Category: Mahabodhi Mission

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Behavior and View

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From “The Meaning of Life, Buddhist Perspectives on Cause and Effect”
By H.H. The Dalai Lama
Chapter 1: The Buddhist Worldview
section: Behavior and View

Behavior

The root of all of the Buddhist teaching is compassion.

View

Dependent-arising is the general philosophy of all Buddhist systems even though many different interpretations are found among those systems. In Sanskrit the word for dependent-arising is pratityasamutpada. The word pratitya has three different meanings – meeting, relying, and depending- but all three, in terms of their basic import, mean dependence. Samutpada means arising. Hence, the meaning of pratityasamutpada is that which arises in dependence upon conditions, in reliance upon conditions, through the force of conditions. On a subtle level, it is explained as the main reason why phenomena are empty of inherent existence.

In The Rice Seedling Sūtra, Buddha speaks of dependent-arising in three ways:

  1. Due to the existence of this, that arises.
  2. Due to the production of this, that is produced.
  3. It is thus: due to ignorance there is compositional action; due to compositional action there is consciousness; due to consciousness there is name and form; due to name and form there are the six sense spheres; due to the six sense spheres there is contact; due to contact there is feeling; due to feeling there is attachment; due to attachment there is grasping; due to grasping there is the potentialized level of karma called “existence”; due to existence there is birth; and due to birth there is aging and death.

Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (D1-12)

  • (D1) ignorance
  • (D2) compositional action
  • (D3) consciousness
  • (D4) name and form
  • (D5) sense spheres
  • (D6) contact
  • (D7) feeling
  • (D8) attachment
  • (D9) grasping
  • (D10) existence
  • (D11) birth
  • (D12) aging and death:

With regard to the twelve links of dependent arising, there are basically two modes of explanation, one in terms of thoroughly afflicted phenomena and the other in terms of pure phenomena. In the Buddha’s root teaching of the four noble truths, there are two sets of cause and effect: one set for the afflicted class of phenomena and another for the pure class. Just so, here in the twelve links of dependent-arising there are procedures in terms of both afflicted phenomena and pure phenomena. Among the four noble truths, true sufferings -the first truth- are effects in the afflicted class of phenomena, and true sources — the second truth — are their causes. In the pure class of phenomena, true cessations, the third truth, are effects in the pure class, and true paths, the fourth truth, are their causes. Similarly, when it is explained in the twelve links of dependent-arising that action is produced and so forth due to the condition of ignorance, the explanation is in terms of the afflicted procedure; when it is explained that action ceases and so forth due to the cessation of ignorance, it is in terms of the procedure of the pure class. The first is the procedure of the production of suffering, and the second is the procedure of the cessation of suffering.

The twelve links of dependent-arising are thus laid out in terms of a process of affliction and in terms of a process of purification, and each of these is presented in forward and reverse orders. Thus, in the forward process, it is explained that:

Due to the condition of ignorance, action arises; due to compositional action, consciousness arises; due to consciousness, name and form arises; due to name and form, the six sense spheres arises; due to the six sense spheres, contact arises; due to contact, feeling arises; due to feeling, attachment arises; due to attachment, grasping arises; due to grasping, “existence” arises; due to existence, birth arises; and due to birth there is aging and death.

Because this mode describes how suffering is produced, it is an explanation of the sources that produce suffering. In reverse order it is explained that:

The unwanted sufferings of aging and death is produced in dependence upon birth; birth is produced in dependence upon existence; existence is produced in dependence upon grasping; grasping is produced in dependence upon attachment; attachment is produced in dependence upon feeling; feeling is produced in dependence upon contact; contact is produced in dependence upon sense spheres; sense sphere are produced in dependence upon name and form; name and form is produced in dependence upon; consciousness; consciousness is produced in dependence upon action; action is produced in dependence upon ignorance.
 

Here emphasis is on the first of the four noble truths, true sufferings themselves, which are the effects. Then, in terms of the process of purification, it is explained that:

When ignorance ceases, action ceases; when compositional action ceases, consciousness ceases; when consciousness ceases, name and form ceases; when name and form ceases, the six sense spheres cease; when the six sense spheres cease, contact ceases; when contact ceases, feeling ceases; when feeling ceases, attachment ceases; when attachment ceases, grasping ceases; when grasping ceases, “existence” ceases; when existence ceases, birth ceases; and when birth ceases, aging and death ceases.
 

