第一篇 - 四恩總報

壹 ‧ 四恩總報的意義

經云：「諸法因緣生，諸法因緣滅。」在這因緣和合的世間，萬事萬物都有它存在的因緣條件。以人類生存的條件來說，父母生養我們，是親情因緣；師長教育我們， 是學問因緣；農工商賈供應我們的生活物品，是社會因緣；生存的環境沒有污染，是環保因緣；到公司上班，學校上課，有人接送，是行路因緣；回到家裡，打開電視或收音機，就可以欣賞到美妙的歌舞或音樂，這是視聽因緣……。有了以上諸多巧妙因緣的組合，生活才有快樂幸福可言。人類生存如此，一切事物的存在，其因緣也是如此。世間的萬事萬物，既然須要靠種種因緣條件才能成就生長，這種種因緣條件，正是生存的泉源，也是恩德的所在。人從出生到年老，正是受這許多恩德的賜予，才能成就一切。

生存在世間的我們，所承受的恩德，主要有四種：父母恩、眾生恩、國家恩、三寶恩，合稱為四恩總報。

貳 ‧ 四恩總報的內容

一、父母恩

在天地間，能生養、教育我們色身的人，無過於父母。《大乘本生心地觀經》說：「依慈父慈母長養之恩，一切男女皆安樂也。慈父之恩，高如山王；慈母之恩，深似大海。」

在《六方禮經》中，佛陀指出父母教養子女的五種恩德：

1.教育子女，不讓為惡。

2.指其善處，使有高尚品格。

3.慈愛入骨，教其廣博學問。

4.善為婚嫁，務使滿意。

5.隨時供給所需，協助事業成就。

父母在兒女心目中，具有同等的地位，但是母親十月懷胎，三年乳哺，因此對於子女的恩惠似乎更重。《大乘本生心地觀經》卷二載有母親的十種恩德：

1.大地 ── 母親十月懷胎期間，因子女在母胎中依託孕育，常懷憂慮恐懼的心情，即使遇到歡樂的事或錦衣玉食也無心享受，其間所受的苦惱，非言語所能形容。

2.能生 ── 當生產時，有如千刀割體般痛苦，甚至因難產而致死亡。

3.能正 ── 孩子生下後，五根的清滌，母親要細心照顧嬰孩。

4.養育 ── 母親照顧子女無微不至，時時刻刻注意四季變換及冷熱風侵。

5.智者 ── 能以各種方便，促使子女學習各項知識技能。

6.莊嚴 ── 給予子女衣著穿戴，莊嚴子女色身。

7.安穩 ── 母親處處保護子女，甚至當子女有了危難時，往往奮不顧身，前往救護，縱使犧牲生命也在所不惜。

8.教授 ── 以善巧方便教導子女學習。

9.教誡 ── 子女有了過錯，以善巧的語言或方法，使子女遠離惡行。

10.與業 ── 能以家庭事業授與子女。

父母恩重，山高水深，因此在佛經中勸孝的文章很多。例如：

《大乘本生心地觀經》卷二說：「若善男子、善女人，為報父母恩，經於一劫，每日三時，割自身肉，以養父母，而未能報一日之恩。」《五分律》卷二十說：「若人百年之中，右肩擔父，左肩擔母，於上大小便利，極世珍奇衣食供養，猶不能報須臾之恩，故當盡心盡壽供養父母。」在《梵網經》中，更提到孝順是至道之法，並且 以孝為戒之一。

怎樣才算是孝順父母呢？蓮池大師將孝分為三種層次：

1.甘旨奉養，使父母免於饑餓，是小孝。

2.功成名就，光宗耀祖，使父母光彩愉悅，是中孝。

3.引導父母趨向正信，遠離煩惱惡道，了生脫死，使宗親得度，永斷三途之苦，是上上大孝。

前二者是世間的孝道，其利益僅止於一世，況且即使家庭和敬孝悌，子孫承歡膝下，也會有生離死別之苦；家業龐大，功業彪炳，足以讓父母享有富貴，萬一無常來臨，天災人禍也會使崇高的地位毀於一旦。

最高的孝道是引導父母正信，不但給予父母精神上的濟度，增長菩提智慧，而且使他們永斷惡道，甚至了生脫死，其福德廣大難量，是屬於出世間的孝道。所以，《毘尼母經》卷二說：如果父母貧苦，應先授三皈、五戒、十善等法，然後供養財物。《龍舒增廣淨土文》卷六記載，長蘆賾禪師作孝友文百二十篇，後二十篇是以勸父母修持淨土法門為主旨。凡此出世間的孝道，才能徹底讓父母離苦得樂，因此稱為「上上大孝」。

廣義的父母恩，應包括師長的恩惠在內，因為在世間上，父母雖能生育我身，但是如果沒有世間師長指引，就不能知禮達義，所謂「一日為師，終身為父」；如果沒有出世師長，就不能了解佛法真理，所以，我們將出世師長又稱為「法身父母」。

師長之所以為學生所尊敬，是因為師長能以五事教育弟子：

1.順法調御，以愛教導。

2.誨其未聞，增廣知識。

3.隨其所問，令善解義。

4.示其善友，樂於交遊。

5.盡其所知，誨授不吝。

師長引導我們具足德行，使我們在茫茫大海中有了羅盤指示方向，不致迷失沈墮，所以應該常思感恩圖報。

在《阿含經》、《六方禮經》等經典中都曾經提及事奉師長的方法，茲綜合列舉如下：

1.師長來時起立歡迎，善為承順其意。

2.對師長禮讚供養，恭敬受教。

3.對師長尊重仰戴，不違其意。

4.對於師長的教敕，敬順無違。

5.從師明理，善持不忘。

二、眾生恩

什麼是眾生？《大智度論》說：眾生是由五蘊等眾緣假合而生，所以稱作眾生。《不增不減經》說：「法身為煩惱所纏，往來生死，因此名為眾生。」總之，眾生就是指被無明煩惱所覆，流轉生死的六道有情而言。

眾生與我們的關係，就現世日常生活資具所需來看：我們吃一頓飯，要靠農夫耕種、商人販賣、典座烹煮；穿一件衣服，從繅絲、織布、裁縫、成衣，歷經別人多少辛苦；我們居住的房屋，依賴農夫植林、工匠砍伐、建築師設計、工人營造等而成，讓我們用以避風遮雨……，此外，大自然的鳥叫蟲鳴，鳶飛魚躍，使我們置身於多采多姿的世界中。我們日常生活中的食衣住行，乃至育樂等，都是由十方眾生的因緣成就，所以我們要常思感謝。

眾生與我們的關係，如果再深入探討，就更為密切了，《心地觀經》說：「佛言：自無始以來，一切眾生輪轉五道，經歷百千萬劫，曾互為父母。」

《勸發菩提心文》說：「我與眾生從曠劫來，世世生生，互為父母，彼此有恩。今雖隔世昏迷，互不相識，以理推之，豈無報效？今之披毛帶角，安知非昔為其子乎？今之蝡動蜎飛，安知不曾為我父乎？……是故菩薩觀於螻蟻，皆是過去父母，未來諸佛；常思利益，念報其恩。」

眾生從無始以來，既曾與我們互為父母，彼此有恩，今雖為無明所障，對前世父母不復記憶，但因為累劫有大悲因緣，所以我們對一切眾生應心存感恩，視一切男子為慈父，一切女人為悲母，並且戒殺放生，常思利益於其他一切有情。

《地藏經》說：「一切眾生未解脫者，性識無定，惡習結業，善習結果，為善為惡，逐境而生，輪轉五道，暫無休息，動經塵劫，迷惑障難，如魚遊網，將是長流，脫入暫出，又復遭網……。」因此，為報答眾生累世以來的恩惠，最重要的是要行菩薩道，救拔眾生永遠脫離六道輪迴之苦。

三、國家恩

儘管父母師長生育我們的色身，養育我們的法身；十方眾生於現在世中給予我們種種便利，於過去世中與自己互為父母，我們還需要國家政府來保障我們生命財產的安全。

一個良好的政府，不必然是全能的，但必須導民以正。在佛教經典中對於政府治國之道有相當精闢的看法，綜合諸經所說，可歸納為下列七點：

1.尊重法治：政府應該立法、具法、依法、敬法，一切以法為首，並且努力守護正法不壞。

2.優禮賢仕：政府應該尊敬德慧兼備的學者、專家、沙門等，並且常向他們諮詢國家大事，宜行則行，宜捨則捨。

3.照顧弱勢團體：政府應該矜卹孤寡，照顧貧困無依的眾生。

4.敦厚民風：政府應該以十善來治理國家，讓社會道德趨於純善。

5.重視經濟生產：政府應該注重民生經濟，以種種方法提倡生產，使人民能豐衣足食，不虞匱乏。

6.提倡融和交流：政府應該放寬心胸，悲智雙運，接應四方。

7.施行民主政治：政府應以議會制度，推行民主法治來決定全民的利益。

我們依附國家而生存，所以我們要與國家和合在一起，有力量者幫助生產，有技能者要提昇科技建設；有智慧者建言國是；有財力者善盡義務……每個人在自己崗位上盡忠職守，以報答國家覆護之恩。

四、三寶恩

三寶是佛寶、法寶、僧寶。其中法是真理，佛是真理的發現者，僧是弘傳真理的出家人。三寶難遭難遇，為世間稀有的寶藏，是出世解脫的寶筏。世間的財富，只能解決人類物質生活問題，但佛法僧三寶，卻能解決我們生命的問題，使我們出離生死苦海，得到涅槃解脫。

三寶功德，無量無邊，如佛經云：「三寶出現世間，利樂眾生，無有休息。功德寶山，巍巍無比，福德甚深，猶如大海；智慧無礙，等如虛空；一切眾生，由煩惱業障，沈淪苦海，生死無窮，三寶出世，作大船師，能截斷愛河，超昇覺悟彼岸，是故三寶恩難報也。」

三寶使我們得到究竟解脫，恩德廣大，無有窮盡，我們應如何報答呢？在《法華經》、《無量壽經》、《阿含經》、《十住毗婆沙論》、《十地經論》、《大日經供養法疏》、《大日經義釋》、《法華文句》等諸經論中多有闡述，今歸納如下：

