QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON REFUGE
Do you have any question as regards the refuge?
Student: When you take refuge, do you have the vow not to kill?
Rinpoche: It is good to take the vow to not kill because killing means with the intention to kill, and this is the greatest harm. It is good to take that vow to not kill, there is great benefit, but just taking refuge alone, with that, you do not necessarily have the vow to not kill. It’s possible to take refuge ordination and stop certain harms. But other harms could be like this. I think Lama Lhundrup explained taking refuge in the Dharma, no? By taking refuge in the Buddha, by taking refuge in the Dharma, by taking refuge in the Sangha, there are two things, two practices. Taking refuge in the Dharma, you should abandon giving harm to other sentient beings. By taking refuge in the Dharma, you should stop killing because this is the heaviest harm for other beings.
If you can take the vow it’s better, but there is refuge ordination, only refuge, it does not involve taking those precepts, any of the five precepts. Some sentient beings maybe cannot take any of the precepts but there are other practices that cause them to accumulate merit, preparation for the happiness. This I have checked with His Holiness because I had this question. His Holiness said that there are sentient beings, some people, who cannot take the precepts like that. I think what His Holiness meant is that maybe the other practices such as offering to the Triple Gem, things like that, allow the person to do that. How do you say these animals that come in the kitchen? Cockroach, staying in the refrigerator, yeah? Coming to take refuge in the kitchen? [RL] That you can clean and put somewhere maybe with some food in the box?
Student: If you are a farmer and you have to use insecticides, otherwise you cannot have a crop.
Rinpoche: Yes, farmer, otherwise you cannot have crops, they cannot grow. Once after a long tour with our guru Lama Yeshe, we went to Mussourie for fifteen days to have a rest. We stayed in one hotel that was used by all the abbots, and many of the geshes came for the teacher training, His Holiness Zong Rinpoche and Khunu Lama Rinpoche were there for teacher training, and His Holiness Zong Rinpoche was in charge. We did a puja there. You know the geshe who came the other day, that I took around? There was another monk with him who came to the puja. During the meal-time this monk said that he heard that in America, in the West, you can plant sentient beings in a field. I think he said goats or sheep or something growing, coming from the field. I think probably he got mixed up with this idea that scientists have boxes and they put a lot of food and try to grow life. I didn’t hear if the result actualized, but I heard that they tried to experiment with growing sentient beings—you mean by putting the eggs [discussion with students]—you mean the tube, that one? No, not that one. I think something you put food in a box and then ....[Students: Cloning.] Anyway maybe he is mixed up with these other ideas probably.
I did not finish the answer. The thing is, though one thing, it might harm but there is no wish to harm from the side of the person. There is no choice, but there is no wish to harm. So I think that’s the main thing, that’s the most important. Actually strictly speaking, you almost cannot move without harming others. There are tiny creatures when you step, you walk on the ground, strictly speaking you can’t have any food. Not having the wish is a very important thing.
So I think it’s mainly dependent individual karma. That’s like that. Try as much as possible that hold the whole thing not having wish to harm and then try as the capability that you have to not harm, capability that you have to not harm. So if you could try this, there is incredible benefit for oneself and for other sentient beings.
Student: But there is still one thing I’m not sure about refuge—the Christian practice striving to imitate Christ and the Buddhist practice of developing the mind to a stage of Buddhahood seem to be fundamentally different?
Rinpoche: Could you repeat again the question?
Student: The Christian practice of striving to imitate Christ...
Rinpoche: Imitate the Christ, you try to imitate Christ and try to become Christ.
Student: Yes and the Buddhist practice of developing the mind to a stage of buddhahood.
Rinpoche: Yeah.
Student: Seem to me to be fundamentally different. And yet we are told that to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha will not compromise the Christian belief in the trinity.
Rinpoche: Yeah.
Student: Is this right?
Rinpoche: I think if you look at it in pure way there is no contradiction, okay. If you look at it in impure way maybe contradictory, okay. If you look at it with impure mind.
Student: Can I help but look at it with an impure mind?