This explanation is given in terms of the purified class of phenomena with emphasis on the causes, the true paths, second among the four noble truths. In reverse order, it is explained that:

The cessation of aging and death arises in dependence upon the cessation of birth; the cessation of birth arises in dependence upon the cessation of existence; the cessation of existence arises in dependence upon the cessation of grasping; the cessation of grasping arises in dependence upon the cessation of attachment; the cessation of attachment arises in dependence upon the cessation of feeling; the cessation of feeling arises in dependence upon the cessation of contact; the cessation of contact arises in dependence upon the cessation of the sense spheres; the cessation of the sense sphere arises in dependence upon the cessation of name and form; the cessation of name and form arises in dependence upon the cessation of consciousness; the cessation of consciousness arises in dependence upon the cessation of action; the cessation of action arises in dependence upon the cessation of ignorance.
 
Here, within the process of purification the emphasis is on the effects— true cessations, the third of the four noble truths.
 

“Undertaking this and leaving that,
Enter into the teaching of the Buddha
Like an elephant in a thatch house,
Destroy the forces of the Lord of Death.
Those who with thorough conscientiousness
Practice this disciplinary doctrine
Will forsake the wheel of birth,
Bringing suffering to an end.”

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Samsara Mapped

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Samsara Thanka

Illustrations: Samsara Thanka (shown), Rings key, Rings C &  D key, Full circle detail, Top circle detail, Bottom circle detail.

(P) Perimeter:

Shakyamuni Buddha (top left), The Mantra OM MA-NI PAD-ME HUM (top center), Avalokiteśvara (top right). “Monster holding the wheel” signifies that the entire process of cyclic existence is caught within transience/impermanence. 

(A) Hub

The Three Poisons: Desire; Hatred, Root Ignorance
Depicted respectively as: Rooster, Pig, Snake

(B) Half Circles Surrounding Hub

Indicate virtuous (white, ascending) and non-virtuous (black descending) actions

(C) Six Transmigrations (Realms of Existence)

(C1) Gods
(C2) Demigods (Devas)
(C3) Humans
(C4) Animals
(C5) Hungry ghosts  (Pretas)
(C6) Hell beings

(D) Twelve Links of Dependent Origination: indicated by…

(D1) ignorance: … an old, blind person hobbling with a cane
(D2) compositional action: a potter making a wheel
(D3) consciousness: a monkey
—— cause-consciousness
—— effect-consciousness
(D4) name and form: person(s) in a boat
(D5) sense spheres: an empty house with six windows
(D6) contact: a man and women touching, kissing
(D7) feeling: an arrow in person’s eye
(D8) attachment: persons partying
(D9) grasping: a person grabbing at fruit in a tree
(D10) existence: a couple copulating or pregnant woman
(D11) birth: a women giving birth
(D12) aging and death:  person with burdens

Reference: “The Meaning of Life: Buddhist Perspectives on Cause and Effect by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

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The Guru’s Precepts

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From “Lady of the Lotus Born” chapter 5 “Practice” herein an excerpt wherein Guru Rinpoche  and Yeshe Tsogyal address the  practice of austerity.

“This precious human form is a stream of gold. If you have gained it and are wise to use it, You will find continuous sustenance.”

Pledge to Practice austerity in…

  • Nourishment
  • Clothing
  • Speech
  • Body
  • Mind
  • Doctrine
  • Selfless Kindness
  • Compassion

“Thus [practice the eight great teachings that are hard to practice] holding others dearer than self without thought for life, for body, for worldly power and you will embody all the Buddha’s Teaching.”

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Immeasurably

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From “Mother of the Buddha’s’Meditation on the Prajnaparamita Sutra” compiled by Lex Hixon. Herein, selections from  “Mahayana Immeasurability” wherein Subhuti enlightens Shariputra in the presence of Lord Buddha.

Buddha, bodhisattva, prajnaparamita-these are merely abstract terms, composed of certain sounds and letters, correlated with certain conventional perceptions and concepts. What they point at has never substantially come into being. What they indicate is an uncreated and, hence, ungraspable and unthinkable presence. The same is true of the terms self and universe. Although we speak conventionally about the personal self, assuming that we are encountering it constantly, no self with separate identity of any kind has ever come substantially into being. That all structures and processes have never been created simply means that they appear vividly and function coherently without possessing any independent essence that can be isolated, grasped or formulated in any way.

…

When this most radical truth is unfolded to an aspirant without causing the slightest fear or anxiety, then one can know, with confidence, that the aspirant is a bodhisattva, an adamantine awareness who flows as Perfect Wisdom. With each breath, thought and perception, bodhisattvas investigate and meditate upon Prajnaparamita,

…

The absence of the substantial creation of any form is not different from the radiantly transparent, harmonious and coherent functioning of all forms. Thus absolute openness and relative functioning are not divided. They are not two alternative dimensions, but utter simplicity. If one labels and thereby expériences this expansive simplicity as material form and personal consciousness, one is foolishly numbering and labeling that which has no multiplicity and no identity. The bodhisattva investigates and meditates upon all structures, processes and dimensions as simplicity, and therefore does not approach or even encounter any substantial forms or independent states of consciousness.

