“Whatever calamities there are, and whatever sorrows and fears come to the world, they are all the result of attachment to “self.” Why is that attachment mine?
Not having extinguished “self,” one is not able to extinguish sorrow; just as one who has not extinguished a fire is not able to extinguish the burning.
It follows that for the sake of tranquilizing my own sorrow, and for the tranquilizing of the other’s sorrow, I give myself to others and I accept others like myself.”
Bhaiṣajyaguru, formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāj, Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light. the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the “Medicine Buddha”, he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.
We can’t solve the problems that plague us from within the same consciousness that created them. Such consciousness must be radically transformed by dissolving the hierarchy of separation, lest there be irrevocable disintegration into entropy.
In crisis, the need for scalable, sustainable means of dissolving the source of stagnation and loosening the ground of sedimented mindsets is especially urgent. What might an “equalizing” method devised 1300 years ago by an Indian sage offer us?
Temptation of Mara. Mogao Cave Mural, Dunhuang. 950.
The Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra charts the bodhisattva’s path of practice—an embodied way of life—not merely one of well-wishing from afar. Through compassion, one is moved to action, drawing near to the flames in order to extinguish them for good.
Invoking fire through simile, Śāntideva seers us with the burning reality that plagues our world, both literally and figuratively. While raging fire spreads across the planet, the heat of violence and conflict seethes and ferments in its midst. What can be done to douse the flames?
The Buddha visited the Tavatimsa deva realm to expound the Abhidhamma to Deva Santusita, who had been his mother. During that time, there was a deva (a deity) named Indaka in the realm of Tavatimsa. Indaka, in his last existence as a man, had offered a little alms-food to Thera Anuruddha. As this good deed was made to a thera within the period of the Buddha’s Teaching he was amply rewarded for it. Thus, after his death he was reborn in the Tavatimsa realm and was lavishly bestowed with the luxuries of the deva world. Thera Anuruddha was an Arahant Bhikku with great qualities which made the offering far more beneficial for the poor man.
At that time, there was also another deva by the name of Ankura in Tavatimsa who had given much in charity; in fact, many times more than what Indaka had given. But his charity was made outside the period of the Teaching of any of the Buddhas. So, in spite of his lavish and grand charities, he was enjoying the benefits of the life of a deva on a much smaller scale than Indaka, who had offered very little. As the Buddha was then at Tavatimsa, Ankura asked him the reason for the discrepancy in gaining the benefits. To him the Buddha answered, “O deva! When giving charities and donations you should choose whom you give, for acts of charities are just like seeds. Seeds put into fertile soil will grow into strong, vigorous plants or trees and will bear much fruit; but you had sown your seed in poor soil, so you reap poorly.”
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Verse 356. Weeds damage fields; lust spoils all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from lust yields great benefit.
Verse 357. Weeds damage fields; ill will spills all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from ill will yields great benefit.
Verse 358. Weeds damage fields; ignorance spoils all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from ignorance yields great benefit.
Verse 359. Weeds damage fields; covetousness spoils all beings. Therefore, giving to those free from covetousness yields great benefit.
Both of the deities attained sotapatti fruition along with a large retinue of devas.
“ Monks, there are these five kinds of loss. Which five? Loss of relatives, loss of wealth, loss through disease, loss in terms of virtue, loss in terms of views. It’s not by reason of loss of relatives, loss of wealth, or loss through disease that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. It’s by reason of loss in terms of virtue and loss in terms of views that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. These are the five kinds of loss.
