Speaking Tree Newspaper, 5th Dec 2010

FOR FULL TEXT OF THIS ARTICLE PLEASE READ "INTOXICATION AND THE MIND" POSTED ON JUNE 2, 2010 ON THIS BLOG.

FOCUSSING ONLY ON THE PROCESS

Much has been read and heard of the cricketing heroics and abundance of records set by the Little Master Tendulkar over the two decades of his career. Most certainly, he deserves every accolade penned by every sports columnist. What caught my attention in particular, was an excerpt from an interview reported in a section of the media a few months ago when the wizard had just torn through another record. When the awestruck reporter quizzed Sachin on his penchant for setting records, the Master nonchalantly replied: “I concentrate on the process and let the records take care of themselves.” How incredibly true, i had silently thought!

No matter which field we wish to excel in, including in the pursuit of spiritual awakening, we need to bear just those pearls of wisdom in mind at all times. Words such as ‘enlightenment’, ‘nirvana’, ‘liberation’ may sound too complex, vague and perhaps overwhelming to a lay person who wishes to set off on the path and may even discourage him / her from taking the first step.

Being an avid Himalayan trekker, it was on one such arduous trek many years ago when the going was agonizing at 18000ft, that a lesson was well learnt. Although the weather was cool and early morning skies clear, the sheer tiredness of trundling uphill at that altitude had the lungs and feet protesting. The climb seemed unending and i kept looking up to get a possible glimpse of the summit. Sensing the falling spirit given the task ahead, the experienced Sherpa guide firmly yet politely said “Don’t look up! Keep looking just a little ahead of your next step. Look around for lovely views but not up in the direction of the summit. It will tire you more” Later he was to explain that the psychological effort in taking the next step does not seem as imposing a task as viewing how much more is left to climb! Something mountaineers follow as a rule.

In spiritual pursuit, it is just the same. Rather than looking at the end result and how far we have to go - which may take long and may or maynot manifest fully - we should concentrate on the process. And the process is that of constantly increasing Awareness.

Contemplating on the gross and subtle states in which we exist. Being vigilant of the manner in which our conditioned mind works and how the arising habitual tendencies from it respond to situations, in contrast to the actions from the pure nature of mind. Witnessing which arising emotion, thought or feeling gives us happiness, which of them bring suffering and which are neutral in nature. Inspecting what happens to our breath when these upheavals arise and subsequently fall. Conversely, how conscious breathing is able to control these upheavals to manageable levels. Observing silently the connection between our breath and consciousness. Being mindful of what happens when we rather leave unwanted thoughts alone than encourage and chase them. Accepting the impermanent nature of all things. Detaching our pre-conceived perceptions of the occurrence of phenomena - by classifying them as ones that we like and those that we dislike - thereby avoiding the trap of duality. Realizing that available causes and conditions can be tweaked to influence the required effect. Knowing that there is no role of ego and other vicious mind products like anger, selfishness, desire, greed and envy in developing our humane side. Understanding that displayed or hidden emotions drive us further into karmic debt that we are already burdened with from beginningless time.

In short, the process of concentrating every moment on the ‘nowness’ of our being is crucial. This inextricable unison of the radiance of the mind and its nature of emptiness is called Clear or Pure Awareness. As awareness increases, all negativity of body, speech and mind actions - that arise from ignorance - dissolves automatically. The two are conversely proportional to each other. We begin to live easier, fuller and complete. When the mind knows that it is being scrutinized in real time, it begins to serve us like a helpful genie!

With the New Year round the corner, many of us would be making all kinds of resolutions and promises. Let’s make them only to serve our cause and improving our peacefulness and quality of life. This is Nirvana. And it is possible to discover while we are alive. No one out there is going to do it for us. We alone can make it happen.

May the Buddha within awaken!

Girish Deshpande
(The author is a Pune based Dharma practitioner. More on www.urbanlama.blogspot.com )

EMOTIONS & THOUGHTS IN MEDITATION

Shenpa is emotion. Every emotion is a form of suffering, but we do not see that. Instead, we get hooked by shenpa. Subtle forms of shenpa are our yearning for what we like and aversion to our dislikes.

If we try to go through all of our afflictive emotions, we will have to go on and on. Instead we can get down to two emotions – attraction and aversion. Then we can change those two to one – the subtle clinging to the reality of phenomena. Attachment and aversion stem from our clinging to the reality of phenomena – we think things are real, and attach to what we find pleasant and develop an aversion to what we dislike.

During meditation, thoughts often arise. We can group those thoughts into attachment or aversion. We can try to see the purpose of our attachment or aversion. Then try to follow our thoughts to the point that there is nothing to be attached to or to feel aversion for. This is analytical meditation, and then at the point where there is nothing to which to attach or avoid, we relax.

As we meditate, just knowing that we are being distracted is a first step. Over time this distraction will lessen. Slowly, one by one, conceptions fall apart and Wisdom mind gets a chance to manifest.

In the higher teachings, one does not do anything – we just 'see' conceptual thought. If one does nothing, thought disappears because it has gotten no attention. Be aware of thought, and do not react – that is the main teaching on meditation.

(Extracted from Namdroling Tibetan Buddhist Studies Centre, Montana - Khenpo Tenzin Norgay )

Mirror Mirror of the Heart and Mind...

...Tell me whatever did you find! ( Speaking Tree, 5th Oct 2010)

HOLDING A MIRROR TO ONESELF

Almost all of us reading this newspaper invariably take a look at ourselves in the mirror atleast once a day. The mirror diligently and un-judgementally reflects what is and what is not. We accept its verdict without much complaint. We then try to better, in whatever way possible, that which is possible to somewhat change and leave the rest of it by living with it in acceptance. We take pride in what we have in terms of our form, beauty, looks and the like and try to be as un-affected as possible with what we lack. We may also resolve and work towards those areas that need to be improved. We step out of the house, with this ‘approved’ confidence, and are ready to take on the world.

Now let us take this mirror to showcase the reflection of our mind and heart! Have you ever attempted this? Chances are that most of us don’t take the effort, not so much because we may not know how to do so, but more perhaps because we may not approve of the magnitude of reflection we might get to see. It may be too much for our ego state to accept. We will easily understand that it is never easy to get ourselves to accept what we don’t like to see in us, especially that which we cannot actually ‘see’. Let me explain.

Imagine a plump lady or a young balding man standing in front of the mirror. The lady generally turns and twists and tries to admire herself in the mirror specifically from those angles which reflect her to be least plump! Likewise the young balding man will try and ‘recover’ those strands or clumps of hair and meticulously try to cover the most balding patch. And then he will see his reflection in the mirror only from those angles convenient to him i.e. from positions he looks least bald. Both these situations and many such are just naturally arising in an untrained mind.

Let us come back now to the mirror reflecting our mind and heart instead, and try and find out the similarities with the physical experiences in front of the mirror. When we attempt this through a session of meditating in calm abiding, where we are only watching our mind, we will initially try and see our reflected mind from only those angles which our ego state or nurtured mind will encourage us to see. For example we might think “I do get angry, but not so often, so its ok” or “Yes, I do get somewhat envious when my neighbour buys a swank car and desire the same for myself too, but I don’t really keep it in my heart”, or we might see ourselves to be someone most humble and put on this act when we are in reality filled with pride and so on. Likewise is the case when we reflect our heart. Our nurtured mind convinces us that we are the most considerate amongst all others, or that our compassion for others knows no bounds and other such false constructions. However, in reality we may be only practicing sympathy and not really compassion.

So, whatever these initial experiences, they are all ploys of the ego to try and defend itself or fool the wisdom mind by creating an element of doubt or in-acceptance. It wants us to see ourselves from only those angles or positions, which makes us feel momentarily good. By putting on a veil, it hides the uglier side dutifully, as that is the nature of ego. Obviously, these states must be seen and eventually destroyed.

In meditation sessions, we reflect on our clouded state of heart and mind and when we see its ugliness, its polluted nature it is actually a beginning well made! Only when we see a mirror with dirt on it, can there be a further scope of cleaning it, isn’t it? Likewise, with sustained meditative reflection, we are able to observe the mind and heart more and more closely and reach a stage where we are able to see them without their ugly facets, without the dirt. Their true nature dawns upon us. And this experience is one of lasting bliss. As the masters say, a sureshot way to begin to see the merit gained towards achieving enlightenment is to be able to imagine the mind and heart without their defilements. Now, the important thing is to consolidate the gained ground of such experiences through regular meditation sessions. Else, within no time, we may have to begin all over again!

Anger, Greed, Ignorance (of our true nature), Jealousy, Pride, Desire, Habitual Tendencies, Mental Formations and Perceptions are poisons and alongwith other destructive thoughts and actions, are unworthy to be retained within us, by their sheer nature of bringing only harm and suffering upon us. However, as the very purpose of life is happiness, they must go!

At the onset of the festive season, many of you would soon begin to clean up your homes, throwing or gifting away things no longer needed. Just the same way let us spare some time and effort towards cleansing of the heart and mind and discard the attributes that are useless to us.

