we become mentally unbalanced. Thus Chaos and conflicts among human beings and social disorder are incited. Disharmony among human beings arises. If every one cared for his moral conduct, he would be in balanced state mentally. Harmonious relation can be found among human beings. If every one cared for moral conduct, our social order could be well maintained and we would be safe in the society. To those cultivating Buddha's practice, moral conduct is the foundation to achieve desired fruit in the course of cultivation. Learning to keep precepts is to nourish a Buddhist's moral conduct. A buddhist relies on the meritorious virtue planted in past lives and he should review his conduct in this life. On the basis of three methods without outflow (afflictions), Keeping precepts will arise contemplation (meditation), contemplation will bring forth wisdom. Usually our wisdom and contemplation are not equally in balanced status, because we do not strictly keep precepts. So we can stay that keeping precepts is the vanguard of cultivating Buddha's practice. The transcendental world dharma stresses on the principles of keeping precepts. While the worldly dharma lays emphasis on moral conduct. There is a close relation between these principles of two dharmas. In the Dharma Ending Age, we can see many cases which show our unbalanced status of our wisdom and contemplation, we may say that we lack inner virtue. We see many learned monks who have kind and merciful demeanour while giving Buddhist lecture. We believe that they have perfect moral conduct which is shown by merciful behavior. In confucianism we can read many sentences telling about moral conduct. In Short, moral conduct means to behave according to moral culture and do our work on the basis of stipulated rules. It seems to be easy, actually how many people can do this way? In the past lives through countless kalpas, we created evil deeds, in this life the seeds of our evil deeds grow up, various hinderance appears before us. We are affected by the power of our evil deeds, We can't control ourselves. We have numerous affliction which produce from the impure deeds in our minds. The impure deeds in our minds are the source of doing something harmful to others. We think that Buddhists should have moral conduct which is the basic requirement in the course of cultivation. We usually judge a Buddhist's cultivation by his moral conduct. If his moral conduct is perfect, he has made certain achievement in cultivation. (C) Seeing the living beings' appearance: Living beings have different kinds of root and nature. They create different defiled deeds and purified deeds. Through these deeds they show varied behavior and conduct. Generally those committing bad conduct do not care for moral conduct. They disturb the social peace and order. They do something harmful to themselves and to others. We illustrate this point based on factual examples: (1) In many governmental offices or private firms, we can find many persons who show they do is right. They even think that they are the only persons who can do the work in the world. Without them, no one can do the work. Most of these persons are gifted with talent. They are isolated by others. In governmental offices or private firms, we many find other kind of persons who have inferiority complex. They think their ability and knowledge are far inferior to others. They are unambitious and without farsighted views. They become narrow- minded persons. On the basis of ego, these two kinds of persons behave. (2) Some one tries to organize a small group to squeeze others out of the office or private firms: One should respect others and should help others. When he dislike others or he thinks that others do not cooperate with him, he attempts to squeeze other out of the organization. (3) One designs a plot to harm others: When one dislikes others, or when other argue with him on some points. He tries to harm others secretly by premeditated plot. Their minds are full of mean thoughts. (4) Arrogance and self-pride: Living beings usually have arrogant thoughts in their minds. They think no one can be compared with them in respect of knowledge and ability. Their make a little achievement in their career, they show arrogant demeanour. They are very proud of their ability and knowledge, looking down on others, criticizing others bitterly. Actually they neglect that behind capable man there is the most capable man and they ignore the old saying, "Those who are proud are destined to be failures." (5) Human beings are afflicted with the habit of jealousy. Among human beings, eighty percent of them have th habit of jealousy. There is a saying, "A man is jealous of other's talent, A woman is jealous of other's beautiful appearance." In addition, the man has arrogant thoughts in his mind, the woman has the greediness for love. (6) Backbiting and double-tongue: Human beings living in the world, they encounter virtuous affinity and evil affinity. They appreciate grace given by others, they dislike hatred incited by their faults. They argue for justice, sometimes they quarrel over trifles. Buddhists should not involve