Buddhism: Mahayan (Himalayan)
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How Buddhism believes in freedom
By Phuntsok Wangchuk,
November 4, 2013
Leh: Buddhism begins with suffering for the sake of providing solution for suffering. Accomplishment of eliminating suffering is the freedom which can be attained by human effort in the life time.
All religions believe in “liberation”, or commonly called “freedom” or “happiness” as well. Having hope to a higher level of happiness, all religions set out the journey to pursuit happiness by emphasizing on their respective religious believes. They introduce what is called happiness and provide instructions to achieve liberation. The term “hope” gives a sight of happiness to people, it signifies the main feature of religion. So it is appropriate to say that “hope” is the key word for defining religion.
We can hear the term “liberation” in many occasions, especially it is used frequently by many religions. But the cognition and understanding of liberation that based on their believes, is very different from each other. The term “liberation” may contain less meaning for some religions but a broader meaning for other religions. For instance, ascetics who believe soul is bounded by own body, human body is an obstacle to liberate the soul. In order to attain liberation it is necessary to go beyond the human existence “death”. They would punish their own body which is believed to be their practice. They also denied worldly pleasure as a pleasure. According to them, liberation is considered as individual soul merged into cosmic soul, thus it has an eternal quality and is only attainable after death. Some religions do not exclude the mundane pleasure like ascetics do, instead they accept worldly pleasure such as joyfulness and virtue. On top of that they also believe in self liberation. Their notion of liberation is the merging of individual soul into cosmic soul, which is similar to ascetics. The importance to be noted here is that, all religions except Buddhism, believe liberation is only attainable after death, i.e. there is no possibility to arise liberation during living human life time. As Buddhists believe the absence of suffering is called liberation. That is the reason why description regarding to suffering makes different from cognition of liberation.
On the basis of Buddhism, the three poisons aggression, passion and delusion are known as the cause of suffering, they bind all sentient beings in cyclic existence. To escape from cyclic existence the three poisons must be destroyed. This capability of getting rid of cyclic existence is only possessed in human beings. The accomplishment of overcoming from cyclic existence accurately defines the liberation “Nibbana” in Buddhism. Thus Buddhist approach to be free from suffering that human experience in life, can only be accomplished during the life time. Strictly speaking, Buddhism asserted that “Nibbana” can only be attained by human intellectually during their life time. The assertion of liberation occurred after death is denied by Buddhism.
The suffering mentioned in the first noble truth “dukkha”, has a broader meaning than usual understanding. There is not any English term which contains neatly the same range of meaning as dukkha. Generally the term dukkha covers all conditioning force, basically every changeable phenomena is recognized as suffering. Buddhism categorized all sufferings into three kinds of suffering, which are suffering of suffering, suffering of change and suffering of pervasive. Suffering of suffering refers to negative emotions such as pain, sickness and anxiety in both physical and psychological way. It is accepted as suffering in the ordinary sense.
Suffering of change refers to conditional happiness which is gradually changeable and may not remain in next moment, due to the fact that conditioning experience will eventually disappear. It becomes suffering gradually. In this aspect, the second level of suffering is described as suffering. It may seem contradictory that the second level of suffering is described as pleasure and suffering at the same time. Buddhism does not exclude sensual pleasure in terms of relative happiness, as there are many relative happiness discoursed by Buddha, for example joyfulness, friendliness etc. Buddhism asserted it as happiness since it is free from the first level of suffering. According to Buddhism, there is not such a phenomena which can be described without depending on the information of other matters. It is because there is not such a static and eternal phenomena. Therefore all descriptions must relate to other descriptions. Likewise the second level of suffering is suffering because it is conditioning experience. It is also happiness because it is free from physical and psychological sickness. As a result, it is dependent arising.
The third level of suffering is the deepest level of suffering. In the emotional consideration, it refers to neutral feeling. This suffering is described as a feeling which is completely absent of physical or psychological sickness, and conditioning happiness such as joyfulness or harmony, that are the first and second level of suffering respectively.
