2017.7.24
http://dalai2016.blogspot.tw/
2017年7月24日 星期一
大家好，新版面出來了哦，法王問答已翻譯成英文。請大家把版面傳給外國的同學，記者。
https://ladakh2017blog.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/dalai-lama-speaks-to-chinese-devotees-about-bliss-and-wisdom/
[摘錄]
Dalai
Lama speaks to Chinese devotees about Bliss and Wisdom
ladakh2017blog
Uncategorized July 24, 2017July 24, 2017 20
Minutes
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
speaks to Chinese devotees about Bliss and Wisdom
12 July 2017
Deskit Monastery, Nubra Valley,
Ladakh – His Holiness gave a short discourse to Chinese devotees at Deskit
Monastery, followed by a question and answer session. His Holiness answered
questions posed by Venerable Fan Yin (梵因法师), former abbot of Fengshan Monastery (凤山寺), Taiwan,
The full video with Chinese
subtitles can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad355FqDQuo
The transcript in Chinese can
be found here:
You can find the English
translation below. Please note that it was translated only from Chinese, not
from Tibetan. Any errors are mine. Please refer to the original video for
accuracy.
HHDL: Hello everyone!
All: Hello Your Holiness!
HHDL: Today many Chinese
devotees have come here, including my friends from Bliss and Wisdom. So I
decided to have a separate meeting with all of you.
Translator: Can the people at
the back hear?
HHDL: Anyone from Hong Kong? …
Coming to a higher elevation, do you get altitude sickness? …. How did you
sleep? Slept well? I guess I’m getting old this year, I’m not feeling too well.
Initially I thought the drier climate here should be better for my knees,
but I haven’t had such a positive reaction this year; my knees aren’t feeling any
better.
Just as I explained in the
teaching the day before and today, we must spread compassion to every corner of
the world. We must have a goal – to let the 21st century be full of
compassion and wisdom.
When we’re talking about the 7
billion human beings, I immediately think of the importance of India and China.
Because India and China have a total population of 2.5 billion.
Many Chinese have ancestors who
were Buddhists. Some ethnic Chinese immigrated overseas, to countries such as
Malaysia, which is a Muslim country. In Malaysia, there are enclaves where the
Chinese are concentrated, because of commercial reasons. It’s the same for
Indonesia and America. Wherever there are Chinese, we can find Buddhist
temples. It’s the same for Vietnam – wherever there are Chinese, there will be
Buddhist temples.
I sincerely believe, and I have
always said, as long as we are willing to seriously study one of the mainstream
religions, it will certainly be beneficial for spreading and increasing
kindness and compassion. So, I believe that all the mainstream religions in the
world have the same potential.
Although different religions
may have different philosophies or viewpoints, we cannot expect everyone in the
world to possess religious beliefs, let alone become Buddhist. Not much benefit
can be gained from this. (are you unable to see clearly? Is it ok?
I’m afraid the light may be too strong. [laughs] Today you are the
sentient being I have come to help. In terms of age, I’m 82, ten years older
than you, but if you look at my face, I appear to be your child)
In terms of philosophy, we all
belong to the Buddhist philosophical tradition, especially the Nalanda
tradition. Whether we are Tibetans or Chinese, we share the same tradition.
Where Buddhist thinking is concerned, especially the curriculum of the Nalanda
tradition, we rely on logical reasoning instead of scriptural authority.
I usually cite this line from
the sutras, “O monks and wise men, just as a goldsmith would test his gold by
burning, cutting and rubbing it, so must you examine my words and accept them,
not merely out of reverence for me.” This is why we have a basis on which to
hold dialogues with scientists, which is beneficial for both sides.
Where the teachings of the
Buddha are concerned, if we adopt the system of the Nalanda tradition in
studying Buddhism, this will suit the most capable students. In this way, the
Buddhist tradition can continue into the next century.
If the tradition we preserve
suits only the least capable students, and is purely based on faith – allow me
to say this – just chanting “Amitabha, Amitabha”, we really have no guarantee
that Buddhist teachings will continue to remain relevant in the next century.
