Question and Answer Session at Nanjing University Doctoral Forum
(March 14, 2011 evening)
(1) Question: I am a student at an ordinary college in northern Liaoning. My major studies are in the principles of Marxism. I would like to ask you a question: In contemporary society, in which a multitude of philosophies has caused conflicting views, how can we maintain a calm and peaceful state of mind with which to face life?
Answer: At present, we can indeed see some conflicting ideas in different cultures. In order to obtain a calm and peaceful state of mind, I have always thought that the best way is to study Buddhism.
This is because Buddhism advocates giving up ourselves and helping others. This mindset for interacting with others and living our life is certain to bring about harmony, joy, and happiness. This idea is also supported by many scholars. They say that we should start with the spirit of the Mahayana, exchanging self with others, if we want to have the most peaceful and harmonious world.
(2) Question: I am a PhD student at Nanjing University Business School, and graduated in 2010 in accounting. May I ask: After the Wen Chuan earthquake, Faye Wong sang a song called “Heart Sutra.” What is the essence of this song? What is the benefit of it for sentient beings, when it is sung?
Answer: I have come across the “Heart Sutra” song by Faye Wong and suggested that we should all widely promote it. The Heart Sutra says that the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body are empty, and form, sound, smell, taste, and touch are all empty. There are many struggles and sufferings that we have to endure in this society; there is also a multitude of things and events. However, if we trace and investigate their origin, we find that they are all actually emptiness. Thus, the core meaning of the Heart Sutra is to let us cut the clinging to all things and events; this is a supreme and inconceivable state. Precisely, during the second turning of the wheel of Dharma, Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the prajnaparamita, which is emptiness. Just as within the human body, our heart is most important, in the same way, within the teachings of wisdom on emptiness, the most fundamental sutra is the Heart Sutra.
If you can recite the Heart Sutra and sing the “Heart Sutra” song, it will lessen the various troubled, dualistic thoughts in your mind. A teacher I know said that when she feels very agitated, if she reads the Heart Sutra once, her mind settles down. If she then sits for a while, the previous discomfort will disappear entirely.
Question: Just now, you asked us to make a dedication for the victims of the disaster in Japan by reciting “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Some great masters say that “Om Mani Padme Hum” symbolizes a kind of supreme wisdom. May I know what exactly these few words mean?
Answer: The merits of “Om Mani Padme Hum” are extremely great; this is mentioned in several sutras. If we chant “Om Mani Padme Hum” for those who have already passed away, even if originally they had to experience suffering, through the unsurpassed power of this sound it is possible that they can gain happiness immediately. Especially at present, when disasters are occurring so frequently, if we pray to Avalokiteshvara or recite his mantra, through this kind of power we can clear up disasters to the greatest extent. There are many scriptures and reasonings that can clarify this point.
In summary, it is not only unsurpassed wisdom, but also an extremely powerful invisible force.
(3) Question: I am a PhD student of School of Liberal Arts. I don’t believe in Buddhism, nor do I believe in Christianity. I do not have a faith. I believe that my situation represents the majority of people. Despite the fact that I do not have a faith, if we are talking about the promotion of Buddhism and Christianity, in my home village, I find that many Christian churches have been built and many people, especially women villagers, are visiting and worshipping in these churches very early in the morning during the weekends. Do you ever wonder how to promote Buddhism so that those who have no faith believe in Buddha?
Answer: This question from a faithless PhD student is very good! No matter where I go, I always hope to meet and exchange views with not only Buddhists but also people of other faiths or religions. This is because everyone has different philosophical and cultural background; there doesn’t need to be a stereotype.
Currently, indeed, we can see many people have no faith or religion, especially in countries like China and the former Soviet Union; these people can be found everywhere. In contrast, 95% of Americans are Christian. The President of the USA also mentioned this in a speech that he delivered during his visit to Tsinghua University. This phenomenon is related to the mainstream culture of a country. For example, before the Qing Dynasty in China, such as in the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, many people believed in Buddhism, but due to the karma shared by sentient beings and transitions in history, fewer and fewer people believed in Buddhism.
