Kurukulla Center

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Date: 

Sun, May 30, 2021

Time: 

10:00 AM - 12 Noon 

Event: 

VIRTUAL CLASS: Lamrim Teaching - The Great Scope, commentary and meditation with Geshe Tenley

 

 

NOTE: In response to COVID-19 we will be holding Virtual Classroom teachings until further notice.

To access the Virtual Classroom join the Zoom Meeting:

Zoom URL: https://zoom.us/j/249033845?pwd=RENHaVVTZGZ0ellDampmUzJsYnpxZz09

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+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)

Enter the Meeting ID when prompted: 249 033 845
Enter the Meeting Passcode when prompted: 034137

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Geshe Tenley continues his teachings on the lam-rim with Pabongka Rinpoche's Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. This text is considered the seminal lam-rim text of the 20th century and is a transcription of a twenty-four day lam-rim teaching given in 1921. Offered as a "practical teaching," it is less scholarly than Je Tsongkhapa's Jangchub Lam-rim Chen-mo or The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment and as such it is the text from which most modern lamas teach lam-rim.

As our teachers repeatedly stress, we will not make progress if we only ingest the teachings intellectually. It is only by engaging in the three wisdoms (listening, reflecting, and meditating) that we will actually make changes in our minds. In the first part of each class, Geshe-la has been focusing on having the class practice a short meditation on the breath and on calm-abiding (shamatha) meditation.

Summary of Sunday, May 23 Class

Geshe-la reminded us that when we think about the pandemic and the damage it has caused, we should remember that we always have the possibility of becoming sick until we change our minds (and become liberated from samsara). At the moment, there are about fifteen monks with COVID-19 at Sera Je Monastery in India, and unfortunately one monk has died. We must remember how fortunate we are here at Kurukulla Center to have been able to continue our regular schedule of events online, without any disruption, even though we have not been able to physically gather. There are good things about the pandemic, as well, such as the fact that this situation has allowed people to participate in our classes who were not able to do so earlier because of distance.

Next, we began our calm abiding meditation, preceded by a short breathing meditation. When focusing on the usual object of concentration, try to keep one’s awareness clear and tight. Rather than thinking of the thoughts or images we don’t want to arise in our minds, it’s better to simply return to our object of concentration or remember the mental state we want to cultivate.

To increase the benefit of listening to teachings, request blessings from the Three Jewels or Triple Gem to support our practice. This support comes from merit, and the best merit comes from the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and our own teacher. If we do this, we will receive protection. Mind training also protects us when recalling the Seven Points we are studying in our text The Seven-Point Mind Training in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, Day Nineteen, Outlines 344 - 361 (page numbers vary according to the edition of the book.)

We next did a brief silent review of these seven main points:

1) Preliminary practices.

2) The two types of bodhicitta - understanding emptiness and actual bodhicitta, which is the wish to become enlightened in order to benefit sentient beings.

3) Not allowing any conditions to harm our mind training practice.

4) Using all of life’s circumstances to remember to continually practice mind training.

5) Even if negative experiences come our way, we do not stop our practice but continue for 24 hours a day.

6) What to do and what not to do as described in the Eighteen Commitments.

7) Following the Twenty-Two pieces of Advice.

If we learn these points well, it is possible to eventually do a complete review of them as quickly as the time it takes between putting one’s foot in a stirrup and mounting a horse, as great bodhisattvas are able to do. If we don’t remember them, review the text until they are very familiar.

To be a true Mahayana practitioner, it is most important to keep our minds focused on bodhicitta. When Lama Atisha came to Tibet, he saw people were not accurately practicing Buddhism even though they thought they were. The measure of a Mahayana practitioner is if one has bodhicitta. We use the two main techniques to develop bodhicitta and reduce our self-concern: the Seven Step Cause & Effect Instruction and Equalizing and Exchanging Self & Others. As it is said in the Lama Chopa puja LC 94, “Cherishing myself is the doorway to all loss, while cherishing my mothers is the foundation of all good qualities.”

Due to our wrong view, such as clinging to one’s personal opinions and cherishing oneself, we are stuck here in samsara. The Buddha doesn’t have wrong views and he cherishes others, and because of that he is enlightened. When we compare our situation to that of the Buddha, it is clear which actions we need to adopt and which we need to abandon. We need both good motivation as well as good actions. However, even with good motivation, we can make mistakes if we lack the wisdom that understands what is right and wrong.

Also, we need a relaxed mind. Only we can create this, nothing external can. The mind is not like a light to turn off and on, or a physical painkiller that relieves body pain. Only the mind can fix the mind. When our minds understand the situation and accept what cannot change, we will not create problems, although this doesn’t mean you can’t apply certain means to overcome difficulties.

Explanation of the Twenty-Two Pieces of Advice

We next turned to a continuation of the discussion of The Twenty-Two Pieces of Advice, from our text Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, Day Nineteen, Outline 361 (page numbers vary according to the edition of the book.)

Note that these twenty-two pieces of advice are not numbered in the Wisdom Publications edition of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand

7) Cultivate the three main causes for practicing Dharma. These are a qualified teacher, a mind that wants to practice dharma, and finding favorable conditions for practice.

