Shantideva's Wisdom Chapter
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A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug - Wisdom Chapter), The 37 Practices of A Bodhisattva (Lak-len so dun-ma) and Chapters 18, 22, 24 & 26 of Nagarjuna's The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (Uma Tsawa Sherab) at the request of a large group from Korea. |
Date : 14-August-2006 (Day 1)
| Morning Session | Audio Chinese Download** | ||||
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Afternoon Session | Video Tib-Korean Download | Audio Tib-Korean Download | Video English Download | Audio English Download |
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Morning session - Following customary greetings His Holiness the Dalai Lama confirms that he intends to teach the 9th Chapter of Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, certain chapters from Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, and for the practical element, Thogme Sangpo's 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. His Holiness clarifies that of the major religious traditions to have emerged over the last 3000 years, Buddhism is a tradition that employs reason to support faith. A key to this is that the happiness we seek is related to our understanding of reality, whereas all suffering is related to ignorance. He remarks that while the Buddha's teachings were preserved in India in the Pali and Sanskrit languages, both traditions were studied and preserved at Nalanda University and Tibet was heir to the Nalanda tradition. Although there were ancient links between Tibet and Korea, they lapsed, so it is encouraging that since the end of the last century they have been revived. The intent of these teachings on wisdom is to understand the disparity between appearance and reality. |
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Afternoon session - Turning to Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom His Holiness discusses the Two Truths, conventional and ultimate truth. He goes on to explain the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising, a clear presentation of how ignorance is the source of sentient beings being caught in cyclic existence. Action motivated by ignorance leads to suffering. However, the process can also be reversed, by coming to a proper understanding of reality ignorance is overcome and liberation achieved. With the end of ignorance, suffering ceases. Crucial to understanding reality is examining how the self appears to the mind. Does the self exist as it appears, complete, autonomous and so forth? On the other hand, if the self does not exist as it appears, what is the status of the phenomena that are its possessions? Nagarjuna asserts that the self exists, but the question is how it exists? He examines this in relation to the Buddha. Selflessness concerns the person's designation on the basis of the psycho-physical aggregates. |
Date : 15-August-2006 (Day 2)
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Morning session -
The principal point of Ngulchu Gyalsey Thogme Sangpo's 37 Practices of a
Bodhisattva is to outline what needs to be put into action. It is not a
text concerning mere intellectual understanding. The salutation is to the lama
inseparable from Avalokiteshvara, who on the one hand embodies wisdom, seeing
that all phenomena neither come nor go. On the other hand he embodies deep
compassion for sentient beings seeking to overcome suffering. This compassion
is not simply spontaneous, but the result of steady practice over 3 countless
aeons. Buddhahood is achieved on the basis of causes and conditions. What are
they? All sentient beings possess buddha nature or the primordial mind, but
they need to follow a path to eliminate the defilements that obscure it. Path
implies something that brings about change. It is because there is change that
we can purify our minds. Just as with the opposing forces of hot and cold, if
one increases, the other diminishes, so as virtue increases, unwholesome action
declines. Life as a free and fortunate human being is precious because of the
human capacity to analyse and act upon the conclusion |
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Afternoon session -
The Bodhisattva abandons the entanglements of homeland and seeks solitude. He
or she seeks to uproot the four distorted views that see the unclean as clean,
the fleeting as permanent, the miserable as happy and the selfless as
intrinsically existent. Viewing the self as solid, lasting etc is the root
affliction from which all disturbing emotions arise. Close as we are to our
friends and possessions, at death we have to leave them. Therefore, it is the
practice of a Bodhisattva to let go of this life. The true spiritual friend is
one under whose influence your spiritual practice improves. Returning to Chapter 9 of the Guide there is debate
between different views of reality; between the yogis who engage with the
actual mode of being, and the common people who accept things as they appear;
between proponents of the Middle Way and Realists. Followers of the Middle Way offer
the challenge that their opponents fail to understand the purpose of emptiness,
which is to undermine the afflictions and disturbing emotions. It is to uproot
the four distorted views. His Holiness agrees with a listener that this is
tough, exclaiming that he has spent many years grappling with the idea of
emptiness. He says he doesn't claim to have realised it, but has got a whiff of
it, just as you may catch the smell of a good meal without eating it. |
Date : 16-August-2006 (Day 3)
| Morning session - We have the precious opportunity of having found this life as a free and
fortunate human being at a time when the Buddha's teaching still exists.