Rinpoche: What? Can you repeat that again? Didn’t follow.
Student: Just that she can’t help look at it with an impure mind, she cannot help but look with impure mind.
Rinpoche: She cannot help.
Student: What worries me is that for instance in this book or any other that one might pick up, it is said that one should not take advice from several different teachers at once. One runs the risk of becoming confused about the way to practice. And the practice of Christianity and the practice of Buddhism...
Rinpoche: Several different teachers?
Student: ...are very different.
Rinpoche: Several different teachers?
Student: Sorry. If one takes advice from several different teachers at once, one runs, this is the point, one runs the risk of becoming confused about the way to practice. And the practice of Christianity and the practice of Buddhism are very different.
Rinpoche: This must be same in even in Christianity, if you follow, if you ask several different priests, they may give you different advice, or even Buddhist, several different teachers if you ask they may give you different advice.
Student: So one would run the risk of becoming confused about the way to practice?
Rinpoche: If that is the topic, generally speaking, then I would say, even as a Buddhist from different gurus—I think like nowadays many Western students who are studying Buddhadharma ask many different gurus, and get different advice. It’s happening. I would say to check among this different advice to see what you can do, what you are capable of doing, and explain that one to the teacher and then try to get permission, respectfully explaining if there is something you cannot do. Then when those different teachers give different advice, if you are able to do all those, if you are able to practice all those, then that’s great. So like that.
Student: So one can practice.
Rinpoche: So?
Student: Christianity and Buddhism together?
Rinpoche: So I think if it becomes confusion or not, it mainly depends on you yourself, your intelligence, how much good karma you have. The main thing is good karma, the most important thing is good karma: if there is good karma, there is no confusion; if there is not enough merit then there can be much confusion, so that’s the main essence, that’s the main point. For the person who is very lucky, who has much merit, the foundation, a very fortunate person, there are no obstacles in practicing everything—whatever the person wishes, everything happens very smoothly, very easily, it happens like rainfall—whatever you practice, step by step it comes. The necessary conditions just happen like that.
So if you look at Jesus as having all the qualities that a buddha has, omniscient mind, stainless, having finished all the mistakes and obscurations, having completed all the realizations, having completed the training in compassion for all sentient beings, if you prostrate with this kind of recognition, even if you make an offering, there is no problem, there is no contradiction. Anyway, generally you can copy anybody who has good examples, something beneficial thing to say, to subdue the disturbing thoughts. Yeah? That does not mean you are breaking the refuge precepts. Anything that pacifies disturbing thoughts is a teaching of the Buddha. The Buddha’s teachings are according to the mind of sentient beings, so for some people the teachings can be completely contradictory to other teachings given to some other people.
That’s why I think the Italian saint St Francis, when he prayed to a Jesus painting, the painting spoke to him, and they still keep the verses there on the table in Assisi. This was not so much the power of the material as it was mainly the power of his mind. Other people do not regard him as Buddhist, but I think he has a lam-rim realization and the realization of the graduated path to enlightenment, bodhicitta—this happened through the power of his mind so because of the development of his mind, because of the power of his mind, the object can function like that—Francis or St Francis? St Francis right? Not just Francis. He completely cut off worldly concern and attachment to this life, and he wore very ragged clothes with holes and patches. I think he was an unbelievable practitioner, maybe of the same period as Milarepa, the great yogi, in Tibet, who achieved enlightenment in one brief lifetime. Besides not having attachment to this life, on top of that he practiced differently from other groups, so he and his disciples all wear rag clothes, very rough, and walk in the street very humbly. The others would spit from upstairs and shout and scream, make fun, criticize him, but he and his disciples never showed anger and never retaliated. Constantly they walked on the road reciting the name of Jesus.
The sign that he was a bodhisattva—there was a wolf in the forest who harmed a lot of people and the other people were very scared. He told the people he would go to tell the wolf to not harm others. The other people told him please don’t go, it will harm you so, but anyway he went. The wolf came in front of him like a very crazy elephant who came to Buddha, and completely become subdued to, and bowed down to Buddha’s feet—the wolf was a wild, mischievous wolf, but it went to his feet and lay down like a dog. He told the wolf not to harm others and that he would bring it food, and from then on the wolf harmed no one.
