Summer greetings!
Anyen Rinpoche has instructed me to lead a series of contemplations on karma, and specifically, on the ten virtuous actions to be taken up and the ten negative actions to be abandoned. Rinpoche hopes that our sangha will contemplate each one of these topics and engage in discussion on them, so that we will all be focusing our energy on a common theme no matter what we are doing or where we find ourselves this summer!
I’m going to be writing based on Patrul Rinpoche’s Words of my Perfect Teacher as well as other teachings I’ve received from Anyen Rinpoche on this topic.
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Mindfulness training teaches us to be precise in the actions of our body, speech and mind. This is also supported by faith in karma. If all actions have corresponding results, it makes sense to focus our energy on how we engage with the world and with others.
Generally, three things are necessary in order to create “strong” karma based on the actions of body, speech or mind. We must have the motivation to engage in the action, we must actually engage in the action, and we must rejoice in the action. When any of these are missing, we still accumulate karma, but the karma will not be *quite* as difficult to purify.
Confession and purification are what enable us to break down karma that we’ve already accumulated, or are about to accumulate. The hundred syllable mantra and meditation on Vajrasattva are taught as primary ways that we purify karmic obscurations, but sincere regret from the heart works as well. We need not worry that we don’t know enough about practice to practice purification. All of us can sincerely regret negative actions once we recognize that we have engaged in negative activity.
Anger is said to be the greatest cause of accumulating negative karma, and the greatest cause of destroying the root of virtue that we accumulate through practice. It requires a lot of our mental attention, since we tend to get angry even without even knowing it. In some cases, we might even be angry for months or years without realizing it. Anger hardens into resentment, and then manifests in all kinds of ways and as all kinds of different emotional energy: frustration, passive-agressiveness, depression, rage….definitely a good reason to focus on the emotion of anger.
Additionally, our culture seems to be dominated by the expression of impatience–another form of anger. Have you ever been in India? That’s when you see how impatient you truly are…!
Patrul Rinpoche said:
You renounce evil and take up good, as in the teachings on cause and effect.
Your action follows the progression of the vehicles.
Through your perfect view, you are free from all clinging.
Peerless Teacher, at your feet I bow.
#1 by Yontan on June 23, 2010 - 10:00 AM
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Karma. Action. It can seem nearly impossible to be mindful of our actions, especially when the only time we notice we are not mindful is when we catch ourselves being angry, or some other negativity. Just like in meditation though, if you simply “refresh” and begin a new thread, it’s not difficult at all to watch yourself. It takes energy, yes (fueled by bodhicitta, and that fourth perfection, virya), but it is not difficult like you need a special skill. Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that in meditation when we find that we’ve lost our focus, it’s actually a wonderful thing: losing focus is simply what beings do, but when you notice, that’s practice, and it’s wonderful that you are practicing, and thousands and thousands of “noticings” later, you will no longer be a beginner and you will have some control over your mind. I think it’s the same with mindfulness in action as well. Each time we catch ourselves we can actually rejoice that we are truly trodding the path of Buddhadharma.
For those of us that have been studying the Beacon with Rinpoche (or otherwise engaged in madhyamaka studies) – anyone have a brilliant insight into how karma actually unfolds? Why is it that a negative deed brings about negativity, and a good deed brings something wholesome? And what are the markers for “goo” or “bad” deeds?
Also, who can say something about the differences between applying regret and doing Vajrasattva practice?
#2 by Sarah on June 23, 2010 - 10:12 AM
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I was remembering Rinpoche’s description of the strengths of karma being similar to the current of a river. Trying to directly reverse or oppose the flow is impossible. Think of the innumerable lifetimes we each have spent accumulating the energy of our karma – there must be a lot of momentum and power contained in our karma. However, eventually the current can be influenced and redirected, little bit by little bit. This analogy is very helpful for me when I think about karma.
This same analogy is helpful to me in finding compassion when I see people who have done terrible, cruel things, thinking of being caught in the flow of a powerful river, unable to change where you are going. And then that leads to profound appreciation and thankfulness for my human, dharma learning condition, this precious human life. How incredibly lucky to have a teacher and guide such as Rinpoche, and a Noble Sangha such as you all…I think I’m going to cry now.
The good news in knowing these three things which impact the strength of karma is that we can use them as a framework or a guide for developing virtuous karma (but that’ still contaminated karma, right?). Maybe the bad news is that afflictive emotions based on ignorance have been the motivation upon which our actions have been conceived. But like you said, we are able to diminish the strength of negative karma by recognizing our afflicted motivation and action, and then regretting and purifying instead of rejoicing. Self-examination and awareness of what’s going on in our own minds seems to be the key. This must be why the mind is called King, as our actions and speech are initiated in our mind, the filter, the source of our perception.
