Over the years I have come across many people who want to practice the Buddha’s path, and they also want to understand the teachings. Often they are troubled by how these two should be combined, how to combine study and practice.
When we hear of the ten bhumis, for instance, there is a long list of outstanding qualities that great beings possess. These qualities sound wonderful, but then the Dharma teacher says, “Right now, you are not able to be like that. You can’t practice as the mahabodhisattvas, and you don’t have their qualities.” Instead, here is how you can practice: You can train in being calm and mindful during the meditation state, and then during the postmeditation you can study all the scriptures. After you have reached a certain level of steadiness in shamatha, you can progress to vipashyana during the meditation state while you carry on your studies in the postmeditation. During that time you bring the topics that you have studied into the vipashyana practice. Once your level of insight, the training in vipashyana, has progressed, you can then continue into Mahamudra or Dzogchen. This means that after having received the pointing-out instruction, you then try to sustain the state of rigpa primarily during the meditation session. This should be obvious because that is the time you have set aside to do just that. However, you do not discontinue your studies during the postmeditation; you simply carry on learning more and more. I personally feel that this is a very pragmatic way of combining study and practice: practice during the sessions, study during the breaks. As you proceed step-by-step in this manner, you will notice that it is quite effective.
We start out as beginners, of course, and that is when we clarify the basics. Once we understand the broad picture, we can step onto the path. The very first meditation training is shamatha, while in the postmeditation you should try your best to grow familiar with the facts of life in samsara in order to gain the will to be free. That is what we call renunciation. Next, study how to seek and find a real spiritual teacher. You need to know and be the judge of who is and who isn’t worth following. You also need to understand the value of training in bodhichitta. You study and understand all these topics during the postmeditation.
When you begin to progress into vipashyana, rather than just being calm, I suggest you combine it with the study of emptiness during the postmeditation. What does it mean that phenomena never arose, do not remain, and never cease? What does it mean that there is no tangible identity, neither in things nor in individuals? How do we cut through ego-clinging? How do we avoid spiritual materialism? Please study all these topics.
Once you connect with a true vajra master and not only receive the pointing-out instruction but also recognize what is being pointed out, that is the time for training in letting be in the state of self-existing awareness. What kinds of books should you then read during the postmeditation? Read Dzogchen teachings, pointing-out instructions, The Flight of the Garuda, and similar kinds of literature. You should read them very slowly, maybe out loud to yourself, alternating this with training in the meaning.
At this point, you still use intelligent judgment during the postmeditation; you scrutinize the meaning to become increasingly clear about the natural state. The intellect needs to be convinced, and you carry on and on until you are totally convinced, to the point of oversaturating yourself. This is very helpful because when we again sit during the meditation session there is a tendency to become dull or absentminded. Those tendencies must be tamed, and once they are, you will have wonderful results.
The great master Jigmey Lingpa mentions that in former times, during the so-called Golden Age, people were generally more content, with less craving and less of a tendency to be caught up in external distractions. Accordingly, their emotions were less tumultuous. That was a time when Dharma practitioners did not need to force themselves too much in study and practice, but could rely on a few words of pithy instruction from a master. For the most part, they were able to attain enlightenment through just that. It was a time of stability, much more so than today. Maybe this has to do with the absence of scientific development, gadgets, and sophisticated things, so there were far fewer objects to be distracted by. Therefore, there was a natural tendency to be at peace. When someone has a sense of inner calm, it is much easier to be decisive in one’s practice and less skeptical.
Today it is quite different. There are a tremendous number of external things that can capture our attention. There is a vast array of preoccupations and an untold number of different philosophical systems, old religions, and new religions as well. People are faced with a huge choice and must judge and decide which is better for them. It is a very difficult choice to make. What should we rely upon? It seems that we must fall back upon our individual intelligence, rather than immediately trusting whatever we get served, even if it is Buddhism. Of course I could tell you that Buddhism is best, much better than all the others, and list its special qualities, but it is still up to you to judge, decide, and trust. However, that isn’t easy. As a matter of fact, it is quite difficult to have simple trust. Therefore, it is a good idea to study.
Let me continue paraphrasing Jigmey Lingpa. If you really want to understand the Dzogchen teachings in these present times, please understand that we are not in the Golden Age any longer. These days some study is necessary. We study, then we practice, then we study some more, and then we practice again. This is a time to combine the two, rather than rigidly holding on to the idea that practice is right and study is wrong. Jigmey Lingpa says that such an attitude does not work these days, nor will it in the future. That is why he wrote that people of future generations who want to realize the Great Perfection exactly as it is must listen and reflect on the Buddha Dharma, at least to a certain degree.
