Tibetan Buddhism and Our Daily Lives

Speech at Renmin University of China

(March 17, 2011, evening)

Good evening to all teachers and students. I am very pleased to be here today to discuss “Tibetan Buddhism and Our Daily Lives,” together with teachers and students from the Department of Religion at Renmin University of China.
 

I) Outlook on Life in Tibetan Buddhism

So-called Tibetan Buddhism is a Buddhist lineage formed in the Land of Snows after Shakyamuni Buddha’s Buddhadharma was transmitted to the Tibetan area. In the entire Tibetan area, Tibetan Buddhism is the mainstream thinking of Tibetan culture. It has been integrated into the philosophy, sociology, anthropology, ethics, religion, medicine, life sciences, and every other field in the Tibetan area. Like the important role of Confucian ideology for the people living between the Western Han Dynasty and Qing Dynasty; in the same manner, Tibetan Buddhism has become inseparable from the lives of Tibetans.

Some time ago, I attended a Buddhist seminar with more than 350 students and numerous teachers from various famous universities in Tibetan area and other nearby areas. Those universities included Southwest University for Nationalities, Northwest University for Nationalities, Qinghai Normal University, Sichuan Normal University, and Sichuan University for Nationalities. We spent seven days discussing in detail the philosophy of Buddhism and the most important contemporary issues. During this process, I was gratified to learn that despite the widespread materialistic and money-worshipping phenomena in today’s society, many Tibetan university students still uphold a decent philosophy of life and values.

Regarding their philosophy of life, 99% of Tibetan university students maintain the concept that “wholesome activities bring happiness, unwholesome activities bring sufferings.” They pray to Chenrezig and understand some Buddhist principles from their childhood on. Having grown up, they attend various institutions of higher learning to study, and they continue to maintain their good values. In their daily lives, they naturally show their compassion, even at the sight of a little ant, and they strive to protect its life.

Regarding the philosophy of values, the purpose of life for these university students is not about pursuing money. As we all know, many university students from the Han area begin to plan their life during their freshman year: “After I graduate, how can I get a house? How can I get a car? What do I want my family and career to be?” and so on. They equate success with money, believing that with wealth, life will be splendid, and conversely, that without wealth, they are useless. They have a particularly strong craving for money.

On the other hand, even though, due to the influence of recent economic developments, many Tibetan students have also undergone some changes, what they desire most is certainly not money and external material wellbeing. What do they long for then? They want to inherit and promote their valuable Tibetan culture. At the same time, they also attach great importance to their own inner values of compassion, wisdom, contentment, and a culture of less desire.

As such, from the Tibetan intellectuals I have met, I have found that they do not completely entrust their happiness to material wellbeing. A considerable number of them believe that happiness should be sought within the mind. Tibetan Buddhism has played an essential role in this regard.

II) The Benefits that Tibetan Buddhism can Bring to Humankind

1) Sophisticated Internal Science

What is the fundamental basis of the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism, that is, the doctrine that Shakyamuni Buddha advocates? It is: “Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to purify one’s mind, that is the teaching of (all) the Awakened Ones.” We should not underestimate the effects of this philosophy for humankind. Especially regarding internal science, Tibetan Buddhism has made significant contributions, which have been highly acknowledged by Western developed countries. Dr. Herbert Benson from Harvard University in the US said: “Tibet has the most excellent civilization of internal science, which is Tibetan Buddhism. The West is so far behind Tibet’s understanding of the effects of the mind on the body.” Because of this, many foreigners give up their jobs, their successful careers, and go to the Land of Snows to study Tibetan Buddhism intensively.

Similarly, in the Han region today, monasteries in the Han lineage and Buddhist practitioners all have a high regard for Tibetan Buddhism. According to my understanding, countless intellectuals from the Han region have flocked to the Tibetan area to seek Dharma teachings. I previously composed a text entitled, “In Search of Buddhism by Intellectuals.” This text describes the journey and experiences of 125 intellectuals studying Buddhism. These include professors and students from Tsinghua University, Peking University, and other institutions of higher learning. Through their experiences, we can see that there are quite a number of people who really have strong faith in Tibetan Buddhism.

In our modern society, more and more insightful people from the West and East are already tired of the abnormal material development and gradually turn their attention to Tibetan Buddhism. Dr. Robert A. F. Thurman from Columbia University said: “The greatest gift Tibetans give to today’s world is their unparalleled knowledge of internal science and the complete set of methods to transform the human mind and wisdom, which stems from this knowledge.”

