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Saturday 29 September 2012

THE PATH TO LIBERATION

              La Via Del Nirvana by Gedun Tharchin - English translation of the Sixth chapter.



THE PATH TO LIBERATION



The topic of this chapter will be the path to Liberation. By “Liberation” we mean Nirvana. Nirvana is the original Buddhist term by which we express Liberation. In Sanskrit it is called Nirvana, in Pali Nibbana. It literally means “beyond suffering”, “overcoming the limits of suffering”. In other words, those who have attained Liberation, Nirvana, have overcome every type of suffering. The path of Liberation is the path of those who have gone beyond suffering, the path that leads to decreasing suffering.

We have spoken about suffering several times already and have come to the conclusion that the first step to Liberation is to recognise the type of suffering we experience in daily life.

The suffering we are referring to here manifests on two levels: physical and mental suffering. From a practical point of view, physical suffering is a grosser and more superficial level of suffering for a Buddhist practitioner, as most of our physical pain can be cured by medicine. Also, mental suffering related to instability, or a psychological type of imbalance is considered to be suffering on a lower level. Therefore, this sort of problems of psychological nature, instability, derangement, are very relative from a Buddhist point of view.

But there is something that torments and scares us twenty four hours a day. This suffering is what we call negative mental afflictions, which we often do not even realise that we have them. When we stand still and analyse it, we notice this fear within us and feel that something is missing, even though everything seems to proceed in the right direction. This sensation of emptiness and anger resembles the feeling of being hungry. We feel that if we are not be able to satisfy this need, to fill this internal sense of void we experience, we will never be completely satisfied. And often, this emptiness that resides within us, causes problems of mental instability or the physical afflictions I was talking about before.

For this reason, Buddhism tries to resolve such discomfort radically. I personally think that the technique of curing and solving problems at their root is not a Buddhist prerogative. Other religions try to do that as well. We try to solve problems through meditation: meditation is nothing else than the attempt to cure problems radically. If we think we can cure physical discomfort by using medication only, we did not catch the meaning of meditation; at the same time, if we cure mental discomfort through psychotherapy, we cannot consider this to be meditation. Meditation is something that penetrates human beings on a deeper level .

Before we analyse the different levels of Buddhist techniques, we need to know the standard of the path to Liberation, the average of all Buddhist techniques, what leads to Liberation. The root of all our problems, when it comes to physical and mental discomfort, is represented by the sensation of emptiness that accompanies us constantly. This state of mind is the main cause leading to the destruction of our happiness. Even if we have everything to be able to satisfy all our needs in daily life, we always feel that something is missing.

We can spontaneously label it non defined needs, but from a more technical point of view we have to label those feelings as attachment. Attachment is not only the wish for means to satisfy our needs. Attachment goes further than that and until we do not eliminate it, we will keep being unhappy. How can we overcome this discomfort by eliminating attachment? It is impossible. Even if we did our best and really got involved with it, we would never succeed in finding something able to satisfy our attachment totally, something to end it for good.

Objectively, attachment is something that can never be satisfied. It is comparable to having a cup and nothing to fill it with: therefore it would be better to get rid of it. This cup remains there, empty, useless. Therefore, to be able to obtain Liberation we have to go beyond suffering: if we did not go beyond it, we would always be fixed on the metaphorical cup and would attain satisfaction.

Remaining attached to the fact of wanting to fill this sensation of emptiness is like wanting to fill a plate which has not been given to us for the purpose of filling it. This is because we do not know the real nature of that plate. If we realised its insurmountable nature we would possess the capacity to realise the understanding.

This explains why Buddha Shakyamuni said that we need to recognise suffering first, because until we do not identify the true nature of the problem, we will always remain attached to and blocked by it. Attachment in and of it itself is an impossible dilemma to solve: that is its nature, due to the fact that it is connected to ignorance and the lack of understanding. In fact, ignorance and the absence of understanding let us hope that sooner or later there will be something able to fill the plate and therefore will surmount our internal void.

Therefore, not understanding the nature of this kind of suffering is the cause of our problems. Understanding the nature of reality requires the effort of meditation. This was Buddha’s motivation for meditating during six years, and only eating three grains of rice a day. We certainly wonder how he was able to survive on such a small amount of food. I think that his strength came from the internal power he developed through meditation. There are images of the Buddha, a very famous one coming from Laos, depicting his six years of total ascetism.

I have got this picture on the cover of a book about the Abidharma, written by a friend of mine, a professor who is now teaching at a University in Japan. This image of the ascetic Buddha is a figure that inspires me very much. Some time ago, I received a magazine called “The Middle Way of the English Buddhist society”. I found the same picture of the ascetic Buddha, he was very skinny and you could see his nerves very clearly. By looking at the picture, I realised, that Buddhahood, Nirvana, Liberation, means to be completely free of suffering. In my opinion, it is something that demands a lot of patience. People consider Liberation to be a process that happens by miracle, through a blessing received by somebody else. I think this is impossible. If it were possible the Buddha would not have had to sit in meditation for six years.

Buddha represents an example for his students. A very frequently asked question I often have to give an answer to is “What is Buddhism?” “What is the essence of Buddha’s teachings?” Millions of books have been written about this subject. The publishing houses are full of books about Buddhism. From my point of view, the best teaching is Buddha’s life. What is Buddha’s teaching then? The answer is: his life; because Buddha spoke about it, about his experiences, his discoveries, his realisations he gained through his own experience. It is not necessary to read countless books to study and realise Buddha’s life; every single one of us can take Buddha’s life as an example.

