Date: 8/22/2009
10:41:59 PM
Subject: [CASonline]
Imperiled Mongolians & The Fifth Perfection
Dearest Friends @ CAS,
His Holiness the Dalai Lama easily overflowed the world's largest stadiums and the tens ( sometimes hundreds !! ) of thousands of tickets are snatched empty mere hours after launch.
Every facet of Lord Buddha's teachings spanning the Sutra: Lam Rim, the Four Noble Truths, all the way to the Highest Yoga Tantra and Dzogchen, have indeed for the very first time in history ever been delivered on such a scale and ever across such lands.
No one save the late Pope and the few rock hits come close to His Holiness's activities, but, then, of course, in different spheres.
In the Lotus Sutra, Lord Buddha Shakyamuni have spoken about how unbelievable beings in our world system will be delivered through the boundless compassion and aspirations of the Arya Bodhisattva Chenrezig or Guan Yin and while the late Dudjom Rinpoche and almost every contemporary masters spoke of His Holiness's inconceivable greatness, we have heard only of the late Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok spoke about His Holiness being the fabled last King of Shambala who ushered in ( or is presently ushering in ?? ) the final sparkle of the holy Dharma with His trusted lieutenants ( here, the many great Khensurs of the great monasteries and all the great lineal masters of every authentic tradition appeared in the vision of our unenlightened little minds !! ).
As we rejoiced in the Dharma's light flourishing, don't forget mother sentient beings in some dark corners of the world, left behind and misguided by mischievous twisted untruths, seduced by wicked promises of ugly money .... We truly wonder if this is what spiritualities are ?? Cheap conversions to reap more numbers .... in people or in dollars ?? Where are the ethics and basic decency ??
Hey hey ... a resurrection of the dear colonial slang for "Gold; Glory; Gospel" !!
The
good man on the street knows better than to feed on another just crept out of the quick sand. If this is not blasphemous and sacrilege, I
don't know what is !!
We are so sure Holy Mother Tara beatifically watches somewhere above at "spiritual" babies scratch at each others' faces, stole each others' bread and dirtying their cots.
"OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA !!"
The ( formerly ) proud Mongolians imperiled and re-colonised:
bb @ CAS, gnawing
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Excellence:
Lord Master: Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse
1.5
Teachers' blessings
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks on questioning the Guru.
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Quote/s from the Buddha's holy scripture:
For one lamp in purest faith, she will become Buddha Shakyamuni.
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The Sure-Steps to Enlightenment:
Application Bodhicitta ( The Fifth Perfection - Meditation )
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Support Dharma Propagation Fund ( DPF ) - Special Projects:
- Sponsor CAS's Buddhist Quiz
- Light a Lamp in the mother of all holy places
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You got to know this !!
- Buddhist Quiz
- CAS's Monthly Prayer Session
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For Friends of CAS:
Spare a prayer for Tibet:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama personally narrate
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1 -
Excellence
Lord Master:
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche would often call me up to his room and tell me stories of his visions that he never told anyone else. One day he said, "Today, I saw a really great spectacle," and when I asked him about it, he said, "Last night I had a vision of the Copper-Coloured Mountain pure land, with Guru Rinpoche and the twenty-five disciples as vivid as if they were actually present." Then he added, "Don't tell anyone. I'm only telling you about it." There is no doubt that Rinpoche had a lot of visions of his yidam deities, but he was always very humble and, when asked about such things, used to say, "Why don't you ask the Karmapa or the Dalai Lama? I don't know anything."
Rinpoche treated everyone alike: if a king or minister would invite him, he would go to their house; and if poor people invited him, he also went. When driving somewhere, he would even chant the Mani or the names of the Buddha so that the cattle along the road could hear. When someone came to see him, whether high or low, he never made them wait but let them see him right away. Though he treated everyone equally, in his heart he knew their exact inner feelings. Nor did it matter whether someone had faith in him or not. He often said, "Whoever comes to see me, whether a dignitary or a beggar, they come out of the hope of getting some benefit, so don't stop them from seeing me; I will do my best to help them." Later on, due to his age and health, his attendants stopped the flow of visitors, but he wasn't pleased about it.