For example, in the 1970s, the famous Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche brought Tibetan Buddhism to the US and became the first person to promote Tibetan Buddhism in the US and Europe. He founded Naropa Institute (later Naropa University), which helped Tibetan Buddhism spread quickly in the local area. Later, with this institute as the base, he set up more than 100 meditation centers in the US, Canada, and Europe. In 1993, I visited Naropa University and saw many foreigners studying and researching the Buddhadharma there. At these centers, the way of life and practices were very different. People from all walks of life, from more mature elitists to free-spirited young people, flock to these centers to receive the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. Later, the sixteenth Karmapa also accepted an invitation from Trungpa Rinpoche to expound Dharma in the West.

Therefore, from a fair and objective perspective, Tibetan Buddhism truly can act as a supreme medicine, which helps us to maintain a healthy, happy, and joyful mind. At a secular level, this is considered as the most advanced psychology. The renowned American psychologist Dr Daniel Goleman also said: “There is a panoply of inner sciences in Tibetan Buddhism.…. I strongly believe that within Eastern psychologies, Tibetan Buddhism is the most excellent system.”

When I was in school, I was already very interested in psychology. Even after I had read many books, however, I had not found satisfying answers to resolve my doubts. Due to this, I specifically bought a book called Science of Life, which Guo Moruo spent 15 years translating. It consists of three thick volumes on biology, psychology, botany, and other subjects. There was no doubt my thinking wasn’t mature at that time, and so, my view on many things was oversimplified. Later, when I encountered Buddhism, through comparing worldly and non-worldly principles, I found that the psychology revealed by Tibetan Buddhism is the most comprehensive and profound. I strongly believe that Tibetan Buddhism can provide proper guidance and will certainly bring about genuine benefits to human beings. For example, we can see that some Buddhists, including those intellectuals who conduct research on Buddhism, through their critical scrutiny, meditation, and practice, are able to comprehend the profound meaning of the Buddhadharma and gain inner happiness and serenity that are far more valuable than what the external material wellbeing can bring.

2) Miraculous Rainbow Body Achievements

Of course, there are many other profound and mystical areas in Tibetan Buddhism. If you have the opportunity to visit the Tibetan area to study the generation stage and completion stage or practice the ngöndro, the benefits it will bring you are beyond what words can express. Not only will these practices resolve various stresses in your life, they will even help you to achieve the supreme “rainbow body” when you leave this world.

Some of you may not have heard about the rainbow body. This mystical phenomenon has stunned many researchers from the East and West. For example, in 1955, there was an old man from Derge in Ganzi Prefecture who devoted himself entirely to the Triple Gem. He was very poor and barely made his living from carving Cherenzig mantras. He worked hard during the day, but at night, he never stopped practicing meditation and only slept two to three hours each day. When he passed away at ManiGangGuo (pinyin), his family was shocked to discover that seven days later his body had transformed into rainbow light and had vanished, leaving only his nails and hair behind. Many local people witnessed this incident personally.

There was also another case of the rainbow body in 1958, during the liberation period, when the Tibetan area underwent enormous changes. At that time, there was a Buddhist master called Tsewang Rigdzin, who was locked up in prison. One day, he was escorted by five soldiers to the venue for interrogation and criticism. As his legs were not in a good state, he wasn’t able to walk, so he rode on a yak. As they were getting close to the venue, a sudden gust of gale arose, which made it difficult for the soldiers to keep their eyes open. After the wind had passed, the soldiers opened their eyes only to find that the Buddhist master was no longer on the yak. They saw him surrounded by colorful clouds, rising into the sky. Then they heard him chanting the Guru Rinpoche mantra. His chanting was getting farther and farther and his image gradually rising higher and higher until he completely disappeared into the sky. Later, when the soldiers arrived at the venue, they were afraid to reveal the truth. Instead, they lied and claimed that the Buddhist master had died during the journey and they had buried him.

Some of the soldiers who witnessed the incident are still alive today. Khenpo Tsultrim Lodoe from our monastery purposely traveled from Sichuan to Qinghai to interview them, one by one. These people were all stunned by the phenomenon, but as the circumstances at that time didn’t allow them to talk about it, it is only today that they can honestly tell the truth.

Also, in 1998, there was a Khenpo in Nyarong called Achö, who achieved the complete rainbow body. When he passed away, nothing was left behind, not even a trace of hair. Some of the Dharma teachers from our monastery went there personally to interview each and everyone who witnessed the phenomenon and confirmed this was a true case.