1.供養佛：禮拜、讚歎、端心正意，念佛功德圓滿、相好光明，及以花、香、瓔珞、末香、塗香、燒香、繒蓋、幢幡、衣服、伎樂等莊嚴具來供養佛像。

2.供養法：著書弘法、恭敬供養、布施經書、聽經聞法、研究佛理、受持不忘、敷演妙法、宣揚經文、思惟法義、依教奉行等，都是對佛法的供養。

3.供養僧：供養僧團飲食、衣服、臥具、醫藥、日用品等道糧，使僧伽們都能專心修道弘法，從事淨化人心的工作。

在諸多的供養中，最上等的供養，莫過於如實奉行法義和至誠恭敬三寶了。

參 ‧ 結語

若無四恩的因緣，我們便無法生存於世間，所以，對於父母、師長、眾生、三寶，要時時懷著感恩的心。

經云：「知恩者，雖在生死，善根不壞；不知恩者，善根斷滅，是故諸佛稱讚知恩報德者。」知恩報恩就是做人的根本，我們身為萬物之靈，如果不知感恩，連禽獸都不如，又如何出離生死呢？

社會上一般的人往往以自己為前提，只想獲得，不想付出，因此爾虞我詐，交相征利，產生許多無謂的痛苦。如果我們能時常懷抱一顆感恩的心，來看待這個世間，自能包容一切，善盡己責，那麼是非煩惱、嫉妒瞋恨自然會消失於無形，從而獲得幸福美滿的人生。

第二篇 - 食存五觀

壹 ‧ 前言

王陽明有一首偈語說：「飢來吃飯倦來眠，只此修行玄更玄；說與世人渾不信，卻從身外覓神仙。」修行本是如此，日常生活裡處處有禪味，吃飯睡覺中都能見出自己的清淨本性。

如何吃飯睡覺才是修行，才能悠游自在呢？從前的高僧大德生活簡樸，粗茶淡飯而怡然自得；現在的人豪華奢侈，山珍海味，卻煩惱無盡。這便是「修心」和「著境」的差別。

就飲食而言，食物能夠滋養我們的色身，固然是重要的，但是許多人常過份貪著，沒有節制，隨著自己的喜好，暴飲暴食而傷害了身體。如何吃得健康衛生並且不離修行呢？佛教在進食時的心存「五觀想」就是一種不離修行的健康飲食法。

貳 ‧ 食存五觀的內容

佛教認為進食時應存有五種觀想：

1.計功多少，量彼來處。

2.忖己德行，全缺應供。

3.防心離過，貪等為宗。

4.正事良藥，為療形枯。

5.為成道業，應受此食。

一、計功多少，量彼來處

古人說：「一粥一飯，當思來處不易。」我們平時所吃的飯菜，都是由農人墾植、灌溉、施肥、鋤草、收成，然後經由商人販賣，再淘洗、炊煮，最後送到我們面前，不知已花費了多少人的功夫與心血。所謂「鋤禾正當午，汗滴禾下土，誰知盤中飧，粒粒皆辛苦。」所以，當我們用餐時，應當要心存感恩及惜福的心。

愛物惜福，本是生活的美德，但是現代社會，經濟繁榮，物質豐裕，許多人已習慣奢侈浪費，飲食無節制，或任意糟蹋丟棄，暴殄天物，不知惜福。有一個故事說，有位富翁，家財萬貫，生活奢華，常常將米粒丟棄在水溝裡。有位節儉的出家人，每天從水溝裡將這些米粒撿起來曬乾，並加以儲存。後來遇到飢荒，富翁淪為乞丐， 這位出家人便以富翁過去丟棄的米粒施捨給他，富翁知道後，覺得非常慚愧。

這個故事告訴我們應該「當得有日思無日，莫待無時思有時。」時時提醒自己要勤儉惜福。

佛門中，飲食都是檀越所供養。《僧祇律》說：「皆為信心檀越減損口腹，為求福故，布施我等，所謂檀信脂膏，行人血汗，若無修行，粒米難消。」「佛觀一粒米， 大如須彌山；汝若不了道，披毛戴角還。」一粒米是集合一切因緣所成，怎可輕易浪費？所以，做個佛弟子應該生慚愧心，對於飲食要知道惜福，是好是壞，都不生 增減貪著的心。

二、忖己德行，全缺應供

身為佛弟子，接受飲食供養時，要反省自己的行為是否合乎道德戒行？能受得起供養嗎？如果具備勤修三學、化導眾生的二利德行，稱之為全，便可以承受供養；沒有具備的，則名之為缺，受之當覺有愧。

許多經典裡都提到，佛弟子受人信施，如不好好修行，會有無量的罪過。如《毘尼母經》記載：「若不坐禪誦經，不營佛法僧事，受人信施，為施所墮。」

《法句譬喻經》也說：佛陀在世時，有位比丘，每天吃飽飯後，就回去睡覺，只圖色身的舒適，不知精進修行。佛陀知道後，嚴厲地訓誡他，並以他的前世因緣果報來開導：「過去維衛佛住世時，你就出過家，但是由於貪圖利養，平時又不念經誦戒，不精進修行，後來你的神識便投生為牛馬身上的蟲，一過就是五萬年，五萬年過完 了，又投生為螺絲蚌殼之類的水蟲，和樹木中的蠹蟲……。如今，你好不容易受完罪業的果報，又出家作沙門，為什麼還如此貪戀睡眠呢？」

比丘聽到自己的這段前生往事，又慚愧，又恐怖，五陰迷蓋頓然消除，證得阿羅漢果位。

唐朝百丈懷海禪師一生躬親耕食，立下「一日不作，一日不食」的千古楷模，到了八十多歲，每天還到田裡辛勞作務，弟子不忍心，於是將耕具藏起來，懷海禪師找不到工具做事，便不吃飯。所謂「不懈怠一日，不妄食一餐」。

三、防心離過，貪等為宗

一般人飲食常犯有三種過失：

1.見到上品美食，或對能使身體強壯、皮膚光滑的食物就生起貪心。

2.對下品粗糙食物排斥瞋恨。

3.對不好不壞的中品食物，不加分辨，不知來處不易，便是愚痴。

飲食上如果產生上述的貪瞋痴三種心，會使自己墮落，應該警惕防患。

另 外，對於飲食，如果食之過多，不知節制，也會產生許多疾病。《佛說醫經》說：「人得病有十因緣：一、久坐不臥，二、食無貸，三、憂愁……。」《尼乾子經》 說：「人食太過時，身重懈怠，於現在與來世失大利，睡眠自受苦，又惱他人，又迷悶難寐，故應時籌量食物。」由是可知，飲食過量有多睡眠、多病、多婬、不能精進、多著世間享樂等五種罪過。過度飲食既然有如此多過患，我們實在應當多加注意，善予節制。

飲食貪多的另一個後遺症是「肥胖症」。過去波斯匿王便是由於貪著飲食而過份肥胖，甚至因為行動不便，呼吸困難，而焦急地請示佛陀如何減肥。

凡事以中道為宜，飲食也是如此。《阿含經》裡記載：「若過份飽食，則氣急身滿，百脈不調，使心壅塞，坐臥無安；又減少食，則身羸心懸，意慮不固。」可見飲食適中是非常重要的。此外，用餐時我們要以慈悲喜捨的心來代替貪瞋痴等不淨的心，才能真正吃得身心歡喜健康。

四、正事良藥，為療形枯

我們的身體，是由地水火風四大組合而成的。經中說：「一大不調，百一病生；四大不調，四百四病同時俱生。」身體真正的大病，便是飢渴，所以經上說：「飢為第一病，飢苦難治，飢病而言，從生至終，永無暫息，餘病不爾。」因此，飲食就如良藥一般，能治療形體飢渴的疾病。

《遺教經》說：「受諸飲食，當如服藥……趣得支身，以除飢渴。如蜂採華，

但取其味，不損色香。受人供養，趣自除惱，無得多求，壞其善心。」

《雜寶藏經》說：「是身如車，好惡無擇，香油臭脂，等同調滑。」車子有油才能發動，身體也是如此，有了食物的滋養，生命才能延續，道業才能成辦。所以飲食是重要的，只是不要在食物上起分別，就如車油，只要可以轉動，不一定要求最高品質。又如穿衣服，目的在保暖，而不在質料的柔軟舒適，顏色的華麗奪目與否。

五、為成道業，應受此食

對色身的愛護，在《那先比丘經》裡有這樣的記載：「彌蘭陀王問那先：『沙門寧能自愛其身不？』那先言：『沙門不自愛其身。』王言：『如令沙門不自愛其身者， 何以故自消息臥欲得安溫軟？飲食欲得美善自護視何以故？』……那先言：『沙門亦如是，不愛其身，雖飲食，心不樂，不用作美，不用作好，不用作肌色，趣欲支身體，奉行佛經戒耳。』」

一般人常被欲望牽縛，對身體總是費盡心思地保養愛護。但是對修行人來說，飲食只是用來滋養四大假合的色身，《行事鈔》 卷下之二說：「為成道業觀三種：一、為令身久住故，欲界之食，必假摶食，若無，不得久住，道緣無託故。二、為相續壽命，假此報身假命，成法身慧命故。三、 為修戒定慧，伏滅煩惱故。」飲食是為了維繫色身，借著四大假合的色身而成就真實的法身慧命，因此，不能起貪著。

參 ‧ 結語

有學僧問大珠慧海禪師：「什麼是佛法大意？」

大珠慧海禪師回答說：「吃飯睡覺。」

學僧說：「平常人也會吃飯睡覺，又有何別意？」

大珠說：「平常人吃飯，挑肥揀瘦，千般挑剔；平常人睡覺，反覆思惟，展轉難眠。」

吃飯和睡覺自來就是佛門重要的修行，並且被定為五堂功課，許多的戒律、清規也繞著飲食的問題而設立。

我們的身體每天在新陳代謝，每天行住坐臥的活動都在消耗能量，如果沒有充份的飲食營養，生命便會枯竭而死，那裡還談得上修行辦道呢？只是在接受飲食時，不可以用不清淨的貪取心、瞋恚心、差別心、輕慢心去受食，去計較東西的好壞，揀別食物的精粗，而應該以惜福心、感恩心、精進心、平等心、慚愧心、忍耐心來接受 供養。每餐進食前修持五觀想，思惟自己的道業，便能享受天下的「千家飯」，而不曾咬住「一粒米」。