I think I’ll go say some Vajrasattva and work on pure perception!
#3 by Anyen Rinpoche on June 23, 2010 - 11:19 AM
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It was my thought that sometimes people feel that formal Vajrasattva practice is the best way to purify karma and this could be an obstacle for people…or an excuse. One could think, “I don’t know how to do that practice so I can’t really engage in purification.”
Otherwise, I do believe the sacred syllables give us some greater ability to engage in purification at a level that is beyond mere regret…that’s from the pov of my own devotion, I suppose.
#4 by Yontan on June 23, 2010 - 12:12 PM
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I love the river current analogy. No one can move an entire house, but anyone can move a brick. (Same kinda thing.)
Allison yeah, I think that’s a lot of where Dalai Lama comes from when he speaks about simply “being a good person.” When you hear about all of the amazing techniques in the Buddhadharma (even just at the sutra level, let alone tantra) it can be overwhelming. Especially if you have that feeling that you “ought” to be doing better/more.
If we look at the “four powers” (reliance, remorse, remedy, resolve) really any one of them will help us “some.” Remorse may very well be the first step.
Reliance can be many things. In Vajrasattva practice it’s the yidam inseparable from the guru, but it can also be a good dharma friend, or even your dog. Something special happens when you have a witness, even if it’s not a “wisdom support.”
The remedy and resolve aspects can be as simple as an apology to beings whom you’re trying to establish in enlightenment, but cannot due to negativity.
So, everybody get your dog, and tell him or her how naughty you’ve been. You’ll feel better.
#5 by Angela Tsultrim on June 23, 2010 - 6:47 PM
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A few years back, when I was just starting to practice the Dharma. My first Lama had a Vajrasattva text we would practice from and there was a line in the text, after we had set up the visualization, just before the mantra began, that was translated as, “the mind of love is activated.” I love this translation. It really helps remind me of the simple yet incredibly strong power of love. It’s like, there I am, visualizing my best on this very elaborate deity (which I love to do but sometimes struggle with) with all of the accoutrements and colors and jewels. Then I remind myself he is one big blazing white sun of love, loving the negativites right out of me. Then I think, isn’t this really me loving me?? How very cool.
Angela Tsultrim
#6 by Clotilde Wright on June 23, 2010 - 8:37 PM
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Lots of great food for thought in these comments…I’ve thought recently about the habitual tendencies we have, or our particular karmic circumstances and its true, it feels so very powerful, these places we find ourselves in. The analogy of a prison comes to mind, or like I’ve heard before “a burning house of fire” used to describe samsara.
On a personal note, I had this sudden realization at work that so much of my suffering at work was completely created by my own mind, or my habitual responses based on past experiences which would be related to karma. I don’t think I’ve ever had this kind of insight before, where I was like “wow that really was all in my head”. So, I wonder if part of the purification of karma or the result of purification is being able to recognize our habitual tendencies and releasing them.
#7 by Yontan on June 24, 2010 - 9:46 PM
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Clotilde, I know the feeling. At the same time liberating and frustrating. I suppose we should just get used to the fact that – to the depths – it’s all our own fault. I always try to remember that any recognition, no matter what humbling or embarrassment it entails, is always a step in the right direction.
#8 by Clotilde Wright on June 25, 2010 - 5:22 PM
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Yes, and I think it is important to try to have a compassionate attitude towards ourselves and others when we have these insights. It can help us to recognize how we’re all in a similar boat, or a similar “burning pit of fire” rather
#9 by Yontan on June 25, 2010 - 8:54 PM
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Mindfulness, patience and confession: a great first topic for summer contemplation.
Mindfulness isn’t easy, though it seems to come back quicker with practice. Even that constant remindingness can become a dull unconscious drone. I find the “string around the finger” trick works for keeping me coming back. I have a few samaya objects I keep on my person during the day (mala, kila), and when I put them on I try to tie it with my bodhicitta practice – what I’m working on most these days with so much of my time being with my sometimes er… challenging children! I’ve heard that monks’ robes are not particular comfortable, and serve in part to keep one mindful. I know keeping a zen draped over me can have that effect, but I’m not one to wear it much. What other tricks do we have for keeping our mind gently focused in the right direction?
#10 by Clotilde Wright on June 26, 2010 - 8:48 AM
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Mindfulness, how to come back to the present moment….since I am a reader, I find when I recognize my mind is wild, I’ll pick up a dharma book and open it to any page and read a paragraph. That often helps calm my mind and it can help prepare me for meditation as well.