In conclusion, the above classification has indicated clearly that conditioning experience including unhappiness, happiness and neutral feeling are described as suffering. All conditioning feelings belong to one of these three sufferings. Elimination of these sufferings means cause of suffering is also eliminated. In other words, the elimination of passion, aggression and delusion is the achievement of final freedom or attainment of higher level of happiness. In Buddhist perspective, there is no any place or external approach for liberation. The freeing from clinging to self and self-centered desire is known as Nibbana, the freedom in Buddhism.
Mindfulness and Maitri
The Times of India, May 20 2016
M N Kundu
The ultimate truth is inexpressible and relative truth is expressed in widely varied ways with inherent contradictions. So the Buddha was rather silent on the metaphysical ultimate and he was averse to idle debates with empty words. He stressed on development of morality , wisdom, awareness and equanimity so every religious dispute and question is spontaneously silenced. He was against religious ritualism and quarrels over quotes from the scriptures.His Middle Path is concerned over how best to live in the present amidst universal suffering without bothering much for the unknown and unknowable origin and ultimate of existence.
The challenge in life is to combat all pervading suffering in life caused by disease, ageing, death and impermanence.Human suffering is rooted in craving cloaked in ignorance and shackled by ego.He was fully aware of the enormity of the challenge and therefore prescribed a step-by-step process of transformation.
Life is painful despite the occasional, transient, apparent happiness. Driven by insatiable desires, we live in the false hope of permanent happiness and peace amidst all the absolute impermanence.When we realise this noble truth, we strive for the transcendental realm beyond dualities of pain and pleasure and identification with ego.
The Buddha prescribed the noble Eightfold Path consisting of wisdom, morality and assimilation or panna, sila and samadhi. The path starts with right discernment of the reality behind the apparent.This leads to right intention for adoption as principle of life.Right intention is translated into action through right speech and right livelihood. The mystery of life is untied with right effort that consists of right mindfulness or observation of the universal flux.Finally , right contemplation on ultimate emptiness emancipates one from the bondage of the cycle of unending misery-go-round of living.
Morality follows the practice of mindfulness that starts with contemplation of body-within-body , being mindful of breathing and the five elements in body . It follows non-reactive awareness of feelings, mind and mental qualities. Mindfulness involves awareness of body , states of mind, intellect and feelings pleasant, painful or indifferent as non-reactive and non judgmental witness that relie ves stress and reveals the truth.
Mindful meditation develops observing-awareness.Maitri bhavna cultivates empathetic awareness of all beings. Empathy is the ability to share others' emotions, thoughts or feelings by imaginatively stepping into that space. Maitri bhavna or cultivation of unconditional love and benevolence for all sentient beings ultimately culminates in identification with all beings. In doing so we realise their concerns, fears, anger, hopes and passions as our own, thereby changing our attitude and behaviour towards them.
Maitri bhavna has three different dimensions of experience. When we become aware of others' happiness we experience mudita or empathetic joy without jealousy . Awareness of suffering of others is transformed into karuna or compassion with a sense of empathy , not pity. Awareness of empathetic joy and suffering of others makes us probe deeper into the root cause lying in past actions or karma that develops upekkha or equanimity . Then follows a calm, loving, non-judgmental awareness of the flow of phenomena, in uparati.
The keynote of Buddhism lies in morality , mindfulness and maitri bhavna from which wisdom-based universal fraternity and solution to all the world problems spontaneously follow.
The Five Mindfulness Trainings
Shantum Seth, The Five Buddhist Mindfulness Trainings, Feb 25, 2017: The Times of India
The Five Mindfulness Trainings are a concrete expression of the Buddha's teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the path of right understanding and true love, leading to healing, transformation, and happiness for ourselves and for the world. To practise the five mindfulness trainings is to cultivate the insight of inter-being, or right view, which can remove all discrimination, intolerance, anger, fear and despair.