Also, his disciples meditated in a place where there was running water, and they complained to him that they could not meditate because of the noise. St Francis told the water you should stop because it is disturbing my disciples’ meditation. So as soon as he mentioned, the water completely stopped.
Pigeons stayed on his body continually. Even now in that place, wherever there are statues, living pigeons stay around on those statues. There are many stories like those—about yogis and Tibetan lamas who travel on the road, and all the birds singing, and all the points on the trees bend toward and suddenly the river stops and they can walk through on the sand and then the river joins again. There are many stories about how harmful creatures cannot harm that person, proving that this person is a bodhisattva. Even though he is not called Buddhist, he has the realization of bodhicitta. There are many, even among the Hindu sadhus. They don’t have to be only wearing Buddhist robes, Theravadin or Tibetan you see. So his mind is very pure, understanding, unselfish mind, very developed. Like Jesus Christ.
In Christianity I can definitely see the path to enlightenment, as in the Buddhist teachings. In Christianity, there are many similarities. I think I mentioned one day how Christianity talks about karma, even though it doesn’t say karma, it talks about it, because it talks about hell and heaven. There is one word I think for reincarnation? There is so much emphasis on moral conduct, morality. Ten virtuous actions, faith, and morality. There is talk of karma, but it is not clearly explained. It is extensively explained in the sutra teachings by Buddha.
However, there is the basic mention of reincarnation, karma, moral conduct, faith, and how important faith is, but it does not explain this clearly, Maybe it does not explain very clearly what God means, maybe that can be little bit of a problem.
So, if you can explain Christianity clearly, you can explain the dharmakaya. To understand the dharmakaya you need to sleep for one month. Maybe get more colds.
It says God is eternal, but there is no explanation. I think we stop here.
THE REFUGE CEREMONY
When we have hunger, we take refuge in food, when thirsty, we take refuge in drink. We take refuge in the house to protect the body from hot and cold, in clothing, take refuge in parents, in friends, but the problem so far is that we’re not liberated from samsara, samsaric suffering, we can’t do this by taking refuge in all these. Not having taken refuge in the Buddha who reveals the whole path to the full enlightenment, not having taken refuge to the Dharma by listening and reflecting and meditating—that didn’t get done. As well as relying upon the Sangha, the attainment of the whole path, the actual refuge of Dharma, the examples showing how to practice, who give inspiration and encouragement.
We didn’t get to achieve the path, so therefore, we are sleepy, have problems. So why is there a need to take refuge?
To achieve liberation, to achieve enlightenment, great liberation for the sake of all sentient beings, we must take refuge to actualize the path, relying on Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. So that is the essential purpose.
Those who have taken the lay vows, but degenerated them can take the five precepts again. Those who have taken higher ordination don’t need to do so in the ceremony. You shouldn’t think I am taking upasika refuge. If you take the lower ordination, it makes you lose the higher ordination.
Then, first make three prostrations, thinking of the statue of Buddha as the actual living Buddha.
Please kneel down, putting the palms together at the heart, then think, feel very strongly, what I explained last few days—the twelve links, samsaric sufferings, how all samsara is suffering, “Until I get liberated from samsara, caused by karma and disturbing thoughts, contaminated seed, disturbing thoughts, I will have to experience suffering of samsara without end,” then remember the three types of sufferings that one experiences in the samsara.
“So, this time, I have received a perfect human rebirth, I have met the teachings of Buddha, the virtuous teachings, revealing the whole path to enlightenment without missing anything, and this time as I have all these opportunities I must achieve supreme liberation, the ever-release from samsara, for the sake of all kind mother sentient beings equaling space. Buddha is the founder of refuge, Dharma is the actual refuge, and the Sangha is the obtainer of the actual refuge in my mind; by requesting them, recognizing in this way, I’m going to take the upasika vow.
