An Introduction To Buddhism (2 of 2)

by Chogye Trichen Rinpoche

[Request to Teach] Buddha wished that it were possible to share his discovery with every being, yet he realised that sentient beings were far too deeply immersed in ignorance to join him there. And so he spoke to himself these famous words: "I have found a Dharma which is like nectar; it is non composite clear light, profound and peaceful, and beyond conceptual elaboration. Were I to explain it, others would not understand, and so I shall remain in the forest without speaking." Having said this to himself, he vowed to remain in silence for seven years. The Buddha dwelt in the state of contemplation, abstaining from any teaching role. Brahma, the great sovereign of the universe, and Indra, the lord of the gods and angels, knew that the great enlightened wisdom of a Buddha was now manifest in this world. Brahma appeared and offered to the Buddha a thousand-spoke golden wheel and Indra offered the most rare clockwise spiralling conch shell. These supremely auspicious tokens of veneration they offered to the Buddha, beseeching him to turn the wheel of Dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings. In response to this majestic supplication made by Brahma, lord of the universe and Indra, king of the gods, Buddha Shakyamuni consented to turn the wheel of the teachings. Over the course of the rest of his life, Buddha Shakyamuni set in motion what are known as the three great turnings of the wheel of Dharma, the wheel of the teachings.

[Turning the Wheel of Dharma] The first turning of the wheel took place in the ancient Indian city of Varanasi. Buddha initiated the first turning with his central theme of the four noble truths. The collection of teachings of the first turning of the wheel of Dharma are known as the Theravada, or commonly held precepts. The Theravada teachings mainly focus on what are known as the four great seals of the Dharma. The fours seals are:

All phenomena are impermanent

All phenomena are suffering

All phenomena are selfless

Nirvana alone is peace

The Buddha tells us that all compounded phenomena, everything that is composed of various elements and factors, is transient, impermanent; it does not last. Second, we are told that all phenomenal experience is of the nature of suffering. Third, the Buddha concludes that there is no self to be found in the phenomenal world. Fourth, the Buddha reveals that nirvana, liberation, is peace. These four teachings were the primary principles of the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, taught and set in motion in Varanasi by Buddha Shakyamuni.

[Second Turning] From the second turning of the wheel of Dharma came the teachings belonging to the Mahayana, or great vehicle. This turning was initiated in the Indian city of Rajgir, at a place known as the Vulture’s Peak. There the Buddha taught the Prajnaparamita, or Perfection of Wisdom sutras. These sutras are of varying lengths, such as the one-hundred thousand verse sutra, the twenty-thousand-verse sutra, the eight-thousand-verse sutra, and so on. All of these teachings reveal the truth of emptiness, that all phenomena, everything that appears to be, actually lacks any inherent, true existence.

[Third Turning] The third and final turning of the Wheel of Dharma focused on the subtle, definitive meaning of the Dharma. Though the Buddha expounded a myriad of teachings, he himself contemplated the effectiveness of each of these teachings. He pondered how people would interpret the teachings, and tailored his message to suit the minds of his listeners. In this way, there came to be what are known as the commonly understood teachings that follow the provisional meaning, and then also what are known as the teachings that reveal the definitive or ultimate meaning of the Dharma, and the commonly held, interpretive meaning. These discourses were given in the ancient town of Vaishali. Vaishali became famous in the sutras as the place where a monkey made offerings to the Buddha. The complete Dharma spoken by Lord Buddha is said to comprise eighty four thousand teachings in total. These serve as direct remedies for the eighty-four thousand emotions or concepts with which sentient beings may be afflicted. Of these, Buddha taught that there are twenty-one thousand defilements that all beings can experience and which relate to greed, desire, and attachment. As an antidote for these obscurations, Buddha taught twenty-one thousand discourses on the Vinaya, the higher training of moral and ethical precepts for lay persons and ordained monks and nuns. Buddha Shakyamuni further distinguished twenty one thousand types of negativity associated with aversion, anger, and hatred. As a remedy for these afflicted states of mind, Buddha gave the twenty one thousand teachings of the sutras. As the antidote for the defilements arising based on ignorance, Buddha taught the twenty-one thousand discourses on the Abhidharma. In addition, a further twenty one thousand talks were given which discussed the defilements of attachment, aversion, and ignorance as they interact with one another. In this way, Buddha gave direct remedies for all the eighty-four thousand defilements experienced by sentient beings. When considering the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma, one may wonder where and when the Buddhist Tantras were taught. The tantras are related to the third turning of the wheel of Dharma.