All of us can recite the Heart
Sutra. The content of the Heart Sutra must be understood by studying the sutra,
not through merely reciting it. So, we must make good use of our brains to
understand the truth, to make good use of our wisdom. Of course, we have
inherited the Buddhist faith from our parents and ancestors, but more importantly,
we must diligently study the texts such as the Prajnaparamita Sutra, the Heart
Sutra, and Nagarjuna’s Middle Way, which has been translated into Chinese. We
should study these major texts diligently.
If you have any questions
please ask.
Venerable Fan Yin: Your
Holiness, suppose a Buddhist organization has a female leader, a female guru,
and for the past 20 years, this female guru has been living in the same house
as a group of male bhikshus and samaneras. What opinion do you have on the
matter? And how should we disciples deal with this matter?
HHDL: If this has got to do
with administration, of course, if there is an administrative need for this, it
is a different matter, but if the uposatha is involved, which is purely a
gathering for monks only, then it is not convenient for ladies to be present.
So it depends on the situation. For example, the Sakya Trizin is a lay person,
but in some ceremonies, we can invite the Sakya Trizin to sit on a throne and
preside on the ceremonies, but where discussions on the vinaya are concerned,
he will not attend, because these are monastic matters. Basically these are my
thoughts, although what exactly should be done in specific situations should be
decided after dialogue and discussion.
Ven Fan Yin: They are living
together all year round? In the same house – is this correct?
HHDL: According to the 253
bhikshu precepts of the Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya, monks cannot spend the night
together with a woman. If they do this, it is a transgression of the vows.
Ven Fan Yin: How should we
disciples resolve this problem?
HHDL: You should discuss this
internally. You can show them the vinaya sutras and the list of vows, and let
them know that this is not allowed.
Ven Fan Yin: In the sangha
there are different views. Some think it is alright, some do not think it is
alright. Some people think that because our Master laid down this tradition,
because Master allowed it, it is alright.
HHDL: It is still better to
discuss. Of course, the explanation of the vinaya sutras is most important
guideline. However, we don’t need to quarrel or start a big fight about it. As
long as the vinaya is concerned, the explanation of the vinaya sutras is most
important guideline. This has nothing to do with external factors.
Q: Your Holiness, if we say
that we take the vinaya as our teacher, but this conflicts with the teachings
of this female guru, who has even transgressed the root vows, or gone against
the conventional practice, we are forced to choose between the two – people are
asking if we should rely on the guru, or on the vinaya? How should we approach
this conundrum?
HHDL: Usually, we should take
the vinaya as the guiding principle. Even if what the guru says is against the
vinaya, we should still take the vinaya as the guiding principle.
Q: We take the vinaya as the
guiding principle, but she says we are traitors. When we use reasoning to
discuss with the guru, she accuses us of being traitors, or being possessed by
demons.
HHDL: At this time you must
recall what the Buddha said, “O monks and wise men, examine my words”. As the
Shakyamuni Buddha was about to enter nirvana, he said in the Mahaparinirvana
Sutra that “the vinaya represents my emanation body, so use the vinaya to
replace me”.
Q: When the guru transgresses
the vinaya, can we leave her, and expose her wrongdoing?
HHDL: Of course you can! Let
the public know about this transgression of the vinaya, this wrongdoing.
20 years ago, we held a meeting
for Buddhist teachers teaching in the Western world. How did they react at that
time? Many of those teaching zen, teaching Buddhism, and Tibetan lamas were behaving
inappropriately, what should we do? Can we invite the Dalai Lama to make a
judgement? So I said, if they were not even going to listen to what the Buddha
himself said, what effect are my words going to have on them?
Of course! If you are sure that
she is behaving inappropriately, you must expose the truth to the public, it is
necessary to let the world know about it. Even if they don’t care about what
the Buddha himself said, at least they should have some shame. That’s how
I expressed my thoughts at that time.
