karma

The Fifth Root Downfall of the Bodhisattva Vow

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Offering

The following is respectfully quoted from a commentary on the Bodhisattva Vows by Geshi Tashi: http://www.bodhicitta.net/BODHISATTVAVOWS.htm

5.    Taking Offerings Intended for the Three Jewels

Taking offerings intended for the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is considered a root downfall. Here the Buddha means any buddha image as well as the actual Buddha himself. At Jamyang we make many offerings to the big Buddha statue in the main gompa. Why is it so bad if you steal something from a statue? It is just a statue. Peter Griffin built it out of plaster. We all know that. But still, it is more than that. Within the statue are many, many mantras and there have been so many strong prayers made to the statue. So this is no longer just an object made by Peter. After he completed it many great masters such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Denma Locho Rinpoche have blessed it and many people, with sincere conviction, have made prayers in front of it. It is not just an image, it is an inspiration, and, for a Buddhist practitioner, it really represents the Buddha. 

So things offered to the Buddha’s image are offered to the Buddha. It is the same with any holy object – a statue, a stupa, a thanka. It is not as if the objects ‘own’ the offerings. But although there is no one who says, ‘This belongs to me’, taking those offerings is the same as stealing from a buddha. The offerings have been sincerely offered, so it is very important to learn how to handle those objects with great sensitivity. 

In the monastery, handling the monastery’s things is a very sensitive issue – not for only those monks who have the responsibility of looking after those things but also for people coming from outside. Traditionally, Tibetan people are very, very careful. Even when having a cup of tea in a monastery, they pay a lot of attention because the object they are using is really dedicated towards the Three Jewels, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This is true of any property that belongs to a community, but much more so a spiritual community such as a monastery or a Dharma centre.

It is a very sensitive point. When Nagarjuna was asked to become the monk in charge of the monastery property, he completely declined. There is a prayer which he wrote requesting not to be born in charge in a monastery because he saw how heavy a downfall it was if that property was mishandled.

People contribute things to Dharma centres with a sincere heart, really wishing to help the development of the community. Because places like this are such powerful objects, if we misuse their possessions we are creating a much heavier negativity than if we misuse a normal person’s possessions.

And of course, taking without permission is much, much heavier than if someone in charge gives you something and you misuse that.

It is the same with taking from the Sangha. ‘Sangha’ very strictly speaking refers to a person who has a direct realisation of emptiness, or more generally to fully ordained monks or nuns but very loosely speaking, Sangha can refer to people who are practising the spiritual path. It is very important to know how to use things which belong to that kind of community. 

The Law of Karma: From “Treasury of Precious Qualities” by Jigme Lingpa

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The following is respectfully quoted from “Treasury of Precious Qualities” by Jigme Lingpa translated by the Padmakara Translation Group:

The Karmic Process in General

There is absolutely no doubt that when we die, we must go where we are propelled. Like fish caught on a hook, we are entangled in the strings of our karma and pulled into one or other of the six realms, high or low. This is nothing but the effect of actions, positive or negative. It is true that, ultimately speaking there is no such thing as origination, but on the level of relative truth, the karmic principle of cause and effect as inescapable. It is like a gardener planting two kinds of seed, the bitter aloe or sweet grape. The resulting crops will have a corresponding taste. In the same way, the existential quality of our present lives, whether fortunate or otherwise, is but the product of positive or negative actions to which we have become accustomed in our previous existences.

Actions never fail to produce an effect

The shadow of a bird soaring in the sky may be temporarily invisible, but it is still there and will always appear when the bird comes to earth. In the same way, when attendant causes coincide with the factors of Craving and Grasping, karma comes to fruition and results in a life situation that is either favorable or unfavorable. As the sutra says, “The karma that living beings gather is never worn away even after a hundred kalpas. When the moment comes and the appropriate conditions gather, the fruit of the action will come to maturity.”

For as long as phenomena are apprehended as truly existent, even small negative actions are liable to have immense consequences.  They are likened in the root verse to a monstrous fire-vomiting mare–a reference to the volcanoes that encircle and ocean of brine on the rim of the world. The fire of those volcanoes is able to dry up the countless waves of the sea that here symbolize happy incarnations, the fruit of positive action. It is important to study the sutras such as the Saddharmasmrityupasthana, Karmashataka, Lalitavistara, and Karmavibbanga, for they describe how our human condition, which is like a ship in which we can sail to the precious isle of Omniscience, may be wrecked and brought to utter ruin.