[Rinpoche recites in Tibetan.]
Ask the Lama to pay attention...
[Recitation.]
Then mention your name.
[Rinpoche recites in Tibetan, followed by students' repetition.]
Then, taking refuge in the Buddha.
[Recitation.]
Now taking refuge in the Dharma.
Taking refuge in the Buddha, the dharmakaya, to transcendental mind the omniscient mind, then also the absolute nature of omniscient mind, completely pure, no obscuration, unstained by completely having ceased, separated from, the obscuration. And then, the aspect, the manifestation of the dharmakaya, the sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, those, so absolute truth Buddha, all obscuring mind, the mind Buddha, the sambhogakaya, the nirmanakaya, those aspects of Buddha that which all obscuring mind can see. Which can become the object of our obscured mind of ignorance. Taking refuge in both.
Now the Dharma. Taking refuge in the absolute Dharma, the true path, the wisdom realizing emptiness and directly perceiving shunyata and the cessation of suffering, now the relative Dharma or the relative truth Dharma or the all obscuring mind truth Dharma, that is the three basket teachings, teachings on the gradual path to enlightenment, taking refuge in both.
So feel yourself a very serious patient, the incredible need for medicine, and then rely upon that.
[Recitation.]
The next one is taking refuge in the Sangha. You feel yourself a serious patient, with the chronic disease of disturbing thoughts, a condition without beginning, this sickness, then the incredible need of the help of the nurse. Feel in extreme need of the Sangha, with that rely upon the Sangha. The Sangha is two, absolute and relative—absolute Sangha is one who has the attainment of the true path and the true cessation of suffering, monk, celibacy, or lay; then the relative Sangha, the Sangha, the all obscuring mind truth, that one, that is four members, living in the full vows.
[Recitation.]
Until death time I’m going to take the upasika one vow. If there is anybody only taking refuge then remember only refuge upasika. Is there anybody? Repeat now, those who are only taking refuge ordination, repeat this, who are only taking refuge today, only refuge not taking vow, repeat this.
[Recitation.]
Then those who are, is anyone taking the one precept? Anyone taking one precept repeat this.
[Recitation.]
Now who are taking two precepts repeat this.
[Recitation.]
Now who are taking three.
[Recitation.]
Now taking the four.
[Recitation.]
Now who are taking five.
[Recitation]
Now taking five, sorry six.
[Recitation.]
Now please repeat again.
[Recitation as before.]
Now do the third repetition and at the end of the third repetition then those who are taking the only refuge then you receive this and those who are taking just one vow then you receive this or whatever number of vows you are taking then you receive them.
[Rinpoche completes the recitation.]
Think, “As previous arhats abandoned the killing, abandoned the mind and also the body and speech, in the same way I will abandon killing with the mind, also abandon with the body and speech.” Anybody who is taking the precepts not to kill, please repeat this.
[Recitation.]
Now the same motivation, the same thinking, and now the stealing, taking what is not given. I think maybe in future like this it might be more simple.
“As the previous Tathagathas and arhats observed the number of precepts, until death time I am going to keep these precepts, until death time I am going to keep these precepts.”
[Recitation.]
Now, the general practices. By having taken refuge, rely on the holy beings, receive teachings, reflecting and practicing, practicing compassion for sentient beings, then take precepts as much as possible, make offerings to the Triple Gem, either visualizing the Buddha in the heart or above your head on the crown or in front. You can do this with the motivation of bodhicitta, and subdue your own mind, purify, and generate the whole path to enlightenment, to have a long life and be healthy, to practice Dharma, to obtain benefit for all sentient beings. In this way, however many times you eat, it becomes merit, so much merit—and is also done with the motivation of bodhicitta. This becomes infinite merit each time—the way to make life meaningful. Another practice is to make prostrations. In the morning when you get up, make three prostrations to the Buddha, the founder of the Buddhadharma, the actual refuge, who grants the actual method to liberate yourself from the obscurations, from the whole of samsara, to reach enlightenment.
