INTRODUCTION
A very good morning to all. Today, if we have two things that I thought to go on, one is, we will go regarding Karma and how it affects our daily life as well as, even next day meditation, how it plays during meditation, and also we will be going through Paramita.
Paramita, which is a perfection of wisdom, in Mahayana or in Vajrayana Buddhism we talk or in Buddhism, let’s say to have a high rebirth into the next life. Generally, there are some practices to achieve liberation from Samsara, and there are some practices to achieve Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. Exactly like what Buddha was teaching in the past, that’s something that we’re talking a bit. But before that, as usual, we will start with a small meditation, with a sort of motivation to motivate ourselves.
So today we can perhaps meditate on the importance of wisdom, we’ll set a motivation in a way that first we will think a bit about motivating wisdom and the importance of wisdom, then we’ll motivate ourselves to learn something regarding wisdom to benefit ourselves, to benefit community, to benefit all sentient beings and to bring peace and happiness in this world. This is how we start our meditation. Alright, so let’s start this way.
KARMA.
Each and every one of us since the minute we wake up from the sleep till the time we go to bed at the night, all we do, everything that we engage in each and every action is directly or indirectly to achieve something or to achieve a sort of satisfaction, to achieve a certain happiness. So desiring happiness is deep in us and no matter what we are doing, that’s always something which is active to desire happiness. Even negative emotion, even the emotion that control us is also somehow motivated with that.
So there’s nothing that is done without desiring happiness as a background motif on the motive or intention. But the problem is not to desire happiness, that is the right: All should be happy. That’s something we can see as our right, we should be happy and happiness is our right, absolutely right. But the problem is when you don’t know or when you are a bit mistaken with the direction where you are supposed to look for happiness.
This is why in this world, as you can see, that many people literally expect happiness from outer materialistic world. There are like short term happiness that you can achieve even with the materialistic thing. But those happiness are just very temporary, and after each and every nice time that you have, you feel uncomfortable because you expect that nice time continues and continues and continues.
Even if it’s a small gathering with the family or a small party with their friends or just a nice time that you enjoy in your life, every time it ends, it gives you a bit of unpleasant feeling which shows that your mind is looking forward to continue that happens. But unfortunately nothing!
Did you might see or expect as in happiness in this life last long? Just temporary, absolutely temporary. The worst thing is that it gives more pain when you are finished with that. Suppose you had a very nice day going out with a friend, you might enjoy that, but then it will give more pain right after that, because when you finish, then your normal days are not really normal anymore. Then you’ll start to miss it more and it will give you more pain when you miss these things. So the one only happiness, and that can last forever, is when you are able to remove their negative emotions. The wrong mind is what you are supposed to achieve the permanent happiness.
And the karma is, if you engage in the causes through which the negative emotions you can eliminate, that is a karma. So literally, the word “karma” means action, it can be any action. You move, you talk, you see, you don’t see, you sleep, you wake up, everything is karma. Each and every action, your physical action, your verbal action or even each and every thought need a little bit of energy, so everything which requires a little bit of energy comes out. Whether it’s a mental activity, physical activity, or verbal activity, these are all karma because these are action.
Now when we talk “Do you believe in karma?”, we’re talking about you believe in the concept of law causality, you believe in the concept of causes and effects. So the law of causality, I think, is what it means by karma, not the literally meaning, but that’s what people mean when you believe or when you talk about karma. To the people who believe in Karma, according to the ancient texts, each and every action yields a result, produces a result. So each and every product or a result or an effect is being caused by a previous action. If you believe that law, then we ‘re believing in karma.
Now how Big Bang happened? How dinosaurs disappear from this world? Or why there are much of varieties of lizards? May not make much difference in our life to bring happiness. But what really matter is when it comes to karma? What really matter is from where that happiness comes and how that happiness comes.
How is the karma related with our desiring happiness and how we can achieve through the law of causality or the law of karma? I think that’s what matter in our life, because that’s what we actually want, that’s what we all are looking forward to. You drink coffee, you don’t like coffee, you drink tea, you drink juice or even if you are thinking of drinking something which is not nice, these are all motivated with the desire to be happy, because when you do that, you’re gonna feel a bit sort of satisfaction, and that is what it means by happiness.