第三篇 - 三輪體空

壹 ‧ 三輪體空的定義

在人間生活，有許多因緣來成就我們，因此我們要以感恩惜福的心，與他人廣結善緣。結緣之道，首在布施，因為布施隨時隨地都可以實行，即使自己一無所有，一個真摯的笑容，可以令人生起信心；一個隨手的幫忙，可以濟人困難危急；甚至與人為善、一句讚美、一瓣心香等等，都是殊勝的布施因緣。《大乘理趣六波羅蜜多 經》說：由於布施能令眾生安樂，是最容易修習的法門，有如大地一樣，一切萬物都依之生長，所以六度、四攝都以布施波羅蜜為上首。

布施可分為有相布施與無相布施二種。有相布施，指世間上一般人心希果報，執著人我的布施，所以又稱為世間布施；此種布施，只能得到有漏的人天福報，報盡又再墮落，所以不是究竟的布施。無相布施則與有相布施相反，在布施時，能體達施者、受者、施物三者當體皆空，而無所執著，因為能超越世間的有漏煩惱，所以稱為出世間布施。 又因為此三者有如車輪一般，能輾斷煩惱惑障，所以也稱為「三輪體空」。三輪體空的布施，能使我們越過生死海，與眾生同登涅槃彼岸，因此稱為「布施波羅 蜜」。

貳 ‧ 三輪體空的內容

空，是宇宙萬象的真理。三輪體空正是空理的最高體證與實踐，我們可以概略的就三方面來說明其中的妙義：

1. 人我二空：眾生之所以常常感到煩惱，是因為來自內心的執著妄想，以為六塵境界是實有的，因此產生我、我所的觀念，使身心成為五欲六塵的奴役。布施行善，心存貪念，結果因為心有所繫縛，不但功德減少了，自己的心情也受到受者、施物等外境的影響。其實，五蘊和合的身心是假聚之有，剎那生滅，所以那裡有能施的我呢？既然能施的我了不可得，當然也就沒有受施的對象，這就是「人空」。又因為諸法是五蘊和合而成，所以施物當體即空，法執也就跟著去除了，這就是「法 空」。三輪體空的布施，使我們從二空裡去除對人對法的執著，是自他二利的菩薩道。

2.一切皆空：做到人空和法空還不夠，還必須把「空」也完全空掉。因為佛教說空是要我們蕩除執著，如果執著有一個「空」的存在，根本法執未除，反而病上加病，須知在分別思惟上所執的空，它的自性也是空的。三輪體空就是要我們釜底抽薪，從根本上破除一切顛倒妄想，從體性上斬斷一切執著。

3.真空妙有：雖然本無一法可得，但是諸相宛然，不可說無。當我們以智慧觀察諸法無相無我、畢竟空寂以後，般若慧現前，這時我們的心與外界合而為一，自然而然地就能隨順幻「有」，以善巧方便，大作佛事，布施行善，這時才可以說是真正的通達法性。這就是《金剛經》所說的：「若菩薩心住於法而行布施，如人入暗，日光明照，則無所見；若菩薩心不住法而行布施，如人有目，日光明照，見種種色。」終日布施而不見布施相，不著空有相，這就是三輪體空的布施了。

以上三種層次的分析，可以青原行思禪師的一段話來形容：

　看山是山，看水是水；

　看山不是山，看水不是水；

　看山還是山，看水還是水。

平常我們對於現象界的森羅萬象都僅止於一般感官的看法，所以當我們仰觀山色，俯視溪澗時，只覺得它就是高高的山，潺潺的水，這時候是「看山是山，看水是水」，這是心隨境轉的一種分別境界。等到我們學佛修行有了心得的時候，一切假有在清朗的心境上無所遁形，這時候「見山不是山，見水不是水」，已觀照到諸法虛妄，但是還沒有到達畢竟皆空的地步，這是第二種層次的境界。進而到完全開悟的時候，「是」與「不」、「心」與「物」之間的對立，在悟者的心中已經合而為 一，所以真俗可以兼容，理事可以圓融，這時「看山還是山，看水還是水」，只是這山和水與剛開始學佛時的山水在意境上已經大不相同了。此時，大千世界充滿無限美好的風光，潺潺的流水是諸佛說法的妙音，青青的山崗是諸佛清淨的法身。

參 ‧ 三輪體空的應用

泯除了經驗世界的「有」與「無」以後，我們的世界變得遼闊了，因此，不但是施與受之間無所差別，我們在這個世間上的一切修行，也能真正做到隨緣不變，和光同塵，即俗而真的最高境界。以下就六波羅蜜的餘五波羅蜜為例，概略解說三輪體空在修行上的應用：

1.持戒波羅蜜：如果能擁有般若空慧，雖然自己堅持淨戒，無有毀缺，卻不會執著於「能持」、「所犯」之相，所以菩薩恒以平等心廣度眾生。

2.忍辱波羅蜜：如果能擁有般若空慧，雖然自己安住於忍力，度化有情，卻不會執著於「能忍」、「所忍」及度化眾生之相，自然不起瞋愛之心。

3.精進波羅蜜：如果能擁有般若空慧，雖然勇猛精進於學佛修行上，卻不見有精進修行之相，能不畏生死，不斷煩惱，任勞任怨，忍疲忍苦，以化導有情為己任。

4.禪定波羅蜜：如果能擁有般若空慧，雖然享受禪悅法喜，卻能不生味著，故能恒以大悲心、自在力，安穩眾生。

5.般若波羅蜜：如果能擁有般若空慧，則能照了諸法本性空寂，而知佛魔不二、生滅不二，乃至煩惱菩提不二、生死涅槃不二，故能隨緣不變，處處行道，無有罣礙恐怖。

此外，擁有「三輪體空」的思想，在日常生活中可以享有隨緣不執著的快樂、解脫不企求的快樂；心中有了「三輪體空」的觀念，人情的冷暖淡薄，不能動其心；物質 的匱乏貧困，不能挫其志。心中常懷「三輪體空」的人，不企求他人的愛護、關懷，能將溫暖、慈悲布施給別人。因為心中本來無所求，所以不曾失去什麼，縱有所得，也視為多餘的幸福。所以，「三輪體空」是真空妙有的具體表現，是知足常樂的最高意境，是隨手可修的人間佛法，是悲智雙運的菩薩道行。

-- 佛光山

The turning point in our lives may come with a good mentor, a good book or even a brief conversation. A few words can change one’s life and there are examples throughout history to prove it. The experience of going through suffering, although it seems unpleasant, indeed may prove a great opportunity to change one’s life.

-- Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche

The Buddha's View Of Karma (1 of 2)    

by Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche

The Buddha made an enormous contribution to the topic of karma, and it is plain that it meant a great deal to him. He believed in karma, and he believed he had become a Buddha because of his past lives and through the coming together of various causes and conditions. Some scholars have suggested that the notion of karma is not in fact traceable to the  Buddha and claim that it is an afterthought added by later followers. There is no textual authority whatsoever for this claim, and the evidence points to the contrary. It is an issue that partly stems from the inability of modern scholars to concede the immensely impressive memory faculties of ancient Eastern peoples. They had no choice but to commit huge amounts of material to memory — a culturally nurtured talent that remains to this day.

In any case, the Buddhist canon was put together very soon after Buddha’s parinirvana (after he passed away), and there is virtually no doubt he himself spoke directly of karma. We can have real confidence in the authenticity and veracity of the words contained in Buddhism’s “three baskets,” the three primary categories of the Buddhist canon, which are the Vinaya (monastic rules), the Sutras (Buddha’s discourses), and the Abhidharma (metaphysics, philosophy, logic, and his teachings on subjects like medicine). Many scholars believe that the Vinaya and the Sutras represent earlier collections than the Abhidharma. We will be weighing this initial discussion of Buddha’s karma teachings toward his earlier Sutra teachings. These discourses were given, and are preserved, in the Pali language, which is something akin to a derivative of Sanskrit.

Of course, there is always debate about things going this far back in history, and scholars have questioned whether Buddha would have thought of karma on his own, “out of the blue,” so to speak, or whether he was influenced by other strands of thought, such as those of the Vedas, and Brahmanical thought generally. Other commentators definitely suggest that he was the originator of the concept. It actually seems likely that Buddha was familiar with other theories of karma floating around at the time, but this is of no great importance. What really does matter is that he believed in karma and had a great deal to say about it. He did not simply appropriate stock ideas into his own system but gave the concept a radically different interpretation and, crucially, spoke of it in a systematic fashion, which was unprecedented. In no other source, for example, be it the Mahabharata, the Vedas, or the Upanishads, do we find a systematic description or philosophy of karma. Nor can we find an explicit description of human nature in the Vedas and Mahabharata, which, as we have seen, are nevertheless based on an assumption of a certain kind of human nature based on the old creation myths, which define man in relation to family lineage, especially paternal lineage. One’s individual nature is defined by these extraneous factors. We will turn presently to look at what the Buddha himself thought of human nature because so many hinges on this.

Buddha’s ideas on human nature differed from others of his time. He did comply though with prevalent physical understandings that saw the body as comprised of the five elements of earth, fire, wind, water, and space. Of course, this is not meant literally to mean that our body is made up of actual dirt and a fire burns inside, or that our breath is actually wind blowing, and so on. It refers to the qualities of the elements: solidity, heat, the need for liquid in the body, and the need for oxygen through prana and breath, and the essential space created by cavities between internal organs. As we know, if through illness these spaces are filled, if there are leakages or blockages or we cannot breathe, we die. When these five elements are present, the body maintains its cohesive nature, but when they fail at some level, the body begins to disintegrate.

This idea is very old, pre-existing the Buddha, but he believed in and accepted this bodily aspect of a human being, which is termed “form.” However, in addition to the body, the Buddha added feeling, perception, disposition, and consciousness, commonly known as the five aggregates, or skandhas. This was a completely new idea, as until then people had thought of the individual as a unitary entity, based on the dualistic philosophy of a substance standing apart from mind/body — a belief in some kind of principle, like jiva, or soul. Non-Buddhists, or non-followers of the Buddha, as they might be described, believed in a body and mind, and then something extra. The body and mind go together, and that extra entity, whatever we choose to call it, jiva or atman or so forth, remains separate and eternal, while all else is not. Buddha did not think that these two, body and mind, came together and were then somehow mysteriously conjoined with another separate entity. He saw real problems in the idea of a jiva in that it seemed not to perform any kind of mental function. It did not help in any way for us to see, smell, taste, touch, walk, plan, remember things, or anything whatsoever.

