practice – Karmapa Center 16

Every Ending Is a New Beginning on the Path: Q&A on the 37 Practices

Our series Meditation for All: 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva concluded by reciting Ngulchu Tokmé’s root text, followed by a Q&A sessions with our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, and how the end of this series also marks a new beginning.

The (in)equality of beings

One participant asked a question about verse 17 from Ngulchu Tokmé’s text, which reads:

“Even if someone my equal or lower
Should insult me influenced by pride,
To place them with respect, as if they were a guru,
At the crown of my head is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

Since it is often taught that all beings are equal, the participant wondered how to understand the phrase “someone my equal or lower.”

Acharya Lhakpa kindly offered the following explanation, inviting us to consider different perspectives. Looking through the lens of ultimate or absolute reality, all beings are indeed equal, as each possesses buddha nature–the very essence of the Tathāgata. However, when looking through the lens of the conventional or relative reality, beings can be seen as equal, lower, or higher in relation to one another.

Another way to reflect on this is through the teaching of dependent origination. Everything arises in dependence on something else. All phenomena exist in a web of causality or interdependence. This dynamic is evident in everyday life: for example, in a workplace, we have colleagues who are our equals, as well as those who hold positions higher or lower than ours.

It is this conventional, worldly perspective that Ngulchu Tokmé likely had in mind when writing about “someone my equal or lower.”

Śāntideva and the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra

Another participant inquired about the life and teachings of the Indian pandita Śāntideva. During his times as a scholar at Mahāvihāra Nalanda, the ancient monastic university, some fellow monks reportedly said that Śāntideva only achieved three “realizations”: eating, sleeping, and going to the toilet. However, when challenged to teach–an attempt to humiliate him and have him expelled–he shared the verses that later became renowned as the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva).

Acharya Lhakpa kindly offered a brief overview of Śāntideva’s life and liberation story, emphasizing the heart-meaning of this text. Śāntideva himself noted that his work does not present anything new or poetic but simply conveys the words of the Buddha as taught in the sūtras.

Much like Ngulchu Tokmé’s root text, which can be understood as guidance on traveling the heroic path of a bodhisattva, Śāntideva’s teaching centers on bodhicitta—the mind set on awakening. The first three chapters describe how to give rise to the aspiration for awakening, followed by three chapters on maintaining this attitude, and another three on expanding and strengthening bodhicitta. The tenth and final chapter is dedicated to the practice of dedication.

Acharya Lhakpa explained how we might put these teachings into practice:

Carefully reflect on the benefits of bodhicitta.
Work through our mental afflictions, learning to bring these emotions onto the path
Once we have gained some mastery over our afflictive emotions, we then practice the six perfections, or pāramitās.

At the conclusion of our practice, we dedicate any merit we have accumulated. Simply put, “we share the merit with all sentient beings,” Acharya said.

The practice of study, contemplation, and meditation

The third and final question concerned the practice of study, contemplation, and meditation. One participant noted that Ngulchu Tokmé emphasizes these practices throughout the text and asked for clarification: What exactly is meant by study, contemplation, and meditation? In particular, how does meditation differ from contemplation, and where does analytical meditation fit within these three?

In response, Acharya summarized the threefold practice as follows:

“We study to understand what was not yet understood, we contemplate to remove doubts, and then we meditate to gain experience, familiarize ourselves with the Dharma, and put it into action to liberate all sentient beings from suffering.”

Acharya further explained the role of analytical meditation, noting that it can be understood as a part of contemplation. Why? Because, together with śamatha (calm-abiding meditation), analytical meditation helps to dispel doubts and clarify understanding.

Moreover, Acharya emphasized that once we have gained certainty through contemplation, it is essential to familiarize ourselves deeply with the wisdom arising from contemplation. In other words, we must internalize the teachings—they need to become an integral part of our being. This internalization is the essence of “meditation”: by putting the teachings into practice and gaining experiential insight, we progress toward realization and, ultimately, enlightenment, for the benefit of all beings.

Deepening our Practice

Following these final remarks, it was noted that our brief discussion of the 37 practices has come to a close, and now it is time to deepen our study and contemplation of the Dharma. In particular, given the importance of meditation, we need to gain more experience through practice to progress on the bodhisattva path toward our ultimate goal: enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

Therefore, building on this series, we will continue with a new series of Dharma talks and practices inspired by Ngulchu Tokmé’s text, the lives of great masters, and the teachings of the Kagyü lineage—especially the lineage of the Karmapas. You can learn more here about this upcoming series. In this spirit, our Tibetan Language Class will start to focus on colloquial Tibetan and reading basic Dharma discourses.

