Manjushri Mantra

Here is another version of the Manjushri mantra I found on YouTube:

The mantra, Om A Ra Pa Dza Na Dhi, is the embodiment of Wisdom itself. It does not have any meaning, though it is said that the five syllables after the Om are from the first syllables of the five main teachings of the Buddha. The “Dhi” is the seed syllable of Manjushri, one we visualize when we perform a deity meditation on him.

May Lord Manjushri protect all beings and grant all beings with Wisdom of Liberation!

Filed under: Bodhisattva , chant, Mahayana, Manjushri, mantra, youtube

Nirvana, Parinirvana, Enlightenment, Buddhahood

A follower of mine on Twitter asked what are the differences between ‘nirvana,’ ‘parinirvana,’ and ‘Enlightenment.’ This is a very good question, but to answer it in Twitter is like walking with the feet tied together, so I have to answer this in more detail here. I have already gave an answer in Twitter, but my tweets there are necessarily too short. This might not be clear enough, especially for those who are new to Buddhism.

Nirvana is the goal of Buddhist practice. This is why people became a Buddhist in the first place, and it is the goal that the Buddha taught everybody to pursue since he began his teaching career soon after he had attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Etymolotically, ‘nirvana’ means ‘extinguished,’ like when a fire is extinguished, in Sanskrit one would say the fire is ‘nirvana.’ This sense of ‘being put out’ then is transferred to refer to the state where the suffering is ‘put out’. There is no more suffering. Thus, one gains total liberation from samsara.

‘Parinirvana’ literally means ‘being put out all around;’ that is, it is all extinguished. In this sense it means the same as nirvana, only that there is the emphasis on being totally extinguished. However, it is more commonly used to refer to the dissolution of the body of one who has already entered nirvana. So when one has entered nirvana while one is alive, his ego attachment is completely dead, and when that one finally ‘dies,’ it is said that he enters ‘parinirvana.’ In Theravada tradition this is only used for the Buddha.

‘Enlightenment’ is the state where one gains complete Knowledge. This is what the Buddha achieved under the Bodhi tree that enabled him to become a Buddha. A ‘Buddha’ means ‘one who is awakened.’ Those of us in samsara are not awakened because we live in the dreamworld of thought construction and conceptual fabrication, believing that they are real. So we believe that our egos, our “I’s” are real and so on. The Buddha, on the other hand, realizes that this is an illusion, and in reality there is nothing but pure state of naken, unadorned, expansive being. This is what an enlightened being knows. In Pali one says, sammasambodhi, meaning perfect, complete Knowledge (actually I have to put in the diacritical marks on the Pali or Sanskrit terms, but it takes time to do that and I don’t think it’s really necessary here as we are focusing more on the meaning.) ‘Knowledge’ here, by the way, does not refer to one’s ordinary, commonplace knowledge that relies on concepts, but the complete knowledge obtainable only when one lets go of all concepts. Thus ‘Knowledge’ with the capital ‘K’ refers to the state of complete knowledge, or the Buddha’s state of Enlightenment, and ‘knowledge’ with a small ‘k’ to refer to ordinary, conceptual knowledge.

Since all sufferings are caused by not realizing this truth, the state of complete Knowledge here is their direct antidote. So one who is enlightened naturally is free from any and all sufferings. So in a sense Enlightenment and nirvana mean the same in that they refer to the same situation. But literally they mean differently.

Now, there is still another distinction between those who have attained nirvana and have totally abandoned samsara, and those who, though they have attained nirvana but chose instead to remain in samsara to help beings. This is a key idea in Mahayana Buddhism. In Theravada, the goal of practice is to eliminate all causes of suffering and entered nirvana, becoming an ‘arahat.’ In Mahayana, on the other hand, that goal is commendable, but it is not the complete or ultimate goal of one’s practice. The aim of a Mahayana practitioner is not just to liberate oneself from samsara, but to be able to help all sentient beings to attain nirvana also. Thus the goal of the Mahayana practitioner is to become a Bodhisattva, or one who has the aspiration to attain Buddhahood, that is to become a fully enlightened Buddha, in order to be able to help beings.

So this is all for now. I’ll write more about all these in later posts. Those who would like to know more might want to read my earlier post on Nirvana and Samsara.

