The Dalai Lama - Tenzin Gyatso

Page 16

Just as rain falls on all vegetation, so Buddha�s compassion extends equally to all people. Just as different plants receive particular benefits from the same rain, so people of different natures and circumstances are blessed in different ways.
Parents love all their children, but their love is expressed with special tenderness toward a sick child.
Buddha�s compassion is equal toward all people, but it is expressed with special care toward those who, because of their ignorance, have heavier burdens of evil and suffering to bear.
The sun rises in the eastern sky and clears away the darkness of the world without prejudice or favoritism toward any particular region. So Buddha�s compassion encompasses all people encourages them to do right and guides them against evil. Thus, He clears away the darkness of ignorance and leads people to Enlightenment.

Buddha is a father in His compassion and a mother in His loving-kindness. In their ignorance and bondage to worldly desire, people often act with excessive zeal. Buddha is also zealous, but out of compassion for all people. They are helpless without Buddha�s compassion and must receive His methods of salvation as His children.

"The results of karma cannot be known by thought and so should not be speculated about. Thus thinking, one would come to distraction and distress. Therefore, Ananda, do not be the judge of people; do not make assumptions about oth-ers. A person is destroyed by holding judgements about others." The Buddha
"This I do now declare, after investigation there is nothing among all doctrines that such a one as I would embrace. Seeing misery in philosophical views, without adopting any of them, search for truth I discovered 'inward peace.' Not by any philosophical opinion, not by tradition, not by knowledge, not by virtue and holy works can anyone say that purity exists; nor by absence of philosophical opinion, by absence of tradition, by absence of knowledge, by absence of virtue and holy works either; having abandoned these without adopting anything else, let one, calm and independent, not de-sire any resting place. One who thinks oneself equal to others, or superior, or inferior, for that very reason disputes; but one who is unmoved under those three conditions, for that person the notions 'equal,' 'superior,' and 'inferior' do not exist. The Sage for whom the notions 'equal' and 'unequal' do not exist, would he say, 'This is true'? Or with whom should he dispute, saying, 'This is false?' With whom should he enter into dispute? An accomplished person does not by a philosophical view or by thinking become arrogant, for he is not of that sort; not by holy works, nor by tradition is he led, he is not led into any of the resting places of the mind. For one who is free from views there are no ties, for one who is delivered by understanding there are no follies; but those who grasp after views and philosophical opinions, they wander about in the world annoying people." The Buddha

Hard it is to find a propitious moment; the arising of a Buddha is extremely rare and the flood of vices is hard to with-stand. What an endless chain of suffering. When shall I be in a position to bring peace to those who are tortured by the fire of suffering, offering help through a cloud of good works? When shall I be able to teach the truth of emptiness to those who entertain wrong notions of reality based on sense perception, thus rending the veil which hides the truth through the power of my merit. (Santideva's Bodhisattva vow)
The well-instructed disciple of the Noble One does not consider the bodily shape as the self, or the self as something that has bodily form, or bodily form as something that exists in the self, or the self as something that exists in bodily form. He does not consider feeling as the self or the self as something that has feelings. He does not consider perception as the self, or the self as having perception. He does not consider motive forces as the self or the self as having motive forces. He does not consider consciousness as the self or the self as having consciousness. He understands each of these aggregates as it really is, that it is impermanent, painful, non-self; composite and leading to decay. He does not approach them, does not grasp them, and does not identify them as 'my self.' The well-instructed disciple sees in bodily form, etc. 'that is not mine, that is not me, that is not my self'. Thus, when bodily form, etc. changes, there does not arise in him sorrow, anxiety, suffering, complaint or despair.
The body is not yours, nor does it belong to someone else. It should be seen as the result of previous karma, effected by what had been willed and felt. In this connection, the well-trained disciple of the Noble One reflects wisely on conditioned origination: if that is, that becomes. From the origination of this originates that. If that is not, this will not be. Though the cessation of that this will cease.
If three things were not present in the world, the Perfect One would not appear in this world, the Supreme Buddha, the teaching and the order that he announced would not shine in this world. What are these three things? Birth and old age and death.
There are five things which no being in this world, nor a god nor Mara can obtain: that that which belongs to old age does not become old; that that which belongs to death does not die; that that which belongs to sickness, does not fall sick; that that which belongs to decay, does not decay; that that which belongs to time, does not cease.
Faith is closely connected with 'determination' which consists in acting with resolute confidence, after one has judged, decided, and definitely and unshakeable chosen an object, and is opposed to slinking along like an irresolute child who thinks, 'shall I do it, shall I not do it?'
There is this one way, monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrows and griefs, for the going down of sufferings and miseries, for winning the right path, for realizing Nirvana, that is to say, the four applications of mindfulness.
Very often, a single moment of mindfulness or wise reflection would have prevented a far-reaching sequence of misery or guilt. By pausing before action, in a habitual attitude of bare attention, one will be able to seize that decisive but brief moment when mind has not yet settled upon a definite course of action or a definite attitude, but is open to receive skillful directions.
May I be happy and free from suffering. May I keep myself free from enmity, affliction and anxiety, and live happily. Just as I want to be happy and dread pain, as I want to live and not to die, so do other beings too.
To repay angry people in kind is worse than to be angry first. Repay not angry people in kind and win a battle hard to win. The weal of both does one promote, one's own and then the other's too, who shall another's anger know and mindfully maintain one's peace.
Thus, one should first, as example, pervade oneself with loving kindness. Next one can recollect such gifts, kind words, etc. as inspire love and endearment, such virtue, learning, etc. as inspire respect and reverence met with in teachers, developing loving kindness towards them by saying: 'May this good person be happy and free from suffering'. Thus, one attains absorption.
Nirvana is the summun bonum of Buddhism and the ultimate of all that a Buddha taught or would teach. Buddhism is in essence a proclamation of the truth of Nirvana, a clear statement of the truth about Nirvana, a search for Nirvana, and a sure path leading to Nirvana. Nirvana is the free state of consciousness, the tranquil state of our internal nature, and the highest emotional state of spirituality and blessedness. It consists essentially in subduing the haughty spirit, the perfect control of thirst, the paralyzing of the very storage of creative energy, the arrest of the course of samsara (this world of life and death) as regards the fate of an individual, the rare attainment of the state of the void, the waning of desire, the dispassionate state, and the cessation of all sense of discordance.
Nirvana is purely and solely an ethical state to be reached in this birth by ethical practices, contemplation and insight. It is therefore not transcendental. The first and most important way to reach Nirvana is by means of the Eightfold Path, and all expressions which deal with the realization of emancipation from lust, hatred and illusion apply to practical habits and not to speculative thought. Nirvana is realized in one's heart: to measure it with a speculative measure is a wrong standard. Nirvana is the untranslatable expression of the Unspeakable, of that for which in the Buddha's own saying there is no word, which cannot be grasped in terms of reasoning and cool logic, the Nameless, Undefinable. Yet it is a reality, and its characteristic features may be described, may be grasped in terms of earthly language, in terms of space.

