Author Archives: Karma Osung

All is the Path in Pursuit of the Dream – 37 Practices – Session 11

Wishing everyone Losar Tashi Delek, a happy Tibetan New Year of the Female Wood Snake, we began our practice with the usual opening chants and śamatha meditation. After this, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering offered commentary on the thirteenth and fourteenth verse of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. What to do when someone harms or says unpleasant things about you?

Formal Meditation: Entering Noble Silence

During our practice of śamatha, it is important to pay attention to our posture of body, speech, and mind. Sitting firmly grounded yet relaxed, we turn inward and are simply aware of what appears to our minds, without any evaluation or judgement.

For the posture of speech,  it is said that we can think of formal meditation as entering a space of noble silence. We step away from the usual daily activity and, for a moment, don’t speak or use words at all. 

Sitting in this physical posture and space of noble silence, we connect with the heart of awakening, bodhicitta: seeking genuine freedom, well-being, happiness, and the state of buddhahood for the benefit of everyone. 

Keeping Our Big Vision in Mind

Beginning the discussion of our root text, Acharya Lhakpa mentioned that Gyelse Tokmé Zangpo’s 37 Practices condenses the practice of the Mahāyāna. In short, we set out on this heroic path of a bodhisattva with the intention to achieve enlightenment in order to free all sentient beings from the confusion of samsara. 

With this big vision or dream in mind, we pursue it till its completion. What does this mean for our practice? In what ways can we approach our experiences as a path? The thirteenth and fourteenth verse each point to a particular aspect of our lives and how to take that as part of our journey. The first of these reads as follows:

“Should someone sever my head
Even though I did not do the slightest wrong
Through the power of compassion, to take on
Their negativity for myself is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

Turning Suffering into Path

Without a doubt, the world we live in and experience on a daily basis includes all kinds of difficulties and people harming us. Acharya Lhakpa joked that if one of us would find a peaceful place to practice the dharma without such situations, to please send him an email or let him know! 

Although the root verse speaks about one particular form of great suffering — our own death — it is really about the way we can utilize hardships and pain in such a way that they become the causes and conditions for attaining enlightenment. It is not so much about someone actually cutting off our head but more about what we should do in response to any kind of harm, great or small, that is inflicted upon us. Ngulchu Tokmé writes that the path of a bodhisattva is to take on their negativity in return through the power of compassion. 

How (and why) should we do this? Acharya Lhakpa explained that the person who inflicts  any degree of harm on us is simply overpowered or controlled by mental afflictions like attachment, aversion, or ignorance. Furthermore, living in an interdependent world since beginningless time, he/she/they surely have benefited us at some point. Yet, above all, we have committed ourselves to seek enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. This aspiration includes anyone who might harm us. Instead of harming this person in return, we generate compassion and give rise to bodhicitta. 

Taking Small Steps in Everyday Life

Acharya Lhakpa further commented that we may not be able to respond to suffering with compassion and give rise to the heart of awakening right away. However, we can at least begin by reflecting on our actions and learn how to work with suffering on our paths. If we are not able to do so and continue this downward movement of nonvirtuous activity due to our mental afflictions, we will never find a place that is in harmony with practicing the dharma and fulfilling our dreams. 

Having the understanding that nonvirtuous activity is due to mental afflictions, and the person who harms us accumulates negative karma as a consequence of that, we engage in the practice of tonglen (“giving and taking”). This means that we take on his/her/their negative karma and give the virtue we have accumulated ourselves in return. This is something we can practice in everyday life, in small steps. For example, Acharya said, when someone cuts the line at the grocery store, instead of reacting negatively, we can just let it go. 

Taking Unpleasant Words Onto the Path

The fourteenth verse follows the same way of thinking:

“Even if some should proclaim unpleasant things
About me throughout the three-thousand-fold universe,
With a mind of loving-kindness, to speak of their qualities 
In return is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

Our resident teacher shared that he thought this verse is particularly helpful in our twenty-first century, especially when thinking about how fast news spreads these days. Whether someone says something about ourselves, our close ones, our country, or whatever it may be that we experience as unpleasant, we don’t act (or react) negatively in return nor do we hold onto such incidents. Basically, this verse teaches us to take anything we feel as being unpleasant onto the path. 

Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s Pith Instruction

Usually, we very much like hearing pleasant words or praise, and we easily get upset when people say unpleasant things or blame us. Acharya Lhakpa shared that he had the great fortune once to receive a pith instruction from Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, the teacher of his own teacher, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, that relates to this. “Khenpo Rinpche gave this pith instruction to me, and it is still very vividly present in my mind and very, very beneficial for me. I hope it will bring the same magnitude of benefit to all of you.” 

In short, Khenpo Rinpoche instructed not to get attached to the good things people say about us  nor to hold onto any negative comments.. These are just a play of their thoughts. Praise or blame follow from people’s conceptual thinking. Those, in turn, are driven by the mental afflictions. So, if someone praises or blames you for something, it merely shows their mental constructs and afflictive emotions. 

Furthermore, we know from our own experience that these remarks are not trustworthy or stable whatsoever. A person might have a positive thought and praise you in the morning, and have a negative thought and blame you the very same evening. Thus, there is no point in getting attached to either one. 

When Things Go Viral

Ngulchu Tokmé writes in this verse that we should practice loving-kindness, “even if some should proclaim unpleasant things about me throughout the three-thousand-fold universe [Acharya’s emphasis].” This, Acharya Lhakpa commented, must be something greatly unpleasant. He likened this to someone expressing something negative about you and it going viral, the words finding their way to all corners of the world. 

Instead of reacting negatively out of pride, which would become an obstacle for fulfilling our dream of attaining enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, we say positive and good things about that person in return. This will help to break or tear down our pride and thus bring us closer to attaining our goal. “Pride is one of the obstacles to attaining complete enlightenment. There is no enlightenment if there is pride. Therefore, to attain our goal, we should be free from any pride.” 

The pith instruction given here by Ngulchu Tokmé and mirrored in the words of Khenpo Rinpoche is that of letting go of our attachment to pleasant things and aversion to unpleasant things. Acharya Lhakpa summed it up by saying:

“If our dream is to attain the state of omniscience, if that is what we are truly seeking to achieve, we need to let go of our attachments and not be affected by any negativity. By clearing away these obstacles, we will attain the state of omniscience.”

To conclude, Acharya Lhakpa emphasized not to get lost in the words and examples of extreme violence or unpleasant things mentioned in the text.

“Please try to get the message or instruction given here and how to apply that in our path. We don’t have to apply all that is taught but take one stance or word that is useful in everyday life. If this gives you the message, I think that will be okay.” 

Following those words, we dedicated the merit and Acharya Lhakpa wished everyone a wonderful day, afternoon, or night, and warmly invited everyone to join again next Sunday.

Please Don’t Wait to Practice – 37 Practices – Session 10

Our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, began our session by guiding our meditation practice once again. He offered some brief instructions, starting with giving rise to the enlightened intention: “Whatever positive outcome we may get from this practice, may it be the seed of enlightenment for myself and all sentient beings.” Together with a comfortable posture of body, the most important point is to meditate with a simple awareness of the present moment, without any pressure. Not being able to relax would otherwise turn into an obstacle. “So, relax,” he said.“Just be simply aware.” 

Post-Meditation: Dealing with the World

The verse Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen taught last week, verse eleven, focused on the practice of Tonglen (giving and taking) from within meditative equipoise (a deep state of concentration). The next ten verses are about post-meditation practice or subsequent attainment, starting with verse twelve: 

“Even if someone, out of intense desire, steals all my wealth,
Or makes another do so,
To dedicate my body, possessions, and all virtue of the three times
To them is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

Post-meditation practice starts the moment we rise from meditative practice and deal with the real world: our jobs, family, friends, or work for our center. The practice pointed out here by Ngulchu Tokmé is that of taking loss onto the path. 

