Day Three, Session Two

Question: It seems it is not enough to simply understand the absence of self and others or enemies and friends based on understanding the transient or impermanent nature of existence. What seems to be required also the need to develop an altruistic sense to help other sentient beings. However since we do not have such a capacity to be of help and service to other sentient beings, what can we do to give us this capacity or ability to help others?
Answer: From the practicing Buddhist’s point of view the full potential for helping other sentient beings becomes perfected only when one has totally overcome one’s own personal limitations and has attained full knowledge of the needs and dispositions of all sentient beings. Such knowledge can only be obtained at the fully awakened state. However this is something that needs to be kept as the ultimate objective and while one is aspiring towards that objective, one needs to engage in various practices. For example bodhisattvas have as their main practices consist of the Six Perfections which are aimed primarily at bringing about internal transformation within the practitioner. In terms of assisting to bodhisattva-to-be in assisting others, the teachings talk about the Four Factors for Helping Other Sentient Beings such as giving material needs to fulfill the immediate needs of others, providing protection, setting an example for others by living the teachings oneself and teaching others. These are the types of activities that a bodhisattva must engage in.

In our day-to-day lives even in our ordinary state of course there are many things we could do in implementing these bodhisattva ideals. I would personally say that for example in our modern professions like teaching which involves educating others and also the health professions along with social work and so on, if one adopts the right attitude and motivation, these activities become the implementation of the bodhisattva ideals. It is through these activities that one enhances one’s capacity to be of service to others.

Question: You say there is no end, there is a continuity. How can we set ourselves free and more than anything how can we free other beings who are suffering? If we leave samsara then we are abandoning these others to their fate.
Answer: When we speak of nirvana we need to bear in mind that there are different conceptions of it. One type of nirvana is known as the isolated peace of nirvana, which refers to the type of goal that non-Bodhisattvas like Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas (Solitary Realizers) seek. What they seek is more the peace and tranquility of the freedom from suffering which is motivated primarily out of self-interest.

However this is not the type of nirvana or freedom from suffering that the bodhisattva is seeking. In fact the bodhisattvas’ quest for full enlightenment is in some sense not for themselves but rather the motivation arises out of altruism. The bodhisattva sees the need to attain full enlightenment as a requirement in order to utilize their potential to help others fully. Therefore the nirvana or the freedom of suffering that the bodhisattva seeks is described as the state which is free from the extremes of the isolated peace of nirvana and free from the extreme of uncontrolled cyclic existence. So it is a freedom from both existence and nirvana. Those who are gathered here among those I know, I can not say anyone here has such realizations but if you do come to India, I can give you the names of people who I think may have had experiences of such a type.

Question: Is the Long-Life puja announced part of the Kalachakra initiation or is it something different? Is there a commitment with the Long-Life initiation or daily practice?
Answer: The Long-Life empowerment ceremony is not part of the Kalachakra initiation itself. There are no commitments by attending the empowerment however I can assure you that if you come then you can take the long-life pills.

Question: In samsara time is relative and we can speak of the past, present and future. For the Buddhas is there still a past, present and future times? Does time have a cause and if so what is it?
Answer: This is a complex question. In Buddhism when we talk about the nature of the Buddha’s enlightened mind and the nature of its perception of reality, we need to take into account in some sense a dual perspective. It is said that so far as Buddha’s perception of the ultimate unity of all phenomena is concerned—in other words Buddha’s perception of ultimate reality or the truth of all phenomena—there is no sense of time or sense of the passage of time. Buddha’s perception is all-pervasive yet at the same time a Buddha is fully aware of the multiplicity of the world of dependent origination, the relative world. Within the relative world there are many appearances which are primarily the results of illusions. Of course Buddhists would accept that as far as a Buddha’s own conception is concerned there is no level of deception or illusion within a Buddha’s own perception. However what appears to us as sentient beings to our delusory minds also appears to a Buddha not because a Buddha has the causes or conditions for deception or illusion but rather Buddha sees the deceptive appearances, the deceptive perceptions that we have as they appear to us.

So when we talk about the question of what is the nature of a Buddha’s knowledge, it is a very complicated question which needs to take into account this dual perspective which is operating always at the same time. Therefore the fully enlightened mind of a Buddha is said to perceive the Two Truths simultaneously without any passage of time.

As to the second part of the question which is whether time has a cause, of course the Prasangika-Madhyamika standpoint, which is considered to be the highest philosophical standpoint of Buddhism, accepts that time is a relative phenomenon. Time is not permanent, is eternal and is a relative phenomenon and is in some sense a mental construct. Therefore it has a cause and is a product.