As a small child, I could not understand why I should pray for human beings only. When my mother first had kissed me good night, I used to add a silent prayer that I had composed for all creatures. Albert Schweitzer
If you want to see the see the brave, look at those who can forgive; if you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred. The Bhagavad Gita
Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Never forget that to forgive yourself is to release trapped energy that could be doing good in the world. Anon
Faith means being grasped by a power that is greater than we are, a power that shakes us and turns us, and transforms and heals us. Paul Tillich
Faith is not a momentary feeling but a struggle against the discouragement that threatens us every time we meet with resistance. Bakole wa Ilunga
Faith faces everything that makes the world uncomfortable - pain, fear, loneliness, shame, death - and acts with a compassion by which these things are transformed, even exalted. Samuel H. Miller
To choose what is difficult all one's days as if it were easy, that is faith. W.H. Auden

And The Buddha said...
"A man who wishes to become my disciple must be willing to give up all direct relations with his family, the social life of the world and all dependence upon wealth. A man who has given up all such relations for the sake of the Dharma and has no abiding place for either his body or mind has become my disciple and is to be called a homeless brother. Though his feet leave their imprints in my footsteps and his hands carry my garment, if his mind is disturbed by greed, he is far from me. Though he dresses like a monk, if he does not accept the teaching, he does not see me. But if he has removed all greed and his mind is pure and peaceful, he is very close to me though he be thousands of miles away. If he receives the Dharma, he sees me in it. My disciples, the homeless brothers, must observe the four rules and build their lives upon them. First, they wear old and cast-off garments; second, they get their food through alms-begging; third, their home is where night finds them as under a tree or on a rock; and, forth, they use only a special medicine made from urine laid down by the Brotherhood. To carry a bowl in the hand and go from house to house is a beggar's life, but a brother is not compelled to do so by others, he is not forced into it by circumstances or by temptation; he does it of his own free will because he knows that a life of faith will keep him away from the delusions of life, will help him to avoid suffering, and will lead him toward Enlightenment. The life of a homeless brother is not an easy one; he ought not to undertake it if he can not keep his mind free from greed and anger or if he cannot control his mind or his five senses. He who believes himself to be a homeless brother and to be able to answer when he is asked about it, must be able to say, 'I am willing to undertake whatever is necessary to be a homeless brother. I will be sincere about it and will try to accomplish the purpose for becoming one. I will be grateful to those who help me by donations and will try to make them happy by my earnestness and good life.' To be a homeless brother he must train himself in many ways: he must be sensitive to shame and dishonor when he fails; he must keep his body, speech and mind pure if his life is to be pure; he must guard the gates of his five senses; he must not lose control of his mind for the sake of some passing pleasure; he must not praise himself or rebuke others; and he must not be idle or given to lengthy sleep. In the even-ing he should have a time for quiet sitting and meditation and a short walk before retiring. For peaceful sleep he should rest on the right side with his feet together and his last thought should be of the time when he wishes to rise in the ear-ly morning. Early in the morning he should have another time for quiet sitting and meditation and a short walk after-wards. During the whole day he should always maintain an alert mind, keeping both body and mind under control, re-sisting all tendency towards greed, anger, foolishness, sleepiness, inattention, regret, suspicion, and all worldly desires. Thus, with his mind concentrated, he should cultivate excellent wisdom and aim only at perfect Enlightenment. If a homeless brother, forgetting himself, lapses into greed, anger, resentment, jealousy, conceit, self-praise, or insincerity, he is like one carrying a keen two-edged sword, covered only by a thin cloth. He is not a homeless brother simply be-cause he wears a monk's rags and carries a begging bowl; he is not a homeless brother just because he recites scrip-tures easily; he is only a man of straw and nothing more. Even if his external appearance is that of a monk, he cannot remove his worldly desires. He is not a homeless brother, he is no more than an infant clothed in a monk's robe. Those who are able to concentrate and control the mind, who contain wisdom, who have removed all worldly desires, and whose only purpose is to attain Enlightenment - only these can be called the true homeless brother. A true homeless brother determines to reach his goal of