Buddha nature be yours!

IDLE WORSHIP!

Rituals without Education:

When I was a young boy growing up in Pune in the 70’s, things were naturally different. Model Colony, which today is the heart of the city, was then classified as being in the ‘outskirts’ of the city. My mom had to walk across to the bus stop near the area post office to accompany my sister back home after attending lectures at Fergusson College. The roads were dark and hoodlums snatched chains riding fast on bi-cycles. I was studying at Loyola, Pashan then and we rode our cycles, our prized possession, four abreast, right under a canopy of banyan trees. Visiting Sindh Society where we had some friends was a chilling adventure on few evenings of the week.

The local Ganpati mandal came a bit later but when it did, it never intruded on our sanity. The melodious arati’s sung by Lata Mangeshkar were a delight to hear every morning as we too did pooja at home and devoured all the goodies mom actually made! Infact, almost everybody made them at home then. Like every other growing children, my two siblings and i were excited to have the Lord of Wisdom home for the five days that he was our guest and all else revolved around him. Even doing homework. And when he was gone, our moods lifted after temporary sulking, as there were neighbourhood Ganesha’s to visit and the mandals were yet inviting.

Years rolled on and marriage happened. We moved out and the tradition of Ganpati continued at folks’ place. Mom began ageing and the goodies became lesser but not one bit less tasty, mind you. Some stuff was outsourced. Core competency of making modaks she retained. And yet does. And then one day she established our worthiness and insisted that we, my wife and i, take over the responsibility of playing the Lords host in our own home. Sure, we agreed. The kids were over the moon!

By this time, the mandals began mushrooming all over the city. The fragmentation became conclusive. As a boy i had read that BG Tilak had some other agenda on his mind. This we, as middle-class parents, conveyed in all sincerity to our kids too. But the outside was turning out to be something else. Weird smelling and burly men came to our doorstep ‘requesting’ vargani. They never seemed happy all the years we home-heartedly parted with whatever we could from dad's honest income, despite his government job. I took my kids to show them around the mandals and turned their attention away when i saw the men gamble and booze binge under the Lord’s glutes. “Good Lord!”, i exclaimed mutedly. The music was no longer melodious. Raunchy and sleaze laced songs with suggestive meanings blared from early mornings late into the nights. Then the Supreme Court stepped in. Youth loitered around the by now massive pandals keeping girls and ladies from many sections of society away from offering their obeisance without keeping half an eye open, just incase the adventure of 'making friendship' got the better off these boys! From simple backdrops, the decorations became electronic, mechanized, digitized, robotized and even disguised. The grandeur of the Lord himself was relegated to second place now loosing out to mankind’s superior decorative abilities.
This got us young adults re-look at the concepts of co-operative living, social celebrations, collective worship, dedicated service and other such. My sense is that the Lord re-visited these concepts too.

Things have only ‘advanced’ in these aspects. In the form of multi-ring security cordon, now man provides protection to the Lord. A few years back when i went visiting mandals, i sensed some vacancy in the spirit from when i was a young boy. And now, my kids don’t seem as excited as they were a few years earlier. They continue to be in playful devotion to the home Lord though. Maybe the crowds keep them away. Maybe the show of strength rather than the purpose of devotion has had a role to play in their transformation. Or maybe their child sense is numbed by the absence of right motivation and the true nature of the celebrations which perhaps have lost their way over time. Or has my perception changed, i wonder? Looking around, i see the same glint of excitement in the eyes of kids who came from far and near as i once had decades earlier as a kid myself and my kids had till only recently, only to diminish instead of getting stronger in these difficult times. Will the same happen to these thousands of kids too, i shuddered to think. Adults with the same faith, as earlier, come to visit my city in hordes during these 10-days. But then i also read with amusement that the sale of condoms sees a spurt during this period! On one hand, i have come to realize that the very purpose of devotion and prayer is to keep the cravings of the mind under vigil, yet this news was contrary to the teachings of the Lord himself. Maybe my simple mind cannot put this jig-saw together, I conclude.

“Never mind, let the music play”, says the Lord, “there is hope to learn and mend ways, isn’t there?”

Ganpati Bappa Morya! Pudhchya Varshi Buddhi Dya!
(Hail the Lord! Bestow wisdom upon us in time to come!)

Why Nature Refreshes Best!

'Life 365' newspaper, Pune, 20th May 2012 There are a number of ways in which urban dwellers try and soothe their frayed nerves tormented by work stress, competition, lifestyle, loneliness and other modern psycho-physical conditions. Eating out, partying, retail therapy, movies are some methods that bring temporary relief. Few however, have the good fortune to drive into the countryside or take a walk in the woods to derive wholesome benefit. Ever wondered why we get refreshed and invigorated when amidst nature and natural surroundings? Surely you must have heard someone say “Because we come from them and must dissolve into them too”. What does this actually mean?

Kalu Rinpoche writes, “It is from the mind, which embodies the five elemental qualities, that the physical body develops. The physical body itself is imbued with these qualities, and it is because of this mind/body complex that we perceive the outside world-which in turn is composed of the five elemental qualities of earth, water, fire, wind and space”.

Whenever we are amidst natural surroundings, conspicuously or subtly, these elements are around us at all times in some form or the other. How they work their magic on us is understood when one analyses that these very elements have qualities of our mind consciousness, the five sense consciousnesses and critical body functions.

Earth: The ability of our mind to serve as the platform or ground of all our experiences, is represented by the quality of the earth element. The physiological system (muscle and bone) of our body is controlled by this element. At death, while the earth element dissolves, it is felt internally by a sinking feeling by the dying person, as though pulled into a deep cave underground. Externally it is represented by heaviness, tiredness and loss of strength of the body. The earth element controls our sense of smell (olfactory senses). It is no wonder that almost all of us love the smell of earth, especially wet earth. Out of sheer affinity, as children, few of us may have even eaten wet mud!

Water: The continuity and adaptability quality of the mind finds in it the same quality as that of water. Our blood circulation and other fluid systems in the body are controlled by this element. In the process of dying, this is represented by water running from the nose and mouth as this element begins to dissolve. Internally the feeling is of parched lips, mouth and throat as the dying person is often offered water. The sense of taste is controlled by the water element.

Fire: The quality of our mind’s clarity and ability to perceive has the same quality as that of the fire element. Our body’s thermal system that regulates body temperature is controlled by this element. During the process of passing away, as the fire element dissolves, the person begins to feel cold and asks to be covered. The breath feels cold. When touched, the body feels cold externally too. The sense of vision is controlled by this element. No wonder people say, that looks can sometimes be fiery hot or cold!

Wind: The quality of our constantly moving mind is comparable to the wind or air element which too is never still. The respiratory system is controlled by the this element. While alive, it is the breath that connects our body to the mind and mind to the consciousness. Breathing stabilizes the mind and its surging emotions. During the dying process, as this element dissolves, the external signs are that of gasping for in-breath and heavy exhalation. Internally the dying person can feel being deflated and being swept away in a great storm as the wind runs out of the body. The sense of touch is controlled by the wind element.

Space: The vast emptiness nature of mind has the quality of the space element which is present but is formless and limitless. The hearing system of the body is controlled by this element. During the process of dying when this element is dissolving the hearing begins to fail and we hear sounds but cannot make out the words. Externally, the sign of peace or bliss can be seen on the face of the person as delusions begin to dissolve. The sense of balance too is controlled by this element. We know that behind the ear drum is the vacuum space for assisting us in maintaining our body balance and hearing. Within us, void or space fills up other cavities too.

As such, an intimate relation exists between the five elements, the qualities of our mind and five sense consciousnesses, inextricable from one another. So, remember to take such breaks regularly, even if it means a quiet walk each day in the neighbourhood garden, to stay refreshed, rejuvenated happy and healthy. Also, be in prayer to these elements for them to be in equilibrium within us. As these simple things are entirely in our hands, so is well-being.

Back from Sabbatical!

Dear friends:

It was that time of the year when the urge to take a break from the humdrum or urban living got too significant to be overlooked. This year saw me travel to the Buddhist monasteries of South Karnataka.

Bylakuppe, about 100kms from Mysore, is the larget settlement of Tibetans outside TIbet. It is also the place where two large universities of Namdroling ( Nyingma sect) and Sera Jey (Gelug sect)that impart Buddhist teachings of the highest order and purity are located. About 1000 lamas, young & very young, train here for monkhood at each of these locations. My teacher too resides here and is a post-graduate in Buddhist Philosophy from one of these hallowed institutions.

This time of the year was special. HH the 14th Dalai Lama was expected here between 31st Aug and 3rd Sep. Not only was the atmosphere festive, the thousands of monks who learn here worked alongside lay Tibetans, making special arrangements to welcome HH with a variety of sessions for all to attend. Dignitaries from atleast 15 countries were present too, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary celebrations of democracy by Tibetans in exile.

Staying with the monks for 2 weeks in the utmost serene, awareness filled and home-hearted surroundings alongside learning, practicing and receiving teachings from Tengyur Rinpoche and other senior monks was truly special.