The results of evil deeds, namely, the lower realms so full of dreadful and inescapable misery, are said in the root text to have been unable, for the moment, to overwhelm our strength, our army of ten “virtues tending to happiness”–in other words, our fortunate existence in higher states. These virtues are like heroes whose land is not yet overrun by the legions of suffering. And yet if our determination weakens, we shall fall into the ten evil actions and thence into lower existences. There are many ways in which this might happen. Some people, aspiring to liberation, receive the vows of pure discipline from their abbots or preceptors. But tempted by  desire or other evil thoughts, they break their commitments and fall, defeated in their monastic resolve. Again, some people kill animals for the sake of gain, thereby shortening their own lives. Some, out of aggression, go off to war only to be killed themselves. Some, inspired by virtue, embrace an ascetic discipline, becoming indifferent even to food and clothing. But later, victims of their desire, they settle down to married life. Some devote themselves with great effort to study and reflection, but they are unable to free themselves of the eight worldly concerns and are carried away by mundane preoccupations. Some, instead of offering their wealth to the Three Jewels, lavish it on their relatives and squander it.

On the whole, a moral conscience with regard to oneself and one’s religious values, and a sense of shame in respect of the opinions of others, are two factors that work in tandem to put a brake on evil behavior. Some people, however, abandon both their conscience and their sense of shame. They disregard virtuous conduct and in one way or other indulge in evil, succumbing to the habits they have grown accustomed  to from time without beginning. This is how people fall into the lower realms and stay there.

 

The Cycle Continues

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

The Palyul Retreat in New York is on, and after a bumpy start is running smoothly. I will be going soon after a few days or a week of treatment and duties at KPC. But I look forward to going. I hope to teach one Saturday night there. I have much to share with this new sangha developing Since His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s parinirvana.

Letting go of the old, helping the new birth itself. Such is cyclic existence. Round and round. Yet the cycle continues unstopped. Whatever results we are living now were born before. And on we go until we learn to think in full equations.

 Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved

Opportunity…

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

We don’t know what karmic causes make our current results. How difficult! Think, then, in full equations, apply general cures. Please be strong enough to accept responsibility for hurt you’ve caused and make restitution. It is weakness that prevents it.

Again, please join us in repairing the Stupas for all the benefit they bring! It is a rich experience to take advantage of, KPC and the Palyul Stupas!

And we need gardeners and help clearing land. Any offering helps.

Please bring canned goods and food you haven’t used. A day ago a nice lady came by and wiped us out to feed old folks. So we must set limits and ask that the actual people come in. The Temple itself is nourishing. Please be fair, and do share with all.

Copyright ©  Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo All rights reserved.

What It Means to Be Sectarian: by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche

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The following is respectfully quoted from “Gurus for Hire Enlightenment for Sale” by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche:

If you are a member of the royalty of one country and you criticize your own royalty, its okay because inadvertently, you include yourself. For example, if I were in the royal family of a certain country and I criticized the royalty of my country, some people in our country or i the royal house may be a little unhappy, but it is generally acceptable because I have included myself in the criticism. I am showing humility and not pointing fingers at other people.

However, it would not be acceptable if I started saying that our royalty was very good, but the royalty of another country was excessive, stupid, not educated, spoiled and did not do anything for their country. Some people who are fanatical in our country might agree but the people who can think will see that it is not a very good policy and not very diplomatic. They will say that we do not have the full information, that we are just looking at things in the media and that we do not know the inside story. They will question our right to criticize another royal family of another country that people respect. Once we start saying those kinds of things, we invite criticism of our own royal family and we open the doors for other people to criticize us also.

Similarly, we have four sects of Buddhism in Tibet. Each sect has its own head but the four sects have the same goal, priorities and requirements for Enlightenment. All their teachings are textually and scripturally sound, based on reliable sources that come from India, stemming back to Lord Buddha himself.

I have not studied other lineages. I have read a little here and there but I can never claim to know anything about other lineages. However, i can tell you from observing the other lineages and erudite Gurus that I do not see a difference between them and the erudite masters of my lineage. They are compassionate, just as the ones in my lineage are. If a master of another lineage becomes a Buddha or becomes highly attained, I do not see them as different from a master of my lineage. Once he attains Enlightenment, a Buddha is a Buddha, without any lineage. Once we climb to the top of the mountain, it is what flag we put on the top of that mountain that identifies who we are. Actually, the person who climbs to the top is just a mountain climber who go to the top!