[Oddiyana & King Indrabhuti] During the course of Buddha’s life and activity, many of his disciples had reached various levels of realisation. It is even said that whenever the Buddha moved from one place to another, these disciples would fly in the sky, spreading their golden dharma robes like wings. In this way they might move from eastern India to the western regions, from south to north. In the western region of India was a kingdom known as Oddiyana. In Buddha’s time, the King of Oddiyana was Indrabhuti, who was the same age as Buddha, having been born in the same year. One day, as the king and his ministers were enjoying the palace gardens, a vast flock of monks flew by in the sky above them. Indrabhuti asked the wise elders among his ministers, “Who are they, and how can it be that they fly through the sky like birds?” A senior minister replied, “Your Majesty, we dwell in western India. I have heard that in eastern India there is the kingdom of the Shakyas, out of which arose the miraculous display of a prince known as Siddhartha. He is said to have renounced his kingdom and become an enlightened one. These must be some of his disciples in the skies above.” Astonished, King Indrabhuti exclaimed, “This is remarkable. How can it be? If even the disciples demonstrate such miracles, what a wonder the master himself must be! Might someone go and invite him to come to us?” The elder minister answered the king, “Your Majesty, there is no need to physically travel there. If those possessed of great faith and devotion make fervent, heartfelt prayers, the Buddha will know and hear their prayers through his omniscient wisdom. If you wish, pray thus, and invite the Buddha to come here and teach you.” Hearing this, King Indrabhuti composed a famous verse of supplication, acknowledging the Buddha as the leader and guide of all sentient beings, and asking to be included within the Buddha’s protective wheel of refuge. At this very time, Buddha Shakyamuni was residing in Rajgirha. He summoned various disciples, such as the Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Vajrapani, as well as the realised Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas, all of whom had the ability to fly with him. The Buddha told them that on the coming full moon he would go to the western kingdom of Oddiyana at the invitation of King Indrabhuti. Those who were able to fly were invited to accompany him there. In this way the Buddha and his disciples came to arrive at the palace of Indrabhuti, King of Oddiyana. Buddha reached Oddiyana with these disciples and an assembly of the guardian kings of the four directions, as well as Brahma, Indra, and many of the gods, such as had never been seen before. King Indrabhuti could not believe his eyes when he saw that even the great lords of the celestial realms moved in the entourage of the Buddha. The Buddha addressed King Indrabhuti, “For what purpose have you invited me here?” Indrabhuti replied, “You are a prince of eastern India, and I am a prince of western India. We are even of the same age, and yet you are such a sublime one. Please teach me how to become like you. This is my only request.” Hearing the king’s request, Buddha replied thus: “If you wish to attain the same state as I, then you must abandon all worldly attachments and all the pleasures of the senses. Without renouncing the qualities of sensual experience and practising the ascetic way, without this kind of renunciation, it will not be possible to attain liberation." Now King Indrabhuti was an extremely astute and intelligent person. He knew that the profound depth of the Buddha's realisation must include methods that would allow one to attain liberation without abandoning the qualities of the senses. The king responded, "Lord Buddha, I have been spoiled by living my whole life in such luxurious surroundings. At this stage of my life, how can I give up my queens and elegant lifestyle? Even if I must be born as a fox or a dog that feeds on excrement, I cannot abandon all attachment to sensory pleasures. Neither can I abandon the responsibilities of my kingdom. Please grant me a teaching that does not require me to do so." Hearing the king's genuine plea, Buddha replied that he did indeed possess such a teaching. The Buddha consented to impart the esoteric teachings of the Vajrayana, the diamond vehicle of Buddhist Tantra, in particular the teaching of the tantric Buddha in the form of Guyasamaja.

