The Excellent One

 

Look at this photo,

Then look at your mind.

Look at the one who is looking.

If you see this, you are the excellent one.

Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche

Only Ourselves to Blame

This may well be the worst environmental disaster in recorded history. We have only ourselves to blame. Although it may seem difficult to think in terms of any good coming from this, some good is possible. We can act now to put offshore drilling out of business forever. This disaster will be compounded if we do not take positive steps to see that nothing like this can ever happen again.

This terrible offense to nature was brought upon by greed. To think that this is the only result is to misunderstand both nature and the law of karma.

The Meditation Lesson

When I was seventeen, my teacher's infinite ocean of compassion inspired him to pretend that he required a secretary. Due to causes and conditions, I became that secretary. 

Every day, I would attend my teacher's puja room. He would sit behind his small puja table, the altar to his left. I would sit upon a cushion to his right, and together, we would go through the day's correspondence. 

My teacher's correspondence was considerable. This was just shy of a decade following the fall of Lhasa, and it seemed that every refugee lama in the world was writing to him.  My teacher read each letter quite carefully, sometimes more than once. Sometimes, he would read the same letter over and over again, for a period of several days. After he did so, he would translate the letters for me, and then we would discuss their contents. 

This was how I was first introduced to some of the most famous teachers of that era. I don't think it serves any useful purpose to name names. Were I to do so, I would feel disloyal. For the most part, these letters touched confidential and sensitive matters. You can imagine emigre politics, social struggles, survival issues, and all the other baggage that goes along with refugee life. 

These daily discussions about the mail also became the opportunity for me to speak freely with my teacher about various other matters. When we concluded whatever business was at hand, he would always ask me if there was anything I wished to discuss with him, or if I had any news for him. Usually, whatever matter I happened to raise would be dispensed with in a few minutes. Sometimes, the resulting discussion would last all day. 

Need I add that I relished these times? I was seventeen, as I have said, and loved my teacher so dearly that I absolutely treasured every hour spent in his company. 

How strange it seems to say those hours were spent more than 40 years ago. Lately, a young Tibetan friend of mine has repeatedly asked me to spend them again, by writing of my experiences. So, today I will tell a story about what happened one day when we finished reading the mail.

"Rinpoche?" I asked. "Can you teach me how to meditate?"

First, he looked startled. Then, he looked incredulous. He began laughing, and he laughed so loud and so long that other people in the house peeked in the room to see what was so funny. He laughed so hard that I began to blush. I blushed bright, beet red. I felt embarrassed to have asked the question, and wished I could take it back. He could demolish a city with his laughter, so you can imagine what effect it had on the fragile ego of a seventeen year old boy.

The outburst of mirth ended abruptly, when he changed his demeanor and quite seriously asked me, "Why do you think you need to learn how to meditate?"

I believe my answer was something along the lines of "everybody else is doing it," or some such cringing nonsense. I clearly recall stammering, and trying to explain, but he cut me off.

"If you start thinking about meditation," he said, "It is just going to be an obstacle for you."

"Well, you meditate," I replied. "Didn't your teachers teach you how?" My teacher had twenty-five different teachers, of whom seven were his root gurus. I was willing to wager that the subject of meditation had come up with at least one of them. Yet, my question met with no response. My teacher just studied his fingernails.

Meditation is a peculiar subject in the West. 

People try to package meditation and sell it like a vitamin or something. You hear all sorts of foolishness about meditation does this, and meditation does that. No wonder it becomes tempting to think of meditation as a commodity. Maybe if you meditate, you will be able to manage stress. Maybe your blood pressure will be lowered. Maybe you will feel better, look younger, and meet interesting people. Maybe someone will become interested in you, and fall in love. Maybe you will become powerful -- some sort of abstract power, some sort of tangible power -- and this will change everything for you. Maybe your meditation will gain something for you. In the West, that is how we tend to think about meditation: in terms of gain, or benefit, or accumulation.

Meditation is looked upon as an objectified quality. "Oh, he is such a strong meditator," I once heard someone say about someone else. How could we possibly know such a thing? Is it because of how the person sits? Is it because of how the person looks? Is it because of the amount of time involved? Is the judgment based on frequency? 

Meditation is also branded. We have Tibetan meditation, Japanese meditation, Chinese meditation, Buddhist meditation, Hindu meditation, Christian meditation, and so forth. You don't need me to tell you these things. You can go on Amazon and enter the search word "Meditation." You will find thousands of books. Chances are good you can look at your own bookshelf, and find all sorts of experiments you have already conducted.

In such climate, it becomes all too easy to get confused. You can begin to confuse Buddhism with meditation, or meditation with Buddhism. However, sooner or later, no matter how much you circle around, you are going to come back to the ship. Like the crow, remember?

I've told the crow story before, because my rabbits like that story.

There is a fellow who snares a crow, puts him in a burlap sack, slings the sack over his shoulder and saunters down to the docks. 

He boards a ship, and the ship sails out to the middle of the ocean. There, the man opens the sack and sets the crow free. In classic exposition, the matter is set forth thus:

"Flying upwards it finds that the sky is empty, and flying back down the space between is empty. Below there is nothing but water. Flying up and down and in all directions, it finds no place to go, no place to land. So it returns to the same ship and lands there."

That is from Sarah Harding's translation of Patrul Rinpoche's Clear Elucidation of True Nature. You can find it quite easily. Patrul Rinpoche is also the one who said that the most important thing is to be kind. He said you can leave meditation until just before death, because by then you will meditating anyway.

On that afternoon, those years ago, I had not read Patrul Rinpoche. All I had was the man in front of me, who counted among his seven root gurus the incarnation of Patrul Rinpoche.

After an interval, he sighed, and said, "Well, if the matter ever comes up in the future, and if someone ever asks you, you can just tell them it is very easy. Very simple. The main thing is not to make it complicated."

My teacher snapped his fingers. "That is thought arising," he said. 

He snapped his fingers again. "That is thought passing."

He snapped his fingers a third time. "That is thought dispersing."

"So, what is meditation?" I asked.

My teacher snapped his fingers. "Between here... " He snapped his fingers again. "And here."

I thought that was pretty simple, so I laughed. "That's all? That's ordinary!"

He smiled at me with a kindness in his eyes that I have no words to describe. 

To keep the memory of that kindness in my heart seems selfish. 

I want to give it away to you.

To make a proper gift, I should not give you something that belongs to someone else. I should not give you something meant for other eyes, like an old letter, forgotten between the pages of a book. People also press flowers between pages. But, a pressed flower only makes sense to the one who also saved a corresponding memory. Although these may represent some transient comfort or passing solace, you cannot take someone else's old letters and pressed flowers into battles and expect them to protect you. 

Yet, because I lack any particular quality or ability, these memories are all I have to give you. Sometimes, when old cherry trees shake in the wind, there are only a few petals left to fall. From them, we may with some imagination infer the tree in its blossomed prime.

Therefore, from this shared memory of a long-past afternoon, it is my earnest hope you may infer something of my teacher's boundless generosity and inexhaustible loving kindness, and like the crow on the ocean, find this place to return and calmly rest.

