I have no faith in wealth

 Jamyang Sengge Rinpoche

(Rinpoche is one of the most realized Sakyapa Master in Tibet living in lifelong mountain retreat)

An extract from a compilation of his teachings distributed internally to the retreatants

This time, people have offered empowerment ritual implements such as empowerment vase, vajra and bell. I do not like it. The ritual implements used for empowerment need not be too ornate or expensive. We are real practitioners and this is a retreat place for practice, therefore everything should be simple and we should orient our minds towards being contented and with little desire.

This time however, these items have already been offered and there is nothing much I can say.  However, remember that this should not happen again from now on.  We have no need at all of such ornate ritual implements. We should learn to be contented with little desire.  The Vinaya sutra states, “Contented with humble robes, contented with humble alms-bowl”.  Therefore, any item belonging to the entire sangha or to individuals should be simple and practical. 

This way, when anyone looks at the sangha, they give rise to faith in the Triple Gems and plant a seed of virtue in their minds.  I personally do not have faith in gold or silver. I do not have faith in fur or silk.  I only attach importance to anything that benefits Dharma practice.  Everything else is meaningless.  

There are now many monasteries under the control of beautiful decorations.  We should never be controlled by this. We must be very careful not to enter this path.  We should think well about how to prevent ourselves from falling under the control of wealth. We should not be controlled by attraction to wealth — this is nothing other than being enslaved by the king of demons — the Mara of Heavenly Son.  This will cause us to be enslaved by him as his servants.  

Therefore, we should walk the path of contentment and less desire.  Every Dharma teacher, administrator, disciplinarian and manager should abide by this principle. If your minds are truly directed towards Dharma, you will naturally find it easy to walk this path.  Then that is enough.  

Don’t make too many offerings and become competitive about receiving more offerings.  This kind of motivation is very bad.  This action is in itself very bad.  We need to emphasize on listening, contemplation and meditation.  You can compete and learn from each other in terms of listening, contemplation and meditation but you should not compete for more offerings of wealth or food.  This is really very bad.  It does not make me happy. It makes me very unhappy instead.  Contentment and less desire are the hallmarks of a practitioner.

I have often told all of you.  When I go to any monastic dwelling that is slightly more lavish, my first reaction is, “How pitiful! This person’s mind is not directed towards Dharma.” Some houses are more run-down, then I know that this practitioner’s mind is directed towards Dharma.  Therefore, the moment I look at the doorway, my mind already judges the occupant of that house.  

The luxurious monastic dwellings have neither blessings nor good energies.  They are not helpful for generating loving kindness or compassion.  They are not useful for practicing the generation and completion stages.  They do not benefit view, meditation and conduct.  Instead, they will harm Dharma practice.

Therefore, we really need to try our best to enter the path of contentment and less desire. Dharma teachers should try to guide your students in this direction in your classes.  I am also on this path.  We need to enter this path together.  This is very important.  If things are overly luxurious, before we have attained Buddhahood, we have already accomplished the demon.  

This so-called “demon” is not a creature with a snarling mouth and glaring eyes. Even if such a demon exists, it will eat, chew and swallow us at most.  But this kind of demon cannot send us down the wrong path, it cannot deliver us to the hell realms.  

The Bodhicharyavatara says, “Even if gods and asuras amass to attack me, they are unable to fling me to the hell realms.” Therefore, even if all the sentient beings in the three realms gang up as our enemies; even if World War Three breaks out, the worst outcome is that we die.  But they do not have the power to throw us to the hell realms.  The real threat that can throw us to the hell realms is the Mara of Heavenly Son — in other words, the desire that craves for enjoyments.

Before you bought these empowerment ritual implements, you did not consult me; you informed me only after buying it.  Since it is already bought, what can I say?  But for the sake of your future Dharma practice, I must say these things.  It is not the manner of a noble being to regret what he has done.  I am not scolding all of you, but we need to avoid repeating such incidents in future. 

Now, I have made clear my path and my way of thinking.  Some people have spent a great deal of money, made great efforts and bought these things here. It would not be good to reject them.  I can’t bear to dismiss their efforts either.  So what has already happened -- let it stay in the past. My words today are to forestall what may happen in future. 

From today onwards, we do not need statues, thangkas, drums, cymbals, trumpets, horns etc. We do not need all the other Dharma implements.  If we lack any in future, it is always easy to find it.  In short, don’t offer these Dharma implements, statues, thangkas in future. Offering these will not bring any benefits.  It will only harm Dharma practice.  

If you really must make offerings, then offer food to the sangha.  That is much better.  This offering will not be much, any amount will be good. It is the most beneficial method for the sponsor to complete his accumulations of merits and purify his obstacles.   It is also the best way for the deceased to gather roots of virtues.  

In future, everyone will do it this way. This is a clear line of demarcation between white and black.  This is very important. Don’t walk the wrong way.  We must be very careful of the Mara of Heavenly Son.  This Mara is very cunning and deceptive.  Don’t be lured by him.  You must not fall under his control.  Always be mindful!

Success or failure of Dharma practice

Question： What is the most crucial factor that determines the success or failure of one’s practice?

Khenpo Chime Rigzin: 

I would like to answer your question by basing it upon what I have read and understood of the biographies of past masters and pith instructions. 

Throughout history, there have been many people who are very educated and knowledgeable but did not succeed in their practice. 

There are also many practitioners who observed the precepts purely but did not reach complete realization. 

Likewise, there are many practitioners who created so-called “vast merits” through extensive offerings and acts of generosity, yet did not succeed in their practice.

However, I have never seen any practitioner who possesses genuine and uncontrived faith in the Guru Triple Gems failing to attain accomplishment in their practice, whether in real life or in any biography of accomplished masters.

Therefore, in my personal view, cultivating genuine, uncontrived faith in the Guru Triple Gems is, for any practitioner, the decisive factor throughout the entire path of practice. It is the single most important factor that determines the success or failure of one’s Dharma practice.

(Khenpo Chime Rigzin is a student of HH Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche and a senior Khenpo in Serthar Monastic University, supervising the education of thousands of Tibetan monastics together with Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro.  Together, both of them are considered the two "eyes" of the Monastic University.)

Reach this minimum goal in this life and you will be fine

Khenpo Sherab Sangpo

Shantideva said, “Those who wish to overcome the many sufferings of samsara, who wish to remove the suffering of sentient beings, who wish to experience many joys, they should never turn away from Bodhicitta.”

