Awakening The Buddha Within - Lama Surya Das
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i'd like to share with everyone some contents of Lama Surya Das' book, "Awakening The Buddha Within".
this is the actual first book on Buddhist teachings i randomly bought off the shelf that opened real wider doors to my spirituality to Buddhism. i wasn't aware who Lama Surya Das was although i just found his contents to be inspiring motivating and seemed to be a conducive guideline for me to step in deeper into Buddhism. i do not have any personal master to guide me till today. i learn from everyone of you including myself going through within myself. it's too early to say.... the moment i received his teachings in the book, unknowingly he had been my spiritual master all along from the beginning at the book shelf. as i mentioned before in other post, i know when the time is right, i will meet my teacher. a teacher need not be present in front of me, but the spirit of his teachings is the essence of being with the master and his teachings. just as i'd always looked upon Buddha Shakyamuni to his words and guidances.
and it is only now i started to flip the webpages trying to find out the lama behind this book. and..... i still didn't know exactly the reasons why i would wish to post a thread on one of his recommended books, except with the basic thought of sharing.
may him be well and blessed and continue to pass on the teachings of the Buddha Dharma to all students out there ready to cultivate and absorb.
a brief introduction to Lama Surya Das:
his name is Jeffrey Allen Miller (Sheldon?.... as he mentioned in his book, it could have been Sheldon.) he was brought up in the suburban Long Island town and Bar Mitzvahed. His parents were long-time members of a synagogue; they were a middle-class Jewish family. he was always a regular guy, wanting to be a ballplayer as he grew up. what was he doing meditating and chanting Buddhist mantras and prayers on a mountaintop in the himalayas?
he left home for college in the 1960s; went to Woodstock; marched in anti-war rallies in Washington; graduated Phi Beta Kappa from SUNY, Buffalo. he first discovered the ancient wisdom traditions as a college student at Suny, Baffalo, when he attended a Zen retreat in Rochester, New York in the late 1960s. as he travelled from London to France, across europe, to Greek, to Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and through the Khyber Pass on to India with the farthest route to Kathmandu wading his way through the rice paddies climbing the Kopan Hills where he came to meet his 1st Tibetan Lama, Lama Thubten Yeshe. Til date, Lama Surya Das doesn't consciously know what drew him to Nepal, except that he was following his heart as it was pulling him east.
Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a leading spokesperson for the emerging American Buddhism. The Dalai Lama calls him "The Western Lama ".
Surya Das has been featured in numerous publications and major media, including including ABC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, New York Post, Long Island Newsday, Long Island Business Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Free Press, New Age Journal, Tricycle Magazine, Yoga Journal, and has been the subject of a seven minute magazine story on CNN. One segment of the ABC-TV sitcom Dharma & Greg was based on his life ("Leonard's Return" ).
Surya has spent thirty five years studying Zen, vipassana, yoga, and Tibetan Buddhism with the great masters of Asia, including the Dalai Lama's own teachers, and has twice completed the traditional three year meditation cloistered retreat at his teacher's Tibetan monastery. He is an authorized lama (priest and spiritual master teacher) in the Nyingmapa School of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the founder of the Dzogchen Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and its branch centers in New York City, New Jersey, California, Portland, and Texas. Founder of the Western Buddhist Teachers Network with the Dalai Lama, he is also active in interfaith dialogue and social activism and regularly organizes its international Buddhist Teachers Conferences.
Surya Das is a sought after speaker, and teaches, lectures, and conducts retreats around the world. Lama Surya Das is a published poet, translator, and chantmaster (see Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart CD, with Stephen Halpern). He is the author of many books, including Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World, Awakening the Buddhist Heart: Integrating Love, Meaning and Connection into Every Part of Your Life, and Awakening to the Sacred (the three books that comprise his bestselling Awakening Trilogy, the first trilogy of Buddhism for the West). His newest books are Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be: Lessons on Change, Loss and Spiritual Transformation and Natural Radiance.
Surya Das is a Contributing Editor to Body and Soul magazine, writes regularly for Tricyle and other magazines, and is a founder and board member of many Buddhist monasteries, centers and charitable projects in refugee camps in Asia. He writes a regular Ask The Lama column online at Beliefnet.com and is in demand as a speaker at conferences and symposia.
You can ask him questions via e-mail at [email protected].
Lama Surya Das
Dzogchen center
P.O. Box 400734
Cambridge, MA 02140
www.dzogchen.org
His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa is an old friend of Lama Surya Das, who was his English tutor at his monastery in Darjeeling, India in the early Seventies when His Holiness was 10-11 years of age.