Then make three prostrations and feel great happiness—from now until death time however many precepts you have taken you will continuously accumulate merit. There is something to dedicate, you are doing something for sentient beings. You are one person, so by taking one vow, not to kill, not to take life, numberless sentient beings do not receive harm from you. They don’t receive harm from telling lies. So you see, there is unbelievable benefit, unbelievable happiness, received by numberless sentient beings. So many sentient beings’ peace depends on you. So you should know that in everyday life as much as you are keeping the vow, uncountable numbers of sentient beings receive less harm and that much happiness from you. You should know this and be happy, very rejoiceful that you are doing something worthwhile for sentient beings, that you are bringing peace to this continent, this world, to all sentient beings.
Now make three prostrations to the lama that granted the vows.
Those who wants a Dharma name?
Somebody wants Dharma name? The one purpose of the name is to remember the practice. The original Dharma name—if anybody wants?
There are some pills. This pill is made for when you do retreat, high tantric retreat you know, Kalachakra, Tara all those deities, any of the mahaanuttara deities. You have to have this pill to purify the whole thing, to develop your mind, to develop tantric realizations.
There are three pills. One you can give away to another person.
[People come up to receive Dharma names and pills.]
Due to the merits accumulated by oneself by taking the vows, and all the past present and future merits accumulated by all the sentient beings may I be able to complete the paramita of moral conduct by practicing without breaking, keeping it purely without pride.
[Recites in Tibetan.]
Due to all this merit, may myself, all the family, all sentient beings, enemy friends and all, in all the lifetimes, until I achieve enlightenment, never be separated away from Lama Tsongkhapa and from the virtuous teachers and from the path that pleases all the buddhas, the lam-rim path, even for one second.
[Recites in Tibetan.]
Due to all this merit, may I and all sentient beings, including enemies, friends, and so on, meet Lama Tsongkhapa’s pure teachings, live in the pure morality having the great attitude doing the hardest work for the sentient beings, practicing the yoga of the two stages, the essence of transcendental wisdom of truth and voidness.
[Recites.]
As the three times Buddhas have dedicated their merits in this way I will dedicate all my merits to quickly enlighten all sentient beings. Whoever sees me, touches me, remembers me, talks about me—just by this may they become free from all suffering and receive all happiness
[Recites.]
Due to all this merit may all the students in the organization be able to receive the complete Lama Tsongkhapa teachings oneself and be able to spread them to all other sentient beings by giving them the pure morality of the lay vows and of celibacy, monks and nuns, having extensive listening of the teachings, having well trained bodhicitta, and right conduct and view.
[Recites.]
Goodnight.
THE BODHISATTVA VOWS
I thought I’d go over at least the basic eighteen root downfalls, the eighteen root vows, before the bodhisattva vows are taken, with the preparation and the initiation.
At any rate I must achieve omniscient mind for the sake of all the kind mother sentient beings, therefore I’m going to take the commentary of the bodhisattva vows. So please listen to the teachings by generating at least the effortful bodhicitta and then also purifying the righteous conduct of listening the teaching according to the practice of the lineage lamas.
The first one, the root downfall of praising yourself and criticizing others.
One who is living in the bodhisattva vow—first this refers to the selfish attitude, for your own sake, being extremely attached to receiving respect and material offerings. That’s the attitude, and the action is praising yourself, how capable I am, how intelligent I am, that I have psychic powers, that I have this and that, that I am special person, fantastic person, amazing person.
Some person, whenever he speaks, says good things about himself all the time—whenever he brings stories or something they are all what I did and why, this and that. So the action is not so much a mistake, the main thing is the motivation, as I just mentioned. If he has bodhisattva vows and the motivation is like this, it breaks the bodhisattva vow. Not even the thought to benefit other sentient beings, the action of praising, criticizing others, not having the thought of cherishing other sentient beings, and the action, what the person does, is that benefit, criticizing mind of other sentient beings.
