5  : LIVING IN AWARENESS OF THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

DAILY REFLECTIONS ON THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH reveals that the nature of samsara is suffering. The second noble truth shows the causes of suffering are delusion and karma. The third noble truth of cessation says the end of suffering is definitely possible, and the fourth noble truth shows how to accomplish this. The Dharma path targets the poisonous roots of all suffering and vigorously eliminates them.

Therefore we should spend a few minutes each day — whether at home or while we are out, driving to work, returning from work, under the shower, shopping, anywhere — reflecting on the subjects of the four noble truths. These subjects include impermanence and death, precious human rebirth, devotion to the guru, the sufferings of samsara, taking refuge in the Three Jewels, karma and the twelve links, how delusions function and their antidotes, renouncing samsara, developing the good heart, cultivating bodhicitta, and cultivating the wisdom realizing emptiness.

We can unhook ourselves from clinging to this life’s concerns just by remembering impermanence and death. Suddenly we find enjoyment in life! By applying the antidotes to delusions and by fortifying this with meditation, we can stop the dissatisfied mind. This immediately brings enjoyment in the heart and peace. More than that, we near the goal of enlightenment, securing not only our happiness but also the happiness of everyone, of countless sentient beings.

Merely knowing the teachings of the path is not sufficient. What we actually do with Dharma teachings we have received is far more important. Just having Dharma knowledge is like planting a seed in the earth and leaving it. We need to nourish the Dharma seed with meditation, doing virtue, purifying negativities, and engaging in practices that support our progress on the path. These include the purification practice of the four opponent powers, prostrations to the thirty-five buddhas, performing the seven limb practices, and making mandala offerings. Buttressed by the motivation to benefit all beings, these practices bring the blessings of the guru buddha into our minds and, like rainfall and sunshine, nourish the spiritual seed in sprouting and growing.

TRANSFORMING PROBLEMS INTO THE SPIRITUAL PATH

By practicing thought transformation we can transform problems into spiritual cultivation and can convert adversity into happiness. We can transform bad conditions into favorable conditions, powerfully turning problems and difficulties into the path to enlightenment. Thought transformation converts negative circumstances into positive ones through analysis and through the view.

Transforming negative situations through analysis

When a disease infects our body, causing unpleasant symptoms like fever, this fever is beneficial because, rather than the disease festering inside us unnoticed and creating more harm, it alerts us to a problem inside our body. Likewise when a snake in the jungle bites us, even though it is painful to cut away skin around the bite, the cutting is beneficial, as this could save our lives. Likewise it is said suffering is the broom that cleans away negative karmas and obscurations.

Therefore when trouble or sickness strikes, use this analysis: The negative karmas that I have committed in the past, the results of which I definitely have to experience, have now ripened on this body. If this did not happen now, I would experience even greater hardship later, including the horrors of inconceivable lifetimes in the lower realms.

We don’t experience anything that was not caused by our past actions, just as a tomato does not suddenly appear in midair. There are causes and conditions behind the appearance of tomatoes. Likewise all our troubles have an origin: our own negative minds that motivated negative actions, causing the results we now experience. Acknowledging our role in creating the problems we face helps us cope with a better attitude. In this way, we do not get upset or depressed about difficult situations.

This is the Mahayana thought transformation practice. As the mind understands that it is responsible for a problem, it seeks a solution that does not involve blaming others. If we are having problems with a colleague, that colleague is only a condition and not the cause of our problems. If it were not this colleague, there would be some other person or circumstance appearing to us, seemingly creating difficulties for us. So it is wholly inappropriate to point to one person or one thing as the troublemaker. The real troublemaker is our own past negative action. By thinking this way, external hindrances no longer disturb us, and we are able to continue our lives and Dharma practice. This is how problems can be transformed into nutrition for our spiritual practice.

Transforming negative situations through the view

When problems arise, we have the habit of getting mentally jammed up. No matter what tough circumstances confront us, always think, “This is a favorable, beneficial condition.” First see the advantages problems bring, including finishing past negative karmas and strengthening our minds. Once we can see the benefit of problems we will label them as “useful” and face them with a buoyant mind. This happiness depends on understanding the benefits of problems and cultivating a mental attitude that says, “This is not a problem. It brings benefits to my practice.” We are not fooling ourselves. We are simply not giving into our habit of negatively interpreting our experiences.

This brings us to the second aspect of the view, which is that suffering and happiness come from our minds. There is not the slightest atom of misery or happiness existing from its own side. The misery or happiness that appears to be real and permanent is in fact totally empty. Unhappiness is caused by how our thoughts label experience. Happiness and suffering are actually empty, mere mental labels on the bases of persons or situations.

