Buddha

Many are More Precious than One

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A Teaching from Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Three thousand years ago Lord Buddha introduced the idea of great compassion to an unknowing world. After his enlightenment he was asked to teach others the means to supreme realization. Although he was tempted to simply leave — knowing that almost no one would be interested in his teachings, and of those who were, few would try to follow them and fewer still would succeed — he nonetheless replied, “For those few, I will remain.”

Buddha is the exceptional teacher who teaches the development of great and selfless compassion as part of the technology of the path to enlightenment. But to develop such great love, it is first necessary to familiarize oneself with the nature of suffering and especially with its causes. Amidst the array of spiritual teachings, this perspective is unique because most people do not understand the reasons for suffering or how suffering appears in the world.

The Buddha taught us that human happiness through ownership, eating, drinking, gaining love, stature, approval, or even the happiness of engaging in pleasurable activities is at best temporary. These experiences do not prevent suffering because between these happy times we can experience times of distress.

Nor do happy times solve questions concerning the nature of suffering and why it arises. The Buddha taught that the happiness of enlightenment is not composed of impermanent things but occurs when one cuts out the sources of all unhappiness. Through understanding and meditation, one liberates the mind into true awareness, a state free of conditions and defilements. This pure awareness is a lasting state.

Ultimately, the attitude of care-taking or being responsible for the wellbeing of others, of caring for planet earth, its inhabitants and all the 3,000 myriads of universes described in Buddhist cosmology  is the true cause for ultimate and permanent happiness. Being responsible for all sentient beings is a spiritual technology the Buddha taught to be the supreme antidote to selfishness, compulsive desire, self absorption and all other symptoms of the ego.

When we remain selfish and neurotically fixated in the ego, we remain deeply unhappy. When we are in a state of profound generosity, having a relaxed mental attitude and pure motivation, we remain stable in a state of joy. Yet if we view caring for others only as a medicine, we may miss the beauty of it.

No sentient being is born with pure, unconditional, constant love. In the beginning, selflessness and generosity require discipline. Like all things, they must arise from a cause. One must break old habitual tendencies, and this requires discipline. Initially, one must understand the values of generosity and the pitfalls of selfishness. One cannot then rely on one’s feelings, because they are products of an ego distorted by the self-centered habits that produce unhappiness and disregard for others. It is necessary to understand the cause and effect relationship here.

Happiness does not just appear. Enlightenment does not just appear. Neither do unhappiness or suffering just appear. When one understands this apparently simple truth, it is possible to make generosity part of one’s activity in a true and lasting way, because one has a basis of understanding that will support and uphold the discipline necessary in the initial stages.

Ultimately, through persistence one can soar. There is a point at which a great leap takes place and one moves into an experience of effortlessness. This is because ultimately, in the pure state, compassion is part of one’s nature. We each, in fact, live in a world of our own making and have the choice of living selfishly, trying in a futile way to get happiness through gaining or having more phenomena (whether external or internal)  or we can live a life of generosity and responsibility, cognizant that there are many more sentient beings than just our selves.

Because their value is equal, many pieces of gold are worth more than a single coin. So it is with sentient beings. Many are more precious than one. Fortified with that awareness, one can live and act accordingly with simplicity, generosity and respect for life. The attitude of cherishing all sentient beings as though they were truly the same as you is a deeply moving and personal experience. It is a life changer. It is also the cause of happiness.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Requesting the Buddhas & Bodhisattvas to Remain in the World

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[Adapted from an oral commentary given by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche in conjunction with a ceremony wherein he bestowed the bodhisattva vow upon a gathering of disciples at Namdroling in Bozeman, Montana, November 1999. —Ed.]

This is important because in cyclic existence there are many ignorant beings that fail to recognize the precious noble qualities of the Buddhas. They don’t recognize the buddhas who are present here in the world, and so they fail to appreciate them; therefore, to benefit beings, the buddhas may go on to other realms where they will be recognized and appreciated. To ensure that the buddhas will remain in the world no matter what, we have to request them not to pass into nirvana. Requesting the buddhas and bodhisattvas to stay in the world is the antidote for having wrong view, such as thinking, “What’s so special about buddhas? Are they better than we are? We are equal to them and can certainly get by without them.”