In fact, what you said is correct. Christianity is promoted widely now, not only in rural areas but also in cities. We even see many universities have dedicated staff recruiting people into Christianity using various methods. They even force people. Just now, someone told me on the phone that she had been asked to join that religion involuntarily; she is not sure what to do.
In contrast, Buddhism does not force anyone to believe in it. Instead, we follow the causes and conditions for everything. Should we attempt to influence people to believe in Buddhism, we do this just for the sake of their happiness. We hope that after they understand the existence of past and future lives, they will no longer only cling to material wellbeing, but seek for spiritual happiness, too. In view of this, when the opportunity arises, we convey some Buddhist teachings to people, especially those who have no faith or religion.
As Buddhists, if we want to promote the teachings of Buddha in the secular world on the same scale as Christians are promoting their religion, we should be well organized, recruit more young people, employ centralized management, and also use various methods. Otherwise, I am afraid that it is not possible to be accepted by people on a larger scale. This is especially true in some universities; setting up organizations for researching Buddhism and Zen societies is necessary. Harvard University and Yale University have Buddhist research institutions, and Peking University and Fudan University have Zen societies. Furthermore, we can see that some of the students there not only have faith in Buddhism, but their understanding is also considerably profound. As such, it is an important and necessary thing for us to promote Buddhism through these methods. I hope we all can keep this in mind.
Then for those secular people who have no faith or religion, when causes and conditions have matured, we should give advice appropriate to the situation to guide them in studying Buddhism and practicing virtue. However, if the opportunity is not there, there is no need to do it grudgingly. Even when Lord Buddha was still alive, the people who didn’t believe in Buddhism represented the majority of the city’s population where Buddha dwelt. This is just the result of sentient beings’ karma. We therefore should not force others to study Buddhism. Promoting Buddhism should be done in a way where we seize an opportunity when it arises and teach according to the opportunity.
(4) Question: I am a PhD student in the Business School. I don’t know much about Buddhism. May I ask: What is the viewpoint of Buddhism regarding group and individual goals? Has Buddhism ever mentioned this? How can we achieve these goals in a more joyful way?
Answer: Speaking about goals, Lord Buddha mentioned this in both the Agama Sutra and Vinaya Sutra. Individual goals can be divided into temporary and long-term goals. As for the ultimate goal, it is not just about this life, it is about the attainment of fruition after countless lifetimes. Many people do not even dare think about this. As for group goals, it is about the interests of monastics, the benefits of group practice for lay people, and so on. As we can see, individual and group goals were mentioned in Buddhism a long time ago.
How can individuals achieve their goals in a more joyful way? First, we must learn how to live and adapt according to causes and conditions. “Sui Yuan” is often mentioned in Zen. It means that while we are working for our goals, we should care more about how to make our efforts and contributions and not worry too much about what we hope to gain. As long as we work hard, there are no regrets, even if during the process we have to endure various difficulties or are not able to get what we want. There is no need to be agitated by this. We should learn how to adapt to changing circumstances. With this kind of mentality, we will be very joyful and happy.
In addition, whatever we do, we must have a proper and clear plan. If, without a goal, no specific arrangements are made, it is impossible to achieve our ultimate goal.
In short, whether in our work or daily life, whatever unfavorable conditions confront us, we shouldn’t strongly grasp. The more we cling to something, the less chance we have to achieve it; on the contrary, the less we cling to something, the more easily it will come.
(5) Question: Buddhism believes in karma: a positive thought will bring happiness and a negative thought will bring suffering. Is this concept of “wholesome activities bring happiness, unwholesome activities bring suffering” considered as a belief or a truth? If it is a truth, can we use logic or experiment to prove it?
Answer: The law of karma, “wholesome activities bring happiness, unwholesome activities bring sufferings” is actually an objective truth. This verse not only appears everywhere in Buddhist sutras, but we can also find it in other places, including Marshal ChenYi from China. He also said: “wholesome activities bring happiness, unwholesome activities bring suffering. When you can’t see the result, it is not because that there is no result, it is just because the time hasn’t arrived for it to ripen; when the time of maturity is reached, all results will ripen.”