Weekly Tibetan Astrology: May 24 - May 30, 2010

NOTE: There is a continuing, and disturbing theme of discord this week. So far this year, we have seen civil disturbances, internecine wrangling of every variety, maniacs dumping all over the dharma, and numerous military actions. Since Saga Dawa Duchen is this week (a venerable "ten million day") can we all please try to get along? Also, the nagas are in an uproar this week, so what can we expect? Water issues and financial unrest, for starters. This is an unstable and volatile week, so keep your cool at all costs. Make Thursday the positive focus of the week, and build around that. Let everything else rest as it may. If you play the stock market, plan to take profits on Wednesday.

May 24, 2010 - Chinese 12th, M-T-K 11th. Sheep, Gin, Blue 3. Today is zin phung. This is a good day to stay indoors. "Mother Nature" may be upset today. Can you blame her? Avoid arguments. Bad day for naga offerings.

May 25, 2010 - Chinese 13th, M-T-K 12th. Monkey, Zin, Green 4. Generally positive indications but do please try to avoid disagreements. Not good for marriage. Aggression probable.

May 26, 2010 - Chinese 14th, M-T-K 13th. Bird, Zon, Yellow 5. Today is baden, so no prayer flags. You could make positive financial strides today, but there is still that undercurrent of divisiveness that has been spoiling this week's energies. Bad day for naga offerings.

May 27, 2010 - Chinese 15th, M-T-K 15th. Dog, Li, White 6. Note omitted lunar day in Tibetan practice. Saga Dawa Duchen. On this day the effects of positive and/or negative actions are multiplied ten million times. Today celebrates Buddha's enlightenment and parinirvana. Today's energies are uniformly positive but do not make naga offerings.

May 28, 2010 - Chinese 16th, M-T-K 16th. Pig, Khon, Red 7. You can get things done today, but take care not to deplete your resources in the process. Good for construction.

May 29, 2010 -  Chinese 17th, M-T-K 17th. Mouse, Dwa, White 8. Some things may be revealed today, and not all of them will be pleasant. Watch out for thieves, deceptions, and not so merry tricksters. Good for construction.

May 30, 2010 - Chinese 18th, M-T-K 18th. Ox, Khen, Red 9. Today is zin phung. Today is also the anniversary of Patrul Rinpoche. Today is successful but be particularly wary of dangerous situations or potential injury. Very bad day for naga offerings.

Naga observations for the fourth month: Six excellent days this month -- 5, 9, 20, 23, 25, 30. Seven bad days -- 1, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18.

Consult our extended discussion of 2010 astrology by clicking here.

Published every Monday at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2010, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here.  Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Weekly Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2010. All rights reserved.

The Chariot of Joy and Good Fortune

RANG NANG DAK PA DE CHEN DOR JEI YING
Self-manifested pure appearance, vajra space of supreme bliss,

LHUN DRUB OK MIN GYU THRUL DRA WAI GAR
spontanesouly arisen Akanishta, the dance of interwoven magical displays,

RAB JYAM GYAL WAI ZHING KHAM GYA TSHOI PHUL
the most excellent ocean of infinite buddha-realms.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

YID ONG PEMA RAGAI RI WANG TSER
At the summit of the delightful imperial mountain of rubies,

NOR BUI BA GAM TSEK PAI PHO DRANG NI
a tiered palace of jewelled domes,

PHUL JYUNG NGO TSHAR KOD PAY DZEY PA CHEN
superb and wondrous in its beautiful design.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WORK KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

TSENDEN NAK TSHAL TRIK PAI DO RA RU
Amid pastures and sandalwood forests,

YU YI PANG JONG NA TSHOK CHHU KYEY ZHIN
fresh grassy regions of turquoise gems and multi-colored lotus blossoms,

GE SAR DZUM DANG GOD PAI LANG TSHO NGOM
with smiling pollen hearts, boasting their youthful laughter.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

GA BUR PO CHHU SHER WAI DUD TSII LUNG
With rivers of amrita moistened with camphor-scented water

LHUNG LHUNG NYAM GAR BAB CHING KHOR WAI DZING
cascading delightfully and swirling into pools

ZHON NUI GAR KHEN CHI YANG TSE ZHING GYU
in which youthful dancers frolic and move this way and that.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

WANG ZHUI GUR KHYIM THRIK PAI DRA MIK NAY
From the lattice openings of the rainbow pavillion,

ME TOK CHHAR ZIM BAB PAI DUL THRENG NANG
a sprinkling rain of flowers falls like garlands of atoms

GING CHHEN DE WAI GAR GYIY NAM PAR TSE
in which great heroes sport in their dance of bliss.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

PHUN TSHOK DOD PAI YON TEN NAM MANG PO
With most excellent abundances of numerous sense qualities,

KUN NAY CHHEY GUR GYEN JYAY KHAN DROI TRIN
clouds of dakinis, most beautiful and lavishly adorned,

MI DZAYD CHHYOK KYI KHOR LOI LAR DREY PA
spread endlessly into the upper reaches of the sky.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KEY WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

RIK DZIN DU PAI TSHOK KYI DRAL U NA
At the center of the ranked assembly of gathered knowledge-holders,

PEMA JYUNG NAY GYAL WAI WANG PO YIY
the supreme victor, Pema Jyungnay,

ZAB SANG SENG GEI DRA CHHEN KUN TU DROK
universally proclaims the lion's magnificent sound of the profound secret (Atiyoga).

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

SANG GYAY KUN GYI NGO WO NGA YIN SHEY
Saying, "I am the essence of all buddhas",

KHYEN TSEI YE SHEY TSHUNG PA MED PAI TOB
with the incomparable power of knowledge, love and wisdom,

MU MED DUL JYAI KHAM DANG NYAM PAR JUK
he undertakes to tame accordingly the various kinds of endless beings.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

YON TEN GYA TSHO PHA THA YAY PAI TER
When this limitless treasury, an ocean of noble qualities,

DREN PA TSAM GYIY ZHING DER UK JYIN PAI
is merely remembered, one is established in that realm

NGO TSHAR THRIN LAY KHOR LOI ZI JYIN CHEN
which bears the splendor and blessings of the wheel of wondrous activity.

ZANG DOK PAL GYI RI WOR KYE WAR SHOK
May I be born at the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain.

KHA CHYOD PEMA OD DZEY DRONG KHYER DU
At this very moment, traveling instantaneously

DA TA NYID DU TSEN THAD DROD NAY KYANG
to the beautiful city of Lotus Light, the pure realm of space,

DOD NYIY YID ZHIN DRUB PAI NAM THAR TSHUL
in accordance with the example of your liberation, the accomplishment of the two benefits according to one's wishes,

NYAM MED GU RU KHYOD DANG TSHUNG PAR SHOK
may I become as you, incomparable Guru!

This prayer of aspiration is the long form of "Copper Colored Mountain Prayer" and was written from the heart with a saddened and heartfelt mind by the old father, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, as a support for the journey of the noble woman, Dekyong Yeshe Wangmo, to the pure realm of Lotus Light. Auspiciousness!