Question: When we die and are born again do we choose the place and the parents? If not who or what determines where we are born? Is it possible once one is human to be born again as an animal? How can we gain control over the process and cut the cycle?
Answer: Where do we take rebirth and in what form are governed by one’s own karmic imprints. When it comes to the question as to which parent, one needs to again take into account the karma also of the parents; it is not just the karma of the individual to be born. Even though this is the case if we examine in more detail we find that karmic imprints are planted by our volitional actions. An individual who is motivated to act in a particular way commits volitional actions. So ultimately it is ourselves who are responsible.

Perhaps an example may clarify the process or mechanism of karma. Take the example of someone flying back to India. By you buy your plane tickets you have the choice whether to go or not and also when to go. After this you buy your ticket your choices are now limited but you still have a choice as to whether to go or not. You are then at the airport and even there you still have a choice even though the cancellation becomes more difficult. If you choose not to cancel, have boarded the plane and it is taking off then your choice not fly is gone. So unless you hijack the plane, you have no choice left. The closer you get to the action or objective the narrower the range of your choices becomes and the more determined is the course of events.

Similarly in the case of karma, which literally means action, volitional act, at the stage of motivation or intention one has tremendous choice of whether to act or not. As one gets closer and has committed the act then the karmic imprint is implanted and then the imprint needs to be activated, needs circumstantial conditions to activate it. Once further conditions acting as ripening factors activate the karmic seed then one’s control and choice over the causal events becomes narrower and narrower. But until that point one does have a choice, one does have the choice to reverse the cause of the karmic determination.

We will proceed with the ceremony for generating the mind of enlightenment. In the following ceremony among the audience those who have been practicing Buddhists for several years can fully participate in the ceremony for generating the mind of enlightenment. For those who are non-Buddhists and for those who are Buddhist but do not feel fully committed to the practices of bodhicitta, they need not fully participate in the ceremony. One thing however that you could do is to use the opportunity to develop a strong determination and resolve to be a warm-hearted person, to be a kind person and resolve never to hurt or harm any other person or sentient being.

Now for those who wish to fully participate in the ceremony for generating the mind of enlightenment, you should visualize in the space in front of yourself the Buddha Shakyamuni as in the thangka behind me. He is surrounded by many bodhisattvas and imagine yourself as being surrounded by all other sentient beings.

Having visualized the Buddha in front of you surrounded by all the bodhisattvas and yourself being surrounded by all sentient beings, you should develop the following thought, reflect in the following manner. Reflect that just as you instinctually and naturally aspire to achieve happiness and overcome suffering, so do all the limitless and countless sentient beings. Just as you are driven by this fundamental and instinctual desire and engage in all sorts of activities to fulfill this basic aspiration so to do all other sentient beings. However up until now you have lived throughout many lifetimes pursuing only your own self-interest and your whole existence has been characterized by pursuing self-centered interests and ends. Even though this has been your primary motivating force you still haven’t been able to achieve what you wished to achieve which is the fulfillment of your own well-being.

On the other hand all the Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ lives have exemplified the virtue and value of altruism. They have reversed that self-centered way of existence and way of thinking. They have put other’s interests as more important than theirs and have pursued a way of life where they have been dedicated to bringing about the well-being of other sentient beings. So though this process you should reflect upon the fact that all problems, anxieties, frustrations and miseries are either directly or indirectly the result of egocentric, self-centered ways of thinking and ways of living. However all positive events of happiness, joy, sense of fulfillment and so on are all directly or indirectly the result and consequence of altruism.

Reflecting in this way on the benefits of altruism and the destructive nature of selfish and self-centered attitudes, you should now resolve to follow in the footsteps of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who have dedicated their lives to the fulfillment of the altruistic ideal. Make a resolve to follow in their footsteps and follow their example from now on regarding others’ well-being and happiness as more important than one’s own. This is such that you are never again imprisoned in your own egocentric, self-centered way of thinking and way of living.

When we talk of generating the mind for enlightenment or bodhicitta, one should understand that bodhicitta is a state of mind which arises as the result of two principal aspirations. One is the aspiration to fulfill the welfare of other sentient beings and the other is the aspiration to attain full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Through these two aspirations when one attains a very strong sense of confidence and a very strong sense of resolve to seek full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings that is the point when one has attained genuine bodhicitta or the mind for enlightenment.

Of course to be able to have a true realization of bodhicitta is very difficult. It takes a long period of meditation and practice. However today at this point we can at least have developed an intellectual understanding of what bodhicitta means and also try to develop a sense or intuition of bodhicitta. At least for this ceremony we can have a simulated state of bodhicitta within us so therefore now on the part of all of you, generate this aspiration and resolve to seek full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.

Before we do the actual generation of bodhicitta let us participate in some preliminary practices such as the Seven Limbed Practices. There is no need to perform any recitation of this but you can now reflect in the following way. For the sake of generating bodhicitta for the benefit of all sentient beings I shall now prostrate to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in front of me. What do we mean by prostrating to the Buddhas? By reflecting upon their qualities one develops a strong sense of admiration and faith in them. Then with one’s folded hands at one’s heart, one performs the gesture of paying one’s respect and acknowledging the Buddhas’ great qualities.