Every day, I think about this quote from Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara. He said that if you want those things, like if you want to overcome sufferings of samsara, if you want to help sentient beings and have many happiness, then you should never, ever turn away from Bodhichitta, never forget Bodhicitta. 

I'm so grateful for this instruction, this helps me a lot, tremendously. 

I always tell you that there are two important things you must constantly keep in mind if you want to practice a great meditation. These are mindfulness and Bodhicitta, okay? These two are the foundation of our practice.

No matter what you practice, you must combine it with mindfulness and Bodhicitta. I really want you to understand how to correct your motivation. 

Breathe slowly, rest your attention on the breath, at the same time, look in your mind. That means recognize your thoughts.

What are you thinking now? Are you thinking, “Oh, I have heard these teachings hundreds of times, nothing special, nothing new,” or are you thinking, “My goodness, I don't have a good mindfulness, I don't have genuine Bodhicitta.”

Pay attention, look within at your mind, meaning you have to recognize what you are thinking. You're thinking constantly.

In order to correct your motivation, you need to look at your mind and see what kind of thoughts and emotions are in your mind. If you have a negative thought, something based on selfishness, let it go and change your mind into a positive thought or motivation.

That is a great place to begin, okay? In order to recognize, look at your mind and recognize your thoughts, you need mindfulness for that or it doesn’t work…

If you really want to develop your meditation correctly, you need to understand how to proceed along the stages of meditation. If you follow the stages of meditation step by step, the result cannot be anything other than beneficial. 

But if you don't follow the fundamentals and try to practice something like, you know, Dzogchen, Mahamudra and Generation-Completion stages, without a good foundation, the result will be nothing but arrogance.

No mindfulness, no Bodhicitta, then you practice Dzogchen, it develops your arrogance and that's very dangerous.

Paltrul Rinpoche said that top-level practitioners are able to make progress every day through their meditation. Middle-level practitioners are still capable of improving every month. Lower-level practitioners progress over the course of a year. We have three levels of practitioners. Now think about ourselves.

Think about yourself and your practice. Think about your practice level. Which level do you belong to? That's very important. Can I improve my practice capacity at least in a year? 

If you became a Buddhist, many years passed and nothing developed. Within a year, nothing changed, only the same. That's not good. So, we have to change. Something is wrong if you can't change.

We have to investigate ourselves, you know. Can I improve my practice capacity at least in a year? If the answer is no, I'm still the same person.  Then we do not belong to any one of these three levels of practitioners. 

Then, Paltrul Rinpoche calls us a practitioner in name only. Oh, you're a Buddhist, you're a practitioner, but nothing other than a label, just a name…

The minimum goal we should set for ourselves in this life is to enter the Bodhisattva's path of accumulation. That's the minimum goal, which is the first step.

The Bodhisattva's path of accumulation is the first path (of the five paths to Buddhahood). When you have generated genuine Bodhichitta, you enter the path of accumulation. I'm not talking about the ultimate Bodhichitta, but the relative Bodhichitta.

If you have developed relative Bodhichitta in your mind, then you are on the Bodhisattva's path of accumulation. You don't have to ask any other teachers where you are, you can see for yourself where you are. 

You know what is genuine Bodhichitta. If you have that in your mind. you have reached the Bodhisattva's path of accumulation. Once you reach this, you're fine. Even if you die with nothing more than this achievement, you will be just fine. 

But if you don't reach the path of accumulation by the end of your life, then the name “practitioner” or “Buddhist” is just a label…

If we missed the opportunity to take this first step in this life, we may not have another chance to be reborn as a human life. So, keep that in mind.

You need this minimum goal— "I need to reach the Bodhisattva's path of accumulation before I die." That's your goal.  Keep that in mind.

Without changing the way of thinking, history will keep repeating

Dharma Master Jingjie

According to the Mind-Only school, if I once committed the karmas of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying but I truly repented, and from this point on, I no longer perform these acts, then this karma lies dormant in the deep ocean of the ālaya-consciousness. This karma doesn't disappear. As long as you do not stimulate it again, it will not ripen into a result.

We can deal with this karma after we attain Buddhahood or become a first Bhumi Bodhisattva. The concept of bringing karma to the pureland (Chn, 带业往生）is similar. 

You can bring the dormant karmic seeds to the pureland but not the active karma (ie, karma that you are still habitually creating and have not truly repented). If you are still creating this karma, then this type of karma cannot be brought to the pureland.

When we say bringing karma to the pureland, we mean carrying only the dormant karmic seeds, not the active deeds. Therefore, If you are still creating negative karma right now, it will become an obstacle at the end of your life.

This is why upholding the precepts is so important. When you no longer commit a certain action, it becomes a karmic seed, which is called "non-increasing karma," and this can be brought to the pureland. 

However, if you are still committing the karma, you need to be careful at the end of your life. At that time, two forces will be at play: the power of chanting the Amitabha’s name and the power of the karma you've created. 

The force of your karma may be stronger than the force of your pureland practice, because the karma is your habitual action—it’s a familiar state of being.

Therefore, people who want to take rebirth in the pureland must not only uphold the precepts but also repent. Repentance is what causes the karmic flow to be cut. You cut the continuity of that negative inclination.

Venerable Śāriputra is an example of someone who cut off this type of mind-stream. He used to have the thought pattern of a poisonous snake (in a past life)—being greedy, stingy, and attached. Later, he transformed this into a heart of generosity and compassion. This is why his life changed.

What is taking rebirth after rebirth in samsara? It is your momentary thought. Your physical body is merely the karmic result, just like a house. Once you’re done with it, you discard it. The person inside the house is most important. When the house is ruined, this person goes to another house. If this person doesn't change his habitual patterns, then there is no hope (for a better future). 

If your way of thinking doesn't change, the history of your life will keep repeating. If you are poor in this life, you will be poor in the next. If you are ugly in this life, you will be ugly in the next, because your thoughts haven't changed, and thus the karmic result will not change.

From this, we can understand that when we want to attain Buddhahood or be born in the pureland, we must begin by changing our thoughts. Thoughts are the master of our life and the one who dictates our life. All other karmic forces are just secondary.

The way to finish all problems

Jamyang Rinpoche

Living in this world, there will always be suffering, happiness, emotions, worries and other thoughts. When we experience suffering or unpleasant situations, we often attribute it to external causes. 

For example, if I'm feeling sad today, there must be an external cause; maybe it is a friend upsetting me, a colleague criticizing me, or my boss picking on me. There are many types of causes, largely stemming from competitiveness and conflicts between people.