With this, the current series concluded, and the merit was dedicated.

Moving in the Right Direction – 37 Practices – Session 22

How do we know we are moving in the right direction, moving forward on the path of a bodhisattva? Together with commentary on the last verses, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering offered some general reflections on how to put Ngulchu Tokmé’s instructions in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, into practice.

Śamatha Without Mental Engagement

Bringing to mind those near to us, as well as those far away, seen and unseen, we began our practice of śamatha by generating the heart of awakening–bodhicitta. Even if all we can do is touch the intention to seek liberation for the benefit of all, there is still great benefit.

While connecting with this intention, we emphasized gentle attention to the movement of our minds, not mentally engaging our thoughts, following them. By gently bringing our awareness to our body, our breath, or the space around us, we can slow down and start to be present in this moment. Together with our intention, this helps prepare the ground for listening and contemplating the dharma.

Reducing Our Self-Fixation

Whether we look from the perspective of the three baskets (Vinaya, Sūtra, and Abhidharma) together with the tree trainings (ethics, concentration, and wisdom), or whether we look through the lens of six pāramitās, the teachings of the buddha all point to the same goal: to remove the fundamental ignorance in our mindstream through giving rise to wisdom.

This confusion consists of grasping at a self or self-fixation. This is the root of the three poisons (attachment, anger, and ignorance) which, in turn, give rise to 84.000 mental afflictions. For this reason, Acharya explained, the Buddha taught 84.000 dharmas. These can be considered as antidotes to counter each individual mental affliction.

The last practice Ngulchu Tokmé points to, which is the culmination of all practices, is this ultimate purpose: to free ourselves from conceptualizing the three spheres that lead to self-interest and grasping at a self.

“What I am trying to say is that the main goal of our practice is to attain the wisdom of selflessness. Whatever practice we engage in, if it helps us reduce our self-fixation, we are moving in the right direction. But if our practice leads to greater self-fixation, we may not be going the right way.”

Acharya Lhakpa reminded us of something taught by the great kagyü master Gampopa. If we do not practice the dharma in harmony with the dharma, we risk falling into the lower realms. With that reminder, our resident teacher turned to the final verses of Ngulchu Tokmé’s text.

No Coffee Table Dharma

The first of the four concluding verses reads as follows:

“Following after the speech of the noble ones
And the meaning of what is said in the sutras, tantras, and treatises,
I have put forth these thirty-seven practices of a bodhisattva
For those who wish to practice the bodhisattva path.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)

This seems very clear: Ngulchu Tokmé points out he did not make these practices up by himself but followed the teachings of Buddha Śākyamuni and the commentaries composed by the great Indian masters. Thus, as Acharya put it, this text is not “coffee table dharma.”

Ngulchu Tokmé’s text continues with the following verse:

“Because I am of inferior intellect and little training,
I do not have any poetic verse to please the learned ones.
Yet, because I have relied upon the sutras and the noble masters’ speech,
I believe these practices of a bodhisattva to be without error.”

Acharya explained that in this verse we can see how Ngulchu Tokmé relied upon the direct words of the Buddha and the commentaries of the noble masters, who all taught the same Dharma: how to tame and train the mind. Based on their teachings, Ngulchu Tokmé attempted to put exactly this into writing in these 37 verses, which point to the practice of a bodhisattva.

Big Vision, Small Steps

Like the previous verse, Ngulchu Tokmé indicates in the next as well that he is aware that his capabilities are fairly limited:

“Nevertheless, because it is difficult for someone like me with an inferior mind
To fathom the vastness of bodhisattva conduct,
I pray the holy ones will forgive
All faults, such as contradictions and irrelevancies.” (e)

In his commentary on this verse, Acharya explained that we may sometimes feel confident that we can help all other sentient beings. However, apart from the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, we are far from understanding the interests and mental dispositions of others–let alone those all sentient beings, who are taught to be as limitless as the sky.

As Acharya continued, he noted that Ngulchu Tokmé recognizes his limitations and writes that he described the practices of a bodhisattva only to the best of his ability. Since it is quite possible that these verses may contain “contradictions” or “irrelevancies,” he humbly asks the Buddhas and bodhisattvas for forgiveness if that is the case.

Like Ngulchu Tokmé, we need to recognize our own limitations. This does not mean we should not have a vast vision or great aspirations. After all, on the path of a bodhisattva, we strive to attain buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. However, we need to take small steps. What matters is to get closer and closer, step by step. This is what our practice should be like.

