Monday, June 16, 2014

by Tsoknyi Rinpoche

1. Remember Who You Are

Deep within all beings is a kind of spark that lights and warms our lives. It's been called by many names in many different traditions. In the Buddhist tradition it's known as "Buddha nature"-- which is often described in terms of three qualities:boundless wisdominfinite capability, and immeasurable loving-kindness andcompassion.

One of the core teachings of Buddhism is that we all possess this nature. You may think that you're an accountant, an executive, a teacher, a student, a parent, a child -- and indeed, on a mundane, every-day level, you are. But underneath a particularidentity and all the thoughtsfeelings, and behaviors that may attach to it, what you are is the ever-evolving potential of a being who is capable not only of transcending suffering but of leading all other creatures out of darkness and pain, as well.

So all you really have to do in order to open your heart and your mind is to remember your Buddha nature!

2. Mind Your Body

Unfortunately that's not always easy. Throughout our lives we're urged to define ourselves and our experiences in particular ways. Over time, these definitions become so familiar that we end up identifying with them completely as the absolute truth of who we are.

We can, however, begin to break down our mundane, everyday identities into smaller pieces -- a process through which we begin to discover that who we think we are isn't quite as solid as we believe. One of the easiest ways to begin is to spend a little time with our bodies.

It's surprising how many of us forget our bodies. It's so easy to get caught up inthoughts and feelings and overlook this extraordinary system of muscles, bones, organs and so on that serves as a physical support for our thoughtsfeelings and behaviors.

So one thing we can do -- preferably while sitting in a comfortable position with the spine straight and muscles relaxed -- is to start simply and gently appreciating that we have a body, a basic ground of experience. We can begin by simply noticing: "There is a leg. There is a toe." We can simply notice, too, that there is a heart that is beating; there are lungs that are expanding and contracting; there is bloodcoursing through veins. We can also notice physical sensations such as being cold or being warm, feeling pain in the knees, back or shoulders, and so on. The point of the practice is to simply allow ourselves to become alert to the physical aspect of our being in a very easygoing and gentle way, without judging it or identifying with it.

3. You Are Not Your Feelings, You Are Not Your Thoughts

We've become so used to the potency, frequency and variety of the thoughts andfeelings that course through our awareness throughout the day that it's very easy to identify with and as them. This tendency is built into our very language. "I'm angry." "I'm afraid." "I'm happy. "I'm sad."

We can bring the same kind of attention we brought to our bodies to our thoughts and feelings -- gently noticing them as they arise, abide for a moment and, somewhat to our surprise perhaps, disappear. In so doing, we gently begin to recognize that our thoughtsand feelings are only aspects of experience and not the totality. Our identities may be may be influenced by mental and emotionalpatterns in the subtle body, but we are not those patterns.

Try practicing this sort of gentle noticing the next time you feel a strong emotion. Allow the emotion to arise, but look at it as an event occurring within a broader frame of awareness. Tell yourself that what ever you're experiencing is not the total "you," that what you're feeling is only one piece of your experience.

We can also bring this same sort of attention to our thoughts which are often intimately linked to our identities. The speed with whichthoughts appear and disappear across the screens of our minds are like out-of-control "breaking news update crawlers" that appear across television screens. We can hardly read one before another takes its place -- and another and another. Our awareness is overwhelmed by fleeting impressions, half-grasped notions, bits of sentences, ideas that have only begun to form before they disappear.

As we gradually turn attention to our thoughts, rather than being irritated, disturbed or carried away by them, we slowly find ourselves amazed by their coming and going. We begin to appreciate the entire process of thinking in and of itself.