Every Buddhist temple in any tradition, every Buddhist centre, every gompa has an image of the Buddha, which helps to keep his life in mind. The subject of this chapter is the way to Liberation; I think that the answer to this topic is very simple, the path to Liberation is Buddha’s life. He has dedicated himself completely in order to extinguish the problem in its root. He was a prince, son of a king, but he felt that this would not help him to resolve his fears and therefore decided to go beyond these conditions. Eventually, he discovered the means to satisfy this immense longing he felt inside. He constantly meditated for six years, living on a very small amount of food and eventually realised real satisfaction which is called Enlightenment. For the rest of his life, the 45 years he had left to live, he taught and talked about his own experience. Technically, Buddha’s life represents the Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths contain all the necessary ingredients for the achievement of Liberation. Knowing what suffering is, recognising its reality: understanding the function of suffering is the first Noble Truth. Each Noble Truth possesses three characteristics. When one understands the reality of suffering, the first Noble Truth, one moves on to the second Noble Truth which deals with the cause of suffering. Which is the function of that cause? What is its true reality? These first two Noble Truths, the essence and origin of suffering, have to be attained and overcome. These results appear when we analyse suffering and its causes. Furthermore, one understands that this is not the ultimate reality and therefore asks oneself: “We understood this, but is it possible to eliminate it for good?” At that stage, one proceeds on to the Third Noble Truth which is the cessation of suffering. The cessation of suffering means to come to Liberation from negative mental dispositions by realising the first two Noble Truths. We analyse the end of suffering; then we ask ourselves about the means to attain it. This logical procedure leads us to the realisation of the fourth Noble Truth, which is the path leading us to the cessation of suffering, the path leading to Nirvana. The fourth Noble Truth is the real refuge, the real protector and it is very simple, containing Buddha’s teachings about morality, wisdom and concentration. The combination of these three elements is meditation.

Therefore, I think that serious meditation is the one based on a strong morality developed by departing from wisdom. This is the path to Liberation. When we consider Buddha’s path, it does not mean that we have to do exactly what he did, following all of his tracks. We should take the essence of his life instead.

This is what it is all about; taking this essence according to our personal circumstances. Buddha was a very intelligent person, an amazing teacher and the environment he was living in was conducive to his Liberation. Maybe in our times, conditions are not as conducive, times are different and so are the conditions. But we try to do our best, trying to cut delusions at the root, in depth. We must not cultivate the hope of being able to cut through everything in a short period of time. Even only touching the ground of our problems is a very auspicious occasion already.

The roots of our afflictions are enormously strong, and therefore impossible to cut through quickly. It can happen to us to succeed quickly, but we need to apply constant effort and a lot of patience to gradually reduce afflictions. Only by decreasing a little part of them we feel the positive influence in our lives. This gives us some sort of internal peace, and if we continue with this “demolition work”, afflictions will eventually disappear because they are in the nature of impermanence.

It can happen in this life, the next one or even in the further lives to come: it is not a matter of time. The real question is if we do not make futile efforts to attain this. If we damage our ego, our selfish thoughts and continue to do so every day, it will eventually lead us to the solution. This is what they sometimes call the gradual path.

Friday 14 September 2012

The Heart of Wisdom



The Heart of Bhagavati wisdom of the perfection
In Sanskrit: Bhagavati Prajna Paramita Hridaya

Thus have I once heard:

The Bagavan was staying in Rajgriha at Vulture Peak along with a great number of Arhats and great number of Boddhisattvas, and at that time, the Bagavan entered the meditative absorption on the varieties of phenomena called the appearance of the profound. At that time as well, the arya Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, clearly beheld the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom itself and saw that even the five aggregates are empty of intrinsic existence.

Thereupon, through the Buddha's inspiration, the wise bikshu Shariputra spoke to the arya Avalokiteshvara, the boddhisattva mahasattva, and said, "'How should any son or daughter of boddhisattva lineage who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom train?''

When this has been said, arya avalokitesvara, the boddhisattva mahasattva spoke to the wise bikshu Shariputra and said, "Shariputra, any son or daughter of boddhisattva lineage who wishes to angage in the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom should clearly see this way: they should see prefectly that even the five aggregates are empty of instrinsic existence.

Form is empty, emptiness is form; emptiness is not other than form, form too is not other than emptiness. Likewise, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness are all empty.

Therefore, Shariputra, all phenomena are emptiness; they are without defining characteristics; they are not born, they do not cease; they are not defiled, they are not undefiled; they are not deficient, and they are not complete.

''Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no perceptions, no mental formations, and no consciousness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, and no mind. There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no texture, and no mental objects. there is no eye element and so on up to no mind-element including up to no element of mental conciousness. There is no ignorance, there is no extinction of ignorance, and so on up to no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation, or path; there is no wisdom, no attainment, and even no non-attainment.

''Therefore, Shariputra, since boddhisattvas have no attainments, they rely on this perfection of wisdom and abide in it. Having no obscuration in their minds, they have no fear, and by going utterly beyond error, they will reach the end of nirvana. All the buddhas too who abide in the three times attained the full awakening of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment by relying on this profound perfection of wisdom.