His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa is the Head of the Drukpa School of Tibetan Buddhism, one of Tibet's great practice lineages. He is considered the reincarnation of Naropa and Chenrezig and is renowned as a master of the Mahamudra and Dzogchen lineages.
in one of the chapters in his book, the header was:
"when the iron bird flies, and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the World, and the Dharma will come to the land of red-faced people. - Padma Sambhava, 8th Century Indian Guru and Founder of the first Tibetan Monastery"
the Dharma is the most abundant gift of wisdom and like all true gifts, it benefits both the giver and the receiver.
science has made great progress in harnessing and understanding matter. Buddhism on the other hand, is a profound philosophy that has developed a systematic method of shaping and developing the heart and mind: a method of awakening the Buddha within.
the problem is that most of us are sleeping Buddhas. to reach enlightenment, our only task is to awaken to who and what we really are - to become fully awake and conscious in the most profound sense of the word. "when I am enlightened, all are enlightened," Buddha said. help yourself and you help the entire world.
awaken from what? awaken from the dreams of delusions, confusion, sufferings; awake to all that you are and all you can be. awaken to reality, to truth, to things just as they are.
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one instant of total awareness is one instant of perfect freedom and enlightenment - The Wisdom Deity, Manjusri
it's too close so we overlook it.
it seems too good to be true so we can't believe it.
it's too profound so we can't fathom it.
it's not outside ourselves so can't obtain it anew. -
Lama Surya Das' own training is as a Tibetan Lama. his lineage is called the Rime or nonsectarian practicing lineage of Tibet. his personal teachers came from all four of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Saka, Kagyu and Gelug). so a nonsectarian approach resonates with life experience as well as understanding of contemporary Dharma. his root gurus were manly Nyingma-Kagyu; that's where his greatest devotion lies. Lama Surya Das' spiritual heritage is Dzogchen - consummate practice or secret teachings of Tibet. his masters called Dzogchen self-secret, meaning that the truth may be hidden but it is always there for those ready to perceive it.
Dzogchen is a tradition that believes one can become enlightened within one lifetime - even within a decade. the direct path of Dzogchen was first practiced and taught in Tibet by Padma Sambhava 1300years ago (actually it's much older than that).
"don't follow past thoughts, don't anticipate the future, and don't follow illusory thoughts that arise in the present; but turning within, observe your own true nature and maintain awareness of your natural mind just as it is, beyond the conceptual limitations of past, present and future."
Dzogchen is a naked awareness practice. it doesn't depend on cultural forms. nowness - awareness - is the true Buddha. it is particularly meaningful for spiritual living and conscious dying.
"no one can die fearlessly and in complete security until they have truly realised the nature of mind. for only this realisation, deepened over years of sustained practice, can keep the mind stable during the molten chaos of the process of death............."
- Contemporary Tibetan teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche (The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying) -
today, right now.......
if you were able to go inward right now and waken your sleeping Buddha, what would you find?
at the heart of you, me, every single person and all other creatures great and small, is an inner radiance that reflects our essential nature which is utterly positive. such inner light is pure radiance or innate luminosity, it's called "ground luminosity" because it is the "bottom line". there's nothing after this and nothing before this. this luminosity is birthless and deathless. it is a luminescent emptiness called "clear light" and it is endowed with the heart of unconditioned compassion and love. -
lighting a candle is just a symbolic, ritualised way of offering light in the darkness. the candle symbolises the inner light and luminous wisdom that guides each of us through the darkness of ignorance and confusions. the candle's shinning flame is an outer reminder of inner luminosity and clarity - the living spiritual flame burning within....
total awareness is perfect enligtenment. enlightenment means an end to directionless wandering through the dreamlike passageways of life and death. waking up your inner Buddha and staying awake requires extraordinary self knowledge and presence of mind. it means paying close attention to how you think and how you act, and it means making an ongoing commitment to searching inward for answers. INWARD. deeper. beneath the surface of things. not just inside yourself. -
just like everyone does, this isn't how we have been conditioned to think. we keep looking outwards outside for answers. we look for lovers friends parents authorities and even children to answer need that they can't possibly fulfill. we have fantasies about career romance friendship and intimacy. we are so full of fantasies or ideals about the past present and future. often we don't want to let go of them because we fear that doing so means giving up on life. but that's not how it works. in truth, UNREALISTIC expectations (as such) tarnish our appreciation of life and weigh down the buoyancy of the present moment.
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we take this kind of logic even further when we reduce life to an ongoing competition. trained and conditioned to believe that life is about achievement about winning losing and self assertion, we put much of our energy into momentary solutuions. it's no wonder so many of us feel alienated, alone, exhuasted, cynical and disheartened.