Rejecting obscure ideas of an extra entity attached or added to the mind-body formation, of which there was no really consistent or precise description anyway, Buddha proposed that the best way to see our nature was to see it as made up of many elements. He basically suggested, very pragmatically, that we pay attention to ourselves, which until then had never really been talked about at all, with a few extraneous exceptions. This type of inward-looking involved systematic meditation of a kind not well known at all. Through introspection, through introspective analysis, one might say, Buddha discovered a way of coming to an understanding of our own nature through looking at its different elements. So, for instance, we observe our body to determine how the body functions, and similarly, our feelings to see how they operate, and our perception to learn how we perceive things. We observe our dispositions and our volitional tendencies to determine how they contribute toward the creation of certain fixed habits, and so on. In other words, we observe things in great detail, eventually seeing our preference for some things, wanting contact again and again, or wanting to see something regularly or return to a certain smell. Similarly, we observe consciousness, that which recognises all of these things, that which says, “I am experiencing this,” or “I am perceiving that,” or “I am feeling this way”; or noticing the drive toward certain pleasurable perceptual experiences, or the aversion to certain unpleasant perceptual experiences or feelings.

Observations of this nature are the basis for insight meditation (vipassana). It has all to do with paying attention to such things. The more we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings, the closer we approach the establishment of vipassana meditation. So even in the midst of our thinking, feeling, and emotions, as we experience them, if we pay attention, we are doing vipassana meditation. What is not often recognised, though, is that we are not simply engaged in passive observation but also in making connections and interconnections, observing how various factors impact each other — for instance, how our feelings are actually guiding what we see, or how our feelings are guiding our ears to what we actually hear in any given moment. After all, two people can be in the very same room and one person will hear one thing and the second person something else. If a third person were present, he or she might hear nothing at all. Therefore, by making connections of this kind, we come to understand how things are actually working. Again, this is not simply observing things in isolation, without making connections. This is quite a common mistake. A narrow meditative focus may help with our concentration, but it will not avail us of any information, and so will not give us any insight. We are just watching our thoughts in doing this. On the other hand, if we follow through and observe the interconnections unfolding, we will notice our sensory perceptions are impacting our thinking patterns and our feelings and emotions, and that all these things are mutually co-influencing each other.

It is through conscious awareness that we come to see the breadth of all this activity. We come to realise that our thoughts about ourselves and the way we come to think of our actions and interpret their impact on our environment, and on others, are always changing. We are always within a dynamic context then. There is no fixed entity beyond this. Buddha did not believe in such a thing as a permanently abiding soul. He was very strong on that negation. He did allow for an operational kind of self though, just not a permanent self. For the Buddha, an individual was physically composed of the five elements, and psychophysically, the five skandhas, and through disciplined introspection, we would come to experience that composition in detail and finally conclude with certainty the absence of any fixed nature, the absence of a fixed self. Therefore, when we say that a certain individual creates karma, it is not meant that an individual with a fixed nature, having an inward “true self,” creates it. This contrasts fundamentally and radically with the classical Indian literatures, in which it is said that body and mind are like the husk, and jiva or atman, the grain. The husk can be peeled away to expose the grain. Consequently, for followers of this idea, atman is thought to be responsible for all of our actions, and everything issuing from that, any kind of karmic action performed, is seen to stem ultimately from this solid core.

Buddha radically challenged the Brahmanical view of karma, as typified in such works as the Dharmashastra, which maintains that people born into high status, or “high birth,” are necessarily deserving of their status. Here nobility is a birth right. One’s caste determines everything. Those born into a poor family or low caste are automatically despised, denied social recognition, and any chance of advancement is blocked, irrespective of the merit of their actions and the quality of their character. Buddha differed profoundly on this and was steadfastly opposed to the notion of someone’s being noble simply by birth, and to the idea that high birth represented a fixed state of affairs. In the Sutta Nipata (3.9, 55–57, 60–61), he  states:

Indeed, the designation, name and clan in this world risen here and there was settled by convention. The ignorant declare to us this groundless opinion, unknown latent so long, one is a Brahmin by birth. One becomes neither Brahmin nor non-Brahmin by birth, one becomes a Brahmin by karma, one becomes a non-Brahmin by karma. The wise see the deed karma in truth, seers of dependent co-origination, those who know the results of deed. The world fares by karma, mankind fares on by karma, deeds binding beings as a lynchpin, the quickly moving chariot.

Again, the Buddha put more emphasis on individual actions than did the more traditional versions of karma, with their emphasis on clan and the interpenetration of karmic consequences between family members: the father suffering because of the son, the son suffering for the father, and so on. This was a noble achievement and a completely unique position up until that point. It could not be said that he held Brahmins in low opinion though or that he objected to them on grounds of social justice. He was merely equating the good fortune to be born a Brahmin with any other type of good fortune, such as being born wealthy, beautiful, or strong. Again, it is not the birth, or the prevailing situation of our birth, that matters but why one was born into wealth, or born beautiful, or strong. Being born a  Brahmin might be a good thing, but it is due to a Brahmin’s past deeds, not his or her birth; that is what made the difference. In some way, Brahmins have done things well in a previous life, or previous lives, and it has resulted in the present favourable circumstances in which they find themselves. But fundamentally, they are no different from everyone else. Buddha’s basic point was that we become noble through deed. Therefore, by developing good character, and cultivating the necessary mental and spiritual faculties, we become, in fact, noble. Even a poor, powerless person, if he or she leads a dignified way of life, is noble; and conversely, a rich, powerful person leading an undignified life is ignoble.

Buddha thought everyone had the opportunity to be excellent and that becoming a Brahmin, a true Brahmin or noble person, did not follow from one’s father’s being a Brahmin. It came through good work and through living one’s life in a proper fashion, through leading the good life in the true sense. To paraphrase a passage in the Anuttara Nikaya: “If one has done good work and lived well, then no one can stop the individual from living the blessed life, that would surely follow. One is protected even  from natural disasters or other calamities.” In this sutra, he says that no one can snatch away from us our good work, which is significant, as this is precisely what the Mahabharata allows for, as we have seen — the fruits of our good deeds can be taken away. People continue to believe such things, even in the West, but the Buddha categorically stated that this cannot happen and seems to have made a concerted effort to allay our fears on this score. Contrary to the conventional ideas of his time, Buddha did not regard karma as an inexorable law, almost mechanical in operation. Rather, he gave elasticity to the causal mechanism of its operation. In other words,  an existing cause did not necessarily mean an effect would ensue, or that it would ensue in exact and direct proportion to the cause.

Buddha continually employed the example of seedlings in his discourses, a very ancient analogy, perhaps because of its great similitude to the fluid characteristics of karmic cause and effect. There are other analogies, but none as fitting. First, the right environment has to be present for a  seed to sprout — the right amount of moisture, sun, soil conditions, and so on — and yet even then its germination cannot be accurately determined,  nor can the duration of the event. And it is possible that the seed will produce no effect whatsoever — the sprout may not manifest even after the seed is sown in a seemingly perfect environment and tended with the greatest care. There are all kinds of variables in the analogy, which point to karma’s not being a one-to-one mechanical kind of operation. In terms of how karma is created mentally, the right environment has to be present for our thoughts, the karmic seed, to take root. The environment in this case is often our general mental attitude and beliefs. So when a fresh thought appears in one’s mind, what then happens to that thought depends on the mental condition that is present. Whether that thought will take root and flourish, or whether it has very little chance of survival, depends on this environment. Thus one of the reasons for the enduring use of the seed analogy is that it is unpredictable what will happen after a seed is planted. A seed may fail, or may produce only a very faint effect, an insipid sapling, or become something that takes off and grows wild like a weed. A lot of our thoughts, feelings, and so on, exist in this way, depending on the environment. A thought that comes into our head when our mood is low, for instance, or when we are depressed, will be contaminated by that mood. Even positive thoughts that crop up will manage to have a negative slant put on them, and this is how karma works. The karmic seed is planted, and then, depending on the conditions, the seed may remain dormant for an extended period of time, or it may germinate in a shorter period of time. Therefore the effect does not have to be a direct copy of the cause, so to speak. There is no necessary or direct correspondence between the original cause and the subsequent effect. There is variance involved, which might mean that there is invariance as well, in a particular instance.

Even though each individual, however, he or she acts, necessarily bears the fruit of that deed, there will always be variance and elasticity built into the workings of karma. For instance, in the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha states that even individuals who commit terrible things while alive will not necessarily go to hell. This type of idea is often seen as a modern one, but it can be found in this sutra. The reasoning here is that of all the mentation done in our life, of paramount significance is what we think about at the time of our death. What is addressed here is the quality and depth of our sincerity as we “take stock” of our life: reflecting and reviewing our past, regretting certain things, wishing we could have done better here and there, and so forth. Even though there is nothing to be done at this stage, it is important to reflect in this manner. These are just examples of the types of words and thoughts we might use, of course. A Buddhist might reflect on appreciating the Buddha and his teachings and the precious few opportunities he or she had to practice meditation or follow the spiritual path. Or we might reflect on a time we were kind to somebody, helped a neighbour, or vice versa. Thinking these types of thoughts, according to Buddhism, significantly mitigates the circumstances of one’s life. Of course, the opposite type of attitude, that of bitterness, is very unfortunate. To think, “Why am I dying? My friend is far worse than I ever was  and is still alive and doing well!” This sort of response would not help at all.

As we have seen so far, two of Buddha’s principal assertions on karma are that we are personally responsible for our actions in life and that the consequences of these actions are not fixed. Even if we were to do evil deeds, we are not necessarily condemned, be it to hell, or to something similar. We can make reparations at the point of death. Also, hell itself is not a permanent station in Buddhism; it too is temporary. Third, he strongly emphasised the idea of character as a crucial ingredient of our karma. While alive, we should think about what kind of person we are becoming. It is not just the action performed that is important but also the character formation that goes with it. Of course, character has to do with the accumulation of so-called karmic dispositions, a long-standing part of Buddhist philosophy. What is not so explicitly stated though, but rather is implied in the sutras, is that in trying to develop certain character traits, an individual does in fact, as a consequence of this effort, become a different person. Once more this relates back to the idea of anatta, or the selflessness of the agent who acts. In modern parlance, we might say that it is not about trying to find  out “who I am,” as if that were a fixed thing, or “who am I really.”  Rather the whole point of our existence is to learn to see things in a different light, to feel things in a different way. We are right back to the five skandhas at this point — seeing and feeling things differently, taking cognisance of things differently, and trying to develop different dispositions (which would follow from the above anyway). This is how to develop the character required to really live fully in this life, and it will also help in the next.