If you have this motivation, praising yourself, the impure motivation, the selfish attitude, and you criticize other sentient beings, it does not necessarily have to be a sentient being having obscurations—other sentient beings or the Buddha—criticizing others who have qualities, who are objects to be praised by other sentient beings. When others hear you criticize and understand the meaning, can hear the words, these four shortcomings are gathered. Then it becomes actual root downfall.
The four shortcomings are these. Not looking at it as shortcoming—for example, out of the selfish mind praising yourself and criticizing others, that it has a result of sufferings to be experienced, not looking at it as a mistake. That it has great shortcomings, sufferings.
Then the second thing is doing it again and again. Not changing the attitude of doing the action, doing this action again and again.
Then, the third thing, for having done this action, praising yourself and criticizing others, feeling rejoiceful, feeling happy, satisfaction. After you mentioned your own capabilities or whatever, you praise others, feel kind of, “Oh I got to mention what I wanted to say about me,” so feeling happiness. Then in regards to somebody you dislike, if you are able to express that the person made a mistake or something, there is some criticism, some blame, and you are able to express or tell somebody, and kind of feel happy.
Also if you are able to make the other person change his thought, and think that someone is bad, and you are happy. On top of your criticism, the other person makes the donation of criticism to the other person, and you feel you succeeded, you feel happy.
Then, not feeling shy, shame, doing the mistakes. The first one is by reason of yourself, the second is by the reason of others—careless of others. You don’t feel regret, you feel careless of others.
Not thinking, “How can I do this? I’ve taken the vow, not having this kind of attitude, if I do this I am creating shortcomings, negative karmas, not thinking of the suffering results of karma.” Maybe also like this—“I have taken this vow from the holy objects, for the sake of sentient beings, from the holy object, so I am cheating them.” When you don’t think that way, then it’s kind of careless, telling lies. I think that’s the closest one to get the idea.
If this action is perfected with this fault, it becomes a root downfall, otherwise if any of these are missing, even if one has done these actions, criticizing, praising, if one of these are missing, it does not become the actual root downfall. You receive some vice, but it doesn’t become the root downfall.
If there are all of the four shortcomings, it becomes the root downfall— you receive the first root downfall. Whatever the person did, praising or criticizing, it doesn’t have to go together.
And the duration—you have to have the limitation on time, these four things. One explanation is that when I checked with His Holiness, he answered that if you have done this action within four hours, if this action is perfected with these four shortcomings, you receive the root downfall.
The second one, the root downfall is not giving the Dharma or wealth out of miserliness. So when somebody who is either in poverty of possessions or Dharma comes in front of you, while the person has come to beg, your mind is overwhelmed by miserliness for the possessions or teachings on Dharma, and you decide to not give. If that is perfected with the four shortcomings, then you receive the actual root downfall of not giving the Dharma or possessions out of miserliness.
Then, third, the root downfall of not accepting when others confess, by either getting angry and beating others, or one of those. You get angry and insult the sentient beings who can understand the meaning of your words. Then, developing anger, the mind being overwhelmed by that. Beating or putting them in prison, these kind of things—even if you don’t beat, harming. Beating or tying the person.
Then somebody who harmed you in the past confesses from the heart, and when he apologizes, according the Dharma, you keep this very tightly in the heart. Harboring, not accepting his asking for patience, not letting go of anger.
When these two actions, the previous one and this one, not accepting patience, when these are perfected with the four shortcomings, one receives the actual root downfall.
In the six-session yoga prayer, when you recite the prayer, you have to remember that root downfall.
Then, the fourth one, the root downfall of avoiding the Mahayana teachings, again with this there’s another one—but you should remember the root downfall, revealing that which looks like the holy Dharma but is not really the holy Dharma.
However, it is merely dependent on the other person’s level of mind. Anything that becomes a remedy to his delusions is the holy Dharma, anything that is the remedy to his disturbing thoughts is Dharma by definition. Any advice, meditation, that you teach, tell others, if that becomes the remedy to disturbing thoughts, if that pacifies the mind, I would say that’s the holy Dharma. It is defined by that. If it becomes a remedy to delusions, it is Dharma, if it does not become remedy to delusions, it is not Dharma.
