I remember years ago Thusness would have me explain the dharma to people from various forums. One time many years ago I thought it would be better if Thusness explained by himself to the others, so I told Thusness why don't you post yourself or something like that. Thusness suddenly appeared serious (he seldom talk in this tone) and asked me so are you going to do this or not? Then he told me the reason (not exact words now but along this line) he had me to do this was because I was lacking in merits to gain enlightenment. And then he said something like... you think I'm joking? Suddenly at that moment I realized why he was always taking the trouble and instructing me to do all those things... when he could have done it himself.
Not long later I had a meditation experience... he informed me it is due to my merits ripening due to explaining the dharma to someone some time ago. He informed me there is a direct causal relation. When asked how does he know that merits is important for experience and realization, he simply says this is his experience. He says it may not make a lot of sense to a dualistic mind, but this is how it (dependent origination) works.
Anyway... here's an article:
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso Rinpoche
Accumulating Merit - bSod-nams-bsags-pa
Translated by Ari Goldfield
Before listening to Lord Buddha’s teachings,
I want to ask you to give rise to supreme bodhicitta. Supreme bodhicitta is
developed and increased by first thinking of one’s father and mother in this
life and then extending the gratitude and love one feels for them to all sentient
beings, even to one’s enemies. We want to attain the state of complete, perfect,
and precious enlightenment for their sake. We know that in order to be able
to benefit all sentient beings, we need to listen to, reflect, and meditate
upon the genuine Dharma teachings with all the enthusiasm we can muster in
our hearts. Please give rise to supreme bodhicitta when you listen attentively.
We think of our parents first because our opportunity
to practice the Dharma in this lifetime is due to the immense kindness they
have shown us. We think of our enemies, too, because they were the ones who
gave us the exceptional possibility to practice patience when they were unkind
and hurt us. Furthermore, there is not a single enemy
who was not our caring father or mother at one time in the past, so that is
why we remember them with gratitude. We think of the nature of the minds of
the people we are associated with - our friends, our enemies, and all sentient
beings. We know that the nature of the mind of every single sentient being
is clear light, the enlightened heart that is the Buddha nature. Since we
have the Buddha nature, we can be sure that we will benefit others immensely. Just as the nature of our own mind is clear light, the nature of our parent’s
mind is also clear light. Likewise, the nature of mind of all our friends
and enemies is clear light. The nature of mind of every single sentient being is clear light.
“Realizing the true nature of reality, Mahamudra,
depends upon accumulating a vast amount of merit.” - Khenpo
In order to realize the true nature of reality,
Mahamudra, it is necessary to accumulate merit that accords with the teachings
that Lord Buddha presented a long time ago. Arya Maitreya taught how to accumulate
merit in the text entitled, Madhyantavibhanga – Distinguishing the Middle
from the Extremes. He taught
that the ten ways to accumulate limitless merit are: (1) to write down the
words of the Buddhadharma, (2) to make offerings to the objects of refuge,
(3) to practice generosity, (4) to listen to the precious teachings, (5) to
read the invaluable instructions, (6) to memorize the sacred texts, (7) to
explain them to others, (8) to recite them, (9) to reflect their meaning,
and (10) to meditate them.
We will start accumulating merit by writing down
the verses I will read to you and in that way you will purify negative actions
that you have done with your hands. We have written down a lot of letters
and words out of attachment and aversion, and all of that has been very negative. Now it is time to do something positive. The way to go about this is to write
down the verses of the Dharma with the good motivation of faith and devotion
and with a pure objective. When you write down the truth of the precious Buddhadharma,
then the merit you accumulate is limitless. So do write down the verses that
I will read to you.
The first verse reads: “It is explained that by
abandoning the belief in a self, mental afflictions, difficulties, and suffering,
one can attain peace. However, since these are all primordially empty of essence,
where are the fabrications of abandoning and of not abandoning?”
Now that
you have written down the words of the first verse, we will recite it, which
is the accumulation of merit that purifies all negative words that you have
spoken out of attachment and aversion, and all of that has been very negative.