“There are these five ways of being consummate. Which five? Being consummate in terms of relatives, being consummate in terms of wealth, being consummate in terms of freedom from disease, being consummate in terms of virtue, being consummate in terms of views. It’s not by reason of being consummate in terms of relatives, being consummate in terms of wealth, or being consummate in terms of freedom from disease that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the good destinations, in the heavenly world. It’s by reason of being consummate in virtue and being consummate in terms of views that beings—with the break-up of the body, after death—reappear in the good destinations, in the heavenly world. These are the five ways of being consummate.” ”
Since moving to the spiritual mecca of Crestone, Colorado in March of 2020, my wife and I have made pilgrimages to many of the areas sacred sites. At 7,923 feet in elevation and located next to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Crestone is both beautiful and isolated, subject to extremes of weather, wind, and temperature. It includes an astonishing array of spiritual sites – more than two dozen ashrams, monasteries, temples, retreat centers, stupas, shrines, labyrinths, and other sacred landmarks. Although pilgrimage may seem an antiquated religious ritual, it remains a vibrant activity in the modern world as pilgrims combine traditional motives – such as seeking a remedy for physical or spiritual problems – with contemporary searches for identity or interpersonal connection.
Our most recent pilgrimage was to the Tashi Gomang Stupa, located about two miles by trail from our home. Since the time of the Buddha’s (566-485 BCE) death, Buddhists have constructed stupas to contain the relics of enlightened teachers. Stupas have become places of veneration and pilgrimage in Buddhist cultures throughout the world. A stupa is an architectural rendering of the Buddhist path, the stages and aspects of enlightenment. When a great Buddhist teacher leaves his or her physical existence, the body that remains is considered to be permeated with the very essence of awakened mind, possessing tremendous intrinsic power and blessings. The appropriate vessel for containing these relics is a stupa. Through its design and contents, a stupa is regarded as having the power to transmit the essence of awakened mind, on the spot, to anyone ready to receive it.
Within the Tibetan tradition there are eight kinds of stupas representing eight major events in the life of the Buddha. The Tashi Gomang Stupa commemorates the Buddha’s first teachings in Benares (Varanasi) when he expounded the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Interdependence. These teachings reveal the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering and the skillful means to bring about the cessation of suffering (enlightenment).
The stupa itself is completely enclosed and contains many special objects inside. A depository of offerings was placed underneath it in tribute to the goddess of the earth and local deities. It was considered essential to ask their permission before construction could take place. The base, or throne of the stupa was filled with juniper which has special powers of purification. Treasure vases were placed in the juniper along with musical instruments, medicines, herbs, food, precious jewels, silks, brocades, perfumes, gold, and silver. Through the blessings of the stupa, these substances will work to bring good health, harmony, peace, and prosperity to its surroundings.
The stupa has been filled with 100,000 tsa-tsas (or miniature stupas) made by volunteers. Within each tsa-tsa is a roll of prayers, and mantras. The tsa-tsas were blessed and consecrated by visiting lamas before being placed inside the stupa. Also inside the stupa are earth, water, and stone from the eight great pilgrimage sites in India; wood from the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, water from a cave of Milarepa, and other sacred objects.
The tsok-shing or “life force” pole was placed in the center of the bell-shaped body of the stupa and reaches to the top of the spire. It was carved from a juniper tree into the shape of an obelisk, with a half dorje (vajra - thunderbolt) at the bottom and a small stupa at the top. Precious relics were placed in the life-force pole and then it was painted, inscribed in gold with the Buddha’s teachings, and wrapped in silks and brocades. It rests on two mandalas, also covered with offerings.
The statue of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, wearing his Black Crown, was placed at the front of the stupa. Artisans in Nepal made the statue and its encasing niche and frame, as well as the ornamentation on top of the spire. The gold leaf finish and additional ornamentation was done on site in Baca Grande. Inside the statue is another tsok-shing, rolls of mantras, and relics from all sixteen Karmapas and other saints.
The Tashi Gomang Stupa embodies His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. In the words of H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche: “Within the stupa the teacher remains unchanging. The Buddha said that whoever sees the stupa will be liberated by the sight of it. Feeling the breeze around the stupa liberates by its touch. Having thus seen or experienced the stupa, by thinking of one’s experience of it, one is liberated through recollection. As our world increasingly adopts a secular and atheistic perspective in many domains of experience, pilgrimage, for many like myself, remains a potent force.
Buddha At the moment of his awakening at the foot of the bodhi tree, the Buddha declared, “How strange - all beings possess the capacity to be awakened, to understand, to love, to be free - yet they allow themselves to be carried away on the ocean of suffering."He saw that, day and night, we’re seeking what is already there within us. We can call it buddha nature, awakened nature, the true freedom that is the foundation for all peace and happiness.
