Guru Rinpoche Day Teaching – 12 November 2013
คำสอน เนื่องในวันรำลึกถึง คุรุปัทมสมภพ ประจำวันที่ 12 พฤษจิกายน 2556
Dear Friends Near and Far,
สวัสดีกัลยาณมิตรทั้งใกล้และไกล,
With warm greetings to you all this wonderful Guru Rinpoche Day of the ninth Tibetan month, today I would like to share four simple and practical points:
เนื่องในวันรำลึกถึงกูรูรินโปเชประจำเดือนที่ 9 ในปฏิทินทิเบตข้าพเจ้าอยากจะแบ่งปันหัวข้อข้างล่างทั้ง 4 ที่ง่ายและนำไปปฏิบัติได้จริงพร้อมทั้งมอบคำทักทายอันอบอุ่นให้กับพวกเธอใน วันพิเศษนี้
1. We all want happiness, and we all want to be free from suffering. This is our most basic wish. And to accomplish this, some of us are studying and practising the dharma, Buddha’s teaching. There are many others who are not interested in the dharma, but either way, we are all seeking the same thing. Regardless of whom we are, one of the most important factors in helping realize this basic wish is cultivating a calm, peaceful mind. This isn’t something that comes straight away though; we need to develop it bit by bit. For this reason, the practice of shamata (calm-abiding) meditation is so very important: practicing shamata meditation focusing on the cycle of the breath every morning for fifteen minutes or so. Through training in this, our mind will gradually calm down and we’ll gain some control over our state of mind. This control will prove to be extremely helpful in quelling our uneasiness when we encounter difficult circumstances and emotions, like stress and frustration.
1. เราทุกคนต้องการความสุขและเราทุกคนต้องการที่จะเป็นอิสระจากความทุกข์ นี่เป็นความปรารถนาระดับพื้นฐานขั้นแรกสุดของเรา และเพื่อให้บรรลุเป้าหมายนี้พวกเราบางคนศึกษาและนำธรรมะ (คำสอนของพระพุทธเจ้า) มาปฏิบัติ และยังมีคนอื่นๆอีกหลายคนที่ไม่ได้สนใจในธรรมะ, อย่างไรก็ตามพวกเราทุกคนล้วนแสวงหาสิ่งเดียวกันดังกล่าวมาข้างต้น ไม่ว่าเราจะเป็นใคร, การเพาะบ่มจิตที่สงบสุขสันติเป็นหนึ่งในปัจจัยที่สำคัญที่สุดในการช่วยให้ ความปรารถนาขั้นพื้นฐานสัมฤทธิ์ผล แต่จิตที่สงบไม่ได้มาจากการแบมือขอหากแต่มันมาจากการเพียรฝึกฝนทีละเล็กทีละ น้อย ด้วยเหตุนี้การปฏิบัติสมถะกรรมฐาน (การภาวนาเพื่อให้จิตเกิดความสงบ) เป็นสิ่งสำคัญมาก: เธออาจจะเริ่มต้นด้วยการปฏิบัติสมถะกรรมฐานแบบเพ่งดูลมหายใจที่เข้าและออก (อานาปานสติ) ทุกเช้าเป็นเวลาประมาณสิบห้านาที ด้วยวิธีนี้จิตของเราก็จะค่อยๆ สงบลงทีละน้อยและเราก็จะการควบคุมอาการของจิตของเราได้ในที่สุด การควบคุมจิตได้จะเป็นประโยชน์อย่างยิ่งในการขจัดปัดเป่าความไม่สบายใจของ เราเมื่อเราประสบกับสถานการณ์ที่ยากลำบากและอารมณ์อันเกี้ยวกราดและเลวร้าย เช่น ความเครียด และความขัดเคืองใจ
2. Secondly, in our quest for happiness we need love and compassion. These are indispensable qualities. We really cannot do without them. If we lack compassion and concern for people and are always getting angry with them, we won’t have a very pleasant time ourselves, and it goes without saying that this will make life difficult for those around us. So we need care and love for our family and friends and a basic empathy and concern for everyone around us, an empathy that allows us to feel connected to all other humans, a very open and caring state of mind. Otherwise, without these qualities it will be very difficult for us to live a truly unhappy and enjoyable life; we will in fact just be creating needless suffering for ourselves.