Autobiogrphy of Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche; "Brilliant Moon" ( Shambala Publications )
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1.5
Questioning the Advice of the Guru
The Path to Enlightenment Book Excerpt
by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Glenn H. Mullin
You should do everything your
guru tells you to do, even if it seems strange, right? Wrong. According to
HH the Dalai Lama every student is responsible for checking the guru?¡¥s
instructions against reason and dharma. The rationalizations that many students
tell themselves in the face of odd guru behaviors?It must be a teaching" or "It's crazy wisdom that you can't question" or "It's a test"?aserve only to damage students who don't understand that even powerful teachers
have personalities that sometimes have blind spots and make mistakes. H.H.
the Dalai Lama speaks strongly on this topic in this excerpt adapted from
The Path to Enlightenment.
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The offering of practice means always to live by the teachings of one's guru. But what happens when the guru gives us advice that we do not wish to follow or that contradicts Dharma and reason? The yardstick must always be logical reasoning and Dharma reason. Any advice that contradicts these is to be rejected. This was said by Buddha himself. If one doubts the validity of what is being said, one should gently push the point and clear all doubts. This task becomes somewhat more sensitive in Highest Tantra, where total surrender to the guru is a prerequisite; but even here this surrender must be made only in a particular sense. If the guru points to the east and tells you to go west, there is little alternative for the student but to make a complaint. This should be done with respect and humility, however, for to show any negativity towards a teacher is not a noble way of repaying his or her kindness.
Perception of faults in the guru should not cause us to feel disrespect, for by demonstrating faults to us the guru is actually showing us what we should abandon. At least, this is the most useful attitude for us to take. An important point here is that the disciple must have a spirit of sincere inquiry and must have clear, rather than blind, devotion.
It is frequently said that the essence of the training in guru yoga is to cultivate the art of seeing everything the guru does as perfect. Personally I myself do not like this to be taken too far. Often we see written in the scriptures, "Every action seen as perfect." However, this phrase must be seen in the light of Buddha Shakyamuni's own words: "Accept my teachings only after examining them as an analyst buys gold. Accept nothing out of mere faith in me." The problem with the practice of seeing everything the guru does as perfect is that it very easily turns to poison for both the guru and the disciple. Therefore, whenever I teach this practice, I always advocate that the tradition of "every action seen as perfect" not be stressed. Should the guru manifest unDharmic qualities or give teachings contradicting Dharma, the instruction on seeing the spiritual master as perfect must give way to reason and Dharma wisdom.
Take myself, for example. Because many of the previous Dalai Lamas were great sages and I am said to be their reincarnation, and also because in this lifetime I give frequent religious discourses, many people place much faith in me, and in their guru yoga practice they visualize me as being a buddha?aI am also regarded by these people as their secular leader. Therefore, this teaching of "every action seen as perfect" can easily become poison for me in my relationship with my people and in my effective administration. I could think to myself, "They all see me as a buddha, and therefore will accept anything I tell them." Too
much faith and imputed purity of perception can quite easily turn things
rotten. I always recommend that the teaching on seeing the guru's actions
as perfect should not be stressed in the lives of ordinary practitioners.
It would be an unfortunate affair if the Buddhadharma, which is established
by profound reasoning, were to have to take second place to it.