…

These diamond beings meditate: “Our longing to be free from suffering is simply the longing of all that lives to be free from suffering.” Bodhisattvas permeate their daily awareness with this commitment: “We can never desert for an instant even one of these beloved beings. We can only live to liberate them all without exception from their terrible burden of delusive suffering. We can never generate the slightest thought of hatred or even irritation toward any of these precious beings, even though they may torture or destroy our bodies during a hundred consecutive lifetimes.” This is the spirit with which bodhisattvas dedicate their mind and heart to conscious beings, recognizing all beings as their very own most intimate consciousness.

One who exists solely as this boundaryless mind and heart of wisdom and love will not perceive difficulties simply because one never perceives separation, substantiality or limit. The ease, freedom and delight of Mother Prajnaparamita flows through the awareness of the bodhisattva, a constant reminder that no personal self exists substantially or independently, just as no apparent structure of the universe exists substantially or independently. This principle of ontological transparency applies to every subjective or objective structure or process that can possibly be experienced by any consciousness.

Thus the consecrated heart of love is identical with the clear mind of transcendent insight. There is no substantial coming into being of any difficulty or nobility, just as there is no substantial coming into being of any bodhisattva, pilgrimage or path.

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To What Aim

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“Since, out of all the various paths, it is the Mahayana that you have now taken up, all practices–the ten positive actions, the four boundless qualities, the six transcendent perfections, the four concentrations, the four formless states, sustained calm and profound insight-should be done with perfect Buddhahood as your sole aim, and with the three supreme methods: giving rise to bodhicitta as preparation, remaining free of conceptualization during the actual meditation and closing with prayers of dedication.”

…

Arouse bodicitta of great liberation of Buddhahood , contemplate the characteristics of a Buddha:

The four boundless qualities:

  1. love
  2. compassion
  3. sympathetic joy
  4. impartiality/equanimity 

The 6 perfections (paramitas):

  1. generosity
  2. discipline
  3. patience
  4. diligence
  5. meditation
  6. wisdom (prajna)

The 10 powers:

  1. the power of knowing what is true and what is not
  2. the power of knowing karmic causality at work in the lives of all beings throughout past, present, and future
  3. the power of knowing all stages of concentration, emancipation, and meditation
  4. the power of knowing the conditions of life of all people
  5. the power of discerning all people’s levels of understanding
  6. the power of discerning the superiority or inferiority of all people’s capacity
  7. the power of knowing the effects of all people’s actions
  8. the power of remembering past lifetimes
  9. the power of knowing when each person will be born and will die, and in what realm that person will be reborn
  10. the power of eradicating all illusions

The 4 fearlessnesses:

  1. fearlessness in asserting their own perfect realization
  2. fearlessness in asserting their own perfect abandonment
  3. fearlessness for the sake of others in revealing the path to liberation
  4. fearlessness for the sake of others in revealing potential hindrances on the path

The 18 unshared qualities:

  • (1-10) the 10 powers
  • (11-14) the 4 fearlessnesses
  • (15-17) the three close-mindfulnesses
    1. to avoid attachment towards those who listen respectfully
    2. to avoid hatred towards those who do not listen respectfully
    3. to avoid indifference towards those who do neither
  • (18) great compassion.

The 4 awarenesses:

  1. awareness of the body as transient, compounded form
  2. awareness of feelings as conditioned, reactive responses
  3. awareness of mind as habituated, temporary moods
  4. awareness of phenomena as constructed mental states.

Continue reading “To What Aim”

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Ten Conditions to Develop

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The Ten Conditions for Omniscience to Develop: The first topic of The Ornament of Clear Realization is the ten causes or causal conditions for wisdom of the Buddha, to be developed: 

1. Bodhicitta

We must first develop a desire to help all sentient beings reach enlightenment.

2. Practice instructions

We must learn about the Buddhist path and apply ourself to these instructions. These instructions are found in the five paths.

3. The four stages of definite separation

We must go to through the four stages on the Path of Junction: 1. warming to the experience of emptiness 2. summit to the experience of emptiness 3. forbearance, realization of the dharmata 4. highest worldly dharma, threshold to experiencing true reality.

