How Karma Works

Watch this space - textual explanation coming soon!

The Law(s) of Karma

Deeply contemplate the certainty of karma....
-- The Three Principles of the Path

Happy are those who fear the LORD,
who greatly delight in his commandments.....
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered forever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.
The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
--Psalm 112: 1b, 4-10

The idea of karma expressed in the commonly known phrase "actions have consequences" is captured in the Pali word pair kamma-vipaka, which is to be understood as referring to intentional actions, and results (consequences) relating to states of being and (re)birth of the actor. In the Lam Rim tradition, karma is understood to have four aspects:

1. Karma is definite: Unskillful actions (akusala-kamma) lead to dukkha (stress, suffering, pain, distress, discontent) and skillful actions (kusala-kamma) lead to sukha (pleasure, ease, satisfaction).
   • The Cula-Kammavibhanga Sutta gives a detailed list of causes and effects.
2. Vipaka is fast-growing: It is said that its strength doubles overnight, particularly if the action (skillful or unskillful) was accomplished by strong intention, fully carried through, with satisfaction at its accomplishment.
3. If you create the cause through skillful or unskillful action, you will definitely enjoy or suffer its ultimate effect respectively, with a couple of exceptions:
   • In his Guide to the Bodhisattva's way of Life, Shantideva says:
     Whatever wholesome deeds,
     Such as venerating the Buddhas, and generosity,
     That have been amassed over a thousand aeons
     Will all be destroyed in one moment of anger.
     -- Bodhisattvacharyavatara, VI.1
   • In the performance of an unskillful action, you plant a seed of future suffering. However, through appropriate practice of repentance and purification it may be possible to prevent the conditions from arising under which that seed can grow and bear fruit.
4. If you do not create the cause, you will not experience a resulting effect.

Ten Skillful Actions

Bear fruit worthy of repentance.
-- Matthew 3:8

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,
nor his manservant, nor his maidservant,
nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
-- Exodus 20:17

Let your word be "Yes, Yes' or "No, No';
anything more than this comes from the evil one.
-- Matthew 5:37

All this is from God,
who reconciled us to himself through Christ,
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself...,
and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
-- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Finally, beloved,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
-- Philippians 4:8

In the Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta, after explaining the Ten Unskillful Actions (akusala-kamma) of body, speech and mind that lead to suffering, the Buddha goes on to explain their opposites, the "ten skillful actions" (kusala-kamma) that lead to happiness, as shown below. Note carefully that these are expressed in both their negative and positive aspects: what to abstain from and what to do instead.

"Now, Cunda, there are three ways in which one is made pure by bodily action, four ways in which one is made pure by verbal action, and three ways in which one is made pure by mental action.

"And how is one made pure in three ways by bodily action?

• There is the case where a certain person, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with his rod laid down, his knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings.
• Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He does not take, in the manner of a thief, things in a village or a wilderness that belong to others and have not been given by them.
• Abandoning sensual misconduct, he abstains from sensual misconduct. He does not get sexually involved with those who are protected by their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers by another man.

This is how one is made pure in three ways by bodily action.

"And how is one made pure in four ways by verbal action?

• There is the case where a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty, if he is asked as a witness, 'Come & tell, good man, what you know': If he doesn't know, he says, 'I don't know.' If he does know, he says, 'I know.' If he hasn't seen, he says, 'I haven't seen.' If he has seen, he says, 'I have seen.' Thus he doesn't consciously tell a lie for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of any reward. Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world.
• Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord.
• Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing & pleasing to people at large.
• Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, & the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal.

This is how one is made pure in four ways by verbal action.

"And how is one made pure in three ways by mental action?

• There is the case where a certain person is not covetous. He does not covet the belongings of others, thinking, 'O, that what belongs to others would be mine!'
• He bears no ill will and is not corrupt in the resolves of his heart. [He thinks,] 'May these beings be free from animosity, free from oppression, free from trouble, and may they look after themselves with ease!'
• He has right view and is not warped in the way he sees things: 'There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed. There are fruits & results of good & bad actions. There is this world & the next world. There is mother & father. There are spontaneously reborn beings; there are brahmans & contemplatives who, faring rightly & practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next after having directly known & realized it for themselves.'

This is how one is made pure in three ways by mental action.

"These, Cunda, are the ten courses of skillful action. When a person is endowed with these ten courses of skillful action, then even if he gets up at the proper time from his bed and touches the earth, he is still pure. If he doesn't touch the earth, he is still pure. If he touches wet cow dung, he is still pure. If he doesn't touch wet cow dung, he is still pure. If he touches green grass... If he doesn't touch green grass... If he worships a fire... If he doesn't worship a fire... If he pays homage to the sun with clasped hands... If he doesn't pay homage to the sun with clasped hands... If he goes down into the water three times by nightfall... If he doesn't go down into the water three times by nightfall, he is still pure. Why is that? Because these ten courses of skillful action are pure and cause purity. Furthermore, as a result of being endowed with these ten courses of skillful action, [rebirth among] the devas is declared, [rebirth among] human beings is declared — that or any other good destination.

When this was said, Cunda the silversmith said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."

-- from "Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta: To Cunda the Silversmith" (AN 10.176),
translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, Legacy Edition, 30 November 2013.