2. ประการที่สอง ในการแสวงหาความสุขเราจำเป็นที่จะต้องมีความรักและเมตตากรุณาต่อผู้อื่น สองสิ่งนี้เป็นคุณสมบัติที่ขาดไม่ได้จริงๆเราไม่สามารถที่พบความสุขอันแท้ จริงได้โดยปราศจากสองสิ่งนี้ หากเราไร้ซึ่งความเมตตากรุณาและความห่วงใยต่อผู้อื่นและมักจะผูกโกรธผู้อื่น อยู่เสมอเราก็จะไม่มีทางอยู่เป็นสุขได้และมันจะทำให้ผู้คนรอบข้างเป็นทุกข์ ไปด้วยอย่างไม่ต้องสงสัย ดังนั้นเราจึงจำเป็นต้องเอาใจใส่และมอบความรักให้กับครอบครัวและเพื่อนของ เราและรู้จักการเอาใจเขามาใส่ใจเราและมีความห่วงใยต่อผู้คนรอบข้าง, การเข้าใจความรู้สึกของผู้อื่นช่วยให้เรารู้สึกผูกพันกับคนเหล่านั้น, มันเป็นการสภาวะจิตที่เปิดกว้างและเต็มไปด้วยความเอาใจใส่ต่อผู้อื่น ในทางตรงกันข้ามหากปราศจากคุณสมบัติทั้งสองนี้มันจะเป็นไปได้ยากที่เราจะใช้ ชีวิตอย่างเป็นสุขและสนุกสนานอย่างแท้จริงได้; มันกลับจะสร้างความทุกข์ทรมานให้กับตัวเองโดยไม่รู้ตัว
3. Thirdly, we need a good balance. If you are a spiritual person then practice the dharma (or any other religion or spiritual path you follow) well and genuinely, and at the same time look after your family and friends. Take good care of your kind parents, grandparents, your siblings, your entire family and all your friends and acquaintances. Also do whatever you can to help those in need through charity and in different ways. This balance I feel is very important. To accomplish this balance, learning and practising the dharma can really help. Even if you are not inclined to follow a spiritual path, it can be very helpful to learn some simple meditation, and of course, whoever we are, to practice charity and care for our families.
3. ประการที่สามเราจำเป็นต้องรักษาสมดุลในชีวิตให้ดี หากเธอเป็นนักปฏิบัติก็จงนำธรรมะมาเจริญภาวนาอย่างจริงๆจังๆและบ่อยๆ (หรือทำตามคำสอนในศาสนาหรือนิกายอื่นๆที่เธอนับถือ) และก็ดูแลครอบครัวและเพื่อนของเธอไปพร้อมๆกัน ดูแลพ่อแม่, ปู่ย่าตายาย, พี่น้อง, สมาชิกในครอบครัวทั้งหมดที่ดีต่อเธอเสมอมา, รวมทั้งเพื่อนๆทุกคน, และคนรู้จักของคุณ นอกจากนี้ก็ทำบุญสุนทานกับผู้ตกทุกข์ได้ยากหรือบำเพ็ญตัวให้เป็นประโยชน์ใน รูปแบบต่างๆที่แตกต่างกันไป ข้าพรู้สึกเลยว่าการรักษาสมดุลนี้เป็นสิ่งสำคัญมาก เพื่อให้เข้าสู่สภาวะสมดุลการใฝ่ศึกษาและปฏิบัติธรรมสามารถช่วยเธอได้จริงๆ แม้ว่าเธอไม่ได้คิดที่จะเอาจริงเอาจังในทางธรรม, มันย่อมมีประโยชน์มากที่จะเรียนรู้การเจริญภาวนาแบบง่ายๆ, และแน่นอนไม่เธอจะเป็นใครก็ตามมันย่อมเป็นประโยชน์ไม่ยิ่งหย่อนไปกว่ากันหาก เรารู้จักทำบุญทำกุศลและเอาใจใส่ดูแลครอบครัวของเราเอง
4. Fourthly, and lastly, we need to be sincere and honest with ourselves. At the same time, we also need self-confidence. By ‚’sincere and honest’ I mean that we need to be able to see and acknowledge our own faults and flaws. But when we see them, we should not fall into self-judgement; rather we should move towards positive change. Just acknowledge your shortcomings, and then do whatever you can to improve. If we slip into self-judgement we can end up making ourselves really miserable and lonely with low self-esteem and many different kinds of problems. So we need to be wary of that and work on reducing our self-judgement, as well as our judgement of others.
4. สุดท้ายประการที่สี่ เราจะต้องมีความจริงใจและความซื่อสัตย์กับตัวเอง ในขณะเดียวกันเราก็ต้องมีความเชื่อมั่นในตนเอง โดย “ความจริงใจและความซื่อสัตย์กับตัวเอง” ในที่นี้หมายถึงเราต้องสามารถสังเกตุเห็นและยอมรับความผิดพลาดและข้อบกพร่อง ของเราเอง แต่เมื่อเราเห็นสิ่งไม่ดีเหล่านั้นของเราเอง เราไม่ควรที่จะเลยเถิดไปถึงขนาดจมอยู่กับการเพ่งโทษตัวเอง; หากแต่เราควรจะปรับปรุงแก้ไขสิ่งไม่ดีเหล่านั้นเพื่อพัฒนาตัวเองต่อไป เพียงแค่ยอมรับข้อบกพร่องของเธอเองและจากนั้นให้พยายามทำทุกสิ่งทุกอย่างที่ เธอจะทำได้เพื่อที่จะแก้ไขสิ่งไม่ดีเหล่านั้นของเธอ หากเราหลงจมอยู่กับการเพ่งโทษตัวเองเราก็จะทำให้ตัวเองรู้สึกสลดหดหู่, โดดเดี่ยวเดียวดาย, ขาดความมั่นใจในตนเองและมีปัญหาอื่นๆตามมาอีกมากมาย ดังนั้นเราจึงจำเป็นที่จะต้องระมัดระวังในสิ่งเหล่านี้และเพียรที่จะลดการ เพ่งโทษทั้งต่อตัวเองและต่อผู้อื่น
These four points I feel are very important factors, whether we be Buddhists or not, in cultivating true happiness and well-being so we can live our various lives with joy, ease, and dignity.