Also, what was of great interest was the chat up with a group of western monks! These young men were once laity, and it was insightful to know what triggered their decision, what their experience has been and what message they have for the world. Hopefully, a leading national daily will carry it soon...

Some snap shots for you...Peace & prayers for all beings to benefit.

Recommended book: What makes you not a Buddhist - Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

Journeying Down the River of Life - Choice is Yours! (The Speaking Tree, 15.07.'10)

Dedicated to my friends, young men and women out there, who are at the threshold of launching their careers:

Two young girls, Laukika and Samatha, set of on an adventure. Both of them had completed their formal education and before venturing into their respective samsaric enterprises, they thought of taking a break to contemplate life. And thus was born this hedonistic idea of journeying down the river.

Having reached the river head, Laukika was so overwhelmed with its sensational speed, arousing energy and her own effervescent enthusiasm that she said to her friend “Hey! Samatha, i need to get a first hand experience of the river! It beckons me. I’m going to jump into it and be carried along with its great energies. Meet you later”. So saying, she took the plunge, without waiting for her friend to respond.

So the river carried her along. Laukika, the young girl that she was, in search of all that life had to offer her, enjoyed her initial tumbling, rolling, buoying, gushing, swaying and all kinds of adventure. At times the river frightened Laukika too, by sweeping her under the currents that whipped up. But she dismissed them as something she ought to get used to. By now the girl was so into the full flow of the river. Unknowing to her, the currents carried her further & deep to a point from where even sighting the shore was difficult. But Laukika was unfazed. She was euphoric and wanted more of the adventure, you see. Forever engrossed in steadying herself from the speed of her journey, she managed mere fleeting glimpses of the beauty around her. Now, the waves got bigger, the waters deeper, the river widened, the gushing became so forceful that she was thrown about, knocked about on the rocks all over, water and sand filled her nostrils and mouth, she was being bruised by the gravel and creatures in the river. The girl panicked. She had had enough; she thought and wanted to come out to safer shores. “Help me to the shore, someone”, she cried agonizingly. No one heard. Those who did hear her, couldn’t do much, as they were in the same dilemma themselves. There wasn’t an easy way out of the situation.

In the meanwhile, Samatha, had already set off on foot. “I choose to walk down the river bank instead. I might be able to enjoy the vistas better this way”, she had pondered to herself before taking off.

Many years had passed. The two friends met again. They hugged each other tight. Unimaginable joy blossomed on their faces from this unexpected yet fond reunion. And they shared experiences from their journeys.

Laukika, wearing a shorn look on her face, a bruised body, tears rolling down from her hollowed eyes onto her wrinkled cheeks, narrated all she had to say. Of course, she did have her share of fun, she admitted, but the journey had tired her out. Moreover she felt vacant inside. There was so much she wanted to do, she said, but the sheer speed of her journey dint permit her to take those tiny liberties.

She was now eager to hear from her dear friend.

Samatha spoke: “I too thought for long after you left me, Laukika. There was a moment i was tempted to follow you. The river did look enticing. But then, there was no hurry either. So i chose to walk down the river instead. The scenic offerings around the river were spell-binding. Those beautiful moments of peace were so soothing. I marvelled at the sunrise & sunsets so different each day, the envelope of the open blue sky so re-assuring, the stars at night that i tried to count but always lost count of, i pranced and played with the countless birds and butterflies that filled the forest, i stopped to smell the forest and her flowerings, i waited occasionally with bated breath to see the handsome kingfisher dive into the waters for a quick meal, the seagulls that flew over my head playfully seemed to taunt my lazy walk. There were times when i wanted to sense what the river felt like and i would plunge into it, frolic in the waters, get the bubbles to ease my aches then dry myself on the warm rocks on the bank, read a book and resume my journey. The occasional bear that came down to the river for a drink dint bother me so long as i kept away from him and he sensed no danger from me. The local tribes who collected firewood and fruits from the forest would invite me to their humble homes. I would play with their children and share with them simple tips on improving their health through hygiene, then bid them goodbye. The journey has been incredible, full of myriad experiences…you could even say, a journey of imagination!”

“And you know Laukika, the best part of it is that i feel happy to have done it this way. My way and at my pace. I feel fulfilled”.

The two friends sat in silence. Each contemplating in what manner she had been able to carve out a holistic human life.

For my dear young readers who will soon set out to embark on their very own individual journeys, think of what you want from this precious human life. Fleeting Pleasures or Sustaining Happiness.

(Index: Laukik: Pleasure, Samatha: Equanimity...leads to a happy mind state)

Girish Deshpande
(The author is a Dharma practitioner based in Pune)

CHANGE THE REFERENCE POINT OF THE BENEFICIARY!, Speaking Tree, 10th Aug 2010

CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE WILLINGLY:

Taking to spiritual development is today seen as a way to stress busting and thus bettering the quality of our lives. This seems to be more relevant in urban living where lifestyle, desires and aspirations is playing havoc in the minds of people. People are getting increasingly edgy, short fused and social grace is taking a beating.

For those who are embarking on this path to tame the mind, to get more calm and composed and therefore lead happy lives, here is a vital tip:

The first mistake that people make is when they embark on this path with an incorrect reference point of beneficiary. Let me explain.

There was a sorcerer in a town in Tibet who used to torment the people with his black magic. Far and wide travelled his stories of how he could bring down hail and destroy villages with his powers. He would rob and kill people at will. He gained great respect out of sheer fear and he revelled in this notorious respect. He would be delighted with his sinister achievements. After few years, a great personal tragedy shook him and he decided he would practice this sorcery no more. In the high mountains lived a lama of repute. He had heard of the deeds of this black magician and was overwhelmed with the suffering the people had to undergo under his ill-used powers. The sorcerer approached the lama and said to him: “Master, I have been a bad man all thee years. I need to redeem myself. Please help me.” The lama suggested: Very well, now that you wish to change, you need to change your attitude first! Just as you did all the evil things to people causing them great suffering, thereby deriving great pleasure from it, you are to exactly reverse the process!” "What do you say, master? I dont understand”, the befuddled sorcerer asked. The lama continued “Well, just as you did harm to others and derived pleasure, now do good to people and derive happiness. Its so simple.” The sorcerer got the message and went on to become one of the greatest masters of our time.

The point here is very simple. We always look at the benefit with this viewpoint: “How will i derive benefit out of my practices and actions”. The shift of this attitude should be in cultivating a mind wherein how others can derive benefit from my practices and actions. The moment shift of the reference point of the true recipient of the beneficiary is made, the pathway is yours for gainful merit. Caution must be exercised to do so with total and happy ‘release’. If we have any restrain within us in doing so, such action will gain us negative karma and push us into lower realm re-births. This is an attitudinal shift which only the person can himself/herself do. The teacher can only suggest, but the work is to be done by the pupil. The awakening of special motivation must arise from within.

Merely, in understanding our suffering and giving us a tip so simple yet profound, the teacher becomes the compassionate one. We cannot expect him/her to physically lift us to better life or out of suffering of afflicted emotions or even rebirth on higher realm. He can only show us the direction. Experiences, we must gain on our own.

Such a shift of attitude, shift of the point of reference of the true beneficiary of actions undertaken, is necessary for all those in public life too. Politicians, Government officials, Social workers for example. Results will be magical, enormous, fast and of great accumulating merit.

Summarizing everything into a single verse by the greatest teacher of Mahayana and Indian scholar, Shantideva:

All the joy the world contains
Has come through wishing happiness for others,
All the misery the world contains
Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself.

Tathagatha realization to you!

['Tathagatha' refers to one who has trod the path to full awakening and so reached the end of suffering and released from life-death cycle. The implication is that the path is open to all who would follow it. In later Mahayana Buddhism, Tathagatha came to mean the essential buddha nature found in every sentient being.]

INTOXICATION AND THE MIND, Speaking Tree Paper, 5th Dec 2010

The Buddha laid down five guidelines for laity who wished to follow the Dharma.

These were:

1. Avoid killing
2. Avoid lying
3. Avoid sexual mis-conduct (sex outside of marriage, un-natural sex etc)
4. Avoid stealing
5. Avoid intoxication

While all the five are obvious for a peaceful and happy life, this piece in particular delves into the reasons of the issues related to intoxication.

In modern lives where stress is high, social life vibrant, the desire to ‘unwind’ over a glass of wine or one’s favourite tipple, is an accepted norm. Personally i find nothing wrong in this although i do not wish to advocate it. However, if we are mindful of what the Buddha must have actually cautioned us against, these experiences will be better understood and therefore better enjoyed.

We have seen through previous columns that we all have a buddha mind in us. Every sentient being has it. This mind is always present, always clear, always perfect and has always been with us. Infact the natural expression of this omnipresent and omniperfect mind is clarity. The issues arise when this mind is clouded by delusions, defilements, aggressive, and non-virtuous thoughts arising typically out of the five poisons (pride, ignorance, greed jealousy and anger). With this karmic mind - that we out of ignorance identify as and presume to be the ‘base mind’ - we tend to carry out our actions of body, speech and mind, landing us into all sorts of suffering.