It usually says happiness and suffering, or the pain that we don’t desire, these all come from a previous cause, that is karma. So to say that it comes from a previous cause, seeing that is a bit easier. But then what is not easy? What is important? The thing that is more important to be reflect on is what is that cause which gives us happiness?
The one only cause that gives us happiness despite removing the negative emotions, if you are having a pain in your head, the one only way to have a good health regarding that is only when you remove the one which causes the pain.
Because the nature of happiness, that peace, the nature is already nice, our nature is already positive, nice, compassionate, loving. So we are not lacking all these things because those are already within us. I mean, many of you might have experience, when you become a parent, you didn’t learn how to care a kid, you didn’t learn how to generate that love and compassion towards a kid, because you already have that within you.
When you have a child, it get activate because there’s something that you already have it in you. My wife is going to deliver tomorrow, so I’m going to go to the market to buy some love and compassion so that she can have to give to the child. You don’t need to do that, when you see some bird, a small bird, broken legs or broken wings and then falling over there, you literally feel that it’s sort of love and compassion towards the bird. You don’t need to go to a friend like “Can you please give me some sort of love and compassion and this and that because I saw a bird and I’ve got a shout to that bird.” You don’t need all those things because you already have those things within you.
Now one and only thing is lacking that is needed to be happy, is to remove what was your suffering because the conditions and the cause is to keep you happy already within you, but still you are not happy because there are also things that makes you unhappy and those are negative emotions like anger, jealousy, envy, ego, pride, greed, whatever this is. And then these stress, anxiety, depression are results of the emotions that I just mentioned.
So this is by understanding, when you believe in law of causality, then you engage with the causes. Meditating on love, helps, meditating on compassion, helps, or how to get rid of anger. Look for methods through which we can get rid of anger and negative issues, so these are the method to which we can achieve a state of mind which is free from those negative emotions and that’s when we will be happy.
Salvation or Nirvana is just a nature of mind, the nature of mind is free from those negative emotions like anger, attachment, jealousy. The nature of that mind is called Nirvana or salvation. Free from Samsara, that is salvation when you remove those negative emotions.
There’s a bit of about karma and you can apply with everything like when you have anger, you say something bad, now the karma, the law of causality is there, you’re anger, you say something bad, then there are some negative results, it breaks, it destroys the relation between you and your friend or you and your mother. When you break the relation between you and your mother, uncomfortable feeling, stress, feeling like you’re missing something or you’re lacking something, you have to deal with somebody at the same time, you’re not happy over there.
Even if you’re doing something nice that you used to enjoy, you won’t be enjoying at the time, this is karma. When you understand that when you don’t feel comfortable with someone then you should avoid doing something wrong like you should try to do something which connects you with the person like “OK, be right, I’ll reduce the ego.”
As usually I say that because of anger, a part of people, people get apart or break any sort of relationship, but whether it’s a friend or whatever it is, anger breaks the relation. If a person don’t have ego, they want to get back and reunite, but because of the ego, they don’t reunite. They can’t go and talk to each other, they can’t go and say sorry this and that because of this ego. So anger breaks the relation, and ego maintains the distance among people.
So by understanding this law causality or karma, you should try to reduce the causes which makes you unhappy. Try to improve or try to enhance or try to engage in those causes which make you happier. So that is what karma is and that’s what we should understand and to play a role based on that.
So to achieve that sort of liberation, specially in Buddhism, in Mahayana Buddhism, what we expect to achieve is not just liberation for oneself. That’s what makes a Mahayana Buddhism a bit different from Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism.
In Hinayana Buddhism, Nirvana like Self Liberation is something that they focus a lot. There is a sort of final achievement, they wanna free from Samsara, they want to achieve freedom for their own sake.
Mahayana Buddhism, they are not important, but others are more important than what they are, they are just one, others are a lot. So by thinking in that manner, you see that others are more important than what you are. So instead of striving for individual happiness, Mahayana Buddhist are those who literally strive to bring some happiness in others.