''Therefore, one should know that the mantra of the perfection of wisdom - the mantra of great knowledge, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, the mantra that quells all suffering - is true because it is not deceptive. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed:

tadyatha gate' gate' paragate' parasamgate' bodhi svoha!

Shariputra, the boddhisattvas mahasattva should train in the profound perfection of wisdom in this way."

Thereupon, the Bhagavan arose from that meditative absorption and commended the arya Avalokitesvara, boddhisattva mahasattva, saying this is excellent.
''Excellent! Excellent! son of boddhisattva lineage, it is so; it should be just so. One must practice the profound perfection of wisdom just as you have revealed. For then even the tathagatas will rejoice''.

As the Bhagavan uttered these words, the wise bikshu Shariputra, the boddhisattva mahasattva arya Avalokitesvara, along with the entire assembly, including the worlds of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharavas, all rejoiced and hailed what the Bhagavan had said.




Notes:

Bagavan:
(Skt., Tib. chom dhen de ) generally a title for an enlightened being, literal meaning is who has completely illuminated the obstacles and posses all qualities. Synonymous to tatagatha in sanskrit and in tib. de war sheg pa; who has reached to the state of full calmness or full enlightenment. But, here it refers to teacher Sakyamuni.

Rajgriha:
(Skt., Tib. gyal poe khab) a place where reside the king's palace.

Vulture Peak:
A mountain in the shape of Vulture, the place believe to be where the sutra has taught. Vultures' Peak is popularly identified with a hilly site in Rajghir in modern India's Bihar State.

Arhat:
(Skt., Tib. dra chom pa) Who achieved nirvana - either sarvaka or prateka buddhas. In original tibetan text it said as bikshu but it mean arhat.

Boddhisattva;
(Skt., Tib. jang chub sem pa) Being who posses Boddhicitta

meditative absorption:
(Skt. samadhi, Tib. ting nge zin)

varieties of phenomena:
(Tib., choe kyi nam drang) Enumeration of phenomena; five aggregates, 12 sources of senses, 18 elements, 12 dependent origination, 4 noble truths, 4 fearlessness and 10 powers of Buddha etc. .

appearance of the profound:
(Tib. zab mo nhang wa) seeing the profound reality ultimate truths of phenomena

arya:
(Skt., Tib. Phag pei Gang zag) superrior beings or who has gained the wisdom of direct realization of emptiness or who has achieved the path of seeing in any vehicle.

Avalokiteshvara:
(Skt., Tib. chen re zig) Generally known as Buddha of compassion.

bodhisattva mahasattva:
(Skt., Tib. jang chub sem pa sem pa chen po) superior Boddhisattva or boddhisattva those have gained boddhisattva or mahayana path of seeing

bodhisattva mahasattva arya Avalokiteshvara:
(Skt., Tib. jang chub sem pa sema pa chen po phags pa chen re zig) refers to a single individual known as boddhisattva mahasattva arya Avalokiteshara, which should be different from the buddha of compassion. Becasue here it identify as a boddhisattva in form of bikshu, boddhisttva, mahasattva and arya being.

the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom:
(Tib. she rab kyi pha rol du chin pai zab moi chod pa)

five aggregates:
(Tib. phung po ngha, Skt. skandha) Forms, Feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

empty of intrinsic existence:
(Tib. ran shin gyi tong pa)

wise bikshu
(Tib. thse dang dhen pa) a title for a fresh minded an intelligent bikshu

Shariputra:
son of Sharit and known as an exceptional sharp minded bikshu among the disciples of sakyamuni buddha

son or daughter of boddhisattva lineage:
(Tib. rigs kyi bu vam rigs kyi bumo)

Three doors of liberation:
(Tib. nam thar go sum) door of emptiness, door of signlessness and door of wishlessness

twelve sources of sences:
Six sources of the sense and Six faculties.

eighteen elements:
Six sources of the sense, six faculties and six consciousness

twelve links of dependent origination:
Ignorance, Volitional Action, Consciousness, Name and Form, Sense Sources, Contact, Feelings, Attachment, Grasping, Becoming, Birth, Aging and Death.

Four noble truths:
Truth of suffering, Truth of the causes of suffering, Truth of the cessation and Truth of the path.

Five paths:
Accumulation, Preparation, Seeing, Meditation and No more learning.

nirvana:
(Skt., Tib. Nyang De) Being gone beyond the sufferings.

mantra:
(Skt., Tib. yid kyob) To protect the Mind.

tathagata:
(Skt., see to baghavan)


Translation and notes added by Ven. Geshe Gedun Tharchin

Monday 20 August 2012

BUDDHA NATURE

            La Via Del Nirvana by Gedun Tharchin - English translation of the Third chapter.




BUDDHA NATURE

Everything we said about Dharma follows the aim to preserve our mental tranquillity. There are cases when this goal seems to be very hard to attain and one comes across great difficulties even if one devotes himself seriously to the practise. I would like to take the opportunity to tell you about my personal experience: When I first came to the West I was confronted with very different situations and conditions compared to those I was used to while living and studying in India. I encountered problems with facing and overcoming those situations even though I am a Buddhist monk. What has helped me during that period of hardship is a scripture I have always kept present which says: “Whatever difficulties one may encounter, a skilful student must never lose his mental stability”. The scripture continues by stating: “every time we engage in a battle against illusions, much destruction will arise during this battle. But in the opposite case, if there is no battle, if there is no war against what opposes you, no destruction will take place and no problem will be solved.” This scripture, this very short inscription of three lines in Tibetan has been very helpful to me because I understood that in life we can only rely on our mental qualities to support us. Our mental qualities are the most important thing we possess in this life and we can take them with us to our future lives.