Let us for a moment presume that we have made some progress on the path and have actually been able to see, in our meditative sessions, glimpses of our base mind differentiating it from the karmic mind. We ‘see’ a distinct clarity between the base mind and the afflicted mind.

Here is what intoxication does to this clear situation. As alcohol begins to enter our blood stream, it begins to bring in the confusion with it. Slowly as the intoxicant takes effect, the clarity of the base mind and the dullness of the karmic mind begin to get merged. The otherwise black-white starkness gives way to an increasing ‘grey area’ expanse. As more intoxicant floods the blood stream, this state of confusion increases to finally becoming total. The confused mind is in no way able to identify thoughts, speech and action between virtuous and non-virtuous, ethical and unethical, noble and wretched, wise and foolish, friendly and hostile and so on. The ingested volume till such time the confusion sets in and become total, might vary from person to person, but it is inevitable.

So what should one do? I’m not recommending abstinence. Nobody stops you from exercising it either!

What we must necessarily do, when tippling, are two things:

1. Keep a close ‘watch’ on the goings on in the mind. If you sense the greying, one needs to be even more vigilant (than we are at other times) of what is being processed in the mind and therefore what is being churned out in the form of speech and action.
2. Stop indulging when we sense that the confusion is about to get out of ‘hand’. Give time for the levels of intoxicant to settle down.

This is particularly of use at social events. There are people we may have all seen in our lives who make such fools of themselves, that it becomes embarrassing for the accompanying spouse, friend or the host to take hold of the situation. At unfortunate times, the scene turns ugly and violent too. How many times have we heard of the same person who behaved inappropriately the previous evening, to call up to apologize for his/her behaviour? All this only because, the confused mind has been restored from sloth to its true state of clarity.

Tibetan Buddhists say a short prayer before partaking any alcohol or intoxicant which essentially makes an offering of it to the presiding deities and buddhas, but more importantly appeals to them to keep the effects of the substance under the control of the body (digestability) and mind (not confusing it)!

So friends, if we continue to be mindful about ingestion of intoxicants, we will see that they can help us in some ways if they are used rather than bring us suffering by improper acts of body, speech and mind, with its abuse. Going further, if the regulars use this “intoxication meditation” to see what is actually happening to their minds, each and every time, they can easily give it up or remain way below confusion levels.

Cheers to life and living!

Girish Deshpande
(The author is a Pune based Dharma practitioner)

Bodhichitta ( Mind of Awakening)

Loving-kindness, the root of practice

This is the root of all the Dharma practices: generating the Bodhicitta [loving-kindness]. If one can really generate genuine Bodhicitta within one's mind, then it is very easy to move nearer to ultimate liberation. Bodhicitta is known as the awakening mind. The awakening mind is without partiality and equally benefits all sentient beings. If we have the thought of doing something good and beneficial only for our families and friends and then we want to create all kinds of obstacles for someone we don't like or whom we consider to be an enemy, this is not Bodhicitta.

Generating Bodhicitta, the awakening mind, is for the purpose of benefiting all sentient beings without any exception. Even living creatures such as ants, in their ultimate nature, they also have the Buddha nature. Even cockroaches. There is no difference in the size of the form. In the teachings it says that there is no limit to space, that space is immeasurable, and similarly there is no limit of sentient beings. Their number is immeasurable. Hence we have to generate the kind of Bodhicitta that is immeasurable for all these immeasurable numbers of beings.

If Bodhicitta, the awakening mind, is within your mindstream from birth, then of course it is very good! But if one cannot generate in that way or have that kind of quality, at least one can understand the necessity and importance of Bodhicitta. Based on that one can receive the Bodhisattva vows from a master and also from the body, speech and mind supports - like shrines and altars. As we receive the Bodhisattva vows, we can apply all this into practice, and the fact that we have been born as human beings becomes something really meaningful.

Within our mind-streams, there are all kinds of mental afflictions or defilements that are called the five poisons (pride, ignorance, greed, envy and anger). These are the main causes by which we experience all the kinds of sufferings and problems in Samsara. That is why our most important responsibility as a practitioner is how we can get rid of this afflicted mind, how we can abandon it and how we can suppress these poisons.

It is difficult in the beginning to really generate Bodhicitta, the positive thought of benefiting all other sentient beings, within one's mind. But if we constantly think of it and try to contemplate and to train ourselves to get through all these practices, then it will become easy, like a habit. All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past, in countless numbers like the stars of the sky, all these Enlightened Beings were in the beginning the same as us - just sentient beings. They were not born from the beginning as Buddhas.

So with this precious human birth, when we have all this intellectual understanding, we have to really contemplate and think about what is the best benefit that one can really achieve within this lifetime. We could just complete our worldly activities. But that is still just cultivating the same kinds of causes and conditions, and we will just rebound into Samsara again. We will not achieve the ultimate happiness. Even if we have really high rank or we have all kinds of luxuries and material belongings, or we have fame and very good friends and many subjects or attendants, still there is no real essence there from which we can benefit. So if we spend our whole lifetime just to get success still we will find there is nothing there that we can rely on. Everything is so impermanent and changeable.

You all have some intellectual understanding so you can think and examine for yourself and understand what is really going on. One should examine and think over what one has really done and what benefits one is really getting within one's lifetime. Even if one is very rich, very wealthy, very intellectual, very wise - if we look into ourselves, into our own minds, we can understand just how much experience of peace or happiness is really there.

(From a discourse given by HH Penor Rinpoche, Namdroling Monastery - Bylakuppe, who attained Parinirvana in March 2009. Translated by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche. More on: www.palyul.org)

Girish Deshpande, is a Pune based Nyingma Buddhist and Dharma practitioner

RELIGION & DHARMA

There often arises debate over Religion and (Buddha)Dharma. While there is no greater affinity between the two, the differences between the two are very great too. Let’s explore the nuances in brief: (for reasons to understand, ‘Religion’ referred hereunder is the one most widely followed in India)

1. Religion is said to be personal, keeping it to oneself and not let it be displayed in public. To the contrary, Dharma is social, essentially and fundamentally.

2. Religion is an indefinite word with no fixed meaning. The meaning has evolved differently over time. Dharma has a specific meaning which is ’path to cessation of suffering’.

3. Dharma is based on righteousness i.e. right relations between man and man in all spheres of life. Religion is based on man’s relation with God mostly for personal gains.

4. If one man exists there is no place for Dharma. Wherever two men exist finding a place for Dharma is a must. In other words, society cannot do without Dharma. Not so with Religion since it is based on man-God relation.

5. Religion based on belief in God is based on speculation and superstition. Dharma does not believe in God and therefore not in speculation, supernatural, or superstition.

6. Morality & Ethics is the root of Dharma. Without it there is no Dharma. Morality & Ethics in Dharma arises from direct need for man to love man. There is no place to please God or obtain his sanction for this. It is for one’s own good that man should love man & all other beings. In Religion morality comes as side wind to maintain peace & order. The content of Religion is God, soul, prayers, worship, sacrifices, rituals & ceremonies. There is no place in it for one’s relation with sentient beings. All religions preach morality & ethics but morality is not the root of religion.

7. Unlike Religion, belief in sacrifices for appeasement or otherwise is not Dharma.

8. Religion puts all emphasis on knowledge. Dharma puts emphasis on education and application of knowledge for alleviating suffering of every sentient being.

9. Unlike religion, belief in the books being infallible is not what Dharma professes.

10. Unlike religion, belief in soul is not Dharma.

11. Unlike religion, union with Brahma is not Dharma.

12. Unlike religion, God being the creator of the universe is a non-belief of Dharma.

13. Purity & Perfection of body speech & mind is Dharma.

14. Living in happiness is Dharma. Liberation of soul after death is Religion.

15. Belief of permanent soul is not Dharma. Soul is central assumption to Religion.

16. Unflinching belief in karma (deeds of body, mind & speech) is Dharma.

17. Release of passion & craving to attain liberation/nirvana is Dharma. Roads to liberation in Religion are different and unconvincing. (eg: Laukik (material centric), Yogic (temporary & leading ascetic life), Upanishadic & Brahmnic (both based on unification of soul with Brahma, a theory debunked by the Buddha convincingly )

18. Reading books on dharma is not Dharma. Practicing teachings in every day life is Dharma.

19. Infinity-Finity of universe, Eternalism, Nihilism is not the teaching of Dharma since it does not address the questions of cessation of suffering nor bring happiness and hence is considered irrelevant in Dharma.

20. Sila (Virtue), Maitri (Loving kindness) and Karuna (Compassion) and Pradnya (Understanding) are corner stones of Dharma. Proper understanding of these leaves no room for speculation. Without these society can neither live peacefully nor grow unitedly. Religion is based on speculations.

21. Dharma breaks down barriers between man & man, increases tolerance and acceptance. Religion tends to erect walls in between them, tending to reduce tolerance.