Filed under: Bodhisattva , Buddha, Buddhahood, Buddhism, enlightenment, Mahayana, Nirvana, Theravada

Three Levels of Spiritual Perception

I have finally finished the translation of Deshung Rinpoche’s The Three Levels of Spiritual Perception into Thai. It took me more almost two years to do it because the book had more than 500 pages and I can’t spend whole day every day to do it. In any case the translation is finished and I have only to translate the small introductory sections in front of the book plus perhaps some glossary at the end. Then the book will be finished.

The plan is to publish this one in the Thai edition. Thanks to Wisdom Publications for granting us the permission to publish the Thai translation. I am sure this will be of tremendous benefits to Thai Buddhists. It will be quite a big book, though.

What Deshung Rinpoche did was to expound the meanings of “The Three Perceptions” (gnang sum), which is one of the most famous texts in Tibetan Buddhism. These perceptions are: (1) the perception of those who are still bound within samsara; (2) perception of those already on the Mahayana path, and (3) perception of the enlightened ones. 

H. E. Deshung Rinpoche III

Those who are still mired in samsara perceive things as they appear, and they take them to be real. This is the predicament of all of us, who are not out of samsara yet. This is the reason why we are still inflicted with suffering. In this sense we are like those people who willingly, unknowingly, take a hat full of spinning knives on our head, thinking that it is so beautiful. Or we are like moths who think that the flame is so seductively beautiful, and we fly into it, getting burned as a result. We suffer, but we think this is the normal condition of everybody. It is due to the Buddha’s infinite compassion toward beings that he pointed this out to us so that we realize how foolish we have been for so long.

The goal of the first level of perception is to get us to realize the suffering nature of all of samsara. We need to realize that the flame is hot and that we must not fly into it. Or that the house is burning and we have to hurry out of it. This is realized through full understanding of such issues as the extreme rarity of human birth, impermanence and pervasiveness of death, and the law of karma. 

Then the second kind of perception is called “perception of experience.” This refers to the experience of dharma practitioners who have internalized the awareness of the suffering nature of samsara and is taking the practice to find a way out. However, we also realize that it is quite inappropriate to become released from samsara only individually. Since every sentient being is interconnected and since we already owe a great deal to them, each of whom in fact used to be our caring mother, then we feel a sense of obligation to them. Hence we can’t leave them alone to continue to suffer in the ocean of samsara. Realizing this, we do whatever we can to be able finally to help them. This is the Mahayana Path, which distinguishses it from the solitary path of getting only oneself liberated. 

Topics within this level of perception are, then, generation of bodhicitta, the genuine resolve and commitment to be able to help all sentient beings out of the sea of samsara through becoming an enlightened Buddha. There are two kinds of bodhicitta. One is relative, or conventional, bodhicitta, where one feels strong compassion toward all beings, identifying with them and sharing in their sufferings, committing oneself to take up their sufferings to the full. The other is ultimate bodhicitta, which is the realization that everything is empty of their inherent nature. One generates conventional bodhicitta through cultivation of great love (maitri) and great compassion (karuna), and generates ultimate bodhicitta through the two practices of calm abiding (shamatha) and insight (vipasyana). The goal of this level is to develop fully both conventional and ultimate bodhicittas.

Then the third and final level of spiritual perception is the pure perception of the enlightened ones. This is comparable to that of those who have finally achieved the ultimate goal. The Buddha’s perception is completely pure. He perceives things exactly as they are and is totally omniscient.

I will give a talk in Thai about the book and about the three levels of spiritual perception in Buddhism at the Thousand Stars Foundation House, 695 Ladprao 11, Jatujak, Bangkok. Please click this link for more information.

Filed under: Bodhisattva , bodhicitta, Bodhisattva, book, Buddhism, Deshung Rinpoche, Lamdre, Mahayana, Sakya, translation

Manjushri Mantra

This is a video of the mantra of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. His mantra is “Om A Ra Pa Cha Na Dhi”. The music is quite Chinese. Those of you who are musically inclined might complain that it is repetitive. But that is precisely the point. The idea is to meditate through music and the Mantra.