In addition, Buddha offered the transmission of all the empowerment of the Anuttarayogatantra to King Indrabhuti, including those of all the major tantric emanations of the Buddha such as Kalachakra, Hevajra, and Chakrasamvara. As Buddha bestowed these transcendent initiation ceremonies, the king, being possessed of unusually sharp faculties, was actually able to spontaneously accomplish and attain each stage and level of realisation transmitted by the Buddha during the course of the empowerment. At each successive stage of empowerment, Indrabhuti instantly gained the same realisation that a successful practitioner of that stage would enjoy. At the moment of the supreme phase of initiation known as the fourth empowerment, King Indrabhuti entered the highest level of enlightenment, and was able to simultaneously demonstrate all the miraculous displays of a fully enlightened one. This story from the life of the Buddha clearly shows us that people of keen intelligence may practice the Vajrayana diamond way and accomplish its vast benefits. One may follow the example of the disciples of the Buddha such as King Indrabhuti and enter the path through the tradition of major Vajrayana initiations which began in Oddiyana.

[Dhamyakataka] In another region of India not so far away was the southern kingdom of Dhanyakataka, the ‘place of heaped rice’. This is a place that attracted scholars, yogins and mendicants from a great variety of spiritual traditions. It was a famous dwelling place for those who wished to spend most of their time in meditation and prayer. Dhanyakataka was known as ‘heap of rice’ in reference to the abundance of hermitages and meditation retreats that covered the mountainside. It was at the magnificent stupa of Dhanyakataka that Buddha Shakyamuni imparted the world-renowned tantra known as Kalachakra. This empowerment attracted the Kulika rulers of Shambala, a kingdom near Oddiyana, to attend as its honoured recipients. The kingdom of Shambala is said to have unique inhabitants; although they are human beings, they are said to have been and to be more intelligent and with far more acute faculties than humans. They are even said to have had wings! The king of Shambala at that time, Suchandra, travelled to Dhanyakataka to receive the Kalachakra initiation from Buddha Shakyamuni.

[The Three Vehicles] One could give infinite details regarding all the boundless activities of the Buddha, but this will suffice for now. Here we merely wished to give a brief account of the turnings of the wheel of Dharma, to summarise the history of the Buddha's teaching career. The paths outlined by the Buddha in his teachings are grouped into three principal vehicles. The first is the vehicle of the Theravada or 'elders', which is mainly focused on the path of renunciation and follows the teaching of the four noble truths.

[Mahayana: Loving Kindness] The quintessence of the second vehicle, the Mahayana or great vehicle taught by Buddha Shakyamuni, comes down to two central practices, the practice of loving kindness and the practice of compassion. We should try to understand together the meaning of these. As an example of loving-kindness, we can reflect on the kindness received from our own mother until a feeling of gratitude and appreciation naturally arises. We can reflect that from the day we were born into this world, we were utterly helpless, and could have easily been abandoned. Yet our own kind mother protected us from every danger, fed and clothed us, taught us what to do and what to avoid. She gave us everything we needed, sacrificing her own needs for ours. To help loving kindness grow inside of us, we contemplate the kindness received from our own dear mother. With this in mind, we give rise to the genuine wish that she be happy, and further generate the wish that we ourselves be able to provide her with the causes of happiness. From this benevolent wish, we proceed to cultivate a very creative, positive energy of loving kindness. In so doing, we both increase our affection for others and strengthen the wish to repay the kindness shown to us by our own mother, the wish to increase her happiness. This is what is known as loving kindness. Anyone can reflect on this example, and then begin to extend the feeling generated by remembering their mother's kindness to include other living beings.