Such phenomenon is quite common in the Tibetan area. Many Tibetans believe that as long as we wholeheartedly devote ourselves to upholding and practicing the Buddhist doctrines, there is no doubt that various auspicious and wondrous signs of enlightenment will manifest. As many cases of the rainbow body can be found in the Tibetan area, many people have already become accustomed to this. In contrast, in the Han region, cases such as Monk JiGong are quite rare. People are quite inquisitive about the legend, therefore, there has not been general consent on the story.

However, we do not rule out that there are some people who obviously don’t have this kind of profound realization, yet act as if they do. For the sake of gaining fame and wealth, they carry out various activities that are not in accord with the principles of the Buddhadharma. Even so, this is a problem with the individual, not one with Buddhism. Indeed, there are no drawbacks with genuine Tibetan Buddhism.

Today, many senior monks from Han monasteries recognize that Tibetan Buddhism has an extremely profound and supreme oral, written, and debate system and a listening, contemplative, and meditation culture. This provides a systematic way for us to study Buddhism. This Buddhist lineage, with its complete transmission and long history, has been perfectly preserved, up until today, in the Land of Snows. Due to this, it has attracted many Dharma practitioners. Take, for example, our monastery. Whenever we have a Dharma festival, many intellectuals from the Han area come to participate. Due to the number of people taking part in the festival, sometimes it is difficult to manage.

However, as intellectuals, their goal is different to that of the general or non-religious population. Firstly, they have stronger powers of reasoning, and secondly, they do not simply believe in the facts they gather. Only if there are valid supporting reasons to back them up do they accept them and then put them into practice.

Therefore, the reason why many professors and students from various universities and colleges place their attention on the mystical, pure, and ancient land of Tibetan Plateau is not just a whim, but because Tibetan Buddhism is truly very appealing. What makes it so appealing? Tibetan Buddhism not only has unparalleled wisdom, it also has compassion—the great love without discrimination, irrespective of boundaries, ethnicity, or status, rich or poor. Unfortunately, due to the lack of positive merits, faith and so on, some people may not be willing to accept it.
 

3) Everyone Should Have a Right
View

For everyone here today, whether you truly study and practice Tibetan Buddhism or only research it at a literal level, you must still establish a right view. The Mahāparinirvāna Sutra says, “Faith without understanding will increase ignorance; understanding without faith will increase wrong views.” Faith without wisdom is superstition; it will only increase our ignorance. Similarly, without faith, wisdom alone is food for arrogance; it will eventually increase wrong views. Therefore, only with both faith and wisdom will we have the foundation for all noble activities.

At the moment, many young people only possess mere wisdom without the support of faith. Due to a lack of ethical constraints, premised under the law of karma, I heard that students commit suicide frequently and some even unscrupulously go for personal gains after graduation. Not only do they make no positive contributions to our society, but they even cause harm to many people, and in the end, spend their whole life in prison. Even if these kinds of people have the most excellent skills or the finest talents, without believing in the workings of karma, whatever they study only becomes evil wisdom.

There is another kind of person who has full confidence in general but doesn’t have the wisdom to distinguish right or wrong; this kind of faith is only superstition. This superstition not only happens regarding faith in Buddhism, but also often happens in terms of attitudes toward science.

There is a Professor named Tian Song from Beijing Normal University who wrote an article called “The Superstition in Science.” The article is not long, but it describes the principle using solid reasoning. In the article it says: “Although many superstitions are related to religious matters, religion itself is not the same as superstition. Conversely, many religions are against superstitions. For that reason, whether burning incense, chanting, and conducting other religious activities should be considered as superstition is not something for which we can give a general answer; they should be evaluated case by case. In fact, putting a high value on something that we don’t understand is true superstition. You may not want to accept this, but some present attitudes toward science are precisely a kind of superstition. For example, in an attempt to promote fertilizers, some government officials would say with complete confidence: “This is scientific!” Even if they do not understand the details of the chemical composition of the fertilizers, they still speak with full confidence. This is actually a kind of “superstition of science.” We can find this kind of superstition in every part of our life. We should abandon this kind of blind ignorance and establish an irrefutable right view.