Even without going into reincarnation but dwelling on our being present in the moment, we can very well affirm that education and studies are fundamental questions to our existence. A properly educated person who has studied has a different lifestyle. Therefore, while practicing Dharma in this world we face many difficulties because we are victims of confusion. It is therefore inevitable for problems we have to fight against to arise. A real Dharma practitioner, whatever hardships he may be confronted with in his practice, will face them with courage and effortlessness as he is able to perceive existential problems with extreme clarity. The essence of this is that having to deal with problems represents one more possibility to practice Dharma; problems provide us with a further chance to be consistent.

The most important, as I mentioned before, is to keep up qualities of firmness and stability. Stability and tranquillity characterise the continuity of our practice which provides us with the opportunity to overcome all problems that arise. When we go through challenging situations and feel discouraged and without hope, it means that we are losing our battle. It is necessary to state more precisely that the word “war” has generally speaking a negative connotation, comparable to feelings of anger and hatred. However, the internal battle I am talking to you about lacks such feelings.

If battling against our problems were predominated by anger and hatred, it would imply our defeat and our own destruction. To be able to win we need to guard mental stability and that type of mental qualities I have been outlining before. Tranquillity and mental stability are the instruments that open up the opportunity to win, to resolve our problems. The source of all our internal qualities is Buddha nature or as it can also be called, the Little Buddha. Bertolucci has had obstacles in Nepal while he was shooting the movie “Little Buddha” because the Nepalese Buddhists were resentful and told him not to entitle the movie “Little Buddha” as Buddha is not little. Bertolucci had to promise he would never use this title for the movie. When the movie came out he went to see the Dalai Lama who told him that “Little Buddha” was a perfect title because there is a “Little Buddha” existing in all of us.

We often possess internal qualities we do not even know about just like Bertolucci, who has provided a suitable title to the movie without knowing it. From a Christian point of view it is as if God had given him the inspiration.

Therefore, this Little Buddha that abides in us, a better definition for it would be “Buddha Nature”, is the source of all our internal qualities that give us a chance to win the battle against our problems and the necessary encouragement to defeat delusions. How can we recognise and become aware of this Buddha Nature in us? With the understanding of the fact that Buddha Nature is nothing else than a mental quality. Everyone of us has consciousness which bears the potential and the capacity to be peaceful and calm. The nature of consciousness is the Little Buddha: practically speaking, tranquillity and peace that pervade us with immense happiness and great joy. Therefore, to preserve mental tranquillity there is what we call the practice of Dharma which represents the most precious good we possess.

This becomes very obvious if we carry out a mindful introspection. There is nothing more healthy that provides us with more internal happiness. To realise it, to comprehend it, to understand it, we must realise our Buddha Nature. Since we generally do not do it we are not aware of our having this great internal quality. Everyone reading this book, therefore everyone of us, and also all animals possess this precious ability to maintain tranquillity and mental peace.

Yet, human beings feature the further potential or rather the possibility to recognise this quality, given that it is very difficult for the other beings to understand and particularly to develop it. For this reason the human form of existence is considered to be the best one and therefore we must not waste our lives and lose this amazing opportunity we have. In a certain sense we have the Buddha, the Enlightenment, placed in our hands: if we accept or abandon it depends solely on our judgement.

Even people who have committed crimes and are serving a sentence in prison have a great opportunity: to develop their own nature for becoming enlightened. I would like to tell you a short and clarifying story about a Tibetan monk who has been imprisoned in Tibet for twenty years. When he was finally released he went to India to speak to the Dalai Lama. His Holiness asked him about the most horrible event he had experienced in prison. The monk answered that the worst thing for him had been the risk of losing compassion. The worst problem the monk had to deal with was the danger to lose his own compassion as the people were beating and torturing him, therefore he had seriously faced the risk of giving up his compassion.

This relates to what I was saying in the beginning: whatever problem we have to face, we must never lose our mental tranquillity. It has to accompany us wherever we go. Therefore, if we compare the great hardship that monk has gone through during imprisonment in Tibet to our daily difficulties here in the West, their importance become so minimal compared to what the poor monk has suffered. In fact, not renouncing compassion and benevolence has allowed him to maintain his mental stability during twenty years he spent in prison.

Let us think about it: it is a very crucial point. Fortunately our monk had the capacity to recognise that compassion and benevolence are the most important instruments for our present life and also for all future lives. Keeping tranquillity and peace of mind is the reason why we practice Dharma: we certainly do not practice it in order to accumulate material goods.

Analysing the question under the viewpoint of cause and effect, in this case we can affirm that the cause is our Little Buddha, our Buddha Nature, and the effect is the Big Buddha. So, if the cause is motivated by Buddha, Buddha will ripen in the effect too. Buddha has to be born from Buddha, Big Buddha has to be born from Little Buddha. If little Buddha is within us he will produce Big Buddha in us as a result. But be careful because when we speak about Buddha here we do not refer to the physical, historical Buddha. It is the image, the symbol, the form of his mental qualities representing tranquillity, happiness and stability.