Buddhism turns these attitudes about winning and achieving upside down and inside out. Buddhist emphasis is not on new ways to conquer outer space, cyberspace. the wisdom traditions tell us that we can afford to slow down, take a breather and turn inward. to master ourselves is to arrive home at the center of being - the universal mandala. what we seek, we already are. everything is available in the natural state, so why should we look anywhere else? -
Buddhism IS NOT about being quietists neither is it puritanical holier-than-thou fundamentalists.
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the spontaneous fullness that is known as Buddha-nature is always open and flowing. it is not static; it is ecstatic. it is not frozen didactic and it is not fixed. the Buddha within you isn't going to look exactly like the Buddha inside me or inside any of your friends and family. Buddhahood - enlightenment - has myriad faces, all equally marvelous. just take a look around.
taking an inward path is not about cultism or blind faith. it is about genuine leadership, embodying and enacting truth's highest principles - not mere sheeplike fellowship. conforming is not the deepest teaching of the spiritual traditions. the deepest teachings are about radiant awareness and the inherently joyful freedom of being. it's not just about maintaining a quiet mind. if all you want is a quiet mind, there is a huge pharmaceutical industry that would be happy to serve that need. -
the path to enlightenment and awakening is the opposite of squelching and containing yourself or trying to keep up a nice efficient stainless-steel-persona - very shiny but also very hard and cold.
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there is no substitute for living a juicy genuine life of Buddha activity. the Buddha is bubbling, happy and sad. waking up the Buddha is about letting go of your fixed persona and becoming awake liberated and aware.
starting on a spiritual path means leaving the superficial currents and getting into the deeper waters of real sanity. we're not just swimming against the stream here; we're actually plumping the deeper waters of being in order to reconnect with our own innate nature.
where do we start?
after he arrived in India in 1959, an old lama was asked, "how did you manage to escape from Tibet and cross the high and snowy himalayas by foot?" he answered, "one step at a time."
the path, as always, begins beneath your feet with the first step you take. where do you stand right now? THIS IS WHERE WE BEGIN. -
spiritual rebirth in Buddhism is not a mystical encounter with God. enlightenment is not about becoming divine. instead, enlightenment is about becoming more fully human. in examining the arche-typical experience of the Buddha, we see that his enlightenment represents a direct realisation of nature of reality - how things are and how things work. enlightenment is the end of ignorance. when we talk about walking the path to enlightenment, we are talking about walking a compassionate path of enlightened living. the Zen master Dogen said, "to be enlightened is to be one with all things."
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some questionable Buddhist humour:
"did you hear the one about the Buddhist vacuum cleaner?"
"it comes with no attachments. " -
your life is your path. your disappointments are part of your path; your joys are your path; your dry cleaning and your dry cleaner are on your path; ditto your credit card payments. it's not helpful to wait until you have more time for meditation or contemplation because it may never happen.
what matters most for seekers, is how you attend to the present moment. this is not just about what you do but how you do it. the present moment is where the rubber actually meets the road....
what then is most truly transformative?
is it merely a matter of changing one's hairstyle, or joining up with some groups that hope their message will change the world? could it be simply a matter of receiving the ultimate mantra or initiation; learning to perform the proper rite or ritual; finding out how to meditate; doing yoga, praying, breathing, chanting, having cosmic sex; going to the himalays or meeting the right guru?
i don't think so.
or is it not most transformative most earthshaking to pierce the veils of self deceptions and illusions and crack the eggshell of ignorance, to most intimately encounter oneself?
through honest self-inquiry and no-holds-barred meditative introspection over a sustained period of time, one can take apart and deconstruct the hut ego built, thus entering the mansion of authentic being.
this may seem challenging but it is actually easier than you think. -
one need not travel to distant lands, seek exotic mystical experiences, master esoteric mantras and treatises or cultivate extraordinary states of mind in order to experience a radical change of heart and inner transformation. spiritually speaking, everything that one wants, aspires to and needs is ever-present, accessible HERE AND NOW - for those with eyes to see.
you don't need to see different things, but rather to see things differently. -
when the Buddha is gone, look to the Dharma as your teacher. make the practice your teacher. the Dharma and the Sangha will be your teacher. - The Buddha Speaking To His Disciples
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do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumoured by many.
do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
but after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. - The Buddha
this is a very powerful teaching that has come to us. those of us who have been involved with the Dharma over a period of time have seen these words written so many times that we tend to take them for granted. it is important that we pay careful attention to the Buddha'a advice; we need not only to remember his guidelines but also to respect others when they are being cautious and skeptical in making steps toward finding their own authentic spirituality. -
now when the bardo of dying dawns upon me,
i will abandon all grasping, yearning and attachment,
enter undistracted into clear awareness of the teaching,
and eject my consciousness into the space of unborn
awareness
as i leave this compound body of flesh and blood
i will know it to be a transitory illusion. - Padma Sambhava -
Originally posted by paperflower:
I agree Lama surya das is a good master
[b]now when the bardo of dying dawns upon me,
i will abandon all grasping, yearning and attachment,
enter undistracted into clear awareness of the teaching,
and eject my consciousness into the space of unborn
awareness
as i leave this compound body of flesh and blood
i will know it to be a transitory illusion. - Padma Sambhava[/b] -
self-transformation implies self-transcendence. inner transformation is a spiritual affair of cosmic significance including all, animate and inanimate, everywhere. authentic self-transformation is definitely not for oneself alone. it is for all beings - for we are all inseparably inter-connected.