The revered Buddhist master Aryadeva stressed in Four Hundred Verses that: “We should strive to protect our right view, even at the expense of breaking our precepts.” That is to say, if we have to choose between giving up our precepts or losing our right view, then even if we have to break our precepts, we should not lose our right view. Why? If you have the right view, after your precepts are broken, they can be restored by confession; however, if you lose your right view, it cannot be recovered. For that reason, our views should never go wrong. If our mind is filled with wrong views, we will not believe in future lives, will not fear for negative karma, and will commit all kinds of evil deeds.

We should therefore establish a genuine right view. In the Kushalamula Samparigraha Sutra, it also says that: “When right view grows, it will lessen ignorance.” When your right view grows, mental afflictions such as desire, hatred, arrogance, jealousy, anxiety, and so on will gradually diminish; just like when the sun rises, it dispels the darkness. Undoubtedly, to establish this kind of right view, on the one hand we need the guidance of a precious guru. On the other hand, it is also very important for us to put the instructions into practice.

I remember, in one sutra, there is a story about someone eliminating his wrong views by relying on a Buddha statue. Eons ago, there was another Shakyamuni Buddha. After this Shakyamuni Buddha had entered into parinirvana, there was a very arrogant prince named JinZhuang (pinyin). He didn’t have faith in the Buddhadharma and had a wrong view. One day, a bhikshu called DingZiZai (pinyin) suggested to him: “Inside this stupa, there is a Buddha statue adorned with jewels. You might want to visit and worship it.” After hearing the bhikshu’s suggestion, the prince went to the stupa to worship the Buddha statue.

At seeing the solemn Buddha statue, the prince felt extremely joyous and said to DingZiZai: “If just a statue of Buddha looks so perfect and beautiful, imagine how the true body of Buddha would look.” DingZiZai replied: “My prince, even if you cannot make prostrations in front of the Buddha statue, you should still fold your hands and recite Namo Buddhaya.” The prince took his advice, folded his hands and recited “Namo Buddhaya.”

After the prince returned to his palace, the solemn Buddha statue continued to appear in his mind, and he had a dream about that statue at night. When he woke up from the dream, he felt very joyous, and his previous arrogance was completely eliminated. From then on, he abandoned his wrong view and took refuge in the Triple Gem. Through these causes and conditions, he never again generated a wrong view and never fell into the unfortunate realms for many eons of his future lives.

As we can see, even an occasional cause and condition may fundamentally change the destiny of certain people. For example, you may meet a lama and then receive an excellent teaching; or you may meet an excellent teacher and receive some good education from that teacher. All of these things may become a turning point in your life.

It is very important for us to have a right view. A few days ago, when I was at Fudan University, I met some students from Africa and the US. They told me that the reason they came to China was not for knowledge that they can gain elsewhere, but for the religion of Eastern cultures, especially the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. I felt that their view resonated with mine. If they could establish a right view in their life, it would lay a good foundation for all their future lives.

In the Tibetan area, eminent Buddhist masters and scholars often cite a verse by the renowned Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna: “Whoever possesses the right view of this world will not fall into the unfortunate realms for thousands of eons.” This verse illustrates the importance of having the right view. Today, due to the influence of the theory of evolution, many people do not have the principles of karma in their minds. They think that they came to this world by chance, without a cause, and that whatever activities they conduct, whether wholesome or unwholesome, there are no corresponding consequences or results. As such, they carry out various evil and terrible activities, which in the end will only lead to self-destruction and the destruction of other human beings. Conversely, if we are equipped with a genuine right view, then we will not fall into the unfortunate realms such as the hell, preta, or animal realms for millions of eons. For this reason, I very much hope that everyone puts effort into studying Buddhism thoroughly to establish a right view.
 

4) The Buddhist View can Stand Scrutiny

Perhaps someone may wonder: Can the Buddhist view withstand scientific tests? Actually, the majority of conclusions drawn from scientific results are obtained with the help of instruments. If we rely too heavily on the instruments, however, without considering the inner aspect of our mind, this may not bring positive benefits to humankind, and it may not necessarily reveal the greatness of Buddhism either.

What is the greatness of Buddhism? One aspect is compassion; the other is wisdom. These two truly have unique superiority.

Regarding the aspect of compassion, Buddhism advocates great compassion, not only for all humankind, but also to extend such compassion to all living beings. Buddha told us that, just as we treasure and protect our lives, all living beings treasure their lives as well. We thus have no right to take away their lives. It is difficult to find the scope of such great compassion in other religions or philosophies. Perhaps some people may feel uncomfortable when they first hear about this, but if you truly delve deeper into Buddhism, you will comprehend its profound meaning.