It should also be possible to prove it by experiment. For example, if you are a good and kind person in this life, you will gain only benefit and not harm. Even if you can’t see your future life now, when you experience the results, every cause will produce its result accordingly and perfectly. This is the only way you can prove it by experiment.
On the other hand, by way of logical proof, we must first establish Buddha as a means of valid cognition and then have faith in his words. Through this, then we can believe that whatever Buddha said is true and not false. For example, Buddha said in the Karma Xia Gatha that: “Whatever karma sentient beings created will remain even after a hundred eons. When causes and conditions are there, their results will ripen.”
As such, the corresponding happiness and sufferings from the wholesome and unwholesome activities we have committed will be experienced in the end. This is like if you plant a seed of a medicinal plant, then the result is a medicinal plant that we can use. If you plant a seed of a poisonous tree, the result is a poisonous tree that causes harm.
(6) Question: I was previously studying National Studies and then entered Nanjing University’s Chinese Department as a PhD student in 2010. Many of my friends are studying Tibetan Buddhism. During my summer holiday last year, I went with them to visit Tar Monastery, Xiaqiong Monastery, and Labrang Monastery. I met many Tibetan Buddhist masters during that trip. May I ask: Currently, what is the situation with the exchanges between Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism? Are they learning from each other or is there a certain degree of conflict?
Answer: Currently, we can say that Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism are learning from each other and have a mutual understanding. There are many things in Chinese Buddhism from which Tibetan Buddhism can learn. For example, since Emperor Wu’s time, Han monastics have been vegetarian; this will directly protect the life of sentient beings. Also, the Zen lineage in Chinese Buddhism has many excellent and wonderful teachings and stories, and Chinese Pure Land Buddhism also has a very dedicated practice of chanting Buddha’s names. On top of that, I personally have often made contact with eminent Chinese Buddhist masters, as well as learning their spirit of promoting Buddhism and so on.
There are also many Chinese Buddhist masters visiting the Tibetan area, systematically studying Pramana debate, meditation in the Madhyamaka, and even studying sadhanas and pith instructions of the Vajrayana, and so on. At present, there are many monastics and laypeople from the Han region enduring many hardships in order to study and meditate in various monasteries in the Tibetan area, which have a solid practice tradition. We hear many stories that are very touching and worthy of praise in this area.
I think these exchanges between Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism are very good. As of now, I haven’t heard of any situations involving rejection, conflict, or insult between the two. Even if there may be some dispute between certain individuals regarding specific philosophies, in the broader picture, there needn’t be any concern about this.
Question: Is it possible for you to share with us how you practice in your daily life?
Answer: Personally, I have strong faith in Buddhist practice. The first ten years after I was ordained as a monk, whether it was memorization, debate, or giving teachings, I was quite zealous. There was nothing else in my mind except the Buddhadharma. I also slept sitting up, in the meditation position, and never lay down.
However, my practice became more loose later, mainly because there was a lot of administrative work to help practitioners from the Han region and I also needed to translate for them. Without translation, they cannot understand the teachings, as they don’t know Tibetan. Translating had a certain impact on my meditation.
Question: Throughout your practice, have you ever been skeptical or wavering about the Buddhadharma? How did you overcome this? Do you have any experience of enlightenment?
Answer: I am indeed an ordinary man, but I do have sincere faith in Shakyamuni Buddha and an irreversible conviction in the existence of past and future lives. If someone says that past and future lives don’t exist, I will never believe that person or be skeptical about my conviction. Furthermore, I have millions of reasons to refute their view. If someone says that Buddhism is not good, he or she is free to say this, but I will not be shaken for a moment because the faith I have in Buddha is in my marrow; this will never change in my life. This is not just simply trust, but it is something that has arisen through twenty years of listening, contemplating, and meditating on the Buddhadharma. After accumulating faith bit by bit, it finally became something very “solid.” It is in my blood, and it is impossible for this “solid matter” to dissolve easily.
However, as an ordinary person, when I see delicious food, if I am hungry, my mind will be wavered by it. When this happens, I also feel very ashamed, because I often give teachings on emptiness, but my actions seem not to tally with what I preach.
