On wanting to receive higher Buddhist practices
by Khenpo Tashi
Outside, every day, there is great suffering. Don’t you remember the millions of cows and chicken killed for our meat? It doesn’t mean that we can’t see it and so it is no longer happening!
So much pain there. If you see the cows in the slaughter house, they cling to dear life. This attitude of not caring, is part of our blindness, due to our love for pleasures, for Samsara.
In one hour, we check our thoughts and emotions. Try checking. How many times do we think of Dharma? How many times do we have desires for pleasures, rewards and praises? What kind of thoughts are more?
Can we focus our minds only on the Dharma, continuously? What do you think? (haha!)
Very Little Interest in the Dharma
Check our monthly activities. How few times do we go to the temple to do prostrations or to chant a mantra? How short time do we spend in the temple learning about Dharma? (READ: A Summary of All The Buddha’s Teachings)
But if we need to catch up with this boyfriend, that girlfriend, that relative and old friend, how many hours do we give to that? Gossiping and laughing.
Then, if there is only basic teaching available in the temple, we say, “O I learned that already. Can we move on to the higher teaching?” We don’t have the patience to listen to the same teaching two, three or many times? Is this true?
Unfortunately, love for Samsara is too strong! No higher teachings will work if the mind is still very attached to Samsara.
Less Liking for Samsara
If we say “I want Buddhism”, heartfelt Taking Refuge must be there. What does that mean? Away from Samsaric thinking. Less liking for Samsara. (READ: Thinking About the Triple Gems)
It is in the quality of our own mind. Check the quality of our thoughts and emotions. Be your own witness or judge.
If it is hard to see that for yourself, pray to the Buddhas, “Please show me how Samsaric my mind is!” You may not understand the Samsaric mind yet but the Buddhas can see all our minds. They are omniscient. (Suggested Reading: On the Topic of Mind)
If you see how Samsaric your mind is, then that is great! Now you know the truth. You can start from that situation. Those strong cravings for Samsaric desires in our mind, we purify one by one. There are many and very strong!
“Basic” Teachings Must Be Solid
The “basic” teachings like Taking Refuge and Generating Bodhicitta are very, very effective! But our Samsaric addictions are stronger than them, at the moment.
Tenth Level Bodhisattvas, who can enter hundreds of thousands of samadhis in an instant, are still perfecting their Taking Refuge and Bodhicitta vows.
So, we think Taking Refuge and Bodhicitta are basic practices that are only so-so? Some basic practice that is ‘not powerful’? (Haha!) What a pity! (We got it upside down!)
Check how powerful Samsara is within one’s mind all the time. Then purify them, sincerely, honestly, consistently. (READ: Love for Beauty)
However many high teachings we receive, if our mind is strongly addicted to Samsara, none of those high instructions or teachings will work for us. They will just be a waste.
Suggested Reading: The Never-Ending Spinning Samsara