Please recite
the following verse: “Thoughts of abandoning, non-abandoning, and so forth
have never been seen to come or go. Therefore, they are said to be non-existent.
Thoughts have never been seen to come or go.” Translator: I made a mistake. Khenpo Rinpoche: Mistakes don’t really
exist. In the chapter entitled, An
Examination of Mistakes, the
Protector Nagarjuna proved that mistakes do not really exist. So: “The variety of doubts neither arises nor ceases." Please continue
by reciting the next verse too: “Neither bondage nor liberation have ever
been perceived with regard to it. However, like bondage and liberation in
dreams, bondage and liberation are merely mind's imputations.”
The
next verse we want to recite is: "The essence of the self held prisoner has never been seen, and the
doubts that bind are free of arising and ceasing. Therefore, bondage and liberation
are dependently arisen, mere appearances. Let clinging to them as being real dissolve into
the unborn expanse." We should recite the next verse three times, which
is: "This life is appearance-emptiness, like a water-moon. So, past and
future lives are also appearance-emptiness, like water-moons. Therefore, feelings
of joy and pain are dream-like. Know this well, and your view will be profound."
If you reflect the meaning of the words in the
verses while reciting them, then you are practicing profound analytical meditation.
We are not going to practice meditation separated from recitation because
reciting and analysing is meditation - yes. Sometimes one needs
to take a break and rest. So when you get tired of writing down the precious
Dharma, then recite the verses, and when you get tired of reciting them, then
just let go and relax.
We continue reciting, reflecting, and meditating: "These are the ways that the relative is empty of a very essence
and the genuine clear light, the enlightened nature of mind, is empty of the
stains of relative fabrications and of all concepts of conventional terms.
Therefore, this is known as ‘the empty of other,’ the great middle-way."
Let us recite this verse together three times: "In essence, it is originally
and perfectly pure and free of the fleeting stains of conceptual fabrications
as well, and therefore the enlightened essence of the stainless result is
called 'the transcendent perfection of genuine purity.'" Let us recite
this verse together three times, too: "Since it is beyond the self that
ego-clinging mind believes to exist and beyond the selflessness ascertained
through analysis of inference, therefore it is called ‘the transcendently
perfect, genuine self.’ Where are the thoughts of self’s filthy clothes?"
We continue by reciting the following verses three
times: "Samsara
and nirvana are imagined to exist in dependence upon each other and therefore
neither the one or the other has an essence. Realizing reality of samsara
and nirvana’s equality is explained to be transcendently perfect, genuine permanence.”
"Joy and pain are just dependently
existing concepts. Their lack of an essence is the way relative things are
empty. When the reality of joy and pain being equal is realized, this is called
'transcendently perfect, genuine bliss.'"
"The way the relative is empty
of its own essence, the way the genuine is empty of other, and the reality
that is pure self, bliss, and constant - may precise knowledge realizing these three increase."
Now let us recite them all and practice recitation-meditation.
If you do recitation-meditation, you won’t get tired of meditation - your
meditation won’t fall into dullness or stupor. Getting tired of meditating
can be very dangerous. If you get tired of working, you can rest. If you get
tired of studying, you can meditate. But if you get tired of meditating, that’s
dangerous. That’s why analytical meditation is excellent.
"It is explained that by abandoning
the belief in a self, in all afflictions, difficulties, and suffering, one
can attain peace. However, since these are all primordially empty of essence,
where are the fabrications of abandoning and not abandoning? Thoughts of abandoning,
not abandoning, and so forth have never been seen to come or go and therefore
they are said to be of the nature of primordially empty space. The variety
of doubts neither arises nor ceases. Neither bondage nor liberation has ever
been perceived with regard to it. However, like bondage and liberation in
dreams, this bondage and liberation is merely mind's imputation. The essence
of the self held prisoner has never been seen, and doubts that bind are free
of arising and ceasing. Therefore, bondage and liberation are dependently
arisen, mere appearances. Let clinging to them as being real dissolve into
the unborn expanse.”
