Topic: Practicing the Path

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I recommend this novel, to anyone interested in the Lamrim Chenmo. Ill try to find some things online for it Practicing the Path: A Commentary on the Lamrim Chenmo

"Practicing the Path
"Practicing the Path is a complete commentary on Tibetan Buddhism's Lamrim Chenmo in a single volume. Yangsi Rinpoche, a thirty-something tulku who has spent the last several years in Madison, Wisconsin, gave these teachings to a group of Western students over a month-long period a few years ago in Dharamsala, India. While having the full training of a Tibetan scholar, Rinpoche uses Western metaphors and demonstrates an appreciation for the Western mind. The text is particularly well edited and is a pleasure to read, and will be an excellent resource for those studying and meditating on the lamrim, the steps on the path to enlightenment. The Lamrim Chenmo is a comprehensive overview of the entire path to enlightenment, superimposing the essential principles of renunciation, bodhicitta, and the pure view of emptiness. It is unique in combining scriptural authority and perfect logic in order to clarify all doubts on the path. The author's deep knowledge of the traditional teachings and his ability to elucidate them in contemporary language and form provide a unique opportunity for readers to refine their understanding and develop their practice."

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From Practicing the Path:

Qualities of the Disciple

1- The first quality that you must possess as a disciple is honesty.

2- The second qualilty you should have is the intelligence to be able to differentiate what is right from what is wrong.

3-The third quality is you must have faith and interest in achieving your goals.

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If, as a disciple, you are rich in these three qualities-- honesty, discriminating wisdom, and interest-- it is profitable for you to rely upon as many spiritual teachers as possible. If, however, you are not rich in these qualities of the disciple, it is better to rely upon fewer teachers, because of the lack of potential within your mind.

~Yangsi Rinpoche

[tangerine dream]

From Practicing the Path:

Qualities of the Disciple

1- The first quality that you must possess as a disciple is honesty.

2- The second qualilty you should have is the intelligence to be able to differentiate what is right from what is wrong.

3-The third quality is you must have faith and interest in achieving your goals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If, as a disciple, you are rich in these three qualities-- honesty, discriminating wisdom, and interest-- it is profitable for you to rely upon as many spiritual teachers as possible. If, however, you are not rich in these qualities of the disciple, it is better to rely upon fewer teachers, because of the lack of potential within your mind.

~Yangsi Rinpoche

 

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"There is no sentient being who does not want to be free from misery. Each one of us wants peace and happiness, and particularly everlasting peace and happiness. Yet we do not know how to bring that about, due to ignorance and other delusion which obstruct knowledge. as shantideva says:

Although they wish to escape suffering
They run straight to the cause of suffering.
although they wish happiness, out of ignorance,
They destroy their own happiness, as if it were a dream.

All the teachings of the Buddha, either directly or indirectly, were taught for the ske of wisdom, to free sentient beings from misery so they may attain the highest goal of happiness. ~Geshe Llundub Sopa

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The Four Misconceptions and the Four White Seals

Why is it that our minds are occupied by the fact of our present existence, unable to generate the thought of the importance of future lifetimes? What is the obstacle hindrering us? We are bound to concern for this lifetime alone by the thought grasping at true existence, by the innate sense that we are going to live forever. In order to eliminate this innate grasping as a permanent mode of existence, we need to focus on the awareness of the fact that we ourselves are in fact subject to impermanence and death.

Buddha summarized our misconceptions of the world we live in, and of ourselves into what is called The Four Wrong Views. They are as follows:

1-Holding what in reality is impermanent to be permanent.
2-Holding what in reality is impure to be pure.
3-Holding what is relality is the nature of suffering to be true happiness.
4-Holding what is reality is essenceless to have essence.

These wrong perceptions ensure that we focus primarily on the activities of this one brief time, and create obstacles to developing the thought that seeks the benefit of the infinite future lifetimes.

Seeing these four misconceptions in the minds of sentient beings, Buddha taught their antidote, The Four White Seals. The Four White Seals are:

1-All compound phenomena are impermanent.
2-all contaminated phenomena are suffering.
3-All phenomena are selfless
4-Nirvana is peace.

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From same text

Buddha Nature

The nature of mind is clear
And all the defilements are adventitious

Sentient beings do not know the true nature of their own minds, and it is the not-knowing that causes so much of the suffering that we experience in cyclic existence. According to Buddhism, the mind of every sentient being is ultimately empty of inherent existence, and on the conventional level, is luminous, clear, and knowing. In addition to that, all of the delusions in our minds that bind us to this existence in the ways that we have just discussed are temporary and adventitious. This luminous nature of the mind and the fact that the delusions are temporary corroborate the fact that as long as one is a sentient being, one has the potential to become enlightened.