I have been to a conference in Naples once and in the end I was told that I had spoken about daily life but not about death. I answered: “If you live peacefully you will also die peacefully.” In general, people I come across are very afraid of dying. But I say: if you live in a peaceful and calm way you will see that death will not represent a problem. Learning to live in peace means to learn dying in the same peaceful way. Learn to live in a joyous way, this is what is crucial.

I would like to add a few more thoughts about living in peace. This rule is at the root of Buddhist practice. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels, receiving the precepts, is a fundamental act in the context of cause and effect. Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha is equivalent to taking refuge in our Little Buddha, activating him while creating the cause is like taking refuge in the moment of the result. All of this is part of the law of cause and effect. The theory of cause and effect produces Karma.

The question arises whether the growth of a flower is dependent on Karma or not. Not everything is connectable to Karma. Karma depends on the mental continuum. Therefore, if the growth of a flower depends on our mental continuum or not is a very complex question which can be connected to the theory of causality. The theory of karma is an overall of the philosophy of cause and effect. But this theory does not only illustrate karma. When we talk about karma we discuss something related to a mental continuum.

Analysing cause and effect is a very important form of meditation. You always have to question the reason for what is surrounding you. When you meet problems do not just confront them blindly but try to find an answer with a quiet mind. Move a step backwards and analyse the information you have firmly. Eventually you will find the solution. This is meditation: awareness, Samatha, or single-pointed concentration. Samatha and Vipassana do not only refer to a certain sitting posture, they have to be practised constantly. Zen emphasises Samatha, which means concentration, while Vipassana is more prevalent in the Theravada tradition. Tibetans are specialised in visualisations.

Theravada is the form of Buddhism practised in the South, in Indochina and South-Eastern Asia. It is the most ancient form. Ch’an and Zen are typical of the Northern areas, of Japan and China. Vajrayana is the central form of Buddhism because it was passed on from India to Tibet. Tibetan Buddhism is the most recent form that was directly introduced from India between the 8th and 10th century. Each of these traditions has their own characteristics, but in an ecumenical sense we speak about one form of Buddhism. 


Tuesday 31 July 2012

DEATH AND REBIRTH


              La Via Del Nirvana by Gedun Tharchin - English translation of the Fifth chapter.




DEATH AND REBIRTH


In Buddhism it is very important to engage in any activity with the correct motivation. By adapting a different intention and motivation, we can change the way we see things.
All the traditions use prayer as an instrument for the development of this valid motivation. In Buddhism prayer is understood as the process of familiarisation with the correct motivation. Prayer does not necessarily have to be something which is verbally recited, but it is more of an attitude coming from the heart. This is the most important type of prayer. From a Buddhist point of view, the mind is the principal key that allows us to transform the other elements we are made of, mainly body and awareness. Especially in the beginning, it is very important for Dharma practitioners to place the emphasis on their mental activity. All the chants, rituals and ceremonies we may assist are secondary instruments of development and transformation of the mind.

The mind in a transformed state is the element that enables us to modify our intention in regards to any kind of activity we want to entertain in daily life. By changing our intention and motivation we can change the course of our present life and the course of all the lives to come.

The topics of the teachings are based on the Four Noble Truths. Today we will go into a different subject: the concept of living and dying according to the Vajrayana vehicle. The concept of living and dying is very important and should be brought into our practises. In fact, our lives can be regarded as the result of small deaths we endure every day. I very much believe in this lack of certainties and when I go to sleep at night, I am not sure whether I am going to wake up the next morning. The basic process we run through in order to achieve the phase of deep sleep is, in a way, similar to the process we go through when we die. Deep sleep is the result of many small deaths. The topic of death is a very interesting one and also a simpler subject than one would think it to be. We must not see death as something scary and difficult to face.

The fact of being alive brings us joy thanks to our special abilities such as mindfulness and the capacity of acting, but in fact, being alive in and of itself would not be possible if it were not resulting from the phase of death we have been talking about before. We can say, for instance, that a good day is the result of a good rest we had during the night. In fact, when we fall asleep we lose contact to a certain reality and remain in a semi-unconscious state. This state is necessary in order to be able to accumulate energy and through that to be more active during the day. Therefore, a good nights’ sleep is necessary in order to have a positive and active day. But the opposite is also true. When we spent a pleasant day, rich of satisfactory and well concluded activities, the results of this day will lead us to get good quality sleep. Therefore, we see a certain interdependence between a good sleep and an active and positive day, between a boring day and bad quality sleep. It is very difficult to talk about techniques and methods that allow the development of good quality sleep. The Buddhist tradition holds a view about “methods” that enable us to decide what type of sleep we want to get, or even to decide at what time we want to wake up the next morning. One can get acquainted with these topics through mental activity. What I am trying to explain is the relationship between the nocturnal cycle during which we sleep and the active cycle of our day. One influences the other and vice versa. Generally speaking, when we sleep we attain a phase of relaxation during which we cannot do particular activities. In the Vajrayana vehicle it is affirmed that there are some practitioners who manage to practise the Dharma better while they are asleep than in the awake state. This means that one can also use sleep as an instrument for the practise of Dharma. It follows that a high level practitioner can actually practise Dharma twenty-four hours a day. By practising the Dharma we intend the correct development of intentions, correct mindfulness and the correct development of all our qualities. A person who looks at life as an instrument for practising the Dharma will inevitably regard death as another moment to use for the practise of Dharma. From a Vajrayana practitioner’s point of view, death is an event that occurs only once in life and is an irretrievable chance to increase and let their own realisations grow. Death represents a great treasure and a precious opportunity to develop amazing qualities for a great practitioner Going trough this experience offers the possibility to expand and increase our own realisations. According to the Vajrayana tradition, the moment of death of us ordinary beings is the only moment, in which the so called “innate mind” appears. When this innate mind manifests in the moment of death and we manage to keep a mindful state and to recognise this appearance, we can then utilise the innate mind to ripen our experience and increase our realisations. In the moment of death we come into contact with the innate nature of the mind and we are given the possibility to deepen the truths expressed in the Dharma. If we do not manage to develop this mindfulness and limit ourselves to a conventional and superficial type of knowledge about the truth, which we have developed during our lives, the perception of everything we will encounter, will be the one of ordinary beings with a gross level of mind.