Practicing Wisdom and Compassion

Ngulchu Tokmé concludes with a dedication prayer and writes:

“By the virtue of that, may all beings
Through the supreme bodhicitta, both ultimate and relative,
Become like the protector Avalokiteshvara,
Who does not abide in the extremes of samsara or nirvana.”

In this verse, Acharya pointed out that Ngulchu Tokmé writes about both ultimate bodhicitta and relative bodhicitta–wisdom and skillful means (or compassion), respectively.

Since the noble Avalokiteśvara possesses both of those qualities, he “does not abide in the extremes of samsara or nirvana.” For this reason, Ngulchu Tokmé prays that this text, and engaging in the practices of a bodhisattva described in these verses, may be the cause for all sentient beings to become just like him.

Making Progress

At the conclusion of our discussion of this text, it becomes clear that our practices is essentially about cultivating two qualities: wisdom and compassion. In other words, we are encouraged to develop relative bodhicitta (compassion) and ultimate bodhicitta (wisdom). Of course, we may not be able to fully engage in and or realize the results of these practices right away.

Acharya offered his apologies for any confusion his explanations may have caused, and expressed his sincere wish and prayer that our exploration of Ngulchu Tokmé’s text will support us in making progress on the path of a bodhisattva–slowly, step by step.

Although we have a question-and-answer session next time, with this prayer we concluded the our reading of the text and dedicated the merit of our practice.

Meditation for All: Dharma Talks & Practice

Inspired by the Kagyü lineage and the lives and teachings of the Karmapas, as well as our recently discussed Ngulchu Tokmé’s classical text, The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, we continue our practice under the guidance of Acharya Lhakpa Tshering through meditation and dharma talks.

Sunday Meditation for All

In each Sunday Meditation for All session, we will practice śamatha (calm-abiding) meditation together and study and contemplate on Dharma topics. We explore how to live in harmony with the instructions of the great Dharma masters to find genuine freedom, happiness, and positive change.

What: Meditation for All: Dharma Talks & Practice
When: Every Sunday, from 10:30 to 11:30 AM Central Time (Chicago, USA)
Where: Online on Zoom and Onsite at KC16

Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, familiar with the Dharma or just curious, our Sunday sessions are open to everyone. We hope to support each other in cultivating wisdom and compassion on the path to freedom.

Please join us onsite at KC16 or online!

Traveling Together

For online access, please register here for the Zoom link. Our sessions will begin at 10:30 am and finish around 11:30 am Central Standard Time (Chicago, US). Can’t join us live or would like to review a session? Please know that we’ll share recordings that you can (re-)view for 21 days on a dedicated resource page.

It’s our great honor and joy to practicing and traveling the path to freedom, loving kindness, and compassion with you and many others around the world, under the guidance of our resident teachers and the blessings of the lineage of the Karmapas.

Registration and Offerings

Making an offering or donation is optional and is not required to register for our Meditation for All: Dharma Talks & Practice. You can join for free by selecting a ‘free ticket’. If you would like, you can make a donation to support our Stūpa Project or make a teaching offering for Acharya Lhakpa, KC16’s resident teacher, of any amount. After selecting a ‘free ticket’ or making an offering below, the Zoom link and other practical information will be delivered in a confirmation email.

KC16’s Tibetan Language Class: Basic Dharma Discourses

Alongside our Sunday morning Meditation for All dharma talks & practice, we will study and practice basic dharma discourses together with some colloquial conversations, grammar, and the art of translating Tibetan in our weekly Tibetan Language Class. Everyone is welcome to join.

Learn more and register here

In Harmony With the Dharma – 37 Practices – Session 20

Instead of looking at others or clinging to one of the eight worldly dharmas, what we really should examine is our own minds and clear away all confusion. Practicing in harmony with the dharma is the main point, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering said, of verse 30 through 32 of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. What do these instructions tell us about what to abandon?

For the Benefit of Those Near and Far

As usual, we begin our session by cultivating or generating the heart of awakening–bodhicitta. We can bring to mind the pain, sorrow, and suffering of those in our immediate surroundings: our friends, family, neighbors, and surrounding community. In addition, we can think of everyone, individuals, groups, and entire nations, who suffer due to natural disasters or human-made conflict.

We always start our session with the practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation) with the clearly felt intention to achieve freedom, well-being, and liberation, for the benefit of ourselves and all those beings, human and non-human alike, near and far, without exceptions.

