photos taken by
Karma Lekcho, Liao
Guo Ming,
Palten Nyima
Mahayana Sojong
Sojong was given by Gyaltsab Rinpoche.
Gyalwang Karmapa’s teachings
on the pure realms to the East and West—Day
3
Report by Mary Young
According to science, this earth is the only planet where
all of the positive conditions exist for human life. So to
have all the conditions necessary for life is very rare. And
human beings have a special quality that other beings lack:
we are able to distinguish right from wrong. Many species of
living beings have become extinct, but among those that
exist, humans are the most intelligent because they have the
capacity for ethical or moral discernment, knowing which
actions are positive and which are negative. It is not just
a matter of gain and loss in the short term; we can also
comprehend what is beneficial in the long term. But even
though we have this capacity, so far we have not used it
very well. We tend to only look at what is good for
ourselves in the short term, but we do not look closely
enough at what is best for everyone in the long run. On top
of that, for our own benefit or that of our immediate
communities, we mistreat other groups of beings and create a
lot of damage and loss of life. In this way, because of
negative human activities, many beings have been killed and
have become extinct.
And in the same way, all the problems in the environment are
due to the mistakes of human beings. In one way, there has
been vast technological and material development, making it
easy to communicate and travel. But in another way, we are
living in degenerate times. By this I mean that natural and
traditional ways of doing things are being replaced by all
kinds of artificial or made-up methods.
Because of this, human beings have arrived at a time when we
really need to think deeply. We have all kinds of ease and
assets in our environment, creating the right kind of
conditions to practice dharma. And these conditions not only
facilitate dharma practice, but also enable us to engage in
positive actions. Thus we need to use our great capacity for
intelligence to understand how to act in ways that are the
most beneficial for ourselves and for others. If we can do
that, then this precious human life will become useful and
fruitful.
Furthermore, when we talk about our lives we are not just
referring to our individual bodies. We are part of an
interconnected web and whether or not our lives become
meaningful depends upon acknowledging this interdependence
and using our minds, thoughts, and actions in such a way
that they will be beneficial, not just for ourselves, but
for everyone.
Now today I will finish teaching about Amitabha's pure
realm:
1) How do we create conditions to be reborn in Dewachen?
It is said in the Amitabha Sutra, “If anybody hears
my name, and then makes a prayer or aspiration to be born in
Sukhavati, unless that person has created the five heinous
deeds or abandoned the dharma, if they are not born there,
then I will not be enlightened." So Amitabha says that if
someone really aspires to be born in Dewachen, and practices
positive deeds, he will make it possible for them to be born
there. But first you have to aspire to it and focus your
mind on it. Then you must accumulate positive deeds and
dedicate those deeds to be born in Dewachen.
In the Amitabha Sutra, the Buddha says to Sariputra,
“If someone concentrates on Dewachen for one to seven days,
then if that person dies, they will necessarily be born into
Dewachen. So therefore one must pray to be born into
Dewachen."
And in another sutra called Chime Nada, “The Drums of
Deathlessness,” it says that if you recite the name of
Amitayus, you can also be born in Dewachen or Sukhavati. The
conditions for being born there are:
1)
With devotion and a clear, inspired mind, you
recite the name of Amitayus or Amitabha.
2)
You must perform many positive deeds and dedicate
them to being reborn in Dewachen.
As for the special causes or complete conditions, try to
generate within yourself all the qualities of the
bodhisattvas that reside in Dewachen. What are those
qualities? The bodhisattvas lack hatred or anger, are very
diligent, and never tire of learning. Even if they possess
an ocean of knowledge they are never satisfied and all of
their senses have been tamed and are under control. So we
need to try to cultivate those same qualities and that
comprises the complete cause of being born in Dewachen.
And what kind of life forms can create the conditions to be
born there? Anybody--gods, humans or non-humans—can as long
as they have the capacity to transform or direct their minds
in a positive and virtuous way. Also, regarding all those
causes described in the sutras, it is not enough to just do
them once. We have to practice them again and again and we
have to generate strong devotion and confidence in the
teachings of Buddha Sakyamuni.
Ordinary positive deeds will cause us to take a good
samsaric birth but special positive deeds create the
conditions for us to be born in Dewachen. These special
deeds need to be done with a clear understanding and
confidence in Amitabha's realm and also in Buddha
Sakyamuni's teachings. Being undistracted is very important
too. It is not enough just to recite the Buddha's name or
mantra but we must do it one-pointedly. And likewise, if we
perform positive deeds in a state of non-distraction, we
will create the causes and conditions to be born in Dewachen.
So these are ways to create conditions for ourselves to be
born in Dewachen.
2) How can we create the conditions for others to be born in
Dewachen?
We should not practice dharma for our own gain or honor but
we should practice from the depths of our heart so that
other beings may be born into Dewachen. We should read the
Amitabha Sutra and the Chime Nada Sutra
aloud so they are heard by other beings. And when we recite
the names and mantras of the buddhas, we can encourage
others to recite the names and mantras also. So in order to
create the conditions to be reborn in Dewachen, we request
or teach people to abide by their precepts and create
positive deeds. Furthermore, we allow them to hear the name
of Amitabha and his sutra. We can also spread sand or
material that is blessed by the recitation of mantras and
sutras on others’ bodies and them show Amitabha's form. We
can make prayer flags so that all beings will be touched by
the wind that is blown through the mantras and
representations of Amitabha. So these are some ways to help
other people to create the causes and conditions to be born
in Dewachen.