Reverence for life
I am committed to cultivating the insight of inter-being and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination and non-attachment to overcome violence, fanaticism and dogmatism in myself and in the world.
True happiness
I am committed to practising generosity in my thinking, speaking and acting. I will practise looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am committed to practising Right Livelihood so that i can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and reverse the process of global warming.
True love
I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families and society . Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity moti vated by craving always harms myself as well as others, i am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends.
Practising true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.
Loving speech and deep listening
I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups and nations. I am committed to speaking truth fully using words that inspire confidence, joy and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, i am determined not to speak. I will practise mindful breathing and walking in order to recognise and to look deeply into my anger. I will practise Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence and fear that lie deep in my consciousness.
Nourishment and healing
I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family and society by practising mindful eating, drinking and consuming. I will practise looking deeply into how i consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition and consciousness. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety , or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate inter-being and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy , and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family , my society and the Earth.
Dharm: What it is and what it is not
The Times of India, May 21 2016
Stephen Batchelor
A well-known story recounts that Gotama the Buddha was once staying in Jeta's Grove, his main center near the city of Savatthi, capital of the kingdom of Kosala. Many priests, wanderers, and ascetics were living nearby . They are described as people “of various beliefs and opinions, who supported themselves by promoting their different views.“ The text enumerates the kinds of opinions they taught: The world is eternal.
The world is not eternal.
The world is finite.
The world is not finite.
Body and soul are identical.
Body and soul are different.
The tathagata exists after death.
The tathagata does not exist after death.
The tathagata both exists and does not exist after death.
The tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death.
They took these opinions seriously .“Only this is true,“ they would insist.“Every other view is false!“ As a result, they fell into endless arguments, “wounding each other with verbal darts, saying, `The dharma is like this!' `The dharma is not like that!'“ The Buddha commented that such people were blind.“They do not know what is of benefit and what is of harm,“ he explained. “They do not understand what is and what is not the dharma.“ He had no interest at all in their propositions. Unconcerned whether such views were true or false, he sought neither to affirm nor to reject them. “A proponent of the dharma,“ he once observed, “does not dispute with anyone in the world.“ Whenever a metaphysical claim of this kind was made, Gotama did not react by getting drawn in and taking sides. He remained keenly alert to the complexity of the whole picture without opting for one position over another.
Dharma cannot be reduced to a set of truth-claims, which will inevitably conflict with other truth-claims. Only by letting go of such views will one be able to understand how dharma practice is not about being “right“ or “wrong.“
It is notable that the last six of the ten listed views have to do with the possibility (or not) of life after death, which suggests that the topic was much debated. Although the Buddha may have presented his ideas in the context of multiple lifetimes, this oft-repeated passage implies that he did so for cultural and pragmatic reasons alone. “Of that which the wise (pandita) in the world agree upon as not existing,“ he said, “I too say that it does not exist. And of that which the wise in the world agree upon as existing, I too say that it exists.“ On such matters, Gotama is content to accept learned consensus. To have affirmed the view that the mind is different from the body and will be reborn after death in another body would have made him no different from those wanderers and ascetics he declared to be blind.
In contrast to those who base their behavior on metaphysical truth-claims, the practitioner of the dharma as Gotama envisioned it takes into account the totality of each situation and responds in accordance with the principles, perspective, and values of the dharma. Since each situation in life is unique, it is impossible to predict in advance exactly how such a person will respond. Instead of asking, “What is the `right' or `wrong' thing to do?“ the practitioner asks, “What is the wisest and most compassionate thing to do?“
Deep-throat chanting
Dawa Choegyal’s views
May 16, 2020: The Times of India
The Master Chanter
DAWA CHOEGYAL converses with SEETHALAKSHMI S and RAHUL NANDAN on the significance of deep-throat chanting in Tibetan Buddhism
When 13-year-old Dawa Choegyal left his home and parents in Tibet for India, little did he know that two decades later he would be anointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the chief chant master for Sera Thekchenling Lachi Cultural Society, Sera Mahayana Buddhist Monastery, in Karnataka’s Bylakuppe, among the largest Tibetan settlements in India. What is the significance of chanting in such a deep voice?
