Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey)
Ltd.
Buddha Dhamma Questions and Answers
John
D. Hughes
Recorded Teachings
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey)
Ltd.
33 Brooking St
Upwey, Victoria
Australia 3158
A.C.N. 005 701 806
A.B.N. 42 611 496
488
Phone: (03) 9754
3334
Fax: (03) 9754 3334
email: wbu@bdcu.org.au
Disclaimer and Copyright
The famous poet Rudyard Kipling wrote "I keep six honest
serving men. They taught me all I know; their names are What and Why and
When, and How and Where and Who".
For this paper in seeking to
explore the concept of applying Buddha Dhamma we use Kipling's six honest
serving men to frame the analysis.
Buddha Dhamma is a system of
living taught by the Buddha Shakyamuni. Buddha Dhamma is a system that can
help one come out of suffering, when practiced and realized each for
himself or herself, it stops the cycle of birth.
We quote Venerable
Master Chin Kung:
"Buddhism is the most profound and wholesome
education directed by the Buddha toward all people.
"The content in
Buddha Shakyamuni's forty-nine years of teaching describes the true
reality of life and the universe. Life refers to oneself, universe refers
to our living environment. The teachings directly relate to our own lives
and surroundings.
"Buddhism is an education, not a religion. We do
not worship the Buddha, we respect him as a teacher. His teachings enable
us to escape from suffering and attain happiness.
"A student of the
Buddha does not just read Buddhist texts, but studies them to reach a
deeper understanding of life and the universe and puts the teachings into
practice in everyday life."
What are the Four Noble
Truths?
The Four Noble Truths, which Lord Buddha taught in his
first sermon after receiving Enlightenment, are a fundamental teaching of
Buddhism.
(i) All sentient beings are bound to suffering, because
(ii) They act under the influence of Ignorance, Greed and Hatred. All
these delusions come from the basic Ignorance, not knowing the true nature
of oneself and of what one perceives. However,
(iii) Suffering can
stop, leaving one in perfect, everlasting happiness (Nirvana).
(iv)
There is a way, or Path, to receive this cessation of suffering by
eliminating the delusions.
These Truths may appear very simple, or
even obvious, but actually they are very profound. Only a Buddha can
understand them completely.
Who is Buddha Dhamma for?
Buddha
Dhamma is not a religion for a particular race or chosen people. Buddhism
aims at the enlightenment of all beings. Its teachings are Universal and
not relative to any particular geographic area of any country.
Although it originated in India, it soon made the world its home.
The recent spread of Tibetan Buddhism to many countries is a living
example of these facts.
Tibetan Buddhism preserves the pure
traditions of all the various levels of teachings taught by Lord Buddha,
and their subsequent development in India, long after these traditions
died out in India itself.
On Friday 30 January 2003, Members of our
Chan Academy Australia attended a teaching by Buddha Dhamma Master Sogyal
Rinpoche. Sogyal Rinpoche is a renowned Teacher and the author of the
Tibetan Book of Living and Dying that has sold half a million copies
world wide.
Sogyal Rinpoche is said to have "a remarkable gift for
presenting the essence of Tibetan Buddhism in a way that is both authentic
and profoundly relevant to the modern mind".
A brief summary of the
teaching as interpreted by one of our Members is given here. We apologise
for any error, omission, simplification or misinterpretation in the brief
summary presented.
Sogyal Rinpoche said we are all looking for
happiness but happiness and sadness are both dependant on the mind.
Buddhism is about transforming the mind and heart.
Sogyal
Rinpoche said most of the suffering in the today is from thinking too much
and leads to problems like depression. It is like we water the misery and
make it grow.
The advice is not to commit any unwholesome actions.
You may think that to be very difficult. Try as much as possible not to do
any harmful actions. This is the most basic thing.
The word Dhamma
is used rather than the word religion. Dhamma is the nature of
everything.
We take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the
Sangha.
Many great Masters have said, "If you cannot help at least
do not harm."
Cultivate virtue and adopt positive action in body,
speech and mind.
It is the foolish who look for happiness outside
themselves.
Happiness is not outside it is inside. Transform and
tame your mind then you have freedom.
Body, speech and mind are the
three doors through which we do negative or positive things.
