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The Jangchup Lamrim Teaching Organizing Committee announced that His Holiness the Dalai Lama will continue teaching on the 18 Treatises of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment – Jangchup Lamrim – 23 to 29 December 2014 at Drepung - or - Gaden Monastery, both of which are in Doeguling Tibetan Settlement, Mundgod, Karnataka, South India.

A rare opportunity to hear from H.H in South India(5 hours from Bangalore) on the highest teachings of enlightenment in the gelug tradition.

Registration, PAP and travel information are being added to www.jangchuplamrim.org during the next week, and further details will be posted as they become available.

Please help spread the word by sharing this information widely. Thank you!
Register soon.

If we are not careful, we could end up not practicing dhamma even without knowing that it is so. The various rituals, vast texts , prayers, objects are all a reminder of dhamma and do not themselves constitute as a practice of the dhamma. what is important is a never-ceasing alertness to recognize these are all reminders of the essence of the jewel, and not the precious jewel itself.

Here is a story of Dromtönpa, who was the chief Tibetan disciple of the great Indian master Atisha.

One day an old man was reading texts very intently in Reting monastery, and as Dromtönpa walks by he pauses and asks the old man what he is doing, the old man replies that he is studying the great texts. Dromtönpa replies:

“It is nice that you are studying the texts, But isnt it better to practice Dhamma”.

On hearing this the man thinks the master is probably asking him to practice meditation rather than merely reading the texts. A few weeks later as Dromtönpa walks by he sees the Old man intensely meditating – and Dromtönpa asks him what he was doing, the old man replies that he was meditating and had reached a deep level of meditative state by his practice. Dromtönpa replies:

“It is nice that you are meditating, But isnt it better to practice Dhamma”.

On hearing this the old man thinks the master is probably asking him to show reverence to the Buddha, in addition to merely studying and doing meditation. A few more weeks later as Dromtönpa walks by he sees the old man profusely circumambulating the stupa near the monastery. Dromtönpa asks him what he was doing, the old man replies that he was paying homage to the Buddha by circumambulating the stupa. Dromtönpa replies:

“It is nice that you are circumabulating, but isnt it better to practice Dhamma”

On hearing the old man becomes confused and asks Dromtönpa how to practice Dhamma? Dromtönpa  replies:

“Give up attachment to the affairs of this life,
renounce them.
Your mind itself should become the practice
and for it to happen
you must cease being distracted by worldly concerns.
Otherwise, no matter what you do,
it will not be the practice of Dhamma.”

By not being completely distracted by worldly pursuits, even suffering/dissatisfaction stops being an obstacle for liberation, instead becomes a source and instrument for enlightenment.

Cherok Lama,  was giving us a Q&A session in Bangalore a few days ago- and he was asked by someone if he thought that enlightenment was possible for a man with worldly responsibilities and distractions from being married and leading a lay life. Cherok lama gave a resounding reply that there is a 100% possibility!  that such a man can become enlightened. It all depends on his state of mind, and to what extent he has trained it. Any duty becomes worldly purely on how we approach it. If we approach it with the right mind and motivation every action can become a source of attaining enlightenment.

References:
The Photo and more information about Dromtönpa was taken from the Rigpa wiki.
I heard the story of Dromtönpa, from Lama Zopa Rinpoche during a Week long teaching session at Bangalore in March 2014. The story as it appear here was adapted and modified from: 
a. Transcript of Kopan Course No.09 (1976) by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and
b. Images of Enlightenment: Tibetan Art in Practice by Landaw/Weber. Snow Lion Publications, 2006.

Going for refuge is a preliminary step in our journey with Buddhism. But though it is a preliminary step, it is by no means a fundamental step. I think that going for refuge is indeed quite an advanced step, for going for refuge in the truest sense is a serious commitment to the faith that the three jewels will help liberate you from suffering.

The reason for liberation comes from a slightly different motivations in different traditions. But even among these different motivations, there is an undercurrent of a strong recognition of suffering.Though it seems like a simple enough concept, and it is – it is a simple enough ‘concept’. But to truly recognize that suffering permeates all existence, from the depth of your being is quite a rare realization among us. Although human beings and indeed all sentient beings are surrounded by dukkha, the gross desire to escape it is not inclusive of the subtle nature of suffering that cannot be avoided by such escapades.

Here is a video of a precious teaching by H. E. Khandro Rinpoche on the meaning of going for refuge.

Know that in life there is suffering.
There is cause to this suffering.
There is a cessation to this suffering.
There is path that leads to this cessation.

One can be sure of only these,
sickness is inevitable,
old age is inevitable,
death is inevitable

When ignorant,
Sickness is suffering.
Old age is suffering.
Facing death is suffering.

I want to keep this simple. We know this , we have read this countless times. And we nod our heads every time we hear it. And then what? I know I can sense that my approach to knowing and truly understanding this has been perfidious to some degree. But its ok, cause this verse is meant to cause exactly those reactions within us. and so we need to explore this a little more, and understand what's really going on in our minds when we nod our heads to this very important verse.