Especially in the Vajrayana,
and in our practice of the lamrim chenmo, proper reliance on the guru is always
emphasized. Although Lama Tsongkhapa wrote about guru devotion right at the
beginning of the “Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment”,
how did he introduce the topic? He began by describing the qualities that the
guru should possess, the qualities that the disciple should possess, and how
the disciple should rely on the guru. With faith and respect, of course. However,
many lamrim teachings begin by saying how important the guru is, that we must
view the guru as the Buddha, but fail to define what the guru is! That’s
not how Lama Tsongkhapa explains it. Lama Tsongkhapa mentions right from the
beginning that disciples must know what qualities the guru should possess.
Therefore, we must carefully observe whether the actions of the guru are
correct or wrong, instead of blindly and unconditionally following him.
Once upon a time, there was a
village near Drepung Monastery. An important master of the village once said at
a teaching, “If you want us to see what everything you do as correct, please
don’t talk nonsense. If you want us follow your teachings completely, please
don’t talk nonsense!” (laughs) This is a very practical approach to take.
Next question.
Q: Your Holiness, if a certain
master first relied on the Dalai Lama, but after he passed away, some people
manipulated the succession and recognized the reincarnation of the master on
their own accord, without going through the Dalai Lama. They attempted to
manipulate the situation. How should we disciples deal with this?
HHDL: As to the recognition of
reincarnations, what we usually do in Tibet is to invite the leader of that
sect or tradition to recognize the reincarnation. We may also invite the throne
holders of other sects do the recognition. For the Gelugpa, we consult the
Ganden Tripa Rinpoche or the Dalai Lama regarding the reincarnation. For the
Sakya, the Sakya Trizin can be asked to recognize the reincarnation. This is
what we do in Tibet. So we must be especially careful. Another way is to go to
Lhamo La-tso (the lake of Palden Lhamo) to look for signs coming from the lake.
Sometimes scenes of the village would appear, sometimes seed syllables would
appear, and through various signs like these, the reincarnation can be
recognized.
After the 13th Dalai
Lama passed away, when they were looking for the 14th Dalai Lama,
the search party went to Lhamo La-tso, did some prayers, and saw signs such as
the three seed syllables “Ah! Kha! Ma!” and the village of the 14th
Dalai Lama. So in Tibet, we are very very careful about recognizing
reincarnations. You can’t make unsubstantiated claims. And we also show the
reincarnations some instruments and objects used by his previous life, to see
if he recognizes them. Next question.
Ven Fan Yin: She did not go
through these procedures, she did the recognition privately; most of us were
cheated about him being our master’s reincarnation. What should we do? Most
people are unaware of this.
HHDL: You need to decide
depending on the situation, because I am unable to issue an order saying, you
have to do this, you are not allowed to do this! We will be having the Chinese
teachings in October, so we can discuss this together then.
Ven Fan Yin: Actually a group
of us have already left Bliss and Wisdom, including me. I served as the first
abbot of the monastery. The second abbot has left too. We have discovered many
problems. Can we invite Your Holiness to hold a meeting, and allow both sides
to come together and discuss the issue?
HHDL: It should be fine. I
can’t give orders to say, you have to do this. But we can come together and
discuss it. Any other questions?
Q: Your Holiness, every year we
come to your teachings in Dharamshala. After each teaching, a member of staff
lets the public know about all income and expenditure for the teaching. I think
Your Holiness has set a very good example. In Taiwan, there is an organization
which has been studying the lamrim chenmo for a very long time. In the
beginning the finances were transparent, but in the past decade or so, they
have raised huge amounts of funds, and not only that, a lot of expenses were
not made public, nor were receipts given. They raised funds to build a
monastery, but for more than ten years this monastery has not been built. No
one knows where all the funds have gone. It is all very unclear. In this
situation, some people have already discovered irregularities; can we ask the
local authorities to make it public?
HHDL: Of course you can! You
can get in touch with the local authorities, and let the public know about
this. Some people pretend to be gurus, just for the sake of money. This happens
amongst Indians, this happens amongst Tibetans. This is destroying the Buddha’s
teachings. So we have the responsibility to make it transparent. Many years
ago, I promised that I would not accept donations after a teaching. If someone
gave me any funds, I would channel them to other organizations in need, and
request the organizers of the teaching to publicly declare their financial
statement on the last day of the teaching.