ไม่ว่าเราจะเป็นพุทธศาสนิกชนหรือไม่ข้าพเจ้ารู้สึกว่าหัวข้อทั้ง 4 ข้างต้นนั้นเป็นปัจจัยที่สำคัญมากในการเพาะบ่มความสุขที่แท้จริงและความเป็น อยู่ที่ดีเพื่อให้เราสามารถดำรงชีวิตในแบบต่างๆของเราด้วยความร่าเริง, ผ่อนคลาย, และอย่างสง่างาม
Wishing you every happiness and joy, and with constant aspirations,
ข้าพเจ้าปรารถนาให้เธอมีความสุขและร่าเริงและเปี่ยมไปด้วยแรงบันดาลใจที่ไม่มีวันเสื่อมคลาย,
Phakchok Rinpoche
วัชราจารย์ พักชก รินโปเช
Sarva Mangalam!
ขอมงคลทั้งปวงจงมีแด่ท่าน
@Credit Thai Translator Team
ภาษาไทยกดที่นี่
Dear Friends Near and Far,
I hope you are all well. I am writing to you today (one day late) from Hong Kong where I have been teaching and holding several pujas. All of the programmes have gone very well. In particular we completed 100,000 Sampa Lhundrub feast offerings which was really excellent, and throughout I have been keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers. It is really important that we practice the buddhadharma, and to do this we need a certain motivation: our motivation should be to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. But for many of us, the strength of this motivation is not enough. What we need to do then is remember the immediate benefits of the dharma, the effects we experience directly in our own lives. For example, how the dharma helps reduce our negative emotions; how through meditation we can increase our compassion and become more good-hearted so that even if others do us harm we don’t react with anger, but respond with patience and compassion.
A lot of people these days though don’t have enough time for the dharma. But even so, you can still make use of the little bit of time you do have here and there to apply the dharma.
Here and there, remember the Buddha’s teaching, apply it in your life, apply meditation in the short moments you have free throughout the day. This is so extremely important. If we fail to do this, and let our life slip by occupied solely with work, work, and more work life will have become quite meaningless and empty. Our lives will pass by and before we know it life will be over and we will have accomplished nothing truly meaningful. Time is ticking by, day by day, so we must practice the dharma now. But to do this we need discipline; discipline to make time and apply the dharma in our lives. This is something we need to do for ourselves; no one else can do it for us. The dharma is so important. Please keep this in mind.
In a few days, when I am back in Nepal I will send another short message via video. Until then, many prayers and aspirations that we can all foster the discipline to make our lives meaningful,
Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche
สวัสดี กัลยาณมิตร ทั้งอยู่ใกล้และไกล
ข้าพเจ้าหวังว่าทุกท่านจะมีสุขภาพที่แข็งแรง ข้าพเจ้าเขียนถึงทุกท่านในวันรำลึกถึงคุรุปัทมสัมภาวะเดือนนี้(ช้าไป 1 วัน)
จากประเทศฮ่องกงที่ซึ่งข้าพเจ้าได้ให้คำสอนและประกอบพิธีบูชาหลายอย่าง โปรแกรมทั้งหมดก็ผ่านไปได้ดี โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งพวกเราได้ประกอบพิธีถวายเครื่องบูชา (feast offerings) แด่องค์ ซัมปา ลุนดรุป (Sampa Lhundrub) จบครบ 100,000 ชุด ซึ่งผ่านไปได้อย่างงดงามจริงๆ และตลอดเวลาการประกอบพิธีข้าพเจ้าได้นึกถึงพวกคุณทุกคนอยู่ในใจของข้าพเจ้าและในคำอธิษฐาน มันเป็นสิ่งสำคัญยิ่งที่เราได้ปฏิบัติธรรม และจะทำเช่นนี้เราต้องมีแรงจูงใจบางอย่างซึ่งก็คือ แรงจูงใจที่จะบรรลุถึงสัมมาสัมโพธิญาณเพื่อยังประโยชน์ของสรรพชีวิตทั้งหมด แต่สำหรับพวกเราส่วนใหญ่ แรงจูงใจของพวกเรายังไม่แข็งแกร่งพอ สิ่งที่เราต้องทำก็คือการตระหนักถึงประโยชน์จากธรรมะที่เห็นผลได้ในทันทีและเป็นผลลัพธ์ที่ผ่านประสบการณ์ตรงในชีวิตประจำวันของเราเอง ตัวอย่างเช่น ธรรมะจะช่วยลดกิเลส ของเราได้อย่างไร, เราสามารถเพิ่มความเมตตาของเราและส่งเสริมจิตใจที่งดงามผ่านการเจริญสติภาวนา ได้อย่างไรจนถึงระดับที่ว่าแม้คนอื่นทำร้ายเราไม่ได้ เราก็ไม่ได้กระทำกลับไปความโกรธแต่กลับใช้ความอดทนและความเมตตาในการตอบโต้แทน พวกเราจำนวนมากในวันนี้แม้จะไม่ได้มีเวลาเพียงพอสำหรับการปฏิบัติธรรม พวกเราก็สามารถที่จะประยุกต์ใช้ธรรมะนิดๆหน่อยๆในเวลาอันน้อยนิดที่คุณพอจะมี คุณควรรำลึกถึงคำสอนของพระพุทธเจ้า ใช้มันในชีวิตประจำวันของคุณ เจริญสติภาวนาในช่วงเวลาพักสั้นๆที่คุณมีตลอดทั้งวัน นี่คือสิ่งที่สำคัญมาก ถ้าเราไม่ปฏิบัติตามคำแนะนำข้างต้น ปล่อยปละละเลยให้การงานที่เพิ่มขึ้นมาครอบครองเวลาของเราแต่เพียงผู้เดียว ชีวิตของเราก็จะค่อนข้างไร้ความหมายและว่างเปล่า ชีวิตของเราผ่านไปทุกวันแต่กว่าที่เราจะรู้ตัว
