While first reminding us of the general meaning of dharma, the three trainings, and the teachings on buddha nature, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering then turned towards the third and fourth pāramitā or perfection, the practice of patience and diligence, respectively. What do we need to get closer and closer to the state of buddhahood?
Creating Space to Look Within
It was emphasized that we begin with the practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation), as a way to slow down our mind and create a space to look within. Through looking within, we start to see the workings of our mind. In this way, we become familiar with ourselves and will be able to tame and train the mind, which can be understood as the general purpose of the dharma.
In addition, whether we think or feel our practice went well or not, we can always end our session with a feeling of appreciation. No matter how we may evaluate our practice, we can rejoice that we took the time to work with our minds. This applies equally to listening or studying the dharma as well.
Three Baskets and Three Trainings
Acharya continued our session by encouraging us to give rise to the intention to listen, contemplate, and practice the dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings. Dharma can be understood as the teaching of the Buddha. These teachings, he elaborated, are grouped together in three “baskets”– the Tripiṭaka.
Within these three collections, we find the three trainings: the training in higher discipline or ethics, the training in higher meditative concentration, and the training in higher wisdom. Illustrated by the example of obtaining sesame oil from a sesame seed, Acharya stressed that we can all obtain the state of omniscience or buddhahood if we make an effort to do so. Why is this so? Acharya said:
“The nature of the mindstream of a buddha and the nature of the mindstream of an ordinary being is identical. All sentient beings possess buddha nature.”
In brief, he continued, buddha means the exhaustion of all delusions and the full development of wisdom. Practicing dharma, then, is to remove our delusions and expand our wisdom. In order to do this, we need to accumulate merit and wisdom through the 37 practices of a bodhisattva, as pointed out by Ngulchu Tokmé, and especially that of the six pāramitās. If we do not engage in these practices, we will unnecessarily prolong our time in the world of suffering orsaṃsāra.
Patience Without Malice
After covering the pāramitā of generosity and discipline in the previous sessions, Acharya continued with verse 27, which expresses the perfection of patience:
“For bodhisattvas who desire a wealth of virtue,
All harmful actions done to them are like a precious treasure.
Therefore, to practice patience that is
Without any malice toward anyone is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)
Practicing patience may not be easy. In fact, Acharya said, it is quite difficult. Both the sūtras and bodhisattvas like Śāntideva teach that patience is even more difficult than to bear suffering. Yet, it is of great importance. Why? Drawing from Śāntideva’s Entrance to the Way of a Bodhisattva and Bodhisattvapitaka Sūtra, Acharya explained that a single moment of anger can destroy all the virtue that we have gathered for a very long time. Therefore, “[…] to practice patience that is without any malice toward anyone […],” as taught in this verse by Ngulchu Tokmé, is the key practice.
Getting Closer to Buddhahood by Taking Small Steps
Despite the difficulty of practicing patience, Acharya shared various practical ways to strengthen our patience in daily life and when practicing the dharma, and to do so one step at a time:
- Instead of thinking of those who cause you harm as enemies and trying to destroy them, we should look at them as a treasure, turn inward, and tame our mind of anger. “Taming the angry mind is equal to taming all outer enemies,” Acharya said.
- In everyday situations, like someone cutting the line at the grocery store or when the coffee we ordered isn’t quite right, we reflect on ourselves and on the unseen difficulties that may be behind those actions. This way we can gradually expand our patience.
- Whenever we encounter difficulties during dharma practice, like physical pain in meditation, or hearing about very subtle and profound teachings on karma or emptiness which may be difficult to grasp, instead of resisting or turning away, we need to open our mind and develop endurance.
In short, if we are able to carry such situations onto the path and consider them as treasures, then we will be able to get closer and closer to the state of buddhahood, the wealth of omniscience.
Ending Laziness
The next verse, 28, teaches about the practice of exertion or diligence:
“Though the hearers and solitary realizers practice only for their own benefit,
They exert themselves like their hair is on fire.
Seeing this, to practice diligence, the source of qualities,
For the sake of all beings is the practice of a bodhisattva.” (28)
Just like we need to strengthen our patience by taking small steps, we need to gradually increase our diligence. Whereas anger is the affliction to be removed through developing patience, the obstacle we are working with in the context of the pāramitā of exertion is laziness. Acharya explained that the teachings speak about three kinds of lazinesses that we need to put to an end:
- Laziness of inactivity: our regular kind of laziness of being passive, like just sitting on a couch.
- Laziness of clinging to non- virtuousnonvirtuous actions: rather than practicing the dharma to attain enlightenment, we engage in non- virtuousnonvirtuous activities like duck hunting or something similar.
- Laziness of lack of self-confidence: thinking, for one reason or another, that it would not be possible for us to obtain buddhahood.
As mentioned earlier, Acharya reminded us about the teaching on buddha nature: all sentient beings possess the same essence or potential to become a buddha. Therefore, he said, “if we put in an effort and exert ourselves, if we are diligent, we are all able to recognize our buddha nature and obtain the state of buddhahood.”
Making a Real Effort to Benefit Others
In this verse, Ngulchu Tokmé points to the effort made by śrāvakās (hearers) and pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers). While they practice dharma solely for their own benefit, following the path of individual liberation, they exert themselves “like their hair is on fire.”
Knowing or seeing that hearers and solitary realizers exert themselves in this way, there is no need to speak about the effort we should make to obtain enlightenment. After all, Acharya taught, we seek to benefit all sentient beings on the Mahāyāna path. So, our diligence should surely be even greater than the hearers and solitary realizers. If, Acharya continued, we would practice dharma in a continuous manner and engage in virtuous activity, even when starting with just a couple of minutes a day, we would be able to achieve the state of omniscience.
Applying this to studying Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, Acharya closed our Meditation for All session by encouraging us to practice or, at least, to read these verses regularly. If time allows, every day.
“Even if you don’t understand the meaning,” Acharya said, “if you read with the intention to benefit others, having an altruistic mind, the meaning of these verses will naturally come to us.”
Acharya thanked everyone for joining in this practice, and we dedicated the merit.
Karmapa Khyenno!