I have read the works of
Nyingma master Gongbu Jeyley Nagtso Rangje <spelling?> , in them he
makes three promises: firstly, he would not eat meat; secondly, he would not
ride on horses; thirdly, after a teaching he would accept no donations, because
he felt that this was commercializing the dharma. I was very touched by his
three promises. So I made the promise not to accept donations after the
teachings. He says that if we are commercializing the dharma, we just become
dharma businessmen. Any other questions?
Chen Yao-Hui: Your Holiness, I
am one of the students at that organization. That organization displays your
photograph in public. A lot of my friends and relatives are still there. I hope
Your Holiness can bless them and help them to see the truth.
Ven Fan Yin: Many people have
been cheated.
Translator: Because of the
photograph, many people have been cheated?
Several people: Yes!
Translator: What is the
relevance of the photograph?
Chen Yao-Hui: The Dalai Lama’s
photograph.
Translator: in the past, or at
present?
Chen Yao-Hui: at present.
Ven Fan Yin: Because they are
displaying the Dalai Lama’s photograph, they have deceived so many people.
Because people think that…
Translator: I get what you
mean.
HHDL: Maybe this has to do with
politics? Usually I talk about the “political guru”. Do you know what this term
means? In ancient Tibetan society, many problems cropped up due to political
gurus. Conflicts between temples happened. In Islam for instance, they have the
two main traditions of Sunni and Shiite, and conflicts between them, so when I
get the chance to meet Muslims, I tell them not to stoke the conflicts, and
live harmoniously together. In ancient Tibet, the Gelug, Sakya, also had
conflicts. In human society, there will definitely be problems, because this is
human society. When we meet problems, we should not panic and say, “What do I
do!” We should calm down and see how we can cope, how we can resolve the matter.
In the vinaya sutra it says, may we quell disagreements with the teachings. Of
course, we need to have sufficient tolerance and patience.
Q: Your Holiness, in the lamrim
chenmo, it says that criticizing/maligning the guru or not following the guru’s
instructions will bring about heavy negative karma. If we were deceived into
recognizing someone as our guru, and after we discovered the truth, we feel
that she is no longer our guru, so we decided to leave. But they use the
lamrim chenmo to threaten us with karmic consequences. We feel that we have no
choice but to muddle through and stay in the organization. Must we still
recognize such a guru?
HHDL: Actually our most
important guiding principle is to rely on the sutras, as well as the texts
composed by Nagarjuna, the great treatises and texts. In Haribhadra’s
commentary on the Prajnaparamita Sutra, while discussing the linage masters, it
mentions Asanga and his brother Vasubhandhu. In Vasubhandhu’s explanation of
the Prajnaparamita Sutra, he follows the Chittamatra school in explaining the
meaning of the Ornament of Clear Realization. But Vasubhandhu’s disciple
Vimuktisena refuted the Chittamatra explanation and propounded the Madhyamaka
explanation. So he refuted his teacher Vasubhandhu. Does this mean that
Vimuktisena maligned his guru?
In the “Sutra Unraveling the
Intended Meaning”, it says that if we follow the literal meaning of the
Prajnaparamita Sutra when it says “all phenomena are empty”, there is nothing
to grasp. On the basis of three aspects of phenomena there are three types of
emptiness. So he cannot use the Prajnaparamita Sutra’s literal meaning to
establish the emptiness of inherent existence.
For Nagarjuna, all the sutras
were taught personally by the Buddha himself, the same teacher, whether it is
the Prajnaparamita Sutra or the Sutra Unraveling the Intended Meaning. However,
Nagarjuna used logic and reasoning to distinguish between definitive and
interpretable sutras. In the “Introduction to the Middle Way”, which has now
been translated into Chinese, the Buddha’s sutras can be divided into
definitive and interpretable sutras. Hence we can see that the correct approach
to learning Buddhism is not to listen blindly to what the guru says. If what
the guru says goes against what the major texts are saying, you can tell your
guru, “I’m sorry”. Going by your explanation, then even Nagarjuna wouldn’t be
relying correctly on his guru, he wouldn’t be a Buddhist!