We invoke the deity, Yamantaka, a wrathful form of Bodhisattva Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom — who is committed to giving up enlightenment for the sake of others, as Yamantaka, the bodhisattva, vanquishes Yama, the god of death. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Vajrabhairava, that is Yamantaka, is a wrathful, buffalo-headed meditational deity. It needs a strong voice. So when I chant, I visualise Yamantaka and, therefore, the voice is this deep.
Your emotions should be in sync with that of the deity’s.Yamantaka is one of the eight dharmapalas, protectors of Buddhism, prominent others being Mahakala, Hayagriva,Vaisravana and Palden Lhamo.There are different chants for invoking each one of them.
What training do you undergo for deep-voice chanting?
It is a rigorous training process that goes on for almost 20 years, by then one completes the Geshe degree, which is equivalent to a doctorate.You need a good voice and remarkable memory, besides a sharp and focussed mind.This kind of chanting involves studying a range of Tibetan texts.
We need to memorise nearly 1,200 pages for our examinations. I cleared the examination before I was anointed as the chant master by HH the Dalai Lama.
How did you become a chant master?
As a child, I was told that I had a good voice and a great memory. Growing up in Tibet, I studied our scriptures. I joined Kanzhi Gomba monastery where my teacher told me that I had a good voice and wanted me to go to India. I left for India in 1993 when I was 13 years old.
We walked for 22 days before we reached Nepal where we were arrested by the local police and imprisoned for three days before a Tibetan organisation rescued us.We then reached Delhi from where I was sent to Sera Jey Monastery in Bylakuppe.
I joined a special group to train in deep-voice chanting for rituals and regular chant sessions, simultaneously pursuing my Geshe studies. At 22, I was the youngest chant master in Sera Jey Monastery then. Today, apart from training young monks in deep-voice chanting, I am engaged in monastery management and decision-making with the Abbot and the discipline master.
Are there different chants for different occasions?
Chants and tunes differ with different prayers scheduled in a day.There are special prayers for Shantideva, an eighth century Buddhist master from the monastic university of Nalanda in present day Bihar.
There are different tunes for different deities such as Yamantaka,Tara and Hayagriva. It’s different for Gelug school founder Je Tsongkhapa. The chants and tunes differ in the way they are recited, sometimes they are slow and and at other times, they are fast.
What do you do to nourish your throat?
After so many years, it now comes naturally to me. I have had no voice- or throat-related problems in the past eight years. Obviously, I do feel tired sometimes as the chanting goes on for hours occasionally. During the annual prayer festival held according to the Tibetan Buddhism tradition, I chant for five hours without a break.
Literature
Scientific, philosophical, religious
Arvind Sharma, Science & Philosophy In Indian Buddhist Classics, January 6, 2018: The Times of India
(The writer teaches in the School of Religious Studies, McGill University, Montreal)
To make classical Buddhist scientific and philosophical thought on the nature of reality accessible to modern readers, the XIV Dalai Lama – who considers the dialogue of religion and science a crucial component of humanity’s future – conceptualised a five-part book on the subject. The Physical World is the first volume, edited by Thupten Jinpa and brought out by Wisdom publications. The volume consolidates understanding of the physical world as found in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition under such headings as knowable objects, subtle particles, time, the cosmos and its inhabitants, and fetal development. It is a pioneering work, brilliantly adapted for promoting the dialogue between religion and science.