In order to recognise the manifestation of the innate mind, it is necessary to mainly get acquainted with the process of disintegration of the five aggregates, which is the process we will have to go through when we die. The “I” is composed of five aggregates. During the process of death, these five aggregates dissolve by following an elaborated process of different phases, which takes place more or less in the same way for everybody. The dissolution of the five aggregates is linked to the four elements. The five aggregates are composed of the four elements. Consequently, the disintegration of the first ones leads to the dissolution of the others. These four elements are: earth, water, fire and air (winds). The order in which the four elements are aligned, is the same in which they dissolve: the first one to dissolve is the earth element, water is the second element, the third one is the fire element and the last one to dissolve in the last stadium of consciousness is the air element (winds). When the dissolution of the earth element occurs, specific internal experiences happen within the dying person. The manifestation of internal experiences specific to this phase will also take place when the water element dissolves. The same occurs during the process of dissolution of the fire and wind elements. This last element produces particular signs within our consciousness. This process of disintegration is connected to our five senses, so that when the disintegration of the four elements progresses, our five senses disintegrate and dissolve too. While we sleep parts of these elements dissolve as well. This explains why the five senses do not function and are not active. Practitioners therefore try to follow the process of death but also the moment of changeover from the awake state to dormancy. Going to sleep is an excellent opportunity for great practitioners to try and recognise these signs. Therefore, if we go to sleep very late and are tired out from our daily work, we cannot engage in this type of practise. It would therefore be accurate to go to sleep with a bit of physical and mental energy left to be able to engage in this practise. After the dissolution of the four elements our external senses are completely blocked. This is when we are declared clinically dead. The Vajrayana tradition though does not define it as death, as it is considered that there are four more phases to be passed, before the dissolution of the consciousness is completed.

Our consciousness can be observed from two main levels. The first level, which is gross and superficial, consists of afflictive emotions. The second level of mind is more subtle. When we talk about the gross level of consciousness, we refer to three emotions: attachment, aversion and ignorance. These three afflictive emotions are dissolved in the order we have enunciated before. Once all of the three afflictive emotions have dissolved, what is known as the “clear light” appears to us. The “clear light” could be defined as the innate nature of the mind. Trying to explain the concept of “clear light” in an easily understandable language, I would say that it is the essence of our deepest level of mind. In this phase, when we refer to attachment, aversion and ignorance, we do not talk about their practical expression, but we actually mean the signs that the expression of these three afflictive emotions can generate. When these three types of signs dissolve, four internal signs appear within us. The moment when the innate nature of mind, the essence of our mind, emerges following the dissolution of the three afflictive emotions, is the moment when we can implement our whole knowledge accumulated during our existence and through that yield results. This is a very important phase as it represents the moment when we place the emphasis on the flow of our awareness.

Great practitioners (yogis) are able to make use of this innate mind, to use it for meditation, practise and for the implementation of all the realisations they have gained during their life.
I can testify for the existence of great lamas, who in fact are clinically dead and are still able to remain in a state of meditation. On a physical level they do not seem to be dead, but when they end their meditation, their body collapses and falls. In this case, when I mention great Lamas, I do not mean people to whom great position and honour have been bestowed, but very simple people who have practised the Dharma for a long time. When this meditation ends, they separate the mind from the body by using the innate mind, and at the same time migrate into the intermediate state called “Bardo”.

All these words to define life, death and the various phases occurring between one and the other are important. Though, not as important as our willingness to get acquainted with these events through our daily practise and familiarisation. In short, it is about having constant mindfulness of all our experiences during our daily life.

According to what the historical Buddha stated in the Sutras, good practitioners are able to be mindful of all the phases in their life: when they are awake, when they eat, when they sleep……and they are also able to remember in an intuitive way any moment of their life because they try to remain in a constant state of good and correct mindfulness. Consequently, if we do not maintain this mindfulness in daily life, during all our activities, it will be impossible to remember our experiences as something spirited that must be used when we go to sleep or in the moment of our death. The same Buddha also said that frequent introspection and attention is necessary to be able to maintain a good level of mindfulness every day. This mindfulness, which is the capacity to take a moment before doing an action, allows us to value if the action we are about to do is correct or not. The capacity of taking time before jumping into an activity is the actual practise of mindfulness. This practise is the only one that allows us to lead a virtuous life. In the Vajrayana vehicle, the practise of mindfulness is neglected in some verses as it is taken for granted that mindfulness is part of other practises. Therefore it is not specifically studied. In the Theravadan tradition the word mindfulness comes up more frequently. When we ask a Theravadan master which type of practise he would suggest we engage in when the moment of death occurs, he will certainly reply that we should die by trying to keep our mindfulness. If, on the other hand, we ask a Vajrayana teacher, he will give us a line-up of complicated subjects like the four elements, all the processes of dissolution and eventually we will not be able to remember any of that. The connection between these two traditions consists in the common aim of wanting to die with a positive mental attitude, with a virtuous mind. As we are the lucky ones to live in the Western world, where many Buddhist traditions have met, we should try and apply both methods. We must have done a good practise of mindfulness, in order to be able to take cognisance of the moment of death, even if we do not know all the details of the dissolution process. Therefore, we must focus on our ability to maintain a positive mental attitude and a virtuous mind.