The Noble Eightfold Path

And inspire me that with mindfulness and alertness
Born from thoughts ultimately pure,
I may live in accord with the holy dharma,
The ways leading to personal liberation.
The Foundation of All Perfections

He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in paths of righteousness
for His Name's sake.
-- Psalm 23:

Although the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta lists the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, it does not provide any information as to the meaning or content of these elements. A more detailed explanation is given in the portion of the Maha-satipatthana Sutta extracted below. There is a lot of information packed into this excerpt, which we will unpack in future posts, but here are just a couple of preliminary things to note:

• I personally prefer the word anguish instead of "stress" or "suffering" to denote the mental and emotional experience of the phenomenon denoted by the Pali word dukkha.
• "Right mindfulness" and "right concentration" are addressed in a slightly different, but not inconsistent, way by the Anapanasati Sutta, part of which we used in A Basic Meditation Technique (the Pali term jhana (Sanskrit dhyana) means "mental absorption").

"And what is the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress? Just this very noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.

"And what is right view? Knowledge with regard to stress, knowledge with regard to the origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the cessation of stress, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: This is called right view.

"And what is right resolve? Aspiring to renunciation, to freedom from ill will, to harmlessness: This is called right resolve.

"And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.

"And what is right action? Abstaining from taking life, from stealing, & from illicit sex. This is called right action.

"And what is right livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood: This is called right livelihood.

"And what is right effort? There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, arouses persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen... for the sake of the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen... for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen... (and) for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This is called right effort.

"And what is right mindfulness? There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves... the mind in & of itself... mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This is called right mindfulness.

"And what is right concentration? There is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities — enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.' With the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This is called right concentration.

"This is called the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.

-- from "Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference" (DN 22),
translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, Legacy Edition, 30 November 2013.

The Four Noble Truths

No longer craving fantasy,
a steadfast desire for liberation,
attaining these two is the first breakthrough.
The Three Principles of the Path

Inspire me to realize the shortcomings of samsara
And to give birth to the great wish for blissful freedom.
The Foundation of All Perfections

Praise the LORD!
Happy are those who fear the LORD,
who greatly delight in his commandments....
The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
-- Psalm 112:1,10

The core teachings of Buddhism are found in the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta ("The Sutra of Turning the Wheel of Truth"), which describes the Buddha's first sermon to his disciples in the Deer Park at Varanasi. This begins with a brief description of the Middle Path which avoids addiction to extremes. Then follow the Four Noble Truths, which explain why the path is to be followed.

The literal meaning of the Pali term nibbana (Sanskrit nirvana) is "unbinding", that is, liberation of the mind from its enslavement by the Three Poisons and all the anguish (dukkha, often translated "suffering") that follows from that.

"Monks, these two extremes ought not to be practiced.... There is addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and unprofitable.

"Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata [The Perfect One] has realized the Middle Path; it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana.... It is the Noble Eightfold path, and nothing else, namely: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration....

"The Noble Truth of Suffering [dukkha], monks, is this: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering, association with the unpleasant is suffering, dissociation from the pleasant is suffering, not to receive what one desires is suffering — in brief the five aggregates subject to grasping are suffering.

"The Noble Truth of the Origin [cause] of Suffering is this: It is this craving [thirst] which produces re-becoming (rebirth) accompanied by passionate greed, and finding fresh delight now here, and now there, namely craving for sense pleasure, craving for existence and craving for non-existence (self-annihilation).

"The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering is this: It is the complete cessation of that very craving, giving it up, relinquishing it, liberating oneself from it, and detaching oneself from it.

"The Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering is this: It is the Noble Eightfold Path, and nothing else, namely: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration."

-- from "Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth" (SN 56.11).
Translated from the Pali by Piyadassi Thera.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013.

The Fire Sermon

No longer craving fantasy,
a steadfast desire for liberation,
attaining these two is the first breakthrough.
-- The Three Principles of the Path, Verse 2

Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'/Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet/Mad bull lost its way
-- The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter", 1969

You were taught to put away your former way of life,
your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,
and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
and to clothe yourselves with the new self,
created according to the likeness of God
in true righteousness and holiness.
-- Ephesians 3:22-24

The bhavachakra is sometimes represented as being engulfed in flame as shown here (click on the image for a larger version), to make the point that all of cyclic existence (samsara) is afire with the Three Poisons of ignorance, attachment and aversion. A similar metaphor is employed by the Buddha in his "Fire Sermon", where he tells us that we must free ourselves from the fiery enchantment exercised by the Three Poisons on the five "aggregates" (skandhas: form, sensation, perception, mental habits and consciousness — the five skulls in the crown of Yama, the Lord of Death) through which phenomena arise to consciousness.

Your samsara is the continuation of your contaminated aggregates.
-- Gelek Rimpoche

Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God --
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
--Romans 12:2

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Gaya, at Gaya Head, with 1,000 monks. There he addressed the monks:

"Monks, the All is aflame. What All is aflame? The eye is aflame. Forms are aflame. Consciousness at the eye is aflame. Contact at the eye is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye — experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain — that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs.

"The ear is aflame. Sounds are aflame...
"The nose is aflame. Aromas are aflame...
"The tongue is aflame. Flavors are aflame...
"The body is aflame. Tactile sensations are aflame...

"The intellect is aflame. Ideas are aflame. Consciousness at the intellect is aflame. Contact at the intellect is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect — experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain — that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of passion, the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I say, with birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs.

"Seeing thus, the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones grows disenchanted with the eye, disenchanted with forms, disenchanted with consciousness at the eye, disenchanted with contact at the eye. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: With that, too, he grows disenchanted.

"He grows disenchanted with the ear...
"He grows disenchanted with the nose...
"He grows disenchanted with the tongue...
"He grows disenchanted with the body...