22. Dharma teaches that worth of man and not birth must be his measure. Religion lays emphasis on birth, caste etc

23. Dharma, by nature being Middle Path has no room for hardline fundamentalists. Religion has shown fundamentalist tendencies.

24. Religious texts (Vedas, Upanishads etc) are considered infallible and hence not open to questioning even with proof (thru perception or inference). The Dharma is open to questioning with proof (by perception or inference).

25. Dharma teaches equality. Religion classifies according to type of work (chaturvarna). Hence, Dharma is equalizing, Religion is classifying.

26. Religion is concerned with revealing the beginning of things, origin of the world, journey of the soul, constructing the universe. Dharma is not, since it brings no value to increasing happiness hence un-profitable. Dharma’s purpose is to reconstruct the world.

Such is the nature of Religion & Dharma.


Girish Deshpande
(The author is a student of Buddha Dharma. Extracts have been taken from various Buddhist publications)

POLITICS FOR GENEXT!

IS POLITICS A VIABLE CARRER ALTERNATIVE FOR GENEXT?

An emphatic YES! Allow me to elaborate:

On one hand India is a young nation. The average age of India today is a youthful 27 yrs! 50% of India is born after 1983. Their needs, wants, requirements in all areas that affect their day-to-day being are driven differently. These areas, when tabulated & understood fall into one of these 9 categories: Social, Political, Agricultural, Cultural, Educational, Industrial, Economic, Security & Health Care.

On the other, what we have witnessed in India over the past 60 years is quite the opposite. Sample this: The 1st Lok Sabha had just 1 MP in the age group 71-90yrs & 86MP’s in the 56-70yrs. The corresponding figures for the 14th LS are 38 & 201! And a man dominated one at that. Clearly Male Geriatric Politics is unabashedly nurtured in Indian political system. Result? Regressive policies, ridiculously outdated definitions on morality, mismatched & archaic education system, ancient laws to check contemporary crimes, non-existent women health care, gender atrocities falling to abysmal levels to female foeticide & infanticide, economic & physical squalor, lack of will and energy in doing, intensive inertia in moving ahead with times, etc are things we see around us everyday. The decay in governance is almost total.

Reason? Whether it is the pot hole on our roads, or terror strikes, or water shortage, power shortage... there is one common thread that runs thru all this. And that of Systemic Failure. The reason behind this is that winning elections has become an end in itself. Often this is achieved by wily, dubious means, manoeuvring the system that has gone unchecked for decades. Unenlightened, uneducated, insensitive people who have nothing but personal agendas to pursue are sitting in decision implementing positions, making laws that you & i have to follow. There is no accountability, no responsibility of position at all. At the same time, the middle class youth have stayed away from active politics. It's “ uncool” factor added to more of them staying away.

The steady decline in the quality of political managers, at all levels of governance, on account of dynasty, candidate winnability, goondaism & money power, sycophancy, fudged voter list, unimplemented EC Rules (49-O), is so complete that none want to get into this cesspool. For the common youth, whether it is the administration, executive or judiciary, in all these 3 vital arms of governance, faith in being assisted at the ‘first point of contact’ is non-existent. The rot is complete! Politics is degenerated into a ‘dirty’ word. Nobody wants to even talk about ‘dirty politics’ let alone foraying into it.

And the youth of India has only watched in horror. Many are fleeing. Many more are disinterested & even frightened to seize the runaway bull by the horn. Others revel in their own stupor of not wanting to look beyond their nose tips. Yet some bravehearts are voicing their anger, anguish, frustration thru street marches, gheraos, candle light walks, protests and the sorts.

The question is what next?

Emotions die out. Frustrations continue and we learn to cope with it. Candles burn out. Energies sap. Marches get us nowhere close to being heard. Violent protests get us into jail. And the average middle class youth, progressive minded, educated, well meaning, with reasonable awareness does not go around molesting girls in pubs for cheap publicity!

The way out is only ONE. Thru the ballot, into the System.

Competent and professionally qualified youth with the right skills MUST take to politics & good governance fearlessly and proactively. Openly discuss political issues. Stage protests & andolans. Conduct debates. Hold street plays. Host TV shows to throw up worthy names as candidates. Stand up for rights. Demand explanations on accountability of public resources used. Take up credible courses in public administration, governance & urban development. Contest elections on credible political platforms such as PPI. Win seats. Get into the System. Reach decision implementing positions. Raise progressive bills. Argue in favour of their benefits. Make them into laws. Drive Systemic Change. Make the system efficient & effective enough to deliver so as to positively impact the quality of life of the last Indian at the very bottom of the stack!

This is possible. Very achievable. Remember politics is not dirty, the politician has made it look that way to keep us away from it! Mahatma Gandhi was a politician, but he was clean. "Politics is inextricable from my being", he said.

PPI believes that young Indians must consider politics as a viable career option just for one reason. Better Governance. “I am for better Governance” should be the mantra ringing the air incessantly till change occurs!

Professionals Party of India is the answer to the youth of today, showing them the way out of the mess we are in. Join the movement. Come, let’s reclaim our India.

Jai Hind. Jai Ho!

Regards & Prayers

Girish Deshpande
Core Group Member & Media Coordinator
Professionals Party of India
www.ppi.net.in
Action for Better Governance!

ENCROACHMENTS IN INDIA - A Systemic Failure (version: DNA, 8/2/'10)

ENCROACHMENTS REFLECT SYSTEMIC FAILURE:

One illegal vendor on one street, one unauthorized food hawker in one area, just a part of one footpath with a shed without permission and other such one-of-its-kind transgressions of the law can be termed as odd grassroots level stumbling, rare in nature. They can therefore be addressed and solved quickly at grass root level. However, when one sees a multitude of illegal vendors on every street, unauthorized food hawkers in every area, each pedestrian footpath with kiosks that have no permission, all doing brisk business for years, all over the country, then there is one phrase that sums up such a situation. Systemic Failure.

Encroachments have come to sustain themselves in all kinds of shapes, forms and permissions too! I write this piece as a humble foot soldier of the Professionals Party of India, to highlight the situation in one such city, a wannabe metro, Pune. Sadly, peeping outside the window of your home, you will be able to identify with a similar situation in your city too. So is the case in every other Indian city.

Sample this:

•Eateries, vendors, other petty services gnawing into precious motor carriage width and footpaths, many thriving with the blessings of local goons & politicians
•Sudden display of sympathy by administration towards every immigrant into the city/area to carry out business on the road never mind even if it is at the inconvenience of thousands of domiciled citizens
•Bringing religion on the street in the form of places of worship at rickshaw & tempo stands
•Authorities turning a Nelson’s eye to the blatant use of basement parking for commercial businesses
•Unwise permissions doled out by municipal bodies to high rise commercial buildings in serene residential areas and on roads having tiny widths, by sheer manipulation of the rule book
•Corrupt practices of governing bodies/departments in connivance with builders/developers for cheap gains
•Political hoardings especially those conveying birthday wishes and felicitations
•Untimely and delayed take over of open spaces by municipal authorities from area developers and delay in commencement of civic benefit projects that snowball into complex legal cases
•Massive backlog of civil/land cases currently in courts actually benefit the perpetrators of encroachments
•Govt. high-handedness, VIP-ism…the list is tiresome.

So what are the solutions? Solutions to any problem, anywhere, in any matter always need to be addressed at two levels. These are to be implemented professionally at both levels. So also in the case of illegal and unauthorized encroachments.

1.Firefight: Existing encroachments to be removed forthwith with no discrimination. Rule for one is rule for all. If it cropped up illegally it must go lawfully. As soon as a new encroachment is noticed by authorities or brought to notice by citizens, a swift series of action need to be initiated in a sustained manner to the extent that the encroacher never dares to get back. Not here and not anywhere in the city. Nowhere in the country too.

2.Systemic: These solutions can be brought about only through professionally motivated governance. Its attempt is forever directed towards ensuring that the same problems never resurface. This is ensured through introduction of checks and balances, ethical conduct, transparent accountability, revamping outdated laws making them more contemporary, laying down deterring rules, implementing them thoroughly without vested interest & bias and by finding time-bound alternatives (In the encroachment scenario, by finding an alternate site / solution for vendors to do what is their constitutional right i.e. earn a living respectfully and legally).

PPI believes that if a ‘thoroughly professional code of conduct’ approach is taken by existing officers and public servants at every level, not just encroachment but all civic issues can be tackled with ease, thereby improving the quality of life of each one of us in every city. Further, by getting enlightened people to leadership positions the need for citizens’ forums - that are forced to be formed as a result of poor governance - will reduce substantially. The energy pool thus released can then be sharply focussed on higher-end socio-psycho-economic development issues to get our cities a first world status. The elementary question is: Is the attitude of the middle class, the empowered class, ready for a collective make-over before our country gets one? Get Involved!

Girish Deshpande
Member, Core Group
Professionals Party of India (PPI)
www.ppi.net.in
Motivated for Better Governance!