The root downfall, the fourth one, avoiding the Mahayana teachings, or revealing what looks like the holy Dharma—for a person who is living in the bodhisattva vows, all these root downfalls have to be by the person living in the bodhisattva vow.
Saying the bodhisattva teachings revealing the path are not meaningful, saying it is not correct, saying it is not Buddhadharma, is not correct. Saying this is not Buddhadharma, not a teaching taught by Buddha, saying it is not Buddhadharma, or another way of saying it is not Dharma, a teaching taught by Buddha, implying that it is not what is to be practiced.
I think, it might be same thing in relation to the four sects, Kagyü, Sakya, Gelugpa, and Nyingma teachings, which gradually lead a person to enlightenment—saying these are not the Dharma. Saying these are not meaningful, not Buddhadharma.
Now the second one. Those teachings, those other teachings, which do not cut off the disturbing thought, which don’t reveal at all the remedies to cut off the disturbing thoughts, the cause of sufferings, which appears as if it is holy Dharma, then happily, revealing, teaching others, letting others follow these wrong views. Then these true actions, perfect to the four shortcomings, then the actual root fall: avoiding the Mahayana teachings, revealing teachings which look like holy Dharma.
I might stop here.
Maybe I’ll mention the preparation.
[Rinpoche recites in Tibetan.]
The next one—the root downfall of taking and not giving things meant for the precious sublime ones, the Triple Gem. With the motivation for the selfish mind, and on top of that, disturbing thoughts, either out of anger or attachment. Then that belonging to the truth of the absolute wisdom. Remember yesterday in refuge I mentioned the absolute Buddha, absolute Dharma, absolute Sangha, and the obscuring truth Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, that which the ignorance of true existence can see, as appears as truly existent, out of ignorance.
So the material belongs to them, and then either you directly steal it or otherwise indirectly steal it. The completion of stealing is when you get the thought that you have received it. If you haven’t generated the thought “I have received it” then the stealing is not complete.
Then, now here is the root downfall, that action perfected with the four shortcomings—this is the actual root fall of having taken material things belonging to the Triple Gem that are not given.
So things that were given as offerings to the holy objects, can be taken, can be used, with the thought of cherishing other sentient beings. In that way, the motivation is not selfish, even though you use those things you don’t receive the root downfall, the things that you has offered to the Triple Gem.
I asked His Holiness Zong Rinpoche the details about this—Rinpoche said it is heavier to steal things offered to the absolute Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—that is heavier. My question was like food—after you make the offering, then if you use it with a selfish mind, doesn’t it become stealing? His Holiness Ling Rinpoche explained that you are offering the essence of it, you are not offering the whole thing. Normally before you eat or drink, you offer first to the Triple Gem. So I think His Holiness is advising, answering in that way. The first thing that is clean is offered to the Triple Gem, before you use it, so His Holiness said it doesn’t become stealing. I don’t remember what His Holiness Zong Rinpoche explained.
Next one is criticizes the teachings of the lesser path, the hearer, listener, and the self conqueror, saying that they are not Buddha’s teachings.
Then the next one is avoiding the holy Dharma. The previous one is criticizing the Mahayana teachings, then avoiding the Mahayana Dharma. However, abandoning the Mahayana teachings, criticizing the Mahayana teachings, the four sect teachings, the basic things from Buddha, criticizing one as good, one as bad, is avoiding holy Dharma. By criticizing the lesser teachings, the Theravadin—many people say the Theravadin teachings are pure, the Mahayana teachings are not pure, that’s avoiding the holy Dharma. This is the opposite of refuge practice. By taking the refuge in the Dharma, even one letter, one page torn from the texts, you have to respect these as actual Dharma refuge.
On the ground or in the garbage, pick it up, put it in a higher place, respect it like this. Therefore, there is no question that those were Buddha’s teachings, taught to different sentient beings who had different levels of intelligence. You must pay respect.