The type of character associated with a Buddhist life is often envisaged as austere, of low means, and with sights fixed firmly on a future reward in a blessed next life. The Buddha was not particularly encouraging toward that ideal but rather emphasised the notion of character, which in essence centres on selflessness. If one has done terrible things in this life, and comes to deeply regret them, then one becomes noble. If a person of high standing, a so-called noble person, remains arrogant and conceited throughout his or her life, indulging in associated vices, then that person is not noble. The notion of selflessness means just that. This is how one builds character. Again we must remember that most of the literature of the Buddha’s time addressed karma exclusively in terms of action, which of course recognises that acting in a particular fashion brings certain fruit, but the notion of building up character, of deliberately developing into the sort of person one should really become — this was absent. The traditional approach, as we saw, was mainly concerned with doing one’s duty, the performance of sacrifices and ritual, and so on. For the Buddha, the deeds we as individuals perform are the deeds we must bear responsibility for, not those of our family or our society.

Yet not everything we experience is due to karma, which is another novel aspect to the Buddha’s thinking, and a somewhat neglected one. He did not state that the entirety of our experience is due to what we have done before, whether pleasant or unpleasant. We can experience things we are not responsible for. In the end, it is the way we deal with things that counts, which is a reflection of character. We look to build ourselves up, so we are not so problematised, thinking “This is really me,” or asking  “What is the real me?” Rather it concerns looking at all aspects of ourselves and then working on specific things. “How do I feel? How do I perceive things?” Reflecting on this type of thing is far more profitable. Being cognisant of the many things happening within and to us helps to build up our character and become a stronger person. At such a point, we can then act nobly. Therefore, a noble person is one with character, and an ignoble person lacks character.

The Buddha was a very practical teacher. He was blessed with great insight of course, and would entertain metaphysical ideas, but his pragmatism was never lost in the abstractions. Indeed, karma and rebirth can certainly be considered metaphysical, but he grounded them in the empirical, in what we can experience. The great difference in the  Buddha’s contribution is in the way he married metaphysics to everyday experience. Rather than talk abstractly about souls, and journeys of the soul through different lives, he was very much concerned with how we experience things in our everyday lives.

When the Buddha stated that we could become a noble person or an ignoble person, he was also implying a form of death and rebirth. We can become somebody very different from what we were before. Running counter to this though, we often become completely engrossed in the notion of a fixed, underlying self. Taking this course, the whole notion of self-transformation proves to be untenable, unreal. It would be a superficial change, analogous to an actor’s changing costumes, which is exactly the image, as we know, used in the traditional eternalist stance. The Buddha, in rejecting the entire eternalist framework of his day, was saying that actor and costume are the same. One is what one is acting. However we act it out, however we project ourselves — that is what we are. That is all we  need too, according to the Buddha; there is no need for something “extra.”

The performer of actions is not an agent disassociated from his or her action. Commonly though, it is thought that the acts one performs and the agent responsible for the actions are separate — the actions being one thing and the agent, the actor, something different. It seems plausible in a sense, because a single agent performs a great many different actions while remaining, seemingly, much the same over the course of his or her life. The Buddha disagreed with this entirely, maintaining that the agent and the action are enmeshed, so to speak. Agents are transformed by the actions they perform. The actions engaged in, the karmic activities, in other words, produce effects on the agents themselves. There is mutual influence here, and it is not the case that stable agents carry out different forms of action while remaining unchanged themselves. This was a radical idea for the time, as we have discussed, in comparison to prevailing Indian thought, which always positioned the agent as remaining the same, and only the actions as changing.

To reiterate, “karma” basically means action. When we talk about karma, we talk about action, which in Buddhism entails thinking in terms of cause and effect. Actions are performed because there are certain pre-existing causes and conditions giving rise to the impulse to engage in particular actions, and from this the karmic effect issues. In the performance of actions, there is usually a propelling factor. We feel compelled by something to do certain things, and when we engage in those actions, based on those impulses, the actions then produce relevant effects. As we have seen though, this does not mean that every action performed has a particular cause and a particular effect. Nevertheless, the Buddhist theory of karma is irrevocably tied to this mechanism, for want of a better word, and hence to the responsibility of the individual, as opposed to a divine governance of sorts. To quote the Buddha himself:

Possessed of my own deeds, I am the inheritor of deeds, kin to deeds, one who has deeds as a refuge. Whatever deed I shall do, whether good or evil, I shall become the heir of it — This is to be repeatedly contemplated by woman, and by man; by householder, and by him who has been taken into the order.

The Buddha, radically, interpreted the individual as a compound of many different elements, physical and mental — a psychophysical complex. Therefore our feelings, thoughts, emotions, memories,  dispositions; our perceptual capability, our cognitive capacities, and our physical conditions — all are constantly interacting and impacting each other.

And agents themselves are also continually interacting with other agents. Logically, then, we need not feel compelled to identify ourselves with a single thing, a core element to our psyche, as it is really a matter of being in a constant state of flux. In this sense, karma could be said to operate as streams of networking karmic processes, where all kinds of living, breathing individuals are involved. The really important principle to grasp about this approach is to look closely at things, for things in their nature are complex. Acknowledging this will bring us great reward — knowledge in fact. Doing the opposite, looking at things in a very simple way,  keeps us trapped in ignorance.

The Buddha believed completely in this, which is why the Dharma, in this context, literally means the teachings that shed light on the dharmas, or on phenomena. Here “dharmas” refers to the elements, the mental and physical factors that constitute our being, and existence generally. Through this interrelationship of dharmas, the agent and action are completely attached to each other in the idea of karma. The Buddha uniquely challenged our “common sense” feeling of there being an agent existing without reference to actions and disputed the one-way paradigm of action as being subordinate to the agent. According to him, we become what we are as a result of what we are doing, and hence the great emphasis on the importance of karma, of action in the wider sense. It follows from this, too, that if we do not think about karma, then we cannot really be  Buddhist, as we will be unable to fully relate to who we are, or what we are, as an individual.

By seeing all these things at play, we become a different person,  which, after all, is the whole point of embarking on the Buddhist path in the first place. Indeed, we would not have undertaken such a path if we had not felt a great assortment of imbalances and conflicts going on within us — itself a situation expressing the very many different elements of our personality. In fact, we might never actually be convinced of finding “ourselves,” even if we were to end up in the Himalayas meditating for years, thinking of peeling away all our hang-ups and baggage, jettisoning all kinds of things, and finally reaching ecstasy in a big breakthrough moment. Even here, in this very real scenario, deep down, there may remain a nagging doubt that we might be kidding ourselves. Buddha thought that the truth of identity is much more than this. It is much more profitable he would say,  and very much more enlightening, to look for more certainty through dealing with the things that we can actually see about ourselves.

This interconnectedness of everything is termed “interdependent arising” in Buddhism. As everything is interdependently arisen, we do not have the perspective of a solitary agent performing a variety of actions but a complex multifaceted individual engaged with many diverse roles, intersecting with a very complex world. This is the real core of it all and is really what is behind the great emphasis on the practice of mindfulness and awareness, for if things were simple in themselves, there would be no real need of paying too much attention to them. If this were in fact the case, we could just keep on digging and digging for this simple kernel of truth, which once found, promises to enfold us in some kind of measureless bliss and perception. Contrary to this idea, the Buddha taught that learning about karma and learning about ourselves are much like everything else in that they concern the observation of how things work, inside and out,  and in mutual relationship. This is the way to lift the veil of ignorance and come to a real understanding. He also said that we should understand everything to be non-substantial and impermanent, which is frequently interpreted negatively; it is not necessarily meant this way, but rather as a way to encourage paying attention to the nature of phenomena. By really looking at phenomena, we will find ourselves with no choice but to recognise their impermanence and non-substantiality, which is a good thing for us to do and is inevitable, as this is the reality we have. If we see things as they are, then true transformation can take place.

By not recognising things as compounded, or as aggregations, as is said, we simultaneously fail to see how karma is created. Furthermore, there can be no avoidance of having to deal with karma, as far as the  Buddha was concerned, because of the kind of beings we are. As we have seen, karma is vitally linked to Buddhism’s goal of reducing suffering; and the more we understand how we create karma, the greater the chance we have of achieving this. The less we understand karma, the greater the chance that certain actions will be repeated, that we will fail to learn from our mistakes, and that we will perpetuate our suffering through the enactment of deep-seated habits, the very deep-seated habits that are involved in developing a certain character. Thus we suffer through not paying attention to the cause and effect relationship. We do not comprehend properly what brings us satisfaction in life and what might allow us to flourish.

Because the agent is in a constant state of flux, the Buddha said, we take rebirth, which is again contingent on the idea that even while alive we are not the same person. The person who was born at the time of birth and the person who actually dies at the end of our life are not exactly the same. It is described as “the same, but different.” So to comprehend being reborn in another life form, it might help to think that the reborn “individual,” or whatever we want to call it, is not exactly the same being as the one who lived the previous life. And yet, the reborn being still carries certain dispositional properties, certain mental imprints, or karmic imprints, from the past life into the present — things are carried on. This is true for us even as we live this present life. After all, it is clear that the person born and the person who dies are not the same. A newborn baby and an eighty-year-old person about to die are not the same. So the idea of rebirth is extrapolated from that notion, and if everything about the idea of being is intimately tied up with this notion of becoming, then being this or that kind of individual is no different from becoming this or that kind of person.

Mind’s nature is indivisible emptiness and clarity,

Inexpressible and indestructible, like space.

In seeing it, there is no separate one who sees;

There is but a single, all-encompassing sphere.

Even looker and looking are one and the same.

This view of seeing all at once is unsurpassed,

A centreless, limitless, exceptional experience.

In this fruition in which what has to be done has been done,

There's no seeing at all, and any wish to see,

Any deep longing to discover the view,

Is naturally destroyed from its very depths.

To arrive at such contentment and evenness

Is to be touched by brave Mañjuśrī's beneficent light.