Dharmic Actions

Our resident teacher continued his commentary by starting with the 31st verse:

“If you do not examine your own confusion,
You may, under the guise of dharma, do non-dharmic things.
Therefore, through continual examination,
To abandon one’s confusion is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)

The main point of this verse, Acharya explained, is that we need to examine our own confusion. This means that we need to look carefully at our actions of body, speech, and mind–the three doors. Are they corrupted by attachment, anger, or ignorance–the three poisons? If so, he said, we may engage in the practice of the six perfections discussed before this verse, but it only looks dharmic on the outside without it being dharmic on the inside. This is also taught by Dagpo Rinpoche (Gampopa) in Precious Garland of the Supreme Path:

“You may have entered the gate of the dharma with faith, but if you don’t practice in accordance with the dharma, it will set up the causes for going back to the lower realms, and there will be no benefit.”

Further illustrated with examples from everyday life, Acharya explained that practicing in accordance with the dharma means we need to continuously examine our own confusion. Instead of looking at others, we should be mindful and pay careful attention to our own actions. It is very important to do so throughout the day, both during formal meditation practice and post-meditation. This, Acharya stressed, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Clearing the Confusion of All Beings

The next verse, 32, makes a similar point as the previous one. It reads:

“If, under the power of the afflictive emotions,
I speak of the faults of another bodhisattva, I diminish myself.
Therefore, to not point out the faults of those who have
Entered the Mahayana is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

Through sharing a story about a disciple of the great master and well-known teacher of Dzogchen Monastery, Paltrül Rinpoche (1808-1887), and how to practice patience, Acharya further highlighted the importance of working with our own minds instead of looking at and trying to change the minds of others.

We could move away from things and beings that trigger our habitual tendencies. We could even attempt to eliminate all confusion by pointing out the faults of others. Yet, since the number of sentient beings extends as far as the ends of space, this approach is pointless. Furthermore, if we speak of the faults under the power of mental afflictions, it will only harm them, and our own practice will diminish.

Therefore, we need to control our own minds and remove poisons, like attachment, from our mindstream. In fact, it is taught that clearing our own confusion becomes the clearing of confusion for all beings, limitless as the sky.

Abandoning the Eight Worldly Dharmas

The previous two verses speak about abandoning our confusion through the lens of the three poisons. The following verse, 33, does so from the perspective of the eight worldly dharmas by using the example of honor and gain:

“Due to honor and gain, we fight with each other
And the activities of hearing, contemplating, and meditating diminish.
Therefore, to abandon attachment to the homes of
Benefactors and loved ones is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

There are eight worldly dharmas or concerns: gain and loss, fame and lack of fame, praise and blame, pleasure and sorrow. Using the pair of praise and blame as an example, Acharya explained the common underlying pattern: we like the one (e.g. praise) and dislike the other (e.g. blame). A bodhisattva, he continued, attaches little value to either and takes an attitude of equanimity:

“If we get carried away with such temporary things like praise and blame and attach great value to them, our activities of hearing, contemplating, and meditating, will diminish. Therefore, we should neither hold strongly to things we like nor to things we dislike. This is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

We might be a great king or ruler holding to all subjects in the kingdom or someone who has gone forth yet remains attached to benefactors from the lay community. Bodhisattvas, who can be found among all of them, and regardless of their position or the object, abandon any kind of attachment, without exception. Abandoning our attachment is yet another example taught by Ngulchu Tokmé of what we need to let go of.

To conclude, we dedicated the merit.

Karmapa Khyenno!

If We Practice Continuously – 37 Practices – Session 18

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!

Without Hope and Craving – 37 Practices – Session 17

In verse 22, Ngulchu Tokmé teaches us about ultimate bodhicitta. Last week, our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, offered an explanation of this verse and the two following verses, which show how to cut through our confusion and see reality directly. The next couple of verses, Acharya said, instruct how to put the teachings on ultimate bodhicitta into practice in post-meditation or subsequent attainment: through the six pāramitās or perfections .

Working with Our Breath and Distraction

Acharya first guided us in the practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation) following the recitation of our opening chants. He highlighted how we can calm the mind through focusing on the movement of our breath, with the air coming in and going out through our nostrils. Whenever we find that our mind gets distracted or we enter into a state of daydreaming, we can simply bring our awareness back to our focal object: in this case, the movement of our breath. We do this practice repeatedly, Acharya instructed.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you get distracted,” he said. “Whenever that happens, just be aware of it. Distraction is nothing bad, and we are not trying to not get distracted. We are simply aware of it, and return to our focal object.”

We engage in this practice with the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of everyone. Therefore, whatever merit we gain through it, we wish it to be the cause for fulfilling this aspiration.