4. Rest In Space

In time, we also begin to notice gaps between thoughts and feelings -- barely perceptible moments in which there is simply nothought, no feeling, just pure, open awareness. As these gaps grow longer -- and a little less startling -- we can begin to rest within them. For a brief second or so, we can have a direct experience of what in the Buddhist tradition is known as the essence of mind, or the nature of mind: a luminous, limitless awareness that is not chopped up into subject and objectself and other, perceiver andperceived. All distinctions between "the looker" and what was being "looked at" fall away, and for an instant we experience complete lack of separation between everything we feel, see, smell, and so on, and the awareness that sees, smells and feels. Our hearts andminds are completely open, and the spark that is our Buddha nature leaps up into a brilliant flame.

5. Share the Bliss

Unfortunately, it's easy to get caught up in the sense of well-being that arises when our hearts and minds open and to forget the most essential lesson that the Buddha tried to instill in us as the deepest of all teachings: that until all of us are free, none of us are free. Rather than rest in our own comfort zones, our contentment dimming our awareness of the pain and hardship that others around us may be feeling, we must remember that the ultimate goal of opening our hearts and minds is to free all living creatures from their patterns so that they can experience the opennesswisdom, and warmth that is the essence of our being.

Buddha nature is infinitebeings in need of awakening are infinite; and our journey, once begun, is never done.