#11 by Ananda on June 27, 2010 - 12:44 PM
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I guess mindfulness is the necessary tool for recognizing good and bad actions or thoughts. But I actually have a really hard time with that. So much of my activity- thoughts especially- seems pretty neutral- and my ego colors my judgment as to what is good and bad.
Of course, if any thought or action generated by my ego or my separate deluded self is negative karma, then I am generating negative karma every minute of every day.
This is what I wish for most in my Vajrasattva practice- to be able to discern positive and negative activity- and I hope that it might come based on faith.
#12 by Yontan on June 27, 2010 - 1:59 PM
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Ananda, do we have any acts that are not generated by our ego? Are there no good acts?
#13 by Clotilde Wright on June 27, 2010 - 2:49 PM
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I think the amount of afflictive emotions generated at any given moment can be a good indicator of what constitutes virtuous or non virtuous action. I think maybe thinking of virtuous and non virtuous rather than good or bad (which can feel more judgmental) could be helpful. For example, if a thought generates a feeling of jealousy and I act on that, probably my action is tending toward non virtue, but if I’m able to recognize jealousy and try to contemplate on joy for the person, maybe I’m leaning towards virtue. And its possible the neutral thoughts you’re talking about, Ananda, generate neutral karma. So, Yontan I think that this is what we are trying to do is to transcend ego when we meditate or contemplate which takes the initial mindfulness and recognition.
#14 by Yontan on June 27, 2010 - 3:51 PM
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One way to see it is that all phenomena and experiences of this world are of the nature of emptiness and dependent arising, “coalescence of wisdom and appearance” as Mipham says. It’s not a transformation from falsity to this coalescence, but simply training ourselves to see the falsity of everything but this coalescence. From that perspective, there’s no real “transcending” but actually a complete engagement in the very stuff of this confused existence. It isn’t the appearances themselves, just our mind grasping them. As long as we are grasping, we can grasp the notion of the three jewels, and of accumulating merit, and dedicating all of our acts and intentions and their benefits to all beings. This is all an enormous seamless pervasion of confused grasping, but it is in accord with untangling our karmic-vision-inertia, which when yoked to proper meditation can bring us back to (as
Trungpa Rinpoche put it) our basic/original sanity.
Also from this perspective there’s no real chance of acting somehow outside or beyond our conceptual grasping and “self”-centric vision: our notion of suffering, it’s cause, cure and state of being cured, our efforts at the noble eighfold path and six perfections, everything we would call The Path, has to at least start from this confused place, or else we’d be SOL.
So then, if we know things aren’t inherently good or bad, and it’s more a matter of an actions “functionality” or virtue as Clotilde says, then even “bad” action can become very useful, virtuous, functional on the path. “I just stole this. That person needed it. I should give it back and then go earn $10 to give them for their trouble. With this in mind I will redouble my efforts to practice generosity and put others before myself.” Now, stealing becomes the root of generosity, the first and most critical of the six perfections.
I’d be interested to hear from Ananda more about these neutral activities/thoughts. Sounds like a good topic we don’t hear/think much about.
#15 by Anyen Rinpoche on June 27, 2010 - 4:04 PM
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Neutrality is one of the three possible types of Karma we can accrue. Unless the three spheres are transcended in a given moment, even a neutral action or conceptual thought binds us to Samsara.
#16 by Ananda on June 28, 2010 - 12:10 AM
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Yes, I actually think there are no 100% good actions carried out by unenlightened beings such as myself. It’s always mixed karma because my intention is never totally pure.
And, what I’m wondering about is when I delude myself, or obscure my own intentions, or I’m just not wise or perceptive enough to tell what’s virtuous and what’s not.
But, thank you, Allison, for making it simple- I can generally recognize when I am angry, so that’s a good place to start.
#17 by Clotilde Wright on June 28, 2010 - 7:50 AM
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As you mentioned previously, referring to Vajrasattva, hopefully this clarity comes through practice.
#18 by Clotilde Wright on June 28, 2010 - 8:03 AM
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Allison, Can you remind me of what the three spheres are?
#19 by Anyen Rinpoche on June 28, 2010 - 8:06 AM
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The three conceptual spheres are what create a dualistic action. They are (1) the actor (2) the action or interation, can also be the object (3) the recipient
For example, with generosity: the giver, the object given (or the action of giving), the recipient
#20 by Clotilde Wright on June 28, 2010 - 8:24 AM
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“there’s no real “transcending” but actually a complete engagement in the very stuff of this confused existence.” When I think of transcendence, I don’t think of it as non-engagement, I think of it as engagement in a different way, a more useful enlightened way.
#21 by Yontan on June 28, 2010 - 12:56 PM
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Gotcha. Transcend as in overcome vs rise above.