A Beginner Bodhisattva Practicing Generosity

Previously, we discussed the topic of ultimate bodhicitta. Today, we turn to the question: How to put this into practice in post-meditation or subsequent attainment? On the path of the Mahāyāna or great vehicle, this is done through the six pāramitās or perfections, starting with the practice of generosity as expressed by verse 25:

“Since, if you wish for enlightenment, you must give even your body away.
What is there to be said about giving material objects to others?
Therefore, to have generosity without hope of
Being paid in return is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)

Nguclhu Tokmé’s main instruction, Acharya explained, is to practice generosity without “hope of being paid in return.” No matter what kind of generosity we engage in, this is something we should remember all the time. Yet, as a beginner, this is very difficult. We have a strong habit of wishing to get something in return for our actions. Therefore, our resident teacher elaborated, many dharma practices make use of this habit and encourage us to think: “Through this practice I will accumulate the two accumulations of merit and wisdom, and will obtain the state of buddhahood.” Thinking thus, we will engage in practices like generosity as a beginner bodhisattva.

The Ground for Ultimate Reality

From the perspective of ultimate bodhicitta and realized bodhisattvas, there is no accumulator, nothing to be accumulated, and no object of accumulation. Ultimately, those do not exist. While realizing this is our ultimate goal, Acharya said, “without relying on relative bodhicitta, there is no way to reach ultimate reality.” He illustrated this with an example often taught by Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche: An airplane taking off to the sky (ultimate) needs the ground (relative) to make speed to get up there.

Turning to the practice of generosity, Acharya taught that there are three kinds of generosity:

The generosity of material goods
The generosity of protection from fear or offering refuge
The generosity of giving or sharing the dharma

The bodhisattva who fully gives rise to the aspiration of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, Ngulchu Tokmé writes in this verse, even gives their own body away. Acharya explained that we need to see this in the context of the Mahāyāna path. Bodhisattvas who have seen the truth of emptiness directly will indeed be able to do this. This does not trouble them. For beginner bodhisattvas, we instead focus on the three kinds of generosity.

Only Give What is Beneficial to Others

The practice of generosity, Acharya stressed, does not mean that we give away whatever we have nor give things to anyone at any point in time. Instead, as the Indian Buddhist master, Śāntideva, teaches in bodhisattva-caryā-avatāra, we carefully look at what the other really needs and would benefit from.

Illustrating this with various examples, Acharya explained that we give what is beneficial. If this consists of giving something small, then that is what we should do. Furthermore, giving is not limited to some kind of object. Showing respect through our physical actions, speaking gently, and being kind are also acts of generosity. We can think of offering a smile or protection to those who seek refuge out of fear.

Although sharing the dharma is considered the most supreme act of generosity, this may not always be what the other needs. The intention, therefore, may be good, but we really should be giving what the other needs at that moment — not what we want to give.

A key thing to remember: We should practice generosity without the hope of being paid in return. Otherwise, our practice will become ingenuine and cause suffering to come our way.

Getting To a Place of Coolness

The six perfections taught through these verses by Ngulchu Tokmé follow a certain progression. The perfection of generosity, which is mainly to liberate ourselves from the attachment or clinging to samsaric (i.e. worldly) things, prepares us for the practice of discipline taught in verse 26:

“If, lacking discipline, you do not accomplish your own benefit,
Wishing to accomplish others’ benefit is laughable!
Therefore, to engage in discipline
Without samsaric craving is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

The English word “discipline” and Tibetan tshül thrim are trying to capture the Sanskrit word “śīla,” which means something like “coolness.” Acharya explained that we can understand this from the context of the burning sun in the places where Buddha lived: If you sit under a tree or in the shade on a sunny day, you will be able to feel this coolness. The heat, in this case, is a reference to the experience of attachment and other mental afflictions. The coolness refers to the place we experience through guarding or watching the actions of our body, speech, and mind, with an emphasis on the first two. This is the so-called discipline.

Benefiting Ourselves and Others

If we contemplate this practice of guarding or disciplining ourselves, Acharya said:

“Then we can see that if we are not capable of guarding our body, speech, and mind we can easily see in today’s world how this gives us a lot of problems, a lot of hardships, a lot of suffering. On the other hand, if we are capable to discipline ourselves, that will become the foundation for all kinds of virtuous qualities and the ground for the accumulation of merit. This, in turn, enables us to benefit both ourselves and others.”

If, as Ngulchu Tokmé points out, we are not able to practice discipline, then benefiting others is laughable. How can you benefit others, if you can’t even keep yourself out of trouble?