"He grows disenchanted with the intellect, disenchanted with ideas, disenchanted with consciousness at the intellect, disenchanted with contact at the intellect. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the intellect, experienced as pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain: He grows disenchanted with that too. Disenchanted, he becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion, he is fully released. With full release, there is the knowledge, 'Fully released.' He discerns that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.'"

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted at his words. And while this explanation was being given, the hearts of the 1,000 monks, through clinging no more, were fully released from contamination.

"Adittapariyaya Sutta: The Fire Sermon" (SN 35.28).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013.
Final sentence modified, based on a translation by Ñanamoli Thera.

The Wheel of Existence

Deeply contemplate the certainty of karma
and the constant suffering of samsara.
See beyond the cycle of lives.
The Three Principles of the Path

Sensual gluttony is a gate to suffering
And is not worthy of a lucid mind.
Inspire me to realize the shortcomings of samsara
And to give birth to the great wish for blissful freedom.
The Foundation of All Perfections

We're captive on the carousel of Time...
Joni Mitchell, "The Circle Game" (1970)

Wretched man that I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
-- Romans 7:24

Painted on the outside wall of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and temples is a "Wheel of Existence" (bhavachakra), a symbolic representation of samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death and suffering. As shown below, this comprises six "realms" or mental/emotional states, divided into three "lower" and three "upper" realms:

• The hell realm (naraka) of extreme suffering of heat, cold, mental and physical distress
• The realm of hungry ghosts (pretas), who suffer unquenchable hunger and thirst
• The realm of animals, who suffer from being killed and eaten, and from ignorance which keeps them in thrall to samsara
• The realm of humans, who suffer from birth, disease, old age and death, but who have the opportunity to get off the wheel thanks to the Ten Endowments
• The realm of samsaric gods (devas), who enjoy great pleasure but suffer from impermanence and death
• The realm of demi-gods (asuras), who suffer from their own jealousy, which leads them to constantly make war on the devas - and constantly lose!

In the center of the wheel are the Three Poisons, represented by three animals who provide the energy to keep the wheel turning: the pig (ignorance), the snake (aversion) and the rooster (attachment). On the inner rim of the hamster cage are the sentient beings, propelled downward by negative karma (their actions while under the influence of the poisons) and upward by positive karma (actions taken as they free themselves from the poisons). Around the outer rim are the "twelve stages of dependent origination," showing how beings are trapped in the cycle through ignorance. The whole wheel is held in the grip of impermanence, usually represented as Yama, the Lord of Death.

But look! Above the wheel there is a Buddha pointing at the moon, a symbol of freedom, clarity and peace. In some representations, as in the one below, there is also a "Pure Land" where beings who have not been able to reach full liberation can go to receive final instructions from Buddha Amitabha - the closest thing to the Christian idea of Heaven.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
-- Romans 8:3

Ach wie nichtig

Lacking the determination to be free,
you remain stupefied by samsara's delights.
Since obsession ropes all beings to samsara,
First free yourself from it.
Wonderful is this life, short its nature.
Don't cheat yourself with fleeting pleasure....
The Three Principles of the Path

By regarding all phenomena as illusory,
I will keep these practices undefiled
By the stains of the eight worldly concerns....
-- Geshe Langri Tangpa, "Mind Training in Eight Verses"

Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
Psalm 146:3-4

These verses remind us again not to let our spiritual development be distracted by obsession with the eight worldly concerns of gain and loss, praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure and pain; remember the metaphors of the dirty chalice and weedy ground. More to the point, they are giving us hints as to why to be indifferent to these concerns: They are "stupefying" (because they make us stupid!), and "illusory" because they are "fleeting", incapable of bestowing lasting happiness.

The old German chorale below may help to deepen your feeling for these root truths. It was written in 1652, just four years after the Thirty Years' War, a war of kings under the guise of religion in which the German states lost a third of their population to war, famine and plague. Just for a sense of proportion, that would be as if the US were to endure three 9/11's per day for thirty years.

The German word nichtig has a basic meaning of "insubstantial, perishable, futile" so the translator used "cheating" for rhyming purposes. You won't find this hymn in any modern hymnal, but it was the basis for a Bach cantata (BWV 26).

Ach wie nichtig, ach wie flüchtig
Michael Frank, 1609-1667
harmonized by J.S.Bach
Adapted from a translation in Hymns by Sir John Bowring

O how cheating, O how fleeting,
Is our earthly being!
'Tis a mist in wintry weather,
Gathered in an hour together,
And as soon dispers'd in ether.

O how cheating, O how fleeting,
Are our days departing!
Like a deep and headlong river,
Flowing onward, flowing ever,
Tarrying not and stopping never.

O how cheating, O how fleeting,
Are the world's enjoyments!
All the hues of change they borrow,
Bright today and dark tomorrow --
Mingled lot of joy and sorrow!

O how cheating, O how fleeting,
Is all earthly beauty!
Like a summer flow'ret flowing,
Scattered by the breezes blowing
O'er the bed on which 'twas growing.

O how cheating, O how fleeting,
All -- yes all -- that's earthly!
Everything is fading, flying;
Man is mortal, earth is dying;
Christian, live! -- on Heav'n relying.

Death and Life

Well... after the Meditation on Death, you may feel a bit like this:

And you run and you run / To catch up with the sun / But it's sinking
Racing around / To come up behind you again
The sun is the same / In a relative way / But you're older
Shorter of breath / And one day closer to death
-- Pink Floyd, "Time", Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

To overcome this sort of despair in the face of death, we must recollect that the purpose of this meditation is not to depress us, but to encourage us to learn and practice Dharma:

Precious human life, gained but once,
Has great potential but is easily lost.
Inspire me to remember this constantly
And to think day and night of taking its essence.
-- The Foundation of All Perfections, Verse 2

In the Maranassati Sutta (see below) the Tathagata gives us a practical method for using the thought of death to help us "think day and night of taking its essence." This will give us a strong practical basis for faith in the Four Assurances, to say with Geshe Chekawa, "Now if I die, I have no regrets."