in such argument or quarreling. We know that in Hsin Dynasty, Dharma Master Wei Yuan organized a Lotus Association at Lo Mountain where he taught all disciples to cultivate and recite Buddhist sutras together. They all sought for rebirth in the pure land. Today we live in the Dharma Ending Age, some Buddhists go to Bodhimandala (preaching site) to talk something nonsense or join in rambling speech. Their actions are completely contradictory to the teaching of Buddhism. Buddhist disciples in the four assembly should not talk about other's faults. If the person who made faults is his friend, he may exhort this friend to correct his faults. To backbite others or to give rambling speech will violate the precepts of verbal behaviour. Those leading layman's life should make offering reverently to Triratna (three jewels). Those leading monastic life should single-mindedly cultivate purified deeds. Besides, they should double their efforts to make offering to and revere Triratna. There is a saying, "If we wish the Buddhadharma to be popularly propagated, The members of Sangha should praise the other members of the Sangha". We know that without the support of laity, those leading monastic life can not continue Buddha's wisdom. Without those leading monastic life, the laity will not have a Bodhimandala to take entering monkhood or nunhood and make offerings to them. In turn, those leading monastic life should teach the Buddhadharma to the laity, encouraging them to make progress in cultivation. They must not rudely blame laity without sound reason. Backbiting, double-tongue and rambling to adorned Bodhimandala, we attend the Dharma assembly to cultivate the Buddhadharma with other cultivators, we should behave properly. It is good to increase our affinity through the Buddhadharma. In our life of social intercourse, we may argue with others because of profit or loss. We should pay special attention to our moral conduct. (7) At all times, the cultivator suspects that he will be harmed by unseen ghosts or demons. He feels happy when he gains the profit, he feels disappointed when losing what he gained. A person conceiving suspicious thought is painful. There is a common saying, "Suspicion will attract ghosts manifesting in the darkness". A person who always suspects others may have mental illness. This kind of man forgets a Chinese saying, "Actually there is nothing wrong, the stupid make trouble themselves". Because of suspicious thoughts in his mind, he acts like the insane. Caring too much for profit or loss in the other cause to make the cultivator unbalanced mentally and physically. He worries at all times. In his mind, a great disaster will appear before him. Gradually he is not adaptable to his living condition. He can not get along with others. Finally, he becomes an extremely disappointed man living in loneliness. (8) There are many persons who are extremely critical about other's faults. Some deceive others by tricks, they force the weak to obey them, on the other hand, they flatter the powerful or the rich. They even commit crimes. Those kinds of persons are mentally unbalanced. They never know how to reflect on their past behaviour, they never know how to care for their moral conduct. After having made repeated mistakes or having committed crimes for many times, they live in despair. (D) Afflictions and moral conduct: In the Sastra On One Hundred Dharmas, it is written that there are 51 kinds of mental phenomena classified into good ones and bad ones. Among there phenomena, there are six rooted afflictions and 20 accompanying afflictions. Now we talk about six rooted afflictions; They are greediness, anger (hatred), stupidity, pride (proud-hearted), suspicion and evil views. Greediness, anger, and stupidity are the elementary cause for living beings to fall into hells. These three afflictions can also be called "three poisons". >From beginningless Kalpas (aeons), Human beings have had these deep rooted afflictions without being aware of their existence. They drift in the three evil paths. These affliction without being aware of their existence. They drift in the three evil paths. These afflictions (poisons) will hinder the cultivator from keeping precepts, practicing contemplation and cultivating wisdom. (Keeping precepts, contemplation and wisdom are three kinds of method to attain the state of non-outflow (without afflictions). Fortunately we also can use three kinds of method to disinfect these poisons (to make these afflictions eliminated). We believe when we singlemindedly keep precepts, practice meditation and cultivate wisdom, these three affliction will be totally eliminated. If the cultivator blindly and stubbornly attach on these afflictions, he will not have any achievement in cultivation although sometime he uses the three virtuous methods (keeping precepts, contemplation and wisdom). Now we illustrate the meaning of six rooted afflictions. Human beings attach on the thought of ego from which selfishness comes and greediness comes from selfishness. The more a man covets, the more he wants. Anger denotes losing temper. When a person can't get what he wants, he