As such, if we talk about realizations, I myself cannot be considered to have any realizations, not to mention enlightenment. But I do have solid faith in Buddhism.
(7) Question: I am from the School of Humanity. Master, I feel that you have tremendous wisdom. Do you like to read poetry? Do you read foreign poetry?
Answer: I think I am not very good at composing poetry, but I do like to read it, especially poetry by Tagore and Shakespeare. I think they are quite good.
(8) Question: I am from the School of Humanity. I would like to ask a question about how much you sleep and the time you usually go to bed. As I understand, you seem to wake up at half past five in the morning and go to bed very late. According to the viewpoint of Chinese medicine, we should have a regular sleeping pattern; however, some renowned masters don’t sleep at all. I rejoice very much in those who don’t need to sleep at all, but I could never do that. My question is, should we follow advice from the viewpoint of Chinese medicine, which promotes a regular sleeping pattern?
Answer: A long time ago, I was able to be disciplined regarding the time I rested and worked, and I woke up and went to bed in a regular routine. However, at some point, I started to get busier, with more things to do. Sometimes I was busy the whole day, and in the evening I hadn’t even completed my daily chanting. This extended my bedtime further and sometimes I had to go to bed very late.
Perhaps my physical body is slightly different compared to others. The amount of sleep I need is less compared to others, since my childhood. When I was at the Normal School, when others had already gone to bed, I was still reading a book. When others hadn’t woken up yet, I had already started to do some exercise and begun reading books again. This caused my roommates to doubt if I had slept at all, and many people admired me because of this. As such, my body seems to not cling to sleep very much. Previously, four hours of sleep a day was enough for me, and now that I am getting older, I try to have five to six hours of sleep a day.
However, for most people, it is better to follow the suggestions of Chinese medicine, especially as it says in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, to reserve the time between 11pm to 3am for sleeping, because this is when our body generates new blood and removes toxins from the body. Regarding Buddhism, the Vinaya Sutra says that practitioners should practice the Buddhadharma during evening (6-10p.m.) and post-midnight (2-6a.m.), but sleep during the middle of the night (10p.m.-2a.m.). I think this is very good.
Due to individual habits, everyone may have slightly different sleeping patterns. Balzac only slept for four hours a day. He slept from 8pm to 12am, then woke up at 12am, drank some coffee, and made full use of the quiet nighttime, working very hard on his writing. Owing to this, he was able to produce over ninety works, which have won universal acclaim. For him, the nighttime was the best and most joyful time to work, so when and how long to sleep varies for each individual.
Question: For us, before our enlightenment, worldly matters and non-worldly matters are equally important, thus we have to learn both worldly and non-worldly knowledge. However, this precious human rebirth which endows us with freedom and leisure is so difficult to obtain, and we only have limited time, so what are the areas in which we should put most of our energy and efforts?
Answer: As a layperson, before enlightenment, it is necessary for you to find a balance between your worldly and non-worldly matters. You should not be over diligent at the beginning, giving up all worldly matters at this stage. By doing so, later, when you are confronted with various adversities, you may return to your worldly life again and give up the Buddhadharma. This behavior is quite extreme. Buddha also says in the Sutra on the Upasaka Precepts that lay practitioners should follow an ordinary life but try to remove and avoid various activities that cause distraction, and squeeze in some time to practice the Buddhadharma.
In fact, the problem for lay practitioners is not that they have no time to practice, it is because they carelessly spend most of their time on things that distract their concentration, sleeping, and chatting, so that they are not able to practice. If they can, they should make full use of this wasted time for the Buddhadharma, reserving a day or half a day for the Buddhadharma. This kind of persistent attitude to studying Buddhism is necessary.
When I am at the Buddhist institute, although there are many things that distract me, I will turn off my mobile phone and all other similar devices in the afternoon. I will try my best to reserve three to four hours to calm my mind and then read some books, making it something mandatory in my daily life, for my study and practice. As for lay practitioners, it may be not realistic to do this. However, waking up earlier and going to bed a bit later every day, or otherwise finding half a day or even one to two hours to practice a week should be possible. By persistently doing this in the long term, your practice will not be delayed, and whatever you need to do in your life can also be done.