Filed under: Bodhisattva , Bodhisattva, chant, Mahayana, Manjushri, mantra, meditation, music

ธรรมชาติพุทธะ

เรามีตัวอย่างที่ได้จากพระอาจารย์ของอาตมาเอง คือท่านงาวังเลกปาริมโปเช ท่านกล่าวว่า สมมติว่าเรามีโลหะอยู่ก้อนหนึ่ง เช่นทองเหลือง เราอาจใช้โลหะก้อนนี้มาทำกระโถน แล้วผู้คนก็จะบอกว่านี่เป็นสิ่งสกปรกมากๆ ผู้คนใช้กระโถนนี้ไปห้องน้ำ เขาจะคิดว่านี่เป็นสิ่งสกปรก แตะต้องไม่ได้ แต่เมื่อเราเอากระโถนใบนี้ไปหลอมใหม่ ตีขึ้นรูปใหม่ให้เป็นถ้วยถวายเครื่องบูชาอันสดใสแวววาว ผู้คนกลุ่มเดียวกันนี้ก็จะพูดว่า “ถ้วยใบนี้ช่างสวยเสียนี่กระไร! เราไม่สามารถใช้ถ้วยเช่นนี้ในครัวได้ ขอให้เอาถ้วยใบนี้ไปใส่เครื่องบูชาถวายพระเถอะ!” ต่อไปเราเอาโลหะก้อนเดียวกันนี้มาหลอมใหม่อีกครั้ง แล้วเปลี่ยนให้เป็นพระพุทธรูป แล้วผู้คนก็จะกราบลงกับพื้น กล่าวว่านี่เป็นสิ่งที่ดีที่สุดในชีวิตของพวกเขาและแสดงความเคารพบูชาอย่างสูงสุด ทั้งหมดนี้เกิดขึ้นได้แก่โลหะก้อนเดียวกันนี้

ขอให้เราพิจารณาจิตของมนุษย์คนหนึ่ง พระพุทธเจ้าทั้งหลายทรงมีอะไรที่เหมือนกับคนอนาถาที่เราเห็นทนทุกข์ทรมานอยู่ตามตรอกบ้าง? จะมีอะไรที่ต่างกันมากไปกว่านี้อีกหรือ? ธรรมชาติพุทธะในใจของสัตว์โลกเหล่านี้อยู่ที่ใด? นี่คือสัตว์โลกที่ธรรมชาติพุทธะของพวกเขาไม่ได้รับการรับรู้ ซึ่งก็เป็นเช่นเดียวกับกระโถนในส้วม คือความเป็นไปได้ของพวกเขาที่จะบรรลุเป็นพระพุทธเจ้าไม่ชัดเจน แต่คนเข็ญใจคนหนึ่งที่อาจจะเป็นคนที่น่าสมเพชเวทนาที่สุด ก็ยังมีธรรมชาติพุทธะอยู่ในใจของเขา ไม่ว่าเขาเองหรือคนอื่นจะมองเห็นตรงนี้หรือไม่ก็ตาม คนเข็ญใจนี้ก็เหมือนกับการที่เราเอาโลหะมาทำเป็นกระโถนในส้วม ทีนี้เอาคนเข็ญใจคนนี้สอนพระธรรม แสดงให้เขาเห็นว่าปฏิบัติสมาธิอย่างไร จะหลีกเลี่ยงอกุศลกรรมและสั่งสมบุญบารมีอย่างไร หลังจากนี้ไม่นานเขาก็กลายเป็นพระโพธิสัตว์ เนื่องจากหากเขาเพียรปฏิบัติเยี่ยงพระโพธิสัตว์ ไม่นานเขาก็จะเป็นพระโพธิสัตว์ ทีนี้เขาก็จะเป็นเหมือนกับโลหะทองเหลืองก้อนนี้ที่มาทำเป็นถ้วยบูชาอันควรแก่การถวายเครื่องบูชา และพระโพธิสัตว์นี้หากท่านเพียรพยายามต่อไป ก็จะกลายเป็นสมเด็จพระสัมมาสัมพุทธเจ้าผู้ตรัสรู้ชอบด้วยพระองค์เององค์หนึ่ง นี่ตรงกับขั้นตอนที่สามในตัวอย่างของเรา เมื่อโลหะก้อนนี้เปลี่ยนไปเป็นพระพุทธรูป