Recently I attended a talk “The State of the Nation - Inflation of Food prices, Corruption and our Civilizational Fabric” by Rajeev Srinivasan ,an Indian columnist. Rajeev raised a point about poverty in India which i would like to share. He says that though the poverty in India is not as graphic as say in Ethiopia, the Indian poor aren't better off. In fact,the statistics make the Ethiopian poor look better off than the Indian poor. But the poverty of India is more subtle and isn’t easily visible. Its systemic and harder to trace, and its everywhere and intertwined into the national fabric. Its far more difficult to deal with it since it doesn't have a image. That's why it doesn't stare and intimidate you like the poverty in Ethiopia.

( i know this probably isn't the best way to make a parallel to dharma). But coming to think of it, the case for suffering is also the same, it can be both stark and vivid, but it can also be subtle.

Surprisingly the mind(veiled by ignorance) makes us believe that even the inevitable sufferings of life(sickness, old age & death) are somehow (though profoundly true) are not applicable to us! In the catuhsatakasastrakarikanama by Acharya Aryadeva. (The Treatise of the Four Hundred Stanzas on the Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas), the very first chapter very cleverly deals with the ignorant views the mind can form about the inevitable sufferings of life.

Since death is common to others to,
You have no fear of it.

Sickness can be cured and aging treated,
Therefore you do not fear them.

Yet there is no cure for the last ordeal;
Thus obviously you fear it.
If because the time is uncertain
You think you are eternal.

That which cuts craving for reward and honor,
The best spur to practice with effort in seclusion,
The excellent secret of all the scriptures,
Is initially to REMEMBER DEATH.

Now having gained some insights into how wrong views can be formed about inevitable hardships of life, let us look into the far more difficult the more subtle form of suffering.

When the Buddha spoke about suffering, he wasn't referring simply to the superficial and visible problems like illness, but to the fact that the dissatisfied nature of the mind is itself suffering. Because all it takes is some tiny external thing changing, often something insignificant going the wrong way and before you know it you are upset. And it is such subtle sadness and dukkha that can slip into your inner space , like water seeping through rocks, and unleash a new level of restlessness within, through the back door.

T.B.C…

This is a really short post.
I came across this verse today, and it just overpowered my restless mind(?) and lazy body(!).

Its not meant to be life-negating or pessimistic. On the contrary, it is life-affirming in the truest sense.

 

 

References:

• 1. Four Translations of the Kalama Sutta http://oaks.nvg.org/kalama.html
• 2. Kalama Sutta - The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry

 

I came across a nice documentary about the Thai forest tradition of monasteries, based on one led by Ajahn Chah.
http://www.watnongpahpong.org/videomfw.php

The video link is given above, it is hosted by the website of Wat Pah Nanachat (WPN)

Wat Pah Nanachat is a Buddhist monastery in Northeast Thailand, in the Theravada Forest Tradition. It was established by Venerable Ajahn Chah to provide English-speaking people the opportunity to train and practice in the way the Buddha taught his monks in the forests 2600 years ago.

Young Ajahn Chah

Once the Buddha, in his old age, was resting beneath a banyan tree. It was summer , and after the evening discourse, the Buddha was approached by a traveling disciple, who appeared to be very troubled. The disciple was Ayraputra. Ayraputra approached the Buddha and said:

"I salute The blessed one.
I bring news that saddens me.
I have traveled far, to spread the Dhamma.
I met many people in my journey.

I talked at lengths about the Tathagatha, his qualities.
I talked at lengths about the four noble truths.
I talked at lengths about the eight fold path.
I talked at lengths about the way of out of suffering, about he Dhamma.

But no one respects my message and the deliverance of the Dhamma.
I was humiliated by a king's court.
I was mocked at by a fisherman.
I was beaten by a woodcutter.
I was chased by disciples of another teacher.
I was laughed at by monks."

The Buddha was silent all the while ayraputra described his experience. The Tathagatha then replied....

"Well Ayraputra, what did you expect?"

-
It a nice exercise to ask this question every time we find ourselves threading upon Life's banana skins. Some times we work toward a goal and expect things to go as planned. But life being a child with a mind of its own, things often never seem to work out. Instead of watering resistance to the way things are, its nice to ask "well, What did I expect?" and it always brings a smile to my face.

You may be very enthusiastically explaining our beliefs and philosophy to a loved one, and they would call it rubbish and you mad.
You may have invested heavily in a stock , and it tumbles down
You wanted to have a pleasant day, but the very start seems shaky




Notes:

• Story of Ayraputra and the Buddha , was inspired by a lesson on Expectations and the Suffering caused by them as taught by Padmavajra in a talk, which i downloaded from freebuddhistaudio.com [i cant recall the title of the talk]

References:

• Photo and Text of Upaka and Buddha: http://buddhaimages.webs.com/3144postures.htm

Suggested reading:

• An Introduction to Buddhism Through Jodo Shinshu : Seeking the Path http://www.dharmanet.org/coursesM/Shin/JodoShinshu3b.htm
• "Ariyapariyesana Sutta: The Noble Search" (MN 26), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, May 6, 2010,
  http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html.