A similar practice of Morning and Evening Prayer can help Christians to develop the confidence of which the Apostle Paul speaks:

...For I am convinced
that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- Romans 8:38-39

I have heard that at one time the Blessed One was staying at Nadika, in the Brick Hall. There he addressed the monks, "Monks, mindfulness of death — when developed & pursued — is of great fruit & great benefit. It gains a footing in the Deathless, has the Deathless as its final end. And how is mindfulness of death developed & pursued so that it is of great fruit & great benefit, gains a footing in the Deathless, and has the Deathless as its final end?

"There is the case where a monk, as day departs and night returns, reflects: 'Many are the [possible] causes of my death. A snake might bite me, a scorpion might sting me, a centipede might bite me.... That would be how my death would come about. That would be an obstruction for me.' Then the monk should investigate: 'Are there any evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by me that would be an obstruction for me were I to die in the night?' If, on reflecting, he realizes that there are evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by him that would be an obstruction for him were he to die in the night, then he should put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, undivided mindfulness, & alertness for the abandoning of those very same evil, unskillful qualities.... But if, on reflecting, he realizes that there are no evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by him that would be an obstruction for him were he to die in the night, then for that very reason he should dwell in joy & rapture, training himself day & night in skillful qualities.

"Further, there is the case where a monk, as night departs and day returns, reflects: 'Many are the [possible] causes of my death.... Are there any evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by me that would be an obstruction for me were I to die during the day?' If, on reflecting, he realizes that there are evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by him that would be an obstruction for him were he to die during the day, then he should put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, undivided mindfulness, & alertness for the abandoning of those very same evil, unskillful qualities.... But if, on reflecting, he realizes that there are no evil, unskillful mental qualities unabandoned by him that would be an obstruction for him were he to die during the day, then for that very reason he should dwell in joy & rapture, training himself day & night in skillful qualities.

"This, monks, is how mindfulness of death is developed & pursued so that it is of great fruit & great benefit, gains a footing in the Deathless, and has the Deathless as its final end."

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One's words.

"Maranassati Sutta: Mindfulness of Death (2)" (AN 6.20).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013

Life and Death

I must remember that death is quick to strike,
For spirit quivers in flesh like a bubble in water,
And after death one’s good and evil deeds
Trail after one like the shadow trails the body.
Understanding that this most certainly is true,
May I discard every level of wrong,
And generate an infinite mass of goodness;
Inspire me to be thus continually aware.
-- The Foundation of All Perfections, Verses 3-4

Remember your creator in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come,
and the years draw near when you will say,
"I have no pleasure in them";
...before the silver cord is snapped,
and the golden bowl is broken,
and the pitcher is broken at the fountain,
and the wheel broken at the cistern,
and the dust returns to the earth as it was,
and the breath returns to God who gave it.
-- Ecclesiastes 12:1,6-7

As we have seen, this life, in this place and time, is our best chance for spiritual development. To encourage us to be diligent in this, the Lam Rim provides a three-point meditation on death. These points can be reinforced by meditation on some of the verses in Chapter II of Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life:

1. That we shall die is certain.

My foes will become nothing.
My friends will become nothing.
I too will become nothing.
Likewise all will become nothing.

Just like a dream experience,
Whatever things I enjoy
Will become a memory.
Whatever has passed will not be seen again.

Remaining neither day nor night,
Life is always slipping by
And never getting any longer.
Why will death not come to one like me?

2. The time of our death is uncertain.

The untrustworthy lord of death
Waits not for things to be done or undone;
Whether I am sick or healthy,
This fleeting lifespan is unstable.

3. At the time of our death,
nothing can help but our own spiritual development
(our "internal Dharma").

Leaving all I must depart alone....

While I am lying in bed,
Although surrounded by my friends and relatives,
The feeling of life being severed
Will be experienced by me alone.

When seized by the messengers of death,
What benefit will friends and relatives afford?
My merit alone shall protect me then,
But upon that I have never relied.

And finally, this:

And he spake a parable unto them, saying,
The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
And he thought within himself, saying,
What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
And he said, This will I do:
I will pull down my barns, and build greater;
and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
And I will say to my soul,
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years;
take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him,
Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee:
then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself,
and is not rich toward God.
-- Luke 12:13-21(KJV)

Ten Blessings

Precious human life, gained but once,
Has great potential but is easily lost.
Inspire me to remember this constantly
And to think day and night of taking its essence.
-- The Foundation of All Perfections, Verse 2

When the Lam Rim refers to "precious human life," it is talking about your life, here and now, made special and blessed with ten endowments. We've already seen the first two of them in the Chiggala Sutta. As you look at these first five, you'll realize that we are doubly blessed, in a rare and precious way, through access to both Christian and Buddhist living traditions!

1. Tathagatas ("thus-gone ones", fully awakened beings) have arisen in the world.
2. They have taught the Dharma ("doctrine and discipline").
3. The Dharma remains in the world.
4. The Dharma is being followed.
5. The teaching of the Dharma is generously supported.

The second five blessings are those that make your life particularly blessed:

6. You are a human being (only humans are capable of learning and practicing Dharma).
7. You are in a place and time where you are free to practice your religion.
8. You are capable of understanding and practicing the Dharma.
9. You have not committed crimes so heinous that they prevent spiritual development (in Christianity these are called "mortal sins without penance").
10. You are capable of developing enduring faith.

