Buddhism holds that a glass of water seen by sentient beings of the six realms will manifest six different phenomena, respectively. By the same token, beings of the six realms will see six different worlds, somewhat like the idea of the multiverse.
- Quote from The Right View, "Buddhism—the Definition"
To be a Theravada practitioner, the first requisite is having unshakable renunciation—complete distaste for worldly fulfillments and whole-hearted pursuit of liberation from samsara.
Some people who think highly of themselves believe: I have listened to The Innermost Heart Drop of the Guru ( Lama Yangtik) and other Dzogchen teachings, received many empowerments, appeared in the company of so many living buddhas, I will definitely attain buddhahood even without practice! They then wait for liberation to drop into their lap. This is just absurd!
To be conferred the Dzogchen empowerment and lineage is indeed sacred; it is the result of infinite blessings accumulated over countless kalpas. If we do not break the tantric vows, we will attain liberation within seven lifetimes. However, let us calm down and examine whether our habitual tendencies still exist after listening to the Dzogchen teachings. Have we purified our conduct? Have we experienced a change in our mind? Actually, it is easy to tell if we have changed. After listening to The Innermost Heart Drop of the Guru and the Dzogchen teachings, do we still delight in and never tire of the things we used to be interested in; are we still unconcerned with the things we did not want to do before; do we still refrain from practice? If we follow this process of examination, we may find we have not changed at all.
A person may encounter the rare opportunity to listen to the Dzogchen teachings, but if he or she becomes very proud and complacent, and fails to observe the samaya commitments, this kind of person whom we have mentioned in previous teachings is headed towards darkness from light. We must not take this casually!
In the view of Mahayana, the Nirmanakaya (Emanation Body) and the Sambhogakaya (Bliss Body) are the manifestations of the Buddha in order to liberate ordinary people and bodhisattvas of the first to the tenth bhumi, respectively. The Nirmanakaya is for the Buddha to communicate with ordinary people. Although Buddha-nature exists within the mind of every sentient being, the Dharmakaya (Truth Body) of the Buddha is rendered powerless to those who have not attained realization and thus must rely on the Nirmanakaya and the Sambhogakaya of the Buddha for guidance to enlightenment. However, neither the Nirmanakaya nor the Sambhogakaya is the true Buddha, only the Dharmakaya, the union of wisdom and compassion, is.
- Quote from The Right View, "Buddhism—the Definition"
Although we have not committed killing or stealing in this life and, being Buddhist practitioners, we often chant mantras, meditate and liberate animals, these virtuous actions are still the doings of defiled mortals. Once strong anger arises in our minds, all our virtuous karma so far accumulated will be destroyed instantly if the merit has not been dedicated. Besides, the roots of virtue of ordinary people are not stable— being good now does not mean staying good forever. If we were to have the powers of divination, we would be able to see all of our negative karma being stored in the alaya consciousness. Without repentance, the ensuing retributions will surely take place. Then it will exactly match the nihilists’ view, i.e., causality does not exist, such that one may lead a virtuous life but still drop to the lower realm after death. That would be a dangerous view for us Buddhists. Thus, we must repent all our negative karma as all of them can be purified through true penitence.
People often talk about “receiving blessings”; the buddhas certainly have the power to confer blessings, which are not without benefit. Sakyamuni Buddha once said, “We are our own protector.” That is to say we are our own savior. If we don’t help ourselves, and expect others to come to our rescue, liberation is not possible. Some say the buddhas are compassionate and will lift us out of cyclic existence. This is wishful thinking!
In the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, there is this story of a monk who was responsible for logistics in the monastic community where he lived. Once, a benefactor handed him a gem as an offering to the monastics in the community, but he kept it for himself. Later when the monastics found out about it, they told the monk to either sell the gem and buy food for everyone or return it to them, but he refused. With every cause, there is a corresponding result. Due to this transgression, the monk had to endure immense and prolonged suffering in hell and in the animal realm. During the lifetime of Sakyamuni Buddha, the monk took rebirth as a fish with four legs and lived in a pond. One day, the Buddha took his disciples to the edge of the pond to tell them the causes and conditions that led to the monk’s rebirth as a fish; moreover, he said the three buddhas before him had also taken their disciples to the edge of the pond to tell them this story; the Buddha then said the buddhas after him will also bring their disciples to this place and recount the same story. Nonetheless, the thousand buddhas of the Fortunate Aeon will not be able to save the fish. This is all due to the monk’s own karma.
We can protect ourselves only by aspiring to attain liberation and practicing the right way, no one else can help us.
Mutable karma. Since the strength of this karma, virtuous or not, is weak, it will likely not cause any effect when met with a counteracting condition. For negative karma to become mutable, we must bring forth this counteracting condition, i.e., repentance. According to the Mahayanabhidharma-sangiti-shastra, the way to turn all evil karma committed since beginningless time into mutable karma is to repent and vow never to commit again. To repent past wrongdoings and resolve never to repeat again are the two key elements to turn immutable into mutable karma.
If you want to be a true practitioner, you should set aside at least an hour each day to practice. The specific practice is as follows: with your body in the sevenfold meditation posture of Vairochana, first take refuge, then generate bodhicitta, lastly enter into contemplation. For most people, the practice of no-self begins with examining one’s own body, not the world outside. Using the method described earlier, the body can be successively broken down into its parts until it is reduced to emptiness; this is a relatively simple method. Next examine the mind which likewise can be reduced to an instant. In Madhyamaka and tantra, this practice is known as mind watching mind; once the mind calms down, it will notice the mind actually does not exist and is fundamentally empty.
Therefore, we must fully comprehend “no-self” in order to escape the cycle of life and death; it is like having wisdom eyes that can clearly see the path to liberation. The next step is to practice. Actually, it is not difficult to practice “no-self.” With practice, everyone can be liberated; unfortunately, so many people know this but few actually practice.
All of us firmly believe in our own opinions and civility. But how civilized are we? We cannot even distinguish between what is essential and what is not. In our short lifespan, we perceive the most important thing to be mere trifle and discard it, but embrace worthless things and end up in samsara. This is ignorance, a perverted perception. We should know our most important goal in life is to seek liberation. However, certain activities such as releasing living creatures or reciting mantras are seen as a form of recreation to be taken up after tea or mealtime. Some people, after practicing a few days in the mountain, return home because they cannot survive without a bath. Which is more important, liberation or the bath? Clearly, it is not anything outside but we ourselves who are the obstacle to our liberation! If we only make empty promises but do nothing, liberation can never be attained.