I am because we are. -
intrinsic awareness is the common denominator of all sentient beings. conscious living, contemplative self-awareness is the means to becoming all that we are. awareness is curative. knowing ourselves and learning to let go is the method, the most skillful means. spirituality is a matter of self-discovery, rather than of becoming something else.
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the Buddha was an actual historical person. although he is among the leaders of the world's great religions, he did not claim that he was in any way divine or otherworldly. Buddhism teaches that the Buddha was born a man, not a god. because of his inquiry into the nature of reality, of self and the world, he achieved enlightenment. this enlightenment did not come about through the intervention of outside, mystical or otherworldly forces.
the Buddha Way is the way of clear-seeing rationality; it is the way of reality; it is the way of critical examination and sustained inquiry into the nature of life. the Buddha himself taught that blind faith and devotion alone do not lead to freedom and enlightenment, useful as they might be at a certain stage. -
the Buddha cannot and would not force you to walk the way of truth and liberation. the Buddha cannot and would not force you to walk the path of compassion and self-purification. the Buddha cannot and would not force you to follow the liberating heart-opening lessons of the Dharma. Buddhism teaches that no one else controls your destiny. it's all in your hands - the Buddha in the palm of your hands. innate Buddha-nature expresses itself through human nature.
make a commitment to awakening and enlightenment and the Dharma gate and the path to enlightenment will open for you just as it has opened for countless others.
in Buddhism, when you make a commitment to awakening, it is known as "taking refuge" or "going for refuge". -
the refuge prayer:
i go for refuge in the Buddha, the enlightened teacher;
i commit myself to enlightenment;
i go for refuge in the Dharma, the spiritual teachings;
i commit myself to the truth as it is.
i go for refuge in the Sangha, the spiritual community;
i commit myself to living the enlightened life.
when you take refuge with a teacher or a master for the first time, you are given a new Dharma name, symbolising spiritual rebirth, as your teacher or master cuts a small lock of your hair. the hair is a reminder that of when the Buddha left his palace to become a monk and gave up the life he has known. he exchanged his regal clothes for his charioteer's humble garments, cut off his elegantly princely hair with a sword and walked alone and unencumbered into the forest and onto the path toward enlightenment. -
i go for refuge in the Buddha
it does not mean that all you have to do is build an altar and bow down to a statue purchased from an antique store. all representations of the Buddha whether they are on an altar or carried around as radiant images in your heart, have a much deeper meaning.
going to the Buddha for refuge means that you are seeking awakening, Buddha-nature, Buddha-mind, Buddha-hood. you are seeking an enlightened mind and spiritual realisation. a reliable place with shelter, sanctuary where you can come home to. it is seeking refuge in the natural wisdom of innate awareness itself.
it is not just about bowing down to an idol, it is not about subscribing to a dogma. the Buddha never presented himself as a saviour. rather, he is a role model, a teacher.
he always says," I point the way to enlightenment; it is up to each of us to travel along it."
the Buddha never said he would save you; in Buddhism, you save yourself.
total awareness, pure wakefulness, is the Buddha within, the innate purity of your own heart-mind. that natural authenticity is the ultimate refuge. thats the inner truth, the inner teacher, the absolute guru..... you can really rely on: finding truth within your own experience. -
i go for refuge in the Dharma
the Dharma is descriptive not prescriptive.
to seek refuge in the Dharma is seeking the way of life that reflects truth. the Buddha-mind which knows all things exactly as they are, sees reality and knows the truth. joyfully live the truth and you will embody the Dharma. this is the highway to enlightenment.
the Dharma has two elements:
the Dharma of Transmission - classical teachings
the Dharma of Realisation - direct experience
the Dharma is like an agent of change. its ancient timeless message for you, me, every being is that there is a tried-and-true method for refining your mind, heightening your awareness and transcending your dependence on outer circumstances.
mingling the Dharma with your life means trying to make choices and decisions that are more enlightened that stem from a commitment to awakening from illusion's dreams. when you are authentically and totally yourself in learning the truth, expressing that truth, integrating that truth into your own being; you embody Dharma.
this is inner triple gem. living the Dharma means being true to yourself.