You need to help others. You do literally do all these humanistic works to bring happiness to others, and one of the easiest way to know is, Dalai Lama is one of the row modeling example that we can have as an example. From the moment he wake up till the time he got to sleep or even through sleeping, all he does is try to bring peace and happiness in this world. An old monk with empty bag, traveling to whole world to give, to teach, to spread love and compassion. There are many people who see him as a sort of Buddha, but I personally see him as a great teacher, a wonderful teacher.
From whom you can literally inspire like you can inspire in whatever you wish to. Like when you really don’t care about your happiness, when all you desire is others happiness then you see that there is no place for jealousy, there is no place for ego, because you want others be victory, there is no place for jealousy because you want others to be happy, there’s no place for envy, because you want others to be happy, there’s no place for anger, because you want others be very fair, there is no leaving a place for greeting because you want others have that, so that others can be happy. So this sort of mention, this sort of mind is not really easy to achieve.
You can practice from now on, the more you practice you get better and better. So to achieve that sort of mind, you have to start with loving yourself, loving your parents, loving your family members, because many of their suffering comes from you. They deserve to have a nice family, and also you deserve to be happy, and then your happiness is very much depend on your family members, especially your parents, or your partner.
So in this manner you should generate love towards yourself and your family by thinking and contemplating on the positive qualities of them. When you are able to generate a very strong love towards yourself and your family, then you can expand the object of that love. Now you love yourself, instead of you, replace yourself with others. When you are able to generate love in yourself then you will be able to generate love towards others.
And to be able to continue these sort of practices and to achieve the Enlightenment, because even if you really work hard to do to bring happiness in others lives, you won’t be able to do much if you don’t, if you are not equipped with the right tool through which you can help all the sentient beings. Just imagine, Buddha was exactly a person like us, Buddha look seem like us. He’s not a God or something like that, he was just a person, a Prince, a person born to someone addressing himself as a king. The place he was born is a sort of nice garden, but then he was just human like us.
Look at the amount of happiness, look at the amount of wonderful teachings, as I said in previous class, gender equality, loving compassion. In such a meditation, through with one can literally achieve happiness is something that he achieved through a wonderful practice and then when you achieve such a thing, you can literally help all sentient beings as you desire, as you practice as a minor practitioner.
And to achieve such a thing, there are generally six practices, especially for those who are those of Mahayana practitioners who practice to achieve enlightenment. There’s only six things that you are supposed to have as your main practice. These six things are called Paramita. In English, Paramita is more like perfections.
PRAJNAPARAMITA
Oh, the way it pronounces paramita, pa-ra-mi-ta. So what it means is perfection. So the six paramita are our wisdom, morality, patience, diligence, concentration and wisdom right? So you can attach this paramita like the paramita of this, oh generosity starts first, the paramita of morality, paramita of patience, paramita of diligence, paramita of concentration, paramita of wisdom, so these are the six paramitas, these are the six perfections.
You have to practice these six qualities, this is practices until it achieves at a level, then where it is perfected. Paramita is perfection, so you are supposed to practice from generosity, morality, patience, diligence, concentration and wisdom, you are supposed to perfect all these things until you reach to such a level where it is perfected. You are supposed to practice it, one of the wonderful practice of mahayana is when you practice all of these six together.
For example, you meet a beggar or you offer something to someone who is needed. When you practice the generosity like when you’re giving something, you’re practicing generosity, but at the same time, you give it very politely, physically or verbally. You have to be in a very nice way handover, not as if you’re throwing a bread to a dog. But as if you are giving something to your teacher, you have to give it very nicely. That is a along with the practice of generosity, you’re practicing morality with a very good, with a nice, physical or verbal gesture, you are delivering that thing to the person who is in need. So that’s when you can practice morality.
Then the patience, even if the person says something bad, even if the person says like “oh this is not something I like” or “Can’t I have one more? Can’t I have every day?” Or like even if the person says some bad things about you or to you or a person shows a sort of greedy, you should not lose your patience, You should not show your temper or then how greedy of you or how bad of you or whatever it is not. You have to be patience, you have to understand the situation and you have to be practice patience at the same time you’re offering that to that person or the beings.