Perhaps you will think: "The Dalai Lama has not read the Lam Rim scriptures. He does not know that there is no practice of Dharma without the guru." I am not being disrespectful of the Lam Rim teachings. A student of the spiritual path should rely upon a teacher and should meditate on that teacher's kindness and good qualities; but the teaching on seeing his or her actions as perfect can only be applied within the context of the Dharma as a whole and the rational approach to knowledge that it advocates. As the teachings on seeing the guru's actions as perfect is borrowed from Highest Tantra and appears in the Lam Rim mainly to prepare the trainee for tantric practice, beginners must treat it with caution. As for spiritual teachers, if they misrepresent this precept of guru yoga in order to take advantage of naive disciples, their actions are like pouring the liquid fires of hell directly into their stomachs.
The disciple must always keep reason and knowledge of Dharma as principal guidelines. Without this approach it is difficult to digest one's Dharma experiences. Make a thorough examination before accepting someone as a guru, and even then follow that teacher within the conventions of reason as presented by Buddha. The teachings on seeing the guru's actions as perfect should largely be left for the practice of Highest Tantra, wherein they take on a new meaning. One of the principal yogas in the tantric vehicle is to see the world as a mandala of great bliss and to see oneself and all others as Buddhas. Under these circumstances it becomes absurd to think that you and everyone else are Buddhas, but your guru is not!
Actually, the more respect one is given the more humble one should become, but sometimes this principle becomes reversed. A spiritual teacher must guard himself or herself carefully and should remember the words of Lama Drom Tonpa, "Use respect shown to you as a cause for humility." This is the teacher's responsibility. The student has the responsibility of using wisdom in his or her demonstration of faith and respect.
A problem is that we usually only observe those teachings that feed our delusions and ignore those that would overcome them. This leniency can easily lead to one's downfall. This is why I say that the teaching on seeing all the guru's actions as perfect can be a poison. Many sectarian problems in Tibet were born and nourished by it.
The First Dalai Lama wrote, "The true spiritual master looks upon all living beings with thoughts of love and shows respect to teachers of all traditions alike. Such a one only harms delusion, the enemy within." The different traditions have arisen principally as branches of skillful methods for trainees of varying capacities. If we take an aspect of their teachings, such as the precept of "all actions seen as perfect," and use it for sectarian purposes, how have we repaid the past masters for their kindness in giving and transmitting Dharma? Have we not disgraced them? If we misunderstand and mispractice their teachings, it will hardly please them. Similarly, it is meritorious for a lama to perform rituals or give initations to benefit people, but if his or her motivation is only material benefit, that person would be better off going into business instead. Using the mask of Dharma to exploit people is a great harm.
We erect elaborate altars and make extensive pilgrimages, but better than these is to remember Buddha's teachings: "Never create any negative action; always create goodness; aim all practices at cultivating the mind." When our practice increases delusion, negativity and disturbed states of mind, we know that something is wrong.
It is sometimes said that a major cause of the decline of Buddhism in India eight hundred years ago was the practice of Vajrayana by unqualified people, and sectarianism caused by corruption within the Sangha. Anyone teaching Tibetan Buddhism should keep this in mind when they refer to the precept, "every action of the guru is to be seen as perfect." This is an extremely dangerous teaching, particularly for beginners.
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Quote/s from the Buddha's holy scripture
For one lamp in purest faith, she will become Buddha Shakyamuni
.... Then it occured to the woman who was dependent on the city for alms, "This King Prasenajit of Koshala isn't satisfied with his merit, so he still makes offerings and performs meritorious deeds. I really should collect oil
from someplace so that i can offer a lamp to the Blessed One as well."
Then she begged a little bit of oil in a broken bowl, lit a lamp, and placed it where the Buddha would do his walking meditation. Falling prostrate at his feet, she made this fervent aspiration:
By this root of virtue, just as this lord Shakyamuni arose in the world when people lived for one hundred years as a teacher named Shakyamuni, likewise, may i, too, when people live for one hundred years, be a teacher, that very Shakyamuni. As that excellent pair, Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, were his first pair of disciples, the monk Ananda his personal attendant, Shuddhodana his father, Mahamaya his mother, Kapilavastu his city, and Prince Rahulabhadra his son, likewise, may the excellent pair Shariputra and Maudgalyayana also be my first pair of disciples, the monk Ananda my personal attendant, Shuddhodana my father, Mahamaya my mother, Kapilavastu my city, and Prince Rahulabhadra my son. And as this Blessed One will pass into final nirvana and his relics be distributed, likewise, may i , too, pass into final nirvana and may my relics be distributed.