According to the Dalai Lama, classical Buddhist treatises refer to three domains: a scientific one, which would cover the empirical descriptions of the outer world of matter and the inner world of the mind; a philosophical one, which would cover the efforts to ascertain the nature of ultimate reality; and a religious one, which would refer to the practices of the Buddhist tradition. The present volume, covers the scientific dimension; so, too, the second. The third and fourth volumes will focus on the philosophical dimension while the fifth will cover the religious dimension. The material of the first two volumes is taken from the Tengyur, which consists of Buddhist treatises translated into Tibetan.
The interaction between science and religion in the Christian West has often been characterised by a measure of hostility, because there, religion is based on revealed dogmatic truth and science on reason and experimentation. This, however, need not necessarily apply in the case of science and Buddhism, as in this case, one witnesses a broad methodological convergence. The reason is that while the ultimate goal of religious life in Christianity can only be achieved after death, the fruit of religious life in Buddhism can be experienced in this very life. Thus the conclusions of Buddhism become as falsifiable and verifiable as those of science. This endows the encounter between science and Buddhism with unforeseen possibilities of maturity.
The Enlightenment view of reason, treated the rational as representing the antithesis of the irrational so that this binary grid of the rational and the irrational has become the dominant trope of modernity. Life, however, may be said to consist not just of the rational and the irrational, but also of the non-rational. This category would cover such aspects of life as relate to our emotional attachment to our near and dear ones, to the appreciation of the world of art, music and literature and humanity’s urge for transcendence.
There is also a subtler issue involved. Science per se is not interested in human well-being but rather in the search for truth. Any benefit accrued is a foreseeable effect of science but not its intended one, whereas the intended goal of Buddhism is to save humanity from suffering. Hence science, in view of its neutrality in terms of value, may be harnessed for either good or evil. By contrast, the sole goal of Buddhism is the alleviation of human suffering which means that even its “truths” are meant to ensure human well-being and therefore are a means to an end and not an end in themselves.
In science, in the strict sense, truth alone is the end. Science can explain the how of things but not their why, whereas the raison d’etre of Buddhism is the why of suffering.
Monks
Supernatural powers
Buddhist Monks are fascinating. It is popularly believed that these monks have brains that function beyond human capabilities. Plus, they are known to easily rewire their brains.
It is an established fact that Buddhist monks are super human but it is their out-of-this-world incredible feats that continue to stun and shock scientists! This is because at the end of the day these monks are born as normal human beings.
In the 1980s, a curious group of scientists and researchers led by Professor Herbert Benson from the Harvard School of Medicine trekked to the remote monasteries nestled in the Himalayan mountains. They wanted to discover, document and decode the ways in which monks manipulated their bodies subtly. These monks were known to raise their body temperatures, especially of their fingers and toes by 17 degrees and they could also lower their body’s metabolic rate by 64%. They did so through the stress reduction technique of yoga called the ‘gTum-mo’.
The researchers from Harvard also recorded the monks drying clothes and cold wet sheets using their body heat.
The monks performed astonishing feats – they would spend nights on a rocky ledge when the temperatures dropped to zero degrees Fahrenheit. These rocky ledges were at the height of 15000 feet and the monks only had cotton or woollen shawls to keep them warm. These feats, the scientists observed, the monks achieved them through rigorous meditation techniques, spiritual conditioning and guided exercises. Through their gTum-mo techniques, these monks entered a state of deep meditation. When doing so, other monks soaked sheets of 3 by 6 feet into the cold water and placed them on the meditating monks. For common, untrained people, these would lead to shivering and illness, even death. But the scientists observed that steam rose from these sheets within an hour.
Therefore, after observing and witnessing such experiences, Benson emphasised the importance of advanced meditation. It could lead to treatment for stress-related illnesses.
He observed: This is important because more than 60 percent of the visit to physicians in the USA are for stress related problems and these are wrongly treated by drugs and even surgery. But if we all begin to practice advanced meditation, it can miraculously rewire our brains and cure us.
He further stated that he hopes that self-care such as they monks undertake will be equal to medical drugs, surgery and other therapies that will help alleviate mental and physical suffering. Meditation along with proper nutrition, diet and exercise of the mind and body will lead to self-care practice. It would help save millions of dollars annually in medical costs.