The presentation of buddha-nature, or tathagathagarba, differs slightly in accordance with the philosophical views of the difft buddhist schools.

Accrding to the Vaibashikas, for example, buddha-nature is the illustration by the four natgures of superior beings. The first nature of a superior being is that one is content with one's clothing, free of the worldly dharmas, as long as one has just enough to wear. The second nature is that one is content with whatever food one has received, again free of the eight worldly dharmas. The third is that one is content with one's shelter or housing, free of the eight worldly dharmas. And the fourty is one  has single-pointed joy for the practices of abandoning non-virtue and persevering in the levels of meditative concentration. In short, the Vaibashikas regard the mental states that turn away from nonvirtue and aspire to virtue as examples of buddha nature. According to them, buddha nature is the nature of mind which can be transformed in a positive way.

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The proponents of the Sautrantika, or the Great Exposition school, define buddha-nature as a potential within the mind to generate and uncontaminated mental state.

The proponents of the Chittamara view accept two kinds of buddha-nature: a naturally abiding buddha-nature and a transforming buddha-nature. According to their view, naturally abiding buddha-nature has three characteristics: it is a continum, it exists naturally in the minds of sentient beings (not having newly arisen as a result of causes and conditions), and it is the seed that will become the uncontaminated mind. according to the Chittamatra school, naturally abiding buddha-nature is a compounded phenomenon. As long as one is a sentient being, one possesses it.

However, according to the Chittamatras, being a sentient being does not necessarily mean that one possesses transforming buddha-nature. When practitioners enter the path and progress thru the stages of study and practice in relation to the three vast collection of the teachings, the naturally abiding buddha-nature that is present in their minds becomes transforming buddha-nature.

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True Path

In order to attain true cessation it is necessary to rely upon an uncontaminated path, which in this case refers to the uninterrupted path of seeing. We need to know the aspects and the objects of this path. And in order to do that, again, we need to realize emptiness directly.

The basis upon which we apply the four attributes of true path is the direct realization of selflessness-- the direct realization of the truth in the mind of a yogic practitioner. The four attributes of true path and the path itself, accomplishment, being a knower, and being a definite bestower. The four misconceptions eliminated by these four attributes are thinking that there is no path to liberation, thinking that some of the benefits that we attain on certain levels of meditative concentration are a state of liberation, thinking that certain specifics of contaminated modes of existence are a path to liberation, and thinking that there is no path to liberation that enables a total cessation of suffering.

The first of the four attributes is the path itself, which refers to the wisdom that realizes emptiness, the means to liberation. Realizing emptiness eliminates the mistaken perception that there is no path to liberation.

{note in this: can all see now why Juhani is firm on emptiness and it being extremely important - there is no liberation without the realization of emptiness}.

The second characteristic is accomplishment. Once the practitioner has the direct realization of this truth, he or she understands that there is no determined object of the ignorance that grasps at true existence, that such an object of these two modes of grasping does not exist at all. This counteracts the mistaken perception that the peace that we can attain on certain levels of meditative concentration is a state of liberation.

{note in this: stopping the 'clouds of thoughts' in the emptiness of the vast sky'}

The third characteristic is that the path is a knower. The wisdom that realizes selflessness in the mind of a yogi is the antidote to the root of ignorance, thus it becomes a knower. Understanding this eliminates the mistaken perception that certain specifics of contaminated modes of existence are a path to liberation.

The fourth characteristic is that the path is a definite bestower, in the sense that as the practitioner trains on the path, the power of meditation is enhanced to its limitless potential. Once this antidote is applied to the delusions, none of the delusions will ever arise again in the mind. Understanding this eliminates the mistaken perception that there is no path to liberation by which one can attain the total cessation of suffering.

True Path exists only in the mind of a superior being. If it is an arya path, it is necessariy a true path. Now you may wonder: must a cognition be a direct valid perception in order to be a true path? Not necessarily, because within cognitions that are considered true paths, there are conceptual valid perceptions and there are also direct valid perceptions. For example, an arya bodhisattva's conventional bodhichitta, until enlightenment, is a conceptual state of mind. So the bodhichitta of a bodhisattva from the first to the tenth ground is still a conceptual state of mind, although it is considered a true path.

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The emptiness of the present is shown by the example of a bolt of lightning. According to Konchog Tenpai Dronme:

It is impossible to identify the source of lightning in the beginning.
where it abides and remains in the middle, and where it goes
in the end. In an instant the whiteness appears, and after that, it immediately
becomes nonexistent...

From Konchok Denpay Dronme

Although a mere empty sky cannot rain, fron the accumulation of clouds
in that sky, rain falls. Due to that, the ripened crops are able to produce fruit continuously.