May all beings benefit.

The Lathe of Time

This greatly enlarged, and admittedly poor quality photograph is of a soapstone reliquary, thought to have been crafted in the fifth century BCE. 

If you examine this carefully, you see that it was fashioned on some sort of lathe. Below, are other reliquaries of the type, including another view of the one above. If these were not turned on a lathe, then I do not know how else they could have been manufactured. These are solid soapstone: not "thrown" pottery. Since the earliest known illustration of a lathe, from Egypt, dates to 300 BCE, these items from 500 BCE push the lathe's invention back at least two centuries. Nicely done, are they not?

The reliquary in our first photograph, above, was discovered in January 1898 by a man named W.C. Peppe. Mr. Peppe was manager of the Birdpur Estate, in northeastern Basti District, Upper Pradesh, India. The reliquary was found inside a ruined stupa, near Piprahwa, which was a small village on this estate.

Ruined stupa at Priprahwa where reliquary discovered

Although the matter is not without controversy -- some suspect a British plot -- it is generally agreed that this reliquary held the bone relics of Shakyamuni Buddha. The following year (1899) these bone relics were presented by the (British) Government of India to King Chulalongkorn of Siam, who in turn presented portions to the Sanghas of Burma and Ceylon.

The classic bit of scholarship on Buddha's relics is "Asoka and the Buddha Relics," by T.W. Rhys Davids, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1901. He begins:

Our oldest authority, the Maha-parinibbana suttanta, which can be dated approximately in the fifth century B.C.,  states that after the cremation of the Buddha's body at Kusinara, the fragments that remained were divided into eight portions. These eight portions were allotted as follows:--

1. To Ajatasattu, king of Magadha.
2. To the Licchavis of Vesali.
3. To the Sakyas of Kapilavastu.
4. To the Bulis of Allakappa.
5. To the Koliyas of Ramagama.
6. To the brahmin of Vethadipa.
7. To the Mallas of Pava.
8. To the Mallas of Kusinara.

So, somebody in Kusinara went to the stone turner, acquired eight soapstone reliquaries, and divided up Buddha's bones. When all was said and done -- when breath came no more, when the fire finished its work -- the last stop was the stone turner's art. Stands to reason. Because of their metallurgical expertise, the ancient Indians were able to produce cutting tools that helped them become the finest stone sculptors the work has ever known. If you look at Indian temples, monuments, pillars, statues, and so forth, you will come to agree.

We are only awake in this human form a very short time. We have only a few potentially productive years, and then we pass away to take up some other form, some other potential. We try to cooperate with each other to achieve things, but no matter how durable these things may seem -- iron or stone -- they are all subject to decay.

Thus, we are all on the lathe of time. We are constantly spinning, and the material of life is constantly removed. Once, Shakyamuni walked the earth; next, there were bits of bone and ash in a crafted urn, buried beneath a mound. 

What do you suppose Longchenpa might say?

There are many shortcomings to what has been constructed and has no substance;

Think about samsara as also being of this nature.

Once you have thus deeply felt and understood that all the sundry manifestations of an external world

Are similar to a dream or a phantasmic play,

Let everything go into the vibrant dimension of space,

Being's consistency with itself and everything else.

Now the urn is broken, the mound disturbed and weathering away. What a magical show! Men argue with each other, asking, "Is it real?"

Do not engage in affirmation or negation; dismiss your ruminations;

By going about your daily life in this manner, you will be able to take everything in stride;

Pure experience that is not something that comes into existence and goes out of existence,

But is intrinsically genuine, will come to the fore.

The lathe of time does not stop spinning for buddhas, for artisans, for foolish people like me, or thoughtful people like you.

Does Samsara Really Need Janitors?

"Religion does not mean just precepts, a temple, monastery, or other external signs, for these as well as hearing and thinking are subsidiary factors in taming the mind. When the mind becomes the practices, one is a practitioner of religion, and when the mind does not become the practices one is not." -- XIVth Dalai Lama

Every day in this world, millions of sentient beings die. Every day in this world, millions of sentient beings harm each other. Every day you are going to get the news. There are going to be fires, floods, earthquakes, plane crashes, military and political outrages... the list goes on and on. Every day in this world, something is going "wrong."

Welcome to samsara.

If you are rushing from one disaster to another, saving whales, trees, dogs, birds, starving orphans, victims of this, and victims of that, sooner or later you will become exhausted. Sooner or later, you will come to realize that, despite all of your effort, the whales, trees, dogs, birds, orphans, and victims are no fewer in number than when you began your crusades. 

Later, rather than sooner, you might even come to realize that all your rushing around is just another excuse for not realizing emptiness: for not realizing impermanence.

Another excuse for not practicing dharma according to dharma.

Welcome to samsara, and the topic for today's sermon, which is "Does Samsara Really Need Janitors?" I want to test the thesis that one can run around placing labels on phenomena, tidying up samsara with a mop and bucket, or one can realize the nature of one's own mind.

Among people who have some inner need to define themselves as Buddhists, there are both overt and covert reasons for wishing to engage in altruistic actions. For example: some people want to engage in good works as a means of accumulating merit.

Some people want to engage in good works as a means of holding tight to their own version of "sanity." Doing good works means listening to the "white angel," as distinct from doing bad works, which means listening to the "red devil."

Proceeding from that idea, some people want to engage in good works as a means of working toward an arbitrarily idealized perfection, or some alternative to how they perceive the present moment. Thus, doing good works becomes an "improvement" over the present circumstance.

Some people wish to do good works because they perceive themselves as "compassionate," and believe in "compassionate action." They therefore map their compassion by what they perceive as circumstances requiring compassionate action.

For centuries, Buddhism has been practiced as a contemplative religion characterized by renunciation of that which is unreal. When you are worn out chasing mirages, you are worn out chasing mirages. Lately, as Westerners and post-colonial Asians profoundly influenced by Western social institutions engage themselves in redefining that which requires no redefinition, we have come to see something defined as "humanistic Buddhism," or "worldly Buddhism," or "engaged Buddhism," or Buddhism-as-institution's answer to the seeming imperative to do good works. I am not arguing the worth of engaged Buddhism -- well, not yet -- I am merely pointing out the case.

Rescuing puppy dogs, caring for oil-soaked birds, and otherwise tidying up samsara cannot be evaluated by the terms that create samsara in the first place. Such activity cannot be delimited in dualistic constructs of value: "good" or "bad."

You can take the most viciously ignorant imbecile on the face of the planet, dress him up in monk's robes, pack him off to save the world, and tell him he is "doing good." He is doing the "Lord's work."

He will believe he is doing good. He will believe he is doing the Lord's work.

You will believe he is doing good. You will believe he is doing the Lord's work.

This is wonderful, with the tiny caveat that you and your hypothetical monk are no longer Buddhists. To the contrary, you are now eternalists disguised as Buddhists. That you agree with each other concerning the righteousness of your cause is meaningless: this is spiritual materialism at its rankest.