When we mentally label difficulties as “problems” and “interferences” they paralyze us, upset us, and we suffer. This is because we believe our own mental labels. Once we have labeled the situation a “problem,” it appears to us as real and tangible. But it is not. Because this “problem” is merely imputed to a particular circumstance by thought, it is not truly existent but is completely empty. The understanding that the seemingly existent “I” is merely a mental label on the base of aggregates and does not inherently exist can also be applied to problems. As our minds have conjured the problem, the solution lies in how we view the problem and deal with it.

We can train our minds to see advantages in all problems and to realize problems are merely a mental construct. For problems to subside, we need to stop dwelling on their shortcomings and look at their usefulness instead. Whether a life situation is wonderful or not depends on the way our minds interpret it. We can choose to label a person, thing, or situation as “wonderful” or a “problem.” The choice depends completely on our minds, on our interpretations of the object and circumstances.

For example, if we repeatedly think of the shortcomings of sense objects, no matter how much our possessions and wealth increase, we enjoy them while realistically seeing their limitations. However, if we focus only on the benefits of sense objects, this deceives us into thinking they are permanent and into ignoring how they trap us in samsara. Whether something is positive or negative depends on the mind.

Training in Mahayana thought transformation makes our minds adaptive, nimble, and light. Happiness and courage arise from seeing the benefit of difficult circumstances, and we can flexibly accomplish much. We are not easily disturbed by crises, and people feel comforted by our company. Wise people who see that all happiness and misery depend on the mind seek happiness from within their own minds and not from anything external. Mind possesses all the causes of happiness. We can test this with thought transformation practice, particularly as it uses hardship as steps on the path to enlightenment. Give it a try.

Any happiness we feel comes from our own minds. From the small pleasure of a cool breeze when we feel hot up to sublime enlightenment, all happiness comes from our own minds. The thoughts within our minds cause our happiness and suffering, so we should seek happiness from our minds. This is the essential point of the Dharma. Thought transformation training is the clearest and most skillful way to bring about happiness from within our own minds.

When someone is angry with us, our compassion and skillful response can emerge if we remember the suffering nature of samsara, how delusions traumatize every living being and drive us to do all sorts of things. In this way, we can feel loving-kindness from our hearts, seeing everyone as someone to be cherished.

Using thought transformation we can see that “difficult” person as someone unbelievably precious and kind. This difficult person becomes the most precious treasure in our lives, more precious than millions of dollars or mountains of diamonds. Why? Because this person presents us with the perfect opportunity to practice thought transformation, bringing us inner peace and a step closer to enlightenment. No matter what harm someone does to us in body, speech, and mind, use thought transformation to see how incredibly beneficial that difficulty is for the development of our minds. This will uplift us.

When we practice Mahayana thought transformation, no living being or nonliving thing can truly injure us. Even when we are dying, thought transformation practice is hugely beneficial, for instance through tonglen, the bodhicitta meditation of exchanging self for others. A person who dies with the thought of cherishing other living beings is self-supporting. If we die while doing tonglen practice, our minds will be stable and comfortable, and it would be impossible for us to be born in the lower realms.

The foolish ones seek happiness from the external world, running around and keeping themselves busy with that expectation. If we seek happiness from the outside, we have no freedom because we have surrendered to the control of external conditions, making life always appear unpredictable and problematic. We will never be completely satisfied.

We can therefore see very clearly that it does not matter how others behave toward us or what they think of us. What we think is a problem actually comes from our own minds. What we think is joyful also comes from our own minds. We are the sole author of our own happiness.

PURIFYING NEGATIVITIES

Vajrasattva four opponent powers practice

Even though we may commit only a small negative action, the fact that karma expands means the results of any negative action double, triple, and multiply without end. Over time, the small atom of a misdeed becomes the size of the whole planet! This is a serious matter.

Even nonbelievers who do not accept any religion or faith system, who merely want freedom from the problems of this life, can find the ultimate answer to their wishes through overcoming afflictive thoughts and purifying the negativities of mind that cause all their problems.

Our ability to attain enlightenment depends on removing all negative karma, delusions, and obscurations. If these remain the mind cannot be transformed and thus cannot achieve realizations of the path. This is why the practice of purification, such as the Vajrasattva four opponent powers practice, is so essential.

The Vajrasattva four opponent powers practice purifies all forms of negative karmas and obscurations. Vajrasattva is the purification-related aspect of the Buddha.