Now the question is: How to take advantage of these blessings in order to achieve the best this life has to offer, that is, immeasurable and lasting love, compassion, joy and peace?

The Blind Turtle

Not addicted to samsara's delights,
fulfilling the mission of precious life
pursuing the fully reliable path,
listen with a clear mind, you fortunate one.
-- The Three Principles of the Path, Verse 2

Precious human life, gained but once,
Has great potential but is easily lost.
Inspire me to remember this constantly
And to think day and night of taking its essence.
-- The Foundation of All Perfections, Verse 2

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
-- Psalm 8:3-5 (KJV)

When the Lam Rim refers to "precious human life," it is talking about your life, here and now. From a Christian point of view, this life is your only shot at living fully, joyfully and meaningfully, and dying without regret; from a Buddhist point of view, it is the best shot you may get for a long time - there is no guarantee that you will take rebirth in human form at an appropriate time and place to make any spiritual progress.

"Monks, suppose that this great earth were totally covered with water, and a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole there. A wind from the east would push it west, a wind from the west would push it east. A wind from the north would push it south, a wind from the south would push it north. And suppose a blind sea-turtle were there. It would come to the surface once every one hundred years. Now what do you think: would that blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole?"

"It would be a sheer coincidence, lord, that the blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface once every one hundred years, would stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole."

"It's likewise a sheer coincidence that one obtains the human state. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, arises in the world. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world. Now, this human state has been obtained. A Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, has arisen in the world. A doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world.

"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.'"

"Chiggala Sutta: The Hole" (SN 56.48).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 1 July 2010

The Three Principal Aspects of the Path

Heart of the Buddha's teachings,
path praised by bodhisattvas,
gateway to liberation
this I will explain as best I can.

Je Tsongkhapa's Three Principal Aspects of the Path, translated by Gelek Rimpoche as The Three Principles of the Path, was composed to "explain as best I can" the Buddhist path to enlightenment from three successively more advanced points of view. In the first verse of this brief instruction, Tsongkhapa outlines what is to follow - a framework that we can use for understanding the Christian heritage in the light of the Buddhadharma.

1. The "heart of the Buddha's teachings" is the path of individual liberation, marked by the principle of renunciation (the determination to be free of suffering and its causes). The Apostle Paul describes this liberation in the famous sentence
...the law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus
has set me free from the law of sin and death.
-- Romans 8:2
2. The "path praised by bodhisattvas" is the path of love and compassion, marked by the principle of bodhichitta, the "Awakening Mind". I believe that this is what Paul had in mind when he reminded the church in Philippi:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death
- even death on a cross.
-- Philippians 2:5-8
3. The "gateway to liberation" is the path of wisdom, marked by the principle of active bodhichitta, that seeks ultimate wisdom in order to be of maximum benefit to all sentient beings.
If you abide in me,
and my words abide in you,
ask for whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
-- John 15:7
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes
with sighs too deep for words.
-- Romans 8:26

Homage to the Great Masters

Homage to the Great Masters.

With this phrase Je Tsongkhapa begins The Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Highest Enlightenment (translated by Gelek Rimpoche as The Three Principles of the Path). In this way, he acknowledges his debt to his predecessors in the Lam Rim ("Stepwise Path") lineage. Some of the major figures in this lineage, as shown in the thangka below, are Atisha directly above Tsongkhapa; Shantideva above Atisha; Nagarjuna (I think) above Shantideva; then Buddha Shakyamuni to the left of Nagarjuna. Tsongkhapa's disciples are shown on both sides, and their spiritual descendants below. (We'll leave the "deities" for another time.)

As Christians who hope to benefit from this study of the Lam Rim, we should extend our admiration and gratitude to the entire Lam Rim lineage, and especially to Gelek Rimpoche, the Dalai Lama and the rest of the accomplished masters of their generation, who through their great generosity, skillful means and tireless teaching have brought the benefits of this tradition to the Western world. We should also remember with joyful gratitude all those who have passed on to us, sometimes at great cost, the wisdom of the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,
and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith....
-- Hebrews 12:1,2

Practice = Analysis, Synthesis, Resolution, Dedication

I've found the following procedure to be useful in attaining the benefits of spiritual teachings: (1) establish a good motivation; (2) stabilize your mind through meditation; (3) get the information; (4) establish an appropriate practice through analysis, synthesis, resolution and dedication.

Analysis (literally "taking apart") and synthesis ("putting together") are necessary because any good spiritual teaching such as the Lam Rim is rich in interrelated meanings, rather like Forrest Gump's "box o' chawklits" - all are sweet, but it is impossible to ingest them all at once without getting sick.

In a traditional Christian worship service you will hear four interrelated readings from the Bible: a Psalm, another reading from the Hebrew Bible, a reading from the Letters of the Apostles and a reading from one of the Gospels; then you will hear a sermon or homily that will provide advice on how to apply some of the points in these readings to your life as a follower of Jesus Christ.