(9) Question: I graduated with a master’s degree from Nanjing Normal University. During the school holidays, I went home. My mum then killed a chicken and fish to prepare my meal. Although she killed living beings, her motivation was for my benefit. By doing so, will she create serious negative karma?
Answer: Generally speaking, “Good intentions bring joyful results; evil intentions bring suffering.” As long as your intention is good, the karma you create will be good. However, for activities that directly harm or threaten the life of sentient beings, such as killing, in this circumstance the Vinaya says the intention is not as important, and the object is more important. So, what is the object in this case? It is the life of sentient beings, which you are terminating.
As such, even though she really cares about you, by taking away the life of other sentient beings, this action not only has no merits, but also causes great harm to her. For example, if due to your kind heart and good intention you stick a knife in someone’s stomach, if he dies, you will be punished by the law.
(10) Question: I am a PhD student from the School of Liberal Arts. I found listening to today’s lecture very beneficial. Reincarnation, samsara, or past and future lives were the main topics you talked about. Regarding these topics, I would like to ask: During your practice, have you ever learned about your past life? If you have, would you share it with us?
Answer: Do I know about my past life? I truly don’t know. However, there is one thing that I haven’t shared with anyone before; I will not mention the practitioner’s name for now. There was a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner who lived about one thousand years ago. Whenever I read about his deeds, which describe the cave in which he lived and how he passed away, I am in tears. This has happened many times. I am also puzzled as to why. Maybe I was a bug living near him, or something else? Apart from this, as I said just now, I don’t know anything about my past life.
However, through years of study and experiences, I am convinced that past lives certainly exist, and that my past life must have been as someone studying and practicing the Buddhadharma. Why? Because since my childhood, whenever I see a Buddhist scripture, statue, or monastic, I feel very joyful and delighted. On the contrary, I feel disgust at killing bugs or committing unwholesome activities. I lived in a very remote rural area in my childhood, and the conditions were very harsh. To live our daily lives, my family and neighbors would slaughter some small cows or sheep. If I found the animals before they did, I would desperately try to protect these animals and beg my family or neighbors not to kill them. I have had this kind of “gene” since my childhood. I therefore believe that I was probably a monastic in my past life or otherwise someone that practiced the Buddhadharma and thus has slightly stronger habitual tendencies in this particular area in this life.
Question: Is it possible for ordinary people like us to know our past lives, such as with the use of hypnosis, and so on?
Answer: Many hypnosis techniques are now quite popular in western countries. However, there are also some elements in this area that are untrue. Previously, there were quite a number of books about this area in China; however, some of the contents are untrue.
In Buddhism, there are some meditation practices that are similar to western hypnosis. For example, Karma Chagme Rinpoche recorded in his practice diary a method which allows us to enter into a certain sleeping state. In this subconscious state, you can recall your past life. Although there are many such cases, not everyone can recall their past life.
Question: Since reincarnation exists, can I say that the original self, the core of the soul that dwells in us, will continue without end? Will my personality from my past life pass on to my present life?
Answer: During the process of rebirth, our soul continues unbroken, and our personality from our past life will continue to our present life. Regarding this process, there is an abundance of logical reasoning and references in Buddhist scriptures to which we can refer. For example, practicing virtue or developing wisdom is very easy for some people, but other people, especially those who were born as animals in their past life, such as a cow or horse, are dull in terms of reasoning and analysis in this life. From a physiological viewpoint, it is believed that the root causes of these differences are due to genetics. However, in Buddhism, we believe this is due to previous virtuous or non-virtuous habitual tendencies accumulated in our alaya.
Of course, these habits can be changed or enhanced. Through making efforts in one, two, or countless lifetimes, eventually all negative habits can be purified, and the fruition of the bodhisattva or Buddha can be attained. Each sentient being has the same opportunity to make progress.
(11) Question: I am from the Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University. I know that Buddhism emphasizes logic; however, it stresses even more a non-logical and highest level of realization. May I know more about this non-logical method?