ในกรณีทั้งสามนี้ เราใช้วัตถุก้อนเดียวกัน นั่นก็คือธรรมชาติของจิต หรือธรรมชาติอันตื่นรู้เป็นพุทธะ นี่เองที่เชื่อมโยงสมเด็จพระสัมมาสัมพุทธเจ้ากับสัตว์โลกในสังสารวัฏที่ต่ำที่สุด ลงไปจนถึงแมลง ทั้งหมดต่างก็มีธรรมชาติตื่นรู้นี้อยู่ภายในทั้งสิ้น ทั้งหมดเป็นเพียงเรื่องของการมองเห็นรับรู้และการชำระล้างเท่านั้น

–จากหนังสือเรื่อง “การเห็นทางธรรมสามระดับ” ของเตชุงริมโปเช

Filed under: Bodhisattva , จิตประภัสสร, ธรรมะ, พระพุทธศาสนา, มหายาน, วัชรยาน, เตชุง ริมโปเช, เถรวาท

ปรมัตถธรรม

อาตมาอยากจะพูดต่อเกี่ยวกับธรรมชาติของปรมัตถธรรมตามที่ได้มีกล่าวไว้ในคัมภีร์ต่างๆ ตัวอย่างเช่น ใน พระปีตปุตรสมาคมสูตร พระพุทธเจ้าตรัสแก่เหล่าพุทธบุตรผู้เป็นพระโพธิสัตว์ว่า ในความจริงระดับปรมัตถ์นั้นไม่มีสภาวะธรรมใดๆให้รับรู้เลย ด้วยเหตุนี้ ในปรมัตถธรรมจึงไม่มีการใช้คำพูดปรุงแต่งใดๆ ทีนี้เมื่อมาตมาพูดกว่า “ใช้คำพูดปรุงแต่ง” ก็หมายความว่าเป็นธรรมชาติของจิตเองที่จะบอกว่าสิ่งต่างๆเป็นอย่างนั้นอย่างนี้ ราวกับเอาป้ายไปแปะไว้กับสิ่งต่างๆ ในช่วงขณะแรกจิตมีผัสสะกับสิ่งต่างๆที่เข้ามากระทบโดยทันที ในช่วงขณะที่สองจิตก็ทำงานแล้วกล่าวว่า “ฉันเคยเห็นนี่มาก่อน นี่เรียกว่าอย่างนั้นอย่างนี้” จากจุดนี้เราก็ทำตัวเช่นเดียวกับที่เคยทำมาตลอด นี่เป็นหนทางที่จิตทำงานตามธรรมดาๆ

แต่หนทางนี้ไม่ใช่แนวทางในปรมัตถธรรม เนื่องจากไม่มีอะไรที่จะไปจับยึดได้ว่าเป็นสิ่งนั้นสิ่งนี้ ดังที่พระอาจารย์สาเกียบัณฑิตได้กล่าวไว้ ไม่มีอะไรที่จะชี้ไปได้ว่าอยู่ตรงนั้น ไม่มีอะไรให้จับยึดปรุงแต่งเป็นนั่นเป็นนี่ ไม่มีอะไรที่จะบอกได้ว่ามีอยู่จริง ดังนั้นจึงไม่มีอะไรที่จะบอกได้ว่าเป็นอะไรในระดับของปรมัตถธรรม ไม่มีธรรมชาติของปรมัตถธรรม ไม่มีสภาวธรรม ไม่มีสิ่งต่างๆ ทุกสิ่งทุกอย่างนั้นไม่ว่าจะเป็นอะไร ต่างก็เป็นเพียงชื่อเรียกเท่านั้นเอง เรากำลังตกอยู่ภายใต้ความคิดปรุงแต่งหากที่บอกเราว่า “ใช่แล้ว นั่นเป็นสิ่งๆหนึ่ง” “นั่นเรียกว่าอย่างนั้นอย่างนี้” หรือ “ทุกๆคนต่างก็เห็นตรงกันกับเรา” เราพูดเกี่ยวกับมัน เราเขียนหนังสือเป็นเล่มๆเกี่ยวกับมัน แล้วก็ไปอย่างนี้เรื่อยๆ ทั้งหมดนี้เรียกว่า “การปรุงแต่ง” หรือ “สังสาระ” (ในสายสาเกียคำเทคนิคที่ใช้เรียกปรมัตถธรรมนี้อาจแปลได้ว่า “การเป็นอิสระจากการปรุงแต่ง” หรือ “ความง่ายอย่างที่สุด”) การปรุงแต่งหมายถึงการไปวุ่นวายกับสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่ง จุดเริ่มของเราอยู่ที่เราไปคิดว่าเรามีอยู่จริงๆ และของก็มีอยู่จริง จากนั้นเราก็สร้างสังสาระขึ้นมา