[Compassion] Similarly, compassion arises when, through appreciating the kindness and love shown by one's own mother, one feels indebted to her and finds it impossible to bear the thought of her suffering and undergoing hardships. We never want to see her experiencing any troubles or difficulties. If such situations befell her, one would make sincere efforts to rescue her from even the smallest infirmity, from even the most trifling circumstance that might cause her pain. We learn active compassion by empathising with the sufferings of our own mother and by truly trying to reduce this as well as to eliminate whatever is causing her pain. Active compassion is the wish and intent to relieve others from misery and from whatever is causing them anguish. These two principles are at the very core of the teachings of the Mahayana, the great vehicle, which is the Buddha's second turning of the wheel of the teachings. No matter what esoteric meditations of the Vajrayana we may engage in, we must base ourselves on the essence of Mahayana Buddhist teaching, the practice of loving kindness and compassion. This will lead to a point where we are actually able to renounce our own self-interest in favour of cherishing the welfare of others. This is genuine altruism. Even if we are not quite ready or able to adopt such a noble attitude, we train ourselves step by step to really consider what will help others as much as we look out for our own welfare. You really can try to be an instrument of happiness for other living beings, even in the smallest ways. It is equally important that we never ignore or turn a blind eye to any causes that might bring suffering to others. As long as there is suffering, and it doesn't need to be ours, it still needs to be resolved or healed. One who has this attitude is able to develop active or engaged compassion. If there is happiness in a family or between a couple, this happiness hinges for the most part on how loving, caring, and giving the family members and partners are toward one another. It does not depend on their accumulation of wealth and their material success. It is exactly the same as far as the well being of one's community, as far as the level of happiness in the greater world around us, is concerned. Whether or not a leader can set a good example that others can follow depends for the most part on how much they really care about others. It depends on how giving he or she is able to be when conducting their daily affairs. This type of leadership sets a noble standard that people will admire and will naturally wish to emulate. It cannot help but benefit us if we are able to live according to the teaching and practice of loving kindness toward whomever we share our lives with. Whether we are at home or out in the world, if we show more love and empathy for others, we will find more happiness in our lives. If individuals are able to dedicate themselves to a life of loving kindness and compassion, then such people will make a great contribution to the well being of the world, as a whole, to the cause of peace and happiness.

What is called 'world peace' only depends on how the citizens of the world behave toward one another. Love and compassion lead to the happiness of the individual, and this will naturally bring about a peaceful world. Although in this particular lifetime each of us has received the kindness of our own mother, this does not mean that there is only one person to whom we should feel indebted. It has been said by the Buddha that there have been countless occasions on which we have been reborn. We ourselves have experienced births in all the six realms of existence, in every possible situation, in every possible circumstance. In each of these lives, we have had a kind mother, so in fact we are indebted to all of those mothers just as much as we are to the mother of our present life. Bearing this in mind at all times can lead us to harbour genuine concern for other beings. Due to our involvement with the karma of this present life, we cannot recognise around us those who actually were our previous mothers. Even so, we still can choose to conduct ourselves so as to repay each of them for all the good they have shown us. This is the way to develop loving kindness. There is great variety among the different religions in regard to how to approach the spiritual path, as well as concerning their doctrines and their assertions of what is true. But one thing that we can find in common is that all religions promote love and compassion and caring for one another. Without a doubt the spirit of Christianity is the same as that of Buddhism in promoting and upholding the value of love. The Christian teaching says that God is love, and, remembering this, one should show love toward others. This must be the most essential belief of Christians, and they try to practise it in their daily lives. It is no different with Buddhism. The Buddhist teachings guide us in how to treat one another. They teach us to understand and resolve for ourselves the moral and ethical choices we make, since only these choices will become the causes for whatever results we ourselves wish to achieve. This practice of mindful attentiveness to one's conduct emphasised in the Buddhist teachings encourages us to cultivate beneficial causes. These good causes arise from our intention to benefit others. Any deed that is performed with a good intention to benefit others will eventually bear fruits of happiness. This will come about due to what is known as the law of cause and effect, the law of karma. Whether one believes in God, or whether one believes in the law of cause and effect, both teach us to be good people, to do good so as to promote the happiness of others. When we ourselves shun and avoid negative conduct, the suffering of others is also avoided. Both views accept the same fact, that we ought not to do things that create the causes of unhappiness, and that rather we should sow seeds of virtue that become causes for the happiness of others. All religions teach love between oneself and others, and bid us to be a source of benefit to others rather than being a cause of pain for them.

[Kindness & Compassion] It is important to see that these teachings of loving kindness and compassion are not some sort of formal doctrine that one has to profess loyalty to or belief in. They are concerned with the way we live. What determines our happiness or lack of it is what we do with ourselves. We can conduct ourselves in a way that shows care and concern for whatever sufferings we see around us, however small or apparently insignificant. We see suffering in the lives of others, and we wish that they did not have to experience such discomfort and unhappiness. We wish that we ourselves might be instrumental in the relief of their suffering. We also wish that they be happy, and that we ourselves can help them to be happy and add to their well being. For example, in the lives of a couple, if each partner wishes the best for the other, and each wishes that the other not have to experience pain and misery, then there will be greater harmony between husband and wife, between partners. Likewise, if such a relationship exists for example between an employer and those who work for him or her, this promotes happiness in those situations where some are in a leadership role and others are following their directions. It is through each individual assuming their share of this basic responsibility to other beings and conducting their relationships based on love and compassion, that we are able to make our world a different place. People speak about world peace. Peace only comes about when people extend love towards one another. These are essential points of the Mahayana Buddhist teaching.

