Understanding the Need for Spiritual
Practice
By Kyabje Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche
In order to practice the Dharma taught by the Buddha it is necessary, at the
outset, to establish confidence in its validity.
First we must understand that we have had countless lives in the past and will
continue to have countless lives until we attain the level of a Buddha or Bodhisattva.
Belief in the existence of previous and future lives gives rise to confidence
in the truth of karma, the effects of actions. This confidence is based on understanding
that un-virtuous actions lead to suffering and virtuous actions lead to happiness.
Without this conviction, we will not abandon un-virtuous actions or perform
virtuous ones.
We can reach this conviction by examining the signs of the workings of karma
in the world around us. Although we are all born as human beings, each person
experiences different circumstances, such as a long or short life, mental happiness
or misery, and wealth or poverty. These variations in individual circumstances
arise through previous karma accumulated in former lifetimes. Even animals have
a sense that actions lead to results. They know enough to look for food when
they are hungry, water when they are thirsty, and shade when they are hot.
If one has no confidence in the existence of past or future lives or in the
truth of the effects of karma, then one will have no appreciation of Buddhism
or any other religion. The practices of all religions are based on the intention
to benefit oneself and others in a future existence.
The Buddha taught that sentient beings are subject to eighty-four thousand mental
afflictions; to remedy them, he gave eighty-four thousand profound and extensive
teachings. The point of all these teachings is to benefit the mind. One's body
and speech will automatically derive benefit since the mind is like the master,
and the body and speech are like its servants. For example, through thoughts
of generosity, we perform acts of generosity; and because of angry thoughts,
we use harsh words or act unkindly. The mind is the source of the action while
the body and speech enact the mind's intentions. For instance, today you had
the thought, "I must go to Kagyu Thubten Chöling to hear the Dharma,"
and in response to that thought, your body and speech somehow managed to accomplish
this.
If one practices the Dharma correctly, then the four types of obscurations that
veil the nature of the mind-ignorance, habitual patterns based on dualistic
perception, mental afflictions, and karma-are removed. Complete elimination
of these obscurations-known in Tibetan as sang-causes the inherent qualities
of the mind's nature to manifest fully and spontaneously. This manifestation
of the qualities and wisdom of the mind is called gye in Tibetan. Together these
two form the word sang gye, which means Buddha or Buddhahood, the ultimate attainment.
It is necessary to practice Dharma because we are subject to impermanence. Born
from our mother's womb, we go through childhood, mature, grow old, get sick,
and eventually die. None of us can avoid birth, old age, sickness, and death.
We have no control over this. That is why we need to practice the Dharma.
Since no one lives forever, we have an underlying awareness that we are going
to die. But we have only the idea "I'm going to die." We don't remember
the suffering, fear and difficulty we experience at the time of death. We don't
really understand the nature of death because we don't understand the meaning
of Dharma.
If our whole existence just disappeared at death like a flame that has been
extinguished, or like water that evaporates, then everything would be fine.
But the mind's nature is empty, clear, and unimpeded. Because it is empty it
does not die. Our mind does not disappear, but goes on after our physical death
to experience the confused appearances of the interval between death and the
next rebirth (Tibetan, Bardo). We then take rebirth in one of the six states
of existence. This cycle repeats again and again. Since the nature of cyclic
existence is impermanence, it is a source of only suffering and not happiness.
Everyone is concerned about having a long life and freedom from sickness. It
is good to have these things, but people neglect to provide themselves with
good circumstances for future lifetimes. We should recognize that the mind that
experiences future lifetimes is the same mind we have now, so we should therefore
be concerned with providing for the future experiences of that mind.
How can we ensure happiness in future lifetimes; by practicing virtue with body,
speech, and mind! When engendering Bodhicitta we pray, "May all sentient
beings have happiness and the causes of happiness; may they be free of suffering
and the causes of suffering." The cause of happiness is virtue and the
cause of suffering is non-virtue. It is therefore necessary to practice virtue
and avoid un-virtuous actions to the best of our ability. Since we have the
ability to choose between virtuous and un-virtuous actions, our future happiness
or suffering is in our own hands.
There are two practices that I find extremely important and beneficial. The
first is the vow of refuge, which by instilling faith in the Buddha, Dharma,
and Sangha forms a foundation for attaining Buddhahood. The second is the meditation
on the Bodhisattva Chenrezi. This practice is the essence of all the teachings
of tantra, and Chenrezi the essence of all yidam deities.
Many people in the West are interested in the teachings on Bodhicitta and benefiting
others. This is very nice, but the root of cultivating Bodhicitta is being able
to take all-suffering, loss, and defeat for oneself and to give all happiness,
profit, and victory to others. If one does not practice this within one's own
family, then talking about applying this ideal to all sentient beings is merely
words.
Reflecting on the kindness of our parents is how one begins to practice mind
training (Tibetan, lojong). We realize that they are suffering now and will
continue to suffer in the future, and that until they attain liberation from
samsára, they will go from life to life experiencing pain. If we reflect
in this way, we begin to understand that it is unfitting for us to allow beings
that have been so kind to us to experience so much suffering. This recognition
is the beginning of loving-kindness and compassion. Next we must resolve to
do whatever we can to free them from suffering. We expand on this contemplation
by including all the people that we care for-our children, friends, and relatives.
We then include all those whom we neither like nor dislike, and then people
we dislike, even those we consider to be our enemies. Finally, we include all
sentient beings, who fill all of space, and we imagine that we take on all their
suffering and offer them all our happiness and virtue. In particular, we should
make the aspiration that this meditation may serve as a cause for their attainment
of Buddhahood and liberation from the sufferings of samsára. That is
the way in which Bodhicitta is developed.
If we can practice Bodhicitta, develop patience, and pacify all disharmony in
our own home, then we have prepared the way leading to the development of limitless
Bodhicitta. If, on the other hand, we cannot maintain patience and harmony in
our own home with our own family, then it is very unlikely that we will be able
to do this with respect to all sentient beings, who are infinite in number.
So if, after hearing these teachings, you go home and eliminate all disharmony
in your home and family, I will proclaim you all male and female Bodhisattvas!