Science is now seeing correlation between body and mind.
If
we have negative minds then our body is susceptible to sickness. When you
smile you are strong.
You can transform the mind. It is up to
you.
Thoughts come and go and sometimes we grasp them when they are
gone.
You have to look after yourself. No-one can help you
honestly speaking. You have to take care of your mind and have dignity and
respect.
The teachings of wisdom and compassion are tools.
The past has gone and the future has not yet arisen, the present
is the space in between. This is the whole point.
Sogyal Rinpoche
relayed a conversation between his Master and an Indian Diplomat. The
Indian Diplomat was asking the Master how to meditate.
The Master
said, "Look at it like this, when the past thought has gone and the next
one hasn't come, there is a gap, right."
The Indian Diplomat said,
"Yes".
The Master said, "Well, prolong it".
Initially the
whole point of meditation is to use mindfulness to settle the mind, when
the mind is settled then to remain in this pure cognizance, free of any
thoughts. In the present there are no thoughts.
When you start
thinking it has already past. You discover a mind beyond
thoughts.
We think that thoughts and emotions are the mind but the
mind is really like the sun and the thoughts and emotions are the
rays.
Samsara is the mind turned out and Nibbana is the mind turned
inwardly.
Padmasambhava said, "Seek not to cut the root of
phenomena, cut the root of the mind."
There is no end to thoughts.
How can you stop all the thoughts? This is like coming home or turning
inwardly.
When we are scattered all over it is like nobody is
home.
Think of water. If you do not stir the water it becomes
clear. In the same way the mind becomes clear if you leave it alone. We
always manipulate and fabricate by too much thinking.
To settle the
mind, focus on breathing this is a natural expression of mind and source
of energy.
The essence of meditation is to remain in a state of
non-distraction.
The Rinpoche talked about the Four Noble Truths
and that all of the Buddha's teachings are included in these Four noble
Truths.
The Four Noble Truths are each the effect of a particular
cause.
It is useful here to answer the question, What is
Karma?
All pleasures and pains basically derive from the mind.
Through acting with an undisciplined mind, clouded by delusion, one
accumulates good and bad deeds. The traces of these deeds are carried by
the mind from life to life until one meets suitable circumstances, then
their result is experienced. Bad actions lead to suffering, life after
life, until the accumulation of them runs out. On the other hand, every
good action which one does will at some time cause one to experience
happiness. Every moment of happiness is the result of some good action of
helping others in the past. Every moment of pain or suffering is the
result of a bad action one has done. This is called the Law of Karma.
"Karma" is a Sanskrit word which simply means "action".
One's
karma, or past actions, determine both the form of one's next life and the
circumstances one will meet in that life. To be born as a human being at
all one needs exceptionally good karma, but even as a human being one can
meet with unfavourable circumstances. According to the theory of karma,
children who are born deformed or die young are merely receiving the
fruits of what they have done in a former incarnation. People are
ultimately responsible for their own destiny and the pattern of their next
incarnation.
Tibetan Buddhists therefore consider it essential to
prepare for death in this lifetime. They believe that to be born as a
human in a land where the Buddhist teachings are practiced is extremely
difficult to achieve. Once this 'Perfect Human Rebirth' is lost, it is
almost impossible to regain. Unless one has practiced Buddha Dhamma in
this life one will not receive another Perfect Human Rebirth for many,
many lifetimes.
But if one practices continuously, one can go on
meeting the Buddha Dhamma teachings life after life. One's spiritual
advances in one life are retained in the next so that it is possible to
progress gradually.
To incarnate means to assume a body or to be
"made flesh". To reincarnate means when "your body dies, another birth
arises to give "you" a new body. Buddhists accept reincarnation as a fact.
Belief in reincarnation is very old. It was held by some of the
early Greeks, Romans, also other religious groups including early Jews and
Christians. In the Christian Church, it was condemned at the time of the
second council of Constantinople held by the Emperor Justinian without the
Pope's approval in 553 A.D. However, there are several references to
reincarnation in the Old and New Testaments, and many Christians have also
believed in it.