[Vajrayana] Having understood what is the basis of the Mahayana or greater vehicle of Buddhism, one may now ask where the Vajrayana, the esoteric tantric vehicle, fits into the Buddhist tradition. Vajrayana, the diamond vehicle, is a branch of the Mahayana tradition. If one has developed a good basis of loving kindness and compassion, one may make use of methods which are the special skillful means of the Vajrayana. The benefit of these methods is that they provide a far more skillful and much swifter means of attaining enlightenment than can be gained by relying on the other vehicles on their own. It is said that even if one follows the perfection of wisdom or Prajnaparamita of the Mahayana, still it will require three incalculable aeons to attain enlightenment. On the other hand, resorting to the skillful methods of the Vajrayana diamond vehicle, it is taught that it is even possible to attain enlightenment in one lifetime. There have been a great number of practitioners of India and Tibet who through following Vajrayana Buddhism have indeed attained complete enlightenment in a single lifetime. It is for this purpose of greatly accelerating the path to enlightenment that the Vajrayana vehicle is available as a special means within the great Mahayana vehicle. If one has a heart that overflows with love and compassion as a stable foundation, then resorting to esoteric practices will guarantee rapid spiritual development. In this way, one may gain the capacity to benefit so many more sentient beings so much more quickly.

[Anuttarayoga Tantra] Within the esoteric vehicle of the Vajrayana, there are four general levels of tantras or scriptures. The highest, ultimate of these four is known as Anuttarayoga Tantra or ‘Highest Yoga Tantra’. The Anuttayoga tantras themselves are classed as Father tantras, Mother tantras, and Non dual tantras. In the category of Non-dual tantras, there are only two scriptural traditions, that of Buddha Hevajra and that of Buddha Kalachakra. In order to understand a little bit about Buddhist tantra, let us consider for example the tradition of Kalachakra. The empowerment of the Kalachakra tantra has been widely given throughout the world in recent times. As a non-dual tantra, Kalachakra is the quintessence of all the Anuttara, or Highest Yoga tantras. Kalachakra itself is divided into four types of tantra, giving us an elaborate framework to understand the specifics of the tantra. First there is the outer Kalachakra. In large part, these sections are concerned with visualising and meditating on the Buddha in the form of the meditational deity Kalachakra, and chanting his mantra.

[Kalachakra] Second comes the inner Kalachakra. Inner Kalachakra addresses itself to applying the profound internal meditations upon the subtle channels, vital winds, elements, and essential drops which make up the subtle or psychic body. The third section of Kalachakra, secret Kalachakra refers to meditating upon and within the ultimate meaning of the truth of emptiness. The fourth subject within Kalachakra is ‘other’ or ‘alternative’ Kalachakra, and relates to the study and meditation on the outer cosmos of our realm of existence. Alternative Kalachakra teaches us how all the physical appearances of this world are the manifestation of our collective karma. In this way, it teaches us the causes that bring about this universe. Alternative Kalachakra describes the outer universe and how it directly corresponds with, and reflects, the inner propensities and karmic vision of all the beings within this universe. Thus the Kalachakra tantra contains the deepest meaning of the four types of tantras within one single tradition. Due to its profound meaning and the blessing that it carries, it is very good if one can receive the Kalachakra initiation or at least the oral transmission of the mantra of Buddha Kalachakra. As an example of the power and benefits of mantras of the Highest Yoga Tantras of the Vajrayana, it is said that by merely hearing the sound of the Kalachakra mantra, with the proper attitude and faith, many difficulties and obstacles are removed for us. If you take the opportunity to recite the Kalachakra mantra during the course of your life, this will allay outer obstacles and create peace within you. Even reciting the mantra once definitely has the power to pacify one's afflictions and promote a general sense of happiness and well being.