8) Meditate on the three non-declining attitudes. Our faith and devotion to our guru should not decline, our enthusiasm for study and practice should not decline and we must not forget the advice of Mahayana teachings or how to put them into practice. Like advice from our doctor, if we follow it, we can cure our disease.

9) Possess the three inseparables. Don’t separate from virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind. The real practice is not committing the ten non-virtues. The non-virtues of body and speech come from mind, so it is the mind that we must control. Covetousness could be toward external or internal things such as strong attachment to our own views. Ill will could be a grudge we hold toward someone we don’t agree with, so we try to keep our distance from them – it doesn’t only mean physical fighting. According to Buddhist texts, wrong view means someone doesn’t believe in karma and past or future lives, but it doesn’t have to be to that extent. Wrong view could simply be our personal opinions, if they are strong in our minds.

10) Train purely without bias toward objects. Normally we are biased toward friends and enemies and those we don’t care about. Some translations say we must avoid bias between sentient beings and inanimate objects. In this case, inanimate objects can refer to any inanimate object that causes a reaction in us, such as liking certain types of weather or liking or not liking a gift we receive.

Q: The translation in our text also mentions sentient beings and Buddhas.

A: For us to gain enlightenment we need both sentient beings and Buddha, so liking a Buddha but not liking sentient beings is incorrect.

11) Cherish all sentient beings equally.

12) If there is someone we don’t like, it is important to make an effort to like that person.

13) Regardless of circumstances, continually practice mind training. This doesn’t refer to just sitting cross-legged or counting mantras on a mala. Rather, it speaks to our inner practice, in which we try to cultivate metta (love) and karuna (compassion) for everyone. It is easy to practice when conditions are suitable, such as having a full stomach and good weather. However, when things change and circumstances are more difficult, we find it more challenging and may give up. We must continue mind training in spite of circumstances.

14) At this time, we have a perfect human rebirth with suitable conditions, so don’t waste it, but focus on practices for the benefit of future lives. Practice for as long as you have the time to do so. In this way, our life becomes meaningful, and if done with the motivation to benefit others, it will be even more so.

15) Avoid the six misunderstandings:

1) Wrong patience that tolerates difficulties for this life but can’t tolerate difficulties when practicing dharma.
2) Appreciating samsaric pleasures of this life but not the results of dharma practice, such as bodhicitta, which arises from our efforts at studying and mind training.
3) Wrong compassion. An example is sympathy for the lifestyle of monks and nuns, thinking that they are being deprived of ordinary pleasures in their pursuit of Dharma. Compassion should rather be generated toward someone who is doing the wrong thing and causing harm to others, instead of being angry toward them.
4) Wrong intention, such as doing things only for this life.
5) Wrong guidance, such as encouraging those who rely on us to engage in wrong actions rather than guiding them into dharma practice.
6) Wrong rejoicing, such as being happy at the suffering of our enemies. Rejoicing should be directed toward positive actions. We can rejoice over our own or other’s good actions even if they are very small, as doing this multiplies the merit we create. Rather than rejoicing over the negative actions of our enemies, we should cultivate compassion for the person’s delusions which causes them to do non-virtuous actions. The attitude of negative rejoicing arises easily, so we must be very vigilant.

Kadampa masters remind us that we must experience everything that is of benefit to our mind with the right attitude – even difficult or unpleasant things.

It is essential to not simply agree with what we have heard but to also put it into practice. If the opportunity arises to practice this advice, grab it. Doing solitary practice is not enough, we must apply these teachings to our lives. Geshe-la related the story of a monk who rejoiced when another monk broke a major vow. Geshe Potowa said that the rejoicing monk created more negative karma than the one who broke the vow.

As said earlier, it is easy to pretend that one is a practitioner when the conditions are favorable, but not so easy when the conditions are difficult. We need to develop our strength and fortitude to practice in all conditions. If we apply ourselves, slowly, slowly we will make progress.

Q: Is the 6th part of #15 telling us that it is non-virtuous to not rejoice when we should rejoice?

A: No, it is advising us that if we don’t rejoice over virtuous activities but feel jealousy or become critical, that is not virtuous. Otherwise, we would be creating negative karma all the time.

Geshe-la encouraged everyone to rejoice in our good conditions in this country and in the privileges and the care our government gives us. In contrast, in India and Nepal, they are contending with serious outbreaks and lack of resources.

Suggested Readings

Seven Steps to Train Your Mind by Gomo Tulku

Advice from a Spiritual Friend by Geshe Rabten & Geshe Dhargyey

The Seven Point Mind Training by Alan Wallace

A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life by Shantideva, translated by Vesna & Alan Wallace

The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva, translated by Padmakara Translation Group
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Geshe Tenley is the Resident Teacher at Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies in Boston. He was ordained by the late Gyume Khensur Geshe Urgyen Tseten Rinpoche in 1990 and began the program of studies to become a geshe at Sera Jey Monastic University. During the course of his studies, he has received many teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well as many other highly qualified masters. In 1998, he received his full ordination (gelong) vows from His Holiness and received his geshe degree in 2008. He began teaching at Kurukulla Center in 2005 and was appointed the Resident Teacher by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 2010. Geshe Tenley is well-known for his approachability and kindheartedness. His extensive activities in the US and around the world bring great joy and benefit to everyone he meets.

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