becomes angry. A stupid man is hindered by ignorance. He loses his self-nature and does not try to seek for enlightenment. He mistakes a deer for a horse, living in delusive thoughts. Based on his own vision and view, a conceited person is always proud of himself. He insists on his view, neglecting other's idea. A person having suspicious thoughts always suspects others. He can hardly make up his mind to do something. Evil view means a person who insists on his false thought, basically he mistakes the wrong for the right. He attaches on the false thought of "ego" and mistakes his body for true ego. Extreme view means a person who has extreme thought. He has absolute view or permanent view. He thinks that a man's death is just like lamp put off. He thinks that after a man's death, he will be reincarnated as a man again. After an animal's death, it will be reincarnated as an animal again. This is his thought of permanence. Deviated view denotes a person who slanders that there is no cause and effect. He believes in heterdox teaching. He goes from blindness into blindness. Positive view denotes a person who positively thinks that his view is right. He negates all ideas which are not in conformity with his. Keeping the wrong precepts denotes the precept which is not orthodox. The statement mentioned above illustrates the six rooted afflictions. One thought of ignorance will make living beings defiled. They are unable to convert their thoughts and become purified. There are twenty accompanying afflictions living in the minds of living beings. Myriads of deeds are produced from there afflictions. The minor accompanying afflictions are: anger, hatred, hidden-sin, vexation, envy (jealousy), stinginess, deceit, adulation, ill-will, and pride. There are two middle grade of accompanying affliction: no conscience of shamefulness and no conscience of remorse. There are eight major accompanying afflictions: Losing mind, confusion, unbelief, laziness, laxation, losing memory, distraction and mistaken understanding. Those accompanying afflictions are illustrated below: In adverse circumstances, a believer gets angry. He conceives hatred in this mind. When a believer makes faults, he tries to conceal it, this is called hidden sin. In adverse circumstances, the believer vexes at many things. When knowing other's achievements, a man feels jealousy of his success. That is called "envy or jealousy". When a believer does not like to proclaim dharma to others or he does not like to give alms to others, it is called stingy. For personal profit, one deceives others we call it deceit. One flatter or adulates others, we call it adulation. One tries to harm others without the compassionate and merciful feeling, we call it "ill-will" or harmfulness. On opinionates his point of view, and is proud of his reputation or achievements, we call it pride. One does not confess his faults, refusing to accept reprimand from his superior, we call it "no conscience of shamefulness". One is cruel to his subordinates, we call it " no conscience of remorse". One is in uneasiness and loses conceit of himself to do anything, we call it "losing mind". One conceives delusive thoughts and is in confused state, we call it "confusion" One does not believe the truth, we call him "unbelief". One is lazy at cultivation, he does not attempt to make any progress in his cultivation. We call it "laziness". One is profligate, aimlessly going with his companions. We call such action laxation. One has dull reaction, sometime he loses his memory and has distracted thoughts. We call it losing memory. One has scattered and distracted thoughts, he does not concentrate his mind on truth. We call it distraction. He mistakes the false for the true, he has incorrect comprehension. We call mistaken understanding. The meaning of 26 kinds of afflictions is illustrated above for reader's reference. The 26 kinds of afflictions in "Sastra on One Hundred Dharmas" are illustrated to show the mental changes in human thoughts. When living beings have these afflictions, their nature is obstructed by these afflictions without being aware. In this case, moral conduct is the only means to eliminate these afflictions. When human beings have these afflictions brought forth by abnormal mentality, they live in suffering and are tormented by grief and disappointment. When we visit the insane asylum, we can see the sane who laugh or cry, saying something nonsense or scolding other casually. These maniacs are mentally abnormal, Hindered by the power of Mara (demon). On the basis of mental phenomena illustrated in the "Sastra On one Hundred Dharmas", we know that we have mental defects according to Buddha's or Bodhisattva's's vision. In Buddha's eye, we are just the same as those maniacs. Human beings call themselves the civilized people, actually their minds are defiled by delusive thoughts. How can they detect that by themselves? In human beings actions, deceitful harmful intentions are usually shown, they can't be concealed forever. we should lay emphasis on our moral conduct which is the foundation for out cultivating Buddha's practice, so that our bad