Criticizing and blaming others
The most important Dharma practice is to cease the delusions, the three poisonous
minds, which are the root of all suffering, as well as the self-centered mind.
All the reciting of mantras and prayers, listening to Dharma, meditating, prostrating,
offering mandalas, making offerings at the altar to the holy objects - all of
it is for ceasing the delusions and ego.
Therefore the main Dharma practice is to watch the mind during your daily life
and to try to free it from being controlled by delusion; to stop torturing yourself
with delusions, abusing yourself with your own delusions. How? By applying the
three principal aspects of the path and tantra - or at the very least, impermanence
and death.
We should realize that the mind is like a baby and we always need to watch it
and take care of it; forgetting to do this for even a few minutes can bring
danger to a small child. Suddenly the mind is in great danger, which means your
life is in great danger. Because your life is controlled by delusion and engaged
in karma, your suffering of samsara will be without end.
We blame and criticize others because we don't like suffering. But if we don't
like suffering, we should not harm others and create disharmony; this is what
interferes with our happiness. What we want and what we are doing are opposite.
Of course, this doesn't mean one can't point out others' mistakes at all. But
when you do, as much as possible do it with loving kindness and compassion.
For the sake of others, one can point out mistakes and make suggestions - this
is how you discuss and communicate according to Dharma. This way there is no
danger for oneself; one doesn't create negative karma, which throws oneself
over the precipice of the three lower realms.
Although you do your meditation sessions and sadhanas and recite mantra, most
of the day is wasted if your work is not connected to Dharma. Not only that,
your precious human body is used to create the lower realms. Whatever you do
must be according to lam-rim; that is the guideline for this life and future
lives.
Being criticized and blamed by others
If you are being criticized by others, use it for Dharma practice, the path
to enlightenment, the means for bringing happiness, temporal and ultimate, to
all sentient beings. By utilizing the experience of the problem in this way,
you can keep your mind in the state of happiness. With this thought transformation
practice, the best practice of Dharma, one sacrifices one's own life for others
in order to obtain their happiness.
This blaming, these complaints against "me," are the manifestation
of many lifetimes of heavy karmas. Use it as much as possible to pacify your
own anger and ill will towards others, which is the enemy of bodhicitta, in
order to complete the paramita of patience, which is the path to enlightenment.
Use it to develop bodhicitta by taking upon yourself all sentient beings' karma
of receiving complaints and being blamed. Experience it for others.
The motivation is the point
Some people are crazy about democracy. However, a country can be run by one
person or by democracy, but if the leaders do not have omniscient mind or reliable
clairvoyance there is always the possibility of mistakes.
When there is no merit and the negative karma hasn't been purified (and, on
top of that, even more is being created), it doesn't matter how many smart ideas
there are, or whether they come from one person or a group - nothing works.
Good results comes from good karma created in the past lives. Education about
this doesn't exist in the West.
If the leader of a country - even if it is a dictatorship, in the sense that
decisions are made by one person - has omniscient mind, can see past, present
and future and has completed the mind training in compassion, then there is
no danger for others from those decisions. In fact, people receive only the
greatest benefit.
Even if the leader is not Buddha but just a bodhisattva, because they have so
much compassion there would be no cheating and no ego power, no taking sides
without thinking of the happiness of sentient beings. There would only be benefit
to others - a bodhisattva has nothing else to be concerned about except the
happiness of others.
If Hitler or Mao Tse Tung, for example, had had education about and experience
in compassion, then millions would have had great peace.
Because decisions are made by one person, the director of a center, say, it
doesn't mean that it will always be negative or that the person is acting like
a dictator. When a country or a center is not guided according to Dharma, especially
bodhicitta (that is, without a selfish mind) problems always come.
Of course, democracy gives freedom to people to express their opinions and feelings,
and that makes them happy, but just because something is democratically decided
doesn't mean it is always correct and the most beneficial. And, as I said before,
just because something is decided by one person doesn't mean that it is wrong.
Decisions in life have to be arrived at by analyzing the benefits and the shortcomings,
the same as in Dharma practice. So as ordinary sentient beings - in other words,
not having omniscience or even the clairvoyance to see the future and karma
- we must make decisions with a motivation of loving kindness and on the basis
of whatever capacity of analytical discerning wisdom we have.
However, things turn out according to karma. This means that we can create better
karma for a better life, in order to be more beneficial for others. And the
same with a center: thinking and acting in ways that are most beneficial to
others. If you hate the center you are working for, if you find it too much
of a problem, you can free yourself from the organizational activities. You
don't need to ruin others and oneself.
All the centers run this way - with the director in charge, helped by others
who are in charge of the various aspects of the center: this we call the management
committee. It is made up of the people who actually do the work; and, with the
director, who is also on the committee, it is responsible for the center's day-to-day
running and future development.
For legal purposes there can be a board of directors; they should come together
as needed by law - once or twice a year, for example and can if necessary correct
or advise the center on matters of great importance. But the day-to-day activities
and management are left completely in the hands of the director and committee.
According to the committee's discretion there can be various subcommittees,
for example, the spiritual program committee or fundraising committee; they
would be responsible to the management committee and would in fact have their
representatives on the committee.
It is important to remember that this is an FPMT center, here to serve sentient
beings and the teachings of the Buddha. It was founded by the incredibly kind
and compassionate Lama Yeshe who now exists in the form of Lama Osel Rinpoche,
who will soon guide the students. And here we have a fully qualified Dharma
teacher, a geshe, in residence.
The resident geshe or teacher - Tibetan or Western - is very important to the
center. Without a teacher, the center can't be of extensive benefit to others.
Because the resident teacher has an extremely important role in the center -
benefiting others mainly through the Dharma - they and the director must have
very good communication. The success of the center, externally and internally,
depends on this. Together, the purpose is to serve sentient beings.
Any individual is most welcome to come here, to study, meditate, work and enjoy
this beautiful place and special environment. If you are not in agreement with
the way things are run, please discuss respectfully, treat each other with kindness.
I always pray for those who are working hard for the center, sacrificing their
lives to serve others; I will always pray this way. And I often pray and hope
we all meet when Maitreya comes and that together we will receive the prediction
of enlightenment.
With much love and prayer,
Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.