Bringing Enlightenment Closer Through Dedication

The first two lines, Acharya Lhakpa commented, have a very deep meaning. While the verse speaks about the person who steals our wealth as the one having great desire, this is something that applies to all of us. Perhaps the degree differs, but we all have some kind of desire and continuously try to accumulate things for ourselves. 

As a consequence, if someone steals what we have accumulated, we typically react with anger and seek revenge. When we do so, Acharya pointed out, we are no different from the person who stole our wealth. “That will not make us a bodhisattva,” he said.

What bodhisattvas do, in contrast, is to dedicate everything they have to this person–their body, wealth, and all merit–and wish that negative karma does not come to fruition for him/her/them. Instead, we wish this person to be free of suffering. “If we are able to dedicate in this way, it will bring our full enlightenment closer to us,” Acharya said. 

Making Dedication Meaningful

The questions you may have, Acharya Lhakpa said, are: “Why should I be kind instead of punishing this person? Why should I give my body, possessions, and virtues I have accumulated?” What we need to do, he continued, is to change our mindset. We can do so in two ways. 

One way of thinking is how all beings have either served us in some way or another in previous lives (since we have been in samsara from beginningless time) or that we perhaps stole from this person. Another way of thinking is that this person actually has no freedom or autonomy because of being under the influence or compelled by the afflictive emotion of desire. It is like the example given by Śāntideva in The Way of the Bodhisattva: if someone hits us with a stick, we will be angry with the person. But the person (or thief) here is like the stick. The intense desire (or the mental affliction) is the one controlling the action; the person/thief has no autonomy, as he is overpowered by the intense desire. 

In one way or another, it shows how it makes no sense to be angry at this person and, instead, be kind and dedicate all we have to them. It is important to do that with one of these views in mind. If we would merely think, “I will give this to you,” then our dedication has little meaning. 

Letting Go

In a previous verse, Acharya Lhakpa reminded us, Ngulchu Tokmé already taught that we cannot take anyone or anything with us at the time of death, including our own body, which we so dearly cherish. Therefore, a bodhisattva lets go of this life; but what about the virtue we accumulate? 

As a beginning dharma practitioner, we speak about accumulating merit as a method to generate interest and a joyful mind towards practicing the dharma—just like we play games and introduce all kinds of arts to children to educate them. In this way, we think we will be getting something. This makes use of our very strong habit of wishing to accumulate things. 

“However,” our resident teacher taught, “when we practice dharma, there is nothing to accumulate. We have to let go as much as we can. Doing so, we will realize emptiness and attain enlightenment.” There really is nothing collecting nor something to be collected. So, we let go and dedicate everything to other beings. 

Practicing Right Now

To conclude, what is the main practice pointed out by Ngulchu Tokmé in this verse? Is it about the person who is stealing all our wealth and possessions? “No,” Acharya Lhakpa said. 

“The main thought and practice pointed out is about us holding on, cherishing and being attached to our body, possessions, and all virtue of the three times. It is this that we need to let go of. If we can’t let go of that, it will turn into an obstacle for obtaining the state of buddhahood.” 

“Furthermore,” Acharya Lhakpa added, “we should not wait until someone with intense desire comes and steals our wealth. We should practice letting go of our body, possessions, and virtue now.” While practicing fully and directly, truly giving these away to others, may be very difficult; what we can do right now, without a thief coming along, is to reduce our attachment and decrease our holding onto things. “Please, don’t wait till someone comes and forcefully pushes you to practice. We should engage in the practice right now,” concluded Acharya Lhakpa.

Following those words, we ended our session by dedicating the merit.

The Heart of Sharing – 37 Practices – Session 9

During this week’s Meditation for All, we were joined by Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen. A dear friend of our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, Lama Tenpa was a member  of the first class of Rumtek Monastery’s Shri Nalanda Institute in Sikkim, India, as was our advisor, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Chancellor of Nalandabodhi and a great teacher and meditation guide, Acharya Lama Tenpa kindly accepted Acharya Lhakpa’s request to teach us about the eleventh verse of The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. 

Being Lucky: Paying Homage to His Holiness the 16th Karmapa

Following our opening chants and śamatha practice, with an emphasis on our physical posture and giving rise to bodhicitta, Acharya Lama Tenpa began by paying homage to the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. 

Wishing everyone tashi delek, he expressed how honored and happy he was to lead the session, not just because of this particular session and topic but also because it was another way of recollecting the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa. In fact, he said, he felt very fortunate and blessed to have met His Holiness. Likewise, Lama Tenpa shared how everyone present was lucky for having a connection with KC16 and, therefore, also with the Sixteenth Karmapa. 

Turning to our topic and the eleventh verse of Tokmé Zangpo’s text, The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, Acharya Lama Tenpa stressed how his guru, Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, always told his students to recite and practice this text. Furthermore, Khenpo Rinpoche told him to teach this text again and again since it is a very important and powerful practice. 

The Importance and Benefits of Bodhicitta

The first thing to note, Acharya Lama Tenpa said, is the importance of bodhicitta or the heart of enlightenment, not only for our spiritual path but also for our daily lives. “In order to have a healthy spiritual path, you need bodhicitta,” he said. “In order to have a good life, you need bodhicitta. In order to have a good community, you need bodhicitta. So, bodhicitta is very, very important.” 

For this reason, the Buddha taught bodhicitta to be like water or breath, and the great Indian master Śāntideva opens his important text, The Way of the Bodhisattva, with a long chapter about the benefits of bodhicitta. “What we need,” Lama Tenpa said, “is only bodhicitta. Both in our spiritual life and our mundane life. We need bodhicitta.” 

How to Cultivate Bodhicitta? Three Main Methods

Knowing the importance of bodhicitta, the next question to ask is: How do we cultivate or generate the heart of awakening? While there are many ways, Lama Tenpa taught there are three main methods: 

  1. Tracking down the cause: What is the cause of bodhicitta? Contemplating this, we will find that compassion is the near cause and stands in a chain of causality that goes back to love and connection. 
  2. Equalizing self and other: Just as we want to be happy and free of suffering, all beings want to be happy and free of suffering. We are equal in this regard. 
  3. Exchanging self and other: We give our own happiness and well-being to others, and take from them their pain, suffering, and confusion.

Lama Tenpa pointed out that the third method, exchanging self and other, is taught by Tokmé Zangpo in the eleventh verse that reads:

All suffering, without exception, arises from the desire for one’s own happiness.
Perfect buddhas are born from benefiting others.
Therefore, to perfectly exchange one’s own happiness
For others’ suffering is the practice of a bodhisattva. (11)
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)

Mistaken About the Cause: Wanting Happiness, Receiving Suffering

The “perfect buddhas,” Acharya Lama Tenpa taught, can be understood to mean “happiness.” Regardless of who you ask and no matter their background, he said, this is something everyone agrees about: We all want happiness. For how long? We might not say this out loud, but deep down, we want to be happy all the time. However, what do we get? Confusion, pain, and suffering. The question we need to ask: Why? 

To contemplate this, Lama Tenpa shared an example. Imagine you want to lose weight but also keep eating chocolate all the time. You go to a specialist for help, who points to books and provides various exercises; you receive many methods. However, you don’t give up eating chocolate. You may be surprised, but since you are not giving up the cause, the chocolate, you will not lose weight. 

Similarly, our guest teacher pointed out, we want to be perfect buddhas, but we experience suffering. This is because we are mistaken about the cause of happiness. Given our ego-clinging, view of self, or self-centered way of thinking–the cause of suffering–we do not get happiness but experience saṃsāra instead. 