Answer: Indeed, Buddhism does discuss logic, and this kind of logic is extremely meticulous. In Buddhism, there are two types of logic: one is logical reasoning and the other is scriptural reasoning. For logical reasoning, the main reasoning uses the Pramana three modes of analysis; this is quite similar to the use of major and minor premises to infer a conclusion in the western philosophical system.
As for scriptural reasoning, we first establish that Shakyamuni Buddha is someone that speaks the truth. Two thousand five hundred years have passed since Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings appeared, and not a single scientist can overturn his teachings. Thus, we can establish that the many subtle and profound, mysterious phenomena explained in Buddhism are certainly true and without fault, because they have been revealed by Buddha himself. Through this method, we can validate those slightly unclear and hidden, unknown phenomena by relying on the words of Buddha.
You believe that Buddhism has a non-logical approach. Actually, it is not necessarily non-logical; it can also be established via logic. We can either use the proof of valid direct perception or otherwise the valid inferential perception to reason it. Through these two methods, we can establish phenomena.
Question: I would like to ask another question about inevitability and coincidental events in this world. For example, regarding the earthquake in Japan, if I lived there, and then an idea to go to the beach arose in me that day, I would have been swept into the sea. It is also possible that I wouldn’t have that thought, and I would stay at home, thus avoiding the disaster. In this case, is this considered to be something that has happened by chance?
Answer: For a person to be swept away by the waves out to sea, on a surface level, seems to be an accidental phenomenon; however, a kind of law of certainty does exist.
If you murder someone, the evil cause has already been committed. Later, you will be arrested by the police, whether at that time you are eating at a restaurant, at the seaside, or at home. On the surface level, it seems that the police caught you at a certain place by chance. However, no matter where you are, due to the fact that you have committed a crime, the police will certainly come for you. In the same way, once a sentient being has committed unwholesome activities, suffering results will definitely be experienced later. Although you have not committed evil actions toward the waves, the waves will still sweep you into the sea. If we investigate the root causes of this, we will find that it has a close relationship with the negative activities you committed in this life or your past life.
From the environmental point of view, it is possible that there is an element of coincidence, but from our personal viewpoint, this is a kind of law of certainty.
(12) Question: I just graduated from Nanjing Jinling Institute of Technology. Last year, I had an opportunity to stay at Serthar Buddhist Institute, listened to your teachings, and now I am studying the Bodhicharyavatara. During this process, I deeply felt that your words, actions, or movements are all for the benefit of sentient beings. I would like to ask: how can we gain this kind of great bodhicitta to benefit sentient beings and to diminish our clinging to the self?
Answer: You mentioned that all my words and actions are always for the benefit of sentient beings; actually, this is not true. Just now, I drank some water, and that is for my own interest, not to benefit sentient beings (laughs). Whoever we are, whatever our status, it is important that we at least cultivate a little bit of the altruistic mind. This is especially true for contemporary society, where everyone is trying to cheat each other, and most people are self-centered, doing things only out of their own interest. It is therefore important for us to brighten others with an altruistic mind. If you can do this, whether you are civil servants, teachers, or intellectuals, your contributions to society will be far beyond the value of material things.
At present, many people in the cities only seek money and wealth. Actually, this has no significant meaning. Only by having a strong and kind heart and continuously helping others can we truly gain the most benefit. Even if you don’t have the causes and conditions to help others in this life, the brilliance of the kind heart will continue to shine forever.
Question: Just now you mentioned that you only sleep five to six hours a day. How are you still able to put such great effort into reading so many books, translating so many treatises, and also teaching and promoting the Buddhadharma?
Answer: I didn’t deliberately try to reduce my sleep. It seems that, naturally, my body just doesn’t like sleeping very much.
Typically, I like to spend my time reading books. If I find some excellent treatises, I would like very much for more people to learn about the principles in these treatises, so that they may gain some benefit. Because of this motivation, if there are no Chinese versions of these treatises, I start to translate them. Some of the works I have completed are not translations, but are the lectures I have delivered, then compiled and edited. They are collected in the Treasury of Wisdom Compassion. As for other works, compared to the past renowned masters or the present philanthropists, they are like a drop of water compared to a sea, so they are not worth mentioning. What causes and conditions I may have in the future, I cannot determine. Anyway, I will just let things flow gradually.