ชีวิตเราก็อาจจะถึงจุดจบเสียแล้วและเราก็จะไม่ประสบกับสิ่งที่มีคุณค่าแท้จริงอะไรเลยในชาตินี้ เวลาได้เดินผ่านไปทุกวินาที วันแล้ววันเล่า ดังนั้นพวกเราจะต้องเริ่มปฏิบัติธรรมในตอนนี้ แต่การที่จะทำเช่นนี้ได้เราจำเป็นต้องมีระเบียบวินัย วินัยที่จะหาในการปฏิบัติเวลาและใช้ธรรมะในชีวิตประจำของเรา นี่คือสิ่ง ที่เราต้องทำเพื่อตัวเราเอง ไม่มีใครสามารถทำแทนเราได้ ธรรมะเป็นสิ่งสำคัญดังนั้น โปรดตระหนักถึงเหล่านี้
ในอีกไม่กี่วัน เมื่อข้าพเจ้ากลับไปถึงประเทศเนปาล ข้าพเจ้าจะส่งข้อความสั้นๆอีกอันหนึ่งผ่านทางวิดีโอ ระหว่างนี้ขออธิษฐานและส่งแรงบันดาลใจให้เราทุกคนสามารถสร้างระเบียบวินัยที่เข้มแข็งขึ้นเพื่อที่จะทำให้ชีวิตของเรามีความหมาย
ขอมงคลทั้งปวงจงมีแด่ท่าน,
วัชรจารย์พักชก รินโปเช
@ Credit Thai Translator team
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Dear Friends Near and Far,
I am writing to you on this Guru Rinpoche day from Nepal where I am overlooking the blessed Buddha’s stupa at Boudhanath. Due to some personal things, I have cancelled a few of my planned trips and am unexpectedly back here in Nepal. Thinking today of myself, having been wandering around from country to country for the last two months, and inspired by a teaching by Patrul Rinpoche that I am reading I would like to share with you one of the most important points for the path―the importance of aspiration.
We may be very lazy, busy, and lost in our lives, but nevertheless we should keep our motivation, aspiration, and interest in enlightenment and keep on reminding ourselves to aspire that everything we do may not go astray from enlightenment, but lead towards enlightenment. Many people act with a different motivation and with different reasons, not with enlightenment in mind, but in terms of the path the most important point is mind. This being so, if your aspiration, intention, and motivation go astray from enlightenment then you have really gone astray from the dharma. On the other hand, if you can maintain the aspiration for enlightenment day to day and do everything in your daily life with this as your motivation, then although you may be astray from the application of the dharma you are not completely astray from the path. One of the sutras tells how Buddha Shakyamuni counseled a king saying, “Oh King, whether you are walking, sitting, talking, whatever you may do, never forget the aspiration for enlightenment. When you have this mind, you will never go astray from the path.”
With constant aspirations for your all,
Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche
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www.phakchokrinpoche.org
www.cglf.org
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Dear Friends Near and Far,
Hoping you have been well in all ways this past month, I would like to share a short piece of advice to highlight a crucial point for our practice.
As practicing Buddhists, so-called dharma practitioners, our conduct is extremely important. From among the trio of view, meditation, and conduct it is explained that our conduct should enhance our view and meditation, but not only that ― how we behave is also a sign of our own progress. And as the great master Padmasambhava himself said:
Though your view is as high as the sky,
Your conduct should be as fine as flour.
So our view, meditation, and conduct should go hand in hand. In particular, as members of society (and as practitioners, representatives of the sublime buddhadharma) our conduct in daily life ― how we speak, act, interact, and respond to other people and situations ― is really extremely important. As I explained in my message last month, there is the conduct of abandoning harmful actions and the conduct of performing positive actions and so forth. Please take a moment to reflect on your own conduct and behaviour and throughout the coming month try to bring this to mind each day and keep your behaviour in check. And finally, as one of my own kind teachers once advised me, even if you are unable to benefit and serve sentient beings and the buddhadharma at the very least make sure you do them no harm.