From “THE PATH of the Bodhisattva: A Collection of the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva and Related Prayers” with a commentary by Kyabje Pema Norbu Rinpoche on the Prayer for Excellent Conduct

Compiled under the direction of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche Vimala Publishing 2008

Seeing As The Buddha Sees

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Palyul Refuge Tree

From The Spiritual Path:  A Compilation of Teachings by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

You do not see as the Buddha sees, with a mind that is natural, uncontrived, and relaxed. You do not know the natural state—your own Nature that is beneath the conceptualizations you force upon it. In essence you are the same as the Buddha. Why does He see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas without number, and you do not? Why is the Buddha’s mind free of action and reaction? The difference is one thing only: the concept of self to which you cling.

The concept of self is the effortful contrivance that results in all forms of suffering. Once your “self” is established, it is vulnerable to termination. It now has a beginning; therefore it will die. A tension arises. As a baby, you cried when you were hungry, and your mother probably responded. If she did not do so immediately, you sensed a threat to your survival. If you smiled and cooed, perhaps your mother paid more attention. You tried to protect the fabric of self. You began the long process of learning to attract, to have power over, other people. You developed tendencies to dominate, to be submissive, or to survive in other ways.

These habitual tendencies take time and effort to perfect. They become part of the fabric of our being. We call them our individuality and take pride in them. These subtle, habitual tendencies will stay with us over many lifetimes—unless they are somehow purified from the mindstream. In fact, the longer we accumulate assumptions about the self, the more deep-seated and complicated these subtle tendencies become. Ironically, those who pride themselves on their uniqueness and individuality are often in the most trouble. For even though the brain and the personality end at death, the karma remains. In fact, every moment of the perception of self has within it enough seeds for eons of cyclic existence. And these seeds have only to be watered by certain kinds of activity to ripen.

The original tightness or tension that accompanies the concept of “I-ness” is desire. This is why the Buddha taught that the basic cause for all suffering is desire. Some think that because they have learned not to desire a mate or a car or money or beauty, they have become true renunciates. They think they have overcome desire. They could not be further from the truth. Desire is simply too pervasive. It is what holds the concept of “I-ness” together. This concept becomes as invisible and familiar as the air we breathe. Everything we do supports and maintains our ego. It is only in the enlightened, realized state, with natural, uncontrived view, that activity is spontaneous, free of conceptualization, and therefore free of tension.

You, however, cling to your contrived thoughts, and the odd thing is—you love them. You are fascinated with the activity of your brain. You enjoy being opinionated. You love the excitement—so you think—of the tension that surrounds conceptualization. Every perception you have is made of tension born of desire.

Why is it so difficult to annihilate desire from your mindstream? You desire desire. Otherwise, you could snap your fingers and say, “I am through with it.” Why do you desire? Because you have so much investment, such a strong belief in your “I-ness” that your primary religion is not Buddhism but the preservation of your ego. That is your gut-level religion. You make offerings to it every moment. You take refuge in it every moment. The preservation of your ego and all the assumptions that go with it have been the love of your life, your soul mate.

How then can you even conceive of being free of desire, much less manage it? You may hear the teachings of the Buddha and want to be free, but another part of you is absolutely in love with yourself. And you love to be in love, so you are helpless. This is why the powerful Vajrayana path is so necessary and efficient. It would take extremely long to purify your mindstream by progressively renouncing every thought, every activity that increases desire, until you are basically doing nothing but watching your breath and annihilating every assumption and tension as it comes up in your mind. The Vajrayana path will do that, but it has another dimension: you purify your entire view. The five senses are purified through generation-stage practice. In it, you are not imagining a deity; you are not pretending it is there; you are not even visualizing. Certainly that may be where you start, but when it is done correctly and the skill of concentration is fully developed, you are actually disassembling and re-manufacturing the incorrect perceptions that permeate your every thought, word, and deed.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Homage to the Three Jewels: From “The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”

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The following is respectfully quoted from “The Jewel Ornament of Liberation” by Gampopa as translated by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche:

Homage to the Three Jewels

The Three jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the rarest and most sublime objects in the universe. Therefore, from now until he attains enlightenment, the author of the treatise pays heartfelt respect to them in thought, word, and deed, his aim being to protect beings who wander in samsara, afflicted by many evils.