The four opponent powers are:

1. The power of regret (recollecting our mistaken actions and seeing their disadvantages and how they create future suffering)

2. The power of reliance (reaffirming our refuge in the Three Jewels)

3. The power of the remedy (reciting prayers to request blessings, purify our mind, and strengthen our virtues)

4. The power of the promise (generating the intention not to commit the mistaken action again for a defined period of time)

To start, it is useful to recollect our mistaken actions so we can analyze their disadvantages and then generate the intent not to repeat those actions. This is called the power of regret, which is not about guilt. Instead it is about recognizing having done something harmful, the disadvantages of having done so, and wishing not to do it again.

For example, if we mistakenly drink poison and realize we have done so, we will recognize our mistake and will deeply regret it. This will spur us to take the antidote and to be much more careful in the future. In the same way, through the power of regret we recollect the negative actions we have done, regret them, and take action to purify them.

The power of reliance is reminding ourselves of the qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha to guide us from error as we reflect on our negative actions. It is also extremely beneficial to remember the Buddha’s teachings on nonharm, morality, and the renunciation of samsara.

We then apply the remedy by reciting the Vajrasattva mantra, either the long version or short version, “Om Vajrasattva Hum,” twenty-one times or more. While reciting the mantra we visualize all our negative karma in the form of black liquid coal and dark smoke leaving our bodies and flowing into the ground. At the same time pure white nectar from Vajrasattva fills our entire body, like milk being poured into a vessel. We imagine all negative karmas completely purified from our minds, and our physical bodies becoming clean and clear like pure crystal. This is the power of remedy.

The next step of the promise is vital. Make a strong determination, “I will immediately purify those negative karmas that I can. In addition I will purify slowly, gradually, but steadily those that I am unable to purify easily.” Regarding delusions we are most vulnerable to — these could be anger, attachment, or pride — resolve to avoid committing that particular negative action for a specified period of time. We could set the time frame as one hour, one week, or one month.

Making the resolution and fulfilling it brings a mountain of benefits. Even a very short period of restraint is worthwhile because it helps us gain a hold over our minds and accomplishes our promise. Fulfilling the commitment helps us avoid the harmful results of that negative action. At the end of this practice we should mentally dissolve Vajrasattva into light and absorb Vajrasattva into our hearts. Then imagine that body, speech, and mind have been blessed by Vajrasattva, the embodiment of all the buddhas.

The thirty-five buddhas practice

When the thirty-five buddhas were bodhisattvas cultivating the path, they prayed to benefit sentient beings by helping them purify their negative karma and defilements. When the bodhisattvas achieved enlightenment they achieved the Buddha’s ten qualities or powers, one of which is the power of prayer. Their names thus have the curative and supportive power of their past prayers. Sentient beings who recite those names purify eons of negative karma and are thus able to avert the harmful consequences that would otherwise have followed.

The late Serkong Dorje Chang Rinpoche was a highly realized lama with amazing clairvoyance. He was able to see through anyone who came to see him. He would know exactly what that person had done in the past and what they were going to do. Rinpoche could even see clearly the dreams a person had. I myself experienced this with Rinpoche, and it was rather startling, kind of shocking, that someone else could know me so profoundly. Thus those who knew Rinpoche were very careful never to tell him any lies because Rinpoche would always know.

Sometimes people would come to Rinpoche and ask for observations and advice. One day a Tibetan man came to him about how to succeed in his business or something like that. But before responding to the man’s questions, Rinpoche suddenly said, “Oh, you have killed a human being!” The Tibetan man was completely shaken and very embarrassed, and he dared not repeat his question. Rinpoche then advised him, “You must do prostrations and confession to the thirty-five buddhas.” This shows how powerful this practice is, as it can remedy even the terrible karma of killing a human being.

A daily practice: The seven-limb prayer

Progress on the spiritual path depends on purifying negativities and accumulating merit. But this is difficult because of the strong delusions in our minds and the fact that our virtues are often weak while our negativities are perfect. The seven-limb practice, based on the Seven-Limb Prayer, is a simple yet powerful method that purifies negative karma and accumulates positive karma:

Reverently I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind and present clouds of every type of offering.

I confess all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time

and rejoice in the merits of all holy and ordinary beings.

Please remain until samsara ends and turn the wheel of Dharma for the sake of sentient beings.

I dedicate the virtues of myself and others to the great enlightenment.

We begin with visualizing Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, inseparable from our gurus, in front of us and then read the prayer while reflecting on the meaning and effect of each line or limb, which are as follows:

Prostrations. We imagine numerous emanations of our body, enough to cover the entire earth. All these bodies go down into full prostration, laying the entire body flat on the ground before the Buddha. This effort collects extensive merits and purifies a vast amount of negative karma.