(13) Question: I am a PhD student from the School of Liberal Arts. I would like to ask one question, the simplest question: What is right; what is wrong?
Answer: This question can be answered from two perspectives: Firstly, we can investigate it from an individual viewpoint – if a thing is harmonious with our mind, it is right; if it is not harmonious with our mind, then it is wrong.
If we investigate it from an objective point of view, then if a thing is in agreement with the truth, is irrefutable, and is able to stand scrutiny, we say it is right. For example, the nature of fire is to emit heat, the nature of water is wet, and what is opposite to that is what we would consider wrong.
Question: You mentioned that you read Tagore’s and Shakespeare’s poetry. Do you also read Tsangyang Gyatso’s poetry? What do you think of his poetry?
Answer: I quite like Tsangyang Gyatso’s poetry. When reading his poems, I have two feelings: Firstly, Tsangyang Gyatso is one of the great poets. He uses simple, very accessible terms, and the romance that people cling to most as the starting point, to gradually guide us to renounce and let go, thus gaining a state of freedom and comfort.
Secondly, from Tsangyang Gyatso’s secret biography, we can see that in such a historical background and living in such an environment, he was still able to face reality with a free and easy attitude. When enduring various adversities, he not only didn’t blame anyone nor was defeated by the suffering, but he was also able to write poems which described his subtle state of mind; such noble sentiments are truly worthy of praise.
Actually, Tsangyang Gyatso’s love songs have three levels of meaning: outer, inner, and secret meanings. Ordinary people mostly know about the outer meaning, and feel this is quite suitable for the desires of men and women and their minds. But they don’t go beyond that to comprehend the spiritual teachings or practices in these love songs.
(14) Question: I am a lecturer from the Department of Information and Communication Engineering in Hohai University. I came here to listen to your teachings. Something has been puzzling me for a while: After many years of economic development in this country, our present living standard is getting better and better. However, many people, including myself, can feel that, on the contrary, people’s hearts seem to be even more tormented. Why is that?
Answer: This is not a problem for one or two countries; this is happening to the whole world. Living standards are better and better these days, but the happiness index is lower and lower. For 2010, the statistics for the happiness index in the USA show that compared to a decade ago, unhappiness in Americans has increased twofold. Thus, when people view money or material goods as the symbol of success, a decline of moral values will be inevitable; the more inflamed the desires, the more agitated the mind becomes.
As such, I very much like living in the Tibetan area. Although some places are remote and the material conditions are very poor, inwardly people’s hearts are free and very relaxed. As I said at the beginning of the lecture, although the buildings here are so much higher compared to a decade ago, and there have been so many developments and changes, I am not sure if moral values have improved at all. This indirectly implies that some people may be even more miserable than a decade ago.
The reason why people are so tormented is mainly due to lacking a moral and religious education. If we possess these two things, while developing material wellbeing, we will also have a sense of satisfaction and contentment. We know when to stop and not go too far; we adapt according to the situation, and do not continuously strive to fulfill desires. If we want to eliminate our present confusion, I personally feel that the ethics and moral values stated in Confucianism, and the faith that can enhance our wisdom, as articulated in Buddhism, are both essential.
(15) Question: I am a PhD student in Sociology. Buddhism has a concept called emptiness. However, compared to ancient times, huge changes have taken place in the present era. In such an era, how do we cultivate the view of emptiness properly?
Answer: No matter which era it is, the Buddhist view of emptiness will not be affected.
If you truly want to cultivate the Buddhist view of emptiness, I suggest you learn and study Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, Chandrakirti’s Entering the Middle Way, and Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Verses. After studying these three treatises, you will gain a certain understanding that things and events are all empty. With this understanding or view as your basis, it will be very helpful for facing daily life.
I often think that in such a busy life, if people are able to gain some understanding of the Buddhist view of emptiness, then they would not need to endure various adversities or suffering that they are currently facing or with which they are struggling. I therefore very much hope that while you are living your daily life, you also learn some teachings on emptiness, which carry a very powerful blessing.