Friday, June 6, 2014

37 Practices of a Bodhisattva


A Summary of How an Awakening Being Behaves by Tog-me Zong-po (Thogs.med bzang.po, 1245-1369)
Namo Lokesvaraya
You who see that experience has no coming or going, Yet pour your energy solely into helping beings, My excellent teachers and Lord All Seeing, I humbly and constantly honor with my body, speech, and mind.
The fully awake, the Buddhas, source of joy and well-being, All come from integrating the noble Way. Because integration depends on your knowing how to practice, I will explain the practice of all bodhisattvas.
1 Right now, you have a good boat, fully equipped and available — hard to find. To free others and you from the sea of Samsara, Day and night, fully alert and present, Study, reflect, and meditate — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
2Attraction to those close to you catches you in its currents;Aversion to those who oppose you burns inside;Indifference that ignores what needs to be done is a black hole. Leave your homeland — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
3 Don’t engage disturbances and reactive emotions gradually fade away; Don’t engage distractions and spiritual practice naturally grows; Keep awareness clear and vivid and confidence in the way arises. Rely on silence — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
4 You will separate from long-time friends and relatives; You will leave behind the wealth you worked to build up; The guest, your consciousness, will move from the inn, your body. Forget the conventional concerns — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
5 With some friends, the Three poisons keep growing, Study, reflection, and meditation weaken, And loving kindness and compassion fall away. Give up bad friends — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
6 With some teachers, your shortcomings fade away andAbilities grow like the waxing moon. Hold such teachers dear to you, Dearer than your own body — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
7 Locked up in the prison of their own patterning Whom can ordinary gods protect? Who can you count on for Refuge? Go for Refuge in The Three Jewels — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
8 The Suffering in the lower realms is really hard to endure. The Sage says it is the result of destructive actions. For that reason, even if your life is at risk, Don’t engage in destructive actions — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
9 The happiness of the three worlds disappears in a moment, Like a dewdrop on a blade of grass. The highest level of freedom is one that never changes.Aim for this — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
10 If all your mothers, who love you,Suffer for time without beginning, how can you be happy? To free limitless Sentient beings, Give rise to awakening mind — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
11 All Suffering comes from wanting your own happiness. Complete awakening arises from the intention to help others. So, exchange completely your happinessFor the Suffering of others — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
12 Even if someone, driven by desperate want, Steals, or makes someone else steal, everything you own, Dedicate to him your body, your wealth, and All the good you’ve ever done or will do — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
13 Even if you have done nothing wrong at all And someone still tries to take your head off, Spurred by compassion, Take all his or her evil into you — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
14 Even if someone broadcasts to the whole universeSlanderous and ugly rumors about you, In return, with an open and caring heart, Praise his or her abilities — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
15 Even if someone humiliates you and denounces you In front of a crowd of people, Think of this person as your teacherAnd humbly honor him — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
16 Even if a person you have cared for as your own child Treats you as his or her worst enemy, Lavish him or her with loving attentionLike a mother caring for her ill child — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
17 Even if your peers or subordinates, Put you down to make themselves look better, Treat them respectfully as you would your teacher: Put them above you — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
18 When you are down and out, held in contempt, Desperately ill, and emotionally crazed, Don’t lose heart. Take into you The Suffering and negativity of all beings — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
19 Even when you are famous, honored by all, And as rich as the god of wealth himself, Don’t be pompous. Know that the magnificence of existenceHas no substance — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
20 If you don’t subdue the opponent inside, your own anger, Although you subdue opponents outside, they just keep coming. Muster the forces of loving kindness and compassionAnd subdue your own mind — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
21Sensual pleasures are like salty water: The deeper you drink, the thirstier you become. Any object that you attach to, Right away, let it go — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
22 Whatever arises in experience is your own mind.Mind itself is free of any conceptual limitations.Know that and don’t generate Subject-object fixations — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
23 When you come across something you enjoy, Though beautiful to experience, like a summer rainbow, Don’t take it as real. Let go of attachment — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
24 All forms of Suffering are like dreaming that your child has died. Taking confusion as real wears you out. When you run into misfortune, Look at it as confusion — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
25 If those who want to be awake have to give even their bodies, What need is there to talk about things that you simply own. Be generous, not looking For any return or result — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
26 If you can’t tend to your needs because you have no moral discipline, Then intending to take care of the needs of others is simply a joke. Observe ethical behavior without concernFor conventional existence — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
27 For bodhisattvas who want to be rich in virtueA person who hurts you is a precious treasure. Cultivate patience for everyone, Completely free of irritation or resentment — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
28 Listeners and solitary Buddhas, working only for their own welfare, Are seen to practice as if their heads were on fire. To help all beings, pour your energy into practice: It’s the source of all abilities — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
29Understanding that emotional reactions are dismantled By insight supported by stillness, Cultivate meditative stability that passes right by The four formless states — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
30 Without Wisdom, the five perfectionsAre not enough to attain full awakening. Cultivate Wisdom, endowed with skill And free from the three domains — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
31 If you don’t go into your own confusion, You may just be a materialist in practitioner’s clothing. Constantly go into your own confusionAnd put an end to it — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
32 You undermine yourself when you react emotionally and Grumble about the imperfections of other bodhisattvas. Of the imperfections of those who have entered the Great Way, Don’t say anything — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
33 When you squabble with others about status and rewards, You undermine learning, reflection, and meditation. Let go of any investment in your family circle Or the circle of those who support you — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
34 Abusive language upsets others And undermines the ethics of a Bodhisattva. So, don’t upset people or Speak abusively — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
35 When reactive emotions acquire momentum, it’s hard to make remedies work. A person in attention wields remedies like weapons, Crushing reactive emotions such as cravingAs soon as they arise — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
36 In short, in everything you do,Know what is happening in your mind. By being constantly present and awareYou bring about what helps others — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
37 To dispel the Suffering of beings without limit, With Wisdom freed from the three spheresDirect all the goodness generated by these efforts To awakening — this is the practice of a Bodhisattva.
Following the teachings of the holy ones On what is written in the sutras, tantras, and commentaries, I set out these thirty-seven practices of a BodhisattvaFor those who intend to train in this path.
Because I have limited intelligence and little education, These verses are not the kind of poetry that delights the learned. But because I relied on the teachings of the sutras and the revered I am confident that The Practices of a Bodhisattva is sound.
However, because it’s hard for a person with limited intelligence like me To fathom the depths of the great waves of the activity of bodhisattvas, I ask the revered to tolerate Any mistakes — contradictions, non sequiturs, and such.
From the goodness of this work, may all beings, Through the supreme mind that is awake to what is ultimately and apparently true, Not rest in any limiting position — existence or peace: May they be like Lord All Seeing.
Tog-me, the Monk, a teacher of scripture and logic, composed this text in a cave near the town of Ngülchu Rinchen for his own and others’ benefit.