You can take the most viciously ignorant imbecile on the face of the planet, dress him up in soldier's uniform, pack him off to save the world, and tell him he is "doing good." He is doing the "Lord's work." 

He will believe he is doing good. He will believe he is doing the Lord's work. 

You will believe he is doing good. You will believe he is doing the Lord's work.

Nobody needs to map compassion. Nobody needs to guide the hand of original wisdom.  When Buddha achieved or relaxed into whatever it is we believe he achieved or relaxed into while sitting beneath the Bodhi Tree, a large red cross did not suddenly begin glowing on his chest. He did not jump up and rush out to save the poor. He did not latch on to a cause and use it as the locus of a fundraising mechanism. He did not begin building institutions.

Twist it and wring it and pound it any way you like. Buddha did not engage in engaged Buddhism.

When we talk about engaged Buddhism, we are really talking about social phenomena as distinct from dharma. The common belief is that Thich Nhat Han (Nguyen Xuan Bao, b. 11 October 1926) originated the concept, but this is not accurate. The concept existed within the framework of Vietnamese Buddhist thought long before Thich Nhat Han. You can, for example, see it in the Buu Song Ky Huong movement, and numerous other examples are found all the way back to the 10th century. All of this, in turn, is a reflection of Chinese concepts of "humanistic Buddhism" that arose with imperial challenges designed to test Buddhism's value to the empire. In the 1960s, during the Viet Nam era, and the Red Guard era, these concepts re-emerged as indigenous Buddhism's means of coping with widespread social upheaval, and that is how we came to know them.

There is another example to consider, and this would be Master Cheng Yen's Tzu Chi Foundation, which originates in Taiwan, also in the 1960s. I have met Cheng Yen (Wang Jinyun, b. 11 May 1937), and I firmly believe she is a Bodhisattva, operating beyond the construct of religion.  In my heart, I feel that Cheng Yen's efforts are somewhat removed from the concept of engaged Buddhism -- although she might contest the point -- as I feel Tzu Chi Foundation is the openly radiating reflection of a Bodhisattva's mind, as distinct from a social movement. I have the deepest and most profound respect for Cheng Yen -- who I note, parenthetically, ordained herself, and for the whole of her life has maintained a personal practice solely devoted to the Lotus Sutra.

As an aside: In America, we also had our own "worldly Buddhist" nascency in the person of a man who variously called himself Neville Warwick, or Dr. Ajari, and who in the late 1950s founded something in San Francisco he called St. John's Order. This was explained as a "Russian lamaist" tradition. That is Dr. Ajari to the right of Lama Govinda, in the photograph below.

There is always the temptation to think of Dr. Ajari as a well-meaning and otherwise harmless crank, until you examine his history. He and his organization raised well over five million dollars which they funneled into the hands of Tibetan Buddhist lamas and organizations all throughout the 1960s up until Dr. Ajari's death in 1993. This was done through the medium of a Japanese bedding company on Geary Street in San Francisco, and by various other means. The group lived quite humbly together, and kept nothing for themselves. Often, they were reduced to eating nothing but rice. -- they did not even keep enough to purchase vegetables. Among other accomplishments, they substantially financed portions of the Dalai Lama's first visit to America, and the founding of numerous Kagyu centers in California. In the 1970s, I was personally present when the late Kalu Rinpoche formally recognized Dr. Ajari as a tulku, during the course and scope of a public ceremony in Marin County, California. Of course, with Kalu Rinpoche's sense of humor, on that occasion he suggested that Dr. Ajari be called "Jendak Rinpoche." On another occasion, I was present when Dr. Ajari handed over USD $100,000 in cash to a Tibetan lama. I remember someone had to drive him home. He had not kept enough money to take a bus. He died penniless. He had given away every cent he ever made.

It is one thing to consider exemplary beings who, having accomplished their own purposes, take up the welfare of others. It is another thing to consider if it is useful, or necessary, for those of us who shine with lesser light to forgo the traditional progression of practice for broom, mop, and bucket, and start polishing phenomena. There is an important distinction to grasp: social activism proceeding from realization, and social activism as a replacement for or in lieu of realization.

All compounded things are impermanent.
All emotions are pain.
All things have no inherent existence.
Nirvana is beyond concepts.

Try as you might, you cannot get away from the four seals, so succinctly stated by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, as quoted above. Before you go off to save the world, you need to sit down and carefully examine the extent to which your thoughts, motivations, beliefs, and actions are in harmony or disharmony with those four seals. If all, or any part, of what you are thinking, believing, or doing is in opposition, you are no longer a Buddhist.

I can hear the howling already. "Well, Karmapa said we're supposed to take care of the environment! What about that, huh?" Taking care of the environment is a wonderful thing for Buddhists to do: a natural extension of our practice. However, Karmapa did not say to replace said practice with taking care of the environment, nor did he say that "the environment" as a naked proposition was permanent, eternal, or even inherently extant. Karmapa did not say to replace coming to know mind by coming to know mind with rote social activity.

If, as a self-described Buddhist, you feel that your practice is saving whales -- if you lavish a mother's love and attention on whales, with every waking hour devoted to their tender care -- and you are otherwise a complete idiot, having not the slightest grasp on Buddhist fundamentals, then I do not know to what extent your ideal of benefit is actually being served. To what extent have you allowed relative benefit to stand in the way of ultimate benefit?

Because Buddha did not get caught up in saving whales. That is not how he set about to benefit beings. Buddha reckoned that there was universal suffering -- suffering not delimited to whales -- and he wanted to find the cause of that suffering. Once he found the cause of that suffering he wanted to find its cessation. Once he found how to make it stop, he pointed out the way to others.

Here is the dialectic. You can express it with the example often applied to admirals or gifted intelligence officers: they can take as much or as little of a war that they wish. The meaning is that you have the freedom to pick and choose your battles.

Although you have this freedom, it does not necessarily mean you must pick and choose battles.

You are saving whales, correct? What about the roundup of those poor wild horses? Who will save those poor wild horses? Who will save the alligators who are bound to suffer because of the oil spill? Never mind the birds. Never mind the loveable, furry creatures. Who will save the millions of poisonous snakes who are bound to suffer because of the oil spill? Who will rescue them? Who will care for them? Who will adopt them? Who will save the billions of insects who are bound to suffer because of the oil spill? What about the thousands of insects you will kill with your car while driving to save the billions of insects? Are you God? How, and why, are you qualifying and quantifying your decisions? Did you know that in the wide, wide world of animal rescue there are even rescue organizations that specialize in rescuing rescued animals from other rescue organizations?

Compassion -- genuine compassion -- is the hallmark of realization. It rises and expresses itself naturally, appropriately, and perfectly. No tinkering is required: no fiddling with the knobs or adjusting the dials. Compassion does not hunt and seek. Compassion radiates. Generosity and altruism -- legitimate generosity and altruism -- cannot be abused, swindled, goal-directed, mapped out, or exhausted. Generosity and altruism do not operate selectively.

Everything proceeds naturally from realization.