Nevertheless, we will die and when that happens the only help will be the imprint
of the Dharma on our minds. The entry to the Dharma is taking refuge. Of the
three sources of refuge, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the actual refuge is
the Dharma, defined as cessation or freedom from afflictive emotions and the
state of realisation that brings that about. In the context of the law of
causality a Bodhisattva's practice never to commit an unwholesome deed. The
aspiration for a better rebirth is something common among Buddhism and other
faiths and is a means of overcoming the suffering of suffering and the
suffering of change. However, seeking liberation from cyclic existence,
characterised as it is by all pervasive suffering, is a Buddhist aspiration and
a Bodhisattva's practice. It is supported by the three transcendental trainings
in ethics, meditative stabilisation and wisdom. Bodhisattvas generate the
awakening mind that aspires to liberate all beings. They employ the seven point
cause and effect instruction, or the means of exchanging self and others or the
combined eleven-point meditation on generating the awakening mind. |
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Afternoon session -
Initially the awakening mind of bodhichitta is aroused in meditation. But in
the post meditative phase we may encounter opposing circumstances. Thogmey
Sangpo explains how to transform these into factors that support our practice
in the context of combatting the eight worldly concerns.
The Bodhisattva also meditates on the ultimate awakening mind. In actual
meditation he or she focuses on space-like emptiness, but in the
post-meditational phase the focus is on illusion-like emptiness. In his
discussion of emptiness, Nagarjuna challenges his opponents. He says their
presentation of emptiness does not fulfil its purpose, which is to eliminate
the afflictive emotions. He accuses them of foisting faults on him that arise
from their own misconceptions. However, the range of different views, such as
the Middle Way and Mind Only schools derive from the teaching of the
compassionate Buddha who taught, skilfully addressing his listeners' different
aptitudes. His Holiness praises the following verses for their essential
meaning:
Whatever is dependently arisen
That is explained to be emptiness.
That, being a dependent designation
Is itself the middle way.
Since there is no phenomenon
That is not dependently arising, There is no phenomenon That is not empty (of true existence). |
Date : 17-August-2006 (Day 4)
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Morning session -
The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life says that the Buddha reflected long and hard on what would be the best way to benefit sentient beings. He concluded that it was to develop the awakening mind of bodhichitta. He then strove to develop it and worked relentlessly for the welfare of sentient beings. Whether we follow the Pali or Sanskrit traditions of Buddhism our task is to develop the awakening mind. When we do so, we will find greater peace in our lives. Why is this? Because the stronger our sense of self-centredness the greater is our unease, whereas the more we are concerned about others, the more secure we feel. Self-centredness is the source of all downfalls; cherishing others is the source of all happiness and success. This is not only ethically sound, it accords with dependent arising. Following the procedures outlined in the Guide for generating the aspiring awakening mind and then the Bodhisattva vow, His Holiness advises his listeners to visualise Buddha Shakyamuni before them encircled by the teachers of the various Buddhist lineages. Around themselves they visualise suffering sentient beings. His Holiness leads a recitation of chapters 2 & 3 of the Guideas preliminaries followed by the verses of aspiration and taking the Bodhisattva vow. He concludes by recommending that his listeners review and repeat this aspiration and vow whenever they can, remarking that he himself does so every day. The 37 Practices survey the six transcendent perfections, generosity, ethics, patience, joyful effort, meditation and wisdom that are the Bodhisattva's practice. |
| Afternoon session -
In chapter 9 of the Guide debate continues between proponents of the
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Date : 18-August-2006 (Final Day of the series)
| Morning Session | Video Tib-Korean Download | Audio Tib-Korean Download | Video English Download | Audio English Download | Audio Chinese Download |
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Each of the parts comprising the self is unfindable in terms of intrinsic existence, and yet to say they do not exist would be a mistake too. Dependent on other factors and conditions, they are completely devoid of any independent nature, despite appearing so clearly and solidly. We conclude that they appear as mere designations of the mind. Convinced that there is no intrinsic existence is how we meditate on emptiness. Grasping at solid things is why we suffer. Reflecting on how all other beings do the same we generate compassion. |