Offerings. We visualize as extensively as possible offering light, flowers, incense, perfumes, food, music, and any other offerings to the Buddha. There is no limit to our visualizations, so we can fill the skies with beautiful mental offerings!

Confession. Here we should think, “I am confessing individually all the negative karmas committed with my body, speech, and mind.” In this way, we can purify all negative karmas, including broken vows and any heavy negative karmas done in relation to our gurus.

Rejoice. Rejoicing in the virtues of others is the easiest way to accumulate merit. Therefore rejoice in the works of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, as well as the virtues of ordinary beings. This overcomes jealousy and is the easiest way of generating unimaginable skies of merit. Simply be happy at the good deeds of others.

Requesting the guru to have a stable life. The guru is our guide on the unmistaken path, so we visualize offering the guru a beautifully crafted golden throne supported by eight snow lions, adorned with jewels and double vajras. We mentally offer as many thrones to the guru as we can.

Requesting to turn the wheel of Dharma. We visualize offering a thousand-spoked dharmachakra or Dharma wheel so the teachings that secure the welfare of all beings can flourish and never decline.

Dedication. Having done all the virtuous actions and visualizations above, we then offer our merit toward the enlightenment of all sentient beings and “seal” the dedication with emptiness. We do this by thinking, “Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me, by numberless sentient beings, and by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas (who are all empty from their own side), may I alone (who is also empty from my own side) achieve enlightenment (which am empty from its own side) and lead all sentient beings (who are empty from their own side) to enlightenment (which is also empty from its own side).”

THE PRACTICE OF THE FIVE POWERS AT THE TIME OF DEATH

By familiarizing ourselves with these five powers during our lives, and in particular practicing them at the delicate time of death, we will be assured of a happy mind. The five powers are:

1. Power of attitude/determination. Every morning we should think: “The purpose of my life is to free everyone from suffering and its causes and to bring happiness to them. Therefore from now on until my death, whether this year, this week, or even today, I will avoid coming under the control of self-cherishing. Instead I will practice cherishing others. I am going to practice the altruistic intention of bodhicitta, and even when I die and enter the intermediate stage I am not going to separate from this good heart of altruism. I will never separate from this resolve to benefit others.”

Motivate in this way each morning and try to live the rest of each day with the same motivation. If we habitually set up an intention like this, we will be able to uphold this altruism all the time, even at the time of our deaths. This intention will infuse our lives and deaths with gentle courage, making them instead pleasant journeys that benefit ourselves and other sentient beings.

2. The power of the white seed. Creating merit should be done without conditions. When we know death is imminent we should utilize our possessions as generosity for other beings, for poor people, or for anyone who needs help. The primary method for generating extensive merit is to cultivate bodhicitta, this good heart that cherishes all sentient beings and seeks to bring them to the highest happiness of enlightenment. It is very important not to cling to people or possessions as we approach death. Clinging is what makes death difficult and terrifying as we are separated from our objects of attachment.

Two things make us afraid of death. The first is clinging to our own bodies, possessions, and loved ones. The solution is to not grasp at them at the time of death. Instead give freedom to ourselves at death, because death can be an easy, comfortable, and even happy time if we give up anxious clinging. Be as generous as we can to benefit the poor and sick, make offerings to holy objects and other living beings, and dedicate this generosity for the happiness and enlightenment of all beings. Doing so offers great release to our minds.

The second cause of the fear of death is knowing we have done some unwholesome actions like harming ourselves and others with the negative, self-cherishing thoughts of anger, attachment, and pride. These unwholesome actions tend to arise in the mind at the time of death and bring so much unease in the heart. If we wish a peaceful death without worry or fear about what will happen then and beyond, waste no time to purify negative deeds and their imprints, starting right now. Purifying negativities and warmly wishing all beings to gain ultimate happiness makes death something like going for a picnic or a holiday with a carefree mind free of fear and doubt.

3. The power of repudiation. Apart from confessing our negative actions and doing purification practices, repudiation of negativities includes retaking broken vows or simply rejecting the ego, which essentially is the self-cherishing attitude. This means that when a problem arises in our lives, whether it is cancer, AIDS, relationship difficulties, financial loss, or any form of trouble, we should immediately think how all problems originate from self-cherishing.

We must direct our energy toward destroying our self-cherishing attitude. Without the inner enemy of self-cherishing there would be no outer harms coming at us. So we should reflect and mentally bombard the self-cherishing mind with the thought, “My self-cherishing attitude has brought about dissatisfaction and problems.” We should think about how the self-cherishing attitude gives free reign to our attachments — our anger, pride, and jealousy — to act out in ways that harm us and others. We should continue this reflection and meditate on it as best we can.