There is a perfection of a patience, then comes the perfection of diligence, like you might feel bored something sometimes. You have to do some other works this and that, but then you work hard, you showed that you practice diligence, right effort. Even if it’s a little difficult for you, but then you think that “The person is hunger, the person is sick, so even if it’s a little difficult for me, I’ll do that for the person, so to put some effort into into doing some such a noble thing”.
Then comes concentration. It’s not like you are giving to the person and then your concentration is somewhere else, that even nowadays is a sort of a disrespect.
And then at last is the perfection of wisdom is. I’ve always said that without the wisdom you might handover knife to someone who is killing animals. Without wisdom, what you’re doing, maybe is harming the person instead of helping that person and as I said in few times I think, it’s more like you are giving money to a beggar who use that money for drinking. But you gave to him because he begged and then he said he’s gonna or she’s gona to use for the food. But then you have to, if it is possible, instead of giving her money, give her the food.
HEART SUTRA
That’s what perfection, six perfections are very important, displays a very important role which is why Heart Sutra is known in those countries where the practices Mahayana or Vajrayana, Vajrayana is just one part of Mahayana. So in all these countries, and among all those people who are practicing Vajrayana or Mahayana, Heart Sutra is very important. Because it’s a heart, it’s like a nectar, it’s like essence of all the Mahayana teachings. That’s why it is called Heart Sutra or the essence of the Mahayana teachings.
So that sort of wisdom, like when we talk about wisdom, it’s very important to understand that when you practice wisdom. The word wisdom, the Sanskrit or Tibetan word for wisdom is perfect, the perfected mind. This is perfected mind, so you have to think very carefully. without being controlled by some mind which is bias, or you have to think very, very objectively and to analyze which is good and which is not good. But if you influence with the attachment, when you influence with bias, when you influence with some negative emotions, then your wisdom will not work properly.
It is very, very important when you do the analysis. The wisdom is what it does analysis, analysis is what wisdom does when you do some analytical meditation. Analysis is like which is helpful and which is good or not, you should have an objective mind. If you don’t have an objective mind, if you already have a biased mind, then whatever you think will go to one side.
So having our objective mind is very important, otherwise, it’s like you have a vessel where there is already a dirt. You squeeze a lemon in a vessel and then before you washing it you put a milk in there, you put anything in there, it’s gonna destroy that thing. That’s exactly how it is like when we do. When we don’t have an objective mind and try to think something and then everything goes wrong. So objective mind, yes unbiased mind, a mind which is free from attachment and other emotions is very important, especially when you do the analytical meditation or when you do some analysis through wisdom.
So that’s what I would say over here. The reason why heart sutra is very important and also the content of Heart Sutra is 6 perfections, six paramita is what the heart sutra talks about. It’s a profound book, very profound and, at the same time, very powerful when you know the meaning, it’s absolutely amazing. But still just reciting such a wonderful profound sutra gives huge amount of benefits. That’s what I would say.
Question and answer:
1. A wisdom giving without attachment becomes ?
Oh, yes, when you offer something, according to Buddhism, when you are practicing generosity, you should practice without being attached to what you were given, because generosity is not the action of giving. There is dāna pāramitā, dāna is more like the generosity, in Buddhism is the mind which wish to give, so if you are attached to a thing that you are giving, then it’s not a good practice of generosity. You and the motivation depends if your mind, a practitioner, you think that it is entirely for the sake of others. And without attaching to the thing that you are giving, so then it is a wonderful practice, it is exactly how it should be.
2. If I engage in charity for other beings with the purpose of practicing the six paramitas, can these personal goal to achieve them becomes an obstacle to become enlightenment? The Six perfection sequence can’t change, right?
Ah a good, good question!