Enlightenment even though he loses his last drop of blood and his bones crum-ble into powder. Such a man, trying his best, will finally attain the goal and give evidence of it by his ability to do the meritorious deeds of a homeless brother. The mission of a homeless brother is to carry forward the light of the Bud-dha's teachings. He must preach to everyone; he must wake up sleeping people; he must correct false ideas; he must help people have a right viewpoint; he must go everywhere to spread the teaching even at the risk of his own life. The mission of a homeless brother is not an easy one, so he who aspires to it should wear Buddha's clothes, sit on Buddha's seat and enter into Buddha's room. The wear Buddha's clothes means to be humble and to practice endurance; to sit on Buddha's seat means to see matter as non-substantial and to have no attachments; to enter into Buddha's room means to share His all-embracing great compassion and to have sympathy for everyone. Those who wish to teach the Buddha's teaching acceptably must be concerned about four things: first, they must be concerned about their own behavior; sec-ond, they must be concerned about their choice of words when they approach and teach people; third, they must be con-cerned about their motive for teaching and the end they wish to accomplish; and fourth, they must be concerned about the great compassion. Firstly, to be a good teacher of the Dharma, then, a homeless brother must first of all have his feet well set on the ground of endurance; he must be modest; he must not be extreme or desire publicity; he must con-stantly think of the emptiness of things; and he must not become attached to anything. If he is thus concerned, he will be capable of right conduct. Secondly, he must exercise caution in approaching people and situations. He must avoid people who are living evil lives or people of authority; he must avoid the opposite sex. Then he must approach people in a friendly way; he must always remember that things rise from a combination of causes and conditions and, standing at that point, he must not blame or abuse them, or speak of their mistakes, or hold them in light esteem. Thirdly, he must keep his mind peaceful, consider- ing Buddha as his spiritual father, considering other homeless brothers who are training for Enlightenment as his teachers, and looking upon everyone with great compassion. Then he must teach all equally. Fourthly, he must let his spirit of compassion display itself, even as Buddha did, to the utmost degree. Especial-ly, he should let his spir it of compassion flow out to those who do not know enough to seek Enlightenment. He should wish that they might seek Enlightenment, and then he should follow his wishes with unselfish effort to awaken their interest. Disclaimer: All images and/or articles retain the original copyrights of their original owners.

"Compassion means that if I see my friend and my enemy in equal need, I shall help them both equally. Justice demands that we seek and find the stranger, the broken, the prisoner and comfort them and offer them our help."
"The great pathfinders testify that the motive for the spiritual life is awakening desire rather than grim duty."
"The world needs all of our power and love and energy, and each of us has something to give. The trick is to find it and use it, to find it and give it away, so there will always be more. We can be lights for each other, and through each other's illumination we will see the Way. Each of us is a seed, a silent promise, and it is always spring."
It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we will begin to live each day to the fullest as if it was the only one we had.
"The spiritual thirst that is latent in everybody can never come to fulfillment

unless people begin to think of each other as potential brothers and sisters."
"Human fellowship and sturdy joy come to us as we create and keep on re-creating our fragile human relationships making them last through the power of caring love. To dare to make and care to keep commitments, this is love."
"We do not receive wisdom. We must discover it for ourselves after a journey through the wilderness, which no one else can make for us."
"The highest truth cannot be put into words. Therefore, the greatest teacher has nothing to say. He simply gives himself in service, and never worries." Lao-tzu
"Imagine that every person in the world is Enlightened, but you. They are all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you learn patience, perfect wisdom, perfect compassion." Buddha
"The Light shall never be overcome by the darkness."
"Every being has its own interior; its self, its mystery, its numinous aspect. To deprive any being of this sacred quality is to disrupt the larger order of the universe. Reverence will be total, or it will not be at all." Thomas Berry
"May I always have a friendly feeling toward all living beings in the world, and may the stream of compassion always flow from my heart toward distressed and afflicted living beings."
"Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the
light gets in."

December 26, 2003

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