The example of a cloud shows how emptiness is like the future. In the same way that the sky alone is unable to bring forth rain, the clear nature of mind alone is unable to wander in samsara or attain nirvana. However, when the appropriate causes and conditions of delusions, karmic seeds, and imprints of lower rebirths are brought together, the ripening result of future rebirth in cylic existence can occur.

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As we become more and more familiar with the delusions, the imprints of a particular delusion become imbedded in our minds, and will affect us for lifetimes. Also, one particular delusion can induce other deluded states of mind. For example if we are more prone to anger, the mind of anger may induce other deluded states of mind that are similar, such as ill will or vengeance. One delusion can induce the manifestation of many different aspects of the same kind of mind. As a result of this upheaval, there will be no occasion for peace of happiness. In fact, if we do not put effort into restraining our delusions, we will become totally overwhelmed by the force of them. At the end of our lives, having become so addicted to these negative ways of thinking, even at death our negative minds will take presedence adn we will pass away with strong regret and be forced to take rebirth in the lower realms.

   As shantideva states in the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life
 
   The enemies of hatred and craving
   Do not have legs, arms, and so forth;
   They are neither heroic nor wise
   And yet they have enslaved me.

Reflecting upon the manifold of shortcomings of delusions is essential in order to develop the inspiration to try to overcome them. As it is true that if we do not think about suffering, we will not wish for liberation, in the same way, if we are not familiar with the shortcomings of our own delusions, we will not make any effort to conquer them. As the negative thought manifests, we must think "Here comes this thought to destroy any peace and happiness.' Even if we can't remember the benefits of liberation and enlightenment, at the very least we must try to recall the immediate harm that this mind can bring us-- when a delusion arises, it destroys the peace and happiness of our daily activities. This alone should lead us to wish to avoid its manifestation.

Just as we say 'Before the water rises, we build the floodgates,' before the delusions arise we must construct our own internal barriers. Since we do not have the defense of having realized emptiness or pure compassion, we have a very small island of protection, but it is protection nonetheless. Even if we can do nothing else, at the very least we can resolve not to allow our minds to indulge in appropriate attention on an object. It takes very little time for our mind to turn something into a really big deal. Once the water starts to overflow, it is much to late to stop it.

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Like a star, a cataract, a butter lamp
An illusion, a drop of dew, a water bubble
Like a dream, a bolt of lightning, a cloud -
View all compounded phenomena in this way.

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The enemies of hatred and craving,
Do not have legs, arms, and so forth;
They are neither heroic or wise
And yet they have enslaved me.

~Shantideva

Reflecting upon the manifold shortcomings of our delusions is essential in order to develop the inspiration to try to overcome them. As it is true that if we do not think about suffering, we will not wish for liberation, in the same way, if we are not familiar with the shortcomings of our own delusions, we will not make any effort to conquer them. As the negative thought manifests, we must think, "Here comes this thought to destroy my peace and happiness." Even if we can't remember the benefits of liberation and enlightenment, at the very least we must try to recall the immediate harm that this mind can bring us - when a delusion arises, it destroys the peace and happiness of all of our daily activities. This alone should lead us to wish to avoid its manifestation.

Just as we say, "Before the water rises, we build the floodgates," before the delusions arise we must construct our own internal barriers. Since we do not have the defense of having realized emptiness or pure compassion, we have a very small island of protection, but it is protection nonetheless. Even if we can do nothing else, at the very least we can resolve not to allow our minds to indulge in inappropriate attention on an object. It takes very little time for our mind to turn something into a really big deal. Once the water starts to overflow, it is much too late to stop it.

....

To overcome anger, you can consider Shantideva's advice from the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, there is no evil like anger, as a single moment of anger can destroy the merits that you have accumulated over thousands of eons. In the stupor of the mind of anger, we totally disregard people who have been most kind to us. The physical or verbal activities that we engage in having been motivated by anger are extremely destructive. Also, although we may sometimes ornament ourselves to become beautiful, once our minds are consumed with anger, it doesnt matter how much we decorate ourselves, we cannot hide the ugliness of anger.

If you think about these points for a little while, you will begin to get a feeling for how destructive anger is. But please keep in mind that the antidote to anger - which is the practice of patience - brings as much benefit as anger does harm. It is said in the texts that the mind of patience creates the basis of happiness in this and future lifetimes.

To overcome attachment, you should begin by considering how there are countless lifetimes' worth of the imprints of attachment in your minds, and that it is an attachment and the delusions related to it - such as craving and grasping - that create the causes to pereptuate your existence in samsara. Attachment is like the tether that binds you to cylical existence.