Have I said anywhere that Buddhists should abandon social activism? No I have not. In the foregoing, it is not my suggestion that you should abandon social conscience altogether and start tossing garbage out the window of your speeding life. It is merely my suggestion that you earnestly consider hitching the horse to the front of the cart. It is better for the horse, and gets the job done.

Among people who have some inner need to define themselves as Buddhists, there are both overt and covert reasons for wishing to engage in altruistic actions. For example: some people want to engage in good works as a means of accumulating merit.

It is my suggestion that you consider merit as fictitious, and remember that all accumulations -- be they of merit or otherwise -- will inevitably end in dispersal. Learn what is exhaustible and what is inexhaustible.

Some people want to engage in good works as a means of holding tight to their own version of "sanity." Doing good works means listening to the "white angel," as distinct from doing bad works, which means listening to the "red devil."

It is my suggestion that you collapse the boundaries between white angels and red devils, and not employ dualism -- the root of samsara -- as a root means of measurement, evaluation, decision-making, or guideline.

Proceeding from that idea, some people want to engage in good works as a means of working toward an arbitrarily idealized perfection, or some alternative to how they perceive the present moment. Thus, doing good works becomes an "improvement" over the present circumstance.

It is my suggestion that you replace fault-finding with a simple appreciation of naturally arising perfection. Stop regarding samsara -- or your present status as a human being -- as a "problem" that needs to be "solved."

Some people wish to do good works because they perceive themselves as "compassionate," and believe in "compassionate action." They therefore map their compassion by what they perceive as circumstances requiring compassionate action.

It is my suggestion that you replace the finite delusion with the infinite alternative, and become a source of refuge.

It beats being a sob sister or an adrenaline junkie.

It means being a Buddhist.

Weekly Tibetan Astrology: May 17 - May 23, 2010

NOTE: I will be surprised if there is not some flare up of one sort or another this week. There is an indication of geological upset (again). The temptation is to think the volcano may further disrupt transportation, but that might be grasping after the easy read, at the cost of reality. Earthquake activity likely. We'll wait and see. You will need skill to navigate this week, as there is a thread of argument, anger, discord, and contention -- even an outbreak of war, or terrorist activity. In an Iron Tiger year, you watch these indications closely. Quick, hard summary? Stay close to home, conserve and nourish your energy, and keep yourself out of trouble. That is a large image of the Twenty-One Taras, above. I did not put it there by accident. Click and save.

May 17, 2010 - Chinese 4th, M-T-K 4th. Pig, Gin, Green 4. A certain nervousness and trepidation associated with today is best alleviated by sadhana (Vajrakilaya recommended), offerings, and some work on physical well-being. Good day for a massage, spa, sauna, gym, yoga, what have you. Medical treatment also favorable. Don't expect major progress today.

May 18, 2010 - Chinese 5th, M-T-K 5th. Mouse, Zin, Yellow 5. Today is yan kwong. Do not act quickly today. Behind-the-scenes wickedness is possible, as is deception. Beware of thieves, schemers, and scoundrels. Gather your energies. Actually continues yesterday's theme, so another great day for yoga. Also a good day for naga offerings. Emotional circumstances possible.

May 19, 2010 - Chinese 6th, M-T-K 6th. Ox, Zon, White 6. Today is zin phung. Beware of accidents while traveling from one place to another. Troubles with transportation today. Obstructions and danger indicated. Avoid slandering others, provocations, or lawsuits. Beware of those with mental illness. On the other hand, it is a good day for marriage. So what does that mean? Get a pre-nup, don't get too loaded at the reception, and save the honeymoon for later.

May 20, 2010 - Chinese 8th, M-T-K 7th. Rabbit, Khon, White 8. Note omitted lunar day in Chinese practice. Buddha's Birthday (according to Rigpa calendar). Avoid divisiveness. No naga offerings. You could cut trees today, but with the nagas being in the state they are in, I would err on the side of caution. Travel possible today.

May 21, 2010 - Chinese 9th, M-T-K 8th. Dragon, Dwa, Red 9. Medicine Buddha Day and Tara Day. Buddha's Birthday (according to Karmapa's calendar). Relax, stay in one place today, and concentrate on practice. Do not go about socially, or engage in discourse with others if at all possible. No naga offerings. Good day for haircuts. If you must travel, then begin your journey by traveling East. Emotional disturbances possible.

May 22, 2010 -  Chinese 10th, M-T-K 9th. Snake, Khen, White 1.  Extremely high possibility of an unfortunate event. Clear indication of conflict. Take care watching over children: keep them indoors. Make naga offerings. Haircuts O.K. Long drives best managed today: begin by traveling South, and don't forget to first make prostrations to the Buddha of the direction in which you ultimately wish to travel.

May 23, 2010 - Chinese 11th, M-T-K 10th. Horse, Kham, Black 2. Guru Rinpoche Day. Good to practice with friends today. Travel possible today. but avoid travel at night. Beware crossing rivers. Haircuts O.K. We live in strange times.

Naga observations for the fourth month: Six excellent days this month -- 5, 9, 20, 23, 25, 30. Seven bad days -- 1, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18.

Consult our extended discussion of 2010 astrology by clicking here.

Published every Monday at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2010, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here.  Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Weekly Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2010. All rights reserved.

Desert Tidbits: Rattlesnake Rodeo

It has been a good, long while since we had a Desert Tidbits post here at DTBA, so what the heck. 

The very upset sentient being in the above photo caused a lot of trouble yesterday. He wrecked a bird's nest, and then he went after some furry critters. The rabbits came to the back door with a petition. Since this is the political season, and since rabbits are inveterate voters, I had to give in to their demands and relocate him.

Contrary to popular opinion, rattlesnakes are not particularly aggressive. They react more from fear than from anything else. Of course, the young ones are the exception -- always trying to prove something -- so you need to be more wary of them. Nevertheless, it is instructive to examine why rattlesnakes rattle. Most people think they rattle in anger. Actually, when they rattle they are saying, "Hey! Down here! I'm a snake! Don't hurt me!"

That being said, you cannot always depend on the rattle. Sometimes they will just nail you out of pure instinct.

I have seen rattlesnakes do unusual, very snakey things, and do them so quickly that it left me astonished. I have some pipes going into the wall by the back door, and the way they are configured is quite singular: the hand of an unskilled plumber has obviously tampered with original wisdom. Last year, I came home one evening and surprised a rattlesnake at the door. He was more startled than I was, and immediately threw himself against the wall in imitation of the pipes. This is to say he looped himself precisely as the pipes are looped. This happened in a flash.

You hear all sorts of folklore about rattlesnakes, and most all of what you hear is nonsense. Since I frequently encounter them, I made the effort to find out the facts -- and while this is with narrow reference to the Mojave Green rattler, it is also generally appropriate to others as well:

1) Are rattlesnake bites fatal?

Well, they can be, but it isn't inevitable. As an example, approximately 800 rattlesnake bites are treated in California each year, with one or two deaths. I am told that the national average is four deaths for every 1,000 bites.

2) Do rattlesnakes always strike for the leg?