ดังนั้น ทุกสิ่งทุกอย่างนอกจากสภาวะอันเป็นปรมัตถ์ของสิ่งต่างๆอันเป็นตามที่มันเป็น จึงเป็นเพียงชื่อเรียก คำพูด แบบแผน พูดเพ้อเจ้อไปมา ทั้งหมดนี้เป็นเพียงป้ายที่เราเอาไปแปะไว้ ไม่มีอะไรมากกว่านี้ แต่่ในความเป็นจริงแท้นั้นทุกสิ่งทุกอย่างมิได้ถูกรับรู้ด้วยอายตนะ ทั้งหมดนี้เป็นพระพุทธพจน์ ใน พระโพธิสัตตวปิฏกสูตร มีกล่าวว่า “เมื่อบุคคลมิได้จับยึดธรรม และมิได้ละวางธรรม บุคคลนั้นมิได้ดำรงอยู่ในธรรม” [หมายถึงว่าบุคคลผู้นั้นไม่ได้มีความปรุงแต่งใดๆเลยเกี่ยวกับสภาวธรรมต่างๆ] นั่นคือเราไม่ได้ข้องแวะหรือติดอยู่กับสิ่งต่างๆ และก็มิได้อาศัยอยู่ในสิ่งเหล่านั้น

ตัวอย่างเช่น เมื่อเรายังไม่ได้ตรัสรู้ เรารู้สึกว่าพระพุทธภาวะหรือการเป็นพระพุทธเจ้านั้น จะได้มาได้ก็ต่อเมื่อเราต้องพากเพียรปฏิบัติอย่างหนัก นี่เป็นอะไรที่มีความหมายถูกต้องมากจากมุมมองของผู้ที่ยังปฏิบัติอยู่ จนกระทั่งบรรลุเป้าหมายคือพระพุทธภาวะนั้น แต่เมื่อถึงเป้าหมายนั้นแล้ว ก็ไม่มีอะไรเลยที่จะบรรลุ ใครกันที่จะมาบรรลุ? ไม่มีใครที่บรรลุ ไม่มีอะไรให้บรรลุ และก็ไม่มีสิ่งที่เรียกว่าพระพุทธภาวะว่าเป็นอะไรที่บรรลุได้ เราไม่ได้มองตัวเราว่ามีอยู่แบบเดียวกับที่เราเคยคิดมาว่าเรามีอยู่ ฯลฯ

– จาก การเห็นทางธรรมสามระดับ ของเตชุงริมโปเช

Filed under: Bodhisattva , ปรมัตถธรรม. พระพุทธศาสนา, เตชุง ริมโปเช, Deshung Rinpoche, ineffability, ultimate truth

Einstein explaining the famous matter-energy formula

Here is a Youtube video that captures the voice of the great physicist Albert Einstein explaining his famous equation, e=mc2. 

There are a number of implications for Buddhist thought. First of all, the interchangeability between matter and energy seems to support the notion that things do not have inherent characteristics. If a seemingly solid thing like a lump of matter could be interchangeable with energy, then matter itself does not have what is normally conceived of as having, namely its spatial shape, its mass, its solidity, and so on. It’s only a short route from this to the claim that all things are but “empty” as Nagarjuna said. Whether something is matter or energy perhaps depends ultimately on *our* point of view. Language and conceptualization have a magical way of “creating” something out of what is essentially “nothing.”

Filed under: Zen , Einstein, emptiness, energy, equation, formula, matter, Nagarjuna, physics, relativity

The Six Perfections

One of the most important component of the Bodhisattva path is the practice of the six perfections. “Perfections” is a translation of the Sanskrit paramita, which means something like, well, perfection. More specifically, the perfections are virtues that the trainee on the Bodhisattva path practice in order to accumulate the merit and wisdom that are necessary for realizing complete Buddhahood. They are the accumulated store of resources that will eventually enable the trainee, or the Bodhisattva, to become a Buddha in the future.

The idea of the paramita is not only found in Mahayana Buddhism. It is an older idea found also in Theravada. Buddha Shakyamuni was only able to summon up the resources he needed to defeat the Mara because of the paramita that he had accumulated through all the aeons. It is said that the dana-paramita (the perfection of giving) that he had performed in all the previous aeons was such that it became a huge torrent of flood that flushed out Mara and his retinues, thus enabling Siddhartha finally to attain complete Enlightenment and became the Buddha.