Multicultural religious pluralism
The Times of India, May 19 2015
Ashok Vohra
Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism is a missionary religion. But unlike many other missionary religions it is a tolerant religion. Buddha himself had a tolerant personality as is clear from the following episodes. Once someone spat on the Buddha. The Buddha asked him if someone gave one a present which one did not accept, whom would it belong to? When the man who spat at him replied, “to the giver“, Buddha responded that he did not accept his gift either.Similarly, when one of his disciples took to praising him as the greatest Buddha that ever existed, he asked his disciple if he was acquainted with all the past and the future Buddhas. When the disciple answered in the negative, Buddha gently chastised him: “Why, therefore, are your words so grand and sweeping?“ Buddha realised that a claim to exclusivism by followers of different faiths would not be acceptable. He adopted inclusivism and argued for multiculturalism and religious pluralism in society. The doctrine of religious pluralism is the all-embracing perspective that upholds that one's own religion's perception of reality and the path of liberation advocated by it are as valid as those of other religions even if they may be opposed to one another. There is no hostility but hospitality towards all. Buddhism critically evaluated almost all the doctrines presented by Hinduism and also several tribal religions it came across. However, the evaluation was done not with arrogance or authority and sense of superiority but was based on humility and reason. Buddha's sense of humility was based on the principle that no human being can know and understand everything. Only a bigot can claim that his knowledge is superior and ultimate and hold that the claims made by the others and other religions are totally false and untenable. According to the Buddha, “These sectarians, brethren, are blind and unseeing. They know not the real, they know not the unreal; they know not the truth, they know not the untruth. In such a state of ignorance do they dispute and quarrel.“ He illustrated these bigoted preachers with the parable of the blind men and the elephant. This principle underlies the source of tolerance in Buddhism.
The Buddha denounced only phoney expositions by some Brahmins and fake tradi tions and practices. In different Nikayas texts that held `virtu ous' Brahmins in esteem he condemned the tendency of religious disputants to display their own doctrine and rubbish those of others and encouraged gifts by Buddhists to non-Buddhists, and admitted the right of non-Buddhists to heaven.
Wherever it is difficult to reconcile two opposite views and there is genuine disagreement between two religions, the Buddha argued that aggression is of no help. A continuous attempt at reconciliation in the light of one's experience alone and not hatred, would be of help.
The Buddha advocated a tolerant attitude by removing the ego-attachment to one's own religious doctrines and practices. The ego-attachment makes us wrongly believe that our religion, its principles and practices are absolute.He says: “To be attached to a certain view and to look down upon other views as inferior this, the wise men call a fetter.“ One has to consciously make all efforts to remove these false notions.
The Buddha advised Buddhist monks to hold opinions but not cling to them. He says, “A man has a faith. If he says, `This is my faith,' so far he maintains truth. But by that he cannot proceed to the absolute conclusion: `This alone is Truth, and everything else is false'.”
Nyingma Buddhism
The Three Nobilities
The Three Nobilities
Girish Deshpande
When you chant and recite any mantra, bear in mind the importance of the Three Nobilities: Bodhichitta, Non-objectifying Wisdom and Dedication. This brings benefit to the one reciting and for those it is meant to bring benefit.
The two aspects to remember are: Firstly, keep secret your mantra recitation and its result. Secondly, be mindful not to speak to others who are not Dharma practitioners about your practice and accrued benefit. If we are not mindful of this, the result will not be perfect due to many forces that may be counterproductive.
The three nobilities are as important as your yearning to achieve the result by reciting the specific mantra. The first nobility is called Bodhichitta, which is ‘Awakened Mind’. It means generation of a special motivation to benefit all sentient beings with the virtues being accumulated. This motivation should be generated prior to any kind of virtuous practice. You can read this line to motivate yourself for the benefit of all: ‘‘I will benefit all sentient beings bestowing them with eternal bliss and qualities.’’