habit, delusive thoughts and afflictions can be purified. Mentally we are unbalanced. The Buddha's teaching aims at correcting our mental defects. The Buddha's teaching can be regarded as a jeweled boat to ferry us over to the other shore of brith and death. We should review our past behaviours and try to care for our oral conduct so that we can go further to cultivate and rely on the Buddhadharma. (E) How to care for moral conduct? If every man cares for his conduct without harming each other, then all the human beings can live peacefully and harmoniously. In the cycle of brith and death, human beings are mentally abnormal, they are selfish, doing something profitable for themselves only. We worldly men are subject to making faults. If we can repent our faults and try to nourish moral conduct, we'll make less faults in future. As we mentioned before, moral conduct is the foundation for our cultivating Buddha's practice. How can we care for out moral conduct? We can say simply that moral conduct is the self-discipline which aims at doing something virtuous and which guides us not to do something evil. Led by self- purity and brightness. We, human beings, have made more defiled deeds than purified deeds, self-discipline can be used to purify our discipline. Sometimes, a man knows that he shouldn't do something wrong, but he does it in heedless. At that time, he should repent his discipline, any one can care for his moral conduct. How can we practice self-discipline? (1) We should know that doing something virtuous is the primary step to purify our conduct. Caring for moral conduct will guide us into doing something virtuous. (2) We make sure that moral conduct is the foundation for cultivating Buddha's practice. We know moral conduct is very important in the course of our cultivation. (3) We should get rid of our egoistical thoughts. (4) We should thing that attaching on the thought of ego is harmful to us. Without the thought of ego, we can do something helpful to others. (5) We train ourselves that we sacrifice our benefit for the sake of helping others. (6) We should learn how to treat others. WE should treat other politely, cordially and kindly. When we deal with others, we are not in arrogant or adulatory manner. (7) When we do something, we should do it systematically and orderly. When getting alone with others, we should be kingly and cordially. (8) We train ourselves to forebear all sufferings, trying to transform out hardships into sweet dew. When slandered by others, we try to train ourselves and to be patient, attempting to transform slandering words into praise. In afflictions we try to forebear the pain brought forth by such afflictions, attempting to transform afflictions into Bodhi. (9) When seeing attractive woman or handsome man, we do not arise any licentious thoughts. we think that all phenomenal form or appearance is not real. All delusive thoughts are originated from mind. (10) Losing temper or getting angry is a cultivator's the worst defect. There is a saying, "When a single thought of anger arises, millions of doors of hinderance will open." There is other saying, "When a single thought of anger arises, meritorious virtues will all be burnt up." In the world there are four kinds of men. Those with inferior root always quarrel over the trifles with others. They are not beneficial to themselves and to others. Those with low rooted nature try not to get angry when disputing with others. Those with medium-rooted nature will forget the unpleasant events after dispute. Those with superior root are calm and peaceful after dispute. Their minds are as tranquil as still water. (11) Cultivators are advised to read such books as "the record of cause and effect". "The stories on those eating vegetarian food" and various proverbs. Those books are good for improving one's moral conduct. (12) When floating in the sea of birth and death, we should try to enlighten our minds, we should not follow others carelessly to do something evil. Living in this world, we make up our minds to do something virtuous. When some one does something wrong and evil, we must not follow him. (13) Perfectly understanding the principle of cause and effect, we have firm determination, we shall not be moved by the false phenomena appeared before us. (14) We have the utmost patience, trying to fulfill our vow of ferrying over those in suffering. When slandered, criticized or even scolded by others, we should remain in calmness without arguing with others. (15) We conceive the thought of humility, actually a wise man pretends to be stupid. We should not show any arrogant demeanour. A great thinker is apt to show arrogance. (16) We try to make our minds as tranquil as still water. When the cultivator's mind is unmoved, he attains the unsurpassed state of cultivation. His conduct is perfectly purified. In the world, there are many affairs which can not be thoroughly perceived by our worldly men. What has been perceived by sages is usually negated by worldly man. We, human beings, perceives affairs with delusions, while sages view things with the utmost wisdom. Therefore, we make numerous mistakes