There are some slight differences in the list of the paramitas in the Mahayana and Theravada. But essentially they are one and the same idea. In the Mahayana the perfections are six in number, and they are:

1. Giving
2. Morality
3. Patience
4. Diligence
5. Meditation (single-pointedness)
6. Wisdom

It is said, such as in Santideva’s Bodhicaryavatara, that the previous five perfections exist in order to provide foundations for the sixth one, ultimate wisdom realizing emptiness. Taken all together, they represent necessary steps or landmarks on the Bodhisattva path. Without them Buddhahood would be completely impossible.

White Tara

The first perfection giving (dana in Pali and Sanskrit) is the first thing that the aspiring Bodhisattva needs to perfect. This is the first step in caring for the well being of sentient beings. The work for the ultimate benefit of sentient beings cannot be merely words and thoughts, but real action, and the action has to start with giving. The giving can be done at many levels, starting from giving material things, to giving of “fearlessness,” which is a gift to sentient beings so that they no longer live in fear, and then giving of the teaching of the Buddha’s so that the beings know the correct path to ultimate freedom.

Furthermore, Deshung Rinpoche taught that, in order for the perfection of giving to be of utmost merit and benefit, there has to be a realization that, ultimately speaking, there is no giver, no recipient, and no thing given. That is, the giver should be think that by doing the giving she reaps benefits for herself. That will just destroy the purpose of walking the Bodhisattva path, which is constituted by egolessness.

The second paramita is morality. In Sanskrit this is sila. The purpose of practicing morality here is to take action in such a way that beings are not harmed. The Bodhisattva does not kill; she does not hurt the beings in any way at all. On the contrary she does everything in order to benefit their well beings. This will also accumulate merit which is necessary for realizing the Buddhahood.

The third paramita is one of the most significant. The Bodhisattva needs to cultivate patient. In Sanskrit this is ksanti and in Pali it’s khanti. The idea is that the Bodhisattva needs to overcome anger and ill will completely. No matter how much she is being harmed, the Bodhisattva realizes that this outward action is only a result of previous karmas and Shantideva said that it is in fact the one who is perpetrating the harm that deserves more compassion because he is incurring negative karmas that will result in more intense sufferings later on. The only thoughts of the Bodhisattva are to find ways to benefits beings. Shantideva also said that one moment of anger actually destroys aeons of accumulation of merit, just like a flash of fire destroys things that have been accumulated for a long, long time.

The fourth paratmita is diligence, or viriya in Pali and virya in Sanskrit. This si also very important, because without it no progress along the Bodhisattva path is possible. One of the worst forms of obstacles to the Path is the feeling that one is not worthy enough for the Path. One might think one is only an ordinary being and as such won’t be capable of becoming a Buddha. Or one might think that to become a Buddha is such a daunting task and feels that one is not up to it. This is a big obstacle because it discourages one to actually moving on the Path. This tendency is countered by practicing the paramita of diligence. By diligence the practitioner is always joyful and enthusiastic in practice. In fact becoming a Buddha is always possible for everybody, because Buddha Shakyamuni himself used to be born as animals. So we human beings are now in much better form than Buddha himself when he was an animal. So what reason do we have in thinking that we are not up to the task? Even though the Path is a long one and may take aeons to complete, the Bodhisattva joyfully takes up the task because he always bears in mind the ultimate benefit that will accrue to the sentient beings.

The fifth paramita is also very important. The Pali is jhana and Sanskrit is dhyana. In order to realize the sixth perfection, that of ultimate wisdom that will actually transforms one into a Buddha, one has to perfect the practice of meditation and single-pointedness. Shantideva recommends the practice of tong-len, or giving and taking in Tibetan. This is done by imagining that we are taking up all the sufferings of all the sentient beings in samsara so that they are completely free from them, and radiating out all of our happiness and merit to the beings. This will go a long way toward calming the mind and will be a foundation on which the realization of selflessness of all phenomena be possible.