We think that our unhappiness is caused by the “other person" and that they will never admit to their faults. Thinking this way makes us wish for revenge or other forms of confrontation which only deepens our suffering and makes life feel even more barren.

The principle of Buddhism is to first change our own mind, rather than demanding that others do so. If we want to remove a tree, pulling off its leaves and branches will never work. We can do it year after year but the tree grows back the following year. Why? Because the roots are still alive.

The same principle applies to our sufferings. We will never finish dealing with all the problems in the world. We will never end all problems by trying to fend it off from the outside. It is only possible if we cut off the root of our suffering, just like cutting off the roots of a tree. When the roots are gone, the leaves and branches won't grow back, and the tree will die out.

Similarly, we can’t get the satisfaction or happiness we wish for just by resolving the various sufferings in our lives. We might try to manage our relationships with others, working through the problems in our lives but never find true happiness or satisfaction. We overcome one obstacle only to find another, and then another. True satisfaction always remains out of reach.

Take a simple example from daily life: a family's monthly salary might initially be a few thousand yuan —enough to cover food and basic expenses. Later, the family members get a raise and might be earning ten or twenty thousand yuan a month. Yet, they don’t feel like they have enough money despite the better conditions than before. What is the reason? Their greed has grown larger. They start to desire a better house, a better car, better food, and so on. 

Many people want to live in a big house, believing that a large home will make them feel happier. Then consider going to the beach. You can sit on the vast, empty beach for as long as you want, and no one will bother you. 

But we feel that "this beach doesn't belong to me." A sense of "self" arises. "The house belongs to me, the beach doesn't."

In reality, is there any difference between sitting at the beach for two or three hours and sitting at home for two or three hours? It's the same amount of time, and two hours of life have passed in both cases. 

Due to a feeling of attachment, we think "this is my house," and feel a sense of security, while "the beach doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the country, and however big it is makes no difference to me." Due to making such distinctions in our mind, we feel differently.

In the example given above, when our income increases, we think about moving to a bigger house. When we do that, the monthly payments, electricity bills, water bills, and various other expenses increase — these are things that weren't a mental burden to us before. 

If our financial situation improves further, then one house isn't enough, we want to buy a second and third house... The greater the greed, the more the suffering, and the less time and freedom you have. 

Even if the house is paid for in full without a loan, there are still potential issues like leaks, repairs, renovations and other problems that worry us. Observe for yourself, one house, two houses, the suffering just keeps piling up... 

What did Patrul Rinpoche say? “Owning a brick of tea brings the afflictions of (owning) a brick of tea; owning a horse brings the suffering of (owning) a horse; owning a sheep brings the suffering of (owning) a sheep..."

We can use any object to examine this. For example, compare a new (mobile) phone you just bought to an old phone and observe how different it feels to you. How much anguish do you feel when you drop a new phone? An old phone is already battered and used, so dropping it doesn't cause much suffering.

All suffering comes from the way our own minds work. You can’t avoid the suffering that arises from the choices we make with attachment, aversion or delusion.  Because our very own mind created it. So-called loved ones, happiness, suffering and so forth are all generated by our minds.

That's why we need to keep learning Dharma to address our own mind. It is like cutting off the roots of a tree, then the leaves and branches will naturally die. In the same way, the true cause of all suffering, sorrow and afflictions does not come from the external world as we believe. The real cause is the discriminating thoughts of our minds.  

The attachments and discriminations created in our mind lead to afflictions. Therefore, when we change our minds, the external environment will naturally change with it.

For example, some people are kind and magnanimous. They are accepting of any situation. Wherever he goes, others are seldom able to pollute his state of mind. He will not feel much disturbing emotions. He is always smiling and cheerful wherever he is because his mind can accommodate anything. 

In contrast, people with petty, narrow, and jealous minds will experience a lot of resistance and suffering everywhere, even when just having a meal with family, let alone with colleagues or classmates. He feels competitive and jealous even for a good seating.  His state of mind is the cause of innumerable sufferings for him.

Happiness comes from a tamed mind

Jamyang Rinpoche

You do not wish to suffer, yet you do not want to change the mindset that causes suffering. Changing your external actions only does not solve the problem. 

When a bullet hits your internal organs, no matter how well you stitch the wound, without healing the inner organs, you can't avoid a very painful outcome. It will inevitably lead to all sorts of sickness and eventually take your life.

By the same logic, trying to change your life through various external actions to avoid suffering and pursue happiness will never work. This is because the root of suffering is our afflictions of desire, anger, and delusion. Since the cause is desire, anger, and delusion, when the results of these ripen, you can't escape the suffering.

Wealthy people with status and fame should be the happiest and have the best lives. Yet, they have many worries, fears and deluded thinking which are actually very overpowering. Because wealth causes their greed and anger to increase and intensify.  It feeds their arrogance and jealousy. 

They might try to change things through external actions, thinking, "Maybe if I wear nice clothes I'll be happier? Maybe if I eat better food I'll be happier? Maybe if I travel to the most beautiful places I can find happiness?"

No matter how you try and search for happiness in the external world, you might feel brief pleasure for a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days, but you will never find true, permanent happiness. 

What temporary happiness you find is just a fleeting dream. The pleasures we experienced before have already vanished. If we find a new pleasure now, would it satisfy us? It would not.

The moment you feel happy, thinking "This is great, I'm very content now," that feeling of happiness disappears soon thereafter and it is followed by various sufferings. Dissatisfaction returns. 

Moreover, after enjoying brief happiness, when misfortune strikes, it leads to even greater sadness, worries, and pain because you have experienced good times and can't accept the sudden change to suffering…

Fame, benefits, status and other external factors are not the true causes of happiness.  True happiness comes from a contented mind. Contentment comes from a mind that has been tamed and trained.  If the mind is under your control, then everything else would be well.  If mind is out of control, we can never have peace or happiness…

The purpose of Dharma is to bring happiness to sentient beings in this life and liberation in future lives. Liberation is eternal happiness.  Practicing Dharma is not going around to offer some incense or burning some incense paper trying to accumulate merits.  That is a misguided way of practicing Dharma.  That way of learning Dharma is not very meaningful.

Restless mind and removing obstacles for Dharma path

Khenpo Sodargye

I feel that learning and education are the most valuable things for a human life. Therefore, I sincerely pray that your lives may continue to be enriched through learning and education, and that through faith, you may also find peace and happiness.

Nowadays, although many Buddhists have faith in the Guru Triple Gems, because they do not understand the Dharma and lack listening, contemplation and practice, faith is easily lost. 