Avoiding Dharma, stepping over the Dharma text, throwing in garbage, and avoiding holy Dharma are mentioned in the lam-rim texts, given in the text Liberation in the Hand, Pabongka Rinpoche’s text. The negative karma of avoiding the holy Dharma is much heavier than destroying all the stupas on this earth. They are even heavier than killing an arhat, those holy beings. Also, the teachings are taught by Buddha and because you don’t understand, and find them very technical, thinking, “This is not for me,” that is avoiding holy Dharma. Even if it does not fit with your mind at the moment, you should pray that you are able to understand and practice this teaching later, in the future.
So you should practice like this. This is mentioned in the sutra teaching by Shakyamuni Buddha, how its heavier than destroying all stupas on the earth, or killing arhats.
Then, when turning pages of Dharma texts, you shouldn’t use spit but use clean water when you turn the pages. The practitioners who know refuge practice use clean water to make the fingers wet, then turn the pages.
You create negative karma by avoiding Dharma. As His Holiness Ling Rinpoche advised turning the pages of the Dharma text with spit cause one to be born in the vajra narak.
Then, confiscating the robes. This is in relation to the monks who took the ordination of celibacy—degenerating their vows, taking their robes away, beating them, putting them in prison, causing the other person to become lay, to come down from the ordination, or harming the holy beings who took the ordination of renunciation.
Then, having committed the five uninterrupted negative karmas, one or all of them: killing your father, your mother, an arhat, causing the blood from the tathagathas with an evil mind, and causing disunity within the Sangha. These karmas are called uninterrupted because right after death, you will be born in the naraks. Therefore it is very heavy. Even if you have created other negative karmas, at the time of death, among those karmas, some good karmas are strong, and then after death, you experience the result of that good karma. You experiences the negative karma later, so there’s a break between the cause and the result. If you create one of those uninterrupted karmas, such as killing your mother or your father, there is no break. So immediately you have to be born in the narak realm. These are called uninterrupted negative karmas.
Then, the next one, heresy. This means thinking that there is no such thing as action or result. There are no past and future lives. For nonvirtuous actions there is no suffering arising, no such karma, no action and result, and from virtuous action, saying there is no experience of the result of happiness.
You don’t need the four shortcomings to complete this karma. Whenever the thought has arisen, whenever the delusion comes in the mind, that there is no such karma, no future lives, reincarnation, past and future lives—not just the passing thought. That’s not serious—but really believing, that is serious.
Then, the next one, destroying a city, family, village, or area in the country with the motivation of selfish disturbing thoughts To receive this root downfall, you need to gather the four shortcomings.
Then, the next one, revealing emptiness to one whose mind is not trained in the preliminary path, refuge, karma, those basic things.
The main explanation is here also somebody whose mind is not ready, who get scared by revealing shunyata. Then, if you have generated bodhicitta, and without examining that person, you reveal emptiness to that person, and the person gets scared and changes his attitude to achieve enlightenment, that is the root downfall.
Then, the next one is turning others away from achieving enlightenment. Telling those who have generated bodhicitta, entered the Mahayana path that they cannot practice the six paramitas, telling them how hard it is, how difficult it is, saying in this way you cannot achieve enlightenment, and advising that they practice the lesser vehicle path. If doing that, and the other person is turned away from practicing the Mahayana path to achieve enlightenment, then you receive this root downfall.
Then, the next one, the root downfall of avoiding the pratimoksha vows. This is telling a person who is living in bodhisattva vows, what’s the use of keeping pure moral conduct? If you generate bodhicitta, you turn towards the Mahayana Path, all the vices of the body, speech, and mind caused by the disturbing thoughts will get purified. If you cause the other to abandon living in the moral conduct of the pratimoksha, this is the root downfall.
Then, the root downfall of praising oneself and criticizing others—with the selfish reason of being attached to receiving material or respect from others. Even if you do not have qualities, you tell others. Even if others don’t have mistakes, telling others that they have mistakes. When the person to whom you speak understands the meaning, you receive the root downfall.
I think I’ll stop here.