The second limb is making offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. When one does this one should imagine that one is offering all forms of articles and substances which are beautiful and things which one would offer as a gift. One should visualize making these offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The best type of offering is one’s own practice and realization so one should reflect that up until now one has tried one’s best to engage in a serious practice and shall now make an offering of whatever progress one has made in one’s practice. One resolves to continue to pursue one’s practice in the future with commitment and single-pointedness.

The third limb is purification and here one should reflect in the following manner. In the past one has committed many negativities either knowingly or out of ignorance, not only in this lifetime but also have committed many negative actions during past lives. The fact that one finds oneself committing negative actions in this life, falling prey to negative impulses with little choice on one’s part, is an indication that one has many habits developed in past lives of acting in a negative way. One needs to fully disclose and confront all these negative actions committed in the past and focused on them one develops a deep sense of regret and repentance for having committed those acts. This should then be followed by developing a strong resolve that in the future one will never engage in such negative actions again.

The fourth limb is the limb of rejoicing. Here one rejoices not only in all the positive actions that one has done, all the wholesome deeds one has engaged in but also one rejoices and admires the wholesome activities performed by others as well.

The fifth limb is requesting the Buddhas to turn the wheel of the Dharma, to give teachings. To put it simply Buddha Shakyamuni is the teacher and if the teacher does not speak then we will not be able to learn. So we are requesting the teacher to teach and show us the way so that we can understand.

The sixth limb is requesting the Buddhas not to enter Nirvana. This is analogous to a teacher who having come to the class is prepared to leave. This is not of any use to the students as the teacher must not only come to the classroom but also need to spend time with the students so that the students will benefit from the teacher’s presence. Of course this is from the perspective of a good student, as the lesser student would rejoice at the teachers leaving!

The seventh and final limb is the limb of dedication. Here one is praying and dedicating all of the positive energies just created, the positive karmic imprints created and one is not dedicating them so that one may have a successful life, health and so on but dedicating the positive potential towards the attainment of liberation for all sentient beings.

Now we will recite these verses in Tibetan but you should recite in your own language. Out of these three verses the first verse is the formula for taking refuge in the Three Jewels, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The second verse is the formula for generating the mind for enlightenment, bodhicitta. The third verse is give one a sense of encouragement and also reinforces one’s determination and strength to be able to fulfill the Bodhisattva ideals. We will recite the first verse now three times.

With a wish to free all beings
I shall always go for refuge
To the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
Until my full awakening.

So when we do the recitation, which is the formula for generating the mind for enlightenment, those who are fully participating in the ceremony should reflect upon the meaning of the verses and resolve to seek full enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Retain this mind throughout. Those who are not participating please use the time to reaffirm your resolve to be a warm-hearted person, a kind person and never engage in actions, which are harmful to others.

Enthused by wisdom and compassion
Today in the Buddha’s presence
I generate the mind for enlightenment
For the sake of all sentient beings

As long as space endures
As long as sentient beings exist
May I too remain
And dispel the miseries of the world.

Those who are fully participating keep these verses with you and use it as a daily practice. At appropriate times such as when you are relaxed or in a calm state of mind then read these verses to reaffirm your bodhicitta but do not do this if you are in a disturbed state of mind or feeling a strong negative emotion.

We will now perform a dedication constituting the conclusion of this ceremony generating bodhicitta. You should think in the following way. If we examine the nature of our own experience we find that an instance of a deluded state of mind like clinging to the false sense of self or strong ego-identity, leads to afflicted emotional responses which then lead to negative actions creating a negative energy. Similarly I feel that by even a very short period of time when we develop within ourselves the seed for positive thoughts, an altruistic mind fully aimed at helping other sentient beings, I am certain that this in itself creates a tremendous power and potential for positive energy.

So today in this gathering by participating in the ceremony of generating bodhicitta and in some sense reaffirming our resolve to pursue the ideals of altruism we have created a tremendous positive energy and imprints. It is important to dedicate this positive potential, imprints and energies towards an altruistic cause. The verses which I will recite are verses of dedication at state that just as the great bodhisattvas like Manjusri, Samantabhadra and so on have dedicated their positive potentials and virtues with tremendous creative imagination, we shall to follow their examples. We will dedicate the positive energy and potentials created today towards the attainment of full enlightenment for all sentient beings.