The society today is restless and always chasing quick success and instant gratification. People are drawn to violence and stimulating contents, while true learning requires a calm and focused mind. 

For this reason, many people find it difficult to settle their minds down to learn and reflect. Even though this is the situation, too much exposure to recklessness, uninhibited behaviors, violence, and constant stimulation only harms both our body and mind. 

I really hope we can engage in long-term study and promote uplifting habits instead.

~~

Removing obstacles on Dharma path

Many people want to receive instructions on how to visualize, contemplate and meditate for Dharma practice.  Yet after receiving these teachings, very few consistently put it into practice. 

The same is true for listening-contemplation. For instance, when studying the five great treatises, many are enthusiastic at the beginning and aspire to master these teachings thoroughly. However, past karma, present afflictions and various distractions combine to thwart their plans.

In the face of these obstacles, the practitioner’s mental strength is insufficient. They are not able to boost their own mental strength and determination, instead they abandon the path midway. This is the most serious obstacle for most practitioners — the lack of inner mental strength.

To strengthen our minds, I believe in praying to the Guru Triple Gems and frequently making offerings to the Dharma Protectors.  This is the single most important and most effective method. 

One can make offerings to the Protectors by oneself or join in group Protector prayers or pujas. Focus your mind and pray for the blessings of the Protectors.

Also, you should recite Guru Rinpoche’s mantra, prayers that dispel obstacles and so forth.  This will cause the invisible blessings to dissolve into your mind. 

In this way, your listening, contemplation and practice of Dharma will start well and end well.

Process of Dying and the Dzogchen Practitioner

Jamyang Rinpoche

In the Bardo pith instructions, it is mentioned that when the eye faculty, eye consciousness, as well as the ear faculty and ear consciousness begin to dissolve, the eyes can perceive shapes but cannot clearly distinguish who or what is being seen; the ears can hear sounds but one no longer understands what is being said. This indicates that the process of dying has already begun. 

Next, the nose cannot detect smells, the mouth cannot taste flavors, and even when wearing clothes, the body no longer senses sensations of comfort or discomfort, warmth or cold. No matter how much clothing is worn, one still feels cold. This shows that the five sense faculties and their corresponding consciousnesses are losing their function.

After the five sense faculties fail, (mental) consciousness and self-clinging begins to dissolve too. Many things happen. Our body has thousands of subtle channels. When these channels break one by one, especially when the major ones break, the sensation is like falling from the top of a high mountain. Many dying people want someone else to hold them or lift them up slightly— this is the sign that the channels are beginning to break. Other details will be explained in Phowa teachings, they are not elaborated here.

When self-consciousness dissolves, the white bindu from the father at the crown (descends) while the red bindu from the mother at the navel (ascends), merging in the center of the heart. When these two bindus merge, it is like the darkest night of summer with a flash of lightning appearing for a single instant. When these two bindus meet at the heart, one may faint into unconsciousness. 

At this point, those who have practiced Dzogchen well can attain enlightenment and see one’s own Buddha-nature. This is why, in regions like Tibet or Yarchen Monastery, many monks and nuns often pass away while meditating. After passing, their body temperature does not dissipate for seven days.  This is due to having practiced Dzogchen.

At the instant when the bindus meet and self-clinging ceases, the alaya consciousness also ceases. In that instant, the Buddha-nature appears. Dzogchen practitioners are familiar with resting in the state of Buddha-nature for long periods of time when they were alive. This moment (of meeting the Buddhanature) therefore is integrated into their own view. The suffering and fear of death, as well as the bardos no longer exist for them. 

Such Dzogchen practitioners continue to rest in the view for seven days.  If they have often habituated themselves to the view while they were alive, especially those who habituated themselves to the practice of Togal (advanced Dzogchen practice) over a long time, the body will gradually shrink and transform into a rainbow body. Why does this happen? Because in the states of Togal, the physical body disappears and transforms into rainbow light. If one has not practiced Togal or lacks sufficient experience, this does not occur.

For practitioners with extensive Dzogchen experience, the body temperature remains for seven days as if they were still alive and the body remains soft. After seven days, the master or another practitioner uses the vajra and bell to awaken the practitioner from his thukdam.  There is a specific method to awaken them. Once awakened, they attain Buddhahood. 

Red and white essential fluids resembling blood and brain-fluid would flow from their nostrils. Such a person does not experience the bardo and attains Buddhahood immediately.  It is as easy as walking directly from one door to another door with no transition stage in between.

Wrong Emphasis in Dharma Practice

Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche

The reason that non-Buddhist paths cannot lead to enlightenment is not only because their view is mistaken; it is also because they place too much emphasis on body and speech (rather than mind).

Even within Buddhism today, practitioners are emphasizing too much on external practices through body and speech.  To give ourselves a sense of fulfilment or while showing off to others, we often say, “I have completed so many pilgrimages, I have attended so many Dharma assemblies or pujas, I have made so many types of offerings and charity, I have recited so many mantras,” etc, etc.  

People often use the quantity of these virtuous deeds as a measure of their merits and good qualities. However, Buddha Shakyamuni taught that the essence of Dharma is to “purify one’s mind”.  Thus, among the three doors—body, speech and mind — the mind is what counts most.  

The mind governs everything.  The ultimate nature of all phenomena is one’s mind.  Therefore, to train the mind is at the very core of Buddhadharma.

Since we know theoretically that mind is the most important, why do people still have the tendency of making the body and speech the focus of their practice?  This is because the Dharma has not truly entered their mind.

Therefore, by interchanging settling meditation and contemplative meditation, until a very strong feeling arises in the mind, we should continuously cultivate the certainty that mind is the most fundamental.  Whether moving or staying still, sitting or lying down, one should regard the mind as the most important.

(Note: This teaching should not be misinterpreted to mean that reciting mantras and making offerings are meaningless.  Instead, when performing these acts of virtue, one should be mindful and use these practices to train the mind, instead of only focusing on the external aspects or only aiming to reach a number.)

(Note 2: https://shorturl.at/eF1fl
An unedited video recorded decades ago when a sign of Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche's rainbow body was captured by accident.)

Mind is a paper tiger

HH Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche

When I was a student in Sershul, my teacher, Thubga Rinpoche, once said, "If we don't try to tame our mind, the mind will overpower us with its fearsome power. But if we do try to tame the mind, we will discover that it’s nothing more than a paper tiger (easily subdued).  Even if we dedicate only seven days to sincerely praying to our Guru and seriously train our mind, our mental state will be vastly different from before."