Changing the Habit of Thinking

In this verse, Tokmé Zangpo says that the “desire for one’s own happiness” is the root of all problems. The result of this self-centered way of thinking, the preoccupation with “me,” “my,” and “mine,” is suffering. We consider our own happiness to be the most important, but it is this very desire for our own happiness that leads to the opposite, suffering. 

Once we recognize this, Acharya Lama Tenpa commented, we need to change. Reminding us of the example of wishing to lose weight, what we really need to do (in that case) is change our diet and stop eating chocolate all the time. Similarly, if we want to change the quality of our lives, we need to change our habits of thought. Instead of our usual self-centered way of thinking, we need to expand our mind and benefit others. This is the mindset of a bodhisattva. 

Exchange Self and Other

While there are many ways of changing our habitual self-fixation, the eleventh verse offers us one particular method: exchanging self and others. What this means, Acharya Lama Tenpa commented, is that we give away our happiness and well-being to others. In return, we take their suffering and pain.

Lama Tenpa illustrated this practice by drawing a distinction between the type of mind of ordinary beings compared to that of a bodhisattva. The former continuously thinks, “I want this and that, give me such and such.” This, he taught, is just another function of self-centered thinking and a very narrow, limited mind. The type of mind of a bodhisattva stands in contrast to this, thinking: “I am here to give, to offer, to share.” 

Expanding our minds in this way is what is called cultivating bodhicitta. This, Lama Tenpa concluded, is what the text teaches us: “Perfect buddhas are born from benefiting others.” This is the heart of giving, offering, and caring. Rather than thinking, “I want happiness,” we start to think, “I want you to be happy.” This is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Intermezzo: Cultivating an Altruistic Aspiration and Bodhicitta

Following our opening chants, we began the practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation). We can also think of this formal meditation practice as resting at ease or slowing down the mind. In addition, two key points were emphasized: having a beginner’s mind and our physical posture. 

Beginner’s Mind

Some might feel very familiar with śamatha practice, others feel it is very new to them, or for others as something in-between. What is important to remember is what is known from the Zen-tradition as “beginner’s mind.” 

While slowing down and taking a step back from the usual rhythm of our lives, which often just takes us along, we can bring curiosity and wonder towards Atiśa’s question that we asked ourselves during our last session: What is the state of my mind, right now, this very moment? 

Having a beginner’s mind also means we look at the movement and state of our mind without any judgment—without evaluating it as good or bad, positive or negative. As Acharya Lhakpa Tshering often instructs during our practice: “Be aware; simply be aware.”

Importance of the Posture of Body

Not so much as a precondition but as part of the practice of śamatha, we pay attention to our physical posture. That, by itself, helps to let the mind slow down and bring clarity. This way, we can see the state of our mind clearly and work with it. 

Therefore, we sit well-grounded and balanced, with our hands resting on our knees or in our lap. We straighten our spine, which in one way can be understood as making sure we are centered. Our shoulders are slightly pushed towards the back, opening our chest. We tuck in our chin, and our tongue slightly touches the upper palate. Relaxing the jaw, our mouth typically opens slightly. We relax our forehead and our eyes. Our gaze is resting in front of us without looking at a particular object. We gently notice the movement of our breath. 

In some traditions, it is taught that our physical posture is half of the work or even more than ninety percent. In any case, it is clear that paying attention to our physical posture is of great importance. 

Having established our physical posture, we can look again and ask: What is the state of my mind, right now, in this moment? 

Connecting with the Wisdom-Intent and Our Capability on the Path 

While remaining seated in our posture of body, we recited the homage, purposes of the composition, and first ten verses of Ngulchu Tokmé’s Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. By doing so in this manner and by looking carefully at how the words impact us, we can connect deeply with the wisdom-intent. 

Before contemplating Verse 10, we briefly reviewed the two verses we contemplated the previous week.

  • Verse 8: This one focuses on the fact that all our actions of body, speech, and mind, are in a chain of cause and effect. As taught in the Sūtras by Buddha Śākyamuni, no karma is “wasted,” meaning that whatever action we perform will, sooner or later, have a result. Therefore, Ngulchu Tokmé teaches us with this verse to never commit any negative actions because, at some point, these will only lead to suffering. 
  • Verse 9: If we don’t commit negative actions of body, speech, and mind, but engage in virtuous activity, we will increasingly find ourselves in comfortable places, with wealth in both material and immaterial ways. In a worldly sense, we may feel happy and at ease. However, Ngulchu Tokmé points out in the ninth verse that none of these pleasurable states of being offer any lasting happiness. Rather, the things we enjoy are fleeting and very quickly fade away, like a “dewdrop on a blade of grass.” Therefore, we should strive for the supreme state of liberation to be fully free of pain, despair, and suffering — the state of samsara. 

These two verses, as explained by Acharya Lhakpa, show the lesser and middling types of being or capability, respectively. The tenth verse points to the highest capacity. We can also think of these in terms of potential. For most of us, if not all, we move between these three, depending on the day or week. Sometimes even within one day or a single formal meditation session. 

Making a Connection

Reminding us of the importance of our physical posture, we continued contemplating the three types of potential or capability, focusing on the highest one as expressed in the tenth verse of Ngulchu Tokmé’s Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, as translated by Christopher Stagg:

“From beginningless time, my mothers have loved me.
If they suffer, how can I worry about my own happiness?
Therefore, in order to liberate sentient beings, which are boundless, 
To engender bodhicitta is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

In his commentary on this verse, the twentieth-century master Dzatrul Ngawang Tenzin Norbu explains that recognizing all sentient beings as having been our mother gives us all the reasons to follow the example of past bodhisattvas by practicing in the same way for the benefit of others. Acharya Lhakpa further clarified that the notion of “mother” serves as an instruction to find a way to connect with every being without exception. This connection forms the basis upon which loving-kindness, compassion, and ultimately the resolve to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all (bodhicitta) can be cultivated.

Sevenfold Cause-And-Effect Instruction to Generate Bodhicitta

From the perspective of making a connection, we engage in a slightly adapted version of the sevenfold cause-and-effect instruction from the Kadampa tradition to engender or cultivate bodhicitta. In brief:

  1. Bring someone to mind who has been kind to you in this life and feels close to your heart. This could be your mother, father, brother, sister, relatives, a teacher, anyone. 
  2. Feeling the presence of this person, recollect or remember the kindness you received. 
  3. Realizing the kindness that person gave to you, connect with the feeling and intention to repay this kindness and offer something in return, material or immaterial. 
  4. Having the wish to repay the kindness of him/her/they, give rise to the thought: “How wonderful would it be if this person knew nothing but peace and joy in life.” Gently smile and imagine their life to be so. Free of any hardship. This is the quality of loving-kindness. 
  5. Remember a time when things were not easy for this person or visualize the possibility of such a moment or period. Give rise to the thought: “Oh no, what can I do to help?” We feel the urgency and think: “May this suffering be dispelled. May this person be completely free of this hardship.” This is the quality of compassion. 
  6. Realizing that, like this person, everyone — every creature we know or don’t know, seen or not seen, maybe different in appearance but equal at this fundamental level — wishes nothing but happiness and does everything they can to avoid suffering; and by seeing this equality, we give rise to the thought: “I will do whatever I possibly can to remove the suffering of beings and bring all of them to a place for genuine freedom and happiness.” This could be called the quality of the highest resolve or altruistic aspiration.
  7. With each single step being the cause for the next, all six together are taught to become the cause for the highest result or effect of the sevenfold instruction: bodhicitta.