BODH GAYA FACT FILE

How to get there:
1. Flight:
-Although Gaya has an airstrip, usually all charter flights land here carrying large groups. Sporadic flights operate from Kolkata to Gaya from where Bodh Gaya is 45mins by road. Taxis or rickshaws await to take you. Rates to be negotiated.
-Flights to Patna are from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi and other major cities of India from where taxis can be hired to reach Bodh Gaya.
2. Train:
-Any train that reaches Patna Jn. (120kms, 5hrs) or Gaya Jn. (25kms, 1hr) may be taken from the extensive Indian railway network.
-From Patna numerous options like taxis, buses and inter-city (local) trains are available.
-From Patna jn, costs are rs. 50-60 each way by bus, rs. 1200-1500 for private cab. Avoid local passenger trains which are invariably over crowded and sometimes unsafe too.
-From Gaya Jn. share auto costs rs. 30 and private auto rs. 150. Taxi options from Gaya are limited but exist.

Where to stay: Gaya: Usually people don’t stay at Gaya unless they have an early morning train out from there, as i did. Hotels do exist but none with too much comfort. Look around for some deals around the station. Hotel Ajatsatru is one such, right opposite.
Bodhgaya: Numerous options from budget with share bath, some monasteries rent out rooms (which are clean with private baths are great value for money but come with emphasis on peaceful living, no board facilities and need ahead booking) or few high end hotels with a/c rooms are also available in bodh gaya. Range: rs. 300 to 2500.

What to expect:
-On such self searching trips people are supposed to go with no expectations! As tourist however, expect the usual outside of the temple...hawkers selling religious fare, eateries, bookshops, travel agencies, taxi drivers, cycle rickshaws, flower sellers, people in suffering asking for alms..etc.
- A walk around the little town are sights of underdeveloped Bihar outback...small shanties bursting with child population, poverty, open sewers, strewn garbage, roadside eateries, dust & grime. However, one also sees magnificent temples developed by several nations (Thailand, Japan, Bhutan, Korea...), all jostling for space alongside each other.
- Once inside the main temple (Mahabodhi) you are transformed to another realm....clean, quiet, leafy, meditation gardens, ponds, flowers, aroma....peace.

What to see:
- A trip to every monastery or temple is recommended, each having exclusive architecture inside & outside with immaculate gardens & sprawling lawns
- The ASI museum is a let down not because of the contents but the apathy in the display of the excavations.
- A walk inside the temple premises late eve is a fabulous experience. Don’t miss it!
- Visit to places of worship of other faiths too can be visited.
- Trips can be undertaken to Varanasi (250kms), Sarnath (outside Varanasi)

What to seek:
Hope for liberation for oneself & all sentient beings thru Buddha Dharma!

Girish Deshpande, an urban seeker!

PRIDE AND ENVY - Strange bedfellows!

Speaking Tree, ToI, July 2010

PRIDE AND ENVY – Antidotes To Each Other

Pride and Envy are the two most dangerous pollutants that follow whenever any tiny virtue begins to generate in the mind. They are also the two of the five poisons that slip away the quickest from a mind that is not under constant vigilance. Hence care needs to be exercised not merely in being mindful that they do not surface but the manner in which these defilements can be enslaved or greatly diluted.

Curiously however, it is interesting to know that both these harmful monsters are also antidotes to one another! This fascinating revelation was brought to us by Khenpo Kunzang Palden (1872-1943), a great scholar of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and serves brilliantly in marginalizing the strength of one’s ego.

We need to bear in mind that while we perform the practices, what we do is to exchange our position with those who are inferior or superior to us and put ourselves in that position and meditate unwavering on it. Here we will examine two situations, i.e. someone less well off than us and someone better off than us.

1. PRACTICE OF ENVY ( Antidote to Pride):

To begin the practice, think of those things that you pride in eg. wealth, intelligence, possessions, awards and so on. Now exchange your current state with that of a beggar or tramp. You now become a nobody and from this state allow yourself to feel envious of the ‘other’. The person you are now looking at is wealthy, has many servants, has every comfort of food and clothing. In contrast you are a nobody, a good for nothing repulsive beggar. From this state, you ask him what reason he has to be so arrogant. For he may have a lot more than you but when compared to someone even greater, he is no so great. Likewise, even if you are poor and hungry you are still better off than somebody who is a sick, old or physically incapacitated or blind. We know that rich and poor, high and low, better and worse are all relative terms and not the absolute. You now look up to this arrogant man and say “If you are such a great man, why don’t you try and help me in someway? What good use is your position if you can’t bring some relief and benefit to me? You will only bring upon yourself evil karma for your next life by being so arrogant.” Our past karma decides our present condition. So if we want to have a better future we must be careful of what we do now. Therefore by appreciating the suffering of being poor, untalented and without honour you realize how improper it is to be full of scorn and disrespect. With continuous meditation like this you start to respect those who are less fortunate than you. In this way you can meditate on envy as an antidote to pride.

2. PRACTICE OF PRIDE ( Antidote to Envy):

Here you reverse the roles again as you conduct this practice. You exchange yourself with someone who is far wealthier and greater than you. He has much more of everything than you have. He is the one who has a condescending attitude and looks down upon you. He has far more social standing, money, intelligence, talent and all other qualities. But then the new ‘you’ asks: Why am I being so vicious with someone less fortunate than me. Why is it that my ego and self-cherishing attitude is playing up so much only to push me back into suffering in times and lives ahead? It must dawn upon you that it is faulty to display such pride. When you do encounter people who display such arrogance of offence, you ask yourself “Why is it they are behaving so?” and instead of getting angry and resentful, exchange yourself with them and see if you are doing the same. If you are, then you will be able to know why the person is behaving that way and you will treat him with respect and service rather than with rivalry, indifference and anger. In this way you can meditate on pride as an antidote to envy.

It is true that this may take time to accomplish, but then, so do other worldly things. Moreover, this practice will ensure that you not only lead a life of equanimity in this life but by not accumulating bad karma due to generation of pride and envy, you will ensure for yourself a better realm in the next one.

Girish Deshpande
The author is a Pune based Dharma practitioner
lamagirish@gmail.com

The Six Stains Along The Way ( Written as message for Centre for Buddhist Studies, Ferozepur)

Speaking Tree newspaper 13.11.2011 BEWARE OF THE SIX STAINS!

In recent times pursuit of spirituality has become a ‘cool’ thing to do. Young and not so old are seen taking various paths in the hope of ‘instant’ nirvana! We even have a large number of dedicated channels on spiritual dvelopment in the visual media. Self-help books disappear off the shelves before they can be replaced! Everything right in this, so long as the seeker seeks the right teacher, the right path and generates the right motivation.

At the initial stages there is great enthusiasm with the pupil seen putting in dedicated practice to reason out the difference between the relative and absolute world. He/she derives happiness in contemplating the mind. A feeling of encouragement set in when small gains are visible. This is when the danger period sets in and great caution needs to be exercised in identifying and overcoming what are termed as the Six Stains. Here they are, caution the Masters:

Pride is displayed by believing oneself to be superior to the teacher. This is to be shunned. This is not to say that the teacher cannot be questioned. Ofcourse one can do so and if the teacher is compassionate, he/she will dispel with your queries in the manner most patient and comforting. However, as there is a great deal of unlearning to be done at this stage, to take the nurtured mind back to its root nature, the stain of pride needs to be overcome quickly by accepting the explanation put forth by the trained teacher.

Lack of faith arises when the seeker falls short of total trust he/she ought to have in the teacher and his teachings and transmissions. Absence of faith blocks the door to freedom from suffering. Remember, ones faith in the teachings and path is the basis of what we will achieve. If the extent of our faith is high, medium or low the corresponding results will be high, medium or low. If there is no faith, there will be no result.

Lack of effort shows up a few months into the practice when our worldly tasks begin to become overwhelming. We are able to devote less and less time, energy and mind space to our daily practices. Eg: our late night parties prevent us from waking up early for meditation, or even if we do, our mind is dull and dark with lack of sleep and results are often mediocre, or maybe our office work, physical workout schedules keeps us from evening practices and so on.

External distractions are perhaps the most difficult to stave off. This samsara is full of distractions and attractions. Remember to an un-trained mind, external stimuli can be sensational, disturbing, arousing & seductive. The mind is gullible and thoughts can deceive easily. If we don’t catch hold of the situation soon, we are sure to suffer in our gains. This does not mean that we do nothing for our entertainment. However, it is important to limit ones aspirations & desires.

Internal upheavals are caused when we focus too much of our attention inwards by pandering to the whims, wants and needs of our five senses. Their needs are limitless and the mind is constantly tormented by the them for satiation and gratification. They are like hungry beasts that are never satisfied. Constantly satisfying them becomes an endless ordeal for us. This augurs no good for consolidating our position on enslaving the truant mind.

Discouragement sets in endangering the entire process. Sometimes lessons or teachings can be long and tiresome. The teacher makes every effort for you to get the exact meaning and words correctly. This tends to discourage the evil mind which wants to wander away chasing something more attractive!