I had unshakable faith in my teacher's words. In reality, taming the mind isn't so difficult with the sublime pith instructions if you only put in the effort. The only reason we haven't succeeded yet is that we have not truly dedicated ourselves to the task.

Importance of certainty from reasoning

Thrangu Rinpoche

In terms of inference and reasoning, we use the reasonings of the Middle Way to understand that all phenomena are emptiness. It is not just the mind—external appearances also cannot be established and are empty of essence. Though we cannot actually see this through inference, inference helps us to develop strong certainty in it. That certainty is the root of realizing the nature of mind. As Mipham Rinpoche said in his commentary on Shantarakshita’s Adornment of the Middle Way, such certainty is like the sword of Manjushri since it is able to sever clinging to reality.

~~

Nowadays many students have had the great fortune to receive the instructions of pointing out the nature of the mind. Although they may have an experience during the pointing-out instructions, many people have the difficulty of not being able to develop their experience. The pointing out becomes a glimpse that just flitters by, which they are unable to nurture and sustain. The condition that will allow realization to develop is the certainty that comes from reasoning. 

When we develop the certainty that this is what Nagarjuna meant when he taught emptiness and is exactly what the Buddha spoke of in the Heart Sutra when he said that there is no form, no sound, no taste, no touch, no feeling, and no dharmas, we can compare that certainty with our experience. Many great scholars and masters of the past developed such experience and achieved accomplishment. If we who are diligent about practice do the same, we can develop this realization and manifest its results.

Essence of Dharma

Khenpo Sherab Sangpo

Most people think that the Dharma is a spiritual tradition of making offerings and saying prayers in monasteries, making requests and saying dedication prayers on behalf of the deceased, conferring empowerments, doing recitations, turning prayer wheels, and performing prostrations and circumambulations—this is mistaken. These are only facets of this spiritual path, performed for temporary purposes, not the actual essence of the Dharma. 

As Jamgön Kongtrul says, “Building statues, offering butter lamps, prostration, circumambulation, and recitation of prayers: such compounded roots of virtue is the Dharma of worldly beings, the common Dharma. Although it is amazing and of fathomless benefit, this is not what is called the sacred Dharma. Striving to learn, contemplate, and meditate, and keeping the three vows without duplicity—striving in such uncompounded roots of virtue is the uncommon Dharma of those who have entered the practice of Buddha’s teachings.”

~~

Khenpo Sherab Sangpo

Faith based on investigation and understanding

Developing faith in Buddhism for no reason—having no idea of its essential meaning, direction, or path—or in dependence on mistaken or incorrect reasons is blind faith. 

This was not recommended by the Buddha or other great spiritual masters—such as Longchenpa, Mipham Rinpoche, and Patrul Rinpoche—in our Nyingma tradition, the earliest tradition in Tibetan Buddhism. 

Therefore, it is important to develop what is called confident faith by investigating the validity of the teachings with your own intelligence and wisdom. As the great yogin Milarepa says, “Insightful wisdom, compassion, and character—these three are continuous guides on the path.”

These days, some people would use Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings as a tool to accomplish mundane purposes: to feed themselves, to build their wealth and reputation, or just for temporary good fortune. 

Some claim to be able to accomplish worldly aims using the Buddha’s power; however, if these desired aims are not successfully accomplished, they may disparage and attack Dharma teachings, causing them to be avoided or denigrated. Quite a few people accumulate the karma of abandoning the Dharma by opposing it or by developing deeply distorted views about it. 

The cause of this is following a spiritual path out of blind faith without first investigating its principles and coming to know the inner meaning of the Dharma.

Therefore, before embarking on the path, we must examine the Buddha and his teachings with the three pure analyses: direct perception, logical inference, and scriptural inference. Once we have attained faith through knowledge, we can practice the Dharma throughout our lives. 

In the Shrimahabalatantrarajasutra, the Buddha advises, “Just as gold is tested by being burned, cut, and rubbed, the wise should accept my words only after examining them, not merely out of faith or other such reasons.”

The Buddha clearly advised his followers not to practice his teachings solely out of respect, for no particular reason, or because of their renown. The process of investigating the teachings has been the traditional way from ancient times to the present, and this is one characteristic that distinguishes the Buddha’s sublime teachings from other paths. 

Therefore, we should not rely upon the personality of a teacher but upon the validity of the teachings.  By examining the teachings repeatedly, a practitioner comes to understand what is to be practiced and what is to be abandoned, and he or she should practice accordingly. This is the unexcelled way of entering the Buddha’s sacred teachings. 

The Buddha taught the four reliances shortly before his passing:

“Rely on the message of the teacher, not on his personality;

rely on the meaning, not just on the words;

rely on the real meaning, not on the provisional one;

rely on your wisdom mind, not on your ordinary judgmental mind.”

In ancient India, for example, the scholar Udbhatasiddhasvamin was extremely learned in the Brahmanic scriptures. He analyzed and examined the Buddha’s teachings thoroughly, and once he understood the logic behind them, he developed faith based on reason. In the Vishesastava, the verses of praise to the Buddha at the beginning of the Kangyur, part of the Tibetan Buddhist canon, he states,

“I have no loyalty to the Buddha,

nor do I have hatred for followers of Kapila.

Whatever is based on logic—

that is an authentic teacher and spiritual path.”

Only after we have examined the teachings objectively and understood them clearly should we enter the Buddhist spiritual path. Being forced to become a Buddhist—without being interested in or without prior knowledge of the teachings—is not an authentic way of entering the door of the Dharma.

How a lama overcame obstacle preventing seeing nature of mind

By Eric Pema Kunsang, a close disciple of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (lightly editted for clarity)

Great Bodhisattvas act in different ways, they don’t have the code of ethics that belongs to the Hinayana. We have to be very open-minded. Some act very normal, some act like crazy. Some act like business people, some as slaughterers.  There is absolutely no fixed mode of conduct for a great Bodhisattva. So, the general rule is don’t judge. If you don’t know the person, then don’t say anything. It’s much safer because there’s a bad consequence of denigrating a Bodhisattva. I can tell you a story about that.

It was one student of Chatral Rinpoche. This lama was brought up and educated at Trulshik Rinpoche’s place in Tibet. It was before the Cultural Revolution. He did his ngondro (preliminary practice), the chants and the recitations etc and then he was finally allowed in that system to request the pointing out instruction (on the nature of mind).  