With many prayers and aspirations,
Phakchok Rinpoche
Sarva Mangalam
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Dear Friends Near and Far,
As always, I hope you have been well and happy this past month. Today on the Guru Rinpoche day of the sixth Tibetan month, which marks the anniversary of Chökhor Duchen (the first teaching of Buddha Shakyamuni), I would like to talk about conduct. The way we conduct ourselves in body, speech, and mind is extremely important, especially if we consider ourselves to be so-called ‘dharma practitioners’. Good conduct is not always as simple as we may think. Sometimes you might think that simply acting in a way that pleases others, for example in accord with the conventions of society, is correct conduct, or that staying alone and not interacting with anyone is correct conduct. But it is really not as simple as that. Conduct refers to all of our actions of body, speech, and mind – how we act, talk, and think.
It is now 9.30 am here in Kathmandu and having just finished breakfast I am sitting in my room in quite a bad mood sunk in deep thoughts, asking myself, “Am I really making good use of my time or not?” “Am I really conducting myself well or not?” In this kind of mood, it is not going to help at all if someone comes and tells me to stop being so angry, to lighten up or something. The only thing that can really help with these kinds of things is one’s own practice, and in particular one’s daily practice sessions, which means placing your butt down on the cushion for as long as you can and focusing one-pointedly on your practice, whatever it may be. During your practice sessions focus solely on your practice and nothing else, but outside of your sessions (before and after) it is very important to spend some time reflecting and thinking about your conduct, any mistakes you’ve made and so on.
In short, there are two types of conduct: conduct that harms others together with the basis for that harm, and conduct that benefits others together with the basis for that. Conduct that harms others refers to the ten non-virtues, which I am sure you all know. They are:
1. Killing
2. Stealing
3. Sexual misconduct
4. Lying
5. Divisive speech
6. Harsh speech
7. Gossip
8. Envy
9. Malice
10. Wrong view
The conduct that benefits others is the four means of magnetizing (generosity, speaking pleasantly, meaningful conduct, and consistent conduct) and the like.
We need to avoid harmful conduct and engage in beneficial conduct. When we talk about avoiding the ten non-virtues, it is important to think not just of the root ten non-virtues but also their associated actions. For example, just avoiding killing is not enough; beating, hitting, or physically hurting someone also pertains to the non-virtue of killing and we need to avoid all of these kinds of actions. Likewise, even if you don’t literally steal something, out of jealousy or resentment or another emotion you might do something to prevent someone from enjoying the things they have. This is an associated aspect of stealing, and something we need to avoid doing. It is the same with sexual misconduct. Making inappropriate remarks to someone, looking at them in an inappropriate way, or writing all sorts of things in emails or on Facebook―that is all part of sexual misconduct.
So it is not enough to just read through the list of the ten non-virtues and leave it at that; we need to consider them in a much broader and subtle sense and reflect on all of the different actions of body, speech, and mind associated with each one of them.
As for the non-virtues of speech, you may not directly lie to someone, but speaking in a circuitous way and not being completely upfront is also a kind of lying since you are not being completely honest. Similarly, though you might not say anything verbally to create problems between people, you might give someone a strange look or act in a slightly suspicious way that makes them then doubtful and think, for example, that maybe you were saying something behind their back or were just told something bad about them. This is an associated aspect of divisive speech. As for harsh speech, basically anything you say without a kind and positive motivation can become a kind of harsh speech and hurt other people’s feelings. As for gossip, any meaningless and empty talk can be considered a part of gossip.
Then we have the three non-virtues of mind, the first of which is envy. This applies to envy in terms of the dharma as well as in the mundane world. Basically it is attachment. This doesn’t mean though that you shouldn’t have hopes and wishes, like wishing for enlightenment and thinking, “How amazing it is that so many people have attained accomplishment, like the mahasiddhas of India! If only I could be like them!” It means you should not fall into the trap of envying and becoming attached to others’ things, whether they be material possessions or spiritual qualities.
Malice is actually any thought, and also the actions you then perform motivated by that thought, that lacks mindfulness, awareness, and carefulness. Because any thought you have that lacks these three qualities is naturally going to end up harming you, the reason being that it will naturally lead to the negative emotions and a lack of benevolence, and that will then also harm others. When we are unaware of our own thoughts and emotions (due to a lack of mindfulness, awareness, and carefulness) then any thought is potentially a kind of malice and will have negative consequences.
Then finally we come to wrong view. Often practitioners think that just having some knowledge of the dharma is an antidote to wrong view, but actually no. If you fail to check your own mind, whether you are really acting and thinking in accord with the dharma or not, you have already fallen into a part of wrong view. For that reason, knowledge alone is not enough; you need to apply that knowledge and check for yourself whether you are making progress, whether you are changing or not.