The Three Jewels may be explained according to their essential characteristics, the etymology of the Tibetan term, their various subsidiary aspects, and an explanation of the Sanskrit term. Essentially, buddhahood is the perfection of all the qualities of “elimination” and ‘realization.” According to the Tibetan expression snags rgyas, a Buddha is one who has awoken (sangs) from the deep sleep of ignorance and whose mind has blossomed (rgyas) like a lotus flower with the knowledge of all things. Buddhahood in turn has three aspects: (a) the kayas, which act like containers for (b) the wisdom contained therein, together with (c) the enlightened activities that flow from these. Finally, the Sanskrit word Buddha means “one who perfectly comprehends,” one whose mind encompasses all objects of cognition and thoroughly understands them.

Essentially, the Dharma is characterized by the elimination of one or both of the twin veils of defiled emotion and cognitive obscurations, or the means to this elimination. The Tibetan word chos is so used because the Dharma purges (‘chos) the mind of negative emotion in the same way that medicine cures someone who is sick. As to its aspects, the Dharma may be classified in two ways: one the one hand, as the Dharma of transmission and the Dharma of realization, and on the other, as the third and forth of the four noble truths, the truth of cessation and the truth of the path. In Sanskrit, the word dharma means “to hold.” in other words, the Dharma is what holds beings to the perfect path and keeps them from the ways of samsara and the lower realms.

Essentially, the Jewel of the Sangha is characterized by the possession of two qualities: knowledge of the truth and freedom from defilements. The Tibetan term dge ‘dun refers to those who have a keen interest (‘dun) in the path of perfect virtue (dge). Such practitioners may be divided into those belonging to the Hinayana Sangha of Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas, and those belonging to the Mahayana Sangha of Bodhisattvas. The Sanskrit word has the meaning of “assembly” and refers to the community of those who are not distracted from the path by anyone, even gods.

The words “I prostrate” express a perfect salutation to the Three Jewels. This may be made on three levels: first, by realizing the view; then, by proficiency in meditation; and finally, by an act of devout veneration.

The “Precious Three” of the root verse is a reference to the Three Jewels and indicates that the Body, Speech, Mind, Qualities, and Activities of the Buddha are renowned throughout the three worlds. Jigme Lingpa gives an elegant illustration of this by referring to the story of how the Buddha once sent a message to the princess Vine-of-Pearls in the form of a picture of himself together with some verses, printed on a piece of white cloth. When the girl saw the image, the joy she experienced was so intense that it was like a samadhi devoid of even the subtlest kind of discursive thought. And as she reflected on the meaning of the message, the one hundred and twelve obscurations that are hinderances to liberation, and which are discarded on the path of seeing, fell away. The root text compares these obscurations to the deceitful faces of Mara’s daughters, which are like lilies of the night, opening in darkness and blasted by the sun of wisdom cultivated on the path of seeing. As a result, Vine-of-Pearls was prepared for the dissipation of what is to be eliminated on the path of meditation. And all this came about through the power of the Buddha’s compassion. All such religious stories that tell of the effects of the Three Jewels are worthy of universal consideration, for they powerfully counteract the mental distraction and defiled emotions that are the very nature of samsaric existence.

Commitment to Compose the Text

The boundless collections of sutra and tantra teachings were propounded by the Buddha, master of the supreme wisdom of omniscience, who set them forth by means of the five excellences. His followers, the noble Bodhisattvas, composed commentaries beautiful in word and meaning, on the basis of the system of five major elements, compiling them according to the “fourfold interrelated purpose.” These scriptures and commentaries are vast and profound as a great ocean; they are a veritable treasure of purifying waters. Thanks to them the Doctrine of the Conqueror has remained for a long time. Maitreya has said:

All Dharma is contained in Word and Commentary,
The perfectly expressed and its interpretation.
These two ensure that Shakyamuni’s Doctrine
Will remain for long within the world.

Letting Go of Hate

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From The Spiritual Path:  A Compilation of Teachings by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

You have heard that hatred is a primary cause for suffering, so you may say: “First, I want to be free of hatred.” Don’t you often say that? But hatred remains. Why? Because you will willingly let go only of the things that obviously cause suffering. For instance, you will not be involved in wars. Yet this is no great credit to you. Oh, it is some indication that you are progressing on your path, but butterflies don’t wish to go to war either—and they don’t even have the potential to know the Nature of Mind.

