According
to Padmasambhava whom through my root and lineage gurus, I claim to be the
source of my practice, I am nothing but a very superficial dharma practitioner. But even then, despite the inability to
be genuine, I still have to try & proceed according to my limited abilities.
Padmasambhava said, and his statements appear in italics & larger font size below, whereas my (self) observations are set in ordinary font.
“It is superficial to chant the scriptures
without having faith.”
Well,
for all I know, faith may be hiding in the basement or in some deep recesses of the
mind, but it certainly isn’t there up front, all the time. The taste of faith usually dissipates as soon as it arises.
“It is superficial to behave in an
altruistic way without feeling compassion.”
In my case, most
of the time half-numbness & half-presence rule supreme. There is no acute sense of
compassion, only a hazy sense of its possibility. I certainly do not
hear the lice scream out in pain and horror when they pop in the freezing cold
in a fur coat left out in the open for exactly this purpose, like some yogi of
yore could hear them as it happened.
“It is superficial to act generously without
being free from stinginess.”
I
certainly calculate the numbers and the odds for reward before I make a
contribution. And even if I tell
myself to not do, I still do. I can't help myself. I am calculating.
“It is superficial to be a practitioner of
tantra and not keep the commitments.”
The
question is not so much, when have I broken them. The question is, when have I
NOT broken them! Especially the most basic precept of awareness keeps being
broken and must be totally shattered by now. But I still try against all odds. May be the trying is also a road destined to fail. But what can I do!
“It is superficial to be noble without
meditating.”
Most
of the time my so-called mediation is just make-believe. No depth, except for
flickering moments.
“It is superficial to have knowledge without
practicing the dharma.”
Laughable! There isn’t even knowledge of the
scriptures beyond the most general and patched up. And as far as real practice is
concerned, see above.
“It is superficial to engage oneself in a
dharma that does not possess the essence of practice.”
Like
the dharma of reading novels; the dharma of watching movies; the dharma of geopolitics; the dharma of the
pursuit of fame & what not! But at least I have avoided following purely intellectual presenters of Buddhist topics, or any one of the self-proclaimed modernizers.
“It is superficial to teach others when one
does not act in accordance with the dharma oneself”
O
Boy! Do I have it coming! Yet
surprisingly, my shabby attempts at helping a few dharma friends appear to have
some good results. Which can probably only happen due to the blessings of my
o so super-patient gurus who intervene with their subtle ways & don’t let my
few students down. Left to my own devices completely, I would.
“It is superficial to give advice that one
does not follow oneself.”
Listen
up, Choyin Dorje, listen up!
Padmasambhava concludes by saying
Padmasambhava concludes by saying
My ears are tired of listening to ‘learned’
people whose dharma practice does not tame their own minds, but who simply
allow it to increase their disturbing emotions. Whatever they say is nothing but superficial talk.”
—English translation of Guru Rinpoche’s words
According to Nima Lama
No comments:
Post a Comment