This was about conduct. As I said, there are different types of conduct, but in brief they can be condensed into harmful conduct which is what we need to avoid and beneficial conduct which is what we need to take up. Harmful conduct can be condensed into the ten non-virtues, but it is extremely important that we contemplate not just the root ten non-virtues but also their associated aspects, which are much more subtle, as I have just mentioned. Being in a bad mood myself this morning I saw several of these associated non-virtues in myself, and motivated by that I thought to share this highlight and reminder on conduct with you.
For all of you receiving this email―friends, acquaintances, students, or strangers―I aspire that you may be able to conduct yourself well, that you have an abundance of happiness and well-being, and that through your conduct you may be able to bring about benefit for yourselves and countless others.
May our minds turn to the dharma,
May our dharma become the path,
May the path clarify confusion,
And may confusion arise as wisdom!
May the strength of virtue increase!
May the power of aspiration grow!
May negativity be swiftly purified!
Sarva Mangalam (May all be auspicious!),
Phakchok Rinpoche
www.phakchokrinpoche.org
www.cglf.org
Dear Friends,
I hope you have all been healthy and truly happy this past month. As many of you probably know, the previous month in the Tibetan calendar was Saga Dawa, which is regarded as an especially blessed time. Marking the anniversary of both the enlightenment and parinirvana of Buddha Shakyamuni, it is said that the effect of the deeds you perform during this month are multiplied and for that reason the importance of practice is emphasized. During this month, at the blessed Boudhanath stupa and other sacred Buddhist places it was inspiring to witness the stream of devoted pilgrims and practitioners performing prostrations around the stupa, making circumambulations, offering butter lamps, and making aspirations that continued day and night without break.
Inspired by this special month and anniversary, I would like to share with you a short excerpt of a text entitled The Sage Who Dispels the Mind’s Anguish by the late Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoche. In this short, pithy text Rinpoche explains the practices of shamata and vipashyana based on Buddha Shakyamuni. Towards the end of the text, Rinpoche quotes from the Wisdom of Passing Sutra and explains:
Likewise, all of these phenomena, such as death, have no established identity whatsoever, yet like illusory appearances their expression is completely unobstructed. When analyzed they cannot be expressed whatsoever in terms of the extremes of existence and non-existence. They are naturally non-conceptual and luminous. Therefore, one’s own mind that does not abide as any entity or non-conceptual thing whatsoever is primordially luminous; in the state of the present direct awareness all phenomena of samsara and nirvana are totally equal. Therefore, resolve the enlightened mind of the Teacher, Lord of Sages (Buddha Shakyamuni), and one’s own mind as well to be indivisible in the nature of mind, the state of self-existing wakefulness. If without getting distracted from that state you come to possess confidence and develop certainty in it, that is the realization of the true nature of one’s mind. Other than that there is no so-called ‘buddha’ whatsoever.
In that state there is no death and birth. Death and so forth are mere concepts; in the truth of the innate nature of mind free from concepts, birth and death are not in any way established. If one passes away resting evenly in that state, you will be reborn in a buddhafield without the deluded appearances of the intermediate state and so forth occurring.
If you do not have that level of confidence, but at the time of death and all throughout the intermediate state remember only the Guru, Lord of Sages, and do not forget, simply through that you will be led to a pure realm. Moreover, no matter what terror and suffering you encounter in this life, if you remember the Buddha you will definitely be liberated from those difficulties. No matter what happiness and excellence you may encounter know it to be the great kindness of the Buddha, and visualizing those pleasurable objects as a Samantabhadra offering cloud offer them to the Buddha.
Constantly reflect on the three liberations taught by the Teacher, and the meaning of the six paramitas and so forth. With great compassion for all sentient beings arouse the mind of supreme enlightenment and train as much as you are able in the conduct of the bodhisattvas. Recalling the Teacher like this is extremely important, for recalling the Buddha is that which sets one out on the beginning of all the bodhisattva paths and has immeasurable benefits. It generates all the excellent qualities of the path.
These days when most people hold the practices of their own school to be the most important, there are only a few people who consider the Teacher, Lord of Sages, as especially important. However, those who have entered into these teachings yet lack the faith and trust that regards the Teacher as supreme lack intelligence. Why is that? Because it is solely due to the compassion of the Teacher demonstrating the acts of the Buddha in this realm and time to us wandering beings of the degenerate age that the teachings—the three pitakas, and not only that, but all the way up to the teachings of the secret mantra Vajrayana, the path that can actualize in one short lifetime of this degenerate age the unified state of no-more learning—appeared. It is also solely due to his compassion that the beings who are the holders of the teachings, those who have entered the teachings of sutra and mantra, the sangha of noble beings as many as they are, appeared.
If the Teacher had not radiated out the light of the teachings here in this realm and time, we would not hear even the name of the three jewels. What need to speak then of being able to practice the paths of sutra and mantra? That beings so, whichever tradition one practices, whether it is be the New Schools or the Old School, to have intense faith that acknowledges the Teacher as especially important is indispensable at all times. Therefore, one must be especially devoted to the Teacher and persevere in that practice!
Keeping these profound and important instructions in mind, I hope you can find the time this month to joyfully engage in the three wheels Buddha taught his followers: the wheel of study and reflection, the wheel of relinquishing the afflictions through meditation, and the wheel of benefiting others through actions.