Trulshik Rinpoche gave him the teaching but he just didn’t get it.  He just couldn’t open his mind to be receptive to that. So he requested the teachings again after doing more purification practices and still he couldn’t get it. Trulshik Rinpoche said, “I know how to give this teaching. I’ve done my job and you are not getting it, so there’s something wrong with you.”

But Trulshik Rinpoche was also clairvoyant. So, at some point, Rinpoche said, “You must have defamed or slandered a great Bodhisattva. Think about when in your past you have done that.” The Lama, his name was Samten, Lama Samten thought about it and said he couldn’t think of having done this. He said, ”I have never done this. It’s not possible that I slandered a Bodhisattva.”

Trulshik Rinpoche said, “Think again. You don’t have to rush it. Just go to your heart and think it through.”

Lama Samten went back and he remembered it. It happened when he was still a businessman.  In old times, there were no wide roads. There were all these trails, narrow trails, either on the plain or in the mountainside and you can easily pass another businessman’s yak (animal used to carry goods in Tibet) procession. 

There were many yaks and they follow the leading yak; they just walk behind and you don’t have to tell them the way, they know the way by themselves. The lead yak has gone over this trail many times and if he dies then the second one will take over. They know the way and you don’t have to whip them.  Yaks are more clever and have wider perspective. They often stop and look around and then they’ll know where to go.

So two yak processions came in from different directions, Lama Samten was a businessman then, and he was facing another yak procession.  But the trail was too narrow so they couldn’t pass each other. His yaks got a little scattered over the mountainside.

Often, when you are a business person, you invest everything you have in the goods so you can make a bigger profit. He was rightfully upset. It turned out that the other yak procession had a few hundred yaks, all with full load, each yak could carry maybe seventy to a hundred kilograms each.

The yaks refuse to go another way if they don’t have to. So, Lama Samten said, “Those damn Kagyu lamas think they can chase away everyone else as if they had first right to everything.” 

That was all he had said. It turned out it was Karmapa’s labrang.  This means the monastic institution who is the owner of the other procession of yaks was under the Karmapa. He didn’t know these yaks belonged to the Karmapa but he just cursed whoever it was they belonged to and that was it. 

Lama Samten went back to Trulshik Rinpoche who said, “Yes, that was probably it. Now you have to apologize to the 16th Karmapa. Apologize to Karmapa in person, not just recite Vajrasattva from afar. You have to walk all the way to Tsurphu and ask permission to apologize to the Karmapa in person.” 

Lama Samten set out to do that. He walked all the way. I don’t know where he lived, but Trulshik Rinpoche’s place in Tibet was just behind Mount Everest and the Karmapa’s was near Lhasa.

In those days, there were no cars. It probably took one or two months to walk there. He did that and he came before the Karmapa. The Karmapa was walking out somewhere. Lama Samten threw himself on the ground and took hold of Karmapa’s foot. Karmapa told him to let go and tried to shake loose but Lama Samten was very sincere about this, so he held on. 

Finally the Karmapa said, “Okay, what’s your problem? What do you want?” Lama Samten said, “I have slandered you and I’m really sorry.”  Then the Karmapa said, “Okay, it’s over.” That was it. 

When Lama Samten went back to Trulshik Rinpoche and received the teaching on pointing out instruction again. He recognized the nature of mind immediately. That was all it took. 

I’m sure many of you may have slandered some Bodhisattvas so it is better to clear it up as fast as you can if you want to train in Dzogchen. Because sometimes it is possible that we think we got it (the nature of mind), but we didn’t really get it, and then the years go by.

There could be some haze or fog (obscuration) in our minds that need to be cleared up. If you can’t do it in person now, then at least make a decision never to slander anyone who may be a Bodhisattva because why should we?

Sometimes again, you just can’t help it. Some Bodhisattvas are misbehaving intentionally in order to get slandered so that people can make a connection with them. We don’t know their intentions. Even if you slander a Bodhisattva, you have created a karmic link to that Bodhisattva. You will definitely meet and receive guidance on the path at some point, but it’s a much longer path than not slandering.

~~

What is Merit

Eric Pema Kunsang

The accumulation of merit is not physical. It does not mean to give offerings to the Buddhas or bowing down and other forms of worship. That’s not the (actual) accumulation of merit.  Merit comes from the attitude with which those spiritual activities are being done. Otherwise, it’s just movements.

The accumulation of merit is not in the bowing down but is in the (lessening or) surrendering of the self-centered attitude.  That is what is called “merit”. That attitude is accompanied by the physical action of prostration. Hopefully, the attitude behind the prostration is giving up the root causes of samsara because that is how it’s supposed to be.

Maturing your Dharma practice

Jamyang Rinpoche

Many people who have practiced Dharma for many years develop more attachment to loved ones and more aversion for people they dislike. This is a sign that the Dharma and practitioner have parted ways.  

If thoughts of attachment and aversion to friends, relatives, enemies etc remained unchanged in Dharma practice, then no progress has been made.  If attachment and aversion have increased instead, then one has regressed and Dharma practice is failing.  

One may speak eloquently about Dharma, but if someone even says a few unpleasant words about our faults, we can’t stand it. This shows how far away Dharma is from your mind.  

The Dharma is about knowing what to do and what to avoid; these are included in the ten virtues and ten non-virtues.  One must always examine and observe one’s own conduct, speech and thoughts to check how much we have improved after learning Dharma. It doesn’t matter how well the person speaks.  There are many people who act and pretend.  

Some laypeople like to call others “great Bodhisattva” to flatter them. Whether you are a great Bodhisattva or not depends on how great your Bodhichitta is. The key point is your mind, not your external behavior. 

If your mind is vast, then you are a great Bodhisattva; if your mind is smaller then you are a tiny Bodhisattva. If your mind is filled with negative thoughts, then you are just a sentient being. 

When someone criticizes you a little, you lose your temper. When vajra disciples fight, even the prospect of going to hell doesn’t scare them.  In theory, you say you are frightened of the sufferings of the hell realms, but when the afflictions arise, you just rush straight to hell without the slightest fear.

There is a true story of a master in Qinghai.  Many local people revered this master and praised him very much. But a few have said that this master was somewhat greedy. He was reluctant to give away the offerings he received for creating merits. Instead, he kept hoarding the money.  He was greedy but many people regarded him as a very good master.  

One night, a thief entered his house and robbed him.  This master got up to chase the thief, and in his haste, he did not even put on his clothes properly and rushed out in a shirtless state.  He grabbed a knife along the way and chased the thief into the mountains.  The robber warned the master, “Stop chasing me or I will kill you. Go back now, I do not want to kill any monastic.  I only need your possessions. If you don’t back off now, I will kill you.” 