in our conduct. After we care for moral conduct, we will not slander or criticize others. Our ancient sages warned us in their saying that humility would bring us benefit. Arrogance would inflict loss. We belive that the illustrations mentioned above are good for cultivators. When cultivators pay attention to their moral conduct, we believe that a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere will appear in the Buddhist circle. Sooner or later, all cultivators will have achievement when practicing Bodhisattva's way. -- v062qjjq@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (David T Wei) From: Thyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Review: Tantric Empowerment (LONG) Review of a Nyingma Yeshe Tsogyal Empowerment (930504, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA) By Tyagi Nagasiva --------------------------------------------------------------- Part I - Reflections Part II (Separate Post) - Supplementary Materials _________________________________________ Part I - Reflections on the Empowerment _________________________________________ My Abyss (shakti/lover, Lisa Karpinski) and I have been enchanted and intrigued by the stories of Yeshe Tsogyel for a few years. My own research into tantra and the phenomena of termas had prepared us well to attend. As I made clear in my essay on _The Necronomicon_ and its relationship to Eastern termas and Western grimoires, termas are teachings (lit. 'treasures'), hidden by the Guru (in the Nyingma school this is often Padmasambhava) and given various manifestations (physical form, vision and consciousness-energy). Yeshe Tsogyel's role as divine consort, adept, teacher and dakini is a beacon of wonderful power for women of all cultures. She stands on her own as an incredible adept, and, as my Abyss had met the Lama, Ngakpa Chogyam Rinpoche, previously, and enjoyed him so much, an invitation to a Yeshe Tsogyel empowerment was impossible to bypass. For us the experience began on the journey to the general area of the event, where Lisa had an appointment. I began reading aloud passages of supportive text regarding the dakini (lit. 'skywalkers' or 'celestial voyagers'), terma, yidam, and a tangental definition of one of the important terms within them ('phurba' - lit. 'nail' or 'wedge). These may be found in Part II of this reflection, accompanied by materials we received later that evening. After her appointment we proceeded to the empowerment. It was held at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP) in Palo Alto, CA, which I'd never before visited. There was some confusion, as ITP was having an open house the same evening in a different section of the building, and we wandered a bit before finding the correct location. This was not to be a social affair for Lisa or myself. We were welcomed and then left more or less on our own. The first thing I remember seeing is the Lama himself, seated upon a comfortable chair in traditional Tibetan garb. I was surprised as our gaze met and, further, by my impulse to avoid this interaction and find my Abyss. As I discovered she'd not yet walked in, I began to slowly take the people and place into my perception. Rinpoche is European ("English-born"). This was obvious at first glance and though I'd remembered Lisa's description of him, I think I was slightly thrown by this when our eyes first met across the expanse of people, books and space of the room. Finding my Abyss, encountering the almost invisible staff, and then selecting floor seating quite near to Rinpoche, I examined the people and environment more carefully. This was ITP's library. One wall was completely covered in books and there were study tables against the walls, now supporting an array of pillows ostensibly for use as floor cushions. The people were, on the average, between the ages of 30 and 50, with few exceptions of European heritage ('caucasian') and apparently of mostly upper middle-class socio-economic status. This was perhaps to be expected, given both the esoteric nature of the event (Westerners tend to approach tantra intellectually I'd imagine) and the location. By and large there was an equal distribution of men and women. Though some of Rinpoche's male apprentices sat closer and face-front, those people nearest him were predominantly women (appropriately, given the quite feminine focus of the empowerment). I sat behind my Abyss and watched with interest. His apprentices were easily identified by the traditional length of fabric they wore across their shoulder and upper body. This identification marker was maroon or red in color, centered by a blue pillar and flanked by a white line to either side. The pillars and lines were of various shades and widths, but the intent was clear. To my knowledge there was only one woman apprentice in attendance. He called her 'the resident dakini' and she was to physically carry out the more mobile activities of the rite. After a brief period while people arrived and settled in, the Lama began talking about the empowerment, its elements and what it symbolized. Before him was a large, square table, cluttered with colorful objects of