The challenge after getting the information is to identify and then practice those points that are most suitable for your own particular stage of spiritual development. Here are some techniques that can help in this work during and after a Christian worship service:

• Stabilize your mind through meditation before, after, and during breaks in the service.
• Take notes whenever something in the service, even a hymn, strikes you as particularly significant. Don't try to write down everything, and don't get lost in speculation around a particular point - you may miss something! Just jot it down and let it pass, just as you do with wayward thoughts during meditation. Have paper and pencil at the ready!
• Reserve some time during the week to review the written materials from the service in the context of your notes. You may find points you have missed, or you may find passages that reinforce or correct the points in your notes (a good study Bible helps here). At Faith UCC, we try to facilitate this process by publishing links to the Bible readings and hymns on the Worship page during the week preceding the service, and to provide a written copy of the sermon along with the Bible links on the Sermons page early in the week after the service.
• You may find it useful to begin your review session with a short period of meditation and motivation.
• Identify one or points that "resonate" most strongly with you. This may be in the form of connections to things that you already know and practice (I find that the lam rim provides me with a framework within for making these connections), or sometimes in the form of an "aha" moment that rings like a bell, or sometimes in the form of a growing, joyful awareness.
• Synthesize the information by finding a word, phrase or passage that helps you link the new point(s) into your existing framework of knowledge and practice, and commit this mnemonic to memory.
• Resolve to follow the advice of Geshe Chekawa in the Seven-Point Mind Training: "Remember this by repeated recollection. Practice every activity by these words."
• Dedicate the practice of what you have learned with a mind calmed and stabilized by meditation. A simple dedication is: "Through this practice may I and every being be blessed."

The Kalama Sutta Revisited

Having discussed the Guru Business, we're now in a position to read the whole Kalama Sutta in context:

1. The Kalamas of Kesaputta come to the Buddha with a request to resolve the conflicting teachings of their various (obviously unskillful!) gurus.
2. The Buddha begins his resolution of their confusion with the first half of Buddha's Warning Label, and then leads them through the Three Poisons and their associated unskillful actions (akusala-kamma), thereby convincing them that these qualities are to be abandoned.
3. The Buddha then repeats the first half of the Warning Label, then gives the second half, and proceeds to explain that abandonment of the Three Poisons and their associated unskillful actions leads to welfare and happiness.
4. After repeating the second half of the warning label, the Buddha proceeds to an exposition of the Four Immeasurables.
5. He then gives the Four Assurances.
6. The Sutta ends with the Kalamas praising the insight of the Buddha and taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (much more about this later).

The Guru Business

I've found the following procedure to be useful in attaining the benefits of spiritual teachings: (1) establish a good motivation; (2) stabilize your mind through meditation; (3) get the information; (4) establish an appropriate practice through analysis, synthesis, resolution and dedication.

In the previous post, I listed some sources of printed information that you could use in step (3). It can also be useful to receive teachings in printed or spoken form from qualified teachers. As Je Tsongkhapa says in Foundation of all Perfections:

Following a kind master, foundation of all perfections,
Is the very root and basis of the path.
Inspire me to see this clearly
And to make every effort to follow well.

As quoted by the Dalai Lama in The Path to Enlightenment, the Third Dalai Lama in Essence of Refined Gold lists four ways that a well qualified and motivated spiritual guide (Tibetan lama, Sanskrit guru) can benefit trainees: (i) by providing supportive generosity (we'll cover the types of generosity later); (ii) by inspiring through gentleness and cheerfulness; (iii) by providing teaching and encouragement; and (iv) by providing a living example of the teachings.

We have all heard of incidents where such guides, under the influence of one or more of the Three Poisons, have abused students verbally, mentally, physically or sexually. Fortunately, the Lam Rim teachings provide us with several ways of protecting ourselves from such abuse:

1. Observe the teacher's behavior. Is it consistent with the list above?
2. Check whether the teacher is qualified. Here's the Lam Rim job description from the Third Dalai Lama; you could also apply it mutatis mutandis to teachers in other traditions:
   • The teacher's mindstream is: tamed with realization of the higher training in ethical discipline; stilled with realization of the higher training in meditation; completely tempered with realization of the higher training in wisdom.
   • The teacher has authoritative scriptural learning.
   • The teacher is in possession of an awareness that can perceive emptiness.
   • The teacher has more learning and realization than the disciples.
3. Check the teacher's attitude, as prescribed in the job description:
   • skill and spontaneous creativity in applying the methods for generating progress in disciples;
   • a pure motivation free from grasping for wealth, fame or power;
   • enthusiasm and joy in giving time and energy to teaching;
   • diligence and perseverance in teaching;
   • beyond losing patience with students who practice poorly.

As I said previously, I have found the Dalai Lama and Gelek Rimpoche to be highly qualified spiritual guides by these criteria. I am sure there are many more, but the evaluation and choice should always be that of the student, not the teacher. As Gelek Rimpoche has said many times, "If somebody says to you, 'I am your guru' - run away as fast as you can! Run a hundred miles away!'

As Christians, we can see that Jesus was a supremely qualified spiritual guide, and in that respect we can certainly follow the Third Dalai Lama's final advice on this subject:

If you can find a guru possessing these... qualities,
beg for the teachings.
And then follow them well.

...let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith....
-- Hebrews 12:1,2

Reliable Sources

I've found the following procedure to be useful in attaining the benefits of spiritual teachings: (1) establish a good motivation; (2) stabilize your mind through meditation; (3) get the information; (4) establish an appropriate practice through analysis, synthesis, resolution and dedication.

Here are some sources of information that you should find useful in step (3):

• A well-annotated study Bible such as The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha
• A good Biblical reference work such as the Oxford Companion to the Bible
• The root texts for our Lam Rim study: The Three Principles of the Path and The Foundation of all Perfections.
• A reliable translation of Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life
• Access to Insight for translations and explanations of the Tipitaka (the Pali Canon)
• A good introductory Lam Rim text such as the The Path To Enlightenment by the Dalai Lama or The Three Principles of the Path by Gelek Rimpoche (I consider any of the teachings of these two great teachers to be authoritative)
• Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche for a deep, well-indexed reference to the Lam Rim as traditionally taught in Tibet in 1921.