The sixth paramita, prajna-paramita, is perhaps the apex of all the perfections, but in fact all the previous five are necessary because without them the sixth, or ultimate wisdom, would not be possible. (The Pali for ‘wisdom’ is panna.) This is the wisdom that completely realizes that all phenomena are empty of their inherent character. This may sound easy talking out loud or typing out. But it actually requires years of practice in order for one to realize this truth down to the core of one’s being. One is completely free from the fabrication and illusoriness of concepts. One perceives things completely without any conceptual thought. This in fact is really easy, but since we are so mired by the fabricating thoughts it’s not as easy as it looks. Nonetheless it’s possible.

So I would like to wish you for this coming Year of the Ox a very successful and prosperous year. For those who are willing to take up the Bodhisattva path, please undertake the six perfections in every moment of your breath. This is really what we are practicing for, that we are enabled to help sentient beings. May the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas always be with you to take care of you, to protect you and to help you along the Path.

Filed under: Bodhisattva , Bodhisattva, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Mahayana, paramita, perfections, Shantideva, Theravada, tonglen

Seeing Nirvana

A perennial issue in the minds of students of Buddhism is what it means for one to “see” nirvana. There are so many different teachings about this very important topic, and the student is understandably baffled by the many interpretations and teachings here. One teaching is that nirvana is similar to a place where one enters once one attains it. Another claims that nirvana cannot be compared to anything on earth, and thus language cannot describe what it is like exactly. Thus nirvana is not a place where one can enter, and it is by no means anything that one can see because presumably to see anything is only possible if the thing to be seen is of this samsaric world.

Naturally there are a lot of confusions on this. Luang Pu Doon, one of Thailand’s greatest meditation masters, told this moving story about nirvana. For one who is still practicing, nirvana is something like a far away destination full of glories and goodies. This is like when the practitioner, who is living in the Northeast of Thailand and has never been to Bangkok, is told how wonderful and beautiful the city of Bangkok really is. There are, the practitioner is told, “jeweled walls” and a “golden mountain” in Bangkok. So the practitioner sets up his mind intently on being able to see the jeweled walls, the golden moutain and other goodies that he was told exist in Bangkok. This is analogous to the practitioner who has been told about all the wonders of nirvana and sets out his mind and his practice to attain it eventually.

However, Luang Pu Doon said that, when the practitioner really gets to Bangkok, he then is told that this is in fact the “jeweled wall” and the “golden mountain” and the like. So his doubts are all banished, and he realizes, after all these years, that the “jeweled wall” and the “golden mountain” are just really ordinary things that do in fact exist in his home town! He is told that this wall is in fact a “jeweled” wall, and this stupa on top of a man made hill is the “golden mountain.” Nirvana, then, is not something far away, a fabled place where all the goodies and wonders exist, but something very mundane and has been with the practitioner all along.

The moral of the story, of course, is that nirvana is not to be compared with a place where one can enter and reside in all the glories, etc. But perhaps this is true in a way. The problem is that our language is so limited that it is impossible to describe exactly and adequately what nirvana really is. So it would in fact be misleading to say that nirvana is absolutely nothing like the wonders of Bangkok for the practitioner who has never been there. This is how language is used to tell story, to make a parable, to engage in metaphors. So the “jeweled wall” and so on are metaphors. But when the subject matter is nirvana, everything that can be said through language becomes metaphor. The usual distinction between metaphors and literal meanings break down completely.

So what does it mean to say that one “sees” nirvana. Here one can distinguish two sense of “see.” On the one hand, one sees a thing just in case one’s visual faculty is not impaired and that certain circumstances obtain, such as there is enough light, the thing seen is not completely transparent and reflect some light back, and so on. On the other hand, the word “see” is also used in another way, as when we say that one “sees” something when one completely understand it. So we say, “Ah, I see,” where in fact there might not be anything to be seen. (Just like when one says “I see” when one comes to understand something which might not have anything to do with seeing with eyes at all.

So there is another sense of “seeing” nirvana. One competely understands. One realizes one’s wisdom in toto and thus becomes utterly liberated. The Buddha “sees,” so do the arahants and highly realized Bodhisattvas. But what exactly do they understand then? Is the subject of their understanding something that exists materially, or only mentally? Is what they understand subjective, existing in their minds only, or objective, its precise spatio-temporal location to be determined later?