Where is this hatred that you wish to be rid of? It resides deep within some subconscious levels of your mind. It also hides. Though you decide to rid yourself of hatred, you compulsively want to hold something back for your own. Hatred you want to be rid of, but you also want to hold on to a particular prejudice against someone or something. You want to maintain an active set of opinions about the qualities and personalities of others. You want to be the one who is right. You want to be the favorite—but this, of course, can only happen if others are not. On the conscious level you pledge your life to be without hatred, but still you have not overcome your dependency on the data given to you by the five senses. You give with one hand and hold back with the other.

The five perceptions are born of desire; this results in all karmic suffering. Your job is to renounce your participation in this process to the very depth of your capacity and then take refuge in the five celestial perceptions, the components of the Buddha in the world, the five pathways to liberation. If you run from the facts of your existence, you will miss your opportunity. You must decide from the depth of your being that you truly wish to be free of hatred in all its forms. Make every conscious effort, realizing that that will not be enough. For instance, it is not enough to think positively: that only makes your hatred more subliminal. Instead, take absolute refuge in the Buddha’s teaching. Make fervent wishing prayers to be free of hatred. Make many different offerings that this might be accomplished, wishing sincerely to be free of pride and the demons of the five senses. Then practice and live the Buddha’s teaching.

There is no suffering you cannot be free of. You hold in your hands a precious wish-fulfilling jewel, a magic carpet, celestial food. You need not be imprisoned within the demonic confines of your five senses when at last you have dedicated yourself to realizing the nature of the five goddesses. The degree to which you have devotion will determine the speed of your victory.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

First Noble Truth

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by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

An excerpt from a Teaching called “How Buddhists Think”

The Buddha’s first teaching dealt with what is now called “The Four Noble Truths.”  This is the basis for everything he taught later.  If it is not understood, then Buddhism will not be understood.

The Buddha taught that cyclic existence, the entire cycle of death and rebirth with all its phenomena, is pervaded by suffering.  If you disagree with that, just look at a newspaper.  Most people’s lives are affected by war, by hunger, by old age; we will all experience sickness and death.  Other forms of sentient life have similar suffering, and it also pervades their lives.

The Buddha does not deny that some happiness exists.  Is there not joy in the drug-like process of falling in love, in loving relationships, in the birth of a child, in acquiring wealth, in seeing and having beautiful things, in enjoying nature and simply feeling good on a good day?

But there is a form of suffering that we all share: every joy has a point of termination.   The Buddha taught that all things are impermanent.  Short-term loves break our hearts when they fail to endure.  Then we revert to our habitual loneliness, anger, and unhappiness.  Even life-long loves and marriages end in separation.

The bottom-line cause of suffering, the Buddha taught, is desire.  And what causes desire to arise?  At a point so unimaginably long ago that it’s called “time out of mind,” there arose the idea of self-nature as inherently real and as separate from “other.”  This fixation on the duality of subject and object is the persistent skeletal structure for all experience.  Until you achieve realization, all the experiences you have derive from this misperception.

Copyright ©  Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Awake to Truth

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A series of tweets from Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo on September 26, 2010

The leaves are turning, rains are coming, and we are all getting old. Impermanence is the most dependable of all things. Everything changes.

The Teachings all say that life is like a swift waterfall. It looks permanent, but if you follow one cup of water down, it disappears quickly.

We are always taught one’s time on Earth should be used to benefit others, and to progress on one’s path. This assures good rebirth until Enlightenment (not intellectual), which is the precious awakening to Primordial Wisdom, the very Ground of Being without contrivance!

Lord Buddha himself never made any other claim than that – To be AWAKE to the emptiness of all phenomena, and of self-nature, and the display of cause and result interdependently arising. That is, as cause arises, so does result, though they may be separated by the dance of time!

This is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. And it was said ALL taught by HIM heard the teachings in their own language. Thus the BIG debate- did the Buddha know everything all at once? Speak all languages? Asked ANY spiritual question, He was able to reply correctly and completely. He knew the path of all who came to him. A true display of his omniscience!

I feel Buddha knew what he knew when He needed to know it. I’m in that camp. Because he was in a body but no longer ordinary His vision and wisdom would arise naturally according to the karma of those around, and the situation at hand.

© Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

About Altars

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What is an Altar?

In Buddhism, an Altar is a physical display and support for one’s practice. The Altar is a sacred space dedicated to images representing one’s faith, devotion, and respect.  It is also a place to make offerings of gratitude for our precious opportunity: for the Path which can lead us out of suffering, for the method which can lead us to Enlightenment.