(The status of Justinian's condemnation of
Originism is controversial. For further information see Head and Cranston,
"Reincarnation - An East-West Anthology". The Pope, although in
Constantinople at the time, boycotted the Council, and furthermore the
condemnation does not even seem to have been officially enacted by that
council.)
There are some people who remember their lives, they may
recognise their former relatives, friends and possessions, and places
where they lived. Further evidence of earlier lives is that certain young
children show strange abilities. One child could speak at three months old
and another could speak several languages by the time he was six. A child
born in Germany in 1721 spoke within a few hours of his birth and knew
world history at the age of three and could speak three languages. The
child predicted his own death that occurred at the age of four. Some
children can solve very complex mathematical problems. Others can compose
music at an early age. A famous Western musician, Mozart could compose at
the age of four.
A person born in one country, on visiting
another, might find the scenes there familiar. Possibly, this is evidence
that this person lived there in a former life.
In all Tibetan
Buddhist orders, the title "Lama" (literally, "superior") is reserved
strictly for Tulkus or incarnate lamas, and for Gurus who give formal
teachings, whether or not they are monks or Geshes. Thus the term "Lama"
can never be taken as a synonym for "monk". Rather it is the equivalent of
the Sanskrit word "Guru".
When an assistant Abbot becomes Abbot,
he earns the title "Rinpoche" (Precious One). If he so chooses, he can
start a line of incarnate Lamas after him. These successors will also bear
the title "Rinpoche" from birth and be regarded as Lamas.
The title
"Geshe", which means a spiritual friend, refers to a degree not unlike a
doctorate. From the age of about eight, until twenty-five, the candidate
must study and thoroughly master five main subjects, and to pass several
oral examinations on them in public. His Holiness the Dalai Lama too had
to take such examinations in front of thousands of monks in Lhasa.
Certain advanced beings do not have to incarnate but do so
voluntarily in order to assist others. In Buddhism these beings are called
Bodhisattvas. Some of them have reincarnated again and again on this
planet. One of these great beings is the Dalai Lama.
Who is the
Dalai Lama?
Tibetans believe that the Dalai Lama is an incarnation
of the great Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Dalai Lama, apart from being
spiritual head, has been in charge of Tibet since the time of his 5th
reincarnation in the l7th Century until the Chinese occupation in 1950.
"Tenzin Gyatso" is the particular name of His Holiness the l4th Dalai Lama
(the present Dalai Lama). He was born on 6th July, 1935 in Amdo in the far
north-east of Tibet.
It is not necessary that death and rebirth
should occur at the same time since there may be time when the spirit is
elsewhere. The l3th Dalai Lama died in 1933. The present Dalai Lama is a
reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama who was a reincarnation of all the
other Dalai Lamas. He was found and identified as the true incarnation by
a special committee of senior Lamas.
Among his own people, the
Dalai Lama is generally known as Kun-dun which means "Presence". The
present Dalai Lama was installed to office when he was only four years
old. When he was a very young child, he could recognise the friends he had
when he was the l3th Dalai Lama. As a boy, the Dalai Lama was intelligent
and eager to learn and was not shy.
In 1950, before he was sixteen,
the Dalai Lama was enthroned as a Ruler of Tibet. This ceremony normally
takes place when the Dalai Lama is eighteen, but was hurried on because
the Chinese were about to take over Tibet. The Chinese occupied Tibet in
1950. The young Dalai Lama visited Peking in 1954 to try to understand the
Chinese.
The Dalai Lama has been in India since early 1959. Tibet
is occupied by the Chinese. After the Lhasa uprising against Chinese
occupation, the Dalai Lama fled across the Himalaya mountains to India
with a number of his countrymen. The Government of India offered him and
his people a home and he now lives at Dharamsala, a Himalayan Hill station
in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
The Chinese destroyed
most of Tibet's great monasteries, libraries and sacred art works. The
Dalai Lama and his followers preserve the old Tibetan books and traditions
at Dharamsala in India and elsewhere. Over 100,000 Tibetans have left
Tibet and now live in different countries. Although the l3th Dalai Lama
had spent some time in India, in the 192O's, there had not been much
contact between the Indians and Tibetans in the recent past. In the years
since the Dalai Lama and his followers arrived in India, the Indian
Government has helped to settle the Tibetans. In Dharamsala, schools have
been established to teach about Tibetan Buddhism. Many Westerners have
trained as lay people, monks and nuns at these schools over recent years.