This master refused to listen and continued pursuing the robber. The robber then shot him with a gun. The master was found dead clutching a knife in the mountains.  Although this master was ordained and was considered a spiritual teacher by the locals, if we look at his behavior, we know that he did not practice the Dharma at all.  He could not even let go of his attachment to his possessions. 

In the past, I told of another practitioner in Xinlong.  His family was very wealthy and their family home caught fire. All the family members rushed to put out the fire and rescue their belongings; while this old practitioner simply sat down outside his house and recited the practice for a smoke offering and deliverance.  

Firstly, he felt compassion for all the tiny animals and insects such as mice being burned alive and wanted to perform deliverance for them. Secondly, he wanted to make an offering through the burning of all his possessions.  He did not have the slightest attachment. 

Other family members such as his children and brothers scolded him for not having the slightest sympathy for them.  They said that he was useless, lazy and ignorant. The truth is that he was a good practitioner. He had truly let go of these attachments.  

Even if you cannot reach the same level as this practitioner, at least you should have greater equanimity and magnanimity through Dharma practice. If your mind remains narrow and grasping, then even a few words from your Dharma brother can make you furious. 

You see someone looking at you, you become paranoid and suspicious, imagining all kinds of scenarios such as whether this person is angry or trying to harm you and what is the meaning of his actions. This is the way of an ordinary being with no Dharma practice at all. Even if this person has committed the entire Tripitaka to memory, he is not a Dharma practitioner.  He is merely a practitioner of the mouth-Dharma (i.e., good at talking about Dharma).  Mouth-Dharma has very little to do with liberation. 

What is liberation or freedom? One has to be free from the control of non-virtue and enter into virtue. This way, one proceeds from the lower realms to the higher realms.  To remove oneself from non-virtue, one has to end all non-virtuous thoughts. When positive thoughts of virtue arise in the mind, then we can reach the authentic view of Dharma.  

When your mind is involved in non-virtue while your external acts seem like virtue, this is completely in opposition to Dharma. It is like a person swallowing poison and wishing to be healthy. 

If you keep swallowing poison and hope your body will be in a good way, is it possible? Similarly, we want the best, most beautiful and greatest happiness in this world, yet we continually engage in deceptions, lies, harmful thoughts, greed, slander etc, these non-virtues will only bring us a negative result…

We must examine our body, speech and mind constantly and bring Dharma into our lives.  We should see if our conduct accords with the teacher’s advice. Have we made any improvements? Look at how we talk? Did we go against Guru’s teachings? Did we improve our minds? For instance, we used to speak a lot of lies, gossips. divisive, harsh and crude speech, have we changed our habits of speech?

Some people like to talk about extraordinary knowledges or spiritual penetrations. They say they see spirits and gods everywhere, and see our past lives. These are great lies — the most negative type of lie. 

Such actions break our samayas and Pratimoksha vows. Some people like to claim realisations like attaining Buddhahood.  They did not see anything but they claim they see spirits. They even claim that there is no benefit for virtue and no negative consequences for non-virtue. Such karmas are even heavier than the five uninterrupted karmas. 

Some people even say there are no past and future lives. Creating such doubts in the authentic Dharma is worse than even the five uninterrupted karmas.

On the other hand, we need to see if we have improved in terms of renunciation, kindness-compassion and Bodhichitta. When speaking to others, we check if we have more respect for others and praise other peoples’ good qualities more. How much chanting and meditation have we done? How much self-reflection have we done?

If the non-virtues of speech such as gossiping, lying, harsh speech and divisive speech are lessening; desire and  harmful intentions are lessening; killing, stealing and sexual misconduct are all gradually reduced and eliminated, then your practice could be said to be truly progressing.  You can then face your future life and the bardo with happiness and a smile.  

We need to keep habituating ourselves to virtue and mature our practice.  What are the signs of maturation?  When the mental afflictions are arising in our minds, it becomes easier and easier to deal with them — this means that your practice is maturing.  

It is stressful to drive a car at first. Even if you have received a driving licence, your skills are not matured, so you need to be aware of many things such as the accelerator, brake, the rear-view mirror, side mirrors, steering wheel etc, it seems quite alot at first, but as you get used to it, driving becomes completely second nature and effortless, as easy as the act of walking.

Similarly, with correct practice of Renunciation, Bodhichitta and Emptiness, the process of habituation makes it become effortless.  Great lineage masters continually habituate themselves to these qualities, so they will not forget these qualities for even a second. But we, as beginners, continually lose our mindfulness of these qualities. That is the difference. Sometimes we remember, sometimes we forget, through repeated success and failures, we train ourselves until we reach the stage of maturation. 

If you look at some Dharma practitioners, when it comes to the crux — when their afflictions arise, they are not afraid to enter the hell realms at all. They will fight and criticize and scold their fellow practitioners as their afflictions direct them to do. This happens in many Dharma centers. These people are truly unafraid of falling into the hell realms.

Which is the most suffering hell realm? It is the Vajra Hell. This is the hell that only a practitioner who breaks samaya is able to reach. Fighting with your vajra brothers and sisters is a breakage of samaya which brings this result. Some monastics fight in the sangha and cause a split.  Think about it carefully.  You can’t even bear a little suffering now, how can you endure the suffering in the hells later?  

Dharma brothers and sisters, we are here to change ourselves for the better.  For a better future. We are not here just to study knowledge like in a school. We are here to change our lives. Practice of Dharma has to change our life. It is not an academic study. Therefore, when we practice the four immeasurables of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity, it is important to habituate yourself continually.

Dying with mindfulness (a real-life case-study)

Dharma Master Jingjie

When Buddhism was transmitted from India to China, the establishment of various schools was a key reason for the flourishing of Dharma. The past masters of Chinese Buddhism categorized the entire Mahayana canon into eight different schools based on the nature of its content. 

This approach allowed beginners to quickly delve into the essence of the teachings without needing a long period of searching or exploration. Unlike Christianity which has only one authoritative text - the Bible - the Buddhist Tripitaka has over a hundred volumes. It would take a lifetime to study it all and one may still not fully comprehend it.

To make it easier for people to enter the path, the past masters developed eight schools, allowing individuals to choose a path that suited their own inclinations. While these schools greatly strengthened Chinese Buddhism, it also led to sectarianism, particularly by the late Ming Dynasty. 