When I look at this selection that Marcia Binder Schmidt has made, I am quite pleased with her choices. There is a very good reason for this: people who exclude learning and focus on nothing but sitting practice have a very hard time whenever doubts creep into their mind. They wonder, “Hey! Am I really practicing the right way?” I am not talking about someone whose stream-of-being is already liberated, but the stage before that. Doubts and uncertainty do hinder progress. It is during the postmeditation that doubts gain a foothold. A doubt is a type of question for which the unlearned person has no answer. Someone who has gained some sound understanding of the Dharma will think a little and then come up with an intelligent reply to his or her own doubt; then it is settled.
Modern people tend to reach a point in life when they get tired by more sensory input, more things, more adventures and life experiences. Often people feel, “I am so tired of all this! I just want to rest and take some time off.” This attitude is like a prescription to begin shamatha practice, the aim of which is to relax deeply.
Once one has settled down and found some peace of mind, which is quite pleasant, it is common to give up “the Dharma.” Why? Because one already got what one wanted, and one didn’t really understand what the Dharma is all about. “I wanted some relief, some happiness. I found it, and that is good enough for me. There is nothing more I need right now.” That kind of contentment can easily dismiss the possibility of further progress.
There is, however, another type of person who reflects, “What is the big deal about a little bit of happiness? That’s not very profound. I don’t believe that is the whole Dharma. What is the true essence of the Buddha’s teachings?” With this kind of attitude study and practice can be combined in a fruitful alliance. During the postmeditation you study to fill in the map of what is true and what isn’t. You will use this map for your further journey. However, there is no use drawing a map if you don’t use it. The value of a map is proven when you are actually on the road going somewhere. When you discover that what is on the map and what you see as you move through the landscape coincide exactly, you gain a stronger sense of confidence that can become unshakable. Without the map it is hard to feel sure. If you know how to practice correctly, you may have no doubts during the meditation state, but doubt may still arise during
postmeditation.
Many people tell me about their various doubts, and it would be wonderful if they could just answer their doubts immediately each time. When they wonder, “What should I do? What is the right way?” it would be great if they could have an answer ready. The absence of doubt is true confidence. This confidence strengthens your composure during meditation. As you train more and more, your realization deepens until your stream-of-being is unbound and free. In this way, there is a relationship between study and liberation, between drawing the map and arriving at the destination.
This is how I feel these days: combine study and practice. Otherwise, we may end up unable to choose anything or to trust in anything. It could happen that a valuable karmic link to Buddhist practice is lost through some small incident. Therefore, use your intelligence to strengthen such a link, so that you can overcome negative emotional habits, be free, and become enlightened. I feel that is the better choice.
It is also possible to study and study and study, leaving no time for practice. If you do this, the real purpose of the Buddha’s teachings will be lost. This is like studying and redrawing maps until you get old but never visiting any beautiful places. What’s the point in that? It is also possible to begin walking without any map, just hoping to end up in the right place. If you do happen to get to Tibet, you might not even realize it; you might not recognize Lhasa. If you knew a little bit about places in Lhasa, you would be able to recognize them when you got there.
I would like to conclude with the wish that your studies will be like a lamp dispelling the darkness of ignorance, while your practice eliminates the tendencies of negative emotions and obscurations, so that you will not only attain peace of mind but will also proceed to the enlightenment of all buddhas. Those who use this book as a basis for a study program might be my students or they might be students of my father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, or Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Moreover, you might be students of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sogyal Rinpoche, or any of the other masters of our time, and I would like to encourage all of you to be free from a sectarian attitude when you study the Dharma. Thinking things like, “I am a student of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and no one else!” “I belong to Tsoknyi Rinpoche and there isn’t much by him here, so I won’t use this book!” “I am a follower of Trungpa Rinpoche; there’s not much by him here, so this book is not for me!” is not the right attitude. Please be more open-minded in your approach, appreciating value where there is value, wherever it might be. This will also ensure that, in the future, your benefit to others will be similarly unbiased.
A nonsectarian attitude is not only practical; it is also close to the truth. We should continue following our particular lineage, but rather than becoming more narrow-minded and prejudiced, we should appreciate all other lineages of teachings as well. When you enter the Vajrayana teachings, pure perception is essential, so please study with pure perception and an open mind. The extraordinary perspective of Vajrayana is, in itself, pure perception through which the “impurity” of mistaken experience, piece by piece, becomes the pure mandala of original wakefulness. Please allow that to happen.
PART TWO
STARTING POINT
Analyze my teachings as carefully as you would test gold before buying it. Do not accept my words without questioning. You must discriminate and examine them for yourself.
—BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI
1
BUDDHA NATURE
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
In general, a person is considered sensible and even honorable when he strives to benefit himself, but sometimes people intend to harm others in order to gain happiness for themselves. In the context of Dharma, this is called a “wrong intention.” A “good intention” is simply the wish to benefit others. Nevertheless, if we interpret the word others to indicate only a select few, like our friends, relatives, and countrymen, then our intention is biased. We should never be partial to some beings while harming others; instead, we should try to cultivate an attitude that embraces all sentient beings with good wishes, including animals. In this way, our good intentions will develop into all-encompassing bodhichitta.