Progressing Towards the State of Buddhahood

To conclude, and responding to a question asked by one of the participants, Acharya explained how the practice of the Mahāyāna path is fully encompassed by the six pāramitās. Therefore, if we are able to practice those, we can realize the truth of emptiness and obtain the state of buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. This, however, is not easy. Why?

As human beings, Acharya elaborated, we have many mental afflictions. Particularly strong is the affliction of desire or clinging to worldly things and, especially, the grasping at a self or self-fixation. Since attaining buddhahood requires the realization of emptiness and the absence of a self, it is very difficult. Therefore, we need to work with mental afflictions in a gradual manner and, for example, make our attachments smaller and smaller.

The practice of the six pāramitās can be understood as working with increasingly subtle mental afflictions. The first pāramitā, the practice of generosity, has as the main instruction to let go of the hope of being paid in return. This consists of working with very coarse forms of attachment. The second pāramitā, the practice of discipline, has as the main instruction to practice discipline “without samsaric craving.” This will help to prevent attachment to samsaric things from arising and further reduce our clinging. As we progress through the practice of the six perfections in this way, we get closer and closer to the realization of emptiness, and the realization of buddhahood, for the sake of all beings. Our goal, Acharya said, “is to have the understanding of emptiness. But, without clearing away these obscurations like attachment, there is no way to reach that goal.” This is why we practice the six pāramitās on the heroic path of compassion. These are the practices of a bodhisattva.

Following those words, we dedicated the merit.

Karmapa Khyenno!

It is All in Our Hands – 37 Practices – Session 14

Wishing everyone onsite at KC16 and online on Zoom a good morning, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering resumed guiding our practice and continued his commentary on The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva as taught by Ngulchu Tokmé. Looking at verse 18 and 19, the question to ask ourselves is: How to take loss and gain onto the heroic path of compassion?

The Heroic Intention of a Bodhisattva

Part of our śamatha practice is to always connect with the intention to seek enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings–bodhicitta. At the beginning of our session, our resident teacher stressed the heroic quality and the importance of this intention. It is heroic since we open our hearts to all sentient beings. We do so with a sense of gratitude since they have supported us in one way or another in the world of samsara, from beginningless time. The importance can be seen in the eighteenth verse:

“Even when I am made destitute, people constantly berate me,
And grave illness and evil spirits strike me,
To take on still the suffering and misdeeds of all beings for myself Without losing heart is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
Quoted from: A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg.

“Without losing heart,” Acharya pointed out, refers to bodhicitta or heart of awakening. Why is this important? “If the intention of benefiting others is not present from the very outset, we will not be able to take hardships and suffering onto the path,” he said.

“Why me?” is Not the Question

Usually, when we face difficult situations like those pointed out in this verse, we think: “Why me? Why is this always happening to me?” Furthermore, we then typically blame others or are upset with the outside world. However, as a dharma practitioner, we should ask ourselves: “Is this going to contribute to the cause of enlightenment for myself and others?” Counter to our habits, we seek to make good use of adverse situations. The main point, therefore, is how to take suffering, hardships, and whatever discomfort in our lives, onto the path. How do we make use of them in our practice?

The Manure for Enlightenment

In the Mahāyāna sūtras, the Buddha illustrated the notion of taking any situation onto the path with cow dung. Like farmers use this to enrich their fields, bodhisattvas use all conditions, no matter what difficulty they encounter, as a way to further their practice and use it to attain the state of omniscience–buddhahood.

What if others are free from such difficulties? Rather than thinking about why they have what we are lacking, we should remember that we are engaging in the practice for their sake. We wish them to be free from any kind of hardship and discomfort. Seeking to free them from suffering, we take everything onto the path, not only our own difficulties but the difficulties of others as well. We do so “without losing heart.”

While this is surely not an easy practice, Acharya emphasized that we can always start with small steps. Slowly we will be able to take the challenges we encounter onto the path and exchange our happiness with the suffering of others.

Appreciating Wealth and Renown with Mindfulness and Mental Alertness

While the eighteenth verse speaks about taking loss onto the path, the next verse, nineteen, teaches about gain. In A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg, it reads:

“Even if I become renowned and everyone pays me respect,
Or should I obtain wealth like that of Vaishravana,
To see the wealth of samsara as having no essence
And not have pride is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

The verse points to Vashravana, the god of wealth, according to traditional buddhist teachings. However, Acharya shared that we can simply think of rich people in our present-day world. Regardless of who we think of, and however wealthy that person may be, the same message expressed in this verse applies: It is impermanent.

The impermanent nature of things applies equally to material wealth as to other things that Ngulchu Tokmé is pointing to with this verse: being renowned, respected, and so forth. This is not difficult to understand. We can find countless examples of people who gained a lot at some point in their lives and later on lost everything again. This does not mean that such things are inherently bad. It means that they simply have no essence.