This created divisions, preventing schools from engaging in mutually beneficial exchange and integration. The master Ouyi said that it was like "drinking from separate parts of a river." Even though the water was the same, people on the east and west sides of the river established their own camps and refused to interact. 

This situation created an ideological divergence within Buddhism. Seeing this problem, the master Yongming Yanshou (the sixth patriarch of the Pure Land school) proposed the concept of "dual cultivation of Chan and Pure Land." 

The Chan school emphasizes the power of the mind, using meditation to develop mental strength. The Pureland school, on the other hand, focuses on the power of Amitabha; it teaches that rebirth in the pureland is due to the compassionate vow of Amitabha Buddha. Before Master Yongming, these two factors—the power of the mind and the power of the Buddha—were seen as mutually exclusive. Those who emphasized the mind's power neglected the power of Amitabha’s aspirations, and vice versa.  This was a tragic situation.

Master Yongming believed that the power of mind and the power of Amitabha should not be separated. Amitabha Buddha would not save us without our own mental effort to connect with him. A tape player reciting the Buddha's name for a lifetime will never have the power to eliminate non-virtue and increase virtue because it lacks consciousness and the nature of knowing. 

Recitation of Amitabha must be driven by the power of mind. This is why when over a hundred people recite Amitabha during a seven-day retreat, the results are different for each person, this is due to the difference in the power of mind of each person.

While Master Yongming proposed this concept of "dual cultivation of Pureland and Zen," he did not provide a clear method. It wasn't until Master Ouyi wrote his commentary on the Amitabha Sutra during the late Ming dynasty that a clear and concrete explanation was provided.

In his commentary, Master Ouyi wrote about the "three inconceivable powers". He explained that when our mind comes into contact with Amitabha’s name, three powers are activated together.  These are the inconceivable power of the mind, the inconceivable power of the Dharma, and the inconceivable power of the Buddha. 

Master Ouyi's work emphasized on the power of mind because it is the mind that activates the power of Dharma and the power of Amitabha. What is the "power of mind" as Master Ouyi described? It is the power of our intrinsic nature, the power of our Buddha-nature. We are not able to fully produce this power as we are constantly distracted by thoughts and past habit patterns. We need to learn to bring out the power of your true nature to unlock your potential.

Next, the "power of Dharma" refers to the power of Amitabha’s name itself. While we have mental power, without the help of Amitabha Buddha, our spiritual path would be much harder. It's our mental power that activates the power of the Dharma, which in turn moves us toward Amitabha's aspiration (power of Buddha).

Therefore, the practice of reciting Amitabha relies on these three powers to achieve the pureland — the power of our own nature, the power of Amitabha’s name, and the power of Amitabha's aspirations. If you understand these three powers, you'll have a clear grasp of the entire philosophy behind Master Ouyi's commentary on the Amitabha Sutra…

If your mind is involved in any distorted thoughts at the point of death, I doubt very much that you can take rebirth in the pureland. Even when you have recited Amitabha very well in your life, if the mind's power (of resting on the innate nature or on mindfulness of Amitabha) doesn't arise at the moment of death and you are still caught up in deluded thoughts, it is not possible to take rebirth in the pureland. 

This is why the pureland school emphasizes the state of clear mindfulness at the point of death. According to this school, it doesn't matter what you have done in the past, the main requirement is to maintain mindfulness at the time of death. If the power of your mind is not present then, the power of Dharma and the power of Buddha will not manifest.

Master Ouyi therefore taught that mindfulness at the end of life comes from our daily practice of mindfulness. He said that without daily mindfulness, there will unquestionably be no mindfulness at the time of death. Therefore, when we recite Amitabha now, in addition to clear recitation, we need to sustain mindfulness; when encountering external objects, we need to ensure our minds do not become attached and our thoughts do not become distorted or deluded.  Then there is clear mindfulness — this point is very crucial!

When you are in a state of distortion without mindfulness, even if Amitabha’s name arises in your mind, it is difficult for it to produce a strong effect on you.  Recitations of Amitabha can only work and gain a response when they are done with clear mindfulness. 

Let me state this again: no one can attain the pureland if they die with distorted thoughts. It's impossible. In such a state, Amitabha Buddha has no way to save you.  Therefore, it is only when we have prepared ourselves thoroughly by truly possessing faith, aspirations, and practice that we can connect with Amitabha Buddha.  This is how the efficacious methods of the pureland school work…

I'll share a real-life story for your reference. This is a case study our old monk-master told us when we were studying in the Buddhist Institute.  He personally witnessed this happening.

There was a Layman Lin in Shanghai who built a very successful career. In his late years, he dedicated himself to the pureland practice. As he grew old, he was aware that life was coming to an end, so he began preparing for the next life, he stopped caring about the present life. He used a portion of his wealth to buy a piece of land for a center for pureland practice.  It was named “Cultivation Garden”. He also personally attended group practice daily and practiced himself diligently.

Later, he fell ill. While he was on his deathbed, many fellow practitioners came to support him with chanting because he had built good affinities with many people throughout his life. With his own merits and this excellent external support, he had everything he needed. He was mindful and turned his attention within.  His countenance was radiant and peaceful.

Layperson Lin had two wives and he was very fond of his second wife. She came to his bedside. Not being a Buddhist, she began to cry and pleaded, "You can't die! What will I do after you're gone?" Mr. Lin was still emotionally attached to her. In his daily practice, he had not fully contemplated and overcome this attachment, so the strong seed of clinging was still there.

As you know, when a seed of attachment meets an external stimulus, the mind and the object combine to manifest a powerful reaction. His second wife's crying awakened his affection and attachment to her. As a result, his entire state of mind changed instantly. His facial expression became dark and unpleasant-looking and he soon passed away.

Shortly after his death, his son had a dream in which his father was reborn as a puppy. In the dream, the place where his father was reborn was shown in great clarity. The son managed to track down the place and retrieved the dog. It was a white dog with a black spot on its head. The son brought this dog to Master Dixian's monastery to be reared.

What does this incident show us? We have engaged in many distorted thoughts and also cultivated many virtuous habits. The problem is which type would manifest at the critical moment of death —is it our virtues or distorted thoughts? This is often something beyond our control.  If you frequently dwell on deluded thoughts, then they gradually become very powerful habit patterns. Therefore, the key is to learn now how to break free from the grip of these deluded thoughts in your daily life.

(Observation: The dog could at least spend its life being looked after in a Buddhist environment due to the merits he had cultivated in his past life. Therefore, these merits still produced their beneficial effect.)