-- Mipham Rinpoche

在现今时代，如何保持不退学佛的信念

多识仁波切

的确，在现今时代，人都变得现实了，但作为佛教徒，应经常思考佛教所说的生命无常。

无常不是说你活上几十年就会死了，无常是没有时间界线的，随时都有死的可能。生和死是同步进行的，我们从两个角度来看：一是从胎儿在母体中形成，开始了生命的过程，从十岁、二十岁、三十岁……继续生长到老年；从另一角度看，则是一步一步接近死亡。生命总会结束的，所以从诞生之日开始，一方面是迈向成长，一方面则接近死亡。

但是死亡时间没有绝对性，有的在胎中已死；有的一生下来就死；有的活上几十岁；有的却是上百岁。有的是正常死亡；有的是不正常死亡；有的是死于自然灾祸；有些是意外死亡。

无常是入佛之门，首先要想到无常，这是最现实的事，光想着赚钱和吃饭，没有考虑到后果的话，不是一种聪明和有责任的想法。人人都应该有这种智慧，无论是国王、总统或是富豪，在生死上都是没有分别的，有钱买不到寿命，所以不能执著，眼光要看得远一点。

学佛不要光考虑眼前的东西，要学习菩提道次第，发菩提心就是长远的打算，人和动物的分别是人有智慧。做人要像下棋一样，不要只顾前面这一步，高手下棋时要看三步，不要光看面前的一步。做人不要只修今生的路，还要修来生的路。

这样经常思维无常，就可以策发学佛的信念，不致退失。

The gap between this life and a future life is just a breath away. The breath stops. Then, as in a dream, you're carried away into the intermediate state and then are born elsewhere. As a result of negative actions, you can be born in a place of suffering, and it's just a breath away. So, what is to be done? Now is the time to practice the instructions of your kind lama — your kind spiritual father. That is to be done right now. It's time to place the real experience of the path on your mind-stream. It's time to put the profound Dharma instructions into practice — to seek out the real experience of that!

-- Ribur Rinpoche

How can I deal with the exploding Anger within?

by Venerable Thubten Chodron

Q: Since the pandemic hit the world and changed how the world operates with profound impact in so many areas: world economy, work operation, domestic job market and financial trade, I have been experiencing greater anger within. How can I handle the exploding anger and bring healing to myself? – TA

A: Anger and other destructive emotions are not the nature of our mind/heart, so they can be diminished and eventually removed completely from our mindstream through the development of patience, love, compassion and wisdom. Many of the people we admire — the Buddha, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi and others — had the ability to remain internally undisturbed in the face of harm and externally act for the benefit of others. Their anger was neither expressed nor repressed. It was simply absent, having been transformed into tolerance and compassion.

Thus, an alternative exists besides expressing or repressing anger. When we express our anger, our words and deeds can easily hurt others. In addition, expressing anger does not rid ourselves of it. On the contrary, each time we express hostility — even if it is by beating a pillow or screaming in an empty field — we strengthen the habit of feeling and acting out its violent energy. What happens if one day there is no pillow around to pummel, no field nearby to scream in and we are surrounded only by human beings?

On the other hand, repressing anger doesn’t eliminate it either. The anger still exists, no matter how much we may try to pretend to ourselves or others that it doesn’t. It may still erupt, sometimes when we are least prepared to handle it. Repressed anger may also damage us physically or mentally. Expressing anger is one extreme, and repressing it is another. In both cases, the habit of anger remains in one form or another.

Patience is an alternative. It is the ability to remain internally calm and undisturbed in the face of harm or difficulties. The Sanskrit word “kshanti” has no suitable equivalent in English. Here we use “patience,” but kshanti also includes tolerance, internal calm, and endurance. Thus patience, as it is used here, also includes these qualities.

Patience does not involve pasting a plastic smile on our face while hatred simmers inside. It involves dissolving the anger-energy so that it is no longer there. Then, with a clear mind, we can evaluate various alternatives and decide what to say or do to remedy the situation.

When speaking of both anger and patience, we must differentiate mental attitudes from external actions. For example, anger may manifest in different behaviours.

When Gary is angry, he explodes. He shouts, curses, and at times has even been known to throw something. Karen, however, withdraws. She goes into her room, closes the door, and refuses to talk. She may sulk for days. These two people are both angry, but they manifest it in totally different behaviours: one is aggressive, the other passive.

Similarly, patience may manifest in various behaviours. It gives us the mental space to choose appropriate behaviour for the situation. Sometimes we may speak strongly to others because that is the most effective way to communicate with them at that moment. For example, if a child is playing in the street and her father very sweetly says, “Susie dear, please don’t play in the street,” she will likely ignore him. On the other hand, if he speaks forcefully, she will most likely remember and obey. But internally, the parent’s mind can be calm and compassionate when doing this. The child will sense the difference between the words said when he is centred and the same words said when he is upset.

In other situations, a patient attitude may manifest as calm behaviour. Rather than retort to a passerby’s taunt, Bob chooses not to respond. He does this not out of weakness or fear, but by wisely deciding not to feed a potentially hostile situation.

A common misconception is that patience equals passivity. However, when we correctly understand the meaning of patience — noting that it is an internal attitude, not an external behaviour — we see that this is incorrect. Rather, calmness in the face of harm gives us the space to evaluate situations clearly and thus to make wise decisions. This is one of the foremost advantages of patience.

Another advantage of patience is that it leaves our mind free from turbulence and pain, and our body free from tension. This benefits our health. Many studies show that calm people heal more quickly after surgery and are less likely to have accidents. Ronda, upset by a conflict with a neighbour, was hammering together a new cabinet with ferocity. Suddenly she pulled herself up and thought, “If I continue like this, I’ll certainly hurt myself.” She breathed deeply, let her physical tension go, and resumed her carpentry with a different attitude.

Patience also enables us to live free from the pain of grudges, resentment and the wish for revenge. Because we are able to communicate better with others, our relationships are more harmonious and last longer. Instead of our friendships being ripped apart by anger, they are deepened by attentive listening and considerate speaking. We thus amass fewer regrets, so our mind is at ease at the time of death. Accumulating positive karma, we know we are on the path to fortunate rebirths, liberation and enlightenment.

Patience, in addition, directly affects the people and atmosphere around us by short-circuiting the dysfunctional ways in which people interact with one another. Before school, Ron’s daughter arrived at the car frustrated because her hair band was tangled in her hair. Instead of scolding her for doing her hair at the last minute and thus condemning both of them to having a bad day, Ron smiled and helped her pull out the band.

Reflecting and contemplating so will help you deal with the anger within and bring greater clarity and calmness to the mind.

The true nature of the world is the true nature of the mind.

It is never born and is beyond sorrow.

Liberation will be attained by seeing the nature of the mind itself,

the true nature of phenomena.

Then there is no other peace to attain.

-- Longchenpa

佛教里的平常心

文 ｜王春华

上小学的时候，家里那时还没有电视机等文化娱乐性的家电，家中最受我欢迎的无疑就是那台当时还算时髦的收音机了，除了喜欢听一些儿童节目之外，我还特别喜欢听里面的评书，印象最为深刻的是刘兰芳播讲的《薛刚反唐》，故事的大概内容是：唐代时薛仁贵之子薛丁山为奸臣张台(张士贵之子)所害，全家抄斩，还立了铁丘坟，只有薛刚和樊犁花逃过一劫。后来薛刚起兵反唐，报了血海深仇， 为薛家平了反，使正义得以伸张。据评书中记载，当满朝文武陪着李显，一同来到薛府铁丘坟前。庐陵王传出旨意：打开铁丘坟。薛家盼望多年的夙愿，得以实现。人人悲喜交感，哭笑间半。这时，只听铁丘坟前，突然暴发出一阵狂声大笑。大家一看：不是别人，乃是鲁王千岁程咬金。他开始悲恸不已， 老泪纵横。一见杀了张、武两党，解了心头之恨， 顿时转悲为喜。这一笑不要紧，突然一口气没缓过来，翻了翻眼珠子，“扑通”一声，倒在地上。大家急忙上前呼唤、抢救。可是，程老千岁早已伸腿瞪眼，一命呜呼了。

程咬金与薛家是世交，当亲眼看到薛家的冤情得 以昭雪自然是非常高兴的事情，可是，由于开始见到铁丘坟想起故人一家惨状，程咬金是悲痛欲绝，继尔看到宿敌被斩，大仇得报，于是又大大的欢喜， 这样心情在极速的转换中引起了生理上的不适应， 最终竟然因此而丧失了性命。显然，这是一个典型的乐极生悲的例子。

无独有偶，在评书《岳飞传》中，也记载了牛皋在生擒金兀术后大笑而亡的事情，书中记载：金兀术挥斧要取牛皋性命，杀到跟前却来个马失前蹄，刚好把牛皋的马也撞翻，两人摔将地上，牛皋正好骑在金兀术背上，看到往日不可一世的金兀术成了自己的手下败将，牛皋一阵大笑突然死去。金兀术回头一看，打倒自己的竟是自己平时瞧不起的牛皋，不由得气上心头，金兀术挣扎了两下没爬起来，活活气死。这亦是“笑煞牛皋，气死兀术”的典故来历。

另外，在《儒林外史》中还记载了屡试不第的老童生范进中举后欢喜过了头的故事，书中记载：报喜的人在集上找到了准备卖鸡买米的范进，但是几十年来受惯人讥讽而且对中举并不抱希望的范进以为又是邻居戏弄他。当他被邻居硬拉回家后，看见升挂起来的报贴上写着“捷报贵府老爷范讳进高中广东乡试第七名亚元。京报连登黄甲。”之后，“自己把两手拍了一下，笑了一声道：‘噫！好了！我中了！’说着，往后一跤跌倒，牙关咬紧，不省人事。”众人慌忙抢救，灌了水，虽然醒了，却疯了，老太太和娘子很是伤心，终于熬出头了，却失了心智。倒是报录的人见多识广，知道范进是“只因欢喜狠了， 痰涌上来，迷了心窍”，只要能把痰吐出来就好了。最后由胡屠户出面，打了他一巴掌，吓他一吓，才令他“渐渐喘息过来，眼睛明亮，不疯了”。谁料到范进这边刚刚好，范老太太因为范进中了举，家里有钱了，有人伺候了，竟然乐极生悲，“大笑一声，往后便跌倒。突然痰涌上来，不省人事。”可怜苦了一辈子的老太太，盼望儿子进学中举，终于等到了儿子出人头地，却没来得及享福，就这么一下子撒手人寰。