origin and function initially unknown to me. To his right (before us) was a large green-shaded object which turned out to be a drum, with two smaller versions set upon the table. These drums were of the kind which one holds, like a rattle, and twists back and forth, rhythmically, to set in motion the tethered weights attached to either end which strike the drumskin on each side as their tether wraps around. As Rinpoche spoke I noticed a few things about his manner. The first was his obvious English accent. The second and more jarring characteristic was the way he emphasized the first consonant in most of his words, followed by a very slight pause, or intake of breath. The third was his genuine humility and ease in speaking before our group, occasionally evidencing possible hints of embarrassment. Attendance reached 20-30 at most and this was fairly compressed. The library was really not the ideal place for such an event, besides its symbolic value, and with many more present there might have been difficulties with space. Even so, a feeling of intimacy pervaded and Rinpoche could be heard easily while speaking at a conversational volume. I noticed (and heard mention of) some infirmity on the Lama's part. It seemed to have to do with his back or legs, caused him a minor amount of pain, and perhaps encouraged him to remain in his seat the entire time, only getting up and walking when later preparing to depart. Behind him was a small atrium and to his right was a good-sized potted plant - all in all quite aesthetically pleasing. The room was quiet as he spoke, all present intent upon the phenomenon of the Lama - his experience, his perception and clarity. He first mentioned termas, which he called 'Ter'. I found this revelatory, due to the variation in the word root, which up until that time I'd seldom thought much about. It was less his exact words (much of which I'd under- stood already) than the way he used them which inspired my fascination. The root, Ter, is apparently appended with 'ma' for those 'hidden treasures' of feminine origin (ma: mother/female). The suffix 'ton' is added to indicate one who discovers or receives them ('Terton/Tertons'). See Part II for more on this. We were given many handouts and one of these had a paragraph or two regarding Ter. After a word or two on this subject he talked about the empowerment itself, which he explained could also be called an 'initiation'. He described how it would proceed and what his role in it was to be. The goal of the evening was to initiate the dakini Yeshe Tsogyel within us. It is presumed, in the practice as a whole, that one is capable of reaching what Rinpoche described as a 'state of emptiness' (sunyata). A 'return to form' can be effected through the use or engagement of feminine energies symbolized by Yeshe Tsogyel in a manner similar to a shield. The Lama compared the experience of the return from sunyata with that of a space shuttle re-entering orbit. The friction of the formal world can be difficult, and this 'shield of tiles' functions in a way like a teflon coating, which he humorously compared to the efficiency of teflon frying pans when making scrambled eggs. The dakini allows us to re-enter the formal world without letting the experience become samsaric; without having it stick to us or our becoming attached to it. Rinpoche's job, as I understood it, was to be a dynamo, providing the catalyzing force necessary to begin this arising of Yeshe Tsogyel within. I'll describe the tools of the empowerment as I remember he did and then relay my experience of the rite itself. The first was a sort of teapot (I forget the technical name he gave it), which he said was some 700 years old and was a gift to him by a respected guru in India. The teapot contained water that would later be poured into our hand(s) by the 'resident dakini' during the first phase of the first element ('ritual transmission'). He suggested that we use our right hand, cupped in our left, drink the water, and then place our right hand on top of our heads to 'seal the spell'. The second was an ornate container, slightly smaller than the teapot, which had on it a picture of Padmasambhava ('the Lotus-born', whom the hand-out literature claims is "the Second Buddha, who brought Tantra to Tibet"). The Lama said that the container held a piece of Padmasambhava's hat. This would be carried around by the same woman and placed successively upon our foreheads, throats and chests. The third was a smaller container than the first, similarly ornate and in some ways resembling the first. It had a picture of his teacher upon it, inset, in the manner of the picture of Padmasambhava on the first, and contained a lock of his teacher's hair. Rinpoche said they respectively symbolized the worlds of form, sound and vision, and linked directly, it seemed, with the three elements of the rite as a whole. The fourth and last was a fossilized conch shell from Tibet, slightly larger than fist-size. He explained that Tibet had once been an island and that there are many such shells to be found there, millions of years in age. The Lama said that he would hold this shell in