With constant prayers and aspirations and the best of wishes,
Phakchok Rinpoche
Sarva Mangalam!
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Dear Friends Near and Far:
I hope you’ve all been well and that your dharma practice is flourishing. On 10th April, here at our main monastery in Boudhanath, Kathmandu Chokling Rinpoche kindly began bestowing upon us the empowerments and oral transmissions for Konchok Chidü (The Embodiment of the Precious Ones), a set of blessed treasure teachings focused on Guru Rinpoche that were revealed by the great master Jatsön Nyingpo (1585 – 1656). These empowerments were specially arranged for the lamas and practitioners from all the villages in Nepal, and lamas from more than forty states in Nepal made the journey down to Kathmandu for this precious event. While the five hundred+ guest lamas were seated inside the main shrine hall together with our own monks and nuns, the monastery’s entire front lawn and courtyards were jam-packed with other lamas, monks, nuns, and laypeople who had come to joyfully receive these rare transmissions. The entire event was sponsored by the Foundation, and this included giving lunch to everyone present (1300kg of rice per day!), as well as water throughout the day and afternoon tea. Of course this was a great expense, but it was also a wonderful opportunity to practice generosity, and on top of this it was inspiring as always to witness the relentless generosity, devotion, and gratitude of the Himalayan people, who in spite of being relatively poor made unstinting offerings day after day. We concluded yesterday with a long-life empowerment that was attended by more than 15,000 people, all of whom devotedly queued up in the monastery for six or more hours in order to receive the blessings in spite of the heat, dust, and crowds. At nine pm when everyone had finally received the blessings, I then began the final teaching session for the Nine Yanas retreat which was attended this year by many international students as well as about thirty of our young monks and nuns.
During the Nine Yanas retreat, with teaching sessions crammed in between the intense schedule of empowerments, we talked in detail about the twelve links of dependent arising which are the focus of the Pratyekabuddhas (self-realised buddhas). The twelve links are an extremely profound teaching, something that all of us practitioners need to reflect on repeatedly. These twelve links are explained in great detail by Buddha Shakyamuni in sutras such as the Rice Sprout Sutra which I would recommend you all to study and contemplate. In particular, we should understand the benefits of understanding the twelve links, which in short are as follows:
- By gaining an understanding of the twelve links of dependent arising, automatically you will become very skilled in practicing the dharma because you now see and know that samsara and your suffering are in fact created by your own ignorance, nothing and no one else. Having understood that you will also know that the ability to relinquish samsara and gain liberation lies in your own hand;
- You will naturally gain compassion, and not just superficial compassion but an authentic, grounded compassion towards all sentient beings who are trapped and suffering in this cycle of samsara because of not realizing the process and function of the twelve links;
- You will gain deep-felt trust in the Buddha’s teaching which reveals to us so clearly the path to liberation; and
- You will gain an understanding of capacity, how causes and conditions give rise to results; for example, how performing certain actions of body and speech (for example, practices such as prostrations, offerings, and supplication) can lead to profound changes in your own mind.
Keeping the swift and powerful blessings of the Lotus-born One, Guru Rinpoche in my heart, I would like to request all of you to keep the points I have mentioned in mind – generosity, devotion, and gratitude, and the twelve links of dependent arising – and to endeavor each and every day to bring them to mind and let them seep deep into your heart.
As always, with many prayers and aspirations,
Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche
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www.phakchokrinpoche.org www.cglf.org
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The Three Gateways to Liberation
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The Ground, Emptiness
The Path, Absence of Characteristics
The Fruition, Wishlessness
Dear Friends Near and Far:
I hope you’ve all been happy and healthy. I’m doing very well and at the moment in Kathmandu sitting in our annual Ngakso Drupchen. For today’s Guru Rinpoche Day, I would like to take you back to the roots. With all your varied backgrounds and the different stages you are in your practice, it is sometimes good to refresh yourself of the basics, the essence. And to those of you who are new to the dharma, this should be a good start for you all.
Buddha’s teachings are extremely vast and for that reason we are often left thinking, where to begin? When first entering or inquiring about the Buddha’s teachings, the starting point should be the view since this forms the ground of the practice to follow. When training on the path, the view should be in accord with the capacity of the individual and for this reason Buddha gave a variety of different teachings. The ultimate, essential view that the Buddha taught howeaver is none other than the profound emptiness and this is the first of the three gateways to liberation.
Having ascertained the view, the second step is to put this view into practice on the path. Yet if you do not know how to practice correctly, then your path will go astray. Thus to prevent us from going astray on the path, Buddha taught freedom from grasping and clinging and told his disciples repeatedly to not fabricate. This is the mode in which we should practice on the path; abscence of characteristics.
But what is the result of doing this kind of practice and holding such a view? One needs to know what the result is and not be mistaken about this. To use a simple example, if you are traveling somewhere you need to know the route and you need legs to get you there and eyes so you can see the path. But you also need to know something about the destination and also how will you know when you have arrived? Likewise, the fruition of the Buddha’s path is the collapse of all hope and fear, all notions and concepts; wishlessness.