The Way of Awakening is not easy. Nor is it unachievable. It is his/hers who has the most endeavour. And it must be remembered most vividly that, it is only in the human realm, with its advantages and freedoms, that spiritual trajectory is possible. It is only here that we have the opportunity to come across the Dharma teachings and therefore a good chance for liberation or atleast rebirth in higher realm.

Labour on, dear seekers! Prayers and good luck be with you.

Girish Deshpande,
The author is a Pune based Dharma practitioner
lamagirish@gmail.com

Its All In The Mind, (Speaking Tree, 19/05/'10)

STARTING UP TO COOL DOWN!

Do you honestly want to start taming your mind and be happy? Do you have the right motivation and intention to begin? Are you serious about it? If the answers to these questions are an emphatic, undoubted and a spontaneous “YES”, then this piece is for you, dear seeker. The ‘Three Pre-requisites’, in the order mentioned, is all you have to know well to begin this journey towards realization, unimaginable happiness and finally enlightenment. And may i add that this has been my experience too, although through trial and error. I hope this article helps you cut down the time for such exploration and becomes a harbinger of early benefit!

1. There cannot be a beginning without knowing what to begin on! So, the very first thing to do is to get started on the teachings. Although, as Buddhist, i would recommend the Buddha Dharma to you, as it appeals to clear logic and is not speculative, you may choose the teachings of your choice. Whatever you decide on, please have vivid, eager and confident faith in the teachings. Here it also means that you need to have a teacher, qualified and competent himself/herself, to enable you to find answers to little roadblocks you might encounter along the way. As the masters say: “Learning to meditate without proper understanding of the teachings is like trying to climb a tree without limbs!” What this means is that one must know what to meditate on before starting, and for this, one needs to have a reasonable understanding of one’s lineage teachings. It also means that a special motivation or bodhichitta must be humbly awakened within ourselves to begin spiritual practice.

2. Secondly, there is wisdom saying in Tibetan: “Gompa ma yin, kompa yin”, which means: Meditation is not, getting used to is”. Let me explain. Meditation cannot be ‘done’, or for that matter done sporadically. It would be foolish to meditate and stay calm during the practice and be rabid minded with upheavals of afflicted emotions of anger, greed, pride, jealousy, revenge etc the whole day! It wont help at all. One has to get so comfortable with meditation that it becomes embedded into our system. It becomes something that we can do anywhere and anytime and then finally all the time! However, to reach this stage, one has to calm the mind to a reasonable level of steadiness. Which method should one adopt to do this? The Buddha taught 84000 ways to calm and ease negative emotions. Also, there are countless ways to meditate. Choose the one that you and your teacher decide best for you to begin with. Remember, no short cuts! Be regular with meditation, preferably do it at a fixed time each day. I prefer early mornings as the clutter and clamour of urban life is yet to start around the neighbourhood. Endeavour tirelessly, however difficult the path may seem. It is certainly possible to tame the mind. There are hundreds and thousands of people in the world who have achieved enlightenment. We can do it too!

3. Finally, be ever vigilant of the mind. Bear in mind that the nature of mind is thoughts and emotions. In an average human mind, over 50000 thoughts and emotions come and go each day! The trick is to let them be. Don’t engage them. Especially the disturbing, negative ones. Let them rise and fall. Be at peace with their rise and subsequent fall. Never try and get difficult or overtly friendly with them. They will go just as they have come. A beautiful metaphor is to look at the mind like an ocean and the rising and falling thoughts and emotions like the waves. Whoever has heard of the ocean being disturbed by the waves? Be like the old grandfather watching the child play. He knows the pranks going on and is amused by them too, but is vigilant of the child not causing any harm to itself or to anybody else around. In short, be mindful of the goings on of the mind at all times. The mind can slip away faster than you have realized its departure.

We take so much trouble and pay such a lot of money to go to a gym and exercise to keep our body fit. Why not consider a little bit of time and no money for our mind’s wellness too? Imagine a world of people with strong bodies and untamed minds! It would be a terrifying place to live in, isn’t it? An approach to tone both would be in global interest where disrupting emotions today are running high.

Now that you will begin in right earnest, whatever goodness accrues from this, dedicate all of it to your near and dear ones, your teacher, old folks or those you are indebted to in your life and other sentient beings around you. This way more benefit, peace and happiness will come your way.

Prayers for the Buddha to smile upon you.


Girish Deshpande, is a Pune based Dharma practitioner
lamagirish@gmail.com

An Empty Mind Need Not Be The Devils Workshop, Speaking Tree, 25/01/'10

MIND IT, AN EMPTY MIND IS THE BUDDHA’S PLAYFIELD:

It is strange how we have been made to believe since growing years, of a devil working in an empty mind! It is quite to the contrary. Allow me to explain, giving a Buddhist viewpoint.

To make it simpler to understand, as a ‘do it yourself’ experiment, try this in solitude. It will take only a few minutes.

Sit in any comfortable position (lotus position or just cross legged) in a quiet place, a garden or room, with the spine erect, hands folded across your lap, with the bottom of your right palm resting on the left palm and the two thumbs touching each other. Eyes angled at the slant of the nose, shoulders thrown back, chin slightly tucked in and the tongue tip touching the palate of the slightly open mouth. The 7-point Vairacona posture.

Steady the mind with slow & regular breaths. Focus on the breath till you sense reasonable steadiness of the mind. Observe the mind carefully of what is happening within it. Quite likely there will be thoughts within the mind, because such is the nature of mind. As we know, of all the forms, sounds, thoughts & perceptions there is nothing that does not arise in the mind. Now observe mindfully what is happening to these thoughts. Some come & go on their own, few others linger on and retreat while yet others are persistent. This too is a normal experience.

Here begins the interesting part.

While in this state of observance, where you are aware of what is going on around you but not engaging the goings on in any way, you will ‘see’ that unless there is an engagement of any arisen thought or feeling by the intervention of any one of the 6 senses, 5 sensory and the conceptualized mind, there is no response that will be forthcoming in the form of body or speech actions. This means that only when we engage, consciously or sub-consciously, our arising thoughts & feelings, do they have the capacity to manifest further. In corollary it means, if we do not engage arising thoughts or feelings, they will die or fade out on their own. This is the root nature of our mind. Awareness undivided from Emptiness. This is known as the View.

Slowly come out of this state and return to the ordinary state.

Here is how this experiment can be made to work for our benefit in routine life to increase happiness in us & those around us. As soon as an external negative stimulus of any kind is given to the mind, be it an angry word, an unpleasant smell, a loud sound, a painful feeling, a sorrowful sight, a negative thought arising out of jealousy, greed, desire or any such with a capacity to bring suffering upon us or others, observe for a moment how this stimulus is being treated by the mind before reacting to the stimulus. If we can effectively change this ‘immediately reactive’ treatment into a ‘delayed responsive’ kind of treatment from within the state of emptiness as explained above, the resultant offering will be pleasant & virtuous one.

How do we do this? Simple, if we train ourselves in mindfulness. At all times be vigilant of the manner in which the mind is processing every external stimulus. Remember, to an ordinary mind, stimuli can be sensational, arousing, disturbing & seductive. The mind is gullible and thoughts can deceive easily. But if we are observant of our mind at every moment, we will be able to easily grasp the ‘slipping’ mind and instead respond from the View state of awareness-emptiness.

To keep this realization of the View in mind at all times, un-distracted, would be Meditation, which can be made a continuous living experience. And to relentlessly practice the accumulations of the View & Meditation at all times, is our Action. Perfecting this state is Dzogchen practice, central to the Nyingma tradition of Buddhism.

Remember to humbly dedicate all pleasant sights - all pure actions of body, speech & mind, pure in intention & motivation - for the liberation of all beings. Actions themselves have no capacity to bring benefit unless dedicated. Such dedication, detached from pride, ambition & conceptualization alone will bring us happiness thru liberation from sufference.

The above practice is of great benefit, since it places us in a state of perpetual happiness, which is the purpose of every life. The devil will soon checkout of the empty mind. Therein will reside the Buddha!


Girish Deshpande
(The author is a practicing Nyingma Buddhist)

Direct Your Actions for the Common Good, (Speaking Tree, 8/12/'09)

On many occasions we may have a feeling to perform a virtuous or meritorious act to instil ‘feel goodness’ within us. This is a noble thing to do and one can increase the benefits arising from such actions by being mindful of a few things.

Often when actions of such nature are performed they may arise out of a feeling of guilt washing, pride about good deeds, ambitions for this life etc. While such poison mixed feelings will bring no benefit at all, those which arise out of a pure mind, un-contrived, un-conditioned & un-conceptualized, the merits of such actions can be magnified.

Bear in mind that the actions by themselves have no direction of their own, no capacity to bring merit unless the action is dedicated from arising from source, towards a particular person/people and the goal of directing the dedication.