No, they do not. Eighty percent of all bites are at the feet and ankles, and roughly twenty percent are at the hand. What does this tell us? If you are in snake country, you can wear boots or gaiters, but sandals won't help. Also, don't put your hand in places where snakes like to hide. About the best thing you can do is always go about with a walking stick, and watch where you step.

3) Do rattlesnakes always envenom when they strike?

No, they do not. Roughly twenty-five percent of all strikes are "dry," meaning no venom is released. With mature rattlesnakes, there is only a single, partial release. With juveniles, watch out! They will release it all, or they will strike multiple times, releasing each time. I guess we all remember how that is.

4) How to treat a rattlesnake bite?

Out in the Western deserts, ALL the search and rescue teams, rangers, hospitals, and so forth use the Sawyer Extractor, which is a powerful yet pocket-sized suction device. We have several of these kits, and if we are going out for any reason, each person carries their own kit. This is about a USD $15.00 kit, which beats the money it costs to treat necrosis.

If you are bitten, keep calm, and keep the bite below heart level. Vigorously apply the suction device to the bite during the first five minutes. This is the ONLY proven method of relieving the situation. Note that you do NOT cut an "X" on the bite and suck out the venom. That razor in the kit is for shaving off hair that might interfere with the suction device. Also, do NOT ice pack the bite or immerse it in water.

Get to a hospital as quickly as you possibly can. Remove all rings, watches, shoes, and so forth before the swelling begins. Ask for CroFab anti-venom. This is derived from sheep. It is the only anti-venom effective against Mojave Type A neurotoxin. Rattlesnake bites are rated from 1 to 5, with a 1 being a dry bite, and a 5 being extremely life threatening. Usually, if swelling begins very quickly, you know you have a problem.

Be prepared for a bite worse than a rattlesnake. The hospitals charge USD $2,500 per vial for Cro-Fab, (sometimes more) and the average bite will require ten to twelve vials. So, say $25,000 to $30,000, to which you add the helicopter transport (standard protocol -- ambulance not fast enough), and the emergency room fees. People who know tell me that it is not uncommon to see a $50,000 medical bill for a single rattlesnake bite.

Also note that CroFab is sometimes described as a "poorly designed anti-venom," and trials are underway on a new anti-venom called AnaVip, developed in Mexico, that is supposed to be much better. Despite this, CroFab is still the one to go for when Mojave rattlesnakes are involved -- the worst bites you could possibly suffer anywhere in North America.

5) Interesting rattlesnake factoid.

Rattlesnakes bite men (72%) more than women (28%). This could be one of those alcohol-related statistics, and then again, it could be something else. I better keep my mouth shut.

6) Rattlesnake wrangling.

The best way to catch a rattlesnake is with a snake noose. This is a hollow PVC or aluminum pole, with a rope inside. A loop is exposed at each end. You throw the loop over the snake and pull, snaring the snake. You then place the snake inside a bucket (not a bag, as some do) and relocate elsewhere. I use an ash pail as seen in the above photo, because the bail locks in place, and the lid is easy to remove. Note that you can also get a professional snake catching stick, which has a clamp on the end of it, but I think those stress the snake too much.

The best way to keep rattlesnakes in check is to have king snakes, peacocks, or road runners around.  The rattlesnakes sense their presence and leave. I often stay at the site of an old peacock ranch, where they used to raise peacocks to sell to the orchard groves. The people tell me that raising peacocks to patrol orange groves for rattlesnakes used to be a big business. There is also a snake repellent you can pour along the outside walls of the house. This may or may not have napthalene in it anymore, I just don't know.  Snakes hate coal tar, but I have never used repellents like that, so cannot speak from experience.

It is easier to remove a ruby from the head of a live rattlesnake with your bare hands, and not get bitten, than it is to get anywhere with Vajrayana. Your lama probably already told you that, so I am just reminding you.

Twenty-Six Months

This utterly charming little person, named Letizia, is just 26 months old, and already accumulating the Medicine Buddha mantra. So, how are you doing?

National Nurses Week

There is a story I like to tell because it celebrates someone's remarkable qualities, and I take joy from this. 

Once upon a time, I coded on an operating table -- which means I went on a 5 minute vacation that could have lasted 49 days, had not those attending engaged in what are called "heroic measures." This is a very good experience, quite honest and immediate, but it is so easy to get attached.

There was a tall, red-headed surgical nurse in the operating room, and as I was lying there,  more or less enjoying myself, she leaned down and shouted in my ear, "Don't get attached to it! Come back! Its just a decision! Its just a decision!"

I was thinking, "Yes, I know all that, but this is the first vacation I've had in years." She seemed to understand what was happening, because she again shouted "You can decide to come back! You can watch it, but do not get attached! Decide to come back now!"

I woke up in post-op, and she was standing beside the bed. She had her cap off, which is how I know she was red-headed. She was a remarkably beautiful woman, with an almost ideally kind expression on her face. I am not exaggerating when I say she reminded me of Tara. 

She smiled when I focused my eyes, and said, "Thank you for making that decision."

She turned and walked out of the room, and I never saw her again.

May 6 through 12 is celebrated as National Nurses Week, the twelfth being Florence Nightingale's birthday. 

If you ever want to see what a real bodhisattva looks like, just look at a nurse. 

To all nurses everywhere: you have my deepest respect and admiration. 

To one nurse in particular: Wow.

Sickest Buddhist, Redux

So in the moment he's ahead of his time.

Weekly Tibetan Astrology: May 10 - May 16, 2010

NOTE: We enter Saga Dawa this week, so shall we try to be nice to one another and devote this month to practice, good works, warm puppies, happy rabbits, bluebells and rainbows? The energies of this week are such that it is possible for wishes to come true. However, on Tuesday and Wednesday, avoid eating apples dropped off by crones.

May 10, 2010 - Chinese 27th, M-T-K 27th. Dragon, Zin, White 6. The generally powerful and auspicious energies that began last week continue today. A good day for construction, laying foundations, work on stupas, and so forth. If you go for numerology, today is 5-10-10.

May 11, 2010 - Chinese 28th, M-T-K 28th. Snake, Zon, Red 7. Today is baden, so no prayer flags. Beware of illness or infections today, and conserve your strength. Avoid dangerous or exhausting situations.

May 12, 2010 - Chinese 29th, M-T-K 29th. Horse, Li, White 8. Today is Dharmapala Day, and also sojong. The energies of this day are particularly negative and presage death,  arguments that turn violent, and even political or military misadventure.

May 13, 2010 - Chinese 30th, M-T-K 30th Sheep, Khon, Red 9. Today is zin phung. Generally auspicious indications and positive energy today. Wishes can be granted today.

May 14, 2010 - Chinese 1st day of 4th month, M-T-K 1st day of Saga Dawa, the auspicious fourth month. Monkey, Dwa, White 1. Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana are observed this month. Today is baden, so no prayer flags. No naga offerings. Today it is possible to be triumphant, but you must whistle while you work. 

May 15, 2010 -  Chinese 2nd, M-T-K 2nd. Bird, Khen, Black 2.  Good day to begin construction. A very positive day in all respects.