In this way, the three gateways to liberation contain the essence of the ground, the path, and the fruition of the Buddha’s ultimate teachings. Thus if you can study, contemplate, and practice these correctly, your path will be unmistaken and will lead to perfect enlightenment without a doubt.
For those of you receiving this note and not knowing how or why and wondering what this note is all about. I can atleast answer the what part, and that is, for the last six years, I have been sending notes to my students all over on each GRD to gently remind them to not go completely astray fom the path and remind them of the three jewels and to bring thier mind home for few minutes and to basically take a pause!
Sending you all much love and affection from the Blessed Valley.
Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche
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Dear Friends Near and Far:
I hope you’ve all been happy and healthy. I’m well and at the moment in Kathmandu performing the annual Tsekar or White Amitayus (Buddha of Longevity) Drupchen, a nine day puja based on a collection of liturgies belonging to the “Great Accomplishment Group Sadhana of White Amitayus”. This drupchen beginning on the 8th day of the first lunar month of the Tibetan New Year brings forth auspicious circumstances for the practioner’s two fold attainment of longevity and primordial wisdom.
In the past few evenings of the drupchen, I have been re-reading some of the great texts of Shechen Gyaltsab, Pema Namgyal and in particular, the “Advice from Old Vijaya” which never fails to inspire me. I have taken few lines from the text to remind you of the basic elements of the path which in a way is also an interesting analysis to check whether if you are actually on the true path.
1. Make sure the topics of:
– Precious Human Birth
– Death and Impermanence
– Karma: Consequences of Action
– The Defects of Samsara
Do not become mere words and ideas, but reflect upon them from the core of your heart.
Once you are well acquainted with them, your mind will have turned away from samsara and towards the sublime Dharma.
Once you feel this way, you have already covered half of Dharma practice!
2. Constantly keep reminding yourself of the excellent qualities of your Guru and the Three Jewels. Having trained in this, you will seek no other refuge than your Guru and the Three Jewels, no matter what joys or sorrows befall you.
Once that happens, you will have become one of the Buddha’s followers.
3. Once when you are on the path, train in accepting all sentient being as your parents, and maintaining this attitude uninterruptedly, cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, and awakened mind.
Once when you have become accustomed to benefiting others and freed from the chain of selfishness, you deserve the name “child of conquerors.”
The merit and benefits of this are beyond measure.
These are the ways in which you avoid going astray from the True Path. And once on it, I hope that you are constantly showered with blessings and have unwavering trust and devotion.
Signing off from the Valley with much love and affection on this Guru Rinpoche Day just before midnight!
Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche |
Dharma teaching/retreat ปฏิบัติธรรม 20-25 Feb 2013/กุมภาพันธ์ 2556 by Khenpo Phuntsho Tashi who is the author of several books and a director of the National Musuem of Bhutan โดย เคนโป พุนโช ตาชิ ผู้อำนวยการพิพิธภัณฑ์แห่งชาติ ประเทศภูฏาน
Venue/สถานที่: ศาลาธรรม จ. ปทุมธานี
Map/แผนที่: http://goo.gl/maps/b47ty
มีแปลเป็นภาษาไทย
Program includes:
Wednesday 20th Feb
-Introduction to What the Buddha Taught
-Preciousness of human life free from the 8 inconveniences
Thursday 21st Feb
-Introduction and benefit to Calm Abiding Meditation
-Impermanence
Friday 22nd Feb
-View, Meditation and Conduct
-Disadvantages of being born in the Samsara
Saturday 23rd Feb
-Generosity and Moral Discipline
-Cause and Effect of nature of Karma
Sunday 24th Feb
-Selflessness of a person
-Three experiences of meditation
-Deviation or wrong path of meditation
Monday 25th Feb
-Four Boundless love, compassion, joy and equilibrium
Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi was born in Eastern Bhutan and later studied under various enlightened masters both within and outside the Kingdom. He has earned a Master’s degree in Buddhist Philosophy. Diploma in International Communication from the City University, London. He has been teaching meditation and Buddhism for more than fifteen years in Bhutan and abroad in Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia. A very clear and articulate teacher, many of Khenpo’s students describe his instructions as eloquent and sharp. His sense of humour and warm personality, which are in true Bhutanese style, join with his character to endear him to his students and guest audiences. Also a prolific scholar, Khenpo has written numerous articles and books, as well as presented his research at several national and international academic and cultural forums. He is a champion of Bhutan’s development policy of Gross National Happiness, finding it greatly congruent with Buddhist philosophy. He strongly believes that happiness is a positive mental state which results from cultivation of contentment, non-violence and the never-ending wish to help others at all times.
Registration/Contact/ติดต่อ: 0818417855 or/หรือ 0840951828
Retreat schedule/ตารางเวลาอบรม
Day 1 – Wednesday
วันที่ 1 วันพุธ
Time เวลา Session or topic หัวข้อบรรยาย
06:00 am Chanting the words of the Buddha and breathing meditation (Group or individual in their rooms)
สวดมนต์ และปฏิบัติอานาปานสติ (เป็นกลุ่มหรือแยกปฏิบัติเดี่ยวในห้อง)
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