Welcome to the SC Dharma Group Teachings PageColumbia TeachingsGeshe Ngawang Phuntsok's Introductory Teachings in BuddhismDateline: Columbia - July 3, 2002 Geshe Ngawang Phuntsok July 3, 2002 Geshe Ngawang Phuntsok's Introductory Teachings in Buddhism The meaning of dharma is "transform the mind." Ordinarily, we may have love; we may have honesty. Sometimes, we have an honest mind. We see a beggar, and we give him fifty cents. This is very simple compassion. Most of the time we are looking for our own happiness. We will go anywhere to find happiness; we will go everywhere to find happiness. We think we will get happiness from attending a big party, so we go there. Sometimes we think we will get happiness from being at the beach, so we go there. Education will help. If a person has education, oh, then this is a little bit different. We say an educated mind can have a good understanding of the dharma. For example, you have a pound of iron. If you put the pound of iron in water, then the iron goes directly to the bottom of the ocean. An educated man will know he can make the iron thin and flat, and it won’t sink; it will float on the water. We have two kinds of people, educated and uneducated, and the results are different. It is the same with dharma. A person who has an understanding of dharma, after he does something nonvirtuous, he will regret it. If he regrets it, he starts purification. Purification is a very good way to negate nonvirtuous actions or sins. If you don’t understand dharma, there is more energy for nonvirtuous acts. In this world, an educated man has patience; a silly man immediately argues and fights. A virtuous man can smile even when he’s annoyed because he’s educated in dharma. We need happiness, and we will go everywhere to get it. If your mind is not at peace, then wherever you go, it’s still not comfortable to you. We need peace, happiness to be a good person, to have everyone like us. Our aim is happiness, and there are two kinds of happiness, temporary and permanent. We try for permanent happiness. First, we need to realize all is suffering. Then we must try to abandon the origin of suffering. Before we abandon the origin of suffering, we need a path to wisdom. I have told you there is the suffering of birth; all children at birth cry. Then there is the suffering of aging, the suffering of sickness, the suffering of death, the suffering of separation from the cherished object, the suffering of meeting with a revolting object, the suffering of not finding the desired object, and finally, the five aggregates. It is important to understand suffering or dhuka. We experience the suffering of change, which is contaminated joyous feelings, and we experience the suffering of pervasive conditioning, which is the contamination of neutral feelings. The suffering of suffering is easy to understand; it is pain; even animals know it. There are six kinds of suffering: the suffering of uncertainty, the suffering of dissatisfaction, the suffering of discarding one’s body time and again, the suffering of frequent conception for rebirth, the suffering of frequent changes of fortune, and the suffering of loneliness. If you know all this is suffering, you understand it is difficult to find happiness. But you don’t need to be discouraged. If you have dharma understanding, that gives you courage because you know there is an antidote. You can prepare for suffering before it comes. Encompassed in the origin of suffering are two kinds of suffering, karma and delusion. Karma alone does not cause suffering to arise. If there are delusions, there is karma. Karma cannot produce suffering without delusion. When we consider the suffering of impermanence, there are four causes: direct cause, indirect cause, substantial cause and auxiliary conditions or cooperating factors. Delusion is an auxiliary cause of suffering. When a delusion comes into our mind, it disturbs your mind’s peace. An example of a direct cause of suffering would be a sickness. For example, bad food causes stomach pain. An indirect cause is a cause once removed; my grandfather is an indirect cause of me. A substantial cause is a physical condition that can cause pain. It is a problem that is already inside you, such as jaundice, and eventually, it causes pain. A substantial cause is the most important cause, so sometimes it is called the principal cause. For example, gold is the substantial cause of a ring. The ring is the result; a hammer is an indirect cause; the jeweler wielding the hammer is an auxiliary cause. There are many delusions, six root delusions and 20 secondary afflictions. The six root delusions are desire, attachment, hatred or anger, pride, ignorance or the misconceptual mind, and wrong view. There are three kinds of ignorance: grasping, obstruction of liberation, and obstruction of enlightenment. To really know about suffering, we need to understand delusion. If you don’t understand delusion, then you can’t know the cause of suffering. If you don’t know the cause of suffering, you’ll believe there is no solution. If you don’t try to solve the problem of suffering, there is no way to become happy. So, first you need to know, "What is suffering?" Second, you need to know the cause of suffering. After that, we see what the solutions are; we call this the path. Mostly, with dharma you try to become a good person. A good understanding of dharma benefits you. Then, if you do something wrong, you are not satisfied. You experience regret. Then you should try purification, which is one solution. But first, you need regret. If you regret nonvirtuous acts, that, in itself, is virtuous. If you regret virtue, then that mind is nonvirtuous. So regret is a method. It’s difficult, very difficult to abandon delusions. Day One, Day Two, we try. But this is not about one or two days; this is about your whole life. There is no retirement from delusions. Also, there is no retirement from dharma. From birth to death, here come attachment and anger. It’s very difficult to abandon delusions. We know they are bad, but it’s difficult to abandon them. After doing something wrong, we experience regret, and then we purify. That mind is virtuous, and the result is happiness. There are many methods or solutions that yield happiness. First, we think we did something wrong. Then we regret it. Then we try purification. Then we meditate. Then, one day, when the deluded mind comes, we try an antidote. But this depends on practice. Just like education or exercise needs practice, so does dharma. And practice means "on time;" it does not mean after the fact. We play tomorrow; today, we practice. Source: South Carolina Dharma Group Contact: Claudia Smith Brison Phone: 803-799-4901 E-mail: csbrin@infi.net |