This powerful meditation practice aims to cultivate genuine compassion and engender the heart of awakening as Ngulchu Tokmé instructs in the tenth verse. 

In this way, we deepened our connection to these three kinds of capabilities and the ways to contemplate them as support for our practice. Having expressed gratitude to everyone for joining today’s practice, we concluded with the dedication of merit and wish to cultivate this highest resolve that is the basis for bodhicitta and the practice of a bodhisattva as taught from verse 11 onwards. 

Intermezzo: Contemplating Karma and Saṃsāra

Settling into a formal meditation posture for our practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation) after our opening chants, we emphasized a key point of this particular meditation technique: to ensure our body is comfortable yet awake, and is a support to look at the state of our mind. 

What is the State of My Mind?

Atiśa Dīpaṅkaraśrījñāna, the great Indian master who is renowned in the history of Tibetan Buddhism and considered the founder of the Kadampa tradition, is said to have emphasized asking ourselves: What is the state of my mind? We often ask ourselves how we are doing and reply with an answer relating to our physical well-being. However, the more important question to ask, according to Atiśa, is about our mental state: What is the state of my mind in this moment? 

When looking at the state of our mind, following the instructions of Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, we can do so without judgement. Instead, we can approach this practice with curiosity and openness. We don’t need to force the mind to be in a particular state or have certain thoughts or not. Rather, we look with awareness and simply notice: What is the state of my mind, right now?

Some Instructions for Contemplative Meditation Practice 

In the wake of our śamatha practice, we moved into two contemplative meditations. Whenever we step into such practice, we can keep a few instructions in mind: 

  • Sit in a formal meditation posture (like with śamatha practice);
  • Feel grounded and connect with a sense of calmness and openness;
  • Contemplate questions or statements with wonder;
  • Don’t apply a strong force to reasoning or thinking nor think you need to find an answer right away;
  • See how you respond physically, emotionally, and mentally without judgement;
  • Notice how it impacts you, in this moment.

At the end of our contemplative practice, we can make a brief mental note to ourselves with a sense of joy and appreciation for the experience, and possibly having gained a new or deeper understanding, or particular insight. And then we simply let go and practice śamatha again for a brief moment. 

Obtaining Stable Trust in Karma, Cause and Effect

In his commentary on the eighth verse, Acharya Lhakpa noted various times that we do not need to seek the lower realms, or any realm, somewhere “out there.” We can just look at our present world and the state of our mind. His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, says something along the same lines: 

“The lower realms have been described as deep underneath us or far away from the earth. But we can find smaller versions of these realms in this very world, right before our eyes. It is not necessary to look below the earth or anywhere else, because war and famine are happening right now, and they are exactly what has been described as the misery of the lower realms.” 

Seeing the lower realms in this way and to bring it closer, we can consider the following: 

  • When did we contribute, in some way or another, to the suffering of ourselves and/or others? We can bring to mind any moment, no matter how small or big, when we were a contributing factor to harm or pain. 
  • What were the various causes and conditions that led to this moment? Understand that there is never a single cause nor might we have the full picture of everything involved. Yet, we can connect with the fact that cause and effect is at play. 
  • Consider how negative states of mind, harmful speech, or unwholesome actions of body, only lead to suffering. Likewise, how positive states of mind, kind speech, and wholesome actions of body, can bring happiness. 

As a way to conclude this contemplation, reflect on the following words of Atiśa: 

“What is truly profound is none other than karma, [cause] and result. Obtaining stable trust in karma, cause and effect, is more supreme than seeing the face of the yidam deity.”
Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg

Leaving the Swamp of Saṃsāra

The previous session, Acharya Lhakpa suggested we think of the higher realms, be it the demigods, gods, form realms or formless realms, as living in a high-end neigborhood. Putting aside any prejudices we might have towards such a place, we can think of it as a place of peace and joy, then visualize and consider the following: 

  • Imagine a happy and peaceful neighborhood that is safe, clean, spacious, and full of flowers and trees. 
  • Visualize everything that would make your high-end neighborhood as lovely as possible, be it with parks, fountains, particular shops, a house you really would like to live in, whatever might be the source of your happiness. 
  • Consider that these outer objects are all conditioned phenomena: dependent on the gathering of causes and conditions and, thus, impermanent. See in front of you how this high-end neighborhood slowly, but surely, starts to deteriorate and all things fall apart. 
  • Apply the same impermanence to your own body: day-by-day, the body becomes older, we are affected by sickness, and, at some point, sooner or later, this life will come to an end. Just like we can not stay in a high-end neighbourhood indefinitely, we will need to let go of this body too, and not quite know where we will end up next. 
  • Connect with the fact that such a neighbourhood and life in this world cannot offer lasting happiness. Therefore, determine clearly that there is no point in being attached to this kind of happiness and make sure to seek out liberation. 

As a way to conclude this second contemplation, that relates to the ninth verse, we can reflect on the following words of Atiśa: 

“Friends, this swamp of samsara is without happiness; go to the dry land of liberation.”
Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg

Progressing Along the Path in Our Own Dialectic Manner

Contemplative meditations like the above offer a way to make a personal connection with the instructions of Ngulchu Tokmé and the explanations of Acharya Lhakpa. In our context, it can help us see and feel how verse 8, 9, and 10 indeed show a progression on the heroic path of a bodhisattva. 

As we consider this progression, it will help us to do so without any judgment about where we should be on the path or how things should be. What is most important is to understand our own personal path and practice. This is something that can change moment-to-moment, day-by-day, and week-by-week. 

In other words, rather than thinking of this progress in a linear way, moving up, we can think of it as a dialectical process. Today we may strongly connect with karma, thinking “Oh, I should really avoid negative actions.” Tomorrow, we may connect more with the absence of lasting happiness, thinking “Oh, I thought this was a source of happiness but I see it is not…” And at other times we may really connect with an altruistic intention when we help someone. In this way, we connect with and strengthen all three capabilities. Bringing all three together in this way can support our practice and help us progress along our own paths. 

With that final remark and thanking everyone for joining this practice, we concluded with the dedication of merit and the wish for all beings to be well and attain enlightenment.

Cultivating an Expansive Mind and Boundless Heart on the Spiritual Path – 37 Practices – Session 8

Acharya Lhakpa Tshering welcomed everyone onsite and online and led us in the practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation). Reminding us of some key points during this practice, our resident teacher emphasized the importance of openness and relaxation. In particular, he gave instructions on how to relate to our breathing during meditation, saying:

“If your breathing is shallow, let it be shallow. If your breathing is deep, let it be deep. Don’t try to alter your breathing because you are doing meditation.” 

What is important is to simply feel and be aware of our breath as it comes in and goes out. This practice helps bring the mind to the present moment and allows us to stay with present awareness. 

Three Beings or Capabilities: How to Make Progress on the Path? 

During our previous Meditation for All session we spoke about the eighth verse from the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, written by the great Tibetan master, Ngulchu Tokmé. This verse, Acharya Lhakpa reminded us, speaks about those beings who fear the sufferings of the lower realms and seek to maintain the happiness of the realms of humans or gods. As a sidenote, he mentioned that we can think of gods as beings who live,  perhaps, in a high-end neighbourhood but still remain in the cycle of saṃsāra, falling down into lower states when their merit is exhausted. 

Acharya stressed that while beings who pursue the comforts of the higher realms are described as “lesser” or “inferior,”  this has little to do with looking down on or criticizing them. It is more about the capability of a person engaging in practice. The next two verses describe the path of the middling and supreme beings, respectively, illuminating how to make progress. 