I think this is a special
characteristic of Buddhism. We must enjoy this right of critical analysis that
the Buddha gives us. Especially in the Nalanda tradition, even if what the
Buddha says is against the absolute truth, then we must classify such sutras as
interpretable. This is why I don’t think Mount Meru exists. So when the lineage
masters tell us that offering a mandala brings us great merit, so we should
place importance on doing so, I will say, “Yes! That’s it.”
Ven Fan Yin: A young novice
monk transgressed one of the root vows together with the female guru. Initially
he wanted to come here and confess to the Dalai Lama personally, but he was
threatened, coerced and bribed, to the point of facing death threats, so he
dared not come. How can we help this young friend?
HHDL: Milarepa once said, if
you think you committed a sin, can you confess and repent? Yes! How? Through
wisdom. If he was coerced into breaking his vows, this is very terrible, very
serious. If this is the case, it’s better to let the truth be known to all.
Q: My question is, Your
Holiness has been giving teachings worldwide, and Tibetan Buddhism is spreading
across the world. Bliss and Wisdom is basically the largest Tibetan Buddhist
organization in Taiwan, and is expanding very quickly, opening offices and
classes worldwide. Our leader, I believe, although I am not certain, has not
come to see Your Holiness, nor has she come to request teachings from Your
Holiness. I hope that Your Holiness can request our leader to come and meet you
personally. Our Master Jih-Chang saw Your Holiness as his guru, and she is
supposed to be the successor of Master Jih-Chang. If she does not even have the
courage to see Your Holiness, and cannot succeed the lineage, may we invite
Your Holiness to declare that this organization’s lineage is problematic?
HHDL: We have to consider the
possibility that because they want to spread the teachings in Mainland China,
it may really be inconvenient for her to see me. I hope you have considered
this point. This can be due to general political reasons. In Tibet many people
have faith in me, but do not dare to come and see me. This year when I gave the
Kalachakra initiation in Bodh Gaya, many people wanted to come and receive the
initiation, but they were afraid their friends and relatives could come to
harm, so they were hesitant to come. I advised them that, “If coming to the
Kalachakra initiation could bring harm to your family, then it is better to go
back! I hope you will pray sincerely during the Kalachakra initiation, I will
also pray sincerely for you.”
Q: Just now Your Holiness
mentioned that you hope to spread kindness, what is the greatest contribution
that we can make to this movement? Is it love, understanding, or advocating on
behalf of each other?
HHDL: What I mean by spreading
kindness is to let people know that kindness can not only bring about spiritual
health, but also physical health; this body of knowledge should be weaved into
our education system. This is the way in which I hope to spread kindness. From
kindergarten to university, to let young people receive this message. This is
what we hope to do. Now we already have some plans in the pipeline. Some Indian
scholars, Indian organizations, and foreign experts are planning to do this. We
started this 15 years ago. A textbook on this is in progress, and may be
published this year. We are also working with Emory University to write a
textbook, and plan a curriculum. These projects are based on secular, universal
ethics, and do not require religious belief. With this curriculum, we hope to
let people know that kindness is good for our health; negative emotions like
anger and arrogance are bad for our health. So with a healthy body, healthy
mind, and healthy emotions, we can understand that for the sake of our
happiness, we should transform our mind. We rely purely on scientific evidence,
experience and experimentation, instead of religion. It could take 20 to 30
years to really see the effects of these projects.
In America there are two
cities, one of them is a city of kindness, and the other one is a city of
compassion. And because these two cities are enthusiastically trying to spread
kindness and compassion, the local students are more willing to help others and
generate kindness and compassion. So when I meet devotees from Mainland China,
or my friends, I tell them my views – in Chinese history, the Cultural
Revolution came about due to suspicion, hatred, and conflict; today, we need a
cultural revolution of compassion. Fundamentally, Marxism is about taking care
of the interests of the working class. In Europe, during the Industrial
Revolution, workers were badly abused. So Marxism emphasized equal distribution
of wealth, communist ownership of property. Marxism is grounded in compassion.
The Communist Party should take the lead in organizing a revolution of kindness
and compassion.
Next question, last three
questions.
Q: Some scientists invented
computers and mobile phones motivated by the desire to help mankind. However,
subsequently their technological innovations brought about tremendous problems.