The capacity to be enlightened isn’t something that someone else can offer to you. A teacher can only help you to remove the non-enlightened elements in you so that enlightenment can be revealed. If you have confidence that beauty, goodness, and the true teacher are in you, and if you take refuge in them, you will practice in a way that reveals these qualities more clearly each day.
CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DEATH (SAMSARA) IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM - 01
According to Buddhist scriptures, it is believed that through meditation, the Buddha gained first hand knowledge of rebirth and the cycle of birth and death (samsara), before declaring it to the world. During the process of attaining full enlightenment through deep meditation on that night, the Buddha is said to have developed three special types of supreme knowledge, two of which revealed the knowledge of rebirth. During the first watch of the night, the Buddha developed the supreme knowledge (pubbenivasanussati nana) through which it was possible to recollect the past lives that the Buddha Himself had gone through during the cycle of birth and death including the details of where He was born, name, occupation, etc. in each previous life. During the second watch of the night, the Buddha developed the divine eye (cutupapatha nana), which revealed how from an inconceivable beginning, other beings were reborn into happy or unhappy existences dependent on their previous skilful and unskillful actions, based on the natural law of cause and effect (kamma).
The literal meaning of the word “Samsara” both in the Pali and the Sanskrit language is “wandering on” and “continuing on”. According to the Buddha, we have been wandering on in this cycle of repeated birth and death (samsara) with no evident beginning for an inconceivable length of time. Samsara is not a place or a particular plane of existence, but a process fuelled by ignorance (avijja), craving (tanha) and the volitional actions we perform (kamma) through which we continue from one existence to another. All existences in the cycle of birth and death bear three universal characteristics of existence; impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and lack of substantiality (anatta).
The cycle of birth and death (samsara) can also be described as the process of re-becoming of the five aggregates of clinging (pancha-upadankkhandha) from one existence to another. The five aggregates of clinging are the constituent parts of the Psycho-physical unit of name and matter (nama-rupa) known as an individual, a being or a personality.
Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha, “Just now, sir, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind. ‘Who are those who protect themselves? And who are those who don’t protect themselves?’
Then it occurred to me: ‘Those who do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind don’t protect themselves. Even if they’re protected by a company of elephants, cavalry, chariots, or infantry, they still don’t protect themselves. Why is that? Because such protection is exterior, not interior. That’s why they don’t protect themselves.
Those who do good things by way of body, speech, and mind do protect themselves. Even if they’re not protected by a company of elephants, cavalry, chariots, or infantry, they still protect themselves. Why is that? Because such protection is interior, not exterior. That’s why they do protect themselves.’”
“That’s so true, great king! That’s so true!” said the Buddha. And he repeated the king’s statement, adding:
“ At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof.
Then the Buddha robed up in the morning and, taking his bowl and robe, entered Vesālī for alms.
Now at that time around five hundred Licchavis were sitting together at the Sārandada shrine, and this discussion came up among them, “The appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. What five? The elephant-treasure, the horse-treasure, the jewel-treasure, the woman-treasure, and the householder-treasure. The appearance of these five treasures is rare in the world.”
Then those Licchavis sent a man out on to the road, saying, “Mister, please tell us when you see the Buddha.”
That man saw the Buddha coming off in the distance. He went to the Licchavis and said, “Sirs, the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha is coming. Please go at your convenience.”
Then those Licchavis went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him, “Please go to the Sārandada shrine, out of compassion.” The Buddha consented in silence.
Then the Buddha went up to the Sārandada shrine, where he sat on the seat spread out, and said to the Licchavis, “Licchavis, what were you sitting talking about just now? What conversation was unfinished?”
“Well, Master Gotama, this discussion came up among us while we were sitting together: ‘The appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. …’”
“You Licchavis are so fixated on sensual pleasures, that’s the only discussion that came up! Licchavis, the appearance of five treasures is rare in the world. What five?