The Middling Being or Capacity: Seeking Personal Liberation

The ninth verse shows the practice of the middling beings or those with a middling capacity: 

“The pleasures of the three realms, like dewdrops on a blade of grass, Are objects that perish in an instant. 
To strive for the supreme state of liberation 
That is never changing is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

–Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg

The person with this middling ability understands that the happiness of all three realms is like a dewdrop on a blade of grass: without essence, impermanent, and ever-changing. This includes the form and formless realms. 

This is similar to what Acharya taught during previous sessions about the lower realms reflecting our mental afflictions; the form and formless realms also do not point to some kind of place “out there.” They refer, instead, to a state of mind that is accomplished through meditation practice. In this case, while these states of mind may be free from  attachments and material desires, they are still within saṃsāra. Clearly seeing this, middling beings strive for the never-changing state of liberation. 

Leading us in an analytical meditation practice, Acharya Lhakpa helped us to understand how the happiness in our human lives is indeed like a dewdrop on a blade of grass. While the beings with lesser ability are content with the comforts of human life and/or the higher realms, those with middling capacity realize samsaric happiness to be like a dewdrop during a serene early morning–beautiful, perhaps, but disappearing with the slightest vibration or sunlight. Because they want to get out of this trouble only for themselves, this is known as the path of the middling beings. 

The Path of the Mahāyāna: Connecting with Other Beings

The next verse from our root text concerns the third and highest capacity, and was translated by Christopher Stagg as follows:

“From beginningless time, my mothers have loved me. 
If they suffer, how can I worry about my own happiness? 
Therefore, in order to liberate sentient beings, which are boundless, 
To engender bodhicitta is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

The way of thinking taught in this verse, Achara Lhakpa explained, is that we have taken birth again and again since time without beginning. This being so, all beings have been our mother at some point and kindly have taken care of us. Therefore, with a feeling of gratitude and understanding of the equal importance of all beings, we seek complete enlightenment for the benefit of everyone and not narrowly limit ourselves to personal liberation. 

If we find it difficult to relate to this notion of beginningless time, rebirth, and/or considering all beings as our mother, Acharya pointed out that the key point is about making a connection. Seeing someone as a caring mother is like an example. We could also think in the following way: Yesterday was our past life, today is the present, and tomorrow will be a new one. Contemplating our existence in this way allows us to realize how our well-being depends on countless others. Without them, we wouldn’t even be able to survive.

To connect with other sentient beings, we can bring to mind someone–a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, anyone we feel close to–and cultivate a feeling of an intimate relationship. Taking this approach, we practice loving-kindness and compassion. This is the foundation of the Mahāyāna. “Without this practice, there would be no path of Mahāyāna,” Acharya said.

Bodhicitta as Supreme Ability: Boundless Compassion

Slowly we begin to understand the equal importance of all sentient beings. Generally, Acharya Lhakpa shared, we have the habitual tendency to think in limited ways and are oftentimes not able to practice loving-kindness and compassion for a certain individual or group of beings. We might even have the desire to benefit others, but only to a certain degree. “I want to be kind to all sentient beings, except that uncle. Something like that,” he said.

In contrast, those with the supreme capacity are able to open their hearts for all sentient beings. Not thinking in terms of “mine” and “yours,” or any other kind of limitation, their compassion is beyond measure. The Four Immeasurables that we usually recite at the beginning of our session relate to this. Making our minds as vast as the sky and opening our hearts in this way, is known as giving rise to bodhicitta–the heart of awakening. 

Beings with middling capacity share the same wisdom. They see that all samsaric happiness is like a dewdrop on a blade of grass. However, they lack the methods of loving-kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. Therefore, those who bring method and wisdom together, are known as supreme beings who practice the way or vehicle of the bodhisattvas. 

A Guide on the Path

Summarizing verse eight, nine, and ten, Acharya shared his own understanding of these verses. Rather than thinking in terms of classes or categories of different beings, Ngulchu Tokmé teaches us about our motivation for our practice and offers a guide to progress on the path. 

First, we contemplate the suffering of the lower realms and strive for the happiness of the higher ones. Second, we develop the insight that this happiness is only temporary and impermanent. Thus, we strive for unchanging liberation, which means that we will not fall back into the world of suffering. Seeing the narrow or limited quality of this individual liberation, we open the heart of compassion and strive for complete enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. 

“The intention of the author here is not to describe three different beings but rather how one can develop on the path through practicing step-by-step, and making progress to attain complete enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.” 

With this note, Acharya Lhakpa concluded our session and expressed his gratitude to everyone onsite and online for joining. Next Sunday we will continue our meditation practice and contemplate this further. After dedicating the merit, Acharya wished everyone a wonderful day. 

Key Advice if You Are Looking for a Comfortable Human Life – 37 Practices – Session 7

Wishing everyone a good morning, our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, invited us to first give rise to the enlightened thought:

“Through this practice, whatever merit we gain, may this merit become the cause to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.”

Sitting Without Distraction

Following brief instructions regarding our physical posture, Acharya Lhakpa emphasized how to sit without distraction. He clarified that this does not mean that we are constantly trying to be undistracted. If we push or pressure ourselves to be undistracted all the time, the method itself can become a distraction. Instead, we just try to bring our minds back to their natural state, in this present moment. “When we sit in the present moment with awareness and our mind gets distracted or wanders off, just simply be aware of it or recollect. That will be enough.” 

Our Goal after Going for Refuge

So far, we have covered seven verses from among the thirty-seven verses of Ngulchu Tokmé’s Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. Acharya Lhakpa reminded us that the last verse spoke about going for refuge. We go for refuge to the three jewels, with the Buddha as our goal or destination, the Dharma being the path to reach that, and the Sangha as our companion. 

While some of us may have the thought of attaining buddhahood, others are okay with simply having a human life. Those who are okay with that, Acharya shared, have a sense of contentment, thinking, “I don’t want to achieve buddhahood. I don’t want to go that far. I just want to be a human being.” The eighth verse teaches what to do to maintain that kind of state and be a good human being. It reads: 

“The Sage taught that the sufferings of the lower realms,
Which are extremely difficult to bear, are the results of negative action. Therefore, even at the risk of one’s own life,
To never commit negative actions is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
– quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)

Where Do the Realms Exist?

The verse points to the lower realms. These are the hell realms, the hungry ghost realms, and the animal realm. There are also the higher realms: god realm, demigod realm, and human realm. The Abhidharma teachings specify in great detail where these realms exist. Yet, Acharya Lhakpa repeated several times, we need to understand that these realms really come down to the mental disturbances or afflictions that are part of our own mindstream. Therefore, there is no need to seek them somewhere outside of ourselves.

If the afflictive emotion, taught to be the cause for being born in a particular realm and the suffering of those already born there, is present in our mindstream, at that moment, we will experience that realm ourselves. It is present within us. 

The Afflictions of the Higher Realms

Acharya Lhakpa presented a brief overview of the dominant mental affliction causing us to be born in one of the higher realms and the suffering we experience there: 

  • Gods: Pride is the main affliction. While the gods experience nothing but happiness during their life, at the time of death, due to their pride and exhaustion of merit, they undergo great suffering and fall into the realms below.  
  • Demigods: Jealousy is the dominant affliction. If we, like the demigods, are jealous, we experience the same suffering stemming from their fighting with the gods and each other.
  • Humans: Desire is the primary affliction. Our attachment towards ourselves, possessions, and unfulfilled wishes leads to constant discontent and suffering. This realm is therefore known as the desire realm. 

Acharya Lhakpa explained how the higher realms – God, Demigod, and Human – are characterized by pride, jealousy, and desire, respectively. As he taught, when these mental afflictions are present, we find ourselves in the corresponding realm, experiencing its suffering within ourselves. 