What does this mean for us as a dharma practitioner? If we gain some kind of renown and wealth, we can appreciate that. However, through the qualities of mindfulness and being mentally alert, we can remain aware of their impermanent nature and develop contentment.

Blowing Up the Balloon of Pride

The benefits of mindfulness and mental alertness, or introspection, is that it will prevent pride to arise in our mind-stream. Acharya Lhakpa taught that pride can be compared to a balloon. “The more we blow up the balloon of pride, the farther away we will be from attaining the qualities of nirvāṇa and the state of buddhahood.”

Pride contaminates, Acharya explained, the vessel or container which holds the qualities of enlightenment. Therefore, no matter whether we have a lot of wealth, are renowned, and so forth, or not, we always need mindfulness and introspection. Seeing that phenomena are impermanent, changing every second, will reduce our pride. If, he said, “we will contaminate the container of enlightenment of pride, that will neither benefit ourselves nor others.”

Does It Make Any Sense to You?

The main practice of the Mahāyāna, for all who tread the heroic path of compassion, is to always consider how to take happiness and suffering, comfort and discomfort, onto the path. More particularly, bodhisattvas take the mental afflictions like attachment, aversion, and ignorance–the three poisons–onto the path. Therefore, Acharya Lhakpa said: “We don’t have to get rid of the mental afflictions. Rather, we make use of them to move farther along the path.”

As a way to conclude our session, Acharya reminded us of something he mentioned before: Sometimes we may look at a verse and think, ‘How is this possible? It does not make any sense!’ However, instead of immediately responding in that way, we should carefully investigate and contemplate these verses, wondering: What is the point here? What does make sense to me? “If,” our resident teacher said, “you find one verse that makes sense to you, that helps you to transform your mental afflictions into path, that’s it. That’s your practice.”

Thanking everyone onsite and online for joining our practice, we dedicated the merit.

Karmapa Khyenno!

16th Karmapa’s Guru Yoga Practice: Every First Saturday of the Month

To find happiness and support on the path to full awakening for the benefit of the world, we need to rely on spiritual friends. The practice of guru yoga is, therefore, a profound method to connect with the heart of our teacher and lineage of dharma masters, to receive blessings and help us move away from negative qualities, and cultivate positive qualities in terms of body, speech, and mind.

Rainfall of Nectar

The Guru Yoga Sadhana, “Rainfall of Nectar,” composed by the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, is elegantly concise and contains the essential pith instructions of the Vajrayana tradition.

Every First Saturday of the Month

Every first Saturday of the month, we will offer an opportunity to practice His Holiness the 16th Karmapa’s Guru Yoga together. Regardless of whether you are familiar with the practice and who you consider to be your personal teacher, this practice allows us to connect with the enlightened qualities of the Buddha and, in a way, truly become the activity of the Karmapa, embodying the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion.

What: 16th Gyalwang Karmapa’s Guru Yoga Sadhana
When: First Saturday of the Month, from 10:00 to 11:30 AM Central Time (Chicago, USA)
Where: Online on Zoom and Onsite at KC16. (Liturgies will be screenshared)

Registration, Offerings & Donations

Making an offering or donation is optional and is not required to register for our monthly 16th Gyalwang Karmapa’s Guru Yoga Practice. You can join for free by selecting a ‘free ticket’. If you would like to make a donation to support the stupa project or make an offering to our teachers and resident monastics, please choose an option below.

Fulfilling Our Aspirations

After selecting a ‘free ticket’ or making an offering below, the Zoom link and other practical information will be delivered in a confirmation email.

We warmly invite you to join us and together fulfill all aspirations for ourselves and others through our devotion and virtuous activities.

Karmapa Khyenno!

Taking a Step Back – 37 Practices – Session 12

With snow falling at Karmapa Center 16, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, guided meditation from our shrine room and we discussed the fifteenth verse from Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 practices of a Bodhisattva. How can we take denigration or criticism to the path? Especially in this twenty-first century, our resident teacher said we need to learn to take a step back and slow down before we react.

Breathing In, Breathing Out

Before starting our usual śamatha practice, our resident teacher offered some instructions about the posture of our body (straight yet comfortable and relaxed) and the importance of generating the wish for our meditation session to become the causes & conditions for all sentient beings to attain enlightenment (bodhicitta). He highlighted how we can use our breath as a vocal object:

“Just be aware of breathing in, and breathing out. The air flowing through your nostrils. Just simply be aware of your breath. Whenever you find you are distracted, simply bring your mind back to that awareness.”