NEXT: The Guru Business

The Three Poisons

In contrast to the Four Immeasurables, in the Kalama Sutta the Buddha also enumerates three "root (mula) defilements (kilesa)" that are the causes of unskillful actions (akusala-kamma). You can see Buddha's enumeration of five such actions in the excerpt below. These actions lead in turn to "harm & suffering" (dukkha).

The Lam Rim has a lot more to say about these "Three Poisons" and their antidotes. In the meantime, here are a few thoughts from the Bible on the subject:

But those who want to be rich fall into temptation
and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires
that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
and in their eagerness to be rich
some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pains.
-- 1 Timothy 6:9,10

"You have heard that it was said,
"You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be children of your Father in heaven...."
-- Matthew 5:43-45a

...you must no longer live as the Gentiles live,
in the futility of their minds.
They are darkened in their understanding,
alienated from the life of God
because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.
-- Ephesians 4:17b,18

"What do you think, Kalamas? When greed arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"
"For harm, lord."
"And this greedy person, overcome by greed, his mind possessed by greed, kills living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term harm & suffering."
"Yes, lord."

"Now, what do you think, Kalamas? When aversion arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"
"For harm, lord."
"And this aversive person, overcome by aversion, his mind possessed by aversion, kills living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term harm & suffering."
"Yes, lord."

"Now, what do you think, Kalamas? When delusion arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"
"For harm, lord."
"And this deluded person, overcome by delusion, his mind possessed by delusion, kills living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term harm & suffering."
"Yes, lord."

"So what do you think, Kalamas: Are these qualities skillful or unskillful?"
"Unskillful, lord."
"Blameworthy or blameless?"
"Blameworthy, lord."
"Criticized by the wise or praised by the wise?"
"Criticized by the wise, lord."
"When adopted & carried out, do they lead to harm & to suffering, or not?"
"When adopted & carried out, they lead to harm & to suffering. That is how it appears to us."

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said....

".... What do you think, Kalamas? When lack of greed arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"
"For welfare, lord."
"And this ungreedy person, not overcome by greed, his mind not possessed by greed, doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term welfare & happiness."
"Yes, lord...."

"Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas" (AN 3.65).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013

The Four Immeasurables

In response to a question in yesterday's class, here's some more information about the "Four Immeasurables".

• They are enumerated by the Buddha in the Kalama Sutta. From the excerpt below, you can see why they are called "immeasurable".
• They are defined in the Glossary of Pali and Buddhist Terms at Access To Insight as the brahma-vihara, the four "sublime" or "divine abodes" described as qualities in which to "enter and remain" in Buddha's Warning Label:
  1. mettā: Loving-kindness; goodwill.
     [See John 15:9-13; 1 Corinthians 13]
  2. karuṇā: Compassion; sympathy; the aspiration to find a way to be truly helpful to oneself and others.
     [See Matthew 25:34-40]
  3. muditā: Appreciative/sympathetic joy. Taking delight in one's own goodness and that of others.
     [See Philippians 4:4]
  4. upekkhā: Equanimity.
     [See John 14:27]
• The lam rim will have a lot more to tell us about why and how to "enter and remain" in these qualities.

"In my Father's house are many abodes....
Those who love me will keep my word,
and my Father will love them,
and we will come to them and make our abode with them."
-- John 14: 1,23

"Now, Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, alert, & resolute — keeps pervading the first direction [the east] — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with good will. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with good will: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with compassion. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with compassion: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with appreciation. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with appreciation: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with equanimity. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with equanimity: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas" (AN 3.65).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013

Stabilize Your Mind

I've found the following procedure to be useful in attaining the benefits of spiritual teachings: (1) establish a good motivation; (2) stabilize your mind through meditation; (3) get the information; (4) establish an appropriate practice through analysis, synthesis, resolution and dedication.

You may find the following meditation technique helpful in Step (2). Click here for a printable and downloadable version.

The Chalice and the Sower

I've found the following procedure to be useful in attaining the benefits of spiritual teachings: (1) establish a good motivation; (2) stabilize your mind through meditation; (3) get the information; (4) establish an appropriate practice through analysis, synthesis, resolution and dedication.

Lam Rim students often establish their motivation through a simple recitation of the Four Immeasurables: "I would like to learn these precepts so that I and all beings may have happiness and its causes; may be free of suffering and its causes; may never be separated from the joy that is free of sorrow; may dwell in equanimity, free of attachment and aversion."

A similar Christian motivation can be established by singing "Lord, I want to be a Christian."

In Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (#20-23), Pabongka Rinpoche advises students to consider themselves "vessels for the Dharma." Students are advised: (1) Don't be an upside-down cup, which the Dharma just bounces off without retaining any of it; (2) Don't be a dirty cup, where the Dharma is polluted by worldly concerns such as gain and loss, praise and blame, success and failure, pleasure and pain; (3) Don't be a leaky cup, which is unable to retain and practice the Dharma. Similar advice is given by Jesus in the Parable of the Sower.

Christians may consider it helpful to think of their minds and hearts as chalices to receive the Dharma, just as in the Eucharist the chalice receives the sacramental wine. We want that chalice to be upright, clean and whole.

What? know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you,
which ye have of God,
and ye are not your own?
-- 1 Corinthians 3:16

A Lam Rim Timeline

The figure below gives a timeline for the Lam Rim lineage discussed in the previous post, along with a few relevant events and personages from world history.