We May Already Be in the Lower Realms

While Acharya discussed the causes for falling down from the human realm into one of the three lower realms – hells, hungry ghosts, animals –he kept pointing out how we already find ourselves in one of these realms when the primary or main afflictive emotion of that realm is present in our life. 

  • Hell Realms: The dominant affliction is aggression. If we consider our mindstream to be like water, aggression can cause it to become either extremely hot or very cold. This results in being hot-headed or stiff with anger, respectively, ultimately harming both ourselves and others. Therefore, those who are satisfied with living in the human realms must avoid aggression. 
  • Hungry Ghost Realms: The main affliction is that of stinginess or miserliness. The hungry ghosts are said to suffer from insatiable thirst and hunger. Due to their tiny throats, even if they try, they are not able to consume anything. Similarly, we might have great wealth and possessions in this human life, but if we have this mental affliction of avarice, that is really nothing else than the suffering of the hungry ghost. 
  • Animal Realms: The primary affliction is ignorance. While there are many different types of animals, generally they all suffer from stupidity and dullness. The root of that is ignorance. What this means is that they don’t know what to adopt (virtue) and what to reject (non-virtue) and suffer the consequences. 

In contrast to humans, the beings in these three lower realms lack the notion of what to adopt or reject. Even if they consider doing good, they don’t truly have an opportunity to practice virtue and abandon non-virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind. Whenever we experience the subsequent suffering of one of these three main afflictions, we can say that we have already fallen into the related lower realm. 

Who Created Our Suffering?

Now, some wonder who created the suffering of the lower realms? Acharya Lhakpa explained that there is no creator of sorts, neither a god nor a devil. These realms, showing the suffering of the mental afflictions leading to experiencing them, are created by our own wrongdoings. There is not some kind of rule-maker. It is entirely due to us committing non-virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind. 

Furthermore, Acharya said, it is taught by the Buddha in the Sutras that the consequences of our negative actions will not somehow be lost. “Once the causes and conditions come together, sooner or later, we will need to face the consequences.” This is why, he commented, that the eighth verse says we should never commit negative actions, “even at the risk of one’s own life.” If we do and are born into one of the lower realms, we will no longer know what to adopt and reject. Thus, falling and falling, our suffering will prolong and be stuck in a samsara for a very long, long time. 

Bodhisattva’s Practice for a Good Human Life

To conclude our session, Acharya Lhakpa emphasized the key takeaway from the eighth verse: Although we have a human life, there is always the risk and fear of falling into the lower realms, which is nothing but the suffering we experience due to mental afflictions like aggression, avarice, and ignorance being present in our mindstream, and the consequences of the negative actions we then commit. 

“If we do not long for enlightenment but consider a human life ‘as just enough,’ what should we practice? We should avoid those afflictive emotions and not commit negative actions through body, speech, and mind. Even at the cost of our own life.”

While doing so fully in our daily lives may be difficult, Acharya encouraged us that even some effort – at least 10% – can be of great benefit. With these final thoughts, he thanked everyone for joining and we dedicated the merit.

Intermezzo: Embracing Genuine Dharma Practice: Observing and Directing the Mind

Following our opening chants, we began our śamatha practice by establishing a firmly grounded yet balanced posture. Everyone was invited to look at the movement of  mind, which might be drawn to thinking about activities before our session or pulled towards what might follow. Without any judgement, we can practice śamatha through simply seeing this movement. In case the mind is attracted to any present sensory input such as sound, smell, memory, feeling, or something else, we simply notice it. In this way, along with being in touch with our body, we turn inward and observe the movement of mind. 

Once the mind starts to rest, we then can direct  its movement by giving rise to the thought of awakening. We connect with that intention, thinking: “May the stream of this mind be oriented towards buddhahood, towards awakening, for the sake of all other beings, without exception.” Sitting together is part of putting this into practice. 

Contemplative Meditation: When do We Practice?

One of the key functions of śamatha practice is to create a space for contemplating, allowing us to look deeper into the movement of our mind and the life that flows from it (when we take illusory thoughts to be real). During our meditation, everyone was invited to lightly reflect on the question: In which moments during a day do I feel I am practicing the dharma? Are there moments when I feel I am on the heroic path of the bodhisattvas? 

All participants were asked to consider three aspects of practice: how we think about it (seeing), how we sense it emotionally (feeling), and how it interacts with our surroundings (living). We ended our contemplative meditation by asking ourselves if any insight stood out, and then simply let go, and sat  at ease.  

After a brief conversation, we continued with commentary by and advice from His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, in Traveling the Path of Compassion, in which he put the question of practice at the heart of his teachings about the first verse: a precious human existence. 

Having the Freedom to Practice, Today

The first practice of a bodhisattva pointed out by Ngulchu Tokmé in this verse is that of hearing, contemplation, and meditation. His Holiness notes that we can think of the first as the desire to practice, the second as a way to gain certainty, and the third as the method to bring this into experience. He emphasises the importance of practicing now when we have the freedom to do so. 

Before our session started today, there was a brief informal conversation about wildfires, snowstorms, earthquakes, and similar natural circumstances. Along with a heart of compassion, wishing all affected to be safe and receive the support needed, the teachings also remind us there is no guarantee that our current conditions will remain supportive. What seems stable today might not be so tomorrow. Therefore, reminding us of Acharya Lhakpa’s commentary on this verse, we need to seize the opportunity to practice once it appears to us. 

Real Signs of Practice

His Holiness emphasizes the importance of understanding what genuine practice means by recognizing our freedom and sincerely wishing to practice,  To illustrate this, he recalls a story from the Kadampa tradition, the lineage to which our text, The Thirty-Seven Practices, belongs. During our session, the story was retold in detail, raising the question about the genuine practice of dharma. Below is a brief summary: 

There is a  person who is really determined to follow the dharma path and engages in practices like circumambulation (doing Korra), reading scriptures, and recitation. Each time he does so he encounters a Kadampa master, (most likely Atīśa’s main disciple Dromtönpa), who is offering words of praise while also asking: Wouldn’t it be better if you practiced the genuine dharma? 

This person decides to practice meditation as well. Yet, he receives the same questions and feels at a loss. “If none of these practices is considered dharma practice, then what is it?” The Kadampa master points out the answer by saying: “To cut through your attachments. That is the practice of Dharma.”

In his commentary, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa offers similar advice in the context of Ngöndro practice. He shares that he often hears people speak about the difficulty or ease of this practice, while others speak about certain special experiences. Meaningful as those may be, similar to the Kadampa master, His Holiness says: “The real sign of our practice should be how we work with our afflicting emotions.” 

Reflecting on these examples, it was pointed out during our session that any practice, including Korra, reading scriptures, recitation, and so forth, can all be a method to cut through our attachments and, more generally, work with our afflictions or mental disturbances. When we do so, each of these can become the genuine practice of the dharma. In addition, following His Holiness’s commentary, we need to go beyond separating our minds from dharma and bring these together. If we want to generate bodhicitta, for example, it can only arise in this moment, not in any other moment or somewhere else. It needs to arise in this mind right now, which is where bodhicitta can be present.

Making our Meditation Sessions and Sleep Matter: Two Pieces of Advices

In his commentary on the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, His Holiness refers to a Tibetan saying that can be understood as “bringing flesh and bone together,” meaning we should become one with our practice, in every aspect of our daily lives. In a teaching on the life of the Eighth Gyalwang Karmapa, Mikyö Dorje, he also emphasizes that genuine dharma practice consists of working with and changing our minds. Since our mind is with us 24/7, our practice is also 24/7. Not paying attention to our mind could, he taught, result in non-virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind. So, how do we practice throughout the day? To this end, His Holiness offered two practical pieces of advice. 