While sitting, Acharya Lhakpa said, we can repeat this again and again.

Great Aspiration Means Fewer Difficulties

Turning to Ngulchu Tokmé’s text, Acharya Lhakpa first made some general remarks about the path of the Mahayana. When a person makes a commitment to attain enlightenment for all sentient beings means that such a practitioner has a bold or great aspiration. As a consequence, any kind of difficulty will become less important. Therefore, “on the Mahayana path, no matter what difficulties you face, we take or use them as a path to attain enlightenment,” Acharya said.

Verse fifteen points to taking criticism or denigration to the path:

“Even if several people in the midst of a crowd
Should reveal my hidden faults and speak harsh words,
To hold them to be my spiritual friends
And bow to them with respect is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)

Embracing Criticism as a Spiritual Friend

If someone criticizes you or reveals your hidden faults, Acharya Lhakpa commented, we should consider this person a spiritual friend. Even if we don’t have any hidden faults at the moment, we could think as follows: “Right now, I am not involved in any nonvirtuous actions like telling lies or killing. But I risk doing such things in the future. Therefore, this person is actually helping me to be more mindful and conscientious.”

Another way of thinking about this is to consider that the person who is criticizing me is under the influence of negative emotions. These make the person blind in the sense of not seeing reality and, thus, not having the wisdom to see clearly.

Either way, what this verse teaches here is that “instead of reacting to any kind of action right away, we should take a moment to observe and contemplate. We should give ourselves time to step back and look at the situation clearly instead of reacting immediately.”

Slowing Down

Acharya Lhakpa shared various examples from his own life to illustrate how in this twenty-first century we indulge in instant gratification and little patience. Driven by social media, instant messaging, and so forth, we react instantaneously, especially with emotions like anger.

The things we say, the emails we write, and any kind of action we engage in, our immediate emotionally-driven responses lead only to further trouble and regret. Therefore, instead of retaliating, we should not react. In fact, we should not only consider a person who denigrates us as a spiritual friend but take all such conditions onto the path.

If we are not able to do this at the beginning, Acharya Lhakpa pointed out what we could do first: “Even if you fall into that kind of situation. Once you cool down, you should reflect on the situation. How did I respond? Is my practice working? Am I able to transform negative emotions and take them onto the path?” Our resident teacher continued saying that “if we are able to control ourselves from the very beginning, this might not only help ourselves, this will also help the person who criticizes you.”

Seeing our Faults

Spiritual friends are not always nice. Nor do they always praise us. In fact, if teachers would only say good things to us, it would lead to a stronger ego and a growing sense of pride. This would kill the seeds of enlightenment, so to speak. Therefore, be it our teacher or someone else who reveals our faults or shortcomings, we should “bow to them with respect.”

This does not mean, Acharya clarified, that we need to go, find this person, and literally bow to them. We can just bow mentally with a sense of appreciation (for this) to those who have pointed out our faults.

Inner Journey as Our Practice

This fifteenth verse is not very difficult to understand. Ngulchu Tokmé has explained the practice of the bodhisattva in a very simple manner. The difficult part is to internalize and take this into practice. What this means is that we should be disciplining ourselves. While telling someone what to do or not to do can sometimes be helpful, the first and foremost thing, Acharya explained, “is how to discipline yourself and take things onto the path. The practice of the Mahayana is an inner journey to improve your own practice, and working with your own mind.”

During a short question-and-answer session, Acharya stressed again how disciplining ourselves is very difficult because of our very deep habitual tendencies. These are not easily overcome. Yet, he said,

“If we work diligently, if we work mindfully, with awareness, then we might be able to overcome our habitual tendencies. Then, we may not need to accumulate wisdom and merit for three countless eons and attain enlightenment in this lifetime.”

In response to one of the questions, Acharya Lhakpa emphasized that the most important thing in practice is our intention. Even if the immediate situation might not seem to improve, we do not need to be discouraged. Instead, we should be appreciative of our intention and diligent efforts to move closer to enlightenment. “We keep the candle lit and are still going strong. That is something to appreciate.”

KC16 About to Start Groundwork

Acharya Lhakpa concluded our session with a few remarks about developments at KC16. He mentioned that we are planning to start the groundwork very soon and get things ready to build a temple and parinirvana stupa to commemorate His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, and expand our activities further to study, contemplate, and put the teachings of the Mahayana, especially those of the lineage of the Karmapas, into practice.

Dedicating our merit, may this and all our practices be of benefit!

Karmapa Khyenno!

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.