I can only say that the other lineages (besides Gelugpa) are definitely valid because I have checked out their masters, their students and disciples. I can say they are good because I look at the results. Just as in my own lineage (Gelugpa), they also have great practitioners and practitioners who do not really practice. It is the same. (I do not say this politically. If I say this politically, I can see through my motive and so can you.)

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has mentioned this during teachings. What His Holiness says is correct. I believe it, but I am a critical person and will still check it out and think about it.

When one sect criticizes another sect, it is very, very serious. One sect has no right to criticize another sect. One sect has not fully studied another sect’s or another school’s tenets in order to have the knowledge to criticize or to say anything. That is why I would not ever criticize, even if I had studied it; and dare not since I have never studied it. I would not even go in that direction.

Prejudice and bias toward another sect or another form of Buddhism is dangerous, as explained in the Lamrim Chenmo. The karmic effect of saying negative things about other lineages is very damaging.

Let’s consider how dangerous it is to kill an animal; how bad the karma is to kill a person or a monk. We cannot kill a Buddha because a Buddha does not have the karma to be killed, but if we could kill a Buddha, imagine the incredible amount of negative karma that would arise from that action. The Lamrim says that if we spread sectarian views, it is understood, the other person accepts and we rejoice, the four completing actions or the four factors of intention are complete: the demerit of spreading sectarian views is equivalent to killing 1,000 Buddhas. That is what His Holiness Pabongkha Rinpoche explained in the Lamrim Chenmo.

If other people dare spread sectarian views, we should have great compassion for them, never listen and just cut their talk off. We should not entertain or listen to them. Remember, we are trying to gain merit! If the demerit of spreading sectarian views is equivalent to killing 1,000 Buddhas, then all the merit we create from doing prostrations, making offerings and meditating will down the drain! Symbolically, the amount of practice we do can fill up one bathtub. If we were to put that bathtub into the ocean, it becomes nothing. The karma of killing 1,000 Buddhas is like the ocean. When we engage in sectarian talk, it is like putting our little bathtub of merit into the ocean and wondering what happened!

If we were to judge another school or sect of Buddhism and say they are not as good as ours, then we are also presupposing that no attainments can be gained from their practice. It is saying that in their lineage, there are no enlightened Gurus, no high-level, attained teachers or practitioners. It is impossible. It cannot be!

Every lineage and every school of Buddhism in every country, everywhere, has elite, erudite, practiced masters who prove to us that if we practice each school individually and correctly, we will get the results. The techniques and the way the different schools are formed may differ a bit due to time, place, geography and culture but that does not mean they are not complete paths in themselves.

It is sectarianism to have biased views against another lineage, another school or another form, based on prejudice, ego, self-centeredness, insecurity, fear and ignorance; or to think that it might not be good if someone is not practicing what we are practicing.

You will never see, feel, hear or sense one bit of sectarianism in a real practitioner of Buddhism who wishes to become a fully enlightened Buddha for the benefit of others. Why would a real Dharma practitioner speak about something that was never on their mind? Why would they dwell on or express things that are not true? Real Buddhist practitioners do not lie or have baseless bias.

We cannot even be biased against other religions, as spoken by the perfect Buddha and as taught by the perfect Dalai Lama. If we cannot be biased against other religions, how can we be biased against different sects within our own religion?

The Ten Negative Actions: From “Treasury of Precious Qualities”

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The following is respectfully quoted from “Treasury of Precious Qualities” by Jigme Lingpa:

There are ten ways of behaving, related to body, speech and mind, that are to be abandoned.

To begin with, there are three physical acts: killing, taking what is not given, and sexual misconduct. These are followed by four negative actions of speech: lying, divisive speech, worthless chatter, and harsh words. Finally, there are three negative actions of mind: covetousness, evil intent, and wrong views.

1. Killing

A complete act of killing takes place according to five criteria.

a)    A living being must be the object of the action.

b)    There must be no mistaking the intended victim.

c)    There must be the specific intention to kill.

d)    The act must be performed knowingly.

e)    The death of the being must ensue.

Similar to this are all acts of aggression when death occurs, through beating and so forth, even when death is not actually intended.

2. Theft

The act of taking what is not freely given is fully accomplished when four elements are present.

a)    The object concerned must be the possession of another.

b)    The agent knows that this is the case.

c)    The agent knowingly appropriates it.

d)    The object moves its location and becomes the agent’s property.

Related to theft are acts whereby things are acquired by deceit, for instance, in commercial transactions, or by extortion, or through the imposition of unjust fines, confiscation, and so on.

