Bodhipath_Curriculum

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switch to the 35 Buddhas and do the prostrations as you said, and then the Man-
dala?
(A): Sure, that is fine.
(Q): You talked about the different kinds of Bodhisattvas. I was wondering if
it'd be some kind of egotistical wish to go to Dewachen first.
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(A): I talked about three kinds of Bodhisattva: sailor-minded, shepherd-
minded and king-minded Bodhisattva. To go to the pure land of Amitabha first,
is perhaps a king-minded Bodhisattva where one achieves everything first, and
then one is able to help others. To be a king-minded Bodhisattva is all right, but
be a good king, not a bad one.
(Q): Isn't there a contradiction, the wish to go to a Buddha's pure land versus
the sailor, or shepherd-minded Bodhisattva?
(A): The best is to have a big mind. That means a shepherd-minded Bodhi-
sattva. He is one who wants to go more into the hardships so as to become a
very powerful Bodhisattva. He stays longer in the realms of samsara to build up
his positive reserve of merits. A big and strong reserve can support the very big
wishes for beings.
If you are a Bodhisattva who wants to associate with the animals at the bottom
of the ocean, you have to make a wish to be one of them. For instance, you can
be a very fat fish with a very scary existence. You sit at the bottom of the ocean,
and every day, you can be a good lunch for the many other fishes. Bodhisattvas
who take such challenging rebirths want to accumulate greater merit power for
their wishes. When they later achieve the first bhumi, their wishes for sentient
beings, far more extensive than the sailor-minded and the king-minded Bodhi-
sattvas, will all be happening.
(Q): If such a Bodhisattva makes wishes to be reborn in Dewachen, doesn't he
disturb his own wish then?
(A): No, it is possible that he shifts from being a shepherd-minded Bodhisat-
tva to another kind. He might want to reach his goal quickly, which might mean
that he is a little tired. But whatever he has accomplished already, will not be
wasted.
The physical, sexual desire that is between the male and female can be used for
rebirth. The shepherd-minded Bodhisattvas don't aim to eliminate it. They use it
to actualize a rebirth. As well, they are making wishes to take rebirth in sam-
sara to help beings. Together, these two conditions of wish and sexual desire
make it possible for them to be reborn.
(Q): I quickly get tired when I do Shi'nay. Why is that?
(A): I think the sitting-posture is not proper. You should learn the proper
way to sit. Someone should correct your sitting posture. Lama Paldrub will be
the one to show everyone.
(Q): I feel that when I do Shi'nay with counting, I count but actually my
mind is like sleeping. Isn't it then better not to count and focus on the visualiza-
tion?
(A): I think you better do both. Imagine and count. Don't be stiff. Make your
mind comfortable. Counting will develop into a very good habit. Then later, you
will not make mistakes. In the beginning, you might think it is easier not to
have to count, but it won't be easier later on. This order of counting first, which
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leads later to not having to count, is actually how you will progress naturally accord-
ing to your ability to concentrate.
Now we do a short meditation together.
(Q): I have difficulties in relaxing my eyes, as there is always tension.
(A): When you are trying to concentrate, don't give pressure to the head. Some
people conceive the brain to be the mind. But it is not the brain that thinks. To feel
that the brain is thinking is just a habit. Tibetans do not have this same habit. Instead,
they feel that it is their heart that is doing the thinking. They think with their hearts.
Either way is still a just a habit.
When you concentrate, don't pressure your brain. Mind is empty, so focus on the
breath. The tension actually comes from your applying pressure to the brain, so try to
reduce that habit. As to self-awareness, it comes neither from the brain, nor the heart.
Don't place your focus in either. Rather, try to keep your awareness while allowing
the mind to rest in the mind.
(Q): When concentrating in Shi'nay on breathing and counting, there are a lot of
thoughts running parallel to it, or happening at the same time. Is that normal, and
does it go away?
(A): That's normal. It is the reason why in the beginning one should concentrate
only for a short time. I have emphasized this point repeatedly. By keeping the ses-
sions short, you will be able to prevent the parallel thoughts. It is easier to maintain
the concentration for a short count of five rather than a longer count. If you continu-
ously count for ten minutes, then for sure, you will not be able to control your mind
throughout. To gradually build up a good habit of concentration is the way to develop
concentration. Concentrate for a short time, and before the mind gets tired, take a
brief rest. In this way, you will be able to prevent the thinking.
(Q): When reciting mantras, does one need to hold the mala in the left hand and
skip the Buddha-pearl while completing the turn of the mala?
(A): It's good to hold the mala in the left hand. And if you already have the con-
cept that the centre bead is the Buddha's head, then you won't want to put your finger
on it.
Actually, to regard the bead as the Buddha's head came from hearsay, a bit of an old
wives' tale. It probably came about from a practice called the Dorje Phamo, where one
imagines that each bead of the mala means something. Then people over-stretched
the idea and spread it like a rumor. In Tibet, the centre bead is called a term meaning
captain. That bead is considered the captain of the other beads. In this context then, it
does not matter if you press, or touch it. However, because you already think it the
Buddha's head, then don't press your thumb on it. Just continue to do as you have
been doing thus far.
(Q): When I do Shi'nay meditation and my mind gets relaxed, then I always have
the tendency to go more up, and more wide, and to go more into space.
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(A): No, here it is very important to maintain the concentration on counting.
Don't make more visions here.
(Q): It is not a vision. It is just a tendency to always look more up.
(A): Don't do that. Just keep as usual.
(Q): When I breathe in, it is sometimes difficult to breathe down when pressing
the stomach in. Sometimes it gets a little bit tense.
(A): No, the breathing actually makes you feel more comfortable. But don't
breathe down too hard. If you do, then it comes from your own worry, created by
you, that you are not doing so well. It makes you want to put more pressure there.
Then it is uncomfortable, isn't it? Take in the stomach. The abdomen is slightly
out, and then press down. This way is more comfortable, and more supportive of
the sitting posture.
(Q): I have read many teachings about the importance of breathing naturally.
But when I do, I have more the impression that I am controlling my breath.
(A): Yes, you should control your breath here. You are using the breathing as [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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