4. Buddha-nature, the basis for our practice

Our whole development of realization relies on the fact that we and all other sentient beings possess Buddha-nature (Skt. gotra, Tib. rigs). 

5. The Objects of Focus

We must realize the emptiness of phenomena and we develop understanding of these through understanding eleven kinds of subjects such as understanding created and uncreated, ordinary and extraordinary, positive and negative actions, etc.

6. The Purpose

We need to understand the purpose for studying the Prajnaparamita and cultivating the bodhisattva path.

7. Armor-like Practice

Finally, there are four different practices we need to do to understand. This practice is perfecting the six paramitas.

8. Applied Practice

We need to then apply the four dhyana meditations to our practice

9. The Practice of Accumulation of wisdom.

We need to practice the accumulation of merit and the accumulation of wisdom

10. The Practice of Certain Release

We need to understand the inseparability of samsara and nirvana 

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The Five Paths

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These five paths (Sanskrit panca-marga, Tibetan lam lnga), toward enlightenment,   are referred to many times in “The Ornament of Clear Realization” A Commentary on the Prajnaparamita of the Maitreya Buddha:

Path of Accumulation (S. sambhara-marga, T. chogs lam)
Practice of the four foundation of mindfulness, what to adopt, and what to avoid

Path of Preparation/Unification (S. prayoga-marga, T. sbyor lam)
Profound insight into the Four Noble Truths, cutting of root attachments

Path of Insight/Seeing (S. darsana-marga, T. mthong lam)
Realization of the Four Noble Truths, entry into first bodhisattva level, realizing the emptiness of phenomena

Path of Cultivation/Meditation (S. bhavana-marga, sgom lam)
Development of insight, entry into the second through ninth bodhisattva levels

Path of No-More-Learning (S. asaiksha-marga, T. mi  slob pa’i lam)
Also called, Path of Fulfillment (S. nishtha-marga). Attaining complete mediation (S. samadhi), and Buddhahood

Maitreya Bodhisattva at the Thikse Monastery in Ladakh, India. Cropped source Wikimedia
Maitreya Bodhisattva at the Thikse Monastery in Ladakh, India. Cropped source Wikimedia
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Dedication of Merit

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With intent to:

Arouse skillful means of bodhichitta to ensure accumulation of positive merit; avoid conceptualization so merit is not destroyed by circumstance;  seal action by dedicating accumulated merit…

“By this accumulation of virtues, May I attain all-seeing omniscience and may all faults be annihilated. The whirling turbulent waves of birth, old age, sickness and death, from this ocean of Samsara, May I liberate beings.”

All beings are Buddhas, but this is concealed by adventitious stains. When their stains are purified their Buddhahood is revealed.

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Concentrate, Contemplate, Meditate…

Concentration of Mindfulness of Breathing (Ānāpānasati)

Mindfulness of breathing developed and repeatedly practiced, is of great fruit, of great benefit; mindfulness of breathing developed and repeatedly practiced, perfects the four foundations of mindfulness; the four foundations of mindfulness, developed and repeatedly practiced, perfect the seven enlightenment factors (mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity); the seven enlightenment factors, developed and repeatedly practiced, perfect clear vision and deliverance.

Concentrate, contemplate, meditate…

This is a certain body among bodies, namely, the breath.

  • Know, “I breathe in long”; or “I breathe out long.”;
  • Or “I breathe in short”; or “I breathe out short.”
  • Experience the whole body breathe in, thus breathe out
  • Calm the body formations breathe in, thus breathe out

Abide contemplating body in body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world.

This is a certain feeling among feelings, namely, the complete attention to in-breathing and out-breathing.

  • Experiencing rapture breathe in, thus breathe out
  • 
Experiencing bliss breathe in, thus breathe out
  • Experiencing the mental formations breathe in, thus breathe out
  • Calming the mental formations breathe in, thus breathe out

Abide contemplating feelings in feeling, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world.

There is no development of mindfulness of breathing in one who is forgetful and does not clearly comprehend.

  • Experiencing the mind breathe in, thus breathe out
  • Gladdening the mind breathe in, thus breathe out
  • 
Concentrating the mind breathe in, thus breathe out
  • Liberating the mind breathe in, thus breathe out

Abide contemplating mind in mind, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world.

Having seen with understanding what is the abandoning of covetousness and grief, become one who looks on with complete equanimity.

  • Contemplating impermanence breathe in, thus breathe out
  • Contemplating fading away breathe in, thus breathe out
  • 
Contemplating cessation breathe in, thus breathe out
  • Contemplating relinquishment breathe in, thus breathe out

Abide contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding worldly attachments.

Concentrate, contemplate, meditate, liberate .

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