Then all the lamps went out save the lamp that she had lit, which continued to shine.
It is a rule that the personal attendants of lord buddhas do not go to bed until lord buddhas go to bed. The venerable Ananda reflected, "It is impossible and inconceivable that lord buddhas would go to sleep in the light. I really should put out that lap." He
began to put it out with his hand, but he wasn't able to. Then he tried
with the edge of his robe, then with a fan, but he still wasn't able
to put it out.
Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda, " ..... Ananda, you'll just exhaust yourself. Even if gale-force Vairambhaka winds
were to blow, they wouldn't be able to put it out, much less the movement of a hand, the edge of a robe, or a fan. This is so precisely because this lamp
was lit by that woman with a great resolution of mind. Moreover, Ananda,
when people lived for one hundred years, that woman will be a perfectly
awakened tathagata arhat named Shakyamuni. The excellent pair, Shariputra
and Maudgalyayana will be her first pair of disciples, the monk Ananda her personal attendant, Shuddhodana her father, Mahamaya her mother, Kapilavastu her city, and Prince Rahulabhadra her son. She will pass into final nirvana and her relics will be distributed."
This was said by the Blessed One. With their minds uplifted, the monks welcomed the words of the Blessed One.
From "Indra-Brahmana Avadana" - Wisdom Publications; translated by Andy Rotman.
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"The Sure-Steps to Enlightenment."
( Meditation on the Lam Rim - rough, authentic notes. )
TOPIC EIGHT
APPLICATION BODHICITTA ( Part Five )
( Perfection of Meditation )
ONE
"Calm Abiding"
To attain Buddhahood is the best way to benefit all mother beings. So I achieve single-pointed concentration upon an object etc and to calmly abide within this concentration to accumulate Merit for attainment of Buddhahood.
[ Concentrate and calmly abide upon a Buddha-form / flower / one's breath movements etc ]
( While contemplating the above, do 108 times mantra of your Yidam - Chenrezig, Tara, Yamantaka or others. Or you can do the mantras until you feel the topic has firmly been internalised in your mind !! )
TWO
"Mindfulness"
To attain Buddhahood is the best way to benefit all mother beings. So, based upon Calm Abiding, I am mindful of an object etc and abide without grasping or rejecting them, to accumulate Merit, leading into Wisdom, for attainment of Buddhahood.
[ Basing upon Calm Abiding, being Mindful of arising-ceasing of thoughts, phenomena etc ]
( While contemplating the above, do 108 times mantra of your Yidam - Chenrezig, Tara, Yamantaka or others. Or you can do the mantras until you feel the topic has firmly been internalised in your mind !! )
[ Here ends the main points dealing with the Eighth Topic ( Part Five ) of all Lam Rim traditions. Carry them out wherever possible. ]
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"Support Dharma Propagation Fund ( DPF ) - Special Projects"
ONE
Friends who wish to sponsor the very scary and mysterious prizes for CASonline's Buddhist Quiz, you may do so via the link below. Immeasurable
blessings and merit to bring but one being closer and deeper into the holy Dharma ... so sayeth Lord
Buddha Himself !!
TWO
We will be lighting lamps in this mother of holy places ( every lamp is S$2.50/- ) for every kind sponsor. Do do so via the link below and indicate the number of lamps you will want to offer ok ?? Keep in mind the highlighted Buddha Story above
!!
The Merit Creating Link:
http://www.casotac.com/modes.html
p/s:
Due to the unkind economic climate, the charity-scandals slammed across national dailies amongst others such disasters, appeals have been suffocating for quite some time ....