3. Sexual Misconduct

Sexual misconduct takes place when three elements are present.

a)    It is known that the object of desire is the partner of another, or else a person engaged by someone else. One is aware that one is in the presence of a representation of the Buddha, or of persons with pratimoksha ordination (clerical or lay). One has intercourse with someone judged inappropriate in terms of custom, time, or any other criteria.

b)    Actual physical union.

c)    Satisfaction.

Included in sexual misconduct are improper sexual acts.

4. Lying

Lying occurs when four elements are present.

a)    The speaker must not be mistaken about what he or she wants to say.

b)    The speaker must have the intention to deceive.

c)    The lie must be consciously pronounced.

d)    The hearer must be deceived.

Associated with lying are all attempts to twist the truth by deceptive means and the concealment of the facts in order to cheat people.

5. Divisive Speech

Here, three factors are necessary.

a)    The people affected must be living in harmony or at least in a relationship of neutrality.

b)    The agent speaks in order to divide the parties.

c)    Discord arises between them, or at least the meaning of the speaker’s words comes home to them.

Allied to divisive speech is the repetition of criticism or abuse spoken by others in order to nurture resentment.

6. Worthless chatter

This comprises three elements.

a)    The conversation is motivated by the defilements.

b)    The mind strays to what is unwholesome.

c)    Futile chatter occurs: in other words, conversation productive of attachment or aversion. This covers, for instance, discussions about the sacrifices described in the Vedas, poetry, historical discourses about the rise and fall of empires, singing, recounting of legends, erotic literature, and tales of adventure and crime.

Related to worthless chatter are all unnecessary conversations about wars, crime, and so forth, even if this does not provoke attachment or hatred.

7. Harsh words

This depends on three factors.

a)    A specific person must be addressed.

b)    This person is spoken to harshly and hidden faults are exposed.

c)    The words pierce the person’s heart, causing trauma and sorrow.

Allied to verbal abuse are all kinds of talk that, though superficially sweet, bring about the unhappiness of others.

8. Covetousness

Covetousness has two factors.

a)    The object in mind must be the wealth or reputation of another.

b)    One must be obsessed with the other person’s qualities and belongings and want to take them for oneself.

Related to covetousness are all reflections on the wealth and advantages of others, with the wish to have them for oneself.

9. Evil Intent

Two factors are required for evil intent.

a)    The object must be a living being.

b)    The agent hates and deeply wishes harm to the other, desiring his or her misery, whether physical or mental. Wishing harm on others may be connected with anyone of nine objects: those who cause trouble to oneself, those who attack one’s friends, and those who aid one’s enemies. These three categories, multiplied by three according to past, present and future, come to nine objects all together. In addition, there are five factors that accompany evil intent. These are: hatred, rancor, injured pride, vengefulness, and ignorance.

Related to evil intent is discomfort at the advantages of others, such as riches and long life, and the wish that they did not have them but rather their opposites.

10. Wrong Views

There are two kinds of false views.

a)    Disbelief in the ineluctable principle of karma.

b)    Belief in a permanent self and phenomena, or the opposite, namely, nihilism, the belief that nothing survives death.

Related to wrong views are claims, born of animosity, that a sublime being has faults when this is not the case, and conversely the denial of the qualities that such a being possesses—thus creating doubts in the minds of others.

 

 

 

Interdependence

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The following is from a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Hello all. I have some doctor appointments today, so I thought I’d drop in on Twitter. Miss you all. I am doing well, though. IBS is slowing, headaches are less awful, (much) lower back somewhat improved, BP lower, PTSD treatment helpful.

Better to take responsibility yourself than to blame and point. Sadly, our karma is our own, and nobody else’s. When we point and blame we demonstrate how incompetent we are in understanding cause and effect.

At any rate we must eventually come to see the full equation. Cause and effect – result. Exacting result.

The relative universe is like a woven fabric. If one thread is pulled, it also pulls elsewhere in time and space. If pressure is applied somewhere it will produce a “pull” somewhere else. And no measure of denial or disrespect will change anything, although it will increase blind, babbling ignorance with no blessing to help anyone.

Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo.  All rights reserved

Guide Your Life With Right Though Part 1: Full Length Video Teaching

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The following is a full length video teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

 

Right thought is part of the 8-fold Path first taught by the Buddha as he described the method for exiting suffering. Jetsunma explores the concept of right thought and how i weaves with your karma to affect your experiences now and in the future.

© Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo All Rights Reserved

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