May 16, 2010 - Chinese 3rd, M-T-K 3rd. Dog, Kham, Blue 3.  Excellent energies today.

Naga observations for the third month: Four good days and several bad days this month. The four very good (lunar) days are 5, 22, 23, and 25. The particularly bad (lunar) days are 4, 6, 8, 13, 15, 16, 18, 28. Naga observations for the fourth month: Six excellent days this month -- 5, 9, 20, 23, 25, 30. Seven bad days -- 1, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18.

Consult our extended discussion of 2010 astrology by clicking here.

Published every Monday at 00:01 香港時間 but written in advance and auto-posted. See our Introduction to Daily Tibetan Astrology for background information. If you know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can get information about your positive and negative days by clicking here. If you don't know the symbolic animal of your birth year, you can obtain that information by clicking here. For specific information about the astrology of 2010, inclusive of elements, earth spirits, and so forth, please consult our extended discussion by clicking here.  Click here for Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables. Weekly Tibetan Astrology copyright (c) 2010. All rights reserved.

Unseen Dharamsala

Unseen Dharamsala blogs mini photo essays done by Tibetan refugees living in exile. Theirs is a great idea, has an understated yet haunting power, and we hope to see much, much more from them. Please encourage them by linking widely. Thanks.

Terbum: Tibetan Earth Treasure Vases

We are spilling oil in the waters, mining the hills like there was no tomorrow, and eating up the wilderness for tract homes. Time to do something nice for the earth, would you not agree? Without further ado, we will bury an earth vase, and encourage everyone we know to do the same.

The first task is to select an earth vase.  Earth vases, or earth treasure vases that you bury, are different from treasure vases kept on altars. These are available from several different sources, so without hurting anyone's feelings, or leaving anyone out, I recommend you use Google to find an earth vase (also check "peace vase") that works for you. You see the one I like in the above photo, but in the interests of fairness I am not naming names.

Everybody has their own way of doing things, and this just happens to be the system I like. Go down to the nursery, and purchase a terra cotta flower pot and the dish that goes under said pot. Make sure the dish will fit snugly in the top of the pot.

In the photo above, you see the fixings. I get juniper from the largest juniper tree I can find in the vicinity of where the vase will be buried. Depending on the circumstances, I may also get various substances like naga medicines, precious incense, and so forth. This is a nice touch but not absolutely critical.

As indicated by these photos, you completely surround the vase with juniper, filling up the flower pot in the process.

You then seal the dish to the top of the pot, and also plug up the hole in the bottom of the pot. You can use caulk or some such thing without worrying too much. The objective is to make relatively waterproof seals. You can also become obsessed and make what you consider absolutely waterproof seals, but since nothing is permanent, I don't know how far that will sustain any sort of mental health.

Well, you can see we went with the caulk and some gaffer's tape. You can stop here, or if you wish, you can now encase the entire thing in yellow silk brocade and tie it with multicolored ribbon. I don't know that the situation demands this, but if it is in accord with your relationship to the sacred, do what feels necessary at the time.

Our next step involves the actual labor of digging a hole to bury the vase, so I will omit photos in order to spare the sensitive. 

Many people worry about where to put these vases. Usually, you want to put them where people will not walk over them, but I have seen that rule violated more times than I have seen it observed. Nevertheless, I always put them where people will not walk over them. 

There is actually a considerable body of doctrine related to this subject, but it is case specific, so this is one of those "ask your lama" situations.  Typically, the vases are buried proximate to religious structures, water sources, vigorous trees, special geological features, high peaks, green valleys, and so forth.

Generally speaking, the blessings from these vases extend for about fifteen miles in every direction, so you want to take that into account. 

You want to put them anywhere from three to six feet down, so that is another consideration. 

Usually, people will try to put them in the center of a contiguous area, regardless of property lines. You can also bury them in the center of your property, if you own property, or near some particularly auspicious feature of a property. You do want to be generous, so keep everyone's benefit in mind.

Sometimes, spirits will come to you in dreams, visions, or in seeming actuality, so you can bury these vases where you see the spirits standing.

Another good way is to do a mo, and if you get a Falcon (one remaining bead) then pick up any stick you find right where you are. Bless the stick with mantras, and then throw it in a lucky direction. Where the stick lands is where you dig. If you don't get a Falcon, you can move to another spot and try again.

Again, I would recommend you use Google to find all of the resources, study these, and then set out with vase, shovel, and confidence.

Keywords: treasure vase, peace vase, earth vase, earth treasure vase, Tibetan, terbum

The Law of Cause and Effect Needs No Enforcement

 "One cannot judge Tertons as inauthentic because of their 
imperfect and mercurial character, 

even to the slightest extent."

--Tulku Thondup

Around twenty-five years ago, Tulku Thondup Rinpoche wrote a book entitled Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. I like Tulku Thondup -- he is from Golok, and I like people from Golok -- and I enjoyed his book, which was the first of its kind to be published in the English language. In fact, I believe the book is itself a treasure trove, touching on a great many useful topics not necessarily tied to termas and tertons. I do not mean this in a fulsome manner; rather, it is just what I believe.

In his book, Tulku Thondup makes the following statement:

"Among the false Tertons there are many who are harmonious with people, who seem to have disciplined conduct, and are fortunate and charismatic. At the same time, among the authentic Tertons there are many who are loose in speech and behavior and who, without the least hesitation, get involved in many activities that people will condemn. In that way the Tertons take many grave obstructions of the doctrine on themselves in the form of infamy and ill repute and they use them for the practice of taking every experience in the great equal taste."

That is an interesting assertion, and it brings us to the topic of our sermon for today, which is "The Law of Cause and Effect Needs No Enforcement." We have sniped at this topic several times in the past, here and there among the 1,600-odd posts comprising this imaginary offering we are pleased to call Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar. In my estimation, we have yet to hit the mark.

So, now we will take very careful aim.

When I was around seventeen or eighteen I was arguing with my teacher about something, and for the life of me, I really cannot remember what it was. All I remember is I was resisting doing something he asked me to do, going back and forth, and finally I said, "I don't want to do this because I don't know what I am doing, and I am afraid I will hurt somebody if I do it wrong."

"It is impossible for you to hurt sentient beings, " he countered.

"How is that?" I asked.

"Because even when you are wrong you are right," he answered.

Naturally, I stopped arguing about what I had been arguing about, and started arguing about that concept. You must understand that my teacher forbade me to ask him questions. "Any question framed in the mind," he used to say, "has already provided its own answer." So, if you asked him a question, he might snap at you, saying "if you can pose a question that you truly cannot answer there is something really wrong with you!" 

Starting an argument, on the other hand, would elicit dialogue. 

When I was seventeen or eighteen, I therefore argued about everything. My teacher is a monument of patience -- a saint, really -- and he uses logic the effortless way a surgeon uses a scalpel, albeit without anesthesia. He used to enjoy the operations -- I suspect this because he was often laughing -- whereas I used to get all worked up and red in the face. So, while I never "won" a single one of these arguments, as years passed I was able to appreciate the extreme skilfullness with which he cut away the cotton wool surrounding my innate view. 