  • Before ending our formal meditation sessions, to prevent our practice from leaving us as swift as a finger snap or fading slowly , we could tell ourselves: “After I finish this session, throughout the rest of the day, I will try to retain the flavor of this experience and state of mind.” 
  • Before going to sleep, we can reflect on what our day was like. What did we do during the day? What was virtuous and what was not? “When we have separated one from the other, we can make a commitment that the next day we will try to increase positive actions and decrease negative ones.” If we can go to sleep in this way, His Holiness notes, “our sleep will not be useless or without purpose; it will turn into a positive state of mind, and thereby the power of what is virtuous will increase.” 

With these two practical pieces of advice from His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, we brought this session to a close and ended with dedicating the merit. In our next session, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering will continue his commentary and teachings on Ngulchu Tokmé’s text, resuming with the eighth verse.

Intermezzo: Following in The Footsteps of the First Karmapa

Our first session of the international New Year, 2025 was dedicated to commemorating the parinirvāṇa anniversary of the First Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa. His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, shared a beautiful verse on Facebook, on January 3rd. While it is difficult, if not impossible, to capture the profoundness and beauty of His Holiness’s writing in Tibetan, we wrote an English translation for our session, which we read together:

“Water cascading from the ocean of all that can be known in the three times
Flowing into a single vessel of omniscience –
The great sage who takes in the whole universe of appearance and existence at once,
Glorious Jetsün Lama, today I fondly remember you.”

— Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Resting our Minds, Opening our Hearts

Since Acharya Lhakpa Tshering will not resume his teachings on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva until January 19, we began our session by contemplating the verses covered so far, along with additional quotes from the sūtras and commentaries by His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa and His Eminence the 10th Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche. Before discussing those, we started with the usual practice of śamatha (calm-abiding). 

Reminding ourselves of the importance of our physical and mental posture, everyone present was encouraged to sit comfortably in an upright position—firmly grounded yet relaxed, not minding the past nor the future, resting in the present moment. Sitting with a sense of ease, everyone was invited to open their hearts and give rise to bodhicitta. Paying attention to the movement of our minds–what to do when there are a lot of thoughts and distraction or when we lose our mindfulness because of being sleepy–we practiced śamatha to let the mind settle. As Acharya Lhakpa usually says, simply be aware. 

The Thirty-Seven Practices: A Lamrim Text

In his introduction to A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, Christopher Stagg writes about the format of Ngulchu Tokmé’s root text, which follows the lamrim, or stages of the path teachings. This means it stands within the long lineage of the Kadampa tradition, considered to be first taught by the great master Atīśa (c. 982–1054) who wrote the foundational text Bodhipathapradipa (In Tibetan: བྱང་ཆུབ་ལམ་གྱི་སྒྲོན་མ།), In English: Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment). 

Ngulchu Tokmé is a later commentator in this lineage, which traces back to Atīśa via the great Kadampa teachers Chekawa, Sharawa, Langri Thangpa, Potow, and Dromtönpa, Atīśa’s main disciple. Like Atīśa, Tokmé’s text follows a key aspect of the lamrim teachings: He categorizes the various practices progressively based on three types of beings’ or (humans’) ability–lesser, middling, and great. In verses 8, 9, and 10, he points to these, which Acharya Lhakpa will likely comment on in his upcoming teachings. 

It seems a somewhat auspicious coincidence to pause and contemplate verses 1 to 7. What we have covered so far can be taken as a collection of preliminary practices with one single wisdom intent: turning the mind away from saṁsāra and towards the Dharma. This ends with the verse about taking refuge–both outer and inner–as explained by Acharya Lhakpa during our previous session. 

Lojong: A Pithy Set of Verses for Everyone to Cultivate Bodhicitta

Ngulchu Tokmé also stands in the tradition of lojong. Christopher Stagg explains that this genre “concentrates specifically on the cultivation of relative and absolute bodhicitta, and on working practically and directly with one’s personal situation in everyday life.” 

To make the teachings workable for everyone, including those who have little time to study the many sūtras and commentaries, the text is composed in verse form and is only forty-three verses long. We can see this quality of the text already reflected in the first seven verses, which speak directly to our hearts. In his commentaries, Acharya Lhakpa further highlighted this by often relating the verses to our own lives and today’s world. Below is an overview of summaries of his teachings: 

The Meaning of the Instruction “Give Rise to Bodhicitta” 

With verse 10 pointing to the Mahayana path, the remainder of Ngulchu Tokmé’s text presents the practices for those with the third and highest kind of (human) ability. Here, cultivating bodhicitta is put at the very heart of each instruction. While Acharya Lhakpa will surely elaborate further on this in upcoming sessions, we briefly looked at a definition of the widely used term bodhicitta. 

In the great Kagyü master Gampopa’s Ornament of Precious Liberation, as translated by Ken Holmes and edited by Thupten Jinpa, bodhicitta is defined as follows: 

“The ‘thought of awakening,’ an altruistic resolve to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.” 

Looking carefully at this definition, we can see that it is characterized by an object–the full awakening of buddhahood, and a purpose–the fulfillment of other’s welfare.

Furthermore, bodhicitta is typically divided into two parts, often translated as relative bodhicitta and ultimate bodhicitta. Whereas the first relates to the altruistic resolve, the second is about the direct realization of the emptiness of the fully awakened mind. 

What is called relative bodhicitta is again divided into two, described by Gampopa as follows: 

  • Aspiration bodhichitta: the wish to attain the genuine thought of awakening.
  • Engaged bodhicitta: the actual training in the thought of awakening. 

At the beginning of our practice, we are typically invited “to give rise to bodhicitta.” Knowing the above may help us to understand what that actually means, realizing that it is probably already a great sign of accomplishment if we genuinely feel the wish to attain the thought of awakening (aspiration bodhicitta). Acharya Lhakpa’s usual instruction is, therefore, illuminating and greatly supportive: “Give rise to positive thoughts, thinking ‘may this practice be a cause for all beings to attain enlightenment.’” 

Practice Brings Scriptures to Life

After delving a bit further into the background of the text and the thread of bodhicitta running through all verses, we had another look at the second opening verse: the purpose of the composition. 

In a commentary by the contemporary Kagyü master Sangye Nyenpa, only available in Tibetan and translated especially for Meditation for All, the meaning of “sources of benefit and happiness” is highlighted in connection with “depends on understanding their practices.” What does this mean? First, he posed the question: “How are the perfect buddhas the sources of benefit and happenings?” This is about the fact that the Buddha not only came to the world but that he also taught the genuine dharma, “without it, there would be no genuine dharma for us to practice to begin with.” 

So, we have the great fortune of a Buddha who came to our world and taught the dharma. However, that is not enough. Sangye Nyenpa somewhat playfully notes that we could stack many scriptures of the Buddha’s words together, yet, if we never study and contemplate them, forget about putting them into practice, that would be entirely pointless. 

On the other hand, if we engage with one single scripture, it could remove our mental afflictions and deal with the root of our confusion. “If we somehow separate the dharma from ourselves, putting one thing here and another there, so to speak, there is no benefit whatsoever.” Therefore, Ngulchu Tokmé points out the practices of the perfect buddhas so we can engage with those. 

I Have Given You the Lamp, but You Must Walk the Path

To further support the explanation given above, Sangye Nyenpa frequently quotes from the sūtras. During today’s session, we contemplated two phrases from the sūtras. Translated into English, the first reads as follows: 

“I have shown you the methods of liberation. Yet, know that freedom depends upon yourself.” 