front of him after the first three phases of ritual and that we were to focus as a group upon it, realizing the unity of the three previous symbols and their realms of initiation. Later he was to mention that the conch shell is a symbol of dakini energies generally and also represents the world as a whole. When my Abyss asked him about them later, he explained that his conch earrings (rings of shell suspended from smaller golden ringlets) were symbolic of hearing all sounds as his guru and the ringlets of treating all sounds as 'golden' (presumably valuable). This, then, would complete the ritual element of the empowerment (transmission through form). The second would be transmission through sound and he would be chanting and using the other tools (drums, dorje) at that time. The third and final element of the empowerment was to be verbal, the transmission through mind, the intellect, by explanation. With that (described at a very comfortable pace) he began singing/chanting, playing his bell and the largest one-handed drum. A few of his apprentices had drums of their own and as the rite progressed they joined in with some of the playing and chants. He played the large drum and the bell during the form element, 'charging' each of the tools and handing them to the woman. She took them around to everyone, as he'd explained. During the first phase - the one involving the teapot and water - I'd got it in my mind that the right hand was for me not an appropriate cup, and that I would instead use my left as this was more connected with my feminine energies. The guru had suggested the right, or, if one did not mind the inefficiency of it, both hands. Everyone I saw receive the water did so as recommended, and when it came time for me, the resident dakini did not seem to mind my variation. This was as much a test of their flexibility as it was my attempt to address the dissonance in our symbolic associations. It was in fact a crux of the rite for me, and as she moved on I completely relaxed, perhaps self- satisfied in my individualistic expression. The other tools were charged and brought around as the Lama had explained, and when he held up the conch shell we knew that the ritual, or formal element of the empowerment, was crystallizing. Rinpoche then proceeded to chant in rhythmical fashion and began using the other, smaller drums as well. They were of successively descending size, each about half that of the previous. At this time he chanted/sung a long mantram that was repeated at successively increasing speeds, in parallel with the velocity and pitch of the drumming, perhaps doubling it each time. The effect was quite remarkable. Once focussed upon the sometimes jarring large drum and the repeated chant, it was a geometric progression of emotional and sonic energy. At its height, the chant was almost incomprehendably verbalized, virtually slurred, yet still recognizable and intense. Stepping down the velocity and pitch while moving back to larger drum sizes, he came back to the largest and then stopped, moving on to the last element of the empowerment, that of explanation. At this time he asked the woman who had functioned as resident dakini to read from two handouts regarding the envisionment and the meaning of Yeshe Tsogyel's appearance within it. These documents are appended in Part II: Readings. He later explained his use of terms such as 'awareness spell' (as a translation for 'mantram') and 'envisionment'. Rinpoche preferred the the latter to the now commonly used 'visualization', and did not mean by it intentional imagination so much as a complete experience of BEING the deity which arises out of a state of focussed calmness (sunyata). The envisionment is unfashioned by the conscious mind yet prepared for by attaining the state of emptiness, the awareness spell acting as a kind of 'mind protection'. The Lama then led the chanting of an awareness spell which he associated with the practice of allowing the upwelling of the energy of Yeshe Tsogyel. Aside from a short question/answer session during which he mentioned the upcoming retreat which would focus on the practices used to attain this state of emptiness, of sunyata, this concluded the empowerment. Lisa and I sat and waited for many of the people to leave, assisted with the cleanup of the area, examined some of the literature and the books in the library, and then commenced our journey homeward, frequently gazing upon a large and pregnant Luna coursing through the clear and starry skies. The Nyingma School of tibetan tantra is, I find, most closely aligned with my own path. While last night's event was quite inspirational and instructive, I do not feel moved to apply for Apprenticeship at this time. These two feelings encompassed the entire event for me - admiration and satiation. ____________________________________ This concludes the reflections on the Yeshe Tsogyel empowerment. Part II includes materials received that evening and supplemental notes and comments regarding the tradition as a whole. Completed 930524. Thyagi@HouseofKaOs.Abyss.com Tyagi Nagasiva House of kAoS 871 Ironwood Drive San Jose, CA 95125-2815