I am telling you these things just in case you might find something helpful. I am also telling you these things just in case you are standing around with the other hoopoe-heads, yelling "Grab! Grab!"

"Even when you are wrong, you are right" -- takes a while to clarify itself. The first postulate is that, in the presence of awakened bodhicitta, it becomes impossible to harm sentient beings. One has already crossed the threshold of nondualism, so to speak. In yet another sense, since sentient beings are a fiction, the concepts of benefit and harm are likewise fictitious. 

If that does not work, then there is always the entitlement defense, implicit in Tulku Thondup's statement, i.e. because one is a this, or a that, or the other, one is entitled to act according to one's own lights. That is a not altogether impossible but nonetheless dangerous concept, yet then again, Vajrayana is a dangerous business -- like snatching a jewel from the head of a cobra, as they used to say. Sometimes, in the presence of spontaneously profound, beneficial activity, equally profound evil arises. As a friend of mine reminded me the other day:

The root of profound evil is the delusional belief that no evil deed is committed even when evil deeds are committed, and that you -- for whatever reason -- are uniquely able to color outside the lines of cause and effect.

Coloring outside the lines of cause and effect, while offering the rationalization that (1) bodhicitta is awake, (2) everything is fiction, and (3) you're too spiritual for your shirt is quick, convenient, and fun while it lasts.

It does not last.

Coloring outside the lines of cause and effect seems harmless.

It is not harmless.

Coloring outside the lines of cause and effect seems easy.

It is not easy.

How do I know this? I know this because I tried coloring outside the lines of cause and effect. I know this because a friend of mine also tried, and he sent back a message:

"I went to a solitary place and for one year tried not to create any mental fabrications whatsoever. Some experiences arose, such as the feeling that 'emptiness is appearance! Appearance is emptiness! Appearance and emptiness are indivisible! There is no duality regarding buddhas and sentient beings! There will be no evil deed committed even if I were to engage in unvirtuous acts! There will be no benefit even if I were to engage in the ten virtues.'"

Sound familiar? Hear it somewhere before? Sound like a riff on the old "oh, spontaneous me" theme? Indeed it does, but my friend goes on to report:

"Regarding these as satisfactory, I related them to the guru. He said, 'It is foolish to be satisfied with meditation experience. If you think that appearance and emptiness are indivisible, you should be detached from appearances. 

Are you?

If you think that buddhas and sentient beings are indivisible, you should honor and serve sentient beings to the same degree as you would the buddhas.

Do you do that?

If you think, "I will have no karmic ripening even if I engage in the ten unvirtuous acts," you should be able to accept the ten unvirtuous acts of others directed towards you -- even if it might result in your death.

Can you do that?

If you think, "Even if I were to engage in the ten virtues, there would be no benefit," you should not have any sense of joy when you are benefited by others who are practicing the ten virtues -- even if your own life is saved.

Do you?"

These words were uttered by Padmasambhava himself, recounting the direct instructions of his guru, Shri Singha. Sounds a whole lot better that way, doesn't it? Sounds better than little old me telling you, "Know what? Learned this the hard way: the idea 'even when you are wrong, you are right' is not a get out of cause and effect free card." However this sounds, it also begs a rather fundamental question. If even Padmasambhava had these issues, how are you and me supposed to cope?

That question brings us to the second part of our sermon today.

Down in the southwest conventionally speaking, and the southeast unconventionally speaking, is one of the Wrathful Ones of the Ten Directions, abiding in an expanse of fire. He carries a blue club, but this is not about him or his blue club. This is about his consort, known as Dorje Dermo.

Dorje Dermo is singular. She is described as, "the daughter of those gone to bliss, the sister of the bodhisattvas, the consort of the wrathful ones, the foremost of dakinis, the friend of Vidyadharas, the ruler of the doctrine guardians, the guardian of the Three Jewels, the source of all attainments, and the ruler who liberates all maras and Tirthikas."

And, she has a few questions she wants to ask you.

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when someone was correct, and happy when they were mistaken?

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when someone was good, and happy when they were bad? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was in a high position, and happy when they were in a low one? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was famous, and happy when they were unknown? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was wealthy, and happy when they were poor? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was praised, and happy when they were criticized?

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was present, and happy when they were absent? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was content, and happy when they were suffering? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was respected by others, and happy when they are no longer respected? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody had power, and happy when they no longer had power? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody was loved by many, and happy when they were unloved by many? 

Are you now, or have you ever been unhappy when somebody has a perfect retinue, and happy when they lack one?

Those of you who are familiar with such matters will immediately recognize one of the passages from the Dharani of Glorious Dorje Dermo, running like a silk thread in the skein of my burlap postulate. You will also recognize that the dagger will stab, the hammer will beat, and there might also be Yak-Head and Raven-Head to contend with, yelling "Burn! Burn!" That is all part of the imagery: that is all part of the mandala.

What this means, is that if you are out there, running and gunning, coloring outside the lines of cause effect, none of this is happening in a vacuum. While you might feel yourself to be at the center of this mandala, that is not in fact the case. Neither is it the case that you are part of any solution to anything because nothing needs solving. 

Nothing besides you, that is.

Depending on your view, you are framing intentions, laying plans, committing acts, entertaining feelings with regard to the outcome of such acts, and engaging yourself in samsara's business. You are, in a sense, arrogating unto to yourself the role of enforcing the law of cause and effect. You are not letting things happen naturally anymore.

That is where it begins to break down. The law of cause and effect does not need to be enforced. People who in fact can color outside the lines of cause and effect do not do so by answering "Yes," to any of our Dorje Dermo questions. Rather, as Tulku Thondup points out, they provide benefit by deliberately accepting that which many others might try to avoid.

As Westerners, we often fall into the trap of seeing cause and effect as an assay device: a judge, if you will. Cause and effect is the law, and karma is the judge. That is simply not true. Cause and effect do not comprise a religious law. Cause and effect do not comprise a moral law, on the "Thou Shalt Not" model. Cause and effect have nothing to do with "sin." Cause and effect do not comprise a social law. Cause and effect do not require a judge, a jury, or any enforcement whatsoever.

Neither is any protection required.

What is it that needs your protection in the constantly arising "now" if not the very enemy you seek to defeat?

UPDATED:

Some people are choking on the final sentence. What does it mean?

I am suggesting that the impulse one might feel to enforce or protect is an aspect of spiritual materialism. It is the ego trying to assert itself as "still in charge," capable of enforcing this, capable of protecting that, i.e. reinforcing the illusion of a difference between one's self and others. Actually, the ego is saying "enforce me! protect me!" because it is challenged, and it is disguising its selfishness as altruism.  All sorts of ridiculous impulses arise from that, and all the myriad forms of suffering. This enemy, this false friend, cannot exist without your protection. If one withdraws that protection, then one must live very simply, and openly, in the constantly arising now -- one must live fearlessly. There is no more rushing around, righting wrongs, jousting with windmills, and taking sides. There is no more panic, running from this disaster to that outrage, trying to bring "justice." There is simply the natural truth of any given moment, and that really should be enough.