4. The power of prayer. We should recite prayers with the bodhicitta motivation and strongly dedicate our prayers and all the virtues we have done toward the happiness and enlightenment of all sentient beings. We should keep the heart warm and always hold close to the heart the welfare of all living beings.

5. The power of familiarity or training. Regularly holding the altruistic thought throughout our lives, and especially at the time of death, is an excellent way of using death as a spiritual path. We can generate compassion and think of all beings who are dying and having great distress owing to impending death. We can think, “How wonderful if they can all be free from suffering and its causes and all have happiness and its causes. I dedicate all my merits to them.” Whatever we think, say, or do, whether we are in a healthy condition or not, we should do it with the bodhicitta motivation.

When the moment of death is near some people lay their bodies down on their beds, some die seated in the meditation position, some lie down in what is called the lion’s position. For the lion’s pose you lie down on your right side, resting your head on your right hand. Use your fifth and smallest finger to gently close the right nostril. You should keep your two legs stretched out, with the left hand lying along the stretched-out body. You can try to do this on your own or, if you cannot, you can ask others to help position your body this way.

This is the position Guru Shakyamuni Buddha adopted when he showed the aspect of passing away, which was itself a teaching on impermanence and death. Lying in this special position becomes a form of protection for the mind and helps one die with a positive thought and without anger, attachment, jealousy, or any such disturbing thoughts. Dying with a positive thought definitely helps us secure a better rebirth. The positive thought activates positive karma that has been accumulated in our mindstreams.

We need to begin our training now if we are to handle death well and accomplish Dharma practice at the time of death. Practice the five powers every day — they will help us know when we are about to die. Outer, inner, and secret signs, including dreams and physical indications, will tell us when death nears. If we train in the five powers every day, life as well as the moment of death becomes peaceful, comfortable, and light.

ANECDOTES FROM THE LIFE OF KYABJE LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE

Himalayan frogs and mani

After completing a nyung ne (fasting retreat) at his retreat center in Lawudo, Nepal, Rinpoche visited Lama Dorje’s place (located between Lawudo and Lukla). Several monks accompanied Rinpoche. Rinpoche received many requests to visit homes, from the village in Namche Bazaar down to those in Lukla, a long distance away. We journeyed entirely on foot and it took us three days and three nights of trekking with little rest or sleep. All the way Rinpoche would give teachings, do pujas, confer blessings, give consultations, consecrate altars and holy objects, circumambulate stupas, and offer prostrations to the thirty-five buddhas and to all the mountain chortens (stupas) and stones that had Om mani padme hum carved into them.

Of course Rinpoche’s blessings were not only for humans but for animals too, ranging from the ox-like dzo to frogs and ants. The treks between villages were done at night, as the days were filled with Dharma activities within the villages. One late night it rained, making the air freezing cold and the ground muddy, but that didn’t stop Rinpoche from performing an extensive Lama Choepa puja in the rain from midnight until dawn.

On this journey we would hear frogs croaking in the dark wilderness. Rinpoche would stop to recite prayers to the frogs. Rinpoche was tireless but we monks were worn out. It got to the point where we would dread the sound of any more frogs because that meant yet another stop for prayers! The exhausted monks would lean against each other’s back to catch a few seconds of sleep. At times it would appear as if Rinpoche were giving teachings to the frogs, but in fact the teachings were primarily for us monks, although we were simply too tired to hear them.

I recall hearing only the first few lines of one of Rinpoche’s talks and then being awakened by a loud cough from Rinpoche at the end of his teaching. Keeping up with this living Buddha even for twenty-four hours was no easy task. Although it was physically exhausting, it was also mentally inspiring and joyful.

The inner meaning of rest

Rinpoche and I are scheduled to fly to Nepal for Kopan Monastery’s November meditation course. Rinpoche has been on an extensive international teaching tour, which began in the late 1980s (when Rinpoche’s main guru, Lama Yeshe, passed away) and hasn’t stopped since. The tour has gone on and on, from one center to another, from one continent to another, with barely two or three days between centers. The years of touring have been grueling, with hard days and nights that never end, so days and nights merge and weekends don’t exist.

I always asked Rinpoche to consider some rest, to take just one day off to rest, if only a few hours at night. But Rinpoche always ignored my pleas. After some years, I asked Rinpoche, “What does rest mean to you? He replied, “Abiding in virtue.”

After that I think I gave up on the rest issue. The phrase that immediately and vividly arose in my mind was, “So THIS is the bodhisattva’s way of life!”