Since I have been in the West, I have had the opportunity to come across many different traditions: apart from Chan/Zen and Theravada, which were not part of the Tibetan context, I got to know other lineages like Kagyu and Nyingma. I did not know much about them when I studied in my monastery, and obviously I also got acquainted with Christianity. We can draw from all these beautiful traditions, in order to further add to our knowledge. This is one of the advantages that our Western culture offers. The advantage of living in a multicultural and democratic environment that allows us to get to know various things without that mental closure that leads us to think: “What I do is better than what others do.” This attitude is wrong and shows the ignorance which is the root of all our problems. Destroying this attitude and opening ourselves to others is one of the objectives of the practise of Dharma. When we open ourselves to others, we have the opportunity to receive much and to carry further our personal spiritual growth.

The word “ignorance” in Buddhist terms could be explained in many ways and with different levels of introspection. In this context, we interpret it as mental closure. Accepting or considering something as positive only because it is mine, is a symptom of mental closure and selfishness. According to a Tibetan definition, this attitude can be translated as “self-grasping”. The root phrase to define this wrong mental attitude reads: “This is good because it belongs to me”. In order to define this concept, students of philosophical schools study piles of books to describe in a deeper way what we are saying here. Ignorance can be described as small-mindedness and grasping to the self. That is how we clarify the relation between ignorance and self-grasping. One of the aims is to destroy these wrong mental attitudes because they are perceived as the root and the origin of all our problems. It is also true that many Buddhist practitioners show great ignorance. Sometimes there are people who are considered to be great practitioners with a deep level of knowledge about Buddhism, who also show great ignorance as their mind seems to be closed. In some cases, to possess an exclusive knowledge of Buddhism without knowing anything else, can be the reason for small-mindedness. Even if this opinion of mine may be regarded as wrong.
Living and dying, both have to be part of our existence and be experienced with mindfulness. Living with mindfulness and dying with mindfulness is the advice given in the Theravadan tradition, which from my point of view captures the essence of the Dharma in the most straightforward way.

Question: what happens to a person in the course of an accidental death?

Answer: it is a more difficult kind of death. If ones lapses into a coma due to an illness and one gets there gradually, this process of dissolution can take longer. Those dying of an illness that gradually takes them to the moment of death are more fortunate because this process in stages allows them more time to bring all their experiences to their mind and to make the most of this opportunity. It is a good opportunity to reflect in a slow and gradual way. Good practitioners, whether they die from an accident or a violent event of any kind, possess the ability to bring all their experience to their mind in no time into that very particular moment. But in order to be able to achieve this, it is necessary to be gifted with extraordinary mindfulness. In the moment of his death, after he had been shot, Gandhi managed to invoke the name “Ram”, the equivalent to God. The deadly attempt on his life was not an event that would disturb him to the point of losing his mental stillness. Gandhi was able to keep his peaceful state of mind intact….. great mindfulness.

Question: does the way we die influence our rebirth?

Answer: the kind of future rebirth will be determined by the imprint given to the innate mind in that particular moment. Death is a unique opportunity. In a certain sense we practise all our life to prepare for that particular moment. If we influence the moment of death by giving it an imprint marked by feelings of anger, this can be the cause of a reincarnation in the lower realms. It is like writing an e-mail, we can type so many messages on our computer, but if we make a mistake with the address of the receiver, we lose all the work….. a lifetime’s work. It is one of the secrets of Buddhism.

Friday 27 July 2012

Buddhist Science




The article published on The Middle Way Journal of the Buddhist Society, London - November 2011


Buddhist Science

Venerable Geshe Gedun Tharchin
From a talk given in Rome 21 Novembre 2010


When I was asked to be deliver a short talk on Buddhist Science. I didn't know exactly what  “Buddhist Science” in Western cultural and social context.

In the Tibetan language we have a term often used in our scriptures, “Nang Don Rig Pa”. This is a very formal way of saying “Buddhism”. However, the literal meaning of the term in English could be translated as Buddhist Science, but it means more than that. Literally “Nang Don” means “inner meaning and value” and “Rig Pa” means “arts of learning.” Therefore, it's literal interpretation should be “The arts for learning the inner meaning and value.” This is what Buddhism and Buddhist Science means to Tibetans.

Actually, Buddhism is a foreign culture for Tibetans because it was adopted from India, Nepal and China, 8th. century. During the Tibetan Emperor Song Tsan Gampo's time, his two foreign wives, a Chinese princess and a Nepalese princess, built the first two Buddhist temples the Jo Khang and Ramo Che in Lhasa, Tibet. They were built to enshrine the Buddha statues that their parents had given them. If you look back to the history it is quite silly the way that Buddhism arrived to Tibet for the first time!