Now we are being bewitched by language again. Note that language will always take us to either the extreme of saying “yes” to meanings, thus reifying them, or saying “no” to them, thus affirming their negativities. In either case the Buddha said that we are still mired in the net of Mara. Language is really Mara’s net that bind us with samsara, preventing any means of escape. So when we unenlightened beings hear of nirvana, language comes to work. Nirvana has to be either this or that; it has to be here or there, and so on. But when language itself is at fault, then what are we to do?

Filed under: Bodhisattva , Buddhism, eyes, golden mountain, jewelled wall, Language, Luang Pu Doon, meaning, nibbana, Nirvana, philosophy, seeing, visual faculty

Bodhicitta

Bodhicitta, or the aspiration to attain the final goal of complete Buddhahood in order to be able to help sentient beings, is the starting and end point of Mahayana Buddhism. Shantideva says that bodhicitta gives one all the joy and all the merit equal or more than Mount Sumeru. Riding the horse of bodhicitta, one only experiences joy after joy, happiness after happiness. One who has bodhicitta will accrue merit even when one is asleep (in the same way as one’s interest in the bank accrues all the time.)

But why is the practice of bodhicitta so important? The fact that having bodhicitta incurs such a vast amount of inexhaustible merit shows that this is a very important aspect of the practice of Buddhism. All the teachers say that one’s practice of Mahayana Buddhism will not even start if one does not begin with the proper attitude which is there in bodhicitta. This is because the very existence of Mahayana, the practice of finally attaining Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings, requires bodhicitta as the starting point. This is simply why we practice Buddhism in the first place. We practice not so that only we become a Buddha; that is limiting and is not the proper goal that we can achieve. So we need to start with bodhicitta. Moreover, bodhicitta is at the end of the practice, for if we finally achieved the final goal of Buddhahood, that would consist in nothing but the pure thoughts for the welfare and happiness of all beings wandering around in samsara. Nothing else matters. This is the thought of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Nonetheless, one may ask if bodhicitta is really necessary in one’s practice of Buddhism. Why is practicing in order to liberate oneself alone discouraged? The answer is that we need to repay the kindness of all sentient beings who have been most kind to us, and without their kindness we can’t even stay on living. Asanga wrote in a very moving piece about the seven-point mind training that all beings used to be our mothers and fathers in the past. Since the number of sentient beings is finite (very huge, but finite), but the duration of time leading from the present to the “beginningless time” is infinite (that is, we can go back further and further into the past and will find no starting point), there is bound to be a time when a particular being was our mother, our father, our friend, our enemy, our teacher, and so forth. All beings are thus interconnected in this way. So realizing this, it would be mean to leave these beings behind and seek out liberation for oneself alone.

I usually emphasize that Mahayana and Theravada are essentially the same, but here there is a difference, because the Theravada does not put as much emphasis on realizing Buddhahood as does the Mahayana. However, it is entirely possible for a Theravada practitioner to set a goal of their practice higher and aim at realizing Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings, all the while keeping their Theravada practices. This will make their practices much more meaningful. In fact in the end there are really no differences at all.

But let us come back to the point about bodhicitta and merit. Why does bodhicitta incurs so much merit? Because we are aiming not only at ourselves alone, but all sentient beings in the universe (or in other universes too if they exist). Hence any merit that would occur to oneself would be multiplied by the sheer number of the sentient beings one intends the merit to go to. Thus if one were to dedicate oneself to the well being of, say, one million beings, then the merit accrued will be multiplied by one million and so on. And in fact the number of all sentient beings is much, much, much more than one million This is why the Mahayana practice is so powerful.

But doesn’t that smack of self interest? Well, I have heard the Dalai Lama say that thinking of others’ interest is a best way to push forth our own interest! That is true, but then you need to keep check your motivation. The motivation has to be pure, and if you think of yourself first you would not gain much even though you regard others interest later on. But if your primary motivation is yourself, then even if you think of others in order finally to advance your own interest that would not do much. What the Dalai Lama said is strictly speaking an upaya, a skillful means to get people interested in bodhicitta. One in whom bodhicitta is firmly planted will have no regard for oneself; all his or her action will be totally devoted to the welfare of others.

So how does one plant bodhicitta within one’s mental continuum? First think about other beings and think of their kindness to us, the fact that we won’t even be where we are now without them. Then think that we will not abandon them no matter what. This will be important first steps….

Filed under: Bodhisattva , aspiration, bodhicitta, Bodhisattva, Buddhahood, Buddhism, Dalai Lama, enlightenment, Mahayana, Theravada