When you practice, for example, generosity in forms of charity or however it is, no, it help others and also like this is what I’ve seen, and from Buddhist psychological point of view, I would say that if you practice generosity towards someone, it leaves a very strong imprint to practice generosity in that person. So it’s very much likely that the person will also practice generosity. So in a way you’re giving a thing, at the same time you also showing something, the act of kindness and when that person have something in future, that person will also show the kindness to others. It is very much possible, that’s how the mindset works.
Like if you get angry and you have a small kid with you and then you always get angry, it also leaves a strong imprint in the kid and then in the future, the kid also might get angry. If a person fight with one’s mother and if the kid see that and then it’s very much likely that the kid will hold, the kid will also fight with the person when the kid grows older. That’s how the mind works and also to show love and generosity, to be kind to kids is very important because that’s when they learn, and so it helps others.
So the sequence of paramita can it be changed?
You can focus more on morality and then when you practice morality, you can practice all the rest of others in the morality. When you practice diligence, also said that the same thing. I mean, among these six paramitas, you can practice anyone which you feel comfortable, which you want. It depends, if a person has a very bad habit of saying something bad or doing something bad or thinking something bad, maybe the practice of morality work first. Or if a person is very much disturbed, and then tickles mind or like can’t stop thinking about lot of things which is not really necessary, maybe you can work on perfection of concentration.
If you are too kind and compassionate, but at the same time you encounter with many troubles, even if you are being compassionate and loving, then maybe you should practice a perfection of wisdom.
If you are super lazy, all you think of is sleeping or drink something which is not towards what you really want to achieve and then maybe practice of diligence is something that works more.
So it depends on individual, but as I said at the end of the day, you have to perfect, you have to reach these six practices to the perfection or to that paramita, then you will achieve enlightenment, then you will be able to help all sentient beings.
Imagine how like literally from my perspective, I think that Buddha is, one sun that we see every day, for me another sun is Buddha. Like the sun eliminates many issues like cold and any dirt, everything that grows on the earth is also because of the sun, nowadays maybe through technology, you might be able to grow some vegetables, I don’t know how healthy they are, but like every single thing that grows on this earth is because of the sun. Imagine like no food will be there if there is no sun.
Scientists say that the reason why there is no dinosaur now noticed because the sunlight couldn’t reach to the earth for like few 2-3 years because of all the dirts that comes out. When something falling down on the earth, I don’t know what that is called, this is how it is.
The sun, I was telling that the sun is one light, for me Buddha is another sun and Buddha may not help to grow many trees, but Buddha definitely helps to grow love and compassion within ourselves, and that changes the whole world. For me each and every happiness, peace, contentment comes from Buddha. Because through his knowledge I can see, even through some very difficult situation, I can find myself dealing with it very nicely without any issues.
I mean when I see that I’m even able to help others when they are having some issues, at the same time, even if I’m having issue much more serious than another person. Literally it’s more like minimizing or dominating my own issue or not even thinking about my own issue, even if the other person is much, much lesser issue, I am able to be there to help the person to get rid of the smaller issue, even showing the bigger issue that I might be going through in some sense.
So I think that’s trend, is also something that I see, I appreciate Buddha and also the mindfulness meditation, all these things eventually come from Buddha. So might be practitioners are supposed to work towards that. And you maybe in some difficult situation sometimes, but then the satisfaction brings to entirely love for others, even if you are studying, wake up, sleep, everything for others. You have to sleep because if you don’t sleep, you won’t have a good health and then you won’t be able to do much for others, that level of sleep is different.
3. During this pandemic I get so much angry on small things. So what should I do in this situation? Because sometimes I get angry for no reason.
So I would say meditation is a wonderful thing because you don’t need any other reasons to get angry. Anger is something that you generate fitting yourself when there is something imbalanced in your mind and that can be caused by internal factors as well as outer factors, but if you think that there is nothing happened, but I still feel a bit angry and this and that, then maybe meditation will be very effective, especially it can be concentration meditation for a quick or meditation on love, compassion, maybe meditation on self love by reflecting on one’s own positive qualities.
Compassionate Seed.
Note down from a dharma talk on Six Perfection – Perfections of Wisdom by Lama Nawang Kunphel which was organized by On The Road of Yoga