由此来看，在人生突然出现柳暗花明抑或是重大转机的“胜境”现前之时，若是不能控制适度的情绪，亦会因过喜而伤心，导致思维紊乱、精神失常乃至死亡等负面情况的发生。

从心理学上分析，人的感情在外界刺激影响下，具有两极性，当人处于过度兴奋状态时，因刺激强烈，心理活动往往会向正反两极摆动，即又喜又悲，出现又哭又笑的场面，于是乐极生悲。可以 说“乐极生悲”是一种反常的生理现象。在日常生活中，过度强烈的兴奋，如果超越了正常的生理限度，就会引起生理机能紊乱而导致病变。在我们的现实生活中，这种乐极生悲的事亦时有发生。有人在打牌、搓麻将时摸到了好牌，一时情绪兴奋结果诱发中风，最后导致死亡。有人在自己的需要得到 最大程度的满足，或有什么意外收获，笑得前仰后合，而突然昏厥。又有人彩票中大奖，考取名牌大学等等多年夙愿一朝得以实现，兴奋无比，也会因而突然引发意外事件或者疾病，招致恶果。

平时我们也可以看到许多人在逆境面前，能够持有一颗平常心，不被厄运吓倒，不灰心不气馁，奋力拼搏，勇往直前，最终战胜困难，取得成功。但是当他们一旦走出逆境之后，当生活和事业都处于顺境乃至胜境之时，有些人却经不住胜境的“糖衣炮弹”，陷入“乱花迷眼”的境地，逐渐被名利、财色等外在的因素所诱惑、牵缚，最终不是身败名裂，就是夫妻失和、众叛亲离。

由此可见，在人生的胜境面前，我们也应当保有一颗平常心，做到在春风得意时不忘乎所以，在鲜花掌声面前保持波澜不惊的清醒头脑，始终能够理智地做人做事，一切顺其自然，不刻意，不造作，不妄求，让我们的情感能够不大起大落，不大喜大悲，让我们的心灵在宠辱不惊中获得真正的清静自在。《菜根谭》上有句话说的好：“文章没有他奇，只有恰好；做人没有他异，只有本然。”这本然二字， 说的就是一个人所能够拥有的一颗平常心。平常心贵在“平常”，平常，是一种不为外物外境所左右、牵缚，并且洞悉事物本质，实事求是的心理状态。这是一种平等的心态，不牵强附会，也不患得患失，而是尽显大丈夫本色，拿得起放得下。

禅宗更是认为“平常心是道”，即一个人如果有了平常心，那么他离大道也就不远了。什么是平常心？马祖道一禅师经常开示弟子们说：“道不用修，但莫污染，何为污染？但有生死心，造作趋向，皆是污染。若要直会其道，平常心是道。何谓平常心？无造作、无是非、无取舍、无断常、无凡无圣。非凡夫行、非圣贤行、是菩萨行”。对于“平常心”，《般若心经》中亦有开示：“不生不灭，不垢不净，不增不减”。

平常心抛却了分别、计较，省却了人我是非、妄想杂念，能够一切随缘不变、不变随缘，平常心也能让一个人更加镇定、沉着，充分地认知自己的能力、现状、处境，能在忙碌的生活中，不焦虑，不烦燥， 理智地化解紧张情绪和精神压力，真正体验到洒脱无碍的人生境界。正如《菜根谭》中所云：“风斜雨急处，立得脚定；花浓柳艳处，着得眼高；路危险处，回得头早。”一个人处在胜境之中，如果有了平常心，那就能够在任何时候都可以宠辱不惊， 任何环境都可以安之若素。

有弟子问景岑招贤禅师什么是平常心，景岑轻描 淡写地说道：“要眠即眠，要坐即坐。”但这个弟子不明白，又问：“学人不会，意旨如何？”景岑又答：“热即取凉，寒即向火。”又有人问文钦禅师如何是平常心合乎于道，文钦答说：“吃茶吃饭随时过，看水看山实畅情。”每天的时光都是在吃茶吃饭中度过，畅快淋漓的情感也会在看水看山中得以抒发，这种无欲无求的生活，那里还有束缚，还有困扰，还有烦恼？这岂不就是大自在！

It is good to tame the mind, as it is difficult to hold in and flighty, rushing wherever it leans; a tamed mind brings peace and happiness.

-- The Buddha

Bringing Obstacles Into The Path

by His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche

“My greetings to Dharma Friends all over the world. Tashi delek!

As we all know, a pandemic is currently threatening the entire world, and countless people are undergoing untold amounts of suffering, panic and worry.

It is important to know that panic and worry can only make things worse and that not only do they cause us harm, but that they don’t bring any benefit whatsoever.

The outcome of this situation, as of any other, depends on our personal karma. However, there is a way in which we can better our fortune, and that is to take refuge in the Triple Gem. We need to pray fervently to the Triple Gem, and we need to find the time to do it. It is paramount that we do so at this time.

As we are followers of Sakyamuni Buddha, it is essential that we follow his teachings by striving to transform obstacles into the Dharma path. How can we do this? What is most important? What steps should we take?

The first thing to bear in mind is that we can never only think of ourselves. We need to take on the suffering of all sentient beings, and we need to offer our merits and happiness to them. If we can practice Tonglen in this way, then we can transform obstacles into the Dharma path. And by doing so, we also benefit ourselves. We shouldn’t worry. It is crucial that we remain at peace within ourselves as we weather this crisis.

Parallel to this, it is equally important that we follow the directives that the medical institutions are issuing. All Dharma depends on causes and conditions. Will prayers, visualisations and mantra recitations be sufficient to carry us through? These, of course, are of huge benefit, but it is also of major importance that we strictly observe the recommended rules of personal hygiene and social distancing. 

Beyond this, we need to pray to the Guru and to the Three Jewels, and especially to pray to the deities with the necessary uncommon attributes and karmic connections. For instance, in the Snow Land of Tibet, we should pray to Avalokiteshvara and Tara, and particularly during this pandemic, we should pray to Parnashavari. We should pray to these deities, chant their mantras and recite their prayers. I believe that by doing so, we will successfully be saved from this pandemic, and find happiness.

And so, I urge all to please do so!

Throughout this pandemic, we have seen how medical personnel have daily put their own lives at risk, unflinching in the face of hardship, overcoming all kinds of insurmountable obstacles. This has been an extraordinary show of courage.

In our case, courage can take the face of spiritual practice, and this is by far the best that we can do in these circumstances. The essence of Vajrayana is to practise for the sake of others; to concentrate all our efforts on others and forget about ourselves, this is the heart essence of Mahayana Buddhism. 

Bearing this in mind, it is also important to inspire others to have faith, to inspire them to exercise determination, and to support them with praise.

 

And now, I will recite the invocation to Vajrakilaya. All deities are one, there is no difference whatsoever in their merits, compassion and the swiftness of their activities. But, from our side, there is a difference in terms of karma and aspiration.

At the time of Padmasambhava and Khön Nagendra Rakshita, long before the founding of the Sakya Order, Vajrakilaya was already the main deity of the Khön family, and it continues to be so. No matter what obstacles appear, there is no more effective practice than that of Vajrakilaya to expel them. 

This invocation is directed to the Gurus in the root tantra, especially the enlightened beings, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, wealth gods, and so on. In the Vajrakilaya mandala, we request the ocean-like Holy Beings to grant their blessings and to expel the diseases and obstacles of practitioners, to increase their life span and merits, and to fulfil all their Dharma wishes. This kind of request is called invocation.” 

In Buddhism, there are many ways for one to achieve the realisation of emptiness. With the arguments of the Middle Way, one can reason and observe this true reality of all phenomena. Through the pith instructions of Mahamudra or Dzogchen and relying on the guru’s blessing, one can also realise the empty nature of the mind.

No matter which method one chooses, it is essential to bear in mind that although all phenomena are empty, one should not form any attachment to emptiness itself!

-- His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche

修行的真谛

顶果钦哲仁波切

心犹如相续的河流，假如你无法运用你的修持来把握它的每个当下，你做的持咒，观想，念诵，禅修，乃至谈吐高超的见地，显现高超的行为，这些都是在浪费时间。

修行的本质并没有任何奇特的地方，它的实质就是反复的深入我们的心相续，并且改变它，否则，这个宝贵的人身会被浪费，你用一生的时间追逐自己的念头，执着它所创造的轮回，实际上，就是在梦幻中迷失自己而不自觉。

每天从细微的小处着手，不要奢望神奇的辉煌，看穿这些虚荣的把戏，仔细观察自己的心吧。

即使在今生，你无法彻底转化你的心，你无法在证悟上取得多大的进展，只要你很小心的守护自己的三业，照顾自己的每一个念头，虽然你无法达到甚至是在睡眠中清醒，或是在重病还能控制自己的心，但是只要你努力的修自己每个念头，努力而虔诚的对待自己彻底的内在，而不是做外表的样子，那么，就好象曲吉旺波在《大圆满三要释吉祥王》中所唱的那样：“即使此生不成就，也内心安详真愉快。”为什么呢？从内在的层次，你已经转化了你的心，从而转化了你的生命，安详、慈悲、放下，已经展示出最大的成就。

成就分为外在的，内在的，秘密的，极其秘密的。

就外在的成就层面，先是心智的成就，但是你虽然掌握了伟大的知识，了解了高深的见地，但是很不幸，它们就好象是在衣服上的补丁，终究会要脱落。例如，我们在健康的时候会感到很自在，而且我们拥有佛法的知识，这一切以一种良好的自我感来暗示：似乎我们是不凡的圣哲，但是，当你遇到重病的时候，你浑身火烧而陷入昏迷，仔细看你的心吧，它根本不受到你的控制，种种接近死亡的业相在梦中显示，即使你厌恶他们而不敢堕入昏睡，但昏迷会迅速将你击垮，哪个时候，你的任何才智，学问，都帮助不了你，于是，修行人应该知道，在重病中出现世俗乃至恐怖的持续梦境，这是修行的耻辱，甚至，这是闻思的耻辱，没有投入修行，或是表面的修行，这是镜子上的雾气，维持不了多久。

其次是验修的成就，当喜悦和光明产生，巨大的宁静伴随深沉的陶醉，甚至可以看到各色奇异的景象，并且能预先知道事情的发生，这些体验就好象对山谷大声叫喊一样，你努力的叫喊，它给你很大的回音，但是随即就消失了。假如你努力的修持，各种奇特的经验发生了，但是记住，这世界上的一切都不免无常，假如你想拥有这些体验，永恒的占有它们，那么，你就会经受好似捕捉水中的月亮一样的痛苦，它们根本就是无常，所以从验修的种种幻想中解脱吧，不企图占有它们，平等的看待它们，而不扰乱内在的心相续，哪怕是在广大的平等定见中，一切显现为不实际的五色烟雾或虹光，而能自在的穿越墙壁或是在岩石上按下手印，但将这些视为开悟的标志并产生我慢，这是着魔的开始，并因为我执而流浪轮回。

最后是广大的明智成就，这预示着我们平等的对待生活，安然的安住在广大的心性中，一切都成为庄严的自然解脱，于自心的智慧中，消除了执着和烦恼，慈悲并心胸宽广，生活之中任何的事物都无法搅乱这内在的明智，超越喜悦和悲哀，安然的任运于当下。

经由心的修持，我们经历各个不同的阶段，最终，我们的心成为空与光明的一味，任何恐惧或是希冀，都无法占据我们的心灵，这就是佛陀之道。

At first, seek a learning that is vast and comprehensive, next, take all the statements of the texts as practical advice, finally, take this to heart by practising by day and night. Dedicating it all to the flourishing of the teachings.