The appearance of a Realized One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha.
A person who explains the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realized One.
A person who understands the teaching and training proclaimed by a Realized One.
A person who practices in line with the teaching.
A person who is grateful and thankful.
The appearance of these five treasures is rare in the world.” ”
DHAMMACAKKAPPAVATTANA SUTTA: FIRST DISCOURSE OF LORD GAUTAMA BUDDHA - 01
Introduction
Dhammacakkappavattana sutta is included in the Dhammacakkappavattana vagga, of the Sacca samyutta of the Mahā Vagga. Having attained enlightenment and become a Sammā Sambuddha under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, on the full moon day of the month of May, Lord Gautama Buddha spent the following seven weeks contemplating and enjoying the happiness of ultimate freedom and peace under the Bodhi tree as well as nearby places. The Buddha was initially hesitant to start preaching His discoveries to others as He thought that the people may not be wise enough to understand the deep teaching which is hard to see and hard to understand. It is said that following a request by a deity named Sahampathi Brahma, who was concerned that if the Buddha did not preach the path of liberation that He had discovered to the others it will be lost to the world, the Buddha decided to preach the teaching.
The Buddha first wanted to teach the path of liberation that He had discovered to His previous two meditation teachers Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta, but they had already passed away. The Buddha then decided to give the first sermon to the five ascetic companions who had supported Him during the previous six years. They were at that time staying at the Deer Park in Isipathana, now called Sārnath near Vārānasi in India. The Buddha walked from Bodh Gaya to Isipathana, a distance of around 150 miles, to deliver the first sermon to the five ascetics named Kondañña, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahānāma and Assaji (panca vaggiya bhikkhu). The discourse delivered by the Buddha to the five ascetic companions is Dhammacakkappavattana sutta, meaning “Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in motion”. It is the very first discourse delivered by Lord Gautama Buddha following the attainment of full enlightenment.
“There are these five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained. Which five?
- I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.’ This is the first fact that one should reflect on often.…
- I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness’.…
- I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death’.…
- I will grow different, separate from all that is dear & appealing to me’.…
- I am the owner of actions [karma], heir to actions, born of actions, related through actions, and have actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir’.…”
No matter who you are, these five facts, one should become deeply familiar with/reflect on. - Buddha, in the “Upajjhatthana Sutta”
Today is Chotrul Düchen — one of the four major Buddhist days of the year.
These first fifteen days of the new Lunar year commemorate the event when The Buddha performed a different miracle each day to instill devotion and increase merit among heretics.
Today (February 15th of the lunar calendar) is the day Shakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana. Although he has passed away, the Dharma and Sangha are still there. Be diligent in your practice, find your own way of liberation based on the Dharma. Namo Buddhaya ❤️ .
“Not hoarding,
having comprehended food,
their pasture — emptiness
& freedom without sign:
their trail,
like that of birds through space,
can’t be traced.
Effluents ended,
independent of nutriment,
their pasture — emptiness
& freedom without sign: their trail,
like that of birds through space, can’t be traced.”
( Verse 92-93, Dhammapada - Path of Buddha’s Teaching )
Nibbana, the third Noble Truth relating to the complete cessation of suffering, is the final state of liberation from suffering and the repeated cycle of birth and death (samsara). Nibbana can be attained in this life itself, here and now, and hence is not a state that can be attained only upon one’s death. Nibbana is the ultimate goal of a practising Buddhist within Theravada Buddhism. Whenever Theravada Buddhists perform various forms of meritorious deeds they aspire to attain Nibbana by chanting:
“Idam me punnam, asavakkhaya vaham hotu”
“Idam me punnam, nibbanassa paccaya hotu”
“May I attain the extinction of the defiled outflows by this meritorious deed”
“May my meritorious deed be the cause of Nibbana”
However, it should be noted that Nibbana cannot be attained by merely wishing or praying for it but by cultivating the Noble Eight-fold Path as expounded by the Buddha in His first sermon.