Secondly, what makes its wisdom so special? It is in its absence of any attachments. All sufferings of human beings fundamentally stem from the attachment of our mind toward things and events. Buddhism can help us to get rid of these attachments. In particular, what Buddhism emphasizes the most are the three principal aspects of the path: first is renunciation; second is bodhicitta; and third is the wisdom of selflessness. “Renunciation” is about realizing the meaninglessness of all phenomena that appear in samsara and any clinging to them will only bring immense sufferings. We should therefore long to escape from samsara. Furthermore, we shouldn’t selfishly long for our own liberation without thinking about other sentient beings. In fact, sufferings we experience all stem from our selfish attitude. On the other hand, if we do not cling to this “self” and generate complete universal love toward others, then there won’t be any mental afflictions. This is what we call “bodhicitta.” In our care and love for all sentient beings, we carry out activities without attachment to all phenomena; this is called the “wisdom of selflessness.” If we can realize these three states, in Buddhist terms, we can say that we have already realized the nature of mind; in secular terms, we can say that we have already achieved the highest state of freedom.

Of course, it is impossible for us to measure or validate this state by using instruments. Only through our own efforts to put the Dharma into practice can we prove its validity. Once we have realized this state, it is just like seeing all the hills from the top of a mountain. All other knowledge, such as science, is just like the small hills. The renowned Tibetan scholar, Gendun Chophel, also said: “Whether it is about finding the origin of things and events, the path of practice, or the noble qualities of fruition, Buddhism will not be embarrassed by science; instead, it can serve as a solid foundation for science.”

The famous German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche also said: “Historically, Buddhism is the only religion that can truly prove its validity by realization.”

Likewise, the modern scientist Dr Shen Jiazhen said: “I am a scientist. Just as I am very interested in science, Buddhism is also a subject in which I am very interested. I personally think that Buddhism and science are two sides of the same coin.”

Thus, we can see that Buddhism does not  conflict with science. Many truths revealed by Buddhism have not been completely proven by science in the past, but with continuous advances in science, it will prove their validity in the end.

Currently, some people reject and despise Buddhism. Actually, this is only a manifestation of their ignorance. Whether you choose to have a faith or not, it is your free choice. If you don’t desire to believe in Buddhism, even Lord Buddha will not force you to do so. However, if you think that the Buddhist view is unreasonable, we always welcome you to debate with us, however intense it may be. Especially, Tibetan Buddhism has many debate halls; through discussions with others, many doubts and questions can be resolved immediately. For this reason, I often think it would be better if universities in the Han area adopted the Tibetan method of debate. Through this method, many issues and questions could be debated frankly and openly. Ultimately, many people would certainly generate the very pure wisdom.
 

Epilogue

Recently, many disasters have happened in the world, particularly the earthquake in Japan. As intellectuals, how should we deal with disasters? I think that each of us should be mentally prepared to face them.

Of course, I do not mean to scare you by indicating that humankind will be facing devastating disasters soon; this kind of intimidation is not something Buddhism advocates. It is because from the viewpoint of the Buddhist law of causation, we believe that the increasing negative activities of humankind will significantly increase the chance of various natural and man-made disasters.

When a disaster occurs, it can also serve as a touchstone to test the morality and standards of how a nation deals with disasters. During the recent Japanese earthquake, the Japanese people’s calm reaction to the earthquake is worthy of admiration. This is closely related to their education system and training. Another incident was the Yushu earthquake. After it occurred, I went to provide disaster relief and found that because the local people understood the law of karma, impermanence, and the pervasive sufferings of samsara from their childhood on, they were very strong in facing the disaster. Nobody committed suicide; nobody was overwhelmed by grief. Even if they had lost their families, they had the courage to continue their lives. Many psychologists and experts from different countries were stunned by what they saw. This is exactly the result of those people’s faith in Tibetan Buddhism as well as their systematic study and practice of the way of living and dying based on Tibetan Buddhism.

Though the fictional scenes of doomsday shown in the movie 2012 may not necessarily happen to humankind, the fact that the screenwriter chose the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau as the place to build the Noah’s Ark perhaps indicates that the indestructible spirit of Noah’s Ark is hidden in this mystical land. With the increasing confusion of the human mind and the rising frequencies of serious natural disasters in the world, the wise should start to reflect, ponder, and slowly turn their attention to Tibetan Buddhism to find an answer. I believe that the wisdom and altruistic philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism will shine brilliantly in glory.