Click here for a "live" version of this figure with active links to additional information.

A Lam Rim Lineage

Traditional presentations of the lam rim begin with an extensive description of the lineage, in order to instill respect for the teachings and a desire to learn them. Here is a very brief and incomplete sketch of the lineage we will be using.

1. All lineages of the Buddhadharma ("Precepts of the Awakened One") trace their origin to the teachings of Gautama Buddha (ca. 563-483 BC),often referred to as Shakyamuni Buddha, "The Awakened One from the Shakya clan," in a similar manner as Jesus of Nazareth is referred to as "The Christ", i.e., "The Anointed (or Chosen) One" (Hebrew mashiach).
2. Buddha's teachings were passed down orally by his disciples and their successors, typically in a repetitive style to be chanted as an aid to memorization.
3. The teachings were first set down in written form in 29 BC in the Pali Canon, known as the tipitaka ("Three Baskets"). When we refer directly to these teachings will be dealing mostly with the contents of the sutta pitaka, the "basket of sayings."
4. Mahayana ("Great Vehicle") Buddhism evolved in India out of the traditional Theravada ("Teaching of the Elders") over the course of several centuries. Many of the lam rim precepts can be found nearly verbatim in the Letter to a Friend of the early Mahayana philosopher Nagarjuna. The Mahayana concept of the bodhisattva, especially its description in Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, is central to the lam rimteachings.
5. The lam rim was devised by the Indian missionary sage Atisha (980–1054) as a means of systematically teaching the Buddhadharma to the Tibetan people, and is recorded in his 68-verse poetic work A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment.
6. The great Tibetan scholar Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) reconciled the divergent but complementary lineages that had evolved in Tibet after Atisha in his Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path (lam-rim chen-mo). A three-volume English translation finally became available in 2004. For our study, we will be using two of Tsongkhapa's 14-verse lam rim poems: Three Principal Aspects of the Path and Foundation of All Perfections.
7. Since Tsongkhapa's time, the Gelug lineage that he established has been transmitted through, among others, the successive incarnations of the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. The previous incarnations of these latter two are considered the "root gurus" of the present Dalai Lama, as well as of Kyabje Gelek Rimpoche.

My own abilities are but a drop of water in the ocean of learning navigated by these masters (kyabje = "Master of Refuge"), but perhaps I can pass along just a taste of its sweetness to my fellow Christians.

Why Lam Rim?

Why would Christians want to use the Lam Rim as a path of spiritual development? From my own experience I can give 3 reasons:

1. It is specifically oriented toward a process of spiritual growth, rather than mere memorization of texts or inculcation and recital of beliefs.
2. It is systematic, providing a comprehensive framework for organizing religious precepts (at least, in my experience, those of Christianity and Buddhism).
3. It is cumulative: Each step provides a base of knowledge, practice and motivation upon which the next step can be built.

"Four especially great facets" of the Lam Rim are listed by the Third Dalai Lama in his work Essence of Refined Gold (a highly recommended exposition of this work is the Dalai Lama's The Path to Enlightenment). In their original form, these facets apply just to the Buddhist path, but they can also be generalized as suitable goals for Christian spiritual development.

1. "It reveals how all the various doctrines of the Buddha are non-contradictory." If we consider Jesus to be an enlightened being, then we should be able to discover many ways in which the teachings of Jesus and Buddha are also non-contradictory.
2. "All the various teachings will be taken as personal advice." We should take it to heart when Jesus says "I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you."
3. "The thought of Buddha will be easily found." The Apostle Paul says "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:5). It would be of great help to us to be able to discern what that mind was and is.
4. "The great mistake of abandoning a lineage of Dharma will spontaneously be arrested." A "lineage of Dharma" refers to a particular tradition of spiritual teachings. Christians also surely need that kind of help, as evidenced in the old hymn "Come, thou Fount of every blessing":

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to Thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it;
seal it for Thy courts above.

Why Bother? (2) What The Bible Says

Why follow any path of spiritual development? Again and again in the Bible we find the equivalent of the Buddha's Four Assurances: in the wisdom sayings of the Hebrew Bible, in the sayings of Jesus, and in the letters of the Apostles:

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

-- Psalm 1

If you abide in me,
and my words abide in you,
ask for whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
My Father is glorified by this,
that you bear much fruit
and become my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you;
abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments,
you will abide in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and abide in his love.
I have said these things to you
so that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be complete.

-- John 15:7-11

Finally, beloved,
whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure,
whatever is pleasing,
whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing the things that you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me,
and the God of peace will be with you.

-- Philippians 4:8-9

NEXT: Why Lam Rim?

Why Bother? (1) What Buddha Said

The Buddha's warning label in the previous post seems a very difficult prescription: we are to learn and "know for ourselves" which "qualities" are to be abandoned and which are to be "adopted and carried out" by "entering and remaining in them". Learning and applying all this looks like a long, hard slog. Fortunately, the lam rim breaks this up into small steps, and each step builds on what you have learned in previous steps. But why bother? The Buddha gives us the Four Assurances:

"...one who is a disciple of the noble ones — with a mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, and pure — acquires four assurances in the here and now:

"'If there is a world after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body, after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world.' This is the first assurance.

"'But if there is no world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.' This is the second assurance.

"'If evil is done through acting, still I have willed no evil for anyone. Having done no evil action, from where will suffering touch me?' This is the third assurance.

"'But if no evil is done through acting, then I can assume myself pure in both respects.' This is the fourth assurance."

"Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas" (AN 3.65).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013

NEXT: Why Bother? (2) What The Bible Says