I read a lot of books related to topics presented in this blog. I have found many rare books in  second-hand Book Stores in and around where i stay. They are relevant to this Blog i feel. These are not reviews in any sense, but hopefully will introduce you to some rare titles, that are relatively unknown.And may help you in buying in something which may interest you.

The Heart of Buddhist Meditation,
A handbook of mental training based on the Buddha’s way of mindfulness by
Nyanaponika Thera

 

Now let me tell you a few things that are not printed on the back cover.
This book is actually a handbook of “mindfulness". It contains an extensive commentary and text of the Maha-Satipathana-Sutta, as well as all other citations from the all the Buddhist cannons regarding Mindfulness. All of them contain very good commentaries. This book is the first and last book you would need to read regarding the “Mindfulness & clear comprehension teachings of the Buddha”

part of The Readings in Silence: (Series)

Related Links:
1. About the Auhtor of the Book http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Nyanaponika%2C_Maha_Thera

People often ask me where can they find the Buddhist Pali Tripitaka, in English. Many spiritual teachers often refer to the Tripitaka to make their point. The Pali Tripitaka is clearly the first and last stop for anyone to learn the dhamma through the buddha's words. The Dhamma again is a timeless teaching in itself, in that it is always applicable , at any time , to any human condition. It truly is a complete doctrine in itself. And I would always request people to read the original scriptures(be it any religion/practice/doctrine) before reading any third-party commentary.


The entire Pali Tripitaka collection itself is very very huge, and it can almost cover five feet of shelf space. The entire HardBound Tripitaka collection is available for about 1000-2000$ from the Pali Text Society. i must emphasise the fact that not all of the Tripitaka has been translated into english uptill now.


I would personally suggest you to go for an Online version, it has certain advantages such as fast searching,and better cross-indexing. According to my knowledge 'Access to Insight' is the most comprehensive collection of English translations of the Pali Tripitaka. it also has an extensive list of all terravadan teachers and their important writings.

Upon visiting the site and after reading a few suttas , you might naturally have the tendency to locate a complete EBook version of the translations for off-line viewing. In the Home page of 'Access to Insight' there is link to download the whole Website for offline viewing (Note: its about 100 MB). Please keep in mind that you are downloading html files and not a PDF format of the Tripitaka.


Another method for you have an organized offline version of 'Access to Insight' is to get a free software called HTTrack, which allows you to easily download and view an entire website(including it sub-pages and linked pages). And after that your would have your very own offline electronic version of the Pali Tripitaka in English.


Hope this was helpful,
Sachin

Related Links:
1. www.accesstoinsight.org
2.HTTrack Free Website capture Software
3.http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Tipitaka

Its funny how sometimes the songs you have been humming for years don’t really ‘speak’ to you all. But a time comes may be on the bus, or the tube, or a train, or a taxi u hear it and for the first time you actually listen to it…. And u realize something, something greater than the song , something which could not have been conveyed in words to you, and between the words of the lyrics it just erupts in you and floods u with its calmness.

Something Similar happened today:

It was a mid-summer afternoon, the heat was unbearable. And with the heat we all became very restless indeed. The class was nearing its end, the audience was hardly listening to the Instructor, everyone was talking and their minds whizzing in a million directions. Everyone was clearly frustrated not excluding me. The atmosphere outside became dark and windy.

We were starting to be relieved a little by the coolness offered to us by the winds. Sullen clouds are gathering fast over the black fringe of our small campus. Soon we were smelling the rising summer dust, and we knew it was raining. I stared at the dark clouds around us from the window. The winds were roaring and struggling among the branches like a wild beast tangled in a trap.

And the rains sang their song, the same lyrics that I had heard since I was a child, yet this time I listened to its roar, intimidating yet graceful. And after many years the rains decided for the first time to ‘speak’ to me….. There’s something about the rain that’s beyond this world. Though it is noisy yet it is as peaceful s silence. The noise of your mind just dissolves in the melodies of the song the rain sings.

Centuries have passed; poets and seers have sung hymns and poems praising the symphony of rain. Yet there is sacredness to rain which is not of thought, nor of a feeling that can be awakened by thought. This sacredness about the rains can’t be written down, it is no to be thought of. It is not recognizable by thought nor can it exploited by thought. Thoughts cannot generate it. But there was a Sacredness to the afternoon’s rain and every rain, which is untouched by any word or symbol. This cannot be communicated. But it is a fact. And I would like to take Krishnamurthi’s quote to describe what we had realized, “Like beauty, it cannot be seen through its opposite for it has no opposite”

Every one present there was filled up the immense peace of that indescribable sacredness.

-- Sachin Modeel