On a deeper level, the Altar is a representation of the goal of the Path.  The images of the Buddha are reminders that it is possible to accomplish the Method and achieve Enlightenment.  Each of the Buddhas started out just as we are now, as ordinary beings with a sincere wish to seek Enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.  As we view the Altar, we are reminded that this goal is attainable.

The Altar also helps us to train in mindfulness.  The Path is about waking up from our deep sleep of non-recognition.  As we view the altar with faith and devotion, we recognize what is truly extraordinary and what is merely ordinary.  Increasing our awareness helps us to cultivate our pure intention to be of benefit to all sentient beings.

How to set up an Altar

There are many types of Altars.  They can be elaborate or simple, but most important is pure motivation.  Otherwise, the benefit is minimal.

An Altar has at least two levels.  The images of the Buddha––pictures, statues, etc.––are placed on the highest level.  The lowest level is for offerings.  Traditionally, eight offerings are placed on an altar: water for drinking, water for bathing, flowers, incense, light, scent or perfume, food, and music.  They represent what one traditionally offered to guests in one’s home.  In the days before motels and inns, travelers would rely on the kindness of strangers in their homes to provide shelter and food.  This is still the case in many remote areas of Tibet.
OfferingBowlscrop

Offering 1 – A bowl filled with water representing clean water for drinking is offered to the Buddha.  It symbolizes all auspicious, positive causes and conditions.

Offering 2 – A bowl filled with water represents clean water for bathing the Buddha’s feet.  It symbolizes purification.

Offering 3 – A bowl filled with flowers represents the beauty of the Buddha’s Enlightenment.  It symbolizes an open heart and the practice of generosity.  (The bowl can be filled with rice and topped with a silk flower. If fresh flowers are used, the bowl is filled with water.)

Offering 4 – A bowl of rice with incense placed on top symbolizes moral ethics and discipline.

Offering 5 – Light of some kind, a candle or butter lamp, is offered to the Buddha’s eyes and is symbolic of patience and a stable mind that dispels ignorance.

Offering 6 – A bowl of scented water symbolizes joyful, enthusiastic effort and perseverance.  (Or a bottle of fragrance can be placed on top of a bowl of rice.)

Offering 7 – A bowl filled with rice with delicious food on top represents the precious nectar of the Path that leads to Enlightenment.

Offering 8 – A bowl filled with rice and topped with a representation of music (such as a conch shell, cymbals, or bells) is offered to the Buddha’s ears and symbolizes the nature of Wisdom.

Please Note: One can simply offer a light and seven bowls of water in place of the above offerings.

How to Open and Close an Altar

An altar is opened and closed in a specific way.  One opens the altar by pouring water into the bowls in a steady, even way, beginning at the far left and moving to the right.  The bowls should be lined up very straight and evenly spaced, about the width of a grain of rice apart.

When the Altar is closed, it is done in reverse:  the water bowls are emptied starting from the right.  The bowls are dried and turned over, as one meditates on impermanence.  Then the merit is dedicated to all sentient beings.

The bowls that contain substances may be left untouched.  But make sure the offerings remain fresh.  For example, if offering fruit, remove it when it shows the first sign of deterioration.

The offering water may be disposed of outside in a clean place, or it may be used to water a plant.  The food offerings may be eaten after they are removed from the Altar.  Since this is blessed food, it should be treated with mindfulness and respect.

Offering Verses

One may recite offering verses when an Altar is opened.  Jetsunma has suggested that RAM YAM KAM may be used when the offering is made, followed by OM AH HUNG.  RAM YAM KAM represents the ordinary elements, and OM AH HUNG represents the transformation of the ordinary into the extraordinary.

How to Maintain an Altar

The inner posture of maintaining an Altar is the same as if one were caring directly for the Buddha or one’s Root Guru. Treat the Altar with great respect and love, for it represents the precious vehicle by which it is possible to end suffering and achieve the awakened state of Enlightenment.  Keep the Altar and everything on it clean, orderly, and fresh.

Miscellaneous Information Regarding Offerings

We make offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas not because they need them, but for our own benefit, to accumulate merit and wisdom. Offerings are a simple, beautiful way to do what will eventually lead to our awakening.

Traditionally, one does not offer anything sour such as lemons or limes on the Altar, or any of the foods considered “dark,” such as garlic.

If a mala is offered on the Altar, it is usually placed on the foot of the Deity or at the base of the statue. Once a mala has been offered, it is no longer appropriate for personal use.

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