In the Abhidhamma, Buddha’s higher teaching, the Buddha described two realities in the world, namely conventional reality (sammuti sacca) and the ultimate reality (paramattha sacca). Conventional reality includes things that are expressed in conventional modes of expression such as man, woman, person, being or other objects that do not exist in their own right as irreducible realities. Ultimate realities are the things that exist by reason of their own intrinsic nature and are irreducible into any components and the Buddha has described four such ultimate realities in the world, including Nibbana:
1. Consciousness (citta)
2. Mental factors (cetasika)
3. Materiality (rupa) and
4. Nibbana
The word Nibbana in the Pali language consists of two constituents – Ni and Vana meaning absence of craving. Ni is a negative particle indicating ‘absence’ while Vana means ‘craving’. In the Sanskrit language it is known as Nirvana, meaning to blow out or extinguish, with Va meaning ‘to blow’ and Nir meaning ‘out’. Hence, Nirvana means to blow out or extinguish the flame of craving since craving is the basic and fundamental cause of repeated birth in the cycle of birth and death (samsara).
“ These five are a person of integrity’s gifts. Which five? A person of integrity gives a gift with a sense of conviction. A person of integrity gives a gift attentively. A person of integrity gives a gift in season. A person of integrity gives a gift with an empathetic heart. A person of integrity gives a gift without adversely affecting himself or others.
"Having given a gift with a sense of conviction, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And he is well-built, handsome, extremely inspiring, endowed with a lotus-like complexion.
"Having given a gift attentively, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And his children, wives, slaves, servants, and workers listen carefully to him, lend him their ears, and serve him with understanding hearts.
"Having given a gift in season, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And his goals are fulfilled in season.
"Having given a gift with an empathetic heart, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And his mind inclines to the enjoyment of the five strings of lavish sensuality.
"Having given a gift without adversely affecting himself or others, he — wherever the result of that gift ripens — is rich, with much wealth, with many possessions. And not from anywhere does destruction come to his property — whether from fire, from water, from kings, from thieves, or from hateful heirs.
"These five are a person of integrity’s gifts.” “ ( AN 5.148, Sappurisadana Sutta: A Person of Integrity’s Gifts )
“Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.” ☸
“ The native spirit Āḷavaka: “I will ask you a question, ascetic. If you don’t answer me, I’ll drive you insane, or explode your heart, or grab you by the feet and throw you to the far shore of the Ganges!”
Buddha: “I don’t see anyone in this world with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans who could do that to me. But anyway, ask what you wish.”
“What’s a person’s best wealth?
What brings happiness when practiced well?
What’s the sweetest taste of all?
The one who they say has the best life: how do they live?”
“Faith here is a person’s best wealth.
The teaching brings happiness when practiced well.
Truth is the sweetest taste of all.
The one who they say has the best life lives by wisdom.”
“How do you cross the flood?
How do you cross the deluge?
How do you get over suffering?
How do you get purified?”
“By faith you cross the flood,
and by diligence the deluge.
By energy you get past suffering,
and you’re purified by wisdom.”
“How do you get wisdom?
How do you earn wealth?
How do you get a good reputation?
How do you hold on to friends?
How do the departed not grieve
when passing from this world to the next?”
"One who is diligent and discerning
gains wisdom by wanting to learn,
having faith in the perfected ones,
and the teaching for becoming extinguished.
Being responsible, acting appropriately,
and working hard you earn wealth.
Truthfulness wins you a good reputation.
You hold on to friends by giving.
That’s how the departed do not grieve
when passing from this world to the next.
A faithful householder
who has these four qualities
does not grieve after passing away:
truth, principle, steadfastness, and generosity.
Go ahead, ask others as well,
there are many ascetics and brahmins.
See whether anything better is found
than truth, self-control, generosity, and patience.”
“Why now would I question
the many ascetics and brahmins?
Today I understand
what’s good for the next life.
It was truly for my benefit
that the Buddha came to stay at Āḷavī.
Today I understand
where a gift is very fruitful.
I myself will journey village to village, town to town, paying homage to the Buddha, and the natural excellence of the teaching!”
