Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche
Our kind root guru Lama Achuk Rinpoche often admonished us, "For a beginner, practicing the Dharma is not the main point; the top priority is to thoroughly understand how to practice."
If we do not know how to generate the right motivation (of Bodhicitta) or do not know how to practice, even if we do good deeds in appearance, it may contravene the authentic Dharma in reality.
For example, some people were Buddhists for their entire lives, but after their death, when great masters observed (where they had taken rebirth), it was said that they were wandering in the bardo or even in the three lower realms.
Many people do not understand how this could be possible -- why is the outcome for a Buddhist the same as someone who has not learned and practiced the Dharma? Actually, it is quite common for a practitioner who does not know how to practice correctly to end up this way.
I believe that most of us have engaged in a fair amount of good deeds since we entered the Buddhist path, but do these good deeds conform to the principles of the Buddhadharma? How should we judge?
One just needs to look at how much the afflictions of desire (attachment), anger (aversion) and ignorance have reduced in the mind, and how much one's faith and compassion have grown. This is the standard of measurement.
The Buddhist view is very objective and fair. In the Dharma, “virtue” is not defined by external appearances, such as the size or quantity of the good deeds or how many prayers one recites. These are not indicators of the authentic Dharma.
As practitioners, we say that we wish to be reborn in Sukhavati and attain ultimate liberation. But where is Sukhavati and liberation? Just as the Sixth Chan Patriarch, Master Huineng, said, "For one whose mind is virtue, Sukhavati is right before their eyes."
That is to say, Sukhavati is not located at some specific location, it is an appearance or perception manifested by a pure mind.