Nevertheless, our gratitude to Ms S. Tham and Ms Ong O.H. for their generous support to last issue's appeals .... and of course, to CAS's Camden Edu Center which has been keeping all CAS's projects afloat !!
"Namo Da Yuan Di Zang Wang Pu Sa !!"
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You Got To Know This !! 
I
CAS's Monthly Prayer Session
CAS's monthly meeting will as usual be on the last Saturday of the month: 29 August from 7 to about 8:30 pm.
Venue: Camden Education Center ( address: www.camden.edu.sg )
Practices: Water
Torma Offering and Orgyen Namkha Lingpa's Guru Padmasambhava Guru Yoga. We may throw in Chokgyur Lingpa's
Barchey Lamsel too. We will be making special dedications to the long-life
of all of CAS's precious Teachers - HH the Dalai Lama, HE Garchen Rinpoche,
Loseling Khensur, Most Venerable Geshe Wangchen, Drikung Ontrul and other
such buddha-manifested beings and everything to fulfillment of every one
of their holy, precious wishes for the world. Definitely also reciting
the Prayer for Swift Re-birth of our Root Teacher the 100th Ganden Trisur,
as composed by Kyabje Trulshig Rinpoche.
Special pre-requisite: No empowerments required but please bring along Bodhicitta and your funny cells in a bag, preferably secured in straps. Like that, will not drop out easily.
II
BUDDHIST QUIZ
a) STORIES OF LORD BUDDHA:
"Why wasn't the Elder Ananda able to put out the lamp lit by the old lady?"
b) LAM RIM:
"What are the first 5 Perfections that a Bodhisattva must engage in to attain Buddhahood for good of all ??"
Send your answers to bb @ CAS: contact@casotac.com
The very scary and mysterious prizes await the first 3 "fast and furious" Friends @ CAS !!
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CONFETTIS for the 3 CASonline's first Buddhist Quiz winners !!
They have won for themselves - one long rosary beads each - blessed by the 100th Ganden Trisur, the Sharpa Choje, Loseling Khensur and Geshe Wangchen ( Teacher of Ling Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama's Senior Tutor ) -- "Rejoice !!"
CAs's 30 plus friends who replied later than our 3 "fast and furious" and lucky people above are blessed not with precious, holy rosaries but definitely with more learning and fun !!
ANS to last quiz:
- The great Arahant Upagupta was the great elder who subdued Mara the Evil One about a hundred years after the nirvana of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni.
- The 2 ways of generating Bodhicitta are:
ONE: The Seven Point Cause-and-Effect
Equanimity: All beings want and have equal rights to be happy - so they are "equal"
a) All beings have been one's mother countless times
b) All beings therefore have been immeasurably kind to oneself
c) I want to repay their kindness
d) I wish they will always be happy
e) I wish they will always be free from suffering
f) I myself will be responsible for achieving these ( the Dalai Lama termed this "universal responsibility" )
g) To do this, i must become a Buddha, the paragon of power, wisdom and compassion !!
TWO: Taking-and-Receiving
Equanimity: All beings are "equal". I divide them into beings i love, hate and are indifferent only because of my attachment, anger and ignorance.
a) All sufferings comes from cherishing oneself. So with my every breath in, taking on sufferings of the world.
b) All happiness comes from cherishing others. So with my every breath out, i give joy and blessings to the world.
c) The way to fully achieve the above is Buddhahood. So i want to become a Buddha, the paragon of power, wisdom and compassion !!
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7 -
For Friends of CAS
Dearest bb,
I will be so grateful if you can send to all my thousand plus fellow friends @ CAS the You Tube video below on Tibet, narrated personally by my Root Guru, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I hope all mother sentient beings will grow to be compassionate to one another and not harm each other.
In Mani,
Konchog P.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks on Tibet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8y5qkX2ToA
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tELL A fRIEND
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