What should we do then?
HHDL: Machines themselves are
not inherently good or bad, they’re neutral. More important is how people are
using it. When you are putting software in a computer, what’s your motivation?
I think the invention of machines is itself a good thing.
Q: Your Holiness, I have a
matter for you to decide. Around the year 2000, in a public teaching in Ladakh,
you said that root of Tibetan Buddhism is in Ladakh. Some geshes from the Lower
Tantric College wanted to build a school for young lamas because of what you
said. Losang Dorje, Drakpa Lama conducted pujas and divinations in return for
offerings, and planned to use the offerings for building a school. He came to
Taiwan but couldn’t remain there for long, so the project had no funds to
proceed. He asked for my help, and I collected enough funds to complete three
buildings. I met Your Holiness at the monastery, which was named after Rizong
Rinpoche. You came to the school 3-4 years and 7-8 years ago respectively and
we met twice. Then the Bliss and Wisdom organization, because Your Holiness
came to the school, accused Dorje and me of corruption. We opened the
books for inspection, it showed that Dorje and I had collected 39 million
rupees, and there were no irregularities. It seems that the Dalai Lama
foundation still has some reservations about Dorje. I’m here to clear his name.
For the sake of the dharma, we put in so much effort to build the school, but
it has now been taken over by the Bliss and Wisdom organization.
HHDL: If the truth has already
been made known, and people are still maligning you, even if you have to take
legal action against them, you have to do it.
Q: All the young lamas and
teachers have already left the school. Right now only a few children and the
principal are left. We originally raised funds to build this school for the
sake of educating the young lamas. I hope to donate the school to Your
Holiness. Now they are building a hotel. Now Bliss and Wisdom has been claiming
the school as their “Overseas Buddhist Institute”. In actual fact they did not
pay a single cent for its construction. The successor lady claimed that Bakula
Rinpoche is her guru, which is why they wanted this Buddhist institute.
HHDL: Rizong Rinpoche has
inspected the finances clearly?
Q: Very clearly. Rinpoche
signed the inspection document, which is under my possession in Taiwan.
Rinpoche publicly cleared our name, in Taiwan.
HHDL: Good.
Translator: Next question. Last
question.
Q: I work in healthcare sector.
Some Buddhists feel that as they are approaching death, they should not use
painkillers, because the karma will carry forward to their next life. So they
would rather suffer than receive treatment. They believe they are repaying the
karmic debt. So I would like to ask for your opinion on this. My second
question is, some believe that after death, it is better not to touch the body
and do chanting for six hours. In a modern hospital, it is almost impossible to
do that. Now when science/modern practices and our beliefs clash, I would like
to know your opinion on that.
HHDL: Although illness is
certainly due to karma, in the vinaya sutra the Buddha says, if you are sick,
you need to get treatment, and mentioned the different types of medication to
take. In the Kalachakra texts it is mentioned that if we are sick, we need to
take medicine to treat it. We talk about causes and conditions – the cause can
be your past karma, but the conditions can be changed by using medication to
treat the illness.
As a person dies, according to the
Vajrayana texts, the coarse consciousness slowly dissolves into the most
subtle, we call this the intrinsic radiance. Through meditation it is possible
to maintain this intrinsic radiance in the body, preventing it from leaving, so
the deceased person is medically dead, but his body will not show any signs of
decay. There are certainly cases like this. It has been medically proven that
the person’s heart has stopped beating, and because blood cannot circulate to
the brain, he is medically certified as dead. However, the body shows no sign
of decay. My tutor Ling Rinpoche remained in this state for 13 days. One of the
previous Ganden Tripas Lobsang Nyima maintained in that state for almost 3
weeks, 18 or 19 days. After checking if there was any blood or mucus running
out from the nose, they could confirm that his red and white sources were no
longer in their original positions, so his soul or consciousness should have
left the body. Once there are signs of the red and white sources leaking out of
the nose, the body starts to emit an odor, this happens instantly. These are
unique cases. Typically, it is not necessary to wait for six hours before
touching the body.
HHDL: Thank you. Let’s have a
group photo.
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