“This
life is appearance-emptiness, like a water-moon. So past and future lives
are also appearance-emptiness, like water-moons. Therefore, feelings of joy
and pain are dream-like. Know this well and your view will be profound.”
“These
are the ways that the relative is empty of its very essence and the genuine
clear light, the enlightened nature of mind, is empty of the stains of relative
fabrications and of all concepts of conventional terms. Therefore, this is
renowned as 'the empty-of-other,' the great middle-way.”
“In
essence, it is originally and perfectly pure and free of fleeting stains of
conceptual fabrications as well. And therefore, the enlightened essence of
the stainless result is called 'the transcendent perfection of genuine purity.'
Since it is beyond the self that ego-clinging mind believes to exist and since
it is beyond selflessness ascertained by means of analysis and inference,
therefore it is called ‘the transcendently perfect, genuine self.’ Where are
the thoughts of self's filthy clothes?”
"Samsara and nirvana are imagined to exist in dependence
upon each other and therefore neither the one or the other has an essence.
Realizing the reality of samsara and nirvana's equality is said to be transcendently
perfect, genuine permanence.”
“Joy
and pain are just dependently existing concepts. Their lack of any essence
is the way relative things are empty. When the reality of joy and pain being
equal is realized, this is called 'transcendently perfect, genuine bliss.'"
“The way the relative is empty of its own essence, the way the genuine
is empty of other, and the reality that is pure self, bliss, and permanence
- may precise knowledge realizing these three increase."
In the next teaching I will explain some important
verses from the text called The Ocean of Definitive Meaning of Mountain
Dharma by Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen. There will be time for questions and answers after further teachings. It is
important to leave time for questions at the same time that doubts arise.
If we take time for questions before doubts arise, then that doesn’t help
very much.
Let
us continue now by singing
the song called The Ultimate View, Meditation, Conduct, and Fruition by
Jetsun Milarepa. In this song, Jetsun Milarepa teaches the view of Shentong, the empty-of-other
school, so it is very good for us to sing. Everyone needs to analyse and judge
for himself and herself, so we should reflect and ask ourselves, "Is
this song really in harmony with the view of Shentong or not?" The Buddha himself said, "Just like
a merchant examines gold by rubbing, burning, and melting it, so you should
examine my speech. Accept nothing on blind faith." These are
Lord Buddha’s own
teachings, and we must examine the words for ourselves. Translator: I will sing one verse and then we
can sing it together.
“The Ultimate View, Meditation,
Conduct, and Fruition” by Jetsun Milarepa
"The view is original
wisdom which is empty,
Meditation clear light,
free of fixation,
Conduct continual flow
without attachment,
Fruition is nakedness
stripped of every stain.
This view, the original
wisdom that is empty,
Risks getting lost in
just being talk and no more.
If certainty which is
in touch with what’s meant does not follow,
The words will not manage
to free you of clinging to self,
And that’s why definitive
certainty means so much.
The meditation clear
light, free of fixation,
Risks getting lost in
just being settling.
If original wisdom does
not emerge from within you,
You might settle steadily,
but this will not set you free.
But wisdom does not come
of dullness and agitation,
And that’s why non-wandering
mindfulness means so much.
This conduct, continual
flow without attachment,
Risks getting lost in
only being a pretence.
If the view and meditation
are not included,
The eight worldly dharmas
may mix with your yogic pursuits,
And that’s why freedom
from clinging and veils means so much.
Fruition as nakedness
stripped of every defect
Risks getting clothed
in the garments of attributes.
If delusion is not overcome
from its source on the inside,
Your practice may aim
very far but fall very short,
And that’s why correcting
delusion means so much."
May virtue
increase!
Instructions
presented at Vajra Vidya Thrangu House in Oxford,
2000,
transcribed and edited by Gaby Hollmann
Translated by Jim Scott, in:
Selected Songs of Realization, Marpa Translation Committee. Printed
by AKTUELL-Copyshop, Hamburg,
1995, pages 66-68.
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