Some say that the Buddhists are not really serving society. For example, Christian organizations build schools and hospitals. From this point of view, it may indeed appear as though the Buddhists are not working in a concrete way to benefit the community. Yet, the main objective of Buddhism is to accomplish the welfare of others through practices engaged in mentally. The Buddhist practitioner serves others through his good intentions. Perpetuating wholesome motives, he or she can truly benefit beings. Therefore, whether we are listening to Dharma teachings, reading about them, or putting them into practice, it is extremely important to develop the attitude of bodhichitta.
Although we plan to search out and follow the true and perfect path, without a qualified guide we will never discover this path. If we try to find the path by ourselves or follow an imperfect teacher, we are in danger of making a grave mistake. Therefore, we must first carefully seek out a genuine spiritual master and then adhere to his advice.
Each of us possesses buddha nature. We each have the seed of enlightenment within ourselves, and because this potential can be actualized, we possess an enlightened essence. At the time of the ground, we possess buddha nature. At the time of the path, the enlightened essence continues. At the time of fruition—complete buddhahood—the sugataessence continues. The enlightened essence is a continuity that extends throughout our journey along the stages of ground, path, and fruition.
The Buddha gave graduated teachings to help sentient beings recognize the real condition—the nature of things. To understand this basic state of affairs, the Buddha first taught that samsara, conditioned existence, is replete with various kinds of suffering. Suffering originates with mistakenness, delusion. His initial teachings, which characterized this world as having the nature of impermanence and suffering, are called the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
After his students had familiarized themselves with these fundamental teachings, the Buddha taught that although the truth of impermanence is undeniable, it also has no concrete existence. Thus, he explained the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, which emphasizes emptiness—that all things lack both concrete substance and self-nature.
Later, the Buddha taught that emptiness does not signify a mere state of blankness. If that were the case, how could any phenomena appear at all? How could an entire universe arise? At that point, he taught the last set of teachings—the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, which accentuates the luminous aspect of mind, the ability to know all manifested things. This profound, ultimate teaching emphasizes wisdom, innate wakefulness.
The Buddha started by giving advice that emphasized the benefits for oneself. These are the focal point of Hinayana, the lesser vehicle. Later, the Buddha presented teachings that stress the attempt to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings equal in number to the vastness of the sky. These are featured in the Mahayana vehicle. Finally, he taught the Vajrayana. In order to practice Vajrayana teachings, one must first establish the basis for practice, which is twofold: arousing bodhichitta and resolving the correct view. Without a firm foundation in these two aspects, one cannot truly practice the path of Vajrayana.
Adapted from Thrangu Rinpoche, Buddha Nature (Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1988), Introduction.
2
THE BASIS: BUDDHA NATURE
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
We need to clearly understand what is meant by the terms samsara and nirvana. Nirvana means the fully realized buddha nature that consists of Body, Speech, and Mind aspects. The Body is the essence that simply is. Speech is its nature, the cognizant quality that is vividly present, and Mind is the capacity, which is radiant. These three aspects comprise the basic presence of all buddhas. They are none other than their essence, nature, and capacity. All sugatas are of this same identity. In the same way, samsara is the body, speech, and mind of all sent
ient beings, which are the deluded expressions of their essence, nature, and capacity.
Buddha nature is all-encompassing: this means it is present or basic to all states, regardless of whether they belong to samsara or nirvana. Remember, “nirvana” refers to the Body, Speech, and Mind of all the awakened ones. Body is the abiding essence, Speech is the vividly present nature, and Mind is the radiant capacity. These three, the Body, Speech, and Mind of all buddhas, are also known as the three vajras.
This buddha nature is present just as the shining sun is present in the sky. It is indivisible from the three vajras of the awakened state, which do not perish or change. Vajra Body is the unchanging quality, vajra Speech is the unceasing quality, and vajra Mind is the undeluded, unmistaken quality. So, the buddha nature or dharmadhatu is the three vajras; at the same time, its expression manifests as the deluded body, speech, and mind of all beings.
In the normal sense of the word, “body” refers to something perishable composed of flesh and blood. “Speech” refers to intermittent utterances that come and go and eventually perish. And “mind” refers to thought states and emotions that come and go, come and go, under the power of dualistic attitude, like beads on a rosary. These mental states are also transient. Everyone agrees that the body, speech, and mind of living beings are constantly changing, continually coming and going. Still, the basis of our ordinary body, speech, and mind is the buddha nature, the dharmadhatu that encompasses all of samsara and nirvana. There isn’t a single being for whom this isn’t so.
Looking from the pure angle, then, this buddha nature is present in every being, the expression of the victorious ones, just like the rays of light are present from the sun. The light is emanated by the sun, isn’t it? If it weren’t for the sun, there wouldn’t be any light. Similarly, the origin of the body, speech, and mind of beings is the expression of the buddha nature that pervades both samsara and nirvana.
The Dzogchen Primer Page 4