The Dalai Lama stressed that, even if someone harms or hurts you
badly, you should think of his good qualities and this develops humility
towards others.
He quoted another important verse:
If one whom
I've helped my best,
And from whom I've expected much,
Harms me in
a way I can't imagine:
May I regard such a person my best teacher!
His Holiness sees nothing wrong with material progress provided
men take precedence over progress. He has liked science and technology
since his childhood and he realises now more than ever before that
material progress is highly necessary to mankind, but at the same time he
believes material things provide us mainly with physical comfort, not with
mental peace. Good human qualities - honesty, sincerity, a good heart -
cannot be bought with money, nor can they be produced by machines, but
only by the mind itself.
How can we end our
suffering?
Following the various disciplines described by Buddhists
can stop the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The fourth noble truth is
the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering: this is
the way to end the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
The truth of
the path leading to the cessation of suffering is the noble eightfold
path, that is to say, right view, right thought, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right
concentration.
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh explains the interrelated
nature of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path:
"As
we study and practice the Noble Eightfold Path, we see that each element
of the path is contained within all the other seven elements. We also see
that each element of the path contains the Noble Truths of Suffering, the
making of suffering, and the end of suffering.
"Practicing the
First Noble Truth, we recognize our suffering and call it by name -
depression, anxiety, fear, or insecurity. Then we look directly into that
suffering to discover its basis, and that is practicing the Second Noble
Truth. These two practices contain the first two elements of the Noble
eightfold path, namely, Right View and Right Thinking. All of us have the
tendency to run away from suffering, but now with the practice of the
Noble Eightfold Path we have the courage to face our suffering directly.
We use Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration to look courageously at
our suffering. The looking deeply that shows us clearly the basis of our
suffering is Right View. Right View will not show one reason for our
suffering, but layers upon layers of causes and conditions: seeds we have
inherited from our parents, grandparents, and ancestors; seeds in us that
have been watered by our friends and the economic and political situations
of our country; and so many other causes and conditions.
"Now the
time has come to do something to lessen our suffering, we find a way to
cease ingesting that nutriment, whether it is edible food, the food of
sense-impression, the food we receive from our intentions, or the food
from our consciousness. We do this by practicing Right Speech, Right
Action, and Right Livelihood, remembering that Right Speech is also
listening deeply. To practice these three aspects, we take Mindfulness
Trainings as our Guide. Practicing according to the Mindfulness Trainings,
we see that when we speak, act, or earn our living, we do it with Right
Mindfulness. Right Mindfulness lets us know when we say something that is
not Right Speech or do something that is not Right Action. Once Right
Mindfulness is practiced along with Right Diligence, Right Concentration
will follow easily and give rise to insight or Right View. In fact, it is
not possible to practice one element of the Noble Eightfold Path without
practicing all the seven other elements. This is the nature of interbeing,
and it is true for all of the teachings offered by the Buddha."
By
practicing good actions with body, speech and mind you can come out of
troubles.
May all beings, in the ten directions, seen and unseen,
receive blessings from this script.
We thank the Devas and Devatas
of Learning for their help in and guidance with the writing of this
script.
May you be well and happy.
This script was
written and edited by the Buddhist Hour Radio team: Julian Bamford, Leanne
Eames, Evelin Halls, Anita Hughes, Julie O'Donnell and Pennie
White.
References
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey)
Ltd., The Buddhist Hour radio broadcast 314, "Buddha Dhamma Questions and
Answers", 1 February 2004, URL
http://www.bdcublessings.net.au/radio314.html
Chin Kung, Venerable
Master, (no date) "A Path to True Happiness", Dallas Buddhist Association,
Texas.
Hughes, John D. (1982) Schools Commission Project -
Reduction of Racial Prejudice, Part 4, Section 2 on Tibetan Buddhism,
September.
Rigpa (2004) Programme 2004, Rigpa Melbourne, Fitzroy.
This paper is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma
material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.
Permission is given to make printouts of this publication for FREE
DISTRIBUTION ONLY. Please keep it in a clean place.
"The gift of
Dhamma excels all other gifts".
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