-- Lama Tsongkhapa

Turning our mind from samsara to enlightenment means that instead of going in circles we now decide to go straight; because if we go in circles, no matter how big or how small the circles are, we still end up in the same place.

-- 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche

Embrace Your Fears

by His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, Jigme Pema Wangchen

We have so much to feel good about, yet we spend all our time worrying about the things that aren’t quite right, that might go wrong or that we might lose. It is the ‘not knowing’ that sends our minds into a tailspin – playing out possible scenarios and how we might react to them and wishing we could just know the outcome, rather than be faced with so much change and uncertainty in life. We try to forge a path of certainty: if we don’t take any risks, then maybe we’ll be ok and not have to face anything too difficult.

But it is often in our attempts to safeguard our happiness that we instead stifle it and become increasingly fearful or anxious. And if we do not look after our minds, then uncertainty can easily become associated with and attached to fear: fear of the great unknown, fear of death and even fear of life. Worrying is a mental drain; believing instead that anything is possible requires the same investment of energy, only channelled differently. You put your energy to good use, rather than letting it burn away for nothing.

The teachings have taught me to trust myself and to be confident, to be fearless. You need to be a little bit brave to look your idiosyncrasies in the eye and work on yourself; to develop your life and get closer to your nature. Looking in the mirror-like this can be a painful process but as His Holiness said to me once, if you don’t cut now, when? So in the past years, I have been cutting the ties created by my mind – all the fears and worries about who I am and how my life is turning out. JIGME SEMZANG

FREE YOURSELF FROM FEAR AND ANXIETY

Happy is the man who has given up worrying. Attaching yourself to your worries limits you and robs your mind of the mental freedom that allows you to be happy. It’s a perpetual circle of the same kinds of thoughts feeding off each other and going around and around. They take up precious time and they stifle happiness, keeping it suffocated and invisible beneath the surface of a tense, stressed-out mind. Even small, daily worries can build up over time, leaving little room for other things. Then you feel small and inhibited, your thoughts become small and inhibited and, as a result, the same thing happens to your words and actions. So you feel limited in your potential, meaning that you are restricting yourself by allowing worries to take centre stage all the time in your mind.

If you are someone who tends towards worrying, and you certainly won’t be alone if you are, then if you begin to practise even a few minutes of meditation, focusing on the breath and releasing thoughts as you breathe out, your mind will begin to feel more calm and spacious. Instead of holding on to worries and constantly turning them over and over, wearing out your mind, you will begin to acknowledge them for what they are and allow them to dissolve or float away.

Focus on happiness

If you could take a picture each day of your happiness, what would it look like? One day it might be a familiar face, another day something completely surprising and new. It might be a challenge or fear that you embraced and stepped through. It might be a connection you made. Every day is a chance for happiness. If you take one small action each day towards your happiness, in time those small actions will change the bigger picture and transform your life.

WHERE THERE IS FEAR THERE IS HOPE

I meet many people who feel they could do so much more if they could just throw out their fears and anxieties. But rather than try to ignore fears, perhaps there is something to be said for looking into the heart of them, accepting them and then walking through them. If you can look at your fears or worries from another angle, you will often find something inspiring, something you truly want to do with your life. Someone who is afraid to get married, for example, also knows deep down the potential for happiness in being in a loving, committed relationship. In exactly the same place we imagine failure there is success. 

There should be no shame or regret when we turn away from our fears and walk away, but equally, why not jump in and use them as our inspiration? They hold great potential for growth.

Nowhere to hide

Kate does not practise Buddhism, but comes to the retreats for the philosophical teachings, to explore ideas:

I have been to Druk Amitabha Mountain three times on retreat, and each time I am confronted with the realisation that there is nowhere to hide there, physically, mentally or emotionally. The image I have of myself comes right up to the surface and then crumbles away as I quickly realise I am not special, but at the same time we are all as special and important as each other. I arrive with the labels, ‘I am not a Buddhist’, ‘I am shy’ and ‘I am not a group person. And then I realise that to the nuns I am simply a guest who is staying with them for a few days, no labels required. I remember one morning I received some bad news over the phone and I came out of the dorm room crying. As I was passing a nun, she touched my face and said, ‘Don’t be afraid’. It’s funny, with English not being her first language she made me realise just how much I can let fear and anxiety get in the way of my happiness. But I can also be quite good at letting go and jumping in, giving things a go. That’s how I ended up at this incredible place at the foot of the Himalayas in the first place, the place that reminds me to let go of the fussiness, be myself without the need for labels and keep jumping in.

Why not?

I love this question. It makes my mind happy! It is understandable that people often fall into the trap of trying to come up with excuses why they shouldn’t do what is their heart’s desire – why they should let some kind of fear or anxiety put them off. But these two little words – why not? – help to dissolve the monsters and propel us forward. Why not give it a go? Why not take that chance? Why not take a leap? Many very famous and successful business people in the world tell stories, with big smiles on their faces, of all the times they tried and failed at things. We might wonder how they can be so happy about their failures, but not one of them ever felt sad about giving something a try, even if it didn’t always work out. It seems that even bumps along the path can be a source of happiness in some ways.

I’m not saying we need to take risks to be happy, but rather that we should be less controlled by the limiting thoughts that prevent us from giving things try. Doubts will give our minds the impression they are there to protect us, but it is when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable that sometimes we do the most amazing things with our lives. We might fall in love, or accomplish something we never thought possible. We stretch the boundaries of our minds, creating new space to grow.

DEVELOP YOUR LIFE

If you are somehow fearful of doing what you really want to do in life because you feel you lack the back-up of support or somebody to rely on in case things go wrong, then this is the perfect time to develop yourself. You are overlooking the one person who you can lean on, who gives you strength and courage. That person is you. Many people have lost confidence in themselves. They worry that if they make a big mistake, no one will be there to pick them up, so it is better to play it safe and avoid risks as much as possible. This is a very understandable position, but it relies on the fabrication or self-delusion that if we don’t change, the world around us will remain the same too – our job will be secure, our house will be safe and so on. And yet industries are changing all the time; the world economy almost completely collapsed just a few years ago.

Nothing is certain; nothing stays the same forever. So when you look into your heart, beneath the worries and the fears and the uncertainties, and see the confidence you who feels inspired by something or wants to take a new direction, allow yourself to start connecting and interacting with that inner confidence. You will see that life is too short to waste so much time working through the fifty possible scenarios that may result from one decision or choice. Why don’t you see for yourself what is going to happen and really experience the richness of your life?

Putting positive thoughts into action

Ask yourself: if you could make the world a happier place today, and you couldn’t fail, what would you do? You may want to contemplate this question or even write down your thoughts – whatever works for you. Consider what really motivates you. For me, I always feel ‘activated’ when I consider what we might be able to do when it comes to being more friendly with the environment and with nature. We have turned these thoughts into focused action by collecting all of our rubbish for recycling, putting up solar panels and asking guests to be mindful of their water usage when they visit our monasteries. 

So today, I invite you to turn your own positive thoughts into positive words and actions, deepen your connections and interactions with the world around you and share all the wonderful love and kindness that you have in your heart.

FEELING THE FEAR

We contemplate the ‘Five Remembrances’ (below) to help release ourselves from fear. These are designed to remind us of the changing nature of life, and when we reflect on that we become less clinging to our self-beliefs and our fears of what might – or might not – happen. If we are afraid to let go because we have been let down or hurt in the past, or if our past mistakes still loom large in our imaginations, we need to remind ourselves to live in the present, to appreciate everything good in our lives today, to know that we are going to do our best today and not live under the dark cloud of expectation. 

1. There is no way to escape growing old.

2. There is no way to escape ill health at some point during life.

3. There is no way to escape death.

4. Everything and everyone that I love is subject to the nature of change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

5. The only things that I own are my thoughts, my words and my actions. There is no escape from the consequences of these; they are the ground upon which I stand.

Contemplating these statements gently allows us to bring our fears right into our consciousness. Rather than deny them, we put them into a context that reminds us they are really the same as everyone else’s. We cannot stop time, every second we are getting older, we will experience ill health at some point in life (although, of course, there is much we can do to promote good health), and eventually, we will die. Once we genuinely accept these things we awaken to our lives as they exist right now: we rejoice in our relationships, rather than looking for the cracks; we make the most of our body and health, doing everything we can to take care of ourselves; we accept past hurts and mistakes, but no longer allow them to influence our present or our future.

The remembrances are raw and honest, and because of that, they cut through the usual layers of excuses and justifications for not facing our fears – for maintaining the status quo of life, rather than rocking the boat. As you are honest, your inner nature will come to the surface, so that you may begin to feel even more comfortable in your own skin and more fearless in how you approach your life. You will hear what is in your heart and have the courage to follow what you are telling yourself.

The realisation that the only way to change your life is by changing your own thoughts and actions, frees you to focus on what you can improve, rather than holding on to mistakes or hurts that have been and gone. Today is what really counts – come back to your present and you will come into the richness of your life.

Time waits for no man, so don’t put off your own happiness for another minute.