Sangye Nyenpa comments that these two lines encompass all dharmas (in the sense of the  teachings of the Buddha). It illustrates that the Buddha taught what to reject–misdeeds,and what to adopt–virtue. He also taught how to attain freedom and traverse the five paths and ten bhumis. Yet, Sangye Nyenpa humorously comments: “The Buddha can’t just throw a stone in the air and then suddenly everyone is liberated.” Liberation, he says, depends on us. For that, we need to practice.

The second line from the sūtras says:  

“You are your own protector; you are also your own enemy.”

This is closely related to something Acharya Lhakpa also explained during one of our previous sessions. We may think of others as our protector or enemy. We may think that the hell realms, and so forth, are somewhere out there. We may think other forces lead us to fall into darkness and misery. However, as these words of the Buddha indicate, it is not like that. When we are very angry, our resident teacher noted, “hell is right there.” In this way, we are our own enemy.

This also means that if we engage in studying, contemplating, and meditating, as the very first practice of a bodhisattva, and work through the three higher trainings, then we can attain liberation and Buddhahood. In that sense, we are our own protector. 

In concluding today’s session, we summarized Sangye Nyenpa’s commentary by saying that we must know the practice and put it into action ourselves, otherwise we will not be able to accomplish the genuine Dharma. Reflecting on direct words of the Buddha and connecting them with Atīśa’s teaching, we can say that, like Ngulchu Tokmé with our text, they have given us the lamp, but we need to walk the path. 
Noting that we will do a contemplative meditation and look at commentary from His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, during our next session, we ended today’s Meditation for All with the dedication of merit: May we follow in the footsteps of the First Karmapa, and all attain the state of omniscient Buddhahood.

Mirroring Ourselves: Finding Outer and Inner Refuge – 37 Practices – Session 6

Acharya Lhakpa warmly welcomed everyone for joining us, noting that snow had recently fallen at Karmapa Center 16 and it was a bit chilly outside. Following our opening chants, he continued guiding us in the practice of śamatha. First, it is important to give rise to the heart of awakening, the intention to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. This is why we practice the Dharma. 

Movement of mind

During our meditation practice, Acharya taught a particular technique of recognizing the movement of mind. “Whatever thought arises, virtuous thoughts, non-virtuous thoughts, or middling thoughts, let them arise and simply be aware. You don’t have to feel bad about having a bad thought. And you don’t have to get excited if you have a good thought. Simply treat it as a thought. If you find yourself chasing after thoughts and your mind wanders, don’t worry. At that time, simply be aware that your mind wandered, and it will naturally be back.” 

Verse 7: Undeceiving refuge

To begin our discussion on the seventh verse of The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva by Ngulchu Tokmé, we read the root text as translated by Christopher Stagg: 

“Themselves also bound in the prison of samsara,
Whom do the worldly gods have the power to protect?
Therefore, when seeking a refuge, to go for refuge
In the three jewels that will not deceive you is the practice of a bodhisattva.” (7)

This verse, Acharya Lhakpa pointed out, teaches us about going for refuge to the three jewels. While Brahma, Viṣṇu, and the like, are in the highest realms of our world due to merit accumulated in previous lives, they are still in the prison of saṃsāra. Once their merit is exhausted, they will fall down into the lower realms. Therefore, those seeking to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings should not take refuge in these “gods.” They are deceiving. We must take refuge in genuine protectors: the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. 

Rare and Supreme: Our Destination, Path, and Companions

In Tibetan the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, are described as kön chog (Tibetan: དཀོན་མཆོག), which literally means “rare” and “supreme.” Therefore, they are considered to be like jewels. “The Buddha” refers to what is to be attained or the result: Awakening. “It is, so to speak, the destination.” The method, Acharya continued, is the Dharma. This is the path on which we will find what to avoid and what to adopt. Finally, to travel on this journey, we need companions. This is the Sangha or community. 

The qualities of each of these can be summarized as follows: 

  • The Buddha: the most excellent abandonment and realization of our obscurations and pristine awareness, respectively;
  • The Dharma: being free from the mental afflictions and suffering;
  • The Sangha: the supreme among other communities, giving us a sense of inspiration and wanting to be like those who already engage in practicing the Dharma 

Going for Refuge: A Mirror and Ground

Taking the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha as the three jewels in the above manner is like the outer refuge. This, in turn, will serve as the condition to realize that we ourselves have the mind and potential of enlightenment within. “It is like mirroring ourselves,” Acharya said. “We will come to understand that the three jewels and their qualities are within us from the very beginning.” 

Furthermore, once we have realized this, the realization of selflessness will arise. Based on that, we will realize emptiness. As Atiśa taught in the Seven Points of Mind Training (Tib. བློ་སྦྱོངས་དོན་བདུན་མ།, lojong dön dünma), the realization of emptiness is the highest possible protection. There is nothing beyond or higher than that. 

Going for refuge to the Buddha will serve as a basis for the rest of our path. It will prevent us from falling into the miserable realms and avoid non-virtuous actions. It is the ground for those who take the vow of individual liberation as well as for those who take the bodhisattva vow. 

Two Kinds of Advice: What to Abandon and What to Adopt

Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, goes together with two kinds of advice: one relating to what things we need to abandon or give up; the other about what to adopt or accomplish. Acharya playfully noted, “After going for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, there are do’s and don’ts. What you should and shouldn’t do.” The first kind of advice is as follows: 

  • When going for refuge to the Buddha, we should no longer go for refuge to worldly gods. “They are not out of the woods,” Acharya taught. In the scriptures we find a quotation from the great master Padmasambhava, who said: “The leaders of the world, no matter how excellent, are deceiving; the sources of refuge, the three jewels, are undeceiving.” While the worldly gods may have great power, they are not a place of refuge. 
  • Going for refuge to the Dharma means abandoning harm or inflicting pain to sentient beings through our actions of body, speech, and mind. 
  • Having taken refuge in the Sangha, we must abandon bad companions, those who always engage in negative karma and act counter to the Dharma. 

If those three form the advice of what needs to be abandoned, then what is included in the advice of what needs to be adopted?

  • Going for refuge to the Buddha means that we should pay respect to any kind of image or representation of the Buddha, be it a statue, thangka, or the like. 
  • Going for refuge to the Dharma means that we must respect the teachings of the Buddha and the scriptures in which these teachings have been committed to writing. Acharya shared a story about his Bhutanese childhood and how his book bag offered  protection against any harm. He and his classmates had been taught to respect the words of the Buddha, and the books in his bag were written in the same Tibetan scriptures used to write down the Buddha’s teachings. No one would therefore kick the bag!
  • Going for refuge to the Sangha means being respectful towards the monastic sangha and, showing respect to the community and dharma friends who have adopted precepts or vows as part of their practice. 

How All the Teachings are Encompassed by Taking Refuge

As a way of summarizing today’s session, Acharya stressed the importance of the three jewels and going for refuge. “Sometimes we think that after taking refuge, our study and practice are totally different things while, actually, all the teachings of the Buddha — from the way of taking refuge to the three jewels — are all about the qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.” 

Acharya illustrated that with the example of the teachings about the wisdom of buddha nature being about the Buddha. Likewise, when we think about abandoning the mental afflictions, and the truth of suffering and the origin of suffering, we speak about the Dharma. And as we progress along the path, we will get to know the paths and levels (Sanskrit: bhūmis), which show the qualities of the Sangha. 

While the teachings can be summarized in terms of the three higher trainings (moral discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom), as Acharya taught in the previous session, he concluded: “When we think from the aspect of the three refuges, then we can say that the entire teaching of the Buddha is teaching about the three jewels.” 

Following this, we dedicated the merit, and Acharya expressed his warm wishes for everyone to have happy holidays and a happy new year!