The second nobility is called Non-objectifying Wisdom. It means whatever virtue is accumulated or practised, it’s done without any sense of desires clinging to the mind. This, in other words, is called primordial awareness and is maintained during the main practice itself. One should be fully aware without any clinging or self-centric desires such as, ‘I am the one who practises this virtue’ or ‘this is the virtue I'm practising and for them I practise’. In fact, one should cut out such thoughts from the mind stream. When the mind is devoid of such discriminative thoughts, all emotions naturally calm down.
The third nobility is called Dedication. It means whatever virtue has been accumulated, for example, by chanting and reciting the mantra, it is dedicated to bringing to sentient beings whatever benefit is possible to rid them of their suffering and bringing them happiness. Usually, the dedication prayer is chanted only after the virtuous practice. Chant this line as a dedication prayer: “May all motherly sentient beings attain enlightenment through the power of all the virtues I might have accumulated by chanting and reciting the mantra.’’
Feel what other beings need. Feel what you need. We will discover that the need and requirement are one and the same, that is, happiness. Each and every being needs nothing more than happiness.
Therefore, all sentient beings are similar and even the same. However, just like us, other sentient beings too get trapped in the net of suffering. Now feel and chant this: “May all sentient beings be free from sufferings and its causes.” This is the real definition of compassion. Extend this practice further from one being to two and four – for instance, from your family and then to the neighbourhood, to your town and other towns, cities and to country – and further towards all sentient beings.
Practise this daily and see the result. Don’t forget that Dharma belongs to nobody. It comes to those who endeavour the most. So begin, now.
The writer is a practitioner of Nyingma Buddhism .
Romantic love and Buddhism
Thich Nhat Hanh, Romantic Love Could Be True Love, Sep 20 2016 : The Times of India
If Buddhism supports love for Mother Nature, then why does it not also support romantic love between two people and demonstrations of affection between two people?
It's a wonderful question. (long silence). The Buddha is a teacher of love true love. True love brings happiness to both you and Mother Earth. Romantic love, if it is true love, can also bring happiness. How to know true love from the other thing? True love has four elements.
First of all, a mindful awareness of loving kindness, that is, the capacity to offer happiness. If you cannot offer happiness, that is not true love. In romantic love, if you are not able to make the other person happy , that is not true love. If you are not able to offer happiness to him or her, both will suffer. The second element of love is compassion. Compassion is the kind of energy that can help remove suffering.It can help transform suffering in you and the other person. If you cannot transform or take care of the suffering in you and the other person, that is not true love. That is why the second element of love, karuna, should be contemplated by you and the other person. Romantic or not romantic, that is not important. What is important is whether it is true love or not.
And the third element of true love is joy. If by loving, you make the other person cry all the time or you cry all the time, that is not true love romantic or unromantic. The fourth element of true love is inclusiveness. His suffering is your suffering; his happiness is your happiness. There is no individual suffering or happiness anymore. In true love there is no separation, no frontier between you and the other. You can't say: “That's your problem!“ Your problem is my problem; my suffering is your suffering.
If romantic love has these four elements, it can bring a lot of happiness also. And the Buddha never said negative things about true love. If romantic love is successful, and you cultivate loving kindness and compa ssion, then very soon your love will be all-embracing. The other person is no longer the only object of your love because your love will continue to grow and embrace all of us and happiness becomes limitless. That is the love of Buddha; that is the meaning of the fourth element, inclusiveness. If it is true love, it will continue to grow and it will include more and more, not only humans but also animals, vegetables and minerals, and that is great love, mahakaruna, mahamaitri, and that is the love of Buddha and this is what he taught how to release the tension in the body and reduce the pain, how to take care of a painful feeling and how to create a moment of joy , how to use loving speech and deep listening in order to restore communication and to reconcile; all these are very concrete things that can be learnt.