One day the Buddha was invited by the people of a town for a meal. Soon after they left 500 pretas (those born in hungry ghost realm) arrived and requested him to dedicate to them the merit of the alms the people would offer to the Buddha. On asking why the reason, the pretas said they were the parents of these residents and were reborn as pretas due to their miserly behaviour. The Buddha agreed on the condition that they accompany him. On seeing them the people were horrified. On the Buddha’s explanation & reassurance to them they calmed down. The Buddha made a request for dedicating their sources of merit to the pretas. The people agreed unanimously. The Buddha said:

May all the merit of this offering
Go to these pretas
May they be rid of their ugly bodies
And obtain the happiness of higher worlds!
No sooner, all the pretas died and the Buddha explained to the people that they were reborn in higher worlds.

Therefore, bear in mind that all actions should be from a pure mind and so arising be dedicated to bring benefit to those they are intended towards for any small reason. Be it the family’s well-being, parents’ good health, for the dead or to bring enlightenment for all sentient beings. Whatever be your meritorious action, small or big, if it is dedicated without conceptualization, i.e. be pure in intention & motivation, it will bring benefit to the people you have in mind. If not, it is like having wholesome food mixed with poison! Also bear in mind that all actions are illusory, by nature empty & magical. Therefore, have no attachment towards them only then that dedication would indeed be non-poisonous.


As Jetsun Mila (1040-1123), Tibet’s great yogi & poet says:

Between the hermit meditating in the mountain
And the donor who provides his sustenance
There is a link that will lead them to enlightenment together
Dedication of (pure) merit is the very heart of that link

Not just this. The benefits go further as Chagme Rinpoche says:

When we hear about (unconceptualized) good done by others,
If we cast out all negative thoughts of jealousy
And really rejoice in the depth of our hearts,
It is said that the merit we gain will be equal to theirs.

Such is the nature of feeling goodness towards pure actions.

Therefore, arise the bodhichitta (mind of special motivation) within yourself. Do merit worthy actions with purity. Dedicate the act to the end in view. Bear in mind that all of it is empty by nature, illusory and dream like. And revel in the goodness done by others.

Bliss then will reside within.

Girish Deshpande
(The author is a practicing Nyingma Buddhist)

The Three Nobilities (Speaking Tree, 19/04/'10)

THE THREE NOBILITIES – Prelude to Mantra Recitation

When you chant and recite any mantra, you must bear in mind the importance of the Three Nobilities: Bodhichitta, Non-Objectifying Wisdom and Dedication. This brings benefit to the one reciting and for those it is meant to bring benefit.
There are two things to be borne in mind alongwith this: Firstly, to keep secret of your mantra recitation and its result. Secondly, one must also be mindful not to speak others who are not Dharma practitioners about one's practice and accrued benefit. If we are not mindful of this, the result will not be perfect due to many forces that may be counter active.
These three nobilities are as important as your yearning to achieve the result at the end by reciting the specific mantra.

The 1st nobility is called Bodhichitta, which is ‘Awakened Mind’ and means generation of a special motivation to benefit all sentient beings with the virtues being accumulated. So this motivation should be generated prior to any kind of virtuous practice. You can read this line to motivate yourself for the benefit of others: "I will benefit all sentient beings bestowing them with the Eternal Bliss and Qualities."

The 2nd nobility is called Non-Objectifying Wisdom, which means whatever virtue is accumulated or practiced, it's practiced without any sense of clinging desires in the mind. This, in other term, called primordial awareness is maintained during the main practice itself. One should be fully aware without any clinging or self-centric desires such as, ‘I am the one who practices this virtue’ or ‘this is the virtue I'm practicing and for them I practice’ and so on. In fact, one should cut through such kinds of thoughts from one's mind stream. So when the mind is devoid of such discriminative thoughts, all emotions naturally calm down. It is therefore called Non-Objectifying Wisdom, the true and primordial awareness of all beings.

The 3rd nobility is called Dedication, which means whatever virtue has been accumulated, for example here by chanting and reciting the mantra, it is dedicated for the benefit of sentient beings to rid them of their suffering and bringing them happiness. Probably, the dedication prayer is chanted only after the virtuous practice. Chant this line as a dedication prayer: "Gewa Ma-ghen Drodug Kunla Ngo – which means “May all motherly sentient beings attain enlightenment through the power of my virtues that I have accumulated by chanting and reciting the mantra."
It is of crucial importance to feel what other beings need. Feel what you need. To our surprise we will find out that the need and requirement is one and same, that is happiness. Each and every being needs nothing more than happiness. So it is with us. Therefore all sentient beings are similar and even same. However, remember that just like us, other sentient beings too get trapped in the net of sufferings, pains, torture, afflictions, emotions and so on. Now feel and chant this: “May all sentient beings be free from sufferings and its causes.” This is the real definition of compassion.

Extend this practice further from one being to two and four – that’s from your family then to neighbourhood to town to cities to country and further towards all sentient beings.

Practice this daily and see the results. Remember, the Dharma belongs to nobody. It is his/hers who endeavours most.

Girish Deshpande – The author is a practitioner of Nyingma Buddhism

Sky Nature of Mind ( Speaking Tree , 5th May 2010)

CLOUDS AND THE SKY – Mind v/s The Mind

In every sentient being the buddha mind is omnipresent. We don’t have to go looking for it. We don’t have to do strive to perfect it. It has been with us ever since birth and it is always perfect! Just as the sky. This is the nature of our mind. Who would want to strive to perfect a cloudless sky?

It is a foregone conclusion that all beings want happiness and not suffering. Besides the four natural sufferings of birth, sickness, old age & death, right from the smallest insect to human beings all of us want to be happy at all other times. So why do our actions of body, speech & mind work often in contradiction to what we really want and end up bringing suffering to us? The reason is simple. Because we allow them to. Is there a way we can correct this way of working of the mind? Yes, there certainly is, only if we attempt to clear the clouds that cover the beautiful sky.

Now, if we already have the problem identified - that of exploring the spontaneously present, perfect, sky-like brilliance of the mind - what holds us back from finding solutions to it? The teachings in Buddhism speak of them as the Four Faults. Lets explore them briefly.

1. Being too Close: Have you ever tried to see your face without the help of a reflection? It’s not possible. In the same manner, masters say that the nature of the mind is so close to our mind that it finds it difficult to see it.

2. Being too Profound: How often have you waded into unknown waters? You take a few steps and the fear of the unknown stops you. In a similar manner, we have no idea how deep the nature of mind would be. We cannot fathom its depth. So we don’t make an attempt. If we knew how deep or profound it is, we would have made atleast some attempt to gauge it.

3. Being too Easy: It is often that we have not attempted something simply because it was too easy. So it is with the nature of mind. Something that has always been with us, always perfect, gets a priority that is low amongst other worldly distractions & attractions.

4. Being too Wonderous: How many times we have left something untried because we see the immensity of the task? So it is with our conceptualized, narrow, small & contrived minds. We just don’t believe that we can actually attain enlightenment which is the base or root nature of our minds.

These faults were contemplated hundreds of years ago in Tibet. A nation then, and perhaps even now, dedicated in pursuit of enlightenment. If this was relevant to a civilization of that kind, imagine how relevant it is in the modern world of sheer materialism and confusion.

The sadness is that there are not too many things expressed about this naked, virgin state of our mind. Scientific pursuits & discoveries that drive global thinking don’t even believe something like the base mind exists. They speak of the mind as the intellectual mind of thoughts, skills & emotions. The fact is that intellectual mind cannot understand the primordial mind as it exists in the relative plane while the other on an absolute plane. Yet, there are occasions when unknowingly we have experienced a fleeting glimpse of the presence of such perfect state of mind. Say, while watching a scintillating ballet performance or whilst listening to a perfect rendition of a raga, or when amidst nature in total silence and other similar pristine moments.

So if this state actually exists, what can we do to observe and experience it more often, if not stay in such a state at all times? Look inward.

During the course of my training, i was astonished to learn that the Tibetan word for ‘Buddhist’ is nangpa, which means “inside-er”! To seek the lessons of living & dying not from the sources outside but by peeping into the nature of our own mind. Alas, in today’s times we have been driven to habituating ourselves to seek answers outside, thereby enslaving ourselves further. All this, under the false garb we foolishly call freedom. How contradictory! People fear to look within themselves, not knowing what they will find. Whether they will be able to face what they will find. They are afraid that they will be treated like social outcasts amongst friends, like mad people, left alone to live life in solitude. And this conceptualized, misplaced approach plays perfectly into the ploy of the wily ego, who could have asked for nothing more!

The truth is that the answers you genuinely seek will come to you only from within the nature of your mind and not the nurtured mind. Even if you get the most accomplished teacher, his/her only responsibility will be to guide you through the unknown pathways with the help of teachings and practices, cutting thru the obscurations of the contrived mind and make you discover the true nature of your mind. And in doing so, help you dispel the fears of sickness, old age & death and understand better the prospect of life, death and after life.

Endeavour on, dear friends! Let the winds of awakening blow away the clouds from the sky nature of your mind. Introduce yourself to the perfect sky that is your very own and has always been with you. This is the only happy way out from here! Buddhahood to you.

Girish Deshpande
(The author is a Pune based Dharma practitioner)