Animals like birds and pigs are unable to recite the names
of the buddhas, so we recite the mantras or names in their
ears in order to create the causes for them to be born in
Dewachen. There are many stories about that. About a month
ago, I heard something but I don't know whether it is true
or not. A person wanted to eat frog meat and went to the
market to buy some frogs. Apparently, skinning frogs can be
done quite easily. So this person bought three frogs,
skinned the frogs, and brought them to his home. By the time
he got home, one frog had already died. Another frog that
had been skinned was still breathing a little bit. So that
frog was looking up at the person with large eyes. This
spooked the person and he began to recite the mantra of
Amitabha. Slowly, the dead frog revived and the frogs
listened carefully to the mantra, Om Ami Dewa Hri.
And then one of the frogs seemed to be reciting Amitabha's
mantra. So this is an incident I read about, but I don't
know if it really happened or not.
In short, most of us aspire to be reborn in Dewachen. In
Tibet this has been the case for a long, long time and the
same is true for Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. These traditions
have been around for a long time and there are many great
masters who are very skilled in the practice. However, some
are rather strange because they say that we should only
do the practice for rebirth in Dewachen. That is mistaken, I
think. Some people are very inspired to be born in Dewachen
but maybe others are not. So you cannot tell all of them
that they must only do Amitabha’s practice and
nothing else. Even Buddha Sakyamuni never said this.
Because as I said before if you really want to create the
complete causes and conditions for rebirth in Dewachen, then
you must engage in all the practices of the Buddhadharma
such as study, reflection, meditation, generation of
bodhichitta and the bodhisattva’s way of life, and the three
trainings. People prefer an easier way so that is why some
people say that Amitabha’s practice is the only one to do
and you do not need anything more. That is not right. If our
aspiration is that small and simple then we risk becoming a
sect by thinking “only my way is the right way.” We have to
be very careful about that otherwise we could create
sectarianism.
Generally in the Buddhadharma, any dharma practice we do can
cause us to be born into Dewachen. There is nothing that
does not become a cause for us to be born into Dewachen. The
only criteria are whether we are especially inspired and
praying to be born there or not.
A three-minute meditation on Bodhichitta
In order to meditate on Bodhichitta, first it is important
to meditate on compassion. Meditation is like a mirror or
coin with two sides. Facing out is renunciation and facing
in is compassion. In Tri Gyatsa, “100 Instructions”
by the Karmapa Mikyo Dorje, there is a very nice instruction
on how to meditate on compassion. I will try to go through
this a little bit.
As I said before, we have attained the precious human life.
The main feeling of gratitude we need to have is to our
mother. Because she gave us this body, we should be
extremely grateful to her. In order that we live, our
parents went through many difficulties and did a lot of
positive and negative things. And the reason they did the
negative deeds is because of their love for their children
and grandchildren. All the business they did and cultivation
of the land, etc. was not just for their own livelihood but
to keep their children and grandchildren alive and well. So
because of all these positive and negative deeds they did
for our benefit, they might be born into lower realms in
their next lives. Because of this, we have to be responsible
for them in some way.
Similarly, all sentient beings are like our parents. When we
talk about parents, there are many different types of
parent. There are the parents who gave us our body, and the
parents who have been kind to us in other ways. Our parents
gave us life, but other beings on earth also gave us things
that allowed us to keep on living. If we eat food, it comes
in a package, and we don't know who prepared it. Even though
we don't know their names, some people definitely cultivated
and cooked this food and packaged it for us to enjoy.
Therefore, many, many people, who like our parents became
causes for our survival, have been very kind to us. Anyway,
to be able to feel gratitude is a very important thing. When
we feel compassion, kindness, and gratitude, we become
content, happy, and joyful. Thus, feeling gratitude is very
beneficial and important for us as human beings.
And compassion is actually feeling gratitude for all
sentient beings and remembering that all those beings in
samsara have a lot of suffering and problems. When we really
see that situation we feel unbearable compassion and sadness
and become inspired to free them from their sufferings. So
we have to cultivate that kind of sincere and burning
aspiration thinking, "I want to free all beings from their
suffering!" This is what we will meditate on today.
Imagine all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, like Amitabha and
Avalokiteshvara, present in the sky in front of us. Then
recollect all the positive deeds that we have done in the
three times, past, present, and future, and offer them to
the buddhas. And because we offer them to the buddhas, the
Buddhadharma spreads. And because it spreads more people
create positive deeds and those positive deeds are also
dedicated. There is the power of creating positive deeds and
the positive deed of offering that to the Buddha and the
result is the spread of dharma and that creates a lot more
positive deeds for many people and is dedicated for the
benefit of all sentient beings. And the positive deeds that
come out of that, we also dedicate for the benefit of others
and the positive deeds that come out of this dedication we
dedicate again. So there is an endless cycle of positive
things, and we dedicate in this way, creating an unending
cycle of dedication. Maybe we will do some prayer and
recitation first and then meditate.
At this point the Dewachen Monlam is chanted, followed by
the meditation bell.
1.50pm and the
Monlam Pavilion is buzzing. People returning from lunchbreak
are greeting friends, others are sitting quietly, the sangha
are putting on their yellow prayer shawl in spite of the
early afternoon heat. Steadily the flow of people – monks,
nuns and laypeople - fills the great tent. Everything and
everyone appears strangely tinted by the pale blue light
filtering through the blue tent cloth and blue PVC
tarpaulin. A wind picks up and ruffles the tent cloth. The
PVC tarpaulin snaps, rustles and crackles in the breeze.
This is the
third of eight days; there is a feeling of harmony and unity
of intent within the Pavilion.
At 2.00pm
promptly the chanting master begins the first prayer of the
session “The King of Aspirations: The Noble Aspiration for
Excellent Conduct”.
H.E. Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and H.E. Gyaltsap Rinpoche
presided over the afternoon sessions.