By the eighth to eleventh century, Tibet was already a quite civilized society both culturally and politically. The country was very successful and quite competitive among its neighboring countries. Tibetans received Buddhism as a “Nang Don Rig Pa” or as an “art for learning the inner meaning and value” rather than as a Religion as we think of in the West.

Unfortunately later Tibet’s whole culture, history, and economy ended up under the domination of Buddhist hierarchy, which is very much like what happened to the Roman Empire when it ended up under the domination of the Christian Church.

That aside, the real significance of the Dharma is how the Buddha experimented and realized within him the inner meaning and value of life. He demonstrated it to others in order to heal humanity and the world from illnesses driven by the three poisons of life, namely Ignorance, Attachment and Hatred.

The Buddhist arts of learning the inner meaning and values essentially consist of what are called the three higher trainings. These are morality, concentration and wisdom. These trainings transform human life into a realistic and healthy way of living and then eventually completely eliminate the poisons, which is what is known as nirvana: a life completely free from any influences of those three poisons.

If we want to start Nang Don Rig Pa, (the arts of learning the inner meaning or values) we should start with reflecting on some basic questions:
  • Why are there so many pains and sufferings in all human life?
  • Are there causes to those pains and sufferings?
  • If so, is there a possibility that one could live without them?
  • What would be the means to do this?
To ask these questions properly we need to be in a spirit of oneness between the questioner and the questioned. We ourselves need to be physician, patience and nurse. This is the essence of the quest for understanding and realizing the true meaning of life. Historically Lord Buddha laid down his whole realization in these four questions. This blue print for finding the inner meaning is called the Four Noble Truths.

To approach this quest we start with analyzing the first Noble Truth, the Truth of suffering. This is a very crucial point of meditation and reflection. We must face this question within ourselves, deeply and profoundly experiencing our own feelings of pain and suffering.

In terms of actual Nang Don Rig Pa application, we must leave behind all our intellectual understanding of pain and suffering. We must simply and directly touch the pains and suffering that we experience every day. We are constantly tortured and we haven’t been able to escape or find a way out. There is no solution to the fatigue and drudgery of our inner world.

However, the noble truth of suffering is not the suffering itself. The suffering we are talking about is in the psychological or spiritual dimension. It has to do with wrong thoughts and wrong concepts. This truth lies within the suffering itself but is not the same as it. The pain is the source from which we find the truth of suffering. There is something on which suffering relies, and it is very important to know what this is if we wish to be free of it.

Discovering and obtaining the realization of the truth of suffering naturally leads us to its relief. We can say that a fire burns wood, but we could also say that wood creates the fire. The potential for fire is inherent in the wood. Similarly, while the experience of the truth of suffering ends the suffering, the potential for relief is inherent in the suffering itself.
Analyzing in this way will lead us towards the second question: What are the causes of our suffering?

Psychological and spiritual sufferings are most probably products of our wrong concepts regarding happiness, entwined with our mistaken thoughts. In Buddhism, there are four wrong concepts which drive this process. We perceive:
  • impure things as pure
  • suffering as happiness
  • impermanent as permanent
  • things that are empty of self as concrete selves.
These wrong thoughts and mistaken ideas are the producers of an illusory world. Such an illusory world becomes the basis for human psychological miseries.

But, is durable and pure happiness possible? To answer this question, as we have to reflect upon nirvana, a state of mind or psycho/physical dimension where one can live in a painless state free from suffering. When we see the fact that our present mind can be transformed into a nirvana state of mind this means we have established the basis of our prospective journey towards the inner meaning and value.

Having established that an end to suffering is possible, we then go on to examine what process we can implement to achieve nirvana. That is what we called “La Via della Nirvana”, those three higher trainings. In more basic language, we could call them:
  • Simplicity (renunciation) and love and compassion.
  • Concentration, or single pointed mental state, which can be energetically focused on any desired objectives in order to intensify our mental capacity to struggle with the problems.
  • Wisdom realizing right views – such as the four right views – seeing suffering as suffering, the impure as impure, the impermanent as impermanent and the empty of Self as empty of Self.
The realizations of these three faculties of mind will eradicate our psychological pains and sufferings and allow us to achieve a full and complete freedom which we can dedicate for the global peace and universal happiness of the humanity, including all sentient beings.

Mastering the arts of realizing the inner values or inner meaning can be very easy if someone really wanted to apply it with a strong determination and authentic interest. It is neither a mere philosophical articulation nor a psychological trick. It is a very practical and solid means of resolving human suffering for every member of the human family. Based on unconditional love and indiscriminating wisdom, it is known as the Dharma, Sanatana Dharma, the Holy Spirit or a thousand different names. But no words can fully define its meaning. One can only experience it within oneself by the force of one's own determination and diligence.

Buddha said “You yourself are both your master and enemy” and “Buddha’s can't wash away negative actions or get rid of the sufferings of humanity. Buddha’s can't transfer their realizations to others. Buddha’s liberate sentient beings only through showing the Truth.” Furthermore, Buddha said: “I have shown you the path to liberation, but if you wish to find it, you must find it within yourself.”

I understand that the purpose of this congress was to consider the differences and similarities between Eastern and Wetsern scientific conclusions. However, due to my limited time, I thought it best to present a concentrated, classical interpretation of Buddhist science, its contemplations of human suffering, solutions, and methods without expanding the discussion to include a comparison with the modern Western views of psychology, neuroscience and quantum physics.