Question: Is there any special diet to follow in order to receive the Kalachakra initiation?
Answer: There is no special diet. Generally for a practitioner whose main emphasis and foundational practice is that of universal compassion vegetarianism is the best diet to follow. So long as you are not vegetarian then I do not feel that any other special diet makes much difference. I feel that vegetarianism is really admirable and if you can’t be vegetarian then as to the other forms of diet there is not grounds for a preference. Once an Indian asked me if I was a vegetarian and I said, “No”. He then asked what special diet did I have and I told him that being a fully ordained monk I don’t eat after noon but other than that I am like a pig in that I eat everything!

If the initiation ceremony you are attending belongs to Kriya Tantra which is Action Tantra as well as Carya and Yoga Tantra then of course you need to follow a very strict diet that is vegetarian. You also cannot eat onions, garlic and so on. The Long-Life empowerment, which you will be given, belongs to the Kriya Tantra class. On that day if it is possible don’t eat any non-vegetarian food.

Question: If everything is a dependent arising are space particles also? If they are not dependent arisings then what are they?
Answer: Of course the space particles would be considered as caused because as I spoke earlier even these space particles themselves are infinite in terms of their continuum so current matter is a product of its earlier instance. There is a causal continuum. From this point of view they also have a cause.

However when we talk about dependent arising or dependent origination in the Buddhist context, our understanding should not be limited to dependent arising only in terms of causes and conditions. Rather our understanding must embrace a broader and in some sense deeper understanding of dependence. Dependence need not necessarily be understood only in terms of causes and conditions; one can talk about dependence in relation to parts and the whole. The very concepts of parts and a whole are interconnected and interdependent. In some sense one emerges only in relationship to the other.

Still there is a further and deeper understanding of dependent origination which is to understand dependent origination in terms of a designated basis and the designation that involves a labeling process. This view understands things and events in the form of mental constructs. Of course this is a very subtle point and is very difficult to understand. For example if one were to examine the content of one’s consciousness, one’s perception, what one sees is the designated basis not the designation. For instance one sees things or objects but if one were to examine the content in a specific way, what is the content of one’s consciousness? One sees a certain shape or color but these are the basis of the designation of that particular object. These in of themselves do not constitute the object itself. When one analyzes in such a way then the very idea of objectivity, the entity itself begins to dissolve. One begins to find that it is non-substantial, there is no substantiality, no entityness. Of course this is a very complex issue but as pointed out earlier when one discusses dependent origination one needs to embrace these three levels of understanding of dependent origination.

Question: How do we obtain knowledge of reality or emptiness when all we perceive is appearance?
Answer: When we of different forms of knowledge and the nature of our perception, it is important to understand the complexities behind the issue. For example when we talk about knowledge we have means through which we gain knowledge. Some of the knowledge is from direct experience like sensorial experiences such as vision and so forth and some knowledge is non-sensorial; they are mental or conceptual. So there are different types of knowledge and similarly the mode of engagement of the object between sensory perceptions and mental perceptions are quite different. Also conceptual thoughts are quite different.

For example when conceptual thoughts engage with an object it does so in some sense by a process of elimination. It is selective; it does not embrace the totality of the object rather it hones on a particular aspect of the object and focuses on that aspect of the object. So in that sense it is exclusionist whereas sensory perception does not make such distinctions rather it reflects. There are different ways in which sensory perceptions and mental perceptions operate.

Because there are different types of knowledge and different forms of perception, similarly when we talk about objects of knowledge there are different meanings to the term object even from the perspective of one instance of knowledge. One can talk of the appearing object of that consciousness, the apprehended object of that consciousness or the intended object of that consciousness. So even from the perspective of one consciousness one can talk about different levels of the object of that consciousness.

When we talk about reality and our knowledge of reality we have to understand that there are different levels of reality. The doctrine of the Two Truths reflects in some sense two levels of reality. One can talk about reality within the context of the relative world and also the underlying reality of the ultimate world. Again the meaning of reality differs according to the different levels in which one is operating.

Even then it is important to understand that when we talk of the two levels of reality we are not talking about two different entities or two entirely distinct things. As I pointed out earlier the two realities are in some sense dual aspects of one and the same thing or event based on two different perspectives. For example when we speak of the ultimate truth, we are talking about emptiness and when we talk of emptiness we should not have the notion that there is some thing called emptiness “out there” which is independent and autonomous of the relative world. Emptiness can be understood only in relation to a particular instance of an object. When one takes a particular instance like an object and examine its nature, analyze its ontological status, what one finds is the absence of its substantiality. What one finds is the absence of intrinsic reality, inherent existence and this absence is the ultimate nature, ultimate reality. So there is no separate thing called emptiness other than a quality or mode of existence of the object under analysis.

Also it would be useful here to recall a distinction I made earlier between negative and positive phenomena, phenomena, which can only be understood by a negation or some phenomena, which can be known in affirmative or positive terms. Emptiness belongs to the first category; emptiness is a phenomenon only understood through a process of negation. It is the mere absence or negation of intrinsic existence or intrinsic identity.

(End of talk)