(16) Question: I am a PhD student from the Department of Philosophy at Nanjing University. When I face problems in my life, I often end up by accepting and tolerating people who cause me difficulties. However, often, people don’t understand me, and think I am stupid. This makes me feel very sad. How do I strike a balance so that I can accept and tolerate others, yet still be happy?
Answer: This situation is quite common nowadays. It includes some people who have studied Confucianism. Due to their politeness, some teachers and students take advantage and bully them. Many people in contemporary society do not show respect for kind and honest people. As such, some individuals who carry out wholesome activities and are tolerant with others may not necessarily be well accepted by others. However, even so, we should not give up our kindness and tolerance.
Tibetans have a great Buddhist master: Mipham Rinpoche. He said: “Even if the earth is filled with wicked people who commit evil, my noble deeds will not be affected. I should be like a lotus growing out of the mud, pure and clean.” In this way, even if others think you are silly or foolish, you will still have a clear conscience. Only by doing this, can we have some hope for individuals and for society.
(17) Question: I am a student from Jinling Institute of Technology. In Lord Buddha’s time, he preached the Buddhadharma to sentient beings in accordance with their mental dispositions. However, ordinary people like us do not have the privilege to meet a lama personally or to be close to a lama to study and practice the Dharma. The only thing we can do is listen to the teachings the lama has taught to the general public. In this case, how can we choose the right Dharma practice which is suitable for us personally?
Answer: The most important thing is to find out in which practice you have confidence, faith, and interest. If you have strong faith in the Diamond Sutra, Lotus Sutra, or Zen, this shows you have an exceptional past connection with these, and you can then choose them as your main study and practice.
Question: Sometimes, when I try to put the lama’s teachings into practice, I feel that even though I have the motivation to do it, I am lacking energy. How do I remedy this?
Answer: In the process of studying and practicing the Buddhadharma, quite often we may feel that we are lacking vitality, even if we truly want to do something from our heart. To remedy this, we should be mentally prepared in advance by knowing that studying and practicing the Dharma is not an easy task.
At the same time, we should always pray to and request the blessing of the guru and the triple gem. To have a successful Dharma practice, we actually also need certain merits. If we do not have merits, whether it is for expounding the Dharma, benefiting sentient beings, or in personal practice, various obstacles will emerge, and even cause us to give up half way. We should therefore always pray to and request the blessing of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, especially during times when obstacles occur.
In addition to that, we should also have a firm aspiration or commitment that whatever adversities or unfavorable situations we encounter, we will remain firm and committed. Only by having such a strong motivation can we counter the unfavorable situations, be protected from the maras, and block all their opportunities. Because of that, when we practice virtue, we should all make an enormous, great aspiration and commitment and uphold it with a firm and unshakable motivation. This is extremely important.
Epilogue from the Host
Many thanks for Rinpoche’s teachings out of his wisdom and compassion. I am also very pleased to see the students’ enthusiasm in asking so many questions.
Today, on this evening, when causes and conditions have gathered together, we have had the privilege to listen to a topic of ancient wisdom: the “Buddhist View of the Science of Life.” Furthermore, Rinpoche also shared his personal experiences in order to enlighten us. I believe that each of us has gained some benefits, and our hearts have been moistened by the nectar of the Buddhadharma. In the longer term, this has tremendous benefit for the harmony of our body, mind, and the enhancement of our life. At the same time, this harmony of body and mind in an individual can then spread to a family and society. In this way, it is very beneficial for the construction of a harmonious society and world peace. Thus, let us once again thank Rinpoche with warm applause, and we look forward to Rinpoche’s next visit in the near future.
Also, thanks to the teachers and students from Nanjing University, as well as the teachers and students from other schools, and all the other attendees. Because of this wonderful gathering, this aggregation of causes and conditions, we have successfully completed an extremely meaningful evening. May I hope that such an evening is able to open the gateway to the path of the Buddhadharma, the journey of wisdom, the passage of compassion, and the road to ultimate wellbeing. Thank you.
